Good evening Fight Fans and welcome to our coverage for tonight's edition of WWE NXT! Be sure to stick around afterwards for the post-show podcast and check out Fightful Select for exclusive content!
- We open tonight's show with a recap of last week's before we go to the PC for tonight's opening match between Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai with a shot at Io Shirai's NXT Women's Championship at Takeover: XXX on the line.
NXT Women's Championship Number One Contender Match
Rhea Ripley vs Dakota Kai
Rhea shoves Kai backwards when they lock up before Kai chops Rhea across the chest and Rhea hits her with several wrist locks clotheslines into a dropkick. Rhea drives her shoulder into the midsection of Kai in the corner before they dodge each other's chops until Rhea chops Kai across the chest and follows up with a delayed suplex for two. Rhea lifts Kai by her hair before they run the ropes and Rhea hits a wheelbarrow facebuster for two before putting Kai in a body scissors and hitting her with forearms in the spine until Rhea puts her in a pinning predicament for two. Rhea clotheslines Kai and kicks her in the midsection before Kai counters a suplex attempt and goes to sweep Rhea and drag her out of the ring, but Rhea stops her and drops her face first across the edge of the apron. Rhea then rolls Kai back into the ring for a two count before screaming at the camera in frustration as we go to commercial.
We come back to Rhea in control before Kai drops her with a boot for two and locking in a variation of an abdominal stretch before Rhea comes back with an electric chair facebuster for a near fall. Kai kicks Rhea away and rocks her with a roundhouse kick before they exchange strikes until Rhea hits a flapjack for two and Kai counters the Riptide into a DDT for a near fall. Rhea drops Kai with a boot before locking in the Prism Trap before Kai reverses it and sends Rhea face first into the middle turnbuckle. Kai hits a running boot in the corner that sends Rhea out onto the apron before Mercedes Martinez attacks Rhea when the referee is distracted with Kai. Kai then hits Rhea with the Go To Kick for the pin and the win.
Winner: Dakota Kai defeats Rhea Ripley via pinfall to gain an opportunity to face Io Shirai for the NXT Women's Championship at Takeover: XXX.
- Mercedes comes back after the match and lays Rhea out with an air raid crash.
- We see Undisputed Era walking outside earlier today ahead of Kyle and Bobby's title challenge in tonight's main event as we go to commercial.
- Pat McAfee is seen talking to Shawn Michaels earlier today before we're informed that he will be on commentary later tonight.
Shane Thorne vs Bronson Reed
Shane tries to knock Reed over with forearms before Reed drops Shane and Shane sends him through the ropes with a dropkick before hitting a suicide dive and Reed hits a full nelson slam onto the edge of the apron. Back in the ring Reed gets caught on the top turnbuckle before Shane rocks him with a right hand and a dropkick into a cannonball in the corner. Shane hits a shining wizard for two and follows up with a chin bar before Reed drops him with a headbutt and hits a military press slam into a senton for two. They then exchange open hand palm strikes before Reed turns Shane inside out with a clothesline and hits a DVD into the tsunami splash for the pin and the win.
Winner: Bronson Reed defeats Shane Thorne via pinfall.
- We go to earlier today where Breezango are outside talking before Legado Del Fantasma drive up and get out and attack them before abducting Fandango and speeding off.
- We get a video package for tonight's triple threat match between Damian Priest, Oney Lorcan and Ridge Holland which is up next as we go back to commercial.
- We go to the Robert Stone brand outside before Robert answers the interviewer's question about why they attacked Rhea Ripley. Robert then says that Rhea may be done with the Robert Stone Brand, but they're not finished with her.
NXT North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat Match
Damian Priest vs Oney Lorcan vs Ridge Holland
Everyone immediately exchange strikes before Damian and Ridge inadvertently double up on Oney and Priest drops Ridge with a flat liner. Priest counters a half and half suplex before Ridge boots Damian out of the ring and Oney sends Ridge out of the ring before hitting a tope to the outside and rolling Ridge back inside. Oney goes for a diving blockbuster, but Ridge catches him and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex before hitting Priest with a headbutt and suplexes him before clotheslining him over the top rope and down onto the floor as we go to commercial.
We come back to Priest and Ridge exchanging strikes until Oney flies into the ring and takes them both out before hitting running moves in opposite corner and a double running blockbuster for a two count on Ridge. Oney puts Damian in a single leg Boston crab before Damian kicks him away and Oney takes out both Priest and Holland with uppercuts for two before Ridge launches Oney across the ring and hits a single arm powerslam for two. Ridge counters The Reckoning and headbutts Damian before hitting a gut wrench powerbomb to him for a two count that Oney breaks up and Ridge and Lorcan exchange strikes until Priest comes out of no where. Priest then goes to hit Oney with a choke bomb before Oney counters it and chops Priest in the back before Priest hits Ridge with a chokeslam and finishes Oney with The Reckoning for the pin and the win.
Winner: Damian Priest defeats Oney Lorcan and Ridge Holland via pinfall to gain entry into the North American Title Ladder Match.
Keith Lee vs Cameron Grimes
Keith backs Cameron into the corner before Cameron rolls out of the ring and will only get back in when Keith backs up before Keith backs him back into the corner and Cameron goes out onto the apron before threatening Keith. Keith goes all of the back into the far corner before Cameron will come back in before Keith puts him in a front headlock and Cameron backs into the ropes for the break before Keith catches a kick and just absorbs forearms by Cameron. Keith sends Cameron into the ropes and drops him with a shoulder block before Cameron tries to crawl out of the ring and Keith drags him back in before rocking Keith with an up kick. Keith runs Cameron over and whips in into the corner before sending him over the top rope and down onto the floor before going out after Cameron and getting kicked in the knee before Grimes sends him knee first into the steps. Cameron then hits an asai moonsault off of the top and takes out Keith as we go to commercial.
We come back to Cameron in control before Keith beats him down and hits a running cross body for two before Cameron counters a Spirit Bomb and Keith catches a kick before Cameron counters The Big Bang Catastrophe for a near fall. Grimes gets a near fall off of a leverage pin before hitting a superman forearm and an enzuigiri and hits the Collision Course for a second near fall. Keith then counters The Cave In and hits Grimes with the Grizzly Magnum before finishing Grimes with a wrist lock clotheslines and a Spirit Bomb for the pin and the win.
Winner: Keith Lee defeats Cameron Grimes via pinfall.
- The lights go out after the match is over and Scarlett's voice speaks in a foreign language before Karrion Kross shows up on the big screen and says that it appears they're doing things the hard way before we see that he's laid out several NXT Superstars.
- We go backstage to Fish and O'Reilly getting ready with the rest of UE ahead of their title challenge in tonight's main event as we go to commercial.
- We come back to the announcement of the theme for Takeover: XXX with Moth in the Flame by Metallica.
- We get graphics for the NXT Women's and North American Championships at Takeover: XXX before we get a video package where NXT General Manager William Regal informs us that Dexter Lumis is out of the ladder match and that Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor will face off for the final spot in two weeks time.
- We go back to the ring as Legado Del Fantasma drag Fandango into the arena and toss him into the ring before saying that Breezango mocked and spit in the face of Lucha Libre when they dressed in luchador gear at Great American Bash. Tyler then comes out to save Fandango, but he's out numbered and laid out before Santos warns Isaiah Scott to not speak his name or LDF will do the same to him.
- We get a video package for UE's history in the tag division ahead of their title challenge of Imperium for the gold as we go to commercial.
- We go outside to Damian Priest being interviewed and cutting a promo in the parking lot to the camera before Bronson Reed walks up and congratulates him before Priest offends Reed and Reed challenges him to a match.
Tegan Nox vs Indi Hartwell
They have an exchange of words before Nox chops Indi across the chest and backs her into the corner before Indi drops her across the top rope and slams her down for two. Indi locks in a rear chin lock that Nox fights out of before Indi drops her with a back elbow for two and immediately reapplies the rear chin lock. Indi then rolls Nox up for two before Nox comes back with a take down and stomps Indi the corner before hitting an inverted cannonball into The Shiniest Wizard for the pin and the win.
Winner: Tegan Nox defeat Indi Hartwell via pinfall.
- It's announced that Priest will take on Reed, Kross will face Danny Burch and the returning KUSHIDA will face off against Cameron Grimes and a mystery opponent in the ladder match qualifier on next week's show.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Imperium (c) vs Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) w/ Adam Cole & Roderick Strong
Kyle and Fabian start things off for their respective teams by exchanging strikes in the center of the ring before Bobby comes in and gets hit with a backbreaker for two before Fabian locks in a shoulder lock. Bobby rolls out of it before Fabian reapplies it and Marcel gets the blind tag before hitting a deep arm drag into a straight armbar with a chin bar. Bobby then gets to his feet and drops Marcel with strikes before UE double up on Marcel and Marcel chops Bobby in the throat before Imperium hit a spinebuster into a PK as we go to commercial.
Fabian is in control of Bobby as we come back from the break until he hits a back suplex and tags in Kyle who boots Fabian off of the apron and drops Marcel when Marcel gets the tag before sweeping Marcel. Kyle makes Marcel hit Fabian with a dragon screw when he hit Marcel with one before locking in a kneebar and Marcel nearly taps before getting to the ropes and Fabian hits a springboard moonsault to break up the hold. Adam goes to the announce table and has words with Pat McAfee who has been talking trash about UE the entire time before Adam and Pat are separated by officials, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Kyle is then distracted by what's going on at ringside before Imperium hit him with the European bomb for the pin and the win.
Winner: Imperium retain their NXT Tag Team titles by defeating Undisputed Era via pinfall.
- After the match Adam and Pat insult each other before Pat attacks Adam and is forced to leave the arena as we go off the air with officials checking on an incapacitated Cole.
