The May 4, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
- Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott def. Leon Ruff.
- Cameron Grimes def. Asher Hale (fka Anthony Henry).
- Timothy Thatcher & Tommaso Ciampa def. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson).
- Sarray def. Zayda Ramier.
- LA Knight def. Jake Atlas.
- Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart to win NXT Women’s Tag Team title
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Legado del Fantasma Segment
Legado del Fantasma came out for an in-ring promo. Santos Escobar cut a promo about history and lineage. He said that he is the undisputed empire of lucha libre. He said that the fans witnessed an iconic moment. He said that he will get back the NXT Cruiserweight Title.
Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde pointed out how they didn’t get pinned at TakeOver last month in the triple threat match and they embarrassed MSK last week. They want the NXT Tag Team Titles.
Escobar said that a true master is best when he doesn’t do everything for himself, but what he can do for his brothers.
Kushida appeared on the big screen and challenged Escobar to a match for his title on next week’s show. Escobar accepted.
Falls Count Anywhere Match
A Falls Count Anywhere Match between Leon Ruff and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott was booked.
This was a great way to kick off the show and they got plenty of time to do their story. At one point, Ruff hit a springboard reverse hurricanrana off the apron to the floor. Scott hit an AA to Ruff onto the apron.
The finish saw Ruff clothesline him over the barricade then was about to climb onto a platform, but AJ Francis caught him then hit a neck breaker onto the barricade. Scott hit his finisher for the win.
Francis, who is currently hosting WWE Hidden Treasures, has been training at the Performance Center.
Finn Balor Returns, Everyone Brawls
Karrion Kross and Scarlett walked out to the ring for a promo. He said that he made things clear three weeks ago about challengers stepping up. However, no one has stepped up yet and people keep saying that they’re not afraid of him. He wonders what they’re waiting for.
Kross said that he doesn’t have to prove himself, but he’s not waiting. He told Austin Theory, who is facing Kross next week, that he will drop him on his head and leave him laying.
Kyle O’Reilly came out and told Kross that he’s not afraid of him and this is the match he wants. He said that he thinks this is the match Kross wants. Pete Dunne walked out and said he doesn’t care that Kross is champion because he’s the baddest man in NXT. He dared to prove them wrong.
Finn Balor came out and said that he’s wrestled all of them except for Kross. He punched Kross, but Kross knocked him down. A brawl broke out with them all going after Kross. Security eventually broke them up.
When Kross was left standing, Theory and Johnny Gargano attacked him. They hit a double superkick. Kross was left on his back.
This marked the first time that Balor spoke or even appeared on NXT TV since Kross defeated him to win the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two last month.
Tag Team Match
Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zack Gibson and James Drake in a tag team match took place.
Thatcher hit Gibson in the face with Wade Barrett’s shoe then locked in an arm submission for the win.
Both teams have stated that they want to challenge MSK for the NXT Tag Team titles. Just last week, The Grizzled Young Veterans cut a promo calling themselves the leaders that the NXT tag team division needs.
This led to Ciampa and Thatcher coming out to confront them and let them know they want the next title shot. The segment ended with Ciampa and Thatcher attacking Gibson and Drake.
These two teams did work with each other earlier this year as the Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Ciampa and Thatcher when they faced off in the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinals.
Street Fight
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defended against The Way’s Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell in a Street Fight.
They used various weapons throughout the match whether that was chairs, kendo sticks or trash cans.
They did a spot where they hit Heartwell with a double dropkick with a trash can on her head. Moon hit a face buster off the barricade onto a chair. They then placed Heartwell on a stack of chairs and Blackwell was going for an outside dive, but LeRae sprays a fire extinguisher in their faces.
Shotzi hit a back splash off the top rope onto Heartwell who was on a ladder. Shotzi climbed a beam support and jumped off of it onto Heartwell on the announce table. Indie hit a spring board elbow drop to Moon through a table on the floor. LeRae hit a midfield curbstomp to Shotzi on a steel chair. The Way are the new Women’s Tag Team Champs