This week on NXT, night two of The Great American Bash features a double title match with NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT North American Keith Lee looking to leave with two championships in the main event!
We are on tape from Full Sail Live in Orlando, Fla. Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, and Tom Phillips have the call for this week.
Street Fight: Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim
Yim attacks LeRae as she makes her entrances. Yim bounces LeRae off the steps and brings out a trashcan full of weapons into the ring. LeRae ducks a shot with a kendo stick and works Yim’s back with one. Yim fires back with the kendo stick. Yim brings out a table. LeRae with a sliding dropkick and she brigns the table into the ring. Table cornered and they fight outside. Yim works LeRae against the barricade, but LeRae sends Yim into the ring post. Yim pulled into the post on her shoulder as well. They fight into the seats and catering at ringside. Food used and they fight on top of a cameraman’s platform. LeRae uses a fire extinguisher on Yim. Yim dropkicks LeRae off the platform and through the catering table as we break.
During the break, Yim works LeRae with a kendo stick. LeRae drops Yim onto a chair for a nearfall as we return. LeRae spikes Yim with the chair to the body. LeRae works Yim with a trashcan lid. A table is put flat on the top rope by LeRae, but Yim with a suplex. Enzuigiris put each other down. Yim wins the striking exchange and corners LeRae. Trashcan over the head of LeRae and Yim kicks her to land a corner cannonball for a nearfall. Yim tries to hit LeRae with brass knuckles, but LeRae counters with a chair. Yim gets out from under a chair pile and meets LeRae on the top-rope table. LeRae hits a super swinging neckbreaker off the top and onto the chairs. LeRae gets her arm over top of Yim as both are laid out.
Winner by pinfall: Candice LeRae, 3 out of 5 stars
Good opener with a lot of intensity throughout. The finishing spot was a cherry on top and they played the weapons stipulation perfectly by using them throughout, but never going too over the top. A great starter for the show.
Post-match, Johnny Gargano helps LeRae to the back and Yim sits on a chair before making her way back.
Video of Mark Henry picking NXT North American Champion Keith Lee over NXT Champion Adam Cole in the main event tonight.
NXT Highlight shows us “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese attacking Leon Ruff in a dark match earlier tonight and Bronson Reed making the save, setting up tonight’s match.
Bronson Reed vs. “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese
Nese mocks Reed’s midsection. Reed works Nese down, but Nese takes a cheap shot in the corner as the referee calls for a break. Nese flips over Reed in the corner and does jumping jacks to mock Reed. Reed knocks him out of the air and lands a military press and senton to send Nese rolling outside. Nese ties Reed up in the apron and kicks him to get an advantage back inside. Nese grounds Reed for a nearfall. Reed comes back with an atomic drop. Nese snaps Reed on the top rope and hits a moonsault for a nearfall. Reed drops Nese and hits a diving splash.
Winner by pinfall: Bronson Reed, 2 out of 5 stars
About as average as you can get here, not much else to say.
Video promo for Mercedes Martinez.
McKenzie Mitchell with Robert Stone and Aliyah and he asks Shotzi Blackheart if she is ready to join the Robert Stone Brand because it is on fire. Blackheart says it is a dumpster fire and turns him down. Stone throws a fit and throws his coffee behind him. Stone turns around to see Killian Dain, who throws Stone into an equipment case. Blackheart runs over his ankle and Stone screams out that he is dying as officials check on him before the break.
Undisputed Era shown entering the arena.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Johnny Gargano
Gargano and Swerve exchange on the mat and Gargano goes to the armhold first. Scott counters, but Gargano traps the arm for a chinlock. Scott spins out and handstands out of a Gargano headscissors. Evasive counters back and forth see Gargano and Scott in a stalemate outside. Scott sends him back out for a Fosbury Flip as we break.
Gargano works Scott down as we return. Scott works the comeback and lands a diving strike to the back of Gargano. Gargano rolls outside and Scott with an apron kick. Scott with strikes back inside. Gargano comes back with a Slingshot Spear for a nearfall as Scott charges. Scott counters with a suplex, but misses on a House Call. Kicks exchanged between the two, but Scott catches Gargano with a House Call. Gargano catches a kick counter and locks in GargaNo Escape. Scott stacks for a nearfall. Pumphandle into a piledriver stopped by Gargano, but Scott flips him inside-out with a JML Driver for a nearfall. Scott goes up top, but Gargano rolls to the apron. Double stomp outside from Scott misses and he favors the leg. Gargano runs him into the post and hits a rewind hurricanrana. One Final Beat DDT lands.
Winner by pinfall: Johnny Gargano, 3 out of 5 stars
A decent match that got both to show off all areas of their technique, but that’s about all it ended up being with not a lot of emotion to build off of here. Gargano seems to have trouble finding that balance in the last few years of his NXT run.
Video package previews NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Tegan Nox.
Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango & Drake Maverick
Breezango come out as Los Conquistadores.
Joaquin Wilde starts against Fandango. Fandango with the headlock and shoulder tackle to start. Wilde with a hip toss and Fandango with an armbar and suplex nearfall. Tyler Breeze in for a nearfall. Wilde worked over and Maverick in with an enzuigiri. Breeze returns, but gets isolated by Legado del Fantasma. Wilde hip-tossed into a senton on Breeze for a nearfall by his partners. Fandango takes out Wilde and Raul Mendoza. Santos Escobar storms in, but leaves as soon as Maverick gets in. Fandango military presses Maverick into the field outside. Springboard corkscrew dive by Fandango outside. Fandango gets sent into the steps on his knee and he favors the leg as Wilde isolates him. Escobar in to work Fandango down. A rally stopped by a chop block from the NXT Cruiserweight Champion. Bow-and-arrow in and Mendoza comes in to keep Fandango grounded. He works the left leg, but Fandango pulls him into the ring apron.
Maverick and Escobar in and Maverick swarms Escobar on the hot tag. Wheelbarrow bulldog connects. Breezango take Wilde and Mendoza out to the floor. Maverick goes up top, but Escobar superkicks him up top. Fantasma Driver follows.
Winners by pinfall: Legado del Fantasma, 2.5 out of 5 stars
This went on a little too long for the build to the Escobar and Maverick closer portion of the match, which doesn’t really feel like a rivalry after the result.
McKenzie Mitchell with Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano and Gargano says they are the best power couple in the entire world. LeRae says maybe in the universe. Gargano says he could have been double champion tonight if Finn Balor hadn’t gotten in his way. LeRae says they have some wrongs to make right tonight as we break.
NXT Superstar Profile on NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre picks NXT Champion Adam Cole in tonight’s main event.
Santana Garrett vs. Mercedes Martinez
Martinez clubs Garrett down almost immediately. Garrett worked in the corner. Garrett fights out of the corner and lands a handspring back elbow. Martinez takes the strike and runs out of the corner with a big boot that levels Garrett. Garrett tries to strike back and gets hit by a clothesline. Fisherman Buster lands for Martinez.
Winner by pinfall: Mercedes Martinez, No Rating
Dominant return for Martinez in what may be the best booked match of the night.
Video promo from Damian Priest says Cameron Grimes has a date with infamy next week.
Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels preview the double-title main event before the break.
NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship Winner Take All Match: Adam Cole (NXT) vs. Keith Lee (North American)
Cole with a side headlock. Lee lifts Cole, but Cole holds the submission. Lee seizes the hand of Cole for a knucklelock. Cole struggles and tries a big boot, but Lee catches it for a shoulder tackle that sends Cole out. Lee asks if we remember Johnny Gargano as he looks to Pounce. Cole sidesteps and Lee knocks over a section of Plexiglas as he runs into it and the barricade. Cole works Lee down outside and grounds him back inside the ring. Neckbreaker nearfall for Cole and he locks in a triangle as he focuses on the head and neck area of Lee. Lee fights up to his feet, but Cole with another neckbreaker to put him back down for a nearfall. Cole tries to pull down the kneepad, but Lee stops it and lands left hands. Cole with a pump kick, but Lee gets a powerslam for a nearfall. Lee works Cole in the corner. Cole superkicks the leg to put Lee on the second rope. Backstabber gets a nearfall on Lee. Lee drops Cole on the apron and a deadlift superplex gets a nearfall on Cole. Cole gets Lee down to a knee and charges in. Powerbomb nearly drives Cole through the mat and Lee covers. Cole gets one finger on the bottom rope for the rope break.
Cole rolls outside. Cole looks for a pump kick inside. Pounce from Lee lands and a uranage spikes Cole into the mat for a nearfall. Lee lands a moonsault on Cole for a nearfall. Lee gets Cole up on his shoulders. Cole gets out for superkicks. Cole superkicks the knee and lands a Last Shot for a nearfall. Cole looks for another Last Shot, but runs into a Lee lariat that drops Cole on his neck. Destroyer from Cole gets a nearfall. Cole with superkicks over and over, but Lee kicks out. Last Shot with no kneepad lands for Cole. Cole sets up for another Destroyer. Lee stops him for a powerbomb and Big Bang Catastrophe.
Winner by pinfall and NEW NXT Champion & NXT North American Champion: Keith Lee, 3 out of 5 stars
Whether it is less of an interest in a storytelling style during the pandemic or just the flaws of WWE’s house style magnified with no crowd, this was really underwhelming after a solid start. It became big move, nearfall, and repeat in the last half of the match. Still, Lee winning is a great moment for someone who looked ready for the main event from day one.
The show closes with pyro and confetti for Keith Lee as Karrion Kross and Scarlett watch on from a private box.
WWE NXT - 7/8/2020
Full Sail University, Orlando, Florida
After last week’s build, it is hard not to feel underwhelmed with everything being just good on the final night of The Great American Bash. Outside of the great moment in Lee’s title win, this felt like a step down from night one.
