WWE NXT live results: North American title open challenge

Preview by Joseph Currier

NXT closes out 2019 with a taped Christmas Day edition of the show tonight.

North American Champion Roderick Strong will issue an open challenge for his title. WWE has also announced that a tag team match will air, with Keith Lee & Lio Rush taking on Damian Priest & Tony Nese.

Strong’s open challenge was taped at Full Sail University, while Lee & Rush vs. Priest & Nese was one of three NXT matches filmed at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York after last week’s SmackDown.

The next live episode of NXT is set for January 8. The teams for the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be revealed on next Wednesday’s New Year’s Day show, and WWE has announced that the winners of NXT’s year-end awards will be revealed then as well.

Our coverage of tonight’s show begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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The taped show on Christmas Day opened with a panel of hosts from a studio. Cathy Kelley is hosting alongside Pat McAfee and Sam Roberts. There is definitely a holiday theme, and the panel is all dressed in red. McAfee even wore pants. They threw to footage from Full Sail in Orlando.

Roderick Strong was singing a holiday song as he walked towards Gorilla. He cut a promo saying someone is going to get a “season’s beating” in the open challenge, and then he walked through the curtain.

Austin Theory was introduced as the challenger.

NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong defeated Austin Theory to retain his title

Strong used his Stronghold to submit Theory. This was a fantastic match. 

Strong with takedowns grounded Theory early on. They also exchanged trash talk — with Strong egging it on. Strong could dish it out but not take it back. He grew more angry, and he shoved down Theory. Moments later, Theory was knocking down Strong with a high dropkick. 

Theory got to shine with Strong reeling. A standing moonsault netted Theory a two count. The fight spilled outside as they brawled on the floor. Strong with an Olympic slam sent Theory into the ring post. Theory sold big, and he barely rolled back into the ring to break the ten count.

As Strong worked over Theory in the ring, the crowd showered them with a “season’s beatings” chant. Theory ate a high dropkick, but still kicked out at two. Strong went on to apply La Tapatia as he continued to target the back. Strong dashed a hope spot when he countered a roll through to deliver a backbreaker.

Theory with a second attempt at the roll through caught Strong with a dropkick. That started a Theory comeback. Strong tried to halt the rally, but Theory fired up nonetheless. Theory with a blockbuster got a near falll. 

Theory looked to continue his rally. He gave Strong a buckle bomb, and then Theory followed up with an ushigoroshi for two and half. Strong fought back to catch Theory in a superplex spot. Theory answered right back with a Torture Rack into a sit-out powerbomb.

Strong dropped Theory on the top turnbuckle with a backbreaker. Theory still kicked out at two. Theory suplexed Strong on the apron leading to another near fall.

They were trading strikes as they went into the finish. Strong struck with End of Heartache, and then he applied the Boston crab for the submission.

Calling the match on commentary from Full Sail in Orlando were Mauro Ranallo and Nigel McGuinness. The announce booth at Brooklyn had Beth Phoenix and Tom Phillips. The two-person booths were much better than the usual three-person team. 

Back to the studeo with the panel of hosts. They yammered for a minute before throwing to a match taped at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeated Jack Gallagher 

Swerve pinned Gallagher after the Housecall. The match was good, but it would have been better before a crowd more familiar to NXT.

The atmosphere at the Smackdown taping looked more major league with the large set in the bigger building compared to Full Sail. However, the crowd heat is far better in Full Sail. The lights were dimmed and the arena darkened like is seen on TakeOver. 

Swerve and Gallagher did a lot of cool exchanges and mat wrestling throughout the match. Swerve was sent shoulder first into a corner before a commercial. There was a picture-in-picture split screen despite no direct competition from AEW tonight. Gallagher targeted the shoulder during the break.

They also traded chops during the break and the match turned more physical from there. Scott with a flatliner got a near fall. Gallagher with a slingshoted into a lariat for a two count on Swerve. 

Gallagher went back to working the arm, but Swerve countered into an armbar of his own. They kept trading armbars until Swerve snapped an arm almost like he was Pentagon. Swerve followed up with the Housecall, and then he covered Gallagher for the pinfall.

A bumper segment bridged the gap between matches. More talk from the studio crew hyped next week on NXT. Then it was back to Full Sail for another match.

Candice LeRae defeated Taynara

LeRae pinned Taynara using a quebrada. 

LeRae dominated at the start, and Taynara soon powdered outside. LeRae hit her with a baseball slide dropkick, and then LeRae springboarded into a flying crossbody on the floor.

Taynara tripped up LeRae before a commercial break. LeRae fought back, but Taynara with a suplex for a near fall after the break.

LeRae put her hair up before she hulked up. LeRae with missile dropkick for a two count. Taynara went for a knee strike, but LeRae countered into a roll up.

LeRae with a step-up into a back senton set up her springboarding into a quebrada to score the pinfall.

Back to the studio where they hosts threw to a great vignette profiling Arturo Ruas.

The next match was from the taping in Brooklyn.

Dominik Dijakovic defeated Bronson Reed

Dijakovic pinned Reed after a choke bomb.

This was the proverbial unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. That is if the force and the object also exchanged grappling holds. Still was a hoss match nevertheless.

The match went through a commercial break, and they were trading strikes as the show returned from break. They built towards Dijakovic giving Reed a suplex. Dijakovic with a big boot for a two count. He followed with a moonsaut press, but Reed kicked out again.

Reed was able to cut off Dijakovic by targeting his hand. Reed with headbutts to the hand, and then a flying Thesz press as he looked to turn the tide. 

Dijakovic went for a chokeslam, but held up as he sold his hand. He switched hands to execute a sit-out choke bomb for the pinfall.

The main event for Worlds Collide on January 25th was announced as Undisputed Era against Imperium in an eight-man tag team match. That fits with the theme of the card being NXT vs. NXT UK as the two top heel factions from each brand meet at the supercard. The eight-man tag has Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. WALTER, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel & Alexander Wolfe.

A vignette highlighted Bianca Belair. Then it was back to Full Sail for another match.

Bianca Belair defeated Shotzi Blackheart 

Belair pinned Blackheart after using the KOD.

Blackheart got over with the crowd as she flew around. Belair was able to trip her up before a commercial. Belair worked over Blackheart during the break, and Belair also did a lionsault. 

Belair dashed a hope spot after the show returned from break. Blackheart was eventually able to make a comeback, and she got a near fall. 

They did an awkward DDT spot on the apron. Blackheart tried to capitalize with a leap off the top rope. Belair dodged and Blackheart rolled through.

Belair then delivered the KOD for the pin. 

Back to the studio where Sam Roberts and Pat McAfee bickered with each other. Then it was off to Brooklyn for the main event. 

Keith Lee & Lio Rush defeated Damian Priest & Tony Nese

Rush pinned Nese after Rush jumped off the Lee’s shoulders with a frog splash. This was good for what it was. 

Lee came to the ring wearing a Santa hat and holding a plate of Christmas cookies. They did some comedy spots in the match involving the cookies. The joke was on Tony Nese as he was afraid to get near the cookies because of his strict diet. Or something like that. It didn’t seem all that funny.

Lee hit Nese with a pounce that sent Nese sailing over the announce desk. That led into a commercial break. After the break, Nese was still down selling. Priest on his own was able to thwart Rush. 

Nese recovered enough to get heat on Rush. Upon Rush catching Nese with the Come Up, Rush was finally able to make the hot tag. Lee then proceeded to clean house.

Lee was soon cut off, and Nese with a quebrada got a near fall on Lee. Rush tagged back into the match, and he briefly ran wild. Lee was tagged again, but Priest tripped him up on the outside. The darn cookies were also spilled out on the floor. Pitty.

Priest chokeslammed Rush on the ring apron, and then Priest signaled for his finisher. Before Priest could strike, Lee rose up into the camera frame wearing the Santa hat. Lee made a save, and Nese tried a tope. Lee caught him, and then Lee also caught Priest before he powerbombed him on the apron.

Lee with jackhammer on Nese, and Rush with frogsplash off the shouders of Lee. Rush then covered Nese for the pinfall.