WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before Worlds Collide
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on June 3.
Worlds Collide may be this weekend, but Tuesday's show did more than just hype that event. Here's a look at what was advertised for this week's episode:
—Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana (TNA Championship)
—Charlie Dempsey vs. Myles Borne
—Tyra Mae Steele debuts on NXT
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Tuesday's episode of NXT.
When Worlds Collide
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NXT opened with a recap of what went down last week before we went to the ring for a segment to hype Worlds Collide.
Laredo Kid, Je'Von Evans and Ethan Page appeared to promote the North American Championship match, but Rey Fenix was absent.
Evolve's Sean Legacy showed up because he will face the winner of the NA title bout at Worlds Collide. More Evolve talents showed up and a huge brawl broke out.
This segment was short and sweet. It was less than 10 minutes and accomplished everything it needed to without overstaying its welcome. That being said, it was also very paint-by-numbers.
Grade: B-
Chase U vs. DarkState
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Andre Chase, Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon had a six-man tag match this week against DarkState's Dion Lennox, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin.
Connors went after the stable by himself but was quickly tossed out of the ring. Chase tried and failed to keep the young guys under control, so their powerhouse opponents had an easy time taking them apart for the first few minutes.
Chase U managed to make a comeback and take control temporarily, but a double suplex from Griffin turned the tide again. DarkState hit its triple powerbomb for the win.
This was a pretty short and decisive match. Everyone had good energy, but they didn't have enough time to make this more than a glorified squash.
Result: DarkState defeated Chase U
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—Does anyone else miss Duke Hudson?
—Vic Joseph came so close to calling out Booker T for being weird on commentary about the women in NXT.
—NXT general manager Ava was shown telling Evans, Laredo and Legacy to find a fourth member for an eight-man tag match. Dragon Lee volunteered.
Myles Borne vs. Charlie Dempsey
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Borne wanted out of NQCC and Dempsey gave him a chance in a Rounds match, which is contested the way WWE used to do the Heritage Cup.
Dempsey and Borne made their entrance at the same time, which was a bit surprising but an interesting detail to add. They started with a clean lockup, but Dempsey showed some frustration after being taken down with a shoulder tackle.
They kept it technical and used a lot of submissions and counters instead of trying to beat the life out of each other with strikes. Borne ended up scoring a fall right before the bell rang for the first round.
We returned with only 20 seconds left in the second round and it ended with Borne still up 1-0. However, Dempsey took a cheap shot after the bell, which upset Sinclair and Heights.
Dempsey scored a fall with a Regalplex to even the score. In the fourth round, Borne scored another fall to win the match and earn his way out of NQCC.
This was a solid match with some great technical wrestling from both guys. Even with the cheap shot, Borne shook Dempsey's hand at the end. It will be interesting to see where everyone goes from here. NQCC is either going to need to recruit a new member or the group might disband.
Result: Borne defeated Dempsey
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Wren Sinclair and Tavion Heights were on opposite sides of the ring instead of being in a neutral corner.
—Corey Graves pointed out how silly it is that Borne has to earn his way out of the group.
—Dempsey tried to bridge up to his feet but lost his footing and had to roll over with Borne instead.
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Tyra Mae Steele vs. Arianna Grace
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Olympian and WWE LFG season one winner Tyra Mae Steele made her NXT debut this week against Arianna Grace.
Grace looked like she was going to dominate the newcomer after unleashing a flurry of offense in the first few minutes, but this was the debut of an Olympic gold medalist, so she was just working up to her comeback.
Steele scored a very quick win with one throw followed by a textbook German suplex.
While the match itself wasn't much of anything, Steele showed a lot of intensity and character in a short amount of time. If she continues to bring that kind of enthusiasm to WWE, she will do well.
Result: Steele defeated Grace
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—Why would you hire an Olympic champion and then change her name? That seems like the opposite of how you capitalize on Tamyra Mensah-Stock's fame.
—Grace did a great job selling for Steele after her initial salvo.
The Glamour Arrives in NXT
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Jacy Jayne came out with Fatal Influence to celebrate her title win, but Lainey Reid interrupted her to say she wanted a title shot.
Lola Vice, Jordynne Grace, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend and Thea Hail showed up to stake their claim.
After a fight broke out, the lights dropped. When they came back on, Mariah May was in the crow's nest with a mic. She said we can call her the next women's champion.
May has been rumored to be heading to WWE for some time, but the debut was still surprising to see on a weekly show and not at a bigger event. It was a simple way to bring her into the fold, so hopefully she gets a longer promo next week.
Grade: C
Legacy, Lee, Evans and Laredo vs. Page and The Vanity Project
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The eight-man tag match that was booked after the opening segment began with Laredo Kid and Jackson Drake trading some takedowns.
The announcers mentioned Legacy and Drake's involvement in an upcoming match to crown the first WWE Evolve champion as they fought.
The babyfaces had the upper hand until Page almost decapitated Laredo Kid with a boot to the face as the show cut to a break. Page and The Vanity Project controlled the pace for a long time before Evans finally made a hot tag to Lee.
While this match had too many moving parts for any one person to stand out, it had plenty of fast-paced action and made a few Evolve talents look good in the process.
Lee scored the win for the babyface team to end a fun bout.
Result: Lee, Evans, Legacy and Laredo defeated Page and Vanity Project
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Graves was making fun of The Vanity Project on commentary.
—Page's big boot looked brutal because it was sold so well.
Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana (TNA Championship)
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Elijah was in the crowd to watch Santana battle Williams for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of this week's show.
As expected, this turned into a very physical contest right away. They weren't going for headlocks and hip tosses, they were trying to beat each other up.
Santana is a well-regarded veterans and Williams has been one of NXT's brighter prospects for some time, so they found their groove quickly and worked together to make this feel like it was about more than just the title.
TNA's KC Navarro and AJ Francis showed up and interfered by attacking Santana while the ref was distracted. This allowed Williams to get the win and retain his title.
Result: Williams defeated Santana
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
—The crowd was definitely behind Santana more than Williams, but it wasn't as if nobody was cheering for the champion.
—Santana is a big guy, so seeing Williams outsize him is a reminder of just how big Trick is, too. He's almost deceptively large until you see him next to someone else.
—It looked like the fan sitting next to Elijah could not have cared less.
—The exchange of kicks near the end of the match was great.
The Final Word
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Tuesday’s NXT wasn’t a memorable episode because of anything that happened in the ring, but it might be remembered down the line for being the night two different stars debuted.
Steele, an Olympic gold medalist in 2020, had her first match in NXT after winning season one of WWE LFG. She won her first bout decisively and made a good impression on the WWE Universe.
However, the big headline coming out of this episode was the shocking debut of May. Speculation about her WWE debut has been rampant, but there was no indication it would happen this soon.
The former AEW women’s champion was part of one of the longest and best storylines in that company’s brief history, so let's hope WWE books her as the star she is.
As far as the in-ring action goes, Borne and Dempsey had the best bell-to-bell performance, but Williams and Santana may have had a more exciting match. It all comes down to your personal preference.
Grade: B-
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