WWE NXT live results: Iron Man match to crown new champion
The NXT Championship will be up for grabs in a four-way 60-minute Iron Man match on tonight’s special Tuesday edition of NXT.
Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor, and Adam Cole will face off in the Iron Man match for the vacant NXT Championship. The match was announced by William Regal last week after Karrion Kross had to vacate the title due to injury. Just days earlier, Kross defeated Keith Lee in the main event of TakeOver XXX to win the NXT Championship but suffered a separated shoulder in the process.
Regal said that Gargano, Ciampa, Balor, and Cole were chosen because they’re all former NXT Champions. Ciampa returned to NXT television last week and destroyed Jake Atlas.
Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face off with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Breezango in a six-man street fight tonight. Timothy Thatcher vs. Bronson Reed is also set for the show.
NXT will also air on Tuesday next week due to the NHL playoffs.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
A memorial graphic honoring “Bullet” Bob Armstrong opened the show.
Wade Barrett once again joined Vic Joseph in Full Sail at the broadcast booth for commentary. Beth Phoenix remotely also provided commenatry.
“Super Tuesday” then began with a six-man street fight.
Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) & Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeated El Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Scott pinned Escobar to win the match for his team. At one point the babyfaces did dives off of a forklift. Some of this was good, but I have already watched plenty of hardcore matches like this in the ’90s. At least this match had a fun forklift spot. The most extreme spots happend during the commercial break. Go figure.
The rudo trio wore street clothes, while the babyfaces wore their wrestling gear. Swerve did wear a t-shirt, though.
The rudos attacked before the bell, and a huge brawl erupted around ringside. Weapons like chairs, trash cans, and tables came into play. Rudos dominated in the beginning, but the babyface trio soon made a comeback.
Eventually the fighting entered into the ring. They were all having a serious brawl until the rudos were sprayed with a fire extinguisher. That is always a silly spot, which was made even more silly by the babyfaces dancing before the show cut its first commercial break. No picture-in-picture.
Some crazy spots happened during the break that were replayed when the show returned. The rudo trio did a triple Van Terminator with Breeze stuffed into a trash can. Fandango also went through a table.
Less brawling and more high spots down the stretch. Escobar did his signature Fantasma tope.
Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner of Imperium suddenly ran down to attack Breeze & Fandango. Imperium lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Breezango in a match last week. El Legado del Fantasma joined Imperium in attacking Breeze.
Out of nowhere a forklift arrives at ringside. Fandango and Scott stood on a wooden pallet riding on the forks, and they were lifted high above the ring. Both did a flip dive into the ring off the forklift onto a pile of bodies. Breezango then did dives of their own.
Scott with a modified Michinoku Driver (similar to Escobar’s Phantom Driver) on Escobar to score the pinfall.
Candice LeRae defeated Kacy Catanzaro (with Kayden Carter)
LeRae pinned Catanzaro in a short, but fairly good, match. LeRae won with a leglock/curb stomp combo. LeRae cut a promo after the match.
Catanzaro got to shine at the outset. LeRae cut her off with a neckbreaker. Cantanzaro rolled outside the ring, and Carter came to her aid. The announcers on commentary debated the benefit of having a friend at ringside. My Spidey senses detect a possible heel turn among those friends down the line.
They traded near falls before LeRae began to work over Catanzaro. Soon thereafter Catanzaro with a comeback got another near fall. LeRae cut her off to tie up Catanzaro and give her a curb stomp (not Seth’s move). LeRae then covered Catanzaro for the pinfall.
LeRae in her post-match promo talked about Tegan Nox. She heeled on the crowd for booing her, claiming she was being sincere. LeRae invited Nox to dinner at her house so they can settle their differences.
Remember when Nox was in that skit delivering pizzas? Maybe she can bring a pizza as a gift. As a guest never arrived empty handed. Be courteous. Just some advice.
Rhea Ripley in a fiery promo challenged Mercedes Martinez to a cage match.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Bronson Reed
Thatcher submitted Reed with the Fujiwara armbar after interference from Austin Theory. This was pretty dang good until the run-in. That was already done earlier on the show. Very unoriginal part of an otherwise good match.
Reed was a monster, but Thatcher targeted an arm. Reed fought back to drop Thatcher with a stiff-looking forearm. Moments later Reed did a dive through the ropes for a tope to the outside.
Theory ran down for a sneak attack on Reed. Theory jumped Reed, and then he rolled him back in the ring. Thatcher barred the arm, and Reed tapped out to the Fujiwara armbar.
Mercedes Martinez accepted Ripley’s challenge, so a cage match between the two is official for next Tuesday on NXT.
Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciamp in an iron man match for the vacant NXT Championship ended in a tie
Balor and Cole tie with two falls each
Great match with an infuriating finish. After a whole hour the matched ends with a tie. No sudden death like WrestleMania XII. Instead this builds to a singles match next week for the title.
Cole against Balor to decide the new NXT Champion in a singles match, or at least that is the idea. They already baited and switched on a new champion, so maybe we get a winner next week. I won’t guarantee anything. I hope that it requires less notes than this long match, but I wrote a lot of notes so here goes for what it’s worth.
Did I mention there was a tie? A freaking TIE! After an hour of build up, we get a tie. FFS. SMH.
Ciampa cleaned house early on. He sent Balor crashing into the guardrail, knocking the barricade down. Ciampa kept going around the ring kicking butt. Balor cut him off, and those two soon sqaured off in the ring.
Cole threw Ciampa outside the ring, and Cole went to jump Balor. Instead, Balor went to work on Cole. Gargano soon rushed into the ring to cut off Balor with a sneak attack. Gargano went on to target Cole’s arm.
Cole made a comeback as he fired up on Gargano. Cole then set his sights on Balor. Soon Balor was making a comeback as he ran wild on everyone.
Lots of neckbreakers in this match, and also variations of neckbreakers. Fifteen minutes into the match and no falls scored by anyone, but they had some near falls.
A parade of high spots led to quadruple down. That transitioned into a Tower of Doom superplex spot with Cole, Ciampa and Balor. Gargano sneaked up behind Ciampa to crotch him on the ringpost.
Balor countered a tilt-a-whirl to give Gargano the 1916 for a near fall. Balor went for his Coup de Grace, but Gargano rolled out of the way. Ciampa then caught Balor to deliver an Air Raid Crash for a two count.
The show cut a picture-in-picture commercial break as the action continued in the ring. Cole pulled down a knee pad and set up for The Last Shot on Ciampa. He instead ate a superkick from Gargano, and then was caught in the Gargano Escape. Ciampa at the same time then caught Balor in an armbar submission hold.
Cole and Balor squared off when the show returned from break. Cole offered a too sweet, and Balor gave him a too sweet in return. Cole tried to talk Balor into them each fighting someone else. Balor agreed at first, but he instead threw Cole out of the ring. Cole landed outside on Gargano. Balor followed with a tope con giro on both of them.
Balor ran around the ring to hit Ciampa with a shotgun dropkick that sent Ciampa crashing into the timekeeper’s table. Balor also dropkicked Ciampa on the floor. He then leapt off the top rope with the Coup de Grace on Cole, and Balor covered Cole to score a pinfall.
Balor was the first to score a fall, and he took the lead on the scoreboard at about 25 minutes into the match.
Balor kept cleaning house as the show cut to another picture-in-picture commercial break. Ciampa cut off Balor during the break. Cole went for a Panama Sunrise, but Ciampa countered to deliver Project Ciampa. Balor broke up the pin. Project Ciampa on Gargano, and Balor again broke up the pin. Now it was Balor’s turn as he took Project Ciampa, but Balor kicked out on a pinning attempt. This all took place in inset box during a commercial break, and it was arguably the best sequences in the match. Go figure.
When the show returned from break, Ciampa was attempted to catapult Cole like he did to Jake Atlas in an angle last week. Balor flew through the ropes with a wrecking ball to save Cole. Ciampa executed the Willow’s Bell draping DDT on Balor, and then gave Balor the Fairy Tale Ending. Gargano rushed into the ring to throw Ciampa out of the ring, and Gargano stole a pinfall on Gargano.
Gargano and Balor were then tied at one fall apiece with less than 30 minutes remaining in the match.
Cole with a Last Shot on Ciampa, but he kicked out. Ciampa answred back seconds later with a Western Lariat. Cole went on to superkick Ciampa and everyone else. Cole with a Panama Sunrise on Gargano to score a pinfall.
Cole, Gargano, and Balor each have scored one fall apiece at this point with 25 minutes remaining in the match. Ciampa with a goose egg so far, but not for long.
Ciampa with a double Willow’s Bell on Gargano and Cole at the same time. Ciampa then delivered the Fairy Tale Ending on Cole, and he covered him for a pinfall.
All four were tied at one fall with just over 20 minutes left to go.
The match turned into a slugfest for a few minutes, leading to a stalemate quadruple down. Ciampa got to his feet and started to wreck shop on everyone.
Cole took out Ciampa’s knee with a superkick before another picture-in-picture commercial break. Cole applied the figure-four leglock during the break. Balor broke up the hold, and then Balor applied his own version of the figure-four on Ciampa. Cole back in to break up the hold, and he attempted applyhing his own version again. Ciampa countered with an inside cradle for a two count. Cole kicked out, and he then applied a figure-four.
Gargano broke it up to apply the Gargano Escape on Ciampa before the show returned from break. Balor started throwing chops like Wahoo McDaniel. He went to give Ciampa an Irish whip, and Ciampa buckled selling his knee. Balor targeted the leg.
Balor missed a Coup de Grace, and he walked into stereo superkicks. Less than ten minutes remained in the match as Gargano twice flew through the ropes with a tope. Gargano went for a third tope, but Balor blocked it. They teased a 1916 on the floor, which was a callback to a spot that legitimately injured Gargano in the past. This time it was Balor’s turn as Gargano countered him to deliver a tornado DDT on the floor.
The show cut to its final commercial break as Gargano was trying to drag Balor into the ring. Cole cut him off, and Cole with an ushigoroshi for a two count.
Cole missed a Last Shot as the show returned from break, and he was trapped in a Gargano Escape. The hold was broken up.
Ciampa with the same catapult spot he gave Atlas last week. This time it was Gargano taking it. Ciampa was trying to finish things when Gargano caught him in small package for a two count.
Under two minutes remaining and Ciampa was in control. Under a minute and Ciampa with avalanche Air Raid Crash on Gargano. Upon them landing, Balor flew in with a double stomp on Ciampa to score a pinfall as the clock ticked below 20 seconds. Balor is up by a fall with seconds to go.
With under 10 seconds remaining, Cole hit Balor with a Last Shot to score a pinfall as time expired. Cole and Balor tie with two falls each. After all that we get a tie finish.
William Regal came to the ring to make an impromptu announcement. He held the NXT title while saying next week Cole and Balor meet in a singles match to decide the next champion. Regal said “one fall to a finish”, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
A whole hour just for a freaking tie. Feels like Ralphie in A Christmas Story when he waits so long to finally get his Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, only to find out it was just a crummy commercial.
Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. We’ll see ya’ next week.