WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Aug. 29

The top women in NXT fought in a Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender's match after doing battle at Heatwave last week.Credit: WWE.com.

The August 29 edition of WWE NXT was set up as the first step in building the future of the gold brand.

Tiffany Stratton's next challenger would be determined in a Fatal 4-Way match involving Roxanne Perez, Blair Davenport, Gigi Dolin and Kiana James.

The Creed Brothers fought for their NXT futures when they faced The Dyad in a steel cage match. Would Julius and Brutus Creed be able to win their jobs back and put the feud with Joe Gacy and Schism to bed?

Eddy Thorpe wanted revenge against Dijak after their brutal first encounter. Could he conquer the most dangerous rival of his WWE career to date?

The Global Heritage Invitational to crown the next challenger to Noam Dar's Heritage Cup began. In the first matches, Nathan Frazer would battle Joe Coffey, and Butch would make his return to NXT to face Charlie Dempsey.

This night was loaded with great wrestling, and the results could set a tone that would extend all the way to No Mercy on September 30.

Schism followers grabbed Brutus Creed and carried him away, leaving Julius Creed alone against Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler.

Brutus finally got back into the match in time to hit a Brutus Bomb and side-by-side low clotheslines with his brother to win.

Steel cage matches have become very similar over the years, but it's obvious everyone involved wants to do something unique. This match never relied on the escape option or had anyone but the competitors step inside the structure.

From keeping Brutus out of the action for a while to the use of the cage door as a weapon, this match was wild and built to a furious climax that had the fans on their feet.

These teams have always had great chemistry, but this was their best match together and likely their last. It was one of the best matches on NXT television in a while.

The balance in NXT is restored, and the brand has a chance to put The Creeds back in title contention. Hopefully, the Schism story is over for Diamond Mine.

Result

The Creed Brothers def. The Dyad by double pinfall and have been reinstated.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• With Fowler in an ankle lock, Julius used just one arm to powerbomb Reid in one of the most impressive moves of his NXT career.
• Brutus finally returned and ripped the door off the cage to get into the action. He then used the door as a weapon against The Dyad.
• Ava walked out after the loss, and Ivy Nile came out to celebrate.
  

Before the match, NXT showed a video package, highlighting the rules of the invitational as a round-robin format akin to the G1 Climax in New Japan Pro-Wrestling but shorter.

The participants were also confirmed:

• Group A: Charlie Dempsey, Butch, Tyler Bate and Axiom.
  
• Group B: Nathan Frazer, Joe Coffey, Duke Hudson and Akira Tozawa.
  

Dempsey could not keep up with the technical offense of Butch, who put him away with the Bitter End.

This was a fine match but not long enough as an introduction to the Global Heritage Invitational. Butch and Dempsey worked smoothly together with less than five minutes.

It would not be surprising if the Brawling Brute won his group, even with great competition. This is a chance to really rebuild him while he is stuck in tag team action on SmackDown.

Result

Butch def. Dempsey by pinfall to earn two points in Group A.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Meta-Four watched the match from what was once The Toxic Lounge.
• Butch landed on his feet off a superplex attempt and then snapped the fingers of Dempsey.
• Later, Fallon Henley convinced Myles Borne to team up with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen against Drew Gulak, Dempsey and Damon Kemp next week.
• Tyler Bate promised to win the Global Invitational but first challenged Dabba-Kato next week to fight him.
  

Ilja Dragunov tried to lay out a challenge to Carmelo Hayes, but Noam Dar and Meta-Four interrupted to talk up The Scottish Supernova.

Oro Mensah agreed to a match with The Mad Dragon next week before the two brawled.

Meta-Four remain one of the most entertaining acts in NXT. It did not make sense for them to pick a fight with Dragunov, but it gives Mensah more spotlight. He should have a good contest with The Mad Dragon.

WWE is clearly setting the stage for the Melo vs. Dragunov rematch. However, it should not happen until No Mercy, so the next few weeks will focus on building rather than rushing it.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Dragunov showed respect to Trick Williams for stepping up, even if he lost.
  
• The Street Profits made a surprise appearance to congratulate Melo, who walked away to focus on The Mad Dragon. They also challenged The Family. Dana Brooke, Kelani Jordan, Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice brawled behind them.
• Later, Melo asked Trick if he thought he could beat Dragunov. His friend confirmed that he knew he could beat The Mad Dragon.
  
• Dragon Lee wanted the next shot at the NXT North American Championship, but Mustafa Ali interrupted to lay his own claim to the title.
  
• Von Wagner laid out a challenge to Bron Breakker for a No Disqualification match next week. Later, Breakker warned Baron Corbin to stay out of his business.
  

Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice looked like a lethal combination, and Dana Brooke and Kelani Jordan could not match their team chemistry.

Vice and Lopez hit a combination roundhouse kick and spinebuster on Jordan to win.

This was a good match, but no one looked polished in the ring. Everyone was rushing to get in their spots. Brooke and Jordan are not as cohesive a team as they should be given their similar backgrounds.

Vice and Lopez are building some credibility as a team. They could be an interesting challenge for Chelsea Green and Piper Niven at the right moment.

Result

Lopez and Vice def. Brooke and Jordan by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• The crowd was fully behind Vice while booing Brooke when she got involved.
• After the loss, Brooke screamed in frustration about another failure.
  

Dijak tried every short cut to hurt Eddy Thorpe. It paid off as he used a steel chair to distract the referee. This allowed him to knock out his rival with a belt-loaded fist and hit the discus big boot to win.

Twice now, Hard Justice has picked up the victory over Thorpe, but this time, it was especially messy. Given the dirty finish, Thorpe will get one more shot, and it should have a stipulation. The best option would be a bull rope match or something similar.

That should allow Thorpe to win the most important bout, perhaps on a big stage like No Mercy. While the first two matches have been too short to shine, a third bout at a premium live event could steal the show.

Result

Dijak def. Thorpe by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• This match started off fast as both went for their finishers, but they were countered.
• Hard Justice took off his belt as a weapon. Both tried to use it against the other, but neither could land the shot until the finish.
  

In a somewhat shocking result, Joe Coffey ducked a Phoenix Splash and hit All The Best for the Bells to defeat Nathan Frazer clean.

This was a more complete bout than the first match in the Invitational. The former Heritage Cup winner made the Gallus Boy look like a beast, and Wolfgang and Mark Coffey never had to get involved.

Joe has not been set up at the level of Frazer so far, but this tournament could be his big break. Round-robin formats allow for interesting results like this.

Result

Joe def. Frazer by pinfall to earn two points in Group B.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Joe crashed to the outside, allowing Frazer to hit a tope and springboard frog splash for a memorable near-fall.
• In a disappointing announcement, Vic Joseph said Duke Hudson vs. Akira Tozawa for Group B would happen on NXT Level Up.
• NXT showed the beautiful tribute video for Bray Wyatt. He will be missed.
  
• Humberto went to Angel's home, and they agreed that the former's grandfather had sent them a message to stay together. They will return next week.
• Dominik Mysterio announced he would be the special guest referee for Dragon Lee vs. Mustafa Ali where the winner would fight him at No Mercy.
• Thea Hail skipped the latest Chase U class and then went out with Jacy Jayne.
  

After Roxanne Perez hit Pop Rox on Blair Davenport, Kiana James caught The Prodigy with the 401K. She then hit Gigi Dolin with an inverted low stomp facebuster to take the win.

James and Tiffany Stratton faced off afterward.

This was a fun Fatal 4-Way in which the women found creative ways to stay in the action. Perez was all over this especially, rarely taking a breather at ringside like most do in these battles.

While it was surprising that James won, this was mitigated by the announcement that the title match was happening next week and not at No Mercy. Hopefully, the goal is still for Stratton vs. Perez at the PLE.

Stratton vs. James can be a solid match. It will be a major test for the challenger, who has gotten steadily better in 2023.

Result

James def. Dolin, Perez and Davenport by pinfall to earn an NXT Women's Championship match next week.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Each competitor said their piece throughout the night to hype this main event.
• James added a new wrinkle to her entrance with an animated helicopter.
• Perez nearly flipped all three other competitors into a Boston crab, but Davenport broke it up.
• Wes Lee left a message for Carmelo Hayes that he would get a rematch.
• The show ended with Melo telling Shawn Michaels that they needed to talk.
  

The Creed Brothers and The Dyad started the show off hot, and nothing else quite lived up to that energy. However, there were no real down moments on a night that delivered when it mattered.

The main event was a solid showcase for the top women in NXT, especially Roxanne Perez. Kiana James earned the biggest opportunity of her career, setting the stage for a make-or-break moment next week.

The Global Heritage Invitational started off solid, though the matches were too short for the talent involved. This is a chance to bet on the talent to perform. Hopefully, that will come in bouts like Butch vs. Tyler Bate and Nathan Frazer vs. Akira Tozawa.

The brand did not do much with the NXT Championship scene, but it looks like bigger things are coming next week when it comes to Trick Williams and Ilja Dragunov. Wes Lee may also be still in the mix.

The NXT product is solid at the moment. While the biggest stars were mostly backstage, a strong series of matches made up for that.

Overall Grade: B-