WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Nov. 7
Two weeks after a stunning win over Becky Lynch earned her the NXT Women's Championship, Lyra Valkyria made her return on Tuesday night.
Her first appearance since the defining victory of her career headlined a broadcast that also featured the culmination of the long feud between Von Wagner and Bron Breakker, the first Iron Survivor qualifying match and an NXT Heritage Cup defense by Noam Dar.
This all came on the same day that WWE announced a new five-year deal for NXT on the CW Network beginning in 2024.
Find out what happened, who emerged with momentum on their side, and how each of the night's segments graded out with this recap of the November 7 episode.
Match Card
1 of 10Announced in advance of Tuesday's show were:
- Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker
- Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match: Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton
- NXT Heritage Cup: Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar
- Tyler Bate vs. Dijak
- Lyra Valkyria's first appearance since winning the NXT Women's Championship
NXT Heritage Cup: Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar
2 of 10
After scaring Noam Dar into accepting his challenge for an NXT Heritage Cup match last week as part of Halloween Havoc, Akira Tozawa continued his training as the newest member of Alpha Academy by battling the leader of Meta-Four in the night's first match.
The opening three-minute round ended without any falls, despite a last-second superplex. Dar ended that trend with a quick, cheap pinfall with a handful of tights to take a 1-0 lead. He added a few cheap shots but not enough to force a disqualification from the referee.
Tozawa tied it up with an ankle lock at the close of the fourth round, creating a sense of urgency for the remainder of the bout, which would be fought under sudden-death rules.
With the clock ticking dow, Lash Legend pulled him out of the way and Tozawa crashed to the mat below during a senton attempt. Dar retained moments later.
Without the outside interference, and what felt like a rushed match time, Dar and Tozawa could have torn the house down. As it was, this was a perfectly acceptable opener that highlighted the two factions and gave the heels a sneaky victory.
Alpha Academy looked like a big deal and Maxxine Dupri continues to grow as a performer with every television outing.
Good, inoffensive stuff to start the show.
Result
Dar defeated Tozawa to retain
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Commentator Vic Joseph pointed out that Meta-Four did not have the numbers advantage it usually has with Chad Gable, Otis and Dupri at ringside.
- Joseph pointed out Tozawa's 17 titles in WWE, and that he was chasing an 18th. He didn't mention that 16 of them were 24/7 Championship "reigns," though.
- Dupri struck Oro Mensah with a slap, and Gable and Otis laid him out to close the segment.
Lyra Valkyria Addresses the NXT Universe
3 of 10
In her first address as the NXT women's champion, Lyra Valkyria did not have a chance to say much thanks to an interruption from Xia Li.
A tense in-ring confrontation gave way to a challenge from the babyface to the interloper.
This was a short-and-sweet segment that actually made sense.
Li has made it a point to target Becky Lynch, as witnessed Monday night on WWE Raw. What better way to further provoke The Man than by setting her sights on her friend and protégé?
Just weeks after Lynch appeared to have passed the torch in NXT to her countrywoman, Li has the opportunity to dethrone her and ruin the dream of the new face of the division.
The date of the match is still to be revealed.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Valkyria got a star welcome from the fans, as well as the "you deserve it" chants.
- "I know I'm not the only woman who dreamed of taking this," she said, teasing an open challenge to the locker room before Li interrupted.
- Li knocked the life out of one of the security guards, completely laying him out.
Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton
4 of 10
A week after suffering a brutal assault at the hands of Tiffany Stratton, Fallon Henley sought to extinguish any chance the former women's champion had of competing in the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline on December 9.
A good, competitive contest between familiar foes saw Stratton get back to winning ways and cash her ticket to one of the marquee matches in NXT.
Given how brightly she shined during her feud with Becky Lynch, it makes sense to continue to push and highlight a young competitor who is quickly developing into one of the premier competitors in the division.
With that said, Henley has always been a wrestler who is better than her place on the show would suggest. Break her away from Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, and let her develop her own personality. She will shine.
Right now, she is the victim of a loaded division amid a slew of promising young stars.
Result
Stratton defeated Henley to advance to NXT Deadline
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, a referee emerged from Shawn Michaels' office and revealed he had been told to exercise his discretion in relation to the rules in Tuesday night's Von Wagner-Bron Breakker match. In the background, Ava Raine was seen entering HBK's office.
- Elsewhere backstage, a confrontation led to the making of a bout between Otis and Drew Gulak for later in the show.
- Stratton's "Prettiest Moonsault Ever" is more than just a name. It's spot-on.
Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker
5 of 10
Bron Breakker's violent attack on Von Wagner left the second-generation star hospitalized this past September.
After steamrolling the big man's friend, Mr. Stone, Breakker found himself on the receiving end of a vengeful Wagner, who was looking to return the favor last week.
Tuesday's bout was a physical battle between two big men, but it lacked the intensity to take it to the next level. Given the emotion and hatred at play between the two, it never felt like the grand culmination of a major feud.
Breaker won, scoring the pinfall victory following a Spear, but Wagner got a measure of revenge via a table spot.
That part made sense. The rest of the match was a bit too "normal" for it to be what the storyline demanded.
Result
Breakker defeated Wagner
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "I don't give a damn about my candy! Put him through the table, Von!" Vic Joseph said, referencing the collection of treats he keeps at the commentary table.
- Stone and Wagner shared an embrace after the match.
Kelani Jordan and Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez
6 of 10
One week after winning the NXT Breakout Tournament, Lola Vice partnered with Elektra Lopez to battle former women's champion Roxanne Perez and Breakout runner-up Kelani Jordan in a match set up by a backstage confrontation.
This was a solid contest that could have benefited from a little more time to allow the competitors to slow things down a bit, and it concluded with Jordan scoring the win and avenging her loss from last Wednesday.
Arianna Grace appeared immediately after the win to take the spotlight from the victors, but Karmen Petrovic flattened her on the ramp.
Vice and Jordan are going to be exciting stars to watch moving forward. They are raw athletes who show flashes of greatness between the ropes, with the latter being a little more developed than her counterpart at this point.
The future is bright, especially as they get more meaningful reps on TV.
Result
Perez and Jordan defeated Vice and Lopez
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- A pre-taped video set up a fight between the Brawling Brutes and OTM.
- Grace is going to be a huge star. She is already nailing the character part of her work, although the in-ring portion was slowed due to injury. Her father is former WWE Superstar and comedic genius Santino Marella.
Otis vs. Drew Gulak
7 of 10After sending a message to Meta-Four earlier in the night, Alpha Academy returned to the ring as Otis battled Drew Gulak in singles action.
This was another fun, inoffensive bit of action between a guy in Gulak who does everything well and one of the most entertaining big men in the company.
The crowd ate it up, and the match gave Alpha Academy another platform to shine on.
Result
Otis defeated Gulak
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The fans in the arena were red-hot for Otis. The big man was, arguably, the most over wrestler on the show not named Lyra Valkyria.
- Alpha Academy came across like huge stars throughout the night. That is a testament to their hard work and the attention Triple H and WWE Creative have put into them.
- Backstage, Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James had a brief interaction that teased a future partnership, with the former saying "I don't mind her."
Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifier: Tyler Bate vs. Dijak
8 of 10
On the same night as we learned the first competitor to advance to the women's Iron Survivor Challenge match at Deadline, Tyler Bate and Dijak battled to become the first on the men's contest.
An intensely physical bout saw each man test the other's toughness, but it was Dijak who delivered Feast Your Eyes to secure the victory.
This is one of those matches that could have gone either way but given the fact that Bate has only now started to tease the idea that he feels as if the industry is passing him by while he is leaning on past accomplishments, this was not the time to wrap that up abruptly.
Besides, Dijak has worked hard for a long time and has earned this opportunity.
Result
Dijak defeated Bate
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Bate produced an impressive superplex from the top rope on the bigger Dijak
- He delivered a German release suplex, but Dijak landed on his feet. If that doesn't impress you based on his size, nothing will.
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams Face-to-Face
9 of 10The dissension between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes intensified in the main event of the show as the former took exception to the former NXT champion not returning the favor of having his back when he had done the same for so long.
Williams also admitted to not having seen who it was that attacked him, and Hayes' reaction was one that would suggest it may have been him...until Lexis King interrupted.
He stirred things up, ultimately leading to Williams errantly hitting Hayes. An embrace between the babyfaces ended the show, but it was clear that there was distrust and frustration between them, all while King watched with a mile-wide grin on his face.
King did tease his involvement a week ago, hinting to McKenzie Mitchell that he had done something bad. After this week's show, it's clear he was the perpetrator and this is setting him up for a major match against either Hayes or Williams, maybe at Deadline.
It is a big spot for him to be in but there is not better way to find out whether King can sink or swim than by putting him in the ring with two guys synonymous with shining bright on the biggest stages.
Even with King's involvement, there are still issues between Hayes and Williams that may end up in a match between them, so fans should keep an eye on that element moving forward.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "Why can't you be there for me like I was there for you?" Williams asked.
- "Everything that [John] Cena told you, I told you months ago," Hayes said, telling him he knew he could be a once-in-a-lifetime performer.
Overall Grade
10 of 10Those who have not routinely checked out NXT lately have missed out on its development as one of the more consistent WWE properties.
Since Shawn Michaels has ingrained himself as the show-runner, and the brand has backed off of some of the way over-the-top stories and characters that hampered its progress a year or two ago, it is finding its footing again.
Some of the wackiness is still there, but there is a commitment to in-ring action, including an abundance of women's wrestling (you love to see it on a nationally televised show), and fans genuinely care about the competitors on the broadcast.
Add to that more focused booking and you have a brand that knows what it is, knows who it wants to feature in prominent positions and gives almost its entire roster something of substance to do.
Is it perfect? No, but no product is.
This broadcast laid the foundation for Deadline, presented Lyra Valkyria as a star and wrapped up the Breakker-Wagner feud. Lexis King immediately established himself as a prime-time player, and the teases involving Boa, Dante Chen and Ava Raine dared fans to pay close attention to what goes on behind the major segments.
A good show with the promise of even better to come.
Grade: B
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