WWE NXT Report – 11/11/2020
– Tonight’s WWE NXT episode opens up on the USA Network with a video package for Veteran’s Day
– We’re live from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida as the crowd chants “NXT!” and Vic Joseph welcomes us. He’s joined by Wade Barrett at ringside, and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix remotely.
– NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano is already in the ring waiting. He has his “Wheel of Challengers” with him as fans start to boo. Names on the wheel include former champion Damian Priest, Roderick Strong, Pete Dunne, Dexter Lumis, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Tommaso Ciampa, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Adam Cole, The Velveteen Dream, Kyle O’Reilly, Kushida, and Timothy Thatcher. Austin Theory’s name was on there earlier but has been removed.
Gargano talks about his title win at Halloween Havoc and his championship curse. Gargano says with the help of a friend, The Wheel, he will reverse the curse tonight, and he will show the world that where there’s a wheel, there’s a way. Gargano gets a “Spin the wheel!” chant going and he spins it. The wheel spins and then goes in reverse. It lands on Leon Ruff, who has had his name written over Theory. Gargano calls Ruff to the ring.
NXT North American Title Match: Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano (c)
Leon Ruff hits the ring to a pop as NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano waits. The bell rings and here we go. Gargano baits Ruff in and then unloads, beating him into the corner.
Ruff ends up countering Gargano and getting the upperhand as fans pop. Gargano turns it around and beats Ruff down to boos. Gargano takes it to the floor and keeps control. We see former champion Damian Priest on the other side of the Plexiglas barrier. Gargano taunts him and mocks him before bringing it back into the ring, showing some fear as Priest gets within reach. Gargano brings it back in but gets rolled up out of nowhere for a 2 count. Gargano comes right back with offense of his own for a quick pin attempt.
Gargano scoops Ruff and torpedoes him head-first into the turnbuckles across the ring. Priest watches and he’s not impressed. Ruff takes advantage of the distraction and ends up rolling Gargano for the pin to win the title out of nowhere.
Winner and New NXT North American Champion: Leon Ruff
– After the bell, Gargano tries to stop the referee from handing the title over to Ruff but he can’t. Fans pop and the music hits as Ruff celebrates. Gargano can’t believe the huge upset. Priest greets Ruff at the stage and raises his arm. The title falls down around Ruff’s waist due to his size. Gargano throws a fit in the ring as we go to commercial.
– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with new champion Leon Ruff, Damian Priest, and NXT General Manager William Regal after the break. Others are standing by and cheering for Ruff. Priest gives him some props but warns that Little Johnny is going to come through the curtain any minute and want to kick Ruff’s ass. Priest gives Ruff his keys and tells him to find the black Challenger, and get outta here. Ruff takes the keys and hurries off as people cheer for him. Johnny Gargano comes to the back looking to fight Ruff. Priest takes blame for what just happened. Gargano shoves him and they argue as officials hold Gargano back.
NXT Cruiserweight Title Match: Jake Atlas vs. Santos Escobar (c)
We go back to the ring and Legado del Fantasma is waiting – NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar with Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. We see how Jake Atlas attacked the group in the parking lot again before tonight’s show, taking out Wilde. Atlas makes his way to the ring now.
The bell rings and Escobar strikes first. They run the ropes and Atlas nails a dropkick to send the champ to the floor. Atlas follows and brings it back in the ring. Escobar catches him with an enziguri. Atlas fights back but Escobar beats him down again. Escobar grounds Atlas with a submission and works him over, taunting him. They get back up and Atlas tries to counter but Escobar spikes him in the mat. Escobar works Atlas over and kicks him while he’s down a few times. More offense from Escobar now. Atlas counters and beats Escobar into the corner.
Wilde and Mendoza run over with a steel pipe but Atlas fights them off from the apron. Atlas grabs the pipe and uses it on them. Atlas goes back to the apron and fights in, taking out Escobar. Atlas launches himself at Escobar with a Blockbuster but Escobar kicks out at 2. Escobar retreats to the floor to regroup with Mendoza and Wilde as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and the referee has banned Wilde and Mendoza from ringside. Escobar has Atlas down in the corner with a boot to the throat now. Escobar keeps control and charges into the corner with a knee. Escobar with more running double knees in the corner. Escobar takes Atlas to the top and nails the Frankensteiner. Escobar goes back to the top and hits a Frogsplash for another close 2 count.
Atlas counters Escobar and nails a kick. Atlas with more offense now. Atlas drops Escobar with a big kick for a 2 count. Atlas keeps control and ends up on the top but Escobar shoves him to the floor. Atlas lands hard on the floor and the referee counts. Escobar teases a dive but stops. He slides out but Atlas rocks him with a forearm. They fight and Escobar sends Atlas face-first into the steel ring steps. Atlas goes face-first into the steps once again. Escobar returns to the ring as the count continues.
Atlas makes it back in at the 9 count and Escobar gets dropped. Escobar ends up on the other side of the ring, on the floor. Atlas runs the ropes for a suicide dive and just about botched it, barely connecting. Atlas brings it back in for a close 2 count. Atlas with another pin attempt, showing some frustration now. Escobar drops Atlas out of desperation. They tangle and Escobar nails a big leaping kick to the jaw for another close 2 count. Atlas drops Escobar with the Driver, kicks him in the jaw and hits the standing moonsault for another close 2 count. Atlas goes to the top for the cartwheel DDT but it’s blocked. Escobar nails the Legado finisher for the pin to retain.
Winner: Santos Escobar
– After the match, Escobar stands tall as the music hits. We go to replays. Legado del Fantasma poses together on the stage as Atlas tries to recover in the ring.
– We see Dexter Lumis backstage drawing on a large easel. He’s doing a piece on the Zombie Referee chasing Cameron Grimes at Halloween Havoc.
– Raquel Gonzalez is shown walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see video of Shotzi Blackheart talking about how Candice LeRae destroyed her mini-tank last week. Shotzi says LeRae destroyed a piece of her as the tank represented who she is, every challenge she’s overcome. It also represented freedom and family she has in the military. LeRae wants to say they’re even but Shotzi says they’re way past even. Blackheart goes on and says she’s not looking for payback or revenge, she’s looking to kick LeRae’s ass.
Xia Li vs. Raquel Gonzalez
We go back to the ring and out comes Raquel Gonzalez first. The music hits next but an apologetic looking Boa comes out instead of Xia Li.
Boa says Li is not here tonight so they cannot have the match. He apologizes. Raquel says Li is the one who called her out. He apologizes again and goes to leave but Gonzalez attacks from behind and drops him on the floor. She follows and launches him into the Plexiglas barrier. Gonzalez beats on Boa as he pleads with her at ringside. Gonzalez keeps beating Boa around the ringside area, following him back into the ring. Gonzalez stays on Boa and says Li is the one who asked for this. She lifts Boa and drives him back into the mat. Gonzalez stands over Boa and says everyone better keep her name out of their mouths. She exits the ring as some fans boo.
Boa is down on the mat, rolling around in pain when red lights suddenly start flashing around the arena. An unfamiliar music also starts up. It looks like there may be some sort of dragon mixed in with the graphics. A man, possibly Chinese, comes walking down the ramp with a letter in his hand. Boa, looks very apologetic and humbled now, as he exits the ring and is on his knees now, at the bottom of the ramp. Boa bows to the mystery man and accepts the letter. The man writes what appears to be a Chinese letter on Boa’s hand. Boa keeps bowing as the man turns and leaves. Boa clutches the hand with his other, still holding the letter. He sits up against the ring apron and looks on as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and McKenzie is interviewing August Grey backstage about what happened with his attack on Timothy Thatcher last week during the “Thatch-As-Thatch-Can” training session with Akeem Young. Thatcher suddenly attacks Grey and beats him around the WWE Performance Center. Grey fights back but Thatcher ends up dropping him. Officials break it up but Thatcher attacks again and launches Grey into the drawing that Dexter Lumis was working on earlier tonight. Lumis suddenly appears behind Thatcher. Thatcher turns around and they face off. NXT General Manager William Regal gets in between them to prevent a fight. Thatcher calms things down and ends up backing off.
Toni Storm vs. Candice LeRae
We go back to the ring and out comes Toni Storm for the next match. Candice LeRae is out next. We get a sidebar interview from earlier today with LeRae threatening Shotzi Blackheart and Storm. The bell rings and they face off.
They go at it and LeRae takes control first. Storm counters and takes LeRae down with a headlock, grounding her. More back and forth now. Vic confirms Thatcher vs. Lumis for tonight. Storm takes LeRae down by her arm and grounds her as fans rally. Storm focuses on the arm now. LeRae easily turns it around. Storm takes LeRae back to the mat by the arm. This happens again but this time LeRae gets a quick 1 count. LeRae keeps control on the mat now, with yet another submission. Storm blocks a pair of suplex attempts and hits one of her own in the middle of the ring. Storm runs the ring and nails a basement dropkick, then an inverted Atomic Drop.
Storm keeps control and drops LeRae with a running kick to send LeRae out.Storm follows and goes to kick LeRae against the steel steps but LeRae moves and Storm goes down. The referee counts as we go to a picture-in-picture commercial with LeRae turning it around and bringing it back in the ring, working Storm over in the corner.
Back from the break and fans chant “NXT!” as Storm tries to fight out of a hold. LeRae drops her with a Backstabber. LeRae tries for a moonsault but can’t hit it. Storm drops her with a headbutt and they both go down in the middle of the ring. The referee counts. They get up at the 8 count. Storm strikes first. They trade strikes. Storm with a German suplex in the middle of the ring. Storm with a Hip Attack in the corner, and a low clothesline against the bottom rope. Storm charges in with another low clothesline. Storm with a Fisherman’s suplex for a close 2 count.
Storm goes to the top as fans cheer her on. LeRae cuts her off. LeRae climbs up for a super swinging neckbreaker but Storm blocks it. Storm misses a top rope leg drop. LeRae kicks her in the jaw for a close 2 count. LeRae goes for a submission but Storm kicks her away.Storm approaches but LeRae sends her into the turnbuckle, then rolls her up for the pin to win, using her feet on the ropes for leverage while the referee can’t see.
Winner: Candice LeRae
– After the bell, Storm immediately attacks LeRae and beats her down. The mystery attacker in the Scream mask suddenly hits the ring help LeRae. Shotzi Blackheart runs in and attacks LeRae, then fights off the mystery attacker. The mystery woman then runs and drops Shotzi with a big boot. Fans boo as LeRae and the mystery woman double team Blackheart in the middle of the ring with a Wicked Stepsister. The mystery person unmasks and it’s Indi Hartwell. Fans boo louder now as LeRae and Hartwell stand tall together. We see Storm down on the floor trying to recover.
– Tyler Breeze and Fandango are backstage getting ready for tonight’s main event. They talk about how it took them 5 years to win gold, and then Pat McAfee stole them. They go on and say tonight there will be no fun Breezango in the ring. They did it once and tonight they will show that they can do it twice. We go back to commercial.
Timothy Thatcher vs. Dexter Lumis
Back from the break and out first comes Timothy Thatcher. Dexter Lumis is out next. Thatcher looks on as Lumis slithers into the ring.
The bell rings and Lumis immediately hits a Thesz Press and right hands. Thatcher goes to the floor for a breather as Lumis stares him down and the referee counts. Thatcher comes back in and misses a takedown. Lumis blocks another attempt. Thatcher with a big uppercut now. Thatcher catches a kick and takes Lumis down. Lumis knocks him away and they face off. More back and forth now. They go to the mat. Thatcher with a big knee to the ribs as fans rally for Lumis.
Lumis rocks Thatcher but Thatcher hits a big belly-to-belly toss across the ring. Lumis comes right back and slithers across the ring, taunting Thatcher. Thatcher tries to wear Lumis down again. They are told to break against the ropes but Thatcher nails an uppercut. Thatcher drops Lumis with another knee and then works on the previously injured ankle while they’re on the mat. Thatcher keeps control while they’re on the mat, and applies a Bow & Arrow submission in the middle of the ring.
Lumis decks Thatcher to break the hold. Lumis pounds on Thatcher with strikes while standing above him. Lumis takes it to the corner and keeps control. Lumis catches Thatcher with a big Spinebuster in the middle of the ring. Lumis shakes his arm, apparently hurting it off the Spinebuster. Lumis dropkicks Thatcher right back to the mat. They tangle and Lumis tosses Thatcher over the top rope to the floor. Lumis shakes off his hurt arm once again as the referee checks on him.
The referee counts and Lumis goes back out to stalk Thatcher. Thatcher fights him off with uppercuts. They get to the 8 count before it’s broken. Thatcher comes right back out and keeps the strikes coming to Lumis. Lumis fights back with big uppercuts and forearms of his own. Thatcher sends Lumis shoulder-first into the ring post and he goes down. Thatcher stalks Lumis from behind on the outside as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Thatcher fights up in the middle of the ring. Thatcher rocks Lumis and hits a big double underhook suplex for a 2 count, and another close 2 count. Thatcher with a third straight pin attempt. Thatcher keeps Lumis grounded now. Thatcher keeps control on the mat but can’t put Lumis away. Lumis fights from the mat and finally hits a big suplex, then a kip up. Lumis with more offense as fans cheer him on.
Thatcher tries to fight back but Lumis knocks him into the corner. Lumis with a running clothesline into the corner, then a bulldog. Lumis goes to the top but Thatcher rocks him. Thatcher climbs up and they trade shots on the top turnbuckle. Lumis blocks the superplex attempt and sends Thatcher to the mat. Thatcher comes back up but Lumis tries for a super Silencer. Lumis sends Thatcher back to the mat and hits a big senton.
Fans chant “NXT!” now as Lumis takes his shirt off and stares Thatcher down. They tangle again and Thatcher blocks The Silencer again. Cameron Grimes appears on the apron but Thatcher sends Lumis into him, sending Grimes off the mat. This leads to Thatcher taking Lumis down into a Crucifix for the pin to win.
Winner: Timothy Thatcher
– After the match, the referee raises Thatcher’s arm at ringside as his music hits. Grimes immediately hits the ring and attacks Lumis while he’s down. Lumis comes back and sends Grimes out of the ring. Grimes fights back in and places a burlap sack over Lumis’ face, yelling at him as the crowd boos. Grimes tosses Lumis to the floor, with the sack still over his head. Grimes talks trash and keeps the attack going while Lumis is blinded. The steel chair comes into play as Lumis tries to use it but he still can’t see. Grimes avoids it and sits Thatcher in the chair, then hits the Cave In. Grimes gets down in Lumis’ face and keeps the trash talk going, saying he’s not afraid of Lumis. Fans boo as Grimes stands up and makes his exit.
– McKenzie catches Johnny Gargano outside of NXT General Manager William Regal’s office. Gargano says he’s taken Regal’s advice and calmed down. Regal comes out and Gargano says the right thing to do is throw the match with new NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff out. Regal sees no reason why the match should be thrown out as it was Gargano’s decision to face him. Gargano flips out and throws a fit. Regal says the decision stands and Ruff is the champion. Regal goes back into his office as Gargano rants about how this is a joke.
– Still to come, a Prime Target preview for Ripley vs. Shirai. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a video for Hire Heroes USA and Veteran’s Day.
– Tommaso Ciampa is in the back somewhere. He’s come across some tough guys during his 16 years in the business. He recalls interacting with WWE Hall of Famers Harley Race and Killer Kowalski early in his career. Ciampa says the funny thing about Killer and Harley is that they never took liberties or told you how tough they were. They never had to, you just knew. Times have certainly changed. Ciampa looks across the NXT locker room these days and apparently everybody is tough. Just ask them, they’ll have no problem telling you how tough they are. Ciampa says that’s the world we live in – complain and get rewarded, bark long enough and people are bound to feel your bite, actions without consequence. Ciampa says maybe he’s a bit old school, he never thought he’d be the last of a dying breed but he told us two weeks ago and will tell us again now – this culture, this 2020 locker room culture, is going to change, and Tommaso Ciampa is that change. Ciampa quickly gets up from his chair, sending it flying. He walks out of camera view.
– We go to a Prime Target video package preview for Rhea Ripley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. They both provide comments with Shirai speaking mostly in Japanese. Their title match will take place next Wednesday night.
NXT Tag Team Titles Match: Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch (c)
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event and Alicia Taylor does the introductions as The Kings of NXT come out – NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch with Pat McAfee and Pete Dunne. We see what happened last week as The Kings attacked Killian Dain and Drake Maverick, leaving Dain laying in the parking lot. McAfee takes the mic and says that, the attack to Dain, was absolutely gorgeous to re-live. Fans boo. McAfee says it should be recognized that Dunne has been an absolute terror to the brand for the past few weeks. He goes on and says we are looking at the best 4-man group in the history of pro wrestling. McAfee goes on ripping the fans of NXT and says he’s going to join the announcers for commentary. He also rips on the announcers and drops the mic before we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and we see how Cameron Grimes was backstage during the break, ranting and admitting that he was once scared of Dexter Lumis. Grimes says he has somewhere to be… to the moon. It’s announced that NXT Champion Finn Balor will speak live next week, giving an update on his status and the NXT Title. We go back to the ring and out comes Breezango – Tyler Breeze and Fandango. We get formal ring introductions from Taylor. McAfee is on commentary. The bell rings and the champs unload after a rush attack. Lorcan and Burch take it to the floor as the brawl continues. Breeze drops Burch and catapults him face-first into the Plexiglas. Breeze rolls Burch into the ring where Fandango waits. Fandango works Burch over.
Fandango unloads on Burch in the corner now, beating him down. Breeze tags in and keeps the attack going. Breeze stomps away on Burch now. Breeze with a suplex in the middle of the ring for a quick 1 count. Burch fights to the corner and in comes Lorcan with a big uppercut to Breeze. Breeze counters and rams Lorcan back into the corner. Fandango comes in for the double team in the corner. Fandango uppercuts Lorcan now. Fandango drops Lorcan with an elbow to the face. Lorcan blocks a suplex and drops Fandango. Burch tags back in and takes over, uppercutting Fandango. Fandango fights back with chops.
Fandango drapes Burch over the top rope. Breeze tags in and they hit a big double team while Burch is draped over the top, sending him to the floor. Breeze stays on Burch. Lorcan runs over and drops Fandango. Breeze superkicks Lorcan. Breeze tosses Burch into McAfee at the announce table. Dunne, who is standing next to McAfee, stares Breeze down. The champs are down, as is Fandango. Breeze stares Dunne down as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Breeze and Burch are going at it. They unload and get the tags to Fandango and Lorcan. Dunne and McAfee are standing together at ringside now. Fandango unloads on Lorcan and also takes out Burch as he comes in. Fandango with a Falcon Arrow on Lorcan for the 2 count as Burch breaks it up. Breeze flies out to Burch but Dunne pulls him to safety. Fandango then flies and takes Burch down. Dunne apparently goes down as well. Fandango goes to the top as fans chant “NXT!” but Lorcan crotches him. Lorcan climbs up for the superplex but Fandango fights him off.
McAfee ends up distracting the referee but Drake Maverick runs up and help Fandango. Drake then leaps off the apron to take McAfee down on the floor. Fandango hits the big flying leg drop to Lorcan but he kicks out just in time. Dunne runs over and levels Drake at ringside to boos.
McAfee distracts the referee again as Dunne takes out Breeze to prevent a tag. Fandango goes back to Lorcan in the corner but Burch is legal. They hit the big double team on Fandango in the middle of the ring and Burch covers for the pin to retain.
Winners: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
– After the match, Lorcan and Burch stand tall as the music hits. McAfee brings the titles in and they celebrate as Dunne stands with them. Maverick suddenly goes to the top. He leaps off the top turnbuckle and attacks The Kings of NXT for a pop but they beat him down in the middle of the ring. Fans boo the attack now. The attack moves to the outside and Drake gets slammed onto the top of the announce table by Dunne. Fandango flies out but he also gets beat down by The Kings of NXT now. Breeze runs over to assist but McAfee directs traffic and Breeze also gets beat down. Breeze gets tossed onto the announce table as McAfee applauds.
Dunne and Burch hold Breeze on top of the announce table while McAfee delivers a punt kick to the head. The boos get louder now. McAfee grabs the camera and speaks into it, telling everyone that we are looking at the greatest team in NXT history, and that they will do this forever. McAfee tells the viewers that they suck. NXT goes off the air with The Kings of NXT standing tall at ringside while fans boo and bodies are down all over the place.
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