NXT

The NXT North American Championship is now vacant after Keith Lee surrendered the title belt to open WWE NXT on Wednesday.

Lee defeated Adam Cole in the main event of The Great American Bash on July 8 to simultaneously hold the NXT and North American belts. He said going forward he'll be focusing on the former, and NXT general manager William Regal revealed the plan to coronate a new North American champion:

Wednesday's announcement wasn't too surprising since wrestlers generally don't hold two singles titles for very long, for the reasons Lee outlined. The secondary championship almost always becomes an afterthought, which doesn't benefit anybody.

In one of the more famous examples, then-WWF President Jack Tunney ordered the Intercontinental Championship to be vacated following The Ultimate Warrior's victory over Hulk Hogan in a winner-take-all match at WrestleMania VI.

NXT has done a great job of making the North American Championship feel meaningful, something that isn't true of the secondary belts on Raw and SmackDown. It has often served as a springboard for the champion as well. Cole and Lee went on to earn NXT's biggest prize, while Ricochet's reign ended shortly before his call-up to the main roster.

Fans will be eagerly waiting to find out the participants in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX on Aug. 22.

WWE NXT continued its recent run of success Wednesday by beating AEW Dynamite in the ratings for the second week in a row.

According to Figure Four Online's Bryan Alvarez, the Great American Bash version of NXT averaged 792,000 viewers during its two-hour show, while the Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite garnered 748,000 viewers.

NXT was headlined by a main event pitting NXT Women's champion Io Shirai against WWE Women's Tag Team champion Sasha Banks in a non-title match. They seemingly had instant chemistry and put on a remarkable match that arguably stands as one of the best bouts of 2020.

The finish was ideal as well, with Raw Women's champion Asuka appearing to prevent Sasha from cheating. She then spat green mist in Banks' face, which allowed Shirai to roll her up for the victory. It was a fitting way to book the match since Banks is set to challenge Asuka later this month at Extreme Rules.

The Great American Bash was kicked off by a Fatal 4-Way Elimination match, with the winner earning the right to face Shirai for the NXT Women's Championship.

Candice LeRae and Mia Yim were the first two Superstars eliminated, which meant it was down to Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. In the end, Nox beat Kai with The Shiniest Wizard, which means she will challenge Shirai in the near future.

Also on NXT, Dexter Lumis beat Roderick Strong in the brand's first-ever strap match, Timothy Thatcher beat Oney Lorcan by submission, and Rhea Ripley defeated Aliyah and Robert Stone in a handicap match.

Dynamite was highlighted by three title matches, including the main event, which saw Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega beat Best Friends to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

Cody retained the TNT Championship against Jake Hager in a hard-hitting affair as well. Hager looked like he had the match won when he locked Cody into a submission, but Cody fell backward into Hager, and since Hager had his shoulders on the mat, the referee made the three-count.

The third title match was an AEW Women's Championship bout between Hikaru Shida and Penelope Ford. Although Shida retained, Ford had what was undoubtedly the best performance of her AEW tenure and gained plenty in defeat.

Other matches included Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy beating MJF and Wardlow, and Private Party beating Santana and Ortiz to earn an AEW World Tag Team title match against Page and Omega next week.

Both NXT and AEW have huge shows scheduled next week, as it will be the second week of the Great American Bash and Fyter Fest, respectively.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

NXT superstar Keith Lee detailed an encounter with a woman at a bar that left him without a memory of what transpired, saying "anyone can be a victim."

Lee said his memory of events is hazy, only remembering that they took place at a Dallas bar in 2016 or 2017. He said he had a "pleasant" exchange with a woman who then repeatedly hit on him. After Lee declined the woman's advances, he says the woman purchased drinks for them while he went to the bathroom and soon the rest of his night became "fuzzy."

"She was disappointed, but still pleasant," Lee wrote. "She would continue to make passes throughout the night, citing all that she wanted to do to me. I politely declined and explained I enjoyed the company, but that chat could not continue. I then offered to buy her a drink as an apology before I headed to the restroom. She declined and said that she'd buy me one because she enjoyed my song so much, that I could go ahead for the bathroom. I expressed gratitude and went to put in a song before heading for the restroom.

"I would return to fresh drinks. We'd continue discussing the types training I do. I'd try to get her to sing, but she would act shy and decline, saying she enjoyed listening to others, but didn't want attention on her. I even offered help with 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' It's kind of my go to when people are nervous about karaoke. I try to be inviting. And that sing is pure fun! Unfortunately... it's right around here things become extremely fuzzy for me. No matter how much I rack my brain, all I find myself able to recall is struggling to make it to the stage..... I recall waking up naked in a hotel room (I don't even recall if it was my own room), confused and in a panic. I was fortunate enough to have my essentials such as wallet and phone. But... who knows what all I lost.

"To this day.... I know not what happened. I have tried to forget about it ever since.... But I tell this story, so people understand. Anyone can be a victim. ANYONE. It is why I randomly stopped drinking. And why it remains such a rarity to this day."

Lee said he was inspired to share his story amid the #SpeakingOut movement, which has seen many people speak out against sexual abuse, misconduct and racism in professional wrestling.

The NXT North American champion said he did not tell friends or family.

In response to some of the #SpeakingOut stories, Lee tweeted June 18 that the sport "MUST" do better.

Despite losing to Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Velveteen Dream will continue to compete under the NXT banner, according to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer (h/t Ian Carey of SEScoops).

By falling short on Sunday, Dream can't wrestle for the NXT Championship again as long as Cole is holding the title belt. That left some fans to wonder whether the result presaged Velveteen Dream's move to Raw or SmackDown.

With NXT's move to USA Network, wrestlers aren't leaving Full Sail University with the same frequency they did in years prior, yet shifting to Raw or SmackDown is still effectively a step upward. Matt Riddle is the most recent NXT star to change brands.

Even though he'll be excluded from the NXT Championship future for the time being, plenty of fans will argue Velveteen Dream is better off right where he is.

No voice is ultimately louder than that of Vince McMahon, and it's anybody's guess as to how the WWE chairman would handle a character as different as Velveteen Dream.

WWE's Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said in August 2016 that "when it makes sense … absolutely we will integrate LGBT storylines into our programming."

The promotion has little to show in that regard since then.

During Lana and Bobby Lashley's wedding ceremony, Liv Morgan spoiled the occasion by referencing her feelings toward Lana. Rather than using that as the springboard to a compelling same-sex dynamic on Raw, WWE treated the revelation as a sideshow, with Morgan and Lana immediately fighting in the ring.

Vice's Rob Rousseau raised the question in November 2017 about whether Velveteen Dream would be able to maintain the kind of nuance he has displayed while in NXT.

Perhaps his arrival on Raw or SmackDown would herald the start of a new era for WWE, but the company doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt based on its history.

Io Shirai defeated Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House on Sunday to win the NXT Women's Championship for the first time in her career.

Flair had Ripley in the Figure Four Leg Lock and was bridging up to increase the pressure on Ripley's legs. However, that provided Shirai an opportunity to capitalize.

Shirai delivered a moonsault to Ripley, and Flair was unable to release her hold fast enough to break up the pinfall.

The road to Sunday's match began when Flair won the Royal Rumble and was then challenged to a WrestleMania match by Ripley, who was the NXT Women's champion at the time. Flair beat Ripley for the title in a hard-fought bout, and The Queen was once again part of the NXT roster.

Just prior to Flair winning the NXT Women's title for the second time in her career, Shirai won a ladder match to become the No. 1 contender for the championship. That led to a title match between them on a recent edition of NXT TV.

With Shirai giving her all she could handle, Flair hit her with a kendo stick and intentionally got herself disqualified. Flair attacked Shirai after the bell sounded, but Ripley ran down to make the save and prevent Shirai from absorbing further damage.

That was Ripley's first television appearance since losing to Flair at WrestleMania, and it was clear that she and The Queen still had some bad blood. While Ripley was trying to do the right thing, Shirai took exception to it, and a match between Ripley and Shirai was booked for NXT.

The back-and-forth affair was interrupted by Flair, who attacked both women and left them laying to close the show. With all three Superstars desperately wanting to prove they were the class of the NXT Women's division, a Triple Threat title match between them was booked for TakeOver: In Your House.

While the In Your House card was stacked from top to bottom, there was perhaps more excitement surrounding the Triple Threat than any other match on the card. Flair, Ripley and Shirai are clearly three of the best female wrestlers in the world, and they all wanted to shine under the spotlight on Sunday.

There have been some memorable women's matches throughout the history of NXT, and based on the star power involved in Sunday's match, it had the potential to exceed any of them.

Flair is already the most accomplished female Superstar in WWE history, and she entered TakeOver: In Your House with the goal of maintaining her dominance over the NXT Women's division.

On the other side of the coin, Ripley had revenge on her mind and the desire to reclaim the NXT Women's Championship, while Shirai wanted to become NXT Women's champion for the first time.

Shirai prevailed and finally became the face of the NXT women's division, which may set the stage for a singles feud between Io and Rhea with Charlotte moving back to Raw on a full-time basis.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).