The road to WWE NXT Battleground 2023 continues tonight.
WWE NXT returns on the USA Network this evening at 8/7c from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
On tap for tonight’s show is Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp, Duke Hudson vs. Javier Bernal, Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak, Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams, as well as Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger.
Also scheduled for the program this evening is Tyler Bate vs. Charlie Dempsey with NXT North American Champion Wes Lee and Drew Gulak in their corners, Nathan Frazer hosts his second Hard-Hitting Home Truths segment, and NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus defend against The Dyad.
Featured below are complete WWE NXT results from Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The following report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired live from 8-10pm EST. on the USA Network.
WWE NXT RESULTS (5/9/2023)
The trademark “WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.” opening signature narrated by future WWE Hall of Fame legend John Cena airs to get things started for this week’s episode of WWE NXT on the USA Network.
NXT Women’s Title Tournament Kicks Off Tonight
From there, we shoot to a video package that shows Indi Hartwell’s farewell on last week’s WWE NXT, which saw her vacate the Women’s Championship. The package then shifts to hype the tournament kicking off tonight to crown the new title-holder.
NXT Women’s Title Tournament (Opening Round)
Tiffany Stratton vs. Gigi Dolin
We shoot live inside the CWC in the WWE PC and we see a shot of the NXT Women’s Championship on a red velvet carpet on a podium. We then see all of the competitors scheduled for the women’s title tournament standing on the entrance ramp.
Tiffany Stratton’s theme hits and she heads down to the ring as we see an “earlier today” promo where she talks about the tourney and competing against the “deranged” Gigi Dolin in the opening round.
Now the theme for the former Toxic Attraction member hits and Dolin heads to the ring with her trademark rose in-hand. She is then featured in an “earlier today” message where she addresses Jacy Jane’s actions in front of her brother and how she’s going to beat Stratton and hopes to see Jane in the next round.
After that wraps up, we see Stratton and Dolin in the ring and ready to kick off the opening round of the tourney. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. We see Dolin jumping off into the early offensive lead. The commentators inform us that Dolin is still not 100-percent tonight.
Stratton starts to shift the momentum into her favor and she focuses her attack on the weakened shoulder of Dolin, which we see taped up. She locks her in an arm lock on the mat and then rams her shoulder-first into the turnbuckles in the corner.
Dolin starts to take over again but she can’t hang onto the offensive lead, as the tape on her shoulder starts to come off and Stratton starts to focus her attack on the arm again. She caps off an offensive comeback with her Prettiest Moonsault Ever spot off the ropes for the pin fall victory. With the win, she advances to the next round of the tourney.
Winner and ADVANCING in the tournament: Tiffany Stratton
Barber Shop Check-In With Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes
We shoot to the barber shop and we see NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes talking with Trick Williams and some of their friends while they get hair cuts.
They talk about Trick Williams being ready to show Bron Breakker what’s up tonight. He walks off to head to the building for that match, which serves as our main event later tonight.
NXT Tag-Team Championships
Gallus (C) vs. The Dyad
We shoot backstage and see The Dyad preparing for their title opportunity tonight. Joe Gacy tells Ava Raine that he won’t be at ringside for the match, but tells her to guide them as he would. She heads out to do just that.
On that note, we head to a pre-match commercial break. When we return, we see The Dyad already in the ring and ready for their big championship contest. Their music cuts off and then we await the arrival of the champs.
The theme for the reigning, defending NXT Tag-Team Champions hits and out comes Gallus. They settle in the ring and the brawl is on before the bell even sounds. A few seconds later, the bell does sound to get this one officially off-and-running.
We see Mark Coffey jump off into the early offensive lead as the legal man in the ring for Gallus. Wolfgang tags in and picks up where Coffey left off, taking it to one-half of The Dyad in the ring.
Now the commentators point out that Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are watching on with a vested interest in this title tilt. We head to a mid-match commercial break on that note, as the action continues in the ring.
When we return from the break, we see The Dyad dominating the offense, utilizing frequent tags and keeping Coffey isolated in their half of the ring, preventing him from making a much-needed tag.
The camera shot shows The Creed Brothers backstage with blue masks on, goofing around until a very serious Ivy Nile tells them to take things serious. The commentators reference her growing issues with Ava Raine of The Dyad / Schism as Wolfgang finally gets the tag for Gallus in the ring.
All hell breaks loose, with Ivy Nile hitting ringside and duking it out with Ava Raine. A bunch of interference takes place in the midst of the chaos and we see Gallus manage to score the pin fall victory to retain. With the win, The Dyad can no longer challenge for the gold as long as Gallus has the titles. Ava Raine is livid.
Winners and STILL NXT Tag-Team Champions: Gallus
Backstage With Javier Bernal And Duke … Chase University
We shoot backstage and see Javier Bernal approaching Chase University. Duke Hudson runs up and asks something about Australian spell check as Thea Hail goes absolutely nuts. Bernal talks about Andre Chase’s potential reaction to Hudson’s big plan.
Hudson says Javier doesn’t even go to Chase University. He tells him to never disrespect the good name of Duke….I mean, Chase University. We head to a commercial break.
Javier Bernal vs. Duke Hudson
When we return from the break, Javier Bernal makes his way out and heads to the ring. He settles inside and his music dies down. Now the theme for Chase University hits and out comes Duke Hudson and a super spunky Thea Hail sprinting around the ring in circles.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with our next match of the evening here on NXT on USA. Hudson starts to dominate the offense from the word “go,” as the fans chant “MVP! MVP!” at him.
Bernal finally starts to shift the offensive momentum in his favor after landing a couple of drop kicks to the legs of the bigger, stronger Hudson. This chops the big man down to size and Bernal proceeds to control him on the mat.
Hudson fights from underneath, and starts doing the Hulk Hogan “Hulk-up” no-sell job and then does the big U double hand-gesture for Chase U instead of the big Hogan “YOU!” finger-point that concludes his “Hulk-up” routine. Seconds later, Hudson finishes him off.
Winner: Duke Hudson
Von Wagner Doesn’t Like Pistachio Ice Cream
We shoot backstage and see Von Wagner and Robert Stone walking and talking. Stone has Wagner rapid-fire answer questions about his favorite ice cream and burger, etc., and then pulls out the picture of him as a baby with his skull sealed back together.
Wagner gets quiet. Someone comes up cracking jokes and Wagner puts the fear of God into him. He then turns to Stone and out of all that, all he took away was Stone’s pick for ice cream being weird to him.
Backstage With Gallus, The Creed Brothers
Now we shoot to another part of the backstage area where we see Gallus walking the hall-ways with their NXT Tag-Team Championships. Up walks The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile. The two teams get into a back-and-forth and Creed Brothers makes it clear no one messes with Ivy Nile except them.
Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp
Eddy Thorpe makes his way out and heads to the ring for our next match of the evening. As he settles in the ring, we head to a pre-match commercial break. When we return from the break, we see him in the ring as his music cuts off.
Now the theme for Damon Kemp hits and out he comes as Booker T and Vic Joseph talk on commentary about their interaction last week and how Kemp tried big brother’ing / punk’ing the newcomer.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. We see Thorpe jump off to a good start but then the bigger, stronger Kemp starts to take over. He hits a suplex after bouncing Thorpe’s legs off the ring ropes for added leverage.
We see some more good back-and-forth and then we see Thorpe fire up for a big offensive comeback. He takes over and ultimately finishes off Kemp with an impressive victory. Kemp complains to the referee afterwards.
Winner: Eddy Thorpe
McKenzie Mitchell Interviews Kiana James
We shoot backstage and see McKenzie Mitchell standing by with her guest at this time, Kiana James. She asks her about being selected by Shawn Michaels as one of the top eight women in the NXT locker room to compete in the title tournament.
Kiana cuts McKenzie off and goes on to complain about having the toughest first round match in the tourney. She vows to emerge as the champion when all is said-and-done, regardless.
Bron Breakker Just Stopped Caring
Now McKenzie Mitchell heads inside the locker room of Bron Breakker. She asks the former NXT Champion about his recent change in attitude. The most tan Superstar on the WWE NXT roster talks about how he just stopped caring, he didn’t change his attitude.
He goes on to talk directly into the camera, vowing to beat down Trick Williams and then do the same to Carmelo Hayes at NXT Battleground.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak
From there, we shoot back inside the CWC in the WWE PC and out comes Ilja Dragunov to a big pop from the crowd in Orlando. He settles in the ring as Vic Joseph and Booker T talk about what they expect to be a hard-hitting contest — next.
On that note, we head to a pre-match commercial break. When we return from the break, Dijak’s theme hits and the dark and ominous man makes his way down to the squared circle for our next match of the evening.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. We see Dragunov immediately lunge at Dijak and the brawl is on straight-away. Dragunov fires up early on and chops the living hell out of Dijak — maybe 20-30 chops in a row.
Dragunov heads to the top-rope and comes flying off with a big splash on Dijak. Dijak pops up when he goes to the well one-too many times again. He then launches his smaller foe out to the floor at ringside.
Back in the ring, Dijak now takes over on offense, clubbing away at a grounded Dragunov as the camera shows the bright red chest of Dijak from the chops of Dragunov. Dijak eventually loses his cool, throwing the time keeper out of his chair and taking said-chair into the ring.
The ref tries to stop Dijak before he uses it, but he shucks the ref half-way across the ring. The ref recovers and calls for the bell, giving Dragunov the win via disqualification. After the match is called off, Dijak continues a prolonged savage beat down of Dragunov, which included him crushing him with the steel steps at ringside on the floor.
Winner via DQ: Ilja Dragunov
Tyler Bate vs. Charlie Dempsey
We shoot backstage and see Tyler Bate having a steam before his match tonight. In walks NXT North American Champion Wes Lee joking about not seeing this much smoke since hanging out with Matt Riddle.
Lee thanks him for having his back last week and promises to have his tonight when Bate takes on Charlie Dempsey. Bate snaps out of his meditation state and finally responds to Lee. The two head to the ring as we head to another commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see some social media footage of Tank Ledger and Hank Walker at the WWE PC, along with newcomer Dani Palmer. We head back inside the CWC in the WWE PC and out comes Tyler Bate to the ring.
Wes Lee is in the corner of Bate for this one. Charlie Dempsey makes his way out with Drew Gulak settling in his corner. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
After some good back-and-forth action early on, we see Dempsey settle into the offensive lead. Bate takes over and gets a big airplane spin on Dempsey. As Bate starts to take over, we see Joe Gacy and Drew Gulak getting in Wes Lee’s face, when Bate runs and dives over the ropes to splash on them.
Moments later, Bate tries to do it again but dives into a big shot from Gacy. He then turns around into a big dragon suplex from Dempsey for the pin fall.
Winner: Charlie Dempsey
Carmelo Hayes Heading To The CWC
We see social media footage of Carmelo Hayes at the barber shop watching the comments from Bron Breakker earlier tonight. He decides to leave to head to the CWC to make sure he doesn’t do Trick Williams dirty tonight, even though Trick said he wanted to handle it himself.
Noam Dar Bringing Back Super Nova 11 Sessions
Now we shoot to McKenzie Mitchell, who is standing by with Dragon Lee. She asks him about his interaction with Noam Dar last week.
As he answers, we see on the screen behind them, the NXT UK Heritage Cup Trophy-holder himself. Dar chooses Lee to be the first guest on the Super Nova 11 Sessions talk show. Dragon Lee says he’ll be there.
Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. Tank Ledger & Hank Walker
We head back inside the CWC and the commentary duo of Vic Joseph and Booker T set the stage for our next match of the evening, which will be a tag-team contest. Before the match, however, we head to another quick commercial break.
As we settle back in from the break, we see Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen already in the ring. Out comes their opponents for this match, which was set up on Dani Palmer’s TikTok in a segment earlier in the show — Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.
Once the latter duo heads to the ring, we see Tank Ledger and Hank Walker immediately start brutally brawling with Briggs and Jensen. Things remain physical, as moments later, we see Tank Ledger appear to spit out a tooth.
Finally, things work their way to the finish, which sees Tank unloads on Briggs, and then Jensen tags in but Tank doesn’t see it. They hit the Hart Attack on Tank for the pin fall victory.
Winners: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen
Nathan Frazer’s Hard-Hitting Home Truths
We shoot to the latest “Hard-Hitting Home Truths” segment featuring Nathan Frazier. The “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” type segment features Frazer talking about a number of NXT Superstars, including Noam Dar, whom he mocked over the NXT UK Heritage Cup Trophy and his returning Super Nova 11 Sessions segment on next week’s show.
NXT Women’s Title Tournament (Opening Round)
Kiana James vs. Lyra Valkyria
Now we head back inside the CWC in the WWE PC where Kiana James and Lyra Valkyria each make their way down to the ring in separate entrances for our next NXT Women’s Title Tournament opening round bout.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. We see Valkyria enjoy an early offensive lead, however it isn’t long before Kiana takes over. As she does, we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
When we return from the break, we see Kiana still in control of the action as Booker T goes on and on with commentary about what it takes to hold onto a hot dime piece like James. Valkyria starts to take over from there.
As the action continues, we see Valkyria enjoy a nice run of offensive control, but James ultimately takes back over. She hits a big power bomb on Valkyria for a close near fall. Valkyria ends up landing a knockout blow out of the blue and scores a quick follow-up pin fall for the victory to advance in the tourney.
Winner and ADVANCING in the tournament: Lyra Valkyria
Tony D’Angelo & Stacks Confront Gallus
We shoot to a pub where we see Tony D’Angelo and Stacks confronting Gallus and telling them they want the next shot at the NXT Tag-Team Championships.
Gallus tells them to walk off and D’Angelo warns them that they’re stateside and don’t wanna go down this road. A bunch of goons come up behind them and Stacks tells D’Angelo they’re out-numbered and to catch them another time.
Trick Williams vs. Bron Breakker
It’s main event time!
Trick Williams’ theme hits and out comes the right-hand man of NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes to a big pop and chants of “Whoop that Trick!” He settles in the ring and we head to a quick pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see Trick standing in the ring when the darks start barking and out comes the former top dog in NXT, former world champion Bron Breakker. The man with a new attitude who “just stopped caring” heads to the ring for our final match of the evening.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. We see Breakker immediately start to manhandle Carmelo Hayes’ right-hand man, beating him down as the fans chant “You still suck!” at him.
Now the action spills out to the floor where Breakker continues a savage assault on Trick. He brings him back in the ring and continues to punish him. Trick fires up for a quick offensive comeback and is looking to be in control finally as the fans break out in another “Whoop that Trick!” chant.
Breakker stops Trick’s momentum dead in its’ tracks with a monster spear. He pulls down the straps and puts Trick in the Steiner Recliner. Trick fights it as Bron leans back and cranks with all he’s got. Trick taps but Bron don’t let go.
Finally he does, and Breakker looks like a mad man as he stares down at his fallen foe. Breakker leans down and puts Trick back in the Steiner Recliner again. Carmelo Hayes’ theme hits and out comes the reigning NXT Champion.
He isn’t able to do much before Breakker flattens him as well. The fans loudly boo as Breakker looks down at Trick and Carmelo both beat down and laid out on the mat. They chant “You still suck!” at him again as he picks up the NXT Championship and taunts Carmelo before dropping it on him. That’s how this week’s show goes off the air. Thanks for joining us!
Winner: Bron Breakker
