Earlier tonight WWE NXT Guest General Manager Cody Rhodes didn’t wait too long to start making decisions, and his first one involved the NXT Championship. After some back and forth between Ilja Dragunov and Dominik Mysterio, Rhodes made a match between the two for the NXT Championship official for later in the night. Mysterio would have Rhea Ripley at ringside, but Rhodes evened the odds by having LA Knight be the guest referee, and it would come in handy. At one point Finn Balor and JD McDonagh came out to try and help Mysterio, and Ripley tried to help too, but LA Knight helped balance the scales and cleared them out of the ring. That led to Dragunov being able to get the fair win, retaining his NXT Championship.
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Dragunov and Mysterio locked up but Dragunov slammed Mysterio down immediately to the mat. Dragunov then flipped Mysterio again to the mat, and then Dragunov slammed Mysterio into the corner turnbuckle. Mysterio went for a chin lock but Dragunov threw Mysterio over his shoulder yet again. Mysterio charged into Dragunov a few times in the corner but Draguniov chopped Mysterio several times and looked in control.
Mysterio would turn the tables though, and would find ways to knock the Champion to the ground. Mysterio stayed on the Champ, stomping on him and not allowing him to gain any momentum. Dragunov would keep coming back, but Mysterio managed to halt his offense every time. Dragunov couldn’t be held off for long though, and eventually, the Champion was able to get back into the match.
Dragunov avoided being thrown out of the ring and came back with a monster clothesline, knocking Mysterio to the mat. Then Dragunov got Mysterio in the corner for multiple chops, and then a snap suplex followed. Dragunov didn’t let go either, and the Champ hit another snap suplex.
Mysterio reached for Ripley but couldn’t make the connection, and that’s when Dragunov lifted Mysterio for what seemed like an eternity and slammed the challenger down. Mysterio came back with a monster chop of his own, but this looked to only enrage Dragunov, who hit Mysterio with multiple forearm shots and then hit a ridiculous number of chops that knocked Mysterio to the ground.
Mysterio went for the 619 but missed, and then Draaguniov missed as well. Mysterio went for the 619 again and this time he connected with it. Dragunov got back on his feet soon though and met Mysterio up top, and a superplex followed. Dragunov geared up for his finisher but Mysterio moved out of the ring to break things up. When the Champion followed, Mysterio pounced and brought down the Champ awkwardly on the ropes. Mysterio went back in but Dragunov knocked him to the mat and hit an H-Bomb, leaving the challenger floored.
Dragunoiv heard up again in the corner, but then Finn Balor came out and LA Knight knocked them down. Then JD McDonagh rushed the ring, but Knight hit him with a slam and threw him out. Ripley then went to hit Dragunov with her World Championship, but Trick Williams pulled her off the ring and caught her in his arms. Ripley was confused but by the time she got back to the ring Dragunov had knocked Mysterio to the mat and covered him for the win, retaining his NXT Championship.
