A popular faction will reunite in the ring for nearly five years tonight on AEW Collision, bringing together three members of one of wrestling’s most dominant stables of the past decade.
Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong will team up to reform the Undisputed Kingdom in a 6-man tag match against Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, & Shawn Dean) at tonight on AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage.
This trio first rose to prominence as part of The Undisputed Era in WWE NXT, where they established themselves as one of the most successful factions in the brand’s history. During their run, they collected multiple championships including the NXT Championship, North American Championship, and dominated the tag team division.
The Undisputed Era ran WWE NXT for years
The group won an impressive 10 NXT Year-End Awards during their time together and stood out for their cohesion and in-ring chemistry. Whether competing in singles, tag team, or multi-man matches like WarGames (video below), they distinguished themselves with their technical prowess and coordinated offensive style.
Cole served as the group’s charismatic leader while O’Reilly and Strong brought elite wrestling ability that made them feared competitors. After their WWE run ended in 2021, the trio eventually reunited in AEW, where they’ve recently reformed as part of the Undisputed Kingdom. Cole has expressed confidence that he, O’Reilly and Strong could “run all of AEW without question.” He’ll have a chance to back up that claim in just a matter of hours.
Tonight’s match will reuniting the Undisputed Kingdom / Undisputed Era for the first time since 2020 marks a significant milestone in their collective journey from NXT to AEW. And as one group gets back together… Popular AEW Tag Team Breaks Up
At AEW Grand Slam: Dynamite, HOOK defended the FTW Championship against Roderick Strong, proving his skills against the veteran wrestler. Little did fans know going into this match that this would be the final FTW Championship match in the title’s illustrious history.
After the match, HOOK shared an embrace with Strong before joining Tony Schiavone at ringside to make a stunning announcement: he was retiring the FTW Championship. HOOK handed the title to his father Taz, declaring “This is yours” in a moment that brought tears to the eyes of the Human Suplex Machine/commentator.
While first introduced in ECW by Taz in 1998, it wouldn’t be until 2020 that the gold debuted in AEW. Five men held the title during its All-Elite run, with Ricky Starks boasting the longest reign at 378 days. HOOK holds the record for the most combined days, as his three reigns saw him hold the gold for a total of 627 days.
With the FTW Championship now officially retired, HOOK’s emotional tribute to his father marks the end of an era. It also raises the question as to what’s next for HOOK and whether he is ready to set his sights on AEW’s sanctioned titles. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on HOOK as he starts a new chapter in his career, one without the FTW Championship around his waist.
Dalton Castle will not be wrestling at Death Before Dishonor next week and will not be wrestling for quite some time.
Tony Khan announced on social media that Castle will not compete at the upcoming ROH PPV, stating that the former ROH World Champion was injured during his match on AEW Collision against Roderick Strong. What’s even worse is ‘The Peacock’ won’t be strutting in the squared circle for the remainder of 2024.
Some injury news that's forced changes to the plans for this Friday's #ROHDBD Death Before Dishonor@theDALTONcastle was injured in his Saturday Night #AEWCollision bout last week vs @roderickstrong. Sadly Dalton will be out of action for the remainder of 2024. Get well soon DC
Dalton quote-posted Tony Khan, stating he’ll “See y’all baby chickens in 2025.”
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer claims that Castle was knocked out during his match with Strong after being connected with a flying knee. There was a clear edit in the broadcast of Collision as Castle didn’t kick out, who was out for several minutes after the spot. Up until this unfortunate injury, Castle has been a regular presence on Collision programming.
Currently on the card for Death Before Dishonor is Diamante taking on Leyla Hirsch in a Texas Deathmatch, Billie Starkz defending her ROH Women’s TV Championship against Red Velvet, Athena putting her ROH Women’s World Championship on the line against Queen Aminata and Mark Briscoe putting his ROH World Title up against the aforementioned Strong.
We at SEScoops want to wish Dalton Castle a healthy and speedy recovery.
Swerve Strickland is set to put his AEW World Championship on the line against Roderick Strong on this week’s AEW Dynamite.
Strong dropped the AEW International Championship against Will Ospreay at last weekend’s AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view. It seems that the Undisputed Kingdom member has his sights set ton the AEW World title.
He picked up a win over Lio Rush on last night’s AEW Collision. He asked Tony Khan for a shot at Swerve’s title so that he becomes the one to defend the title at the upcoming AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door on June 30. Khan felt it was a good idea and agreed to his proposal to book the match for Dynamite.
Roderick Strong makes a HUGE CHALLENGE for #AEWDynamite NEXT WEEK in Colorado!
The upcoming edition of Dynamite will emanate from Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado. The show will feature the return of MJF to the show after he made surprise appearance at Double Or Nothing. Meanwhile, Saraya is also scheduled to face Mariah May
Swerve Strickland already has another title defense lined up
During the May 29 edition of AEW Dynamite, a Casino Gauntlet match took place to determine Strickland’s challenger at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view on Sunday, June 30. The match was ultimately won by Will Ospreay, who is all set to challenge Strickland at the show. This will mark the third annual of the crossover event featuring AEW and NJPW stars.
Well, Swerve Strickland also feels that this is the right time to have a WWE-AEW crossover. Read more below:
Will Ospreay entered AEW months before his NJPW contract was over. He broke into the scene, starting in 2024, and he was off to the races. AEW Double or Nothing saw him win his first championship with the company.
Roderick Strong defended the AEW International Title against Ospreay in the opening match of Double or Nothing.The fans were behind Ospreay the entire time, and they were electric for the entire match.
In the end, Ospreay pulled down the win to capture his first title in AEW. In the middle of his celebration, Adam Cole made his big return to the company, and that shocked everyone. That was followed by MJF’s long-awaited return to AEW television.
Will Ospreay entered AEW with an impressive list of accolades from his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He has held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship once, the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship twice (being the final champion), and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship three times. Ospreay has also held the NEVER Openweight Championship once. Additionally, he won the New Japan Cup in 2021 and the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in both 2016 and 2019.
We’re six weeks away from AEW’s first pay-per-view of the year. Revolution will be the home of Sting’s final match. Matches have steadily been added to the show.
Since the Undisputed Kingdom were revealed as The Devil and The Devil’s Masked Men, they’ve made it clear that they’re on the hunt for gold. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett have a head start with the ROH Tag Team Championships. Roderick Strong has his sights set on the International Championship.
Last week following Cassidy’s match, Strong let Cassidy know that he wanted to wrestle him for the title. The champ was ready to go right then and there, but in true heel fashion, Strong wanted to wait. Weeks. He named the time and place: Revolution.
The Undisputed Kingdom left the ring before getting an answer. During a backstage segment, Renee Paquette asked Cassidy what his reaction was. He replied, “my reaction is…okay. I will wrestle you, Roddy for my International Championship at Revolution on March 3.”
The #AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy has a message for Roderick Strong.
Orange Cassidy hasn’t defended his title on a pay-per-view since Full Gear. Since his match with Strong is six weeks away, he wants to continue defending his title. In his segment with Paquette that he asked Tony to “get some of my friends, some of my enemies, some like, friends and enemies. Put them together in a match on Rampage and then the winner of that will wrestle me on Collision on Saturday for my International Championship.”
Kip Sabian, The Butcher, Komander, and Vikingo will face off this Friday for a shot at Cassidy’s title on Saturday.
Roderick Strong wants out of WWE as he has asked for his release “multiple times” over the last several months. Fightful Select reported the news today.
Per the report, Strong has grown frustrated with many things over the past year within the company. Despite his request, WWE has denied it.
Strong was also pitched a name change, which he was against. There were many within the company that was surprised that Strong was not included in last week’s cuts as he made it clear he wanted to be let go.
Strong has remained professional in his handling of creative week-to-week. It was added that WWE currently has no plans to release Strong and says he factors into their creative plan.
Strong is the last member of the Undisputed Era that remains with WWE as Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish are all in a stable in AEW. He was put in the Diamond Mine stable last year. The original idea for the group was for it to feature Stong, Tyler Rust, Arturo Ruas, Malcolm Bivens, Hideki Suzuki, and his wife Marina Shafir.
Less than a year later, all of the members except for Strong remain with WWE. Prior to the group forming, Strong re-signed with WWE shortly before that.
Reactions to Roderick Strong Requesting His Release
"I want to leave. I am unhappy." – independent contractor
"Sorry, but we insist you remain here. You signed a contract." – WWE
"Yet you can release me at any time?" – independent contractor
"Yes. Part of the contract." – WWE
"No wonder I am unhappy." – independent contractor
— The Life of the Party Jaims Van Der Beek (@JaimsVanDerBeek) May 2, 2022
Roderick Strong is a textbook example of WWE basically telling a talent "We don't see enough in you to push you in any significant way but we paradoxically see you as way too valuable to allow you to jump to the competition."
WWE has reportedly denied Roderick Strong's release because he factors into creative plans but they cut Malcolm Bivens, who is part of that same storyline, last week.
Dexter Lumis and Persia Pirotta were TV regulars too.
Absurd.
— Andy H. Murray (link in bio!) (@andyhmurray) May 2, 2022
LA Knight and Roderick Strong got a look on the main roster before Friday Night Smackdown went live on FOX. The two NXT stars worked a dark match from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN with Knight going over.
Over the last two weeks, Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have faced each other in dark matches at SmackDown in addition to WWE’s tapings for Main Event before Raw both this week and last week.
This week’s main event of NXT 2.0 featured Strong in action as he lost to WALTER, who announced after the match that his new name is Gunther.
The Diamond Mine stable is currently feuding with WALTER’s Imperium faction, which is why the match was booked. A brawl between the two groups closed this week’s NXT as The Creed Brothers made the save for Strong when Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner attacked him with WALTER adding in some strikes.
Earlier this month on the New Year’s Evil edition of NXT, Strong lost a title unification match against NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes as he was NXT Cruiserweight Champion going into that match. WWE decided to retire the title and Hayes is recognized as the North American Champion.
It was the end of an era in NXT as WWE decided to unify the Cruiserweight and North American Titles when North American Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong took place at New Year’s Evil.
The match opened the show and it was a back and forth match. Hayes hit his leg drop finisher off the top rope for the win.
Strong won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Kushida this September while Hayes beat Isaiah “Swerve” Scott to win the North American Title in October. Dave Meltzer noted on the last month’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that he had heard WWE might be getting rid of the title and renaming it the All-Inclusive Championship.
Hayes agreed to the match after being challenged by Strong as both stars have been calling themselves the real champion in NXT. WWE had a contract signing to make the match official last week on NXT that was hosted by NXT announcer Wade Barrett.
The North American Title was first introduced in April 2018 and won by Adam Cole. There had been 13 champions in the original history of the title. The Cruiserweight Title was back in 2016 with TJ Perkins being the first champion. There had been 19 champions in the history of the title since WWE brought back the division.
Bron Breakker pinned NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa in the men’s War Games match on Sunday. He will face Roderick Strong on next week’s episode.
Breakker came out on last night’s NXT ready to issue a challenge for the title but instead he was interrupted by Diamond Mine manager, Malcolm Bivens, as well as the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile. Bivens told Breaker that while he may have Ciampa in his sights, Strong’s sights are focussed on him.
When Breakker faces Strong next week, it will be just his 13th professional wrestling match. He was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa in an NXT title match at Halloween Havoc in just his 4th professional match.
4 other matches have also been scheduled for the December 14th show.
We will also see the in-ring debut of Parker Boudreaux, aka Harland next week. He has been aligned with Joe Gacy since October. No opponent has been announced for him for next week.
Cameron Grimes and Duke Hudson will continue their rivalry next week. They will meet in a no holds barred match.
Tony D’Angelo will also be in action next week when he takes on Andre Chase.
Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong made his latest title defense against Joe Gacy at the WWE NXT WarGames event in Orlando, Florida on Sunday night.
The match was kept short with Gacy dominating early only for Strong to make a comeback with a knee strike then a backbreaker for the win.
WWE set up this feud a few weeks ago when Gacy interrupted Strong and his Diamond Mine stablemates while Malcolm Bivens was cutting a promo. The following week, Diamond Mine interrupted a promo by Gacy and told him that Diamond Mine was going to steal the spotlight from Gacy like he did to them. Gacy said he has no respect for them or Strong and he said Strong’s name alone is an example of toxic masculinity. Gacy said the Cruiserweight division is meant to divide because it’s an example of exclusivity and weight shaming.
Strong offered the title match and Gacy accepted before noting that he looked forward to resolving this issue together as one. Bivens wanted Julius & Brutus Creed to attack Gacy, but he called them off after Gacy’s associate Harland appeared.
Strong won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Kushida this September. Dave Meltzer noted on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio this week that he had heard WWE might be getting rid of the title and renaming it the All-Inclusive Championship.
NXT 2.0 Cruiserweight Champion Rodderick Strong says his wife, former MMA fighter Marina Shafir, was originally slated to be part of his Diamond Mine faction.
In an interview with Meep Meep Podcast host Ryan Rainbro, Strong revealed that he had Diamond Mine rash guards made for Shafir. He also confirmed that NXT originally wanted both Shafir and Arturo Ruas were going to be in the faction.
“…It was sad because I got my wife one and Adrian(Arturo Ruas) one and it didn’t end up working out,” Strong said. He continued, “Things happened the way they did, but at least it’s something they can remember and use.”
Diamond Mine Faction Members
The faction Diamond Mine had gone through changes even before debuting on June 22nd. As revealed by Strong, NXT planned for Shafir, and Ruas to be in the group. However, WWE released Shafir and Ruas on June 25th.
While Shafir hasn’t spoken about it, Ruas confirmed that he was going to be in the faction. In an interview with Wrestling Inc Managing Editor Nick Hausman, Ruas shared NXT wanted him in the group after he recovered from bicep surgery.
“… I got cleared, and everything started to run again,” said Ruas. He continued, “That’s where Diamond Mine came up. It would be a group of legit fighters with legit backgrounds.” Both Shafir and Ruas are still free agents.
The Diamond Mine faction debuted with Strong, Tyler Rust, Hachiman, and Malcolm Bivens as the manager. Rust exited the group after WWE released him on August 6th. Since Rust’s release, Diamond Mine gained three new members.
The Faction Successful Start
The Diamond Mine has been featured prominently in NXT 2.0 weekly for the last two months. Strong defeated Kushida for the NXT 2.0 Cruiserweight Championship on the September 21st episode. In this week’s NXT 2.0 episode, He successfully defended the title against Grayson Waller. The other members of the group, The Creed Brothers, Hachiman, and Ivynile have yet to lose a match.
The NXT brand will be looking to make Johnny Gargano the next major heel.
PWInsider Mike Johnson reports that Gargano will be the next top heel in NXT. This report responds to former NXT champion Karrion Kross moving to the main roster and Adam Cole’s contract status.
“With Adam Cole and Karrion Kross gone, we are told the current plan is for Johnny Gargano to be positioned as the top heel for the brand,” said Johnson.
Johnny Gargano Current Situation
Gargano is currently in a storyline with his faction “The Way” and Dexter Lumus. He and Candice Lerae has tried to prevent Hartwell and Lumis from being together. PWinsider’s Billy Krotchsen shared results for upcoming NXT tapings. From the tapings, it would seem the current storyline will continue in September. However, the report revealed that he might start a feud with LA Knight.
NXT is moving in a new direction soon. With the departure of Cole and Kross, the brand has a unique opportunity for heels to become fill their role. Johnson reported that along with Gargano, Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong would have new positions within the brand. “We are told Pete Dunne, and Roderick Strong will also be main players on the heel side of things,” said Johnson.
Fans hoping to see Kushida defend the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title against Roderick Strong tonight are sure to be disappointed.
NXT General Manager William Regal has announced that Kushida is off tonight’s card as he has not been medically cleared to compete. Strong will remain on the card, however.
Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned @KUSHIDA_0904 is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed @Malcolmvelli and @roderickstrong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete.
“Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned Kushida is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete.
Therefore, WWE NXT will begin with a Diamond Mine open challenge.”
This edition of NXT will be the go-home show for TakeOver 36. The TakeOver show will be held on Aug. 22. This will be the night after WWE SummerSlam.
At TakeOver 36, Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship. Plus, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reily will collide in a best two-out-of-three falls match. Also set for the card will be an NXT UK Title match between champion WALTER and Ilja Dragunov.
That’s not all for TakeOver 36 this weekend. Raquel Gonzalez will put her NXT Women’s Title up for grabs against former friend Dakota Kai. LA Knight will meet Cameron Grimes once again for the Million Dollar Championship. This time, if Knight wins then Ted Dibiase will become his butler.
Here’s an updated look at what’s in store for NXT tonight.
Roderick Strong vs. TBA – Diamond Mine Open Challenge
Carmelo Hayes vs. Duke Hudson – NXT Breakout Tournament semifinals
Timothy Thatcher vs. Ridge Holland
Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea vs. Dexter Lumis & Indi Hartwell
MSK (c) vs. Imperium – for WWE NXT Tag Team Titles
Interview with WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross & Samoa Joe meet face-to-face
With the Undisputed Era now finished, Roderick Strong has returned to WWE NXT along with the Diamond Mine. According to a report from Fightful, Strong signed a new deal with WWE before the faction debuted. Strong re-signed just before his wife, Marina Shafir, was released by WWE last month.
The Diamond Mine, and Strong in particular, are expected to play a major role in the NXT Cruiserweight division moving forward. In addition to Marina Shafir, several cruiserweights released including Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, August Grey, and the Bollywood Boyz.
A KUSHIDA vs Roderick Strong NXT Cruiserweight Championship match could potentially be as big a match as the division has ever seen.
Strong signed with WWE in 2016 after having spent 13 years with Ring of Honor. He debuted for ROH in 2003. He is a 1x ROH World Champion, 2x Television Champion, and once held the tag titles for the promotion along with Austin Aries. In NXT, Strong is a 1x North American Champion and 2x tag champion along with his Undisputed Era teammates.
After weeks of build-up, The Diamond Mine finally made their debut on NXT this week with a returning Roderick Strong as its apparent leader.
Mysterious MMA-themed vignettes have been airing on NXT TV for quite some time promoting the group’s arrival. The promo on last week’s episode of the show said that the mine will finally be opening this week.
This week’s episode of NXT then saw The Diamond Mine making their debut after the main event of the show which saw Kyle O’Reilly defeating the cruiserweight champion Kushida in a non-title one-on-one match.
O’Reilly got into a brawl with Adam Cole after the bout. They fought each other until the enforcer Samoa Joe brought some security and escorted them away.
A mysterious man then attacked Kushida who was still in the ring. He revealed himself as a returning Roderick Strong. Though Strong didn’t come alone as Hideki Suzuki and Tyler Rust watched this from the apron.
The two then entered the ring and stood tall with Strong. Malcolm Bivens got in the ring with the NXT cruiserweight title and he showed it to Strong before laying it over the champion.
Bivens introduced this new faction as The Diamond Mine. The Diamond Mine stood tall over the cruiserweight champion as the cameras went off air.
Roderick Strong had been off NXT TV in recent months. He walked out of the WWE programming after the breakup of The Undisputed Era, claiming that he was done with everything.
Bivens had been managing Rust but the two hadn’t been seen on NXT TV since March. Suzuki on the other hand was signed earlier this year to work as a coach though it appears the company has decided to use the Japanese wrestling legend as a performer as well.
Adam Cole knew that it was time to finally explain his contentious actions at NXT TakeOver and the following week. At TakeOver, Cole attacked both Finn Balor and fellow Undisputed Era member, Kyle O’Reilly, and last week he went one step further and threw O’Reilly onto the steel steps so hard that fans got concerned for his health. Read more on O’Reilly’s health status here.
In the closing moments of this week’s episode of NXT, Adam Cole finally decided to explain himself. He said that he wanted to disclose what his intentions were, and he feels sick to his stomach with it. Cole said that he was upset with Kyle O’Reilly getting title shots, but it doesn’t excuse his actions. The NXT title means a lot to him, but he knows what he did was wrong.
Adam Cole said he was wrong for taking O’Reilly out he should be in the ring with him, but that isn’t possible because of what he did. He apologised for the “stupid mistake”. Cole said that he’s sorry to Kyle and he would do anything in his power to fix this, or at least try if he can’t.
Hearing this, Roderick Strong came out and asked Adam Cole if he really feels bad about his actions. Strong said that everything’s changed because of his actions. “This Undisputed ERA. This was built on trust. Love, a brotherhood. We would do whatever it took to have each other’s back no matter what it was, and just like that you shattered that trust,” Strong said.
Finn Balor came out and pushed aside Roderick Strong, to beat down Adam Cole. Strong tried to make the save but he got attacked as well. Cole eventually superkicked Balor, knocking him out. Strong punched Cole but it seemed like he felt hurt inside from this. Cole started apologising and said that it was his fault, and called Strong his brother that he loved.
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong then hugged, with what looked like them making up at last. Unfortunately, Cole hit him with a low blow, ripping off his Undisputed Era necklace and hit Strong with a superkick to seal the deal.
This segment pretty much signified the apparent end of The Undisputed Era, with Bobby Fish out with an injury, and Kyle O’Reilly out of action too, it would be interesting to see how things go from here.
NXT’s March 4 episode will feature two steel cage matches on the same night.
On this week’s NXT, The Velveteen Dream said that he wants the steel cage left up so he can make Roderick Strong experience how it feels. He urged NXT General Manager William Regal to book a steel cage match between them. Strong accepted Dream’s challenge and sent the message that he is going to end him.
It was announced in the episode that Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong will face off each other inside of a steel cage on next week’s episode. This would be the second steel cage match after the already confirmed bout between Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai.
Velveteen Dream and Strong rivalry resumed after Dream’s return to NXT three weeks ago. Dream insulted Strong’s family and faced him in last week’s main event. He was able to defeat Strong, however, he was attacked by Undisputed Era shortly after the match.
The steel cage match between Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai was made official from the fallout of their street fight that took place at NXT TakeOver: Portland. The match had ended with Raquel Gonzales interfering in the match and helping Kai win.
It will be interesting to see how NXT’s ratings will fare against AEW Dynamite. Dynamite will also see the debut of Lance Archer, so there’s something to look forward to on both programs.
Survivor Series 2019 was the first of WWE’s big four events to incorporate NXT as the third brand of the company and it saw some of the top NXT stars delivering impressive performances against talents of Raw and SmackDown.
Former NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong was one such star who delivered an excellent match and picked up a non-title win against the then US Champion AJ Styles and IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a triple threat match at the show.
Roderick Strong talked about his victory on the PPV event when he spoke to Sports Illustrated recently and the NXT star revealed that the win over these two wrestling veterans had made him emotional:
“After the match, I was celebrating on the ground, and
I got emotional. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and that was a big moment.
I was very, very happy that I had the chance to do that with guys that I have
so much respect for, and ones I feel that have the same respect for me.
The former Champion continued by saying that those are two guys he has the utmost respect for. He also said that he is excited to continue working until the day he stops doing this, to show the world how good he is at his job.
Apart from this, Roderick Strong talked about his match with Keith Lee and being comfortable in the heel role. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Although the deck was stacked against him in the lead-up, Keith Lee has beaten Roderick Strong to win the WWE NXT North American Champion.
Strong didn’t successfully retain the title over Lee in a championship match on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network. Thus, it’s Lee’s reign now.
WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot two weeks ago on NXT.
A Fatal 4-Way Match that saw Cameron Grimes vs. Donavan Dijakovic vs. Damian Priesttook place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title. Lee was victorious, earning the right to challenge Strong for the NXT North American Title.
There was some speculation that the company could save it for the next TakeOver special.
However, they booked on NXT television to help boost television ratings while they continue the war against AEW Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s weekly television show on TNT.
It’s possible that when WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center that will air on the WWE Network a rematch between these two stars is booked.
The next challenger to WWE NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong will be Keith Lee.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
A Fatal 4-Way Match that saw Cameron Grimes vs. Donavan Dijakovic vs. Damian Priesttook place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title. Lee was victorious, earning the right to challenge Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Title.
WWE has announced exactly when this contest will take place as it will go down in two weeks on NXT on the USA Network to help boost television ratings while they continue the war against AEW Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s weekly television show on TNT.
There was some speculation that the company could save it for the next TakeOver special.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network.
What was clear was the fact it wouldn’t take place during Royal Rumble weekend.
WWE holds the Worlds Collide event on Saturday, January 25, 2020 in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center and will air on the WWE Network. This show is replacing the traditional TakeOver special on this special weekend.
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) in an eight-man tag team match has already been confirmed for the show.
This week’s episode of WWE NXT is a different type of show that is being built around Roderick Strong’s Open Challenge so let’s take a look at a preview for it.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT. This show features matches that were taped at two different locations.
Strong’s match was filmed in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University a few weeks ago as part of a dark segment. The other matches were filmed last week at the Friday Night SmackDown TV event in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center.
In the likely main event, Keith Lee and Lio Rush vs. Damian Priest and Tony Nese in a tag team match is expected to take place.
NXT Preview
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Open Challenge by NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong
Keith Lee and Lio Rush vs. Damian Priest and Tony Nese
The reason for the show being taped and not live on the USA Network is due to the company giving its talent time off for Christmas. Obviously, this show takes place on the holiday.
WWE taped this past Monday’s episode of RAW last week to give the crew time off. That will change starting Thursday as the main roster crew is back on the road.
NXT is different though as they won’t return for a live episode on the USA Network until the January 8th episode.
WWE recently released the latest episode of the After The Bell podcast with host Corey Graves. During the show Graves interviewed current NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong. The pair discussed Strong’s career in WWE and his alignment with the Undisputed Era stable.
“It couldn’t be more perfect” – Roderick Strong
When asked about how he fits in the UE Roderick Strong stated “It couldn’t be more perfect. I mean it, I just love the fact that we we work so well together, we finish each other’s sentences. We’re always kind on the same vibe when it comes to what we’re trying to accomplish be it in a match, a promo segment or anything.”
“we’re actually killing it so let’s pat ourselves on the back a little bit”
Roderick Strong elaborated further, saying “it’s nice to just sit there and reflect sometimes about all the all the things we did prior to coming here. And then all the things we’re doing now and how we’re giving each other the opportunity to to just FEEL what we’re doing sometimes. You know it’s another surreal like situation where we talk sometimes. Like is this is really happening?”
“And we’re actually killing it so let’s pat ourselves on the back a little bit, but then let’s get to work. And now it’s just nice to have people that always push you. Sometimes it is what it is and maybe you’re having a rough day, but then you know when you see those guys there’s an accountability there too to be the performer you need to be on that day. You know to have three my best buds it couldn’t be better, honestly.”
“I think we capture more gold” – Roderick Strong on Undisputed Era in 2020
Graves also asked Strong what he envisioned seeing the Undisputed Era doing heading into 2020. Strong responded by saying “I think we capture more gold.” Corey was then quick to mention that this would mean the group leaving NXT (as they already hold all of the gold on the brand). Strong responded to this by saying “we [are going] to do whatever we want. What about 2020 we will set the rules and want to show up and do whatever we want whenever we want?”
It appears as though things are far from over between Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and Roderick Strong. Following their Triple Threat match at this past Sunday’s Survivor Series, the Superstars have been lashing out at each other via social media.
Strong would emerge victorious from their hard-fought clash, stealing the win at the last moment from Styles. WWE soon posted a video interview with Strong where he addressed that night’s success. Styles responded to Strong’s words, writing “Enjoy it, Roddy. You know where I’ll be every Monday night. #WWERaw #SurvivorSeries”
If Styles’ challenge wasn’t enough, Nakamura then got involved, claiming that Strong’s win was simply “lucky” and that he’ll end up paying for it. The current Intercontinental Champion then promised that he and Styles weren’t done yet, alluding that all three men have unfinished business with each other despite all representing different WWE brands.
“Congrats @roderickstrong.but it was just lucky. You’ll pay for this soon maybe. @AJStylesOrg, we’re not done yet. Anyway I was standing tall in the ring…. tallest. #SurvivorSeries #RAW #SmackDown #NXT #AnStupidEra”
Strong would see Nakamura’s insult, responding to the “King of Strong Style” that he was open to a 1-on-1 matchup any time.
I am open to a 1 on 1 match up any time my friend. Let’s see if it was luck! https://t.co/ivS1InwMNN
His victory on Sunday wasn’t the only win for the Undisputed Era. NXT Champion Adam Cole would also successfully defend his gold against “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne, subsequently being referred to as NXT’s “Iron Man” by Triple H.
In a rare match, WWE had all of the secondary champions from Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown, and NXT battle it out inside of the squared circle.
At WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network, the promotion did just that when they booked an interesting contest.
The bout had WWE United States Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
These three stars battled it out in a non-title triple threat match that saw Strong win. Now, Strong has the bragging rights for the victory.
This marked the first time that a secondary champion from NXT was featured in a match at Survivor Series, which is considered one of the big four events of the year for WWE along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam.
It’s been reported by Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com that Styles pitched for a matchup between The O.C. and NXT’s Undisputed Era to take place at Survivor Series. However, the idea was shot down.
What are your thoughts on WWE having win the interbrand match at this show? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
