Hey Fight Fans, it's time for NXT headlined by a number one contender match for the North American Championship! Please enjoy the show and stick around afterwards for the post-show podcast!
-We open the show with a video package for tonight's show headlined by the NXT North American Championship Number One Contender match as well as the opening round of the 2020 edition of the Dusty Classic before newly crowned NXT Women's champion Rhea Ripley comes out to the ring to celebrate her victory over Shayna Baszler. Rhea gets on the mic and says that she'll never forget what she experienced when she won the title before she's interrupted by Toni Storm. Toni congratulates Rhea and brings up how she's beaten her twice and that Sunday she's going to become NXT UK Women's champion. Toni then challenges Rhea to a match at World's Collide in a title versus title match before Rhea accepts and they're interrupted by the current NXT UK Women's champion Kay Lee Ray. Ray says that Toni isn't beating her Sunday or making it to World's Collide before she's interrupted by Io Shirai who immediately rushes into the ring and says that she's the number one contender in Japanese only to be interrupted by Bianca Belair.
Bianca says she's better than everyone in the ring before they're all interrupted by Candice LeRae and Rhea punches Bianca before chaos ensues and everyone brawls until the faces clear the ring and its announced that there will immediately be a six woman tag match.
Rhes Ripley, Candice LeRae & Toni Storm vs Bianca Belair, Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray
Candice immediately hits a suicide dive after she, Rhea and Toni clear the ring as we go to commercial.
We come back to Candice laying into the NXT UK Women's champion with a fourth of strikes in the corner before Io comes in and hits a flap jack into a basement dropkick for two. Io locks in a rear chin lock and drops Candice with a shoulder block before Ray comes in and hits a snap mare into a variation of an abdominal stretch. Bianca enters the match for the first time and womanhandles LeRae with ease with her overwhelming strength before LeRae gets a two count off of Ray only to be immediately dropped right after. Bianca suplexes Candice for two before Candice sends her through the ropes and out of the ring, but cuts her off from making the tag and drops her with a forearm. Everyone then hits a move and collapse or spill out of the ring when Toni breaks up a two count by Ray off of a swanton bomb as we go to commercial.
Candice fights her way out of the opposite corner and gets the tag to Toni who runs over Bianca and Io before getting a near fall on Ray. Io comas in and hits running knees in the corner into a butterfly backbreaker and goes up top for a moonsault before Bianca tags herself in and puts Toni on her shoulders. Io then hits Bianca with a missile dropkick before Bianca sends her out of the ring and Rhea comes in and lays into her with Muay Thai knees and the Rip Tide for the pin and the win.
Winner: Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm and Candice LeRae defeat Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray via pinfall.
-We get a message about donating to the Australian bushfires before we get a graphic for tonight's two matches in the opening round of the Dusty Classic featuring O'Reilly and Fish of Undisputed Era, Wolfgang and Mark Coffey of Gallus and Barthel and Aichner of Imperium against the Forgotten Sons.
-We then get a video package narrated by Tommaso Ciampa where he talks about reclaiming the NXT Championship from Adam Cole as we go to commercial.
-We see Keith Lee getting ready for his match in tonight's main event before we throw to the Forgotten Sons in the ring.
2020 Dusty Classic Opening Round Match
Forgotten Sons w/Jaxson Ryker vs Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel)
FS double up on Marcel right out of the gate for several early two counts before Fabian comes in wearing a face protector and Marcel gets the blind tag before hitting a high angle back drop driver for a near fall. Marcel catches Cutler coming off of the top rope and sends him out of the ring before Imperium hit an assisted suplex for two to Blake and Cutler takes out Fabian at ringside. Cutler hits a fisherman's driver for a near fall that Fabian breaks up before hitting a spinebuster and Marcel a PK. Blake then counters the European bomb before Marcel knocks Cutler off or the top rope and Imperium hit the European bomb for the pin and the win.
Winner: Imperium defeat the Forgotten Sons via pinfall when they pin Steve with a European bomb to advance to the next round of the tournament.
-Matt Riddle is interviewed backstage about teaming up with Pete Dunne next week in the second set of first round matches as we go to commercial.
Austin Theory vs Joaquin Wilde
They lock up and exchange standing switches before Wilde hits a huricanrrana and Austin drops him throat first over the top rope before hitting a slingshot stomp. Austin hits a fisherman's suplex and locks in a shoulder lock before Wilde comes back with clotheslines into a diving huricanrrana that sends Austin out onto the apron. Austin rushes back in and hits a dropkick into a variation of a TKO for the pin and the win.
Winner: Austin Theory defeats Joaquin Wilde via pinfall with a TKO.
-We return from commercial to a promo by Damian Priest who's getting dressed backstage with the assistance of two young women before go back to the ring with the second of tonight's matches in the first round of the Dusty Classic.
2020 Dusty Classic Opening Round Match
Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) vs Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey)
Wolfgang rushes across the ring and grabs Kyle before tossing him across the ring and Mark and Bobby enter the match and Mark shows off his power by tossing Bobby around. Gallus double team Fish before Strong distracts Wolfgang and jumps up on the apron allowing UE to capitalize and take control of the match. UE's control only lasts momentarily as Mark comes in and whips Fish into the corner before Gallus clear the ring as we go to commercial.
Wolfgang fights off Fish and O'Reilly before he's dropped with a double kick to the chest and Bobby locks in a choke. Wolfgang throws Bobby off of his back and slams Kyle down before Wolfgang counters an ankle lock and makes the tag to Mark who clotheslines Kyle and hits a uranage for two. UE double up on Mark for two before Bobby drags him to the corner and he and Kyle take turns with running moves in the corner before Kyle accidentally boots Bobby off of the apron. Mark hits a pop-up Samoan drop for a near fall that Fish breaks up before all four men exchange strikes until Gallus clear the ring and Mark goes for a tope and takes out Fish and Strong at ringside. Adam then hits Wolfgang from ringside when Bobby distracts the referee and Fish and O'Reilly hit the Total Elimination to Wolfgang for the pin and the win.
Winner: Undisputed Era defeat Gallus via pinfall when they hit Wolfgang with the Total Elimination to advance to the next round of the tournament.
-We get a video package for the feud between Johnny Gargano and Finn Bálor before we're told that Johnny will be in the arena tonight as we go to commercial.
-Johnny Gargano comes out to the ring and talks about the past month and his rivalry with Finn Bálor and says that Finn abandoned NXT for the main roster and that the brand left him behind before Finn comes out onto the stage and makes his way down the ramp. Johnny invites Finn into the ring, but he won't take the bait and says that he'll give Johnny his match at Takeover: Portland if he can make it long enough before he locks eyes with Johnny before leaving as we cut to a seemingly unstable Cameron Grimes backstage as we go to commercial.
-It's announced that Motor City Machine Guns member Alex Shelley will make his NXT debut next week when he teams up with KUSHIDA to take on the Grizzled Young Veterans.
Mia Yim vs Kayden Carter
Mia dodges a dropkick before they shake hands and Mia shows off her strength by forcing her way out of a sunset flip and an arm drag. Kayden hits an arm drag off of the top and goes for a huricanrrana, but Mia is too strong and hits a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Mia kicks Kayden in the chest before dropping her with a kick and putting her in a bow and arrow submission before Carter lands on top of Mia for two. Mia chops Carter in the corner and whips her across the ring before Carter sweeps her and hits a running boot in the ropes into a roll through into a superkick for two. Mia then catches Carter coming off of the top and hits Eat Defeat in midair for the pin and the win.
Winner: Mia Yim defeats Kayden Carter via pinfall with Eat Defeat.
-After the match Mia is laid out by Chelsea Green who is now accompanied by a sharp dressed young man wearing glasses as her manager revealed to be Robert Stone, the former Robbie E from IMPACT Wrestling before we go to Dominic Dijakovic getting ready for the number one contender match as we go to another video package for Tommaso Ciampa and Adam Cole.
NXT North American Championship Number One Contender Fatal Four Way Match
Damian Priest vs Keith Lee vs Dominic Dijakovic vs Cameron Grimes
Cameron is immediately out numbered and over powered by the much larger men in the ring before Keith and Dom take out Priest and Cameron and go back and forth. Priest and Grimes attack Dom and Keith frome behind before Cameron is sent out of the ring and Keith uses Priest as a weapon before powerbombing him onto Dom. The action spills out of the ring where Cameron and Dom form a momentary partnership before Keith throws Cameron and drops Dom with a back elbow. Priest then beckons Keith into the ring before hitting a tope and taking out everyone as we go to commercial.
Keith hits a dead lift superplex to Priest from the apron before Dom hits a moonsault to the back of Keith for two and gets superkicked by Grimes who hits a bridging German suplex for a two count of his own. Priest catches Grimes up top and hits a frankensteiner into the arms of Keith who hands him off to Dom who hits Feast Your Eyes. Keith knocks Dom out of the ring before Damian hits The Reckoning for a near fall that Dom breaks up before Dom and Damian exchange until they collapse. They try to chokeslam each other before Keith comes in out of nowhere and hits a double chokeslam before Cameron hits a Spanish fly for a near fall. Dom knocks Priest off of the apron before Cameron takes him out with a moonsault and takes out Dom on the apron before Keith knocks him out of the air when he comes off of the top turnbuckle.
Keith then hits Cameron with a pop-up Spirit Bomb for the pin and the win.
Winner: Keith Lee defeats Cameron Grimes, Dominic Dijakovic and Damian Priest via pinfall with a pop-up Spirit Bomb to earn a shot at Roderick Strong and his NXT North American Championship.
-We end the show with Keith celebrating and the announcement that the NXT North American Championship match will take place in two weeks as we go off the air.
