NXT celebrates Memorial Day weekend with its Battleground special taking place in Lowell, Massachusetts tonight.
In his home state, Carmelo Hayes puts the NXT Championship on the line against Bron Breakker. It's a rematch from Stand & Deliver, but things are a bit different this time around. Breakker turned heel after losing the NXT Championship to Hayes and has his sights set on winning the title back.
A new NXT Women's Champion will be crowned tonight as Tiffany Stratton faces Lyra Valkyria in the finals of a tournament. The title was vacated by Indi Hartwell earlier this month.
Three other title matches are part of the Battleground card. Wes Lee defends the North American Championship in a triple threat match against Joe Gacy and Tyler Bate. The Creed Brothers challenge Gallus for the NXT Tag Team titles. And Noam Dar puts his Heritage Cup trophy up for grabs against Dragon Lee.
Plus, Ilja Dragunov battles Dijak in a Last Man Standing match.
Tonight's show streams live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a 30-minute pre-show.
The pre-show is a canned 30-minute preview hosted by Megan Morant, Matt Camp and Sam Roberts. Done in a studio with the co-hosts standing behind a desk, it begins like a glorified control center segment.
Morant throws it to McKenzie Mitchell, who is in Lowell, MA at the Tsongas Center. She pitches to a video package hyping Ilja Dragunov against Dijak in a grudge match that involves assault and kidnapping. Back in the studio, the pundits discuss.
The finals of the NXT Women's Championship tournament gets some hype, ahead of Tiffany Stratton facing Lyra Valkyria to decide the next women's champ. Both Stratton and Valkyria get hype videos.
A great video package breaks down the rules for the Heritage Cup title bout tonight as Noam Dar defends against Dragon Lee. This is the first defense of the Heritage Cup on United States soil.
In a backstage skit, Dar tries to recruit Oro Mensah as Dar's second to be in his corner. Mensah says he will think about, and a fretting Dar cradled his trophy, clearly worried about losing his Heritage Cup.
Some hype for the triple threat match for the NXT North American Championship, and the pre-show concludes with a video package hyping the main event for the NXT Championship.
NXT Battleground goes live on the air with a retrospective looking back at highlights from past shows from the 1990s. The idea is Lowell embraced the "New Generation" and continues to do so as the clips shown transitions into NXT.
Booker T and Vic Joseph are at ringside at the announce desk for live commentary.
Opening the show is a triple threat title match.
NXT North American Champion Wes Lee defeated Joe Gacy (with Ava) and Tyler Bate in a triple threat match to retain the title
Lee pinned Gacy in a really good opener with a lot of action. The story going into the match is Gacy causing a rift between Lee and Bate, which strained their friendship ahead of tonight's title match. The rift continues as Bate and Lee engage in fisticuffs early in the match, allowing Gacy to strike with a dive through the ropes.
The pace quickens and the action intensifies with a flurry of spots. Bate does an impressive spot where he gives Lee a giant swing while simultaneously giving Gacy an airplane spin. Moments later, Gacy executes a slop drop on Bate while at the same time giving Lee an uranage slam.
Gacy at separate times catches both Bate and Lee in a crossface, but the hold is broken up both times. Lee fires up to deliver a double Cardiac Kick, and he gets a close near fall on Bate. Great sequence starts with Lee applying a sleeper on Gacy.
Gacy counters the sleeper by ramming Lee into the turnbuckles. Gacy goes for a cover, but Bate breaks it up with a corkscrew swanton. Bate then delivers a Tyler Driver '97, but Lee breaks up the pin with a gets a near fall that was broken up by Gacy. Great sequence.
A contrived spot had Gacy perched on the top rope, and Gacy apparently avoids Lee's attack. Lee then sails outside for a flip dive that wipes out Bate. Back in the ring, Gacy executes an uranage slam and sets up for his finisher. Lee counters by executing his own finisher. Cardiac Kick by Lee, and he covers Gacy to win the match and retain his North American title.
Noam Dar (with Oro Mensah) defeated Dragon Lee (with Nathan Frazier) to retain the NXT Heritage Cup
Dar pinned Dragon Lee after outside interference by Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend. The match itself was under Heritage Cup rules, meaning five rounds that are three minutes apiece.
Round 1 was mostly grappling on the mat. Dar powders, and he flees the ring as the round is winding down. Lee is going for a dive when the rounds ends, halting his momentum.
Mensah comes running down to ringside during the rest period, much to the surprise of Dar. Mensah was recruited to be a second in a skit on the pre-show.
Dragon Lee was gaining momentum when he gets rolled up by Dar for a pinfall with about one minute and 30 seconds left in the Round 2.
Dragon Lee was making rally late in the Round 3, but he ran out of time. Just as the round ends, Dar hits Dragon Lee with a cheap shot. Dar ambushes Lee with a back elbow, and Dragon Lee is in peril.
Dar works over Dragon Lee as Round 4 is underway. Dragon Lee fights back, and he applies a Texas cloverleaf. Mensah cheats at ringside by helping Dar get a rope break. Frazier comes to aid Lee, and Mensah sends Frazier crashing into the ring steps.
Dragon Lee ties the score as he does a tilt-a-whirl plancha, and Lee covers Dar for a pinfall. The score is even, and the corner men are also looking to get even. Frazier jumps Mensah and they brawl. The referee then ejects both seconds. Mensah and Frazier are sent packing, and they fight their way to the back.
One-on-one for Round 5, with no seconds in the corner. Dragon Lee takes an ugly bump off the apron taking a botched powerbomb. Dragon Lee somehow recovers, and he executes a Last Ride Liger bomb for his last near fall of the match. They go home after a run-in.
Jakara Jackson suddenly runs into the ring to distract the referee. Lash Legends then hops the barricade, and Legend clobbers Dragon Lee with a spit bucket brought out earlier by one of the seconds. Dar delivers his finisher, and he covers Dragon Lee to underhandedly win the match.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Dijak in a last man standing match
Dragunov is the last man standing in a brutal match that left Dragunov with nasty whelps on his arm. He was beaten to a pulp, but David managed to slay Goliath.
The match begins with them brawling around ringside. The ring steps are quickly utilized as a prop, which is a callback to an angle that set up this match. Dijak also drags a table from underneath the ring, and Dragunov hurls himself through the table in order to knock down Dijak.
Dragunov is also hurled onto the ring steps, but he counters Dijak by giving him a DDT on the steps. Dragunov picks up the steps and uses them as a weapon. Dragunov goes coast-to-coast with a Van Terminator that sandwiches Dijak with the steps.
They trade chops like they are Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel. Dijak takes a German suplex on his head and neck, but he rises like an angry monster. Dijak bellows with a primal yell, and he guzzles Dragunov. Dijak gives Dragunov a chokeslam on the apron, which look like it hurt like hell. Dragunov barely breaks the ten count.
Feast Your Eyes by Dijak, and Dragunov is on rubber legs. Dragunov falls into the corner, and the middle rope keeps Dragunov from falling down. Another primal scream by Dijak, and he retrieves a kendo stick. Dijak punishes Dragunov as he wacks Dragunov with the kendo stick.
Dijak wants Dragunov to stay down, but Dragunov will not go down. Dijak splinters the kendo stick with repeated strikes on Dragunov. Dijak then grabs a metal folding chair. Dragunov fights back, but Dijaks hits him with the chair. Dragunov still fights back.
Comeback by Dragunov, and he climbs atop the ring steps that are in the ring. Dragunov leaps off the steps with a flying forearm and lands on Dijak, sandwiching Dijak into a chair. Dijak could not answer the ten count, and Dragunov is the last man standing.
McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Noam Dar, Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson and Ore Mensah. They are celebrating Dar retaining his trophy. Seems like a stable or faction is forming among with the four.
Announced for July 30 is NXT Great American Nash in Cedar Park, TX (outside Austin). Tickets go on sale June 9. Pre-sale registration opens a few days prior.
NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang with Joe Coffey) defeated The Creed Brothers (Brutus & Julius Creed with Ivy Nile) to retain the titles
Mark Coffey pinned Julius Creed, after Ava interfered by attacking Ivy Nile at ringside. Good match that is only hampered by a WWE finish.
Heat on Brutus early on, as Gallus works him over. Julius cleans house after a hot tag. He gets a near fall with a standing shooting star. The Creeds go for a Doomsday Device, but Mark Coffey counters. Double-team by Gallus as they team up on Julius. Brutus makes the save with a flying cannonball.
The Creeds rally as they psych each other up. Joe Coffey tries to interfere, but he is tripped up by Ivy Nile. Joe Coffey is then clotheslines out of the ring. Ava suddenly comes down to ringside and assaults Nile. Ava sends Nile crashing into a ring post.
Julius is distracted by Nile being ambushed at ringside, and he falls prey to Gallus. Tandem finisher by Gallus, and Mark Coffey covers Julius Creed for a pinfall. Gallus retain the titles, thanks in part to an ambush by Ava.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Lyra Valkyria in a tournament final to win the NXT Women's Championship
Stratton pinned Valkyria to win the NXT Women's title. Part of the story involves an attack last Tuesday by Cora Jade, where Jade injured Valkyria's knee. That plays heavily into the story of this match.
They grapple at the start, but the tide turns when Stratton targets the injured leg. She works on Valkyria's left knee. Stratton goes on to pull off Valkyria's knee brace, and Stratton keeps working the knee, which is wrapped in tape. Stratton applies a Muta Lock, further targeting the injured knee.
Valkyria makes a comeback, and she leaps off the top rope into a missile dropkick. Valkyria is mounting a comeback, yet she continues to sell the knee. Some awkward spots in the closing minutes, but they get through it.
High cross by Valkyria, but Stratton rolls through and lifts Valkyria off the mat. Valkyria sort of counters for a crucifix bomb and a near fall. Valkyria is tripped up, and Stratton springboards into a corkscrew splash.
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They trade near falls down the home stretch. Valkyria blocks they handspring back elbow, and she gives suplexes Stratton. Valkyria tries to follow up with her finisher, which is a roundhouse kick. Her injured knee gives way, and Valkyria buckles.
Stratton tries to capitalize with her finishing sequence, but no water in the pool on the moonsault. Valkyria connects with her roundhouse kick finisher, but Stratton gets her foot on the rope to break a subsequent pinning attempt.
They fight on the turnbuckles. Stratton blocks a sunset bomb, and she sort of gives Valkyria a hurricanrana. Valkyria sells it regardless, and Stratton follows up with a rolling fireman's carry slam that sets up the "Prettiest Moonsault Ever." Stratton then covers Valkyria for a three count to become the new NXT Women's Champion.
This was probably by far the weakest match on the show, but it was not bad. They were in a tough spot, though, having to follow the previous bouts on the card.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Wiliams) defeated Bron Breakker to retain his title
Hayes pinned Breakker to retain the title as a hometown hero. Really good match to finish the show in a strong note.
Trick Williams introduces Carmelo Hayes for a special ring entrance that plays on Hayes being from the area. Hayes gets the hometown treatment. Breakker has his own special entrance beforehand, where he came out wearing a wolf mask.
Hayes explodes as the bell sounds to start the match, and Hayes overwhelms Breakker with a flurry of offense. Hayes almost spiked himself doing a dive over the ropes to the floor, but Breakker luckily caught him. Breakker eventually cuts off Hayes, and Breakker begins to work over Hayes.
Hayes fights back, and Hayes delivers the Fade Away legdrop. Hayes works a leg as he targets Breakker's knee, which is something we saw in the previous match. Notwithstanding, Breakker soon cuts off Hayes again.
Breakker punishes Hayes with a series of suplexes. Breakker pauses at one point to taunt Hayes by doing push-ups. Super Frankensteiner by Breakker for a near fall. Hayes fights back as they trade strikes, but Breakker dumps Hayes with another suplex.
Hayes counters Breakker before Breakker can apply a Steiner Recliner. Breakker goes for a vertical suplex, but that too is countered by Hayes, and Hayes spikes Breakker with a DDT.
They trade punches, and Hayes goes in a flurry of offense that leads to him springboarding into a Tito Santana forearm smash. Breakker will not stay down as he taunts Hayes.
Trading punches again, and Breakker goes for a guzzle. Breakker instead takes a codebreaker, and Hayes climbs the turnbuckles. Hayes rolls through when Breakker moves out of harm's way. Breakker then posts himself. Hayes attempts his springboard forearm again, and Breakker spears him in mid-air for the best near fall of the match.
Breakker pulls down the straps on his singlet, and he tosses Hayes around. Hayes counters Breakker's military press into a small package for a close two count. Hayes with a trifecta of superkicks, and Hayes springboards into a DDT. Hayes follows up with the Nothing But Net flying legdrop, and Hayes covers Breakker for a clean pinfall. Hayes retains in front of a hometown crowd.
Overall, this was a really good card. The wrestling matches carried the show, and most all of those delivered. To me this is the first NXT supercard of this era that is on the same level as the golden age of NXT Takeovers from years past.