WWE NXT live results: Tag Team titles on the line
Preview by Joseph Currier
The NXT Tag Team titles will be on the line tonight — but who Matt Riddle will be teaming with isn’t known yet.
It was announced on WWE’s The Bump today that Riddle will be teaming with a temporary partner while Pete Dunne is unable to travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Riddle and his partner will defend their titles against the Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish tonight.
When he comes back, Dunne will return to being NXT Tag Team Champions with Riddle if he and his partner haven’t lost the titles.
Finn Balor’s feud with Imperium will continue as he faces off with Fabian Aichner tonight. NXT’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament is also set to begin.
WWE will follow up on Io Shirai becoming the number one contender to Charlotte Flair’s NXT Women’s Championship. The build to an eventual Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream NXT Championship match will also continue tonight. Cole has challenged Dream to meet him for a face-to-face chat.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton are back on commentary and in Full Sail.
Finn Balor defeated Fabian Aichner (w/ Marcel Barthel)
Balor pinned Aichner despite interference by Barthel.
Balor’s feud with Imperium continues as does the build towards him challenging WALTER for the NXT UK Championship — even if that match cannot place takes for an indefinite amount of time due to the ongoing pandemic. Balor is slowly working his way through Imperium before meeting the boss.
Aichner would try to gain control at the outset, but Balor kept thwarting his attempts. Balor flew through the ropes with a dropkick to the floor, and then he looked directly into the camera. Balor pointed finger guns like was still in the Bullet Club as the show went to its first commercial break.
Barthel at ringside interfered by grabbing Balor’s foot shortly afte the show returned from break. That gave Aichner breathing room to use a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker that turned the tide. Balor soon fired up and fought back. A double stomp by Balor led into a sling blade.
Barthel caused a distraction that allowed Aichner to schoolboy Balor. Although Balor got his shoulder up to break the count on the roll-up, Aichner deadlifted him — and then he heaved Balor across the ring for a powerbomb.
Barthel pulled Balor outside and propped him against the ring steps, but Balor was able to move out of harm’s way. Aichner collided with the steps when he tried charging at Balor. Aichner then took a sling blade on the floor. Balor dropkicked Barthel into the barricade and it collapsed under his weight.
Aichner briefly cut off Balor and he went for a double springboard moonsault — but he missed. Balor with a shotgun dropkick into the corner, and he followed with Coup de Grace. Balor delivered the 1916, and he covered Aichner for the pinfall.
A Flair for the gold: The Next Generation
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in pre-tape segment talked about winning the title. She claimed her title win “is going to soldify my legacy” because she will do what no else has done before. Flair said she is going to dominate three eras — the past, the present and the future.
She ran down her list of title wins over notable opponents. For the past five years she has been the most dominate. She beat everyone and left Ronda Rousey a “broken woman” — and now is coming to NXT to face the next generations.
“I’m coming to NXT to run through the best division in WWE,” Charlotte said.
She mentioned some challengers before saying she had her eye on Mia Yim. She wants to give Yim the first title shot, and Charlotte noted Yim was her first opponent on TV in NXT. Then she will run through everyone else.
Flair went on to say after she defeats them all there will be no doubt Charlotte Flair is “the greatest of all time — the past, present and future.”
Xia Lee defeated Aliyah
Lee pinned Aliyah to gain a measure of revenge. This match was set up after a Tonya Harding angle where Aliyah attacked Lee before her match on a previous episode.
Lee showed a lot of fire at the start. Aliyah played a cat-and-mouse game as Lee chased her around the ring. Aliyah used the referee as a shield, and then she dropped Lee with a cheapshot kick.
Aliyah worked over Lee, but Lee eventually made a comeback. Lee would deliver a spinning wheel kick before covering Aliyah for the pinfall.
Matt Riddle was supposedly on the phone with Pete Dunne — who would not reveal to Riddle the mystery partner for the tag team title match later on.
Akira Tozawa defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in a Groub B match in the Cruiserweight Championship tournament
Tozawa pinned Scott to get the first victory in the tournament. If this is any indication, this tourney is going to deliver some great matches.
They traded strikes. Tozawa took a big bump off the apron to the floor before a commercial break. Swerve had Tozawa grounded when the show returned from commercial.
Tozawa leapt off the apron with a somersault senton. Moments later Tozawa locked in an octopus hold and transitioned into a sleeper. Swerve countered a choke to deliver a brainbuster.
Swerve rallied and delivered the House Call. Tozawa kicked out and they fought on. Tozawa with an exploder in a corner, and he followed with a senton bomb off the top to score the pinfall.
Tozawa in a post-match interview said he must keep fighting and winning — and he will become the champion again.
A vignette hyped the arrival of Hijo del Fantasma. His lucha libre heritage was acknowleded as he in Spanish narrated a video package. He has a newly designed mask — presumably a design that WWE will own.
Tegan Nox defeated Raquel Gonzalez (w/ Dakota Kai)
Nox pinned Gonzalez with a roll-up thanks to Shotzi Blackeart making a save when Kai interfered. This would in theory set up a tag team match.
Gonzalez dominated at the outset as she mauled Nox. Gonzalez dashed some hope spots, and Kai got involved at one point when she jumped on the apron. Kai kicked Nox, and Shotzi Blackheart ran down to jump Kai.
Blackheart waylaid Kai, and Gonzalez was distracted by the melee at ringside. Gonzalez went to chokeslam Blackheart, but Nox instead rolled up Gonzalez with a schoolgirl for the pinfall.
Basking in the glory of Keith Lee
Next up was a tremendous min-doc telling the story of Keith Lee.
Lee narrated a look back at his journey to NXT. It began when he was five years old. His grandmother introduced him to pro wrestling. She talked about the Von Erichs and the Freebirds, but it was Macho Man Randy Savage that really caught his attention.
At the age of 20 Lee decided to become a wrestler. His family did not want him to to pursue the dream — especially his father. Lee said he stole his own car so he could sneak off to do a show with Mick Foley. He was kicked out of the house for that, and he was homeless for a time.
“When they talk about sacrifice,” Lee said. “I have literally sacrificed everything to make this work.”
For 13 years he was turned down “here” and “there” — but he finally made it to NXT. “Guess who stands out?” It’s him.
Lee won the NXT North American Championship and everything has come full circle. A clip showd Foley praising Lee’s work backstage after a match in NXT.
This mini-doc was a great piece of business. Highly recommend watching it, and then skipping the next match.
Dexter Lumis defeated Tehuti Miles
Lumis submitted Miles in a short match. Lumis stalked Miles, and Miles tried to fire up. Lumis cut him off and stalked him some more. Uranage led into an Anaconda Vice for the submission.
NXT Champion Adam Cole was poolside again. He scoofed at the notion he would show up tonight to confront Velveteen Dream. Cole cut a thinly veiled promo on Dream that brought up current events without actually mentioning the pandemic. Cole said nobody was worthy of a title shot.
Okay, this is BS and a complete bait-and-switch. After plugging a “face-to-face” segment, we instead got Dream responding with a promo from an empty arena. At least Cole took the heat by being a chickens**t heel. We would still get a confrontation — just not with Cole and Dream.
Dream was at a podium cutting his promo when Finn Balor interrupted him. This angle would set up a match for next Wednesday.
Balor told Dream he has remained silent — but no more. Balor said when you talk about the greatest NXT Champion — you’re talking about him. Balor warned Dream that making “ignorant comments will get you a date with the ‘Prince’.”
Dream then challenged Balor to a match next week on NXT.
Also announced for next week on NXT were three more matches in the cruiserweight tournament:
- El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Jack Gallagher
- Kushida vs. Tony Nese
- Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas
Shotzi Blackeart & Tegan Nox against Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez was also made official stemming from the angle earlier in the show.
Malcom Bivens cut a promo flanked by Idus Sher. They want a tag team title match.
Timothy Thatcher & Matt Riddle defeated Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
Thatcher substituted for Dunne and submitted Strong with an armbar.
Making his debut on NXT TV, Thatcher was revealed as the mystery partner. Dunne in a pre-tape video introduced Thatcher as his replacement. On commentary Thatcher was called “the meanest son of bitch you will ever see.”
Riddle started with Fish. They grappled for a few minutes until Fish took a suplex and powdered before a commercial.
Thatcher tagged in after the break. You’d think they would have saved that for a hot tag — but nope. Thatcher simply tagged in and started stretching Strong. Thatcher would still get a hot tag later on.
Thatcher was cut off, and Undisputed Era began to work him over. Thatcher was soon able to tag Riddle.
Riddle with a penalty kick for a two count. He then gave Fish a series of gutwrench suplexes. Strong tried to break it up, but Thatcher made the save and gave Strong a gutwrench in stereo with Riddle suplexing Fish.
Fish clipped Thatcher on the outside, and Strong took over on Riddle. Undisputed Era worked over Riddle for a few minutes. Riddle took an Olympic Slam before the show cut to its final commercial break.
The onslaught by Undisputed Era continued after the break. Riddle with a fishermam’s buster to create separation. Thatcher cleaned house after a hot tag.
Thatcher went for an armbar, but Strong got to the ropes. Thatcher with a big overhead chop. Fish jumped in to give Strong an opportunity to strike back.
Undisputed Era double-teamed Thatcher. Riddle jumped to proverbially take a bullet for the save. Thatcher traded some strikes with Strong, and then Thatcher caught Strong in the Fijiwara armbar for the submission.
Ciampa attacked
Tommaso Ciampa addressed Johnny Gargano in a pre-tape promo that closed the show. Ciampa said he was done with Gargano and Candice LeRae. He was “done with all of this” as they agreed when it was over then it was over — referring to the blow off match from last week.
Ciampa was about to say Gargano was the better man when he was suddenly ambushed by an unkown assailant. As Ciampa lay motionless, the identity of his attacker was clear — it was Killer Kross.