NXT puts up three title matches on one night!

Will Dakota Kai finally become THE NXT Women’s Champion? Or will Mandy Rose keep things toxic? Plus, there will be NEW NXT Tag Team Champions!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• NXT North American Championship: Cameron Grimes VS Solo Sikoa; Grimes wins and retains the title.
• KUSHIDA w/ Ikemen Jiro VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone; changed to…
• Ikemen Jiro VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone; Wagner wins.
• NXT Women’s Championship: Mandy Rose VS Dakota Kai; Mandy wins and retains the title.
• Draco Anthony VS Xyon Quinn; Quinn wins.
• Five Team NXT Tag Team Championship Gauntlet: Pretty Deadly wins and become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.

PLAY BY PLAY

NXT North American Championship: Cameron Grimes VS Solo Sikoa!

The Carolina Caveman finally has gold, but he’s already putting it on the line! Will Grimes still take this title #ToTheMoon? Or will the Street Champion of the Island become a champion here in NXT?

The two men are already in the ring and the introductions are made. The belt is raised, and we open with our first of THREE title matches!

Fans rally with “UCE! SO!” for Solo as he and Grimes circle. Fans rally up as the two tie up, and Solo fireman’s carries! Grimes slips off and gets to a corner. He manages to smile and shake that off as he and Solo reset. The knuckle lock, Grimes gest a leg, but Solo gets to ropes. The ref counts, Grimes lets off but Solo shoves him. Grimes comes back and gets around, O’Conner Roll, TWO! Grimes rebounds but Solo ducks the kick to roll up! TWO, and the two stand off. Fans cheer as Solo says it was that close, and that he is getting that belt. Solo and Grimes go again, Grimes gets the waistlock but Solo fights the lift.

Solo elbows but Grimes ducks! Grimes arm-drags and has the armlock. Solo endures the cording hold, fights to get a headscissor, and he holds Grimes down. Fans rally, Grimes kips free, and then he arm-drags Solo again! Grimes has another armlock, but Solo endures. Solo fights up, fans rally, and Grimes wrenches the arm. Solo shoves Grimes to a corner but Grimes goes up and over, to arm-drag again! Grimes grinds that arm, fans rally up again, and Solo gets up. Solo scoops but Grimes fights that and puts more pressure on the shoulder. Solo endures, Grimes reaches and gets a chinbar.

Solo fights up as fans rally again, and Solo powers out. Solo runs Grimes over and fans fire up! Solo runs, Grimes gets up but gets run over again! Solo goes again, Grimes stays low, so Solo drops a SENTON! Fans rally behind Solo as he stalks Grimes. Solo fireman’s carries but Grimes sunset flips! TWO, and Solo avoids a Cave-In! The two stare down and fans fire up again. Grimes offers a handshake, and Solo takes it. Grimes says he respects Solo, and fans like that, but then Grimes says Solo’s bloodline can kiss Grimes’ grits! Grimes and Solo fires forearms and haymakers, fans rally and duel, and Grimes kicks to bump Solo off buckles!

Solo just glares, but Grimes bumps him again. Solo kicks back, bumps Grimes off buckles in return, and then more buckles! Solo clotheslines Grimes out of the ring! Fans fire up with Solo and he goes out after Grimes. Solo puts Grimes in, but Grimes comes back to ENZIGURI! Solo tumbles down, Grimes goes out to the apron, PENALTY KICK! And then CANNONBALL! Direct hit and down goes Solo! Grimes grits his teeth and fans cheer for “NXT! NXT!” as NXT goes picture in picture.

Grimes shakes out his arms, gets to his feet, and drags Solo into the ring. Grimes has Solo on the apron to BOOT him in! Grimes then hurries back in, keeps his eyes on Solo, and Solo sit sup. Grimes KICKS Solo, mocks the “UCE! SO!” cheer, and then fires off KICK after KICK after KICK! Solo blocks a kick, SLAPS Grimes, then trips him up! Solo stomps away on Grimes, KICKS him down, then mocks Grimes’ “To! The! MOON!” Solo KICKS and KICKS and KICKS Grimes down! Fans fire up as Solo paces around Grimes. Solo then covers, TWO! Grimes crawls to a corner but Solo stays focused.

Solo storms up to throw haymakers, whips him corner to corner hard, and Grimes bounces and tumbles off the buckles! Solo raises the finger, then drags Grimes to a cover, TWO! Grimes is still in this, but Solo looms over him. Solo stomps Grimes, says he’s the champion, and then runs to SENTON! Cover, TWO! Solo keeps cool, and he gets Grimes’ arm for an armlock. Solo is returning the favor from earlier as he grinds the shoulder down and even adds a chinbar. Grimes gets up to fight with body shots. Solo keeps Grimes from ropes with an arm-drag! NXT returns to single picture as Grimes now endures.

Fans rally, Grimes fights his way up, and he arm-drags Solo away! Solo gets up but Grimes fires a forearm! Solo gives a forearm back, so Grimes throws another. They go back and forth, but then Solo HEADBUTTS! Grimes flounders to a corner, Solo runs in to back body block! Grimes sits down, Solo goes corner to corner, but Grimes dodges the hip attack! RANA! Solo clutches his head and Grimes grits his teeth. Fans rally, Grimes runs, and Grimes rallies with forearms! Grimes gets around to waistlock, GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Solo survives but Grimes keeps focus. Fans rally up for Solo but Grimes grits his teeth again.

Grimes aims from a corner, wants Solo to stand, and Grimes runs in, only for Solo to hip toss him into the corner! Grimes tumbles, Solo fires up! HIP ATTACK! Cover, TWO!! Grimes survives and shocks Solo! Solo gets up, he watches Grimes get up, and he fireman’s carries, but Grimes blocks! Grimes fires elbows, then forearms! Solo ROCKS Grimes with a haymaker, Grimes SUPER FOREARMS! Solo SUPERKICKS and Grimes goes to a corner. Solo runs in, but into BOOTS! Grimes goes up and out then climbs the corner, but Solo ducks under the flying stomp! Solo comes back, into a COLLISION COURSE!! Cover, TWO!!

Grimes can’t believe it but the fans are thunderous! Grimes drags himself to a corner and takes aim again. “TO! THE! MOON!” and- SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, TWO!?! Grimes survives but Solo just goes up top! Fans are thunderous again but Grimes hurries up after Solo! Grimes fires off forearms, but Solo HEADBUTTS! Is that Trick Williams?! As Grimes falls onto the ref, Trick trips Solo! But Solo SUPERKICKS back! And then SPLASHES Trick on the floor! Solo hurries back in, into a CAVE-IN!! Cover, Grimes wins!!

Winner: Cameron Grimes, by pinfall (still NXT North American Champion)

Grimes retains but it was thanks to Trick! Why did Trick help Grimes? Well Carmelo Hayes is here and he attacks Grimes! That’s why! Melo rains down fists on Grimes but Solo gets up to DECK Melo! So Trick CHOP BLOCKS Solo! Trick POSTS Solo, then stomps Grimes! The former A Champion and his right hand man mug Grimes, take turns stomping and raining down fists, then they haul Grimes up for the SPRINGBOARD SLINGBLADE! Fans boo, and it is clear what this was all about. Melo picks up the North American Championship and holds it up, before putting it on Grimes. Melo’s his shot at become a TWO-TIME “A Champion,” but will he hit the mark?

Grayson Waller speaks.

He interrupts Vic Joseph & Wade Barrett hyping up tonight’s Tag Gauntlet, saying he can take it from here. No one wants to listen to them, anyway. “Let’s be real. This Gauntlet match shouldn’t even be happening. We should be handed the tag team titles on a silver platter, but now we gotta go against four other teams in a gauntlet match. And that has riled Sanga up. He is PISSED. And what that means is tonight, he is going to shred those four other teams. In fact, that’s gonna be our method. Big man’s gonna earn his keep, and I’m gonna stand on the apron, looking handsome like only I can.

“And when the smoke has cleared, he’s gonna hand me those tag team titles. Good chat, morons. Back to you. Sincerely, your new NXT Tag Team Champions.” The 21st Century Success Story is confident he and his bodyguard will have success, but will that really be the way it goes with such a stacked line-up?

The Creed Brothers and Malcolm Bivens speak.

Bivens says Pretty Deadly attacked the Creeds from behind, hit them with chairs, destroyed the Diamond Mine dojo, and proved that they’re really pretty stupid. This isn’t NXT UK, the Creeds will beat their ass! Brutus says tonight, they kill two birds with one stone. They’ll get revenge, and those NXT Tag Team titles. This gauntlet will show their physicality is unmatched, their pace unrivaled, and that Brutus & Julius are savages. In the ring, bodies are gonna fly and heads are gonna roll. Julius says pressure either makes you or breaks you, but check the track record, look where they stand.

They don’t break, they break others. They don’t feel pressure, they apply it. They’ll right the wrongs of Stand & Deliver and prove they’re the best tag team in NXT. And Julius doesn’t mean now, he means of all time! Pretty Deadly will be equalized. The Creeds will tax their asses, and Bivens adds that Pretty Deadly and those three other teams find out why it is Diamond Mine forever!

In a tag gauntlet lottery earlier today, the Diamond Mine found out where Julius & Brutus will start. They don’t say the number, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Will the Creeds be opening or closing the most grueling tag title match in NXT history?

Bron Breakker heads to the ring!

The NXT Champion made it through Der Ring General in last week’s title match, but the celebration was cut extremely short when Joe Gacy revealed he had abducted Rick Steiner! Bron gets the mic to say Joe Gacy wanted to send a message and get his attention. Well, he’s got it! Dad’s home now, safe and sound, but Gacy has some nerve pulling that crap last week! No one messes with Bron’s family! Bron’s father gave 20 years to this business, he is a WWE Hall of Famer and a legend in the business! Fans cheer and bark for Rick, but Bron says, “How ’bout it, Joe? How ’bout you come out here and get in the ring, and we’ll see who the real tough guy is when you’re standing in front of me?!”

Bron wants Gacy to bring his ass out to the ring, but Gacy instead speaks on the tron by a roaring bonfire. Gacy “apologizes” for not being here in person, it was a pleasure meeting Bron’s dad. And through getting to know Rick, he understands Bron a lot better now. “For example, I know why you’re so tough. Because your father took his beating like a man. We set your dad free, but he left one memento behind.” The WWE HOF ring!! Gacy says this ring represents “the sacrifices your father made for your family, Bron.” Those sacrifices made it possible for Bron to stand in the ring right now.

All the miles his father traveled, all the birthdays that he missed, and the hard work that put food on the family table. This ring is their family’s life’s work. Their family can only be tested by fire. And so, Gacy puts the ring in the fire! Gacy laughs as he watches the ring burn. But will Bron make sure it is Gacy who burns for this?

McKenzie Mitchell interviews Toxic Attraction.

She joins Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne in the Toxic Lounge as Gigi & Jacy celebrating becoming the NEW NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Jacy wants everyone to see how beautiful and shiny the belts are! Gigi adds that they’re two-time champions. Mandy asks McKenzie, “How good does it feel to be sitting with the ladies who hold all the gold in NXT? It’s nice, right? Y’see, Toxic Attraction called their shot last week, and Gigi & Jacy are right back where they belong: as champions. And that Dakota Kai, she has a lot of voices going on in her head, but none of them are whispering to her that she has a chance of taking this title from me.”

Mandy says she will go out there, beat Dakota Kai, and make sure everyone knows they are not just the attraction of NXT, but the measuring stick that no one can reach! The brains, the beauty, the gold, and the beast. But will the Toxic Goddess be brought back down to earth by #CobraKai?

Ikemen Jiro hypes up Kushida.

The Time Splitter is preparing to get vengeance on Von Wagner, but as the two head for gorilla position, Von Wagner BLINDSIDES Jiro! Then he CLOBERS Kushida and fires off knees and haymakers! He stomps Jiro for good measure, then he hauls Kushida up for a JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB over road cases!! Robert Stone walks in and says, “Looks like there’s no match tonight.” Jacket Time just got jacked up! Will they have to admit this is Von Wagner’s World?

NXT Media catches up with Bron Breakker backstage.

The NXT Champion was in no mood after what Gacy did to his dad’s ring. He told them to get the camera out of his face, he has nothing for them! Then he got in his car and drove off into the night. Is Bron going to try and hunt Gacy down?

Robert Stone & Von Wagner are in the ring.

Stone has a mic and he’s watching his watch. “I mean, wow! It looks like Jacket Time has ran outta time. And believe me, what this man just did to those two, you are never gonna see them again. Because this is Von Wagner’s World, and you’re just living in it!” But wait, Jacket Time still makes an entrance? It’s just Jiro! He wants to avenge Kushida now! Von storms over, into a shoulder! Jiro dodges then ENZIGURIS Von out of the ring! Jiro chases Stone, he runs for it! Stone wants Von to wait, but Jiro says “Ikemen is PISSED! So Ikemen gotta kick your ass! RIGHT NOW!” Jiro wants to take Kushida’s place, and the bell rings! It’s happening!

Ikemen Jiro VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone!

Jiro fires off shots, but Von knees low! Von scoops, Jiro slips off and ENZIGURIS again! Von staggers to a corner, Jiro runs in but Von blocks the monkey flip! So Jiro rains down fists! Von FLAPJACKS Jiro at 6 to then run and LARIAT! Fans boo but Von dribbles Jiro off the mat, then rains down rights and big elbows! Von then drags Jiro up to whip him into a corner hard! Jiro staggers into a scoop, and FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans boo harder but Von roars and looms over Jiro. Jiro sits up but Von hauls him up. Jiro hits back with haymakers! Von shoves, and he gets Jiro for a BEARHUG! Jiro endures, fans rally up, and Jiro fights with elbows!

Von lets Jiro go to knee him low again. Von reels Jiro in, but Jiro slips out of the back suplex to KICK away on Von’s leg! Von swings, misses, JACKET PUNCH! And again! And again! Jiro DISCUS JACKET PUNCH, but Von blocks the whip! Jiro reverses the whip to SHOTGUN KNEE! Fans fire up with Jiro and he runs in, SUPERKICK! Jiro hurries up top, SWANTON BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Von is still in this and Jiro is shocked! Jiro manages to kip up, Stone distracts him but Jiro swipes. Only to run into a BOOT! Von hauls Jiro back up, fireman’s carries, and DEATH VALLEY NECKBREAKER! Cover, Wagner wins!

Winner: Von Wagner, by pinfall

Von viciously takes out Jiro once again, but Stone wants to finish this! Wait, what is Von looking at? Oh, it’s their new “business associate,” Sophia Cromwell! And she says for Von to finish Jiro. So Von picks Jiro up, military presses and TOSSES Jiro to the crowd!! Fans lose their minds as Jiro crashes down! What wont

Backstage interview with Nikkita Lyons.

Nikkita got the biggest win yet over Lash legend. They’ve been going back and forth, but did she prove a point to Lash? Well, Lash talks trash and is athletic as hell, but Nikki doesn’t need to prove herself to anyone but the fans. She can make waves in the division, whether it’s against- LASH BOOTS NIKKITA! Lash asks what’s being proven now! Lash tells McKenzie that if she wants to interview someone, it should be Lash Legend! Lash then storms off, but will Nikkita drag Lash back into the Lyons den?

Pretty Deadly speaks.

Sam Stoker is Kit Wilson, and Lewis Howley is Elton Prince, but they’re still the “most extravagant, flamboyant, eccentric and tastiest team in NXT.” They conquered NXT UK for over a year, so they thought they’d come over America. What better way than to attack the biggest and baddest team in the Creeds? Typical meatheads with their cauliflower ears and lack of style. No uh, je ne sais quoi. But this is a gauntlet, so let’s have it! No one has won the NXT Tag Team Championships in their very first match here, but Pretty Deadly is gonna make history! #YesBoy!

And in their tag gauntlet lottery, Stoker/Wilson and Howley/Prince were feeling good. They used their Pretty Deadly magic on the pick, held hands as they picked their number, and #YesBoy! They were very excited to have whatever number they got, are they in the best position to become the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions?

NXT Women’s Championship: Mandy Rose VS Dakota Kai!

Toxic Attraction took back the tag titles rather underhandedly, all thanks to Mandy. #CapKota was furious and vowed Mandy would no longer be safe in NXT. But will Dakota make sure Mandy is no longer champion in NXT? Or will things stay toxic in the NXT Women’s Division?

NXT returns as Toxic Attraction makes their entrance. The introductions are made, the singles title is raised, and we see if Toxic Attraction can keep a hold on all the gold!

Dakota and Mandy tie right up and go around. Dakota puts Mandy in the ring, dribbles her off buckles, but lets off as the ref counts. Fans rally and Mandy is upset, but Dakota rushes in. Mandy uses ropes as defense. kicks Dakota away, then tackles her to fire off hands! Dakota gets up, but Mandy pushes her down. Dakota hits back, Mandy reels her in to scoop and SLAM! Mandy soaks up the cheers and jeers, Gigi & Jacy applaud, and Mandy drags Dakota up. Mandy bumps Dakota off buckles, stomps away on her, then lets off. “Who do you think you are?! We run this division!” Mandy then scrapes Dakota’s face on ropes!

The ref reprimands, Jacy & Gigi taunt Dakota, and Mandy scoops. Dakota slips off, slips around and hits a crucifix takedown! TWO, but Dakota CLUBS Mandy down. Mandy whips Dakota, Mandy runs in but Dakota goes up and over to roll up, TWO! Dakota runs in to arm-drag Mandy around! Dakota dropkicks Mandy down, and she fires up! The fans rally and Dakota drags Mandy up. Dakota whips, Mandy reverses, and Jacy swipes at Dakota! Mandy rushes in, but is put on the apron! Dakota BOOTS Mandy down and Toxic Attraction regroups. Dakota goes up to CROSSBODY them ALL down!

Fans are fired up as Dakota gets back up and roars, while NXT goes to break!

NXT returns and Mandy has Dakota in a body scissor squeeze! Dakota endures, fans rally up, but Mandy thrashes Dakota around. Mandy adds a chinlock, but Dakota pushes back to a cover! ONE, but Dakota is free! Mandy knees low, whips her, but Dakota ducks and redirects. Mandy follows but Dakota hurdles and rolls back to headscissor, only for Mandy to make it a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Mandy is growing frustrated, but she drags Dakota up by her hair and whips her to a corner. Dakota bounces off buckles, Mandy digs his knees in but the ref counts. Mandy lets off at 4, and she drags Dakota up.

Mandy snapmares and puts Dakota in a chinlock. Dakota endures as Mandy leans on the hold. Fans rally up, Dakota fights up, but Mandy wraps her in the body scissors again! Mandy adds the chinlock again, but Dakota pries at the hold! Dakota is free of the chinlock but Mandy rolls to the cover! TWO, and Dakota is in the corner. Mandy runs in, but Dakota dodges! Mandy hits buckles, then Dakota boots her! Dakota counter punches Mandy, ROCKS her, then SCORPION KICKS her! Dakota snapmares and DOUBLE STMOPS Mandy! Fans fire up but Toxic Attraction is worried. Flying-mare, and then Mandy is in the corner! BOOT WASH!

Fans fire up as Dakota aims again. Mandy swings but Dakota spins her, INVERTED DDT! Cover, TWO! Fans rally behind Dakota and she snarls at Mandy. Dakota fireman’s carries, but Mandy fights off that and CHOP BLOCKS! Dakota hobbles up, Mandy runs in, but Dakota dodges the knee! Mandy ducks a kick, shoves Dakota, and pops her up for a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Mandy is growing further frustrated, and Toxic Attraction are getting worried. Mandy talks trash and pie faces Dakota, but Dakota drags her into a cradle! TWO!! Mandy escapes, but Dakota HEADBUTTS! And kicks out a leg to then hop on, KAI-ROPRACTOR!!

But Dakota can’t make the cover! She has to crawl away while Mandy goes to a corner. Mandy stands, but Gigi distracts! Dakota spots Jacy in the ring and BOOTS her down! Dakota picks up the title belt, but Mandy hits a KNEE FROM A ROSE!! Cover, Mandy wins!

Winner: Mandy Rose, by pinfall (still NXT Women’s Champion)

Give Toxic Attraction the big assist! The pawns help the queen stay on the board, but wait! Is that Wendy Choo? And she uses SUPER SOAKERS to shoot cold water on this toxic celebration! The champions are all upset, but will they make sure not to sleep on Wendy Choo?

Joe Gacy speaks.

“We are a society that lives through social media and emotion. The world is run by the court of public opinion, not by the rule of law. Truth is what people believe, not what people know. Poeple don’t know what they want until you give them exactly what they need. Bron Breakker can’t carry the weight of this brand on his back. I’m the only one that can guide NXT. Bron Breakker is too emotional, too easy to manipulate. Look what I did to him over the course of two short weeks. I made him angry in one moment, and helpless in the next. Bron, I can control your every move. And when I’m done, I will tear down everything in your life. Except I may hang on to one thing.”

Gacy gets tongs to bring out that burnt Hall of Fame ring. And while it’s still hot, he puts it on his finger! Gacy endures the pain, but will that be nothing compared to what Bron’s going to put him through?

Santos Escobar talks with Legado del Fantasma.

He says it doesn’t matter if it’s one team, two teams, three, four, they run the bingo! But Tony D’Angelo walks in and tells Escobar he’s sorry to interrupt. But these two, they had a bit of a misunderstanding last week. No disrespect, but if things don’t go Legado’s way this week, here’s just a taste. A peace offering, if you will. Tony hands Escobar an envelope full of money, but Escobar hands it back. The respect of Legado is worth much more than that. Legado heads out, and Tony has to go back to the drawing board. Will The Don of NXT have to find another way to make the Emperor of Lucha Libre respect him?

Cora Jade heads to the ring!

Though she didn’t win the NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4 Way, #GenerationJade is still optimistic. She gets the mic to say, “WrestleMania Weekend was the most important weekend of my entire life. And the best part about it was, it was bigger than I could’ve ever imagined. But the best part was that my parents got to sit in the second row and watch me. I’m working on front row, guys, I’m working on it. But y’know, through all of that, through the biggest, most important week of my life. I got in there with three incredibly talented women and I held my own in that ring.”

Yes, she came up short. And she truly felt she was leaving Stand & Deliver as NXT Women’s Champion. But as she’s learning, life doesn’t always work out how you want, and that sucks. She thought she wanted to be champion. After coming so close in Dallas, she knows she NEEDS to become champion! And if you think this is just some other promo about redirecting focus, it’s not. The goal remains the same, because when she was eight years old, she wrote in her notebook that she’d become champion in WWE, and she meant it! Fans cheer her own as she say she’ll work her ass off and bust her ass to get to that reality, hold that title in the air, and her name becomes synonymous with those she grew up with!

Cora wants to be like AJ Lee, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Bayley, Paige, and on and on and on! One day, Cora’s name will be with theirs, and she’ll hold that title up, and the Generation of Jade- Wait! Natalya is here?! The Queen of Harts returns to NXT and fans are loving this! Cora is star struck! Natty then joins Cora in the ring and Cora just waves shyly. Natty gets a mic and seems just as touched that fans are losing their minds! Natty thanks them for that, because she loves them, too! And she’d be lying if she didn’t say this building doesn’t bring back so many memories. Cora, Natty is so good to finally meet you. Most people know her as Natalya.

Cora knows! Natty’s the BOAT, the best of all time, and she doesn’t understand! Cora’s first ever favorite was Natty! Her first action figure! This is surreal right now! Cora doesn’t even care she’s having a freak out, like… Okay, she’ll calm down. Cora remembers messaging Natty on Twitter, she was like 10 years old, and it was a live event at in Hammond, Indiana, and Natty pointed at her! It was so crazy! Natty does remember that SmackDown. And the night Cora debuted in NXT, Natty remembers DM’ing her. And going back to that message from 2011. And it just blows Natty away to know she inspired Cora that way. That Natty pointed to the right girl that night.

Natty says destiny is always chasing. And she sees Cora now, sweet and humble, genuine and kind, and more than anything… Well, gorgeous, yes, but more than anything, Cora has passion for this! Natty loves that! Cora is stunned that Natty would say that. She could pass out and die happy now. Natty puts a hand on Cora’s shoulder and says to trust her: she has mentored, trained and competed against some of the greatest women in WWE history. Natty looks around backstage at that NXT Women’s Locker Room, sees the landscape right now, and says CORA is the future of this division! But the future is bleak! And then she SLAPS Cora!

And then Natty trips Cora and puts her in the SHARPSHOOTER!! Cora taps and Natty smiles! Cora’s hero is her villain! Natty lets go as referees rush out, and the Queen of Harts has just put “the future” on notice. Is the saying right about never meeting your heroes? Can Cora recover from this dream turning into a nightmare?

Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley speak.

They’re all fired up, and Briggs says, “Tonight is not about fun, Brooks! Tonight, we need to focus, baby!” Brooks know it is not fun, it is a gauntlet! Every team they gotta go through to become NXT Tag Team Champions! Fallon says tonight, let’s kick some ass! … HELL YEAH, FALLON! YEAH! Will these good ol’ boys bring that gold home in the pickup?

NXT hears from NXT UK’s Nathan Frazer.

The British Prodigy made a name for himself competing against the best in the UK, but now he has a one-way across the Atlantic to show NXT what he’s all about.

Draco Anthony VS Xyon Quinn!

The One Man Army didn’t like Gacy telling him how to live, but he also got annoyed with the advice coming from someone just trying to be a friend. Will the Warrior Gentleman get that through Draco’s head? Or will Draco isolate himself even further than before?

The bell rings and the two tie up. Draco gets around and dropkicks Xyon to rope! Xyon shrugs that off and circles with Draco again. They tie up, Draco headlocks, but Xyon powers out. Draco jukes then returns, but Xyon runs him over! Xyon offers a hand to help Draco up, but Draco slaps it away and gets to his feet on his own. The two go again, Xyon gets the arm and wrenches. Draco powers Xyon to a corner but the ref counts. Draco lets off at 4, and CHOPS Xyon. Xyon just TOSSES Draco to the corner and RAMS his shoulder in! Then he TOSSES Draco across the way! Fans rally, Xyon runs corner to corner, but Draco leaps over Xyon to come back and LARIAT!

Draco wrenches Xyon’s arm, hammerlocks, and RAMS Xyon’s shoulder into buckles! Then he hits an EXPLODER! Draco grins, he SLAPS Xyon, and mocks his Siva Tao! Xyon’s mad now and he RAMS Draco into a corner and fires off haymakers! Xyon hauls Draco up to TOSS him again! Draco staggers up into a LARIAT! And then a back elbow! Xyon fireman’s carries for the SWINGING SAMOAN DROP! Fans fire up with Xyon and he aims at Draco. RUNNING FOREARM! But he’s not done with Draco, as he hauls him back up and DECKS him with a forearm! Xyon drags Draco up and fans want that “One More Time!”

Xyon runs to CLOBBER Draco again! Cover, Xyon wins!

Winner: Xyon Quinn, by pinfall

Xyon could’ve ended this with that first shot, but he wanted to teach Draco a lesson. Will Draco be humbled enough to accept advice the next time it’s given?

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter talk backstage.

They’re both excited to see tonight’s tag gauntlet, but they get out of the way as Natty struts in. Tatum Paxley walks up to her and says she’s been trying to prove herself to Diamond Mine and the division. If she has to step up to the Best Of All Time, so be it. Alright, fine. As for the rest of the women here, the BOAT is here and they’re all on notice! Will Tatum be the first example made out of the NXT 2.0 roster?

Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta, Dexter Lumis & Duke Hudson are all watching NXT together.

Indi and Persia can’t wait. Persia’s money is on the Creeds. Speaking of winning, if the match between Dexter and Duke had continued, Indi’s sure Dexter would’ve won. Uh, no, Dukie would’ve won. Don’t say, “Dukie.” But y’know, Dexter’s great, Duke’s great, if they were in this gauntlet, they would win. Indi agrees! Their men should be a team! No way, Duke doesn’t want to team with Dexter. Why not? Just look at him. Indi does all the time. Dex would team with Duke, right? Dexter shakes his head. Oh, c’mon! Duke might be a creep- Hey! Right, just kidding.

But Dex, Indi is sure that if they teamed up, they’d have a real shot at becoming tag team champions. Persia tells Duke that Indi has it right. Fine, Duke will do it. Nice! And Dexter, what do you say? Dexter looks at Duke, then at Indi, then back at Duke, and then gives a thumbs up. Then tag titles, here we come! Persia and Indi give their guys kisses on the cheek, but will this new odd couple tag team really make it work?

Five Team NXT Tag Team Championship Gauntlet!

The titles were vacated as MSK is no more, so this is anyone’s match to win! The lottery is all done with, and the first ones out… are the Creed Brothers! Julius & Brutus were more than happy about it, but will they be able to win on the hardest difficulty? Or will another of the four teams take them out and take those titles?

NXT returns and the Creeds find their opponents are Legado del Fantasma! Will Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza feel the pressure of Diamond Mine? Or will they break Julius & Brutus from the jump?

The Creed Brothers w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Legado del Fantasma w/ Elektra Lopez!

The teams sort out and we begin with Brutus and Mendoza. They tie up, Brutus waistlocks then whips Mendoza, but he uses that to GAMANGIRI Julius right down! Mendoza then dumps Brutus out and GAMANGIRIS him, too! Tag to Wilde, Wilde builds speed and gets a boost, CROSSBODY onto the Creeds! Wilde points to the titles, he says those are Legado’s! Wilde puts Brutus in, covers, ONE! Wilde KICKS Brutus, runs, but into a BIG elbow! Tag to Julius, he rallies on Wilde but Mendoza gets clear. Wilde corner clotheslines then tags Mendoza! Mendoza clotheslines and tags back, then Wilde clotheslines and tags again.

Mendoza GAMANGIRIS, then tags Wilde! Mendoza hits ANARCHY, then Wilde springboards to SOMERSAULT SEATED SENTON! Cover, TWO! Wilde grows frustrated already, but he stomps Julius and scrapes soles off his face. Tag to Mendoza, Legado coordinates, NECK TWIST SLINGSHOT SENTON COMBO! Cover, TWO! Mendoza stomps Julius, tags Wilde, and Wilde boots Brutus down! Wilde stomps some more, but Julius keeps getting up. Julius blocks a kick, rolling leg pick to an ANKLE LOCK! Wilde endures, flails, reaches, but Julius stands on Wilde! Mendoza runs in but Brutus CLOBBERS him first!

Brutus gets Mendoza for an ANKLE LOCK! Fans fire up as Legado endure double holds! Mendoza and Wilde reach for each other, hold hands, and then use each other to pull forward and roll! The Creeds collide and stagger! Mendoza swings, but into a waistlock! GERMAN SUPLEX! Julius tags Brutus, Brutus FLAPJACKS Wilde! Brutus then CLOBBERS Wilde with big hammers, then BLASTS Mendoza off the apron! Brutus clubs away on Wilde like a gorilla, then he gut wrenches to a Canadian Rack POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! Wilde keeps Legado in this but Brutus stalks him. Brutus KNEES Wilde to the corner, tag to Julius.

Julius hauls Wilde up, back suplex, but Wilde lands on his feet and JAWBREAKERS! Tag to Mendoza and he kicks Julius to CHOP him against ropes! Mendoza whips, Julius reverses and runs in at the corner, but Mendoza dropkicks the legs out! Julius hits buckles, Mendoza runs in but is put on the top rope! Mendoza lands clean to missile dropkick back! Tag to Wilde and he goes up, 450 SLASH! Cover, Brutus breaks it! Mendoza returns and dropkicks Brutus out of the ring! Legado hurry to get Julius up, but Brutus trips Mendoza and drag shim out! Julius then gets Wilde with an OLYMPIC SLAM!

Tag to Brutus, Julius hauls Wilde right up for Brutus’ SPINEBUSTER! SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, Creeds ELIMINATE Legado! And Bivens is loving it! But testing that stamina they touted is team number three, Briggs ‘n’ Jensen! Will the bar brawlers break through the refined wrasslers of Diamond Mine? Wait, as Fallon and Lopez cross paths, Lopez pie faces Fallon! Fallon wants after her, but the men keep them apart! Will Fallon be able to focus on cheering her guys on?

The Creed Brothers w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen w/ Fallon Henley!

Briggs ‘n’ Jensen offer fist bumps and the Creeds accept. Then they start brawling! Briggs is after Julius while Brooks has Brutus, and the ref wants this to sort out, so NXT goes to break!

NXT returns and Julius gut wrench SLAMS Brutus onto Briggs! Cover, TWO! Briggs sputters but Brutus tags Julius. Brutus stalks Briggs with a bear crawl, then runs in, only to be tossed out! Julius runs in but misses, Briggs runs to LARIAT! Then Briggs coordinates with Brooks, and they SANDWICH Brutus! Briggs pushes Brutus towards the announce desk, and commentary clears out! Briggs ‘n’ Brooks pop Brutus up for a POWERBOMB through the announce desk! Just like Big Boss Man & Bull Buchanan! Fans lose their minds while Brutus is down! Briggs ‘n’ Brooks are all fired up but the ring count is climbing!

Briggs hurries gets in but Julius CLOBBERS him! Fans rally up but Briggs ROCKS Julius with haymakers! Briggs scoops but Julius fights off to dropkick! Brooks tags in, Julius runs in to whip Briggs, but Briggs reverses! The good ol’ boys double shoulder tackle! Then they run, slide out and DOUBLE HAYMAKER Julius! They DOUBLE HAYMAKER Brutus, too! Brooks slides in, he drags Julius into a chinlock stretch! Julius endures, fans rally for the Creeds, and Julius gets up. But Brooks facelocks and brings him over to tag in Briggs. They whip, then ATOMIC DROP BOOT COMBO! There’s some dysfunction on the cover, though!

Briggs tags Brooks back in, they get Julius up for the same BIG BOSS BOMB like on Brutus! Cover, TWO!! Briggs DECKS Brutus off the apron, but Brooks is frustrated. He drags Julius up, tags Briggs back in, and they try another double team. Briggs hauls Julius up, Brooks is up top, FLYING KNEE DOMINATOR! Cover, Brutus barrels in to break it! Brutus saves his brother and this round continues! Brooks is after Brutus but Brutus throws Brooks out! Briggs BOOTS Brutus! Briggs hurries to tag Brooks back in, and they get Julius for a double whip. Julius yoyos in the ropes and Brutus tags in!

Brooks ‘n’ Briggs get Brutus first, double hip toss! They haul Brutus up, they run, but Julius trips Briggs and drags him out! Brutus avoids the leg sweep then SLIDING LARIATS Brooks! Cover, Creeds ELIMINATE Briggs ‘n’ Jensen!! What a comeback! But they’re only halfway through, because here comes team number four! The 21st Century Success Story may have only one arm, but he also has a whole Sanga! Will this be where the Creeds crumble?

The Creed Brothers w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Grayson Waller & Sanga!

Sanga gets in the ring, Julius dodges his clothesline but not that BOOT! Sanga roars, “NAMASTE” and covers, TWO! Waller is trying to anchor Brutus but Brutus kicks at him. Waller hurries away to his corner, Sanga hurries to haul Julius up. Sanga ROCKS Julius with a EuroUpper! Then another! Sanga choke grips and talks trash, but Julius slips out! Julius fires off haymakers, but Waller is too busy talking trash to notice! Sanga shoves Julius away, and with how Waller is sitting on the ropes, Julius falls out of the ring! The ref notices and Waller says he was just sitting here! Wait, Waller tags in?

Waller clutches the arm in a sling, but then slips it out to ROLLING ELBOW Brutus down! He’s 100% after all! And he stomps Julius down! Fans boo but we all fell for it! And now Waller is rubbing it in with shadowboxing and jumping jacks while NXT goes picture in picture.

Waller gloats and talks trash, then he drags Julius up and into the ring. Waller throws off his vest, swaggers about in the ring, then knees Julius down. Waller stomps Julius, then talks more trash. But Julius gets him down with a leg pick! Julius can’t do much more than that, though, and Waller CLUBS him away. Waller puts Julius on ropes, tags Sanga, and then holds Julius out for Sanga to BOOT down! Sanga stomps Julius, drags him up, and CLUBS him down! Sanga stomps Julius more, keeping him form Brutus, and then scoops to SLAM! Tag back to Waller, and Sanga scoops Waller to SLAM him onto Julius! Cover, TWO!

Waller drags Julius up and has a facelock, but Julius BACK DROPS Waller away! Fans rally while both men are down, and Bivens coaches Julius. Waller crawls, Julius does, too, hot tags to Sanga and Brutus! Sanga CLOBBERS Brutus right away, then tags Waller back in. Waller pushes Brutus down for an elbow drop! Cover, TWO! Waller clamps onto Brutus with a chinlock and grinds him down while NXT returns to single picture. Fans rally as Brutus endures, but Waller thrashes him about. Brutus still fights to his feet, and back suplexes Waller high and hard! Fans fire up, Brutus crawls over, hot tag back to Julius!

Waller turns around and wants to run to Sanga, but Julius gets right between them to CLOBBER Waller! Julius rallies with big forearms, and he dropkicks, only for Sanga to avoid it! Julius crashes down and Sanga talks trash, but Julius still avoids Waller to CHOP BLOCK the leg! Julius hurries to facelock Waller, Brutus tags back in, but Waller JABS Julius! Tag to Sanga but Brutus shoves and CLOBBERS Waller! Sanga kicks Brutus low and clamps on shoulder claws! But Brutus gets under for a GOTCH LIFT SUPLEX!! Fans are thunderous as Brutus crawls again, hot tag back to Julius!

Julius gets Sanga up for himself, for a ROLLING SPINEBUSTER! SLIDING LARIAT!! Cover, The Creeds ELIMINATE Sanga & Waller!! Another win while coming back from behind, but that just leaves one last team!

The Creed Brothers w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Pretty Deadly!

Whether they’re Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley or Kit Wilson & Elton Prince, the former NXT UK Tag Team Champions are here to make some history! But will they make it by winning THE NXT Tag Team titles their first try? Or by being the last stepping stone in the story of Julius & Brutus?

Pretty Deadly rush in wearing their powder blue ‘n’ yellow, and they stomp away on the Creeds! Prince throws Brutus out, then he helps Wilson mug Julius! Fans boo and the ref reprimands but Julius then flops out of the ring. Wilson goes out to fire off on Julius and put him in the ring. Prince wants right at him but the ref wants to make sure Julius is up for this. Julius says he’s gonna fight, so the final round begins! And Prince RAMS Julius right into the corner! Prince rams his shoulder in again and again, then whips Julius to ropes. Prince CLOBBERS Julius, then covers, TWO! Prince CLUBS Julius, sits him up with a chinlock, but fans rally for the Creeds.

Tag to Wilson, Pretty Deadly mug Julius. Wilson stomps but Julius grabs the foot! Wilson grabs Julius’ foot in return, gets around and drops an elbow! And then another elbow! Tag to Prince, Pretty Deadly mug Julius again. Fans still rally behind the Creeds but Prince drops an ax handle. Cover, TWO! Julius still has fight and the fans still have their backs! Julius CHOPS but Prince EuroUppers! And again! They clinch, Julius fires hands but Prince CLUBS him! Julius resists the suplex, and uses a leg trip! But Prince hurries to get up and tag Wilson! Wilson drops an elbow on Julius, covers, TWO!

Bivens and the fans rally but Wilson runs to KNEE Julius down! Tag to Prince, and Pretty Deadly double suplex, only for Julius to fight! Pretty Deadly throw body shots but Julius still resists! Pretty Deadly powers through to suplex up and over! Prince covers, TWO! Prince gets Julius’ arm for a top wristlock but Julius endures. Fans rally, Julius fights up, but Prince keeps him on his knees. Prince cranks the arm, but Julius fights up to JAWBREAKER free! Prince staggers but he comes back to CLOBBER! Tag to Wilson, and Pretty Deadly mugs Julius again! EuroUpper and Julius ends up in a corner!

Wilson mocks Brutus and he back elbows Julius! Tag to Prince, but Julius avoids the elbow! Prince hurries to get Julius up for more EuroUppers, but Julius manages to fire back! They go back and forth, forearm for uppercut, and then they clinch. BELLY2BELLY from Julius! Fans fire up, hot tag to Brutus! Brutus shoulders Prince away, but Prince tags Wilson. Prince RAMS Brutus into the corner and Wilson follows, BIG back elbow! Pretty Deadly coordinate, fireman’s carry to a GUTBUSTER DROP! Prince even RAMS Julius into steel steps! Wilson covers, TWO!?! Fans are thunderous for the Creeds as they’re still in this!

Wilson storms about, and grabs at Brutus, but Brutus drags him to a cradle! TWO!! Wilson KNEES Brutus back down! Tag to Prince and he brings Brutus up. They work together, BOOSTED CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO!?! Brutus survives and Pretty Deadly is freaking out! Prince hurries to haul Brutus up, then he tags Wilson. Prince runs in but Brutus POSTS him! Only for Wilson to KNEE Brutus down! But Julius is there to CLOBBER Prince! Wilson elbows Brutus, “This is Awesome!” as Brutus HEADBUTTS Wilson down! The ref keeps Julius out, he’s not the legal Creed. But Julius protests because Prince has been in there as the illegal Pretty Deadly!

Brutus is in a corner, he aims at Wilson, but Prince BOOTS Brutus down! The ref misses it because he’s too busy arguing with Julius! Wilson then DECKS Julius! Wilson goes to the corner, tags in, and now Pretty Deadly give Brutus SPILT MILK!! Cover, Pretty Deadly win!!

Winners: Pretty Deadly, by pinfall (NEW NXT Tag Team Champions)

By hook AND by crook, Pretty Deadly make history! First try and they’re NXT Tag Team Champions, and they’re only the second team ever to have been both NXT UK and NXT Tag Team Champions in their careers! Will everyone be crying over Spilt Milk?

My Thoughts:

This was a great episode of NXT! Though, I will say I’m disappointed in the next step in the InDex Dusia story. There should’ve been InDex VS Dusia in a Mixed Tag Match, but instead, we skip right past that to shove Dexter and Duke together to be a tag team. I can only hope that breaks down quickly and we get the Mixed Tag Match. At the same time, it’d be pretty cool if Persia & Indi become Women’s Tag Team Champions while Duke & Dexter get the men’s titles. They’d be honoring The Way by being a “family” of champions. And I should’ve known Lash would attack Lyons to prompt a rematch. Just kind of filler here that could’ve happened any time.

Grimes VS Solo was a great opener, and I guess Melo & Trick having a hand in the finish was to keep Solo strong in his loss. I sense a tag match of Grimes & Solo VS Melo & Trick, and then somehow that gives us Grimes VS Melo for the North American Championship. We got some pretty good segments from Bron and Gacy, though it was almost a letdown that Gacy let Rick Steiner go so easily. Though I guess that’d end up bringing in authorities, even in kayfabe. But putting the ring in fire wasn’t really gonna destroy it, so I guess the whole point was Gacy showing how crazy he is by putting a red hot ring on his finger. Bron VS Gacy for the title is going to be pretty intense.

Tangentially, Draco VS Xyon was a great match, but no real mention of Gacy in it. Though I will say Draco enraging Xyon was a pretty good way for Xyon to go off on him and get the win. This could end up pushing Draco closer to Gacy’s side. Frazer having a “one way” ticket is a bit upsetting, though. Why can’t he just continue in NXT UK? Though, at the same time, there aren’t enough people not in a story for him to feud with to build towards the NXT UK Championship. Maybe moving over to NXT USA is a way for him to get noticed by the WWE fans and build his power level so that one day, he can face Dragunov again.

Cora and Natty had an incredible promo segment tonight. For one, fans are really supportive of Cora, and then they loved seeing Natty show up. Cora did great being star struck in kayfabe, and Natty really reeled me in with how emotional she was getting, and then she did a 180! Obviously, Natty is working with Cora because what she said about the passion Cora has is true, and also by being the Heel, Cora as Face will really gain a lot out of this so that one day, she will become NXT Women’s Champion. Natty is also going to really get the other new recruits going, such as Tatum Paxley. Maybe Tatum’s showing against Natty impresses Diamond Mine.

And speaking of, Mandy VS Dakota was… Well, it got good but then was brought back down because Toxic Attraction cheated. Wade Barrett on commentary was pushing kayfabe a little too hard, Mandy is not a 10-outta-10 in technique. Mandy’s lack of sharpness really stands out against someone as sharp as Dakota. I feel like there was half a dozen miscues in this first segment alone. But whatever, Vince wants her to be his Heel champion so here we are. Dakota stays strong because the cheat is what beat her, and just as I thought it up, Wendy Choo appeared to basically stake her claim as Mandy’s next challenger. Mandy will surely cheat to win there, too, so that’s annoying.

We got great stuff out of the NXT Tag Division tonight. The issues between Nash Carter and Kimber Lee killed MSK just as they were getting going again, but NXT was able to adapt with awesome execution. Great promos from all the teams, even with some story overlapping, such as Tony D’Angelo trying and failing to pay off Escobar into being pals, and Lopez and Fallon still hating each other’s guts. The Creeds had an awesome performance, and if they weren’t big names in NXT before this, they are now. They had a great first round with Legado, and an equally great one with Briggs ‘n’ Jensen. Didn’t even know Jensen was Bull Buchanan’s son until it was alluded to on commentary.

Waller with the bad elbow swerve was great stuff, it really adds to his Heel heat. The Creeds getting to throw Sanga around really built their power level, too, but I had a feeling that Pretty Deadly was going to capitalize as the last team in the gauntlet. The name change for Stoker & Howley into Wilson & Prince is still confusing, and going to be hard to get used to. I kept wanting to just type Stoker and Howley like with Gunther/Walter, but whatever. Also, apparently Mendoza is becoming “Raul Del Toro” outta nowhere and for no damn reason. But anyway, Pretty Deadly definitely deserve to make some history, they did great work in NXT UK. And as Natty said herself, destiny is always chasing. The Creeds are going to get their moment on whatever next big NXT special is coming, and that’ll be awesome.

My Score: 8.8/10