| NXT The Great American Bash | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | NXT | ||
| Date | July 6, 2021 | ||
| City | Orlando, Florida | ||
| Venue | Capitol Wrestling Center | ||
| NXT special episodes chronology | |||
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| The Great American Bash chronology | |||
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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.
Four matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Adam Cole defeated Kyle O'Reilly.
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. However, in 2020, WWE again revived the event, this time for the developmental brand NXT to be held as a two-part television special of the NXT program. On June 13, 2021, during TakeOver: In Your House, WWE announced that the ninth Great American Bash under the WWE banner, and 23rd overall, would return as a special episode of NXT, thus becoming an annual event for NXT. Instead of a two-night event like the previous year, it was only a one-night event held on July 6, 2021, and aired on the USA Network.[3][4]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. NXT's programming was initially held at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. In October 2020, NXT's events were moved to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, featuring the "Capitol Wrestling Center" setup, an homage to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the predecessor to WWE. Like the WWE ThunderDome utilized for Raw and SmackDown's programming, LED boards were placed around the Performance Center so that fans could attend virtually, while additionally, friends and family members of the wrestlers were in attendance along with a limited number of actual live fans divided from each other by plexiglass walls.[5][6] In April, fan capacity was increased,[7] and in June, WWE increased capacity further to nearly 300 spectators. Nearly all COVID-19 protocols were lifted including physical distancing requirements and the requirement to wear masks although anyone who had tested positive, within the preceding 14 days, were asked to stay home. The virtual audience was also removed with the increased live audience capacity.[8]
Storylines
The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand,[9][10] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television show, NXT.[11]
The main feud heading into The Great American Bash was the conflict between former Undisputed Era members Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly. At the end of TakeOver: Vengeance Day, Cole attacked O'Reilly,[12] which would eventually lead to the breakup of The Undisputed Era. At Night 2 of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, O'Reilly defeated Cole in an unsanctioned match.[13] Cole returned on the June 1 episode of NXT, where he interrupted a triple threat match involving O'Reilly to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: In Your House. This turned the title match into a fatal five-way match,[14] where they failed to win the title.[3] On the following episode of NXT, the two brawled backstage, and NXT General Manager William Regal scheduled a rematch between the two for The Great American Bash.[15]
At TakeOver: In Your House, LA Knight defeated Cameron Grimes to win the re-introduced Million Dollar Championship.[3] On the following episode of NXT, Ted DiBiase presented the title to Knight, who then cut a promo about winning the title before turning on DiBiase, who was then saved by Grimes.[15] In a video uploaded to WWE's YouTube channel, it was shown that Grimes had apologized to DiBiase following the match at TakeOver: In Your House.[16] The following week, Knight talked about his attack on DiBiase while also disrespecting Grimes.[17] On the June 29 episode, after Grimes' match, Knight confronted Grimes and called him a loser. Grimes then challenged Knight for the Million Dollar Championship. Knight accepted on the condition that if Grimes lost, Grimes would become Knight's butler. Grimes accepted the match for The Great American Bash.[18]
On the June 8 episode of NXT, Io Shirai made her return and attacked The Way member and NXT Women's Tag Team Champion Candice LeRae while her partner Indi Hartwell watched on.[19] The following week, LeRae interrupted Shirai, telling her that she should go to the back of the line. Hartwell then joined LeRae on attacking Shirai, who was then saved by Zoey Stark.[15] After Shirai and Stark won their match on the June 22 episode, Dakota Kai and Raquel González wanted their own title shot. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart then attacked Kai and González, and it was later announced that a triple threat tag team match between Kai and González, Moon and Blackheart, and Shirai and Stark would take place on the June 29 episode to determine the number one contenders for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship at The Great American Bash,[17] which was won by Shirai and Stark.[18]
On the June 8 episode of NXT, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher were watching Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) win their match; both teams stated their claims for the NXT Tag Team Championship A tornado tag team match was then scheduled for the following week,[19] which Ciampa and Thatcher won.[15] This win earned them a title match against champions MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter) at The Great American Bash.[17]
Aftermath
On the following episode of NXT, Kyle O'Reilly stated in an interview with Wade Barrett that despite his loss, he would end Adam Cole.[20] After Cole won his match on the July 27 episode, O'Reilly viciously attacked Cole, ending the attack with a suplex on the steel steps.[21] On the August 10 episode, Cole and O'Reilly had a face-to-face confrontation where they agreed to a two out of three falls match for TakeOver 36. O'Reilly picked a singles match for the first fall, Cole picked a street fight for the second, and William Regal picked a Steel Cage match for the final.[22]
Results
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[24] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher by pinfall | Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship[23] | 11:53 | ||
| 2 | LA Knight (c) defeated Cameron Grimes by pinfall | Singles match for the Million Dollar Championship[23] Since Grimes lost, he became Knight's butler. | 13:14 | ||
| 3 | Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defeated The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) (c) by pinfall | Tag team match for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship[23] | 7:58 | ||
| 4 | Adam Cole defeated Kyle O'Reilly by pinfall | Singles match[23] | 20:33 | ||
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References
- ^ "WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting". March 23, 2001. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
- ^ Sokol, Chris (June 26, 2004). "Bash provides surprise endings". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Wells, Kelly (June 13, 2021). "NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021 Report 6/13: Wells's live results and match analysis for five-way NXT Championship match, Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon, Ladder Match for the Million Dollar Championship, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Middleton, Marc (June 13, 2021). "WWE NXT Great American Bash Event Announced". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ WWE.com Staff (October 4, 2020). "Capitol Wrestling Center to be unveiled tonight at NXT TakeOver 31". WWE. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (October 4, 2020). "NXT TakeOver 31 To Feature The Debut Of The Capitol Wrestling Center". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (April 7, 2021). "Note On Audience Changes at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver". 411Mania. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Dias, Luke (June 13, 2021). "WWE Achieves Record High CWC Attendance for NXT TakeOver: In Your House". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wells, Kelly (February 14, 2021). "NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Report 2/14: Wells's live results and match analysis for Balor vs. Dunne, Shirai vs. Storm vs. Martinez, Kushida vs. Gargano, men and women's Dusty Classic finals". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Wells, Kelly (April 8, 2021). "NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2 Report 4/8: Wells's live results and match analysis for Balor vs. Kross, Cole vs. O'Reilly, Escobar vs. Devlin ladder match, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Lindberg, Nate (June 1, 2021). "6/1 NXT on USA Report: Lindberg's Report on Kyle O'Reilly, Johnny Gargano & Pete Dunne vie for NXT title shot, MSK vs. Legado, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Wells, Kelly (June 15, 2021). "6/15 NXT on USA Report: Wells's report on Ciampa & Thatcher vs. Grizzled Young Veterans, Kushida Open Challenge, Willam Regal's major change to NXT, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ WWE (June 13, 2021). Cameron Grimes apologizes to Ted DiBiase: NXT TakeOver: In Your House. YouTube. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c Wells, Kelly (June 22, 2021). "6/22 NXT on USA Report: Wells's report on Kushida vs. Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole in action, opening of the Diamond Mine, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Lindberg, Nate (June 29, 2021). "6/29 NXT on USA Report: Lindberg's Report on Womens Tag Triple Threat, MSK vs. Thatcher & Ciampa, Atlas & Martinez vs. Li & Boa, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Wells, Kelly (June 8, 2021). "6/8 NXT on USA report: Wells's report on go-home show featuring Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai, Dain vs. Swerve, DiBiase announcement, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ Wells, Kelly (July 13, 2021). "7/13 NXT on USA report: Wells's report on Kross vs. Gargano, Kai vs. Moon, Breakout Tournament starting, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Lindberg, Nate (July 27, 2021). "7/27 NXT on Syfy report: Lindberg's Report on Reed's Opportunity Against Cole, Samoa Joe Addresses NXT Audience, Thatcher & Ciampa vs. Lorcan & Dunne, Hayes vs. Briggs, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Lindberg, Mitch (August 10, 2021). "8/10 NXT on USA report: Lindberg's Report on Cole & KOR's face to face, Breakout Tournament, Ilja Dragunov's appearance, Gonzalez Speaks on Kai's Betrayal, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Garretson, Jordan (July 6, 2021). "NXT Great American Bash results, July 6, 2021: Adam Cole outlasts Kyle O'Reilly in epic NXT Great American Bash showdown". WWE. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Moore, John (July 6, 2021). "7/6 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash edition with Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly, MSK vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher for the NXT Tag Titles, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark for the NXT Women's Tag Titles, LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes for the Million Dollar Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
External links
This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 16:53