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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: WWE Women’s Tag champs Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax return to defend the titles against Dusty Cup winners Dakota Kai & Raquel González, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch tangle with Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher in non-title 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.
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Enjoy the show!
WWE NXT RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAR. 3
We’re back at the Capitol Wrestling Center! The show opens with a video package showing what happened at the end of last week’s show between Adam Cole and Roderick Strong, and reminds us that the women’s tag team titles will be on the line tonight. That’s not the only tag team match on tap though!
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT Tag Team Champions) vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher (non-title match)
The champs enter first followed by a pair of angry looking SOB’s. I thought by their scowls we’d get a hot start, but the bell rings and we get a typical lock up between Thatcher and Burch. Side headlock takeover is counted into a near fall before Thatcher goes for an arm lock. He has to release it when they get into the ropes. Bad News Barrett is relishing the action in the ring, referring to his countrymen as “Trans-Atlantic brawlers.”
Thatcher and Burch devolve into brawling with each other and throwing uppercuts into they push their way into the face corner so Ciampa can tag in. They push their way to the opposite corner and Lorcan tags himself in too. Lorcan throws a chop after a ref break and Ciampa looks at him like he’s stupid, then UNLOADS with a couple chops of his own. Lorcan grabs Ciampa by the beard, but he breaks free and they counter each other move for move until Ciampa hits a knee to Lorcan. Burch tries to interfere and Ciampa teases a suicide dive, but Thatcher gives him an uppercut on the outside.
Thatcher tags in and gets a near fall before it’s broken by a fish hook and a chop block to the left knee. Burch tags back in and hits a clothesline. Thatcher rolls outside to sell the impact and teases that his knee is jacked up in the process. Ciampa runs over to check on him and the ref comes out of the ring too as we go to commercial.
We’re back and Thatcher managed to get back into the ring, but he’s on the ground selling as Lorcan is working over the leg and he’s selling the pain. He kicks Lorcan away and Burch makes the blind tag and goes right for the leg. Thatcher kicks him away too and dives for Ciampa to make the hot tag. Ciampa immediately cleans house on everybody in sight. He lays in right hands in the face corner to Burch and tags Thatcher so he can add uppercuts. They keep tagging each other in to soften Burch up. Thatcher throw Burch and applies a sleeper. Lorcan tries to break it up and fails. Both heels take a series of closes fists to the chest. Eventually Ciampa is knocked out so the heels can work Thatcher two on one but he gets back to brawl and all four men wind up laying on the pretty black mat selling.
Imperium have made their way to the entrance ramp and are standing there watching the action. The distraction of their arrival prevents Thatcher from making a hot tag to Ciampa, and Ciampa himself gets knocked off the apron when Lorcan tags in. Lorcan and Burch hit their assisted spike DDT and get the three count as the NXT wrestlers watching boo.
Winners of this contest: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
Roderick Strong is making his way to the ring but FIRST these commercial messages.
Roderick Strong: “Adam Cole, get your ass out here right now!” He doesn’t. “No surpris. Adam, if any single one of us, meant a thing to you, just a little bit — please get out here right now.” That’s not Adam Cole’s music though.
Finn Bálor: “Roddy when are you gonna learn that Adam Cole’s not gonna come out here for you? What do you t’ink? Adam’s gonna come out here and offer you some sort of explanation for what happened?”
Strong: “Hey Finn you know what? I find this REALLY FUNNY, because the Undisputed Era was doing perfectly fine until you showed up. So in my mind, this whole thing is YOUR FAULT.” Bálor takes exception to that and gets into the ring.
Bálor: “It’s my fault? Let me tell you something — it ain’t my fault. The reason why your so-called brotherhood fell apart, it’s because of this title. I know how to get Adam Cole out here. Next week, Adam Cole vs. Finn Bálor for the NXT Championship! And as for you Roddy... you’ll never be a leader... you’ll always be a follower. Until you get a little more greedy, and a little more selfish, and until you get a killer instinct like The Prince you’ll never...”
Roderick Strong attacks! The two start brawling all over the ring as a series of Foot Locker employees hit the ring to break it up. LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!
The Way goes to therapy
Linda Nicoli, M.D. says she normally sees patients one-on-one but Johnny Gargano says he needs his whole family here. Gargano says Dexter Lumis is the problem, he kidnapped Theory, but Gargano acts like nothing happened. Theory: “I was on vacation man!” Candice LeRae: “Oh sweetie. Being locked for somewhere three days, that’s not a vacation.” Indi Hartwell: “With the right guy it could be!” Nicoli asks Theory if he’s in denial and he says no, Dexter Lumis is a good guy, he just needed a friend.
Hartwell has been doodling on a pad and Gargano demands to see it. He rips it out of her hands and it says “Mrs. Indi Wrestling Lumis.” He screams that he gave her the name Indi Wrestling as a Christmas present and she RUINED CHRISTMAS. Gargano screams at the doctor that Lumis should be locked up. “Mr. Gargano, it seems like your hostility toward Mr. Lumis is exposing some deep rooted issues of your own.” Gargano: “Oh no. I see what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make this about me. I’m not here to be theraPEED on. You theraPEE on him, you don’t theraPEE on me.” She tells him to get out and slams the door shut behind him. Commercial!
Cameron Grimes says he wants to change the CWC to the CGA — the Cameron Grimes Auditorium. A producer wearing a headset asks if it’ll get approved. “I got enough money man I can approve anything around here, let me tell you. How’s it going Mr. Regal? I’m a little busy right now.” William Regal puts his hand on Grimes’ right shoulder. “Cameron, stand up please.” Grimes tries to ignore him so he says it again with a more forceful grab. “Last week you hit a crew member, and I’ve got a potential lawsuit on my hands.” Grimes tries to offer some money and starts counting out the dollars. Regal: “Don’t worry about the money I’ll take care of that. It’s you that I’m not happy with.” Grimes: “Oh I understand. I see. You’re the one that wants some money. Alright, no problem. I got enough money. I got KISS MY GRITS money. You know everybody has a price.” Regal: “I have NO IDEA what that means. I know I have a contract for tonight with your name on it, and you’ll be facing ... the colossal Bronson Reed.” Grimes screams “THAT DAMN TED DIBIASE” and leaves.
Aliyah vs. Ember Moon
The bell rings and the match is underway. Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea are watching on one side of the ring, and Shotzi Blackheart is watching Ember Moon’s back on the other side. Aliyah hits her in the face and Robert Stone eggs her on. Moon throws her outside and gives chase. Stone and Kamea come over to try something, Blackheart makes them back off, Moon catches Aliyah when she tries to dive to the outside off the distraction and kicks her in the face for good measure before throwing Aliyah back in. Aliyah tries to get back into the match with some kicks of her own for a near and puts a knee to her spine and cranks on her neck for good measure.
Moon knocks her away, wraps her legs around Aliyah’s head for a takedown, and hits a series of clotheslines before firing up with a primal scream. Spinebuster for a near fall as Aliyah is selling . Moon climbs to the top rope and Aliyah cuts her off. Moon grabs the tights and throws her off. Kamea and Stone try to interfere and Blackheart hits a dive to take them both out, and Ember Moon hits the eclipse for the pin!
The winner of this contest: Ember Moon
Thatcher and Ciampa are being interviewed backstage by McKenzie Mitchell. Thatcher: “We all come from somewhere Miss McKenzie. We all have a past. Those guys keep throwing mine in my face.” Ciampa interrupts. “His past with Imperium is just that — it’s the past. Are we done here?” They close the locker room door and McKenzie shakes her head. Commercial break!
Video package promoting Io Shirai defending the NXT Women’s Title against Toni Storm on next week’s episode of NXT. Shirai says Storm is standing in her way of being recognized as one of the greatest champions in the belt’s history, and even though Storm is a huge champion, we’ll hear the announcer say the words “AND STILL” in just seven days.
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions) vs. Dakota Kai and Raquel González (Title Match)
We’re getting the full package here — lights down, full introductions for the champions and the challengers, and the NXT extras (NeXTras?) cheering and booing the faces and heels. The lights come up, the bell rings, and we get Nia Jax quickly tagging herself in to take on Dakota Kai. Kai tries to get to González got a tag but Jax cuts her off. Baszler tags back in and hits a punch to the gut before ramming Kai’s head into the turnbuckle. She teases an overhand right and then pats Kai on the head when she flinches. Kai charges in and Baszler tries to stomp on the hand but she gets out of the way and slaps Baszler. Kai with a near fall and an arm drag. Baszler sweeps the leg and Kai face plants. Baszler tosses her out of the ring to the floor like a sack of garbage. González goes to check on her friend and the two sides get face to face as we go to commercial!
We’re back with Kai being dragged out of the ring by Baszler. She throws Kai back in and stomps on the leg repeatedly. González is begging for a tag but it’s Jax who tags in and throws Jax over her back to wrench the leg. Kai gets free but Jax gives her a head butt to knock her down. She throws her down and picks her up for a stretch muffler on the left knee then swings her face first into the turnbuckle for a near fall. Baszler tags back in and the two on one assault continues. Baszler’s near fall is broken up by González.
Kai finally mounts some offense by kicking Baszler until she has to crawl away in pain, and that gives her the opportunity to hot tag González. Fall away slam. Overhead suplex. Elbows to the head in the corner. Black Hole Slam for 2.9! Baszler blocks a powerbomb and tags Jax in. Jax: “What do you got, huh?” It’s now power versus power. Jax wins the power battle and tags Baszler back in for a knee to the face and a near fall. She jumps on González’ back for a rear naked choke but González frees herself, his a big boot and tags in Kai. She puts Baszler on her shoulders and Kai kicks her for a double team maneuver but Jax breaks up the pin. She and González fight on the outside as the action continues.
Kai tries to pick up Baszler but her knees gives out. She tries again but Baszler puts on the Kirifuda Clutch. Kai is fading fast. She’s trying to fight her way to González for the tag. Jax tries to distract the ref but González hits the big boot and we get a ref bump in the process. Jax and González crash through the announce table as Baszler, Kai and the ref are all down back in the NXT ring. Beth Phoenix: “Total physical carnage for these four women!” The Kirifuda Clutch is applied again and a new referee runs down. The announcers are screaming that Kai was not the legal woman but it doesn’t matter because the ref called for the bell on the submission anyway.
The winners AND STILL WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax
Therapy continues for The Way
Dr. Nicoli wants to know why Dexter Lumis has had his eye on Austin Theory. Theory: “I just think he gets lonely sometimes and he could really use a friend, you know?” Indi Hartwell: “I’ll be his friend, with benefits.” Candice LeRae: “He doesn’t want friends. He wants victims.” Theory: “He can be a little weird sometimes.” Hartwell: “I like it when he gets weird.” Johnny Gargano keeps texting Candice and Nicoli gets pissed. She opens the office door and he falls in. “I ordered Uber Eats. You guys wants some?” Nicoli looks at Candice and says “YOU. OUT.” Nicoli tells Theory this is a safe space and asks him to say what really happened. Before we can find out L.A. Knight is on his way to the ring and that leads us to... you guessed it... MORE COMMERCIALS!!
We don’t get L.A. Knight after the break. We get Isaiah Scott in the recording studio saying this is SWERVE’S HOUSE. He informs Leon Ruff that he’s a dangerous, savage individual who is “just different... and I just, don’t, care, any more.”
L.A. Knight speaks his piece
Knight is in the ring at the Capitol Wrestling Center and signals to cut the music, because he’s got a mic and he’s got the floor. “I have waited entirely too long to step into this very ring, stare straight down the barrel, and say LEMME TALK TO YA. But you don’t understand! Don’t think I’m about to come out here and talk about childhood dreams. This isn’t a dream, this is business, my business. My business involves me whipping another man’s ass when he steps through these ropes. You might say hey man that guy’s the Tom Brady of wrestling. Tom Brady wishes he was half the man of L.A. Knight. But just like old Tommy Boy, I didn’t come in the first round draft pick, but when it’s all said and done I’ll be the guy setting records. You got your Johnny Garganos, your Kyle O’Reillys, your Adam Coles, hell you got your Finn Bálors. They got their flips, their kicks, their dives. Bring that to my front door and I will beat the absolute hell out of you. I didn’t come here to do anything fancy. Not one thing fancy. You might not like how I do it but I get the job done. Why? Because I’m the last of a dying breed. When the time comes for the coronation, don’t call me the GOAT, that’s so overplayed, so overused. Call me the one thing that sets me apart — it’s L.A. Knight. Who’s game is it? It’s my game. That’s not an insult. That’s a fact of life.”
Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes
Reed makes his way to the ring and Knight somewhat reluctantly takes his leave. After his departure Grimes dances his way to the ring flashing all of his money and making it rain on the ring apron. He continues throwing it around in the ring, throwing it at the camera, all while Reed stands there waiting for the foolishness to come to an end.
The bell rings and Grimes starts counting out money to bribe Reed, but Reed punches him in the face for his efforts. Grimes tries to knock him away with a couple of kicks, but Reed just picks him up and drops him outside. Grimes tries to come back in on a sunset flip but Reed just SITS ON HIM for a near fall and we go to commercial break.
I’m honestly stunned this wasn’t a one minute match, but here we are after the commercial break, with Cameron Grimes in control and even getting a near fall. He gets full mount and lays in the left and right hands until Reed tosses him aside. Grimes applies a chin lock and Reed winces and shakes his head no for the referee. Grimes with a knee to the head and a stomp on the right hand before a series of kicks. The kicks are only pissing Reed off and making him HULK UP to his feet. He spins Grimes around with a chop and knocks him down with right hands.Grimes is goozled for a choke slam but he blocks it. Grimes goes for a clothesline but is turned inside out by Reed’s. Grimes suddenly decides to take a powder so Reed does a SUICIDE DIVE to wipe Grimes out. Pretty impressive to see a guy his size fly!! L.A. Knight knocks Reed off the top and Grimes hits a cave in for the pin. SAY WHAT?
The winner of this contest: Cameron Grimes
I don’t know if this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but it’s definitely Grimes Time tonight on NXT thanks to Mr. Knight. Meanwhile William Regal and Adam Pearce are having a discussion behind closed doors about the wrong woman being pinned in the tag title match. Meanwhile Kayden Carter says she has no idea when Kacy Catanzaro will be back from injury, but she doesn’t give a damn about Xia Li, and now she’s gonna take Li out. “Now all I see is red. No fear, no hesitation. Next week, she can come get it!” Commercial.
More therapy with The Way
Dr. Nicoli is alone now with Austin Theory. He says he was in a room with boarded up windows but that he ate cereal and watched cartoons all day long and it was great. “Austin the truth is ... he couldn’t wait to get rid of you. He said your eating habits are unsightly, your fashion sense is atrocious, and he was extremely disgusted with your fascination with cutting off all your shirts to show off your mediocre abdominal section.” Theory runs out of the room screaming and crying to get a hug from Gargano. He says he’ll tell this lady a thing or two. The Way takes a distraught Theory outside and GARGANO PAYS THE DOCTOR OFF for her help... then takes one bill back for “arcade money” and yells that they’re all going to Chuck E. Cheese. He leaves and Nicoli says “What a bunch of idiots!”
Ever-Rise vs. Breezango
Before this match can even get started Legado Del Fantasma members Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde interrupt the “moon landing” entrance for Breezango. Ever-Rise thanks them for the beating, but Legado aren’t happy and hit the ring. Ever-Rise say they “weren’t born yesterday” and take a powder, but Santos Escobar runs out from the back to stomp them down and hits the ring to join his flunkies. They hand him a mic. Santos Escobar: “Do not mistake last week for weakness. If you do THIS, is what awaits you!”
This match is a NO CONTEST.
William Regal: “Because of what happened in the women’s tag team match tonight, I’m going to make an announcement next week that’s going to change the landscape of NXT.” That leads us to our main event for the evening!
Finn Bálor (NXT Champion) vs. Roderick Strong (non-title match)
Bálor enters first and heads to each corner to pose, showing off his NON mediocre abs and the title belt around his waist. Roderick Strong’s music finally interrupts the proceedings. Bálor keeps one eye on him all the way down the ramp and into the ring. The referee holds Bálor back as Strong pounds on the mat and takes off his ring jacket. Once he’s finally prepared the bell rings and we get an immediate lockup!
Bálor takes Strong down, Strong reverses, and as the two go back and forth Beth Phoenix describes it as “an Olympic level contest.” I love the technical ability of both of these men but let’s not get carried away here. Roderick goes for the Stronghold but Bálor counters. Both men get to their feet and Bálor goes for a near fall before wrenching Strong’s left arm. He spins to the other side with a headlock and takes Strong down when he tries to stand. Strong stands up and finally breaks the hold with a takeover and a back breaker, sending us to a commercial break!
Bálor is in control as we come back to the ring, stomping on Strong as he holds onto the ropes until the ref forces him to break. Bálor grounds Strong and continues to work over the left arm. Our referee asks Strong if he wants to give up and even though he’s screaming in pain he shakes his head no. Strong rolls out of the ring selling and Bálor drags him back in and grounds him again. The NeXTras pound on the barricade to encourage Strong to get to his feet, and he responds with a power slam to Bálor. We’re now in overrun territory as the clock just hit 10 p.m. ET. Back breaker for Strong for a near fall. Another one as we get a picture in picture replay of the LAST one. Strong misses a high knee to the jaw and Bálor puts Strong down for a choke hold. Strong gets a foot on the ropes and once again Bálor is forced to break off his assault.
Bálor goes corner to corner with a series of chops and mocks Strong, saying “You’re in here with the champ!” Strong responds with a clotheslines, a punch, chops of his own, and he face plants said champ! Bálor struggles to his feet and Strong hits the criss cross strikes before a powerbomb for 2.9! A N-X-T chant breaks out in response as the NeXTras pound on the barricade. Bálor connects with a Slingblade and charges but Strong goes for the Stronghold. Bálor winces in pain and tries to crawl to the ropes. Strong drags him to the middle of the ring and rolls him up for a near fall. Strong tries to go for a lung blower but Bálor counters with a double foot stomp, and the match continues! Kicks and fists are thrown both ways. Bálor takes Strong down, connects with a missile dropkick, and goes to the top rope for Coup de Grâce! 1916! One, two, three.
The winner of this contest: Finn Bálor!!
Adam Cole comes out to the top of the stage to point at Bálor and remind him they’ll have a title match in seven days. That’s how our show ends!