WWE has added two new matches to the card for NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
The North American Championship will be on the line at TakeOver: WarGames as Leon Ruff defends his title against Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest in a triple threat match. Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes will also face off in a strap match at TakeOver.
The North American Championship match was announced after Gargano and then Priest interrupted a KO Show segment with Ruff as the guest on NXT tonight. Ruff shockingly won the title on NXT two weeks ago after getting help from Priest distracting Gargano.
Ruff and Gargano faced off in a rematch last week, but the match ended in a disqualification when Priest punched Ruff so Gargano wouldn’t be able to win the title back. Ruff wasn’t happy with Priest treating him like a joke. He slapped Priest and later got the better of a three-way brawl with Gargano and Priest.
Lumis and Grimes have previously faced each other in a Haunted House of Terror match and a blindfold match. Grimes defeated Jake Atlas on NXT tonight, but Lumis appeared after the match and taunted Grimes. Lumis pulled a strap out and threw it toward Grimes.
Here’s the updated card for TakeOver:
WarGames match: Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish) vs. Team McAfee (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch)
WarGames match: Team Shotzi (Shotzi Blackheart and three partners to be announced) vs. Team Candice (Candice LeRae; Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Toni Storm)
NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff defends his title against Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest in a triple threat match
This will be the first time Lumis and Grimes have faced each other since Lumis won their Haunted House of Terror match at Halloween Havoc last month. On last week’s NXT, Timothy Thatcher defeated Lumis after Grimes got involved in the match. Grimes then temporarily blinded Lumis by putting a burlap sack over his head. Grimes beat Lumis down, placed him on a chair, and gave him a double stomp.
Moon and Storm both returned to NXT at TakeOver 31 last month. In her first match after returning, Moon teamed with Rhea Ripley to defeat Kai & Gonzalez. But Kai defeated Moon in a singles match two weeks ago after a brief distraction by Gonzalez.
Candice LeRae defeated Storm on NXT last week. LeRae put her feet on the ropes for leverage to get the pin.
Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s NXT:
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends her title against Rhea Ripley
NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff defends his title against Johnny Gargano
Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes in a blindfold match
Ember Moon & Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
NXT Champion Finn Balor makes his return and will address the future of the NXT Championship
This will be Balor’s first appearance since he underwent surgery for a broken jaw last month.
In storyline, Blackheart got to pick her opponent for this week’s NXT after William Regal liked the job she did hosting Halloween Havoc last Wednesday. Blackheart said she wants a fresh opponent and noted that she’s always been a big fan of Storm.
Blackheart got involved in the Tables, Ladders & Scares match between NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and Candice LeRae at Halloween Havoc after someone wearing a Scream costume tried to help LeRae win the title. Blackheart laid out the person in the costume and Shirai retained her title. The person in the costume also helped Johnny Gargano win the NXT North American Championship from Damian Priest earlier in the show. Indi Hartwell recently became aligned with LeRae and Gargano.
Storm returned to WWE television at TakeOver 31 last month and confronted Shirai. Storm defeated Aliyah on NXT three weeks ago.
Dexter Lumis defeated Grimes in a Haunted House of Terror match at Halloween Havoc last week. WWE is hyping that Kushida is looking to extend his recent winning streak.
A Halloween-themed stipulation match is the latest addition to NXT’s Halloween Havoc lineup.
It was announced on tonight’s NXT that Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes will face off in a “Haunted House of Terror’ match at Halloween Havoc next Wednesday. The details of the stipulation haven’t been revealed.
Grimes interfered in last week’s main event and helped cost Lumis an NXT North American Championship match against Damian Priest. Priest laid out Grimes with The Reckoning after the match.
After being out of action since July due to an ankle injury, Lumis returned to NXT television three weeks ago. Lumis appeared in a backstage segment where he stared at Grimes. Grimes called Lumis a freak and told him to get out of his face. The following week, Lumis defeated Austin Theory but was laid out by a double stomp from Grimes after.
Three other matches have also been announced for next Wednesday’s Halloween Havoc episode of NXT: Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae for the NXT Women’s Championship, Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship, and Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez.
Shotzi Blackheart will be the host of Halloween Havoc. She announced last week that Shirai vs. LeRae and Priest vs. Gargano will have stipulations determined by Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. Coal miner’s glove on a pole match, blindfold match, casket match, Chamber of Horrors, biker’s chain match, buried alive match, devil’s playground match, boiler room brawl, Shotzi’s choice, weapons wild match, trick or street fight, and TLS (tables, ladders, and scares) match are the stipulation options listed on the wheel.
The next challengers for the NXT Championship and NXT Women’s Championship will be determined on tonight’s “Takeoff to Takeover” episode of NXT.
A gauntlet eliminator match on tonight’s show will determine the challenger for Finn Balor’s NXT Championship at NXT’s October 4 TakeOver special. Kushida, Cameron Grimes, Kyle O’Reilly, Timothy Thatcher, and Bronson Reed are the participants for the gauntlet eliminator.
The gauntlet eliminator will start with two wrestlers in the ring, then another wrestler will enter every four minutes. The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai’s TakeOver challenger will be decided by a number one contender’s battle royal tonight. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Shotzi Blackheart, Aliyah, Kayden Carter, Indi Hartwell, Xia Li, and Kacy Catanzaro have been announced as entrants for the battle royal.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jake Atlas is also set for tonight. After he was destroyed by Ciampa last month, Atlas confronted Ciampa on last week’s show. Ciampa later ambushed Atlas in the parking lot until being stopped by officials and O’Reilly.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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In an angle from “moments ago”, Candice LeRae attacked Tegan Nox with a lead pipe. Nox injured her knee, as LeRae continued to attack her. This presumably takes Nox out of the battle royal that opens the show.
Candice LeRae won a battle royal to become number one contender
LeRae won the battle royal last elminating Shotzi Blackheart. LeRae goes on to TakeOver to challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship
A subplot of the battle royal was a contest between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez to see who could eliminate the most wrestlers. In another subplot, Kacy Catanzaro used her Ninja Warrior skills to do the Kofi Kingston gimmick of not letting her feet touch the floor. Her tag team partner, Kayden Carter, helped her get back into the ring.
Ripley and Gonzalez eventually squared off. Gonzalez got Ripley in an electric chair, and both tumbled over the ropes to eliminate each other. The announcers noted Dakota Kai was left without her insurance policy. Kai was among the final five along with Candice LeRae, Shotzi Blackheart, Indi Hartwell,and Catanzaro.
Catanzaro elimated Hartwell, leaving only four. An alliance between Kai and LeRae eliminated Catanzaro. Blackheart soon thereafter threw Kai over the top rope to eliminate her. The final two were LeRae and Blackheart.
Blackheart climbed to the top rope, and LeRae cut her off trying to throw her out. They fought on the apron in a corner, where LeRae fell on to the ring steps. Her feet had yet to touch the floor, but Blackheart kicked and stomped on her. LeRae took a bump on the steps. She monkey flipped Blackheart off the steps to the floor, eliminating her and winning the match.
LeRae’s husband, Johnny Gargano, celebrated in the ring with LeRae after the match.
With Gargano in the ring, cut to backstage for an interview with NXT North American Champion Damian Priest. He faces Gargano in a title match at TakeOver. He addressed that an his match later on against Austin Theory. Priest said Theory’s record does not reflect how good he really is, but Priest added that it sucks to be him because his slide continues tonight. Priest then concluded the interview by hitting on Sarah Schreiber.
In a wacky skit, William Regal was trying to figure out the next tag team challengers. Fandango was dressed as Sherlock Holmes. Why? He was a detective, not a matchmaker.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Jake Atlas
Ciampa pinned Atlas, and Ciampa looked like a killer in doing so in this good match.
Atlas got to shine early on until Ciampa cut him off. Atlas made a comeback, and the fighting spilled outside. Atlas with an Asai moonsault to the floor, and then a blockbuster in the ring netted him a two count. Ciampa blocked the cartwheel DDT finisher, and then draped Atlas in the ropes.
Ciampa spiked Atlas with Widow’s Bell. Instead of covering Atlas, Ciampa broke the count and began slapping Atlas. Ciampa berated Atlas, and he executed a Fairy Tale Ending before scoring the pinfall.
A great vignette profiled Ridge Holland.
Hyping the gauntlet eliminator and its competitors was the focus of a music video from recording artist Corey Taylor’s solo project.
Burch pinned Mendoza to win this wild card tag match.
This was supposed to be the brainchild of Fandango. Again, why? The announcers tried, but even they could not explain the convoluted logic.They laughed about it. The gimmick seems to be if a wild card team wins, in the actual teams those two represent will then square off in another tag match to determine the number one contenders.
Strong was knocked off the apron at one point, so Burch was unable to tag out. Strong made a blind tag, and he cleaned house. He gave Aichner an Olympic Slam, but Mendoza broke up the pinning attempt.
Burch with a draping cutter on Mendoza to score the pinfall. So, Burch & his normal tag partner, Oney Lorcan, move on to face Strong & Bobby Fish to determine number one contenders.
Theory was being interviewed backstage when Gargano approached him. Gargano encouraged Theory to soften up Priest ahead of his title defense while also talking down to him.
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defeated Austin Theory in a non-title match
Priest pinned Theory in a good match.
Priest walked the top rope before springboarding into a flying crossbody. Moments later Priest hit a ripcord knee strike, and followed with a leaping flatliner. Priest was knocked off the apron before a commercial break.
Theory was firing up as the show returned from the break. Thoery grounded Priest, but only momentarily. Priest hulked up and mowed down Theory. Priest with a Falcon Arrow for a two count.
Theory cut off Priest, and he used a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. The fight spilled outside where Priest gave Theory a Razor’s Edge on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Priest delivered The Reckoning to score the pinfall.
Gargano ran in after the match to lay out Priest with a superkick.
A cryptic vignette that looked too much like Retribution hyped something for “10.4.20”, which is the date of the next TakeOver.
Another vignette featured Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. He wants a rematch with Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
Ridge Holland defeated Antonio De Luca
Holland pinned De Luca in a squash match. Holland looked like a monster.
De Luca was running the ropes when Holland sent him flying with a Monty Brown pounce…period. Holland followed with a few suplexes, and De Luca fought back. That only served to anger Holland, and he clobbered De Luca with headbutts. Holland then executed the Northern Grit befoer covering De Luca for the pinfall.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai was being interviewed backstage when LeRae and Gargano confronted her. Gargano got in her face and berated her. Damian Priest stepped in to lay out Gargano with a punch. Referees poured in to break up the ruckus.
Announced for next week on NXT is Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai.
And now it’s time for the main event of the evening…
Kyle O’Reilly won the Gauntlet Eliminator to become number one contender
O’Reilly and Kushida started the gauntlet with a grappling clinic. Their battle was intensifying when time expired and Bronson Reed joined the match as the third entrant.
Reed ragdolled and splashed both O’Reilly and Kushida. He lifted both on his shoulders going for a double fireman’s carry. Kushida escaped to break it up.
O’Reilly went to apply an armbar on Kushida, and Reed went to break that up. When he did, O’Reilly grapevined Reed’s leg to catch him in a submission hold. Kushida with a standing moonsalt to break the hold, and Kushida went for the Hoverboard Lock. Reed put a stop to that before splashing O’Reilly with a senton.
O’Reilly and Reed were fighting on a turnbuckle when Kushida hit them both with a handspring. O’Reilly took a bump off the apron, and the referee was asking if he could continue. Behind the ref’s back, Velveteen Dream ran in to give Kushida a DVD. Reed came off the top rope with a splash to pin Kushida.
Bronson Reed eliminated Kushida via pinfall
Timothy Thatcher was the next entrant, but he was knocked off the apron before the show cut to commercial. When the show returned from the break, the clock ticked under five seconds as the last entrant joined the match.
A fresh Cameron Grimes came into the match with a flying crossbody on Reed. Grimes ran wild until Thatcher cut him off. Everybody in for a parade of high spots. All four men ended up down on the mat.
Reed with a slingshot sent Grimes over the ropes into a dive on Thatcher and O’Reilly. Reed with a DVD on Thatcher for a near fall. Reed with a powerbomb for a two count on O’Reilly.
Just before a commercial break, Reed leapt through the ropes for a tope suicida on to a pile of bodies. When Reed later did a powerslam, the announcers said it was a tribute to Road Warrior Animal. Reed also did some cool combos.
Reed missed a flying splash when Thatcher rolled out of the way. In the meantime, O’Reilly jumped off the top rope with a Bobby Eaton flying kneedrop on Reed. O’Reilly then covered Reed for a pinfall.
Kyle O’Reilly eliminated Bronson Reed via pinfall
O’Reilly had no time to celebrate the elimination as Thatcher grapped his leg to apply an ankle lock. O’Reilly countered to apply his own ankle lock on Thatcher, who also countered looking to apply an armbar.
O’Reilly wereThatcher exchanging strikes when Grimes sneaked in to give O’Reilly a German suplex. Grimes was given a belly-to-belly suplex from Thatcher.
Thatcher was applying a sleeper hold on O’Reilly when Grimes tried to run in with a kick. O’Reilly trapped his leg and applied an ankle lock, so Thatcher had O’Reilly while O’Reilly had Grimes. This is a variation on a three-way spot popularized by Sabu, Terry Funk and Shane Douglas at ECW’s The Night the Line Was Crossed in 1994.
O’Reilly squared off with Thatcher as they traded strikes. This was great stuff. Thatcher kicked out of a backslide, but a second later he was rolled up with a schoolboy by O’Reilly for a three count.
Kyle O’Reilly eliminated Timothy Thatcher via pinfall
Grimes rushed in to hit O’Reilly with the Cave In. O’Reilly got his foot on the rope to break the count, but Grimes started celebrating like he won. The ref broke the bad news to him.
Grimes started talking trash about Adam Cole, and O’Reilly fired up on him. As they ran the ropes, Grimes with a one-man running Spanish Fly for a great near fall. There was an Ax & Smash spot but this time not among teammates. O’Reilly with the Ax, and Grimes answered back with Smash.
O’Reilly softened up Grimes’s knee with a dragon screw. Moments later when Grimes went for the Cave In, O’Reilly dodged. Grimes’ knee buckled, and O’Reilly barred the leg to submitt Grimes.
Kyle O’Reilly eliminated Cameron Grimes via submission to win the match
O’Reilly now goes on to TakeOver to challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. Unidsputed Era memebrs Cole, Fish and Strong joined O’Reilly in the ring to celebrate.
Two of the five wrestlers who will be taking part in NXT’s gauntlet eliminator match have now been confirmed.
WWE announced today that Cameron Grimes will take part the first-ever gauntlet eliminator match on NXT next Wednesday. Kushida has also been confirmed as one of the participants for the match.
The winner of the gauntlet eliminator will challenge for Finn Balor’s NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver on Sunday, October 4. The full rules for the gauntlet eliminator match are:
Two wrestlers will start in the ring.
Every four minutes, another wrestler will enter.
The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission.
The last man standing will become the number one contender to the NXT Championship and challenge Balor for the title at TakeOver.
This will be the first time Grimes has wrestled since the ladder match for the NXT North American Championship at TakeOver XXX last month. Damian Priest won that match to become the new North American Champion.
There will also be a number one contender’s battle royal on NXT next Wednesday to decide NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai’s challenger for TakeOver. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Shotzi Blackheart, Aliyah, Kayden Carter, Indi Hartwell, Xia Li, and Kacy Catanzaro are set for the battle royal.
The NXT Championship match was confirmed for TakeOver XXX last night — but Keith Lee was hit in the face with a fireball in the process.
After Karrion Kross defeated Danny Burch in the opening match of last night’s NXT, Lee came down to the ring with a contract in his hand. Lee said he offered for Kross to earn his title shot, but Kross didn’t want to do that. Lee said he instead pleaded with William Regal and promised that he wouldn’t put his hands on Kross until TakeOver if Regal made the match.
Scarlett took the contract, Kross signed it, and she then slid it back into the ring. When Lee opened the contract, a fireball came out of it and hit him.
Lee was transported to the hospital by ambulance as part of the angle. An update was provided later in the show, with it being said that Lee vowed that Kross would be a dead man at TakeOver.
Last night’s NXT was headlined by a TakeOver qualifying match. Cameron Grimes defeated Kushida and the returning Velveteen Dream, becoming the third wrestler to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship at TakeOver.
Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, and Grimes have qualified for the ladder match. The final two wrestlers for it will be confirmed with two second chance qualifying matches on next week’s go-home show for TakeOver. It will be Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland and Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream.
Cameron Grimes is the third participant to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship at TakeOver XXX.
Grimes defeated Kushida and the returning Velveteen Dream in the main event of tonight’s NXT to qualify for TakeOver. He joins Bronson Reed and Damian Priest as wrestlers who have qualified for the ladder match. Dexter Lumis had also initially qualified, but he’s been removed from the match due to injury.
During the finish of tonight’s qualifier, Cameron Grimes hit his Cave In double stomp on Kushida as Kushida had Dream locked in the Hoverboard Lock. Grimes then pinned Kushida to get the win.
The final two participants for the ladder match will be determined by second chance qualifying matches on next week’s episode of NXT. Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland and Finn Balor vs. Dream are the final two qualifying matches. Those four wrestlers didn’t win their original qualifiers but weren’t involved in the fall either.
The North American Championship was declared vacant after Keith Lee won the NXT Championship from Adam Cole in their winner-take-all title vs. title match at Great American Bash night two last month. It was said that Lee didn’t want to limit the roster’s opportunities.
TakeOver XXX is taking place on Saturday, August 22.
The build to TakeOver XXX continues with another qualifying match on tonight’s NXT.
Kushida, Cameron Grimes, and an opponent who has yet to be announced will face off in a triple threat qualifying match. The winner will become the third wrestler confirmed for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship at TakeOver, joining Bronson Reed and Damian Priest.
Reed and Priest are facing off in a singles match tonight.
Dexter Lumis previously qualified for the ladder match but has been removed due to injury. Next week, there will be two matches between the wrestlers who didn’t lose the falls in their triple threat qualifying matches. The winners will be the final two wrestlers to qualify for TakeOver.
Two weeks ago, William Regal told NXT Champion Keith Lee and Karrion Kross that he wouldn’t be bullied into making title matches. Kross then sent a message to Regal last week, causing destruction backstage that included laying out Danny Burch. Kross vs. Burch will kick off tonight’s show.
Plus, Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar faces Tyler Breeze in a non-title match. There will also be a segment where Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae invite the NXT Universe into their home again.
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Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) defeated Danny Burch
Kross looked strong in submitting Burch.
Burch wasted no time in attacking Burch at the bell. He rocked Kross with a dropkick at the start, and continued with a flurry of offense. Burch clotheslined Kross out of the ring, but that proved to be a turning point. Kross grabbed Burch by the throat and slammed him on the floor. Kross tossed around Burch for a few moments.
Burch with a hope spot briefly fired up, but Kross looked to snuff it out. Burch was able to counter Kross, and he applied a crossface. Kross powered out to execute a Doomsday Saito. Kross applied his Kross Jacket sleeper, and Burch passed out.
NXT Champion Keith Lee marched to the ring after the match to confront Kross & Scarlett. He had a folder in his hand with a contract. Lee responded to Kross blaming Lee for them not yet being booked in a title match. Lee said he offered Kross an opportunity to earn a title shot. Lee called Kross a “bitch”. Lee went on to say he promised William Regal he would not touch Kross until TakeOver if they sign the contract. Kross signed the contract, Scarlett sealed it with a kiss of death, and she passed the contract back to Lee.
Lee picked up the contract, and opened the folder. The contract erupted in flames. A fireball went off as Lee opened it, burning him. Lee sold it big as officials and trainers poured into the ring to help him.
The match looks offical for TakeOver with Kross challenging Lee for the NXT Championship, but Lee also did an injury angle. The plot thickens.
The show went to a split screen showing Lee backstage being taken to a waiting ambulance. The split screen continued through the entrances of the next match.
Drake Maverick vs. Killian Dain ended in a no contest
Undisputed Era stormed the ring and attacked both, and the match was thrown out.
The show cut to full screen just as the match began — only to go back to a picture-in-picture for a commercial break. In the meantime, Maverick and Dain were telling a David vs. Goliath story. Meanwhile, Lee was leaving the building in an ambulance. As Lee was driven away, Undisputed Ere were seen arriving to the building in a SUV.
The match was still going on when Undisputed Era rushed into the ring to attack both Maverick and Dain. The referee called for the bell as Undisputed Era ganged up on Maverick and Dane. Cole laid Dain out with a Last Shot, and then Cole grabbed a microphone.
Cole cut a great promo on Pat McAfee. Cole dared McAfee to show up next week to confront him in the ring face to face.
A vignette hyped the return of Kushida later in the show for the triple threat qualifying match.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defeated Tyler Breeze in a non-title match
Escobar pinned Breeze thanks to a distraction by his henchmen.
Escobar dominated at the outset as he pummeled Breeze. An enzuigiri created some separation for Breeze, but Escobar countered Breeze to lay him out on the floor before a commercial break.
Breeze made a comeback after the commercial break. Breeze hit a superkick and went for a cover. As he did so, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde ran down to ringside looking to interfere. Breeze knocked them both off the apron, but the distraction allowed Escobar to catch Breeze for the Phantom Driver. Escobar then covered him for the pinfall.
Fandango came down to the ring after the match. One arm was in the swing and the other was holding a stick. El Legado del Fantasma jumped him, and they began a beatdown. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott ran in to make a save. He cleaned house on the heel faction, and Swerve cleared the ring. This looks to set up a trios match, possibly for TakeOver.
A vignette profiled Dakota Kai ahead of her challenging Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship
Mia Yim defeated Indi Hartwell
Yim was interviewed on her way to the ring about the condition of Lee. She said Lee suffered no serious damage, but Yim also said she had to focus on her match. Yim was not her normal self as she looked concerned about Lee even as the match began.
Hartwell was able to gain the advantage at one point, and she began to mock Lee. That angered Yim, and she fired up on her. Hartwell countered with a sidewalk slam for a two count. Yim escaped a sleeper with a jawbreaker. Yim would escape a second time, but Hartwell still got another near fall.
Hartwell taunted Yim, and Yim fired up again into a comeback. Yim was able to transition into a submission hold, Hartwell tapped out.
Finn Balor in a sit-down promo vowed to win the North American Championship in the ladder match at TakeOver.
Pat McAfee in a tweet confirmed he would be on the show next week to confront Adam Cole.
Bronson Reed defeated Damian Priest
This was a hoss fight and a slobberknocker. They fought through a commercial break. Priest sandwiched Reed into the ring steps. He was working over Reed as the show returned from commercial. Reed soon made a comeback and got a near fall.
The fought on, and Priest lifted Reed for a Broken Arrow (Falcon Arrow). Reed kicked out and gave Priest a suplex of his own. A double down led into the finish. Reed went for a splash off the top rope. He mostly missed, but had an ugly landing. Reed went for a cradle and covered Priest for a three count. That kind of came out of nowhere.
A vignette highlighted NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. She cut a good promo on Dakota Kai.
Another vignette had Cameron Grimes cutting a promo ahead of his upcoming match later on tonight. He is so great as a heel.
Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah (with Robert Stone) defeated Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter
Martinez pinned Catanzaro to win the match.
Stone before the match tried to recruit Catanzaro. Instead of joing his stable, she kicked him in the shin. Catanzaro & Carter looked good as a tean with tandem offense and similar looking gear. The match went through a commercial break. The heels were working over Carter as the show returned from the break.
Aliyah & Martinez cut the ring in half for awhile. Catanzaro ran wild off a hot tag, and she got a near fall on Martinez. She was soon cut off, and Martinez delivered the Air Raid Crash to score the pinfall.
Rhea Ripley after the match came out to has a staredown with Martinez. Aliyah cleared out so Ripley and Martinez could go one-on-one. Ripley rushed into the ring to brawl with Martinez. Ripley was getting the better of Martinez when Aliyah jumped in to double team Ripley. Shotzi Blackheart ran in to make a save. The heels fled. This appears to set up a tag team match.
Next up was a return to the Gargano household for another promo from the heel couple. Candice LeRae was reading a fairytale to her dog. She turned it into a promo on Tegan Nox. Gargano was on a ladder changing a lightbulb. On the ladder he talked about winning the qualifying singles match next week against Ridge Holland. He fixed the lightbuld and then said his winning the ladder match at TakeOver would fix NXT. Gargano turned out the lights, but not before saying goodnight to a picture on the wall of Dok Hendrix (Michael Hayes).
Back to school for another clinic in Thatch-as-Thatch can wrestling with Timothy Thatcher. He of course stretched someone with a submission hold.
Cameron Grimes defeated Kushidav and Velveteen Dream in a triple threat qualifying match
Grimes pinned Kushida, and now Grimes advances to the North American Championship ladder match at TakeOver. Dream did not drop the fall so he goes on to face Finn Balor in a qualifying singles match next week.
The mystery opponent was Dream returning to NXT television. He turned heel after the match when he attacked Kushida.
The opening portion of the match was a melee involving all three. Grimes was dispatched after taking a crazy bump on an arm ringer from Kushida. That left Kushida to square off with Dream. A flying ax handle netted Dream a two count. An Oklahoma roll got him another two. He was sent outside as Kushida and Grimes squared off.
Kushida flew out of the ring to give Dream a tornado DDT on the floor. Grimes a moment later tripped him up on the turnnbuckles before a picture-in-picture commercial break. Grimes worked over Kushida during the break. Dream rushed in to roll-up Grimes for two. Dream was again sent out of the ring.
Kushida fired up on both opponents after the commercial break. Everybody was knocked off their feet for a triple down. Dream fired up with a flurry. He gave Kushdia the Dream Valley Driver, but Grimes threw him out of the ring before he could cover Kushida.
Kushida leapt off the top turnbuckle for a flip dive on to Dream. Kushida and Grimes did the Spanish Fly spot where Kushida transitioned into an armbar upon impact. Dream broke up the hold, and Kushida caught him in the Hoverboard Lock. Dream escaped to lift Kushida in a fireman’s carry. Kushida countered into an armbar.
While Kushida was still applying the submission hold, Grimes rushed in to give him a Cave In. Grimes then covered Kushida to score the pinfall.
Dream went heel after the match as he attacked Kushdia. He beat him down and then posed as the show was closing. Balor entered the ring to confront Dream as the show went off the air.
WWE has revealed two of the participants who will be taking part in next week’s TakeOver XXX qualifying match.
It was announced on this morning’s episode of WWE’s The Bump that Kushida, Cameron Grimes, and an opponent who has yet to be named will face off in a triple threat match on NXT next Wednesday (August 12). The winner will become the fourth wrestler to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship that’s taking place at TakeOver XXX on Saturday, August 22.
Bronson Reed and Dexter Lumis have already qualified for the ladder match. A qualifying match between Damian Priest, Ridge Holland, and Oney Lorcan is airing on tonight’s NXT.
Reed defeated Roderick Strong and Johnny Gargano to qualify, while Lumis defeated Timothy Thatcher and Finn Balor.
The ladder match for the North American title will feature five wrestlers in total.
Grimes vs. NXT Champion Keith Lee in a non-title match is set for tonight’s NXT. Kushida hasn’t wrestled since the May 27 episode of NXT. Drake Maverick defeated Kushida and Jake Atlas on that show to advance to the finals of NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament against Santos Escobar.
Two more matches have been confirmed for this coming Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
WWE announced today that NXT Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes in a non-title match and Bronson Reed vs. Shane Thorne are set for Wednesday’s NXT. Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley in a number one contender’s match, Damian Priest vs. Ridge Holland vs. Oney Lorcan in a TakeOver qualifying match, and Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) defending their NXT Tag Team titles against the Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) have also been announced for the episode.
The winner of Kai vs. Ripley will challenge for Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver XXX on Saturday, August 22.
Priest, Holland, or Lorcan will become the next wrestler to qualify for the five-man ladder match for the vacant North American Championship that’s taking place at TakeOver. Reed and Dexter Lumis are the first two participants who have qualified.
In his TakeOver qualifier, Reed defeated Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong in a triple threat match.
WWE uploaded a post-show interview with Grimes after this week’s NXT where he vowed to teach Lee a lesson about respect. There was a segment on this week’s show where Lee called out Karrion Kross but Grimes appeared instead and got laid out by Lee.
Though Lee told Kross to name the time and place for them to face each other, NXT general manager William Regal said later in the show that he won’t be bullied into making title matches. Regal said title shots have to be earned.
WWE has made their first two match announcements for this week’s post-TakeOver In Your House episode of NXT.
After retaining his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in their Backlot Brawl at TakeOver, Adam Cole will face Dexter Lumis in non-title action on Wednesday’s NXT. Lumis made an appearance during Cole vs. Dream at TakeOver and drove off with Undisputed Era members Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish in the trunk of a car.
As a stipulation of Cole defeating him at TakeOver, Dream can’t challenge for the NXT Championship again as long as Cole is still champion.
Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes has also been announced for this week’s NXT. It’s a rematch from last month, where Grimes defeated Balor in what’s been Balor’s only televised loss of 2020.
Grimes got the win in that match after Damian Priest interfered and hit Balor with a nightstick. After the match, Priest gave Balor The Reckoning on a steel chair and revealed that he was the person who attacked Balor in the NXT locker room in April
Balor defeated Priest in their match at TakeOver last night.
Matt Riddle and his temporary partner Timothy Thatcher are set to defend their NXT Tag Team titles next week.
It was announced on tonight’s NXT that Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner will challenge for Riddle & Thatcher’s titles on NXT next Wednesday. The match was set up by Barthel & Aichner attacking Riddle & Thatcher during their Newly-Bros Show segment last week.
A promo where Barthel & Aichner issued a challenge to Riddle & Thatcher then aired on NXT tonight. Later in the show, Riddle & Thatcher did an interview accepting the challenge.
Thatcher made his NXT debut three weeks ago and was introduced as Riddle’s temporary partner. In their first title defense, Riddle & Thatcher retained against Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish.
Riddle & Pete Dunne are the NXT Tag Team Champions, but Dunne is currently unable to travel and defend the titles due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes has also been announced for next week’s episode of NXT.
Balor appeared on tonight’s show and sent a warning to whoever it was that attacked him in the locker room two weeks ago. Grimes then defeated Denzel Dejournette with his Cave In double foot stomp. Grimes got on the microphone after and said he deserves more than he has now. He brought up Balor and said someone must have beat him to it by going after Balor first.
As Grimes was saying that he was going to slap the taste out of Balor’s mouth, Balor came back down and slid into the ring. He challenged Grimes to slap him. Grimes tried to back off at first, then went to attack him. Balor avoided it, gave Grimes a double foot stomp, and hit a slingblade.
Balor then looked into the camera and said there’s a snake hiding in the long grass backstage. Balor promised that he’ll find them and said the best way to kill a snake is to chop off its head.
Two title matches are taking place on tonight’s special episode of NXT from the WWE Performance Center.
With Full Sail University unavailable due to their annual Hall of Fame week, tonight is fan appreciation night at the Performance Center. Keith Lee will defend his NXT North American Championship against Cameron Grimes on the show, while Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne will defend their NXT Tag Team titles against former champions Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish.
After winning this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Riddle & Dunne defeated O’Reilly & Fish for the NXT Tag Team titles at TakeOver: Portland.
Lee has been NXT North American Champion since winning the title from Roderick Strong in January.
Another participant for the number one contender’s ladder match at NXT TakeOver: Tampa will also be decided as Mia Yim and Dakota Kai face off in a qualifying match tonight.
Chelsea Green became the first wrestler to qualify for the ladder match by defeating Shotzi Blackheart last week. NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is defending her title against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36, and the winner of the ladder match will get the first title shot against Ripley or Charlotte.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show tonight from the Performance Center was a fresh look just being away from Full Sail, but the crowd still looked small in comparison to that promotion on the other channel.
Crowd sizes may be almost nonexistent in some places for the time being. By some strange chance, running a live telecast from the PC may prove prophetic. Could we see more shows presented in-house in the coming weeks?
NXT tonight opens with a title match.
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee defeated Cameron Grimes to retain his title
Lee pinned Grimes after his modified jackhammer finishing move after a good TV match.
There was some cat-and-mouse games in the early portion, and Lee caught Grimes on some dives. Lee has Grimes reeling, and he even threw down the man’s hat. That sir, is an outrage!
Grimes tripped up Lee, and Grimes then leapt into a flying crossbody before a commercial break.
Lee with a fiery comeback after the break, and he mowed down Grimes with a crossbody block. Grimes was able to fight back, and he hooked Lee for a German suplex and a bridge for a close near fall.
Grimes countered a suplex into a tornado DDT. Lee kicked out again.Grimes went for his double stomp finisher, but Lee blocked him. Grimes with a superkick, and Lee answered back with a pounce. Lee then delivered the Big Bang Catastrophe to score the pinfall and retain his title.
Damien Priest jumped Lee after the match in a sneak attack. Priest hit Lee several times with a baton, and Dominik Dijakovic ran down to make a save. Dijakovic ran off Priest, and then he picked up the North American title belt.
Dijakovic almost in a daze was looking at the belt when Lee was getting to his feet. Lee suddenly picked up Dijakovic for a Spirit Bomb.
Mia Yim defeated Dakota Kai (w/ Raquel Gonzalez) to qualify for the ladder match at TakeOver
Yim pinned Kai after interference from Gonzalez backfired on them. Yim in winning qualifies for the number one contender’s ladder match at TakeOver in Tampa.
Yim was firing up on Kai when Gonzalez interfered by giving Yim a Snake Eyes on the apron. The show went to commercial, and Kai was working over Yim when the show returned from the break.
Yim soon made a comeback that led to a shotgun dropkick and a cannonball in a corner for a near fall. Kai cut her off and hit her with kicks, and then the Kai-ropractor. Yim kicked out and moments later blocked a face wash. Yim with a powerbomb for two.
Gonzalez was causing a distraction at ringside, which allowed Kai to roll up Yim. The referee was busy warning Gonzalez and missed the pin.
Yim escaped, and Kai walked into Protect Ya Neck. Yim then covered Kai for the pinfall. Yim advances to the ladder match at TakeOver.
Gonzalez got her heat back after the match as she attacked Yim to leave her laying. Yim had taken a chokeslam from Gonzalez and left for dead, but Yim still got to her feet as the crowded her name.
Tommaso Ciampa quickly passed up an interview as he walked with purpose into the building. Meanwhile, Undisputed Era was warming up backstage ahead of their match against the Bro-serweights.
Kushida defeated Raul Mendoza
Kushida submitted Mendoza with a cross armbreaker in a fast paced thriller.
They wasted no time as they exploded into action. Mendoza went to run down a rope into but Kushida knocked him out of the air with a right hand. Kushida followed with a tope con giro.
Mendoza turned the tide with a corkscrew brainbuster and a quebrada. Kushida came back with a handspring back elbow and a flurry that led into the basement dropkick.
They were fighting on the turnbuckles when Kushida applied a Kimura. They both turned a flip and landed on the mat where Kushida had tranisitioned into a cross armbreaker, and Mendoza tapped out.
In a pre-tape interview, Tyler Breeze was being asked about being back in the PC when Austin Theory interrupted to introduce him to Breeze. They traded insults so expect a match between the two.
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley came to the ring for a promo. She said Charlotte Flair would be knocked on her ass at WrestleMania. Flair then interrupted to confront Ripley. Flair also heeled on the crowd, and the crowd chanted “go back to Raw” at her.
Flair vowed to beat Ripley at WrestleMania. She was going to drowned the fast rising star. A brawl erupted and Flair hit Ripley with a high kick, and went for the Figure Eight. Ripley countered, but Flair was able to trip up Ripley. Flair wrapped Ripley’s leg around a ring post, and then she applied the Bret Hart fighure-four around the post until more officials poured out to break up the hold.
A feature on WALTER was great. The vignette teased an upcoming match with Finn Balor.
An SUV sped into the paring lot. Two masked men exited the vehicle and abducted Raul Mendoza. They forced him into the SUV, and got in. The driver then floored it.
Tegan Nox defeated Deonna Purrazzo to qualify for the ladder match at TakeOver.
Nox pinned Purrazzo after using the Shiniest Wizard. Nox moves on the number one contender’s ladder match at TakeOver.
Purrazzo took most of the match as Nox sold. Purrazzo was going for a Fujiwara armbar when Nox fired up and delivered the shining wizard to score the pinfall.
Undisputed Era sauntered to the ring for their match. Two were scheduled for a tag team match. Some people had other ideas.
Velveteen Dream appeared in the eagle’s nest perched above the PC, and he began to cut a promo on NXT Champion Adam Cole and Undisputed Era. Cole then cut a promo on him, and Cole also said that next week he becomes the longest reiging NXT Champion. This whole confrontation seemed very forced, but Cole cut a great promo.
NXT Tag Team Champions Bro-serweights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) defeated Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly with Adam Cole & Roderick Strong) to retain their titles
Riddle & Dunne retain their titles when Dunne pinned O’Reilly. This match was as great as it should have been given the location. There was only so much heat to generate in that setting.
After some early exchanges and grappling, the stallions began to run wild, bro. They freaking cleaned house, bro. Then the show cut to commercial.
Fish & O’Reilly got heat on Riddle after the break. They proverbially cut the ring in half. That built to a hot tag, and Dunne running wild.
Dunne trapped O’Reilly in a triangle, and the other members of Undisputed Era interfered from the outside the help break the hold. Riddle jumped off Dunne’s back into a flip to the outside. Cole rolled into the ring, and Dunne pulled an Eddie Guerrero trick.
Dunne went down like Cole struck him. Cole pleaded his case, but the referee ejected Cole and Strong. Riddle & Dunne then did the Toru Yano shrug before the show cut to commercial.
Fish & O’Reilly were worked over Dunne as the show returned from break. Riddle soon ran wild with suplexes after he tagged back into the match. A fisherman’s buster netted him a two count on O’Reilly.
Bro-serweights both landed on their feet on attempted German suplexes. They then hit Undisputed Era with stereo kicks.
Dunne and O’Reilly were trading strikes when they went into a double down.
There was a blind tag spot that set up O’Reilly doing a bombs away Bobby Eaton knee drop. Dunne jumped in to break up the pinning attempt. O’Reiily flew off the apron with a knee drop on Dunne.
Fish & O’Reilly were looking to finish the match, but Riddle fought back against a double team assault.
The Grizzled Young Veterans in full suits came out to cause a distraction at ringside. That allowed O’Reilly to get a near fall on a roll-up attempt. The Veterans were soon wiped out when Fish has backdropped on to them.
Riddle & Dunne then hit O’Reilly with a double-team knee strikes, and Dunne covered O’Reilly to score the pinfall.
Tommaso Ciampa is closing the show with a promo. He called out Johnny Gargano — who appeared on the video screen to offer a rebuke.
Ciampa was having none of that. He stormed into the room Gargano was in and a brawl enused. They knocked a large hole in some drywall, and the fight spilled over a table. This feels like such a Memphis angle. Studio wrestling lives!
They fought around the building, including into the trainers’ room. The fight continued into the gym area. In a way this was giving us a nice tour of the PC.
Like Shawn did to Marty, Gargano threw Ciampa through a glass window. In this version, Ciampa crashed into the window of an office door instead of a barber shop.
Ciampa sold big, and Gargano showed no remorse. Gargano kept pummeling Ciampa around the gym. Ciampa fought back using free weights as a weapon.
Ciampa heaved a large weight at Gargano — who moved out of the way. The weight shattered a mirror, and they fought on.
They brawled into the grandstands and fought in the crowd. Ciampa dragged Gargano to the announce desk, and they ended up in the platform perch above the desk.
Gargano was able to apply the his crossface submission hold while on the perch, and he let go of the hold only to punch a referee.
This was built to a stunt where Gargano teased senting Ciampa off the platform.
Ciampa was playing possum as he leapt into action and hoisted Gargano for an Air Raid Crash off the eagle’s nest on to the announce desk below. The announce table crumbled beneath their weight.
Two title matches are set for next week’s episode of NXT.
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee will defend his title against Cameron Grimes on the show. There will also be an NXT Tag Team Championship match, with Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne defending their titles against former champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish).
The North American title match was announced during a segment where Grimes interrupted Lee on tonight’s NXT. O’Reilly & Fish defeated Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch on tonight’s show and then cut a promo about wanting the NXT Tag Team titles back.
Riddle & Dunne came to the stage and said they’re down to give O’Reilly & Fish a rematch. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) then attacked Riddle & Dunne. Gibson said he couldn’t care less about O’Reilly & Fish’s rematch clause. He said — as far as the NXT Tag Team titles are concerned — it’s out with the old and in with The Grizzled Young Veterans.
Before interrupting Lee tonight, Grimes defeated Dominik Dijakovic on NXT last week. Damian Priest attacked Dijakovic’s leg with a nightstick behind the referee’s back during the match. It was teased that Dijakovic was going to lose by countout because of that, but he made it back into the ring just in time. Grimes then hit a double stomp and pinned him.
Lee became the NXT North American Champion by defeating Roderick Strong in January. He retained his title against Dijakovic at NXT TakeOver: Portland last month.
After winning this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Riddle & Dunne defeated O’Reilly & Fish for the NXT Tag Team titles at TakeOver: Portland.
