– Tonight’s WWE NXT episode opens up on the USA Network with a video package to promote tonight’s main event for the NXT Title. We’re live from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as Vic Joseph welcomes us. He’s joined at ringside by Wade Barrett and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix as fans chant “NXT!” and cheer. The announcers hype tonight’s card. We go to the ring.
Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai and NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez
Out first for the opener is Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon, riding in on Shotzi’s tank as Alicia Taylor does the introductions. They hit the corners to pose as fans cheer them on. Dakota Kai and NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez are out next to boos for this match that will move the winners closer to a match with NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell.
Gonzalez and Shotzi start off. Shotzi ducks a shot and jumps on her back but Gonzalez tosses her tot he mat. Gonzalez blocks a pin attempt with ease. Shotzi leaps with knees but Gonzalez catches her and shoves her down in the corner. Moon tags in and tries for a roll-up but Gonzalez overpowers. Moon keeps trying but Gonzalez won’t let her in. Moon with a hurricanrana takedown for a 2 count, then another 2 count. Moon with another takedown for 2. Gonzalez is furious now.
She chases Moon around the ring and back in. Moon leaps but Gonzalez catches her, then slams her as Kai tags in. Gonzalez drops Kai onto Moon for another 2 count. Gonzalez tags in and kicks Moon in the corner. Gonzalez whips Moon hard into the turnbuckles and she goes down. Kai tags in and misses a running kick to the corner. Shotzi tags in and unloads on Kai. Shotzi with a corner splash and a reverse Slingblade. Shotzi with a senton to the back against the ropes. Kai kicks out at 2. Shotzi tags out but Kai gets double teamed. Moon with a standing moonsault for 2. Shotzi tags back in.
Shotzi drops Kai and applies a Texas Cloverleaf submission. Kai moves to the ropes and Gonzalez finally pulls her to the ropes to break it as fans boo. Gonzalez tags in and drops a bunch of elbows on Shotzi for a 2 count. We go to commercial with Gonzalez stalking Shotzi as she recovers.
Back from the break and Moon mounts offense on Gonzalez. Moon with a big dropkick and right hand for a pop. Moon with more offense as she yells out. Moon drops Gonzalez and dodges a running kick by Kai on the apron. Moon gets double teamed now. Kai covers for a close 2 count as Shotzi breaks it up just in tie. Gonzalez gets knocked to the floor by Shotzi. Kai stops Moon from tagging but she kicks her away and in comes Shotzi, unloading on Kai. Shotzi with a big Fireman’s Facebuster for a 2 count. Kai gets whipped hard into the corner. Moon tags in and puts Kai on her shoulders as Shotzi goes up top but Gonzalez saves her partner. Shotzi leaps off the top and takes Gonzalez down. Kai with a Scorpion Kick.
Moon takes Kai down into a submission now. Gonzalez breaks it up and drops Moon with a big forearm. Gonzalez with the big one-arm Powerbomb to Moon in the middle of the ring but Moon turns it into a modified Eclipse. Kai gets double teamed in the middle of the ring and Moon covers for the pin to win.
Winners: Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon
– After the match, Shotzi and Moon celebrate as the music hits. Gonzalez runs in and levels them both with big boots as fans boo. Gonzalez follows to the floor and powerbombs Shotzi into the Plexiglas barrier, then the ring post, then the barrier again, all while Kai is grounding moon in the corner, forcing her to watch. Gonzalez keeps Shotzi up on her shoulders, then drops her over the barrier as the boos get louder. Kai and Gonzalez head to the back.
– Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are backstage now. They talk about the NXT tag team division and how now their path runs right through The Grizzled Young Veterans. Ciampa says there will be a round 3 now. He gets up and throws his chair across the room. Thatcher then tosses his chair and says he’s going to enjoy breaking the limbs of James Drake and Zack Gibson. Ciampa comes back into the camera view and stands with Thatcher to end the segment.
– We get a quick promo for Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a plug for WWE’s return to touring in July. We see video from earlier today with Finn Balor arriving to the venue. The announcers hype tonight’s main event.
Pete Dunne vs. Bobby Fish
We go back to the ring and out comes Pete Dunne with Oney Lorcan as fans boo. Out next comes Bobby Fish for his in-ring return from a triceps injury, his first match since the WarGames 2020 match. The announcers note that Fish is returning ahead of schedule.
Fish poses in the corner and taunts Dune. The bell rings and Dunne misses a takedown. Fish goes to work but Dunne grabs the arm. Fish knocks him away and takes control. Fish fights Dunne against the ropes and knees him as the referee warns him. Dunne drops Fish with a big forearm, then goes to work on his limbs as fans rally for Fish.
Dunne mounts Fish on the mat and unloads with lefts and rights. Dunne with a big stomp to the face. Dunne kicks Fish around now, going back to work on the arm. Dunne snaps the arm back and grounds Fish by the hurt arm. They go back to the corner and Fish fights Dunne off. Dunne takes him right back down but Fish counters and goes into an armbar of his own. Dunne fights up and out. They trade strikes now until Fish kicks Dunne out of the ring, right in front of Lorcan. Lorcan checks on Dunne while he’s down as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Dunne has Fish down with a leg submission. Dunne is suffering a shiner under his eye. Dunne slaps away at the back of Fish’s head while trapping him on the mat. Dunne kicks Fish around in the face now while holding his arm. Fish rams Dunne back into the corner and unloads with strikes, then launches him with a leg whip. Fish catches Dunne with a big Spinebuster in mid-air. Fish mounts Dunne with more big strikes to keep him down. Fish with a Sleeper hold on the mat now. Dunne grabs the fingers and bends them back to get free from the hold. Dunne drops double knees into Fish’s hand. Fish goes to the floor to regroup but Dunne cuts him off. Fish with a back-drop on the floor.
Fish charges and sends Dunne into the barrier. Fish brings it back in but Dunne catches him with an enziguri to the face. Dunne with a standing submission now but Fish breaks it by launching him into the ropes with an overhead suplex. Fish covers for 2. Fans rally now as Fish gets to his feet with Dunne. They trade knee strikes in the middle of the ring. Fish unloads with strikes in the corner now, bringing Dunne to the mat as the referee warns him.
Dunne counters with a big German suplex, then a stomp on the hand and a boot to the jaw. Fish counters a move and catches Dunne with a jumping takedown. Dunne kicks out at 2. Fish goes for a submission but they tangle on the mat now. Dunne pulls the fingers apart and they tangle on the mat some more, going back and forth. Dunne ends up slamming Fish on his head with a suplex for the pin to win.
Winner: Pete Dunne
– After the match, Dunne stands tall as his music hits. Lorcan joins him as we go to replays. Lorcan mounts Fish and unloads with strikes now as fans boo. The attack continues as the referee warns them. Lorcan and Dunne are backed away by referees but Lorcan runs back over and kicks Fish while he’s down on the edge of the apron. Dunne and Lorcan head up the ramp as Fish recovers and yells at them, but he’s held back by officials.
– We get a quick look at Bronson Reed winning the NXT North American Title last week. He will be here later tonight.
– Mercedes Martinez is walking backstage. She says she didn’t beat NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez but she did learn, and she took her to the limit. Martinez goes on and says tonight it starts, tonight is night one on the road back to the title. She keeps walking and we see Boa suddenly appear in a door way, watching Martinez walk away. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Hit Row Records are in the studio. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott talks about keeping his eye on tonight’s main event between Finn Balor and NXT Champion Karrion Kross. Swerve, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, “Top Dolla” AJ Francis, and “B-Fab” Briana Brandy also have warnings for NXT Tag Team Champions MSK, NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed, and NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida.
Mercedes Martinez vs. Zayda Ramier
We go back to the ring and out comes Mercedes Martinez to boos. Zayda Ramier is already waiting in the ring.
The bell rings and they lock up. Martinez slams Ramier and works he rover on the mat. More back and forth now as they go into the corner. Ramier avoids a shot and flips off the top but Martinez catches her. Ramier fights Martinez off and nails a jumping kick to the head for a quick pin attempt. Ramier keeps coming but Martinez levels her with a stiff strike. Martinez with a series of double underhook suplexes, keeping Ramier locked in for a 2 count.
Martinez grounds Ramier with a Dragon Sleeper now as fans try to rally. Ramier fights up to her feet and out. She rolls Martinez for a 1 count. Martinez comes right back with a Spinebuster for a close pin attempt. Martinez with forearms. Ramier ducks a clothesline and takes Martinez down with a hurricanrana, holding it for a submission on the mat. Martinez stands up with Ramier on her back, ramming her into the turnbuckles to break free. Martinez takes Ramier to the top but Ramier fights her off.
Martinez climbs up but Ramier keeps fighting. Martinez launches Ramier from the top to the mat. Martinez follows up with a running knee to the jaw. Martinez puts Ramier on her shoulders for the Air Raid Crash to get the pin to win.
Winner: Mercedes Martinez
– After the match, Martinez stands tall as her music hits. The lights suddenly go out. Red lights come back up as fog starts to fill the ring. The graphic for Tian Sha appears on the big screen. A graphic of the Mei Ling character was shown blowing smoke on the screen. The red lights go away and we see Martinez has a black mark on her hand, an apparent Chinese symbol like we saw months ago on the hands of Xia Li and Boa, the black mark of Tian Sha. No sign of Boa or Li tonight.
– We see WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. backstage talking to Toni Storm. The Robert Stone Brand (Robert Stone, Aliyah, Jessi Kamea) walks up but DiBiase isn’t trying to hear what Stone has to say. He tosses money in the air and walks off as Aliyah and Kamea show excitement for the cash. DiBiase walks off and laughs as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see video from earlier today with NXT Champion Karrion Kross warming up as Scarlett watches.
– We go back to the ring for tonight’s Million Dollar Face-Off as Cameron Grimes makes his way out first. Grimes goes to speak but the familiar music interrupts and out comes WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr. Grimes looks on and he’s not happy.
Grimes asks Ted why? Grimes says he wasn’t always this rich but he started to flaunt a little bit and then Ted shows up, embarrassing him. Grimes wants to know why. He says he looks up to Ted and he saw, because of Ted, that with money he can treat people terribly and they will still like him. Grimes says it must be true that you should never meet your idols. Ted says he really likes Grimes and they are a lot alike. Ted says he did put Grimes through a lot but when he looks at Grimes he also sees a little bit of himself. Ted says he’s here because he’s looking for the one individual who embodies everything The Million Dollar Man stands for, the Million Dollar legacy. It’s not all about the money or treating people bad with money, it’s about in-ring performance and he’s seen it, Grimes has what it takes. Ted says since Grimes got rich, he lost his focus but he can regain that focus… the music interrupts and out comes LA Knight.
Fans boo as Knight takes the mic on the stage. Knight hears Ted talking about his million dollar legacy and he sees a million dollar opportunity. Knight introduces himself to Ted as a man who does get the job done. Knight goes on hyping himself up but Grimes warns him to not step in the ring because this is a conversation of millionaires, not the nickel & dime Knight. DiBiase tells Grimes to let Knight talk. Knight says Grimes is right, he’s not a millionaire yet but he lives comfortably, but with Ted helping him, they can reach new heights. Knight goes on and Ted says he’s well aware of who Knight is, and the success he’s had in his career already. Ted says Knight probably has a shot at becoming a mega star here in NXT, because he does have a million dollar body and a million dollar mindset. Grimes interrupts and says we’re not going to talk about Knight’s body, because he’s not Cameron Grimes. Grimes goes on and steps to Knight, telling him to get out of the ring or he will kick his ass straight to the moon.
Grimes turns back to Ted but Knight attacks him from behind and lays him out to boos. Fans chant “you suck!” at Knight now. Knight exits the ring as Ted stands over Grimes. Ted says Grimes is just never going to get it, is he? Ted does his signature laugh while standing over Grimes in the middle of the ring. Ted’s music starts back up and he makes his exit as Grimes recovers in the ring, seething. Ted joins Knight at the bottom of the ramp and they head to the back together.
– Still to come, Balor vs. Kross for the NXT Title.
– We see Franky Monet backstage getting her makeup done. She gets up and hands her Pomeranian to a staffer, then heads to the ring to make her in-ring debut. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Sarah Schreiber is trying to interview NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Indi Hartwell but she’s busy looking for Dexter Lumis. She interrupts Ever-Rise taping their weekend social media show. Drake Maverick calms things down and they tell Indi where they saw Lumis earlier. She walks into a room and when the light turns on, we see dozens of Dexter’s drawings all over the walls. These are clearly the drawings of a man with a broken heart, including drawings of Dexter listening to Indi and Candice LeRae mock him last week. Indi exits the room calling Dexter’s name.
Franky Monet vs. Cora Jade
We go back to the ring and out comes Franky Monet for her “World Premiere” in-ring debut. Cora Jade is already waiting in the ring.
They lock up and Monet takes it to the corner, then backs off as the referee warns her. She taunts Jade. They lock up again and Monet slams Jade on her face. Monet taunts Jade. Jade ducks a shot and nails a kick. Monet turns it right back around and unloads in the corner. Monet charges with running double knees to the back of the head. She then delivers a Rikishi splash in the corner, and then running double knees to the face now.
Monet keeps control, chopping Jade in the chest, then kicking her in the gut. Monet with a knee strike before leveling Jade in the middle of the ring. Monet grabs Jade by her face, talking trash and letting her up. Jade fights back with strikes but Monet counters. Jade blocks and nails a side Russian leg sweep for 2. Monet comes right back with a Spear.
Monet with a sitdown powerbomb in the middle of the ring. Monet screams out some more and drops Jade with a sitout Glam Slam, which Phoenix says looked familiar. Monet hold Jade down for the pin to win.
Winner: Franky Monet
– After the match, Monet stands tall as her music hits. She poses on the ropes.
– The Grizzled Young Veterans are backstage now with a response to Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa. They didn’t come across the pond to deal with chair-throwing hooligans, they came to win gold. They are done with Ciampa and Thatcher, but they are not done with NXT Tag Team Champions MSK. They take shots at a few other NXT tag teams and say they will be watching next week’s title match closely. They go on and promise that they will soon be NXT Tag Team Champions.
– We get a look at some international media coverage on Bronson Reed’s big NXT North American Title win last week. We see Reed doing a backstage photo shoot with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida now. Reed walks off and heads to the ring as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Imperium is backstage. NXT UK Champion WALTER is addressing Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner via video from England. He talks about how Alexander Wolfe didn’t have what it takes. He goes on and says Imperium will now set things straight moving forward, and they must right the first wrong that came when they dropped the NXT Tag Team Titles to Breezango a while back. WALTER says to look at Breezango, they are showmen while Barthel and Aichner are pro wrestlers. He goes on about how Imperium will restore honor to the sport.
– We go back to the ring and out come new NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed.
Reed takes the mic and a “you deserve it!” chant starts up. He talks about how his 14 year journey wasn’t easy as it was full of falling down and getting back up. A lot of people told him no along the way but this title is proof to any kid out there that they don’t have to take no for an answer, and that they can become a champion if they work hard and grind it out. Reed says good luck on trying to take this title from him, and to anyone in the locker room that wants a shot – you have a colossal mountain to climb. Fans pop. The music interrupts and out comes Legado del Fantasma – Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde.
Escobar speaks from the floor and says Reed has some kind of Telenovela stories, which brought tears to their eyes. Escobar can’t relate to anything Reed said because Escobar was born a champion. The business belongs to him. Legado del Fantasma walk around the ring now as Escobar continues is promo, saying the North American Title caught his eye last week. He is the Emperor of Lucha Libre. Escobar is on the apron now while Mendoza and Wilde surround the ring on the floor. Escobar goes on about how the North American Title is his because it represents Mexico.
All three hit the ring now as Escobar says he’s about to do what he does best, take what is his. NXT Tag Team Champions MSK run down to even the odds. They get the upperhand on Legado del Fantasma and send them to the floor. The two sides face off and yell at each other.
– We see Finn Balor warming up backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and NXT General Manager William Regal announces Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Johnny Gargano for next week in a Triple Threat. The winner will challenge the NXT Champion at the “Takeover: In Your House” event on June 13.
NXT Title Match: Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event as Finn Balor comes out to a pop. Barrett calls this the biggest rematch NXT has ever seen. Out next comes NXT Champion Karrion Kross with Scarlett. Balor stares from the top turnbuckle as Kross and Scarlett do their entrance. Kross and Balor meet in the middle of the ring for formal ring introductions from Taylor.
The bell hits and they size each other up. Balor with kick attempts. Balor with a headlock to start. Kross levels Balor with a shoulder block. Balor with a strike but Kross drives a big knee to the gut. Balor comes right back at it after Kross tries to toss him trough the ropes. Balor dropkicks the leg and looks to keep control, frustrating Kross. Kross regroups with Scarlett at ringside as we go to a picture-in-picture commercial.
Back from the break and Balor has Kross down, working on his arm. Kross fight up and slams Balor in the middle of the ring. Kross send Balor into the corner head-first to the turnbuckle. Kross keeps control and nails a running clothesline in the corner, a back elbow, then a short clothesline in the corner to drop Balor as Scarlett cheers him on. Kross launches Balor over his head. Kross smiles as he stalks Balor, keeping him down and stomping again. Kross grounds Balor with another hold. Balor breaks free but Kross decks him and clubs him to the mat. Balor ducks a clothesline and applies the abdominal stretch, forcing Kross to scream out.
Balor unloads and focuses on the lower back for a quick pin attempt. Balor attacks in the corner and works Kross over with more forearms. Kross turns it right around and delivers shoulder thrusts in the corner as the referee warns him. Kross turns Balor around and delivers shoulder thrusts to the lower back. Kross levels Balor, sending him face-first into the turnbuckles and Balor goes down now. Kross launches Balor across the ring with ease, from one corner to the other. Kross with a big German suplex to launch Balor across the ring. Balor counters a slam attempt and takes Kross down to the mat into a Crossface submission. Kross resists and Balor delivers kicks.
Balor rolls through with a double stomp to the chest. Balor keeps control from corner to corner now. Balor chops away and delivers thrusts in the corner as the referee warns him, allowing Kross to deck him and turn it right back around. Kross tosses Balor to the floor. Balor turns it around on the outside, trapping Kross in the ring apron cover and unloading on him. Kross gets free but Balor nails a running punt kick from the apron. Balor is down on the apron looking up while Kross is down on the outside. We go to commercial.
Kross continues to dominate throughout the break after some offense by Balor. Kross with a suplex in the middle of the ring. Balor fights back in the middle of the ring and nails a suplex but Kross comes back with a bridge of his own for 2. They trade counters and Balor nails the basement dropkick. Back from the break and Balor is getting up first as fans rally. They trade rights and lefts now. Kross scoops Balor and rams him into the turnbuckles, then across the ring into the other turnbuckles, then a running powerslam in the middle of the ring. Balor kicks out at 2.
Balor rocks Kross as he tries to recover. Balor keeps fighting. More back and forth. Balor with a Slingblade but Kross kicks out at 1. Balor drops Kross and nails another double stomp but Kross pulls him into a Straitjacket submission in the middle of the ring. The referee checks on Balor but he finally gets to the bottom rope to break the hold. Balor is down and out as Kross sits up.
Kross tosses Balor out of the ring. Kross follows and slams the back of Balor’s head into the Plexiglas barrier several times. Kross lifts Balor into the powerbomb position, then drives him into the Plexiglas with another power move. Kross brings Balor back in before the 10 count. Balor turns a powerbomb attempt into a big DDT in the middle of the ring. Balor with a Slingblade. Balor clotheslines Kross over the top rope to the floor. Balor runs and leaps out, taking Kross down at ringside for a big pop. Kross gets right up and the crowd is shocked. Kross grabs Balor from behind and drives him down on top of the announce table.
Fans chant “this is awesome!” now as the referee keeps counting. Kross rolls Balor back in at the 8 count. Kross enters but Balor meets him with offense. Balor drops Kross and delivers another double stomp as fans try to rally for him. Kross gets up but Balor nails the running dropkick into the corner. Balor goes to the top for Coup de Grace but Kross rolls out of the way. Balor lands hard on his feet. Kross rams Balor into the turnbuckles, then nails another German suplex. Kross yells out as some fans boo.
Kross picks Balor up and delivers a stiff Doomsday Saito suplex. Kross gets back up and stands tall for a few more boos. Kross waits for Balor to get up. Kross charges with the forearm strike but Balor takes him down for a quick pin attempt. Balor with the abdominal stretch to bring Kross to the mat. Kross powers out on the mat, mounting Balor’s back and beating on the back of his head with strikes. Balor turns it over and delivers forearms to the back of Kross’ head now. They break and the referee checks on them. Fans rally for Balor. Kross sits up and Scarlett talks to him. Balor grabs Kross from behind and drops back with a Sleeper hold applied. Balor drives heel kicks into Kross while keeping the Sleeper locked in on the mat.
Balor turns it into a Triangle in the middle of the ring now. Kross starts fading out but now he’s powering up to his feet. Kross powers up and drops Balor with a big powerbomb in the middle of the ring. Balor and Kross get up at the same time but Kross nails a clothesline. Kross with a big strike in the corner, then a forearm to the back of the head. Kross drops Balor and stomps away as the referee warns him now. Kross applies the choke from behind and Balor starts to fade. The referee calls the match.
Winner: Karrion Kross
– After the match, Kross stands tall and Scarlett joins him in the ring as the music hits. We go to replays. Kross and Scarlett pose with the title in the middle of ring, hovering over Balor. Balor finally wakes up and starts to recover as Kross and Scarlett look on. NXT goes off the air.
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