WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 14

WWE NXT has just weeks remaining before NXT Stand & Deliver, so the March 14 edition of the gold brand was important to anyone who wanted to compete on WrestleMania weekend.

Pretty Deadly would challenge Gallus for the NXT Tag Team Championships after weeks of mind games, and Wes Lee put his NXT North American Championship on the line in an Open Challenge.

Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes were due to sign the contract for their NXT Championship match on April 1.

Johnny Gargano spoke after his shocking return to the brand last week, and Apollo Crews looked for revenge against Dabba-Kato.

Tuesday's show had the chance to be a big one for many NXT stars, but only a few could stand out.

Johnny Gargano Promises to Shut Up Grayson Waller

Johnny Gargano had a clear message for Grayson Waller: He is ready to defend NXT against the disrespect of his loudmouth rival.

However, commentator Vic Joseph showed Johnny Wrestling that Waller was at his house, and he raced out of the arena.

Last week, the Waller/Shawn Michaels/Gargano segment was the best thing on the show. This was a great way to keep that momentum. Johnny Wrestling sounded like himself again, far more comfortable in NXT than on WWE Raw.

The abrupt end was a smart way to continue building this feud as more than a simple wrestling match. Waller has taken advantage of social media as a platform to get himself over and tell the freshest stories in NXT right now.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Everyone feels like a bigger name in NXT than on the main roster, but there is a different air to Gargano. The NXT crowd embraces him universally.
• Gargano's explanation for waiting was perfect, explaining that he respected Waller for trying to make his name but could not stand by after the loudmouth disrespected NXT.
• McKenzie Mitchell tried to get a word from Gargano on his way out. She then asked the cameraman to follow Johnny Wrestling as he headed home.
• Later in the night, Gargano brawled with Waller outside his house until Johnny Wrestling was laid out. Candice LeRae checked on her husband afterward.
  

NXT Tag Team Championship: Gallus (c) vs. Pretty Deadly

After a difficult back-and-forth battle, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang were too resilient for Kit Wilson and Elton Prince, overcoming their cheap tactics and retaining the NXT Tag Team Championship after hitting their combination finisher.

This was a solid opener in which both teams fought hard. They know each other well, transitioning into a great sequence of offense. The story was clear as Gallus were just too much for Pretty Deadly no matter what they tried.

Even though the match could have used more drama, this was a strong television bout. It may be tough to come up with a better match at Stand & Deliver, though.

Result

Gallus def. Pretty Deadly by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Prince distracted the referee while Wilson bashed Coffey with the NXT Tag Team Championship in the back of the head.
  
• Pretty Deadly had Coffey up for Spilt Milk, but Wolfgang made the save.

Ladder Match Qualifier: Zoey Stark vs. Sol Ruca

Sol Ruca was on a mission in this match, putting it all on the line to take down Zoey Stark. As dominant as she looked, though, she jumped right into a modified GTS from Stark to lose.

Ruca and Stark continue to showcase their chemistry while the veteran keeps pushing The Surfer to improve. This was better than their last bout, which also impressed with limited time.

While Ruca has looked great, Stark needed the title opportunity. Even if she is on her way up to the main roster, she is the most legitimate female competitor in NXT right now.

Assumedly, Roxanne Perez will make it to Stand & Deliver. It should be interesting to see who else is in the ladder match with the NXT women's champion.

Result

Stark def. Ruca by pinfall to qualify for the NXT Women's Championship ladder match.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• A doctor advised that it was unclear what was wrong with Perez medically, but they could not clear her to compete.
• Shawn Michaels announced qualifying matches for a ladder match with the NXT Women's Championship on the line.
  
• Ruca planted Stark with a bodyslam in the ring and then a moonsault outside of it.
  

NXT Women's Tag Qualifier: Nile and Paxley vs. Dawn and Fyre vs. Chance and Carter

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter got taken out of the action right before Tatum Paxley turned on Ivy Nile. She laid out her friend.

Isla Dawn took advantage with a lungblower, followed by Alba Fyre's senton bomb, to take the win.

Everyone tried hard to make this work, but the women needed more time to get their spots in. This got sloppy down the stretch, and it did not help that it was hard to tell who was legal.

The right team won. Fyre and Dawn have been the most compelling duo in the women's tag team division as of late. Kiana James and Fallon Henley have done nothing as champions, so it would be a good idea to quickly change the titles again.

Paxley's heel turn was telegraphed, but it still felt poorly timed. She and Nile should have had more time to work together before feuding. The tag team division needed them.

Result

Fyre and Dawn def. Nile and Paxley and Chance and Carter to earn an NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match at Stand & Deliver.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Paxley told Nile "we were never a team" before jumping off the apron. When Nile went to the outside, Paxley caught her with a soccer kick to the gut.

Wes Lee's NXT North American Championship Open Challenge Turns into Chaos

JD McDonagh interrupted Ilja Dragunov in the ring. The two agreed to a match next week and then began brawling.

Wes Lee got into the brawl backstage briefly, hitting The Necessary Evil.

The brawling continued as the NXT North American champion entered the ring. Axiom ducked into the squared circle, but Scrypts blindsided him.

McDonagh and Dragunov got back to the ring, and Lee decided to jump onto everyone at ringside to make his own point.

While it was disappointing to not actually get a match, Lee has been a consistent fighting champion. He will have plenty more title defenses in the coming weeks and months.

This did set up some interesting feuds and future matches, though. Axiom vs. Scrypts makes a ton of sense and could finally make the latter feel relevant. Lee is getting integrated into the McDonagh vs. Dragunov feud, presumably to set up a Triple Threat title bout.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Axiom promised to stick to Lee throughout the night to make sure he got his title shot.
• Scrypts warned that he was after someone special.
• Andre Chase talked Duke Hudson back into believing in Chase U's message of inclusion. Ava Raine left Hudson a yellow mask afterward with a smile.
• Dragon Lee arrived in NXT, talking up this opportunity to make a new mark.
• Later backstage, Shawn Michaels agreed to let Lee defend the title in a Fatal 5-Way match at Stand & Deliver, and he would choose his opponents.
  

Apollo Crews vs. Dabba-Kato

Apollo Crews came out swinging against Dabba-Kato, but the big man was just too powerful.

Kato nearly won by count-out after a choke bomb on the steel steps and then hit another in the ring when Crews got up, picking up the pinfall victory.

This was all about making Kato look like a beast, and Crews did more than that. He made him look like a top guy in just one match. It was arguably one of the most complete performances from The Nigerian Warrior.

He worked around his rival's limitations to give him the best match of his career. It is hard to imagine Kato won't go straight for NXT gold after this win, while Crews might just head to the main roster again.

Result

Kato def. Crews by pinfall.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• NXT showed a video package on this rivalry ahead of the match.
  
• Crews brought the fight to the big man outside the ring before the bell.
• The Nigerian Warrior nearly took the win after planting the big man and hitting him with a frog splash.
  

Ladder Match Qualifier: Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

Kiana James was distracted and no match for a focused Gigi Dolin, who won quickly with the Gigi Driver to become the second woman to qualify for the NXT Women's Championship ladder match.

This was so heavily choreographed that it never felt like a real contest. It was more of an exhibition and not an interesting one. The right woman won, but the result was a foregone conclusion.

Dolin has yet to prove herself worthy of the hype she has received lately. She will hopefully tighten up her offense before the ladder match, but it would be disappointing if she won over other names in NXT right now.

Result

Dolin def. James by pinfall to qualify for the NXT Women's Championship ladder match.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Jacy Jayne announced that her shoulder was separated early in her match with Dolin last week. She promised to make her pay when she recovered.
• Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs snuck into James' office and found out she had planned everything to get with someone named Sebastian.
• James was distraught backstage as she could not find Henley ahead of her match. She told Brooks Jensen to stay in the back.
• After the match, Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre attacked James from behind until Jensen made the save.
  

Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes Sign Contract for Title Match

Pretty Deadly arrived to officiate this contract signing, interrupting the growing intensity between Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes.

Kit Wilson and Elton Prince talked their way into getting sent through the table after the deal was signed.

NXT is banking on the importance of this match as a milestone in brand history. The two played this straight throughout, two dominant champions settling the score. It was a solid segment, but NXT may be putting too much faith in the match to sell itself.

Trick and Melo have been great heels, talking a big game but also never avoiding an opportunity to get ahead. It is odd to see them at least pretending to play the faces at this moment.

Melo has been the guy to show out for NXT for the past two years, outshining Breakker more often than not. He should be the one to dethrone the champion.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• After losing their title match, Pretty Deadly decided they would be the host of Stand & Deliver, and Shawn Michaels made it official.
• Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo offered their services to Breakker, who refused. The Don and The Underboss then agreed they needed NXT tag team gold.
• Melo and Breakker were surprisingly civil in this contract signing, though Him definitely got the better of the exchange.
  
• Trick Williams repeatedly told Pretty Deadly to stay quiet.