WWE NXT 2.0 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 13

It has been one year since WWE NXT 2.0 arrived, bringing the developmental brand new color and introducing fresh stars. This September 13 edition would celebrate that legacy while giving power to the fans.

Carmelo Hayes was set to defend the NXT North American Championship against a mystery opponent as voted by the fans. The three options were Wes Lee, Von Wagner and Joe Gacy.

The Creed Brothers looked to regain the NXT Tag Team Championships from Pretty Deadly. The fans voted that they would compete in a steel cage.

Cameron Grimes had a mystery partner to compete against Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark were set to face Kiana James and Arianna Grace.

The show also featured matches between Lash Legend and Fallon Henley as well as Javier Bernal and Hank Walker, a security guard making his debut. It was also unlikely Bron Breakker or Mandy Rose would miss this show.

Tuesday night had the makings of a special event as a one-year anniversary show for NXT 2.0.

The Creed Brothers kept Pretty Deadly from escaping early and often. However, after Damon Kemp handcuffed Julius Creed, Brutus Creed was left to fight alone. He fell to a second Spilt Milk from the NXT tag team champions.

This was the least technical of the matches these teams have had, playing heavily on the steel cage stipulation. It made this a unique addition to the rivalry that felt fresh, even if the teams fell into some familiar WWE tropes.

Pretty Deadly always needed to win here, but the story was told well enough to make up for the predictability. Kemp's involvement left Brutus fighting hard on his own, and he looked great despite taking the pinfall.

Result

Pretty Deadly def. The Creed Brothers by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Kit Wilson and Elton Prince superplexed Julius off the top before he responded by lifting both men to set up Brutus for a Brutus Bomb on both.
• Brutus kicked out of Spilt Milk, the first person to do so in NXT.
• WWE showed a video package that celebrated the past year of NXT 2.0.

Lash Legend walked in confident, but she got knocked out in barely two minutes when Fallon Henley caught her with a kick to the face.

After all that WWE has done with both Legend and Henley, this was a shockingly one-sided affair. Henley squashed the former WNBA player with ease, suddenly pushing her well up the ranks.

After a brief tease backstage, it looks like Henley could challenge Mandy Rose before long. However, there is more to do in setting her up as a serious challenger to the champion.

Result

Henley def. Legend by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen watched this match at ringside with Mason "The Night Howler" Ramirez, a young man benefiting from WWE's Connor's Cure.
• After the match, Jensen got a little too friendly trying to compliment Rose, who insulted him until Henley nearly came to blows with the women's champion.
• Toxic Attraction headed to the ring afterward, and Alba Fyre laid out Rose to make clear she wanted the next NXT Women's Championship shot.
• Cora Jade explained why she turned heel, highlighting her match with Natalya. Wendy Choo tried to respond to Jade's interview but got into an argument with Legend.
  

Quincy Elliott overwhelmed Sean Gallagher from the opening bell and won with ease off a Banzai Drop.

This was more about presentation than execution. Elliott's bright entrance and presentation could help him stand out in WWE in the long term, but he will need to back it up in the ring.

This was a pure squash, ending in a far-too-typical Banzai Drop finish. It should be interesting to see how The Super Diva differentiates himself as a performer over time. He needs to embrace his wild character in the way he performs.

Result

Elliott def. Gallagher by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Elliott had an elaborate entrance with bright lights and smoke sold by a cheering crowd.
• After his win, Elliott danced with the referee.
  
• Yulisa Leon announced she was injured and would be out for nine months. Von Wagner interrupted and got into an argument with Sanga.

After Cameron Grimes got beat down on his own, Joe Gacy walked into the corner of The Richest Man in NXT.

Gacy got the blind tag and pinned Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo after a handspring clothesline.

When Grimes again rejected The Schism after the win, the group beat him down, ending with The Richest Man in NXT taking a handspring clothesline.

This was an interesting segment but at the wrong moment in the feud. Gacy playing the face in this match was more interesting than he has been as a heel, but it was all a facade to set up a predictable beatdown.

If this bout was set up weeks ago, it would have been more impactful, showing what Gacy could do to help Grimes. At this point, the feud is already established and needs to get to the singles match between the two.

Result

Gacy and Grimes def. D'Angelo and Stacks by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• In an interview beforehand, Grimes explained that he wanted to fight alone.
  
• Gacy hyped up a hot tag from the moment he got on the apron then stole a blind tag, running over The D'Angelo Family with impact offense.
  
• Grimes caught Stacks with a standing Spanish Fly and hit a Cave-In on D'Angelo.
  

While Kiana James and Arianna Grace held on for a while, they simply could not match the athleticism of Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark.

Stark hit her GTS variant followed by Lyons connecting with a roundhouse and split-leg drop for the pinfall on Grace.

This went way too long with little to enjoy. It did not help that James and Grace were given the heavy focus. Their offense was bland and forgettable. When Stark was in control, the action started moving, but those moments were brief.

Lyons barely did anything in this match. If this tag team is going to rise up the ranks, possibly even to the main roster, Lyons and Stark have to find some synergy.

Result

Lyons and Stark def. James and Grace by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• James got angry early and threatened to use her business bag as a weapon. This gimmick is painfully stuck in an older era.
  
• JD McDonagh told Bron Breakker he was not done with him while he got an old-school shave. Tyler Bate challenged McDonagh to earn himself another title match.
• Breakker spoke to Vic Joseph about his past year of success in NXT 2.0.

With a positive crowd reaction behind him, Hank Walker fought hard to shut up Javier Bernal. He impressively put his rival away with a running crossbody.

There wasn't much to this contest, but the excitement behind the security guard's attempt to challenge Big Body Javi made for a fun spot on the card. He sold his own inexperience in the ring to come off as a big likable everyman.

It is rare WWE builds up a star as a true underdog without any flair. He came out with entrance music to sell his lack of star power. After a month of build, this worked well, though it was barely more than a squash.

Result

Walker def. Bernal by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Walker tried to break up a fight between The Dyad and Edris Enofé and Malik Blade, but his fellow security guard told him to focus on his match to come.
  
• Big Body Javi slapped Walker, which set the security guard off. Walker threw Bernal around the ring with ease.
  
• NXT announced the arrival of Oro Mensah, the former Oliver Carter, next week.
• Grayson Waller was annoyed to find out he was not in the final four fan votes for the biggest star in NXT. Bron Breakker unsurprisingly won the vote in the end.
  

Carmelo Hayes walked out with Trick Williams, certain he would not have to wrestle after injuring Wes Lee backstage.

However, Solo Sikoa arrived to call his shot and planted The A Champion with a uranage and Uso Splash to win.

This was a little rushed. Despite Melo and Sikoa being longtime rivals, the newest member of The Bloodline seemed unstoppable here. Even when Melo had control, he was never poised to win.

This could have been a better match, but it was a fantastic moment. Sikoa has been after the NXT North American Championship for months. It looked like he would never get his run after heading to SmackDown. Instead, he threw everything into chaos.

Assumedly, the member of The Bloodline will now work both SmackDown and NXT as champion, but it is hard to say for sure. What matters is that he got his due after a great run in NXT 2.0 on its one-year anniversary.

Result

Sikoa def. Melo by pinfall to become the new NXT North American Championship.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Lee was announced as the winner of the fan vote to challenge Hayes. Melo and Trick attacked him in the locker room shortly thereafter.
  
• Hayes went after the braced left knee of Sikoa, using a single-leg Boston crab. This left the member of The Bloodline limping throughout the rest of the match.
  
• Trick got on the apron to try to save Melo, but Sikoa still planted The A Champion with a Samoan drop for a near-fall.
• The show ended with Shawn Michaels putting over the future of NXT while introducing a new gold-and-white logo.