NXT Recap (7/24): Priest Takes On Lee, Semifinal Breakout Tournament, Io Shirai In Action

Today’s episode of NXT Television was taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

Recap of last week’s NXT, when Adam Cole challenged Twan Tucker, a friend of Johnny Gargano, to an NXT title match. Gargano would appear and fight Cole all over the arena. Footage of General Manager William Regal announcing that Cole and Gargano would be facing each other at Takeover Toronto is played, with the bout being set as a 2-out of-3 falls, with each man getting to pick a stipulation. If it goes to a third fall, Regal will choose the final stipulation.

NXT intro song.

Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Beth Phoenix welcome us to another edition of NXT television. They reveal that Cole and Gargano will announce their chosen stipulations later on, then hype the evening’s main event: Keith Lee against Damian Priest.

Jordan Myles is out for our opening contest, which is a semifinal in the Breakout Tournament. He’ll be facing Angel Garza, who gets a nice ovation as he makes his way to the ring. Garza offers a handshake to Myles, but pulls away at the last second. Here we go.

Jordan Myles versus Angel Garza NXT Breakout Tournament Semifinal

Tie-up. Waistlock from Myles. Garza breaks free and they reset. Second exchange sees Myles grab a wristlock. He traps Garza’s arm off the ropes…Garza with an athletic escape…he reverses the pressure but Myles takes him right back to the mat with an arm-drag. He grinds his knee off Garza’s head…pace starts to pick up…Myles knocks Garza to ringside with a dropkick. Wrecking ball dropkick from Myles. He steps on to the apron…Garza plays possum and pulls Myles, who falls hard onto the apron. Garza slams Myles into the steel steps, then the barricade. Back in the ring…he removes the pull-away pants to a loud pop! Myles jumps back in but he’s met with a kick.

Garza goes for a butterfly piledriver…he switches it to a backbreaker. Cover…only two. Camel clutch by Garza…Myles escapes and rolls Garza up…two count. Thrust kick from Garza for a nearfall. PK to Myles’ chest. Over to the corner…Garza smashes Myles face off the middle turnbuckle. Garza goes to do it on the other side…Myles blocks it and unloads a flurry of kicks. Running elbow, followed by a sweepkick and basement dropkick. Myles hits a discus corner lariat. He climbs to the top…Garza rolls away…springboard maneuver attempt from Myles…Garza surprises him with a dropkick! Myles fires back another leg-sweep superkick combo. He dead-lift German suplexes Garza for the win.

Jordan Myles wins by pinfall and advances to the NXT Breakout Tournament Final

As Myles celebrates, Shane Thorne goes to the commentary table and rips Ranallo’s microphone away. He questions why is there a tournament when he’s been there for 3 years and is totally underutilized. He plans on making his presence known to the NXT Universe very soon.

Coming up next…Bianca Belair takes on Xia Li.

Preview for NXT U.K. Takeover Cardiff.

Promo from Johnny Gargano. He says Cole made this feud personal when he brought his family into this. “In Toronto, I’m going to do whatever it takes to beat the hell out of you.” Gargano then reveals that his stipulation is…A Street Fight.

Xia Li is out first, followed by the EST, Bianca Belair.

Xia Li versus Bianca Belair

Belair explodes out of the corner with shoulder thrusts to Li’s gut. She knocks Li in the back with clubbing strikes. Glam Slam and handspring moonsault in succession. Belair picks Li up…powerslam. Li connects with a strike but gets caught on a crossbody attempt…fallaway slam from Belair. She goes for a stalling vertical suplex…Li lands on her feet and unleashes a series of kicks. Belair slows her down…Argentine Facebuster. It’s over.

Bianca Belair wins by pinfall

Flashback to Killain Dain’s return to NXT and brutal assault on Matt Riddle. Dain narrates, stating that Riddle is a former UFC fighter and a worthy competitor. He warns that Riddle has only seen a glimpse of what Dain could do to him. “Welcome to my world,” growls Dain to end the segment.

Footage of Jessamyn Duke being attacked by Mia Yim at the Performance Center is played. Yim slams a locker on Duke’s head, then kicks another one into her shoulder. Duke screams in pain. This is all shown on security cameras.

NXT North American champion Velveteen Dream is out for a promo. “The only way the Velveteen Dream will step down…is if the experience dies,” says Dream. He claims that Roderick Strong sold his soul to the devil, for that is the only way he could have pinned the Dream during a match. He commends Strong on being a fantastic athlete, but says that this is the big time, and Strong is ready for a man like Dream. This brings out Strong, who says that Dream is scared. Scared that Strong could take his North American title in an instant. “And that Dream…is undisputed.”

Pete Dunne is here! Huge roar from the crowd! He enters the ring…Strong gets in his face…he snaps Strong’s fingers! Strong fleas. Dunne and Dream have a staredown, with Dunne eyeing the Dream’s title. Dream slowly exits, holding the championship high.

Commercial for the new WWE DVD celebrating 20 years of SmackDown.

Back from break…Roderick Strong drags a cameraman to William Regal’s office. He says he wants his rightfully earned title matchup with Velveteen Dream, and wonders why Pete Dunne is back in NXT. William Regal tells him that UK General Manager Johnny Saint has lent Dunne to NXT for a while. Regal then announces that Dream will defend his championship against Strong and Dunne at Takeover Toronto. Strong is not happy…he accepts that the match has been made, but wants to face Dunne next week.

Kacey Catanzaro is out for a women’s division bout. She faces Io Shirai.

Kacey Catanzaro versus Io Shirai

Shirai with a dropkick to start. Catanzaro falls to the corner. Running meteora from Shirai. Big backbreaker. Candie LeRae runs in and attacks Shira! Ref calls for the bell!

Io Shirai wins by disqualification

LeRae with a suicide dive. They brawl for a bit. LeRae grabs a chair but Shirai escapes. Both women scream insults at each other.

Cut to Adam Cole. He says it’s unfortunate what happened to Roderick Strong, but has faith that Strong can still walk out of that matchup as the North American champion. He also claims that Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish will become tag champs, and fulfill the Undisputed Era’s prophecy. He reveals his stipulation for Takeover Toronto to be….a basic singles matchup.

Scheduled for next week…Tyler Breeze versus Jaxson Ryker, and Pete Dunne versus Roderick Strong.

Main event time. Keith Lee out first. Damian Priest second. Split crowd. Here we go.

Keith Lee versus Damian Priest

Tie-up. Body lock from Lee but Priest immediately counters into a headlock. Priest off the ropes…shoulder bump…no one goes down. Priest fires off a couple of mid-kicks. Fun karate like sequence. Pace picks up…shoulder bump takes Priest down this time. He picks Priest up out of a knuckle-lock. Priest breaks free, then catches Lee in the knee with another kick. That sends the big man to the corner…where Priest smashes his face with a stomp. Suplex attempt…Lee blocks it…Priest with a standing lariat. A second one. Discus lariat takes Lee down. Submission applied. Priest goes for another suplex but he can’t get Lee up. Instead he reapplies the knuckle-lock and walks the ropes to hit a flying crossbody. Cover…Lee out at two.

Lee with a comeback. Three straight left hands, followed by a corner forearm. Running lariat for a nearfall. Quick combo by Priest. He again goes for a suplex…he gets him up…falcon arrow! Priest softens Lee up with Strikes…Lee fires right back with a double-chop. Misdirection from Lee…he sends Priest flying across the ring with a shoulder block. Lee calls for the jackhammer…Priest slides to the outside to regroup. Lee throws him back in…Priest catches him with a knee coming in. Priest with a tope con hilo attempt…LEE CAUGHT HIM. He goes for a spirit bomb…Priest lands on his feet…bicycle kick sends Lee into the steel steps! Lee back to his feet…he looks pissed. Priest runs back into the ring…he puts the referee in Lee’s path. Priest with a cyclone boot! Cross-Rhodes. Priest steals a victory.

Damian Priest wins by pinfall

Priest celebrates, with Lee looking disappointed for letting that match get away from he. He exits up the entrance path.

That’s the show friends.