WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 11

WWE NXT would welcome the dominant faction Judgment Day to its July 11 edition. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams challenged Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio to face them in a gold brand ring.

The A Champion would also watch Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov closely as the winner would become the new No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship.

Tony D'Angelo's future was on the line as Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo fought Joe Coffey. Duke Hudson and Andre Chase would team together to make Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey pay for abusing the Chase U students.

Tiffany Stratton would face a motivated Ivy Nile in a non-title match, just one week removed from The Creed Brothers leaving NXT for good. Bronco Nima and Lucien Price would debut to add a new dangerous tag team to a stacked division.

This show had much work left to do in building toward Great American Bash 2023 including big matches and important moments throughout this night.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams Challenge The Judgment Day to a Tag Team Showdown

The Judgment Day enjoyed a loud reaction from the NXT Universe before Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrived. They challenged Finn Bálor and Damian Priest to a match tonight.

This made sense as the opening of the show since WWE is heavily relying upon The Judgment Day to pop the rating for the night. However, this never felt as big as the talent involved.

Unlike many main roster stars to appear in NXT, Judgment Day actually lost some luster in this smaller arena. This group can get massive reactions from packed arenas, so they get very little from appearing in this much smaller Performance Center arena.

Melo though benefited once again from working off these top stars. He and Trick should get a rub from working with Bálor and Priest.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• The Prince called NXT the "house that I built". He was walking with a swagger that was noticeably put-on as if he was trying too hard to overshadow Priest.
• Dirty Dom as always could not speak over the boos of the entire audience.

Chase U vs. Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey

The crowd was completely behind Andre Chase in his return to the ring. Once Thea Hail eliminated Drew Gulak from the action with a Kimura at ringside, Hudson and Chase hit the Fratliner on Charlie Dempsey to win.

This was a fun match, building on the crowd energy. While the Chase U student section plays an obvious role, no matches are quite energetic in NXT as Chase U matches, especially with The Professor back in action.

Gulak and Dempsey never had a chance, but they played their role well enough. NXT cannot seem to figure out a clear plan for the technicians, who are better at building other stars than themselves.

Result

Chase U def. Gulak and Dempsey by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• The Chase U student section started a crowd wave in support of The Professor as he rallied.
• Chase did the Chase U stomps for the first time in months then went to the top rope for a crossbody. Gulak broke up the likely three count.
  

Cora Jade vs. Kelani Jordan (w/ Dana Brooke)

Cora Jade was too much for the young Kelani Jordan, keeping up with her speed while taking advantage of every mistake. She planted her with a DDT to win.

This started out fine but got sloppy as the two tried to hit their signature offense. It was a largely unremarkable contest in which both women got in their best moves.

Jade and Jordan could have a good match with more seasoning, but neither looked ready to lead the offense at this point.

The goal was to put the young Jordan in a position to face a top name. She did that. However, it will take a while for her to be truly ready to compete in the women's division at the highest level.

Result

Jade def. Jordan by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Jade tried to attack her opponent after the match but got run off by Brooke.
  
• Gigi Dolin showed old pictures of Kiana James with a similar style to her rival. James was not happy those picture leaked.
  
• Von Wagner thanked Mr. Stone for helping him be himself for the first time.
• Los Lotharios attempted to flirt with Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon, but they were not interested. Dragon Lee and Nathan Frazer confronted them before they pushed more.
  

No. 1 Contender: Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov

Bron Breakker and Ilja Dragunov went to war in a physical match that could have gone either way. The Mad Dragon put it away after countering a Spear with a high knee followed by a low Torpedo Moscow.

After a strong month of build, NXT threw together this match on a night where they could not main event. While these two did not have quite the absolute showstopper they are capable of, they still delivered the biggest moments of the night.

This built to an impressive crescendo. The final five minutes were electric, and it genuinely looked likely that either man could win when it mattered most.

It was the right call for Dragunov to win. Breakker's story with Carmelo Hayes is done. The Mad Dragon had never faced The A Champion and could give him the best match of his title reign.

This may be the last time fans see Breakker in NXT. He has put over multiple stars in NXT on his way out and should quickly become a dominant force on Raw or SmackDown.

Result

Dragunov def. Breakker by pinfall to become the new No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Breakker warned Dragunov that he would break him. The Mad Dragon called himself the most intense man in NXT, ready for anything.
• Breakker blocked the running low forearm smash by getting his boots up. He then smashed Dragunov with a bulldog that missed the mark by a bit.
• The Mad Dragon nearly took the win with the Torpedo Moscow. Dragunov dived right into a Spear, barely managed to kick out.
  
• NXT replayed the highlights from Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp. Gable Steveson said he wasn't sure about his future yet.
• Dijak did not appreciate people backstage calling Thorpe the toughest man in NXT.
  

Tiffany Stratton vs. Ivy Nile

Ivy Nile fought hard but was clearly working distracted, missing The Creed Brothers. Nile trapped her in a dragon sleeper, but Stratton knocked her into the turnbuckle to escape. She hit a rolling fireman's carry into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to win.

Two of NXT's most improved athletes of 2023, Stratton and Nile looked together. This was a solid technical clash that could have done more with extra time.

While Hail is clearly set for a rematch with Stratton soon, Nile could be a serious challenger soon as well. She lost this time, but it is believable that she could make the champion tap out with the dragon sleeper.

While The Creed Brothers benefited from Nile in their corner, she may personally benefit from standing out on her own. She has worked in their shadow for a while in NXT.

Result

Stratton def. Nile by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Nile hit a rolling side slam on Stratton and went for the running lowuppercut that Julius Creed made famous, but the champion rolled outside to safety.
• Stratton was not happy about the Chase U student section chant that "she tapped out". After the match, she screamed at them to leave her alone.
• Duke Hudson and Andre Chase encouraged Hail to fight for a rematch and win the NXT Women's Championship.
  
• Wes Lee sounded uncertain about facing Mustafa Ali in an interview with McKenzie Mitchell. Dominik Mysterio challenged him for the NXT North American Championship next week.
• Baron Corbin drove out to somewhere in the wood where multiple TIKI torches stood, hoping to find his future.
• After her match, backstage, Schism offered Nile a spot in the growing family.
  

The Fate of Tony D'Angelo: Joe Coffey vs. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo

Joe Coffey dominated this match, but Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo was extra motivated, especially after revealing he would not fail Tony D'Angelo. He used a crowbar behind the referee's back and hit a running knee drop to defeat the Gallus leader.

This was a match with multiple twists and turns. Stacks revealed he had not betrayed The Don, but he then had to fight through all three men to pull off a miraculous victory.

Some of the reveals were poorly timed, but the overall experience was a positive. Stacks delivered in one of his better in-ring efforts. Gallus did not lose much throughout as The Underboss had to use every trick possible to win.

This story has been full soap opera for better and worse, but it has clearly set up The Family as the team that should dethrone Gallus at Great American Bash 2023.

Result

Stacks def. Joe by pinfall to earn The Don's freedom and earning The Family an NXT Tag Team Championships match.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• The Don did not sound confident in Stacks' chances in this match in an interview with McKenzie Mitchell from jail.
• Joe called his shot and hit All the Best for the Bells, but Stacks kicked out. He was not happy, yelling at The Underboss for backing out on their deal.
• Tony D called in to the arena to make fun of Gallus for thinking they could "get one up" on The Family. He was mostly unintelligible.
  
• Bronco Lima and Lucien Price got in the face of Mark Coffey and Wolfgang at ringside. Apparently, this was the extent of their promised NXT debut.
  
• Stacks struck the NXT tag team champions then got them throw out by pretending that they struck him with a crowbar.
  

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams vs. Judgment Day

Damian Priest tried to use the Money in the Bank briefcase against Carmelo Hayes. While Ilja Dragunov saved the NXT champion, Melo knocked into him. This allowed The Punishment to hit South of Heaven then Finn Bálor the Coup de Grace to pin The A Champion.

This was a very fun main event. Bálor and Priest have found their chemistry as a team and worked very well off of the fresh NXT team.

While it is a shame to see The A Champion lose again, it was inevitable. Melo is still not ready to fight at Judgment Day's level. However, it looks like The A Champion could be building himself up to eventually overcome The Prince.

The miscommunication at the end between Melo and Dragunov protected the champion while building heat between the future opponents. All in all, it was a smart end to a good show.

Result

Bálor and Priest def. Melo and Trick by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Melo and Trick looked as good as they ever have as a tag team. They could do well in that role on the main roster when the time comes.
• The Prince sent Melo into the turnbuckle with a dropkick then went for the Coup de Grace. The A Champion ducked and hit a Slingblade.
• The production team showed that both Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James and Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee vs. Los Lotharios were set for next week, though commentary was too focused on the action to hype them.
• Melo and Dragunov were not happy with one another at the end of the show due to their collision earlier before the finish.
  

Overall Show

NXT was cooking with gas at times this week. The crowd sounded hot. The action was solid. While nothing on this show is likely to be remembered in a couple months, this show did exactly what it should.

Breakker vs. Dragunov was not quite the instant NXT classic that its build promised, but that did not stop both men from competing at a high level to make it feel important.

Judgment Day may have started a show flat, but they made up for it by adding prestige to the main event. Damian Priest and Finn Bálor make the talent around them better.

Tony D'Angelo's story took a while to reach its conclusion, but the stage has been set for an exciting match to come with Gallus.

The main question marks remain with the women's division. Tiffany Stratton vs. Thea Hail has to be more than just a good TV match next time. The two need to represent the entire division at Great American Bash.

The return of Chase U was a great added element to this show. Duke Hudson needs Andre Chase, and the two together make the whole show more exciting.

The direction toward Great American Bash 2023 is strong. Almost all the pieces are in place to make it a better event than Battleground.

Overall Grade: B-