NXT The Great American Bash (2020)

{{Infobox professional wrestling event

|name = NXT The Great American Bash

|image = NXT The Great American Bash 2020.jpeg

|caption = Promotional poster featuring various NXT wrestlers

|promotion = WWE

|brand = NXT

|date = July 1, 2020

|date_aired = July 1 and 8, 2020

|attendance = 0 (behind closed doors){{efn|The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, though it featured a live crowd of WWE wrestlers and trainees.|group=note}}

|venue = Full Sail University

|city = Winter Park, Florida

|event = NXT special episodes

|lastevent2 = 2019 Year-End Awards

|nextevent2 = Super Tuesday

|event2 = The Great American Bash

|lastevent3 = 2012

|nextevent3 = 2021

}}

The 2020 NXT The Great American Bash was the eighth Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 22nd Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a two-part special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. The event was taped on July 1, 2020, at the Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The first part aired that night on July 1 while the second part aired on tape delay on July 8. It was the first Great American Bash event held since 2012 as well as the first to air as an annual television special of NXT.

Production

=Background=

The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event established in 1985. Following WWE's acquisition of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001,{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_03_23.jsp|title=WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting|access-date=May 5, 2007|date=March 23, 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313012636/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_03_23.jsp|archive-date=March 13, 2014}} the promotion revived the event as their own annual pay-per-view (PPV) in 2004.{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Sokol|date=2004-06-27|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/06/28/517769.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719004005/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/06/28/517769.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 19, 2012|title=Bash provides surprise endings|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|work=Slam! Sports|access-date=2008-07-15}} The event continued until 2009. Following this 2009 event, The Great American Bash was discontinued as a PPV. In 2012, WWE revived the event to be held as a special episode of SmackDown, but was again discontinued. On June 24, 2020, however, WWE announced that the eighth Great American Bash under the WWE banner, and 22nd overall, would take place as a special two-week event during the July 1 and July 8 episodes of NXT on the USA Network. Both episodes were taped on July 1.{{cite web|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/article/137540/wwe-taping-tv-this-week-at-performance-center.html?p=1|title=WWE TAPING TV THIS WEEK AT PERFORMANCE CENTER|date=June 29, 2020|last=Johnson|first=Mike|work=PWInsider|access-date=November 27, 2021}}

==Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic==

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. Broadcasts of NXT were subsequently held at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

=Storylines=

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand,{{cite web|title=How Pro Wrestling Works|url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pro-wrestling.htm|last=Grabianowski|first=Ed|work=HowStuffWorks|date=13 January 2006|publisher=Discovery Communications|access-date=March 5, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129050844/http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pro-wrestling.htm|archive-date=November 29, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Live & Televised Entertainment|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|publisher=WWE|access-date=March 21, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218142749/http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|archive-date=February 18, 2009}} while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television show, NXT.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wwe-smackdown-live-usa-1201782569/|title=WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=May 25, 2016|website=Variety|language=en-US|access-date=May 25, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526113045/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wwe-smackdown-live-usa-1201782569/|archive-date=May 26, 2016}}

One scheduled match for the July 8 broadcast was a champion vs. champion winner takes all match between NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee. The two-night event went head-to-head against All Elite Wrestling's Fyter Fest, which was held on the same nights. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both nights of the 2020 event were held behind closed doors at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2020-07-01|title=NXT The Great American Bash results, July 1, 2020: Asuka crashes the Bash and leaves Sasha Banks seeing green}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2020-07-08|title=NXT Great American Bash results, July 8, 2020: Keith Lee closes the Bash with a bang}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ringsidenews.com/2020/06/24/wwe-bringing-back-great-american-bash-for-nxt-next-week/|title=WWE Bringing back Great American Bash for NXT Next Week|date=25 June 2020}}

Results

{{Pro wrestling results table

|times = {{cite web|last=Moore|first=John|title=7/1 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash night one with Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks in a non-title match, Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong in a strap match, Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tegan Nox vs. Mia Yim to become No. 1 contender to the NXT Women's Championship, Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/07/01/7-1-nxt-tv-results-moores-review-of-the-great-american-bash-night-one-with-io-shirai-vs-sasha-banks-in-a-non-title-match-dexter-lumis-vs-roderick-strong-in-a-strap-match-dakota-kai-vs-candice/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=July 1, 2020|access-date=July 2, 2020}}

|caption = Night 1 (July 1)

|match1 = Tegan Nox defeated Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Mia Yim

|stip1 = Fatal four-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship

|time1 = 20:37

|match2 = Timothy Thatcher defeated Oney Lorcan by submission

|stip2 = Singles match

|time2 = 11:32

|match3 = Rhea Ripley defeated Aliyah and Robert Stone by submission

|stip3 = Intergender Handicap match
{{small|Had Ripley lost, she would have joined the Robert Stone Brand}}.

|time3 = 10:03

|match4 = Dexter Lumis defeated Roderick Strong

|stip4 = Strap match

|time4 = 16:00

|match5 = Io Shirai defeated Sasha Banks (with Bayley)

|stip5 = Singles match

|time5 = 14:01

}}

{{Pro wrestling results table

|times = {{cite web|last=Moore|first=John|title=7/8 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash night two with NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee for both titles, Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae in a Street Fight, Legado Del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick, Tyler Breeze, and Fandango, Johnny Gargano vs. Isaiah Scott|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/07/08/7-8-nxt-tv-results-moores-review-of-the-great-american-bash-night-two-with-nxt-champion-adam-cole-vs-nxt-north-american-champion-keith-lee-for-both-titles-mia-yim-vs-candice-lerae-in-a-street-fi/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=July 8, 2020|access-date=July 9, 2020}}

|caption = Night 2 (July 8)

|note1 = dark

|match1 = Tony Nese defeated Leon Ruff

|stip1 = Singles match

|time1 =

|match2 = Candice LeRae defeated Mia Yim

|stip2 = Street Fight

|time2 = 15:51

|match3 = Bronson Reed defeated Tony Nese

|stip3 = Singles match

|time3 = 5:18

|match4 = Johnny Gargano defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott