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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 to get caught up on what's been happening, and what we expect this week.
Advertised for tonight: Pat McAfee accepted Adam Cole’s invitation, so the TakeOver: XXX opponents will be face-to-face, and we’ll see how NXT champ Keith Lee responds to Karrion Kross & Scarlett’s fireball trick. Plus, we’ll learn the final two entrants in the North American title Ladder Match as Johnny Gargano faces Ridge Holland & Finn Bálor squares off with Velveteen Dream in last chance qualifiers, Legado Del Fantasma battles Breezango & Swerve Scott in trios action, and more!
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: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
Enjoy the show!
WWE NXT RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR AUG. 19
No video package, right to the first Second Chance Qualifier as Mauro Ranallo welcomes us to the show.
Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland
Candice LeRae enters with The Wednesday Knight. Johnny’s trash talking against the newcomer, but quickly gets dropped on his face. Holland uses his strength advantage to whip and slam Gargano all around. He heads outside and the former rugby player follows. He gets distracted by Mrs. Wrestling, and even though he catches a crossbody from the Triple Crown champ, he ends up getting his arm stomped on the apron. Back in the ring, they go back and forth with Johnny working the arm in between taking punishment from the bigger man. Holland is sent over the ropes and Gargano follows with a dive headfirst into his solar plexes as we go to some split screen ads.
The Wrestlings share a kiss, and the heel is in the driver’s seat in the small window. Just before we return, a scoop slam looks to be the spot where Johnny got hurt when Holland brings him down squarely on his head and neck. They play up the injury, the ref checks on Gargano as he scoots to the corner. Candice says he’ll be fine and just needs time, and when Ridge walks over he gets superkicked in the mush. He goes for One Final Beat, but Holland stops it. He spins him by his neck. A huge power slam gets two. Johnny goes for a Canadian Destroyer but gets caught, then transitions to an arm hold but gets shoved to the floor. After sending Johnny back into the ring, LeRae grabs Holland’s leg as he was getting back in the ring. While the ref checked on that, Gargano kicked his opponent below the belt. One Final Beat follows.
Johnny Gargano def. Ridge Holland via pinfall to secure a spot in the North American championship Ladder Match at TakeOver: XXX
Dakota Kai vs. Jessi Kamea
The #1 contender with a takedown right at the bell. Ground and pound, then she slams Kamea head first into a turnbuckle. She covers for two shortly after, then grabs a rope-assisted crossface. Yakuza kick in the corner, then another cover. She goes for a submission but has to let go when Jessi gets her shoulders to the mat. Splash in the corner, then a sliding D from the former volleyballer. Side slam gets two for Kamea. Moments later Dakota with the GTK.
Dakota Kai def. Jessi Kamea via pinfall
The Captain of Team Kick gets a mic. Io Shirai must be out of her mind. Everything the champ said just proved her point. She thinks Dakota is afraid of her? Io is so focused on her past, she hasn’t caught up to who she is now. She’s gonna take the belt on Saturday, and it’s gonna feel so good when she kicks her in the face over and over and over...
Shirai is here! She charges and takes her down with a spear! The Genius of the Sky takes the fight to the outside, but as Kai scoots up the ramp, Raquel Gonzalez is here! The Diesel to Dakota’s HBK boots Io to the floor. In the ring, the champ gets a lariat and a choke slam. Gonzalez raises Kai’s arm as Shirai writhes in pain.
McKenzie Mitchell talks to Tegan Nox about what Candice said about her last week. It hurt, because if we don’t know, they’re really close. These kind of disagreements happen between friends, but Nox is confident they can settle things the way they used to - over a glass of wine. She’s ready to talk.
After a commercial, Finn Balor speaks to his opponent tonight via pre-tape. Their first encounter was cut off. He acknowledges Velveteen Dream’s talent, but resents his getting chance after chance. It doesn’t matter. After tonight, it’ll be the same as ever - Finn Over.
Legado Del Fantasma vs. Breezango & Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
Tyler Breeze & Fandango are all business for their entrance. Fist bumps for Swerve, as Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, and Joaquin Wilde vacate the ring and watch from the side. They enter, and it’s a six man brawl at the bell! Scott and the Cruiserweight champ brawl on the outside, Breeze and Wilde follow, and Fango & Mendoza are the legal men to start. Raul drives Fandango into the ringpost, injured arm first. Tag to Wilde, but the Deputy is able to get to his corner for a tag. Things break down again quickly, and the good guys lay out all the bad guys on the floor as we get another commercial break.
Dango is kicking the former DJ Z’s ass when we return. He gets up on the top, when a distraction by Escobar allows Wilde to throw him into the ring. He lands on the injured arm, which allows the heels to take control. A triple team slingshot splash flattens him, and Mendoza is in to work the arm. Santos’ henchman clear Scott & Breeze off the corner, but that gives Fandango enough time to recover and go for the tag. Swerve comes in hot, and cleans house. He’s alone with Escobar, and puts him down with a sloppy-looking flatliner. He clears out Mendoza and Wilde again, which gives their boss time to regroup and counter a splash off the top with a front kick.
Wilde and Mendoza swoop back in and send Scott into his own corner, knocking Breeze off again. Swerve hits his finisher on the Cruiserweight champ, but as he’s got him pinned, the ref tells him Prince Pretty tagged in when they collided. LDF hit stereo drop kicks on Scott. Breeze comes in and does okay for a while, but the numbers game sets him up for a Phantom Driver, and the heels win.
Legado Del Fantasma def. Breezango & Swerve Scott via pinfall
We see Pat McAfee, with former Colts teammate Darius Butler and Super Bowl champ AJ Hawk entering Full Sail. His segment with Adam Cole is next.
We hear about Metallica’s theme song for Saturday, and learn that Breezango, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch, and Mendoza & Wilde will face off in a #1 contenders match will be on the TakeOver pre-show.
Undisputed ERA hits the ring. McAfee enters with his boys, and says he brought 28 years of NFL experience (not sure who the third guy is) because he knew Cole couldn’t come with his goons. Cole sends Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong to the floor, so Pat climbs in to the ring by himself. He recaps what happened two weeks ago, and Cole’s promo from last week. He hypes up Cole to emphasize how he made him look like a stooge by punting his soul out of his body. He made the longest reigning NXT champ look like a fool, and he’s an amateur. He’s made a million dollars in seven professions, and he better hope he doesn’t decide to make wrestling a full-time job, or this will be eight.
Cole asks if he’s done and steps to him, and some security guys try to stop him. He superkicks the lot of them and Pat looks intimidated. McAfee’s boys get on the apron, so TUE get in the ring. Cole invites them in to do it now, but the boys stay on the apron. He steps to Pat and says on Saturday, he’s gonna make him his bitch.
Great segment.
Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah vs. Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart
Robert Stone escorts his clients to the ring. Shotzi (helmet and all) drives her tank to the ring, then the former champ gets her own entrance. Rhea charges Martinez at the bell, and right away it’s time for some ground and pound. Shotzi and Aliyah are legal, and Blackheart welcomes her to the ball pit, but it’s really close to the wrong corner, so right after Aliyah kicks out, Shotzi has to dodge a swing from Mercedes. That lets Aliyah slam her down by the hair, and the heels have the advantage as we go to commercial.
Blackheart gets a boot up on a charge as soon as we return, then gets a sunset flip for two. Aliyah regains control and gets a nearfall of her own, then tags in her partner. The veteran sadistically picks Shotzi apart as Rhea can only watch. Blackheart gets free of a submission by putting Martinez’s shoulders down, but gets hit with a butterfly suplex for her trouble. She kicks out, and escapes one suplex with a cradle and turns another into a DDT. Both women tag, and Ripley turns inside out with clotheslines. Knees follow, then a basement drop kick. Aliyah tries to escape, but gets grabbed and smashed with a facebuster. Mercedes breaks up the pin. She gets sent outside, and Aliyah is flipped into the corner. Tag, but Martinez grabs Shotzi. She gets pulled down into the ring, and both legal wrestlers are down. Rhea goes to deal with Martinez, and there battle ends with a power bomb over the barricade onto the concrete floor! Blackheart recovers to hit a senton off the top to win it.
Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart def. Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah via pinfall
Stone checks on Martinez, and she isn’t moving. The winners celebrate.
An “exclusive preview” of Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross follows some commercials. It’s a recap of their issues over Metallica tunes. It’s good stuff. You’ll probably see it again Saturday night.
Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix run down the card for TakeOver: XXX, then it’s time for our main event.
Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream
The crowd clearly boos Dream as he enters second. He hits Finn with his usual histrionics during his entrance. Dream starts with his sunglasses on, and insists on keeping them on when Drake Wuertz asks about them. Balor rips them off and throws them away shortly after a headlock takedown though. The Prince gives him the guns and Velveteen heads outside as we go PiP. It’s a trick, as Dream quickly takes control on the floor following a cheap shot.
It’s evened up and back in the ring by the time we return. Each man gets in some offense, and Finn grabs a nasty looking leg submission. Dream makes it to the ropes for a break, but Balor continues to target the body point as his opponent screams in pain. Dream grabs an arm and gets free thanks to kicks to the head. He follows with knees, and gets two after a superkick. He presses the advantage with strikes. Mounted punches in the corner, after gyrating his crotch in Finn’s face. Too much taunting allows Balor to get some chops in, but Dream gets in some more offense, then heads outside to look at the North American title, decoratively hung above the ringside area. Cameron Grimes comes out to tell him to stay away from it as we go to break.
Grimey is watching from atop one of the ladders at ringside as Dream continues to inflict punishment on Finn when we return. He’s taking time trading talk with the North Carolinian, who’s grabbed the belt and is admiring it. Balor gets back in it by rolling through a sunset flip and hitting the basement drop kick. Dream tries to get on the top rope after a punch, and gets crotched. Tree of woe reaggravates the leg injury. Chops and whips until one of the latter sends Velveteen over the top. The Prince follows to deliver some kicks, but then climbs to jaw at Grimes. Dream uses the opening to flapjack Finn face first on the apron. Counter for counter in the ring, but Balor counters a Dream Valley Driver attempt. Drop kick into the corner, then he climbs for a Coup de Grace, but he starts arguing with Grimes again. Velveteen catches him for a superplex.
Here comes Johnny Gargano, who topples the apron Grimes is on. He’s dumped into the ring, taking out Wuertz. Dream and Balor take him out. They’re down and Johnny gets in the ring with the belt. Bronson Reed shows up and sends him scurrying. He backs into Damian Priest, who’s here now. Those two big boys get into it as everything breaks down. Balor takes Gargano with a dive, but here’s Timothy Thatcher. He levels Finn! He sends Balor back into the ring for a DVD. Purple Rainmaker follows just as Drake is waking up.
Velveteen Dream def. Finn Balor via pinfall to secure a spot in the North American championship Ladder Match at TakeOver: XXX
More melee action after the bell, ending with Reed standing tall.