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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, live from the Capitol Wrestling Center: Austin Theory works out his issues with Dexter Lumis, Jordan Devlin arrives to call out Santos Escobar, LA Knight has his first match in NXT, Swerve Scott battles Leon Ruff, Tomasso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs. Imperium, fallout from last week’s eventful ending with Finn Bálor, Karrion Kross, Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly, 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.
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Enjoy the show!
WWE NXT RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAR. 17
Finn Bálor is in the ring and the champ has something on his mind! “St. Patrick’s Day, 2021, Finn Bálor STILL NXT champion. Kyle O’Reilly? Beat him. Pete Dunne? Beat him. Adam Cole? Beat him. And now, only one man remains. Karrion Kross, I’ve been waiting for you. And at Takeover: Stand & Deliver, your time is up.”
That brings out Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux! Kross: “This entire situation was never going to happen until you and I settled our separate affairs, and now, it’s me and you, one on one, mano a mano, nobody else involved. Otherwise this whole confrontation is meaningless. Because at NXT, THEY need to know who the real champion is around here. You need to know it, I need to know it, the entire world needs to know it.”
Bálor: “Everybody wants to be the champion, until the real champion walks into the room. You walk like a champion, you talk like a champion, but there’s one problem — Finn Bálor’s the champion, and you don’t have what it takes to be in the main event and beat me!”
Kross: “I promise you — at NXT Takeover, you are going to know, exactly what it feels like when I squeeze all the oxygen out of your skull and I choke you out.”
Bálor: “And you’re going to know what it feels like to be in the main event of Takeover and CHOKE.”
Bordeaux: “I’ve already seen this in the cards. This, right here. Two champions, both, draped in gold. The world in awe. It all happens for a reason.”
We’re interrupted by Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Butch: “Bálor you know who you should be fighting for the champion?” Lorcan: “It’s the best technical wrestler this place has ever seen. Pete Dunne! Me and Danny, we know he can beat you Finn. And Kross? Big man? We know he can beat you too. You want to talk about this concept of time? Well sooner or later Pete Dunne will be NXT champion.”
Bordeaux: “There are moments like this that lead us to an inevitable future. Moments like this where you two put your NXT tag titles on the line against THEM. Boys, boys, boys. You, are confident, aren’t you? You, know what you want, don’t you? You both know what you bring to the table, right? And you, wouldn’t stand the word coward being associated with your name, would you?” Burch: “She’s right. We’re not cowards, we’re champs. So it’s the NXT tag team champions against youse two, tonight!” Bordeaux: “Do you see what I’m saying? Every moment happens for a reason. You can’t change fate.”
Dexter Lumis vs. Austin Theory
Dexter Lumis comes out first, while Austin Theory gets a pep talk from Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae via Zoom backstage before he heads to the ring. Gargano tells him the final part of his therapy is to face Lumis ALONE. He gets in the ring, the bell rings, and he immediately throws Lumis to bash him face first into the announcer desk repeatedly. This sends us to our first commercial break!
Back from commercial and Theory hits a fall away slam on Lumis for a near fall. Lumis tries to put Theory in a choke but he breaks free and picks Lumis up for a slam, then drops an elbow on his chest for good measure. Lumis kicks out at two. The NeXTras chant “Let’s go Lumis” as the match continues. Lumis catches Theory in mid-air for a spinebuster. Lumis knocks Theory down with a right hand, hits an uppercut and a bulldog, slams him, kips up, and goes for a near fall. Lumis pulls Theory up by the ears and goes for a vertical suplex, but Theory counters into a roll up for a near fall.
Lumis with an uppercut and a rope assisted suplex on Theory. Lumis goes to the top! Theory rolls away and he throws fists himself to get another two count. Lumis and Theory trade fists and elbows before Lumis levels Theory with a clothesline. Theory gets up very slowly. Lumis offers him a hand to help him back to his feet. Theory accepts and the two exchange an awkward stare. Theory goes for a hug but Lumis goes for his Silencer. Theory says he knew better than to trust him and goes for a slam, but Lumis counters and powers Theory to the canvas and locks in the Silencer again. Theory goes out cold!
Your winner of the context: Dexter Lumis
Tommaso Ciampa interrupts McKenzie Mitchell and says Timothy Thatcher is missing in action. Ciampa says that Imperium took matters into their own hands, so he says that he’s going to do the same, and she should go ask Fabian and Marcel what happened to Alexander Wolfe. When they have no answer, he says she can tell them that by the end of the night HE will be the last man standing. Commercial.
Adam Cole: “Last week Kyle O’Reilly made the biggest mistake of his life! Kyle decided to cost me the NXT champion, so Kyle let me explain something to you PUNK, you know that deep down in your soul you are jealous of me. You know you’ll never be as successful as me and that eats you alive. So congratulations Kyle, you just signed your death warrant. I don’t care if he’s medically cleared or not, I’m not leaving this ring until I’m finished with him once and for all!”
William Regal: “Kyle wasn’t even medically cleared to be here last week, and because of your fight last week, he’s now even further behind in his recovery. Let me reassure you he’s not here tonight because he’s been banned from the building.”
The video wall interrupts with a promo for Kyle O’Reilly. “I will not rest until I end you like YOU TRIED TO END MY CAREER. I don’t know what I’m going to have to do but you need to know I’m willing to do it, and if that sounds like a threat, you’re damn right is is a threat.”
Cole: “Now he’s going to threaten me? Regal you listen to me and you listen to me right now. He says he’s going to hurt me? Well NOT IF I HURT HIM FIRST.”
McKenzie Mitchell is with Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon, who are so proud of being the tag team champions. They’re interrupted by Robert Stone, and his proteges Aliyah and Jessi Kamea. To get right to the point they’re getting a tag team title shot NEXT WEEK on NXT, and this sends us to a commercial break!
Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango
Santos Escobar comes out wearing a suit and tie with the interim cruiserweight title around his waist, accompanying his men Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza to the ring. Breezango make their entrance afterward and the NeXTras would be “Fandangoing” if that was still a thing. There’s not much time wasted though because the bell rings and we’re under way! Breezango are in control early with quick tags and double team moves on Mendoza. Breeze covers Mendoza for a near fall. Mendoza kicks Breeze in the head and tags Wilde in, who hits a knee to the back and a diving crossbody for a near fall.
Breeze gets the boots up as Mendoza charges, and he tags Fandango in for a big dropkick and another near fall. Mendoza with a jaw jacker and Wilde reaches out for a tag, but Mendoza is enjoying his handiwork and mocking Fandango’s dance moves. He puts Fandango in a headlock to try and wear him down. Breeze holds the tag rope and looks on from the apron. Wilde finally gets the tag and unloads with a chop. Fandango reverses an Irish whip and goes to the top rope but gets cut off. Fandango knocks Wilde away but gets kicked off the top and falls hard to the floor to send us to break.
Fandango tags Breeze, Mendoza tags Wilde, and both men are on the attack as we come back! Breeze unloads with a series of kicks as Escobar looks on. Breeze hooks a single leg crab and Wilde is trying to grab the ropes to break the hold. Breeze drags him back to the center and when Wilde breaks free he flips him all the way outside of the ring to the floor. Breeze hits a super kick when Wilde comes back in but Escobar breaks up the pinfall. Breeze goes for the Unprettier but it’s blocked. Mendoza makes a blind tag and Legado del Fantasma double team Breeze so Mendoza can get the pin.
The winners of this match: Legado del Fantasma
Escobar immediately goes over to the announce booth to tell them who runs things around here, and he demands to know where Jordan Devlin is. He doesn’t have to wait long as Devlin marches down to the ring with a mic in one hand and the real cruiserweight title in the other! Devlin: “You know something mate? You’ve been running around here for a year now claiming you’re this and that. Take a good look though because this is what a REAL champion looks like. I didn’t need to jump you from behind, and I didn’t need two little stooges either. You’ve been telling everybody you’re the king of this division, but THE ACE is back in town. The guy you’ve been filling in for is BACK.”
Escobar: “Filling in? I have redefined what it means to be a cruiserweight. You’re welcome. Filling in? I’ve made history as the cruiserweight champion and I’ve proven it time after time after time.” (Somebody call Cyndi Lauper.) “You know why you still have that title? Because everybody here forgot you had it in the first place. So go wrap up your business in the UK and come back here to face me at the one stage big enough for the emperor — NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver — and we’ll settle this once, and for all.” Devlin’s response? A headbutt and a suplex! He bails out of the ring before the flunkies can touch him and walks to the back with his title held high. Backstage Adam Cole tells McKenzie Mitchell he’s going to leave the building to find Kyle O’Reilly and hurt him badly. Commercial!
Promo for “Sarray, the Warrior of the Sun” soon to make her NXT debut when we return! I can only assume that’s their new name for Sareee.
Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark
Stark enters first, and Kai enters accompanied by Raquel González. The referee calls for the bell and the action begins! The announcers are full of praise for Stark being “muscular” and a “powerhouse” as she grounds Kai and wrenches on her left arm. Kai gets back up and throws a right hand to break free, and Stark looks at her like “witch please” and runs over her with a clothesline. González looks on from the outside as Kai gets the upper hand and whips Stark into the corner before a boot to the jaw for two. Kai pulls on Stark’s hair and she screams in pain. Kai locks in a body scissor but almost gets rolled backward into a pinfall twice as a result. The ladies get back to their feet and Stark leapfrogs a charge. Kai sidesteps a charge too and tries to drag Stark to the floor. Stark blocks it and springboards to wipe Kai out and send us to a break!
Dakota Kai has apparently been in control during the entire commercial break and gets another near fall as we return. She misses with a boot and we get a double clothesline leaving both women down. Kai gets to her feet and Stark crawls to the ropes to get back to her own, then starts to run Wilde on Kai before missing with a foot stomp. Suplex and a kip up before a knee to the jaw for a two count on Kai. Kai trips Wilde on a charge and she goes throat first into the ropes. Kai spins Stark around on the ring apron to kick her in the head. Stark with a kick to the jaw and she attempts a German on the apron, but Kai elbows her way free. Stark dumps Kai back in the ring and goes for a springboard but Kai with a superkick as she leaps in. Stark kicks out at 2.9! Kai picks up Stark but she counters for a couple of near falls and lands a knee. Rolling fireman’s carry for Stark. Kai kicks Stark as she goes up top! Kai with the elevated knees to the face for the pin.
The winner of this contest: Dakota Kai
This brings out Io Shirai, who marches her way down to the ring with a contract in hand. Shirai ignores Kai and marches straight to González, slapping the contract into her chest, and leaving the ring to help Stark to the back. Undoubtedly she’s already signed it and González only needs to make it official. Backstage McKenzie Mitchell is trying to get answer from William Regal but a producer interrupts them and says he needs Mr. Regal RIGHT NOW because something has happened to Adam Cole. Commercial!
The Grizzled Young Veterans vow to get their revenge on MSK before Imperium make their way to the ring for ... a HOT STAR. Tommaso Ciampa runs out to attack Fabian Aichner with a chair and then grounds Barthel right after the opening bell.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Marcel Barthel
Barthel gets back into control and tries to weaken Ciampa with submission holds and face locks. He pushes Ciampa down to his knees and drives an elbow into his head. He whips Ciampa into the corner and suplexes him across the ring. Ciampa comes back with a flying knee and clotheslines Barthel out to the apron, goes for the draping DDT, but Aichner makes the save and Ciampa gets hit with a boot to the face. Barthel runs Ciampa’s face across the ropes and then cuts a promo on the absent Thatcher for the camera, telling him to “Step in line!” Ciampa catches a boot coming and hits a big knee. Ciampa with a series of clotheslines and he knocks Aichner off the apron with an uppercut before hitting a big suplex. Willow’s Bell for three!
The winner of this contest: Tommaso Ciampa
WALTER IS HERE!! He’s standing at the top of the ramp and Ciampa looks pleased that “the general” has finally shown up. He has the NXT UK title around his waist. He rips off his jacket to show it off, Ciampa dares him to step into the ring, and then Imperium double teams Ciampa as he’s distracted. WALTER UNLOADS WITH A CHOP to level Ciampa just as he breaks free. It’s a three on one beatdown as everyone in Imperium (sans Alexander Wolfe) stand proudly in the ring over him. Meanwhile Regal is outside the CWC with police officers and Adam Cole screaming profanities at Kyle O’Reilly for trying to run him over with his car. “I WILL NOT CALM DOWN. YOU ARE FINISHED!!” LA Knight is set to debut next, but Bronson Reed is stalking him backstage as he’s cutting a promo before the commercial break.
LA Knight vs. August Grey
Knight’s opponent is already in the ring as he makes his entrance, which suggests that it’s a squash in the making. Nobody’s even bothering to introduce him but it’s “205 Live standout August Grey.” The referee signals for the bell. Knight is choking him out on the ropes, booting him in the face, and diving back into the ring to wipe him out. Spinebuster by Knight. Bronson Reed comes out to the top of the entrance ramp with LA Knight’s jacket and puts it on, ripping it apart by trying to put it on. Distraction roll up for a near fall. Knee to the head, boot to the gut, FACE PLANT, and this match is over.
The winner of this contest: LA Knight
Backstage González is happy now that she’s got her contract and her match with Shirai whenever she wants it. Dakota Kai tells her that’s great but she needs her next week for a tag team match against Io Shirai and Zoey Stark so they can show everybody “who runs this place.” González: “Yeah, I can get behind that.” Elbow bump and commercial.
Regal: “Everything is completely out of control. Hopefully the police drop their charges, because if they do, I’m going to bring them to the Capitol Wrestling Center next week. Nobody can stop them from destroying each other, but I have a solution in mind.”
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (champs) vs. Karrion Kross & Finn Bálor (NXT Tag Title Match)
Lorcan and Burch are already waiting in the ring. Kross and Bordeaux enter first before “The Prince” does. Giving both men their full entrance means that the title match isn’t even going to start until eight minutes before the top of the hour, because we still have to get the “big match intro” with the lights down, so a big overrun for NXT on USA Network is 100% guaranteed. Kross opens the match and dominates Lorcan before Burch is tagged in. He charges Kross for a shoulder tackle and runs into a brick wall, then Kross clotheslines him as Bálor applauds from the apron. Kross with a bear hug to wear Burch down. Burch tries to punch his way free to no avail. Burch tries again and finally gets out. Kross picks him right back up for a scoop slam and stares a hole through Lorcan as he does. Lorcan runs in and Kross blocks the double team with a double overhead suplex. Commercial!
Bálor was tagged in during the commercial break and he’s not dominating the way that Kross was before it. In fact Lorcan talks him down with a clothesline and stomps a mudhole into him in the corner before putting a boot to his neck. I don’t really enjoy seeing the champion as the face-in-peril here, but that’s the way this match was agented and booked. Meanwhile medical personnel are tending to Danny Burch on the outside, but I have no idea whether that’s storyline or if he got a separated shoulder on the double overhead suplex. Anything’s possible. Lorcan drops Bálor to his knees with an uppercut as the NeXTras boo. A double down leads to Bálor crawling for the hot tag, but Lorcan knocks Kross off the apron before Bálor can get there. Bálor whips Lorcan back and forth across the ring in response and clothesline him out to the floor. Slingblade on the pretty black mats! Bálor sizes him up and hits the missile dropkick, but he’s knocked backward into Bordeaux and she takes a bump. Kross is IRATE and starts beating up his own partner before throwing him back into the ring. Lorcan with a charging uppercut to get the pin!
The winners of this contest and STILL champions: Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Kross continues the beatdown on Bálor in the ring. So much for Scarlett Bordeaux’s prediction that two men would be draped in gold. She pulls Bálor back up to his feet just so Kross can sock him with a forearm to the head from behind though, so arguably that was her plan all along. She lays the title on his chest and tells him “Everything happens for a reason. You can’t escape fate.” That’s how the show ends!