Date: 08/17	7:00 PM
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Nickolye's WWE NXT recap for August 17, 2021 at 8 PM ET. Tonight is the go-home show before NXT TakeOver this Sunday. MSK will defend the NXT Tag Team Titles against Imperium. Samoa Joe and NXT Champion Karrion Kross will be face to face before their battle this Sunday at NXT TakeOver 36. 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!

Diamond Mine (sans released Tyler Rust) is in the ring when the show opens. Malcolm Bivens calls Kushida a liar and a coward, says Roderick Strong wants a match tonight, Bivens wants his payday, and Strong issues an open challenge. Apparently, Kushida is not medically cleared to compete tonight. Ilja Dragunov comes out to answer the open challenge!

* Roderick Strong vs. Ilja Dragunov

Not sure how wise it is for Dragunov to answer this challenge so close to his title match, but he shows no regret for taking this match, especially as he and Strong start chopping each other's chests super loud! Dragunov takes him down with a backhand chop followed by a senton for a 1-count, then goes to a side headlock. Strong is giving hard knife edge chops to the chest, and Dragunov's chest is as red as his trunks! Dragunov chops Strong in the thigh, slaps to the back, kneelift, dropkicks him in the ropes sending him to the floor, and they go back to chopping each other. Strong sends him into the steel steps, delivers a Urinage backbreaker on the apron, and we take our first commercial break.

During picture-in-picture, Strong gets a 2-count then puts him in a modified chinlock until Dragunov fights out and chops him again. Strong stomps him all over the mat, dropkicks him, gets a 2-count, and tries to hold him down. Dragunov fights back and even takes him down a couple of times.

When we come back, however, Strong delivers a belly-to-back suplex and covers for 2 then puts him in a seated abdominal stretch. Dragunov rolls through with elbows, hits a German suplex, another German suplex, Dragunov is busted open and bleeding, Strong fights out with elbows, misses the jumping knee, Dragunov hits a jumping enzuigiri, delivers a cradle suplex, and gets a near-fall. Strong hits the jumping knee to block the tornado, but Dragunov hits the Torpedo Moscow for the win! WINNER: ILJA DRAGUNOV!

Dragunov calls out the NXT UK Champion Walter but he doesn't show. Samoa Joe is arriving to the building. After a commercial break, we get the Prime Target video package to highlight the intense feud between Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole, leading up to The Undisputed Finale this Sunday in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match.

Hit Row head to the ring, and we get a reminder that two weeks ago Santos Escobar ripped out Swerve's grill from his mouth. Swerve threatens then when he sees Escobar he's going after him. Escobar shows up on the big screen in the parking lot to say that after seeing his mask get burned up, he now realizes how much the grill means to Swerve's culture. Escobar says that he's alone and will give the grill back to Swerve like gentlemen as long as he's alone as well. Swerve says "Say less" and heads out to the parking lot against Hit Row's wishes. Swerve bursts out the door, walks towards Escobar, then Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza walk behind him, but Swerve realizes the trap and fights them off. The rest of Hit Row head out to join the melee, and just as Legado Del Fantasma have the upper hand B-Fab strikes with a lead pipe! Hit Row get the advantage, Swerve taks his grill back, and they slam Escobar into the door.

We see LA Knight working out as Cameron Grimes stands by. Knight laughs that he'll have Ted DiBiase as his partner if he beats Grimes this Sunday, orders him to get some water, then offers up money to have Grimes beaten up. Josh Briggs accepts the offer so he'll take on Grimes in the ring. Breaktime.

All three members of Imperium stand together, and Walter says this is about them winning the Tag Team Titles tonight. Ted DiBiase is on commentary for this next match, and as Grimes makes his entrance Knight walks past and takes the spotlight then joins commentary as well.

* Cameron Grimes vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs boots Grimes in the face to gain the advantage, he does a sidewalk drop, jumping splash, and gets a 2-count. Grimes goes for the diving crossbody, Briggs catches him, Grimes fights back, hits flying forearms, ducks a clothesline, lands the flipping slam, and hits the Cave-In for 3! WINNER: CAMERON GRIMES!

Ted DiBiase laughs about winning the double-or-nothing bet that Grimes would win, so LA Knight decks the Hall of Famer. Knight hits Grimes with the facelock driver on the floor, and shows off his championship belt. "It's not an insult; it's a fact of life!"

The Way (minus Austin Theory) are in the back whining about things, including Indi Hartwell still seeing Dexter Lumis. The NXT Women's Tag Team Champions are being interviewed and they're not exactly getting along.

* Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea vs. Dexter Lumis & Indi Hartwell

Before the match, Beth Phoenix is telling Hartwell to just breathe through it. Stone tries to get away at some point, but Franky Monet throws him back in herself. she even grabs Lumis's leg, and he drags her into the ring, so the referee kicks her out from ringside before a commercial break.

When we come back, Kamea is in control but Hartwell avoids an elbow drop and kicks her away. Stone gets tagged in, Lumis drops him with punches, clothesline in a corner, bulldog, and Stone begs for his life. Lumis offers him up, plants him with a spinebuster, avoids an attack from Kamea and tags out. Hartwell clotheslines her, throws Stone out the ring, plants Kamea with a spinebuster, and Stone breaks the count. Kamea body slams Hartwell, puts her in the single leg crab, kicks Lumis off the apron, and Stone misses the dive. Hartwell throws Kamea into the barricade, plants her with the Urinage, and locks in the Silence in the ring at the same time as Lumis does to Stone on the outside! Kamea is out. WINNERS: INDI HARTWELL & DEXTER LUMIS!

Hartwell goes over to Beth Phoenix and she hands her something. Hartwell gets in the ring and drosp to a knee for Lumis with a ring, and Lumis nods! Phoenix is overjoyed with emotion that Lumis says yes and THEY'RE ENGAGED!

Back from break, Malcolm Bivens vows that Roderick Strong's loss to Ilja Dragunov doesn't count because he's considered a heavyweight. Back on commentary, they can't believe what transpired with Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell (on her birthday, no less)!

We get a split-screen interview between Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai. The war of words gets intense, Kai vows to become the champion, and Gonzalez calls her a sidekick.

* NXT Breakout Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Duke Hudson

Hudson backs him to a corner first using his height advantage, throws him off and hits a shoulder block because he's stronger, and slams him down because he's bigger. Hayes rolls off his back, lands on his feet from a suplex, and hits a springboard clothesline because he's faster. Hudson throws him over the ropes and to the floor before a commercial break.

When we come back, the battle continues  as Hudson knees him in the face, clotheslines him in a corner, and delivers an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Hayes throws him out the ring, hits a scissors kick in the ropes, and hits a DDT on the apron. Hayes catches him with a tilt-a-whirl slam for a near-fall, Hudson brings him off the top, Hayes rolls him up inside cradle for 2, hits a lungblower, and does a diving legdrop to the back of the head from the top rope for 3! WINNER and Advancing to the Finals: CARMELO HAYES!

New interviewer Samantha Irvin asks Carmelo Hayes about his finals match with Odyssey Jones. Hayes says every one he's faced is bigger than him, and calls himself the final boss. Odyssey Jones heads out to laugh at that line, and these two will have their finals match next week on NXT. We get a video for newcomer Jacy Jayne.

In the trainer's room, Cameron Grimes is icing his neck when Ted DiBiase apologizes for getting him into this mess. Grimes takes the fault all on his own, he wants to show Ted that he is a Million Dollar Champion, and he will take it "to the moon!" DiBiase laughs and shouts "That's my Cameron!"

* NXT Tag Team Championship: MSK {C} vs. Imperium

Wes Lee and Fabian Aichner start the match for their respective teams. Aichner is clearly the stronger man as he tosses him around, Lee is much faster as he dodges him at all turns, schoolboy rollup for 1, and kicks him in the back of the head. Nash Carter tags in, does the Bronco Buster, and covers for 1. Marcel Barthel tags in and gives Carter an armdrag and immediately puts him in a hammerlock. Carter escapes the hold, Barthel hits a European uppercut, they trade punches and kicks, and Barthel delivers a double underhook suplex, then Aichner tags in. Lee tags in, both of MSK kick Aichner, they toss Barthel out the ring, they both goes for suicide dives, but Imperium catch them for body slams on the floor.

We get picture-in-picture for this match, Aichner blsts him with a short-arm clothesline, Barthel tags in for quick strikes in a corner, uppercut, gamengiri, snap suplex, and covers for a 2-count. Aichner back in, and we're coming back from break.

Aichner clotheslines him hard for a 2-count, Barthel puts him in a chinlock, Lee battles out, misses an enzuigiri, and Barthel puts him in the ankle lock. Lee tries for a hurricanrana, Barthel counters back to the ankle lock, Aichner tags in and throws him into the barricade, the referee checks on Lee, Imperium hit their double dropkick, and Barthel covers for 2.5! Lee fights off both men, crawls to his corner, WALTER makes his way to the ring, Lee kicks himself free and makes the hit tag.

Carter strikes on Aichner, high knee in a corner, penalty kick, tags out, MSK hit the pushing moonsault, Lee covers and Barthel breaks the count. Walter jumps on the apron to argue with the ref, Barthel throws Carter out the ring, they set up for the finisher, Ilja Dragunov is here to attack the NXT UK Champion at ringside, but Walter body slams Dragunov on the steel ramp! MSK take advantge of the action, they hit the double team blockbuster, and get the 1-2-3! WINNERS and STILL NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: MSK!

Walter stomps on Dragunov some more for interfering in Imperium's business. Wes Lee ges involved, Walter smacks him, Nash Carter goes for a kick, but Walter powerbombs him on the apron! Dragunov clotheslines Walter, fights off all of Imperium, but Walter drops him with the BIG CHOP! Imperium stand over a fallen Dragunov, but Walter decides to choke him out with the sleeper for extra measure before standing over him.

After the final commercial break, we get words from Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland. They don't care how tough Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are, but they are willing to teach them a lesson. Holland accepts Thatcher's challenge. The commentators run down the card for NXT TakeOver 36 this Sunday.

* Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross Face-to-Face

Samoa Joe is the first man out for this face-to-face, and Vic Joseph mentions that Joe's last in-ring match was in February 2020. "Oh Karrion Kross. The venom just seeps through my lips when I talk about you. In fact, I thought I would look forward to tonight a lot more than I currently do. One last face-to-face meeting before the big championship match, one more opportunity for me to verbally eviscerate you in front of the world. But I realize it's pointless, because I'm not a man who's here tonight to hurt your feelings, Karrion Kross. No, I am simply a man who is here to hurt you. ("Joe is gonna kill you! Joe is gonna kill you!") So tuck your clock in your back pocket, and let's find out what happens when there's a little less space and a lot more opportunity between us and stroll your ass down here, young champion!"

Karrion Kross does indeed stroll out to the stage. "You still don't get it, Joe. This isn't even about you. Hell, this ain't even about me. This is about the future of this brand. And you think you're just gonna walk into TakeOver 36 and become NXT Champion after taking a year off? I don't think so. At this present time, I am gonna call NXT security down to this ring. Don't give me that face Joe. It's not protection for me; it's protection for you. What do you think's gonna happen at TakeOver, Joe? You really think you got a shot? You know what I think Joe? I think I'm gonna drop you. I think you know that. And I also think I'm gonna drop you real fast."

Joe headbutts Kross and the fight is on! Joe takes everybody out with a suicide dive! Joe throws Kross into the barricade, more security and referees come down to separate them, but Kross throws Joe into he steel steps. Kross goes for the announce table, but Joe throws him through the barricade, they fight some more at ringside, members of the locker room are here to assess the situation, and the heavyweights crash through another part of the barricade! See you Sunday for NXT TakeOver!