The build to TakeOver 31 wrapped up on last night’s go-home episode of NXT.
Shawn Michaels made an appearance as the host of a face-to-face segment with NXT Champion Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly. Ahead of their title match on Sunday, a Prime Target special feature also built up O’Reilly.
The main event of last night’s show previewed two of the other title matches for TakeOver. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano defeated NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai & NXT North American Champion Damian Priest in a mixed tag match. With the help of a low blow from LeRae, Gargano pinned Priest after hitting One Final Beat. LeRae laid out Shirai with a backstabber after the match. The Garganos then posed with Shirai and Priest’s titles to close the show.
In a video that aired on last night’s episode, Kushida vowed to show everyone the real him when he faces Velveteen Dream at TakeOver. Kushida also defeated Tony Nese last night. Dream appeared on the video screen after the match and said the spotlight will be too bright for Kushida on Sunday.
Plus, WWE hyped up the Cruiserweight Championship match for TakeOver with Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott taking part in a side-by-side interview.
A face-to-face segment with Finn Balor and his TakeOver challenger is set for tonight’s episode of NXT.
Ahead of their NXT Championship match at TakeOver 31 this Sunday, Balor and Kyle O’Reilly will go face-to-face. The segment will be hosted by Shawn Michaels.
O’Reilly became the number one contender to Balor’s title by winning the gauntlet eliminator match in the main event of last week’s NXT. The gauntlet eliminator also featured Cameron Grimes, Timothy Thatcher, Bronson Reed, and Kushida.
Candice LeRae won a number one contender’s battle royal on last week’s NXT and will challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver. LeRae’s husband Johnny Gargano is also challenging Damian Priest for the NXT North American Championship at TakeOver. Tonight, LeRae & Gargano will team up against Shirai & Priest in a mixed tag match.
Shotzi Blackheart eliminated Dakota Kai in last week’s battle royal and made it to the final two before being eliminated by LeRae. A match between Blackheart and Kai has been announced for tonight’s show.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Shotzi Blackheart defeated Dakota Kai (with Raquel Gonzalez)
Blackheart pinned Kai with a schoolgirl. They went to the finish after a scary bump on the apron. Rhea Ripley ran down at one point to confront Gonzalez.
Blackheart with shine at the outset. She grounded Kai and tied her up in holds. Kai cut off Blackheart, and she began to work her over. Blackheart sidestepped Kai, and Kai got caught on the ropes. Blackheart was going for her signature senton into the ropes when Gonzalez jumped on the apron for a distraction. That allowed Kai to deliver a backbreaker for a two count.
The show cut to a picture-in-picture commercial break as Kai got heat on Blackheart. After the break, Blackheart made a comeback in which she finally delivered the senton she was going for earlier. From there she executed a Tiger Driver for a two count.
Kai with double knees halted Blackheart’s momentum. Blackheart escaped Kai’s finisher, and the fighting spilled onto the apron. They traded kicks, and then came a crazy spot. Blackheart was going for some sort of bulldog, and she flipped backwards giving herself a reverse suplex taking a scary bump on the apron. Not sure what they were going for, but did not look safe. The announcers gasp. I gasp. Time stood still for a moment.
They went right into the finish. Blackheart hit the ropes, and Gonzalez tripped her. That brought out Ripley to shove Gonzalez. Referees poured out to separate them at ringside. Kai missed a kick in a corner, and Blackheart rolled her up for a three count.
Next was a split screen segment hyping the Cruiserweight Championship match at TakeOver. Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott cut promos on each other debate style. After the debate debacle last night, that is the last thing we need on US televsion, but here it was. The segment was okay for what it was.
Reminding me of old school “Face-to-Face” segments on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, they build up their title match on Sunday.
A vignette showed a mysterious character riding around on a motorcycle. He or she is coming on 10.4.20, which is the date of TakeOver.
Next was a tremendous mini-doc profiling Kyle O’Reilly ahead of his match on Sunday challenging for the NXT Championship against Finn Balor. This was great!
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano ahead of their mixed tag team match later tonight. They want to be the first married couple to both hold championships at the same time. They both have title matches on Sunday. They said it starts tonight and contiues on Sunday. Gargano was great here making snide remarks.
Cameron Grimes Invitational
Cameron Grimes came to the ring and cut a promo. He was mad about missing his chance to challenge for a title because of the gauntlet eliminator. He panned the idea of that match. He can cheer up, though, because he building stepping stone back to the top. He said he had a series of handpicked matches, and then introduced his first opponent. Out came some small guy that Grimes announced as from the 85 pound division.
The poor guy got in the ring, and Grimes hit him with a Cave In. A referee counted three, and Grimes was the winner without even taking his vest off. Grimes then introduced his next opponent he called Joey Strong. Enter stage left was some other small guy being thrown onto the stage by Ridge Holland. Looks like Grimes has a new and different opponent. Holland threw the small guy off the stage.
Grimes said it was nice to meet Holland, and he would shake his hand. However, Grimes told Holland he was not part of the Cameron Grimes Invitiational. Holland headbutted him, and a match was on regardless of Grimes’ thoughts on the matter.
Cameron Grimes defeated Ridge Holland via disqualification
Holland pummeled Grimes until the referee called for a DQ when Holland would not break for a five count. It was Vinny V’s least favorite finish, Holland was DQ’d for kicking too much ass. That was it. Grimes was near the ropes, but not in them. Holland had ahold of the top rope, but is that illegal? Kind of I guess, but it’s an old rule that is hardly enforced. Good segment overall, but a bad finish.
Austin Theory cut a promo saying he was more of the future than Kyle O’Reilly because Theory is younger. He said, “Kyle O’Reilly should try to catch up with Austin Theory.” What, bruh? You’ve done nothing but lose matches for weeks.
A vignette hyped Kushida before the next match.
Kushida defeated Tony Nese
Kushida submitted Nese with a Hoverboard Lock in a quick match.
Nese snapped Kushida on the top rope early on, and they went outside. Nese was posted shoulder first, and Kushida gave him no quarter. Displaying his new fiery side, Kushida targeted the shoulder and arm. He locked in the Hoverboard Lock, and Nese tapped out. This was all about making Kushida look like a killer.
The lights in the arena turned purple, and Dream appeared on the video screen. He said he looked best under the brightest lights, and he would see Kushida on Sunday at TakeOver.
Cameron Grimes was walking around backstage selling his face. He had a towel held to his face, and he was looking for William Regal. Grimes ran in to Dexter Lumis, who just stared a hole through him. Grimes said “you’re a freak, man”, and then he stormed off.
After a commercial break, Adam Cole was in the ring for a promo. For three years Undisputed Era has dominated NXT. They’ve done what they want, when they want, and nobody has been able to stop them. They had a prophecy saying they would win every championship, and they did. The locker room knew not to cross them. Then the prophecy ended, and they lost those championships. People then felt they changed, but Cole said nothing has changed. They are the same UE that won War Games, and dominated the brand. Cole then called out Austin Theory for running his mouth about Kyle O’Reilly.
Theory entered stage left, but he would not get in the ring. Cole gave him two option. The first was to get in the ring and fight him, or stay there and don’t move. UE would then beat him down and make him pray he would have taken the first option. Theory got in the ring, and a match was on.
Adam Cole defeated Austin Theory
Cole pinned Theory after hitting The Last Shot.
Cole took the fight to Theory, who tried to powder. Cole followed him outside and gave him a pump kick on the floor. He went on to send him into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Cole gave him a neckbreaker for a two count.
Theory took a suplex, and moments later he got his leg caught in a rope. Cole locked in a headlock, but Theory was still talking trash. “Undispute crap,” Theory said. Cole made him eat a back elbow, but Theory cut him off rolling through and springing up into a dropkick. The show cut to commercial, and Theory was working over Cole when the show returned from break.
Cole soon made a comeback, and he got a two count after a backstabber. A pump kick and an ushigoroshi led to another near fall. Cole was smirking before he climbed the ropes. He went for Panama Sunrise, but Theory blocked it with a backdrop. He superkicked Cole, and Theory gave Cole a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.
They exchanged strikes, and Cole superkicked Theory. A moment later, Theory went for his springing dropkick again, but he ran into a superkick instead. Another ushigoroshi, and Cole delivered The Last Shot to score the pinfall.
Cole after the match looked into the camera and cut a promo putting over O’Reilly. He said he is going to shock the world on Sunday, but it won’t shock Cole. He knows how great he is. Hmm, this all smells like a turn or split brewing. This reminds me of when they turned on each other in ROH. Not the storyline necessarily, just something behind the eyes.
Kayden Carter (with Kacy Catanzaro) defeated Xia Li
Li was very aggressive, and had Carter reeling early on in the match. Li hit her with several kicks, and went for succession of covers. Carter kept kicking out, and Li grew frustrated.
Carter created separation and started a comeback. They traded near falls until Carter cradled Li to score a pinfall.
Li was angry. Carter offered her a handshake, and she helped her up. Li shoved down Carter, and she stormed away.
Balor & O’Reilly Face-to-Face
Shawn Michaels moderated a face-to-face segment with Kyle O’Reilly and Finn Balor ahead of their NXT Championship bout on Sunday.
They agreed to shake hands before sitting down. Balor congratulated O’Reilly on winning the gauntlet qualifier, and Balor said he respected him as a competitor. Balor said he was looking forward to their match at TakeOver. O’Reilly said the feeling was mutual. Nothing but respect.
Michaels steered the conversation in a different direction. He asked Balor how he planned to prepare for O’Reilly, and Balor answered he knew how good O’Reilly really is as a wrestler. O’Reilly responded by saying Balor likes to stroke his own ego because Balor thinks he can beat him. O’Reilly went on to say Balor’s defeat was absolute certain.
Balor asked if Unidsputed Era would get involved in their match. O’Reilly said this Sunday is not about Undisputed Era, this is his moment. Micahels asked about any conflict between UE if O’Reilly were to win the title. O’Reilly dismissed it.
They started mocking each other before getting more serious. They moved in closer and glared in each other’s eyes as they kept jawing with each other. O’Reilly said him being an underdog was “bull****”, and he vowed to win the title.
Balor got the last word by saying O’Reilly had everything it takes to be NXT Champion, and he would be if the title was on anybody else except for Finn Balor.
Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano defeated NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai & NXT North American Champion Damian Priest in a non-title match
The two champions rushed into the ring to start a brawl before the bell. The champs cleared the ring, and then the match began. Garagno tried to stick-and-move, but Priest mowed him down instead. He gave him a sidewalk slam, and Gargano crawled over to tag out.
Shirai and LeRae squared off, and they started a slugfest. They countered and reversed the other until LeRae with a roll-up for two. Shirai gave LeRae a flapjack, and Garagano jumped into the match to make a save. He got in Shirai’s face. Priest then stepped in to rock Gargano with a kick. Shirai delivered running knees, and the Garganos rolle outside.
Jumping off Priest’s shoulders, Shirai dived on to Gargano and LeRae. The show cut to a picture-in-picture commercial. LeRae cut off Shirai when Gargano sacrificed himself to take a Tiger Feint Kick, and the heels gained the advantage. LeRea had Shirai in a neck vice as the show returned from the commercial break.
Shirai fired up to give LeRae a German suplex. Priest in off a hot tag, and he cleaned house on Gargano. Priest with a Broken Arrow for a near fall. Gargano escaped a Razor’s Edge, and he springboarded into a tornado flatliner on Priest.
Shirai tagged in, and she hit Gargano with a springboard missile dropkick. LeRae bumped and fed, and Shirai applied a crossface. Gargano broke the hold by dragging Shirai away. Priest came around the ring to grap Gargano by the throat. Gargano blocked a chokeslam, and he hopped onto the apron. Shirai kicked him off, but she had turned her back on LeRae. Shirai turned around into an small package, and LeRae got a two count.
LeRae after a senton missed a lionsault. Shirai with a double underhook backbreaker, and she climbed the turnbuckles. As she set up for her moonsault press, Gargano got in the ring to roll his wife out of the way. Gargano was talking trash to Shirai as Priest gave him a bell clap. Priest with a cyclone kick on Gargano, and Shirai followed with a moonsault on Gargano. LeRae came into the ring to give Priest a low blow behind the ref’s back. Gargano caught Priest with a slingshot DDT, and covered him for the pinfall.
LeRae after the match gave Shirai a backstabber, and the married couple stood over the champions. Gargano fetched the title belts, and the heel couple held them overhead as the show closed.
An appearance by Shawn Michaels is set for NXT’s go-home show for TakeOver 31.
WWE has announced that Michaels will host a face-to-face segment with Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. Balor is defending his NXT Championship against O’Reilly at TakeOver 31 on Sunday, October 4.
O’Reilly became the number one contender to Balor’s title by winning a gauntlet eliminator match in the main event of this week’s NXT. Kushida, Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, and Cameron Grimes were the other participants in the match. It came down to O’Reilly and Grimes at the end. After O’Reilly submitted Grimes to get the win, Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole and Roderick Strong came out to celebrate with O’Reilly. Balor then appeared on the stage and stared O’Reilly down.
Balor won the NXT Championship by defeating Cole on NXT two weeks ago. The title was vacant after Karrion Kross had to relinquish it due to injury. A four-way Iron Man match between Balor, Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa took place to decide the new champion, but it ended in a two-way tie between Balor and Cole. Balor and Cole then faced off for the title in a singles match the next week.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai & NXT North American Champion Damian Priest will face Candice LeRae & Gargano in a mixed tag match on Wednesday’s NXT. That will preview two of the title matches for TakeOver 31. Shirai is defending her title against LeRae at the event, and Priest is defending his title against Gargano.
Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai has also been announced for Wednesday’s NXT.
Finn Balor and Io Shirai’s next challengers were determined on last night’s Takeoff to TakeOver edition of NXT.
Kyle O’Reilly won last night’s gauntlet eliminator match and will challenge for Balor’s NXT Championship at TakeOver 31 on Sunday, October 4. The gauntlet eliminator came down to O’Reilly and Cameron Grimes, with O’Reilly submitting Grimes with a kneebar to become the number one contender to Balor’s title. Adam Cole and Roderick Strong celebrated with O’Reilly after the match, then Balor came out to the stage, stared down O’Reilly, and posed to close the show.
Kushida, Bronson Reed, and Timothy Thatcher were the other wrestlers in the gauntlet eliminator. Kushida was eliminated after interference by Velveteen Dream. O’Reilly eliminated Reed and Thatcher.
Candice LeRae won a battle royal on last night’s show and will challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver. LeRae last eliminated Shotzi Blackheart to win the battle royal. LeRae, Blackheart, Dakota Kai, Kacy Catanzaro, and Indi Hartwell were the final five. Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez dominated during the match but eliminated each other simultaneously. They then brawled after being eliminated.
Tegan Nox was supposed to be an entrant in the battle royal, but there was an angle where LeRae attacked Nox’s knee earlier in the day.
Kyle O’Reilly is first in line for a shot at Finn Balor’s NXT Championship.
Balor will defend his NXT Championship against O’Reilly at TakeOver on Sunday, October 4. That was confirmed when O’Reilly won the number one contender’s gauntlet eliminator match in the main event of tonight’s NXT.
The rules of the five-man gauntlet eliminator match were that it started with two wrestlers in the ring, then a new participant was added every four minutes. The only way to be eliminated was via pinfall or submission.
O’Reilly submitted Cameron Grimes with a kneebar at the end of the match to become the number one contender to Balor’s title. The match started off with O’Reilly and Kushida. Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, and Grimes were the other participants.
Kushida was the first to be eliminated after being attacked by the interfering Velveteen Dream. O’Reilly eliminated Reed, Thatcher, and Grimes.
Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole and Roderick Strong celebrated with O’Reilly after tonight’s main event. Balor then came out to the stage, stared down O’Reilly, and posed to close the show.
Triple H tweeted about O’Reilly’s win: “[Kyle O’Reilly’s] success in #WWENXT shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. A student of his craft, he’s a dedicated (and decorated Superstar). THIS #NXTTakeOver match has the ability to steal the show.”
Balor vs. O’Reilly is the third match to be made official for the October 4 TakeOver event. NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai will defend her title against Candice LeRae at the show. NXT North American Champion Damian Priest will also defend his title against Johnny Gargano.
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.
Kyle O’Reilly is the third name to be confirmed for NXT’s gauntlet eliminator match.
WWE announced today that O’Reilly will take part in the gauntlet eliminator match on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. He joins Kushida and Cameron Grimes as wrestlers who have been confirmed for the match. It will feature five participants in total.
The winner of the gauntlet eliminator will challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver on Sunday, October 4. Here are the full rules for the gauntlet eliminator match:
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.
O’Reilly posted a video on Twitter saying he knows he’s unproven as a singles wrestler and this is the biggest challenge of his career, but he needs to make the most of this opportunity. He said if he challenges Balor, he’ll bring a storm that Balor won’t be able to weather. Balor then responded to O’Reilly: “In my book you ARE proven. It’s not an ‘if’ ,it’s very much a ‘when’ you face Finn Bálor. And when we do face , the only TING you will miss – Is having a partner to tag when your getting chewed up. Huge oppertunity Kyle. Don’t Craic under the pressure. Prinxe = Dimond”
On NXT this past Wednesday, O’Reilly helped break things up after Tommaso Ciampa ambushed Jake Atlas in the parking lot. Ciampa warned Atlas that he’ll be seeing him next week — and Ciampa said he’ll be seeing O’Reilly too.
In addition to the gauntlet eliminator match and Ciampa vs. Atlas, Wednesday’s NXT will feature a battle royal 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.
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.
A tag team match has been added to the lineup for tonight’s NXT.
The Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish will face off with Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch on tonight’s episode. The announcement was made via a tweet from NXT general manager William Regal last night: “In addition to two cage matches tomorrow, we are going to have a knock down drag out match in the tag division with The #UndisputedERA’s @KORcombat and @theBobbyFish taking on @_StarDESTROYER and @strongstylebrit #WWENXT”
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai and Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong are the two steel cage matches that will be taking place on the show.
O’Reilly & Fish lost the NXT Tag Team titles to Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: Portland last month. Video of a backstage segment with Undisputed Era aired on NXT last week. O’Reilly & Fish cut a promo on Riddle & Dunne, saying they got lucky at TakeOver and O’Reilly & Fish aren’t going anywhere.
Lorcan & Burch lost a non-title match against Riddle & Dunne on NXT two weeks ago.
The NXT Tag Team Champions are set to face off with the champions from NXT UK this Wednesday.
WWE has announced that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first round match between The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) and Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) will take place on this week’s episode of NXT.
The Dusty Classic is kicking off on Wednesday’s show, with The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler) also facing Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) in a first round match.
The Forgotten Sons vs. Imperium and Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster are the opening round matches on the left side of the tournament bracket. The right side has Undisputed Era vs. Gallus and The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Kushida and a partner who has yet to be revealed.
Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes has also been announced for Wednesday’s NXT. The winner will become the number one contender to Roderick Strong’s NXT North American Championship.
Two title matches and the brands fallout from TakeOver: WarGames and Survivor Series are set for tonight’s NXT.
NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish will defend their titles against Keith Lee & Dominik Dijakovic. The match comes after Team Ciampa (Tommaso Ciampa, Lee, Dijakovic & Kevin Owens) defeated The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, O’Reilly & Fish) in Saturday’s WarGames main event.
Lio Rush retained his Cruiserweight Championship in a triple threat match against SmackDown’s Kalisto and Raw’s Akira Tozawa on the Survivor Series pre-show. Tozawa wasn’t pinned in that match, and he’ll challenge for Rush’s title tonight.
Rush’s win was one of NXT’s four brand vs. brand vs. brand victories at Survivor Series. NXT won the night, with Shayna Baszler also defeating Bayley and Becky Lynch, Strong defeating Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, and Team NXT winning the women’s elimination tag match.
Rhea Ripley got the win for her team both at WarGames and Survivor Series. Dakota Kai turned heel and attacked Tegan Nox during the WarGames match, and WWE is teasing whether or not Kai will explain her actions tonight.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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On the eve of American Thanksgiving let us be thankful for another night of live pro wrestling.
The show opened with hip hop artist Josiah Williams leading a slew of the NXT roster to the ring with a live rap song. The crowd got involved with call and response as video highlights from TakeOver: War Games were mixed in with the live performance at Full Sail.
Undisputed Era interrupted the concert to scold and malign everyone celebrating. They were not responsible for success, the credit instead goes to Undisputed Era according to NXT Champion Adam Cole. Those celebrating were claiming “we are NXT”, when Cole claimed Undisputed Era is the reason for NXT’s success.
Tommaso Ciampa stopped Cole’s speech. Ciampa was flanked by Keith Lee, Matt Riddle and Dominik Dijakovic. Ciampa cut a promo where he announced that Lee & Dijakovic would be challenging Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
Ciampa then addressed to the NXT Championship as he called it by his pet name.
“Goldie, I told you that you had to wait because daddy was going to war,” Ciampa said. “Well, war’s over, and daddy won.”
Ciampa went on to say no one in Undisputed Era is standing in his way. Ciampa continued issuing a warning to Cole before Finn Balor entered the scene. Balor walked past Undisputed Era and said to Ciampa, “It looks like I’m standing in your way.”
Ciampa then challenged Balor to a match tonight, and Balor accepted the challenge. The match is apparently on for later tonight.
Keith Lee then gave Ciampa a vote of confidence before ordering Fish & O’Reilly into the ring for their match because it was “basking season” on NXT.
Cut to a shot of the announcers where Beth Phoenix welcomed viewers to the show. She announced that Mauro Ranallo was not there, but they were looking forward to seeing him next week . He was replaced on commentary by Tom Phillips to join Phoenix alongside Nigel McGuninness.
Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) defeated Keith Lee & Dominik Dijakovic to retain their titles
Strong as a replacement pinned Dijakovic to retain the titles. Bobby Fish started the match, but he was soon replaced by Strong.
Lee press slammed Fish over the ropes outside of the ring on to O’Reilly before a commercial break. Roderick Strong during the break replaced Fish. Strong was wearing street clothes such as jeans and shoes.
Fish was taken out of the match for “medical reasons”, and Strong was allowed to replace him because of the Freebird rule. That was the explanation for Fish leaving the match. Nigel on coommentary speculated on a possible knee injury.
The match continued while they figured everything out. Before long Dijakovic was suplexing Lee on top of Strong & O’Reilly. Strong a moment later targeted Dijakovic’s knee.
Strong was working the knee was the show went to another commercial break. This time no split screen. The show returned from break with Undisputed Era still working the leg.
Lee eventually cleaned house after a hot tag. He smashed O’Reilly & Strong with splashes and strikes. They tried to double-team him, but Lee tossed them over his shoulder. Lee teased a dive, and Strong clipped his leg. O’Reilly then delivered a flying knee off the apron.
Lee was weakened, but he soon tagged out. Dijakovic ran wild. He went for a chokeslam, but O’Reilly caught him in a triangle. Dijakovic powered out with a deadlift powerbomb while also grabbing Strong for a chokeslam at the same time. This popped the crowd and led to a close near fall.
Dijakovic went for his finisher, but O’Reilly escaped. Lee was again chop blocked at ringside, and Dijakovic made a save with a flip dive to the outside. Dijakovic with a double chokeslam in the ring as Cole tried to run-in. Lee met him with a pounce that sent Cole flying into planted fans sitting at ringside.
Dijakovic was distracted by the run-in, and he fell victim to the high low. Strong covered him to score the pinfall.
Cathy Kelley interviewed Candice LeRae about the actions of Dakota Kai. LeRae was upset that Kai turned on Tegan Nox — who is like a sister to LeRae. So LeRae issued a warning to Kai ahead of their match later on.
Mansoor defeated Shane Thorne
Mansoor pinned Thorne after a slingshot neckbreaker in the finish of a short match.
Mansoor with the shine early on, but Thorne caught him on an attempted tope. Thorne then suplexed Mansoor on the floor.
Thorne worked over Mansoor, and he also dashed some a hope spot. Mansoor still made a comeback as he this time connected with the tope. Mansoor followed with a slingshot neckbreaker to score the pinfall.
Candice LeRae defeated Dakota Kai via disqualification
Kai hit LeRae with a knee brace for the DQ. Kai before the match had carried Nox’s knee brace with her to ring like a trophy.
LeRae started strong in the match and she flew through the ropes with a tope. LeRae with a step-up senton for a two count.
Kai cut off LeRae and posted her. Kai was waylaying LeRae with kicks to the face as the show cut to commercial. Kai missed a charge after the break, and LeRae started a comeback.
As LeRae was firing up, Kai cuaght her with a sit-out powerbomb for two. LeRae went to suplex Kai on the apron, and they both crashed to the floor for a bad landing. There was another awkard spot when LeRae leapt off the top for a tornado DDT.
A double down led into them teasing a sunset bomb. Kai went to use Nox’s knee brace, but for some reason she was unable to do so. LeRae just powerbombed her instead for a near fall.
LeRae missed a springboard quebrada, and Kai hit her finisher. LeRae still kicked out at two and a half. LeRae moments later executed La Mistica and turned that into the Gargano Escape.
Kai rolled out of the ring where she retrieved the knee brace she brought to the ring. LeRae was going for a tope when Kai hit her with the brace for the DQ.
Kai continued to attack LeRae after the match. She sent her smashing into the ring steps and the barricade. Kai grabbed a chair and looked to use it when Rhea Ripley ran down to make a save.
Tommaso Ciampa — during a backstage interview with Cathy Kelley — cut a promo on Finn Balor.
A great vignette hyped Cameron Grimes.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush defeated Akira Tozawa to retain his title
Rush pinned Tozawa after two frog splashes in a hard-hitting match.
There was some fast paced exchanges to a stalemate at the start. They continued to grapple until Tozawa struck with a senton on the apron before a commercial break.
Rush somehow recovered, and he was back in control after the break. Not for long as Tozawa answered back with a somersault senton off the apron. Tozawa followed with a missile dropkick for a near fall.
There was some cool video game reversals, which led to a double down where they both kicked each other. The fight spilled onto the apron.
Tozawa gave Rush a German suplex to the floor. They teased a double count-out, but both leapt back in the ring to break the count.
There may have been a mishap when Tozawa ate a kick. His mouth guard fell out of his mouth, his knees buckled and he briefly went down to the mat. Rush went for a his springboard cutter, but no one was home. The referee checked on Tozawa, but let the match go.
Tozawa fired up for get a two count with bridging German suplex. Rush got his knees up on an attempted senton by Tozawa.
Rush executed two frog splashes before covering Tozawa for the pinfall.
Finn Balor cut a promo on Ciampa during a backstage interview with Cathy Kelley.
Xia Lee defeated Vanessa Borne
Lee pinned Borne in short match that was the backdrop for a larger story. The backstory heading into the match was Borne wanted revenege for a kayfabe injury suffered by her tag partner Aliyah at the hands of Lee.
The match was just getting underway when NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen walked on stage. Lee landed a spin kick and pinned Borne.
Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir rushed into the ring to attack Lee. She was fighting with off when Baszler struck. Lee was simply outnumbered. The Horsewomen held Lee so Baszler could deliver a kick.
Baszler then cut a promo saying everybody was taking credit for NXT’s success over the weekend, but no one had a better weekend than her. Baszler put over how she defeated both Smackdown Champion Bayley and Raw Champion Backy Lynch in the same match.
The crowd heckled Baszler with chants for Rhea Ripley. Interrupting Baszler’s speech, Ripley then made her way to the ring. Baszler and the Horsewomen powdered.
Ripley said she had something to tell Baszler face-to-face, so Baszler went back to the ring to confront Ripley.
Ripley congratulated Baszler, but reminded Baszler that Ripley beat her. Next time she beat her, Ripley vowed the match would be for the title.
Baszler answered back saying she will tap and nap like the rest of them. Ripley asked, “Then why don’t you do it now?”
Baszler walked away as Ripley said of Baszler stepped into the ring that Ripley would drop her.
Announced for next week on NXT is Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain.
Finn Balor defeated Tommaso Ciampa
Balor pinned Ciampa after interference by Adam Cole.
This was billed as the first match between the two. The match was back-and-forth during much of the early portion. That is until Ciampa catapulted Balor into a ring post before a commercial break. The split screen was also back for the main event.
Balor cut off Ciampa during the break, and Ciampa made a comeback when the commercials were done. Balor crashed into the barricade when Ciampa knocked him off the apron with a knee strike. Another knee strike by Ciampa netted him a near fall.
Balor answered back with a sling blade. He sent Ciampa out of the ring, a shotgun dropkick also sent Ciampa into the barricade.
Ciampa delivered an Air Raid Crash on the floor. Balor teased getting counted out, but he made it back into the ring. Project Ciampa led to a near fall, but Balor kicked out at the last second.
Balor with a double stomp and a shotgun dropkick set up Balor climbing the turnbuckles. Ciampa thwarted him to deliver an avalanche Air Raid Crash. Balor still managed to kick out.
Cole ran in to cause a distraction, and Balor with a schoolboy got two. Cole had dropped his championship belt into the ring when he had jumped on the apron. Balor went to use it — but to no avail as Ciampa countered with a roll-up.
Balor executed a reverse DDT on the belt, but was not DQ’d because the belt being in the ring was apparently ruled accidental. Ciampa kicked out on a cover.
Cole then interfered as he hit Ciampa with a kick, and Balor hooked him to deliver the 1916. Balor covered Ciampa for the pin as Cole looked on with a smirk.
Posing over a prone Ciampa after the match, Cole clutched his championship and flashed the Undisputed Era hand sign. Balor displayed the finger guns as Cole went to pat him on the back. Balor suddenly dropped Cole with a Pele kick out of nowhere. Balor stood alone as the show faded to black.
Two title matches have been made official for this week’s post-Survivor Series edition of NXT.
WWE has announced that NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) will defend their titles against Keith Lee & Dominik Dijakovic on tomorrow’s show. Akira Tozawa will also challenge for Lio Rush’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship tomorrow night.
Team Ciampa (Tommaso Ciampa, Lee, Dijakovic & Kevin Owens) defeated The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, O’Reilly & Fish) in the men’s WarGames match at NXT TakeOver on Saturday. Lee and Ciampa also represented NXT in the men’s elimination tag match at Survivor Series, with Roman Reigns last eliminating Lee to get the win for Team SmackDown.
Rush retained his Cruiserweight title in a triple threat match against SmackDown’s Kalisto and Raw’s Tozawa on the Survivor Series pre-show. He pinned Kalisto to win the match.
Rush’s win was one of the four brand vs. brand vs. brand matches that NXT won at Survivor Series. They won the night at the PPV, with SmackDown getting victories in two matches and Raw winning one.
Former NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival are returning to Full Sail University on Wednesday night.
WWE has announced that NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) will face The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) in a non-title match on Wednesday’s NXT. It’s the go-home show for TakeOver: WarGames and the last episode of NXT before Survivor Series.
All four members of Undisputed Era interrupted The New Day’s SmackDown Tag Team title defense against The Revival this past Friday. After the show, The Revival cut a promo on O’Reilly & Fish and have been going back and forth with them on Twitter since.
O’Reilly & Fish will face The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) and Raw Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders (Ivar & Erik) in a non-title triple threat match at Survivor Series on Sunday. The Revival were originally announced for that match before dropping the SmackDown Tag Team titles to Kingston & Big E.
On last night’s Raw, Triple H cut a promo saying that there would be an “open door” for Raw and SmackDown on Wednesday’s NXT. Adam Cole will face Dominik Dijakovic in a ladder match for the WarGames advantage on the episode, and WWE has also announced a triple threat match between Pete Dunne, Damian Priest, and Killian Dain.
The winner of Dunne vs. Priest vs. Dain will challenge for Cole’s NXT Championship at Survivor Series.
A non-title match involving the NXT Tag Team Champions is set for tonight.
WWE has announced that The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) will face Keith Lee & Matt Riddle on tonight’s NXT. This will be the first time Lee & Riddle have teamed together on NXT television.
O’Reilly & Fish won the NXT Tag Team titles by defeating The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) this August.
The Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong retained his North American Championship against Lee and Dominik Dijakovic in a triple threat match last week. Undisputed Era attacked Lee after the match, with Tommaso Ciampa and then Johnny Gargano coming out to the ring to face off with Undisputed Era. Finn Balor also came to the ring before turning heel and laying out Gargano.
Fallout from Balor’s heel turn will take place on tonight’s NXT. Asuka & Kairi Sane will defend their Women’s Tag Team titles against Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae will face Io Shirai, and Tyler Bate takes on Cameron Grimes.
