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Here's a place to check results and comment along with the newest episode of WWE NXT, airing live on Tuesday 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: Finn Bálor gets his rematch for the NXT title against Karrion Kross! Plus, Franky Monet debuts, Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon work toward a rematch for the Women’s Tag titles with a match against singles champ Raquel González & her partner Dakota Kai, Ted DiBiase & Cameron Grimes will have a Million Dollar Face-Off, Bobby Fish battles Pete Dunne, 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 MAY 25
And here we go!! We open with a Finn Bálor vs. Karrion Kross rematch video package narrated by Jimmy Smith. From there we go to Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix inside the Capitol Wrestling Center. They run down tonight’s NXT card as outlined above. First up it’s tag team action!
Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs. Raquel González & Dakota Kai
Moon & Blackheart enter first and do a chest bump in the ring. Kai and González are all scowls, no joy, and González is wearing her women’s title backwards a la Nigel McGuinness. The referee takes the title from her and puts it away before signaling for the opening bell. Blackheart jumps on González back and is ripped away before avoiding a big stomp. Blackheart tries to climb up from the other side and gets thrown off, so she tags Moon in. Moon ducks a clothesline and goes for a crossbody but is caught and set right back down. She goes for a head scissor takeover and a couple of near fall roll ups and González looks pissed about it. González charges and Moon gets out of the ring. González gives chase and Moon goes for a crossbody when they get back in.
González catches her and tags in Kai. She does an assisted foot stomp and tags González back in. González tags Kai back in and Blackheart tags herself in. Reverse slingblade by Blackheart. Senton from behind into the ropes for two. González begs for the tag but Blackheart drags Kai to the face side to tag Moon, who does a moonsault for two. Fast and furious action so far! González is still begging for the tag but it’s Blackheart who comes in. Kai is dropped on her head and Blackheart follows up with a Texas cloverleaf. She tries to crawl to González while in the hold. González reaches in the ring to pull her free illegally, but then tags in legally for some elbow drops. Blackheart kicks out and we go to break.
Double down when we come back with hot tags to Moon and González, the latter being laid out with a fist and a dropkick to the ribs. Moon with a second rope... jawbreaker, I think? Kai interferes to distract Moon and González knocks her down with a big boot. Kai comes back in for the double team FU but Blackheart breaks up the pinfall at 2.9999. Moon crawls for the tag, Kai holds the ankle, Moon kicks her away and Blackheart tags in. Blackheart with a kick to the jaw, a kick to the head, a fireman’s carry facebuster and a near fall. Moon comes back in and hits a modified Eclipse and Blackheart comes in for the double team finisher!
The winners of this match: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
An irate González destroys Blackheart outside of the ring as the NeXTras boo loudly. Kai hands her the belt and trails behind the champ, limping to the back. Speaking of the back Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are cutting a promo about their desire for vengeance on the Grizzled Young Veterans. Ciampa: “Boys, there will be a round three!” Thatcher: “I am going to enjoy breaking your limbs!” Video package for Fish and Dunne. Commercial!
A video package of Finn Bálor and Karrion Kross arriving at the Capitol Wrestling Center earlier today plays on the video screen in the CWC before our next match begins.
Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne
Oney Lorcan accompanies “Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne to the ring. Bobby Fish twists his mustache as he makes his way down to the ring, while Vic Joseph informs us he “returned early” against the advice of his doctor. Fish takes Dunne down and charges him in the corner. Fish breaks a hold and knocks Dunne down with a series of kicks. Forearm to the head, shots to the body, knee to the ribs. Dunne finally responses with a right hand knocking Fish down. He immediately goes to work on the left ankle of Fish, and Fish tries to break free, so Dunne takes full mount and then gets up to stomp on his head. Dunne takes FIsh down and wrenches the left arm. Dunne grounds Fish in side control but he gets back to his feet. Boot from Fish. Snapmare from Dunne, Fish reverses to a Fujiwara armbar. Dunne gets up but Fish doesn’t let go. Dunne with a forearm, Fish still doesn’t let go. Dunne sells the left arm as Fish finally gets go and boots Dunne to the floor for the break.
It’s Pete Dunne in charge when we return, stretching Fish out on the mat. He puts Fish down face first and stands on his ankles, paintbrushing him with slaps from behind. Boot to the face five times before an enrages Fish gets up and charges Dunne into the corner. Dunne gets slammed to the mat with authority and Fish lays into him with knees and fists. Sleeper hold is applied. Dunne goes to break the fingers and Fish lets go. Dunne grounds the right arm and doubles double knees to the previously injured triceps. He comes outside the ring to follow up but FIsh gives him a high back bodydrop and attacks him into the barricade. Back in the ring Dunne gets control with a step up enzuigiri and goes for a submission but FIsh suplexes him overhead and he bounces off the ropes, landing right on his head. “That was a sickening landing” quips Barrett and he’s not wrong. Fish and Dunne fight from their knees to their feet trading knee strikes. Fish wins the battle and draws a warning from the ref as the attack continues in the corner. Dunne with a German suplex and a head kick. Fish with a slingblade for two. Dunne does for an armbar and manipulates the digit of the hand. Fish rolls through with an elbow to the back of the head and an armbar of his own. Dunne rolls through. DDT, shoot the half, pinfall for Dunne. Lorcan joins him to celebrate and then beats Fish down for good measure.
Your winner of this contest: Pete Dunne
Lorcan: “I’m going to put you on the shelf again Fish!” He pulls up the ring apron and then attacks the previously injured right arm. Referees surround him and tell him to leave. “You don’t tell me what to do!” Dunne and Lorcan leave and we go to a Bronson Reed package followed by Mercedes Martinez vows she’s on her way back to the title tonight. For reasons Boa is lingering behind her as we go to break.
Studio promo from Hit Row when we return. Top Dolla vows they’ll slap L’s on the heads of their competition like Luigi from the Mario Bros. Isaiah Scott says they’re not here to sing songs. “If you didn’t know, now you know.”
Mercedes Martinez vs. Zayda Ramier
Her opponent is already in the ring and since this was an unannounced match it will almost surely be a squash. The lights come back up and we see for the first time that she’s facing Zayda Ramier. Martinez immediately grounds her in a headlock Ramier responds with a dropkick and an uppercut, and a couple of forearms. She flips over Martinez and kicks her in the head for a one count. Martinez drills her in the head and snaps off a series of double underhook suplexes with authority. Two count. Martinez works the dragon sleeper. Ramier tries to get back up and does, but Martinez slams her back down to earth. Head scissor takeover and a rear naked choke for Ramier, and Martinez breaks the hold by ramming her back first into the turnbuckle. She sets Ramier on the ropes and throws her off before a knee to the jaw. Fireman’s carry. Air Raid. Pinfall. Not a 100% squash, but 80-90%.
The winner of this contest: Mercedes Martinez
The lights go down in the building and come back up a glowing red as the ring fills with smoke. A video package for Tian Sha starts playing as Martinez walks around confused. The lights go down and come back up again and Martinez sees a black mark on her hand. She tries and fails to rub it off. Backstage Ted DiBiase is talking to Toni Storm but we can’t hear what they say. Robert Stone tries to come talk to him and DiBiase throws money in his face and walks off cackling. Commercial!
The Million Dollar Face-Off
Cameron Grimes can’t even spit out two words before Ted DiBiase’s entrance music interrupts and the Million Dollar Man makes his way to the ring. Grimes: “I’m sure everybody wants to know Ted — why man? Seriously, why? I don’t know if you realize this or not but I wasn’t always rich Ted. I didn’t always have this lavish lifestyle. I started to climb a little bit and then you start showing up and embarrassing me. Why Ted? I look up to you. I saw because of you that with money I could treat people terribly and they could still like me. I could make a little kid dribble a ball and kick it across the arena and people would still like me. I guess it’s true what they say though. Never meet your idols.” DiBiase: “I do like you kid. We have a lot more in common than you might think. Consider the fact that the reason I put you through all that hell is because when I look at you I see a little bit of myself. Why am I out here? I’m here Cameron because I’m looking for that one individual, whoever it might be, that embodies everything I stand for and the Million Dollar legacy. It’s not all about the money or how you can humiliate people with money. It’s about in ring performance. You’ve got it kid, I’ve seen it. But I’ll tell you something else — since you’ve become rich you’ve lost your focus. And I think you need to regain your focus.”
L.A. Knight interrupts! “Let me talk to ya. Ted I hear you talking about your Million Dollar legacy, and I happen to see a Million Dollar opportunity. I hear you’re searching well let me lift the burden of that search off ya. Walking down this ramp is the man who is a perpetual motion machine of badassery. I didn’t just strike it rich with virtual money. I’m walking, talking gold.” Grimes: “This is a conversation between millionaires, not you nickel and dime.” DiBiase: “Wait a minute. Let’s let the man talk.” Knight: “I’m not a millionaire, but I’m living comfortably, and with you we can fit that last piece of the puzzle. Whose game is it? L.A. Knight.” DiBiase: “Mr. Knight I’m well aware of who you are and you’ve traveled the world and had a great deal of success. You might even become a mega star here on NXT. You’ve got a million dollar body and a million dollar mindset.” Grimes: “We get it. The guy’s jacked but he’s no Cameron Grimes. L.A. Knight, I’m gonna tell you right now. You, get out of this ring, or I’m gonna kick your ass, to, the, moon.”Grimes turns around to talk to DiBiase and Knight drops him. DiBiase walks over to the prone Grimes and looks down on him as Knight bails. “Kid, you’re just never going to get it are you?” DiBiase cackles and leaves, patting Knight on the shoulder as they head up the ramp and we head to commercial — but not before Franky Money gets her makeup applied for her “world debut.”
McKenzie Mitchell is trying to interview Indi Hartwell. Indi Hartwell is trying to find Dexter Lumis. Hartwell interrupts Ever-Rise looking for him, and then she wanders into a room that’s been decorated in his artwork showing how his heart had been broken, zooming in on a drawing of a knife stabbing him in the heart. She runs away concerned.
Franky Monet vs. Cora Jade
Monet makes her way down to the ring “modeling a 35,000 Euro robe” according to Wade Barrett. She steps through the ropes and like Mercedes Martinez earlier her opponent is already waiting in the ring. Monet pushes her into the corner and pats her on the head like her little puppy. Jade tries to pick her up and gets clubbed in the back and booted in the gut. Monet blasts her with a chop to the chest and slams her head into the turnbuckle. Running double knees from behind. Ass to the face. Double knees to the head. She pulls Jade up slowly and takes her across the ring for another chop to the chest. Reverse kick to the stomach. Knee lift. Clothesline. Has Jade even landed one offensive move? Well she just did with a series of forearms. Monet eats a leg sweep for a one count but spears Jade immediately. Jade is planted mid ring. “You wanna play with La Guera Loca?”Implant buster for the three count.
The winner of this contest: Franky Monet
The Grizzled Young Veterans says “they’re done” with Thatcher & Ciampa, but they’re not done with MSK. “The fact remains the same. We are the leaders this division so desperately needs. If MSK were wrestling at the bottom of my garden I would close the curtains. I promise you we are SSSSOOON to be recognized at the next NXT tag team champions.” Bronson Reed video package and commercial break!
WALTER vows that his crew is even stronger without Alexander Wolfe (without mentioning him by name), and gives his marching orders to Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner to take out the tag team division, saying in German that “to us the mat is sacred.”
Bronson Reed has something to say
Reed comes out wearing a nice suit and has the belt slung over his shoulder. He parades around the ring with it before asking for a mic and putting the title back on his left arm. The NeXTras chant “you deserve it.” Reed: “14 years to get here. It wasn’t an easy road to become the NXT North American champion. It wasn’t just 14 years of climbing, it was 14 years of falling down and getting back up. I had a lot of doubters along the way. I had a lot of people who told me no. This is proof to any kid out there you don’t need to take no for an answer. You work hard, you grind it out, and you will become a champion. And now that I’ve got this? Good luck trying to take it from me. Anybody in the locker room who thinks they’ve got a shot? I had a big mountain to climb. You’ve got a COLOSSAL mountain to climb.” This brings out Legado del Fantasma to sarcastically applaud. Santos Escobar: “Bravo. Bravissimo. You brought tears into our eyes. I gotta say though — I can’t relate to anything that you just said. I was born a champion. Campeon. This business belongs to me. Now after your victory, something caught my eye. Eh it wasn’t your colossal mass, no. It was the North American title. You see, I am the emperor of lucha libre. I run the bingo, which is why I took the cruiserweight title. Now I see the North American title and I see USA and Mexico.” Joaquin Wilde: “What about Canada?” Escobar: “Canada doesn’t count. I thought we agreed on this.” Escobar: “Your little celebracion is over mate. I’m about to do what I do best and that’s take what’s mine.” MSK interrupt and clear the ring with double superkicks to Wilde and Mendoza, and Reed bumps Escobar to the floor. They stare each other down from the entrance ramp as we go backstage to Finn Bálor lacing up his boots. Commercial!
Karrion Kross (champ) vs. Finn Bálor (NXT Title match)
Bálor enters first and whatever women are among the NeXTras are screaming loudly. I don’t blame them? The man has a nice set of abs. The cameras switch to black and white and the lights go down as the champion makes his way to the ring accompanied by Scarlett. “Fall and pray. Fall and pray.” We get the lights down big match introduction for the challenger and champion alike (the latter of whom screams loudly) before the belt is handed over to the referee with 15 minutes of scheduled TV time remaining. Expect an overrun!
The bell rings and we’re underway. Bálor throws a few kicks and goes for a headlock. Kross shoots him off, knocks him down, throws him out, but Bálor lands on his feet and gets right back in. Dropkick to the left knee and Kross rolls out to reset as we go to an early break!
We’re back and Bálor is working over Kross’ left arm. Kross gets back up, lifts Bálor up, and dumps him to the mat. Bálor gets up selling his back. Kross posts him and kicks him in the gut. He throws him into the turnbuckle and hits a pair of vicious clotheslines. Scarlett looks on with a sultry smile from outside. Suplex and Bálor sells his back again. Kross stomps on the right leg, mouths off to Bálor, and stomps on his chest. Kross goes for a submission hold from behind. Bálor tries to break free. and Kross drills him with a right forearm as the NeXTras boo. Clothesline misses and Bálor goes for an abdominal stretch with punches to the kidney and knees to the back for a near fall.
Bálor works over Kross for a minute until he reverses the momentum with spears in the corner and a kick to the spine. Bálor winces and groans in pain for the camera. Kross walks over casually as the camera zooms in to show us the red marks on Bálor’s back. Kross tosses him with an overhead German suplex. Phoenix once again points out the imprint of Kross’ boot on Bálor’s back. Bálor counters his way into a crossface and then goes for a knee, Kross counters, but Bálor counters right back into the double foot stomp! Chops from Bálor. Shoulders to the midsection in the corner. Forearm to the back in response from Kross, who tosses Bálor out to the floor. He steps through the ropes but Bálor yanks the ring apron and traps Kross so he can stomp on him. Running knee on the apron levels Kross! Commercial.
We’re back with just seconds left before the top of the hour. Kross and Bálor are trading forearm shots. Kross picks up Bálor and puts him on his shoulder to charge him into the ring posts before slamming him down for two. Kross looks on from one knee as Bálor gets up slowly. Chop from Bálor as he stumbled across the ring. Kick from Bálor to keep Kross at bay. Forearm. Kross picks him up but Bálor knocks him down. Kross kicks out of a pin at one. Double foot stomp. Kross Jacket from the champion! Will Bálor submit, tap out, or escape? The referee looks in closely. Bálor reaches out with his last gasp and grabs the ropes!The ref makes a reluctang Kross break the hold, and he pulls Bálor up to throw him out of the ring. He smashes Bálor into the plexiglass repeatedly and tucks him between his legs. Kross hoists Bálor up and spears him into the glass and tosses him in just before the ten count as we go well past 10 PM ET!
Kross tucks Bálor between his legs again and hercs him up, but Bálor counters it into a DDT! Slingblade from Bálor connects! Clothesline sends Kross to the floor. Suicide dive over the ropes right in front of the announce table. Kross pops up immediately and throws Bálor right onto the desk! All of the announcers back away to make room as we go to a replay of Bálor bouncing off the table. Kross pulls him off and throws him back in the ring as the ref reaches eight on a 10 count. Single leg takedown from Bálor. Double stomp again! Dropkick from Bálor. He’s going outside and up to the top rope. Coup de gras misses! Kross charges him into the turnbuckle and hits a release German suplex as the NeXTras boo. Kross pulls him back up slowly. Saito suplex! Bálor is laid out in the middle of the ring. Kross signals for the end but Bálor counters into a roll up for a near fall. Bálor goes for an abdominal stretch but Kross fights free and nails him with forearms to the back of the head. Bálor escapes and does the same! Bálor rolls off and Kross goes to talk to Scarlett. Bálor puts him in a rear naked choke and pulls him away from the ropes. Kross tries to escape and Bálor goes for a triangle choke! The ref checks the arm but Kross grabs the ref’s arm to show he’s not out cold and hercs Bálor up for a power bomb! Bálor gets up sneering. Kross with a clothesline. Kross with a forearm to the back. Kross with another to put Bálor down. Kross stomps on his head repeatedly. Kross Jacket! Bálor goes out and the match is over.
The winner and still NXT champion: Karrion Kross
Good night!