NXT will hold the next Takeover special Sunday, October 4th. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
The most recent Takeover saw Damian Priest win the vacant North American Championship in a ladder match, Io Shirai defend the NXT Women’s Title and Karrion Kross capture the NXT Championship from Keith Lee. Finn Balor has since won the NXT title after Kross had to vacate the gold due to a shoulder injury.
WWE will begin promoting NXT Takeover XXXI on tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the USA Network. WWE has yet to announce if Takeover will take place from the Performance Center or the ThunderDome at Orlando’s Amway Center arena.
Since 2017, The Undisputed Era has been dominating NXT. At one point, the faction held the NXT, North American, and Tag-Team Championships for the yellow brand. Adam Cole recently spoke with SI.com and was asked about the Undisputed Era possibly moving to the main roster.
“I know some people want to see that, but to be part of a brand that is constantly growing, evolving and getting bigger, to be involved in that rise, it’s such an amazing feeling,” Cole said. “I am involved in the growth of a brand I really believe in, and there is so much left for me to do with young talent in NXT.”
Cole would continue to say, however, that he feels his faction would do great on the main roster if they were to make the move.
“With all that said, of course I think that the Undisputed Era would make an incredible impact on Raw or SmackDown.”
He also spent some time during the interview talking about comparisons between him and Finn Balor.
“The thing that impresses me so most about Bálor is the way he is such an all-around performer,” Cole says. “There are so many styles in pro wrestling—a high-flying style, a striking style, a technical-based style, brawling—and he possesses everything that encompasses an exciting pro wrestler, with an entrance and presence, too.”
Former NXT Champion Adam Cole has addressed the criticisms some lobbied at the cliffhanger ending to the recent NXT Championship Iron Man match.
Speaking with Comicbook.com, Cole explained how the ending was devised to provide a cliffhanger to draw people back to the following episode of the black-and-gold brand. He argued how the approach was no different from a typical scripted television show ending on a similar cliffhanger.
“As far as a television show goes, it would be the equivalent to a cliffhanger. We give you a cliffhanger on last week’s episode, and then this week you’re going to get the finale. So in that sense, because wrestling at the end of the day is a television show, it makes perfect sense to me.”
He shared how he understands how some of the WWE Universe could be upset with the outcome. Cole noted how some people want to see a “definitive” ending to an important match, and how it “makes total sense” that it would irk some people. He added how fans’ divided opinions on the match is why he loves wrestling. According to Adam Cole, for every person who hated it, there will be some who loved it. Ultimately, he believes neither side is wrong.
The 4-way NXT Championship Iron Man matchup took place on the 9/1 episode of NXT. It ended after an hour of action, with Cole and Finn Balor tied with 2 points each. They subsequently faced each other on last night’s edition of NXT. Balor would manage to defeat Cole, claiming the NXT Championship for a second time.
The USA Network has reportedly floated the idea to WWE about NXT switching from Wednesday nights to Tuesday nights permanently.
According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, the idea had been floating around for months but Vince McMahon quickly shot it down.
“From day one, every single person knew that if they put NXT on television on Thursday or on Tuesday it would draw significantly more than it would on Wednesday,” Dave Meltzer said.
“They were put on television to make sure that AEW went out of business. Obviously, in January things changed because once AEW got that contract the goal of NXT on television failed. That was a failure, it did not work.”
Meltzer continued to talk about a meeting that was held a couple of months ago about possibly switching NXT to another night.
“A couple of months ago there was a meeting discussing this very issue with WWE with Vince and at the meeting it was like ‘if we move to another day we’ll do bigger numbers, we’ll have a wider audience.’ And at that meeting it was shut down for all the obvious reasons. What was it put on TV in the first place for?”
“I don’t think Vince wants the perception that they ran from the fight,” he continued.
This week’s special Super Tuesday edition of NXT on the USA Netework averaged 849,000 viewers. The show did a 0.26 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic to finish 10th on cable for the evening. The data comes courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.
It was NXT’s second highest viewership and best performance in the key demo this year.
NXT has aired unopposed without competition from AEW for the past three weeks.
At this point, it is becoming abundantly clear that NXT and AEW benefit from running without direct competition from one another.
There is buzz within the industry that the USA Network has expressed interest in moving NXT off Wednesday nights. We’ve heard that WWE is receptive to the idea, but talks are still preliminary.
I talked about this very idea last night, moving #WWENXT permanently to Tuesdays if the numbers held up well. Would be best for all involved. https://t.co/9TlRkjSjBj
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on an ‘under-utilized’ talent in NXT. Namely, backstage member of staff Jeremy Borash.
Borash was previously part of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, and would’ve had a fair amount of dealings with Bully Ray. The ECW legend would state how NXT needs to work on getting fans to ’emotionally invest’ in characters, and how Borash’s recent work with Io Shirai’s video packages would work wonders for the rest of the locker room.
Bully Ray on Emotional Investment
“When it comes to emotional investment? A lot of guys don’t get you emotionally invested with moves” Bully Ray began on the show. “Remember, if you think you’re emotionally invested in somebody? You’re probably just ‘responding’ to the move, and not the person. Emotional investment is all about the person, so emotional investment normally comes on the microphone.”
“That’s what I want to see more of in NXT” Bully Ray continued. “I want to see more of these guys and gals speaking from the heart. And they have something there at NXT, they have a weapon there that I think is under-utilised when it comes to tapping into the emotions of wrestlers.”
Bully Ray would then name Jeremy Borash as someone who needed to work more with NXT talent to help produce more related segments. “That weapon is Jeremy Borash. I think Borash does a phenomenal job of putting together these packages, the stuff that he is/has been doing with Io Shirai? The packages they’ve been doing with her are off the charts.”
Ray would also praise Borash’s work on the Boneyard Match from this past WrestleMania. “The stuff that Borash was behind when it came to ‘Taker and AJ Styles? The Boneyard Match? That’s all Jeremy Borash. Don’t let anybody else fool you, don’t let them smoke and mirror you. It’s Jeremy Borash because Borash was right by Matt Hardy’s side during all of the Final Deletion stuff. He understands all of this newer stuff that gets guys and gals over. I wish they were tapping into him a little more when it comes to letting people talk.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray on Jeremy Borash? Let us know in the comments
The NXT UK brand is returning but things will be a little different. Triple H spoke to Metro recently about the return of the United Kingdom division. One notable change is that new episodes of the weekly NXT UK show will be filmed inside the BT Sport studio in London.
“When you look at that studio, it’s perfect for what we do,” Triple H said in the interview. “But they are perfect for what we do. They have been a leader in changing the game in sport across all of Europe and, really, globally.”
“It’s an amazing facility. The intent is for us to be able to in there long term to be able to create this content, and I think if later down the line, we get to a place where fans can come in – obviously we’d be thrilled and excited.”
Triple H also spoke about the impacts of the #SpeakingOut movement which rocked the UK wrestling scene earlier this summer.
“Part of this is why we started [NXT UK] in the first place – to professionalize and put that system into place where everyone can feel safe and protected and have a working environment that is inclusive of everyone and the opportunity to do what we do.”
In terms of how WWE deals with allegations against its roster members, Triple reiterated the company policy.
“We look into it, we go from there to see what is legitimate, what is not, what is real, what isn’t, and deal with it accordingly.”
WWE announced the return of the NXT UK brand during the TakeOver XXX broadcast. New programming is already being filmed and is set to premiere on the WWE Network on September 17th, 2020.
NXT will air on Tuesday night at 8pm (Eastern) on the USA Network for the next two weeks. The USA Network website has been updated to reflect that NXT is airing on Tuesday, September 1st and Tuesday, September 8th.
NXT is being pre-empted for NHL hockey. In an effort to make sure fans tune in, WWE is billing this coming Tuesday’s show as a “Super Tuesday” special. It will be a historic broadcast that will feature a 4-way Iron Match to crown a new NXT Champion. The competitors will be Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa and Adam Cole.
On the other side of the Wednesday Night War, AEW Dynamite returns home to its usual Wednesday night time slot this coming week. NXT had a chance to run unopposed in its usual time slot for the past two weeks. AEW will have that same opportunity the next two weeks.
The next two unopposed editions of AEW Dynamite will be the the weeks before and after the big All Out pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.
AEW will now have a chance to show what they can do airing in their normal time slot unopposed for 2 consecutive weeks.
The next time NXT and AEW run head-to-head will be Wednesday, September 16th.
Wednesday’s edition of NXT from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL averaged 824,000 viewers, down from 853,000 last week. The show did a 0.24 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic (even with last week) and finished 24th on cable for the evening.
This was the second consecutive week that NXT ran unopposed and without direct competition from AEW Dynamite, which airs tonight on TNT.
The post-Takeover episode of NXT went up against the Republican National Convention and news coverage of the Hurricane Laura storm.
NXT saw Karrion Kross relenquish the NXT Championship due to injury, Breezango capture the NXT tag team championships from Imperium and a hot main event featuring Dakota Kai & Raquel González defeating Io Shirai & Rhea Ripley.
AEW has been preempted the past two weeks due to the NBA playoffs. Next week, NXT will also be preempted and will air Tuesday night instead of Wednesday.
The main event of next week’s ‘Super Tuesday’ edition of NXT will feature a 60-minute 4-way Iron Man Match to determine the next NXT Champion. The participants will be Finn Balor, Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano.
Former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett (real name Stu Bennett) is set to return to the promotion for this week’s episode of NXT. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Barrett will be appearing on NXT to provide commentary.
This will mark his first appearance on WWE programming since 2016. Sources state that this is a one-time appearance as of this writing and that he has not signed a new full-time contract with WWE.
Four years ago, the former five-time WWE Intercontinental Champion decided to not re-sign with WWE. Since leaving the promotion, Wade Barrett has been focusing on his acting ambitions.
Regarding his recent contributions within the pro wrestling world, Barrett has been involved with the National Wrestling Alliance. He has been recently providing his announcing skills for the promotion’s show, NWA Powerrr prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barrett was also a part of the United Kingdom’s ITV World of Sport Wrestling announce team. That project was short-lived and failed to get traction due to WWE expanding its presence into the UK wrestling scene.
WWE was said to have attempted to bring Barrett and his former Nexus stablemates together for WrestleMania 36. Barrett recently spoke on the offer made by WWE, revealing he turned it down. He cited that he didn’t like the deal or storyline presented to him, and so declined.
While Adam Cole won their bout at the NXT Takeover: XXX event, Pat McAfee managed to impress everyone with his performance and many believed that he stole the show during his in-ring debut for WWE.
Since then people have been wondering if the former NFL player will return to WWE ring in the future and it appears that the young star is not sure about his future either.
McAfee was asked about his plans during his ESPN interview and answering the question, the former Football Punter said that he is not 100% sure. He then revealed that he is not under contract with the company for another match:
“I’m not 100% sure what’s going to happen. I’m not under contract to do anything else with Mr. H. I assume he and I will talk about this at some point because I heard his comments in the press conference afterward, which were very nice.”
Pat continued by explaining that before the PPV he was in the mindset of worrying about the show and letting everything else sort itself out. McAfee claimed that he will feel good if he never gets in the ring again:
“But for me, all I was worried about was that match at NXT TakeOver: XXX and then I’ll let everything else kind of sort itself out. And I think that’s where I’m at right now. I feel good. If I never get in the ring again, I’ll be very thankful for the opportunity and I’ll be proud of it.”
Though he also said that if something pops up which is right, he wouldn’t mind returning to the ring. Pat McAfee said that he has only started thinking about it in the last few days and he still has no idea what the future holds for him.
While the Football analyst is saying that he is not sure about his future, WWE offering him a contract looks inevitable and it would be interesting to see if McAfee will accept the offer.
WWE announced during the SummerSlam PPV tonight that former NXT Champion Keith Lee will be making his official main roster debut on tomorrow’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
The company released a video teaser for the arrival of the ‘limitless’ NXT star and they also released an official statement on their website after the announcement at the show.
Keith Lee dropped the NXT title to Karrion Kross at the NXT Takeover: XXX event last night and when asked about his future, Triple H had said that it was part of a long story.
Now this announcement suggests that him dropping the NXT title so soon was a thoughtful decision from WWE and they might have big plans for the former champion on the main roster.
Though this won’t be Lee’s first appearance on the main roster. He has previously made his presence felt during the build-up for the traditional Survivor Series match last year and he had a moment at the Royal Rumble event as well.
There is no word yet on what Lee will be doing at the show and it will be interesting to see who ends up being the first feud of the heavyweight star in the main roster.
Fans were not very happy with Velveteen Dreams’ return to NXT and they even expressed their disappointment over social media but Triple H seems to be firm on their stand over the NXT star.
The Game held a media conference call after the NXT Takeover: XXX event where he talked about things like the new NXT Champion Karrion Kross getting injured during his match at the show and more.
During the call he was asked about the #FireVelveteenDream hashtag trending on Twitter this past Wednesday and the former World Champion responded by saying that we have already talked about it:
“We’ve talked about this, we’ve said our piece on it and I understand people’s positions on it and their feelings of something that they seeing with the accusations online. So, I feel like there’s nothing more that needs to be said on it again. That’s it.”
Velveteen Dream was accused of sending indecent messages to underage teens among other things during the #SpeakingOut movement and he was taken off WWE TV for a while due to it.
However, the young star returned to WWE programming during the August 12 episode of NXT and when asked about it, Triple H claimed that they did not find anything against Dream in their investigation.
WWE announced during tonight’s NXT Takeover: XXX event that Tommaso Ciampa will be returning to the brand at this Wednesday’s episode of the show.
The former NXT Champion has been off TV since he lost a singles match to Karrion Kross at the “Takeover: In Your House” event in June.
Due to the announcement of his return to NXT Television coinciding with the NXT Championship win of Kross, fans have started speculating if Ciampa could continue his feud with the former Impact star upon his return.
However, another element which has made things interesting is the fact that the newly crowned champion suffered an injury during his match at the PPV event.
While not many details about his condition are known at the movement, the possibility of Kross having to relinquish the title and taking time off due to the injury is pretty high.
If a place opens in the NXT title picture it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Tommaso Ciampa will try to claim the spot and become the new champion.
What actually happens and what are the company’s plans for the returning star will be revealed in future but as of now the possibility of Ciampa getting involved in the NXT title feud looks very high.
Karrion Kross continued to impress with his performance at tonight’s NXT Takeover: XXX event and he managed to defeat Keith Lee to win the NXT Title in the main event of the show.
However, not all the news coming out of the PPV was positive for the former TNA star and latest news has revealed that the new champion suffered an injury during his bout at the event.
Triple H hosted a media call after the event went off air and the Game revealed that Kross appears to have suffered a separated shoulder during his match.
While the exact spot where he suffered the injury wasn’t revealed, the former World Champion praised Karrion Kross for finishing the bout despite the injury.
There is no word yet on how long the NXT Champion will have to stay out of action due to the damage but reports have revealed that he is set to undergo MRI to get a better idea of his condition.
Triple H mentioned that they will try to figure out what’s up and how to work around it once the results of Kross’ MRI are in and they have a better idea of the situation.
It would be interesting to see what this injury means for the future of the NXT title and if the newly crowned champion will have to relinquish the title because of it. We will keep you updated on his status.
Check out the complete NXT TakeOver: XXX results here
NXT TakeOver: XXX aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Adam Cole battled Pat McAfee and Keith Lee defended the NXT Championship against Karrion Kross. Io Shirai put the NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Dakota Kai and there was a Ladder Match for the vacant NXT North American Championship.
TakeOver: XXX Results
Breezango def. Legado del Fantasma, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch to become #1 Contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championships (Kickoff Show)
Finn Balor def. Timothy Thatcher
Damian Priest def. Reed, Grimes, Gargano, and Dream to capture the NXT North American Championship
Adam Cole def. Pat McAfee
Io Shirai def. Dakota Kai to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
Karrion Kross def. Keith Lee to become the new NXT Champion
Here are 5 takeaways from TakeOver: XXX:
Finn Balor Picked Up His 12th TakeOver Victory
Photo: WWE.com
Finn Balor battled Timothy Thatcher in the first contest of the night.
Match Recap: Thatcher brought Balor to the canvas and slapped him across the face a couple times. Timothy went for an Arm Bar but Balor countered into an Arm Bar of his own. Both superstars battled to their feet for a moment but Thatcher took Finn right back to the mat.
Balor applied a Headlock but Thatcher quickly countered into a Headlock of his own. Finn battled to his feet but Thatcher kept the hold locked in. Balor connected with a Back Body Drop that sent Thatcher to the outside. Balor caught Thatcher with a kick to the ribs as he was trying to get back into the ring.
Timothy went to work on Balor’s knee and locked him in a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Finn fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Thatcher continued to target Finn’s knee and then locked in a Bow and Arrow submission.
Finn broke free but Thatcher continued to wear down Balor’s knee. Balor battled back for a moment but Thatcher quickly locked in a Kimura Lock in the center of the ring. Thatcher unloaded several knee strikes to the back and midsection of Balor but Finn wouldn’t stay down.
Balor hit a Back Body Drop and followed it up with a Dropkick to Thatcher’s face. Thatcher and Balor traded punches and uppercuts in the middle of the ring. Thatcher connected with a chop but Balor dropped Timothy with a Pele Kick and both men collapsed to the canvas.
Finn hit a Double Stomp to the midsection and then locked in an Abdominal Stretch. Balor hit a Dropkick that sent Thatcher to the mat and Finn made his way to the top rope. Finn went for Coup de Grace but Thatcher got out of the way. Balor grabbed his knee in pain and Thatcher capitalized with a Half Crab in the middle of the ring.
Balor refused to submit and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Thatcher connected with a German Suplex that sent Balor flying across the ring. Timothy applied an Ankle Lock but Balor countered into another Double Stomp to the midsection. Finn followed it up with the Coup de Grace but Balor couldn’t go for the cover. Balor then hit the 1916 for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Balor and Thatcher put on a terrific wrestling match to begin TakeOver:XXX. Thatcher targeted Balor’s knee the majority of the match but Finn battled through and was able to pick up the victory at the end.
Damian Priest Captured The NXT North American Championship
Photo: WWE.com
Johnny Gargano, Damian Priest, Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, and Velveteen Dream competed in a Ladder Match for the vacant NXT North American Championship tonight at TakeOver: XXX.
Match Recap: Priest and Reed quickly cleared the ring and had a brief stare down. Dream got back into the ring and planted Damian with a DDT and followed it up with a Superkick to Reed. Velveteen looked for a ladder under the ring and got sent into the steel steps by Cameron Grimes.
Cameron pulled out a tiny ladder from under the ring and Priest hit him with a Clothesline. Priest grabbed a normal-sized ladder and slid it into the ring. Grimes leveled Damian with a boot to the face as Gargano tried to set up the ladder. Priest booted Gargano in the face and then got planted with a Suplex from Reed.
Priest and Dream set up ladders in the ring and started climbing but Grimes shoved them over. Grimes got leveled by Reed as Dream sent Priest out of the ring. Reed sent Dream to the canvas and hit him with a Senton.
Johnny tried to team up with Grimes and Dream but took the opportunity to sneak up the ladder. Dream and Grimes caught him and dragged him back down to the canvas. Dream made his way to the top rope and Johnny launched a ladder onto his face. Reed then hit everyone with a Splash in the corner and joined Dream on the turnbuckle. Everyone got back up and it resulted in a Tower of Doom that sent all the superstars to the canvas.
Gargano was the first up and set up the ladder under the title. Priest knocked Gargano out of the ring and made his way up the ladder. Dream brought him down but Priest caught Velveteen with a boot to the face. Gargano hit Priest with a Superkick but once again got thrown out of the ring by Dream.
Johnny got back in the ring and hit Dream with the ladder. Velveteen launched the ladder at Johnny but Gargano ducked and the ladder hit Priest outside the ring. Bronson Reed then leveled Grimes, Dream, and Gargano with a Suicide Dive outside the ring.
Cameron Grimes brought a ladder into the ring but Priest booted him to the mat. Priest ran across the ladder against the ropes and flipped onto Gargano and Reed outside the ring. Candice LeRae came down to check on Gargano and then prevented Grimes from climbing the ladder. Candice shoved the ladder over as Grimes shouted at her.
Candice slapped Grimes a few times and then Johnny hit Cameron with a ladder to the face. LeRae hit Grimes with a Hurricanrana that sent him on top of Priest, Reed, and Dream outside the ring. Johnny started climbing but Reed met him at the top of the ladder. Bronson hit Gargano with a headbutt and reached for the title. LeRae hopped on his back and Reed decided to hit Johnny with a Splash off the top of the ladder with Candice on his back.
Bronson made his way up the ladder once again but Priest made his way up the other side. Grimes set up another ladder in the corner as Reed was knocked off the ladder. Grimes hopped to the other ladder and sent Damian to the mat. Cameron tried to hit Dream with a ladder but he ducked.
Dream set up a ladder from the ropes to the third rung of the ladder in the middle of the ring. Priest knocked Dream off the ladder but turned around into a Double Stomp from Grimes. Cameron climbed to the top but Gargano climbed up the other ladder. Johnny planted Grimes with a Powerbomb onto the ladder and Cameron rolled out of the ring.
Velveteen hit the Dream Valley Driver that slammed Gargano on top of Priest outside the ring. Back in the ring, Dream climbed up a ladder but Reed shoved it over and Velveteen crashed through a table outside the ring. Reed made his way to the top of the ladder but Grimes launched a ladder onto his face. Grimes climbed to the top but Gargano joined him up there. Johnny grabbed the title but Priest grabbed the other side. Damian knocked Gargano off the ladder and took the title. Damian Priest is the new NXT North American Champion.
Opinion: This match was complete chaos and a ton of fun to watch. There were several spots where I have no idea how someone didn’t get injured. Gargano’s Powerbomb to Grimes on the ladder looked rough for both superstars. My favorite moment was Dream flying out of the ring and crashing through a table behind the barricade. Priest is incredibly talented and hopefully will have a good run with the NXT North American Championship.
Former NFL star and WWE/NXT analyst Pat McAfee recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The Superstar Kicker will be taking on NXT’s Adam Cole on Saturday night’s NXT Takeover XXX event.
Pat McAfee began the interview on Busted Open by talking up his credentials as a pro wrestling fan and his genuine love of WWE. “Just like most wrestling fans, I would assume, when I watch and I’d see the ‘outsider’ come in? You KNOW when they were just taking advantage of a marketing opportunity with the WWE” McAfee stated.
Pat McAfee on ‘Outsiders’
“And there is no work put in, they look disgusting in the ring” McAfee would continue; before referencing the appearance of Colin Jost and Michael Che at WrestleMania.
Jost and Che (of SNL fame) appeared at WrestleMania 35 in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, with Jost being the last to be eliminated by Braun Strowman. It’s also the event where Pat McAfee would appear on the pre-show in ‘tuxedo shorts,’ which angered Michael Cole and led to the longtime WWE announcer berating McAfee, believing that he was being ‘disrespectful’ to the spectacle of WrestleMania.
“I mean I’ll never forget when I was at that WrestleMania getting chewed out by Michael Cole for having tuxedo shorts on” McAfee continued. “I saw the two stooges from Saturday Night Live walk in and the motherf*ckers look like they couldn’t even jump if they had to. They’re in a Wrestlemania match and it was just a completely disrespectful thing to the business.”
Pat McAfee would also have some choice words for an actual top athlete who performed in WWE. “Tyson Fury, the Gypsy King? One of the greatest boxers of all time. I didn’t think his performance in the ring was that good either in the wrestling business.”
McAfee would finish by re-iterating how he intends on not disrespecting the business when he faces Adam Cole at Takeover XXX. “You have this long standing history of these outsiders coming in, and in my eyes? I thought they were disrespecting the business, because there was zero effort. There was really no buying into it, there was no selling, there’s none of that.”
Do you agree with Pat McAfee? Let us know in the comments
NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano has commented on the injury scare he experienced during this week’s episode. Gargano competed against former NXT UK Superstar Ridge Holland. Their bout would secure the winner a spot at NXT TakeOver: XXX’s North American Championship Ladder Match.
However, during the match, Gargano would be spiked on his head and neck following a botched power slam from Holland. Taking to Twitter, Gargano stressed how “‘All Heart’ isn’t just a catchphrase. You only lose when you quit and I got a Ladder match to win in 3 days.”
After the scary moment, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels were among those to rush to check on Gargano. When it was confirmed that Gargano could continue, the matchup was re-started. WWE edited the match to remove any sort of break after the near-miss took place. It was determined that, because Gargano was thankfully okay after being spiked, it was acceptable to air the botched power slam on television.
Johnny Gargano competes against Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, Cameron Grimes, and Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: XXX. The winner will claim Keith Lee’s vacated NXT North American Championship.
NXT TakeOver: XXX takes place this Saturday from Full Sail University at Winter Park, FL, and will air on the WWE Network.
This week’s edition of WWE NXT on the USA Network averaged 853,000 viewers. The show did a 0.24 in the Adults 18-49 demographic and finished 23rd on cable for the evening.
NXT ran unopposed this week without competition from AEW, which was preempted due to the NBA playoffs on TNT. Dynamite airs this Saturday night at 6pm (Eastern).
This was the most-watched episode of NXT this year and ties for the 2nd best demo rating of 2020. Viewership was up 38% from last week, while the key demo rating was up 50%.
NXT featured Johnny Gargano defeating Ridge Holland in an NXT North American Championship Ladder Match qualifier, Legado del Fantasma in action, Shotzi Blackheart and Rhea Ripley teaming up and Velveteen Dream defeating Finn Balor in the main event in another NXT North American Championship Ladder Match qualifier.
Click here for our full recap and takeaways from this week’s WWE NXT.
The NXT show originally scheduled for Wednesday, September 2nd will now air on Thursday, September 3rd on the USA Network. The show is being moved to accommodate the NHL Playoffs broadcast schedule. This means that AEW Dynamite that week will run unopposed.
It is currently unknown if further episodes of NXT could be rescheduled as well. The NHL Playoffs are currently finishing up the Conference Quarter-Finals. The Stanley Cup finals are set to conclude no earlier than October 4th, 2020.
September 2nd will mark 3 straight weeks that AEW and NXT haven’t gone head-to-head. NXT ran unopposed last night, Dynamite will air on Thursday next week and NXT will be pushed back by a day the week after.
The September 2nd edition of AEW Dynamite will also be the go-home show for the All Out PPV on September 5th. Additionally, the September 16th episode of Dynamite will only be 1-hour but a 2-hour version will air the following night.
AEW has just announced that a limited number of fans will be permitted to attend beginning on Thursday, August 27th, 2020. Dynamite will air on Thursday next week due to the NBA Playoffs.
Former NXT head writer Joe Belcastro has left WWE. Triple H addressed Belcastro’s departure recently on a media call to promote TakeOver XXX on Saturday.
Trile was asked about a possible replacement for Belcastro, but according to Triple H – it will be ‘business as usual’ on the NXT creative team.
“As far as the writing of NXT goes, we shift around a little bit as things happen. I won’t necessarily comment on people that aren’t necessarily talent for us but we have a team that works with NXT that includes Shawn Michaels, Brian James, myself. So, it’s a group and the ideas all go through that. It’s really business as usual for us,” Triple H said.
Triple H also spoke about what he has learned from doing live television with NXT since October.
“There’s a dramatic difference between doing taped television, doing live television, doing 1-hour live television vs 2-hours,” Triple H continued.
“I think the biggest difficulty for us has been in this time frame is just the shifting of everything,” he said. “COVID has really made doing all of this, in a way, exponentially harder.”
WWE currently has a job ad up on LinkedIn looking for a new lead writer for Smackdown but nothing on NXT. Johnny Russo recently updated his LinkedIn to say he started as NXT’s lead writer in July after having been working as a producer for the last year.
Please join me in wishing a Happy Birthday ??? to my colleague and friend @AgentJRusso I hope you have a great day today Johnny! #CMON#RT#OUDK
According to comments made by Triple H on a recent media call to promote TakeOver XXX, Triple H isn’t interested in fielding any more questions relating to the Velveteen Dream controversy. Triple H was asked about comments made online by Dream’s accusers on the call but Triple H said he’s ready to move on to other topics.
“Obviously, we take all of these things very seriously. Allegations, misconduct, of any nature, we take very seriously,” Triple H said.
“I’ll stand by what I said to CBS, we looked into it, didn’t find anything there in the manner of what we were looking for and we moved on. It doesn’t change the fact that we take it seriously. If there is something else there we’ll look into it.”
“We’ve already talked about it so I’d rather just move on to other topics,” Triple H concluded.
In light of the dismissive comments made by Triple H during the NXT media call, accuser Matthew Jimenez tweeted this:
Want more? Here’s @DreamWWE turning the conversation sexual immediately after I disclosed my age (17). He tells me I’d be “better off in porn” and that if I was “packing” I’d be better off. We have our evidence @WWE@TripleHpic.twitter.com/MQJ3CtTLVo
During a recent interview with Triple H took part in an interview with CBS Sports, Triple H said WWE investigated the matter internally and decided to simply move on.
“Everything that we have done, we are comfortable with him continuing to do what he does and everything else. But he had a car accident. It stemmed down to people thought we removed him from TV for different reasons. We didn’t. He was in a car accident. Once he was medically cleared to be able to return to the ring from his car accident, we continued forward the way we did. We looked into what was there and we didn’t find anything.”
Following last night’s episode of NXT, fans took to Twitter and began using the #FireVelveteenDream hashtag to share their frustration with WWE’s decision to bring Velveteen Dream back to television.
In addition to the trending hashtag, fans also started a petition to convince WWE to once again investigate Velveteen Dream and the allegations made against him.
The #FireVelveteenDream hashtag managed to gain momentum after Jacob Schmidt helped to boost it. Schmidt is one of the people accusing Velveteen Dream of sexual misconduct. He used the hashtag and shared his alleged conversation with the Superstar. It was stressed that WWE never contacted him despite WWE’s claims a thorough investigation had been conducted.
During last night’s episode of NXT, Dream faced off against Finn Balor for a spot in the NXT North American Championship Ladder Match at NXT TakeOver: XXX.
Dream ultimately won the matchup despite the controversy currently surrounding him. He will now take on Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed, Damien Priest, and Cameron Grimes for the championship opportunity.
NXT TakeOver: XXX takes place this Saturday, August 22, from Full Sail University, Winter Park, FL.
There have been reports of Randy Orton wanting to work with NXT talents. His exchange with Tommaso Ciampa in particular have made many wonder if we can see the Viper going down to NXT for a feud with the former NXT Champion and other stars from the brand.
Triple H was asked about the possibility of The Viper coming to the Black And Yellow brand during a recent media call and the Game said that there are always conversations around this stuff. However, the former World Champion went on to explain that while they always have these options, getting them to fruition is a little bit more difficult:
“So changing things and trying to build in things on different days is very very difficult and a lot more challenging than people would think. While those options are always there and always discussed, getting them to fruition at this point in time, sometimes, is a little bit more difficult, but I can tell you this, Randy’s a little more public about it and puts it out on social [media].
I field calls all day long about talent wanting to do something in NXT and vice versa. There’s a constant there. I know from my end, as a performer, when you see talent and you see somebody that’s very good, and it peaks your interest. ‘Well, I’d like to work with them.’ That’s what Randy’s doing.”
We have seen people like Finn Balor or Charlotte Flair moving to NXT for feuds in recent times so the possibility of Randy Orton going down there to work doesn’t seem too farfetched. With the Survivor Series PPV being not too far away, another possibility is that we can see a cross brand feud between The Legend Killer and the NXT star but whether or not it actually happens will be revealed in future.
WWE has confirmed the final two competitors for the Ladder Match at the WWE NXT TakeOver XXX event.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT, WWE held two second chance qualifying matches to decide the final two participants for the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship at TakeOver XXX.
Those two qualifying matches were Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland and Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream. The outcomes of those contests saw Gargano and Dream win.
As a result, they’ll join Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, and Damian Priest in the contest.
Also, Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango vs. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan in a #1 Contender’s Match will take place on the pre-show.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver XXX event on Saturday, August 22, 2020 in Winter Park, Florida.
Updated WWE NXT TakeOver XXX Card
WWE NXT Champion Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai
Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream – Ladder Match to crown new NXT North American Champion
Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango vs. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan – #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match
