Generation NXT - NXT recap for August 19, 2020

Johnny Gargano beats Ridge Holland in a Second Chance Match to advance to the North American Championship Ladder Match at NXT TakeOver: XXX.

Dakota Kai beats Jessi Kamea. After the match, Dakota says Io Shirai is out of her mind and that everything she has said has proven her point. She says that Io Shirai is focused on her past while she is focused on the future, and that she will take the NXT Women's Championship from Shirai. As Dakota says it will feel good to kick Shirai in the face over and over, Shirai gets in the ring and attacks Dakota. She is soon attacked from out of nowhere by Raquel Gonzalez. Shirai smacks Dakota Kai back in the ring, but she is slammed into the mat by Gonzalez.

Backstage, Mackenzie Mitchell interviews Tegan Nox, who says that what Candace LeRae has taken her aback after last week, and says that since she is blamed for rifts in friendships, she is willing to talk to Candace.

We hear from Finn Balor, who says that he has earned his place in this business while Velveteen Dream keeps getting chance after chance. He says that Dream has talent, but he will not stop him from becoming North American Champion and that their match will end as always: Finn Over.

Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, Joaquin Wilde) beat Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) after Swerve does not know that Tyler Breeze is the legal man in the match near the end, having tagged him into the match inadvertently.

Pat McAfee is seen entering the arena with some football players.

Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch in an NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Match is official for the NXT TakeOver: XXX pre-show.

The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong) show up and demand that Pat McAfee come out to the ring. McAfee shows up with a few football players as back-up, saying he knows Adam Cole does not go anywhere without The Undisputed Era and cannot handle him on his own. Adam Cole asks Pat McAfee as he is ready to start, and everyone else clears the ring except for Cole, who tells McAfee that the ring is all his. McAfee brings up how Cole talked about how he became "the king of NXT," and says it took a minute to knock him out. McAfee reminds Cole that he has made a million dollars in seven different professions, and tells everyone that he can make professional wrestling the eighth if he wants to before telling Cole he will knock him unconscious after training for two weeks. McAfee then tells Cole that while he is great in the business, he is "next-level" and above Cole as a human and an athlete, and he will beat him after punting his head to the Moon. He then throws the microphone at Cole after saying "Boom" is the last thing he will hear. Security stands between Cole and McAfee, and Cole soon lays everyone in security out before staring at McAfee. The Undisputed Era and McAfee's friends get back to the ring, and Adam Cole challenges McAfee and company to a fight. Cole tells McAfee he will make him his bitch at TakeOver, then The Undisputed Era leaves.

Rhea Ripley and Shotzi Blackheart beat Aliyah and Mercedes Martinez.

We see a preview for Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: XXX.

Velveteen Dream beats Finn Balor in a Second Chance Match to advance to the North American Championship Ladder Match at NXT TakeOver: XXX. During the match, Cameron Grimes shows up to get a closer look at the match and the NXT North American Championship. Later, Johnny Gargano shows up and topples the ladder that Grimes is on down, sending Grimes into the ring and into the referee. Finn Balor and Velveteen Dream lay out Grimes, then both men go back to wrestling each other. Bronson Reed soon shows up and confronts Gargano in the ring, and Gargano soon backs into Damian Priest. Reed and Priest soon lay out Gargano, then Priest and Reed have a staredown that soon turns into a brawl that also involves Finn Balor and Velveteen Dream. Finn Balor is then attacked on the outside and sent back into the ring by Timothy Thatcher, and Velveteen Dream hits the Dream Valley Driver and the top rope elbow drop to advance to the North American Championship Ladder Match. After the match, Gargano attacks Dream from behind, then lifts up the North American Championship only for everyone in the match to lay each other out. Bronson Reed stands tall in the end, holding up the North American Championship to end the show.