WWE NXT will return to premium live event action for the first time since WrestleMania weekend tonight as Battleground takes place at the at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. Here are the NXT Battleground results.
The highlight of tonight’s event is the NXT Championship bout between the reigning champion Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker. Other highlight matches include the finals of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament between Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton, and a NXT North American Championship Triple Threat match between champion Wes Lee, Tyler Bate, and Joe Gacy.
Elsewhere in the night, the NXT Tag Team Championships will be up for grabs as Gallus defends their titles against The Creed Brothers, the NXT Heritage Cup Championship will see Noam Dar defend against Dragon Lee, and finally, Ilja Dragunov and Dijak will take part in a Last Man Standing Match.
The NXT Battleground results are as follows:
Match 1: Wes Lee (c) defeats Tyler Bate and Joe Gacy via pinfall – NXT North American Championship
NXT Battleground opened up with the Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Championship. In a stellar match, all three superstars put on a show to try and come out on top. Throughout the match, all three showcased their high-flying moves, with Gacy getting a slam in on Bate early for a near-fall.
Further into the match, Lee would get hot, and he and Gacy would go at it for a bit in a brawl that culiminated in an incredible segment where Gacy caught Lee and threw him into Bate with a powerbomb. Gacy then tried to lock in the Rings of Saturn on both superstars, but consecutive break ups ended any chance of that.
Toward the end of the match, the three began brawling again, with Lee getting the upper hand by dealing a series of Cardiac Kicks to both competitors before delivering running lbows against thm in the corner. After Bate was knocked out of the ring by Gacy, Lee tried to set up Joe on the top rope, but Gacy narrowly avoided a flying dive and Lee went flying over the ropes and into Bate.
Gacy and Lee were then left to brawl for a bit, before Gacy seemed to end things with a huge Uranage. However, as Gacy went into the ropes to begin his finisher, Lee delivered a vicious Cardiac Kick for the pin and win.
Match 2: Noam Dar defeats Dragon Lee via pinfall – NXT Heritage Cup Championship
In the first-ever match featuring the unique championship on U.S. soil, Noam Dar continued his reign thanks to some help throughout. In a match that was being held under British Rounds Rules, Dragon Lee mostly dominated the first round, getting some big hits in and ending things with a massive dropkick through the ropes that shocked Dar, and had Oro Mensah running down to ringside to support his friend.
In the second round, Dar shocked Lee with a big back elbow following a two-count that put him up 1-0 on falls relatively quickly. In the third round, Lee regained momentum, but Dar managed to stay away for a majority of the round, and ended things with a back elbow after the bell that earned him a stern warning from the referee.
The fourth round was all Lee’s, however, and even with Mensah interfering by helping Dar get to the ropes from a submission, Lee would put away Dar with a spinning death drop to tie up the falls.
In the fifth round, after both Mensah and Nathan Frazier had been ejected for brawling in the ring, Lee looked ready to put away his opponent. However, Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend came out of nowhere, and with Jackson distracting the referee, Legend hit Lee in the back with a spit bucket, allowing Dar just enough time to get a big kick in on Lee for the pin and win.
Match 3: Ilja Dragunov defeats Dijak via pinfall – Last Man Standing Match
In a match between two absolute warriors in NXT, things opened up with a back-and-forth slugfest between both superstars. After some chops and clotheslines, Dijak seemed to grab the upper hand by knocking Dragunov outside of th ring and then bringing the steel steps into the ring. After Dragunov tried to get some momentum using the steps, he inadvertently dove off of them and into the boot of Dijak.
As the match went on, the two continued to brawl, with Dijak getting hit with a DDT into the steps. After Dragunov stood up at five, he sent Dijak into the corner before picking up the steps and throwing them at the superstar, and then continued to barrage him with the steps.
However, Dijak shocked everyone by getting up at the ninth second, kickstarting another brawl that ended with Dijak chokeslamming Dragunov onto the apron. After pulling out a kendo stick, Dijak then whaled on Dragunov’s chest, taunting him in the process as Dragunov seemed to enjoy the hits.
Toward the end of the match, both Dijak and Dragunov nearly went out for the count. After getting hit with a diving forearm, Dragunov then hit an incredible high-flying move onto the back of Dijak, driving both himself and Dijak into a chair that had been set up in the ring. The referee began to count, but Dragunov got up right at seven to win the match.
Match 4: Gallus defeats The Creed Brothers via pinfall – NXT Tag Team Championship
In a battle between two of the biggest tag teams in NXT, it was Gallus again who would come out on top to win retain their titles in stunning fashion.
Early on, things were mostly even, with Brutus and Wolgang going at it before Brutus was able to gain some early momentum by locking in Coffey into a headlock, before Wolgang got tagged in and quickly cleared out the Creeds with a hot tag.
Later in the match, Brutush continued to dominate, hitting a belly-to-back suplex on Julius Coffey before he tagged Wolgang once again.
After the Creeds attempted a Doomsday late in the match, Gallus was able to respond with some big slams, leading to a brawl in the ring. Ivy Nile — who had appeared at ringside — then tried to help the Creeds win by taking out Mark Coffey, but in a surprise appearance, Ava came running out and took out Nile, distracting the Creeds and allowing Coffey to pin Julius with a big Boot of Doom.
Match 5: Tiffany Stratton defeats Lyra Valkyria via pinfall – NXT Women’s Championship Tournament Finals
A new NXT Women’s Champion was crowned tonight, as Stratton walked into the match promising a victory, and walked out with a new belt around her waist. In a brawl from the very start, Stratton continued to go after Valkyria’s injured knee, and eventually removed the brace she was wearing and began hitting her with a variety of leg-based attacks and kicks.
Toward the end of the match, Valkyria came just inches away from a win after hitting Stratton with a roundhouse kick. However, Stratton got the tip of her toe onto the rope, breaking up the count. After Valkyria tried to go for a powerbomb, Stratton hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever after a few previous slams to win and become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
Match 6: Carmelo Hayes defeats Bron Breakker via pinfall – NXT Championship
In a surprisingly quick match, Hayes was able to defend his NXT Championship against one of the fiercest competitors in NXT. The main event started with a brawl, as both superstars clearly were trying to land finishing hits from the start.
Hayes was able to get some solid kicks in on Breakker, who kept his distance but was eventually thrown outside of the ring. After getting his bearings, Breakker hit a powerslam on Hayes, before throwing him into the corner and hitting a series of shoulders.
Now in control, Breakker continued to taunt Hayes, even taking a few hits in with a laugh before Hayes was able to start punishing the challenger with some more kicks to Breakker’s injured leg. Despite the constant attack on his leg, Breakker was still able to nearly come away with a win, hitting a frankensteiner on Hayes for a near count. After trading some nearfalls, it looked like Breakker would walk out on top once again after hitting a massive spear on Hayes as Hayes dove off the ropes.
However, Hayes kicked out, stunning Breakker and Trick Williams, who was at ringside. After the kickout, Breakker became enraged, and began assaulting Hayes with some vicious b lows. However, Hayes quickly retaliated, countering a move before hitting the superkick on Breakker into a DDT, then the Nothing but Net to retain his title.