The 2024 NXT Battleground (marketed as NXT Battleground: Las Vegas), was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

produced by

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

. It was the second annual

Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

held for the promotion's

developmental brand In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

NXT, and the seventh Battleground overall. In partnership with

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), WWE's sister company under

TKO Group Holdings TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is an American media conglomerate created by Endeavor as part of a merger between World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since ...

, the event took place on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at the

UFC Apex UFC Apex (stylized as UFC APEX) is a live events and production center in Enterprise, Nevada, operated and owned by TKO Group Holdings (TKO). The venue hosts events held by TKO's two divisions, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE, as ...

in the

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

suburb of

Enterprise, Nevada Enterprise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas Valley in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 221,831 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 14,676 at the 2000 census. It was founded on December 17, 1996. As in other uninc ...

, marking WWE's first event held at the venue. The event aired via WWE's

livestreaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...

platforms. Rapper

Sexyy Red Janae Nierah Wherry (born April 15, 1998), known professionally as Red, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence with the release of her 2023 single " Pound Town" (with Tay Keith); its popularity spawned the remixed sequel "Pound Town 2" ...

hosted the event. Six matches were contested at the event. In the main event,

Trick Williams Matrick Mondre Belton (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on its NXT brand, under the ring name Trick Williams. He also makes appearances in WWE's partner promotion Total Nonstop Acti ...

defeated

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand, and is ...

to retain the

NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...

. In other prominent matches,

Roxanne Perez Carla Gonzalez (born November 5, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Roxanne Perez. She is a former two-time NXT Women's Champion, and a former NXT Women' ...

defeated

Jordynne Grace Patricia Forrest Gresham (née Parker, born March 5, 1996), better known by her ring name Jordynne Grace, is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and powerlifter. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand. She is best ...

from

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

to retain the

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...

Oba Femi Isaac Odugbesan (born April 22, 1998) is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former shot putter. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Oba Femi and is the current NXT C ...

defeated

Wes Lee Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT and Evolve brands under the ring name Wes Lee and is the leader of The High Ryze stable. He is a former one-t ...

and Joe Coffey in a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

to retain the

NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended as the secondary men's championship of NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champi ...

, and in the opening bout,

Kelani Jordan Lea Mitchell (born October 22, 1998) is an American professional wrestler and former artistic gymnast. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kelani Jordan. She is a former one-time and inaugural NXT Wome ...

won a

Ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

to become the inaugural

NXT Women's North American Champion The NXT Women's North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the secondary women's championship of the company's development brand, NXT. Established on April 6, 20 ...

Production

Background

was previously an annual

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

(PPV) event established by

in 2013. The inaugural 2013 event was held in October, but then moved to July from 2014 to 2017. Battleground was then discontinued after the 2017 event as WWE ceased producing

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

-exclusive PPVs for the main roster brands, Raw and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

, resulting in less PPV events held per year. However, in

May 2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy, the longest-lasting recorded tropical cyclone in history in the ...

, the company revived the event for its

, NXT, which aired via WWE's

platforms. On January 26, 2024, WWE announced a second NXT Battleground, and seventh Battleground overall, thus establishing it as an annual livestreaming event for NXT. The event was originally scheduled for

Memorial Day weekend Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It is ...

on Sunday, May 26 at the Enmarket Arena in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. However, on April 22, 2024, the company announced that in partnership with

(UFC), WWE's sister company under

, the event would instead be held at the

in the

suburb of

on Sunday, June 9, with the event also promoted as NXT Battleground: Las Vegas. Tickets went on sale on May 24.

Storylines

The event included matches that result from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, '' NXT'', and the supplementary online streaming show, '' Level Up''. At Stand & Deliver on April 6, NXT General Manager

Ava Ava or AVA may refer to: Places Asia and Oceania * Ava Kingdom, in upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 ** Inwa, formerly Ava, the capital of Ava Kingdom ** Earl of Ava, a British colonial earldom in Burma * Ava, Iran, Gilan Province, a village * Iva ...

announced a new secondary women's championship for NXT called the

NXT Women's North American Championship The NXT Women's North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the secondary women's championship of the company's development brand, NXT. Established on April 6, 20 ...

, marking it the first women's secondary championship in WWE. During Week 2 of ''NXT'': Spring Breakin', Ava announced that the inaugural champion would be crowned at Battleground in a six-woman

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

, with the participants determined through qualifying matches and the participants in those qualifiers would come from the results of a NXT Women's Combine. The combine evaluated the athletes' speed, power, strength, and conditioning with the top 12 moving on to the qualifiers. The top 12 from the combine in order were

Sol Ruca Calyx Harmony Hampton (born August 26, 1999) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Sol Ruca. She is currently a double champion, ...

Chase University Chase University, formally known as Andre Chase University and usually shortened as Chase U, is a professional wrestling stable that performs in WWE on the NXT brand. The stable's gimmick is that of an educational university, with stable founder ...

Thea Hail Madison Knisley (born September 9, 2003) is an American professional wrestler and gymnast. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Thea Hail. Early life Madison Knisley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

, OTM's

Jaida Parker Tiana Lillian Marie Caffey (born February 12, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former soccer player. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Jaida Parker, and is a member of the Out the Mud ( ...

Brinley Reece Breanna Ruggiero (born September 5, 2000) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Evolve brand under the ring name Brinley Reece. Early life Ruggiero was born in Roseville, California on Septembe ...

The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on Fox in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, with a total of four seasons consisting of 92 episodes. The serie ...

's Michin from SmackDown,

Fallon Henley Theresa Schuessler (born September 25, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Fallon Henley, and is a member of the Fatal Influence stable. She is a former one ...

, The Meta-Four's Lash Legend,

Diamond Mine There are a limited number of commercially available diamond mines currently operating in the world, with the 50 largest mines accounting for approximately 90% of global supply. Diamonds are also mined alluvially over disperse areas, where dia ...

's Ivy Nile from Raw,

Izzi Dame Franki Carissa Strefling (born July 13, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former professional volleyball player. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Izzi Dame and is a member of The Culling ...

Tatum Paxley Natalie Holland, better known by her ring name Tatum Paxley, is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand. Background Holland's athletic experience includes cheerleading and powerlifting.

, and Wren Sinclair. The first two qualifying matches took place on the May 14 episode of ''NXT'', where Ruca and Legend defeated Dame and Nile, respectively. On the May 21 episode, Henley and Parker qualified by defeating Hail and Reece, respectively. The last two qualifying matches took place on the May 28 episode, where Michin and Jordan qualified by defeating Paxley and Sinclair, respectively. At Stand & Deliver on April 6,

retained the

in a

involving

Josh Briggs Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. He was a one-time and the final NXT UK Tag Team Champion. Bruns previou ...

and

Dijak Christopher James Dijak ( ; born April 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs under the ring name Donovan Dijak. He also currently works on the independent circuit. Dijak ...

. On the following episode of ''NXT'', when Femi celebrated his successful title defense, he was interrupted by Raw's

Ivar Ivar (Old Norse ''Ívarr'') is a Scandinavian masculine given name. Another variant of the name is Iver, which is more common in Norway. The Old Norse name has several possible etymologies. In North Germanic phonology, several of the elements c ...

, who wanted a title match. Femi accepted, and the match took place on Night 2 of ''NXT'': Spring Breakin', where Femi retained the title. After the match,

, who had been sidelined with a back injury since December 2023, made his return and stared down Femi. On the May 14 episode, Lee, Ivar, and Briggs argued over who should get a title match. Femi decided to let the three fight amongst themselves, and a triple threat match between Lee, Ivar, and Briggs was scheduled for the following week, where the winner would face Femi for his title at NXT Battleground. Later that same night, Gallus ( Joe Coffey,

Mark Coffey Mark Anthony Coffey (born 13 February 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand as a member of Gallus (professional wrestling), Gall ...

, and Wolfgang) made their return and attacked the three competitors. Ivar ended up getting injured and taken out of action for an indefinite period of time. Later, NXT General Manager Ava announced that Joe would replace Ivar in the triple threat match. The following week, both Lee and Joe pinned Briggs, and the two men were considered the winner. Later that night, NXT General Manager Ava set up a triple threat match between Femi, Lee, and Joe for the title at Battleground. During week 1 of ''NXT'': Spring Breakin', Raw's

Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...

returned to NXT to accompany

Lola Vice Valerie Loureda (born July 19, 1998) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lola Vice. As a mixed martial artist, she competed in the wo ...

in her

NXT Underground match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

against

Natalya Natalya () is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking states since the late 1800s. People with the given name ...

, also from Raw, who was accompanied by

Karmen Petrovic Monika Klisara (born October 29, 1995) is a Bosnian and Canadian professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Karmen Petrovic. After winning national championships in karate, Klisara made ...

. During Week 2 of Spring Breakin', Vice won the match. After that, the rivalry between the two teams continued, and on the May 14 episode of ''NXT'', Natalya and Petrovic challenged Baszler and Vice to a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

on next week's episode, which was made official. There, Natalya and Petrovic won the match. After that, Vice turned on Baszler, and a brawl started between the two. NXT General Manager Ava then announced a match between the two at NXT Battleground, where Baszler proposed an NXT Underground match, which was made official. On the May 21 episode of ''NXT'', after talking to Raw General Manager

Adam Pearce Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler and executive employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, and on-screen general manager of the Raw brand. Pearce is a former five-time NW ...

and SmackDown General Manager

Nick Aldis Nicholas Harry Aldis (born 6 November 1986) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a producer and the on-screen general manager of the SmackDown brand. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wres ...

, NXT General Manager Ava announced that

would be defending the

at NXT Battleground against somebody from the main roster, and her opponent would be announced the following week. On the next episode, however, Ava revealed that reigning TNA Knockouts World Champion

from

(TNA) would challenge Perez for the NXT Women's Championship at Battleground. On the February 20 episode of ''NXT'', SmackDown's

(

Luke Gallows Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Doc Gallows. He is best known for his three tenures in WWE, where he performed under ...

and

Karl Anderson Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980) known by the ring name Karl Anderson , is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is primarily performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for his time in WWE. Ander ...

) made a surprise return to NXT and attacked

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

and

Nathan Frazer Benjamin Timms (born 23 July 1998) is a British professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nathan Frazer. He is a former one-time NXT Heritage Cup Champion and a two-time NXT Tag Te ...

. The two teams later entered a tournament for an

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

match at Stand & Deliver, which Axiom and Frazer won. On the May 21 episode of ''NXT,'' Gallows and Anderson attacked Axiom and Frazer after their successful title defense. One week later, a title match between the two teams was scheduled for Battleground. On the May 14 episode of ''NXT'',

Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli and Scottish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he perfroms on the NXT brand and is the current NXT Heritage Cup champion in his record-setting fourth reign. He is also known for his ti ...

was found attacked backstage by an unknown assailant. Dar's Meta Four stablemates,

Oro Mensah Oliver Sauter (born 9 May 1995) is a Nigerian-Swiss professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring names Oliver Carter and Oro Mensah and is a former a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion. Prior to ...

and Jakara Jackson assumed NXT Champion

attacked Dar, but fellow stablemate Lash Legend defended Williams. The following week, Meta Four interrupted Williams, with Mensah and Jackson still accusing Williams of attacking Dar, but Legend still defended him, saying that Williams knows all about getting jumped backstage due to his recent feud with

Carmelo Hayes Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. He ...

and that he wouldn't do the same to Dar. On the May 28 episode, Mensah was attacked by the same unknown assailant. Later that night, the unknown assailant was revealed to be the debuting

, who attacked Williams and posed with the NXT Championship. The following week, Page (

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...

) signed a contract with NXT, which granted him a match against Williams for the NXT Championship at Battleground.

Event

Preliminary matches

The event began with the ladder match to determine the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion, featuring Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker, Michin, Fallon Henley, Lash Legend, and Kelani Jordan. In the closing moments, Ruca performed Sol Snatchers on Parker and Henley. After Michin disposed of Ruca, Parker performed a Pele Kick on Michin. Jordan then performed a split-legged moonsault on Michin and retrieved the belt to become the inaugural champion. In the second match, Nathan Frazer and Axiom defended the NXT Tag Team Championship against The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson). In the climax, Gallows performed a chokeslam on Frazer on the ring apron followed by a Super TKO by Anderson for a nearfall. Axiom performed a Spanish Fly on Gallows and Frazer pinned Anderson with a Phoenix Splash to retain the title. After that, Shayna Baszler faced Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match. Baszler and Vice were able to escape the other's submission holds throughout the match. In the end, Vice performed a spinning backfist and struck Baszler with mounted strikes to win the match. In the fourth match, Oba Femi defended the NXT North American Championship against Wes Lee and Joe Coffey in a triple threat match. Lee performed a Cardiac Kick on Coffey, but Mark Coffey pulled the referee out of the ring. Lee then performed a suicide dive on Mark and Wolfgang. Inside the ring, Femi performed two powerbombs on Joe to retain the title. In the penultimate match, Roxanne Perez defended the NXT Women's Championship against TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace. Grace dominated most of the match. Grace performed a Kinniku Buster on Perez for a nearfall. As Perez applied a crossface, Grace countered it into a roll-up for a nearfall. In the end, Tatum Paxley tried to steal the TNA Knockouts World Championship, but Ash by Elegance prevented that from happening, and Grace took them both out. Inside the ring, Grace performed a Death Valley Driver on Perez and attempted a Grace Driver, but Perez countered it into Pop Rox to retain the NXT Women's Championship.

Main event

In the main event, Trick Williams defended the NXT Championship against Ethan Page. In the climax, Page performed a Border Toss on Williams for a nearfall. After arguing with the referee, Page pummeled Williams in the corner until the referee pulled him away. Williams then performed the Trick Shot on Page to retain the title. After the match, Williams celebrated with host

Results

References

External links

* {{WWEPPV, Battleground 2024 WWE Network events May 2024 in the United States Professional wrestling shows in the Las Vegas Valley 2024 in Nevada Events in Paradise, Nevada WWE NXT