NXT Battleground 2023 was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for their NXT brand. The event took place on May 28, 2023 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. The event was broadcast on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Production
Background
First held on October 6, 2013, Battleground became an annual July pay-per-view for WWE until 2017. On March 30, 2023, the event was revived for NXT, with the first NXT Battleground event announced to take place on May 28 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Storylines
Following a period of inactivity due to the closure of NXT UK, NXT Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar debuted for NXT on the April 4 episode of NXT. On the May 16 episode of NXT, Dar hosted his "Supernova Sessions" talk show with Dragon Lee as a guest. Dar would gloat his championship over Lee, who requested that Dar defend the title. Dar would decline, which brought out Nathan Frazer, who questioned Dar for looking to dodge title defences. Dar would then accept Lee's challenge, making a match between them official for Battleground.
At Stand & Deliver on April 1, Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) retained the NXT Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match that featured The Creed Brothers (Brutus and Julius Creed). On the April 18 episode of NXT, another Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship took place, with Gallus retaining and The Creed Brothers once again failing to win the title. On the May 16 episode of NXT, The Creed Brothers would defeat The Dyad (Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler). After, The Creed Brothers would challenge Gallus to a championship match at Battleground, which was later made official.
On the May 2 episode of NXT, North American Champion Wes Lee retained his title against Drew Gulak thanks to assistance from Tyler Bate. The following week, Bate, who was accompanied by Lee, lost his match against Charlie Dempsey following interference from Joe Gacy. The next week, Lee and Bate were attacked backstage by Gacy and his stable, The Schism. Later in the night, Lee would head to the ring to call out Gacy, who claimed that Lee shouldn't trust Bate. Bate would then appear to address Gacy, revealing that he was also chasing the title. As a result, Lee announced he would defend his North American Championship against Bate and Gacy in a Triple Threat Match at Battleground.
As part of the 2023 WWE draft, NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell was drafted to the Raw brand. On the May 2 episode of NXT, Hartwell would vacate the title, along with announcing a tournament to crown a new champion. The tournament would take place over the following weeks, with Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria advancing to the final at Battleground.
At Stand & Deliver on April 1, Carmelo Hayes defeated Bron Breakker to win the NXT Championship. On the April 4 episode of NXT, Breakker appeared to support Hayes, only to attack him. At Spring Breakin' on April 25, Hayes, after retaining against Grayson Waller, challenged Breakker to a match at Battleground. Breakker would appear, attacking Hayes. The following week, Breakker accepted Hayes' challenge, making a title match between them official for Battleground.
Match Preview
| Noam Dar vs. Dragon Lee | Preview |
| Gallus vs. The Creed Brothers | Preview |
| Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak | Preview |
| Wes Lee vs. Joe Gacy vs. Tyler Bate | Preview |
| Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria | Preview |
| Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker | Preview |
Results
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Wes Lee (c) defeated Joe Gacy (w/Ava Raine) and Tyler Bate in a Triple Threat Match to retain the NXT North American Championship (11:59)
- Noam Dar (c) defeated Dragon Lee (w/Nathan Frazer) [2:1] [Round 5] to retain the NXT Heritage Cup Championship (14:22)
- Ilja Dragunov defeated Dijak in a Last Man Standing Match (15:54)
- Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) (c) (w/Joe Coffey) defeated The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) (w/Ivy Nile) to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship (9:33)
- Tiffany Stratton defeated Lyra Valkyria in the NXT Women's Championship Tournament Final Match to win the vacant NXT Women's Championship (16:01)
- Carmelo Hayes (c) (w/Trick Williams) defeated Bron Breakker to retain the NXT Championship (14:15)
Other on-screen talent
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See also
External links
NXT Battleground 2023 Official Website
NXT Battleground 2023 Kickoff Show on WWE Network- NXT Battleground 2023 on WWE Network
NXT Battleground 2023 at CAGEMATCH.net
| NXT Battleground 2023 previews |
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Noam Dar v Dragon Lee • Gallus v The Creed Brothers • Ilja Dragunov v Dijak • Wes Lee v Joe Gacy v Tyler Bate • Tiffany Stratton v Lyra Valkyria • Carmelo Hayes v Bron Breakker |
| 2023 NXT Premium Live Events |
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Vengeance Day • Stand & Deliver • NXT Battleground • The Great American Bash • NXT No Mercy • NXT Deadline |
| 2023 World Wrestling Entertainment Premium Live Events |
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Royal Rumble • Vengeance Day • Elimination Chamber • Stand & Deliver • WrestleMania 39 • Backlash • Night of Champions • NXT Battleground • Money in the Bank • The Great American Bash • SummerSlam • Payback • NXT No Mercy • Fastlane • Crown Jewel • Survivor Series • NXT Deadline |