NXT Heatwave | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | WWE | ||
Brand(s) | NXT | ||
Date | August 22, 2023 | ||
City | Orlando, Florida | ||
Venue | WWE Performance Center | ||
NXT special episodes chronology | |||
| |||
Heatwave chronology | |||
|
The 2023 NXT Heatwave was the second Heatwave professional wrestling event produced by the American promotion WWE, and ninth overall. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a television special episode of the NXT program on the USA Network, and was broadcast live on August 22, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Carmelo Hayes defeated Wes Lee to retain the NXT Championship.
Heatwave was originally the name of a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) that took place annually from 1994 to 2000. The 1997 event was an Internet pay-per-view (iPPV), while the 1998 to 2000 iterations of Heatwave aired on traditional pay-per-view (PPV). ECW folded in 2001, and WWE acquired the assets of ECW in 2003. In 2022, WWE revived Heatwave to be held as a television special episode of NXT , the main program for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. The event's name is a reference to its summer scheduling.
On the August 8, 2023, episode of NXT, WWE announced that the second NXT Heatwave, and ninth Heatwave overall, would be held as the August 22 episode. It took place at NXT's home base, the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and aired live on the USA Network. [1]
The card 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, [2] [3] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT, and the supplementary online streaming show, Level Up .
During Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, and Ilja Dragunov's six-man tag team match on the July 25 episode of NXT, Dragunov accidentally hit Williams. [4] The following week during a backstage segment, Williams told Hayes that he needed to do things for himself, ending their partnership. At the end of the same episode, Dragunov said that he was not finished with Williams. [5] On the August 8 episode, a match between Dragunov and Williams was set for Heatwave. [1]
During Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee's tag team match on the August 1 episode of NXT, Lee accidentally hit Hayes with a Cardiac Kick, which cost them the match, which caused a post-match argument. [5] The following week, Dijak confronted Hayes and said that he was coming for Hayes' NXT Championship. Lee showed up and got in Hayes' face to talk about the previous week. Dijak interrupted and told Lee that he was no longer in the title picture. Lee stood up to Dijak, who left. Lee looked for Hayes, but was attacked from behind by Dijak who tossed him around the locker room. Later that same episode, it was announced that Lee would face Dijak to determine the #1 contender for the Hayes' title at Heatwave. [1] On the August 15 episode, Lee defeated Dijak. [6]
On the June 13 episode of NXT, Nathan Frazer defeated Oro Mensah—who wrestled on behalf of Meta-Four stablemate Noam Dar due to Dar suffering an injury—to win the NXT Heritage Cup. [7] Over the next few weeks, Dar became depressed and could not accept that he was no longer champion, until the July 25 episode, where Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson gave Dar an "undisputed Heritage Cup", which would snap Dar out of his depressed state. [4] The following week, Tyler Bate caught Meta-Four backstage and challenged Dar for a match for his title. [5] On the August 8 episode, Bate defeated Dar to win his Heritage Cup. Later that same episode, Meta-Four demanded it returned to Dar. Frazer showed up and suggested that Bate could give the cup back as long as Dar acknowledged that Bate's cup was a fake. Dar agreed and Bate returned the cup to him. [1] On the August 15 episode, it was announced that Frazer would face Dar to determine the undisputed NXT Heritage Cup Champion. [6]
On the August 15 episode of NXT, Baron Corbin said he was ushering in a new era for himself during a promo, but was interrupted by Von Wagner and his manager Mr. Stone. Wagner challenged Corbin to a match at Heatwave, which was made official. [6]
Since May, Schism (Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler, and Ava) had been feuding with Diamond Mine (Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, and Ivy Nile). On the July 4 episode of NXT, The Dyad (Reid and Fowler) defeated the Creed Brothers with a stipulation that the losing team had to leave NXT. [8] Over the next few weeks, unidentified individuals wearing Schism masks began costing matches for the group. Schism suspected the masked individuals were the Creed Brothers, but the latter denied involvement. A match between Ava and Nile (the former's debut singles match) was later scheduled for Heatwave. [9]
On the June 27 episode of NXT, during a confrontation between Lyra Valkyria and Jacy Jayne, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley from Raw showed up to praise Valkyria. [10] Three weeks later, Ripley pulled Valkyria aside in a backstage segment and called her a "badass". Valkyria said she would prove her right, and a match between them was set up for the next week, [11] in which Ripley came out victorious but said Valkyria proved her right. [4] The following week, Dragon Lee interrupted Ripley and her Judgment Day stablemate, NXT North American Champion "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, and challenged him to a title match the following week, which Mysterio accepted. [5] On the August 8 episode, Valkyria encouraged Ripley to let Mysterio fight his own battles in a backstage segment, but Ripley refused. Later that night, Mysterio defeated Lee to retain his title after interference from Ripley. After this match, Valkyria attacked Ripley. [1] The following week, Ripley and Mysterio challenged Valkyria and Lee to a mixed tag team match at Heatwave, which they accepted and was later made official. [6]
Due to the segment that took place on Heatwave between Tiffany Stratton, Gigi Dolin, Kiana James, Blair Davenport, and Roxanne Perez, a fatal four-way match was announced for the August 29 episode of NXT between the latter four to determine who would face Stratton for the NXT Women's Championship. [12]
Backstage, after Ivy Nile defeated Ava earlier, Nile and The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed and Brutus Creed) (who had earlier been banned from NXT) "kidnapped" Ava. A tag team Steel Cage match was then made official between The Creed Brothers and The Dyad (Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid), with the stipulation being that if The Creeds win, they would be reinstated back in NXT. [12]
After Noam Dar won the NXT Heritage Cup, during a celebration of Meta-Four on backstage, Dar received a letter. The letter stated that next week a global number one contender's tournament would start and Dar will defend against the winner at No Mercy. [12] On August 23 during WWE The Bump, has been revealed a rules of NXT Global Heritage Invitational. Tournament will be a round-robin style tournament featuring two groups with four wrestlers in each group. Matches will have a 12-minute limit, and victories will earn a wrestler two points, while a 12-minute draw would earn both wrestlers one point. The winner of Group A will face the winner of Group B on the September 26 episode of NXT, and the winner of that match would face Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup. [13]
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times [12] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ilja Dragunov defeated Trick Williams by pinfall | Singles match [14] | 12:48 | ||
2 | Ivy Nile defeated Ava (with Schism (Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler, and Joe Gacy)) by submission | Singles match [14] | 2:12 | ||
3 | Noam Dar (with Meta-Four (Oro Mensah, Lash Legend, and Jakara Jackson)) defeated Nathan Frazer (c) (with Tyler Bate) 2–1 | British Rounds Rules match to determine the Undisputed NXT Heritage Cup Champion [14] | 15:40 | ||
4 | Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee defeated The Judgment Day (Rhea Ripley and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio) by pinfall | Mixed tag team match [14] | 14:04 | ||
5 | Carmelo Hayes (c) defeated Wes Lee by pinfall | Singles match for the NXT Championship [14] | 11:38 | ||
|
Christopher James Dijak is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the mononymous ring name Dijak.
The NXT Heritage Cup is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is a specialized championship for men of NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The title is defended just like any other championship but has a special stipulation in which all matches are contested under British Rounds Rules. The current champion is Charlie Dempsey, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Noam Dar by 2–1 on the February 27, 2024, episode of NXT.
Christian Brigham is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT and SmackDown brands under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. He is a former one-time NXT Champion, a former two-time and longest combined reigning NXT North American Champion, and the final NXT Cruiserweight Champion, having unified it with the North American Championship.
Brianna Coda is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Cora Jade, but is currently inactive due to a torn ACL. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion.
Joseph Ariola is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Tony D'Angelo. Performing with a mafia gimmick, he is the leader of The D'Angelo Family stable as "The Don of NXT". He is a former two-time NXT Tag Team Champion.
Oliver Sauter is a Swiss professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Oro Mensah as a member of The Meta-Four.
Benjamin Timms is a British professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Nathan Frazer, where he is one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions with Axiom in their first reign. He is a former one-time NXT Heritage Cup Champion.
The 2023 NXT Stand & Deliver was the third annual Stand & Deliver 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 Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California as part of WrestleMania Weekend, being held the same day as WrestleMania 39 Night 1 with a special start time of 1 p.m. Eastern Time 10 a.m. Pacific Time. WWE wrestlers Pretty Deadly served as the hosts of the event. This was also the first Stand & Deliver to livestream on Binge in Australia.
Kayla Klingensmith, is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE performing under the ring name Kiana James and is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion.
The 2023 NXT Battleground was the sixth Battleground professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on May 28, 2023, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. It was the first Battleground held since 2017, as well as the first to livestream on Peacock.
The 2023 Spring Breakin' was the second annual Spring Breakin' professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the NXT brand division. Spring Breakin' aired as a special episode of NXT. The television special took place on April 25, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and aired on the USA Network.
The 2023 NXT The Great American Bash was the 11th Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 25th Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. Unlike the previous three years, which aired as television specials of NXT, the 2023 event aired as a livestreaming event, marking the first Great American Bash to air on both Peacock and the WWE Network. It took place on Sunday, July 30, 2023, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in the Austin suburb of Cedar Park, Texas.
NXT Gold Rush was a professional wrestling television special produced by WWE. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the NXT brand division. Gold Rush aired as a two-part special episode of NXT on the USA Network, taking place live on June 20 and 27, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Madison Knisley is an American professional wrestler and gymnast. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Thea Hail, and is a member of Chase University.
NXT No Mercy was the 14th No Mercy professional wrestling supercard produced by WWE. It primarily featured wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, and was live-streamed from the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. This was the first No Mercy event held since 2017, the first to livestream on Peacock, the first to be held on a Saturday, and the first to not be available on traditional pay-per-view.
Matrick Mondre Belton is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Trick Williams. He is a former one-time NXT North American Champion and the winner of the 2023 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge.
The 2023 NXT Deadline was the second annual NXT Deadline professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The 2023 NXT Halloween Havoc was the fourth annual Halloween Havoc professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 16th Halloween Havoc event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. Unlike the previous year, which was held as a livestreaming event, the 2023 event returned NXT Halloween Havoc to being a television special like the 2020 and 2021 events. The 2023 event, however, was expanded to a two-part special episode of NXT on the USA Network, taking place on October 24 and 31, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. SmackDown wrestlers Shotzi and Scarlett served as the hosts of the event, marking Shotzi's third time hosting the event, after 2020 and 2022.
The 2024 NXT Stand & Deliver was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for its developmental brand NXT. It was the fourth annual NXT Stand & Deliver event and took place on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event aired via WWE's livestreaming platforms and was held as a part of WrestleMania Weekend, taking place the same day as Night 1 of WrestleMania XL with a special start time of 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Meta-Four served as the hosts of the event.
The 2024 NXT Roadblock was the third annual NXT Roadblock professional wrestling television special produced by WWE, and fifth Roadblock event overall. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on March 5, 2024, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and aired live as a special episode of NXT on the USA Network. The event's title was a reference to its position on the road to NXT Stand & Deliver, NXT's WrestleMania Weekend event.