WWE NXT Live Coverage - February 10th, 2021
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Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals
It's the last stop before NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day and the Dusty Classic Finals! Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will battle Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell in one of three semifinal matchups, NXT Champion Finn Bálor goes face to face with Pete Dunne before they collide at TakeOver, Kushida takes on Austin Theory, Cameron Grimes returns to the black-and-gold brand, and more.
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– The “Takeover: Vengeance Day” go-home edition of WWE NXT opens up with the standard intro video.
– We’re live on the USA Network as Vic Joseph welcomes us to NXT. Fans cheer inside the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Vic is joined at ringside by Wade Barrett and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.
Semi-finals of the Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: MSK vs. Legado del Fantasma
We go right to the ring for the first of two semi-final matches in the 2021 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and out first comes MSK – Wes Lee and Nash Carter. The winners of this match will advance to the tournament finals at Takeover. Out next are Legado del Fantasma – Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Fans boo as they march to the ring.
Lee starts off with Wilde. We get some brief mind games or stalling to start before they go at it. Wilde shows Lee up after a quick sequence, then shows off some. Wilde takes control on the mat but Lee controls him by the arm. Lee arm drags Wilde after he tries to turn it around. Lee sends Wilde into the corner but Wilde sends him to the apron as Carter tags in. MSK unloads on Wilde with double teaming in the corner. Carter with a Bronco Buster for a quick pin attempt.
Carter grounds Wilde for a few seconds. Wilde fights up and out, working on Carter’s arm now. Carter with a series of counters to send Wilde down in his corner. Mendoza tags in and locks up with Carter. They trade holds and counters on their feet, then on the mat, then back up. Lee tags in and they double team Mendoza with big kicks. Carter with a double stomp to the back, allowing Lee to cover for 2 as fans continue cheering MSK on.
Mendoza turns it around in the corner and kicks Lee in the head. Wilde tags in and they double team Lee in their corner. Mendoza with a corner clothesline and another quick tag. They continue to unload on Lee in their corner and make quick tags. Mendoza with another corner clothesline and a tag to Wilde. They hit a double suplex on Lee. Mendoza then slingshot suplexes his own partner onto Lee in the middle of the ring for a close 2 count. The double team continues before Carter manages to get a tag. He unloads on Mendoza but a German suplex is blocked. Carter with a big knee to the jaw and a stiff kick to the jaw for a close 2 count.
Mendoza counters and in comes Wilde. Carter gets sent to the apron. Mendoza launches his partner into the air and he comes back down with a missile dropkick to knock Carter off the apron to the floor. Wilde then runs over and knocks Lee from their corner to the floor. Wilde stands tall in the ring as we go to commercial with MSK down on the floor on each side of the ring.
Back from the break and Carter manages to turn it around on Mendoza. Lee tags in and unloads on Mendoza as fans cheer him on. Lee unloads with kicks and sends him to the floor with a kick to the jaw. Wilde runs in and charges but Lee sends him to the floor next to his partner. Carter flips on the apron and Lee shoves him out of mid-air, down onto their opponents at ringside. Lee then runs the ropes and flies out, nailing another big dive to the floor.
Lee brings it back in for a 2 count. Carter gets double teamed at ringside. Mendoza kicks Lee in the head from the floor through the ropes. Mendoza goes to the top and missile dropkicks Lee into their corner. Lee takes out Wilde with a big move but Mendoza comes in and ends up with a close 2 count on Carter. Wilde and Mendoza hit a big double team move on their opponents but they tangle and the pin is broken up. Carter gets tossed out to the floor.
Carter stops Lee from getting double teamed, pulling Mendoza to the floor. Lee counters Wilde and superkicks him in the jaw. Carter tags back in and they hit the Hart Attack-like double team Blockbuster finisher. Carter covers for the pin to win and advance.
Winners: MSK
– After the bell, MSK celebrates as the music hits. Mendoza recovers at ringside while Wilde is laid out in the middle of the ring. We go to replays. The Dusty Classic brackets are shown on the big screen. MSK will now go to Takeover to face the winners of The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. Carter and Lee hug in the middle of the ring as the celebration continues.
– We get a video package to hype up Xia Li. She will be here tonight with Tian Sha. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a video package with Mercedes Martinez issuing a warning to Toni Storm and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai ahead of their Triple Threat at “Takeover: Vengeance Day” on Sunday.
Xia Li vs. Cora Jade
We go back to the ring and the mysterious Tian Sha is sitting on her throne on the stage. The dark music starts up and the graphics display as Xia Li and Boa are shown at her sides. Li and Boa march down the ramp. They stop at the bottom as Li puts on a quick performance with a sword. Li then enters the ring and poses with a fist. Her opponent Cora Jade is waiting in the ring.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter suddenly appear at ringside, arguing with Boa and yelling at Li. Boa is trying to get them to leave. Phoenix says Carter and Catanzaro have had some concerns with what’s happened to Li as of late. Jade takes advantage of the distraction and shoves Li to the mat to start as the bell hits. This just makes Li seethe.
Li attacks and aggressively unloads on Jade. Li goes on and ends up leveling Jade with a big kick to get the three count.
Winner: Xia Li
– After the match, Li stands tall and looks over at Carter and Catanzaro as her music hits. She then attacks Jade again with a few quick stomps. Carter and Catanzaro are on the stage now, yelling at Li. Carter goes to the stage to yell at Sha, asking her what she’s done to Li, adding that this isn’t how Li is. Catanzaro is still on the apron but Boa is trying to get her to leave. Li comes up from behind and drops Carter. She then repeatedly apologizes to Sha for what Carter was saying to her. Boa then comes up and he also apologizes. Sha grabs Boa by the throat and brings him down. Li goes back down the ramp and takes Catanzaro down with kicks. Li goes back to Sha and kneels in front of her throne, apologizing some more. Li’s music starts back up as she and Boa stand next to the throne, Boa clutching his throat in pain.
– McKenzie Mitchell stops NXT General Manager William Regal backstage, asking him his thoughts on tonight’s tournament matches. He congratulates MSK and says he’s looking forward to the other outs tonight. Regal excuses himself and says he has some very important business to tend to. He opens his door and we see Scarlett sitting there. Regal asks Scarlett what she’s doing there. She says she’s here because if he, Karrion Kross, comes then it won’t be good. Scarlett says time is up for NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, and Kross wants him in a match next week. Regal briefly thinks it over and says the match is on for next Wednesday. Regal then says if Scarlett doesn’t mind, she can exit. Scarlett rubs her hand over Regal’s chest, says something to him and then walks out.
– We see The Way walking backstage. The NXT North American Champion is in a wheelchair. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and The Way is in the ring – Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, Austin Theory and NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, who came out in a wheelchair. Barrett says Gargano is unable to walk due to a broken arm. Beth and Vic can’t believe what he’s saying. They help Gargano into the ring and he sits back in the wheelchair. Gargano takes the mic before the match and says what we see is the result of the vicious and cowardly attack by Kushida last week. Fans continue to boo and chant “you deserve it!” now. Gargano says he was trying to not get McKenzie Mitchell fired last week when Kushida attacked him for no good reason and broke his arm. Gargano shows us a reply of last week’s brawl in William Regal’s office. Gargano says he has four fractures in his arm. Gargano goes on about how bad this injury is as a “Johnny Wheelchair” chant breaks out.
Gargano says the worst part about this is now he can’t defend against Kushida at Takeover, something he was looking forward to. Gargano says Regal should suspend Kushida indefinitely for injuring the most beloved member of the NXT locker room. The NXT General Manager is on the stage now. Regal says Gargano and he both know that the NXT medical team cleared him to compete yesterday. Regal tells Gargano to give the charade up. Gargano doesn’t trust those quacks in medical and says he went to his own doctor and they found this… we see x-ray photos on the big screen. Gargano says Kushida broke the longest bone in his arm. Regal asks the name of the bone and he doesn’t know. Regal proves this aren’t Gargano’s x-rays.
Gargano goes on ranting and Regal offers him two solutions – Theory can be Gargano’s surrogate with the title on the line. Theory likes this idea but Gargano says no way. The second option is Gargano can forfeit the title right now. Fans like this idea but Gargano doesn’t. He asks Regal to give him a few weeks so he can rehab and come back better. Regal says whatever they do, he needs to check with Kushida first. Regal asks Kushida what he thinks but we don’t see Kushida. Gargano asks why Regal is asking Kushida when he’s not here. Kushida suddenly attacks from behind. This leads to Gargano standing up from the chair and doing a tug-of-war with Kushida for the title, proving his arm isn’t broken. The Way yells at Kushida as he stands there, taunting Gargano.
Semi-finals of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: The Way vs. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
The music interrupts the chaos in the ring as Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart come out for the last semi-finals match in the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They ride in on Moon’s tank as Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell watch from the ring. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and the match is already underway as Moon and LeRae goes at it. Moon takes control and tags in Shotzi. They run wild with a double team and Shotzi covers for 2. Shotzi with knee strikes to LeRae’s head now, knocking her back into their corner. Moon tags back in and hits LeRae with shoulder thrusts in the corner. Moons tops LeRae from escaping the corner. Shotzi tags back in but LeRae tags in Indi.
Indi catches Moon and launches her into the turnbuckles, then catches her with a sidewalk slam for a 2 count. Indi beats Shotzi down in the corner and kicks away for a 2 count. LeRae tags in and decks Shotzi as Indi holds her for a back-hand. LeRae twists Shotzi up by her hair now as the referee warns her. She sends Shotzi to the mat by her hair for a 2 count. LeRae keeps control and hits a neckbreaker on the mat for a 2 count. Shotzi drags Shotzi to their corner and in comes Indi with a stomp. Indi drops Shotzi with a back elbow and then taunts Moon on the apron. Indi covers for a 2 count. LeRae comes back in and keeps control of Shotzi for a 2 count.
LeRae grounds Shotzi with a headlock now. Shotzi tries to turn it around and make a tag but LeRae drops her for a 2 count. LeRae shows frustration now. Shotzi finally hits a jawbreaker and tags in Moon. Moon unloads on LeRae and takes control. Moon hits an enziguri and celebrates before hitting Ember’s Law. Indi tags in but Moon shuts her down. Shotzi tags back in and hits a neckbreaker, which Moon follows up on by hitting a missile dropkick from the top. Shotzi keeps fighting and drops Indi again for a 2 count. Shotzi and Moon with another big double team but LeRae breaks the pin up.
Shotzi pulls LeRae to the floor and slams her over the announce table. Indi drops Moon as she charges. LeRae tags in and walks the top rope, using that to nail a hurricanrana to send Moon flying from the apron, down to the floor on top of her partner. We go to a picture-in-picture commercial with The Way standing tall in the ring while their opponents are down in front of the announce table.
Back from the break and Moon continues to be dominated. She finally drops her opponents and crawls to tag in Shotzi. Shotzi charges LeRae and unloads on her for a pop. Shotzi with the big running senton to the lower back against the ropes for a 2 count. Shotzi tags Moon back in for a big double team sequence. More back and forth now. Indi assists as The Way gets the upperhand back. Indi tags in and holds Moon on the middle rope as LeRae nails a moonsault from her. They go on and Indi covers Moon for a close 2 count after LeRae hit a big running dive to Shotzi on the floor.
Fans chant “NXT!” now as Indi can’t believe Moon kicked out. LeRae tags back in for a double team but she runs into the turnbuckles and is dazed. Moon has no one to tag. Indi inadvertently bummed into LeRae in the corner. Shotzi tags in and takes Indi down with an enziguri. LeRae and Shotzi unload on each other now and LeRae drops her. Indi tags back in as LeRae hits the Wicked Stepsister to Shotzi in the middle of the ring. Indi follows up with a big springboard flying elbow drop but Moon breaks the pin up just in time. Moon and LeRae take each other out at ringside. Indi and Shotzi tangle in the ring now. Shotzi with a high knee to the jaw in the corner, then a big second rope assisted DDT.
LeRae approaches but Shotzi kicks her in the head from the apron. Moon with The Eclipse to LeRae. Indi puts herself on top of LeRae to protect her. Shotzi goes to the top and hits a big senton, coming down hard on top of Indi and LeRae. Indi was still legal and Shotzi covers for the pin to win and advance to the finals.
Winners: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
– After the match, Moon and Blackheart celebrate as the music hits. We go to replays. The big screen confirms Moon and Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez for the finals at Takeover on Sunday. Moon and Blackheart check out the Dusty Classic trophy on the stage now. Kai and Gonzalez come out and the two sides argue. Regal comes out and announces that not only will the winners win the trophy on Sunday, they will also earn a future title shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, currently held by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
– We get a backstage promo from Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. Thatcher says last week’s match with The Undisputed Era was brutal, just like they like it. Now they will face The Grizzled Young Veterans tonight. Ciampa says Zack Gibson and James Drake are a couple of tough dudes, but their name is ironic because Toothless Timmy and Old Man Ciampa are about to whoop their asses, and then win the Dusty Cup on Sunday. Ciampa says class is dismissed as he jumps up and sends his chair flying, making his exit. Thatcher flashes his toothless smile as we go back to commercial.
– McKenzie is backstage with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar now. She asks about having to face Karrion Kross next week. He says Regal gave him the gift of time but that’s relative. He mentions Kross’ threats and says he will now give the gift of time to Kross too. Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde walk in and apologize for their loss but Escobar cuts them off and tells them to never apologize. Escobar says he never apologizes. He goes on and says they can make it up because maybe it’s time Wilde and Mendoza go looking for someone to pay them a visit, a reference to Kross. They walk off and Santos wraps the interview.
– We get a lengthy video package for Pete Dunne vs. NXT Champion Finn Balor at Takeover.
Austin Theory vs. Kushida
We go back to the ring and the bell immediately rings to start Austin Theory vs. Kushida as they go at it. NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano gets on the apron to distract Kushida, which leads to Theory hitting a big dropkick to get the upperhand. Theory takes Kushida to the corner with more big offense as the referee warns him.
Theory keeps control but runs into a big boot in the corner. Kushida fights back from the corner. They go on and he hits a judo toss, then a cartwheel into a dropkick. Kushida with a forearm to the jaw. They tangle and Kushida takes Theory down into an arm bar for a 2 count. Fans chant for Kushida as Gargano looks on from ringside, worried. Kushida holds Theory on the mat and stomps away into his back. Kushida kicks Theory into the corner now. Theory rocks him and keeps hitting forearms.
Kushida counters and kicks Theory in the gut to take him back down. Kushida works on the arm and keeps Theory down now, twisting him up and dropping down to hurt the shoulder. More back and forth now. Kushida goes back to focusing on the elbow and shoulder. Kushida ducks a clothesline and nails another stiff kick. Kushida gets sent to the apron but he fights back. He goes to springboard in but looks to slip as Theory hits the rope.
Kushida ends up getting knocked from the apron to the floor. Theory regroups in the ring while Kushida is down against the barrier as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Theory nails a backbreaker in the middle of the ring for a 2 count. Theory with more big moves and a fall-away slam. Gargano gives him a high-five for that move. Kushida kicks out at 2 but Theory stays on him.
Theory keeps Kushida down with power moves. Kushida turns it around for a 2 count. Kushida with an inverted Atomic Drop and a springboard back elbow as fans cheer him on. Gargano yells at Theory but Kushida sends him into the middle turnbuckle and then nails a German suplex. Kushida goes on but Theory kicks out just in time. Kushida goes back to work on the elbow and shoulder, sending Theory back to the mat. He rolls to the floor to regroup with Gargano.
Kushida leaps off the apron but Theory ducks. Theory comes right back and charges, leveling Kushida at ringside. Gargano taunts Kushida as the referee counts. Theory goes for a powerbomb on the floor but Kushida fights out and to the apron. Kushida applies a cross armbreaker on the apron but Gargano, still wearing the sling on his arm, decks him with a cheap shot. The referee calls for the bell.
Winner by DQ: Kushida
– After the match, fans boo as Kushida is attacked again at ringside. Gargano takes the sling off and suddenly he’s healed. Theory holds Kushida while Gargano unloads on him. The referee yells at them to leave. Gargano wants to break Kushida’s arm in the ring now. They go to do this but someone starts pulling Theory under the ring by his legs. Gargano comes over to save him but Dexter Lumis crawls out, staring at Gargano and spooking him. Gargano retreats in fear. Theory comes from under the ring but is shook when he sees Lumis. Kushida pulls Theory into the ring and applies the Hoverboard Lock. Gargano runs back down, right past Lumis, and tries to save Theory. Kushida ends up taking Gargano down and applying the Hoverboard Lock on the fake broken arm. Lumis hits the ring and applies The Silence submission on Theory at the same time. Fans chant “Dexter Lumis!” now as Kushida stands tall over Gargano. The music hits as fans chant Kushida’s name now. Kushida stands over Gargano now and raises his NXT North American Title belt in the air as Lumis watches.
– Vic sends us to a video package with Toni Storm hyping up her “Takeover: Vengeance Day” Triple Threat against Mercedes Martinez and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a hype video on Imperium’s Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner, Alexander Wolfe, and NXT UK Champion WALTER. To them, the mat is sacred.
– We go backstage and see Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza laid out. The camera catches Scarlett’s foot walking by. Karrion Kross then appears in front of the camera. He yells out for NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar and reminds him of the old saying – if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Kross says Escobar should’ve done that because he did, and next week, he’s going to do to Escobar, exactly what I just did Mendoza and Wilde. Kross warns “Tik, Tok…” to end the segment.
– The announcers are hyping Santos Escobar vs. Karrion Kross for next week when he hear a car horn honking somewhere. The camera goes out to the back parking lot and a white Lamborghini pulls up. Cameron Grimes hops out, making his return. He’s wearing his usual hat, but in a brown color, and a brown suit, while shirtless. He’s also sporting a gold watch.
Grimes makes his way into the building and is handing out money to everyone he passes, including people in the crowd. Grimes hits the ring and takes the mic, declaring that he is back. He says he’s been gone since that no-good Timothy Thatcher snatched his ACL in December. Grimes says he went home and thought about how he was going to Cave-In Thatcher. He didn’t train the whole time he was gone as he discovered this thing called video games, which are actually pretty cool. Grimes wondered why he would even wrestle when he could play video games. He ran out of games so he found this store called GameStop. He was so impressed with GameStop that he invested his money with them and it turns out the investment went to the moon. This is a reference to the recent stocks situation with GameStop. Grimes says he then invested with Dogecoin, calling it Dog-Coin, and says now he has so much money he’s richer than Elon Musk.
Grimes goes on laughing about how rich he is, telling fans to give it up for the richest man in NXT. He’s so rich no one can tell him anything now, including NXT General Manager William Regal, who can kiss his grits. Grimes says he’s done wrestling zombies and Dexter Lumis, Regal can kiss his grits if he thinks otherwise. Grimes says money is power and now he has so much money it’s not even that funny, it’s hilarious. He throws a bunch of dollar bills around the ring and drops down on them for money angels, then makes his exit continuing the celebration. That’s really it.
– McKenzie is backstage with Johnny Gargano. He confirms he will be defend the NXT North American Title against Kushida on Sunday. Gargano says this will be an opportunity to remind the world who he really is, not just a champion, he’s still Johnny Takeover. He goes on and says Kushida better be ready to wrestle if he wants the title because when the lights are on and it’s Takeover, nobody can hang with him. Gargano goes on ranting and says Kushida will have to walk his way on Sunday.
– We see The Grizzled Young Veterans walking backstage for the main event. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a video package with NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai discussing the “Takeover: Vengeance Day” Triple Threat against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez this Sunday.
Semi-finals of the Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event, the last semi-finals match for the 2021 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The winners will face MSK in the finals at Takeover on Sunday. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are out first. Out next are The Grizzled Young Veterans – James Drake and Zack Gibson. Gibson talks trash on the mic while walking down the ramp but Ciampa comes out and rocks him to kick off a big brawl at ringside.
Ciampa tosses Drake over the barrier to the crowd. Thatcher brings Gibson into the ring. The referee tries to calm things down as the bell finally hits with Gibson rocking Thatcher. Thatcher fights back and drops Gibson, driving knees into his ribs. Ciampa tags in and keeps control of Gibson real quick. Ciampa holds Gibson by his arm and in comes Thatcher with another big knee into the ribs.
Thatcher works on Gibson’s arm now, taking him to the corner. Drake assists from the apron, allowing Gibson to rock Thatcher as he charges in. Drake tags in and they double team Thatcher briefly. Drake unloads on Thatcher in the corner and drops him with a short-arm clothesline. Thatcher fights back with uppercuts but Drake counters. Gibson tags back in but Thatcher knocks Drake out of the ring and then unloads on Gibson. Drake pulls Ciampa off the apron and shoves him into the steel steps, hitting the back of his head on the steel. Gibson and Thatcher tangle with a quick pin attempt. Drake tags back in and they unload on Thatcher with a double team.
The Grizzled Young Vets go back over to Ciampa and hit a double team powerbomb on the edge of the apron. Ciampa falls to the floor and the referee checks on him. Drake and Gibson stand over Ciampa, taunting him as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Thatcher is unloading on Drake with uppercuts. Drake fights back but Thatcher tosses him to the mat. Thatcher looks for a tag but Ciampa is still down at ringside. Vic says a medic was checking on Ciampa during the break. Gibson tags back in and drives Thatcher into the mat for a 2 count, and another quick pin attempt. Gibson grounds Thatcher in the middle of the ring now as fans try to rally.
Thatcher tries to get the bottom rope but Gibson uses the rope to re-position and tighten the hold. Thatcher fights up but Gibson rocks him in the jaw, sending him into their corner. Thatcher fights off both opponents from in their corner. Gibson still beats him down. Drake tags back in and comes off the top but Thatcher uppercuts him in mid-air on the way down. Gibson runs to the floor at Ciampa but Ciampa drops him with a punch.
Ciampa gets the hot tag and unloads on Drake for a pop. Gibson runs in but also gets leveled by Ciampa. Ciampa continues to run wild on both opponents and gets a big pop for it. Ciampa with a German to Drake, then a German to Gibson. Ciampa with a Fairy Tale Ending to Drake, on top of Gibson. Drake kicks out at 2. Ciampa chops Drake while Drake is on his knees now. Drake blocks a Fairy Tale Ending but Ciampa keeps pounding on him. The Fairy Tale Ending is blocked again. Drake rams Ciampa into their corner and Gibson beats him down, tagging him.
Gibson and Ciampa trade big shots in the middle of the ring now, unloading on each other. Ciampa with a jumping knee. Gibson with double chops to the throat. Gibson follows up with a big modified neckbreaker. They both crawl for tags. Drake tags in and springboards off Ciampa’s back to knock Thatcher off the apron. Gibson gets Ciampa on his shoulders as Drake goes to the top. Drake with the big Doomsday Device but Thatcher leaps in to break Drake’s pin up.
Gibson tosses Thatcher back to the floor and follows. They brawl at ringside but Drake nails a suicide dive, sending Thatcher over the barrier, hanging over it. Drake comes back in but Gibson helps him avoid a Willow’s Bell. Drake and Gibson hit the double team Ticket to Mayhem on Ciampa. Thatcher tries to run in and break the pin up but Drake stops him as Gibson covers Ciampa for the pin to win and advance to the finals.
Winners: The Grizzled Young Veterans
– After the match, Gibson and Drake stand tall and begin celebrating as the music hits. We go to replays. The big screen hypes the Men’s Dusty Classic finals for Sunday’s “Takeover: Vengeance Day” event – The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. MSK. Both teams meet at the Dusty Cup trophy on the stage and they have words. We go back to ringside and the announcers are standing up as the crowd cheers them on. They go over the card for Takeover. We see a shot of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart arguing with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez with the Women’s Dusty Cup trophy behind them. We also see Toni Storm, Mercedes Martinez and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai arguing while two referees try to keep them apart. A spotlight shines over the ring now while the graphic for Sunday’s NXT Title match shows up on the big screen. Pete Dunne and NXT Champion Finn Balor meet in the middle of the ring now as the crowd cheers them on. Dunne and Balor face off as the “Takeover: Vengeance Day” go-home edition of NXT goes off the air.
