WWE NXT on USA: Live Results, Highlights, and Grades for Sept. 25

After a solid debut episode, WWE NXT continues its run on the USA Network with several big-time matches. What’s in store this week? Follow our live review for all the results and highlights!

The premiere episode of WWE NXT on the USA Network was pretty, pretty, pretty good, to quote Larry David. From a terrific women’s fatal four-way to open the show to crowning a new North American Champion, the residents of Full Sail University brought their A-game. That doesn’t even mention the great matches that took place on the WWE Network in Hour Two.

Clearly, NXT is putting their best foot forward, so what can we expect from this week’s offering? According to WWE’s official preview, there are four points worth mentioning. The first builds off of the chaos that engulfed the end of last week’s broadcast, namely Killian Dain and Matt Riddle.

In the main event last week, Riddle and Dain squared off in a Street Fight, but they went a little bonkers. Most of the NXT locker room got involved, and there was no clear cut winner. After the show went off the air, General Manager William Regal announced a rematch this week — still a Street Fight, but with the winner moving on to face NXT Champion Adam Cole at a later date.

While Riddle and Dain are beating each other senseless, there is some happier news on the NXT front. Dakota Kai, on the shelf with an injury for all of 2019 so far, is set to return to action. The Captain of Team Kick will be sure to make an impact in her return, but who will she face?

More from NXT

• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• WWE NXT DeadLine 2023 Predictions: Trick Williams Will NOT Become Iron Survivor
• The End of Trick and Melo Gang Will Break NXT Fans’ Hearts
• Dominick Dijakovic is doing his best work in WWE NXT
• Quick predictions for NXT Halloween Havoc Night Two

Every good saga deserves a third chapter*, and this week WWE NXT provides one with Dominik Dijakovic facing Keith Lee. The first encounter between these two behemoths ended in a double countout; in the rematch, Dijakovic secured the victory in a must-see match. Can Lee even the score? And will this HOSS FIGHT rival the quality of the earlier bouts?

(*-yes, I know they faced each other at BOLA in a 5-star match, duh, this is inside the NXT universe)

Finally, WWE UK Champion WALTER made his presence felt last week, as he and Imperium laid waste to Denzel Dejournette before a scheduled match with Kushida. After Kushida made his displeasure known, WALTER challenged him to find two partners for a six-man tag match this week. Will anyone be brave enough to join Kushida to face the monstrous faction from overseas?

Tune in to the USA Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT to catch the first hour, and switch to the WWE Network for hour two. And be sure to follow our live review right here all night long!

Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic

After Adam Cole (bay bay) and the Undisputed Era showed up in a crow’s nest above the commentary team, it was time for a HOSS FIGHT. It’s hard to make Keith Lee look small, but Dijakovic towers over him — yet Lee got the early advantage.

The combination of strength and agility in superstars of this size is rare enough, but for both men to exhibit such a blend of styles is truly remarkable. Usually, it’s smaller “fliers” who have some strength, like a Tony Nese, that’s more commonplace. But Dijakovic is roughly the same size as Kane or the Undertaker, and Lee has a physique akin to a svelte version of Mark Henry.

And yet here they are, doing flying crossbody blocks, enzuguiris, corkscrew pescados, and, yes, chokeslams on the ring apron. Feast your eyes on that, baby.

Here’s a potentially hot take: Lee and Dijakovic are like a modern day Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome. What I mean by that is they’re both really good at this whole wrestling thing, but there’s something about the combination of the two that brings out the best of the best in each. I could watch these two face each other over and over, because the matches are always top-flight.

And judging by the result, we will get at least one more match between the two giants. While Lee won this battle, I think Dijakovic’s moonsault was a hair better — although the sit-up to escape the pin was one of the finest things I’ve ever seen. Oh, and let’s not forget the avalanche destroyer, what the hell? How is that even a thing, and how does it not put someone away?

Winner: Keith Lee

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Stars

Much like last week’s fatal four-way to open the show, this was a hell of an opener. Crazy action, ridiculous spots that should theoretically be impossible, and a heck of a hot crowd. Also loving the Tale of the Tape before the match, even if the whole “real sports” thing may be a response to AEW’s approach to their programming.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1177016795703562240

Dakota Kai vs. Taynara Conti

Nice pop from the crowd for Dakota’s return, which is lovely to hear. She faces Taynara, who I guess lost the “Conti” from her name? Did I fall asleep and miss that one? Probably, it’s been a strange year.

Right off the bat, Kai showed why she’s the Captain of Team Kick. Surprisingly, Taynara did the same. Good striking is always welcome to me, so I was digging this one from the get-go.

I’m not sure I totally understand Dakota taking a beating at the beginning of this one. If it’s her return, and NXT is on a new network with a presumably new audience, wouldn’t you want to showcase her ability BEFORE making her have a comeback?

I’m guessing it’s because she faced Taynara, who could benefit from a bit of a showcase herself. But why not go with Kai against someone else? Last week, Cameron Grimes got a quick squash victory over Sean Maluta — why not hold off on Taynara and do Kai versus someone like Aliyah, or Vanessa Borne?

It’s really nitpicking on my part here, because all was right at the end. The GTK finish is a good choice for Kai, and she looks to be staking her claim as a major player in the WWE NXT Women’s Division moving forward.

Winner: Dakota Kai

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 Stars

Decent little match, nothing super special but nothing super bad. Good showing for the returning Kai, and Taynara looks competent, too.

Killian Dain vs. Matt Riddle – Street Fight, Winner Gets NXT Championship Match

After last week’s disastrous, chaotic ending to the first attempt at this match, both Riddle and Dain seemed a bit more subdued early on. Sure, it’s a Street Fight, but with a title match hanging in the balance neither superstar wanted to risk making a mistake early.

Still, it’s a bit odd to see a “wrestling match” during a Street Fight. The weapons came out during the commercial break, though, with Riddle swinging a kendo stick like it’s his job. Coming out of the ad break, Riddle swung the advantage into his favor with a flurry of offense — a few Broton drops and a penalty kick as the icing on the cake.

Dain is nothing to be trifled with, though, and he responded in kind by dropping a senton of his own on the Original Bro. Still, Riddle found the fortitude to dig down and hit the big man with a HUGE Alabama Slam.

Riddle ended up on the outside of the ring, which gave Dain a great idea to join the Dijakovic/Lee “Lucha Hoss Party” and take to the skies with a topé suicida. The Street Fight rules came back into effect as Dain just threw a chair at Riddle to keep him down before the fight headed to the staging area.

After a crossbody through some equipment took us into a second commercial break, the pace picked up in the final few minutes. A Broton through a table slowed Dain, and the action returned to the ringside area.

Major props to the perpetually barefoot Riddle, who somehow managed to avoid turning an ankle on any of the chairs laying at ringside (meanwhile, I sprain my ankle while wearing shoes just walking in my backyard).

A series of Vader Bombs from Killian Dain looked like the end was nigh for Riddle, especially when the chairs and kendo stick came back into play. Riddle wriggled out and hit a Van Daminator version of his knee strike finisher — prompting writers lesser than I to make lousy weed related puns about the similarities between Riddle and RVD. However, I promise to take the high road (ah dammit, couldn’t help it).

I love the fact that a Street Fight actually ended with someone literally giving up — Riddle should be using submissions as finishers all the time since he’s got the legit MMA background. It’s a perfect end to matches with that stipulation, and it doesn’t happen often enough.

Winner: Matt Riddle

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

I don’t think any of the USA matches touched Dijakovic/Lee, but Riddle/Dain was terrific. The post-match angle with Cole sets up next week’s match nicely, and Riddle escaping from the UE means he’s got some brains to come up with a plan. We’re in great position for next week’s “official” two hour premiere.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kayden Carter

If Rhea Ripley doesn’t become the biggest star in NXT within the next year or two, someone done messed up. She’s got the look, the skills, and the general aura that screams “I’M A STAR,” and if she can put it all together and avoid social media miscues, she’s going to be a megastar.

Let’s not discount Carter, the former Lacey Lane. Tremendous agility, and a clear knowledge of HOW to perform. I’m not going to get into the whole “wrestling isn’t a sport, it’s an art” argument because I just don’t have the energy for it. But being a great athlete is only part of the equation in 2019 wrestling. Carter looks like she gets it.

For such a short match, this was incredibly fast-paced and jam-packed with action. Both competitors looked terrific, and didn’t let a potentially tired crowd get them down. Following Riddle/Dain was going to be a tall order, but I think it was mission accomplished.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 Stars

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1177027839247273984

I liked Carter in this one just a bit better than Taynara in the earlier women’s match, so this one ends up being just a bit better. When you factor in card placement, it’s pretty impressive. And like I said, Rhea needs to be the focus of the women’s division, whether in WWE, NXT, NXT UK, or wherever else. She’s something special.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1177029011035213824

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Ever-Rise (Matt Martel & Chase Parker)

Longtime CHIKARA fans like me will recognize Ever-Rise as 3.0, because they’re better than average, you see. The Canadian tag team has enjoyed much success through the years, and they’ve been kicking around WWE and the Performance Center for what seems like forever now.

But here, they were basically “super enhancement talent,” as Lorcan and Burch are the main attraction in this one. Lorcan stole the show with Lio Rush last week, and here he was rewarded by playing Ricky Morton for most of the match. Wait, what?

Yeah, Lorcan got to be the whipping boy for Parker and Martel, who needed to show what they’re capable of so eventually they’ll be booked like major stars of the tag team division down the road. Plus, Burch is an awesome hot tag, as evidenced by everything he did in this match leading up to the finish.

Personally, I love the Lorcan/Burch team, which seems like a case of “crap, we need something for these two to do” that turned into gold. And Ever-Rise was darn good, but not quite up to the challenge of beating the Oney-Twoey punch.

Winners: Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Stars

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1177030152645013504

Great little palate cleanser before eventually heading into the main event with Imperium and Kushida. And Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo getting a look in the crowd means we should be getting their official debut sooner rather than later.

Raul Mendoza vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes immediately went for the running stomp right off the bat, which proved fruitful last week against Sean Maluta. But Mendoza had it scouted, and Grimes got an actual match this time around. Go figure!

And this actual match? Actually good! Mendoza is so talented it’s almost unfair, and Grimes can flat out go. Check that counter from Grimes on the crossbody — it was like a moonsault so he could turn it into a powerslam. Unreal.

Personally, I think this match was much better for Grimes than the quick one-move victory from last week. Why this was on the WWE Network and not USA is actually, I think, a slight disservice to Grimes. Like, he’s out here doing all kinds of good work, but on the big network he gets to smack a guy with his knees and go home? Seems unfair to me.

Regardless, this was pretty good. Think Lorcan/Rush from last week, just a slight peg down. Considering Oney and Lio were Match of the Night, I’d take that comparison any day of the week. The finish absolutely KILLED the crowd, which goes to show how invested the Full Sail faithful are in Mendoza.

Winner: Cameron Grimes

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Stars

I just want to take a second to point out that this was the sixth match of this two hour show, with no in-ring promos (aside from Adam Cole yelling at Matt Riddle). There’s still a match left. Everything that was advertised last week actually happened. A bunch of great matches are set for next week.Why is it that NXT is capable of this, but Raw and/or SmackDown are not?

Imperium (Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner, & Alexander Wolfe) vs. Kushida & Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)

Look, I am an unapologetic Breezango mark. I love seeing them get matches of importance, and I wish they got a bigger push on the main roster, yada yada yada. But given the brawl last week with roughly the entire locker room, or other superstar’s troubles with WALTER and Imperium, there were a TON of other options for Kushida here. Mustache Mountain? Street Profits? How about Rik Bugez, Riddick Moss, anyone from 205 Live?

Nitpicky comments aside, the rationale put forth by Mauro Ranallo and Nigel McGuinness (and to a lesser extent, Beth Phoenix) as to WHY Kushida chose them and what it meant to Imperium made me appreciate the decision. “The mat is sacred,” says Imperium, so two guys dressed like Hot Cops teaming up with the Japanese Marty McFly would make WALTER’s buddies absolutely furious.And it absolutely showed during the match. Wolfe almost took out Breeze’s neck with a ridiculous straightjacket neckbreaker onto his knee, for Pete’s sake. Barthel is somehow perfect as a smarmy jerk of a heel, almost like the number two to WALTER’s leadership.

As for Aichner, I feel like I say this all the time about him, but this dude deserves an award for Most Improved. Remember him in the Cruiserweight Classic back in 2016? He’s like twice the size he was back then, but still moves the same way. It’s incredibly impressive.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1177037891198808065

One more nitpick on this one, but this one is a little bigger than “Why’d Kushida pick Breezango?” The main players in this story were Kushida and Imperium — yeah, Kushida got the pin, but his biggest involvement was really getting booted in the face by Big Daddy WALTER on the stage.

Winners: Kushida & Breezango

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 Stars

I truly enjoyed the match, because honestly almost all trios matches and six-person tag matches are great. It’s just the chaos of the excessive amount of bodies in the ringside area that adds to the match, you know? I just wish that Kushida had a bit more to do during it, since it was his story being told.

That’s a warp for this week’s episode of WWE NXT — what did you think? Sound off in the comments, and check out a full two hours on the USA Network next week, with a TON of championship matches!