NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee VS Joe Gacy VS Tyler Bate
NXT Battleground in Lowell, Massachusetts kicked off with Wes Lee looking to break the record for the most amount of successful NXT North American Championship defenses when he battled Joe Gacy and Tyler Bate in a triple-threat match. This was a really good way to start the night as all three men brought it. Tyler Bate showed why he’s called the “Big Strong Boi” when he spun both Gacy and Lee around whilst Joe Gacy continued to showcase how much he’s improved since he first arrived in NXT. Wes Lee also looked amazing as he came close to winning after nailing both of his opponents with the Kardiak Kick, only for the leader of the Schism to kick out at 2. Tyler Bate then hit the Tyler Driver 97 on Joe Gacy, but Wes was able to break it up with a Meteora before Lee did a “Montez Ford-like” dive to the outside to take his “friend” out of the equation. The Kardiak Kid then reversed Joe Gacy’s attempt at the Upside Down by hitting a second Kardiak Kick to retain his NXT North American Championship yet again. This was really good stuff and Wes continues to build a legacy with the NA title that not many people are going to be able to keep up with.
Grade: B
NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar VS Dragon Lee
For the first time ever on States side, the NXT Heritage Cup was defended as Noam Dar looked to keep hold of his precious prize against Dragon Lee. Nathan Frazer was in Dragon’s corner from the start and after a tough first round for Noam Dar, Oro Mensah arrived to be in his corner. That seemed to help Dar as Noam got the first fall of the match in the second round with a unique pinning combination. Dragon was then in control for most of the third, but Dar landed a big shot in after the bell to the anger of Vic Joseph. In the fourth round, Oro Mensah got involved and he ended up throwing Nathan Frazer into the steel steps. However, Lee was able to score a fall before Frazer took out Mensah with a brilliant dive. Both men brawled to the back as the 5th round started. Jakara Jackson then ran down to the ring before Lash Legend nailed Dragon Lee in the back with a trash can, allowing Dar to hit the Nova Roller to retain his Heritage Cup. I’m not a fan of rounds matches, but I did think Lee and Dar did a good job at trying to make it work. I also think a Dar, Mensah, Legend and Jackson faction could be really cool, particularly as none of them (besides Dar) have gotten much tv time in NXT.
Grade: B-
Dijak VS Ilja Dragunov: Last Man Standing
Both Dijak and Ilja Dragunov entered NXT Battleground looking to steal the show and they did that and then some. Arguably, this was the match of the entire weekend as the two pulled out all the stops in a physically violent encounter. Dragunov cut himself open when he ran straight through a table to take out Dijak and this happened in between Ilja getting dropped hard onto the steel steps. The Czar then used the steps to his advantage as he DDT’d his opponent onto them before he hit the Coast-to-Coast whilst Dijak was trapped in between the corner and the steps for an awesome spot. Dijak just barely got up before 10. Dijak then wrecked Ilja with Feast Your Eyes, but Dragunov’s momentum meant he was held up by the ropes. This allowed Dijak to hammer his opponent with both a kendo stick and a steel chair before Dragunov hit Torpedo Moscow to get back into the fight. Dragunov, who looked like he’d broken his arm, dived off of the steel steps and hit a massive forearm to Dijak who fell face first onto the steel chair, resulting in the former Retribution member failing to get up for the count of 10. Absolutely superb, I fully expect this match to be high up in my “Best Matches of the 2023” come December.
Grade: A-
NXT Tag Team Championships: Gallus VS The Creed Brothers
Gallus were the next champions to put their gold on the line as they looked to retain their NXT Tag Team Championships against The Creed Brothers. The two teams were put in a tough position to try and follow the epic encounter that had just taken place, but I thought both teams did really well. The Creeds are easily one of the best tag teams in all of WWE right now, their mixture of speed, strength and agility makes them so entertaining to watch. At one point, Julius hit about 5 belly-to-belly suplexes before he hit a superb standing shooting star. However, the turning point came when Joe Coffey tried to interfere. It didn’t work as Ivy Nile tripped him up, but Ava then arrived and chucked Nile into the ring post before Gallus hit their tag team finisher to get the win and retain their titles. Gallus are also a really good team and they continue to pick up big victories.
Grade: B
NXT Women’s Championship: Lyra Valkyria VS Tiffany Stratton
The NXT Women’s Championship tournament culminated at NXT Battleground as Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton battled to become the brand-new NXT Women’s Champion. It became pretty clear early on that Lyra was struggling with her knee (as a result of Cora Jade’s attack on Tuesday) and Tiffany made it her aim to target the injury. She did this well by continuously ramming her opponent's knee into the ring post before she ripped the knee brace off of Valkyria. Lyra was able to get back into the contest, but her knee buckled when she attempted the roundhouse kick which allowed Stratton to hit the rolling fireman’s carry. However, Stratton missed the attempt at the Prettiest Moonsault Ever before Valkyria nailed the Center of the Universe with the Roundhouse Kick. However, due to her knee, it took her way too long to cover her opponent meaning Stratton was able to put her foot on the rope. She then reversed Valkyria’s move, dropped her again with the rolling fireman’s carry before she hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to perfection to get the biggest victory of her young career. Whilst parts of this match felt a bit sloppy, Tiffany and Lyra told a really good, simple story that protected Valkyria in defeat. Also, Tiffany Stratton doesn’t just deserve to be NXT Women’s Champion, she’s earnt it!
Grade: B-
NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes VS Bron Breakker
It was then time for the champion to return home as Carmelo Hayes put the NXT Championship on the line against Bron Breakker. The crowd was fully behind the A-Champion throughout the match, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype. Bron was in control for at least 75% of the match and the action just wasn't as good as what it should’ve been. It certainly wasn’t as good as their contest from Stand and Deliver. Bron did hit a really great Spear though, but it wasn’t enough for him to win back his NXT Championship as Melo hit Nothin’ but Net to retain his title. This kind of feels like the end of Bron Breakker in NXT (I did say that at SAD though) because he literally has nothing left to do on the brand now (unless him and Cora Jade become an act). As for Carmelo Hayes, he’s one of the best wrestlers in all of WWE and given the talent in NXT, he should be able to get back to having brilliant matches soon.
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