WWE NXT Live Results, Highlights, Winners & Reactions for December 23, 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.

With only two episodes left before New Year’s Evil, tonight’s episode of NXT is absolutely stacked. Four matches and two additional segments are scheduled for tonight’s show, including a title match, so let’s run down the card.

Bronson Reed is set to make his return to the ring tonight. His opponent has not been announced, but this will be Reed’s first match since defeating Austin Theory two months ago, so this could be the restart of a push for Reed, as he sniffed gold in an NXT North American Championship Ladder Match back at TakeOver: XXX.

Also in singles action tonight, Rhea Ripley is set to take on Dakota Kai. Ripley has been unable to shake Kai and her partner Raquel Gonzalez for the better part of this year, so how will their storied rivalry continue to develop? Find out tonight.

In the final singles match set for tonight, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott seeks redemption against Jake Atlas. Atlas defeated Scott two weeks ago with a surprise rollup and Scott refused to shake Atlas’ hand. Scott looks to get his win back tonight.

For the last match announced for tonight’s show, the NXT Tag Team Champions Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan will defend their titles against Killian Dain and Drake Maverick in a street fight. Last week, Dain and Maverick made their intentions known when they were part of the brawl that dispatched Lorcan and Burch before Pete Dunne’s match with Kyle O’Reilly, and this week, they hope to dethrone the champs.

Speaking of Kyle O’Reilly, we will also have Kyle O’Reilly and the NXT Champion Finn Balor “reliving” their NXT Championship match from TakeOver 31. Balor and O’Reilly will have another match in just two weeks, so look for tonight to continue the build to their match.

Finally, The Way are set to host “A Very Gargano Christmas,” on tonight’s episode of NXT. Not much is known about what the Garganos have in store for tonight, but they are certainly riding high after the dismantling of Shotzi Blackheart, Leon Ruff, and Kushida last week.

All of this and more is set for tonight’s episode of NXT. Leave a comment below with your predictions for tonight’s show and make sure to refresh the page throughout the night, as we will begin coverage when NXT goes live at 8:00 PM EST!

NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Killain Dain and Drake Maverick in a Street Fight for the NXT Tag Team Championships

Dain and Maverick attack Burch and Lorcan as they head down to the ring. Dain whips Burch into the steel steps and hits him with the championship belts. Maverick gets out a steel chair and hits Lorcan with it.

Maverick and Dain set up tables at ringside but Lorcan and Burch jump Maverick, then toss Dain into the fence at ring side. They pick up Dain and toss him into the ring as Burch punches Maverick, knocking him to the ground outside the ring.

In the ring, Burch and Lorcan double team Dain. Though it is a street fight, Burch and Lorcan are tagging in and out. Lorcan sets up two chairs in the middle of the ring. Dain backdrops Lorcan into the chairs and clotheslines Burch.

Dain is back in control, and Maverick comes in. Maverick trips Burch and Dain hits him with a senton before body slamming Drake Maverick into Danny Burch. Dain picks up Maverick and airplanes him into Lorcan.

Dain tags Maverick in and whips him hard into Lorcan. Then Maverick and Dain hit Lorcan with a combo of kicks on Lorcan’s head. Maveirck pins him for two. Burch hits Maverick with a low blow and gets back to his feet.

Dain takes control of Lorcan on the outside, but Burch lays out Maverick with a clothesline in the ring. Lorcan is able to take Dain down with a blockbuster on the outside, and all four men are down.

Lorcan and Burch get to their feet. Burch sets up a chair in the ring and hits Maverick with a drop toe hold into the ring. Burch goes to the outside and Lorcan and Burch double team Dain. Dain tosses Burch over the barricade and tries to toss Lorcan into a table, but Lorcan instead hits Dain into it.

Lorcan tries to suplex Dain into the table, but Dain blocks. Dain hits Lorcan with a pump kick, sending Lorcan into a table. Lorcan lays against the table on the outside and Dain runs at Lorcan, but Lorcan moves out of the way and Dain crashes through the table as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Lorcan is in control of Maverick in the ring. Lorcan has Drake Maverick’s belt in hand and is whipping Maverick with it. Lorcan hangs Maverick up in the ropes and hits him with the belt across the chest.

Burch tags in and takes the belt, hitting him across the back multiple times. Burch tags back in and they whip Maverick hard into the opposite corner, taunting Maverick that Killian Dain is nowhere to be seen.

Maverick realizes that his partner is not in his corner, and they continue to taunt the crowd and Maverick. Dain suddenly appears out of nowhere and tags in, taking out Burch and Lorcan. Dain hits a pair of belly to belly suplexes on them, then hits a splash onto them in the corner.

Dain hits Burch with a power bomb and an elbow drop. Dain tags in Maverick and tries to hit Lorcan through the tables on the outside. Lorcan escapes and Burch and Lorcan push Dain out of the ring, trying to put him through the tables on the outside. Dain bounces off of the tables, but is incapacitated.

Burch hits Maverick with his belt, but Maverick takes out Burch and Lorcan with low blows. He grabs his belt and lays into Burch and Lorcan repeatedly with his belt. Burch rolls out of the ring and Maverick slaps Lorcan with the belt.

Maverick picks up Lorcan, and Lorcan returns the low blows with one of his own. Burch brings in a cricket bat and hits Maverick with it in his midsection. Lorcan and Burch pick up Maverick and hit him with an elevated DDT for the win.

Winners: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch

Dain picks Maverick up and carries him out of the arena as Lorcan and Burch celebrate up the ramp.

Vic Joseph tosses to a pre-filmed segment: A Very Gargano Christmas.

Johnny is playing piano and he grabs a camcorder. He and Candice are treating Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell as their “children” as they are a family. Indi talks about how impressed she is and Gargano chastises Theory for trying to eat a cookie.

Theory opens his gift: a protein powder called “The Gargano Whey.” As he celebrates his protein powder and talks up Johnny, we cut away and we hear that we will relive Kyle O’Reilly vs. Finn Balor ahead of their rematch at New Year’s Evil, after a commercial break.

Back from commercial, we get a video package for the NXT Championship match between Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly. Both Balor and O’Reilly are watching their match separately and reflecting on their match.

O’Reilly wonders if Finn Balor is “the Johnny Gargano to his Adam Cole.” Balor compliments O’Reilly, saying, “You’re making me feel alive, Kyle.” They both talk about Balor’s kick to O’Reilly midsection and how it was a calculated shot, but he tried his best to come back.

Tyler Rust is about to be interviewed backstage, but Malcolm Bivens interrupts the interview. Bivens says that Rust had an explosive interview, and Rust is set for a match later tonight.

Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jake Atlas

Scott and Atlas feel each other out. Scott tries to catch Atlas with a crucifix pin for two. Atlas gets to his feet and slaps Scott. Scott is furious and lays into Atlas in the corner. The referee has to back him up.

Atlas shoves Scott and kicks him in the chest. Scott is not phased and takes Atlas to the mat. Atlas lands a few strikes on Scott’s head and gets to his feet. Scott runs the ropes and stomps on Atlas. Atlas blocks the stomp and gets to his feet, then hits a dragon screw takedown.

Scott picks Atlas’s leg, but Atlas pushes him off to the outside. Scott looks furious and he walks over to the chairs at ringside, almost picking one up to bring it in to the ring. Scott immediately sets it back down, seemingly coming to his senses, but he looks at Atlas in the ring and smiles as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Atlas fights off. Scott gets Atlas in the corner but Atlas fights back and hits a Canadian destroyer for two. Atlas hits a cutter on Scott and pins him for two. Atlas goes for his Cartwheel DDT, but Scott kicks out Atlas’s arm from under him.

Scott brings Atlas back into the ring, hitting a body slam and pinning him for two. Scott picks up Atlas and tosses him into the corner. Scott seats Atlas on the middle rope. Atlas drops to the apron and hits a pump kick on Scott.

Atlas hits a hurricanrana on Scott from the top rope, but Scott flips throug hand lands on his feet. Atlas hits Scott with a roundhouse kick. Atlas goes for one again but Scott ducks and hits the House Call on Atlas.

They trade crucifix pins for two. Atlas and Scott tie up against the ropes, and Scott catches Atlas with an elbow to the head. Scott hits Atlas with a Confidence Boost, pinning Atlas for three.

Winner: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Scott gloats about his win and then condescendingly offers a hand to Atlas. Atlas denies the handshake and rolls out of the ring.

Adam Cole and Roderick Strong and interviewed about Kyle O’Reilly’s upcoming match with Finn Balor. Cole says that the result in their second matchup will be different.

Their interview is interrupted by Velveteen Dream. Dream taunts Cole, saying that Cole was never the leader of the Undisputed Era and O’Reilly is the leader. Cole slaps Velveteen Dream and says that there is no leader of the Undisputed Era and he challenges Dream to a match.

Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai are both shown backstage preparing for the match, which is up next, right after a commercial break.

Back from commercial, Timothy Thatcher is taunting Tommaso Ciampa. Thatcher says that he knew Ciampa didn’t learn the lesson and didn’t respect him. Thatcher says that he is going to “take liberties” with Leon Ruff, and Ciampa will stop him if he is the man that he claims to be.

Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai

We are told via social media posts that William Regal has banned Raquel Gonzalez from ringside during Dakota Kai’s match tonight and she looks to take on Ripley on her own.

Ripley pins Kai in the corner, but the ref forces a break. Kai evades Ripley and kicks at her, then tries a single leg takedown. Ripley blocks and picks up Kai, then spins her around and tosses her around the ring.

Ripley runs at Kai, then whips her hard into the corner. Kai rolls out of the ring and Ripley follows. Kai quickly get to the corner and goes for a PK. Ripley dodges, but Kai catches Ripley with a kick to the face, then stomps on Ripley’s arm against the apron. Kai whips Ripley into the corner by her arm, and we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, Kai has an armbar in on Ripley. Ripley gets Kai up into a powerbomb. Ripley and Kai get to their feet across the ring from each other. Ripley hits Kai with knees to the face and then a basement dropkick.

Ripley dodges a pump kick and hits Kai with a dropkick, then she slams Kai down face first and pins her for two. Ripley stands above Kai and picks Kai up. Kai hits Ripley with a headbutt, then goes for a pump kick in the corner. Ripley dodges and again plants Kai face first for a two count.

Ripley runs at Kai in the corner, but Kai avoids and hits Ripley with a running kick to the face. Kai runs the ropes and tries to roll up Ripley, but Ripley blocks and locks in her inverted cloverleaf hold.

Raquel Gonzalez comes out and stands at the top of the stage. The announces tell us that she is banned from “ringside,” but she is okay since she is at the top of the stage. Kai reaches the ropes and breaks the hold.

Ripley picks up Kai and sets her at the top of the turnbuckle. Kai fights Ripley off and hits a Canadian destroyer into a backstabber for two. Kai goes to pick up Ripley. Ripley goes for a Riptide, but Kai blocks and goes for a guillotine choke. Ripley breaks the hold and hits a Riptide, pinning Kai for three.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

Ripley taunts Gonzalez, who still stands at the top of the ramp. She begins to walk down the ramp as referees try o stop her from getting to the ring. They are entirely ineffective. Ripley and Gonzalez circle each other in the ring. They eventually come to blows and have to be separated by referees and other personnel.

We cut back to the Gargano house. Indi picks up her gift and opens it. Its a PS5 box. She shaeks it and realizes that it is empty. Gargano says that the PS5 is his, but he wants to give her something even more valuable, giving her “the family nickname.” Gargano christens her, “Indi Wrestling,” and Theory cries with joy while eating a cookie.

Backstage, Toni Storm is asked about what is next for her. She says that she is going to beat Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship. She talks about how she beat Io in the Mae Young Classic and how she is a problem for Io.

We see a video telling us that Bronson Reed is in action after a commercial break.

Back from commercial, Xia Li and Boa are going through their intense training again. Boa finally says, “Enough!” We see close ups of Boa and Li opening their eyes and a mysterious other woman with face paint also opening her eyes.

Bronson Reed vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis

Adonis gets in a headlock. Reed tries for a back body drop. Adonis lands on his feet, but Reed tosses Adonis around. Adonis fights back with kicks and strikes, but Reed runs Adonis over. Reed stomps at Adonis and hits a senton on him. Reed hits Adonis with the Tsunami, then pins Adnois for the win.

Winner: Bronson Reed

Reed stares into the camera and says, “The Colossal One is back. Be afraid.”

Io Shirai is interviewed backstage about what Storm said. Io says, “I heard what she said.” She tells a production hand to hit her music and she heads out to the ring.

Io grabs a chair and sets it up in the middle of the ring. She sits in the chair and calls out Toni Storm, asking her to come out. Toni Storm’s music hits, but Mercedes Martinez attacks Io from behind.

Martinez drags Io out of the ring and repeatedly whips and tosses Io in the barricade at ringside. Shirai catches Martinez with a kick to the head, but Martinez slams Io into the apron, then throws her through the front of the announce table. Martinez poses over Io as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and we are at the Gargano house once again. Gargano gives a gift to Candice. He says that he “went out of his way to get it for her.” It’s a wheel from Shotzi’s tank that Candice destroyed. The Way take a family Christmas picture, but Theory ruins it by spitting protein powder everywhere.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Leon Ruff

Thatcher slaps at Ruff’s back. Ruff goes for a single leg take down. Thatcher hooks Ruff’s nose and picks him up, then hits him with an uppercut, sending him to the mat.

Ruff runs the ropes, then catches a headlock on Thatcher. Thatcher pushes Ruff off and hits him with another uppercut. Thatcher tosses Ruff across the ring, then knees away at Ruff’s midsection. Thatcher locks in abdominal stretch and stares into the camera, taunting Ciampa.

Thatcher picks up Ruff and hits him with a belly to belly suplex. Thatcher goes out of the ring and grabs a chair. He sets it up and calls out to Ciampa, inviting him to ringside. Ruff catches Thatcher with a rollup for two.

Ruff strikes away and goes for some springboard offense, but Thatcher catches Ruff with an uppercut. Thatcher picks up Ruff by the leg and taunts Ciampa again, but Ruff uses the distraction to roll up Thatcher for three.

Winner: Leon Ruff

Ruff celebrates to the outside, but Thatcher attacks him. Thatcher tosses Ruff back into the ring, and Ciampa runs in just as Thatcher is getting back in the ring. Ciampa catches Thatcher with a Willow’s Bell and says, “You wanna fight? I’ll see you in the fight pit.”

We get a video package from Damian Priest and his upcoming match with Karrion Kross at New Year’s Evil, and then we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, Dexter Lumis is drawing a picture of a fight between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez at New Year’s Evil, writing “Last Woman Standing” above it.

Tyler Rust (w/Malcom Bivens) vs. Ariya Daivari

Rust and Daivari lock up. Rust gets Daivari in a headlock on the mat, then wrenches away at Daivari’s head. Daivari gets to his feet, but Rust takes him back down with a wristlock.

Daivari transitions to a wristlock of his own. Daivari goes for a single leg takedown, but Rust gets to the ropes. Rust goes back after Daivari’s wrist, lifting Daivari onto his own back, then takes Daivari down and goes for an armbar. Daivari reaches the bottom rope.

Rust goes after Daivari’s left arm, whipping Daivari into the ropes. Daivari dodges and kicks Rust in the head. Daivari hits a hanging neckbreaker on Rust over the middle rope. Daivari follows it up with a dropkick to Rust, sending him out of the ring.

Daivari rolls Rust back in the ring and taunts Rust. Rust fights back and goes for a triangle, but Daivari reaches the ropes. Rust kicks away at Daivari. Daivari goes for a hammerlock lariat, but Rust escapes and locks in a Rings of Saturn, and Daivari submits.

Winner: Tyler Rust

Backstage, Leon Ruff is shown coming out of William Regal’s office and he tells us that Regal has given him a rematch against Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.

Adam Cole is shown backstage with Roderick Strong, warming up for his match, and Velveteen Dream is shown walking towards the ring. We are told that their match is up next, after a commercial break.

Back from commercial and we get a video from Karrion Kross talking about Damian Priest. He says that it is inevitable that he will take back his NXT Championship, but Priest is “an intriguing roadblock.”

We are told that voting for NXT’s Year End Awards are now live, and that Leon Ruff’s rematch with Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship match is next week.

Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole (w/Roderick Strong)

Dream and Cole lock up. Cole takes him down with a headlock. Cole pushes Dream into a corner and Dream forces a break. When the referee separates them, Dream sucker punches Cole.

Cole fights back with a kick to the torso and a forearms smash to the face. Cole picks up Dream and punches him again. Cole whips Dream into the corner and Cole hits him with a leaping neckbreaker.

Cole picks up Dream in a fireman’s carry. Dream escapes to the apron, but Cole catches him with a pump kick, sending him to the ground outside of the ring. Cole tosses Dream back into the ring and both men go for headbutts on each other, sending them both to the mat.

Suddenly, Pete Dunne runs out and attacks Roderick Strong, tossing him into the steel steps and then hitting him with a Bitter End on the apron. While the referee is distracted, Dream hits Cole in a the neck with his t-shirt and pins him for two as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Dream goes to the top rope. Dream goes for an elbow drop from the top rope, but Cole rolls out of the way. Both men get to their feet and trade blows. Cole takes Dream down with a pump kick and an ushigoroshi. Cole pins Dream for two.

Cole catches Dream with an enziguri and a German suplex, again pinning Dream for two. Cole picks up Dream, and Dream hits him with snake eyes on the top rope. Dream hits Cole with a neckbreaker, pinning him for two.

Cole gets Dream in a fireman’s carry again, but Dream escapes. Dream lays into Cole with punches. The referee forces separation. Dream jumps to the middle rope, but before he can jump off, Cole kicks the back of Dream’s leg.

Dream pushes Cole out of the ring with his feet. Dream gets to the top rope and goes for an axe handle dive from the top to the outside and Cole catches him with a kick the midsection.

Cole gets back in the ring and waits for Dream to get back in the ring. Cole catches Dream with a superkick and then locks in a Figure Four Leglock. Dream reaches the ropes and forces a break. Cole goes for a superkick, but Drea dodges and rolls up Cole for two.

Dream catches Cole with a DDT and goes to the top rope. Dream hits Cole with a Purple Rainmaker, pinning Cole for two. Cole slaps Dream and Cole hits Dream with an ushigoroshi. Cole goes for a Panama Sunrise. Dream catches Cole with a superkick and goes for the top rope again. Cole dodges and hits Dream with a superkick and a Last Shot, pinning Dream.

Winner: Adam Cole

Cole poses in the ring as NXT goes off the air.

That’s the show! Let us know in the comments below what you thought of tonight’s episode of NXT and check back on Ringside News this Friday for our coverage of WWE Smackdown!