WWE NXT Results: Top team breaks up after 834 days; Ilja Dragunov speaks after potential career-threatening injury; massive return
We got another great episode of NXT tonight with some great matches while the injured champ Ilja Dragunov showed up unannounced.
- OTM def. Chase U
- Noam Dar def. Josh Briggs
- Cora Jade def. Karmen Petrovic
- Riley Osborne def. Lexis King
- Bron Breakker def. Nathan Frazer
- Oba Femi def. Tavion Heights
- Joe Gacy def. Joe Coffey
- Eddy Thorpe def. Dijak
WWE NXT Results (December 26, 2023): Chase U vs. OTM
Chase and Price kicked off the match, and OTM was in control early on before Hudson tagged in and tried to turn things around. Chase was back in and got caught in the wrong part of the ring before Duke came in and hit a Death Valley Driver on Lucien into his partner.
SCRYPTS ran interference and broke up the pin before Andre tagged in and headed up top, but Price caught him with a superkick and then a spinebuster before picking up the win.
Result: OTM def. Chase U
Grade: B
We got some year-end awards for the NXT locker room, and the Creed Brothers won Team of the Year, while Tiffany Stratton got Female Superstar of the Year and Ilja Dragunov got Male Superstar of the Year.
Backstage, Trick Williams wanted to postpone his match with Ilja Dragunov because of last week's injury. Carmelo Hayes tried to tell him to take his shot anyway before NXT moved on.
Noam Dar (c) vs. Josh Briggs - WWE NXT Heritage Cup match
Round One saw Briggs with the advantage and Dar being shoved around the ring. Briggs got a big slam and a knee drop for a near fall before hitting a powerbomb. Round Two had Briggs hit a big counter into a powerbomb and pick up the first point in the match.
Round Three saw Dar hit a big DDT on the apron before following it with a springboard kick. Dar got the Nova Roller in Round Four, but Briggs managed to kick out of it. Lash Legend attacked Briggs with the bucket before the latter barely avoided being pinned. Briggs attacked Dar with the same bucket as the ref called for a DQ finish.
Result: Noam Dar def. Josh Briggs
Grade: B+
Axiom and Nathan Frazer were backstage, and the latter was trash-talking about Bron Breakker without realizing that Bron was right behind him.
Frazer and Breakker argued for a bit before deciding on a match later in the night.
Cora Jade vs. Karmen Petrovic on WWE NXT
Petrovic got some big moves early on and hit a sunset flip, but Cora came back with a rinsing knee and a big stomp.
Karmen got another takedown off a big top rope roundhouse kick. Cora managed to kick out of it and hit a big DDT before winning her first singles match in nearly five months!
Result: Cora Jade def. Karmen Petrovic
Jade attacked Petrovic after the match, and Gigi Dolin came out to make the save.
Grade: C
Lexis King vs. Riley Osborne - WWE NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament
Osborne got some big moves early and tossed King around the ring before being sent into ropes with a cheap shot. Lexis went for the half crab, but it was broken before Osborne got a corkscrew moonsault for a near fall.
King hit a backbreaker and backstabber combo for a near fall before dropping Riley on the top turnbuckle. Trey Bearhill came out with a steel chair and ran distraction, while Osborne came in with a Shooting Star Press and picked up the win.
Result: Riley Osborne def. Lexis King
Bearhill attacked King, and the latter took some damage to his back before running away.
Grade: B-
The NXT year-end awards continued, and Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov at No Mercy won Match of the Year, while The Undertaker's appearance won Moment of the Year.
Bron Breakker vs. Nathan Frazer on WWE NXT
Frazer was being tossed around the ring but hit back with some strikes before taking another hip toss from Bron. Frazer hit some more strikes to the head before sending Bron through the ropes to the outside and hitting a big dive.
Frazer sent Bron into the steel steps outside before heading back to the ring for a top rope crossbody but got caught and planted by Breakker. Frazer came back with a Superkick before missing the splash and taking a spear before Bron picked up the win.
Result: Bron Breakker def. Nathan Frazer
Grade: B
Drew Gulak and his crew challenged Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro to a tag match next week before we saw Briggs, Jensen, and Fallon Henley backstage.
The team had realized that Briggs wanted to be a singles competitor, and they parted ways so he could do so.
Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport were backstage and set up their match next week in a joint interview.
Oba Femi vs. Tavion Heights - WWE NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament
Femi was in control early on and got some big hits before getting a near fall off a big Uranage Backbreaker. Heights sent Femi outside before the match returned to the ring, and Tavion took a big drop.
Heights took a big uppercut but hit a Death Valley Driver and a German Suplex. Femi came back with a lariat and tossed Heights onto the mat before hitting a pop-up powerbomb for the win.
Result: Oba Femi def. Tavion Heights
Grade: C
We saw Ilja Dragunov show up to the arena in a neck brace, and he said that he was there to meet Trick.
Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey on WWE NXT
Joe Gacy made his in-ring return after a while and was tossed out of the ring early on. Coffey hit a dive to the outside before we headed back to the ring, and Gacy got a big sidewalk slam before a distraction from Gallus broke up the pin.
Hank and Tank came out to chase off Gallus before Gacy got a big uranage, and Joe came back with the Glasgow sendoff in the corner. Gacy got a rolling lariat before picking up the win.
Result: Joe Gacy def. Joe Coffey
Grade: B-
Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak - WWE NXT Underground Match
Thorpe started strong and got a takedown before Dijak turned it around. The two were trading holds before Dijak got a big powerbomb. Dijak hit a dive to the outside before heading back in to take a brainbuster from Thorpe.
Dijak got two spinning boots to the head before Eddy blocked the third and hit a kick of his own. Dijak hit Feast Your Eyes after countering a big move, and Thorpe was dropped at ringside.
Dijak took out some of the officials before being dropped back into the ring by Thorpe. Dijak was about to hit Eddy with a belt, but the latter blocked in and hit Manifest Destiny before hitting Dijak with the belt.
Eddy applied a headlock, but it was broken before Thorpe got some hits and another Manifest Destiny. Thorpe went for the headlock again before Dijak walked up the steel steps with Eddy on his back.
Thorpe hit Manifest Destiny from the steps onto the announce desk before picking up the win.
Result: Eddy Thorpe def. Dijak
Grade: A
Backstage, Trick and Dragunov were signing the match contract, and Williams said he would push the match back if needed.
Ilja said that nothing could stop him and signed the contract anyway before NXT went off the air.