NXT: The Great American Bash (2020)

Last updated
NXT:
The Great American Bash
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) NXT
DateJuly 1, 2020
(aired July 1 and 8, 2020)
City Winter Park, Florida
Venue Full Sail University
Attendance0 (behind closed doors) [note 1]
NXT special episodes chronology
 Previous
2019 Year-End Awards
Next 
Super Tuesday
The Great American Bash chronology
 Previous
2012
Next 
2021

The 2020 NXT: The Great American Bash was the eighth Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 22nd Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a two-part special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT , broadcast on the USA Network. The event was taped on July 1, 2020, at the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The first part aired that night on July 1 while the second part aired on tape delay on July 8. It was the first Great American Bash event held since 2012 as well as the first to air as an annual television special of NXT.

Contents

Production

Background

The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event established in 1985. Following WWE's acquisition of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001, [1] the promotion revived the event as their own annual pay-per-view (PPV) in 2004. [2] The event continued until 2009. Following this 2009 event, The Great American Bash was discontinued as a PPV. In 2012, WWE revived the event to be held as a special episode of SmackDown , but was again discontinued. On June 24, 2020, however, WWE announced that the eighth Great American Bash under the WWE banner, and 22nd overall, would take place as a special two-week event during the July 1 and July 8 episodes of NXT on the USA Network. Both episodes were taped on July 1. [3]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. Broadcasts of NXT were subsequently held at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. [3]

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, [4] [5] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television show, NXT. [6]

One scheduled match for the July 8 broadcast was a champion vs. champion winner takes all match between NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee. The two-night event went head-to-head against All Elite Wrestling's Fyter Fest, which was held on the same nights. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both nights of the 2020 event were held behind closed doors at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. [7] [8] [9]

Results

Night 1 (July 1)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes [10]
1 Tegan Nox defeated Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Mia Yim Fatal four-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship 20:37
2 Timothy Thatcher defeated Oney Lorcan by submission Singles match 11:32
3 Rhea Ripley defeated Aliyah and Robert Stone by submission Intergender Handicap match
Had Ripley lost, she would have joined the Robert Stone Brand.
10:03
4 Dexter Lumis defeated Roderick Strong Strap match 16:00
5 Io Shirai defeated Sasha Banks (with Bayley) Singles match 14:01
Night 2 (July 8)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes [11]
1D Tony Nese defeated Leon Ruff Singles match
2 Candice LeRae defeated Mia Yim Street Fight 15:51
3 Bronson Reed defeated Tony Nese Singles match 5:18
4 Johnny Gargano defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott Singles match 14:18
5Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) defeated Drake Maverick and Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) Six-man tag team match 10:38
6 Mercedes Martinez defeated Santana Garrett Singles match 2:39
7 Keith Lee (North American) defeated Adam Cole (NXT) Winner Takes All singles match for the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship 19:55
D – this was a dark match

Notes

  1. The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, though it featured a live crowd of WWE wrestlers and trainees.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great American Bash</span> Professional wrestling event series

The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). In 1988, it began broadcasting on pay-per-view (PPV), and later that same year, JCP was rebranded as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which seceded from the NWA in January 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great American Bash (2004)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2004 Great American Bash was the first Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and 15th Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's SmackDown! brand division. The event took place on June 27, 2004, at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. The Great American Bash was previously promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which WWE acquired in 2001, thus the 2004 event was the first Great American Bash held since 2000. The 2004 event grossed $325,000 with 6,500 ticket sales and received a 0.47 buyrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Gargano</span> American professional wrestler

John Anthony Nicholas Gargano is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for is time in NXT, where he became the first-ever NXT Triple Crown winner by winning the NXT Championship once, the NXT North American Championship for a record three times, and the NXT Tag Team Championship once. His popularity in NXT led him to be nicknamed "The Heart and Soul of NXT".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Cole</span> American professional wrestler

Austin Kirk Jenkins is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommaso Ciampa</span> American professional wrestler

Tommaso Whitney is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mia Yim</span> American professional wrestler

Stephanie Hym Lee is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Mia Yim. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name “Michin” Mia Yim and is a member of The O.C..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candice LeRae</span> American professional wrestler (born 1985)

Candice LeRae Gargano is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and was a member of The Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Lee (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Keith Lee is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), He is also known for his time in WWE from 2018 to 2021 and Ring of Honor (ROH), as well as on the independent circuit with promotions such as Evolve, All American Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2019)</span> WWE Network event

The 2019 NXT TakeOver: WarGames was the 27th NXT TakeOver and the third annual NXT WarGames professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired exclusively on the WWE Network and took place on November 23, 2019, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois as part of that year's Survivor Series weekend. It was also the first event to feature a women's WarGames match, which subsequently made it the first to have two WarGames matches on the same night. It was also the second TakeOver event in history in which the NXT Championship was not defended, and was the first which saw no title defenses on the card. The event was the first NXT TakeOver held following NXT's recognition as one of WWE's three main brands in September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver: Toronto (2019)</span> WWE Network event

The 2019 NXT TakeOver: Toronto was the 26th NXT TakeOver and the second and final TakeOver: Toronto professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired exclusively on the WWE Network and took place on August 10, 2019, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as part of that year's SummerSlam weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver: In Your House (2020)</span> WWE Network event

The 2020 NXT TakeOver: In Your House was the 29th NXT TakeOver, the 28th In Your House, and the inaugural NXT In Your House professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired exclusively on the WWE Network on June 7, 2020. While the majority of the event aired live from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, the Backlot Brawl match was pre-recorded on May 28 in the parking lot of Full Sail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver XXX</span> 2020 WWE Network event

NXT TakeOver XXX was the 30th NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on August 22, 2020, at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida as part of that year's SummerSlam weekend. It was also the final NXT TakeOver event to air exclusively on the WWE Network, as beginning with TakeOver 31 in October, the events also became available on traditional pay-per-view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver 31</span> 2020 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

NXT TakeOver 31 was the 31st NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. Unlike all previous TakeOvers, which aired exclusively on the WWE Network, TakeOver 31 was the first TakeOver to air on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) in addition to the WWE Network. The event took place on October 4, 2020, and was broadcast from the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida—this was the first NXT event to feature the Capitol Wrestling Center, NXT's version of the WWE ThunderDome used for Raw and SmackDown and an homage to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the predecessor to WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Halloween Havoc (2020)</span> WWE television special

The 2020 NXT Halloween Havoc was the first annual Halloween Havoc professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 13th Halloween Havoc event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on October 28, 2020, at the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The television special was hosted by NXT wrestler Shotzi Blackheart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Super Tuesday</span> 2020 television event

NXT Super Tuesday was a two-week long professional wrestling television special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on September 1 and September 8, 2020 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

The Way is an American and Australian professional wrestling stable consisting of leader Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Hartwell's on-screen husband Dexter Lumis. They are all currently signed to WWE, where they perform on the Raw brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT: The Great American Bash (2021)</span> WWE television special

The 2021 NXT: The Great American Bash was the ninth Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 23rd Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. Unlike the previous year, which aired as a two-part event, the 2021 event was a one-night event that took place on July 6, 2021, at the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. This was the second Great American Bash to air as an annual television special of NXT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver 36</span> 2021 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

NXT TakeOver 36 was the 36th and final NXT TakeOver professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on August 22, 2021, from the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT: The Great American Bash (2022)</span> WWE television special

The 2022 NXT: The Great American Bash was the 10th Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 24th Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on July 5, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. This was the third Great American Bash to air as an annual television special of NXT.

References

  1. "WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting". March 23, 2001. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  2. Sokol, Chris (2004-06-27). "Bash provides surprise endings". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer . Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, Mike (June 29, 2020). "WWE TAPING TV THIS WEEK AT PERFORMANCE CENTER". PWInsider . Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  4. Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  5. "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  6. Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  7. "NXT The Great American Bash results, July 1, 2020: Asuka crashes the Bash and leaves Sasha Banks seeing green".
  8. "NXT Great American Bash results, July 8, 2020: Keith Lee closes the Bash with a bang".
  9. "WWE Bringing back Great American Bash for NXT Next Week". 25 June 2020.
  10. Moore, John (July 1, 2020). "7/1 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash night one with Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks in a non-title match, Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong in a strap match, Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tegan Nox vs. Mia Yim to become No. 1 contender to the NXT Women's Championship, Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  11. Moore, John (July 8, 2020). "7/8 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash night two with NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee for both titles, Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae in a Street Fight, Legado Del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick, Tyler Breeze, and Fandango, Johnny Gargano vs. Isaiah Scott". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 9, 2020.