The 2023 NXT Heatwave was the second

Heatwave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

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 the American promotion

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, ...

, and ninth overall. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

of the '' NXT'' program on the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

, and was broadcast

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

on August 22, 2023, at the

WWE Performance Center WWE Performance Center (WWE PC) is a group of professional wrestling schools owned by American company WWE. They serve as tryout and training facilities for WWE, and also contain sports science and medical facilities as well as live events and ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Production

Background

was originally the name of a

produced by

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

(ECW) that took place annually from 1994 to 2000. The 1997 event was an Internet pay-per-view (iPPV), while the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

iterations of Heatwave aired on traditional

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). ECW folded in 2001, and

acquired the assets of ECW in 2003. In 2022, WWE revived Heatwave to be held as a

of '' NXT'', the main program for WWE'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. 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

, and aired

on the

Storylines

The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

, 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, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, ''NXT'', and the supplementary online streaming show, '' Level Up''. During

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 ...

, and

Ilja Dragunov Ilja Rukober (; born 10 October 1993), known by his ring name Ilja Dragunov (), is a Russian-born, German- naturalised professional wrestler. As of January 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inacti ...

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

on the July 25 episode of ''NXT'', Dragunov accidentally hit Williams. 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. On the August 8 episode, a match between Dragunov and Williams was set for Heatwave. During Carmelo Hayes and

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 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. The following week,

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 ...

confronted Hayes and said that he was coming for Hayes'

. 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. On the August 15 episode, Lee defeated Dijak. On the June 13 episode of ''NXT'',

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 ...

defeated

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 ...

—who wrestled on behalf of

Meta-Four Meta-Four was a professional wrestling stable that performed in WWE on their NXT brand. The stable was led by Noam Dar and included Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, and Lash Legend. Dar was a two-time NXT Heritage Cup Champion as part of the stable. ...

stablemate

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 ...

due to Dar suffering an injury—to win the

NXT Heritage Cup The NXT Heritage Cup is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is a specialized championship for NXT, the promotion's developmental brand, defended exclusively under British Rounds Rul ...

. 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 Anriel Howard (born May 6, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lash Legend. Howard is a former college and professional basketball player who played for the S ...

and

Jakara Jackson Jamara Garrett (born December 9, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Mara Sadè. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed in NXT under the ring name Jakar ...

gave Dar an "undisputed Heritage Cup", which would snap Dar out of his depressed state. The following week,

Tyler Bate Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and is one of the two members of New Catch Republic, performing alongside Pete Dunne. In 2017, he became the inaugur ...

caught Meta-Four backstage and challenged Dar for a match for his title. 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. On the August 15 episode, it was announced that Frazer would face Dar to determine the undisputed NXT Heritage Cup Champion. On the August 15 episode of ''NXT'',

Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...

said he was ushering in a new era for himself during a promo, but was interrupted by

Von Wagner Calvin Bloom (born June 30, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and former college football player. He is performing on the independent circuit under his real name. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring ...

and his manager Mr. Stone. Wagner challenged Corbin to a match at Heatwave, which was made official. Since May, Schism (

Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2020, he is signed to WWE, on the WWE SmackDown, SmackDown brand, where he performs under the ring name Joe Gacy and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Gac ...

, Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler, and

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 ...

) had been feuding with

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 ...

( Brutus Creed,

Julius Creed The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). they are signed to the professional wrestling promotion ...

, and Ivy Nile). On the July 4 episode of ''NXT'', The Dyad (Reid and Fowler) defeated the

Creed Brothers The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). they are signed to the professional wrestling promotion ...

with a stipulation that the losing team had to leave NXT. 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. On the June 27 episode of ''NXT'', during a confrontation between

Lyra Valkyria Aoife Cusack (born 23 October 1996) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Lyra Valkyria. She is a former one-time and the inaugural W ...

and

Jacy Jayne Taylor Grado (born June 2, 1996) 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 Jacy Jayne, and is the current NXT Women's Champion in he ...

, Women's World Champion

Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...

from Raw showed up to praise Valkyria. 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, in which Ripley came out victorious but said Valkyria proved her right. The following week, Dragon Lee interrupted Ripley and her

Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

stablemate,

NXT North American Champion 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 champio ...

"Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, and challenged him to a title match the following week, which Mysterio accepted. 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. The following week, Ripley and Mysterio challenged Valkyria and Lee to a

mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

at Heatwave, which they accepted and was later made official.

Aftermath

Due to the segment that took place on Heatwave between

Tiffany Stratton Jessica Lynn Woynilko (born May 1, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former gymnast. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tiffany Stratton and is the current WWE Women's Champion in he ...

Gigi Dolin Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former reality television personality. She is best known for her tenure in WWE where she performed under the ring name Gigi Dolin. She is a former record-tying two- ...

Kiana James Kayla Klingensmith (' Inlay; born May 23, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kiana James. James is currently inactive due to a leg injury she suffered in June ...

Blair Davenport Beatrice St. Claire Terry (née Priestley, born 22 March 1996) is an English-New Zealander professional wrestler. She is a freelancer, performing for various promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). She previously performed in WWE und ...

, and

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' ...

, a

fatal four-way 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. ...

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 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 ...

. Backstage, after

Ivy Nile Emily Andzulis (born February 26, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist, fitness competitor and professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Ivy Nile on the Raw brand and is a member of American Made ...

defeated

earlier, Nile and

The Creed Brothers The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). they are signed to the professional wrestling promotion ...

(

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 Grizzled Young Veterans (also shortened as GYV) are an English professional wrestling tag team consisting of James Drake and Zack Gibson. Primarily touring the independent circuit, they also appear on All Elite Wrestling (AEW), its sister promo ...

( Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid), with the stipulation being that if The Creeds win, they would be reinstated back in NXT. After

won the

, during a celebration of

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. 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.

Results

References

External links

* {{WWE NXT events Heat Wave 2023 in professional wrestling in Florida 2023 in professional wrestling Events in Orlando, Florida 2023 WWE Network events August 2023 in the United States Professional wrestling in Orlando, Florida WWE NXT

Production

Background

Storylines

Aftermath

Results

See also

References

External links