WWE NXT Live Results – December 18th, 2019

Welcome to Ringside News’ coverage of WWE NXT. Please keep refreshing throughout the show for constant updates once it kicks off at 8:00 PM EST

For the last live NXT of 2019, WWE’s third brand is set to put on an explosive show with not one but two major title matches set to close the decade right.

WWE announced today that the NXT Championship where Finn Balor will challenge for Adam Cole’s title will go on first, commercial free, to kick off the show. With the numerous competitors still vying for the NXT Championship and the rest of the members of The Undisputed Era waiting in the wings, will The Prince become a two-time NXT Champion or will the Panama City Playboy remain at the top of the mountain?

Last week saw the full-fledged face turn when Angel Garza capture the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Lio Rush and then proposed to his girlfriend in the middle of the ring. Garza seems to be on top of the world right now, but what is next for new Cruiserweight Champion? Find out tonight.

After two strong showings from Travis Banks and Kassius Ohno in the preview of the Worl’s Collide tournament, NXT UK is set to make a hat trick of impressive performances in another preview of the Worlds Collide tournament tonight. Will NXT UK emerge victorious, or will the main black and gold brand pull out a victory?

Finally, in what will likely be the main event, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler will defend her title against former NXT UK Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. Ripley has been on Shayna’s tail ever since Ripley debut in NXT, and she has made a beeline for the the women’s champion. However, Shayna Baszler has had one of the most impressive years in all of WWE, and is fresh off of a victory over both Becky Lynch and Bayley in a triple threat match at this year’s Survivor Series. Will The Queen of Spades title reign continue, or will The Nightmare finally dethrone the queen?

All of these questions and more will be answered tonight, and check back for coverage of the show when it all begins when NXT kicks off their first title match at 8:00 EST!

Opening Segment

Another recap of matches from last week, including the triple threat main event where Finn Balor became the #1 Contender.

NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Championship

During Finn’s entrance, Nigel tells us that this match will have limited commercial interruptions.

Finn and Cole lock up early on, and Finn takes down Cole. Cole reverses into a hammerlock, but Finn takes Cole down into a headlock. Finn wrenches on Cole’s head. Finn goes for a double stomp on Cole, but Cole avoids. Finn goes for another headlock, but Cole pushes him into the ropes and kicks him in the midsection.

Cole strikes Balor in the face, then ships him into the ropes. Cole hits a sunset flip, Finn rolls through and hits a basement dropkick, pinning Cole for 2. Balor chops away at Cole in the corners, before Finn hits another basement dropkick to the back of Cole’s head, pinning Cole for 2 again.

Finn stomps away at Cole while Cole is under the ropes, and the ref pulls him back while Coles rolls out. Balor backs up, then hits a wrecking ball dropkick to Cole. Finn gets to the apron and runs at Cole, but Cole takes out Finn’s leg with a kick to the shin, sending Finn down to the apron.

Back in the ring, Cole hits a hangman’s neckbreaker on Finn. Cole hits a suplex in Finn and pins him for 2. Cole hits a snapmare, then locks in a headlock on Finn. Finn fights up to his feet, but Cole takes him back down. Finn gets to his feet and hits a jawbreaker on Cole, but when Finn runs the ropes, Cole takes out Finn’s knee again.

Cole strikes at Balor’s face, then hits another hangman’s neckbreaker on Finn for another 2 count. Balor locks in a triangle on Finn. Finn bridges it into a pin for a 2 count, and then Cole takes out Finn’s knee again. Finn catches Cole with a flurry of offense and gets a very close 2 count.

Finn is back in control, and he whips Cole into the corners and chops away at Cole again. Finn taunts Cole in the corner and locks a side headlock, but Cole reverses into a backstabber for a 2 count. Cole gets Finn in a fireman’s carry, but Finn escapes and hits a slingblade on Cole.

Finn lines up a dropkick from the corner, but as Balor runs at Cole, Cole catches Finn with a huge superkick for a 2 count. Cole and Finn counter each other’s suplex attempts, and then trade blows. Cole hits two bicycle kicks on Finn, but Finn catches Cole with a Pele kick. Both men fall, but Cole falls on Balor for a 2 count.

Cole goes for Panama Sunrise, but Finn catches Cole and goes for a 1916. Cole escapes and hits an ushigoroshi on Finn for a 2 count. Cole runs the ropes and goes for a Last Shot, but Finn catches Cole and grounds him, then hits a double stomp. Finn hits a dropkick on Cole and goes to the top rope, but Cole catches Finn with kick and sends him toppling out of the ring to the outside.

Cole follows Finn to the outside and goes for a Panama Sunrise on Finn, but Finn catches him and dropkicks him into the barricade. Finn gets Cole back in the ring and goes for a Coup de Grace, but Cole avoids. Finn’s knee gives way and Cole hits a Last Shot on Finn, getting a two count.

Cole pulls down his kneepad and does the double gun point on Finn, and goes for another Last Shot, but Finn escapes and hits a double stomp on Cole, then a dropkick and a Coup de Grace on Cole. Finn looks to go for a 1916 on Cole, but Finn gets distracted by something on at the top of the apron. Suddenly, Johnny Gargano appears, distracting everyone. Cole hits Finn with a lowblow, then a Last Shot, pinning Finn to win and retain.

Winner: Adam Cole

Johnny grabs a steel chair and gets in the ring, staring down Finn, then Gargano swings away at Finn. Finn rolls out of the ring, but Gargano isn’t finished. Gargano chases Finn out of the ring and hits him again, but Finn runs away into the crowd. Gargano stands on the ramp and tosses the chair aside before retreating to the back.

We see shots of Rhea Ripley and Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen arriving at the arena.

We get a recap from WarGames when Killian Dain, Damien Priest, and Pete Dunne faced off in a triple threat match. We see That Damien Priest was injured in the match, but is apparently cleared for action and is back tonight.

Damien Priest vs. Killian Dain

Dain throws his jacket at Priest, distracting him and getting the upper hand. Priest fights back with a series of strikes and kicks. Dain kicks Priest in the midsection and tosses him out. Priest kicks Dain and gets back in the ring, grounding Priest and locking a waist lock.

Priest fights to his feet, but Dain catches Priest in a bear hug. Dain gets Priest set up in a corner and delivers a series of dropkicks to Priest’s midsection, sending him out of the ring. Dain follows and continues to strike and kick away at Priest’s midsection.

Back in the ring, Dain covers Priest for 2, then follows it up with another waist lock. Dain hits a back suplex on Priest. Dain mounts Priest from behind and locks in a rear chin lock with a knee in Priest’s back. Priest tries to fight back to his feet and kicks way at Dain. Dain hits a lungblower on Priest, and Dain punches at Priest’s kidneys and ribs. finishing it with a senton on Priest.

Dain covers Priest for 2. Dain hits a fisherman suplex on Priest and gets another 2 count before locking in another headlock. Priest fights out of the headlock, but Dain hits a dropkick to Priest, sending him out of the ring, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and Dain and Priest are both on the ground. Priest hits Dain with a series of strikes, taking him down with a huge clothesline. Priest hits a leaping back elbow on Dain in the corner and goes for a suplex on Dain, but Priest’s midsection injuries are almost too much. Priest fights through the injuries and hits a suplex on Dain.

Priest goes to the top rope, and Dain goes out of the ring. Priest gives chase and hits a tope on Dain. Priest gets Dain back in the ring and hits a chokeslam on Priest for a two count. Dain hits a series of offense on Priest and covers him for 2.

Dain gets Priest in an electric chair, but Preist rolls up Dain for a 2 count. Priest goes for a powerbomb, but his midsection is too damaged. Dain hits a senton on Priest, then goes for a Vader Bomb on Priest, but Priest gets the knees up and counters. Priest hits The Reckoning on Killian Dain and pins him for a 3 count victory.

Winner: Damien Priest

Kushida and Cameron Grimes are both shown getting ready backstage for their match, then we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and we see that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is returning in 2020, and the teams will be announced on the New Year’s Edition of NXT.

Cameron Grimes vs. Kushida

Grimes and Kushida lock up early on, but Kushida has control of Grimes’s wrist. Kushdia transfers into a chancery, then takes down Grimes with an armdrag. Grimes runs the ropes, but Kushda leap frogs Grimes and then brings Grimes down, manipulating Grimes’s arm. Grimes escapes to the outside, but Kushida follows up with a dropkick to the outside.

Back in the ring, Kushdia hits an overhead chop on Grimes from the top rope, then stretches out the midsection of Grimes. Grimes fights out of the submission, but Kushida hits a dropkick on Grimes, then goes for another midsection stretch. Kushida hits a rolling crucifix pin on Grimes, but Grimes kicks out and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and Grimes is in control of Kushida, standing on him in the corner. Grimes tosses Kushida across the ring, then picks Kushida and hits a backbreaker. Grimes chases Kushida, striking him in the back with a series of strikes. Grimes hits a pendulum backbreaker on Kushida, then locks in a bow and arrow submission on Kushida.

Kushida hits Grimes with palm strikes to the head, forcing a release. Kushida hits a back handspring elbow on Grimes. Kushdia locks in an armbar on Grimes, but Grimes reaches the ropes and forces a break. Kushida hits a running dropkick to Grimes’s arm and goes for a Hoverboard Lock, but Grimes reverses it into a tilt-a-whirl body slam and covers him for 2.

Kushida hits a release German suplex on Grimes, and Grimes hits a German of his own, bridging into a pin for a 2 count. Grimes whips Kushida into the ropes, and Kushida hits a kick on Grimes, sending him to the outside. Kushdia hits a dive onto Grimes on the outside. Both men are down, but get back in the ring at 8.

Grimes catches Kushida with a boot to the face, and Kushida goes for the Hoverboard Lock again, but Grimes fights him off. Kushida comes back and hits a hurricanrana from the top onto Grimes into a rollup for a 2 count.

Grimes goes for the Cave In, but Kushida reverses it and goes for a Hoverboard Lock. Grimes escapes and goes for the Cave In again, connecting this time, and covering Kushida for the 3 count victory.

Winner: Cameron Grimes

We see Rhea Ripley warming up for her match backstage, then a video package hyping up Io Shirai, who is in action after this commercial.

Back from commercial, and we go right into the next match.

Io Shirai vs. Santana Garrett

The crowd chants “Io’s gonna kill you.” Shirai takes Garrett down easily, and goes for and armdrag. Garrett reverses and takes Shirai down, pinning her for two. Garrett hits a kick to Shirai in the face. Garrett tries to whip Shirai into the opposite side, but Shirai holds the ropes and stops her.

Shirai takes down Garrett and gets her in the corner. Shirai slaps Garrett and goes for a double knees in the corner, but Garrett avoids it. Garrett strikes Shirai in the face, sending her into the corner and then hits a suplex on Shirai for a 2 count.

Garrett locks in a chancery lock on Shirai, but Shirai fights to the ropes, forcing a break. Garret gets dropped by Shirai into the ropes. Shirai goes for the double knees again on Garrett and connects, then hits a moonsault on Garrett, getting the 3 count victory.

Winner: Io Shirai

We get another promo for the Worlds Collide tournament.

Pete Dunne vs. Travis Banks

Dunne and Banks locks up early on, but Banks goes down early. Dunne hits a crucifix pin on Banks, but Banks kicks out. Dunne and Banks reverse each other early on, as their familiarity with each other is talked up by the commentary team. Banks kicks away at Dunne, and Dunne slaps Banks chest, taking Banks down.

Dunne stomps on Banks’s hands, then kicks him and sends him out of the ring. Dunne picks up Banks and hits a suplex on Banks onto the apron, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and Dunne takes down Banks with a huge forearm. Dunne runs at Banks, but Banks trips up Dunne and follows up with a series of huge dropkicks, followed up with a cannonball into the corner. Banks hits a suicide dive to Dunne on the outside, the hits a springboard dropkick to Dunne, then a double stomp on Dunne for a 2 count.

Banks goes for a Slice of Heaven, but Dunne takes him out of the sky with a forearm strike to Banks’s face. Dunne hits an X-Plex on Banks, pinning him for a 2 count. Banks gets to the top rope, but Dunne stops him with a forearm smash. Banks hits a sunset flip on Dunne, but Dunne hits a step-up enziguri on Banks. Dunne goes for the Bitter End, but Banks reverses and goes for a Slice of Heaven again. Dunne catches Banks and sends him face-first into the mat. Banks fights back and hits a huge slam on Dunne, getting a very close 2 count.

Banks goes for a double stomp on Dunne again, but Dunne catches him and hits a powerbomb. Dunne goes to the second rope, but Banks follows. Dunne hits a Super X-Plex on Banks, kicks Banks in the head, and hits the Bitter End for the three count pinfall victory.

Winner: Pete Dunne

Dakota Kai is interviewed backstage about Mia Yim’s attack. Kai talks about how she beat Yim, despite how Yim took her out last week, and she will continue to beat every woman until she is champion.

Shayna Baszler is shown warming up for her main event match, which is up next. But first, a commercial break.

Back from commercial, and we see that Roderick Strong has issued an open challenge for his North American Championship next week. Also, Keith Lee and Lio Rush will team up and take on Damien Priest and Tony Nese.

NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship

Shayna goes right for Ripley’s legs and tries to take her down, but Ripley won’t go down. Shayna eventually gets Ripley down and goes for a stomp on Ripley’s elbow, but Ripley escapes and Shayna retreats to the corner when Ripley pulls back to strike. Both women are back up, and Ripley whips Baszler into the corner hard enough to send her to to the outside, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and Baszler is down in the corner. Ripley takes Baszler down with a series of clotheslines and knees, but Baszler rolls and trips up Ripley. Ripley and Baszler daze each other with kicks, but Ripley sends Baszler into the corner. Ripley sets Baszler up on the top rope and follows her to the top with a superplex, pinning Baszler for a 2 count.

Ripley is up to her feet first, but Baszler answers with a series of strikes and kicks to Ripley, but Ripley hits a suplex and takes her down. Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke suddenly come down to the ring. Ripley bicycle kicks Shafir off the apron onto Duke, but Baszler attacks Ripley from behind, sending her out of the ring.

Ripley gets to the apron and hits a cannonball onto Duke and Shafir, but Baszler catches Ripley from behind and knocks her down. Then, Baszler stomps on Ripley’s elbow on the steel steps. Ripley gets back in the ring, and Baszler goes right after the same elbow, working Ripley’s joints. Ripley looks to defend the joint manipulation, but Shayna overpowers her. Ripley fights to a vertical base, but Baszler slams her down, sending her out of the ring, and we go to another commercial.

Back from commercial break, and Shayna has the advantage on Ripley. We see that Shafir and Duke attacked Ripley during the commercial break, but the ref banned them from ringside. Baszler kicks away at Ripley’s chest and Ripley is hurt but not going down. Ripley catches a kick and goes for a Riptide, but Baslzer escapes. Ripley hits a dropkick on Baszler, sending her into the referee. Ripley hits the Riptide on Baszler and gets the visual pin, but the ref is unconscious. Ripley releases the pin and Baszler escapes the ring.

Ripley geos for a cannonball dive to Ripley on the outside, but Baszler dodged and locked in a Kirifuda Clutch. Ripley broke out of the lock, but both women are injured. Baszler gets a chair and all three women get back in the ring. Ripley goes for the chair, but Baszler gets it instead and hits a DDT on Ripley onto the chair, getting a very close 2 count.

Baszler locks in the Kirifuda Clutch, but Ripley escapes. Baszler locks it in again, but Ripley fights and tries to get to the bottom rope. Baszler pulls her back, and Ripley fights again for the ropes before Baszler pulls her back again. Ripley looks like she might pass out, and the ref grabs her arm and tries to drop it, but Ripley grabs the refs shirt and eventually breaks the hold.

Ripley kicks away at Baslzer, and then locks in the Prism on Shyana. Baszler frees herself and hits a kneestrike to Ripley’s face. Baszler sets Ripley on the top rope and follows her. Ripley hits a headbutt on Baszler, then hits an avalanche Riptide on Shayna Baszler, getting the three count pinfall victory.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

The ring is full of people celebrating Ripley’s victory with her as NXT goes off the air.