WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Sept. 12

The September 12 edition of WWE NXT was stacked. Hyped as one of the biggest nights in the brand's history, the show saw Becky Lynch return to challenge for the one women's title she never won and the next No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship was decided.

Tiffany Stratton took a shot at The Man recently for never winning the NXT Women's Championship she holds. Lynch responded by challenging The Center of the Universe to a title match. Could Stratton keep hold of the gold against one of the top stars in WWE?

Ilja Dragunov and Wes Lee both wanted a shot at the NXT Championship, but Carmelo Hayes can only face one at No Mercy. Who would emerge victorious in their No. 1 Contender battle?

The Global Heritage Cup continued to impress in its third week. Tyler Bate competed in his first match of the tournament against a motivated Axiom, while Nathan Frazer could not afford to lose in a first-time battle with Akira Tozawa.

The show also featured Lyra Valkyria vs. Dana Brooke, The Creed Brothers in action, Mustafa Ali's first words since earning a shot at the NXT North American Championship, and Drew Gulak and his crew trying to teach Myles Borne a lesson in stepping up to them.

NXT hoped to deliver one of the biggest shows possible, but could the talent live up to the hype?

No. 1 Contender for NXT Championship: Ilja Dragunov vs. Wes Lee

Wes Lee fought hard throughout, but he could not connect on the Cardiac Kick. Ilja Dragunov did connect on a pair of running forearm smashes to take the win.

Afterward, Carmelo Hayes walked out to stare down his next challenger.

Unsurprisingly, Lee and Dragunov kicked the show off right. This was a memorable athletic clash that showed what makes both men special talents. Lee especially lit up the crowd throughout.

While Dragunov needed to win, Lee did enough to tease that he could pull off the upset. Melo has sold that the only man he needs to prove himself against is The Mad Dragon.

The two had an incredible match at the Great American Bash. Round 2 could be even better if they sell a fresh story for their sequel over the next two weeks.

Result

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

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Lee sent Dragunov into the barricade with a tope, but when he went for a second near the announce table, The Mad Dragon knocked him out mid-air with a dropkick.
• By the time of a commercial break, the crowd was chanting "This is Awesome" chants. After a somersault plancha over the turnbuckle, those chants had to be censored.
  
• Lee nearly took the win with a running Spanish Fly.
• The Mad Dragon caught his opponent off the Cardiac Kick, but Lee reversed it into a tornado DDT that sent Dragunov to the floor.
• Lee looked dejected and angry after his loss.
• Dominik Mysterio made fun of Melo last week. The A Champion challenged Dirty Dom to a match for next week.
• Lee cleared out his locker room and walked out of the arena with his wife. It seemed like he might not come back.
  

Baron Corbin Tries to Show Respect to Bron Breakker for Brutal Attack

Baron Corbin called out Bron Breakker and congratulated him for his ruthless actions against Von Wagner last week.

The former NXT champion refused to accept that praise, telling him he did not care about his respect. The two agreed to a match at No Mercy on September 30 and then brawled.

While it was good to immediately follow up on the dramatic end to last week's NXT, Breakker vs. Corbin is hardly a fitting continuation going into the premium live event. Both are heels who hardly care about what happened to the big man.

Corbin is likely to be cheered over Breakker, but WWE has never committed to him as a babyface. It still makes more sense for these two to work together as a powerhouse group for Wagner and potential friends to overcome.

While he remains awkwardly placed in WWE, Corbin is a known quantity. He cuts strong promos and can elevate the talent around him. Breakker was clearly not on his level on the microphone, but he did his part here to set up the match.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• NXT showed post-show footage of Wagner's injury. Vic Joseph announced that he had a skull fracture and no timeline for return.
• Breakker said he wanted to end Wagner's career after putting him through a table.
  

Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey & Damon Kemp vs. Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen & Myles Borne

Although Myles Borne seemed to be on the same page as Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen initially, he still sent Jensen into the steel post.

This set up Damon Kemp to win with a German suplex. Borne celebrated with Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey and Kemp.

This may not have been much of a match, lasting under three minutes, but the angle was smart. Borne is stuck at a crossroads, and Gulak has him brainwashed in a way Fallon Henley did not expect.

Briggs, Jensen and Henley have shown their value in long-running stories like this for NXT. This could be a huge opportunity to finally get Borne, a talented newcomer, into the spotlight.

Result

Kemp, Gulak and Dempsey def. Briggs, Jensen and Borne by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Before the finish, Borne protected Fallon Henley on the outside, and some sparks may have flown between them.
  
• Andre Chase and Duke Hudson could not find Thea Hail.
• Two men made fun of Hail backstage, and Jacy Jayne stood up for her. Hail said she needed to change her look next week.
  

Lyra Valkyria vs. Dana Brooke (w/ Kelani Jordan)

Dana Brooke could not focus up enough to stay in this fight. She flipped into a roundhouse kick from Lyra Valkyria, who sealed the win with a diving splash.

This was mostly a squash. Both women did what they could with the time, but it was a one-sided affair. Valkyria showed off why she should be considered one of NXT's best right now.

The Valkyrie picked up a needed victory on her rebound toward title opportunities, while Brooke descended further into a dark place that might help her gain back some credibility.

It is likely that the final blow will come when Brooke turns on her own friend, Kelani Jordan. That should happen sooner than later as the former main roster star cannot afford too many more losses.

Result

Valkyria def. Brooke by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• The crowd focused on dueling chants of "Let's go, Dana" and "Dana sucks". Booker T called out the fans for following internet trends.
• After the match, Brooke shook hands with Valkyria and then tried to attack her. Jordan stopped her.
• Eddy Thorpe tried to refocus in an interview, but Dijak appeared on video, making fun of him and smacking a nearby tree with his belt.
  

Global Heritage Invitational: Tyler Bate vs. Axiom

This competitive battle built to a furious conclusion with Axiom trying to counter each big move from Tyler Bate.

However, he finally got taken down by a rebound clothesline and Tyler Driver 98.

Name Axiom the Global Heritage Invitational MVP because he has had the two best matches of the tournament so far. He and Bate had chemistry to spare in this battle that came out in every move.

Unfortunately, The Superhero is likely now out of the running even if he beats Charlie Dempsey. The final two of Group B is down to Bate vs. Butch next week. That should be special to watch given their shared history.

The Big Strong Boi has a win over Noam Dar already, so he could make sense as the next challenger for the Heritage Cup. However, Butch in NXT is a novelty that has not been explored enough recently.

Result

Bate def. Axiom by pinfall to earn two points in Group A of the Global Heritage Invitational.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Bate caught Axiom with an airplane spin. Axiom rolled outside to avoid the pin. The Superhero reversed the second spin with a poisonrana.
  
• Butch warned Bate that he was looking to recapture "the bruiser" in himself, and he would not focus on the past in their rematch.
  

The Creed Brothers vs. Malik Blade and Edris Enofé

Malik Blade and Edris Enofé came out hot in this match, but The Creed Brothers would not be denied.

Julius Creed got a hot tag to set up a combination powerbomb/Brutus Bomb with Brutus Creed to seal the win.

Everyone involved knew they were limited for minutes, so they made the most of it. There was no time for isolating an opponent, and each tag-in set up a big team move.

It was a rushed sprint but certainly an exciting one. Everyone involved can do more with time, but it is hard to fault any of them for what they did with four minutes.

The tag team division is a bit of a mess to keep organized, but there is plenty of talent to showcase. The Creed Brothers have the most credibility of anyone outside of the current champions.

Result

The Creed Brothers def. Blade and Enofé by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• This started with a series of possible tag team finishers for near-falls. It was especially close after Blade and Enofé hit a version of a Hart Attack on Brutus.
• Angel and Humberto watched closely from the stage, and The Family followed the action backstage.
  
• Hank Walker and Tank Ledger came out to stare down The Creed Brothers, but they got blindsided by Lucien Price and Bronco Nima.
  

Global Heritage Invitational: Nathan Frazer vs. Akira Tozawa

Akira Tozawa showed that he could match Nathan Frazer's speed, but he could not hit harder.

Frazer sealed the win with a superplex into a Falcon Arrow.

It was great to finally see Tozawa perform on NXT TV, though he deserved more than two minutes. He and Frazer moved even faster than the bout before them, barely taking a second to breathe.

Joe Coffey is the odds-on favorite to advance in Group B, but Duke Hudson could make it a three-way tie next week. If he does, NXT has not established a clear tiebreaker, so it's unclear who will advance.

Whoever does progress from Group B is going to have a tough time beating out Tyler Bate or Butch.

Result

Frazer def. Tozawa by pinfall to earn two points in Group B of the Global Heritage Invitational.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• After the match, Joe talked trash about Duke Hudson until the Chase U MVP warned Gallus that he was ready to play the spoiler.
• Joe Gacy and Ava talked about their rotting tree, saying they were the only two strong roots left and needed to build a new foundation.
• In an interview, Mustafa Ali refused to admit that Dominik Mysterio gave him a fast count last week, even to the face of Dragon Lee.
• Gigi Dolin attacked Blair Davenport backstage until officials broke them up.
  

NXT Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Tiffany Stratton brought her A-game for the battle with Becky Lynch.

However, The Man ducked The Prettiest Moonsault Ever and planted The Center of the Universe with the Man-handle Slam to win.

This was an absolute war. It was not always pretty as these two learned to work together, but they made the most of the spotlight to sell this as the biggest match of Stratton's career. A rematch down the road will steal any NXT event.

While the gold brand has put significant hype behind Stratton, pitting her against Lynch made her the immediate underdog. The Man is, arguably, the most popular woman in professional wrestling and was coming off a huge win against Trish Stratus.

That played out in this match. Lynch gave Stratton the spotlight to show off her considerable talent before showing she was just too big for her to beat right now.

As champion, The Man can elevate an NXT women's division that was possibly already booked better than Raw and SmackDown. Lynch vs. Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Kiana James and more may even outshine the men's division.

Result

Lynch def. Stratton by pinfall to win the NXT Women's Championship.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• In an interview, Lynch promised to finally complete a journey that began 10 years ago in NXT. James warned The Man to leave her brand.
•  Valkyria wished Lynch good luck before the main event.
• Stratton reversed the Dis-arm-her into a surprise roll-up and then planted Lynch with a powerbomb for the first near-fall.
• Stratton went for the Most Beautiful Moonsault Ever, but Lynch caught her in the ropes with a second-rope Russian leg sweep.
• Lynch caught Stratton on the announce table with a leg drop followed by a second in the ring. The Man locked in the Dis-arm-her, but Stratton got to the rope.
• The crowd gave this "NXT" and "This is awesome" chants.
  

Overall Show

NXT promised a huge event and largely delivered. The opener and main event were as advertised.

Ilja Dragunov and Wes Lee performed at their highest level with the time they had and sold the importance of becoming No. 1 contender for the NXT Championship. The Mad Dragon looked like a world-beater with his victory.

Becky Lynch pushed Tiffany Stratton to main roster relevance by the end of this match. She looks ready for the big time. The Man can now help lead the NXT women's division to heights it has not seen in years.

The rest of the card was solid but often rushed. The best match across the rest of the bill was Tyler Bate vs. Axiom, which almost reached the heights of the two show-defining bouts despite having less heat.

The problem with NXT remains a need to overload the card, and too many potentially good matches get three-to-four minutes at a time. However, the stories continue to advance in interesting ways.

NXT is on a hot streak, and this was easily its best non-themed show of 2023. The stage has been set for an exciting No Mercy on September 30.

Overall Grade: B+