WWE NXT live results: Dragon Lee North American title defense

Looking to be a fighting champion, Dragon Lee puts his North American title up for grabs on NXT tonight.

Dragon Lee will defend his championship against a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew. The group consists of Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, Damon Kemp, and Myles Borne.

At NXT Deadline earlier this month, Lee defeated Dominik Mysterio to win the North American Championship. He’s already made one successful title defense against Tyler Bate. Lee is also set to defend the title against Butch on SmackDown this Friday night.

A grudge match will take place as Tiffany Stratton goes one-on-one with Fallon Henley. Thea Hail & Jacy Jane vs. Kiana James & Izzi Dame is also set, along with Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Gallus.

Plus, the first round of the Men’s Breakout Tournament will continue with Lexis King vs. Dion Lennox and Tavion Heights vs. Luca Crusifino.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

A taped episode of NXT opens with a grudge match several weeks in the making.

Fallon Henley defeated Tiffany Stratton

Henley pinned Stratton in a good match, albeit short. Not long, but it did not need to be. Stratton dropped the fall, so she got a lot offense in return. Stratton attacks Henley after the match to keep the feud going.

Setting up the finish, they were trading near falls. Henley kicked out of a powerbomb, and they began exchanging cradles with each reversing the other. Henley won the match when she scored a pinfall after a reversal. 

Stratton attacks Henley after the bell. Henley’s head is rammed into the announce desk. Stratton drags Henley backstage, and Stratton continues to pummel her. 

Calling her trash while doing so, Stratton wipes a mop on Henley’s face. Stratton then dumps a full trash can on Henley. Stratton calls her a loser and she leaves. 

Trick Williams meets Carmelo Hayes in the locker room. Hayes apologizes to Williams, but Trick says no need. They are good. Williams asks Hayes if he really saw who hit him. Hayes says he did not see him, but nobody hit him as hard as Dragunov. So it must be him. 

Hayes proposes that they make the NXT title match at New Year’s Evil as triple threat match. Williams ponders why would they do that. Hayes responds they do not have to fight each. They can get revenge and take the title home with them. 

Williams tells Hayes he does not even really know if who attacked him, and Williams goes on to say he won at Deadline to earn himself a shot. Hayes says it does not matter who wins the title. Williams wants to win the title one-one-one just like Hayes did. Williams tells Hayes he wants Hayes to help him train. 

Meanwhile, NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is headed to the ring for a monologue. Dragunov starts by saying he does not know how he got caught up in the Hayes and Williams saga. 

Dragunov goes on to talk about winning the title. He is a human who sacrifices himself because that title deserves it. Suddenly, Dragunov is interrupted, because seemingly nobody can finish a monologue in NXT without an interruption.

Out comes Ridge Holland to the ring. He is looking to redeem himself after many setbacks. Holland wants to prove himself. Holland says Dragunov can help. Dragunov asks if he is asking for a title shot. Holland replies that he will basically work his way up the roster to a shot. This is the first chapter in Holland’s redemption.

Dragunov is impressed by Holland, so he grants Holland a match tonight. Williams confronts Dragunov backstage after a commercial break. Williams is upset that Dragunov gave someone else a match. Dragunov says the champion dictates to the challenger. Williams warns Dragunov he is only champ until New Year’s Evil.

Lexis King defeats Dion Lennox in the first round of the NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament

King took the fight to Lennox, but Lennox fought back. King flees the ring and grabs the Breakout contract that was on display at ringside. As if that is legally binding. No matter, as Lennox went outside to cut off King. Maybe it was ploy by King, as he is the one to cut off Lennox when they were back in the ring.

King rams Lennox shoulder first into a ring post. King then executes a swinging neckbreaker. Vic Joseph on commentary called the move a “coronation,” while Booker T calls it a “sleeper.” It assuredly was not a sleeper hold. Regardless, King then covers Lennox for a pinfall.

Trey Bearhill runs out after the match. He rushed the ring looking for revenge on King, who jumped Bearhill last week. That led to King replacing Bearhill in the tournament. If the match was this week, and Bearhill is okay to do a run in. Then, why did King replace him in the first place? Just because he attacked him last week? That makes little sense.

In a vignette, Eddy Thorpe challenges Dijak to a NXT Underground match next week. 

Kiana James & Izzi Dame defeated Thea Hail & Jacy Jane

Despite being a taped show, there is a production error with the graphics. Izzi Dame was billed on a graphic as being “with” Kiana James, as if Dame was in James’ corner instead of her tag partner. 

Hot tag to Hail, and she runs wild. The Chase U section was cheering her on, but that distracts her. Apparently, the distraction was mainly Hail’s crush being in the crowd. James cuts off Hail, but Hail is able to counter. However, a bling tag is made and Hail is unaware. Hail locks in a Kimura lock on James, but James is not legal. Dame is legal, and she boots Hail in the face with a high kick. Dame then covers Hail for a pinfall. 

Andre Chase and Duke Hudson are grambling in a dice game with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price. This sets up a tag match for next week, and Chase is doubling down his bets in hopes of paying off his debt.

NXT North American Champion Dragon Lee defeated Charlie Dempsey  (with Drew Gulak, Damon Kemp & Myles Borne) and Joe Coffey (with Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) to retain the title

This started off as a open challenge where Lee thought he was facing someone of Gulak’s stable. Gallus interrupts, and Joe Coffey tells Lee to pick between Coffey and Dempsey. Lee says both, making the match a triple threat. 

For some reason, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang are at ringside dresses in attire that made them look like the Killer Bees tag team. The yellow-and-black striped shirt are probably supposed to look like soccer jerseys, but looks like the Killer Bees to me.

Lots of action as one can imagine in the match itself. It goes through a commercial break. Even more action after the break, with some nifty three-way spots. Some really good stuff, aside from some corny gimmick with Joe Gacy.

Still not sure what to make of Joe Gacy’s new gimmick. Last week he was doing the Black Top Bully heckling gimmick. This week he stole Hornswoggle’s gimmick. Gacy appears from underneath the ring. Moments later, Joe Coffey is dragged underneath the ring, presumably by Gacy.

In the ring, Lee is one-one-one with Dempsey. Lee executes Operation Dragon (running sliced bread-type move) and Lee covers Dempsey for a pinfall.

Gulak and his crew jump Lee after the mach. Wilde and Cruz of the LWO run down to make a save. They run off Gulak and his crew. This would seem to set up a tag bout or possibly a trios match.

Tavion Heights defeated Luca Crusifino in a first round match in the NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament

Heights won after pinning Crusifino with a belly-to-belly suplex. This match looked so indie. Crusifino’s gimmick is he is a lawyer. It was so indi-rific. This did not belong on national television, but it was nonetheless.

Height advances to the semifinals, where he faces Oba Femi. 

A video package hypes the upcoming title belt with NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria defending against challenger Blair Davenport. 

Nikkita Lyons defeated Tatum Paxley

Lyons pinned Paxley in what was Lyons return match after being away for so long. It was an okay match, and not pretty at times. Paxley works on arm, but this was more of a showcase match for Lyons. She made a comeback, and Lyons delivers a combo kick to set up the pinfall.

Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang with Joe Coffey) defeated Hank Walker & Tank Ledger

Mark Coffey pinned Walker to win the match. The finish involved the tag rope. Ledger tried to tag in, while Walker was being worked over in the ring. However, Ledger was not holding on to the tag rope, so the tag did not count. Meanwhile, Walker gets booted in the face, and Coffey covers him for a three count.

Joe Coffey is inexplicably back from being dragged underneath the ring, as he was in Gallus’ corner. His eyes dart around, and he keeps looking scared of something. Joe Gacy was in the Chase U student section for whatever reason. What the heck is up with Gacy’s new gimmick? 

Dijak accepts the challenge by Eddy Thorpe for NXT Underground.

Tiffany Stratton cuts a promo on Fallon Henley, and Stratton challenges Henley to a stipulation match. If Stratton wins, Henley becomes Stratton’s servant.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Ridge Holland in a non-title match ended in a no-contest

At least I think it was no-contest. It was not made clear, as they did an injury angle. This plays off others being injured in a Holland match, which includes legit injuries such as Big E suffering a broken neck.

Holland DDT’s Dragunov into the mat, and Dragunov sells like he is seriously injured, The referee checks on Dragunov, and out comes medical staff with a stretcher. Dragunov is placed in a neck brace and carried away on a stretcher. Holland is distraught over having caused the injury. That is the cliffhanger angle that closed the show. To be continued next week on NXT.