NXT No Mercy 2023 was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for their NXT brand. The event took place on September 30, 2023 at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. The event was broadcast on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Production[]
Background[]
First held in May 1999, the inaugural No Mercy event took place in the United Kingdom. Later that year, in October, WWE held the second No Mercy show in the United States, establishing the event as the company's annual October pay-per-view. Following the 2008 event, No Mercy was discontinued. The event was briefly revived in 2016 and 2017 as part of the reintroduction of the brand extension. On July 27, 2023, WWE announced the revival of No Mercy for their developmental brand, NXT. It was announced that the 14th No Mercy event would take place on September 30 at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California.
Storylines[]
After winning the Heritage Cup Championship at Heat Wave on August 22, Noam Dar received a letter from the "Heritage Cup Committee". The letter revealed that a global number one contenders tournament would begin the following week, with Dar defending his title against the winner at No Mercy. It was later announced that the tournament would feature two groups of four wrestlers facing off in a round robin, with the winners of both groups facing off in the final. Group A featured Tyler Bate, Butch, Charlie Dempsey, and Axiom while Group B included Joe Coffey, Duke Hudson, Nathan Frazer, and Akira Tozawa. At the conclusion of the round robin, Butch topped Group A with five points while Coffey won Group B with six points following a Triple Threat Decision Match involving him, Frazer, and Hudson. On the September 26 episode of NXT, Butch defeated Coffey in the final. As a result, it was confirmed that Butch would challenge Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup at No Mercy.
On the September 12 episode of NXT, Baron Corbin praised Bron Breakker for, in kayfabe, smashing steel steps into Von Wagner's skull. However, Breakker would declare that he did not do it for Corbin's approval, challenging him to a match at No Mercy, which was later made official.
On the August 29 episode of NXT, Dragon Lee and Mustafa Ali argued over who should challenge North American Champion Dominik Mysterio. In order to resolve the issue, Mysterio announced that the following week, Lee and Ali would face off to determine who would challenge for the title, with Mysterio as guest referee. Ali would emerge victorious thanks to a fast count from Mysterio. However, on September 21, it was revealed that Mustafa Ali had been released by WWE. On September 26, Shawn Michaels announced on X that Lee, Axiom, and Tyler Bate would compete in a Triple Threat Match, with the winner facing Mysterio at No Mercy. Trick Williams inserted himself into the match that night, going on to win the Fatal Four Way. As a result, it was confirmed that Williams would challenge Mysterio for the North American Championship at No Mercy.
At Heat Wave on August 22, NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton claimed she would become the greatest champion, listing off the names of former champions. Stratton would mistakenly list Becky Lynch as a former NXT Women's Champion. At Payback on September 2, Stratton apologised to Lynch. On the September 5 episode of NXT, after Stratton retained her title against Kiana James, Lynch appeared and challenged Stratton to a title match. The following week, Lynch defeated Stratton to win the NXT Women's Championship. The next week, Lynch and Stratton agreed to a rematch at No Mercy. Later that night, after Lynch teamed up with Lyra Valkyria to defeat Stratton and Kiana James, Stratton would attack Lynch. After, Lynch announced that her match with Stratton at No Mercy would be an Extreme Rules Match.
At The Great American Bash on July 30, NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes successfully retained his title against Ilja Dragunov. The following month, at Heat Wave on August 22, Hayes defeated Wes Lee to retain his championship. On the August 29 episode of NXT, Dragunov revealed that he still had intentions to win the NXT Championship. However, Lee revealed in an Instagram video that he also had his sights set on the title. As a result, Lee and Dragunov faced off in a number one contendership match on the September 5 episode of NXT. Dragunov emerged victorious, making it official that he would challenge Hayes at No Mercy.
Match Preview[]
| Kelani Jordan vs. Blair Davenport | Preview |
| Noam Dar vs. Butch | Preview |
| Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin | Preview |
| Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams | Preview |
| Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match | Preview |
| Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton | Preview |
| Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov | Preview |
Results[]
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Pre-Show: Blair Davenport defeated Kelani Jordan (6:38)
- Baron Corbin defeated Bron Breakker (9:33)
- Trick Williams defeated Dominik Mysterio (c) to win the NXT North American Championship (Special Guest Referee: Dragon Lee) (9:28)
- Tony D'Angelo & Channing Lorenzo (c) defeated Bronco Nima & Lucien Price (w/SCRYPTS) and The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) (w/Ivy Nile) and Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo in a Fatal Four Way Match to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship (12:05)
- Noam Dar (w/Oro Mensah, Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) (c) defeated Butch (w/Tyler Bate) [2:1] [Round 6] to retain the NXT Heritage Cup Championship (15:53)
- Ilja Dragunov defeated Carmelo Hayes (c) to win the NXT Championship (21:03)
- Becky Lynch (c) defeated Tiffany Stratton in an Extreme Rules Match to retain the NXT Women's Championship (20:19)
Other on-screen talent[]
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See also[]
External links[]
NXT No Mercy 2023 Official Website
NXT No Mercy 2023 Kickoff Show at CAGEMATCH.net- NXT No Mercy 2023 at CAGEMATCH.net
| No Mercy |
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| 1999 (UK) • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2016 • 2017 • 2023 |
| 2023 NXT Premium Live Events |
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Vengeance Day • Stand & Deliver • NXT Battleground • The Great American Bash • NXT No Mercy • NXT Deadline |