Curtis Dillion on February 3, 2021
It’s Wednesday night once again which means a brand new episode of WWE NXT and Ringside News has you covered with live play-by-play results coverage.
Start time for WWE NXT is at 8:00 PM EST. Match-by-match highlights and results from the show will take place on this very page. Feel free to leave any reactions in the comment section below.
So what makes tonight’s NXT so special? Well things are about to get Rated-R! For the first time ever, WWE Hall of Famer Edge will make an appearance on the black and yellow brand. Chances are Edge will make it known that he might challenge Finn Balor to a match at WrestleMania for the NXT Championship, but given his recent comments about competing full-time, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Edge in a match tonight! What are you hoping to see?
Of course, the Dusty Classic continues tonight as Adam Cole & Roderick Strong face Timothy Thatcher & Tommaso Ciampa, and Lucha House Party take on Legado Del Fantasma in the men’s quarter finals. The women’s tournament also continues with a semi-final bout: Dakota Kai & Raquel González against Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro.
Beyond that we have a Cruiserweight Championship bout between Santos Escobar and Curt Stallion, after the match was cancelled last week. So it’s going to be an exciting, action-packed episode of NXT and we want to hear your thoughts below. Enjoy!
NXT
This week’s NXT opens with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez making their way to the ring to kick-off the next round of the Women’s Dusty Classic.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Semi-Final
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez Vs. Kacy Katanzaro & Kayden Carter
The match starts with Kacy and Dakota, and they exchange reversals and holds, with Catanzaro getting the better of it. Kayden tags in and teams with Kacy to hit a basement dropkick. Kai creates some separation and tags Raquel, who takes control using her power. Gonzalez attempts a gory bomb but Carter lands on her feet and swings for Kai on the apron.
All four women get in the ring but Kacy and Kayden bail and get Raquel to chase them. Kacy tags in and jumps off the apron at Raquel but gets caught and slammed into the apron. Gonzalez gets Kacy back inside and beats on her before tagging Kai. Kacy and Carter attempt their own version of Private Party’s Silly String but wildly botch it. Kayden and Raquel tag in and Carter runs roughshod over her.
Kai runs in but Carter drops her in the corner and hits a senton to her and Gonzalez. Carter hits a hurricanrana and a wheelbarrow roll-up followed by a superkick for a mere one-count. Carter goes to the apron and kicks Kai but Gonzalez knocks her off and into the announce desk. We head to the break with Kayden down on the floor.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back live and Gonzalez is beating on Kayden in the corner. Kacy gets the tag, as does Dakota, and Catanzaro hits a hurricanrana followed by a front flip leg drop. The action spills out of the ring and Catanzaro climbs a steel girder by the announce desk and jumps onto Kai and Gonzalez. Kacy gets Kai back in the ring for a near-fall. Gonzalez tags in and hits a tag-team Pele kick with Kai but Kacy breaks the pinfall.
Carter jumps on the back of Gonzalez and batters her, then knocks her onto the middle rope and tags Kacy who hits a dropkick. Kacy then clobbers Gonzalez and goes up top to hit her new spiral dive finisher but Kai breaks the pin. Kai then tosses Carter to the steel steps and Gonzalez hits Kacy with a one-handed powerbomb for the win.
Winners: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
Kai and Gonzalez have progressed to the final of the Dusty Cup and they will face the winners of Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon Vs. Candace LeRae & Indi Hartwell.
Toni Storm is backstage for an interview and she’s asked about having a Triple Threat at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Storm is Io has been untouchable since coming to NXT, untouchable to everyone except her. Storm calls Mercedes Martinez “deadweight”, and says she is on top of her game.
*Commercial Break*
Austin Theory W/Johnny Gargano Vs. Leon Ruff
The match gets underway and Leon takes a headlock but Theory throws him off and into the buckles. Ruff goes back to the headlock but Theory throws him overhead and Leon lands on his feet. Ruff jumps and gets caught with a fallaway slam but again lands on his feet. Ruff dropkicks Theory and hits a rolling kick to the face. Theory catches Ruff with a drop toe-hold into the bottom turnbuckle.
Theory powers Ruff into the corner and punishes him, then whips him hard to the opposite corner. Theory poses most muscular before hitting a snap suplex for a two-count. Theory chokes Ruff on the middle rope before clubbing him with a big hammerfist to the face. Ruff starts to come back and knocks Theory to the corner. Ruff charges and gets tossed to the apron where Gargano tries to get involved but gets kicked in the face.
Ruff goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Gargano gets on the apron but again Ruff drops him, then Theory and Ruff hit shoulder tackles and Ruff bounces out of the ring! Candace LeRae and Indi Hartwell run down to help Johnny but Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart appear and brawl with them to the back. Gargano and Ruff get to their feet and Ruff pulls a Eddie Gurrero, pretending Johnny hit him to get Gargano evicted from ringside.
Ruff gets back inside and hits a springboard cutter to Theory for a near-fall thanks to Theory getting a boot on the rope. Austin rolls outside and Ruff dives at him but gets caught and dumped onto the barricade. Theory gets Ruff back inside and hits ATL to score the win over Ruff.
Winner: Austin Theory
After the match Theory makes to leave but stops and comes back in to hit another ATL. Theory goes out and grabs the ring bell but Dexter Lumis grabs him from behind and chokes him but Austin escapes and runs away. Lumis caught a piece of Theory’s hair.
*Commercial Break*
We see a cool video package explaining the journey of the woman who trained Xia Li and Boa. Apparently she is thousands of years old.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Quarter-Final
Lucha House Party Vs. Legado Del Fantasma
The match begins with Gran Metalik and Raul Mendoza. Metalik overwhelms Mendoza early on with speed and high-flying, and tags Lince Dorado who does the same. Mendoza forces Dorado to the corner and tags Wilde so they can double team him. Fantasma slow the pace of the match and keep Dorado isolated in their corner.
Metalik eventually gets the tag and hits Mendoza with a springboard crossbody, then jumps up to the opposite corner but Mendoza clocks him with a running kick and he falls to the floor. Wilde then runs along the apron and dives through the turnbuckles with a suicide dive to Metalik, slamming him into the barricade.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back live and Metalik hits Mendoza with a sunset flip powerbomb off the top rope and both men are down. Tags to Wilde and Lince and Dorado runs wild with dropkicks and punches. Tilt-a-whirl arm-drag from Dorado is followed by a running dropkick in the corner but nobody’s home. Dorado hits a crossbody for a two-count. Metalik comes in but Wilde hits them both with an incredible double springboard DDT for a near-fall.
Mendoza gets the tag and looks for a springboard but gets dropped on the top rope and hangs there. Metalik hits a springboard hurricanrana that shoots Mendoza off the top rope onto Wilde on the floor. Lince follows-up with a moonsault to both Fantasma on the floor. Dorado gets Wilde inside for a hurricanrana but Mendoza blind-tags in and clocks Dorado with a running kick for the win!
Winners: Legado Del Fantasma
Wilde and Mendoza are now in the semi-finals, where they will face the exciting new team of MSK. Speaking of whom, MSK come out to the stage and congratulate Fantasma. They say Fantasma are in the way of their meteoric rise and they need to train hard for next week.
Pete Dunne, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan arrive in an SUV outside the arena. Dunne says “let’s go get Balor” and they march inside the CWC.
*Commercial Break*
Pete Dunne, Lorcan and Burch make their way to the ring. Dunne gets on the horn and says he told Finn he wasn’t waiting any longer. But Balor didn’t listen. So last week he delivered the message again and snapped his fingers. Dunne says “don’t force me to make it any clearer”.
The WWE NXT Champion, Finn Balor comes out and walks down the ramp with a microphone. Finn says Dunne is hiding behind two clowns but Dunne denies it. Dunne tells Lorcan and Burch to leave them alone. Balor gets in the ring and Dunne tells him he’d better hold onto that title tight because he’s coming for it. Balor says he has his chance at Vengeance Day and they stare at each other…
Edge comes to the ring with a big smile on his face. Edge says it feels good to be in NXT. He says NXT puts the focus on the “wrestling” in WWE. For years he watched NXT as a fan and he saw the passion and hunger of the stars. He says NXT helped him rekindle his love and passion of wrestling. Passion he used to come back and win the Royal Rumble. Which allows him to challenge any Champion he wants.
Edge looks at Balor and Dunne and he sees two of the best. Edge says he sees a lot of himself in Pete Dunne, the good and the bad. Dunne shrugs and Edge says he would have done the same ten years ago. Edge turns to Balor and says he’s operating at a different level, a zone that’s a joy to watch. So, he’ll be watching the TakeOver match and the NXT Championship is the one he’s never held. Edge says no matter who wins their match, the NXT Championship is intriguing. And if he hasn’t made up his mind by then, their match might help him choose.
Johnny Gargano is interviewed backstage and asked how he feels after Austin Theory’s win tonight. Gargano says Theory showed the way to win a match and calls Lumis a freak. He’s then asked about Candace and Indi’s semi-final match next week and he says it’s great because Candace is going to punch her ticket to the final. Lastly, Gargano is asked how he feels about facing Kushida at Vengeance Day. Johnny calls her a liar and says she doesn’t even work for NXT. He takes her to see William Regal and get her fired.
*Commercial Break*
Johnny Gargano takes the interviewer to Regal’s office but Kushida answers the door. Kushida says Regal is busy and Gargano punches him. They brawl around the hallway into a meeting room and Kushida kicks Johnny’s arm as he gets pulled away by officials.
Jessi Kamea W/Robert Stone Brand Vs. TonI Storm
The match begins and they lock-up with Storm getting the better of it and slamming Kamea into the ropes neck-first. Storm kicks Kamea back and slams her for a one-count. Storm takes the back but Jessi elbows her. Kamea lifts and drops Storm on the top rope, then kicks her in the gut. Kamea hits a running kick but Mercedes Martinez comes into the ring and starts brawling with Storm.
No Contest
Storm hits Mercedes with a German suplex as Io Shirai comes down to the ring. Io sits on the top rope and watches as they fight their way to the floor. Shirai then hits a moonsault to Storm and Martinez on the floor and gets back in to pose with her NXT Championship.
Curt Stallion cuts a promo from earlier today in which he says his match tonight is the biggest opportunity of his life. All the hard work he’s put in. And yeah Escobar has been running but he has him backed into a corner and tonight is the night of the Stallion.
*Commercial Break*
Cruiserweight Championship
(C) Santos Escobar W/Legado Del Fantasma Vs. Curt Stallion
The bell rings and Stallion goads Santos until they lock-up. They struggle for control but Escobar takes Curt down and stomps him over and over. Escobar takes a wristlock and holds Stallion down on the mat. Stallion fights up but Escobar whips him to the ropes and connects with a dropkick for a two-count. The camera cuts away and we see Scarlett watching from a raised platform with red smoke billowing around her.
Escobar doesn’t seem to care and he grinds Stallion down with a reverse headlock. Santos releases and whips Stallion to the corner, follows-up with a knee and lands a suplex for a two-count. Stallion takes a submission and stares at Scarlett. Stallion tries to fight back but gets hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Santos takes a minute and takes his hairband out, allowing Stallion to roll him up for a two-count. Santos rolls out of the ring to regroup and seems put off by Scarlett watching on.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Santos has Curt Stallion down on the outside and he’s talking trash. Escobar puts Curt back inside and we see a replay of Escobar hitting a back suplex onto the steel steps. Escobar lifts Stallion to the top rope and punches him a few times, then hits a modified muscle buster for a near-fall. Escobar stares at Scarlett and smiles as he applies a deep single leg Boston crab.
Curt reaches for the ropes but Escobar transitions to an STF, then a crossface. Stallion starts to rally and hits a few big running forearms to knock Escobar down into the corner. The Champion rolls out to get some breath but Curt hits a suicide dive and gets him right back inside. Stallion goes up top and hits a big splash for a near-fall. Escobar reverses Stallion and suplexes him into the turnbuckles for a near-fall. Santos hits a Phantom Driver, then lifts Stallion and hits Legado for the win.
Winner: Santos Escobar
As Legado Del Fantasma are celebrating, Karrion Kross comes down the ramp in just jeans. Wilde and Mendoza come down the ramp and Kross drops them both. Kross lawn darts Wilde into a steel girder, then powerbombs Mendoza into the barricade. Kross gets into the ring and comes face-to-face with Escobar. Kross says it seems they have a problem and the time is running out. Kross tells him to leave and Escobar does just that.
*Commercial Break*
We see Edge talking to backstage. Edge leaves the arena and stops for an interview but Karrion Kross walks up. Kross says Edge has a big decision to make and it’s one he’ll have to live with the rest of his life. And it’s one he needs to make based on logic and not emotion because he won’t be facing Finn Balor or Pete Dunne. He’s coming to get the title he never lost and Edge doesn’t want that. Edge says those words sound threatening and words like that can be enticing to someone like him. Might make him want to come back. And Kross won’t want that.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Quarter-Final
Adam Cole & Roderick Strong Vs. Timothy Thatcher & Tomasso Ciampa
We start this match with Ciampa and Cole, two men who have plenty of history. They lock-up and Ciampa forces Cole to the corner and stands on the bottom rope to impose himself. Cole comes out of the corner and Ciampa grabs a headlock. Cole shoots him off but Ciampa hits a shoulder, then jumps over Cole and catches him with a side headlock takeover. Cole gets Ciampa up but Tomasso rolls down they exchange quick pinfall attempts.
Ciampa goes back to the side headlock. Cole fights up and shove shim to the corner, then swings for a superkick but Ciampa catches it, then attempts a Fairytale Ending but Cole breaks away. Mutual respect from both men, so they both tag out. Strong and Thatcher go straight for some technical wrestling and Roderick takes Thatcher down with a headlock. Thatcher locks in a headscissors but Strong fights up. Thatcher lands a few European uppercuts but Roddy hits a dropkick and tags Cole.
TUE isolate Thatcher and keep him in their corner with quick tags. Thatcher takes a front facelock on Strong and gets to Ciampa for a tag. Tomasso hits a back elbow to Strong and punches him in the corner before tagging Thatcher again. Body slam from Thatcher and an elbow drop for a one-count. Now it’s their chance to isolate Strong with lots of tags, but Roddy ducks a clothesline from Ciampa and all four men come into the ring and brawl as we take a break.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Thatcher is controlling Strong with a surfboard stretch in the centre of the ring. Ciampa tags in and goes toe-to-toe with Strong with chops and drops him with a big right hand. Thatcher comes back in and grinds Strong down with more submissions. Strong reaches the ropes but Thatcher only releases for a moment so he can take a rear naked choke from atop the turnbuckles. Strong fights him off and turns around to hit a superplex!
Tags to Cole and Ciampa and Adam runs over Tomasso with clotheslines and a pump kick, then knocks Thatcher off the apron. Backstabber from Cole earns a two-count. Cole lifts Ciampa but Tomasso gets away. Cole hits an enziguiri and an Ushigiroshi for a near-fall. Ciampa counters a Panama Sunrise and tags Thatcher but Cole gets him in a Figure Four. Ciampa runs in but Strong grabs him with the Stronghold!
Ciampa manages to kick Strong off before breaking Cole’s Figure Four on Thatcher. Cole gets a tag to Strong but Thatcher shoves Roddy into Cole and knocks him from the ring. Thatcher counters a roll-up and slaps Strong across the face, then hits a deadweight German suplex. Ciampa tags in for a German suplex of his own, then Thatcher tags in and hits another German. Ciampa tags in for a running knee.
Cole comes in but Thatcher tosses him right back out. Ciampa looks for the Fairytale Ending but Strong blocks it. Ciampa forearms him and tries again but Strong counters with a high angle slam. Cole gets the tag and he kicks Thatcher off the apron before superkicking Ciampa as Strong hits a running knee. Strong comes in and lifts Ciampa for a backbreaker but Thatcher drags Cole out of the ring and uppercuts him. Strong jumps out and hits a back suplex to Thatcher on the barricade. Strong gets on the apron and Ciampa hits Willow’s Bell for the win!
Winners: Tomasso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher
The unlikely duo of Thatcher and Ciampa have booker their place in the semi-final of the Dusty Cup, where they will face Grizzled Young Veterans. They go up the ramp and stare at the Cup. The Grizzled Vets come out and a brawl breaks loose as officials run out to get between them as the show comes to a close.
That’s it for this week’s NXT. Let us know what you thought of the show, head over to check out our AEW Dynamite results, and we’ll catch you next time!
February 3, 2021 7:00 pm
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