Date: 08/03	7:00 PM
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Nickolye's WWE NXT recap for August 3, 2021 at 8 PM ET. Dakota Kai turned on Raquel Gonzalez. Kyle O'Reilly laid out Adam Cole. Samoa Joe is now reactivated as a competitor in NXT. All of this happened last week! What's gonna happen tonight? Also, Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis battle for Indi Hartwell in a "Love Her or Lose Her" Match! NXT is back in the Capitol Wrestling Center, now with a full crowd! Hit F5 or refresh as often as you like for the latest updates!

* Hit Row vs. Legado Del Fantasma

After a brief scuffle at the start, Ashante Thee Adonis and Raul Mendoza start the match for their respective teams. Adonis plants him with a DDT, but misses a diving crossbody from the top rope. Joaquin Wilde tags in, Adonis hits a neckbreaker, and tags out to the big man. Top Dolla dominates over Wilde with an arm wrench lift, short-arm shoulder block, sits him on the top turnbuckle and pulls him down with one hand. Wilde fights off both men, but Adonis dropkicks him as he was attempting a headscissors, and clotheslines him a couple of times followed by a flapjack. Santos Escobar jumps on the apron, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott gets up too to get in his face, and that was all a distraction for Wilde to throw Adonis into the plexiglass barricade before our first commercial break.

When we come back from break, Legado Del Fantasma are in control hitting a double dropkick to Adonis, and they continue to tag in and out with corner clotheslines, then they deliver a double suplex. Mendoza hits a bottom-rope springboard moonsault for a 2-count then puts him in a chinlock, Adonis rolls him up, avoids a shining wizard, dropkicks him and makes the hot tag. Top Dolla blasts through both men, hits a sidewalk slam to Wilde, and Escobar hits him on the back with a steel chair! WINNERS by DQ: HIT ROW.

Escobar whacks Top Dolla on the back with the chair again and shoves him into the steel steps! Mendoza and Wilde beat down Swerve inside the ring with Escobar getting in a couple of kicks. Escobar hits Swerve in the ribs with the chair and rips his grill from his mouth! Legado Del Fantasma attempt to Pillmanize him on the neck, but Top Dolla pulls Swerve out the ring to save him then stares at the trio. B-FAB hits Wilde on the back with the chair! Top Dolla hits Escobar and Mendoza with a double dropkick, and Adonis plants Wilde with a spinebuster and superkick! Top Dolla tosse Mendoza to Swerve for him to hit the JML Driver. Escobar poses with Swerve's grill as his last laugh.

Samoa Joe is pacing in the back, William Regal shows up with security to stay with Joe, and tells him now that he's a competitor once again he has to secure they have their match at NXT TakeOver. Breaktime. Dexter Lumis is in a dark room drawing a picture that reads In-Dex.

* Ridge Holland vs. Ikemen Jiro

Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan are at ringside for Holland's match. Holland overpowers Jiro right at the beginning with a hard uppercut and short kneedrop to the head. Jiro counters a chinlock with a jawbreaker with some jacket strikes, but Holland shoves him to the floor from the ropes and tackles him into the barricade. Holland delivers an exploder suplex, tears up Jiro's jacket and throws it out the ring, then does a couple of arm-trap suplexes, a powerslam, and gets the win. WINNER: RIDGE HOLLAND.

Pete Dunne talks down about Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher while praising himself, Oney Lorcan and Ridge Holland. "Prove me wrong, I dare ya!"

Franky Monet blames her loss last week on Robert Stone while calling him and Jessi Kamea losers who are used to losing. She tells them that if they want to team with her, then it's Franky's rules or nothing. We get a video package to highlight the upcoming match with Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong, coming up next. After the break, we get a video package for Trey Baxter who will be competing in the NXT Breakout Tournament.

* Bobby Fish vs. Roderick Strong

The match between former Undisputed Era stablemates commences with a strong collar-and-elbow tie-up with a clean break, and the snapmares, headlocks, shoulder blocks soon follow. They scuffle on the mat, Fish corners him with punches to the body, snap suplex, and puts him in a headlock. The rest of Diamond Mine look on from outside the ring as Strong takes the mount with a headlock, but Fish counters with a snapmare and kick to the back. Both men slug it out with punches and chops until Fish sweeps the leg and takes control with a high kick to the upper chest before the break.

This match continues with picture-in-picture, so we see both men fight on the apron, Fish sweeps his leg again with a roundhouse, throws him back into the ring and covers for a 1-count. Fish delivers a back suplex, Strong responds with a backbreaker, he covers for a 2-count, then works the back in a bow-and-arrow submission. Strong clubs him on the back, Fish strikes back, kicks him in the chest, and delivers more body blows.

Back full-screen now from break, Fish is still striking him, but Strong plays hurt before attacking him and covers for 1, delivers a suplex, another 1-count, a backbreaker, and a 2-count. Strong hits a pendulum backbreaker for 2, puts him in a seated abdominal stretch, Fish gets out and both men start trading punches. Fish kicks him in the chest, more kicks and punches, sliding clothesline, and a 2-count. Fish trips him for more low strikes, Strong battles back with a suplex slam, Malcolm Bivens continues to coach him, Strong hits running elbows, face-first suplex slam, and gets a near-fall. Fish connects with a roundhouse kick to the head, covers, and Strong kicks out at 2.5! Strong shoves him off the ropes, throws him back in, Fish schoolboy rolls him up for 2, Strong hits a jumping knee, connects with End of Heartache and gets the 1-2-3! WINNER: RODERICK STRONG!

Cameron Grimes shows up in LA Knight's locker room and asks for permission to get ready, but Knight tells him that he's going to wrestle in that suit. They have a match with GYV, so he wants to know if he can trust him. Grimes assures him that he'll be there for him, but he wants to know if it's reciprocal. Knight tells him not to worry, then orders him to shine his boot. Breaktime.

* Cameron Grimes & LA Knight {Million Dollar Champion} vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

The GYV make comments about Grimes and Knight, telling them to stay out of their way as they will soon be NXT Tag Team Champions. Grimes is forced to start the match first, Zack Gibson will start as well, and Grimes takes it to him. Knight tags in to go on offense, but GYV quickly get the upper hand. Knight counters a suplex with a neckbreaker on James Drake, makes the tag, Grimes hits a diving crossbody block, laughs in his suit, Knight distracts him, and that allows GYV to take control taking out both men. Grimes throws Drake out the ring, counters a chinlock by Gibson, gives him a back body drop, then goes for the hot tag - but Knight jumps down off the apron avoiding it. Knight smiles telling him to continue the fight, so Grimes throws down his gloves and gets down to business! Grimes fights with both of GYV, shoves them into each other, does a hurricanrana to both, kicks Gibson in the chest, hits Drake with the flipping slam, and gets a near-fall! "To the moon!" Gibson distracts him, tags in, they hit the Ticket to Mayhem, and GYV get the 3-count. WINNERS: GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS!

TED DiBIASE comes down to the ring to console Cameron Grimes! DiBiase tells Grimes that he's got to find some way to get out of his situation, because Knight is going to keep doing this to him. Breaktime. We get a video package highlighting Samoa Joe's career in NXT. Joe is the first-ever 2-time NXT Champion, he crossed paths with the best of the best, and now he's BACK as a competitor.

Next we have a video package of Dakota Kai explaining her actions last week when she turned on her friend. Dakota enlisted Raquel Gonzalez as her backup which allowed her to eliminate her rivals like Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, and Rhea Ripley. Suddenly, Gonzalez became her own star, they became the first-ever NXT Women's Tag Team Champions, and then at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver it was Io Shirai who challenged Raquel to a match - not Dakota. Then, Raquel Gonzalez became the NXT Women's Champion, and Dakota Kai became the women on the sidelines saying she is nobody's sidekick. Dakota takes pride in making her statement against her friend, and promises to take her out of this world and back into obscurity.

The Garganos get interviewed next and they say they know what's best for Indi. Johnny says the fate of Indi's life rests in his hands and tonight he will end In-Dex. Time for another video package, this time for Joe Gacy before he competes in the NXT Breakout Tournament, which is next. The commentators tell us that Adam Cole suffered a neck compression and spinal compression after the attack by Kyle O'Reilly last week.

* NXT Breakout Tournament 1st Round Match: Trey Baxter vs. Joe Gacy

Gacy blocks a rollup, tosses him across the ring, doesn't budge from a clothesline, and chops him down. Baxter does an upkick, dropkicks him in the back, Gacy catches him off a suicide dive, bounces him off the ropes and forearms him in the face. Back in the ring, Gacy tries to wear him down, Baxter counters into a sleeper hold, Gacy throws him down, Baxter kicks him off, Gacy headbutts him, clotheslines him against the ropes, suplexes him into the ring, and covers for 2. Baxter hits a springboard dropkick, connects with two suicide dives and a Fosbury Flop, hits a splash off the bottom ropes for 2, goes back to the sleeper hold, but Gacy counters by throwing himself and Baxter into the bottom turnbuckle. Baxter drops him on the top rope, hits a 450 DOUBLE FOOT STOMP, covers, and gets the 3! WINNER and Advancing to the Semi-Finals: TREY BAXTER!

Earlier today, Zoey Stark and Io Shirai were at a sushi bar. Stark wants to connect with her NXT Tag Team Champion partner, she even name-drops Kairi Sane as her connection in the past, and wants to be on the same page as her. Io ordered her food (in Japanese), Zoey got the same, but she doesn't like the food as she tossed much of the sushi aside and in napkins. Io left Zoey with the bill, and thanks her for it. Breaktime.

After the break, Indi Hartwell is torn between family and true love. She says Dexter is just misunderstood, but tonight we'll find out if it's meant to be. Beth Phoenix is most invested in this match. Suddenly the commentators all scatter as NXT Champion Karrion Kross storms over and stands on the commentary table! "HEY JOE! You quit your job because you think you can make a change around here?! You can't control this place! You couldn't then, and you can't now. So tell me something Joe, who provoked who?!" Samoa Joe makes his way out with the security members trying to hold him back, but Joe bulldozes his way down and fights them all off. Joe gets in the ring, throws one security out the ring, clotheslines another, gives one a Urinage and locks him in the Coquina Clutch! "KROSS! I'm coming for you."

Next, we get a Prime Target video for a match taking place at NXT TakeOver 36. The rematch between WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship has a lot of eyes on it, especially after their last brutal battle got a lot of attention. Ilja calls him arrogant, and Walter calls him a fraud. This will be a big fight for the heavyweight title! The main event is next.

After the break, we get words from the Cruiserweight Champion, Kushida. "You want a title shot at the NXT Cruiserweight Championship? You got it!" Next week, the NXT Women's Champion will break her silence after her attack from Dakota Kai. Also next week, Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly will go face-to-face, and Ember Moon takes on Sarray in a first-ever matchup! Not only that, but Ilja Dragunov makes his NXT debut in the CWC next week!

* "Love Her or Lose Her" Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis

Lumis wants to love her, but Gargano wants him to lose her. Will Indi Hartwell's heart be filled or broken? Can In-Dex be a thing in NXT? We'll find out by the end of this match. Gargano gets a side headlock, does a couple of armdrags, Lumis gives him a couple of armdrags of his own, dropkicks him, and slithers in his face until Johnny's slides out the ring. Gargano hits a suplex on the floor, Indi Hartwell comes down to ringside, Gargano has a few words with her, Lumis hits him with a Thesz Press with punches, and hits a back elbow. Gargano hits heavy forearms, Lumis slides out the ring, gets under it, Indi goes after him, Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano pull her out, and Lumis comes out with her! Gargano kicks him as he was staring at Indi, and shoves him into the steel steps and the barricade before our final commercial break.

We get picture-in-picture for this final match, and Gargano gets punches while on the apron, but he still hits the slingshot spear. Lumis fights back, but Gargano hits a dropkick to the back of the head after a snapmare, and gets a 2-count for it.

Gargano has him in an ab stretch when we come back. Lumis uppercuts him, plants him with a spinebuster, and Indi is torn on who to cheer for. Lumis clotheslines him in a corner, hits a buldog, back suplex, kips up, legdrop, and gets a near-fall. Gargano blocks him sending him to the floor, hits a suicide dive, and yells at Beth Phoenix blaming her for this. Lumis hits a rebound falcon arrow, gets 2.5, goes up top, Gargano rolls out the way and superkicks him for 2.9! Both men start trading punches, Lumis hits a pop-up uppercut, Gargano superkicks him, Lumis superkicks him back, and he falls locking eyes with Indi. Lumis goes for the springboard elbow drop that Indi does, but Gargano rolled out of the way and locks in the Gargano Escape in front of Indi! Lumis crawls, caresses Indi's face before grabbing the bottom rope, and Candice yells at her for it. Lumis rolls up Gargano for 1-2-NO! Lumis collided with Hartwell knocking her off the apron, uppercuts Gargano, checks on Indi, but takes a suicide diving DDT on the floor! Gargano hits ONE FINAL BEAT and covers for three. WINNER: JOHNNY GARGANO!

This means that Lumis must "lose her" per the stipulation. Johnny and Candice escort Indi up the ramp, but Indi looks back at Dexter, runs to the ring, and tackles him to MAKE OUT! Dexter Lumis lost, but he still gets the girl...?