7/15/20 NXT Recap

Join the Starman as he recaps the July 15th edition of NXT.

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A recap of Keith Lee winning the NXT Championship from Adam Cole at the Great American Bash kicks off NXT. Various wrestlers are seen congratulating Keith Lee on making history and talk about taking some gold from him, which ends with Karrion Kross saying tick tock.

We head into Full Sail University and Keith Lee is introduced to the ring as the NXT and North American Champion makes his way to the ring. Lee says he is at a crossroads as he is now standing before everyone as not only the North American Champion, but the NXT Champion. Lee says he is snapping back to reality as he knows there is a locker room full of people who want the same opportunity that he earned. Lee goes on to thank his trainer Tim Brooks and the fans for their support. He says there is one more person he wants to thank and calls out his best frenemy, Dominik Dijakovic.

Dijakovic comes out and congratulates Lee on his championship victory. Lee says Dijakovic has tested his limits and he suggested to William Regal that the first challenger for his championships should be Dijakovic. Dijakovic is all on board and asks when he wants to do it. Lee says he is in his ring gear right now and suggests that they do it tonight. Dijakovic is hesitant but Lee prods him into saying yes.

Footage of Tegan Nox is seen arriving to the building earlier in the day as the announce team hypes the NXT Women’s Championship match against Io Shirai and grudge match between Damian Priest and Cameron Grimes, which will happen after the commercial break.

Match 1: Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes
Grimes runs at Priest and Priest levels him with a boot as this match starts. Priest continues to nail Grimes with a series of strikes until Grimes connects with a forearm that sends Priest out to the floor. Grimes sends Priest back into the ring and picks up a couple of near falls as we head into a picture-in-picture commercial break that shows Grimes methodically wear down Priest in and out of the ring.

We return to see Priest mount a comeback and levels Grimes with a strike. The match heads out to the floor and Priest sends Grimes into the ring apron with a Razor’s Edge. Priest rolls Grimes back into the ring and connects with a Flatliner for a near fall. Grimes takes Priest down with surprise rollup and picks up a near fall of his own. Grimes starts trash talking but Priest connects with a kick and hits the Reckoning while Grimes is on the middle rope to pick up the pin fall.

Winner: Damian Priest defeated Cameron Grimes by pin fall.

After the match, Priest looks into the camera and wishes Keith Lee and Dominick Djokovic the best of luck as he is interested in seeing who wins tonight.

Io Shirai is seen arriving to the building earlier in the day. We then see another session of Thatch as Thatch Can as he goes over the Fujiwara armbar and how to apply more pressure on the arm after the competitor taps out. This gives Timothy Thatcher the ultimate satisfaction.

Match 2: Shotzi Blackheart vs. Indi Hartwell
Prior to the match, footage of Shotzi running over Robert Stone with her tank last week is aired. Shotzi and Indi go back and forth in the opening moments of the match with Indi gaining control and picking up a few near falls. Shotzi then gains control and takes Indi down with a bulldog and follows with a series of kicks. Robert Stone then comes out with a walking boot as Shotzi connects with a DDT. Shotzi heads to the top rope and is pushed down from Aliyah as Stone distracts the referee. Indi then connect with a running kick to the face to pick up the pin fall and her first victory in NXT.

Winner: Indi Hartwell defeated Shotzi Blackheart by pin fall.

The announce team hype that we will hear from the Legado del Fantasma after the commercial break.

McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Teagan Nox who says Io Shirai is an obstacle and she will fulfill her destiny by becoming the NXT Women’s Champion. She says this is her night.

A video package highlighting Legado del Fantama where Santos Escobar raises a toast to their first victory together at the Great American Bash. They then start making fun of Drake Maverick. Escobar says lucha libre is an art form and they are the artists. Escobar says the Cruiserweight Division needed a leader and that sometimes they need to tear things down before building it back up.

A video package of Keith Lee winning the NXT Championship is aired as the announce team hypes the upcoming match between Lee and Dijakovic as we head into a commercial break.

Match 3: Dominik Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee (NXT Championship/North American Championship)
The bell sounds and the two feel each other out in the opening minutes but neither is able to gain the advantage. Dijakovic tries to take Lee down with a series of shoulder blocks, but he is unable to even move Lee. The two then trade chops, with Dijakovic being taken down with a double overhead chop from Lee. Lee then heads to the middle rope and Dijakovic nearly counters Lee’s move as the two share a smile and we head into a commercial break.

Dijakovic is in control of the match as we return but is unable to lift him up as Lee powers out and sends Dijakovic out to the floor with a pounce. Back in the ring, Dijakovic is able to take Lee down with a side slam to pick up a near fall. Lee comes back with a slam and a near fall of his own. The two then fight in the corner as Dijakovic comes from the top rope to hit the Blockbuster to pick up a near fall. Dijakovic then comes back with a spinning kick for another near fall. Lee counters another high risk move from Dijakovic with a huge one arm slam before following with the Big Bang Catastrophe to pick up the pin fall and retain the NXT/North American Championships.

Winner: Keith Lee defeated Dominik Dijakovic by pin fall to retain the NXT Championship and the North American Championship.

After the match, Lee picks up Dijakovic and the two embrace as the lights go down. Scarlett makes her way down to the ringside area and dumps a broken hourglass in the ring. Scarlett leaves and we see that Timothy Thatcher will be in action after the break.

Io Shirai is seen getting ready for her match tonight. McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Dominik Dijakovic, who says Keith Lee is on another level right now and that Karrion Kross is no Keith Lee. Kross then shows up and gets in Dijakovic’s face before taking him out. Tick tock.

Match 4: Timothy Thatcher vs. Denzel Dejournette
Thatcher and Dejournette go back and forth with grappling holds as this match begins. Dejournette gets Thatcher in a headlock, but Thatcher fights his way out and puts Dejournette in a single leg crab to pick up the submission victory. After the match, Thatcher continues applying the submission hold on Dejournette until Oney Lorcan runs out and chases Thatcher out of the ring.

Winner: Timothy Thatcher defeated Denzel Dejournette by submission.

The announce team then hype a recent tweet from Rhea Ripley where she says she is officially back in the hunt for the NXT Women’s Championship. The match between Io Shirai and Tegan Nox for that title will come up next.

Robert Stone meets up with Killian Dane and says it wasn’t his fault that he spilled coffee on him. Aliyah brings a drawing that Dexter Lumis made about what happened. Dane then grabs Stone and says if he wants to make up for it, he will get him a match against Lumis. That match will take place next week as well as Karrion Kross taking on Dominik Dijakovic

Match 5: Tegan Nox vs. Io Shirai (NXT Women’s Championship)
The match starts as Shirai and Nox feel each other out with headlocks and reversals in the opening minutes. Nox is able to get a couple of quick near falls, but Shirai is able to send Nox out to the floor and sends her face first into the apron as we head into a commercial break.

The match returns to see Nox take Shirai down with a fallaway slam and a bridge for a near fall. Shirai quickly comes back and locks Nox in a submission hold, but Nox reverses into a rollup for a near fall. Shirai comes back and slowly picks Nox apart and picks up a near fall after driving both of her knees into Nox’s midsection. Nox tries to stall Shirai’s momentum with a head butt, but Shirai comes back with a flapjack for another near fall as we head into another picture-in-picture commercial break.

We return to the match to see that the two a fighting on the floor. Shirai sends Nox into the steel steps and charges at he but Nox moves and Shirai nails the steps with her knees. The match returns to the ring and Shirai nails Nox with the Tiger Driver, but is unable to follow up on it. The two begin trading off near falls until Nox hits Shirai with the Cannonboar for a near fall that is broken up by Shirai grabbing the ropes.

Nox then goes on a flurry of offense and takes Shirai down with a chokes lam for another near fall. Shirai then sends Nox into the ropes with a German suplex and connects with the tiger feint kick before connecting with a missile dropkick for a near fall. The two are slow to get back to their feet and Nox takes Shirai down and hits the Molly Go Round for another near fall. Shirai then takes Nox down with a strike and follows with a moonsault from the top rope to pick up the pin fall and retain the NXT Women’s Championship.

Winner: Io Shirai defeated Tegan Nox by pin fall to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.

As Io Shirai is celebrating her first successful NXT Women’s Championship defense on the ramp, she is attacked from behind by Dakota Kai as NXT comes to a close.

Match Results
– Damian Priest defeated Cameron Grimes by pin fall.
– Indi Hartwell defeated Shotzi Blackheart by pin fall.
– Keith Lee defeated Dominik Dijakovic by pin fall to retain the NXT Championship and the North American Championship.
– Timothy Thatcher defeated Denzel Dejournette by submisson.
– Io Shirai defeated Tegan Nox by pin fall to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.