The September 1, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
WWE NXT Results (9/1)
- Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Tyler Breeze & Fandango def. Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza)
- Candice LeRae def. Kacy Catanzaro
- Timothy Thatcher def. Bronson Reed.
- Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa ends in tie
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Timothy Thatcher vs. Bronson Reed
Timothy Thatcher vs. Bronson Reed in a singles match took place with the two stars putting on a stiff yet entertaining contest.
Austin Theory attacked Reed during the match and laid him out on the floor when the referee wasn’t looking. Once back in the ring, Thatcher locked on an armbar for the win.
This was expected coming off last week’s segments with the first being Thatcher thinking he should be the #1 contender to Damian Priest’s North American Title. Later in the show, Reed also did an interview where he questioned the request by Thatcher and pointed out that he holds a win over Priest.
Perhaps, WWE is building towards a Triple Threat Match between Priest, Reed, and Thatcher for the title. Whether they keep it for an upcoming episode of NXT or the next TakeOver special remains to be seen.
Six-Man Tag Team Street Fight
The feud has continued as Legado del Fantasma, which consists of NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar with Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde, battled Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Breezango in a six-man tag team street fight.
This comes after the two teams have squared off before in addition to Scott recently coming up short against Escobar in a match with the Cruiserweight Championship on the line.
There were typical spots such as ladders, fire extinguisher, and other weapons used in the contest.
The finish was wild as Scott and Fandango jumped off a forklift onto everyone else who was in the ring. Scott hit his finisher to Escobar for the win.
New NXT Champion
As expected, the final hour of the show featured a 60 Minute Iron Man Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the new NXT Champion. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa were the competitors in the contest.
As expected, the way the match worked was that whoever had the most points at the end of the match won it whether that be pinfall, submission, or DQ. This was due to Karrion Kross suffering a separated shoulder and vacating the championship.
The match was really good as it allowed everyone to shine given the amount of time that it played out. It wasn’t just a spot fest, but it told a story of who could overcome the odds in not just the competitors in the ring, but the time that they had to survive.
Balor scored the first point when he pinned Cole. Ciampa joined the scoreboard when he hit a facebuster on Cole. When the match was over, Balor and Cole had two points while Ciampa and Gargano had one point apiece.
This led to William Regal coming out and announcing that Balor and Cole would face off next week in a sudden death match to determine a new champion.
Challenge Accepted
Rhea Ripley did a backstage segment where she issued a challenge to Mercedes Martinez to a Steel Cage Match for next week.
Ripley stated that she is sick and tired of not only Mercedes but also the Robert Stone Brand getting in her business. She said that she thought that Mercedes got the message when she powerbombed her on the floor, but she is too thick-headed for that.
She said that now she’ll have to rip her limb from limb and wants to do it in a Steel Cage Match. Mercedes later agreed to the match and now it’s on.