WWE NXT Heatwave Review – August 22, 2023
Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov delivers a boot and a chop then fires off forearms and delivers another chop before Trick Williams fires back with a few forearms of his own and a back elbow but Dragunov delivers a kick to Williams’ head and several more chops.
Williams lands a forearm and sends Dragunov crashing into the mat then delivers a dropkick.
The action spills to the outside and Dragunov delivers a boot to Williams’ face then sends him crashing to the floor with a German suplex before dumping him back in the ring as we go to a break.
After the break Dragunov fires off Machine Gun Chops then Williams responds with a chop of his own and Dragunov fires off more Machine Gun Chops before they go back & forth with forearms before Williams plants Dragunov with a kick.
He fires off a series of right hands and a kick to his head then connects with a flapjack and a running knee then goes for a pin but Dragunov kicks out.
Dragunov delivers a pair of DDTs and sits Williams on the top rope & sets up for a superplex but Williams counters into a uranage and goes for a pin but Dragunov kicks out at the last second and Williams looks for a kick.
Dragunov catches it and plants Williams with a German suplex then follows it up with a powerbomb and a right hand then he ascends to the middle rope and delivers a flying elbow for the win.
Winner: Ilja Dragunov (12:50)
Rate: 7
Backstage Tyler Bate was meditating then Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer met with Bate before asking him if he could be his second for tonight which Bate accepted the offer to take care of Meta 4 tonight.
Judgement Day’s North American Champion Dominik Mysterio & Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley prepared backstage before Mustafa Ali interrupted them. Ali told Ripley to break a leg before telling Mysterio to actually break a leg during his match and leave NXT for good. Ripley kicks Ali out of the locker room in 10 seconds but Ali responded by saying that 10 seconds is something they may be used to.
Ivy Nile vs. Ava
Ava attacks Ivy Nile from behind then sends her into the middle turnbuckle face first then delivers a pair of bodyslams and a splash in the corner. Ava connects with a backbreaker and sends Nile into the corner then charges at her.
Nile ducks out of the way and Ava is sent crashing into the corner before Ava lands a kick and sends her into the mat face first.
She follows it up with a shoulder tackle but Nile manages to lock in Diamond Chinlock & Ava has no choice but to tap out.
Winner By Submission: Ivy Nile (2:12)
Rate: 4
After the match the masked Schism members hops up on the apron and surround Nile. Nile levels them before 2 of them pull Ava out of the ring and carry her to the back.
Backstage Ilja Dragunov confronts Wes Lee saying that there was nothing standing in his way to the NXT Title. Lee told Dragunov to wait up because he would make his own destiny & win the NXT Title but said that he looked forward to facing Dragunov in the near future.
Heritage Cup Title Match
Nathan Frazer (c) vs. Noam Dar
Round 1
Match starts off with a lock up then they go back & forth with submission holds before Nathan Frazer rolls up Noam Dar but Dar counters into a submission but Frazer quickly escapes. Dar slaps Frazer but Frazer sends him crashing into the mat and fires off right hands as the clock runs out as we go to a break.
Round 2
After the break Round 2 has ended with Dar picking up a pin with a rollup as we see Tyler Bate being check on and taken to the back by medical officials after he was chokeslam on the apron by Dabba Kato.
Dar 1-0
Round 3
Frazer locks in a crossface on Dar. Dar makes it to the bottom rope to break the hold and delivers a kick to Frazer. He follows it up with a 2nd to his chest before Frazer looks for an enziguri but Dar counters into an Ankle Lock.
Frazer escapes a hold then delivers a tope suicida on the outside and dumps Dar back in & he plants him then delivers a standing Shooting Star Press and goes for a pin but Dar kicks out and delivers an elbow to Frazer after the bell sounds.
Round 4
Frazer delivers a kick to Dar then follows it up with a chop and a slam then ascends to the top and looks to go flying but Dar rolls out of the way and delivers a back elbow then goes for a pin but Frazer kicks out and Dar climbs up to the top rope as Frazer meets him up there and delivers a superplex then rolls through and hits a corkscrew cutter for the win.
Frazer 1-1
Round 5
After the 2nd break Round 5 is coming to a close as Frazer ascends to the top and levels both Dar & Oro Mensah on the outside then looks to slide back in the ring but Lash Legend prevents him from doing so but he escapes her grasp and pins Dar but Dar kicks out at the last second.
Round 6
Frazer & Dar go back & forth with forearms and kicks to the thigh. Frazer gains the upper hands and fires off right hands but Dar trips Frazer and delivers several kicks to his head.
Frazer delivers a kick to Dar’s head before Dar ascends to the top rope. Frazer ducks out of the way and Dar cinches in a knee bar.
Frazer escapes the hold and delivers a kick to Dar’s head then ascends to the top rope and looks for a Phoenix Splash as Mensah looks to push Frazer off but Frazer fights him off.
This opens the door for Dar to duck out of the way and lands a modified enziguri for the win.
Winner & New Heritage Cup Champion: Noam Dar (17:32) (2-1) (Round 6) (NEW CHAMPION!!!!!)
Rate: 6
We then head outside to a video from Ava and the two masked individuals who carried her away from ringside earlier tonight sending a message to Ivy Nile. She tells Nile that she knows where to find her.
Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton brags about her recent wins and says as summer comes to an end the fall of Tiff Tiff has arrived. She says perfection comes easy and her Women’s Title isn’t going anywhere. She says she will go down as one of the best Women’s Champion in history and says for now she will end at the Tiffy Top.
Gigi Dolin’s music hits, and she tells Stratton to quiet down. She says she’s dying to see the fall of Tiffany then says to look no further for her next challenger. Stratton shoots her down and Dolin reminds her that she’s tapped out before.
Kiana James appears and tells Dolin she doesn’t deserve an Women’s Title match given Dolin’s history with her. She says that she deserves a title shot before Blair Davenport appears and says it’s been a cool summer over the Women’s division because of her. She says she deserves to be next in line for a Women’s Title shot and Dolin says she needs to go through the division to be on top. Dolin says no one has forgotten what happened with her and Roxanne Perez in the convenience store and Davenport tells Dolin that if she thought Jacy Jayne’s beating with her was bad then she should wait to see what she does to her.
Roxanne Perez’s music hits and she tells Davenport she thought she ended things with her at The Great American Bash then all 4 women begin brawling with one another as Stratton rolls out of the ring.
There was a segment of Damon Kemp & Charlie Dempsey training while Drew Gulak watched along. Myles Borne met with Gulak after watching tape from last week’s match before Gulak ask Borne the following Are you tired? because we never get tired!. Dempsey then locks in a choke on Borne as part of the training.
We then head over to Ava and the 2 masked Schism individuals. Ava runs her mouth and Ivy Nile appears. The 2 masked members reveal themselves to be The Creed Brothers as Ava gets attack and Creed Brothers challenges The Dyad to a Steel Cage match next week with the catch being if they win then they are reinstated to NXT.
We then head over to Meta 4 celebrating Noam Dar’s win. Dar receives an envelope informing him of a 8 Man Global Heritage Tournament for a shot at the Heritage Cup at No Mercy.
Mixed Tag Team Match
Judgement Day (North American Champion Dominik Mysterio & Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley) vs. Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria
Dominik Mysterio & Dragon Lee lock up to get this match started then Lee rains down right hands on Mysterio before Mysterio does the same. Mysterio delivers a chop but Lee plants him and Mysterio tags in Rhea Ripley & Lyra Valkyria gets in the ring and shoves Ripley.
Ripley does the same and Valkyria gives her another push then she executes an arm drag but Ripley delivers a right hand to her midsection and follows it up with a shoulder tackle.
Valkyria looks to land a roundhouse kick but Ripley avoids it and sends her crashing into the mat.
Ripley looks for a vertical suplex but Valkyria escapes and delivers a double chop to her spine. She follows it up with a kick to her midsection before Ripley gets her up on her shoulders but Valkyria escapes.
Mysterio tags in and stands behind Valkyria but here come Lee comes out of nowhere and delivers a superkick to his head before Valkyria catches him with a crossbody then delivers a hurricanrana to Ripley and levels Ripley on the outside with a dropkick through the middle ropes as Lee goes flying over the top to take out Mysterio as we go to a break.
After the break Ripley has a submission lock in on Valkyria but Valkyria escapes with a few back elbows and lands a headbutt but Ripley plants her with a vertical suplex and follows it up with a kick to her chest. She fires off right hands and looks for another vertical suplex, but Valkyria counters into a DDT and follows it up with a roundhouse kick.
Mysterio tags in and Lee delivers a pair of back elbows to him before he follows it up with a hurricanrana and drapes Mysterio on the top rope then ascends to the top rope and delivers a double stomp to his spine. Mysterio sends Lee into the middle rope then dials it up for the 619.
Lee escapes and hits Desnucadora to Mysterio then goes for a pin but Ripely breaks the fall and Valkyria dumps her out of the ring. She looks for a hurricanrana off the apron but Ripley catches her and sends her crashing into the barricade.
Ripley hops back up on the apron but Raquel Rodriguez appears at ringside and pulls her down. She brawls with her to the back & that opens the door for Lee to plant Mysterio to the mat with Destino for the win.
Winners: Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria (14:04)
Rate: 6
After the break we head to a conversation between NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams. Williams eyes up Hayes’ NXT Title then hands it over to him and they do a handshake.
Tiffany Stratton was interviewed backstage where she apologized for accidentally saying Becky Lynch was a former NXT Women’s Champion before saying she was irrelevant. Stratton revealed that Kiana James, Blair Davenport, Roxanne Perez & Gigi Dolin will face each other in a match to determine the #1 Contender for the Women’s Title.
Thea Hail threw a rant backstage for losing before Jacy Jayne met her backstage. Jayne said that the Hail she faced backstage was not the person that walked into NXT before saying that Hail would get through it.
Von Wagner vs. Baron Corbin
Von Wagner & Mr. Stone head down to the ring but Baron Corbin blindsides Wagner on the ramp and delivers a clothesline off the apron before Wagner sends him crashing into it and sends him colliding with the ring post. Corbin sends him into the ring steps face first but Wagner returns the favor and clears the announce table.
Corbin blindsides him and delivers a back suplex to him on the floor then gets Stone up on his shoulders. Wagner saves Stone then delivers a big boot to Corbin then looks for a powerbomb but Bron Breakker appears out of nowhere and Spears him.
Winner: No One (Match Never Got Stared) (0:00)
We then head over to a video from an angered Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler & Jagger Reid & they accept Creed Brothers’ challenge for a Steel Cage match next week.
There was a vignette of Dijak calling out Eddy Thorpe after costing him the NXT Title #1 Contenders match against Wes Lee then he told Thorpe he had 7 days to get ready for their rematch.
NXT Title Match
Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Wes Lee
Match starts off with a lock up then they level one another with dropkicks and exchange forearms then take one another down with a double pump kick before Carmelo Hayes delivers a standing Spanish Fly as we go to a break.
After the break Wes Lee delivers a kick to Hayes but Hayes fires back with Fade Away and a forearm. Lee fires back with one of his own and they go back & forth once again before Hayes delivers a chop and a boot to Lee’s midsection.
He follows it up with a clothesline and sends Lee into the corner face first but Lee fires back with a Meteora and a superkick then he plants Hayes then ascends to the top rope and lands a corkscrew. He then delivers a kick to his spine and looks for the Kardiak Kick but Hayes catches him and delivers a cutter then delivers a Codebreaker.
The action spills to the outside and Hayes gets Lee onto the announce table then goes flying off the apron with Fade Away and sends Lee crashing through the announce table. He gets him back in the ring and looks for Nothing But Net but Lee avoids it and hits Kardiak Kick.
Hayes rolls out of the ring before he can be pinned and Lee looks to level him on the outside but Hayes ducks out of the way and both men slide back in the ring before the referee can finish the 10 count. Hayes then ascends to the top rope and connects with Nothing But Net for the win.
Winner & Still NXT Champion: Carmelo Hayes (11:38) (STILL CHAMPION!!!!!)
Rate: 7
Matches Of The Night
Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov
NXT Title Match
Next Week’s NXT
Tag Team Steel Cage Match
Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus) vs. The Dyad (Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler)
Quarter Final Match Of The Global Heritage Invitational
TBD vs. TBD
Women’s Title #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way Match
Gigi Dolan vs. Kiana James vs. Blair Davenport vs. Roxanne Perez
No Mercy Card So Far (Sept 30th)
Heritage Cup Title Match
Noam Dar (c) vs. TBD
