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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: Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai battle for the right to challenge Io Shirai for the Women’s title at TakeOver: XXX. Plus, Undisputed Era tries to take the Tag Team championship from Imperium, Damian Priest, Oney Lorcan & the debuting Ridge Holland face off in a Triple Threat for a spot in Aug. 22’s North American title ladder match, Keith Lee deals with Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed tangles with fellow Aussie, 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. 5
We’ve short-staffed tonight, so this will be sparser and a little slower to update than usual. Apologies in advance, but we’ll still get you all the most important details on a slight delay - and it’s still a great place to comment along with the best dang pro wrestling community on the interwebs. Update... Good news for folks who like to read me call moves by the wrong name! Cain A. Knight beat the ten count from Isaias and he’s on, so my attention is here for the next few hours. Lucky you!
Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai
All Ripley at the start, knocking Kai down with drop kicks and driving her into the corner with shoulder blocks. She gets covers off a suplex and a wheelbarrow facebuster. The Nightmare gets nasty with kicks to her downed opponent and even some hairpulling. Dakota is almost in a face role here, she’s certainly the underdog, as the story is the beating she’s taking without getting pinned. A two count after she gets slammed face first onto the apron out of an electric chair set-up on the floor takes us to picture-in-picture commercials.
On the small screen, Kai finally flips the script with a drop toe hold that sends Ripley face first into the bottom turnbuckle. She’s got the former champ in a straight jacket until just before we return. A switch kick gets two, but after a roll-up counter, Rhea evades another and kicks the Kiwi in the chest to regain control. Knees in the clinch are followed by a basement dropkick. An electric chair drop in the ring gets a near fall, and the Aussie is frustrated. A standing exchange of strikes and words ends when Kai runs into a pop-up slam that gets two for Ripley.
Kai counters the Riptide into a DDT in a nifty spot that gets two for Dakota. Kai-ropractor countered by Ripley and she goes for a Sharpshooter, but Kai slips out and sends her into the turnbuckle. Face wash kick, then they head up top. Rhea fight off the superplex and forearms Dakota to the floor, but here comes Mercedes Martinez! She blasts Ripley while the ref was checking on Kai. Go To Kick from the top, and Dakota is the #1 contender!
Dakota Kai def. Rhea Ripley via pinfall; will challenge Io Shirai at TakeOver: XXX
After the match, Martinez strikes again! Air Raid Crash! Looks like Rhea isn’t done with the Robert Stone Brand after all.
After another break, we see shots of Pat McAfee earlier today. He’s calling tonight’s Tag title match between Undisputed ERA and Imperium.
Bronson Reed vs. Shane Thorne
Thorne is full of himself early, calling his shots through an early flurry. He backed it too, for a while. He takes too long after knocking Reed down on the floor with a dive, and is full nelson slammed onto the apron a second later. He fight his way back into it, but is turned inside out with a clothesline before too long. A running DVD and the splash off the top ends it.
Bronson Reed def. Shane Thorne via pinfall
Earlier today, Breezango were rolling up to the building when Legado del Fantasma rolled up in a SUV and jumped them. The cruiserweight champ and his boys throw Fandango in the car and drive off as Tyler Breeze chases after them.
McKenzie Mitchell catches up to Stone, Martinez and Aliyah. Bob says that Ripley turned down his invitation to join the brand, but that doesn’t mean they’re done with her. The heels laugh and walk off.
There’s a look back at last week’s Triple Threat, which includes news that Finn Balor attacked Timothy Thatcher in the aftermath. Then it’s time for this week’s.
Damian Priest vs. Ridge Holland vs. Oney Lorcan
It’s a brawl from the start, first between Lorcan and the debuting (and all thighs) Holland, but Priest jumps in before too long. Oney is flattened by Ridge as we go to break. They’re all still a clubberin’ when we return, but Lorcan hits both opponents with a double blockbuster. Half crab on Priest is broken up, but Oney levels both men and covers Damian for two. He rolls out, and Lorcan thinks about a dive but is pounced by Ridge. Slam for two, but Priest breaks things up before he can follow up. Holland outmuscles his fellow big man and covers off a powerslam, but Oney breaks it up.
Holland knocks Lorcan down, but Oney hulks up. Big chop that Ridge yells through, but two running Europeans put him down. Priest re-enters, and chokeslams Holland then hits Reckoning on Lorcan to punch his ticket to TakeOver.
Damian Priest def. Ridge Holland & Oney Lorcan via pinfall to advance to the North American championship Ladder Match at TakeOver: XXX
More commercials, then we see the tweets from McAfee and Cole as we’re reminded about the Tag title bout.
Cameron Grimes vs. Keith Lee
Grimey is bouncing around and sizing up the NXT champ as he slowly gets ready, then gets in the ropes and rolls out as soon as Lee steps to him. When they finally engage, it’s forearms from Grimes that Lee no sells, then grabs him by the head and throws him across the ring. Cameron tries to crawl out again, but gets caught by the boot. Upkick creates some space, but a shoulder sends the North Carolinian flying when he tries to follow up. Keith hurls Grimes to the floor moments later. He charges like he’s Braun Strowman, and Grimes with a drop kick to his shin. The champ is then whipped leg first into the ring steps, and Cameron climbs to knock him down with the Asai moonsault from the top as we go to break.
Strikes from Lee right after we return set up a diving crossbody that gets two. Grimes escapes Big Bang Catastrophe with a roll-up, and a second with the help of the ropes, but can’t keep the champ down. Back-and-forth leads to Collision Course and Grimey gets another nearfall on the champ. He sets up for a Cave In, but Keith catches him. Grizzly Magnum! The champ is pissed. He takes too long though, and Grimes gets back up for more strikes. Lee doubles but doesn’t go down. He grabs a wrist and holds on for a series of clotheslines. Spirit Bomb ends it.
Keith Lee def. Cameron Grimes via pinfall
The lights go out, and we hear Scarlett speaking in a foreign language (Russian?). A black and white look at Karrion Kross comes up on the screen. He says he hasn’t seen General Manager William Regal here since he signed. Since he’s the only one who can make the match, all of this is on him. The camera pans out and we see someone laid out amidst some wreckage backstage. There are at least three guys laid out in the locker room.
Mr. Regal Skypes in after some ads, to tell us Dexter Lumis is injured and out of TakeOver. He’s heard what he considers valids complaints from Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor about not being pinned in their qualifiers. So in two weeks, there will be two singles matches between the men who didn’t factor in the finish of their Triple Threats to determine the final two entrants in the TakeOver ladder match.
Legado Del Fantasma are dragging Dango into the building. Santos Escobar says every week they play dress up, and at Great American Bash, they mocked lucha libre culture. No mas. He orders Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza to beat him down. Breeze tries to make the save and gets beatdown too. The Cruiserweight champ tells everyone who can hear him, including Swerve Scott, to not disrespect them, or the same thing will happen.
We get a video package on Undisputed ERA’s history with the tag belts, and their issues with Imperium.
Faceless interviewer guy catches up with Damian Priest. He reiterates what he said last week about how he’s winning the North American title. He’s about to talk about the injury to Lumis when Bronson Reed approaches to congratulate him. Priest tells him not to get any dreams about the North American title in his head. Reed takes issue with that, and challenges the Archer of Infamy to a singles match.
Pat McAfee joins Tom Phillips at the announce desk, and assures us everything is fine between him and everyone at NXT.
Tegan Nox vs. Indi Hartwell
Hartwell gets in Nox’s face bragging about beating Shotzi Blackheart, so Tegan hits her with a headbutt. Indi quickly powers into the driver’s seat, and squelches a comeback with a big boot that gets a two count. Tegan is fired up after that, hitting a bulldog, running senton in the corner, then Shiniest Wizard for the win.
Tegan Nox def. Indi Hartwell via pinfall
We see Imperium warming up, and McAfee says he’s sticking around for that one.
Imperium vs. Undisputed ERA
Adam Cole & Roderick Strong accompany Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish to the match. There’s a lot of talk with Pat about his history with Cole & TUE during the entrances, and they’re laying it on thick about how cool he is with everyone now.
Fabian Aichner starts for the champs, and is quickly isolated in the challengers’ corner. Aichner with a backbreaker on Fish to turn the tide. He works the arm rather than going for a tag. Bobby backs him into the ropes, and Marcel Bathel tags himself in to continue the work.
Imperium works over Fish while McAfee heels it up, bad mouthing Cole repeatedly until Beth Phoenix calls him on it and eventually announces she’s not cool with this. We see Cole glance back, presumably because he can hear Pat trashing him again, as we go to commercial.
When we return, McAfee is grinning like the Cheshire Cat while Cole stares daggers through him. We’re told Beth left she was so upset. Kyle gets the hot tag, and Pat is defending himself against Mauro now by saying everything he’s saying about Cole (he’s small and TUE is responsible for his title wins) is true. He also calls Tom Phillips a moron at one point.
O’Reilly gets the leg while McAfee makes height jokes. Barthel gets the ropes, so Fish hits him with a diving headbutt. Cole goes to confront McAfee, who hits him with a Will Ferrell “he’s an angry elf” line, so Cole throws water on him. Triple H & Shawn Michaels come out to separate the two of them.
In the ring, O’Reilly is distracted. He gets knocked off the apron, and Bathel & Aichner hit Fish with a European Bomb.
Imperium def. Undisputed ERA by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team titles
Things seem to have settled down at the table, but then McAfee tells Cole he’ll also be a teeny, tiny little bitch. When he tries to get free to attack him, the former punter punts him in the head. HBK checks on an unconscious Cole while Trips shoves McAfee out of the building. Pat is taunting everyone about what an unprofessional place they’re running as the show ends.