On this week’s “NXT,” the tag team of Hank Walker and Tank Ledger reminded us all that while feelings may get you sympathy, they won’t get you the tag belts—especially when your opponents are built like human forklifts with bad attitudes and great coordination.
Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura earned this title shot the old-fashioned way: by emotionally hustling General Manager Ava with crocodile tears and a heartwarming tale of “one last shot before I fly back to Japan.” It was moving stuff. Academy Award-level. Spielberg wept. But unfortunately for them, Hank & Tank weren’t buying it—and they were fresh off winning the titles at Stand & Deliver, so they weren’t handing out souvenir belts.
Inamura came in like a wrecking ball and flattened Ledger before the poor man had even finished adjusting his knee pads. Briggs and Inamura followed up with enough tag-team synergy to make synchronized swimmers jealous. But the champs powered back, channeling the spirit of every bar fight in the American South and hitting back with double-team offense so impactful it caused local seismologists to raise an eyebrow.
Briggs nearly closed the deal with a chokeslam to Ledger, followed by an Inamura splash that looked like it might’ve rearranged some vertebrae. But Walker broke up the pin, and from there, it was game over. The champs hit an assisted over-the-shoulder powerslam that folded Briggs like a lawn chair. 1-2-3. Still your NXT Tag Team Champions.
The moral of the story? Tears are for backstage. In the ring, it’s slams, teamwork, and just enough brain cells to count to three.