The challengers are already lining up to take on new NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley, but it will be a familiar foe getting the first crack at her. 

When The Nightmare made her first appearance at Full Sail since dethroning Shayna Baszler for the title last month, it didn't take long for Toni Storm — who won the NXT UK Women's Title from Ripley last January — to interrupt, and she talked her way into an opportunity against Ripley at NXT TakeOver: Portland next month. Storm declared she would soon have a championship for each shoulder after also promising to knock off NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: Blackpool II. "The Scary Queen of Scots" made an appearance to dispute that claim, while Io Shirai and Bianca Belair were also on the scene with their eyes on Ripley's title. And then there was the arrival of Candice LeRae, whose intentions were more ambiguous. With The Nightmare prepared for a fight, fisticuffs ensued and NXT General Manager William Regal ordered that a Six-Woman Tag Team Match start immediately.

The piecemeal teams ultimately broke down in favor of Ripley, Storm and LeRae. The Evil Genius of the Sky and The EST of NXT were unable to stay on the same page, and the NXT Women's Champion took advantage, taking Belair down with The Riptide for the victory. LeRae's eyes lingered on Ripley's title for a few curious seconds before she finally handed it to her former WarGames comrade, perhaps also signaling her desire to vie for the gold. 

The fifth iteration of The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic got off to a thrilling start thanks to Imperium and The Forgotten Sons.

With a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: Blackpool II this Sunday already on their plate, no one could have faulted Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel for having other things on their mind. But they were able to focus on the task at hand and came out on top in a barnburner against Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler, conquering them after hitting the European Bomb. 

If what we've seen so far from Austin Theory is any indication, he figures to be a fixture in NXT for a long time to come.

After pushing NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong to the limit in an exhilarating encounter last month, "All Day" returned to the ring at Full Sail to square off with the equally promising Joaquin Wilde. Both competitors showed off impressive repertoires, but it was Theory coming out on top after hitting the TKO. 

A treasure chest's worth of gold and then some was at ringside for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic first-round bout between NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus and NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed ERA.

The clash of styles provided for hard-hitting action, though it was the skilled precision of Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly — and a pivotal assist from NXT Champion Adam Cole on the outside — allowing them to advance to the next round. With the referee occupied, a perfectly timed kick by Cole saw Wolfgang fall prey to Fish and O'Reilly's devastating high-low combination.

Besides moving them a step closer to the Dusty Cup, The UE's victory also knotted things up between NXT and NXT UK on the march toward Worlds Collide after Imperium defeated The Forgotten Sons earlier in the evening. 

The bad blood has reached a boiling point between Johnny Gargano and Finn Bálor, and we finally perhaps have a way to settle things.

NXT's Prince put Gargano on the shelf with a 1916 DDT on the ramp back in October, while Johnny Wrestling got a dose of retribution when he cost Bálor his NXT Championship match against Adam Cole last month. The escalating issue between two of the biggest standard-bearers in the black-and-gold brand's history appears ready to come to a head next month at NXT TakeOver: Portland per Bálor's suggestion — and this time, he threatened to take Gargano out for good.

Mia Yim was in charge this Wednesday on NXT — though not for long.

The black-and-gold brand's HBIC first defeated Kayden Carter, putting her away with a modified knee to the face. But Yim and Carter were seized upon almost immediately afterward by Chelsea Green, who laid out both competitors. Robert Stone arrived to announce that he had scooped up Green, declaring her the hottest free agent around. 

The next challenger for the NXT North American Championship has been determined, and he is limitless.

Keith Lee emerged as the winner in a showstopping Fatal 4-Way that featured top-notch competition from Dominik Dijakovic, Damian Priest and Cameron Grimes. Each combatant came close to tasting victory in a chaos-filled bout highlighted by a sequence that featured Dijakovic hitting the Feast Your Eyes on Grimes before being blown away by a massive shoulder tackle from Lee, who was then hit with the Reckoning by Priest.

The Technical Savage sought to seize his opportunity with a Cave-In attempt off the top rope, but he was met with a grizzly bear-like two-handed slap across the chest from Lee, who hit a massive Spirit Bomb moments later, punching his ticket for a matchup with Roderick Strong.