This year’s Great American Bash isn’t quite the same as last year’s extravaganza. With only four matches announced going in, the card was more scaled back than we’re used to. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark faced the current Women’s Tag Team Champions, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, and MSK defended their gold against Toothless Timmy and Tommaso Ciampa. Cameron Grimes looked to become the Million Dollar Champion and stop himself from becoming LA Knight’s butler, and Hit Row were set to be there for a Championship Cypher, whatever that is. Finally, the main event saw Kyle O’Reilly do his best to stomp Adam Cole out of his life, but it is never that easy, is it?

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) (C) vs Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher

Ciampa floored Carter with a chop, but he got up and landed a spinning crossbody. Thatcher tagged in and locked horns with Carter. Lee and Carter attempted to take down Thatcher, but he fought back and ended up striking the chest of MSK alongside Ciampa. Lee was caught in a chin lock by Thatcher, who drove his knees into his ribs and contorted his leg. Ciampa tagged in and stomped Lee on the back, following it up with a powerful running knee in the corner.

Lee was able to catch Ciampa with a dropkick as Carter hit an enzuigiri. Carter hit a moonsault on Thatcher outside the ring as Ciampa clotheslined him afterwards. After the break, Lee hit various strikes on Ciampa. He connected with a basement dropkick but fell out of the ring as Thatcher pulled down the second rope. Back in the ring, Lee and Carter were able to chop down Thatcher and hit the push/flip moonsault but only got a two-count.

Thatcher hit a belly-to-belly on Lee. In the corner, Thatcher hit a succession of uppercuts on Carter. Ciampa tagged in and Carter tried to fight back. Ciampa hit a huge knee in Carter’s face. They traded blows in the middle of the ring. Carter smashed Ciampa in the face with a knee. Thatcher accidentally hit Ciampa with an uppercut, which allowed Lee to superkick Thatcher in the face. Lee then spanned around the turnbuckle and kicked Thatcher in the face. In the ring, Lee got booted in the face after Ciampa caught him. Ciampa hit a backstabber but only got a two-count.

Ciampa hit Lee and Carter with clotheslines in opposite corners. He went for an air raid crash off the turnbuckle, but Carter got out and kicked him in the jaw. Carter hit a Swanton on Ciampa as Lee hit his spinning splash, but Thatcher pulled him out of the ring. Back in the ring, Ciampa hit the Fairy-tale Ending and Thatcher attempted the ankle lock, but Carter knocked Ciampa into him. Lee got Thatcher in an inside cradle to pick up the victory.

Winners: MSK (Still NXT Tag Team Champions Rating: 8/10

William Regal Addresses the Gargano And Kross Feud

Samoa Joe and William Regal were stood in the ring. Regal said it was obvious things between Johnny Gargano and Karrion Kross weren’t going to turn out well, so he invited both men to the ring. When they came out, Gargano said Kross sucks. He said he’d been living rent-free in his head, and there was a lot of room in there, so he’d been living like a king. Gargano said Kross was terrified, and that he would expose him. Regal said next week, it would be Gargano and Kross for the NXT Championship.

Kross said Gargano almost got ran over last week because he was in the way. When he wakes up in the morning, the same three things are on his mind: never lose the NXT Championship, main event WrestleMania someday, and become WWE Champion. Kross said Gargano thinks he would win a match, but this isn’t a comic book. This is real life. People like Gargano get beaten up. Regal also said Samoa Joe would be the special guest referee so things go according to plan. Kross went after Gargano, but Samoa Joe stood in his way and stared him down.

Million Dollar Championship Match: LA Knight (C) vs Cameron Grimes

Grimes clotheslined Knight straight over the ropes as the bell rang. He kicked him in the face, then landed a crossbody on Knight in the ring. Grimes had Knight in a headlock, but Knight got out and hit a spinning elbow. Knight got launched into the turnbuckle with an Irish whip. He went for a shoulder charge but got punched in the face as he jumped over the rope. Grimes landed a standing moonsault, then locked in another headlock. Grimes got planted with a falling powerslam as the show went into commercial.

After the break, Grimes connected with a Spanish fly. Both men traded blows in the centre of the ring. Knight pulled his hair which sent Grimes crazy. He unloaded a variety of blows, then landed a pendulum side slam, almost picking up the three-count. Knight hit Grimes with a burning hammer after Grimes pulled himself up from outside the ring. Knight hit a superplex from the top turnbuckle but only got a two-count. Knight went outside and grabbed the Million Dollar Championship and brought it in the ring. The referee tried to take it off him and Grimes rolled him up. Knight reversed the pin, but Grimes kicked out.

Grimes hit a Poisonrana, but Knight kicked out just in time. Grimed went to hit Cave In as Knight rolled out the ring. Knight hit grimes with a DDT on the belt outside the ring. Grimes only just managed to get in the ring before being counted out. Knight hit BFT and pinned Grimes once again. Is this a joke? Where is Regal? Not happy at all.

Winner: LA Knight (Still Million Dollar Champion) Rating: 8.5/10

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Zoey Stark & Io Shirai (C) vs The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) (C)

Hartwell started off with Shirai. They reversed each other’s wrist locks until Shirai hit a couple of basement dropkicks on Hartwell. Hartwell dropped Shirai onto the turnbuckle as LeRae tagged in. The Way tried to work on Shirai, but she broke free and connected with a missile dropkick on Hartwell. Stark tagged in and they landed a double suplex. Stark got caught with an elbow, which allowed Hartwell to drop her on her stomach on the ropes.

After the break, Hartwell had Stark in a wrist lock. Stark broke free and hit a roundhouse kick to get the tag. Shirai stepped into the ring against LeRae and dropped her with a flapjack, following it up with a 619. Shirai hit a missile dropkick off the top rope, but LeRae kicked out the pin. Stark tagged in and hit a running knee as Shirai hit a running double knee in the corner. They double-teamed LeRae, with Stark almost picking up the win.

Shirai went for a moonsault off the turnbuckle, but LeRae moved and locked in the Gargano Escape as Hartwell locked in Silence (a nice Dexter Lumis tribute). Both women kicked out. Shirai hit a palm strike on LeRae and went climbing the rope, but LeRae hit a suplex off the turnbuckle. Hartwell hit a spinning slam and almost pinned Shirai. Shirai rolled up LeRae with an inside cradle, but she kicked out. The lights went out and the charging vignette appeared at 100%.

Tegan Nox appeared on the ramp and distracted LeRae. Shirai dropkicked Hartwell into LeRae to knock her out the ring. Stark hit a 360 GTS on Hartwell to pick up the win. After the match, Nox ran down and attacked LeRae. LeRae ran off with Nox following her backstage.

Winners: Zoey Stark & Io Shirai (New NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions) Rating: 7.5/10

Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole

Both guys reversed holds on the mat at the beginning of the match. After the break, Cole tried to roll up O’Reilly but got caught with an ankle lock. O’Reilly drove his knees into Cole’s ribs. O’Reilly kicked Cole in the stomach. Outside the ring, O’Reilly missed a knee strike which allowed Cole to land a swinging neckbreaker. Back in the ring, Cole hit a neckbreaker and into a pin, but O’Reilly kicked out. Cole launched O’Reilly into the turnbuckle sternum-first, then locked his legs around his throat.

O’Reilly got out and landed a knee into Cole’s stomach. He hit various strike combinations on Cole, followed by a running punch in the corner. O’Reilly hit three underhook DDTs in a row, but Cole broke out of the pin. O’Reilly landed a knee breaker, but Cole retaliated with a backstabber. Cole said he was better than O’Reilly and always had been. He continued to talk trash about O’Reilly, then about his wife which saw O’Reilly snap. Cole took advantage of his rage by punishing him with a kick. He then smashed O’Reilly’s knee into the ring post multiple times.

After the break, both men connected with a double clothesline. They traded blows until Cole hit a pump kick, then tried to lock in a knee submission between the ropes. O’Reilly hit a dragon screw on the apron through the ropes. Back in the ring, they traded kicks until Cole hit a chop block on O’Reilly’s knee. He hit a front Last Shot, but couldn’t get the pin. Cole missed Panama Sunrise, but he hit a basement superkick. O’Reilly caught his foot and hit a Fireman’s suplex into a bridge, but Cole kicked out.

O’Reilly kept kicking Cole in the face, then took him to the mat. He went for an armbar, but Cole got out. O’Reilly went for a cradle into a heel hook, but Cole reversed into a figure four. O’Reilly transitioned into a unique heel submission, but Cole grabbed the bottom rope. Cole hit a step-up enzuigiri and O’Reilly kneed him in the face. They traded strikes that sent O’Reilly out of the ring. Cole hit Panama Sunrise off the apron and onto the mat outside. He rolled O’Reilly in the ring and went for the pin, but somehow he got a foot on the rope.

Cole lowered his knee pad for the Last Shot. O’Reilly countered and ended up hitting a brainbuster. He climbed the turnbuckle to deliver his finisher, but Cole rolled out the way and hit Last Shot. O’Reilly kicked out, leaving Cole looking shocked. Cole went for Panama Sunrise, but O’Reilly stopped it. Cole went for it again and got a knee to the stomach. Third time lucky as Cole landed Panama Sunrise and Last Shot, finally picking up the victory.

Winner: Adam Cole Rating: 9/10

What Else Went Down

– Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly were shown arriving earlier in the day. Later on, both men were shown getting ready for their match.

– Kushida cut a promo via video package where he said was ready to face Diamond Mine after they attacked him.

– Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez were backstage being asked about who would win in tonight’s tag match for the Women’s Tag Team Championship. Kai and Gonzalez talked trash about Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart instead.

– The participants for the 2021 Breakout Tournament were standing on the ramp. Trey Baxter, Carmelo Hayes, Andre Chase, Josh Briggs, Ikemen Jiro, Joe Gacy, Odyssey Jones, and Duke Hudson were all announced. The tournament would be starting next week, with Jiro will facing Hudson in the first round.

The future is NOW on #WWENXT.

The 2021 #NXTBreakout competitors are more ambitious and hungrier than ever!

Who are YOU siding with?!#NXTGAB pic.twitter.com/cb5o70rjlv

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2021

– Toni Storm was being interviewed. She said she deserved a championship match. Storm then said Sarray was not on her level, and she wouldn’t be wrestling her.

– It was shown that after the women’s tag team match, Dexter Lumis picked up Hartwell and carried her off to the back.

– The North American Championship Cypher had Hit Row rap. B-Fab started things off, followed by Top Dolla. Swerve was next to rap, followed by all of Hit Row. They headed to the ring and finished off the track.

– Regal and Joe were asked about the show so far. Regal talked about Great American Bash, and how much he enjoyed it. Joe was asked about the NXT Championship match next week, and said as long as he wasn’t provoked by Kross, may the best man win.

After The Bell

Great American Bash had some solid matches. Whilst it wasn’t quite at the level of traditional TakeOvers, I enjoyed every one of them. The main event was fantastic, and now it’s over I’d like to see their feud end. I’m not sure what’s left for Adam Cole in NXT. O’Reilly would be a good challenger to the North American Championship, but they’re so many other guys I’d love to see him wrestle. MSK vs Thatcher and Ciampa was an enjoyable match, and I’m happy they retained.

I’m so annoyed about Cameron Grimes losing. I love LA Knight, but Grimes deserved that win. Now we have to put up with annoying skits where Grimes is fetching champagne and chicken wings for Knight. The Gargano and Kross segment was awesome. I have a strong feeling Gargano might win next week. Kross is likely going to move up to the main roster, and Gargano has been an excellent part of NXT for the last year. Finally, it was great to see Tegan Nox once again. I’m all for a feud between her and LeRae.

Star of the Show: Adam Cole Overall Rating: 8/10

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