– The first WWE NXT episode on Tuesday nights opens live on the USA Network from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Fans cheer in the crowd as we go right to the ring.
– Out first comes new NXT Champion Karrion Kross with Scarlett to kick off the post-NXT “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” edition of the show. They perform their unique entrance as the crowd cheers them on. They pose together and Vic Joseph welcomes to NXT on Tuesdays. He’s joined at ringside by Wade Barrett and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.
Kross takes the mic and says time always comes full circle. A “you deserve it!” chant starts up. He says it was only a matter of time before he was standing back in this ring, his ring, with this title, his title, as the NXT Champion. Kross says Finn Balor is without a doubt one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. Fans pop. Kross goes on about Balor finding success everywhere he’s went. Kross says unfortunately Balor thought Kross’ emotions were weaknesses, and he didn’t understand anything can become a driving force when you learn how to control it, and Kross controls everything.
Kross says to understand this – now the time has allowed the course to correct itself, Kross is in command of NXT until he says so. He uses the saying that is when you’re at the top there’s nowhere else to go but down, but he promises us that is a complete and total lie because no one will out train, out grind or out wrestle him and NXT has the hungriest guys and girls on the planet, but Kross is starving and insatiable so if you want this title, step up and roll the dice, he promises he will roll everyone off their heads.
Kross doesn’t care who you are, where you’ve been, how many 0’s are on your check, and everything else, he will fall every single one until no one is left because no matter where the time is told, in the end, everyone pays the toll. The music starts back up as Kross and Scarlett pose in the middle of the ring. Kross raises the title and plays to the crowd.
– We go to the announcers and Vic says “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” was the most-watched Takeover ever. We get a video package of highlights from the big two-night event. Fans chant “NXT!” as we come back.
– The announcers hype new NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez making an appearance tonight. Also, exclusive footage from the Unsanctioned Match between Adam Cole and winner Kyle O’Reilly.
NXT Tag Team Titles Match: Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs. MSK
We go back to the ring and Alicia Taylor introduces the new NXT Tag Team Champions. Out comes MSK – Wes Lee and Nash Carter. They hit the ring and pose as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Killian Dain and Drake Maverick, who became #1 contenders by defeating Breezango on the Takeover Night One Kickoff pre-show. The bell rings and Dain starts off with Carter. Carter with kicks but Dain catches one and slams him for a 1 count. Dain with a suplex for a 2 count. Drake tags in and they double team Carter. Dain drops a big elbow and Drake covers for 2. Carter rocks Drake and tags in Lee.
Lee takes control and unloads while Drake is down. Lee runs into the turnbuckles and gets dropkicked into the corner. They trade shots nw and Drake goes to the top for a corkscrew for a 2 count. Carter ends up tagging back in as Lee unload son Drake in the corner. Carter with a Bronco Buster for a 1 count. Carter kicks Drake and tags Lee back in. Another quick tag and some double teaming but Drake lands on his feet and in comes Dain.
MSK double teams Dain and sends him to the floor. Lee runs for a suicide dive but Dain catches him and rams him back into the apron. Dain levels Lee at ringside again before we go to a commercial break.
Back from the break and Drake is in control of Lee but he kicks away and in comes Carter. Carter unloads on Drake, nailing two big knees to the jaw. Carter with a running kick to Drake, then a baseball slide to knock Dain off the apron. Carter with a German suplex to Drake. Lee tags in and they hit the double team on Drake but Dain breaks it up. Dain kicks Drake to their corner and tags in. Carter charges but Dain gets him on his shoulders. He goes to double team them but they fight free and chop him down with kicks and a double stomp to the back from Carter.
MSK with more double teaming to Dain. Lee goes to the top and hits a corkscrew 450 from the top but Dain kicks out. Dain fights Carter off. Carter tries to roll him but Dain resists. Lee superkicks but Dain catches it, then slams Lee on top of Carter for a 2 count. Drake runs in with a big tornado DDT on Lee. They double team Carter in the corner now.
Dain with a big powerbomb to Carter in the middle of the ring. Dain then goes to powerbomb Drake on top of Carter but Lee pushes his partner to safety and Drake lands hard on the powerbomb. Carter with a big Cutter to Dain and Lee kicks him out of the ring. Carter approaches but Drake rolls him for a close 2 count. MSK goes at it with Drake now. They hit the double team Blockbuster. Carter leaps over the top rope and takes Dain back down on the floor as Lee covers Drake for the pin to retain.
Winners: MSK
– After the match, MSK stands tall in the middle of the ring with their titles as Dain and Drake recover. We go to replays. MSK continues celebrating on the stage now. Dain is checking on Drake when Alexander Wolfe enters the ring. Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner attack Dain from behind as fans boo them. Wolfe watches as they double team Dain now, laying him out in the middle of the ring. Imperium then does their signature pose in the middle of the ring, standing over Dain as the music hits. There was no sign of NXT UK Champion WALTER as he has returned to the UK following the Takeover win over Tommaso Ciampa.
– We see footage from earlier today of Aliyah and Robert Stone talking about the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Mercedes Martinez walks up and wants the rest of her money. She grabs Aliyah by the throat and chokes her until Jessi Kamea interrupts and makes the save. Kamea and Martinez face off in the hallway. Martinez asks Kamea if she wants to step up to her. Kamea says she wants to step on her, not step up to her. Martinez says we will see later tonight and she walks off.
– Still to come, a look at the Unsanctioned Match from Takeover.
– Back from the break and we see footage from earlier today of Roderick Strong and his wife Marina Shafir arriving to the building.
– The announcers show us a look back at Kyle O’Reilly defeating Adam Cole in the Unsanctioned Match at Takeover Night Two. We see post-show footage of Cole and O’Reilly being loaded onto stretchers and taken away in an ambulance. We also see Cole yelling at O’Reilly as they were rolled into a local medical facility side-by-side.
Mercedes Martinez vs. Jessi Kamea
We go back to the ring and out comes Mercedes Martinez. The Robert Stone Brand is already waiting in the ring – Jessi Kamea, Aliyah and Robert Stone himself.
Kamea attacks Martinez from behind before the bell hits. It rings and Kamea kicks Martinez in the head to keep her down. Kamea with a dropkick now. Kamea stomps away to keep Martinez down in the corner. Aliyah taunts Mercedes from ringside. Kamea tosses Martinez across the ring and clotheslines her in the corner. Kamea keeps Martinez down and yanks her around by her hair. Kamea drops a big elbow as Aliyah taunts the announcers.
Kamea comes off the top but lands hard as Martinez moves. Martinez with a running jumping knee to the jaw. Martinez scoops Kamea on her back and nails her Bull Run finisher in the middle of the ring for the quick pin to win.
Winner: Mercedes Martinez
– After the match, Martinez stands tall as her music hits. She chases Stone and Aliyah around the ring and slams Stone against the barrier by his throat. She pulls money out of his coat and knocks him down. Martinez stops at the announce table and congratulates Raquel Gonzalez, but warns that she’s coming for the NXT Women’s Title. Martinez walks off to mostly boos.
– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with The Way. Johnny Gargano says NXT General Manager William Regal is trying to mess with them by putting them in the ring tonight for this eight-person match but they will show the world the way to handle business as they will all be in the ring together for the first time. Austin Theory says he will play no games with Dexter Lumis tonight and will teach him a lesson. Candice LeRae says Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart got lucky at Takeover, but she and Indi Hartwell will handle business tonight. Indi comments on being in the ring with Lumis so she can handle her own business. Everyone is not happy to hear that. Gargano says the only business to be handle tonight is showing everyone that The Way is the most dominant four-person intergender group in NXT history. They rally together before walking off but Theory goes the wrong way at first.
– We see Legado del Fantasma walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in the recording studio again. He says he proved at Takeover that he’s a star, and just different. He talks about his eliminations in the Gauntlet Eliminator and says he’s kind of getting sick of Leon Ruff, and will finish him tonight. Swerve says after tonight, he and Ruff are done.
Undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Title Match: Kushida vs. Santos Escobar
We go back to the ring and out comes Legado del Fantasma – new Undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar with Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. The announcers talk about Escobar’s big Takeover win against Jordan Devlin in the Ladder Match to unify the titles. Escobar takes the mic and says no longer is this the title of a forgotten division. Legado del Fantasma was born and now the sideshow of a title is all about primetime. He goes on and talks about how he and his family are warriors, they always fight and never lay down. That’s why tonight he’s going to issue an… the music interrupts and out comes Kushida to a pop.
Kushida hits the ring and faces off with Escobar, who is carrying just one title belt after all. Escobar talks with Mendoza and Wilde and turns around to a big dropkick from Kushida. He knocks Escobar to the floor for a breather. He comes back in and the bell hits. They unload on each other with strikes. Back and forth now with Kushida covering for 2. Kushida goes for an early Hoverboard Lock but Escobar gets the bottom rope.
Kushida continues working on the arm now. He sends Escobar to the floor to regroup again. Kushida goes to fly out but stops and puts on the brakes. Kushida mocks Escobar and stands tall as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Escobar levels Kushida in the corner. He kicks Kushida to the floor and follows as fans rally for the challenger. Escobar swings Kushida into the steel ring steps shoulder-first. Escobar takes Kushida to the top of the steps, turns him over and twists his neck into the steel and the bottom of the ring post. Kushida yells out until the hold is broken. Escobar brings it back in and unloads with kicks, then a low dropkick for a 2 count.
Escobar grounds Kushida now, focusing on the arm and shoulder. Escobar unloads with forearms while Kushida is in the hold. Escobar talks trash while beating Kushida around, calling him a loser. Escobar takes it to the top and nails the hurricanrana for a close 2 count. Kushida finally mounts offense as fans rally. Kushida charges but Escobar dropkicks him. More back and forth now. Kushida with the Atomic Drop, more offense, then the cartwheel dropkick. Kushida with more strikes, including the punt kick as he focuses on the arm. Escobar won’t tap out.
Kushida with a running palm strike to the jaw in the corner. Kushida takes him to the top but Escobar fights back. Kushida climbs up for a superplex. He hits it and holds it for another suplex but Escobar gets his foot on the bottom rope. Kushida goes for the Hoverboard Lock now. Escobar resists and nails an enziguri to tun Kushida. Kushida comes right back with a pele kick of his own. Fans rally as they both go down now.
They get up to their knees and continue trading strikes. They trade big kicks on their feet now. Kushida goes for the springboard back elbow but Escobar catches him with a big Backstabber in the middle of the ring. Kushida counters the Phantom Driver. They trade counters and roll-ups until Kushida gets the pin out of nowhere for the title.
Winner and New NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Kushida
– After the match, a shocked Kushida takes the title and begins celebrating as his music hits. We go to replays. Escobar is furious now, arguing with the referee and grabbing him. Fans chant Kushida’s name as he poses in the smoke on the stage now.
– Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are backstage now. Ciampa talks about recent tests they’ve been through. They didn’t win every play but he thinks they passed every test, and now they’re a stronger unit, ready to face a new NXT, a new landscape. Thatcher says there is a new NXT Champion and new NXT Tag Team Champions. Which path to choose? It’s standard for them – they finish what they started. Ciampa warns MSK that they are coming. He gets up and tosses the chair as he walks off.
– We see Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and NXT General Manager William Regal approaches Kushida in the trainer’s room, congratulating him. Jordan Devlin then interrupts. He also congratulates Kushida but there’s some tension there. Devlin knocks Santos Escobar and says the Gods are looking over Kushida because he’s going back home for a bit, but he will see Kushida for the title in the future. Devlin walks off.
– We go back to the ring and Dakota Kai has a mic. She introduces the new NXT Women’s Champion and out comes Raquel Gonzalez to a pop.
Gonzalez hits the ring and a “you deserve it!” chant starts. She looks back to over one year ago when NXT debuted on the USA Network and she was supposed to have her big debut but she went home because she wasn’t ready. She vowed to train harder and declared that would never happen. A year and a half later and she stands here as the NXT Women’s Champion. The one person who realized her dedication was Kai. She talks about their success and says she wouldn’t be here as champion if it weren’t for Kai. Kai says they dominated the division for more than one year. Gonzalez gives respect to Io Shirai and says she was a great champion, but the Raquel Gonzalez era has officially begun.
The lights go out and when they come back, the music hits as Franky Monet makes her debut. This is the former Taya Valkyrie and she’s carrying the dog we’ve seen in recent vignettes. Franky congratulates Gonzalez and then does the same in Spanish. She’s here to formally introduce herself to Gonzalez and the world. Franky says the best division in the world just got a little bit shinier, a little bit boujeeier, and a whole lot better. Franky says seeing as Raquel is at the top of her division, Raquel will be seeing a whole lot more of her. Gonzalez says Franky is lucky she’s in a good mood tonight because if she interrupts her like that again, she’s going to shove this little dog straight up her you know what. Franky makes her exit to the apron and laughs, saying she will see Raquel every single Tuesday.
Raquel’s music hits as she raises the title in the air next to Kai. The music interrupts and out comes new RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley to a big pop. Ripley and Gonzalez face off in the middle of the ring now as fans pop. They both raise their titles and knock them while smiling. They then hug in the middle of the ring. The music interrupts next and out comes new SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Belair hits the ring and dances around with her title. We see a throwback photo on the big screen, showing all three women posing together early in their NXT careers. They stand tall in the middle of the ring and raise their titles as fans chant “NXT!” and cheer them on. The champs hug and continue celebrating to end the segment.
– Pete Dunne is backstage talking about how he out-wrestled Kushida at Takeover, proving he’s the best technical wrestler in all of WWE. He challenges anyone from any brand to step up and try him. Now it’s time to get back to what he came to NXT for – championship gold. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a video package with various people praising Sarray, the former Sareee from Japan, including NXT General Manager William Regal. McKenzie Mitchell stops Regal backstage now. He praises Sarray some more for what she will bring to the world’s best women’s division. He reveals that she will debut next week. Regal excuses himself as he has some business to tend to in his office.
– Roderick Strong and wife Marina Shafir are in Regal’s office. Strong hands Regal an envelope of papers and says he’s done. Regal says Strong was a pain at times in dealing with The Undisputed Era, but Strong is a consummate professional and will be welcome back in NXT at any time. They shake hands.
Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
We go back to the ring and out first comes Leon Ruff. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott is out next.
They meet in the middle of the ring and Swerve talks trash but Ruff is ready to fight. Back and forth to start. They end up on the floor and Ruff drops Swerve into the ground by his arm. Ruff follows back in the ring and they trade strikes. Ruff gets sent to the apron, then knocked down with a big chop. Scott with a big slam and a flying uppercut to the back of the neck from the second rope. Ruff kicks out at 2.
Ruff mounts offense now. Ruff with a big stomp and more strikes. Ruff fights back in from the apron, using his speed to avoid Swerve. Scott catches him with a Russian leg sweep from the second turnbuckle. Scott sends Ruff to the floor and nails a running punt kick from the apron. Fans boo as Scott stand tall and we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and fans are booing as Swerve dominates Ruff and continues talking trash. Swerve wastes some time and rocks Ruff but Ruff yells back and unloads with strikes, having enough at this point. Ruff builds some momentum now. Scott catches Ruff in mid-air off a springboard with a submission but it’s broken. More back and forth now. Ruff this time nails the big flying Cutter from the corner. Ruff leaps out of the ring and takes Scott back down on the floor. Fans chant “NXT!” as Ruff brings it back in. He nails a missile dropkick for a 2 count.
More back and forth now. Ruff ends up hitting a huge top rope hurricanrana but Swerve somehow kicks out. Scott makes a comeback and connects with some big moves of his own. Ruff counters a move with a close 2 count and no one can believe it. Ruff climbs up but Scott blocks the hurricanrana. Scott drops him and they both take a rough landing. Scott nails the modified Michinoku Driver for the pin to win.
Winner: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
– After the match, Scott stands tall as his music hits and fans boo him.
– McKenzie is backstage now with Zoey Stark. She asks how her first Takeover was. Stark asks how you’d feel if you were living in Las Vegas four months ago, struggling to make ends meet, and now you’re here, beating Toni Storm at Takeover. She says she’s been training hard to get where she is and now she feels fantastic because she’s here. She has her eyes on the ultimate goal – the NXT Women’s Title. Mercedes Martinez interrupts and says nobody is wasting their time on a nobody, because everyone knows she’s next in line, not some rookie. Stark says we’ll see about that.
– Still to come, our eight-person main event. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see Imperium in a video package. NXT UK Champion WALTER speaks on his dominant title reign and the Takeover win over Tommaso Ciampa, giving him praise for the match. He goes on and says Imperium’s crusade to honor this sport s just beginning. He says Imperium will continue to grow and expand because Imperium is here to stay. WALTER says soon all of NXT will understand what they mean when they say the mat is sacred.
– McKenzie is backstage with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, asking if the feud with Leon Ruff is done. Swerve says he just made a statement. Ruff suddenly attacks out of nowhere and destroys Scott. Ruff says it’s not over. Officials run in and back Ruff away, then check on Swerve.
The Way vs. Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
We go back to the ring for tonight’s eight-person main event as Bronson Reed and Dexter Lumis are in the ring. NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart are out next. Out last comes The Way – NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell. They’re all wearing matching gear and fans boo them.
Lumis starts off with Theory. Theory takes it to the corner and works Lumis over. Lumis turns it around and hits the Thesz Press, then strikes. LeRae wants in and she is tagged in. She faces off with Lumis but Moon runs in and dropkicks her. Shotzi comes in and they double team LeRae. Shotzi with a 2 count. Indi tries to run in but gets decked. Moon and Shotzi go to double team LeRae again but Gargano saves her. Reed and the women’s champs take Gargano down. Lumis comes in and unloads on Gargano now. Lumis with a huge right hand to Gargano, then a right hand to drop Theory off the apron.
Lumis stares Indi down and she’s mesmerized by her crush. LeRae pulls her to the floor and tells them no. Gargano takes advantage and attacks Lumis from behind, beating him around. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Lumis controls Theory. Reed tags in and unloads on Theory. Gargano runs in but Reed takes him out as well, sending them booth to the corner. Reed for a big double splash in the corner. Reed takes Gargano to the top, then scoops Theory on his shoulder. He has both of them on his shoulders now. Reed with a big double Samoan Drop for a 2 count as LeRae and Indi break it up. Shotzi and Ember run in and take care of them. Indi with a Spinebuster on Moon. Shotzi drops LeRae but Indi hits her with a DDT. LeRae ends up going to the top but Reed tells her no. She leaps and runs into him, but he doesn’t move while she lands on the mat.
Theory drops Reed but Lumis hits Theory with a Spinebuster. Gargano has Lumis on the floor but Moon hits him with a suicide dive. LeRae hits Lumis with a suicide dive but he catches her. She immediately turns it into a DDT on the floor. Reed sends Theory to the floor with everyone else. Reed presses Shotzi in the air and launches her out of the ring, to the others on the floor for a pop. Fans chant “this is awesome!” now but of course they do.
Reed runs the ropes for a dive but Gargano superkicks him. Lumis runs in and catches a superkick, then hits the sideslam on Gargano. Lumis with The Silence submission on Gargano but he’s not legal. Indi comes in and drops flat on her back next to Lumis. He sees this and starts slithering around. Lumis slowly picks Indi up but Theory levels him with a big boot to the head from behind. Indi tosses Theory to the floor. Indi lays back down for Lumis on the edge of the apron. He grabs her arm again and carries her up the ramp. Indi wakes up now, looking back and smiling at everyone. Lumis carries her to the back.
Theory and Reed go at it now. Reed rocks him in mid-air with a forearm. Moon goes to the top as Reed instructs her. Moon leaps off Reed’s shoulders with the Eclipse on Theory. LeRae tosses Moon to the floor. Reed goes to the top for the Tsunami Splash on Theory but Gargano cuts him off as fans boo. Reed ends up taking Gargano out. LeRae climbs up for a superplex on Reed but she’s not strong enough. Shotzi comes over and gets LeRae on her shoulders, slamming her on top of Theory. Reed finally hits the Tsunami on Theory for the pin to win.
Winners: Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
– After the match, the babyfaces celebrate, minus Lumis, as the music hits and we go to replays. The Way tries to regroup. Ember and Shotzi pose on top of Reed’s shoulders now. We get one more replay of the finish as Vic announces Kyle O’Reilly for next week. Fans chant “NXT!” as The Way is seen wandering around in disarray on the stage, minus Indi. Reed, Moon and Blackheart celebrate in the ring as the show goes off the air.
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