WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Sept. 2
With Homecoming and No Mercy on the horizon, NXT hit the airwaves Tuesday night with a broadcast headlined by an eight-man tag team clash, a grudge match, and the first bout in the Women's Speed Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament.
What went down in each of those contests, what did it mean for the black-and-silver brand, and how did it affect the build to those two high-profile events?
Find out with this recap of the September 2 show.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance of Tuesday's show:
- Oba Femi, Ricky Saints, Tank Ledger, and Hank Walker vs. DarkState
- Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend
- Women's Speed Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament: Xia Brookside vs. Candice LeRae
Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend
2 of 9
Two women with their sights set on the NXT Women's Championship, and with ample amounts of tension between them, squared off in Tuesday's opener as Jaida Parker battled Lash Legend.
Legend overpowered her opponent early, but the rapidly improving Parker seized control of the contest, working over the former WNBA player and keeping her grounded.
However, the former Meta-Four competitor fought her way back into the match and downed Parker entering the commercial break.
As Parker mounted a comeback, she tried for the Hipnotic, but Legend countered and delivered a crushing backbreaker.
Moments later, the fight spilled to the floor, where Legend delivered a big boot, then hit the Lash Extension into the commentary table.
Back inside, Legend earned the win with a second Lash Extension, bringing an end to a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest.
The popular Parker chased her rival up the aisle, delivering the Hipnotic and driving her through the guardrail as commentator Vic Joseph noted the issues between them are far from over.
Result
Legend defeated Parker
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Parker and Legend are top prospects in the NXT women's division and will likely be ready for a main roster call-up within the next six months or so. They had a competitive match that highlighted how far they have come in their development.
- Though the finish was decisive, the post-match attack by Parker suggests there is another chapter to be written, perhaps as soon as September 16 at NXT Homecoming or at No Mercy 11 days later.
- Backstage, a tense confrontation between Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe earned the ire of Kali Armstrong, who expressed new issues with the former.
Josh Briggs Interrupts Je'Von Evans' Promo
3 of 9
After losing his latest NXT Championship opportunity against Oba Femi, former No. 1 contender Je'Von Evans hit the ring to address the fans.
He fought through the emotions and discussed the toll that defeat took on his confidence before an Undertaker tease turned out to be the arrival of Josh Briggs, much to the dismay of the fans inside the WWE Performance Center.
Briggs insulted Evans and delivered a cheap shot that leveled the young star. He retrieved a steel chair and delivered a chokeslam where only Evans' head appeared to clip it. The heel stood tall to close out the segment.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Listening to Briggs give Evans the "old-timer" talk, taking shots at him for what his generation is about, when he is only 32 himself rings a little hollow.
- With that said, this segment got Briggs tremendous heat, especially with the tease of a potential Undertaker appearance, only for him to step through the curtain. If NXT plays its cards right, it could have a ready-made heel champion when Oba Femi gets his main roster call-up.
WWE Speed Women's Championship Tournament: Xia Brookside vs. Candice LeRae
4 of 9
Inaugural WWE Speed women's champion Candice LeRae had the opportunity to advance in the No. 1 contender's tournament when she battled TNA Wrestling's Xia Brookside in an opening-round match.
An action-packed contest full of nonstop moves, counters and reversals culminated with LeRae delivering a picture-perfect tornado DDT out of the corner. From there, a springboard moonsault finished off Brookside.
LeRae will face the winner of next week's match between Lainey Reid and AAA's Faby Apache.
Result
LeRae defeated Brookside
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The idea of WWE Speed may not appeal to many, but there is an argument to be made that the high-energy setting of NXT is the perfect place for it in the company's landscape.
- From a quality standpoint, LeRae and Brookside packed about as much as you can into a three-minute window, but barring the second coming of The 123 Kid vs. Owen Hart from the 1994 King of the Ring, the quality of the tournament and its matches has a ceiling.
DIY Interrupt Trick Williams
5 of 9
TNA champion Trick Williams took to the squared circle to address the NXT fans.
He pretended to care about NXT, claiming he was different from past stars. But he soon admitted that once he received a Raw or SmackDown offer, he would leave—and wouldn't care about the brand or its fans, either.
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano interrupted him to a thunderous ovation, marking 10 years since their NXT debut. The crowd's loud "welcome home" chants showed their ongoing passion for DIY.
Ciampa questioned Williams' assertion that he is the greatest Superstar in NXT history, touting his own status as a two-time world champion and Gargano's three runs as North American champion.
"It didn't matter if you were a demon or a hugger, undisputed or glorious," Gargano said, referencing the best wrestlers the brand has produced, before saying it was heart and passion that made them great.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Ava announced a Triple Threat No. 1 Contender's tag match featuring Fatal Influence's Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx, The Culling's Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley, and the team of Sol Ruca and Zaria for next week. The winners will challenge Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
- DarkState cut a fantastic promo, explaining their motives in a more coherent fashion than anything else they have been involved in to this point.
- It's astonishing how revitalized Ciampa and Gargano were just from this one NXT appearance. They fed off the energy that simply isn't there for them on the main roster.
Kali Armstrong vs. Jordynne Grace
6 of 9
Jordynne Grace squared off with Evolve women's champion Kali Armstrong in the next match.
Grace took the fight to Armstrong, dominating her in the early moments of the match. While the young star mounted a comeback, The Juggernaut drove her to the mat and scored the win.
After the match, Blake Monroe appeared but Grace got her shots in, bloodying her rival's mouth as security kept them apart.
Result
Grace defeated Armstrong
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Ava announced Tavion Heights vs. Ethan Page in a Flag match next week.
- Putting the inexperienced Armstrong in with Grace, who has seen and done it all over the last few years, is the sort of booking choice NXT makes to its benefit. Learning on the fly will always be an effective means of development.
- Grace and Monroe appear destined for one of the two big upcoming NXT shows. Based on the star power and the quality of their work, it could headline either.
Andre Chase vs. Josh Briggs
7 of 9
The product of a backstage confrontation earlier in the night, Briggs battled Andre Chase in singles competition.
Briggs overwhelmed Chase early, but the popular underdog fired up and laid into his opponent. At one point, it looked like he was on his way to victory, but Briggs kicked out at two.
Briggs mowed over Chase, and he earned the victory in decisive fashion. After the bell, the heel brutalized Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors, driving the latter through the announce table to put over his dominance.
As a result of him not interfering in the match, Je'Von Evans will now get a match against Briggs on next week's show, Ava said moments earlier.
Result
Briggs defeated Chase
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- If the chants imploring Briggs to go away are any indication, the crowd loathes him. Whether it's the right kind of heat is debatable, but there is no denying the effectiveness of Chase's near-falls when it looked like he would topple the big man.
- Trick Williams called out DIY backstage.
8-Man Tag Team Main Event
8 of 9
NXT champion Oba Femi, No. 1 contender Ricky Saints, and former tag team champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger battled DarkState's Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin in an eight-man tag team main event.
The babyfaces started hot, with Saints and Femi showing off ahead of their championship clash. But the heels seized control, working over Walker through the commercial and beyond.
Ledger received the much-needed hot tag from his partner, exploding into the match and wiping out anyone in his path, including Griffin and James at ringside with a tope suicida.
As the action broke down, including a misfire between Saints and Femi that led to a brawl, Walker found himself in James' grasp and uttered the name "Joe Hendry."
The former TNA world champion appeared and set up the finish, which saw the babyfaces dispatch DarkState and stand tall. Backstage, Femi and Saints brawled to close the show.
Result
Saints, Femi, Hank, and Tank defeated DarkState
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Saints and Femi's partnership breaking down and leading to blows, but not necessarily costing the babyfaces the victory, was a nice change of pace considering other WWE booking trends.
- With that said, this was the opportune time to go the normal route, if for no other reason than sustaining DarkState's momentum and credibility.
- The Hendry spot was fun, though, so there is that.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
Solid in-ring content helped, but this was a show that looked to the future and showcased the vision the NXT creative team has for its upcoming Homecoming and No Mercy events.
That the brand seems to know what it wants to do and has a plan to get its competitors there makes for a more cohesive show than we have had from the brand in the past.
Was it a little heavy on Josh Briggs this week? Sure, but there was enough elsewhere that should make up for it.
Grade: B-
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