Wes Lee Retains NXT North American Title in Fatal Five-Way At 2023 Stand & Deliver

Photo credit: WWE.com

Wes Lee beat Dragon Lee, Ilja Dragunov, JD McDonagh and Axiom in a Fatal 5-Way match at NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday to retain the North American Championship.

Lee connected with the Cardiac Kick on Dragunov simultaneously as Dragunov was looking to land the Torpedo Moscow on Dragon Lee. Wes Lee was the last man left standing in the ring.

In the weeks leading up to Stand & Deliver, Wes Lee often held open challenges on NXT TV, which featured multiple NXT Superstars duking it out in an effort to get to the ring and earn a title match.

Lee was a fighting champion, scoring wins over the likes of Tony D’Angelo, Joe Gacy, Dijak, Von Wagner and Nathan Frazer, among others.

NXT head Shawn Michaels was working to find an opponent for Lee at Stand & Deliver, but Lee was adamant that he wanted to take on multiple challengers in order to further prove himself as a champion.

Michaels said that while Lee didn’t need to prove himself, he understood where he was coming from, and he booked a Fatal 5-Way match for Stand & Deliver.

While cutting a promo about the match, Lee was interrupted by Dragon Lee, who made his NXT debut one week earlier in the crowd. Dragon Lee discussed his desire to face the best NXT has to offer, and Wes Lee instantly gave him a spot in the Fatal 5-Way.

McDonagh then came to the ring to run down both of the Lees, followed by Dragunov, who had been embroiled in a heated rivalry with McDonagh. Both of them were granted entry into the Fatal 5-Way as well.

The final spot in the match was determined in a battle royal that occurred on the go-home episode of NXT before Stand & Deliver. Axiom won by last eliminating Frazer, thus completing the field.

Axiom had tried for weeks to challenge Lee for the North American title, but someone always made it to the ring before him, but he finally got his chance Saturday.

The match at Stand & Deliver featured five of the best in-ring workers NXT has to offer, making for a hugely entertaining spectacle for the fans.

Wes Lee has been booked and presented as the ultimate underdog since winning the North American title, and he once again rose to the occasion with the odds stacked against him, outlasting four of the toughest challengers on the brand.

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