NXT Heat Wave 2023

NXT Heat Wave 2023 was a special episode of World Wrestling Entertainment's NXT television series that took place on August 22, 2023 at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
==Production==
===Background===
Originating in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the Heat Wave event was held annually from 1994 to 2000. In 2022, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) revived the event for a special episode of its developmental brand, NXT. It was announced that the event would continue as a special episode of NXT in 2023, taking place on August 22.
===Storylines===
Over multiple months, The Schism (Ava Raine, Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid, and Rip Fowler) were involved in a feud with The Creed Brothers (Brutus and Julius Creed) and Ivy Nile. On the July 4 episode of NXT, Reid and Fowler defeated The Creed Brothers, forcing them to leave the brand. However, two masked individuals would go on to cost The Schism victories, leading to the stable questioning whether the individuals were in fact The Creed Brothers. As a result, Ava challenged Nile to a match at Heat Wave, which was made official. 
On the July 25 episode of NXT, Ilja Dragunov, Trick Williams, and Carmelo Hayes took on The Schism. However, during the match, Dragunov accidentally hit Williams. The following week, Dragunov revealed that he was not finished with Williams, and as a result, a match between the two was made official for Heat Wave.
On the August 15 episode of NXT, Baron Corbin was interrupted by Von Wagner and his manager, Mr. Stone. After a verbal back and forth, Wagner challenged Corbin to a match at Heat Wave, which was made official.
On the June 13 episode of NXT, Oro Mensah defended the Heritage Cup Championship against Nathan Frazer on behalf of an injured Noam Dar. The match would see Frazer defeating Mensah to win the title. Distraught that he was no longer champion, Dar received an "undisputed Heritage Cup Championship" from Lash Legend, ending his lull. However, on the August 8 episode of NXT, Dar would lose his cup to Tyler Bate. Later in the night, Dar requested that Bate return his cup. Frazer would appear, explaining that Bate would return the cup if Dar acknowledged that it was fake. Dar complied, and as a result, Frazer agreed to defend the real championship against Dar at Heat Wave. 
At Gold Rush Night 2 on June 27, during a confrontation between Jacy Jayne and Lyra Valkyria, Rhea Ripley appeared to praise Valkyria. On the July 18 episode of NXT, a match between Ripley and Valkyria was set up for the following week, where Ripley emerged victorious. The next week, Dragon Lee challenged Ripley's Judgment Day stablemate, North American Champion Dominik Mysterio, to a match. On the August 8 episode of NXT, Valkyria confronted Ripley, telling her that she should allow Dominik to fight his own battles. Later in the night, Dominik defeated Lee, thanks to interference from Ripley, to retain his title. After, Ripley and Valkryia would brawl. The following week, Dominik and Ripley challenged Valkyria and Lee to a mixed tag team match at Heat Wave, which was accepted.
On the August 1 episode of NXT, Wes Lee teamed up with NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes to take on Noam Dar and Oro Mensah. During the match, Lee would inadvertently take out Hayes, costing them the match. After, Lee and Hayes would argue. The following week, Dijak confronted Hayes, declaring that he would be chasing Hayes' championship. Lee would interrupt, focusing his attention on Hayes, however, Dijak would attack Lee. Later that night, it was announced that Lee would face Dijak to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship. The next week, Lee defeated Dijak, earning a title match against Hayes at Heat Wave.
==Match Preview==
Ivy Nile vs. Ava Raine 	Preview
Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams 	Preview
Von Wagner vs. Baron Corbin 	Preview
Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar 	Preview
Lyra Valkyria & Dragon Lee vs. The Judgment Day	Preview
Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee 	Preview
==Results==
;
;
*Ilja Dragunov defeated Trick Williams (12:48)
*Ivy Nile defeated Ava Raine (w/Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler) (2:12)
*Noam Dar (w/Oro Mensah, Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) defeated Nathan Frazer (w/Tyler Bate) (c) [2:1] [Round 6] to win the NXT Heritage Cup Championship (19:41)
*Lyra Valkyria & Dragon Lee defeated The Judgment Day (Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio) in a Mixed Tag Team Match (14:04)
*Carmelo Hayes (c) defeated Wes Lee to retain the NXT Championship (11:38)
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Vic Joseph
*Booker T
;Ring announcer
*Alicia Taylor	
;Interviewer
*McKenzie Mitchell
;Referees
==See also==
*WWE NXT
==External links==
* Heat Wave 2023 at CAGEMATCH.net
* Heat Wave 2023 at WWE.com
Category:2023 television events
Category:NXT Heat Wave 2023