Tag: nxt great american bash 2021

The Great American Bash returns again as WWE presents a special episode of NXT tonight.

A grudge match will take place in the main event as former Undisputed Era stablemates Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole face off. O’Reilly defeated Cole when they met in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April.

Three title matches are also set for tonight’s show. MSK will put their NXT Tag Team titles on the line against Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher, Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell will defend their NXT Women’s Tag Team titles against Io Shirai & Zoey Stark, and LA Knight will defend the Million Dollar Championship against Cameron Grimes. If Grimes loses, he has to become Knight’s butler.

Plus, NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Johnny Gargano will meet face-to-face. Hit Row will also deliver a “Championship Cypher” to celebrate Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeating Bronson Reed last week to become the new NXT North American Champion.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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The voice of Dusty Rhodes fittingly opened The Great American Bash in a canned intro. The video package ran down the card, and it closed by again featuring the voice of The American Dream.

Holy cow, this show has a corporate sponsor with an advertising tie-in, and it may be the most mainstream sponsor ever on NXT. Bud Light Seltzer was the sponsor of the GAB. While not the very much more mainstream Bud Light beer, the seltzer cousin will have to do. Please drink responsibility.

The red, white and blue ropes are back. Couple that with it being The Great American Bash, and I’m now super nostalgic. 

The show is kicking off with a men’s tag team title match.

NXT Tag Team Champions MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) defeated Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher to retain their titles

Lee cradled Thatcher for a pinfall, and the champions retain in a fantastic bout. Freaking great opener to kick off the card. Challengers looked strong throughout the match, but MSK were still able to remain the champs.

Ciampa & Thatcher worked over Wes Lee, proverbially cutting the ring in half as they punished him. Ciampa gets caught with a dropkick out of nowhere by Lee, and Carter is able to tag in. Carter is on fire, culminating in a springboard quebrada to the floor. Thatcher took the bullet for Ciampa and stepped in to catch Carter. That allowed Ciampa to waylay Carter with a lariat. The show cut to a commercial break, and Lee down selling at ringside.

Hot tag soon as the show returned from the break, and Lee cleaned house. Lee was on a roll when he too was waylaid by the challenger. Thatcher lowbridged Lee as he ran the ropes, and Lee tumbled outside. The challengers again targeted Lee, but both of the defending champs fought back to counter Thatcher. However, the champs were cut off. Carter was now the target, and he was worked over. 

Fighting spirit and Ciampa is rocked by a jumping knee strike. He was on rubber legs, and MSK looked to set up their finisher. Ciampa escaped with Thatcher’s helping to make a save. That would backfire on the challengers when Thatcher hit his partner with an uppercut by mistake. Ciampa went down, and Thatcher walked into a superkick. Lee went for a crazy looking handspring flipping move, but Ciampa nailed him in mid-air with a shotgun dropkick.

Close near fall after a Project Ciampa. Lee countered another Ciampa’s finisher, but the challengers turned the tide after some quick tags. Carter countered a super Air Raid Crash. MSK double team Ciampa. Carter with a swanton bomb, and Lee with a corkscrew senton for a two count. Thatcher dragged Lee out of the ring, and Thatcher also clocked Carter with a right hand. The challengers had again cut off the champs.

Ciampa executed an assisted Fairy Tale Ending on Lee, and Thatcher applied an ankle lock. Carter back in to make a save, and Lee trapped Thatcher in a small package. 1…2…3. The champs retain in a great bout.

NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Johnny Gargano face-to-face

General Manager William Regal and Samoa Joe are in the ring to host a segment where they attempt to settle things between Gargano and Kross. This is pro wrestling, so talking their problems out erupted into mayhem.

Gargano claimed Kross was scared to face him in the ring. Regal said this feud cannot go on, which is departure from this feud must continiue. Regal announced a title match between the two next week. Kross objected to a title match, and Kross said he was not afraid of Gargano.

Kross has three goals when he wakes up every morning. He wants to remain the NXT Champion, he wants to main event WrestleMania, and he wants to become WWE Champion. He insulted Gargano by saying he was wearing his wife’s jeans.

Kross said this was not a cartoon. This was real life! Regal interrupted to say next week in the title match there is a special referee, and that person is none other than Samoa Joe. The crowd popped, and Gargano threw a zinger as he was leaving the ring.

Gargano said it was funny Kross mentioned Gargano’s wife when “Kross couldn’t even lace my wife’s boots.” Kross had heard enough. He wanted to fight right now, but Joe stepped in to block his path. Kross had a staredown with to conclude the segment.

A vignette hyped NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida.

Million Dollar Champion LA Knight defeated Cameron Grimes to retain his title

Knight pinned Grimes, so Grimes must now become Knight’s bulter per the stipulations of the match. Decent enough match that leads into the next chapter of this feud.

Grimes showed fire at the start, leading to a flying cross body off the top rope. Knight would briefly counter Grimes, but Grimes with a counter of his own. Knight regained the advantage as the show cut to a picture-in-picture commercial break. 

Knight was on offense during the break, so I almost lost interest. Didn’t help that a commercial with Ric Flair was stealing the show. The show returned from the break, and Knight was still in control. Grimes struck with a one-man running Spanish Fly, leading to a double down. 

They traded strikes, and they would go on to trade near falls. Grimes fired up on Knight, and Grimes began a comeback, and Grimes gets a near fall after a swinging uranage slam. Grimes skinned the cat, only get caught in a Torture Rack and dropped into a facebuster. Two count for Knight. Grimes again kicked out moments later after taking a superplex. 

Knight fetched the Million Dollar title belt. He brought the belt into the ring, and the ref took it from him. Meanwhile, Grimes was able to use an O’Connor Roll. Knight reveresed with a handful of tights. Knigth takes a poision rana, and yet another two count. 

The fighting spilled outside. Knight gave Grimes a DDT onto the title belt on the floor. They teased a countout, but Grimes was able to get back into the ring. Grimes was unsteady, and he took a headlock DDT in the ring. Knight then covered Grimes for a pinfall.

NXT Breakout Tournament entrants were introduced. The tourney includes Trey Baxter, Carmelo Hayes, Andre Chase, Josh Briggs, Ikemen Jiro, Joe Gacy, Odyssey Jones and Duke Hudson. The tournament begins next Tuesday on NXT with Jiro vs. Hudson in a first round match.

Zoey Stark & Io Shirai deafted NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) to win the titles

Stark pinned Hartwell during a finish that featured the surprise return of Tegan Nox. New champions are crowned, and LeRae looks to be in feud with Nox moving forward.

The champions wore gear inspired by The Kliq from the era of The New Generation. Hartwell was Razor Ramon, and LeRae was 1-2-3 Kid. 

Shirai got to shine early on, and then it was Stark’s turn to shine. The match went through a commerical break with the champions in control.

During the break a cross-promotional spot with WWE and the Olympics. The spot featured Bobby Lashey and Olympic Gold medalist Zack Snyder. Synder said he might want to try wrestling.

Back to the match, with heat on Stark. Hot tag to Shirai, and she sqaured off with LeRae. Those two are so good against each other. Stark & Shirai with double team moves, and Stark looked strong getting a near fall.

No water in the pool on a Shirai moonsault. LeRae applied a Gargano Escape on Shirai. Hartwell then jumped in the ring to apply an Anaconda Vice (Dexter Lumis’ finishing hold) on Stark. The challengers escaped the holds, and LeRae is dropped with a plam strike. Shirai again went for a moonsault, but LeRae with counter suplexed Shirai off the ropes. 

Teased ending another match on the show with a cradle, yet it was only a two count. The lights inside the CWC went dark. The battery that had been charging appeared on a video screen. It went for 99% to 100% and the lights powered on in the arena. Tegan Nox appeared on the stage. 

LeRae looked as if she saw a ghost. Shirai knocked LeRae out of the ring. Stark then delievered suplex into a knee strike, and Stark covered Hartwell for a pinfall. 

Nox and LeRae brawled after the match, with LeRae fleeing the scene and Nox giving chase.

Dexter Lumis came to ringside during a commercial break, and he carried away Hartwell in his arms. Love is apparently in the air.

Toni Storm cut a promo on NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Storm was asked about Sarray wanting a match with her. Storm scoffed at the thought, and declined the challenge.

Hit Row’s North American Championship Cypher Celebration

The Hit Row group looked like superstars in this segement. This was basically a live rap concert, and it was arguably the best hip hop segment ever in WWE that did not star a professional musical act. Instead of simply cutting a promo, members of Hit Row spit bars. B-Fab rapped first, then Top Dolla, and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott concluded with his own rap. Ashante “Thee” Adonis was their DJ. 

Very different than anything else on WWE television, Hit Row hit a home run with this segment. Not sure it got them over as heels, but they looked like superstars nonetheless. Hard to describe it in typed words, it has to be seen with the sound on for the full effect.

Adam Cole defeated Kyle O’Reilly 

Cole pinned O’Reilly in a great pro wrestling match. Much different than their unsanctioned match. That previous match might be better, but personally I liked tonight’s match more simply because it was a straightforward wrestling bout with no gimmicks. But it this was a bloodfeud (if WWE allowed the use of blood), although the match did not start out accordingly.

They did start what was a grudge match in this bitter feud with a collar and elbow, which is my only criticism. The story apparently being this match was about proving who was better in the ring, as opposed to their prior meeting in what was basically a lights out match. That follows the recent WWE trend of following up a stipulation match with a straight wrestling match. Go figure. Tonight’s bout was nevertheless a great match.

They grappled, and Cole powdered out before a commercial break. More grappling as the show returned from the break. Cole was reeling as O’Reilly was dominating him, but the tide soon turned into Cole’s favor. Cole with a neckbreaker on the floor, and Cole targeted O’Reilly’s neck.

O’Reilly fired up on Cole, and O’Reilly targeted an arm. Great back-and-forth action. Cole lambasted O’Reilly with trash talk, causing O’Reilly to hulk up. O’Reilly was raining down punches in a corner when Cole escaped his clutches, and Cole blasted O’Reilly’s knee with a superkick. Cole followed up by smashing O’Reilly knee into the ring post.

The show cut to picture-in-picture commercial break with O’Reilly on the mat selling his knee. Cole worked over the knee during the break. On cue, O’Reilly valiantly began to fight back when the show returned from commercial, leading to a double down.

Cole was again targeting O’Reilly knee, but O’Reilly with a recepit attacked Cole’s knee. Dragon screw in the ropes by O’Reilly. They traded strikes and kicks. Near fall by Cole after a running high kick. Cole unabel to connect with the Panama Sunrise, and O’Reilly answered back with a series of strikes. 

O’Reilly blocked a superkick, catching Cole’s leg. Cole then took a cradle suplex at the hands of O’Reilly, but Cole somehow kicked out. O’Reilly with Kawada kicks, and then O’Reilly with a takedown. O’Reilly tried to transition into an armbar, but Cole blocked the hold. Small package for two. Cole with a counter for a heel hook, and Cole locked in a figure four leglock. O’Reilly countered to apply a heel hook where he also hooked the other leg with his legs. Cole managed to crawl to the bottom rope, breaking the hold.

More back-and-forth with each rocking the other. O’Reilly fell out of the ring, and Cole executed a Panaman Sunrise off the apron on the floor. Cole rolled O’Reilly back into the ring, and O’Reilly got his foot in the rope to break up a pin.

They traded strikes, and Cole takes a brainbuster. Cole was prone on the mat as O’Reilly climbed the turnbuckle. O’Reilly leapt off the top with a bombs away knee drop, but Cole rolled out of the way. O’Reilly crashed and burned. Cole delivered a Last Shot, yet O’Reilly kicked out at two and three quarters. 

Cole went for a Panama Sunrise, and O’Reilly blocked it with a knee strike. However, O’Reilly delivered the strike with his injured knee that Cole worked over previously in the match. Cole then executed the Panama Sunrise, and he followed with a Last Shot. Cole went on to cover O’Reilly for the deciding pinfall.