WWE NXT 07 24 2019

WWE NXT results courtesy of WWE.com.

WWE NXT results, July 24, 2019: Damian Priest and Keith Lee throw down in colossal collision

Keith Lee and Damian Priest clashed in a ferociously hard-hitting main event that saw Lee’s emotions get the best of him. Elsewhere, the returning Pete Dunne roared into the NXT North American Title picture, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano announced the stipulations for their NXT Championship Match at TakeOver: Toronto, and Candice LeRae sought her pound of flesh from Io Shirai.

Jordan Myles def. Angel Garza in the semifinals of the NXT Breakout Tournament

Jordan Myles’s got game, but Angel Garza’s got mind games, and that was almost enough to unravel Myles’ hopes of advancing to the NXT Breakout Tournament Finals. Almost.

From feigning a handshake at the start of the bout to playing possum midway through, Garza employed one trick after another. He complemented his psychological warfare with a concentrated attack on Myles’ lower back, a strategy that came into focus after he pulled the ring apron out from beneath Myles’ feet, causing the Texas native to take a nasty plunge to the floor.

Despite the luchador’s savvy game plan, Myles proved to be tough as nails, and he rallied from behind to clock Garza with a discus clothesline and a deadlift German suplex for the three-count. As an elated Myles savored his victory — which advances him to the tournament finals and a showdown against the winner of Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes — Shane Thorne stormed the announce desk to yet again vent about the Breakout Tournament and claim that none of the Superstars involved in the tournament can hold a candle to him.

Johnny Gargano chose a Street Fight as his stipulation for TakeOver: Toronto

In the wake of NXT Champion Adam Cole’s villainous visit to Johnny Gargano’s hometown of Cleveland, Gargano is dead set on not only recapturing the NXT Title, but also giving Cole the beating of a lifetime at TakeOver: Toronto.

With that in mind, Gargano revealed a Street Fight as his stipulation for one of the falls in his NXT Championship 2-out-of-3 Falls rubber match against Cole. In announcing his choice, Johnny TakeOver told Cole that he can bring all the weapons and backup he wants, and judging by Gargano’s fiery barrage against Cole last week, the NXT Champion might need both when the rules are thrown out the window in Toronto.

Bianca Belair def. Xia Li

Exhibiting the same heightened aggression that’s been her calling card since suffering back-to-back losses to Mia Yim, Bianca Belair made a thunderous statement against Xia Li. The EST of NXT enjoyed an obvious power advantage as she manhandled her smaller opponent, at one point tossing the self-described “Spicy Girl” overhead with a fallaway slam without even leaving her feet.

Li’s attempts to kick her way back into the match proved fruitless when Belair barreled through her with a devastating forearm smash en route to a K.O.D. then spelled the end for Li.

Killian Dain welcomed Matt Riddle into his world

One week after Killian Dain smashed Matt Riddle through the NXT entrance stage in a brutal ambush, The Beast of Belfast shed light on why he targeted The Original Bro.

Dain explained that although he wouldn’t attack just “anybody” from behind, Riddle is “somebody”—namely, a former UFC fighter who is ranked among the world’s toughest men. In contrast to Riddle’s domain in MMA, Dain said his world is one without discipline, weight classes or rules. The Northern Ireland Nightmare’s barbaric onslaught last week gave Riddle merely “a little glimpse” of what Dain’s world has to offer.

Security footage was shown of Mia Yim’s brutal beatdown on Jessamyn Duke

Earlier this week, the WWE Performance Center’s security cameras captured Mia Yim’s vigilante strike on Jessamyn Duke, the second such attack by Yim against a teammate of NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.

Whereas The Head Baddie in Charge decimated Marina Shafir in a parking lot two weeks ago, her latest siege occurred after Duke finished a training session at the WWE PC. Yim slammed a locker door on Duke’s shoulder, leaving Duke screaming in agony.

One by one, Yim has picked off those closest to Baszler. Is it only a matter of time until The HBIC gets her hands on The Queen of Spades?

Pete Dunne returned to NXT, interrupting Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong

Pete Dunne is back, and he’s coming for Velveteen Dream’s North American Championship.

The NXT UK stalwart made his unannounced return tonight during a confrontation between Dream and Roderick Strong, just as The Messiah of the Backbreaker, who’s been campaigning for a North American Title opportunity for weeks, demanded Dream face him at TakeOver: Toronto.

Dunne’s emergence visibly unnerved both Superstars, but Strong made the error of pointing his finger in The BruiserWeight’s face. Dangling a digit in front of Dunne is, of course, akin to shaking a bucket of chum in front of a shark, and the former WWE United Kingdom Champion responded in predictably brutal fashion by snapping Strong’s finger like a toothpick. Strong backpedaled out of the ring, and after a tense standoff with Dunne, Dream, too, exited the squared circle.

Following the hectic scene, Strong sought an explanation from NXT General Manager William Regal backstage. His Lordship’s response did little to cool Strong’s temper, however, as Regal revealed that Strong, Dream and Dunne will meet in North American Title Triple Threat Match at TakeOver: Toronto on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Candice LeRae barraged Io Shirai during Shirai’s match against Kacy Catanzaro

Like a grenade that had just been tossed into the ring, Io Shirai exploded out of the gate in her one-on-one clash with Kacy Catanzaro. However, Shirai didn’t have long to inflict pain on the former “American Ninja Warrior” star, as almost as soon as the match got underway, Candice LeRae rushed the ring to unleash hell on her former friend.

An incensed LeRae cracked Shirai with an enzuigiri and torpedoed her with a suicide dive before grabbing hold of a steel chair, the same implement that Shirai used to batter LeRae inside a steel cage last month. “Tenacious C” might have been out for poetic justice, but she wouldn’t find it this night, as Shirai quickly hightailed it out of harm’s way.

Adam Cole chose a “classic wrestling match” as his stipulation for TakeOver: Toronto

In stark contrast to Johnny Gargano’s selection of a Street Fight at TakeOver: Toronto, NXT Champion Adam Cole announced that the stipulation he’ll invoke in the 2-out-of-3 Falls Match is a “classic, old-school one-on-one wrestling match.”

The Panama City Playboy explained that those were the same conditions as when he pinned Gargano in the first fall of their 2-out-of-3 Falls Mach at TakeOver: New York, as well as when he dethroned Gargano to become champion at TakeOver: XXV.

Never one to pass up a good parting shot, Cole warned Gargano that he won’t be able to call himself “Johnny Wrestling” after Cole gets through with him in Toronto.

Damian Priest def. Keith Lee

Keith Lee will have to wait a little longer to “change the narrative” in NXT. The titanic Superstar, whose frustrations have been mounting by the minute, came oh so close to dealing impressive newcomer Damian Priest his first loss on the black-and-gold brand. The only thing standing in Lee’s way, it turned out, were his own emotions.

Lee matched The Archer of Infamy in terms of speed, strength and raw aggression. The two colossuses wowed NXT fans with their incredible mobility as they deftly dodged each other’s strikes in a fast-moving exchange reminiscent of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” And both Superstars displayed immense power, whether it was Priest launching the 330-pounder through the air with a Falcon Arrow, or Lee catching Priest when the 249-pounder flipped over the top rope with a tope con giro.

Lee came undone, however, after Priest kicked him back-first into the steel steps. The impact reverberated throughout Full Sail Live, but Lee’s scowl indicated he wasn’t so much in pain, as he was enraged. Losing all composure, he charged after Priest, giving chase into the ring, but that only played into The Archer of Infamy’s hands. Priest slyly pulled the referee between himself and Lee, causing a momentary distraction that allowed him to clobber Lee with a cyclone kick and the Reckoning for the win.