WWE NXT Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for July 5

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Roderick Strong Vignette

Before Strong’s NXT Championship match, a vignette of him was played. It mostly highlighted the story that NXT told about him in the spring and what happened in the backstage altercation.

NXT Championship Match
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Roderick Strong

Result: Bobby Roode defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

It’s always good to see NXT Championship matches showcased on WWE NXT. They don’t happen often, with the last one being in March.

However, rarely does a title change hands on the weekly show. That stood true on Wednesday night.

Strong getting toyed with, only to dropkick Roode out of saying “Glorious” and doing that arm movement, was satisfying. An easy way to earn a pop.

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Outside of this, the match was all Roode’s to start. Strong fought back with his trademark backbreakers, though, which got the crowd into this, along with the match going to ringside.

A turning point came when Strong’s left leg got caught between the ring and steel steps. Roode took advantage, as he crushed this body part and went to work on it, in the ring. The Glorious One worked a similar technique in matches with Shinsuke Nakamura and Hideo Itami at NXT TakeOver.

As the match continued, Strong worked the injured leg into his offense. He notably dropped Roode back-first onto the top turnbuckle, as doing so on his leg could cause harm. Well played, Roddy. Well played.

Strong missed an opportunity, however, to take out Roode with a Sick Kick. So the champion hit a Glorious DDT, but only for a near-fall.

Well, Strong looked like he won the NXT Championship, until the call was changed. The referee noticed Roode’s leg had been under the ropes, which counted as a rope break. The match continued with a cheap shot from Roode and a Glorious DDT on the floor. A second one was hit in the ring, which secured the pinfall.

Not a surprising result. Roode wasn’t going to lose the title on NXT TV, so his reign, that’s closing in on six months, will continue into the middle of the summer. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III is approaching, for his next defense.

As for Strong, he’ll probably be gone from NXT TV for a few weeks. He should make his way onto the TakeOver card, but in what capacity?

More wwe: Ranking All 26 Champions in NXT History

That will do it for this episode of WWE NXT. What did you think of it?