A new men’s tournament for the WWE Speed Championship began last night on NXT. Two opening round matches were announced, with Josh Briggs pitted against Eli Knight scheduled for next week’s episode. But tonight, it was Charlie Dempsey up against Elio LeFleur.
As a former two-time NXT Heritage Cup Champion, the WWE Speed time stipulation presented an advantage to Dempsey. However, LeFleur will be confident after his NXT debut against Ethan Page. The closely-fought encounter almost resulted in North American gold for LeFleur, who now has another opportunity to win his first WWE title.
Dempsey’s technical prowess and LeFleur’s impressive acrobatics presented an intriguing matchup. But despite Dempsey’s experience, the British star seemed to be constantly on the back foot against the French Luchador. LeFleur proved elusive throughout, spending much of the three minutes in the air or climbing onto the turnbuckles and ropes.
However, Dempsey did have his moments. A Bridging Deadlift German Suplex almost delivered the fall late on, but LeFleur was determined to advance. The seconds melted away, with the bout into the final 30 seconds, and a draw was of no use to either Superstar. Failure to find a winner in the time limit would’ve resulted in a double elimination, with the winner of the other opening round match advancing straight to a title match against current WWE Speed Champion Jasper Troy.
But LeFleur had other ideas. Eluding Dempsey once more, the Frenchman dodged a clothesline heading into the ropes. On the rebound, LeFleur caught Dempsey with a Leg-Scissor Slam to pick up the win with eight seconds remaining. LeFleur advances with an impressive win over Dempsey. Either the powerhouse Josh Briggs or the similarly acrobatic Eli Knight will meet him in the tournament final.
The Speed tournament starts TONIGHT! Who will challenge @jaspertroywwe for the title on February 24th in Atlanta? 🔥
📺 8e/7c on @TheCW pic.twitter.com/M1lAFCRgm9
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 3, 2026
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