– Tonight’s WWE NXT episode opens up on the USA Network with NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio and WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley backstage, trash talking Dragon Lee and Dominik’s father. We cut to the parking lot and see Dragon arriving in a SUV with 2023 WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. They talk about tonight and Rey wants Dragon to show his son some humility.
– We’re now live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as Vic Joseph welcomes us. He’s joined at ringside by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. The show will have limited commercial breaks tonight.
Mustafa Ali vs. Axiom
We go right to the ring and Axiom is doing his entrance as Alicia Taylor does the introductions. Mustafa Ali is out next.
The match started with quick back & forth offense. They went in and out of the ring early on. At one point Scrypts, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price come walking out to watch the match but they left after five minutes or so.
The match went to the floor as they traded power moves at ringside after Axiom flew out with a big dive. They bring it back in with counters and more high-impact offense. The finish sees Axiom go up to the top. Ali punches him and his finger gets stuck in Axiom’s mask, pausing them both. Ali shoves Axiom to the floor and he lands hard. Ali brings Axiom back in and nails the 450 Splash for the pin to win.
Winner: Mustafa Ali
– After the match, Ali stands tall as the music hits and we go to replays. Fans chant for Ali now. Ali looks into the camera and says he wants the winner of tonight’s main event. Ali says he is starting a campaign to become the next NXT North American Champion. He wants it, the fans want it.
– The camera cuts to the back and we see Ikemen Jiro and others down on the ground. The Schism is standing over them. Joe Gacy says they will find The Creed Brothers tonight, even if The Schism has to turn NXT upside down.
Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan
We go back to the ring and out comes Kelani Jordan with Dana Brooke. We see Jordan’s weekend Twitter promo where she said she’s taking Dana’s advice and finding her killer instinct, which is why she’s calling out one of NXT’s most dangerous women. Out next comes Blair Davenport.
Davenport controls early on but Jordan turns it around and gets aggressive as Brooke encourages her. Davenport goes out but Jordan follows and brings her back in, but then Davenport turns it around to dominate. Jordan kept fighting until Davenport hit her knee to the face finisher for the pin.
Winner: Blair Davenport
– After the match, Davenport attacks Jordan but Brooke makes the save with a belt. There seems to be brief tension between Jordan and Brooke.
– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Von Wagner and Mr. Stone. She asks if Von was affected by what Bron Breakker said last week. Von says people have said things to him his whole life and it does cut deep, but every badass like Bron needs to be put in their place sooner than later. Von says he has somewhere for Bron tonight… and he will be tabled.
Fake NXT Heritage Cup Match: Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar
We go back to the ring and out comes Meta-Four – Noam Dar with his fake NXT Heritage Cup, and Oro Mensah, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Alicia Taylor confirms Dar’s replica Cup will be on the line in this match. Tyler Bate is out next.
Bate hits a Tyler Driver 97 for the pin to get the first fall in the second round. The second fall comes in the fourth round and sees Bate tap out after a few minutes in a knee bar. Meta-Four interferes at times in this match. Mensah tries to interfere in the fifth round but Bate takes him out. Bate goes on to pin Dar just in time for the pin to win possession of Dar’s Cup.
Winner: Tyler Bate
– After the match, Bate celebrates with Dar’s Cup as fans cheer him on. Dar throws a fit in the ring.
– Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are backstage. Tank suggests “Smashmouth” as their team name but Hank isn’t sure. The Schism shows up looking for The Creed Brothers. A brawl breaks out with The Schism and their masked followers beating Hank and Tank down. Joe Gacy tells them to keep looking.
– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Ilja Dragunov, asking if he’s had a week to cool off from what happened last Tuesday. Ilja says he’s going to the ring and he expects Trick Williams to meet him there. Ilja can’t make promises on what will happen next, but he can promise pain for Trick. Ilja walks off as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Dijak confronts NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes in the locker room, but Hayes brushes him off. Dijak threatens him but here comes Wes Lee. Lee storms in and ignores Dijak, standing in front of him to have words with Hayes over last week. Dijak says Lee is no longer in the title picture… any title picture. Dijak and Lee face off and have words now. Dijak leaves and Lee turns back to talk to Hayes, but Dijak runs back in and attacks Lee from behind, beating him down. Dijak destroys Lee and taunts him, then leaves. A trainer rushes in to check on Lee.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Ilja Dragunov. He calls Trick Williams out. Trick says he knows Ilja isn’t backing down, but Trick isn’t either. Trick enters the ring now. Ilja gives Trick some props but threatens him if he takes one step closer. Dragunov goes on and says he’s only here for retribution as Trick is the main reason he’s not NXT Champion. Trick says he knows Ilja wants to hit him and whoop his ass, so why not do it in a match where Trick can prove what he’s capable of, so he can shut down all the whispers and let people know he’s not some sidekick and can back up what he says, so he can go up against one of the best and prove he can be one of the best. Dragunov asks Trick if he understands what he’s asking for. Dragunov talks about wanting to fulfill his destiny and how something always happens, this time it was Trick, but this time nothing will stop him from destroying anything holding him back. Dragunov asks Trick if he’s sure because he will break Trick. Trick tells Ilja to bring his A-game because Trick is bringing his. They go on and Trick issues a challenge for NXT Heatwave in two weeks. Ilja says he will see Trick there, where Trick’s career will die. Ilja’s music hits as they face off and have words.
– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey. Their opponents for tonight, Hank and Tank, were taken out earlier. Gulak says they were soft. Dempsey and Gulak knock the others in the locker room for being soft. Damon Kemp shows up and mentions his offer from last week but Gulak says they don’t take shortcuts. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen show up and say they’re not soft. They will face Gulak and Dempsey later on.
– Bron Breakker is walking backstage. Kelly Kincaid asks him if he heard what Von Wagner said. He didn’t, so Kincaid tells him about how Von said he will put him through a table. Bron says give him a break. Bron walks off and we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Rey Mysterio is backstage with Roxanne Perez, congratulating her on her win at The Bash. She thanks him. They both agree that she needs to go for gold next. Rey walks over to Thea Hail now and she’s really nervous to see him. Rey talks about being the underdog and how Hail just needs to believe in herself. Hail randomly asks Rey if he still loves his son. Rey says he doesn’t like who his son has become, he’s made really bad choices and he’s hanging out with the wrong people but that is still Rey’s son, he will always love him, he just hopes one day he will understand and realize who his real family is. Hail thanks Rey and says that means the world to her. Rey says now let’s go kick some ass. Hail gets hyped up after Rey leaves. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson walk up now. Chase says Thea… that was THE Rey Mysterio. Hail says she knows and unlike Chase, Rey would never throw in the towel on her. Hail walks off, leaving Chase a bit shocked.
Bron Breakker vs. Von Wagner
We go back to the ring and out comes Bron Breakker to boos. Von Wagner is out next with Mr. Stone. Von is wearing a shirt that says something about putting Bron through a table.
This was a hard-hitting back & forth match for the most part. At one point they fought at ringside and Von took apart the announce table but Bron attacked before Von could put him through it. Bron went on to hit a German suplex, another big suplex, then a big moonsault for 2. The finish saw Von hit a big corner splash, then a big boot. Von powered Bron to his shoulders but Bron slid down and hit a Spear for the pin to win.
Winner: Bron Breakker
– After the match, Bron pressed Stone high in the air but Von made the save. Von sent Bron to the floor and ended up putting him through the announce table with a powerbomb to a big pop. Von and Stone celebrate now and they’re both fired up.
– We get a new vignette for Eddy Thorpe, who is out in the woods. He isolates himself in nature so he can clear his thoughts and be grounded. He talks about fighting for his people and leading on the right path. Thorpe is furious about what happened with Dijak. He says when he falls short it’s only his fault. Thorpe says to change the outcome he has to re-group and re-adjust. Thorpe mentions thinking of his ancestors, including Crazy Horse. Thorpe must move forward without fear in order to overcome Dijak.
– NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio and WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. They like it in NXT but Rhea says don’t let this distract them from conquering the world. Lyra Valkyria walks in. She says she did exactly what Rhea said – she beat Jacy Jayne. Rhea says she knows what Lyra did. Lyra says no… I did exactly what you said to do. Lyra goes on about how Ripley uses and manipulates people. She says Ripley is the only reason Dominik still has his title. Ripley says Dominik doesn’t need help. Lyra tells them to practice what they preach tonight or will Mami have to come to Dominik’s rescue again? Lyra storms off.
Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen vs. Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey
We go back to the ring and out comes Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen with Fallon Henley. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and we see NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo doing a backstage photo shoot. The Schism shows up looking for The Creed Brothers. The Family jokes around with them. The Schism threatens The Family with their army of masked followers as the two sides face off. The Dyad wants to go for The Family’s titles. Joe Gacy tells The Dyad to stay on task. The Dyad is staying on task… for now. The Schism walks off. We go back to the ring and out comes Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey. Myles Borne comes out several seconds later but he’s late. Myles hits the apron to hold the ropes open for Gulak and Dempsey.
Back & forth tag team action for several minutes. At one point Gulak yells from the apron and tells Borne he wants water. Myles has none. Gulak orders Myles to get out of here. The finish comes after everyone fights on the floor. Gulak and Briggs return to the ring while Dempsey and Jensen fight on the floor. Damon Kemp shows up and takes out Jensen on the floor while the referee is busy with Briggs and Gulak. This leads to Dempsey hitting a Dragon Suplex for the pin to win.
Winners: Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey
– After the match, Kemp celebrates with Gulak and Dempsey as fans boo.
– Kelani Jordan and Dana Brooke are backstage. Brooke asks what happened earlier and Jordan says she was trying. Brooke knows she was but she was waiting for Jordan’s killer instinct to come out. Brooke goes on about how the people will mock her and wait for her to fail, they will go on social media and say things, and Brooke doesn’t want that for Jordan the way it has happened to her. Jordan says this was just her third match and she doesn’t know what her killer instinct looks like yet. Brooke says she wants this for Jordan but she can’t want it more than Jordan. Brooke says she’s going in the ring next week to face Blair Davenport and will show Jordan what her killer instinct looks like.
Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James
We go back to the ring and out first comes Ivy Nile. Kiana James is out next. We see a pre-recorded promo from James where she says Gigi Dolin failed to bring out her wild side but James can tap into it any time if she needs, and tonight Nile will feel this. James hits the apron to enter the ring and quickly hits Ivy with her loaded handbag. James goes right to work on Nile.
The two went in and out of the ring, trading offense and counters. After a commercial, The Schism is now watching the match from the entrance-way. The match goes on and now The Schism and their masked followers are surrounding the ring. They all start chanting “Creed!” while banging on the apron. The finish sees Ava grab Ivy’s legs from the floor to save James. James then hits the 401K on Nile for the pin to win.
Winner: Kiana James
– After the match, James exits the ring as her music hits, and she’s spooked by The Schism’s followers. The Schism hits the ring now and two followers hold Nile while Ava yells at her while aggressively holding her face. The music hits and NXT Tag Team Champions The Family runs out to make the save. The Schism quickly retreats and yells from the ramp while Ivy stands with The Family.
– We get a vignette with Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo texting each other from their separate homes. They both seem to be a bit down or disappointed and after an apology over what previously happened, they talk about how their grandfather, Humberto Garza, would be upset with them because they are a joke. They talk about how their grandfather gave them their names, he trained them, he wanted the best for them, but they are embarrassing him. Angel says they should be honoring him. Humberto wonders what he would think of them now. Angel says he’s sure he is watching over them. Angel and Humberto are in deep thought as they both look over at the same photo of their grandfather. They both get up to leave.
– Tyler Bate is backstage with his newly-won Noam Dar’s fake Heritage Cup when Meta-Four confronts him. Dar wants his Cup back but Bate isn’t budging. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson make the case to Bate and say Dar needs the Cup back for emotional support. Dar demands the Cup back. NXT Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer shows up now. They joke about this looking like that Spider Man meme. Frazer says maybe he will convince Bate to give the replica back to Dar if Dar admits his Cup is not real. Dar says no, he’s the real champ no matter what. Frazer says he will give Dar a title shot at NXT Heatwave in two weeks… if he admits his Cup is a joke. Dar says he will admit to nothing but technically… Dar and Oro Mensah argue now. Dar receives his Cup back from Bate. Frazer calls Dar a massive fraud and says they will settle this at Heatwave. Meta-Four walks off. Bate looks at Frazer and it sounds like they may have agreed that Bate also deserves a title shot.
– We see Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee walking backstage. We also see Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio walking. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. Mitchell congratulates her on The Bash and asks what’s next. Stratton says that’s a good question… she goes on about trying to decide between a pink outfit or a blue outfit for this weekend. It’s a major dilemma but she decides on it and thanks McKenzie. McKenzie says no, she was asking about Stratton’s next opponent. Stratton says she hasn’t thought that far… actually, no one will be her next opponent. Stratton says “toodles!” and walks off.
– The camera man stops Trick Williams in the parking lot and asks why he keeps poking Ilja Dragunov when he’s already got his match. Trick is full of confidence but he’s stopped by Wes Lee stopping in his car. Lee tells Trick to tell NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes that Lee is coming for Hayes when he’s done with Dijak. Trick dismisses Lee and has his own business to deal with. Lee drives off. Damon Kemp, Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey come walking out. They call Trick the purse holder for Hayes. They have words. Gulak says there’s no fight camp on Earth that can help Trick beat Dragunov. Trick says he doesn’t need their help but if they show up next week, he will have something for them. Trick walks off. Myles Borne walks up and they tell him he’s late.
NXT North American Title Match: Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio (c)
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event as 2023 WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio comes out to a big pop. Rey takes the mic and brings out who he says is the next North American Champion. The music hits and out comes Dragon Lee to a pop. NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio is out next with WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
This was a good back and forth match with lots of close calls, and antics by Ripley. At one point Dominik tore off part of Lee’s mask and threw it at his father. The finish saw Dominik hit 619 on Lee, but then he missed the Frogsplash when Lee moved. Lee came back and hit a big sitdown powerbomb for 2. Ripley slid Dominik’s title belt in but Rey took it from him. While the referee was distracted by this, Ripley hit the apron on the other side of the ring and decked Lee with her title belt. Dominik quickly followed up with a Michinoku Driver to Lee for the pin to win and retain.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
– After the match, Rey and Dominik end up having words. Ripley steps in between them and taunts Rey, then shoves him. Lyra Valkyria suddenly attacks and unloads on Ripley to a big pop. Lee ends up superkicking Dominik while Lyra spin kicks Ripley to the floor with him. Rey’s music starts up as he stands with Lee and Valkyria in the ring. NXT goes off the air.
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