WWE NXT Results – December 16th, 2020

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.

Four matches have been announced for tonight’s card as we head forward towards New Year’s Evil. Let’s run down the matches.

First up, Leon Ruff will team with Kushida to take on Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory in a tag team match. Damian Priest was supposed to be Ruff’s partner, but he seems to be feuding with Karrion Kross now, so Kushida has stepped up and volunteered to help Ruff.

Speaking of Karrion Kross, he also makes his return to in-ring competition tonight. He was last seen defeating Keith Lee for the NXT Championship before having to relinquish it due to injury, and one must imagine that he will be on a war path until reclaiming his title.

In women’s action, Rhea Ripley will take on Toni Storm in singles competition. Ripley and Storm have a storied rivalry, dating back to NXT UK, and they look to renew their feud tonight.

Also on the card, in what will likely be the night’s main event, Pete Dunne will take on Kyle O’Reilly in a match to determine the #1 contender for Finn Balor’s NXT Championship. Will O’Reilly get another shot at The Prince, or will The Bruiserweight emerge victorious?

All of this action and more on tonight’s episode of NXT, and we will begin coverage when NXT goes live at 8:00 PM, EST!

The show opens with Kushida and Leon Ruff already in the ring.

Leon Ruff and Kushida vs. Austin Theory and NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano (w/Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell)

The team of Johnny, Candice, Austin, and Indi seem to be collectively called “The Way,” now.

Ruff wants to start for his team, but Kushida pushes him out of the way and faces off with Gargano. Gargano tags in Austin Theory. Theory gets in a headlock on Kushida, Kushdia escapes into a front facelock of his own.

Kushida hits Theory with an atomic drop and a running knee strike. Kushida tags in Ruff, and Theory catches Ruff with a suplex. Ruff hits a dropkick on Theory, but Theory lays him out with a clothesline. Theory tags in Gargano, and Gargano lays into Ruff’s head with strikes.

Gargano runs at Kushida, but Kushida jumps off the apron. Ruff catches Gargano with a hurricanrana, a roll up, and a kick to the head, pinning Gargano for two. Ruff chops at Gargano, but Gargano fights back. Ruff kicks Gargano in the head.

Ruff goes to tag in Kushida, but Gargano blocks and picks up Ruff, slamming him down. Gargano tags in Theory. Theory chops away at Ruff. Gargano tags in, and Theory throws Ruff face first into Gargano’s foot.

Gargano picks up Ruff and tags in Theory and they go for a double suplex on Ruff. Kushida saves him and they hit a double dropkick on Gargano and Theory. Ruff and Kushida both dive onto Theory and Gargano.

Theory picks up Ruff and tosses his face into the apron. Theory tosses Ruff into the ring and Ruff hits a DDT on Theory, pinning him for two. Theory picks up Ruff for the ATL, but Ruff escapes and pushes Theory into his own corner. Gargano tags in, but Ruff doesn’t see it.

Ruff knocks Gargano off the apron and dunks Theory to the apron on the opposite side of the ring. Ruff turns his attention to Gargano on the other side of the ring as Gargano gets to the apron. Theory catches Ruff with a rolling thunder dropkick, and Gargano follows it up with a slingshot spear and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Theory is in control of Ruff. Ruff hits a clothesline on Theory, but Theory tags in Gargano. Ruff hits an enziguri and gets to Kushida for the tag. Kushida hits Gargano with a hip toss in to a dropkick.

Kushida goes for a surfboard on Gargano, but Theory runs interference. Kushdia hits Theory with an armbreaker. Kuhida tags in and hits a missile dropkick on Gargano. Ruff and Gargano hit a combo kick to Gargano’s head, pinning him for two.

Gargano hits Ruff with a clothesline and tags in Theory. Theory picks up Ruff and hits the ATL on Ruff, pinning him for two. Gargano tags in and knocks Kushida off the apron, then Theory and Gargano hit a double superkick on Ruff. Gargano pins Ruff, but Kushida breaks up the pin.

Gargano hits Kushida with a superkick. Ruff tries to roll up Gargano, but Gargano rolls through. Gargano tags in Theory, but Ruff didn’t see the tag. Theory hits Ataxia on Ruff, pinning him for three.

Winners: The Way

Dexter Lumis is shown sitting in the audience section, sitting at an elevated table for an unknown reason.

We get a video package for the background between Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley.

Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne are shown backstage with their respective groups, warming up for their match, and we go to commercial.

Shotzi Blackheart is interviewed backstage about an upcoming match with Indi Hartwell. Shotzi says that, while WarGames is over, her war with Candice is not over.

Tyler Rust vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Before the match can start, CIampa grabs a chair and sets it up at the bottom of the entrance ramp. Ciampa pulls out a Timothy Thatcher t-shirt and he lays the shirt over the chair, almost like an invitation for Thatcher.

The bell rings and Rust and Ciampa circle each other. Ciampa backs Rust into the corner, and the referee forces a break. Rust gets in a wristlock and takes Ciampa down, but Ciampa gets a scissor headlock on Rust.

Rust tries to escape, but Ciampa reverses Rust into a front facelock. Rust gets Ciampa to his knees, but Ciampa gets back to his feet and takes Rust down with a headlock. Timothy Thatcher walks down the ring, but stands next to the chair instead of sitting in it.

Ciampa tosses Rust around the ring, hitting him with chops. Ciampa hits a running shoulder tackle on Rust, and Ciampa dumps Rust out of the ring, tossing him in Thatcher’s direction.

Ciampa exits the ring and follows Rust. Rust pushes Ciampa into Thatcher and goes for a big boot, but Ciampa dodges and Rust hits Thatcher with the boot instead. Thatcher gets in Ciampa’s face, and referees come down and separate them. Rust uses the distraction to attack Ciampa, pulling him shoulder-first into the apron, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Rust is in control of Ciampa. Ciampa is able to hit a Samoan Drop on Rust, and both men get to their feet. Ciampa and Rust trade blows, but Ciampa fires off with a series of clotheslines, finishing it up with a leaping clothesline.

Ciampa runs at Rust and hits him with a clothesline in the corner, then hits a body slam on Rust, pinning him for two. Ciampa chops away at Rust’s chest. Ciampa picks up Rust for a suplex, but Rust blocks and takes Ciampa down with an axe kick to the back, pinning him for two.

Rust transitions into an attempted armbar, but Ciampa keeps his hand locks. Ciampa rolls Rust into a pin for two, and Rust immediately goes for an armbar again. Ciampa again blocks the hold and kicks away at Rust’s head. Ciampa catches Rust with a knee to the head, then he picks up Rust for the Fairytale Ending. Rust escapes and hits a modified neck breaker on Ciampa, pinning him for two.

Rust goes for an armbar on Ciampa. Ciampa reaches the ropes, forcing a break. Rust kicks away at Ciampa. Rust goes for another kick, but Ciampa catches it and hits an uppercut into Rust’s knee. Ciampa hits Rust with a pump kick and a knee to the side of Rust’s head. Ciampa hits Rust with Willow’s Bell, pinning him for three.

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa

As Ciampa walks up the ramp, he picks up the discarded Thatcher t-shirt and wipes his face with it. Thatcher runs out to try and attack Ciampa, but referees still hold him back. Ciampa tosses the shirt to him and waves goodbye, walking away.

We get a video package for the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Adam Cole are shown walking backstage, and Pete Dunne is also shown with Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. Their match is actually up next, after a commercial break.

A video package for Karrion Kross plays, where he and Scarlett say, “Doomsday is still coming.”

We see that Malcolm Bivens came out and talked to Tyler Rust during the break, seeming to recruit him. Rust walks away with Bivens after giving him a fist bump.

We see what Dexter Lumis has been working on while at his perch: a logo for NXT’s New Year’s Evil.

Kyle O’Reilly (w/Roderick Strong and Adam Cole) vs. Pete Dunne (w/NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch) to Determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship

Killian Dain and Drake Maverick come down and attack Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, and Cole and Strong also attack them. Tyler Breeze and Fandango appear out of nowhere and attack each other, and all eight men are escorted to the back by referees.

O’Reilly and Dunne trade submission attempts. Dunne gets toe early advantage with a modified bow and arrow submission hold. O’Reilly gets to his feet and takes Dunne to the mat. O’Reilly is on top of Dunne, going for an armbar, but Dunne gets to his feet.

O’Reilly goes for a dragon screw, but Dunne rolls O’Reilly through. O’Reilly reverses into a headlock. O’Reilly runs the ropes and Dunne takes him out with a clothesline, sending O’Reilly to the outside. Dunne follows and hits a pump kick on O’Reilly.

Dunne goes for an X-plex on O’Reilly onto the apron, but O’Reilly reverses and they both get back into the ring at the referee’s 9 count. They trade blows and kicks, and O’Reilly kicks Dunne’s legs out from under him. O’Reilly kicks Dunne in the back, sending him to the outside, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Dunne hits O’Reilly with a German suplex. Dunne goes for the Bitter End, but O’Reilly countered into a sleeper. O’Reilly releases the hold and hits a running knee to Dunne’s face. O’Reilly picks up Dunne and Dunne hits O’Reilly with an X-plex.

Dunne stomps on O’Reilly arm and hand. Dunne drives his knuckles into O’Reilly’s ear, then stomps on O’Reilly’s stomach. Dunne hits O’Reilly with a basement dropkick. O’Reilly tries to kick Dunne’s legs out from under him, but Dunne kicks O’Reilly in the spine.

Dunne takes O’Reilly down with a neckbreaker and locks in a left leg grapevine submission. Dunne releases the hold and kicks at O’Reilly’s head. Dunne whips O’Reilly into the corner and runs at him, but O’Reilly dodges and catches Dunne with a knee to the midsection.

Dunne runs at O’Reilly and O’Reilly catches him with a kicks and knee strikes, sweeping Dunne’s legs out from under him. O’Reilly hits a running elbow to Dunne. O’Reilly hit a series of double underhook suplexes, pinning Dunne for two.

O’Reilly picks up Dunne and goes for a back suplex, but Dunne blocks. O’Reilly releases and kicks Dunne’s legs. Dunne tries to jump to the middle rope, but O’Reilly kicks Dunne’s legs, dropping him to a sitting position.

O’Reilly goes to the middle rope and goes for a German superplex, but Dunne lands on his feet and kicks O’Reilly in the head. O’Reilly is trapped in the tree of woe, and Dunne kicks away at O’Reilly’s head, finishing it off with a dropkick to O’Reilly’s head, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Dunne and O’Reily pull each other face first into a turnbuckle, then hit each other with headbutts at the same time. Dunne picks O’Reilly’s leg, then hits O’Reilly with a knee to the head. Dunne hits O’Reilly with a powerbomb, pinning O’Reilly for two.

Dunne does not let up, immediately stomping on O’Reilly’s head. Dunne locks in a submission, and O’Reilly reaches the ropes, forcing a break. Dunne picks up O’Reilly locks in an armbreaker. Dunne counters into an ankle lock, and O’Reilly counters into an ankle lock of his own.

Dunne goes for a submission, but O’Reilly blocks and goes for a sleeper. Dunne escapes, O’Reilly catches Dunne with a brainbuster and both men are down. O’Reilly catches Dunne with a knee to the midsection, then an elbow smash.

O’Reilly hit Dunne with a jumping knee strike and a high-angle fisherman’s suplex, bridging into a pin for two. Dunne goes for his mouth guard, which recently came out, but O’Reilly stomps on Dunne’s hand. O’Reilly goes for a knee bar, but Dunne escapes and gets on top.

O’Reilly rolls through, creating separation. O’Reilly hits Dunne with a PK. Dunne jumps to his feet and stomps on O’Reilly feet. Dunne snaps O’Reilly’s fingers, then goes for a Bitter End on the apron. O’Reilly reverses into a suplex to the outside. O’Reilly tosses Dunne into the ring and hits a knee to Dunne’s head from the top rope, pinning Dunne for the win.

Winner: Kyle O’Reilly

Rhea Ripley is interviewed backstage about a confrontation between her and Raquel Gonzalez. Ripley says that Raquel backed down when it was one on one. She is then asked about Toni Storm, and Ripley says that she will finish Storm “once and for all,” and we go to commercial.

We get another pre-taped training montage of Boa and Xia Li training with the old man. Li is being forced to kick and punch Boa. he gets her to stop and she is sobbing, but continues to do it. A mysterious woman watches from off-screen, and we only see one of her hands.

The Way are all back in the ring, and Indi Hartwell is warming up. Shotzi comes out in her tank, and we are about to start the next match.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Indi Hartwell (w/The Way)

Shotzi and Indi lock up early, but Shotzi takes her down. Indi gets back up and takes Shotzi down into a front facelock. Hartwell transitions into a waist lock, but Shotzi escapes and takes Indi down with a dropkick.

Shotzi tosses Hartwell’s hand into the mat, then locks in an arm-based submission. Shotzi gets Hartwell on her feet, taking her back down with an enziguri. Shotzi hits Indi with a running senton into the corner, but Indi dodged a bit of it., taking Shotzi down with an elbow and pinning her for two.

Indi hits Shotzi with a full nelson slam, pinning her for two. Indi picks up Shotzi and knees her in the midsection. Indi picks up Shotzi, but Shotzi escapes, kicking Indi in the face and tossing her into a corner, laying her face on the middle turnbuckle. Shotzi hits a senton onto Indi, then dropkicks her to the outside.

Shotzi tosses Indi back in the ring. Candice runs at Shotzi and the referee is distracted trying to keep Candice out of the ring. While the referee is distracted, Gargano and Theory hand Indi the trophy.

Indi hits Shotzi with the trophy, but the ref catches her and disqualifies Indi.

Winner: Shotzi Blackheart (via DQ)

The rest of The Way enter the ring and attack Shotzi. Johnny holds the broken trophy next to Shotzi’s prone body, and Candice hits her with Wicked Stepsister.

We get another video package for Karrion Kross, then we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and we get a video package for Bronson Reed returning next week.

Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett) vs. Desmond Troy

Kross gets on top of Troy, clubbing away to the back of his head. Kross tosses Troy into the corner, then whips him across the ring. Kross kicks Troy in the head, then hits a Doomsday Saito. Kross locks in the Kross Jacket, and Troy taps out.

Winner: Karrion Kross

Kross stares down the camera and calls out Damian Priest for a match at New Year’s Evil.

Isaiah “Swerve” Scott is interviewed about why he didn’t shake Jake Atlas’s hand after his loss last week. Scott says that he just lost and got frustrated. He says that he wants to show Jake that he respects him, and they will have a rematch next week.

Ever-Rise show up and crash an interview. They say that they were basically in a handicap last week, so they asked to get the match struck from the record, claiming that they are still undefeated. When asked if they want a rematch, they dodge the question, just saying, “Ever-Rise rules!” before walking away.

We get an update on Dexter Lumis’s drawing, and we see that Dexter Lumis will be the host of New Year’s Evil.

Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley are both shown walking backstage, and their match is up after a commercial break.

Back from commercial, we see a pre-taped promo from Finn Balor. Balor says that Kyle O’Reilly took him to the limit at TakeOver: 31, but he still lost. He says, “At New Year’s Evil, it won’t be Finn vs. Kyle 2, it will be Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly: The End.”

We get a brief run-down of the two matches announced so far for New Year’s Evil: Finn Balor defending his title against Kyle O’Reilly and Karrion Kross taking on Damian Priest.

Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley

Storm and Ripley circle each other. Toni backs Ripley into the ropes and the referee forces a break. They lock up again, and Rhea gets Toni in the corner. The ref forces a break again.

Storm gets a headlock in early, getting Ripley to her knees. Storm tries to take Ripley down with a shoulder tackle, but Ripley blocks and takes Storm down. They trade pinfall attempts, then Ripley runs the ropes. Storm catches her in a pinfall attempt for two.

Ripley goes for a suplex on Storm, but Storm blocks and goes for an inside craddle, pinning Ripley for two. Back to their feet, they trade chops and blows, Ripley getting the upper hand by striking Storm in teh back.

Storm gets to her feet and Ripley hits Storm with a series of short-arm clotheslines, then hits her with a kick to the head. Storm strikes Ripley, sending her out of the ring. Ripley gets to the apron and Storm drives Ripley into the ring post, sending her dropping to the floor as we go to commercial break.

Back from commercial and Storm has Ripley in a seated headlock in the ring. Ripley gets to her feet, but Storm tosses her down to the mat by her hair. Storm picks up Ripley, but Ripley kicks Storm in the head, then follows it up with knee strikes to the head and a basement dropkick.

Ripley picks up Storm and plants her face first, pinning her for two. Ripley goes for Riptide, but Storm blocks. Ripley goes for a big boot, but Storm dodges. They both hit each other with headbutts, and they both fall to the mat.

Ripley and Storm trade blows on their feet. Ripley gets the upperhand, then runs the ropes. Storm chases, and Ripley catches Storm with a dropkick., pinning her for two. Ripley goes for her inverted cloverleaf submission.

Storm escapes and sends Ripley into the middle rope, then hits a sliding forearm. Storm hits Ripley with a German suplex, bridging into a pinfall attempt for two. Storm picks up Ripley, then tosses her across the ring.

Storm runs at Ripley in the corner, but Ripley escapes. Ripley gets Storm in an electric chair, dropping her face first onto the top turnbuckle. Ripley pins Storm for two. Ripley hits a series of leg drops on Storm, pinning her for two again.

Ripley picks up Storm and goes for Riptide. Storm escapes to the apron, with help from an emerging Raquel Gonzalez out of nowhere. Ripley kicks Storm, sending her crashing into Gonzalez.

Ripley goes to the outside and tosses Storm back into the ring. While the referee is checking on Storm, Gonzalez pulls Ripley off the apron, then lawn darts her into the ring post. Toni Storm grabs Ripley and hits her with a Storm Zero, pinning Storm for three.

Winner: Toni Storm

Toni Storm celebrates in the ring and Gonzalez and Ripley stare each other down as NXT goes off the air.