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What To Know About NXT's Historic First 'Lights Out Match' As Mandy Rose Makes History

The fallout from last week’s Heatwave event continues!

By Chris Phelan
Mandy Rose standing in the ring with her arms outstretched

We’re one week removed from last week’s unforgettable Heatwave special, but that doesn’t mean NXT is taking its foot off the gas pedal.

Nope, not by a long shot.

While we’re sure the Superstars of NXT UK will once again make their presence known after they crashed the party last Tuesday — and who knows what kind of mayhem they will bring stateside once again? — there’s been a few exciting matchups already announced for tonight’s episode!

Lights Out Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Wendy Choo

What is a Lights Out Match, you say? Well, according to Wendy Choo, the rules are simple: There are no rules.

Oh, and the arena’s lights will be turned off as well, but that goes without saying in a match like this, right?

Over the past few weeks, these two women have been at odds with each other. Tiffany Stratton — the self-proclaimed “Buff Barbie” — has made it a mission to make Wendy Choo’s NXT career harder than it has to be. Not only does Tiffany already have a victory over Wendy in the record books, but she also added insult to injury by tossing her out of the 20-Woman Battle Royal last month.

We don’t necessarily want to call it bullying, but Wendy has had enough. And let’s face it, the poor girl needs her beauty sleep!

The most intriguing aspect of this match is its high level of unpredictability. A Lights Out Match has never been featured on NXT television — let alone the entire WWE. When two Superstars of this caliber have the green light to win by any means necessary, the formula is simple: it translates into a match that is absolutely must-see.

NXT UK Tag Team Championship Match: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. the Gallus Boys

The WWE Universe is in for a treat. It’s a rare occasion to see NXT UK championships defended in the Capitol Wrestling Center, but that’s exactly what will happen later tonight!

At Heatwave, homegrown champions such as Mandy Rose and Bron Breakker weren’t the only people targeted by the incoming NXT UK Superstars that ... well, we’ll come out and just say it: They essentially invaded the CWC. There was one rivalry in particular that seemed to have made its way across the Atlantic, and that’s the budding feud between NXT UK Tag Team Champions Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen and the men known simply as the Gallus Boys.

The Gallus Boys, whose claim to fame is owning the longest NXT UK tag team title reign in history, have rightfully declared that the championships need to come back home.

Briggs and Jensen think otherwise.

It all adds up to what will surely be an incredibly hard-hitting and fast-paced match, because to put it simply, all these mens can go in the ring.

We might not see the NXT UK tag titles defended on American television again, so make sure to appreciate this match as it happens!

Of course, there will be much more to take in this week other than these two announced matches.

Tyler Bate arrived in NXT last week — with the NXT UK Championship in tow — and made a beeline for Bron Breakker, who had just finished warding off JD McDonagh in the Irish Ace’s failed quest to capture the NXT Championship. It’s safe to say we will see more advancements in this intriguing development.

When Worlds Collide was announced last week, and it will feature the top stars of NXT going up against the very best of NXT UK. It’s a safe assumption that When Worlds Collide is when Bate and Breakker will meet in the ring, but perhaps those assumptions are put to rest by the end of this evening.

Or who knows, maybe they’ll collide sooner than we think. Maybe the two men won’t wait for When Worlds Collide!

And finally ... 

NXT Women’s Champion Crossed An Historic Milestone

We’ll be honest right now: We would bet the house on Mandy Rose flaunting this admittedly very impressive feat tonight.

It’s just a matter of how “toxic” it will be when she does it.

The best part of tonight’s episode of NXT 2.0 isn’t just the announced matches and what we logically look forward to, it’s the unknown that is the greatest part. Who knows what will go down tonight in the CWC, because after the last few months of NXT television, we’ve learned one thing for certain: Expect the unexpected. And expect the unexpected to be amazing.