Generation NXT - NXT recap for September 30, 2020

Shotzi Blackheart beats Dakota Kai with a schoolkid pin after Raquel Gonzalez trips Shotzi only to be attacked from behind by Rhea Ripley, who is quickly forced to the back by referees.

We hear from both Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and Santos Escobar. Swerve says he has had opportunities at the Cruiserweight Championship, but they were not always fair opportunites, and he is still the only person to have pinned Escobar in WWE. Swerve says he will come out on top on Sunday. Escobar tells Swerve he is a parasite he cannot get rid of, as Swerve continues to linger no matter what he does to him. Escobar promises their match Sunday will be fair, but Swerve is not convinced. Swerve mentions tricks that Escobar has used in the past, but Escobar says he is making excuses and that Swerve cannot deliver. Swerve says he has adapted to everything in the business and in life, and he is ready for what he tries to throw at him on Sunday. He says that while he proves he is ready for the world on Saturday, he will prove that Escobar is a fraud. Escobar says the difference between Swerve and himself is that Swerve has made it about himself and for that, he will fail. Meanwhile, he has built up the Cruiserweight division in his image with respect to the lucha culture, something he says Swerve does not respect, and says that he will bury Swerve with "a century of tradition" that Swerve calls "a bag of tricks."

We see another green-tinted vignette, this time of a person on a motorcycle followed by the numbers "10.04.20."

We see a video package of Kyle O'Reilly's road to NXT TakeOver 31.

It is announced that Tegan Nox has suffered a torn ACL following the attack on her from Candice LeRae from last week.

Backstage, Sarah Schrieber interviews Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano, who say that Tegan Nox was asking for it last week. Gargano says that destiny is on its way and on Sunday, destiny is here. Candice LeRae says that it starts tonight, and on Sunday, it will finish.

Before the next match, Cameron Grimes says he is not in the best mood after what happened last week, then issues a "Cameron Grimes Invitational Stepping Stones To The Moon" Match with hand-picked opponents. When Grimes brings out his first opponent, he beats him in seconds with the Cave-In, but when he brings out his next opponent, his opponent gets thrown to the stage by Ridge Holland, who proceeds to beat him up. Ridge Holland then enters the ring despite Cameron Grimes' pleas and proceeds to headbutt him, starting a match. The match ends when Ridge Holland refuses to listen to the referee as he proceeds to viciously stomp him near the ropes.

Backstage, Sarah Schreiber interviews Austin Theory, who says that what happened last week should never have happened. He says that he should have been in the Gauntlet Eliminator Match, and that Kyle O'Reilly should be catching up to his level, especially when it has taken him 15 years to earn a shot at the NXT Championship.

We see a video package of KUSHIDA talking about his road to NXT, where he says that Velveteen Dream will be his stepping stone to the center of NXT, as the new him is more vicious.

KUSHIDA beats "The Premier Athlete" Tony Nese with the Hoverboard Lock. After the match, Velveteen Dream shows up on the TitanTron and tells KUSHIDA that the spotlight will be too bright for him on Sunday.

Backstage, Cameron Grimes is not in the mood for an interview as he searches for General Manager William Regal. Suddenly, he runs into Dexter Lumis, whose mere presence is enough to freak him out.

Adam Cole in the ring. He says that for three years, The Undisputed Era (Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong) has been a part of and a dominant force in NXT as they did what they said they would do while doing what they wanted when they wanted to and making it clear that anyone in their way paid for it. He says that since the prophecy ended, nobody takes them as seriously as they once did, but they are still the same Undisputed Era now as they were when they started. He then says that if Austin Theory wants to run his mouth about Kyle O'Reilly, then he came to the ring and say the same stuff about him to his face. Theory shows up, and Cole tells him to either get in the ring or the Undisputed Era can beat him where he stands. Theory gets in the ring, and this starts a match.

Adam Cole beats Austin Theory.

Backstage, Sarah Schreiber interviews Damian Priest and Io Shirai. Priest says that at TakeOver, he and Shirai will keep their championships, as tonight is a preview of TakeOver and they will take care of business. Meanwhile, Shirai is more than happy to team up with Damian Priest, saying "He's not bad."

Kayden Carter beats Xia Li with a roll-up. After the match, Kayden helps Xia up, but Xia shoves her to the match and pushes Kacy Catanzaro's hand away when Kacy confronts her.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels moderates a face-to-face meeting between Kyle O'Reilly and Finn Balor. Both men shake hands before taking a seat. Finn Balor congratulates Kyle O'Reilly on winning the Gauntlet Eliminator Match and respects everything he has done, and O'Reilly extends that respect to Finn Balor. HBK says that Finn Balor is "the best Finn Balor he has ever been," while Kyle O'Reilly is a "best kept secret." Finn Balor says he does not consider O'Reilly a secret, as O'Reilly has proven himself in NXT and all over the world. O'Reilly says that Finn Balor is good at stroking his own ego despite being a great fighting champion even in the face of defeat. Finn Balor asks O'Reilly if he will show up by himself. O'Reilly says he will show up by himself. O'Reilly then goes on to say that The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, O'Reilly, Roderick Strong) have "washed each others' hands" and have seen success as a group, and that Sunday is about him and his moment. He goes on to admit that he is nothing like Adam Cole, and when Finn Balor says he will smack the freckles off his face, O'Reilly says this is the Balor he wanted to see. Finn Balor says there will be no room for jokes, and that Sunday could be life-altering for O'Reilly. O'Reilly tells Finn Balor that he is not the underdog, and that Finn Balor has not stepped in the ring with him or anyone like him. He then goes on to say that Finn Balor will hear the sound of his knees exploding when he shocks the world once again. Finn Balor tells O'Reilly that he has everything it takes to be NXT Champion, and that he would be if the title were not around his waist.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae beat Damian Priest and Io Shirai after Candice hits Priest with a low blow behind the referee's back while the referee is preoccupied with Shirai. After the match, Candice LeRae hits Io Shirai with a Backstabber when Shirai confronts Gargano. Candice and Gargano then celebrate with the NXT Women's and North American Championships respectively to end the show.

Here are the top ten moments from tonight's show!