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.
With Worlds Collide in the rearview mirror, we can now move full steam ahead to NXT TakeOver: Portland in just a few weeks.
The build to Portland begins tonight, as William Regal is set to announce NXT Champion Adam Cole’s challenger for the TakeOver event. Triple H said that the upcoming title match will be “pretty epic,’ so one must wonder who that challenger will be. A few names immediately spring to mind: Johnny Gargano, WALTER, and Tomasso Ciampa, namely. But all speculation will end when William Regal makes his announcement tonight.
In another match with implications for TakeOver: Portland, the BroserWeights Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle will take on the Grizzled Young Veterans Zack Gibson and James Drake in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the winner challenging for the NXT Tag Team Championships in Portland. Will Riddle and Dunne overcome the odds and smoke Gibson and Drake, or will GYV come out on top?
Elsewhere on the card, Tegan Nox will finally get her chance at some retribution tonight as she goes one-on-one with her former friend Dakota Kai. Kai turned on Nox in November of last year during the women’s WarGames match, and the two of them have been dying to get their hands on one another since then. Tonight, that match will finally happen.
Also, what is next for the new North American Champion Keith Lee? Lee dethroned Roderick Strong last week, so who will be Lee’s next challenger? Perhaps Strong will want a rematch, or Dijakovic and Lee will renew their rivalry for the title? Hopefully, we will get an answer to that question tonight.
All of that and more tonight as NXT begins the build to TakeOver: Portland, and we will begin coverage when NXT goes live at 8:00 PM EST.
Opening Segment
Following the recap of last week’s actions, we get a preview of the Dusty Classic finals, advertising the match between the BroserWeights and GYV.
Finn Balor vs. Trent Seven
We see footage from outside the Performance Center last night when Finn Balor surprise-attacked Trent Seven in the parking lot, which led to tonight’s match.
While Seven is doing his signature fan-favorite slow-rolling ring entrance, Finn hits Trent with a dropkick, sending Seven to the floor on the outside. Finn jumps him and stomps on him a bit, before reentering the ring.
Seven gets back in the ring and is clearly hurt, but he signals to the referee that he is ready and the match begins. Finn runs right at Seven and kicks away at him, also choking him on the bottom rope. Finn follows this up with stomps to Trent’s chest, using the ropes for leverage.
Trent leaves the ring, but Balor gives chase and hits Seven with a dropkick between the ropes. Balor hits Trent with chops on the outside and then whips him into the ring. Balor locks in a chinlock on Seven. Seven fights to his feet and forces a break, but Balor knocks him down and hits Trent with a double-stomp, pinning him for two.
Balor goes right back on the attack, hitting a scoop slam and an elbow drop for another two count. Finn kicks at Seven’s stomach again, then sets up for the 1916, but Trent reverses into a pinfall attempt for two. Finn kicks out and halts Seven’s momentum, hitting him with a slingblade. Balor focuses his attack on Trent’s neck, and we go to commercial break.
Back from commercial, and Seven is rallying back into the match, hitting a DDT on Balor. Seven chops at Balor’s chest, then runs at him in the corner, but Balor gets his boots up. Seven hits Balor with a suplex and hits the Seven Star Lariat for a very close two count.
Balor is sent to the outside and Seven hits a tope on Balor, then tosses him back into the ring. Seven tries to get to the top turnbuckle and sets up for a moonsault, but Balor catches Seven and sends him to the mat. Balor hits Seven with a dropkick into the corner and hits Seven with a Coup de Grace, then a 1916, and covers Seven for the three count.
Winner: Finn Balor
After the match, Balor stares into the camera and says, “Gargano, I’m coming for you and I don’t miss.”
Backstage, Cathy Kelley is interviewing the BroserWeights. Dunne and Riddle talk about what they will do to win the Dusty Cup.
We get a short video package covering the rivalry between Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. Later tonight, Kai and Nox will have a match. Now, we go to commercial.
Before NXT officially comes back from commercial, we get a cryptic video with three circles in a triangle, with the numbers 5, 20, and 2 in the circles, likely hitting at the date of 2-5-20, which is the date of next week’s episode of NXT.
Shotzi Blackheart vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Shotzi and Deonna lock up, with Purrazzo getting the upper hand on Shotzi with her technical abilities, focusing on Shotzi’s arm. Purrazzo hits a couple or shortarm clotheslines on Shotzi, with Shotzi kicking out of a pinfall almost immediately.
Shotzi gets a moment of respite after a swinging neckbreaker. Then, Shotzi hits a running splash and bulldog on Purrazzo, followed by a question mark kick from Shotzi, covering Deonna for two.
Purrazzo hits a bicycle kick, but Shotzi hits Purrazzo with a lungblower, then a senton splash from the top rope for the three count pinfall.
Winner: Shotzi Blackheart
Shotzi heads back up the ramp in the tank that she came to the ring in.
We get a recap of Keith Lee defeating Roderick Strong for the North American Championship. Keith Lee is live next, after this commercial break.
Back from commercial, and we are treated to a recap of the events of World’s Collide.
The new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee comes down to the ring. The crowd chant “You deserve it,” to Lee. Lee talks about how a few months ago, he decided to take the North American Championship and how he a prophecy ender. He starts to say what is next on his list, but is cut off before he can continue by the music of Damian Priest.
Priest comes down to the ring and Preist says that he likes to take things. He gets what he wants, and he wants the North American Championship. Priest says that he wants to know how Lee will give the title to him.
Before Lee can answer, Dominik Dijakovic comes down to the ring. Dijakovic talks about how Lee deserves the North American Championship more than anyone, but Dijakovic says that he deserves a shot at the North American Championship before Damian Priest does.
Lee leaves the ring, and Priest hits Dijakovic with a cheap shot, but a referee comes down to the ring and a match between the two men starts.
Damian Priest vs. Dominik Dijakovic
Dijakovic hits Priest with a pendulum backbreaker, then a splash from the second rope for a two count. Priest goes to the outside, and Dijakovic gives chase. Priest catches Dijakovic with a forearm to the face, then hits Dijakovic with a crucifix bomb from the steel steps onto the apron, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Dijakovic goes for a chokeslam on Priest, but Priest fights out of it with kicks and strikes, taking him down with a lariat. Priest hits a flatliner for a two count. Priest poses above Dijakovic. Dijakovic goes for a Feast Your Eyes, but Priest blocks the kick. Dijakovic instead hits a chokebomb for a very close two count.
Priest goes to the outside, and Dijakovic hits a moonsault on Priest onto the outside. Dijakovic sends Priest back into the ring and Dijakovic jumps to the top rope, but Priest catches him at the neck on the top rope and hits a chokebomb of his own on Dijakovic for a two count.
Dijakovic rolls out of the ring, and Priest follows him out, hitting him with a tope. Priest sends Dijakovic back into the ring and they both hit each other with boots to the face, and both men go down.
Priest gets to the top rope, and Dijakovic hits Priest with a kick to the face and gets Priest in a fireman’s carry on the middle rope, but Priest reverses it into a poison hurricanrana, covering Dijakovic for two. Priest goes for The Reckoning, but Dijakovic escapes the hold and gets Priest in a torture rack, then hits a Feast Your Eyes on Preist, covering him for a three count.
Winner: Dominik Dijakovic
We get a recap of the matches leading up to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Cathy Kelley interviews Tommaso Ciampa backstage about how William Regal is announcing Adam Cole’s opponent for TakeOver: Portland. Ciampa says that, at TakeOver: Portland, “Goldie’s coming home. Tonight,” Ciampa pulls out a baseball bat, “I’m making sure of it.” Ciampa hits the baseball bat on a nearby metal pole, then walks off, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong are all shown laid out, unconscious backstage. Ciampa walks by them and drops his bat. Ciampa grabs a folding table as he walks around backstage and brings the table with him when he walks out to the ring.
Ciampa sets up the table in the ring, and the crowd chants “Psycho Killer.” Ciampa pulls out yellow spray paint and sprays a yellow “X” on the table. Adam Cole is shown backstage as he finds the rest of Undisputed Era unconscious, then Cole comes out and stands at the top of the ramp.
Cole comes down and asks who Ciampa thinks he is. Ciampa says that he is “Goldie’s daddy,” and tonight he is going to whoop Cole’s ass, then powerbomb him through the table, as “X marks the spot.” Then he will take the NXT Championship from Cole at Portland.
Willaim Regal comes down to the ramp with the contract for the NXT Championship match. Regal says that he was going to come down and let Ciampa sign it, but Cole snatches the contract out of Regal’s hand and approaches the ring, then hits Ciampa with a cheap shot.
Ciampa catches Cole with a boot to the face, then does indeed hit Ciampa with a powerbomb through the table, right where he painted the X. Ciampa grabs the contract that Cole dropped on the outside, then signs the contract and drops it on Cole’s body. Ciampa poses above Cole with the NXT Championship as blood drips down Ciampa’s face, presumably from the cheap shot from Cole.
Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship has been made official for NXT TakeOver: Portland. We are also reminded of Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano and Rhea Ripley defending her NXT Championship against Bianca Belair. This is followed by a recap of Bianca Belair’s performance in the Women’s Royal Rumble from Sunday. Next week, Belair and Ripley will come face-to-face. Up next, Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox will face off, but first, a commercial.
Back from commercial, and we get a recap of Jordan Devlin winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Devlin will be live on NXT next week.
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai
Nox is no-nonsense as she comes down to the ring holding her own knee brace in her hands. A video of Kai attacking Nox at WarGames plays on the screen as Nox waits for Kai to come down to the ring.
Kai’s music hits and she eventually comes out, heading straight for the ring. The bell rings, and Nox starts by throwing her knee braces right at Kai’s head. Kai hit Nox with a kick to the face in the corner, but Nox follows Kai with a running senton in the corner.
Kai escapes to the outside of the ring and Nox looks to follow, but Kai catches her with a kick to the head. Kai brings Nox outside o the ring and they brawl throughout the crowd. Nox gets in the ring and comes right back out to break the count, but Kait catches Nox with a kick to the face.
Kai goes and grabs a steel chair to use on Kai, but Nox kicks Kai before she can use the chair. Kai rolls back into the ring and Nox grabs the chair, but the referee stops her from bringing it into the ring. Kai grabs the knee brace and tries to swing it at Nox, but Nox ducks and kicks Kai.
Kai goes to the outside and Nox goes for a suicide dive, but Kai catches her with a strike to the face before Nox can leave the ring. Kai grabs the chair and goes to strike Nox, but Candice LaRae comes from behind and stops Kai from hitting Nox.
The referee is distracted by LeRae with the chair and Nox hits Kai with the knee brace to the face while the referee’s back is turned, then she catches Kai with the Shiniest Wizard, pinning her for a three count.
Winner: Tegan Nox
We get a recap of the BroserWeights’ matches leading up to the finals, and then a shot of them warming up backstage. Then, we go to commercial.
The cryptic commercial reappears and confirms that the numbers were referring to 2-5-20.
Chelsea Green (w/Robert Stone) vs. Kayden Carter
Carter runs at Green immediately, but Green reverses and catches Carter with a kick to the face, then a dropkick, covering Carter for two. Carter whips Green into the corner, but Green catches Carter with a boot to the face, then whips Carter into the corner hard.
Green stomps Carter’s face into the bottom turnbuckle, then gets Carter in another corner and kicks away at her. Green picks up Carter, then locks in a headlock. Carter gets to her feet, but Green slams Carter right back down to the ring.
Green picks up Carter and Carter rolls up Green for a two count. Carter gets a superkick on Green followed by a rollup and a back kick on Green for another two count. Green catches Carter with a big boot, and Carter is knocked out.
Green taunts the crowd and walks over to Carter, but Carter was playing possum and rolls up Chelsea Green for a three count.
Winner: Kayden Carter
Up next, the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. But first, a commercial.
Back from commercial, and we jump right into the main event.
BroserWeights vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Dunne and Drake begin the match. They lock up, but Dunne goes right after Drake’s left arm, working his signature joint manipulation. Dunne tags in Riddle, and they do a dumble stomp on Drake’s elbows.
Drake catches Riddle with a sunset flip to the outside, then tags in Zack Gibson, and Gibson takes Riddle down with a clothesline. Gibson kicks away at Riddle, but Riddle gets Gibson in the corner and gives him some kicks of his own, finishing it off with a gutwrench suplex.
Dunne tags in and Drake tags in. Dunne takes Drake down with a clothesline and hits a moonsault onto Gibson from the apron. Drake catches Gibson before Dunne can get back in the ring. Matt Riddle gets in the ring and tries to even the odds, but the referee stomps him. While the ref is distracted, GYV hit an assisted tombstone piledriver on Dunne on the outside.
Back in the ring, Dunne tries to fight back against Drake, but is clearly disoriented. Dunne is thrown shoulder-first into the corner, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Drake hits a suplex on Dunne, then tags in Zack Gibson. Dunne gets the hot tag on Riddle, who clears house. Riddle hits an exploder suplex on Gibson, then follows it up with a Broton and a PK. Riddle hits a german suplex with a bridge on Gibson for a two count.
Gibson hits a backbreaker on Riddle and tags in Drake, but Riddle hits Drake with a spear. Riddle hits Gibson with a Jackhammer then tags in Dunne. Dunne and Riddle hit a combo knee strike/powerbomb on Drake for a two count.
Riddle tags back in. Drake dumps Dunne to the outside and tags in Gibson. Gibson and Drake hits a combo powerbomb on Riddle, covering Riddle for a two count. Gibson stays on the attack and hits an angle slam on Riddle, covering him for another two count.
Riddle and Gibson trade slaps and chops, before Gibson sends Riddle down with a kick to the face. Gibson tags in and they hit a combo enziguri on Riddle before Riddle and Dunne comes back in the ring. They both catch Drake and Gibson with strikes of their own. Riddle hits Drake with a Final Flash knee strike for a two count.
Riddle hits a series of Brotons on James Drake, but Drake catches Riddle with a DDT. Both me get the hot tags for Gibson and Dunne to come int. They trade strikes, but Dunne hits Gibson with a german suplex and a stomp on Gibson’s hands. Dunne locks in an ankle lock on Gibson, and Riddle catches James Drake in another ankle lock before he can break up the submission. Drake and Gibson kick Riddle and Dunne off and escape the submissions, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Gibson kicks out of a rollup from Dunne at two. Drake hits a tope on Riddle on the outside. In the ring, Gibson hits Dunne with a Ticket to Ride for two. Gibson locks in Shankly Gates on Dunne. James Drake pulls the ropes back so Dunne can’t get to them. Drake gets on Riddle’s back and tries to stop him from breaking up the submission, but Riddle stands up with Drake on his back and spears Gibson, breaking up the hold.
Dunne and Drake tag in and Drake tries to launch himself onto the BroserWeights off of Gibson’s back, but they catch Drake and powerbomb him on Gibson. They hit the Riddle End on Drake, but Drake kicks out at two. Gibson gets Dunne in an electric chair on the outside and Drake spears Dunne off of Gibson’s shoulders through the middle rope.
Back in the ring, GYV make the tag. Drake hits a 450 on Riddle for a two count. Gibson tags in and they set up Riddle for a powerbomb, but Dunne comes int and they both hit powerslams on GYV. Dunne hits a moonsault onto Gibson on the outside, and Riddle hits a moonsault onto James Drake. Back in the ring, Dunne tags in. Riddle picks up Drake for the Bro to Sleep, but Dunne catches Drake instead with a kick to the face, covering James Drake for the vicoty.
Winners: BroserWeights
Riddle and Dunne celebrate in the ring with the Dusty Cup and William Regal applauding them. Dunne and Riddle pose on the top turnbuckle as NXT goes off the air.