WWE NXT live results: Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai

Preview by Joseph Currier

Two top contenders in the NXT women’s division are facing off tonight.

In her first match since losing the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36, Rhea Ripley will face Io Shirai tonight. The winner will likely be in line for a shot at Charlotte Flair’s NXT Women’s Championship.

Charlotte got disqualified for using a kendo stick while defending her title against Shirai two weeks ago. Ripley then returned and attacked Charlotte, but she also got into an argument with Shirai.

Group action in NXT’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament will conclude with Kushida (2-0) vs. Drake Maverick (1-1) and Akira Tozawa (2-0) vs. El Hijo del Fantasma (1-1) airing tonight. Kushida, Tozawa, and Fantasma can all advance to the finals with a win. If Maverick wins, Kushida, Maverick, and Jake Atlas will be tied in Group A.

Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis is also set for tonight. Last week, all four members of the Undisputed Era agreed that Strong would be the one to take care of their issues with Lumis.

Plus, Karrion Kross will be in action to kick off the show.

Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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The show began with a cold open that went right into the wickedly cool entrance of Karrion Kross & Scarlett. The new name for their pairing is Fall & Pray.

Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) defeated a guy named “Liam”

The enhancement talent didn’t even get a proper introduction, and then he was slaughtered and submitted. “Liam” was written on his tights so I guess that is his name.

Kross with series of suplexes like Taz back in ECW. Kross was ruthless in this very short match. He applied the Kross Jacket and Liam tapped out.

Tommaso Ciampa entered stage left to confront Kross. He was there to address Kross attacking him in a skit from several weeks ago. Ciampa also announced that he will meet Kross at TakeOver: In Your House.

Ciampa understands why Kross attacked a main attraction. He wanted to get attention and be special. Ciampa put him over as special by listing some of his many attributes in a condescending manner. Ciampa went to get into the ring, and Scarlett held the ropes open for him. He cautiously got in the ring to face off with Kross.

At this point Ciampa informed Kross they would meet at TakeOver. Ciampa said that was special. “Welcome to the main event,” Ciampa said slowly before he sauntered out of the ring.

El Hijo del Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa in an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament match

Fantasma pinned Tozawa after a really good television match, and Fantasma advances to the finals from Group B.

They started the match with grappling in a knuckle lock. The grappling continued with some slick sequences. They traded chops and built to Tozawa doing a flying hurricanrana off the apron. He followed with a somersault senton off the apron before a commercial break. 

Fantasma began to fight back after the break. He splashed Tozawa on the apron, and he looked to gain an advantage. Tozawa cut him off with a German suplex, and he went to climb the turnbuckles. Fantasma tripped up Tozawa, but Tozawa springboarded onto the top rope — only to be lifted in a fireman’s carry and dropped on the turnbuckle by Fantasma.

Tozawa sold big, but he caught Fantasma with a bulldog. Tozawa then leapt off the top with senton bomb. Fantasma rolled out of the ring to avoid a pin, and then he kicked out of another. 

Fantasma sent Tozawa over the ropes with a dropkick, and then Fantasma torpedoed into a dive through the ropes. It was the kind of fantastic tope he was known for before he signed with WWE. 

Fantasma rolled Tozawa into the ring to finish the match. Tozawa used an octopus trying to block the Phantom Driver for a moment, but Fantasma muscled him into his finisher and covered him for the pinfall.

Fantasma with the win advances to the tournament finals. He finished with a 2-1 record in the tourney.

Timothy Thatcher cut a promo on Matt Riddle. Thatcher said last week he left the “Matt Riddle circus”. He added that he enjoyed ripping and wrenching at Riddle’s legs. No fluke pins next time as Thatcher challenged Riddle to a match that can only end via knockout or submission. 

A vignette profiled Shotzi Blackheart. She was on a tank and she explained that some people drives cars or take Uber, but she likes tanks. This particular tank was named “Dirty Blomb”. She is like a tank because she said tanks “don’t give a s***”. She added that tanks are “bad to the bone” and indestructible. They make their own path 

Blackheart was raised by her dad, who she called a “motorcycle riding bad ass” that introduced her to rock ‘n’ roll music. That led her to punk rock, and she joined a band. She likened punk rock to pro wrestling. 

She showed what she was going to do with the NXT women’s division by driving a tank over a bunch of cars. This was a great segment. 

Mia Yim defeated Santana Garrett

Yim pinned Garrett in a short match after using Protect Ya Neck. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano confronted Yim in an angle after the match that set ups a mixed tag match with Keith Lee. 

Garrett heeled on Yim to gain an early advantage. She did a handspring back elbow into a corner, and floated over on a suplex to get a two count. Yim cut her to deliver a Dragon Suplex.

Yim hit her with a series of kicks to set up the Protect Ya Neck, and Yim covered her for the pinfall.

LeRae & Gargano came out after the match cutting a promo on Yim. They went to surround Yim, but Yim knocked Gargano off the apron. Yim brawled with LeRae until Gargano low-bridged a the middle rope, and Yim tumbled to the floor. 

Keith Lee ran down to make a save, and LeRae & Gargano fled the scene.

Cameron Grimes from the great outdors cut a promo on Finn Balor. Grimes put over himself for beating Balor last week on NXT (without mentioning the interference by Damian Priest). He said it was “Grimes’ time!”

McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Drake Maverick. He said he’d heard of all of the cliques and underdog stereotypes. He was tried of feeling sorry for himself. Tonight he is facing one of the best of the juniors, and he has to do one thing only — and that is win.

Roderick Strong defeated Dexter Lumis

Strong pinned Lumis out of nowhere in a match where Lumis no-sold much of the way. Lumis got his heat back after the match, and Velveteen Dream ran in after the match to attack Adam Cole.

Instead of an entracne down the ramp, Lumis crawled out from underneath the ring. This Dexter Lumis gimmick is no buys. He no sold like Nailz, but with less charisma.

NXT Champion Adam Cole & Bobby Fish accompanied Strong to the ring, but they left before the match started. They would return afterwards.

They were grappling at the start, and Lumis was getting the better of him. Strong took a powder as Lumis stalked him. 

Strong fired up on Lumis, but to no avail as Lumis no sold. Lumis executed a running bulldog, and Strong bailed out of the ring. Lumis gave chase and fell into Strong’s trap. Strong dropped Lumis on the apron with a backbreaker before a commercial break.

Strong was in control when the show returned from break. Strong had Lumis grounded. Lumis no sold like he was Undertaker. They traded strikes and Lumis dropped Strong.

Strong came back with an Olympic Slam for a two count. Lumis no sold. Strong went for the Boston crab, but Lumis kicked free.

Lumis countered a second attempt at an Olypmic Slam, and he caught Strong with a Thesz Press. Lumis was a house of fire. He did a slingshot suplex, but Strong kicked out at two.

Strong with a series of strikes and kicks took Lumis to his knees, but he kept no-selling strikes. He asked for more. Lumis then caught Strong with a spinebuster.

Strong went for the Stronghold, and Lumis tried to kick free again. This time Strong hooked the legs and cradled Lumis for the pinfall.

Lumis choked out Strong at ringside after the match. Cole and Fish ran down to attack Lumis. Velveteen Dream ran down to jump Undisputed Era. He laid out Cole and then Dream leapt off the top turnbuckle with a flying elbow drop on the floor. There appeared to be an edit with a camera cut so they did the stunt safely.

Akira Tozawa was walking through the parking lot when Fantasma drove up to him in an SUV. Fantasma got to out to shake Tozawa’s hand. It could have been a set-up as a SUV roared into the scene and two masked men got out to attack Tozawa. They sped away from Fantasma came to Tozawa’s aid. 

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated Ever Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel)

Lorcan & Burch won quickly in a short match. They were intense like the Steiners. Lorcan hooked in a half crab for the submission as Burch applied a crossface.

Matt Riddle cut a promo on Timothy Thatcher where Riddle accepted the challenge issued by Thatcher. He named the place and said they could meet in a cage.

Drake Maverick defeated Kushida in an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship match

Maverick pinned Kushida when he rolled him up to counter the Hoverboard Lock. Maverick’s win created a three-way tie for first place in Group A.

It began very back-and-forth until Kushida nailed Maverick with a basement dropkick to an arm. Maverick tried to fight back, but Kushida hit him with a handspring back elbow. Kushida grounded Maverick and targeted an arm.

Jake Atlas came down to ringside where watched the match intently. Kushida continued to work the arm, and he cartwheeled into a dropkick for a commercial break. 

They were trading strikes as the show returned from the break. Maverick made a comeback, and he jumped off the top with a missile dropkick. Maverick followed with a Code Red for a near fall. 

Kushida targeted the arm, and Maverick ran into a punch and a palm strike. Kushida went back to work on the arm. Maverick was thrown out of the ring, but he beat the count. 

Maverick tried to fight, but Kushdia kept picking him apart. Maverick was really selling the arm, but he wouldn’t quit when the referee asked him. Kushida wrenched on the arm, and Maverick screamed in pain until he got a rope break.

Kushida was perched on the turnbuckles. Maverick went for a flying bulldog, but Kushida transitioned into a Hoverboard Lock upon impact. Maverick countered by rolling up Kushida in a cradle for the pinfall.

Maverick is now tied for first in the tournament with Kushida and Atlas. That sets up a triple threat match next week, and the winner of that match advances to the finals.

Byron Saxton after the match came out to announce the match on behalf of William Regal. That made the triple threat match official. 

Also made official for next week is Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher in a cage fight.

Damian Priest cut a promo on Finn Balor, and Priest said he had a match with Balor at TakeOver. Ciampa vs. Kross was another match officially announced for TakeOver.

Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley went to a no contest

Charlotte Flair ran to to attack both Shirai and Ripley, so the match was thrown out. It was good while it lasted.

Ripley overpowered Shirai at the outset. Shirai raked Ripley’s back, which only to anger Ripley. She nailed Shirai with a series of short-arm clotheslines and a ripcord dropkick.

Ripley toyed with Shirai, but Shirai countered and delivered a double stomp to change the momentum before a commercial break.

They were running through some good sequences as the show resumed. Shriai applied a crossface, but Ripley escaped by ramming Shirai into a corner.

They did a superplex spot that netted Ripley a two count when Shirai kicked out. Moments later Shirai again applied a crossface, but Ripley got a rope break.

Shirai with a Tiger Feint Kick that she followed with a tope through the ropes. As Shirai and Ripley were down selling, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair’s theme music blared to signal her arrival.

Shriai and Ripley continued to fight as Flair looked on. Shirai with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors sent Ripley crashing into Flair at ringside. Shirai rolled Ripley back into the ring, and she charged into corner with a running knee strike.

Shirai used a DDT for a near fall. At that moment Flair rushed into the ring to attack Shirai with a high kick. Flair then speared Ripley. Flair stood tall as the show closed.

Surely this leads to a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Championship, presumably at TakeOver: In Your House.