No Mercy was first held by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE as a United Kingdom-exclusive pay-per-view (PPV) event in May 1999.[1] A second No Mercy was then held later that same year in October, but in the United States, which established No Mercy as the annual October PPV for the promotion until 2008.[2] No Mercy was discontinued in 2009, but it was reinstated in October 2016 following the reintroduction of the brand extension, which brought back brand-exclusive PPVs.[3] Following WrestleMania 34 in April 2018, however, No Mercy was again discontinued as WWE ended brand-exclusive PPVs, resulting in the reduction of yearly PPVs produced.[4] In 2023, WWE again revived No Mercy to be held in September as a livestreaming event for their developmental brand, NXT.[5]
On July 9, 2024, it was reported that the second No Mercy under the NXT banner, and 15th overall, would be held on September 1, 2024, in Denver, Colorado at the Ball Arena.[6] This report was confirmed by WWE on July 15, thus establishing No Mercy as an annual September event for NXT. It aired on the livestreaming services Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network and most international markets.[7][8]
The event comprised six matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT, and the supplementary online streaming show, Level Up.[9][10]
On the August 13 episode of NXT, as Ethan Page was celebrating his successful NXT Championship defense from Week 2 of NXT: The Great American Bash, he was interrupted by Joe Hendry from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), who confronted Page and stated that one of the reasons he was in NXT was to win the NXT Championship. As Hendry stared Page down, Wes Lee appeared and superkicked Hendry. Later in a backstage segment, Raw's Pete Dunne also stated that he wanted the NXT Championship. Later that night, Lee was confronted by Dunne. Hendry then came out and attacked Lee, as security tried to separate them. Later, NXT General Manager Ava announced that Dunne, Hendry, and Lee would face each other in a triple threat match the following week, with the winner challenging Page for the NXT Championship at No Mercy.[11] The match was won by Hendry despite Page attacking two referees in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Hendry from winning.[12] The following week, Hendry held a special live concert, only to be interrupted by Page. Ava then appeared and announced that a special guest referee had been appointed for the No Mercy title match due to Page's actions during the triple threat match and his disrespect for Hendry. Trick Williams was then revealed as the special guest referee.[13]
On the August 13 episode of NXT, Chase University's Andre Chase and Ridge Holland defeated Axiom and Nathan Frazer to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.[11] The following week, Chase University (Chase, Holland, Duke Hudson, Riley Osborne, and Thea Hail) celebrated their victory, but Axiom and Frazer interrupted and requested a rematch. Hudson said he would consider giving them a rematch if they defeated him and Osborne, which they did. The rematch was subsequently made official for No Mercy.[12]
During Week 2 of NXT: The Great American Bash on August 6, Kelani Jordan defeated Tatum Paxley to retain the NXT Women's North American Championship. Wendy Choo appeared after the match, seemingly to comfort Paxley, only to attack her from behind.[14] The following week, Jordan, who sat ringside for a match between Paxley and Lola Vice, was attacked by Choo from behind, with Choo posing with Jordan's title.[11] Jordan then interfered in Choo's match against Vice the next episode, only for Vice to accidentally strike Jordan. Choo subsequently attacked Vice with a pillow to win the match. Jordan subsequently challenged Choo for the title at No Mercy, which Choo accepted and was later made official.[12]
Throughout July 2024, then-NXT Heritage Cup ChampionTony D'Angelo was interrupted in interviews by NXT North American ChampionOba Femi. On the August 13 episode of NXT, D'Angelo lost the Cup to No Quarter Catch Crew (NQCC) member Charlie Dempsey.[11] The following week, Dempsey and his stablemates Myles Borne and Wren Sinclair celebrated his victory, but were interrupted by Femi, who stated his interest in winning the Cup. D'Angelo subsequently appeared, seemingly to ask Dempsey for a rematch, only to incite a brawl between his D'Angelo Family stablemates Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino, and Adriana Rizzo and the NQCC while staring Femi down. The two subsequently brawled with D'Angelo getting the upper hand. It was later announced that Femi would defend his title against D'Angelo at No Mercy.[12]
At NXT: The Great American Bash Night 2, Wes Lee attacked fellow Rascalz members Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz from TNA after he and Wentz failed to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, turning heel for the first time in his career.[14] The following week, Lee addressed why he attacked Miguel and Wentz, saying that Wentz abandoned him and went to TNA. Lee then issued a challenge to Wentz for No Mercy.[11] On the next episode, Lee faced Joe Hendry and Pete Dunne in a triple threat match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship, which Hendry won. After the match, Wentz attacked Lee and both men had to be separated by security as the show went off the air.[12] The following week, they both agreed to a match at No Mercy.[13]