Our WWE NXT Gold Rush results for tonight include John Cena returning to select Men’s & Women’s Iron Survivor Competitors, Zaria clashing with Fallon Henley in the tournament final for the vacant WWE Women’s Speed Championship, TNA Knockouts World Champion Kelani Jordan defending against Jordynne Grace and TNA’s Léi Yǐng Lee in a triple threat match, Jackson Drake defending the WWE Evolve Championship against Sean Legacy, and WWE Evolve Women’s Championship is on the line when Kendal Grey defending against Lainey Reid. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
WWE NXT Gold Rush Card:
- Tournament Final for the Vacant WWE Women’s Speed Championship: Zaria vs. Fallon Henley
- Triple threat Match for the TNA Knockouts World Championship: Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Léi Yǐng Lee
- WWE Evolve Championship Match: Jackson Drake (c) vs. Sean Legacy
- WWE Evolve Women’s Championship Match: Kendal Grey (c) vs. Lainey Reid
- John Cena to select Men’s & Women’s Iron Survivor Competitors
WWE NXT Gold Rush Results:
Evolve Championship Match: Jackson Drake (c) vs. Sean Legacy
Drake and Legacy trade takedowns and submission holds. Neither man can get the advantage until Legacy lands two atomic drops. Drake kicks out of Legacy’s corkscrew press. Drake’s stablemates Swipe Right are at ringside. After a distraction from Smokes, Drake levels Legacy from behind. Drake counters Legacy and sends him into the corner with a suplex. After the break, Drake lands a running knee for the win.
Winner and STILL Evolve Champion, Jackson Drake!
Grade: C
This match was just two kids doing moves. Very little was sold, which means nothing registered, so who cares? Both of these guys are clearly talented, but in the words of every vet ever: slow down.
Tournament Final for the Vacant WWE Women’s Speed Championship: Zaria vs. Fallon Henley w/Fatal Influence
Henley and Zaria wrestle to a time limit draw.
NXT GM Ava walks out on the ramp and announces the match is now sudden death. First pin wins. Henley takes control after Reid pulls her out of the way of a charging Zaria. Zaria crashes into the ring steps. Henley hits a shining wizard, followed by a Famouser for the win.
Winner and NEW Speed Champion, Fallon Henley!
Grade: C
So they didn’t want to beat either of these women in three minutes, so they went to a draw and sudden death, essentially making this a regular match… Look, this writer is a big Henley fan, but this entire thing was just silly. The Speed title needs to go away. Convert it to a light heavyweight championship and call it a day.
Triple threat Match for the TNA Knockouts World Championship: Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Léi Yǐng Lee
Lee managed a ton of offense in this one, lighting up Grace and Jordan with strikes. Lee goes up top, and Jordan pushes her to the floor. Jordan eventually takes Grace off the top with a Spanish Fly. Lee counters a kick from Jordan into a heel hook. Grace breaks that up by powerbombing Jordan. Grace drops Jordan with a spinning powerbomb. Lee breaks up the hold with a spin kick. Lee pins Jordan.
Winner and NEW TNA Knockouts Champion, Léi Yǐng Lee!
Grade: B
Solid triple threat match. They didn’t overdo the periods where the third competitor disappears into ether, while the other two have a singles match. Lee was the right person to win this. TNA needs to win more on NXT TV. This was a good start.
WWE Evolve Women’s Championship Match: Kendal Grey (c) vs. Lainey Reid
Reid and Grey trade strikes. Grey runs circles around Reid and lands a dropkick for a nearfall. The fight spills out of the ring. Reid sends Grey into the ring steps. After the break, Grey flattens Reid with a moonsault. Tons of outside shenanigans lead to the return of Charlie Dempsey and Reid getting a near fall. The referee kicks everyone from ringside. Grey hits a German suplex off the top. Shades of Grey by Grey. Grey pins Reid.
Winner and STILL Evolve Women’s Champion, Kendal Grey!
Grade: B-
Fun match. Way better and cohesive than the Men’s Evolve Championship. This was just a step slower than that match, and that makes every action taken in the ring that much more impactful. Towards the end, this turned into a mess with some unnecessary outside interference.
Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Myles Borne vs. Trick Williams
Williams levels Borne with a clothesline. Dropkick by Borne. Williams kicks out. Suplex by Williams. Borne backflips out of a suplex by Williams. Borne again by Borne. Williams kicks at two. After the break, Borne and Williams trade big moves. Williams counters Borne Again and sends Borne over the top. Williams crashes into the ring steps. Borne hits Borne again on the floor. Williams rolls in and Borne hits a third Borne Again for the win.
Winner- Myles Borne
After the match, DarkState surrounds the ring. Joe Hendry, Je’Von Evans, and Leon Slater hit the ring and stand with Borne.
Grade: C+
This seemed like an ill-conceived sendoff for Williams. If Williams is moving up, he should put someone over on the way out. That said, I’m not sure it should have been Borne. The crowd gave little to no ‘ishes about Borne winning this match. The crowd literally went mild.
WWE NXT Review:
Not much to say here. This was another blaśe episode of NXT. At this point, they have been treading water for what seems like forever. The Knockout’s Championship triple threat was the match of the night, but that isn’t exactly high praise considering how boring and somehow also overbooked the rest of the show was. What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments.
Rating: C
This event is ongoing. This information will be updated as the event progresses.
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