Generation NXT - NXT recap for May 25, 2021

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon beat Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. After the match, Raquel and Dakota attack Ember and Shotzi, then Raquel slams Shotzi into the barricade and the ring post while Dakota forces Ember to watch.

We hear from Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. Ciampa says that while they made mistakes and put the cart before the horse with Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake), and Thatcher says their path now runs straight through them. After Ciampa says they will have a third round, Thatcher says he will enjoy breaking Grizzled Young Veterans' limbs.

Pete Dunne beats Bobby Fish. After the match, Oney Lorcan attacks Bobby Fish and threatens to put him on the shelf again. He then pushes down on Fish's arm with his foot while standing on him on the apron, then kicks the arm when referees tell him to leave.

We hear from Mercedes Martinez, who says she took Raquel Gonzalez to the limit even though she lost and learn from it, and tonight, she makes her way back to the NXT Women's Championship. Meanwhile, Boa is watching in the background.

We hear from Hit Row (Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Top Dolla, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, B-Fab) in the studio. They say they have been putting people on notice, and B-Fab says it is time for them to go gold. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott says all eyes are on the main event, while Top Dolla says they have plans for MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee). Ashante "Thee" Adonis says he will take the Cruiserweight Championship from KUSHIDA, while Swerve has his eyes on the North American Championship.

Mercedes Martinez beats Zayda Ramier. After the match, the lights go out, then the arena glows red and smoke can be seen. Afterwards, the lights come back on, but Mercedes Martinez finds out her right hand has the black mark of Tian Sha.

Cameron Grimes heads to the ring. He is about to speak when "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase arrives. Grimes asks DiBiase "Why?" and tells him that he was not always rich. He then says that he always looked up to DiBiase and said that he could make people miserable and still have them like him because of his money. He then says it is true when people say to never meet your idols. DiBiase says he likes Grimes and says they have more in common than he thinks and that he put him through everything because he saw a little bit of himself. He also says he is out here because he is looking for that one individual who embodies everything that The Million Dollar Man and his legacy stands for, then says it is not about money or humiliating people, but about in-ring performance. DiBiase tells Grimes he has got it, but tells him that he has lost his focus since becoming rich. Suddenly, LA Knight shows up. LA Knight says he sees a million dollar opportunity before introducing himself to DiBiase, and while he is not a millionaire yet, he and DiBiase can put the last piece into the puzzle and take the Million Dollar legacy to new heights, for it is his game. DiBiase says that he knows that LA Knight has had a great deal of success and has a shot of becoming a mega-star in NXT, but Grimes says LA Knight is not him and tells Knight to get out of the ring before he kicks his ass to the moon. Knight responds by laying Grimes out, then DiBiase looks down at Grimes and says "Kid...you're just never gonna get it, are ya?" before laughing. DiBiase then leaves with LA Knight.

Backstage, Indi Hartwell is looking for Dexter Lumis and asks Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel) if they have seen him. Drake Maverick shows up and says he was in a nearby room the last time he saw him. Indi enters the dark room, and when she turns the lights on, she finds several drawings, one of which shows him with a knife where his heart is.

Franky Monet beats Cora Jade in her debut match.

We hear from Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake. Zack Gibson says they were just putting Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa, and James Drake say they are done with them and are here for the NXT tag team titles. Gibson then says that they will be watching MSK's (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) tag team title match next week, for he and Drake are the leaders the tag team division need.

We hear from Imperium (Walter, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel). Walter says Alexander Wolfe did not have what it takes to stand for this great sport, and says that Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel will start righting wrongs by beating Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango), stating that failure is not an option.

Bronson Reed heads to the ring. Reed says it took fourteen years of climbing the mountain, falling, getting back up, and climbing the mountain again to become NXT North American Champion, and while he has heard "no" and had doubters, he is proof that kids can achieve goals. He then says good luck trying to take the North American title from him, saying anybody who wants to take the title from him has a colossal mountain to climb. Suddenly, Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquim Wilde, Raul Mendoza) shows up. Santos Escobar tells Bronson Reed he has a telenovela story going on, then says he cannot relate to anything Bronson Reed said, for he was born a champion and the business belongs to him. He says that after Bronson Reed's victory, the North American Championship caught his eye, then says he is the emperor of lucha libre, which is why he took the Cruiserweight Championship. He then says that with the North American Championship, he sees the States and Mexico, even though Joaquim asks about Canada. As Legado del Fantasma surround the ring and Santos says the title is his, MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) show up and help Bronson Reed clean house.

Backstage, General Manager William Regal announces that a #1 contender's Triple Threat Match between Pete Dunne, Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano will happen next week, and that the winner will face the NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021.

Karrion Kross retains the NXT Championship by submission.