For 203 days, the Authors of Pain ruled the NXT tag team division as champions. Earlier this year at TakeOver: San Antonio, the duo claimed the NXT tag team championships from #DIY and became just the third team in the brand's history to hold the titles for more than 200 days.
But nothing lasts forever. At TakeOver: Brooklyn III in August, Rezar and Akam suffered their first loss at the hands of SAnitY, ending their impressive run. Then the former champions disappeared.
As if the changing of the guard wasn't enough, the landscape shifted further when Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly ambushed both teams following the match in Brooklyn, introducing themselves to the division in a major way.
Since that time, SAnitY and the Undisputed Era, Fish and O'Reilly's triumvirate with Adam Cole, have been battling it out -- and that ultimately led to a six-man tag team match on Wednesday night.
Predictably, the match, which is destined to be settled on a far grander stage, didn't have a clean finish. Instead, as the match seemed to be ramping up toward its climax, the Authors of Pain made their first appearance in nearly two months. As SAnitY looked to be closing in on a victory, Akam and Rezar rushed the ring and got a bit of retribution on SAnitY, which caused a disqualification and allowed the Undisputed Era to sneak away.
As Adam Cole, Fish and O'Reilly observed from the entranceway, the Authors of Pain let their intentions be known when they held the tag team championships in the air.
The Undisputed Era's infiltration of NXT, which has been a compelling storyline, just got taken to another level. The Authors of Pain's inclusion not only cranks up the intensity, but it throws a bit of doubt into the idea that the Undisputed Era will have immediate success in NXT -- and uncertainties create a more intriguing product by giving heroes and villains alike more obstacles to overcome. This conflict has the potential to be an epic collision.
Ember Moon secures the third spot in the NXT women's championship match
Coming off of a fantastic rivalry over the NXT women's champion with soon-to-be Raw superstar Asuka, Ember Moon positioned herself as one of the favorites to claim the now-vacant championship with her performance. She was Asuka's most serious rival and challenger, and proved that she could perform at a high level on a big stage; after taking Asuka to the limit at TakeOver: Brooklyn, Moon will get another opportunity to challenge for the title at TakeOver: WarGames.
Moon squared off with Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville on Wednesday night to determine who would join Kairi Sane and Peyton Royce in what will be a Fatal 4-Way championship match at TakeOver. As Deville applied an ankle lock on Riot and seemingly had the match set to go in her favor, Moon leapt off the top rope and hit an Eclipse out of nowhere on Deville, covered Riot for the three-count and punched her ticket.
With all due respect to Sane, Royce and all of the other women in the division, it feels like Moon's time. She appeared poised for a title run while she was feuding with Asuka, and with the former champ out of the picture, Moon could finally get the chance to lead a division that finally looks to be back on the upswing.
Zelina Vega confronts Drew McIntyre
In a backstage interview, NXT champion Drew McIntyre talked about his journey that eventually brought him back under the WWE banner and ultimately led to his reign as champion. He touched on his initial WWE run, his release from the company and the hard work he put in to make it back. Since returning, he's done a tremendous job of articulating just how much it took to finally reach his potential.
Midway through the interview, Andrade "Cien" Almas' associate Zelina Vega stepped in and claimed that there is no bigger threat to McIntyre's reign than Almas.
McIntyre replied, "I will fight anyone, anywhere, anytime."
It appears that the road to a McIntyre/Almas NXT championship match heading into TakeOver has begun, a match that oozes with show-stealing appeal.
The Velveteen Dream continues to play mind games
The Velveteen Dream's encounters with Aleister Black have been an excellent platform for his eccentric character to shine. His unconventional interactions with the stoic Black have created fascinating television, and there hasn't even been any physicality between the two of them yet.
Dream has mocked, mimicked and toyed with Black, all while Black has calmly maintained his composure. We got another demonstration of Dream trying to get a reaction out of Black just as the latter's match with Raul Mendoza was getting underway. Seconds after the match began, Dream made his way to ringside and put on the vest that Black wears during his entrance, effectively causing an early distraction.
Despite some nice aerial attacks by Mendoza, Black snagged the win in short order with his Black Mass kick. He composed himself, took a seat in the middle of the ring as he often does, and for the first time acknowledged Dream with a glance as he left with his vest.
This rivalry's temperature continues to rise, and its slow pace has allowed for strong character development and true conflict to build. It's only a matter of time before their dispute reaches its boiling point, and it seems likely to happen just in time for TakeOver in Houston.
Other notes
-- Kassius Ohno scored a pinfall victory over Cezar Bononi. Ohno hasn't sniffed a legitimate program since clashing with Hideo Itami over the summer, so perhaps that's finally starting to change.
-- After Sane won the Mae Young Classic, and Royce and Moon each won triple threats to qualify, the final spot in the NXT women's championship match at TakeOver: War Games will be decided in a 16-person battle royal on next Wednesday's edition of NXT
-- Johnny Gargano will return to action against Fabian Aichner in two weeks.