Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner will face Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde on NXT this Tuesday night. The match was announced after the two teams went back and forth on social media.
WWE posted a tweet over the weekend asking fans who they’d like to see be the first team to challenge for Imperium’s NXT Tag Team titles. When Wagner said he and O’Reilly should get the title match, Mendoza called Wagner out for wanting a title shot when he’s only been in NXT for “five minutes.”
O’Reilly responded by pointing out that he’s the only three-time Tag Team Champion in NXT history. Mendoza then tweeted that this isn’t 2018 anymore and Legado del Fantasma will show O’Reilly & Wagner who the best tag team right now is.
The partnership between O’Reilly & Wagner started to form after Wagner made the save for O’Reilly when he was attacked by Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland on the premiere of NXT 2.0 in September.
Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner won the NXT Tag Team titles by defeating MSK in a Lumberjack-O’-Lantern match at Halloween Havoc last week.
Here’s the updated lineup for this Tuesday’s NXT:
Johnny Gargano & Dexter Lumis vs. NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner vs. Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde
Tony D’Angelo will appear on Lashing Out with Lash Legend
Cameron Grimes will enter Duke Hudson’s Poker Room
Detailed look at the WWE draft, the rosters in different categories, strengths, weaknesses, depth and why so many picks were expected going in. Divisions strengthened, weakened, decimated, key personalities and more looking forward on the WWE roster
This past week in G1, who were the stars, standings, key matches and a rundown of every match, what to see, what to miss, storylines and what’s coming next
WWE Crown Jewel update
The death of Reggie Parks, the famous beltmaker who had a long career in the industry
WWE & AEW business in September, the numbers, what do they mean, comparisons, who watches what show and live attendance
Complete rundown of this past week’s UFC show and what’s coming this week
TV changes for the month of October
Detailed look at ratings, including what shows people watch together with the most frequency, how wrestling rates with sports and entertainment programming, men vs. women viewership
Promotion in serious talks about a new TV deal
The return of Women of Wrestling and distribution
How U.S. wrestlers fared in world championships
Behind the Alberto Rodriguez lawsuit over the Tito Ortiz fight
Lots of wrestlers getting TV media gigs
Promotion has new distribution method for next major PPV
Ticket sales for all the major shows between now and the end of the year
What regulatory incompetence led to the death of a fighter
International TV ratings
New WWE coaching staff members
Another top star contract expiring soon
Oldest skewing major wrestling show of the year and what’s being done to fix it
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
An angle aired on social media prior to tonight’s NXT where Legado del Fantasma kidnapped B-Fab and Top Dolla in broad daylight. Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott defends the NXT North American title against Santos Escobar on tonight’s show.
Matches taped for Main Event this week prior to Raw include John Morrison vs. Angel Garza and Drew Gulak vs. T-Bar.
The company has trademarked the term ‘the suplex-orcist”, in reference to Roman Reigns.
G4 has confirmed that the network, which will feature Xavier Woods as an on-air personality, will relaunch on November 16. It will be available on Comcast XFINITY, Cox, and Verizon Fios TV subscribers. Additionally, the network will stream through Twitch, YouTube, and Philo.
Raquel Gonzalez talked to Yahoo Sports about her latina heritage and how it shaped her WWE career.
In an interview with Allure, Bad Bunny talked about his match at WrestleMania. “It was like I died and went to heaven,” he said. “I’ve never sat to watch a recording of one of my concerts. Never. But my wrestling fight — I’ve watched it a hundred times. For like a week, I would go to bed watching it.”
Bryan Danielson wrote on Twitter regarding his upcoming match against Minoru Suzuki: “In 2004, I wrestled Minoru Suzuki 1 on 1. He beat the sh*t out of me. Showed me what violence and sadism inside a wrestling ring looks like. Since then, I’ve learned a thing or two about violence myself. And sadism. Excited to show Mr. Suzuki what I’ve learned #DANIELSONvsSUZUKI”
In place of Dynamite, AEW will air an episode of AEW Dark: Elevation tomorrow on their YouTube channel at 8 pm ET and an episode of AEW Dark on October 20. Both will be “best of” specials.
MLW has announced the signing of Joe Dombrowski to their announce team. He will start with the MLW Fusion: Alpha show that will air on MLW’s YouTube channel on Wednesday night.
Combat Zone Wrestling, which has not run a show since March of 2020, announced a pay-what-you-wish event called Renaissance of Tradition for October 24 at Studio Z in Blackwood, NJ. Fred Yehi, Diego Hill, Vinny Talotta, and Lucky 13 have been announced for the show.
PWInsider reported that at one point, there was a Memorandum of Understanding signed for Game Changer Wrestling to purchase CZW. However, CZW owner DJ Hyde pulled out of the deal.
Alberto el Patron’s trial for aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault begins on October 25 in San Antonio, Texas.
Aja Kong told Tokyo Sports she is undergoing surgery to put an artificial joint in her knee. She said that she does not expect to be out of action long.
Heels’ season finale on Starz scored 81,000 viewers, up from last week’s 73,000. In the 18-49 demo it scored a 0.01, down from last week’s 0.02.
Shaquille O’Neal told PopCulture that any match with Paul Wight would need to take place in New Jersey. “It has to be done in Northern New Jersey. Because you saw what I did to Cody [Rhodes]. …And see, I took it easy on Cody because he was a little guy, but big guys, I don’t take it easy on big guys, Paul Wall, or whatever your name is.”
Forbes has a video feature on Tony Khan and his involvement running AEW.
Lio Rush was the guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. He talked about his current relationship with Mark Henry (h/t Fightful): “Me and Mark Henry’s relationship is super cordial now,” he said. “I think it came down to two very strong personalities and two very different eras of wrestling and we agree to disagree. We’re about to be working together now and AEW is such an incredible place to be. It would be foolish of us to carry on any kind of whatever it was as it was pretty random and wild.”
Chelsea Green on her Green With Envy podcast said that WWE had sent out a text telling talent they were not allowed to be at All Out. “I will say that I really wish Matt [Cardona] had been able to go,” she said (h/t WrestlingInc). “Every one at WWE who had a spouse or a partner that was on All In got a text the week or two out from talent relations at WWE, saying they were not allowed to be at All In. So originally, of course, Matt and people like Deonna and Adam Cole, so many people were going to be at All In, just backstage watching us. And when they sent that text, I mean, it was way too risky for any of them to be there, especially after being told not to. It was such a bummer, but it still feels like yesterday when I came back from my match to a hundred texts from Matt saying how awesome it was. I actually could cry thinking about it all.”
Elektra Lopez appeared on tonight’s NXT, aligning herself with Legado Del Fantasma.
The main event of tonight’s NXT had Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) team up to take on Hit Row (Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Ashanti “Thee” Adonis, and Top Dolla). The finish of the match had Lopez come out to confront B-Fab, who was at ringside. Lopez then took out a pipe and attacked B-Fab. As the referee and Scott were distracted, Escobar took the opportunity to roll up Scott for the win.
Lopez is the former Karissa Rivera, who signed with WWE in February of this year. She first appeared on the June 22 edition of NXT, where she lost to Frankie Monet in what was billed as Monet’s “World Premiere Encore”. Previously, Lopez has had matches in Ring of Honor and Impact and is a former Wrestling Superstar Women’s Champion.
Also on tonight’s NXT, Xyon Quinn made his television debut, pinning Boa after Boa was distracted by Mei Ying. Julius and Brutus Creed, twin amateur wrestlers, also appeared in the background of a Malcom Bivens promo tonight, training with Roderick Strong.
The fallout from TakeOver 36 takes place on tonight’s episode of NXT.
There’s a new NXT Champion after Samoa Joe defeated Karrion Kross in the main event of Sunday’s TakeOver special. In defeating Kross, Joe became the first three-time NXT Champion in history. Joe will address the audience tonight.
TakeOver also saw Kyle O’Reilly defeat Adam Cole in The Undisputed Finale, Ilja Dragunov defeat WALTER to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship, Raquel Gonzalez retain her NXT Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai, and Cameron Grimes win the Million Dollar Championship from LA Knight.
Former NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray confronted Gonzalez after her title defense. KLR will be in action tonight.
There will be a championship celebration with Grimes and Ted DiBiase on tonight’s show.
The feud between Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma will escalate as Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis face Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde in a six-man tag team match. The finals of the NXT Breakout Tournament will also take place as Odyssey Jones takes on Carmelo Hayes.
Plus, Timothy Thatcher will face Ridge Holland, Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro will team against Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, and Boa will be in action. Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The show opened with the new Million Dollar Champion, Cameron Grimes, arriving to the building in a limo with Ted DiBiase. They walked the red carpet into the building, and Grimes sporting a sparkling vest with dollar signs on the lapels, similar to the orginal Million Dollar Man himself.
Grimes is so much fun. Pro wrestling is best when it’s fun.
DiBiase and Grimes entered the ring to celebrate Grimes winning the Million Dollar title at TakeOver 36. DiBiase began a congratulatory speech by talking about why he came to NXT. He wanted someone to carry on the legacy of the Million Dollar Man. That person would have to be strong of body and mind. DiBiase emphasized they should also be strong in heart. Quitters never win, and winners never quit.
DiBiase went on to say Grimes is no quitter. Grimes got back up no matter how many times he fell down, until he finally became Million Dollar Champion. And that is who is now!
Grimes said DiBiase drove him crazy at first. DiBiase replied that he was just testing him. Grimes went on to say he was beginning to lose focus with all of those zeros in his bank account. Grimes thought he was something, but he didn’t have that accomplishment that made him something. As he lost track as he was cleaning trash and srubbing toilets, but there was no way he was going to allow “that dummy” to make the Million Dollar Man his butler.
So at TakeOver 36, Grimes and DiBiase “took care” of LA Knight, and Grimes became Million Dollar Champion. The fans chanted “TO THE MOON!” Grimes wondered where they can go from here. DiBiase said there is only one place to go, and that is “TO THE MOON!”
Money with Grimes face on the bills fell from the sky like he was a Rainmaker, and Grimes embraced DiBiase. Great segment.
Clips from TakeOver highlighted the results from the card this past Sunday.
First bout on the show tonight is a grudge match several weeks in the making.
Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne) defeated Timothy Thatcher (with Tommaso Ciampa)
Holland pinned Thatcher with a powerslam to win a slobberknocker. A brawl after the match looks to set up Ciampa against Holland. There could also be a tag team match down the road, after the heels laid out Ciampa and Thatcher this match. Thatcher was also injured in storyline by a post-match attack.
They tied up at the start like two bulls locking horns. The fight went to the ground, and Thatcher went for submissions. Holland got back to his feet, and he floored Thatcher with a punch. Thatcher was reeling with his butt on the mat, but he fought back by kicking at a standing Holland like Inoki did to Ali in ’76.
Thatcher got to his feet, and he clubbed Holland. Thatcher dropped to the mat again after eating a back elbow from Holland. To fight went back to the ground, and Thatcher targeted a leg. Moments later Thatcher went to target on arm. The tables had seemingly turned, until Holland rocked Thatcher with a lariat.
Thatcher took a beating through a picture-and-picture commercial break. They were trading forearms as the show returned from the break. Thatcher caught Holland in a half crab. Holland kicked free, and he got to his feet. Thatcher slapped him, which only served to fire up Holland. He blocked a kick from Thatcher, and Holland delivered a headbutt. Holland then scooped up Thatcher for a powerslam, and Holland covered Thatcher for a clean pinfall.
Ciampa and Dunne began brawling after the match. Ciampa threw Dunne out of the ring, but Ciampa was hit with a sneak attack. Oney Lorcan and the returning Danny Burch attacked Ciampa. The beatdown continued with Burch laying out Ciampa with a KO punch. The heel stable was still not done. Holland struck Ciampa with a headbutt, and Ciampa fell at Holland’s feet.
Holland went to put his hat back on, and he was attacked by Thatcher. Dunne ran interference, allowing Holland to retrieve his club. Holland hit Thatcher in the arm with the club. Dunne then held Thatcher’s arm so Holland could hit Thatcher again with the club. Holland struck Thatcher in the throat, the heels left him laying on the floor.
Arash Markazi sat down with Carmelo Hayes for an interview ahead of the Breakout Tournament final later tonight. This was a good personality profile. A modern take on the type of segment first perfected by Les Thatcher on Ron Fuller’s Southeastern show in the late 1970s. What’s old is new again.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed the newly engaged couple, Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis. In-Dex revealed their wedding date is September 14th on NXT.
Catanzaro pinned Carter to win the match. Finish kind of came out of nowhere, but it was fun while it lasted.
Catanzaro & Carter have a new gimmick where they do Tik Tok dances. Meanwhile, Dolin & Jayne were badasses. The Tik Tokkers won in the end. Heat on Catanzaro. Hot tag to Carter, and she briefly ran wild. Although Carter was soon cut off, she recovered quickly to set up the finisher. Carter with a neckbreaker as Catazaro delivered a 450 splash, and Catanzaro cradled Jayne for a three count.
Catanzaro & Carter yelled at the announcers after the match about wanting a shot at the tag team titles.
Franky Monet, flanked by her entourage, interrupted an interview with NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Monet challenged Gonzalez to a title match.
Before being interrupted by Monet, Gonzalez mentioned Kay Lee Ray, who was on deck with a match up next.
Before the women’s bout came another sit-down interview with Markazi. This time he was interviewing Odyssey Jones.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz
Ray pinned Feroz after a Gory Bomb. This was a showcase match for Kay Lee Ray. Feroz got a few moves in, but Ray basically ate her up. The announcers called it Ray’s debut, but she already been on the show before tonight. Regardless, she looked like a killer in the ring.
Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne were approached by Mandy Rose with Rose seemingly wanting to basically be their manager.
Big brawl as Samoa Joe calls out the locker room
NXT Champion Samoa Joe headed to the ring for a promo. This was a Monday Night Raw segemnt. That is not necessarily a compliment, but it turned out alright I guess.
Joe is the first three-time NXT Champion. It was a time for celebration, but Joe says he did not come to celebrate. Joe went to say the tension in the air tonight is more palpable, the handshakes were colder, and the stares were a bit bolder. Who would actually dare stepping to Joe.
Out comes Pete Dunne to confront Joe. Dunne told Joe that Joe wasn’t the baddest around, and Dunne instructed Joe to find his pal Willial Regal so he could make the match.
LA Knight interrupted them to cut a promo of his own. Knight said a lot of word when he was basically just challeneging Joe to a match. Dunne threatened to break Knight’s fingers if he got into the ring. Knight stayed outside the ring, and he told Dunne to use his inside voice. What? OK, whatever.
Kyle O’Reilly was out next, and he spoke to “Samoa Jospeh” and “Peter Dune” about knowing them well enough. O’Reilly said he did not know “La” (like the Spanish pronunciation) Knight. O’Reilly claimes he earned a title match.
Ridge Holland jumped O’Reilly in a blindsided attack. Ciampa ran in to attack Dunne, playing off the sneak attack from earlier in the show. Holland came to the aid of Dunne by attacking Ciampa. It’s a Gordon Solie Pier Sixer. Joe dropped Knight, and Joe’s music plays as he stands tall as NXT Champion.
Cameron Grimes escorted Ted DiBiase to a waiting limo. Grimes said he thought it over, and Grimes believes the Million Dollar Championship should go with DiBiase. Grimes tried to give the title belt to DiBiase, but DiBiase seemingly gave it back to Grimes. DiBiase said everytime Grimes looks at belt he will know who he is, but there is a twist to the story. Grimes says the belt feels different, and Grimes learns it is a replica belt. Maniacal laughter from DiBiase as the limp sped away, leaving Grimes holding the replica.
Kyle O’Reilly was attacked a second time. This time Duke Hudson jumped him, but only after O’Reilly slapped Hudson. O’Reilly’s slap came after Hudson interrupted an backstage interview to mock O’Reilly. They had a pull-apart brawl, and O’Reilly screamed about wanting to fight Hudson. Of course, this sets up a match between the two.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the NXT Breakout Tournament
Hayes won with a crucifix pinfall on Jones. Hayes wins the Breakout Tournament, earning a title shot against the champion of his choice. Really good match.
The match began as a David vs. Goliah struggle. Jones manhandled Hayes, but Hayes would use his quickness aganist Jones. The match went through a commercial break, and the show returned from the break with Hayes gaining control on offense.
Hayes was rocking Jones with strikes, and Hayes with La Mistica into a facebuster for a two count. Jones moments later cut off Hayes with a shoulder breaker. Hayes rolled out of the ring to regroup. Hayes off the top rope with a flying legdrop, but Jones won’t stay down. Hayes went for a second flying legdrop off the top, but no water in the pool. Jones with a splash on Hayes, and Jones went for a nonchalant cover. Hayes countered with a crucifix for a three count.
William Regal presented Hayes with a contract for a title shot of Hayes’ choice.
New NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov is set to appear on NXT next Tuesday.
Xyon Quinn defeated Boa
The match was all Boa, until he was distracted by instructions from Mei Ying. Boa walked into a flying forearm smash hy Quinn, and Quinn covered Boa for a pinfall. Frightened by a menacing Ming, Quinn jumped the barricade and hightailed it out of the CWC.
Johnny Gargano tried to get William Regal to cancel the wedding between Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis. They had some funny comedy lines, but that interrupted by LA Knight pitching a fit. Regal ordered them both out of his office, and he slammed the door in their faces. “Buffoons,” Regal remarked. \
Malcom Bivens cut a promo as the Diamond Mine trained in the background. Roderick Strong will issue an open challeneg next Tuesday on NXT.
Announced for next week is Tommaso Ciampa against Ridge Holland.
El Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) defeated Hit Row (NXT North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Top Dolla with B-FAB)
Legado del Fantasma won the match when Escobar pinned Scott with a roll-up, which means Escobar scored a pinfall on the reigning North American title holder. That should set up a title match down the road. Electra Lopez interfered before the finish, clearly aligning herself with the rudo faction.
Hit Row with an early advantage, which led to Hit Row standing tall before a commercial break. Rudos took a powder, and the two teams glared at each other before the show cut to commercial.
During a picture-in-picture break, the rudo team gained the advantage. Heat on Scott as Legado del Fantasma worked him over. Scott eventually fought back. Hot tag to Top Dolla, and he cleaned house. He was one man wrecking crew. Top Dolla carried all three rudos around the ring at the same time, leading to a triple fall away slam.
Rudos fought on, using teamwork to target Adonis. Mendoza hit Adonis with a springboard missile dropkick, and Mendoza followed with a modified Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Scott broke up the pinning attempt with a House Call on Mendoza.
Scott squared off with Escobar, and Scott nailed Escobar with a leaping flatliner. Scott off the top with a 450 splash on Escobar for a false finish. The rudos tried to stop Scott, but Top Dolla wiped them out with a dive to the outside.
Escobar tripped up Scott on the apron, and B-FAB posted him. After B-FAB sent Escobar crashing into the ring post, Electra Lopez appeared at ringside brandishing a pipe. Lopez hit B-FAB with the pipe. The attack by Lopez distracted Scott, allowing Escobar to roll up Scott with a schoolboy for a 1…2…3.
Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma glare at each other as the show closed.
NXT taped Monday night at the Capitol Wrestling Center for the show that will air on Tuesday. Additionally, two weeks’ worth of 205 Live was taped. PWInsider reported the following:
205 Live for August 27:
Grayson Waller defeated Andre Chase. Drake Maverick was on commentary for the opening match.
Ikemen Jiro defeated Trey Baxter. Jiro won after countering a springboard 450 splash with a small package.
September 3:
Amari Miller defeated Cora Jade.
Joe Gacy defeated Josh Briggs.
NXT for August 24:
Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes started the show with a celebration over Grimes’ victory at TakeOver 36.
Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne) defeated Timothy Thatcher (with Tomasso Ciampa). Holland won the match following the Northern Grit. There was a brawl between all four men after the match. Oney Lorcan and a returning Danny Burch then came out to aid Dunne and Holland.
Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis announced that their wedding would take place on the September 14 edition of NXT.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin. Catanzaro and Carter won with a neckbreaker/450 splash combination.
Raquel Gonzalez cut a promo backstage, mentioning Kay Lee Ray. Frankie Monet, Robert Stone, and Jessi Kamea then appeared, talking about taking the NXT Women’s Championship away from Gonzalez.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Valentina Feroz.
New NXT Champion Samoa Joe entered the ring for a promo, talking about his victory at TakeOver. He wondered who his first challenger would be. Pete Dunne, LA Knight, and Kyle O’Reilly came out. Ridge Holland attacked O’Reilly, leading to a brawl. Ciampa came out to attack Dunne and Holland, with Joe and Ciampa staring down Dunne and Holland as they retreated.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the NXT Breakout tournament. Hayes pinned Jones with a jacknife pin. Hayes was interviewed after the match and told William Regal that it was too soon to decide what title he wants to compete for, saying for now he wants to celebrate his victory.
In a backstage promo, Pete Dunne said Thatcher is now on the shelf and Ciampa is next.
Xyon Quinn defeated Boa (with Mei Ying). Boa was pinned after he was distracted by Mei Ying.
Backstage, Johnny Gargano tells William Regal he wants the wedding called off. LA Knight enters and all three start yelling at one another.
Malcolm Bivens cuts a promo with Roderick Strong in the background. Bivens says Strong is the uncrowned Cruiserweight champion and will hold an open challenge for next week’s show.
A match between Ridge Holland and Tomasso Ciampa was also announced for next week.
Legado del Fantasma defeated Hit Row in a six-man tag match. Santos Escobar pinned Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott. Towards the end of the match, B-Fab attacked Escobar while the referee was distracted. An unidentified woman came out and attacked B-Fab with a weapon.
The NXT North American Championship and NXT Tag Team titles will be on the line in a winner-take-all six-man tag match at TakeOver: In Your House.
On tonight’s NXT, it was announced that NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed & NXT Tag Team Champions MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) will face Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a six-man tag match at TakeOver: In Your House this Sunday. If Reed & MSK win, they’ll retain their titles. If Legado del Fantasma win, Escobar will become the NXT North American Champion and Mendoza & Wilde will become the NXT Tag Team Champions.
Reed defeated Johnny Gargano in a steel cage match to win the North American Championship on NXT three weeks ago. MSK have been NXT Tag Team Champions since winning the titles at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April.
Legado del Fantasma confronted Reed on NXT two weeks ago and were about to attack him, but MSK came out to even the odds. Reed and MSK then sent Escobar, Mendoza, and Wilde packing.
Reed returned the favor during MSK’s NXT Tag Team title defense against Mendoza & Wilde last week. After Escobar interfered, Reed charged at Escobar and squished him against the barricade. MSK then defeated Mendoza & Wilde to retain their Tag Team titles.
MSK again came out to back up Reed during a confrontation with Legado del Fantasma on tonight’s NXT. Legado del Fantasma bailed when MSK entered. Escobar then proposed the winner-take-all six-man tag match for TakeOver — and Reed & MSK accepted the challenge.
This is the fifth match to be announced for Sunday’s TakeOver: In Your House event. Here’s the updated card for the show:
NXT Champion Karrion Kross defends against Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne, Johnny Gargano, and Adam Cole in a fatal five-way match’
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez defends against Ember Moon
Winner-take-all six-man tag match: NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed & NXT Tag Team Champions MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) defend against Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship: Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight
Legado del Fantasma are next in line for a shot at MSK’s NXT Tag Team titles.
NXT Tag Team Champions MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) will defend their titles against Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) on the Tuesday, June 1 episode of NXT. The announcement was made by NXT general manager William Regal after Mendoza & Wilde defeated Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher on NXT tonight.
Regal said he’s not quite happy with how Mendoza & Wilde got there, but they’re now the number one contenders to MSK’s NXT Tag team titles. Mendoza & Wilde defeated Ciampa & Thatcher after The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) interfered and attacked Ciampa while the referee’s attention was turned away.
Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Mendoza & Wilde) defeated Kushida & MSK in a six-man tag match on NXT three weeks ago. Mendoza pinned Carter to get the win.
MSK became NXT Tag Team Champions by defeating Gibson & Drake and Mendoza & Wilde in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver last month. Lee pinned Gibson to win the match. The NXT Tag Team titles were vacant going into that match after Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch had to relinquish them due to Burch suffering a separated shoulder.
MSK have made one title defense since becoming NXT Tag Team Champions. They retained against Drake Maverick & Killian Dain.
WWE has revealed how NXT’s next Tag Team Champions will be decided.
On tonight’s episode of NXT, it was announced that MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter), The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake), and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face off in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. The winning team will become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
The NXT Tag Team titles were declared vacant after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder while teaming with Oney Lorcan against Finn Balor & Karrion Kross in the main event of last week’s NXT. It was said tonight that Burch is expected to be out of action for six months.
Lorcan & Burch had been NXT Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Breezango in October of last year.
MSK defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans in the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals at TakeOver: Vengeance Day last month. MSK were supposed to challenge for Lorcan & Burch’s Tag Team titles on NXT three weeks ago, but that didn’t happen due to Lee suffering a broken hand. In storyline, the injury was blamed on an attack by The Grizzled Young Veterans.
Mendoza & Wilde defeated Breezango on NXT last week.
Legado Del Fantasma’s Santos Escobar is also set for action at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. NXT Cruiserweight Champions Escobar and Jordan Devlin will face off in a title unification match at night two of the event.
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one will air live on the USA Network on Wednesday, April 7. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else. Night one will be headlined by Io Shirai defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez, while night two will be headlined by Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kross.
WWE has announced two new additions to the lineup for tonight’s episode of NXT.
Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai will take place on NXT tonight. WWE has also announced that Breezango will face Legado Del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde in tag team action.
This will be the third match that Stark (formerly known as Lacey Ryan) has had in NXT. She made her WWE in-ring debut by teaming with Marina Shafir in the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They lost to Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in a first round match on 205 Live.
In her NXT debut, Stark defeated Valentina Feroz last month. Stark then lost a non-title match to NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai the following week. Shirai shook Stark’s hand after the match and they showed respect to each other.
Kai & Raquel Gonzalez were the winners of the women’s Dusty Classic. They were awarded the newly created NXT Women’s Tag Team titles last week but lost the titles to Blackheart & Moon later in the night. Also on last week’s NXT, Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Toni Storm. Shirai confronted Gonzalez later in the show and said she wants to face her next.
There was an angle on NXT two weeks ago where Mendoza & Wilde attacked Breezango as they were making their entrance for a match against Ever-Rise. Breezango then got payback last week by attacking Mendoza & Wilde after Mendoza & Wilde defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK distracted The Grizzled Young Veterans during that match, with MSK and Breezango then celebrating together after taking out The Grizzled Young Veterans and Mendoza & Wilde.
How NXT’s COVID-19 outbreak will affect tonight’s show remains to be seen. Dexter Lumis vs. Austin Theory, LA Knight’s NXT in-ring debut, and an appearance by NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin are also listed on WWE.com’s preview for tonight’s show. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs. Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner and Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott were announced for tonight’s show last week but aren’t currently listed on the preview.
The first round of the Dusty Classic will continue with Killian Dain & Drake Maverick vs. Curt Stallion & August Grey and The Bollywood Boyz (Samir & Sunil Singh) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) airing on 205 Live this Friday night. 205 Live premieres on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays.
It had been announced last week that some of the first round of the Dusty Classic would be held on 205 Live.
The Dusty Classic kicked off with three matches taking place on this week’s NXT. Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole & Roderick Strong defeated Breezango, the debuting MSK defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Jake Atlas, and The Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Ever-Rise. MSK were formerly known as The Rascalz’s Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz.
The full bracket for the Dusty Classic was unveiled on Wednesday. The team that wins the tournament will receive the Dusty Cup and a shot at Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch’s NXT Tag Team titles.
This week’s episode of 205 Live will include an in-ring appearance by NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar.
WWE has announced that Legado del Fantasma (Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face Curt Stallion, Ashante “Thee” Adonis & August Grey on 205 Live tonight. This is a rematch from a match that took place before NXT TakeOver: WarGames went on the air this past Sunday. That match was released online by WWE and featured Escobar pinning Grey to get the win.
Stallion became the number one contender to Escobar’s title by winning a fatal five-way match on 205 Live last month. WWE hasn’t announced when or where their title match will be taking place.
Stallion defeated Mendoza in a singles match on 205 Live two weeks ago but was beaten down by Wilde and Mendoza after. Escobar then came out to the stage to stare Stallion down.
On the final episode of NXT before TakeOver: WarGames, there was an angle where Stallion was supposed to team with Leon Ruff against Escobar & Mendoza but was attacked by Legado del Fantasma before the show. Ruff ended up teaming with Damian Priest and pinning Mendoza to get the win.
The Bollywood Boyz vs. Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari is also set for tonight’s 205 Live. The show airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
A six-man tag match has been added to the lineup for tonight’s episode of NXT.
WWE announced this morning that Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jake Atlas & Ashante “Thee” Adonis will face Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) on NXT tonight. The match was set up after Atlas and Adonis faced off on NXT last week.
Mendoza and Wilde distracted Adonis during his match against Atlas last week, which led to Atlas using an inside cradle to pin Adonis. Mendoza and Wilde went to attack Adonis after the match, but Atlas took Mendoza and Wilde out with a dive. Escobar then joined his Legado del Fantasma stablemates, but Scott came into the ring with steel chairs. Scott, Adonis, and Atlas stared down Legado del Fantasma until they backed off.
Escobar retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Scott at TakeOver 31 earlier this month. When Mendoza and Wilde got involved in the match, Adonis appeared and helped fight them off. Escobar got the win after sending Scott’s head into exposed steel on the bottom turnbuckle.
Breezango defending their NXT Tag Team titles against Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish is also set for tonight’s NXT. Plus, Tommaso Ciampa, Kushida, and Velveteen Dream will face off in a triple threat match.
A street fight will be part of the lineup for next week’s episode of NXT.
WWE has announced that Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face the team of Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Breezango in a six-man street fight on NXT next week. Due to a conflict with the NHL playoffs, next week’s NXT is airing on Tuesday (September 1) instead of Wednesday.
Escobar retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Scott on NXT tonight. When Mendoza and Wilde interfered, Breezango came out to fight them off. Escobar got the win after headbutting Scott while wearing a lucha mask that appeared to be loaded with some kind of weapon.
Earlier on tonight’s NXT, Breezango defeated Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) to win the NXT Tag Team titles. Breezango got the title shot by defeating Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch and Mendoza & Wilde in a triple threat match on Saturday’s TakeOver XXX pre-show.
Legado del Fantasma defeated Scott & Breezango in a six-man tag match on NXT last week. Scott had Escobar beat at one point in that match, but Scott wasn’t the legal man after accidentally tagging in Tyler Breeze when he was knocked into him.
Next week’s NXT is being called the Super Tuesday edition of the show. It will be headlined by Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole in a four-way 60-minute Iron Man match to decide the new NXT Champion. After winning the title from Keith Lee in the main event of TakeOver XXX, Karrion Kross relinquished the NXT Championship tonight due to injury. He suffered a separated shoulder during the match against Lee.
Wade Barrett, who did commentary at tonight’s NXT tapings, will again be part of the commentary team for next week’s episode.
A pre-show match has been added to the card for NXT TakeOver XXX.
Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde), Breezango, and Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch will face off in a triple threat match on the TakeOver XXX pre-show this Saturday. The winning team will become the number one contenders to Imperium’s NXT Tag Team titles.
Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Mendoza & Wilde) defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Breezango in a six-man tag match on NXT tonight. Scott had Escobar beat at one point but wasn’t the legal man after accidentally tagging in Tyler Breeze.
Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner have been NXT Tag Team Champions since defeating Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher for the titles this May. Imperium don’t have a title defense set for TakeOver XXX.
The TakeOver pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday. Here’s the updated card for the event:
NXT Champion Keith Lee defending against Karrion Kross
Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defending against Dakota Kai
Ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship (Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, Cameron Grimes, Johnny Gargano, and Velveteen Dream)
Triple threat number one contender’s tag match: Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (pre-show)
WWE has revealed much of the lineup for NXT’s go-home show for TakeOver XXX.
Two second chance qualifying matches on next Wednesday’s NXT will decide the final two participants for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship at TakeOver. Those two qualifying matches are Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland and Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream.
Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, and Cameron Grimes have already been confirmed for the ladder match. Dexter Lumis had also originally qualified for it, but he’s been removed from the match due to injury.
Gargano, Holland, Balor, and Dream weren’t involved in the falls of their original qualifying matches.
Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Breezango in a six-man tag match on next Wednesday’s NXT. There will also be a face-to-face segment with Adam Cole and Pat McAfee ahead of their match at TakeOver.
Scott saved Breezango from Legado del Fantasma on NXT tonight after Escobar defeated Tyler Breeze in a non-title match. Escobar got the win after involvement from Mendoza and Wilde.
