WWE NXT live results: TakeOver XXX go-home show

The final build to TakeOver XXX takes place on tonight’s episode of NXT.

Ahead of facing Adam Cole at TakeOver, Pat McAfee will make another appearance on NXT tonight. Cole and his Undisputed Era stablemates interrupted a match between Drake Maverick and Killian Dain last week, with Cole then cutting a promo on McAfee and daring him to show up tonight. McAfee later confirmed that he’d be appearing and WWE announced that they’d be taking part in a face-to-face segment.

Tonight’s show will also feature two second chance qualifying matches. Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland and Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream will determine the final two participants for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship at TakeOver. Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, and Cameron Grimes are already set for the match.

WWE will follow up on the Keith Lee/Karrion Kross fireball angle from last week and finish building to their NXT Championship match at TakeOver. Plus, Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart will face the Robert Stone Brand’s Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott will team with Breezango against Legado del Fantasma.

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

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This go-home episode of NXT opened with Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Wrestling. Canidce LeRae was in his her husbands corner as he looked to qualify for a spot in the ladder match this weekend.

Ladders and were set up at ringside as a reminder of the gimmick match on Saturday. The NXT North American Championship was also hanging from the ceiling at ringside, much like it will at TakeOver.

Johnny Gargano (with Candice LeRae) defeated Ridge Holland to qualify for the ladder match at TakeOver

Gargano pinned Holland with help from LeRae. This was a really good match with one scary spot. Gargano in winning qualified for the multi-person ladder match at TakeOver to decide the next North American Champion.

Gargano at first was no match for Holland. Gargano would try to cut him off, and Holland would mow him down. Gargano eventually targeted an arm, but Holland kept pummeling him. 

Gargano shifted his focus to targeting a leg. That took Holland off his feet. They built towards Gargano flying through the ropes with a tope. The show then cut to a picture-in-picture commercial break.

Gargano with heat on Holland during the break. Holland fought back plenty, but Gargano went back to the injured arm to cut him off. 

There was a scary moment during a powerslam. Gargano looked like he was spiked head first into the mat. Time froze. Gargano turned it into a spot as he played possum and baited Holland into letting his guard down. Holland walked right into a superkick. 

Holland was back on the attack in not time. He held Gargano in a front facelock, and then he turned that into a giant swing. Holland with a powerslam for a near fall. 

Holland kept clubbing Gargano, but Gargano somehow fought back. Holland was a beast, though. He seemingly could not be stopped. Gargano needed a distraction.

Gargano kept the referee busy as LeRae from the floor hooked Holland’s leg on the apron. That allowed Gargano to kick the middle rope, giving Holland a low blow. Gargano with the slingshot DDT called One Final Beat. Gargano then covered Holland for the pinfall.

Dakota Kai defeated Jessi Kamea

Kai was super aggressive at the outset. Kamea started a comeback after an O’Connor Roll for a two count. Kamea with a powerbomb of sorts for another two. Whatever the move was looked painful. Kai cut off Kamea soon thereafter, and she delivered the GTS to score the pinfall.

Kai cut a promo after the match where she threatened NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai ahead of their title match on Saturday. That brought out Shirai, who stormed the ring and began brawling with Kai. They brawled out of the ring and around ringside.

Raquel Gonzalez appeared out of nowhere to lay out Shirai with a high kick. Gonzalez carried Shirai back to the ring. Shirai fired up on Kai, but Gonzalez from behind hit Shirai with a clothesline. The dastardly heels left Shirai laying as the champion looked down and out going into her title defense at TakeOver.

Tegan Nox addressed what Candice LeRae had to say last week. LeRae had buried her and their friendship. Nox said she wanted them to settle their differences and talk it out. Something tells me this won’t end well.

Finn Balor in a vignette cut a promo on Velveteen Dream. 

El Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Esobar, Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) & Isaiah “Swerve” Scott 

Esobar pinned Breeze to win the match for his trio. 

The tros match began with a melee. The dust settled and the heel trio looked to team up on Fandango, but Fandango countered a flying ax handle to cut off Wilde. The fight spilled to the outside as everyone got involved. The babyfaces stood tall as the show cut to commercial. No split screen this time.

Fandango was running wild after the break, but he crashed outside the ring after being shoved off the top rope. The heel trio got heat on Fandango as they separated him from his corner, and they began working him over. 

Scott came in off a hot tag, and he ran wild on the heel trio. Swerve flew around cleaning house. He went to leap off the top rope, but Escobar caught him with a knee strike in mid-air. 

Breeze was in his corner trying to tag. Wilde with a missle dropkick sent Swerve crashing into Breeze, and Breeze was knocked off the apron. The referee apparently considered that a tag, which was key to the finish.

Swerve planted Esobar with a modified Michinoku Driver, and Swerve went to cover him. The ref would not count, insisting Scott was not the legal man. Stereo dropkicks took out Swerve.

Breeze rolled into the ring and he ran wild on the heels like a 1980s babyface. He rocked ’em and socked ’em with punches. They bumped and fed. Esobar cut him off and executed the Phantom Driver to cover Breeze for the pinfall.

Vic Joseph on commentary tried to say the babyfaces lost on a technicality. No sir, that is not what happened. There was a dumb bling tag spot sure, but that was not the finish. Breeze was running wild, got cut off, and lost clean in the middle. That is not technicality.

If that bad take did not irritate me enough, here comes Pat McAfee! And he was an entourage. Good grief. They were all dressed in black. Hey, maybe they are Retribution?

Adam Cole and Pat McAfee face-to-face

Adam Cole and Undisputed Era marched to the ring looking to call out McAfee. So McAfee came to the ring with a squad of what he said were other football players. They all faced off in the ring, but the henchmen all backed down so Cole and McAfee could square off in the ring face to face.

McAfee got a microphone and cut a promo on Cole. I have to admit it was a really good promo. McAfee is a tremendous talker. 

McAfee really slayed with his promo. He vowed to defeat Cole at TakeOver, and he said despite only having two weeks to train, he is going to beat Cole. McAfee said he next level compared to Cole. He also taunted Cole with his “boom” catchphrase.

Cole set back and let him speak. Cole then walked towards him looking to respond. Security poured into the ring to hold Cole back. Cole wiped out the security geeks like he was a superkicking Stone Cold. He faced off with McAfee. The football players jumped on the ring to back up McAfee. Undisputed Era got in the ring to flank Cole. It was a stand off between squads.

Cole calmly walked up to McAfee and got in his face. Cole said he was going to make McAfee his “bitch”. Cole and his stable then exited the scene. This was a pretty good go-home segment. Made the match feel special.

Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah (with Robert Stone) defeated Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart

Blackheart pinned Aliyah to win the match for her team. Ripley dispatched Martinez with a powerbomb stunt on the floor. I liked this match. It wasn’t best, but it was fun. Ripley looked strong, and Blackheart also able to get over as well. Making strong babyfaces. Good stuff.  

Blackheart got to shine until the advantage shifted before a commercial break. The heels were in control when the show returned from break. They were getting heat on Blackheart as they proverbially cut the ring in half keeping her in their corner.

Quick tags by the heels as they cotinued to punish Blackheart. Countering Martinez, Blackheart planted her with a DDT. That created separation to set up the hot tag.

Ripley was a house of fire as he came into the ring off a hot tag. Martinez had to jump in to break up a pinning attempt. Blackeart was there to met Martinez with a kick.

Blackheart climbed to the turnbuckles, but Martinez tripped her up as Robert Stone distracted the ref. Ripey made a save, and she hip tossed Martinez into the ring. Ripley a moment later posted herself. Martinez went to capitalize, but Ripley with a counter. Ripley powerbombed Martinez over the barricade, and out of sight on the floor. 

Meanwhile in the ring, Blackheart leapt off the top to deliver a senton on Aliyah. Blackheart then covered Aliyah for the pinfall.

A video package told the story of the NXT Championship match at TakeOver on Saturday. Keith Lee defends the NXT title against challenger Karrion Kross. Great editing on this visually compelling package. 

The announcers ran down the top three matches for the TakeOver XXX card, which inlcudes Lee vs. Kross for the NXTtitle, Shriai vs. Kai for the NXT women’s title, and Cole vs. McAfee in a grudge match. 

Velveteen Dream defeated Finn Balor to qualify for the ladder match at TakeOver

Dream pinned Balor after a lot of interference. There was also a ref bump, and a lot of gaga. Balor carried it to a good match. He dropped the fall, but only after Timothy Thatcher interfered to cost him the match. Balor and Thatcher look to be programmed together. 

Everyone involved in the ladder match at TakeOver got inolved in this match at some point. 

Maybe it is my own bias knowing he was on the main roster, but Balor seems to have a presence almost unmatched on the NXT roster. He carries himself like a superstar, and he looks the part. He is not just playing the part.

Balor schooled Dream in the opening moments. Dream powdered outside before a picture-in-picture commercial break. Dream heeled on Balor, and he tricked him to turn the tide. Dream hit Balor with repeated punches. Balor was reeling, but he cut off Dream to regain the advantage before the show returned from the break.

Dream with a Thesz Press, and then he threw up the “too sweet” hand sign. Dream hollered “Wolfpack in the house,” and then Dream howled into a ringside camera. Lou Thesz and the NWO Wolfpack. One of these is not like the other.

Balor fired up for a rally. Dream took several Curt Hennig bumps. Balor then grounded Dream as he applied a leglock. Balor with a bow and arrow submission hold, but Dream got a rope break. Balor kept working the leg.

Dream fought back after connecting with a leg lariat. Dream tried to do the ten punches in the corner spot. Nobody counted along. He got upset nobody was counting along. He then proceeded to miss a kick, and he tied himself in the corner. Balor chopped him down. 

Dream came back with a springboard into a flying ax handle. Dream fell outside the ring. He became mesmerized by the title belt hanging from the ceiling, and the laddes that surround it. Dream seemingly in a trance lookep up at the title belt. 

Cameron Grimes sauntered out to ringside running his mouth. The show went to its final commercial break as Grimes was hollering about the title being his. When the show returned from the break, Grimes was setting atop a ladder holding the North American Championship belt in his hands. Grimes talked trash as the match continued in the ring.

Balor began a comeback. He exploded into a dropkick. Dream was briefly tied in the tree-of-woe. Dream with a Harley Race bump flipped out to the floor. Grimes was still on the ladder, and still talking smack.

Balor climbed the ladder to go after Grimes. That allowed Dream to drop Balor on the apron. Dream went for a finisher, but Balor countered him. Balor with a shotgun dropkick to seemingly set up his finsiher. Grimes with his loud mouth distracted Balor, and Dream gave Balor a superplex. 

They were both down selling when Johnny Gargano strolled out to ringside. He pushed the ladder over, and Grimes fell into the ring. Grimes bumped the referee as he fell inside the ring. Grimes took a double stomp from Balor, and then a famouser from Dream. 

Gargano grabbed the title belt, and he wore it around his shoudler. Bronson Reed stormed to the ring, and that scared Gargano so much he rolled into the ring. Reed followed as Gargano begged off. Gargano was backpedaling when he backed into Damian Priest. Gargano begged off from him too, but Priest punched him in the face. Reed then tossed Gargano over the top rope, and Gargano went out to the floor.

The ref was still down selling during this melee. Now Priest has the title. He threw it to Reed, and he caught it. That was a trick, as Priest booted him in the face. Dream rocked Priest with a superkick, and Reed with a Cactus Jack clothesline took both he and Priest out of the ring.

Dream was parading around with the title belt, and Balor clotheslined him over the ropes to the floor. Balor ran across the ring to leapt over the ropes with a flip dive on Reed and Gargano.  

Timothy Thatcher appeared at ringside to attack Balor. He rolled Balor into the ring, and Dream executed his DVD. Dream with a flying elbow drop off the top, and he covered Balor for the pinfall.

Dream in winning qualified for the ladder match.

A big melee after the match with everyone involved. It was a Gordon Solie Pier Sixer. Bronson Reed stood tall when the smoke cleared. He was holding the title and looking strong ahead of TakeOver this Saturday.