Kyle O’Reilly to kick off WWE NXT, Blackheart & Moon vs. The Way set

– An appearance by Kyle O’Reilly will open tonight’s TakeOver: Vengeance Day fallout edition of NXT.

After he was involved in the show-closing angle at Sunday’s TakeOver event, WWE has announced that O’Reilly will kick off tonight’s show. TakeOver: Vengeance Day ended with Adam Cole laying out NXT Champion Finn Balor and O’Reilly with superkicks.

Balor retained his NXT Championship against Pete Dunne in the main event of TakeOver: Vengeance Day but was attacked by Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after the match. Lorcan, Burch, and Dunne beat down Balor until Undisputed Era (Cole, O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong) ran down to make the save.

O’Reilly then helped Balor up and told him how much he respects him. Undisputed Era posed in the ring and Balor was about to do his own pose, but Cole gave him a superkick. Cole then superkicked O’Reilly after O’Reilly argued with him about what he did to Balor. Strong looked conflicted between his Undisputed Era stablemates as the show went off the air.

WWE uploaded video of what happened after TakeOver ended. Balor asked O’Reilly who he trusts — and O’Reilly responded by saying he doesn’t trust anyone right now. Balor said he doesn’t know if he trusts O’Reilly either. Balor told O’Reilly to be careful because he isn’t going to clean up O’Reilly’s mess.

– WWE has also announced that Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs. The Way’s Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell will take place on NXT tonight. Blackheart & Moon defeated LeRae & Hartwell on NXT last Wednesday to advance to the finals of the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez then defeated Blackheart & Moon at TakeOver: Vengeance Day to become the first-ever women’s Dusty Classic winners.

WWE will follow up on Kai & Gonzalez and MSK’s Dusty Classic wins tonight. As the women’s Dusty Classic winners, Kai & Gonzalez will get a shot at Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler’s WWE Women’s Tag Team titles at some point. MSK will also get a shot at Lorcan & Burch’s NXT Tag Team titles. WWE hasn’t announced when either of those matches will be happening.

Plus, WWE is advertising that NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano will be searching for Austin Theory’s whereabouts after Theory was abducted by Dexter Lumis at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Gargano retained his North American title by defeating Kushida at TakeOver.

Karrion Kross vs. Santos Escobar has been announced for tonight’s show but isn’t currently listed on WWE.com’s preview.

Women’s Dusty Classic winners crowned at WWE NXT TakeOver

Image: WWE

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are the winners of the first ever women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Gonzalez and Kai defeated Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart in the opener of tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day event. In what was a vicious back-and-forth match, Gonzalez scored the win for her team, pinning Blackheart with a one-armed powerbomb. 

The two exited the ring and celebrated with the trophy near the entrance as confetti filled the air. As a result of their tournament win, they will now face WWE Women’s Tag Team champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler at a later date. Lana and Naomi recently won a triple threat match on Raw that earned them a future title match.

During the tournament, Gonzalez and Kai defeated Aliyah and Jessi Kamea as well as the team of Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter to advance to the finals. Moon and Blackheart defeated Marina Shafir and Zoey Stark and The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) to also advance to tonight’s finals.

Semifinals set for WWE NXT women’s Dusty Classic

Following this week’s episode of 205 Live, the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinals are fully set.

Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defeated Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark (Lacey Ryan) in the final women’s Dusty Classic first round match on 205 Live tonight. Blackheart & Moon will face Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell in the semifinals. LeRae & Hartwell booked their spot in the semifinals by defeating the debuting team of Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) & Cora Jade (Elayna Black) in the opening round on 205 Live last week.

Moon submitted Stark to get the win in tonight’s match. Stark was making her WWE debut in the tournament.

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter is the semifinal match on the other side of the women’s Dusty Classic bracket. That match will be taking place on NXT this coming Wednesday.

Kai & Gonzalez defeated Aliyah & Jessi Kamea in the first round of the tournament, while Catanzaro & Carter defeated Toni Storm & Mercedes Martinez.

The women’s Dusty Classic finals are expected to be held at NXT TakeOver on Sunday, February 14.

WWE 205 Live results: Moon & Blackheart vs. Shafir & Stark 

Ariya Daivari defeated August Grey and Jake Atlas 

A three-way staredown eventually broke down into a fight that momentarily favored Daivari. After Daivari established a lead, both Grey and Atlas targeted him, leaving Daivari to retreat to the outside. Grey then landed a tope to keep him there.

Back inside, Grey and Atlas had a typical wrestling exchange. Daivari tried to make a splash by diving on his competitors, but he missed both. Grey and Atlas continued their grappling. Daivari interrupted Atlas on the top rope. A superkick left Daivari back in control. 

Daivari controlled both of his opponents before a belly to back suplex from Grey left him laying. Atlas tried to steal a pin, rekindling a prolonged three-way fracas. All three men had significant offense, followed by near falls.

Daivari tried for and failed a hammerlock lariat before being ejected to the outside. A stunner followed by a cartwheel DDT left Atlas in a winning position. Daivari pulled Atlas to the outside and blindsided him with chain-wrapped knuckles. Daivari then crawled into the ring and hit Grey with the hammerlock lariat for the pinfall victory. 

This was a good match with decent structure and plentiful action.  

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defeated Marina Shafir and Zoey Stark 

Stark got the best of Blackheart in the opening moments. Moon hit the ring but also lost an exchange to Stark. Shafir and Stark began trading tags, picking apart Moon. Moon finally escaped, hitting a kick alongside Blackheart before tagging out. 

Blackheart connected with a barrage of strikes before an illegal kick from Stark stopped the momentum. Stark and Shafir began trading tags again to chip away at Blackheart. A knee strike forced Moon to save Blackheart from a pin.

Blackheart connected with a boot prompting a hot tag. Moon followed the tag with a double underhook suplex to establish match advantage for the first time. A top rope double knee facebuster forced Shafir to break up a pin attempt, triggering a Blackheart/Shafir brawl. Moon then locked in a modified stepover sleeper, causing Stark to tap out. 

This match was a little awkward at times. Not saying the match was horrible or anything close to that, but it did lack polish. Also worth noting, Stark had a few shining moments in her performance. In the end, the last of round one played out exactly how one would expect.

Women’s Dusty Classic match announced for WWE 205 Live

The first round of the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will conclude on 205 Live tonight.

WWE has announced that Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will face Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark in the final women’s Dusty Classic first round match on 205 Live tonight. Stark is Lacey Ryan’s new WWE in-ring name. She’s making her WWE debut in the tournament. Ryan has been based on the West Coast and also appeared on Impact Wrestling twice last year.

The team that wins tonight’s match will advance to face Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell in the women’s Dusty Classic semifinals. LeRae & Hartwell defeated the debuting Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) & Cora Jade (Elayna Black) in the first round of the tournament.

On the other side of the bracket, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez will face Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter in the women’s Dusty Classic semifinals. That match will take place on NXT next Wednesday.

Kai & Gonzalez defeated Aliyah & Jessi Kamea in the first round of the tournament. Catanzaro & Carter defeated Toni Storm & Mercedes Martinez.

Jake Atlas vs. August Grey vs. Ariya Daivari is also set for tonight’s 205 Live. The episode premieres on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time.

Blackheart vs. LeRae, Gargano vs. Lumis added to WWE NXT

Two new matches have been added to the lineup for tonight’s episode of NXT.

WWE has announced that Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae will take place on NXT tonight. NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano (w/ Austin Theory) will also face Dexter Lumis in a non-title match on tonight’s show.

Lumis was the host of NXT New Year’s Evil last Wednesday. After Blackheart and Kushida interrupted a celebration for Gargano breaking his title defense curse, Lumis made a mixed tag team match where Kushida & Blackheart defeated Gargano & LeRae.

Gargano broke his title defense curse by retaining the North American Championship against Leon Ruff on NXT two weeks ago.

Blackheart and LeRae were the captains for the women’s WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames last month. LeRae, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Toni Storm defeated Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley & NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai.

Here’s the updated list of announced matches for tonight’s NXT:

  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first round match: Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Roderick Strong vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)
  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first round match: Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel) vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)
  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first round match: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Jake Atlas vs. MSK
  • Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae
  • Non-title match: NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano (w/ Austin Theory) vs. Dexter Lumis

MSK is a new tag team debuting in the Dusty Classic. WWE hasn’t revealed who MSK are.

The full bracket for 2021 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was announced earlier today.

WWE NXT video highlights: Final build to TakeOver WarGames

The final member of Team Shotzi was revealed as the babyface team earned the advantage heading into Sunday’s women’s WarGames match.

In the main event of last night’s go-home edition of NXT, Shotzi Blackheart defeated Raquel Gonzalez in a ladder match for the women’s WarGames entrance order advantage. It appeared that Gonzalez had the match won after both WarGames teams and Indi Hartwell got involved, but NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai appeared and stopped Gonzalez from retrieving the advantage briefcase. Shirai then sent Gonzalez out of the ring and hit a moonsault onto a pile on the outside.

With everyone else down, Blackheart climbed the ladder and got the briefcase. WWE then confirmed Shirai as the final member of Team Shotzi. It will be Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley & Shirai vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Gonzalez & Toni Storm at TakeOver: WarGames this Sunday.

The men’s WarGames match on Sunday will be Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish) vs. Team McAfee (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch). McAfee cut a promo last night and promised that Team McAfee will end Undisputed Era.

A new match was also confirmed for TakeOver: WarGames on last night’s NXT. Tommaso Ciampa will face off with Timothy Thatcher on Sunday. Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest for the NXT North American Championship and Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes in a strap match round out the card for Sunday’s event.

More coverage from last night —

WWE NXT video highlights —

WWE pays tribute to Pat Patterson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kuct2Bz7Hs

Leon Ruff & Damian Priest vs. Legado del Fantasma

Team Shotzi gears up for war

A special look at Undisputed Era

Team Candice has everything it needs for WarGames

Cameron Grimes vs. August Grey

Jake Atlas vs. Tony Nese

Team McAfee promises to end Undisputed Era

Xia Li and Boa pay the price for falling short

The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Imperium

Timothy Thatcher puts Tommaso Ciampa to sleep

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Raquel Gonzalez ladder match for WarGames advantage

NXT fallout: Shotzi Blackheart has a few more surprises in store for WarGames

NXT fallout: Cameron Grimes begs to have his strap match postponed

Women’s WarGames advantage match announced for WWE NXT

For the second straight week, there will be a WarGames advantage match on NXT.

During a promo by Candice LeRae on NXT tonight, it was announced that Shotzi Blackheart and Raquel Gonzalez will face each other on NXT next Wednesday. The winner will earn their team the entrance order advantage in the women’s WarGames match. LeRae didn’t state whether Blackheart vs. Gonzalez will be a ladder match like tonight’s Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly match for the men’s WarGames advantage. The winner of that match had to retrieve a briefcase that was hanging above the ring.

Team Shotzi (Blackheart and three partners to be announced) are facing Team Candice (LeRae, Dakota Kai, Gonzalez & Toni Storm) in a WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on Sunday, December 6. LeRae’s team members were revealed on NXT tonight, with Storm turning heel and attacking Ember Moon on the show.

Blackheart’s partners for WarGames have yet to be confirmed by WWE, but Moon, NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai, and Rhea Ripley appear to be the most likely options. LeRae, Kai, Gonzalez, and Storm laid out Shirai and attacked Ripley tonight.

In the main event of tonight’s NXT, Dunne defeated O’Reilly in a ladder match to give Team McAfee the entrance order advantage in the men’s WarGames match at TakeOver. Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish) are facing Team McAfee (Pat McAfee, Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch) at the event.

WWE announces NXT TakeOver: WarGames for December

WWE has revealed the date and theme of NXT’s next TakeOver special.

It was announced tonight that NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 will take place on Sunday, December 6. This will be the fourth straight year that NXT has held a TakeOver: WarGames event. Prior to this year, the show had been held over Survivor Series weekend in November.

The announcement of the show was made in a promo featuring Shotzi Blackheart. Blackheart told Candice LeRae to get an army because they’re going to go to war. WWE has announced that it will be Team Shotzi vs. Team Candice in this year’s women’s WarGames match. LeRae also took part in the first-ever women’s WarGames match last year. She was on the winning side as Team Ripley defeated Team Baszler.

On NXT two weeks ago, LeRae destroyed Blackheart’s tank. LeRae & Indi Hartwell teamed together on NXT tonight to defeat Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro. LeRae & Hartwell then helped Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez attack Ember Moon & Toni Storm later in the show.

While not confirmed, WWE has also been building up Undisputed Era vs. Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch & Pete Dunne ahead of TakeOver: WarGames.

Two matches added to this week’s WWE NXT

WWE has announced two additions to the lineup for this Wednesday’s episode of NXT.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Toni Storm and Kushida vs. Cameron Grimes will both take place on NXT this Wednesday. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream and Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai are also set for this week’s show.

In storyline, Blackheart got to pick her opponent for this week’s NXT after William Regal liked the job she did hosting Halloween Havoc last Wednesday. Blackheart said she wants a fresh opponent and noted that she’s always been a big fan of Storm.

Blackheart got involved in the Tables, Ladders & Scares match between NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and Candice LeRae at Halloween Havoc after someone wearing a Scream costume tried to help LeRae win the title. Blackheart laid out the person in the costume and Shirai retained her title. The person in the costume also helped Johnny Gargano win the NXT North American Championship from Damian Priest earlier in the show. Indi Hartwell recently became aligned with LeRae and Gargano.

Storm returned to WWE television at TakeOver 31 last month and confronted Shirai. Storm defeated Aliyah on NXT three weeks ago.

Dexter Lumis defeated Grimes in a Haunted House of Terror match at Halloween Havoc last week. WWE is hyping that Kushida is looking to extend his recent winning streak.

Two matches added to WWE NXT, Toni Storm set for action

WWE has announced a few additions to the card for tonight’s episode of NXT.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano will both be in singles action tonight. LeRae will face Shotzi Blackheart, while Gargano will take on Austin Theory. The winner of LeRae vs. Blackheart will challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Halloween Havoc on Wednesday, October 28.

It’s also been announced that Toni Storm will be in action on NXT tonight. Her opponent hasn’t been revealed.

This will be Storm’s first match since March. She made an appearance on the video screen at NXT TakeOver 31 earlier this month and declared that she’s coming to NXT.

LeRae and Blackheart were the final two wrestlers in a number one contender’s battle royal on NXT three weeks ago. LeRae won and went on to unsuccessfully challenge for Shirai’s title at TakeOver 31. Shirai was confronted by both Storm and Ember Moon after that match.

Blackheart has been announced as the host of the NXT Halloween Havoc episode. She’s defeated Dakota Kai and Xia Li over the past two weeks. Last month, Blackheart impressed against Shirai in non-title action but Shirai won the match.

Gargano vs. Theory was announced via a video WWE uploaded earlier today. Theory did an interview where he said Gargano has been running around and saying Theory is the reason he lost to NXT North American Champion Damian Priest at TakeOver 31. Theory said he talked to William Regal and Gargano vs. Theory is set for tonight.

Tonight’s NXT will also feature Priest vs. Dexter Lumis for the North American Championship, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish to determine the number one contenders to Breezango’s NXT Tag Team titles, and a sit-down interview with Ember Moon.

WWE announces NXT Halloween Havoc for October 28

For the first time in 20 years, Halloween Havoc is making its return.

A video that aired during NXT TakeOver 31 tonight announced that NXT Halloween Havoc will take place on Wednesday, October 28. The episode will be hosted by NXT wrestler Shotzi Blackheart.

“Are you scared? You should be,” NXT tweeted. “@ShotziWWE hosts #WWENXT #HalloweenHavoc on Wednesday, October 28th at 8/7c on @USA_Network!!! Trick or treat, @WWEUniverse…”

Paul “Triple H” Levesque had teased during his appearance on WWE’s The Bump last week that we would be hearing news about the return of a classic event tonight. In June, WWE brought back the In Your House name for a TakeOver show. The Great American Bash name was then revived for a two-week event on NXT television this July.

This will be the first time WWE has used the Halloween Havoc name for an event since WCW closed its doors. Halloween Havoc was first introduced in 1989 and took place annually until 2000. The final WCW Halloween Havoc pay-per-view was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 29, 2000.

WWE NXT video highlights: Two title matches, Shirai vs. Blackheart

In their first title defenses, Damian Priest and Breezango retained their respective championships on last night’s NXT.

Priest defeated Timothy Thatcher in the main event of last night’s show to retain the NXT North American Championship. Earlier in the episode, Breezango defeated former champions Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) to retain the NXT Tag Team titles.

Shotzi Blackheart impressed but lost to NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai in non-title action last night. It was announced that Shirai’s challenger for NXT’s next TakeOver special will be determined by a number one contender’s battle royal on next Wednesday’s NXT. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Blackheart, Aliyah, Kayden Carter, Indi Hartwell, Xia Li, and Kacy Catanzaro were featured on the match graphic for the battle royal.

It was also announced that a five-man “gauntlet eliminator” match on next week’s NXT will determine Finn Balor’s challenger for TakeOver. The participants for the gauntlet eliminator haven’t been revealed. The rules are that two wrestlers will start in the ring, another will be added every four minutes, the only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission, and the last man standing will challenge for Balor’s NXT Championship at TakeOver on Sunday, October 4.

More coverage from last night —

WWE NXT video highlights —

Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Desmond Troy, Jake Atlas confronts Ciampa

Finn Balor being NXT Champion makes it the most important title in WWE

Kushida vs. Austin Theory

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano both have their sights set on championship gold

Breezango vs. Imperium for the NXT Tag Team titles

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs. Xia Li & Jessi Kamea

Nox’s favorite part of winning next week’s battle royal will be the look on LeRae’s face

Drake Maverick vs. Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish

Tommaso Ciampa ambushes Jake Atlas

Damian Priest vs. Timothy Thatcher for the NXT North American Championship

NXT fallout: Shotzi Blackheart calls Io Shirai the best in the world

North American title match, Shirai-Blackheart set for next week’s NXT

Two more matches involving champions have been announced for next week’s episode of NXT.

In his first defense of the title, Damian Priest will put his NXT North American Championship on the line against Timothy Thatcher next week (Wednesday, September 16). NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai will face Shotzi Blackheart in non-title action on the episode.

NXT Tag Team Champions Breezango defending their titles against Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) is also set for next week.

Priest became NXT North American Champion by winning a five-way ladder match for the title at TakeOver XXX last month. Thatcher then confronted Priest two weeks ago, said the way Priest acts is embarrassing, and declared that he wants the first shot at Priest’s title. Last week, Thatcher defeated Bronson Reed.

Thatcher broke down film of Priest during his Thatch-as-Thatch-can seminar on NXT tonight. Later in the episode, Priest was interviewed about next week’s match. Priest said there’s no chance he’s losing the North American title in his first defense.

Robert Stone went to destroy Blackheart’s tank on NXT tonight but got caught by Blackheart. Aliyah attacked Blackheart and accidentally knocked her into Shirai. Blackheart and Shirai teamed up to lay out Aliyah and Stone. Blackheart then picked up Shirai’s title belt. She went to give it to Shirai but pulled it away. Shirai took the title belt and told Blackheart she likes her — so don’t make Shirai hurt her.

After airing on Tuesday for two straight weeks amid the NHL playoffs, NXT will be back on Wednesdays starting next week.

Ripley & Blackheart vs. Martinez & Aliyah added to WWE NXT

WWE has announced an addition to the lineup for tonight’s TakeOver XXX go-home edition of NXT.

Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart will team against the Robert Stone Brand’s Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah on NXT tonight. Martinez & Aliyah defeated Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro last week. After the match, Ripley came out to the ring and fought with Martinez. Blackheart then helped Ripley even the odds against Martinez and Aliyah.

Martinez interfered in Ripley vs. Dakota Kai on NXT two weeks ago, costing Ripley the match and preventing her from becoming the number one contender to the NXT Women’s Championship. Ripley and Blackheart have both feuded with the Robert Stone Brand since declining offers to join the group.

Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s NXT:

  • Adam Cole-Pat McAfee face-to-face segment
  • Second chance qualifying match: Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream
  • Second chance qualifying match: Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland
  • Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Breezango vs. Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
  • Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart vs. The Robert Stone Brand (Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah)

The winners of Balor vs. Dream and Gargano vs. Holland will become the final two wrestlers to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship at TakeOver XXX. Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, and Cameron Grimes have already qualified for the match.