Four championships will be on the line at WWE NXT’s Great American Bash.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes will defend against Ilja Dragunov who earned the shot by defeating former champion Bron Breakker in a no. 1 contender’s match.
Tiffany Stratton will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Chase U’s Thea Hail in a submission match. This will be Hail’s second attempt at dethroning the champion.
NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against former champion Wes Lee and Mustafa Ali in a three-way.
Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion Gable Steveson will make his in-ring debut against Baron Corbin.
The rest of the main card will see Roxanne Perez vs. Blair Davenport in a Weapons Wild match, and NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus defending against The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo).
The pre-show will feature an eight-person tag between Dragon Lee, Nathan Frazer, Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz vs. Meta-Four.
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The kickoff show is underway. From a studio is Matt Camp, Megan Morant and Sam Roberts as co-hosts on a pre-show panel. They hype begins from the start.
McKenzie Mitchell goes to interview Dominik Mysterio in his locker room at the building near Austin, but she instead encounters WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. She says whatever Mitchell wanted to ask Dom, she can ask “Mami.”
Ripley says Dom is “cool, calm, and collected” despite being outnumbered in the triple threat match. Ripley says Judgment Day always has a plan. Ripley then concludes the interview with some sexual innuendo about her and Dom.
In a clip from yesterday, Roxanne Perez is at Dream Con in Austin when she is confronted by Blair Davenport. A shoving match turns into a pull-apart brawl, as part of an angle shot at the convention.
Baron Corbin in a backstage interview sits down with McKenzie Mitchell ahead of Corbin’s match tonight against Gable Steveson. Corbin is going to take the will to succeed as a WWE superstar from Steveson. Corbin goes on to say he will “dominate and bury a second Gold Medalist” (alluding to a prior match against Kurt Angle).
Opening the show live from the HEB Center in Cedar Park, TX is a mixed eight-person tag team match. Vic Josep
Dragon Lee, Nathan Frazer, Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz defeated Meta-Four (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend)
Dragon Lee pinned Mensah to win the match. The men faced the men and the women vice versa for the most part, but they did some mixed spots. Lots of great action from at times in a decent enough opener. The crowd was rather hot for the finish.
The main card opens clips of Dusty Rhodes, who is credited with creating concept of The Great American Bash in the late 1980s as part of Jim Crockett Promotions. Cody Rhodes narrates the opening video package, which leads into hype for tonight’s card.
The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang with Joe Coffey) to win the titles
D’Angelo pinned Wolfgang to win the titles. Good way to start the main card, and the crowd was into the match.
There was a really good near fall when The Family did the old Power & Glory tag team finisher from the early ’90s. In doing that, Tony D executes a superplex before Stacks jumps off the top rope with a splash. The subsequent spinning attempt was broken up.
Joe Coffey gets involved and hands Wolfgang a club, but it was a red herring to distract the referee. That leads another near fall where the pin is broken up. Moments later, Tony D uses a crowbar to hit Joe Coffey when he tries to interfere.
Stacks is hiplocked over the top rope by Tony D into a dive on the outside. Back in the ring, Bada Bing finisher on Wolfgang, and Tony D covers Wolfgang for the pinfall. The Family are the new tag champs.
Roxanne Perez defeated Blair Davenport in a Weapons Wild match
Perez pinned Davenport, in what was a grudge match filled with weapons and mayhem.
During her entrance, Perez is walking around ringside. Perez hugs her sister and mom in the front row. She is then suddenly ambushed by Davenport, who was in the front row wearing a hoodie pulled over her head. The sneak attack backfires as Perez fires up on Davenport.
They brawled early and often. Weapons come into play like metal folding chairs and trash cans, among other plunder. Davenport cuts off Perez with a shot from a trash can. Davenport is pummeling Perez at ringside when Davenport pulls out a branding iron to use as a weapon, since they are in Texas of course. Chairs are piled up in the ring, and trash cans litter the canvas.
Davenport taunts the family members at ringside while pummeling Perez. Perez fires up on Davenport using a bullrope as a weapon. Davenport is also whipped with a belt that she had earlier used against Perez.
Huge pop from the live crowd when Perez got a table from underneath the ring. It would later come into play, when Perez jumps off the top rope to spash Davenport through the table. They do the spot right in front of Perez’s family.
Davenport twice countered Pop Rocks. Perez takes a bump that crushed a trash can when she is suplexed on it. After the table spot, Perez does the Pop Rocks. Davenport takes the finisher on a pile of folded chairs, and Perez covers Davenport for a three count.
Gable Steveson vs. Baron Corbin ends in a double countout
Decent match for Steveson’s in-ring debut, but the finish was beyond lame. Steveson got over like a fart in church. The crowd even cheered Corbin, which should say a lot. A post-match brawl seems to indicate a return bout in future.
Corbin has new gear and new music. The music was not much of an improvement, but his gear looks nice. Steveson wore a gold medal during his entrance, and his gear is a traditional wrestling singlet.
Steveson gets to shine early on, before Corbin cuts him off and begins to work him over. Corbin dashes some hope spots when Steveson fights back. Corbin taunts Steveson, and that fires up Steveson.
Comeback by Steveson. Corbin baited him into following him outside, and Corbin cuts off Steveson. They brawl around ringside, and both are counted out. The crowd chants “bullshit” as a pull-apart brawl develops.
The brawling continues as they tumble over the announce desk. Referees pour out to separate them, but Corbin and Steveson keep brawling. Security geeks poured out to join the pull-apart brawl, and the security team is mowed down by Steveson and Corbin. Steveson sends Corbin crashing through a gimmicked section of barricade, and Steveson stands tall.
Lyra Valkyria is being interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell when Valkyria is ambushed by Jacy Jayne. Rhea Ripley walks by and remarks that was what she was looking for from Valkyria, as Valkyria and Jayne brawl.
NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio (with WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley) defeated Wes Lee and Mustafa Ali to retain the title in a triple threat match
Mysterio pinned Lee to win what was a really good match. They played to each other’s strengths, and Dom is really over as a character.
Dom tries to powder early on, but he is surrounded by Ali and Lee. They chase Mysterio and they double team him. That partnership falls apart as they again turn on each other, much like they did in the storyline heading into this bout.
Ali and Lee face off while Dom is selling on the outside. An opportunist, Myserio jumps back into the ring to shove Ali and Lee off the ropes. They tumble to the floor. Dom goes for the Three Amigos, but that backfires when he tries to suplex both Ali and Lee at the same time. They counter him and they both suplex Mysterio for a double team version of the Three Amigos.
The highspots done by Ali and Lee show they could have a banger in a singles match. In a spot where both Mysertio and Lee are draped on the bottom rope. Ali climbs the turnbuckle. Ali then crashes and burns doing a 450 on the apron. That leaves Lee against Mysterio.
Ripley gets involved by demanding that Lee not do a dive, after he already done a dive. Responding to Ripley’s demands, Lee jumps over her into a dive to the outside. Ripley then executes a Riptide on Lee that puts him through the announce desk. Somehow, Lee is able to kick out after Ripley rolled him back into the ring.
More near falls just before they head home. Ripley tries to give Dom the North American title belt, but the referee intercepts it. That was a red herring much like we saw earlier in the tag title match. Mysterio then grabs the women’s title belt, and he hits Lee with a belt shot. Lee still manages to kick out.
Ali jumps back into the match when he dropkicks Mysterio off the turnbuckles. Ali follows up by executing a 450 splash on Lee, and Ali goes for a cover. Ripley pulls Ali out of the ring to break up the pinning attempt. Mysterio then does a frog splash, and he covers Lee for the deciding pinfall.
Trick Williams cuts a promo in a interview with McKenzie Mitchell, which hypes up the title match main event.
NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defeated Thea Hail (with Duke Hudson & Andre Chase) to retain the title in a submission match
Andre Chase throws in the towel on behalf of Hail, when Stratton had Hail trapped in a Boston crab.
Hail got a special entrance where the crowd was given Chase U banners to hold up. It helped make her look like a superstar. Stratton’s entrance spoofed Barbie, which is very over in pop culture at the moment.
They wrestled back-and-forth at the start, before Stratton begins working over Hail. Stratton works the back, as Hail is a babyface-in-peril. That plays into the submission stip as Stratton worked the back. Stratton applies holds that target the back.
Hail fights back, but her hope spot is dashed when Stratton catches her in a body scissors. Hail powers to her feet, and she begins a rally. The comeback leads to a dive by Hail. Stratton is sent crashing into the ringpost shoulder first. That would play into a spot moments later when Hail goes for a kimura. Stratton breaks up the attempted hold. Hail would later apply the kimura, but Stratton got a rope break.
They do a high spot off the top rope where Hail gives Stratton a super northern lights suplex. Stratton twice does her Prettiest Moonsault Ever, and she applies a Boston crab. Hail won’t tap, but she cannot escape the hold. Andre Chase eventually throws in the towel, and Stratton retains her title. Duke Hudson was in disbelief that Chase threw in the towel.
A backstage skit seemed to set up a match between Dragon Lee and Dominik Mysterio, or at least teased a bout between them.
Two matches announced for Tuesday on NXT includes Jacy Jayne against Lyra Valkyria. Also, Eddy Thorpe faces Dijak in singles match.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeats Ilja Dragunov to retain the title
Hayes pinned Dragunov to retain his title. This was a great match and it was a hard-hitting bout. It was arguably the best match on the show.
Dragunov had red contacts in his eyes, as he was apparently “seeing red” as he headed into the match. That plays into the story of the match.
They wrestled back-and-forth taking and trading moves. Somewhere along the way, Dragunov starts to brutalize Hayes. Meanwhile, Williams keeps trying to motivate Hayes into a rally. Dragunov continues to pummel Hayes, and Hayes takes a ton of punishment. Nonetheless, Williams keep trying to motivate Hayes. Dragunov dashes some hope spots.
Comeback by Hayes, and he fires up on Dragunov. Hayes takes an enzuigiri, but he answers back with La Mistica. That popped the crowd and they are hot. Some receipts by Hayes as he peppers Dragunov with chops and strikes. They go on to trade strikes, and they trade stiff elbows.
Hayes springboards into a DDT for a near fall. That led to a “this is awesome” chant. Dragunov leaps off the top rope into a back senton for another near fall. Dragunov attempts to go coast-to-coast, but he is struck down in mid-air by a codebreaker from Hayes, in what was likely the wildest high spot on the show. “Holy s***” chants from the crowd.
Hayes goes to follows up with Nothing But Net, but Dragunov blocks it and powerbombs Hayes. Dragunov signals for a finisher, and he drops the flying forearm. Hayes somehow kicks out in the closest near fall of the match. Dragunov takes an avalanche cutter for another close near fall. Williams grabs the title match at ringside and he holds it up to help motivate Hayes, showing him what he is fighting for.
They fight on and trade strikes in a fighting spirit exchange. The fight then spilled outside the ring. Dragunov leaps off the ring steps and inadvertently wipes out Williams with Torpedo Moskau. In doing so, Dragunov apparently smashes into the title belt that Williams was holding, and Dragunov is on rubber legs. Hayes capitalizes with Nothing But Net, and Hayes covers Dragunov for a pinfall.
