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Here's a place to check results and comment along with the newest episode of WWE NXT, airing live in its regular Wednesday night at 8PM Eastern time slot on USA Network.
Check out our Wednesday morning preview post (which today is the staff’s picks for tonight’s Awards) to get caught up on what's been happening, and what we expect this week.
Advertised for tonight, live from the Capitol Wrestling Center: The Year-End Awards will be handed out! Plus, Leon Ruff look to reclaim the North American title & extend Johnny Gargano’s curse, Roderick Strong battles Pete Dunne, Bronson Reed and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott mix it up, Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Breezango, Mercedes Martinez returns to action, and more as the brand makes the final push to next week’s New Year’s Evil show!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the NXT live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here.
REMINDER: Please keep GIFs and pics to a minimum. They slow down updates and refreshes for some of your fellow community members.
Enjoy the show!
WWE NXT RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR DEC. 30
We open with the Jon Huber graphic, then head right into the CWC.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Bronson Reed
Reed with the headlock as soon as they lock-up, and maintains control despite Scott’s attempts to get free. Swerve tries for an arm and gets lifted up and dropped for a senton. When he goes outside, the big man hits him with a shoulder block from the apron. Back in the ring, Scott lures the Aussie in and attacks the knee. We see Swerve’s new heel attitude as he goes to work, getting two on a back elbow from the middle rope. Agility overcomes power for a while, and Scott gets two on a Flatliner. The comeback starts and leads to a nearfall when Reed sits on the smaller man. A flurry ends with a big chokeslam that also gets two. The same headbutt during a rope break trick that allowed Swerve to beat Atlas follows, but it just pisses off Reed. A Tsunami Splash comes after a couple other power moves, and that’s it.
Bronson Reed def. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott via pinfall
General Manager William Regal is here to hand out our next award - the Breakout Star of the Year. The winner is... Shotzi Blackheart! The winner is in a yard somewhere next to a fire, rocking a “Stephen King Rules” shirt. She talks about how her dad taught her to kick ass, and she thinks she made him proud this year. She’s rolling into the new year to T - C - B.
After a break, we see Leon Ruff and Jake Atlas arriving earlier today. Then we see Johnny Gargano coming in with The Way, but they see a black cat the end of a hallway! Austin Theory thinks it’s cut, but Johnny freaks out. It’s bad luck!
Breezango vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
James Drake starts with Tyler Breeze. Prince Pretty controls the action, then brings in Fandango for more of the same (the former champs are wearing black armbands, presumably in honor of Brodie Lee). Zack Gibson comes in, but can’t turn the tide. Drake covers the post when Breeze whips his partner into the corner, then makes the tag and gets two off a slam. We learn the Dusty Classic returns in two weeks, and the announcers talk up the title shot that comes with the Dusty Cup while the action in the ring stays competitive.
Liverpool’s #1 gets hung up on the top rope and takes tandem kicks from Breezango. Tyler slingshots Gibson into Dango on the apron, but the GYV hits him in the throat. Things break down, leading to Fandango using the scaffolding by the ramp to dive on both Brits. He comes up holding his leg as we go to commercial.
The heels are working over Dango on the outside when we return, focused on the injured knee. He tries to fight back against Gibson, but is slammed down from the top for multiple covers. With Drake in, he manages to send him back first into the barricade. Both teams get tags in the aftermath and Tyler comes in hot. He tries for a dive onto both GYV on the outside, but they evade. Before they can follow-up, Dango dives onto them. Back in, Breeze hits a supermodel kick, but can only get two. Outside, Gibson sends Dango knee first into the steps. In the ring, Prince Pretty takes Ticket To Mayhem.
Grizzled Young Veterans def. Breezango via pinfall
Ever-Rise are here “demanding” a piece of the winners, with a referee “holding them back”. But when she bails and lets them head to the ring, they back off.
Regal is back for the Tag Team Award. And the winner is... Undisputed ERA. The quartet is backstage. Kyle O’Reilly points out it’s the third year for them. Adam Cole announces they’ll be in the Dusty Classic. The ERA will be represented by Cole & Roderick Strong.
We go to the creepy dojo, and it looks like Xia Li and Boa have graduated. They’re wearing white and the mystery man puts a marking on their head. The mystery woman opens a curtain and all four walk into the light. Li and Boa debut with their new gimmick next week!
Mercedes Martinez vs. Valentina Feroz
Feroz gets in a little offense, but this is mostly the veteran punishing her and screaming “I’m Mercedes!” Air Raid Crash ends it in about two minutes.
Mercedes Martinez def. Valentina Feroz via pinfall
Martinez screams at the camera that everyone in the division is on her radar. Click-click.
The Women’s Competitor of the Year is... Io Shirai. Damn straight. She thanks us, and says the division is so talented, it’s an honor to be selected as the best of the best.
Men’s Competitor of the Year is up next. And the winner is... Adam Cole. Regal hands him the plaque, and he says how he promised he’d win it again last year, and he did. But he owes it to his brothers in Undisputed ERA. And when Kyle wins the title next week, he’ll be even happier than he is tonight.
We’re encouraged to go to WWE.com to pick between Io Shirai and Adam Cole for Overall Competitor of the Year, and see Roddy and Pete Dunne heading to the ring for their match. That’s next.
Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong
Takedown and strikes at the bell as we’re reminded about these guys Dusty Classic history (and Roddy turning on Pete, of course). Strong with a clothesline, then rocks Dunne with a knee. Strikes in the ripes, then Pete comes back with a side headlock takedown. Roddy returns fire with chops in the corner. Another takedown by Dunne as he goes for an armbar, then starts to work on the fingers. Strong drops him with a stiff chop and hits a backbreaker into a wrecking ball dropkick. We go split screen.
Returning, the Bruiserweight is back in control and sends Strong sternum first into the turnbuckle. Roddy returns fire with a dropkick. He hits a slam and pump knee before fitting off forearms while hitting the ropes over and over. Olympic Slam gets two. Dunne with a kick to the gut outside to get back in the driver’s seat. Back inside, they trade kicking combos before Dunne turns a Gibson Driver from Roddy into a triangle choke. Strong gets free to hit a backbreaker. Pete fights out of the Strong Hold by kicking away and wrenching on the fingers. He snaps the digits... Bitter End!
Pete Dunne def. Roderick Strong via pinfall
Finn Bálor vs. Kyle O’Reilly wins Match of the Year. Finn is here and takes both plaques, saying he’ll give Kyle his. On his way to the ring he passes Dunne, who says he wants a shot. Bálor tells him everyone wants a piece of the champ and to get in line.
Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa talk up the FIGHT PIT as we return from commercials.
The champ is in the ring with a mic. Finn vs. Kyle was Match of the Year. O’Reilly surprised people that night, but not him. KOR deserves the praise he’s getting, so he should come... The ERA’s music hits before Bálor can finish and Kyle makes his way to the ring. The Prince directs O’Reilly to pick the plaque up from the corner. He doesn’t need it. He has three steel plates in his face to remind him.
KOR says he needs it, because it’s proof he belongs at the top of NXT. He puts it down though, because he’s not gonna carry it around. It’s a participation award and he’s been participating for 15 years. He respects Finn, but next week, he’s taking home the belt, because that says it’s all been worth it, that he’s worth it. Bálor says that’s fine, but next week, he’s gonna pay O’Reilly back for breaking his jaw by dragging him all around the ring.
Scarlett & Karrion Kross hit the stage. It’s irrelevant who wins next week, because the belt belongs to him. Doomsday is here. Tick Tock. The camera pans back and Damian Priest is standing behind Kross. He says “this is how you step like a man” and when Karrion turns, nails a forearm to the jaw. They trade strikes and brawl down the ramp and crash through the plexiglass! They battle backstage onto the tech equipment, where Kross sends them both through a table with a flatliner. They’re down and out, but we see Scarlett... really enjoying what she just saw.
A video package on the history of Rhea Ripley & Raquel González’s history that uses their real life friendship as the backdrop. Rhea talks up how they were inseparable, and Raquel was the sister she needed in America. But González got jealous and betrayed her. Raquel hints that maybe she was never a friend, and had just been biding her time. Really good video package for their Last Woman Standing match next week.
Santos Escobar and Legado Del Fantasma are in the ring. The Cruiserweight champ says to take a step back and see where they are. All they’ve accomplished. He says Undisputed ERA can win Tag Team of the Year, but it’s a sham. He’s not here for popularity contests. Mr. Regal is out looking for challengers for them, but there is no one who can match up to them. Here comes Lucha House Party! Lince Dorado says Escobar is bugging if he thinks Lucha Libre belongs to him. He and Gran Metalik say Lucha belongs to the world! Raul Mendoza promos on them in Spanish, and they charge the ring and clear out the heels. Escobar thinks about sneaking up on them, but bails when they see him. We learn Regal’s made this offical, and Dorado puts the heels down as we go to break.
Lucha House Party vs. Legado Del Fantasma
The tecnicos are still in control when we return, and Metalik gets two on Joaquin Wilde with a springboard splash. Tags and Lince stays in control, but Wilde catches Dorado when he flips into the ropes. Mendoza with a shoulder to the mid-section, referee didn’t see it and the heels are in control. Lince gets free for a crossbody, both guys get a tag. Metalik is hotter, and he runs up the ropes for a springboard drop kick that gets two on Raul. They work him over and a pair of splashes looks to end it but Wilde breaks up the pin. Metalik flies to the outside to take out Joaquin while Dorado with the poison rana on Mendoza in the ring. Metalik back in for a springboard elbow to end it.
Lucha House Party def. Legado Del Fantasma via pinfall
Metalik gestures to indicate he wants a shot at Escobar’s title.
Future Star time. Mr. Regal informs us Austin Theory is the guy. Gargano and Candice LeRae tell him to share it with Indi Hartwell. Theory says he’s been saying he’s the future and this proves it. Hartwell is impressed it’s a real ring bell. Austin puts over The Way and says Johnny is about to go out and break the curse, but Gargano freaks out because he said “curse”. He throws Theory’s XMas protein powder, but that breaks a mirror. Johnny can’t deal with this. He’s got to go.
Before the main event, Regal lets us know Io won Overall Competitor.
Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff
The North American champ with the takedown. Back up with a wristlock, but Ruff shows off his agility then flips out of the hold. Roll-up for two, then Gargano goes out to regroup with his squad, all three members of whom are ringside. Theory with a distraction, but Leon misses with the slingshot spear. The challenger with a flurry, dropkick in the ropes leads to more offense in the ropes. Johnny turns the tide when he shoves Ruff to the floor after taking a boot in the corner, then sets to inflicting punishment on the outside. Gargano breaks the count to keep the match going, which lets Leon recover. He Spidermans around the ring area and seems to back in control, but he lets himself get distracted by Theory. Rope assisted neckbreaker from Johnny, then a dive as we go PiP one more time.
The champ is in control when we get back, but Leon fires back with elbows... but that stops with a backbreaker. The champ stretches Ruff in a bow and arrow, then snaps him against his knees. Johnny sets up for a neckbreaker, but the challenger slips under. Gargano fights off the backslide but takes a kick to the jaw. Ruff flies with elbows. Both guys miss in the corner, and Leon with the backbreaker/neckbreaker combo in the corner. German sends Johnny flying into the corner. Corkscrew cannonball gets two!
Clothesline is answered with a superkick, then the champ lawn darts Ruff into the turnbuckle. Ruff ducks a superkick like he did when he won the belt, but Johnny is wise. A delayed superkick gets two. Ruff tries for a crucifix bomb, but Johnny counters with a powerbomb. Leon kicks out, so Gargano goes right to his submission finisher. Ruff makes the ropes, and Johnny holds on for five. He’s frustrated, and shoves Ruff to the floor. He tries to lawn dart him into the steel scaffolding, but Leon slips out. Back and forth ends with a neckbreaker on the floor. Back in, Frog Splash gets one, two, NO! Ruff sets the champ up on the top turnbuckle. Mounted punches, sets up for a rana, but Johnny lifts him up and drops him face first on the ring post! One Final Beat and the curse is broken!
Johnny Gargano def. Leon Ruff via pinfall to retain the North American championship
The Way celebrates and as the announcers look to sign off, we pan up to see New Year’s Evil host Dexter Lumis standing above the ring. His caricatures run down next week’s card, which now includes Gran Metalik vs. Santos Escobar for the Cruiserweight title.