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.
Tonight is a big night for the black and gold brand, as we are not only dealing with the fallout of one of the best NXT TakeOver events of all-time, but we also have two highly anticipated matches tonight.
First up on the docket, the Irish Ace Jordan Devlin will defend his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against former champion Lio Rush. Rush defeated Angel Garzlast week to earn this title shot. Will The Man of the Hour win his second cruiserweight championship, or will Jordan Devlin’s reign continue?
Also, following the Velveteen Dream’s surprise return from injury earlier this month, former NXT North American champion Roderick Strong will get his opportunity for revenge on Dream. The Messiah of the Backbreaker and Dream have had a series of fantastic matches, and tonight will likely be no different.
From one in-ring return to another, Chelsea Green and Robert Stone will look to relaunch The Robert Stone brand when Green takes on Kayden Carter in a rematch. The last time these two clashed, Carter caught Green with a surprise roll-up and scored the pinfall victory. Will Green get her revenge tonight, or will Kayden Carter continue her winning ways?
Finally, following the surprising conclusion to the NXT Championship match between Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Wrestling has some explaining to do. Johnny Gargano surprised the world when he bashed in Ciampa’s face with the NXT Championship and cost him his match against Cole. Will Johnny Gargano explain his actions for turning on his best friend? We all hope to get some answers tonight.
All of that and more is up for tonight’s episode of NXT, and we will begin coverage when NXT goes live on the USA Network at 8:00 PM EST!
Opening Segment
As always, we begin this week with a recap, but this time it is a recap of the events of NXT TakeOver: Portland. Also, we see a recap of Velveteen Dream confronting Roderick Strong.
Undisputed Era come down to the ring to officially kick off the show. Cole gets on the mic and brags about how he knew that he was going to retain the NXT Championship. Cole calls himself the greatest NXT champion of all-time, and the Undisputed Era are going nowhere.
Cole starts talking up Roderick Strong about his match tonight and passes off the mic to before Strong can speak, Velveteen Dream’s music hits and he cuts off Strong, challenging him to leave the rest of the Era backstage in their main-event match. Strong says that he is going to make Dream wish that he never came back from injury.
We see a recap of Johnny Gargano hitting Ciampa in the face with the NXT Championship during his match, and Mauro mentions how we hope to hear from Johnny tonight.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin vs. Lio Rush for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Devlin and Rush lock up, and Devlin has the strength advantage, but Rush has the speed advantage. Rush nearly catches Devlin with a roundhouse kick, but Devlin evades and escapes the ring. Rush stares Devlin down and taunts him, daring Devlin to get back in the ring, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Rush kicks out of a pinfall attempt at 2. Devlin nails Rush with a knee to the face, then a huge PK while Rush is sitting on the mat. Devlin continues to strike away at Rush, picking him up and putting him in the corner.
Rush begins to strike back with forearm strikes of his own, but Devlin hits Rush with an uranage. Devlin goes for a standing moonsault, but Rush gets his knees up. Devlin hits Rush with a german suplex, pinning Rush for two again. Rush runs the ropes, but Devlin takes him down with a knee to Rush’s midsection, dropping Rush. Rush tries to sweep the feet of Devlin, but Devlin jumps over Rush’s feet.
Devlin picks up Rush and hits a butterfly suplex, covering Rush for two. Devlin locks in a rear chinlock. Rush starts to fight out of it, but Devlin releases and unloads more offense on Rush. Devlin begins to hit a series of chops, strikes, and uppercuts on Rush. Devlin begins to toy with Rush, taunting him with kicks to the face.
Rush tries to fight back, but Devlin stalls him with a kick to the face. Rush gets up and runs the ropes, going for a Come Up, but Devlin catches him and hits him with a backbreaker, covering Rush for two again. Devlin and Rush get to their feet and trade chops, with Rush ultimately getting the better of Devlin, grounding him. Devlin hits Rush with a jawbreaker reversal, grounding Rush. Devlin tries to shake the cobwebs loose and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial and Rush and Devlin are both grounded with crossbody blocks. Rush kicks Devlin and sends him outside the ring, following it up with a tope to the outside. Rush sends Devlin back in the ring and goes to the top rope, hitting a crossbody on a standing Devlin, covering him for two.
Devlin pushes Rush into the corner, but Rush sends Devlin to the apron. Devlin slingshots back into the ring and hits a cutter on Rush. Rush goes to the outside and Devlin gives chase, kicking Rush in the face from the apron. Devlin goes for a moonsault, but Rush evades and hits a corkscrew on Devlin from the apron.
Back in the ring, Rush goes to the top and tries to hit Devlin with a crossbody again, but Devlin evades. Rush catches Devlin with a kick, but Devlin hits Rush with a standing Spanish fly. Devlin went for the pin, but Rush locked in a koji clutch. Devlin reached the bottom rope and forced a break.
Rush goes to the top rope again, but Devlin hits the ropes, crotching Rush at the top. Devlin goes to the top turnbuckle as well, but Rush hits an avalanche poison hurricanrana, then follows it up by landing a Come Up, pinning Devlin, but Devlin gets his foot on the rope. Rush goes for a Final Hour Frogsplash, but Devlin evades. Devlin hits a Rush with a headbutt and hits a Devlin Side Suplex on Rush, pinning Rush for the victory.
Winner: Jordan Devlin
Backstage, a new interviewer is asking Raquel Gonzalez explains why she aligned herself with Dakota Kai: she understood Kai’s frustration in seeing Tegan Nox chosen over her at WarGames and understands why Kai turned on her. Gonzalez could relate to her because she says that she saw people get opportunities over her all of the time at the Performance Center.. William Regal congratulates Kai and Gonzalez, but announces that, in two weeks, Kai and Nox will have a rematch in a steel cage.
Tommaso Ciampa is shown arriving at Full Sail, and he looks very upset. We go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and we see an interview from Rhea Ripley backstage at NXT TakeOver: Portland where Rhea says that she got what she wanted, a match against Charlotte Flair and WrestleMania for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Austin Theory comes down to the ring for a match, but Tommaso Ciampa follows and grabs a mic, circling the ring. Ciampa eventually enters the ring and tries to talk about Portland. Theory gets in his face, and Ciampa tells him, “Not tonight. I’m telling you man, not tonight.” Theory backs off.
Ciampa talks about how he feels like he should have seen this coming. He was so focused on recapturing Goldie, he missed the small things showing Johnny Gargano’s true intentions. He says Gargano is the one thing that goes hand in hand with Tommaso Ciampa and the NXT Championship.
He says that he isn’t asking why. He said that he and Johnny both know why. Theory tries to surprise attack Ciampa, but Ciampa turns around clocks Theory. Ciampa gets back on the mic and says that, in order to get his life back, there can be no Johnny Gargano in NXT. Ciampa tries to head up the ramp, but Austin Theory again tries to attack Tommaso Ciampa from behind.
Ciampa has had enough, and he decimates Theory, tossing him around the entryway, tossing him into the crowd barrier over and over again, putting welts on Theory’s back before finally storming off to the back.
Backstage, and Chelsea Green and Robert Stone are taking publicity shots, preparing for Green’s match against Kayden Carter. Then, we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Finn Balor is in a room by himself, talking about how he proved himself at Portland and says, “Next week, watch my next move.”
Raul Mendoza and Jaoquin Wilde vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Wilde and Gibson start the match, and Gibson locks in a wristlock, but Wilde kicks Gibson and sends him down. Gibson gets the advantage again and takes in Drake, but Wilde takes down Drake with a hurricanrana and a drop toehold, rolling up Drake for two.
Gibson tags back in and takes down Wilde with a lariat. Gibson continues to strike away with punches and kicks, then tags Drake back in. Drake hits Wilde in the face with a left, then hits a pendulum backbreaker. Wilde goes to the outside and Drake tags Gibson. They hit some tandem offense on Wilde.
Back in the ring, Gibson hits a scoop slam on Wilde before tagging Drake back in. Wilde fights out of the corner and Gibson and Mendoza both get the hot tags. Mendoza takes Gibson and Drake down, hitting a springboard missile dropkick on Gibson. Gibson hits Mendoza in the throat and follows it up with a suplex, before tagging in James Drake.
Drake takes out Wilde on the apron and just when Mendoza looks to be building a comeback, Gibson tags in and hits an assisted codebreaker on Raul Mendoza, pinning him for the victory.
Winners: Grizzled Young Veterans
Gibson gets on the mic and runs down the USA. Then, he talks about how he and Drake are here to take over NXT, and they want to be “recognized as the world’s number one.” Then, we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and we get a commercial for NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin.
The BroserWeights vs. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan
On their way to the ring, Riddle and Dunne celebrate with the crowd. They get on the mic and Riddle and Dunne banter a bit about their victory and their championship reign. Riddle talks about how the Dusty Cup failed the Wellness Policy and was suspended, explaining its absence.
Burch and Dunne start the match. Dunne grounds Burch, pulling on Burch’s midsection and legs. Burch fights out and kicks away at Dunne, then the lock-up again. Buch goes for a series of submissions on Dunne, but Dunne escapes them all. Riddle and Lorcan both tag in.
Lorcan goes for a leg takedown, but Riddle gets the advantage and hits a series of gutwrench suplexes. Riddle tags Dunne and they hit a moonsault/basement dropkick combo on Lorcan, and then we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Lorcan locks in a single leg Boston crab on Matt Riddle. Riddle fights out of the submission, hitting Lorcan with a knee. Dunne and Danny Burch tag in. Dunne stomps on Burch’s hands and kicks him in the face. Dunne locks in an armbar on Danny Burch, but Burch gets the leverage and turns it into a pin.
Dunne tags Matt Riddle in and they hit the combo kick to the head and suplex move that the used to win the titles, but Oney Lorcan breaks up the pinfall attempt. Riddle hits a ripcord knee on Oney Lorcan, but Burch kicks Riddle and hits him with a german suplex. Burch follows it up with a lariat, pinning Riddle for two.
Burch transitions into a cross face submission. Dunne breaks up the submission attempt with a kick to the face on both Lorcan and Burch. Riddle tries to tag Dunne in, but Burch blocks him. Riddle hits Burch with a powerbomb and Dunne and Lorcan both tag in.
Lorcan takes Dunne down with a blockbuster, but Dunne snaps Lorcan’s fingers and tags in Matt Riddle. They hit a Riddle End on Oney Lorcan, pinning him for three.
Winners: The BroserWeights
After the match, Riddle and Dunne celebrate in the crowd.
Backstage, Roderick Strong tells Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish that he wants to do his match by himself, and they accept his decision. Then, we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Jaxson Ryker calls out the Grizzled Young Veterans, defending the US from the statements made by GYV, finally saying, “You want to send a message? Message received.”
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee comes out and we see clips from his appearance on WWE Backstage as he comes down to the ring. In the ring, Lee grabs a mic in the ring, but before he can speak, Kona Reeves comes out with a new look. Reeves turns his back on Lee and grabs a mic, but Lee hits Reeves with a pounce. Lee says, “You can ring the bell.”
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves
Immediately, Lee gets Reeves on his shoulder and hits a Big Bang Catastrophe, pinning Reeves.
Winner: Keith Lee
After the match, Dominik Dijakovic enters the ring with a mic, saying that he isn’t ready to let Lee go. He says that he and Lee both know that Dijakovic had Lee beat. Lee says that Dijakovic is just coming up with excuses. Lee says that the fact of the matter is that Lee won, but he says that he is always up for a challenge, saying, “If you can talk Regal into it, we can fight forever.” Lee walks up the ramp and backstage, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and we go right into the next match.
Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green (w/ Robert Stone)
Green kicks Carter’s legs and picks up Carter. Carter tries to get another rollup victory, but Green kicks out at 2. Carter’s speed gets her an advantage, as she runs the ropes and rolls up Green, kicking her in the face. Carter tries to rollup Green again, but Green kicks out once again.
Green uses the ropes to her advantage and slams Carter’s head into her knee, pinning Carter for 2. Green uses a series of knees to midsection and head of Carter, pinning her for two again. Green locks in a camel clutch, but Carter powers out of it.
Green his a catapult on Carter, sending her neck into the middle rope, then Hse covers Carter for two. Carter tries to rollup Green once again, but Green blocks it and stomps on Carter.
Suddenly, Bianca Belair enters the ring, and says to Green, “I’m happy for y’all, and I’m gonna let you finish.” Then, she looks into the camera and calls out Charlotte Flair. Belair says that she is going to whoop Charlotte wherever she finds her, then she leaves the ring.
Back to the match, and Carter catches Green with a superkick, but Green rolls out of the ring. Carter follows to the outside and rolls Green back in the ring. Green distracts the referee and Robert Stone pulls Carter’s leg out from under her when she tries to get back in the ring. Green hits an Unprettier on Kayden Carter, pinning her for three.
Winner: Chelsea Green
Up next, Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong go one-on-one. But first, a commercial break.
Back from commercial, and Tommaso Ciampa will go one-one-one with Austin Theory next week. Also, Finn Balor will be live in Full Sail. In two weeks, Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai will face off in a steel cage match. Now, on to the main event.
Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong
When Roderick Strong comes down to the ring, he looks much more focused and sincere than his usual cocky demeanor typically portrays.
Dream escapes the ring at the beginning of the match, getting in Strong’s head. Strong tries to take down Dream with a leg, but Dream blocks. Strong retreats outside the ring, and Dream taunts Strong repeatedly from inside the ring.
Dream takes off his weighted belt and tries to hit Strong with it, but the referee takes it from him. When Strong gets back in the ring, Dream and Strong both go for leg locks on each other. Strong goes for a lariat, but Strong ducks and escapes the ring.
Strong gives chase, and Dream reenters the ring. Strong follows, and Dream hits a Strong with a dropkick, then a hard whip into the corner. Dream hits Strong with chops and kicks, then goes for a suplex, but Strong blocks with the ropes. Strong hits Dream with a thumb to the eye and finally gets the upper hand, hitting Dream with a huge pendulum backbreaker.
Dream is in pain and he rolls out of the ring, writhing in pain and screaming. Strong follows, but Dream lays him out with a lariat. Strong drives Dream’s lower back into the apron, but Dream answers by whipping Strong into the steel steps on the outside, and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Strong has Dream in a headlock. Dream punches away at Strong’s midsection, then hits a back body drop on Strong. Strong gets right back on the attack, and Dream and Strong trade blows. Dream goes for the Dream Valley Driver, but Strong escapes. Strong and Dream’s heads collide in the corner, sending both men to the canvas.
Strong and Dream are back up, and Dream takes Strong down with a shoulder tackle. He tosses Strong into the corner, then hits a pendulum backbreaker of his own on Strong. Dream runs the ropes, but Strong catches him with a strike. Dream hits a right hand on Strong, then a snap DDT for a two count.
Dream hits a double axe handle on Strong from the top rope, then goes for the Dream Valley Driver again. Strong escapes. Dream goes to the top rope, but Strong pushes him over and Dream takes the top of the ring post right into his midsection. Roderick Strong follows Dream to the top and Dream picks up Strong for a Dream Valley Driver, but Strong escapes the fireman’s carry and hits an avalanche backbreaker on Dream, covering him for two.
Strong goes for End of Heartache, but Dream blocks. Strong hits a powerbomb on Dream, then locks in the Stronghold. Dream reaches the bottom ropes and forces a break. Strong goes for the Stronghold again, but Dream pushes Strong out of the ring with his feet, getting some breathing room.
Strong gets to the apron and hits a sunset flip on Dream, but Dream rolls through and punches Strong. Strong and Dream trade punches while sitting on the mat. Both men to get to their feet and continue to trade blows. Dream catches Strong with a superkick and a Dream Valley Driver on Strong. Dream takes off his pants and reveals tights underneath with Marina Shafir’s picture on them. Dream gets to the top rope and looks to dive onto Strong, but the rest of the Undisputed Era have come out.
Dream dives onto them on the outside, then gets back in the ring and hits a Dream Valley Driver on Strong, covering him for the victory.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
Immediately after the bell, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish jump Velveteen Dream. They ambush Dream and hit him with a High/Low, then Strong hits an End of Heartache. All four members of Undisputed Era stand tall above Velveteen Dream as NXT goes off the air.