WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From August 5
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on August 5.
With NXT Heatwave coming up on August 24, WWE has a couple of weeks left to build the card into something fans will want to see.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Tuesday's show:
—Kelani Jordan vs. Blake Monroe
—Nia Jax vs. Thea Hail
—Sol Ruca vs. Tatum Paxley (North American Championship)
—Myles Borne vs. Lexis King
—Hank and Tank vs. Chase U (Tag Team Championships)
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's NXT.
Blake Monroe vs. Kelani Jordan
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NXT wasted no time getting right to the action. As soon as the show went live, Monroe made her way to the ring to take on Jordan.
Lani went after Blake to get the match going immediately. They did a good job telling a story of Jordan feeling like she had something to prove.
This bout had a quick pace and some good physicality, but Jordynne Grace ended up chasing Monroe away after only six minutes of action. The ref counted Monroe out as Grace chased her to the parking lot where Blake escaped in an SUV.
This started strong but didn't have nearly enough time to really get going before a count-out finish.
Result: Jordan won by count-out
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—So many wrestlers use the same few colors. It's great to see two people have such wildly different gear. Monroe had black-and-white attire while Jordan used orange and green for her color scheme.
—The ring had a Maybelline logo in the middle, which made sense with Monroe being in a new ad for the company. There was a time when beef sticks and protein powder were the only companies sponsoring pro wrestling.
Hank and Tank vs. Chase U
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Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon got their biggest opportunity to date when they challenged Hank and Tank for the NXT tag titles, and they didn't even need to attack anyone with a chair to make it happen.
Connors and Dixon came in hot and almost won right away, but Hank kept kicking out of the moves they were hitting while Tank recovered at ringside.
The champs made a comeback after a couple of minutes and began controlling the pace with their power and size, but Connors and Dixon never allowed themselves to be dominated. They kept this fight competitive.
After a short but fast-paced contest, Hank and Tank retained by hitting their finisher on Dixon.
Unfortunately, this was the second match in a row that felt like it didn't get nearly enough time.
DarkState came out and attacked all four men and Andre Chase as the lights flickered.
Result: Hank and Tank defeated Chase U
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—The segment from last week with Chase U almost attacking Hank and Tank is hilarious. If you didn't see it, go find it.
—Dixon and Connors hitting a double-team powerbomb move was an impressive show of strength from two of the smaller guys on the brand.
Lexis King vs. Myles Borne
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King has been trying to prove Borne is a fraud for weeks, and the two finally met for a singles match this week.
The crowd was fully behind Borne as the two men began trading takedowns and counters. Much like the first two matches, there wasn't a lot of methodical offense. It was, as Jacob Fatu likes to say, all gas and no brakes.
Borne had the upper hand until King cut off a dive out of the ring with a running knee. That sent us into a break with the former Brian Pillman Jr. in control.
King stomped on Borne's hand against the steel steps right when the show came back from a commercial. The ref checked on him but determined he was able to continue.
This felt like a pretty typical NXT match, which is neither a good or bad thing. All it means is that it had a quicker pace than what we usually get on the main roster, which can have its pros and cons.
Borne scored the win with his finisher, which is essentially the Zig Zag Dolph Ziggler used to use. This was a solid match with a clean finish. It probably won't be the last time these two meet.
Result: Borne defeated King
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
—The crowd really loves Borne. He's very personable and has a very inspiring story.
—King has gotten himself in much better shape and it has led to him being able to move around at a much quicker pace.
—King tried to do a move on the apron but it looked like he fell off by mistake and just went on like nothing happened. It might have been intentional, but it's hard to tell.
—Why does WWE have DarkState giving promos about wanting to be up people's butts? If they were trying to be funny, it didn't come across that way.
Thea Hail vs. Nia Jax
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Hail, one of the smallest competitors in NXT, had a huge challenge ahead of her when she took on Jax this week.
The former women's champion had no problem taking control of her less experienced opponent, but Hail used her speed and agility to get in some offense here and there.
This was the usual David vs. Goliath kind of bout. Jax did her usual thing of dominating her smaller opponent while they had occasional comebacks that were eventually halted by The Annihilator.
Jax got the victory, which was expected. This will not be a one-match feud, so Hail will probably get the victory in their next encounter. It just might take a little while because Jax immediately gave an interview about Lash Legend.
Legend came out and got into a fight with Jax that was broken up by tons of security.
Result: Jax defeated Hail
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Hail is a pretty strong competitor. She might be able to lift Jax, but they made it look like she couldn't.
—The way Hail fell when she tried to hit a clothesline was so strange. It was like Jax was supposed to sell it and forgot.
Everyone Wants a Title Shot
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Oba Femi said he is the most dominant champion in NXT history. He said he has beaten everyone there is to beat before Trick Williams came to the ring.
Je'Von Evans also got involved in the discussion. He suggested he and Williams fight for the next shot at Femi's title, which Femi loved. Moose arrived and said he would win the TNA title from Williams.
As they were all talking, DarkState came out and attacked them. Femi, Moose, Evans and Williams ended up getting the best of them.
This was one of those segments that had a lot going on but didn't accomplish much in the end.
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Ava was shown giving Grace a match against Monroe at Heatwave.
—Legend and Jax were shown backstage still fighting a long time after their segment happened. It was kind of funny.
—Joe Hendry and Charlie Dempsey ended up agreeing to a match next week.
Channing 'Stacks' Lorenzo vs. Yoshiki Inamura
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Stacks attacked Yoshiki Inamura during his entrance to get the advantage. Once the match got started, Lorenzo was right back on the attack.
The Noah star regained his footing while Stacks was taking too long on the top rope, and he started going on a roll. He threw Stacks across the ring and began unloading on him with chops and punches.
In the end, Arianna Grace and Josh Briggs helped Stacks get a quick win, making this another match that felt way too short.
Result: Stacks defeated Inamura
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—Briggs seems better suited to being a heel. He spent way too long trying to be a good guy. It will be fun watching him be a monster.
Tatum Paxley vs. Sol Ruca
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Ethan Page bragged about beating Santino Marella last week to retain the North American Championship. Tavion Heights interrupted his rendition of the Canadian national anthem.
Surprisingly, Chelsea Green and The Secret Hervice arrived. She admonished Heights for interrupting a man she called one of the greatest Canadians. It looks like this will lead to a mixed tag match down the line.
The main event for this week saw Ruca, with Zaria by her side, put her North American Championship on the line against Paxley, who had The Culling in her corner.
Ruca came out of the gate strong, but Paxley quickly turned the tables and took control.
Zaria tried to get Shawn Spears to stop interfering, and it led to Ruca taking out everyone in The Culling with a moonsault from the top rope to the floor.
This week's show had a low bar to clear, so this was easily the best match of the night. They brought a lot of energy to the ring and had some great spots that showcased Ruca's high-flying ability.
Unfortunately, Ruca fell to the floor when attempting a move from the top rope, but she landed fine and got right back up to the top. This led to Paxley hitting a spinning neckbreaker from the top rope. Jax and Legend, apparently having been fighting all night, made their way out as they continued to brawl.
In the confusion, Ruca was able to hit the Sol Snatcher for the win.
Result: Ruca defeated Paxley
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—We got a sit-down interview with Ricky Starks about his feud with Jasper Troy.
—Paxley is great at playing her character, but the persona does not have long-term potential. She is going to need to grow past this gimmick at some point.
—Ruca's moonsault to the floor looked great.
—Paxley's twisting moonsault was cool, but Ruca was just a little out of position to take the full impact.
The Final Word
8 of 8This week's NXT had a lot packed into it, but that ended up being to its own detriment.
Most of the matches we saw felt rushed and too short, so only one bout from the evening stood out as anything worth taking the time to watch.
Ruca and Paxley had the best performance of the night, but Jax and Legend's nearly two-hour fight was a funny addition to the show.
It feels like NXT is in a weird period right now where it has tons of talent but doesn't know what to do next. Hopefully Heatwave gives us a good idea of what we can expect for the rest of 2025.
Grade: C+
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