WWE NXT 2.0 Live Coverage - January 18th, 2022

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Roderick Strong and WALTER collide in colossal main event

After WALTER threatened Malcolm Bivens, Roderick Strong stepped in to run interference for Diamond Mine's manager leading to an epic main event showdown. Plus, the 2022 Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicks off, Tony D'Angelo holds a memorial service for Pete Dunne and much more on a massive episode of NXT 2.0 at 8/7 C on USA!


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– Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode opens up on the USA Network with LA Knight arriving to the WWE Performance Center parking lot in a red car. He hops out and greets several NXT Superstars on his way into the venue, but he’s looking for Grayson Waller. We’re live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as Vic Joseph welcomes us. He’s joined at ringside by Wade Barrett. We go right to the ring as Knight makes his way out.

Knight takes the mic as fans chant his name. He gets the crowd hyped up but wants to get straight to business. Knight calls Waller out, telling him to bring his scrawny ass to the ring so Knight can finish what he started last week. There’s no sign of Waller. Knight turns his back and asks if this is what it takes because we know Waller won’t look him in the eyes. Knight goes on running Waller down and talking about their issues, taking shots at the newcomer.

The music hits and out comes Waller to the entrance-way. He has a restraining order to keep Knight away from him. Fans boo. Waller says Knight attacked him like a dog last week. Waller says this restraining order is for his safety, but more importantly for Knight’s safety. Waller slides a copy into the ring and it says if Knight gets within 50 feet of him, he will be arrested immediately. Waller taunts Knight but Knight tells him to shut up. Knight says this is impressive, even for Waller. This is big, real big, because… Knight asks fans what they think and they boo the order.

Fans chant “rip that s--t!” and Waller dares Knight to, threatening legal action. Knight says Waller may have a restraining order against him, but he doesn’t have one against this person… the music hits and out comes Dexter Lumis. Waller turns and waits for Lumis, ready to fight, but he’s not coming out. Lumis starts slithering up from behind now. He attacks Waller but Waller scrambles and gets away to block The Silence. Knight gives Waller two options – lift the order and get dropped on his head by Knight, or get choked out by Lumis. Either way, Waller is getting his ass kicked tonight. We go to commercial.

Dexter Lumis vs. Grayson Waller

Back from the break and Dexter Lumis levels Grayson Waller with a big shoulder tackle. The match is underway, meaning the restraining order against LA Knight still stands.

Fans chant or Lumis as he keeps control of the match. Waller drops Lumis with a jawbreaker and mounts some offense now. Waller works on the arm now as fans chant “Grayson sucks!” at him. Lumis with strikes and big knees out of the corner now. Waller works Lumis around the ring until Lumis nails a big pop-up uppercut. Lumis with a neckbreaker in the middle of the ring.

Lumis takes his time with Waller now as fans chant for him. Lumis with a second and a third neckbreaker for a close 2 count. Waller turns it back around and levels Lumis at ringside with a clothesline. Waller shows off while standing over Lumis at the announce table. Fans chant “you still suck!” as we go to a picture-in-picture commercial.

Back from the break and Lumis is beating Waller around the ring. Lumis with a big back-drop in the middle of the ring. Lumis with a leg drop and more offense as fans rally for him. Lumis goes for The Silence but it’s blocked as Waller scrambles to the rope. They go to the floor and Waller sends Lumis into the barrier.

Waller returns to the ring to distract the referee while a big mystery man attacks Lumis at ringside and sends him into the ring post face-first. The bodyguard rolls Lumis back in and Waller puts him back down with his Stunner finisher for the pin to win.

Winner: Grayson Waller

– After the match, Waller stands tall and celebrates as the music hits and fans boo him. We go to replays. Waller stands at the entrance-way with his new bodyguard, showing him off.

– Vic shows us the backstage segment released on Monday, where m WALTER got physical with Malcolm Bivens in the locker room until Roderick Strong made the save and had words with WALTER. Strong vs. WALTER will be tonight’s main event.

– We get a video package on the 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, with a look at each of the 8 teams. Vic also shows us the tournament bracket. The Dusty Cup trophy is on display.

2022 NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match: The Creed Brothers vs. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen

We go back to the ring and out comes The Diamond Mine – The Creed Brothers with Malcolm Bivens. Brutus Creed and Julius Creed hit the ring as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and MSK is backstage talking about The Dusty Cup. Legado del Fantasma interrupts and the two teams have words over who will win the tournament. We go back to the ring and out comes Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen. They hit the ring and pose in the corners as The Creed Brothers look on.

Brutus starts off with Jensen and takes him into the ropes, then backs of. Brutus takes Jensen down and grounds him. Jensen comes back with a big knee to the head of Brutus, and some trash talking. Jensen keeps control and beats Brutus around the ring, into their corner. Briggs tags in and delivers a big powerslam. Briggs with a big corner clothesline to Julius now. They level Julius with a big double team, and another double team of right hands from the floor.

Fans rally for The Creeds now. They double team Jensen and Brutus launches him over the top rope to the floor with a belly-to-belly suplex. Julius tags back in and kicks Jensen around, then grounds him in the middle of the ring. Julius scoops Jensen and spikes him into the mat. Brutus tags in and his brother slams him on top of Jensen. Brutus works Jensen over and tags Julius back in to take over.

Jensen fights back and ends up sending Julius neck-first into the middle rope as Bivens looks on from ringside. Brutus and Briggs tag in. Briggs unloads with right hands and more power moves, including a big splash for a pop. Briggs splashes Brutus in the corner and beats him down, then sends Julius over the top rope to the floor. Briggs chokeslams Brutus for a close 2 count as Julius makes the save at the last second.

Julius and Jensen are at ringside now and Julius rams Jensen head-first back into the barrier, bending the steel. Briggs gets double teamed in the ring now. Brutus delivers a big assisted slam in the middle of the ring, and Julius nails a lariat to keep Briggs down. He covers for the pin to win and advance in the tournament.

Winners: The Creed Brothers

– After the match, Bivens is all smiles as he hits the ring to celebrate with The Creed Brothers. They advance to the semi-finals and will face the winners of Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans. We go to replays. Bivens and The Creed Brothers celebrate as fans cheer them on.

– We get a video package on Dante Chen now. He talks about debuting back in September and how his father looked forward to watching him compete, but then his father passed away two months ago. He also mentions being out with a leg injury. Chen goes on and says he has a country to represent in Singapore, and a father to make proud. He is back and ready to compete. We go back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Imperium is in the locker room – WALTER and NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner. WALTER congratulates and thanks Barthel and Aichner for waving the Imperium flag while he was away. They talk about fighting as hard as they did. WALTER says today is the start of their new mission. He goes on about how they dominated the UK and will start doing the same h ere. WALTER says now they will make everyone in WWE understand what Imperium stands for, and that begins tonight with Roderick Strong. WALTER reminds them to not forget that they are Imperium, and to them the mat is sacred.

Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj

We go back to the ring and out comes Dante Chen. Guru Raaj is already waiting in the ring.

The bell rings and they do a show of respect. They lock up and Chen applies a headlock. They run the ropes and Raaj nails a dropkick for a quick 1 count. Raaj grounds Chen now. Fans rally as Chen breaks free and they run the ropes again. Chen tosses Raaj through the ropes to the floor but he lands on his feet. Chen then flies out and takes Raaj down.

Duke Hudson suddenly hops the barrier and attacks Chen from behind, laying him out. He then sends Raaj into the steel ring steps. Hudson brings Chen into the ring and nails a powerbomb. Hudson mounts Chen with lefts and rights as fans boo. Referees rush the ring to get Hudson out of there. Hudson grabs the camera and yells to stay out of his way. Hudson exits through the crowd as the boos continue. Officials check on Chen and Raaj.

– We see Harland and Joe Gacy walking backstage. Gacy says tonight they could’ve been one of the teams to advance to The Dusty Cup. That could’ve been them but Gacy can never be mad at Harland. Gacy says times like these are perfect for growth and development… Odyssey Jones interrupts and says Gacy can’t possibly believe the words coming out of his mouth. Gacy points to Jones using crutches after his recent unfortunate accident. Jones says it’s nothing and he will be back in a few weeks. Gacy wishes Jones the best in his rehab, and then shuts the trainer room door on him. Gacy goes back to talking to Harland and says something about positivity spreading like wildfire, but having the strength to face it is a true measure of progress. Gacy walks off as Harland looks on. Harland turns and looks at Jones inside the trainer’s room.

– We see Tony D’Angelo walking backstage. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with NXT Champion Bron Breakker. Breakker says yes, being champion has set in. He understands the responsibilities that come with his new role and he’s ready. McKenzie asks about the brief interaction with Santos Escobar last week. Bron says Escobar is a great competitor and a former champion, and like Escobar, everyone is gunning for him now. Elektra Lopez walks up and starts talking but Breakker tells her to stop because he’s not interested in what she’s offering. Santos walks up and says he doesn’t have to be interested in Lopez, but Santos is talking to him now. Santos goes on and says Bron isn’t ready to carry the NXT brand, and the NXT Title will look a lot better around his waist. Bron steps up and tells Santos to give him one reason to kick Santos’ ass right now. Escobar says Bron will soon learn that things around here are done on his own time. Escobar and Lopez walk off.

– We go back to the ring and Tony D’Angelo is hosting a memorial service for Pete Dunne. There’s a black casket in the middle of the ring, and a photo of Dunne on display. D’Angelo talks about how Dunne was stubborn so he had to teach him a lesson. He goes on about last week’s Crowbar On A Pole match win, and then says it’s time Tony D adds some gold around his waist here in NXT. D’Angelo says he has his eyes around the NXT North American Title. He asks the crowd what they think about that and they pop. The music interrupts and out comes NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams.

Hayes and Williams are up on the platform above the crowd now. They have some words and Trick says he thought they were all boys. Tony says they were teammates at one point, but not boys because he has his own crew of mobster-like names. Tony says it’s just business. Hayes talks some trash to D’Angelo and tells him to keep his business out of his mouth, or the next service will be a closed casket for D’Angelo. Hayes makes a promise. The music interrupts and out comes Cameron Grimes. Grimes says D’Angelo has to wait at the back of the line. Fans chant “to the moon!” as Grimes goes on about warning Hayes over the title last week. Grimes hasn’t heard back from Hayes, but he did h ear from a rental car agency over the scratch he left. Trick yells about how they own that car, it wasn’t a rental.

Hayes proposes D’Angelo vs. Grimes for a title shot. Grimes has no problem with that, he will fight any of them because he’s going to the moon… D’Angelo attacks but Grimes ducks and smashes the Dunne photo over his head. Grimes exits the ring and celebrates with the crowd as D’Angelo seethes in the ring, with the smashed photo still around his neck.

– Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are backstage. They’re down about tonight’s tournament loss, but they are focused about getting back on track and rebounding from the loss. Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro walk in and invite them out to have some drinks before getting back to business. Wendy Choo is resting on top of a locker. She says Jensen likes Carter. Jensen stutters about liking her or not liking her as everyone walks off. Jensen punches a locker out of frustration and also walks off for those drinks. Choo sips her cup to end the segment. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a video package on Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon, who have been teaming up on WWE 205 Live as of late. They talk about their backgrounds in MMA and weight-lifting, among other skills. They are two badass women who fight hard and play hard. They are from different countries and have different backgrounds, but they are together and want to be the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Welcome to their jungle, baby. McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Feroz and Leon now. They are excited about possibly competing in the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Dakota Kai interrupts, laughs and says this is adorable. She gives them some advice – nothing divides friendship more than success. They yell at her for bringing the mood down, and insist nothing will happen to their team. Kai taunts them and proposes a match for later tonight. It looks like the match is on and they walk off with Kai laughing, and taunting Mitchell.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Ivy Nile

We go back to the ring and out comes Kay Lee Ray. The Diamond Mine’s Ivy Nile is already in the ring, and Malcolm Bivens is looking on from ringside. We see what happened last week when KLR crashed a photo shoot for NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose after she had already left.

Nile and KLR go at it to start. They tangle back & forth and Nile works on the arm now. KLR with big chops against the ropes. KLR with a dropkick for a 2 count. Nile blocks a suplex and fights KLR off with forearms to the ribs. Nile with a suplex of her own, then a running kick in the corner, then an enziguri to bring KLR down. Nile with a 2 count.

Nile stomps away on KLR to keep her down. Nile takes KLR back down and keeps her there with a head scissors. KLR tries to power up but Nile keeps her down with the scissors. KLR tries to power up again and finally gets free. Nile rocks her but misses in the corner. KLR with a clothesline, and another. KLR slams Nile face-first into the mat for a close 2 count. Nile takes KLR down and kicks her in the back of the head, but holds the leg around KLR’s head, dropping her with a modified leg DDT. KLR kicks out just in time.

Bivens barks orders and looks to tell Nile to finish KLR. KLR comes back with a superkick. KLR goes for the KLR Bomb but Nile slides out. Rose gets on the apron for a distraction but KLR swings at her. KLR misses as Rose jumps back off the apron, down to the floor. The match continues as Nile blocks the KLR Bomb and delivers a Sunset Flip for the pin to win.

Winner: Ivy Nile

– After the bell, Nile stands tall as the music hits but Rose rushes the ring and attacks KLR while she’s down. KLR starts fighting Rose off but NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin rush the ring and attack her now. KLR gets triple teamed. Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell make the save now as the wild brawl continues. The segment ends with Hartwell, Pirotta and KLR getting the best of Toxic Attraction, sending them to the entrance-way retreating. Rose raises her title in the air.

– The camera cuts backstage to Harland causing chaos in the trainer’s room while Joe Gacy stands there and smiles. Odyssey Jones is down on the ground clutching his injured knee as officials check on him. Harland tosses something, apparently a weapon, and then walks off with Gacy as we go back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a new vignette on Sarray. She says after her first year in NXT didn’t go as planned, she returned to Japan to recover mentally and physically. There she found a necklace her grandmother gave her when she was younger. Her grandmother was her hero, and was strong. She taught Sarray to never give up under any circumstances, and thanks to finding this necklace, Sarray has been reminded of who she is and where she came from. Sarray holds the necklace and pendant up, and says she is The Warrior of The Sun, but without that, she’s just Sarray and that’s alright. She will come back to America and back to NXT with a new passion and new energy.

2022 NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match: Legado del Fantasma vs. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe

We go back to the ring for the next first round match in the 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and out comes Legado del Fantasma as Alicia Taylor does the introductions – Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde with Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are already waiting in the ring.

Wilde and Blade go at it to start. Blade sends Wilde flying with a hip toss, then an arm drag. Blade takes Wilde to the corner and in comes Enofe for some double teaming. Enofe with a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Enofe with more offense and a 2 count. Mendoza tags in and they double team Enofe. Enofe takes a big double Spinebuster, then double kicks from each side for a 2 count as Escobar and Lopez applaud from ringside.

Mendoza works Enofe over in the corner as fans chant for Legado del Fantasma. Mendoza goes for double knees in the corner but Enofe moves and Mendoza hits hard. Mendoza prevents a tag. Enofe blocks a suplex and drops Mendoza from behind. Blade tags in and unloads on Mendoza now. Santos ends up tripping Blade from ringside and fans boo him.

The referee sees this and ejects Escobar to the back. The referee is distracted by Escobar arguing on the apron now, allowing Mendoza and Wilde to pull a double team on Blade. NXT Champion Bron Breakker comes down and trips Escobar on the apron, dropping him face-first. Breakker carries Escobar away a few feet from the ring on his shoulder, leading to another distraction that allows Blade to roll Wilde up from behind for the upset win.

Winners: Malik Blade and Edris Enofe

– After the match, Blade and Enofe celebrate as the music hits. They will face the winners of MSK vs. Jacket Time in the quarterfinals. Breakker looks on from the entrance-way as Legado del Fantasma seethes and Escobar yells at him.

– Malcolm Bivens is backstage talking about The Diamond Mine’s success while Roderick Strong warms up in the background. He says they are about to be 3-for-3 tonight. Bivens goes on and gives WALTER some props, but says tonight the mat belongs to Strong and The Diamond Mine. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a video package from Solo Sikoa. He addresses the attack by Boa last week and says he’s never been hit with a fireball before, but it burnt half of his face. Solo says Boa is not the only one who can call on his past, mentioning how his Bloodline comes through. He removes the bandage covering the burn on one side of his face, and we see a nasty looking burn mark. Solo says he doesn’t care what happens next week… he tells Boa to bring his battle paint because he has his, and they are going to war.

Yulisa Leon vs. Dakota Kai

We go back to the ring and Dakota Kai is wrapping up her entrance. Yulisa Leon is already in the ring and Valentina Feroz is cheering her on from ringside.

The bell rings and they go at it. Kai mounts offense early on and takes it to the corner. They break and Leon talks some trash. Leon takes Kai down as Feroz cheers her on from ringside. More back and forth now. Leon charges into the corner but Kai side-steps and sends her face-first into the turnbuckles. Kai keeps control and uses the middle ropes on Leon.

Kai with more offense and a pin attempt. Kai with a boot to the throat of Leon in the corner. Kai with another takedown for a 2 count. Kai talks to herself and wastes some time, but then whips Leon hard into the turnbuckles and she goes down. Kai with a big running boot to the face for a close 2 count. Kai laughs at the surprise kick out. Leon fights back with big rights to the jaw now but Kai levels her with a jaw shot of her own. Leon rolls to the floor to regroup but Kai follows.

Feroz comes over and has words with Kai. Kai misses a kick to Feroz, allowing Leon to turn it around and send her back into the ring. Feroz hypes her partner up and she returns to the ring to mount offense on Kai. Leon with a neckbreaker and a big fall-away slam into a bridge for a close 2 count. Kai catches Leon with a Scorpion Kick out of nowhere, then sends her face-first into the turnbuckles for the pin to win.

Winner: Dakota Kai

– After the match, Kai stands tall as the music hits. Feroz checks on Leon in the middle of the ring until Kai attacks her from behind. Kai charges with the kick but Leon pulls Feroz to safety. Kai taunts them from the ring as hey yell back at her.

– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Raquel Gonzalez, asking what’s next for her after Mandy Rose retained the NXT Women’s Title at New Year’s Evil. Gonzalez isn’t going to make a big deal about what happened or how she wasn’t pinned in the Triple Threat. She doesn’t make excuses but she is still going for Mandy… and so is Cora Jade, who walks up. Jade proposes they team up for The Dusty Classic. Gonzalez says Jade is to blame for her not having a title right now, and she likes Jade, but no thanks. Gonzalez walks off and Jade is confident she will convince her to team up for the tournament.

WALTER vs. Roderick Strong

We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event and out comes the leader of Imperium – WALTER. There is no sign of NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner. Fans begin chanting for WALTER as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we see Edris Enofe and Malik Blade backstage celebrating their tournament upset win. NXT Champion Bron Breakker walks up and congratulates them, and gives them some words of encouragement. Bron walks off and they continue celebrating, and say it doesn’t matter who they face next, MSK or Jacket Time. The announcers hype next week’s NXT 2.0 episode, including a musical performance by singer Ollie Jayy. We go back to the ring and WALTER is standing in the middle as fans chant his name. Out next comes Roderick Strong with Malcolm Bivens of The Diamond Mine. The bell rings and they go at it with WALTER sending Strong to the corner with ease. WALTER takes Strong to the mat and begins stretching his leg.

Strong tries to kick WALTER away, and fights to his feet but WALTER stays on him. They size each other up and tangle with WALTER taking Strong down by his arm. WALTER grounds Strong, working on his arm, and keeping a knee on his face. Fans rally now as Bivens barks from ringside. They get back up and WALTER catches a chop. Strong regroups from the apron and talks some trash. Strong comes back in and applies a headlock but WALTER powers him up, and back down but Strong keeps the headlock applied.

WALTER sends Strong to the corner. Strong strikes WALTER and delivers a big chop but WALTER easily knocks Strong across the ring with a massive chop of his own. Fans chant “holy s--t!” at WALTER’s chop. WALTER keeps Strong down as fans chant “this is awesome!” now. WALTER beats Strong around the ring until Strong rocks him with forearms. WALTER levels Strong with another stiff boot to the face.

WALTER grabs Strong and makes him face the crowd with a rear chin lock while trapping his arm, delivering a big forearm to the chest from behind while Bivens watches down below, right in front of Strong. Bivens gets involved but WALTER grabs him now. Strong takes advantage and attacks from behind, sending WALTER out of the ring. Strong kicks WALTER from the ring to the floor and looks to capitalize with a baseball slide but WALTER blocks a shot and slams Strong on the apron. We go to a picture-in-picture commercial.

WALTER controlled during the break and brought Strong back to the middle of the ring, grounding him with a knee to the back. Strong fights up and out now. WALTER runs into a big boot in the corner. Strong goes on and delivers a big dropkick. Strong with chops in the corner, then forearms to the face. WALTER blocks an Olympic Slam. WALTER locks in the Sleeper hold now. Bivens barks from ringside as Strong starts to fade. Strong gets free but WALTER goes right back to the Sleeper. Strong eventually gets free and now delivers the running elbows.

Strong ducks a big chop and hits one more running elbow to send WALTER to the floor. WALTER comes right back from the apron and drops Strong with ease. Fans chant for WALTER as Bivens looks on from the ramp. WALTER goes to the top but Strong rocks him and climbs up. WALTER fights back and clubs Strong to the mat with one chop. Strong runs right back up and rocks WALTER in the face. Fans chant “this is awesome!” as Bivens rallies Strong.

Strong climbs back up and hits a huge superplex. The move hurts them both but the crowd goes wild and chants “holy s--t!” now. WALTER kicks out just in time. Fans chant “NXT!” now. They get up and trade big stiff strikes in the middle of the ring now. Strong unloads with kicks and punches, then running shoulder tackles to daze WALTER. WALTER leaps over Strong but Strong levels him for another 2 count. Fans chant “fight forever!” now. WALTER clubs Strong down with another massive chop to the chest.

Strong blocks a powerbomb and tries for the double underhook but WALTER drives him back into the turnbuckles. WALTER drives Strong down into the mat with White Noise off a counter, then immediately delivers a big powerbomb in the middle of the ring for the pin to win.

Winner: WALTER

– After the match, WALTER stands tall as the Imperium music hits. Bivens looks on as WALTER has his arm raised by the referee. We go to relays. WALTER is being announced as the winner but he snatches the mic and says the winner is… Gunther, which may be his new name. Aichner and Barthel rush the ring and attack Strong. The Creed Brothers hit the ring next to assist Strong as a huge brawl breaks out. Fans chant “NXT!” as all 6 Superstars fight while referees try to break them up. NXT goes off the air.