– Vic Joseph welcomed everyone into the show. Tony D and his
family were shown walking in the parking lot. Ditto for
Ridge Holland. Back in the PC, Bayley made her entrance for
the first match.


Cora Jade defeated Bayley [10:36]

The commentary team wasn’t exaggerating when they said this
was the biggest victory of Jade’s career, but umpf, they had
a bumpy road getting there. I expected a lot more from these
two, but we all have a bad night here and there, so, well,
life moves on. Missed spots aside, the women worked hard and
Jade’s victory packed a punch because of how predictable it
felt that Bayley would win heading into the triple threat at
Vengeance Day. That said, the late addition of Jade to
Saturday’s match justifies this upset and then some. Perez
and Bayley showed good fire in their limited brawling. So
much so that I almost prefer a singles match between the two
this weekend, but perhaps they are saving that for ‘Mania
weekend. Time will tell.


Jade tried to jumpstart the match, but Bayley ducked the
attack and the action spilled outside. Bayley held control
and went for a dropkick, leaping between the bottom rope and
the mat, but Jade was a little out of place and Bayley
barely connected. Back inside the ring, Jade gained the
upper hand briefly, but Bayley came right back with a series
of elbows for a two-count. Bayley landed a knee and Jade
rolled to the outside. Bayley followed up with a dive
through the ropes. As Bayley celebrated landing the dive,
Jade attacked her and went on the offensive. Jade hit a
series of strikes and with Bayley down in the middle of the
ring, the show went to a commercial break.


The show returned and Bayley hit a type of cutter and the
two brawled for a short time before Bayley hit a Bayley-To-
Belly, but it only resulted in a near-fall. Bayley followed
up with a series of clotheslines and a double-knees to
Jade’s midsection. Bayley suplexed Jade for another near-
fall. Bayley tried a Sunset Flip, but kind of missed and
Jade sat on her for a pin attempt. Bayley caught Jade as
Jade lunged at her and then slammed Jade for a two-count.
Bayley went to the top, but Bayley’s old theme music hit and
Roxanne Perez walked out in old school Bayley gear.

Bayley went to ringside and attacked Perez. Jade followed
her out and hit a double underhook DDT on the floor. Back in
the ring, Perez hit another one, and that was good enough to
get Jade the win. Giulia was shown watching backstage and
Ava walked up to her to whisper something. Soon after, Ava
walked to the ring and announced that Saturday’s triple
threat for the NXT Women’s Championship will now be a Fatal
Four-way, including Jade. Jade and Perez hugge and Bayley
attacked them both to end the segment.


**********

– Zaria and Sol Ruca were shown talking in the locker room.
Nikkita Lyons walked in and confronted them, saying one win
doesn’t make Zaria and Ruca a tag team. Lyons challenged
Zaria to match later tonight.

The Oba Femi/A-Town Down Under segment

Please. If nothing else. Please. I beg you, Shawn Michaels,
pull the trigger on the Theory and Waller break up this
weekend. If there’s anything to come of this excursion back
down to NXT for Waller and Theory, it should be a definitive
split for those two. We’ve been waiting for months. We’ve
been begging for months. I plead with you, man: End the
madness. Anyway, this segment was fine. The heels showed
good fire, though I can’t say I’m a fan of Femi taking a
beating from these two. In some ways, he just seems above
it. Then again, you have to keep the story moving going into
this weekend’s PLE, and one way to do that is to have the
guy take a beatdown. So it goes.


Femi started by reminding everyone who he will be defending
his NXT title against on Saturday. Femi called it a handicap
match because in Waller and Theory’s mind, they will gang up
against The Ruler. Femi said it will be every man for
himself and on cue, A-Town Down Under’s music hit. Waller
and Theory walked out with microphones. Waller said he
thought better of Femi than to try and turn Waller and
Theory against each other. Theory said Waller never received
his flowers in NXT. Theory said Waller has jumped off
ladders and risked his career many times in NXT while other
people like Carmelo Hayes and Tony D get all the credit.
Theory called Waller a pillar of NXT. Theory then said
Waller will help Theory become the NXT Champion on Saturday.


Waller said this weekend, Theory can ride shotgun after
Waller wins the NXT title. Femi chimed in and asked them if
they both thought they’d become NXT Champion. Waller fired
up and said he’d do whatever it takes to win … and was then
cut off by Theory, who said he was never NXT Champion.
Theory was then cut off by Waller, who said nobody cares
about the things Theory has accomplished. Theory noted how
Waller has never had a singles title run in WWE. Waller
brought up how he had the WWE Tag Team Championships in his
hands at a ‘Mania. Theory fired back and said he’d do
whatever it takes to win this weekend. Theory and Waller
turned their attention to how they want to attack Femi on
Saturday.


Waller told Femi his plan didn’t work tonight and there is
nothing or nobody who will stop him from winning the NXT
Championship. Waller dropped the microphone and walked away,
but Theory pushed Waller, who tried to clothesline Theory,
but Theory moved and Waller hit Femi. Theory and Waller then
double-teamed Femi and Theory hit his finisher on Femi
before Waller followed up with a rolling Stunner. Waller
then picked up the title. Theory took it from Waller and
Theory and Waller posed together to close out the segment.

**********

– An Eddy Thorpe vignette aired. Thorpe challenged Trick
Williams to a strap match at Vengeance Day.

– Footage of Ethan Page busting up Je’Von Evans from a
couple months ago aired. A doctor came on the screen and
said that while Evans is cleared to wrestle this weekend, if
it goes wrong, Evans could be out for months. Evans was then
shown talking to Ava in her office and Ava made Evans sign a
waiver saying if anything bad happens to him at Vengeance
Day, WWE isn’t responsible. Evans signed it right away.


Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura defeated Hank Walker & Tank
Williams and Tavion Heights and Myles Borne [12:08]

My God, this felt like I was covering AEW TV again, what
with the nonstop action, the quick tags and my constant use
of the three words, “things broke down.” I’m not
complaining. This was a lot of fun and the right team went
over. Briggs and Inamura have a weird momentum going for
them and the last-minute tag title match is a solid addition
to Saturday’s card. Axiom and Frazer are main roster-ready,
so do we think this is the time they drop the belts?
Probably not, but a loss backed with a solid performance
this weekend could set up a better moment for Briggs and
Inamura during ‘Mania weekend. In the meantime – and back to
the match at hand – Hank and Tank deserve some credit here
because they looked better than most everyone else involved.
Kudos to those fellas.


Tank and Inamura started the match, but things broke down
fairly quickly and Heights tagged himself in, lifted Hank
and Borne tagged in. The two dropped Hank, but Tank quickly
tagged in and things broke down between the teams. Before
long, Tank hit a cartwheel and took out Briggs and Inamura.
Borne tagged in and was disposed of to the outside quickly.
Heights tagged in and Hank and Tank took down Heights. Hank
and Tank squished Borne on the outside of the ring, but soon
after back inside the ring, Heights slammed Hank. Axiom and
Nathan Frazer were shown watching match from the Designated
NXT Eagle’s Next. The show then went to a commercial break.

Back to from the break, Inamura tagged in and worked over
Borne, complete with a spinning body slam. Briggs tagged
himself in and took out Heights and Borne. Hank tagged in
and things broke down between the six wrestlers again.
“NXT!” chants broke out. Hank and Heights were left alone in
the ring and they traded blows. Briggs gave the big boot to
Heights and Hank. Briggs chokeslammed/powerbombed Hank and
went for a pin, but it was broken up. Hank hit a splash on
everyone, who was on the outside. Hank then slammed Briggs
back inside the ring for a good near-fall. Bodies were
everywhere and “This is awesome!” chants started.


Hank went to the top, but Briggs cut him off. Briggs set up
for a chokeslam, but Hank worked out of it. Inamura tagged
in and hit a huge splash on Hank, which was good enough to
get his team the win. After the match, Frazer and Axiom
spoke to the winners and said they could have a title match
at Vengeance Day on Saturday.

**********

– Tony D was talking to his family backstage and Stacks
apologized for the way he’s been acting. D’Angelo forgave
him, and, of course, said, “Forget about it!” The show went
back to the ring.

Lexis King defeated JDC to retain the NXT Heritage Cup
[9:39]

I’m not in the camp of people who blindly hate King for the
sake of hating King, and in a lot of ways, I root for
something – anything – to work for him … but it’s just not
getting there. Bringing in JDC, who you can’t have a bad
match with if you tried, was a smart move because the in-
ring work wasn’t going to suffer, but even with that loyal
NXT PC crowd, King seems to never receive any notable
reactions, no matter what he does and no matter how hard he
tries. The fact that we are now making Heritage Cup matches
just a regular old match does nothing for me, either,
because … well … why? How does this allow the prize to
standout among the other belts on the brand? At this point,
it’s just a prop and that’s kind of sad.


The action was slow to start. JDC eventually took control
and chopped the hell out of King repeatedly. JDC went for a
backslide, but King kneed JDC in the face and JDC went to
the outside. King wiped himself down with a towel in a
corner and JDC came back at him. JDC then clotheslined King
over the top and to the outside and the show went to a
commercial break.

The show returned and King had the upper hand. King went for
a single-leg crab, but JDC worked out of it and chopped King
a few times, only to have King ultimately work a single-leg
crab. King went to work on JDC’s back, but JDC came back
with a strong clothesline. JDC followed up with a Russian
Leg Sweep and a Falcon Arrow for a two-count. King went to
the outside and JDC landed a dive over the top. Back inside
the ring, JDC hit a leg-drop from the top for a nice near-
fall. JDC went back to the top, but King hit the ropes and
JDC stumbled. King then hit The Coronation for the win.

**********

– Ava was standing between Perez and Bayley in her office
and the women were bickering. Perez was still in her Bayley
gear and Bayley said it was the best she ever looked, called
her an idiot and walked away. Jade walked into the office
and said she’d win the women’s title this weekend and walked
away. Perez said “over my dead body” as she stood there with
only Ava.

– Fallon Henry was walking backstage and Kelani Jordan
walked up and said Fallon has yet to face “this version of
Kelani Jordan.” Jaida Parker appeared and said she has next.
Ashante Thee Adonis walked in and said his girl Karmen is
the one who should have next. Everyone bickered and the
segment ended.

Zaria defeated Nikkita Lyons [2:47]

More of this for Zaria, please. She came in as a monster,
but for whatever reason, the booking minds have cooled her
off in the last handful of weeks. This was a nice semi-
squash that could help re-establish her has a force of
nature. Lyons, meanwhile, held her own, but less is more
with her as she’s still a bit of a work in progress. This
was inoffensive and quick. You can’t ask for much more than
that when it comes to a match that was made earlier in the
show.

Lyons hit a German Suplex early on and went to the second
rope, but Zaria cut her off … until Lyons turned Zaria over
with a head-scissors takedown. Zaria came back with a German
Suplex and the match reset. The two hit a series of
simultaneous clotheslines before Lyons landed a kick to take
brief control. Lyons worked a Camel Clutch until Zaria stood
up and slammed Lyons. Zaria ran right into a knee from
Lyons, but Lyons missed a splash. Zaria speared Lyons and
then hit her finisher for the win.

**********

– An Ethan Page vignette aired.

– Trick Williams was interviewed in the Eagles Nest while
the cage for the main event was being set up in the
background. Williams officially accepted Thorpe’s challenge
for a strap match at Vengeance Day. The commentary team then
ran down the card for Vengeance Day … until Ricky Starks
showed up in the crowd. And I can’t believe I just typed
that. The crowd chanted “Ricky Starks!” and Starks said NXT
needs an “absolute superstar of the future” and NXT needs
“the hottest free agent right now.” Starks said he was there
to turn the place upside down. Starks talked about the
revolution being televised, hit his pose and left through
the crowd.

– Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia were shown talking backstage
briefly until Ridge Holland walked past them. From there,
footage of the main event participants walking was shown.
The show went to a break.

– Andre Chase was shown walking backstage and ran into Uriah
Connors and Kale Dixon. They wanted to go out with Chase,
but Chase said it was a school night. Chase reflected on the
fact that Chase U is dead and walked away.

Tony D’Angelo defeated Ridge Holland to retain the NXT North
American Championship [11:08]

A good television main event. It felt like some shenanigans
were in the works once the entrances for it started about 20
minutes to the hour, but I like the Shawn Spears alliance.
He’s been cold since coming over from AEW, so this is a nice
way to heat him and his faction up. Holland ostensibly no-
selling the defeat only to rush out of the cage and attack
Stacks felt a little out of place, but Holland is going to
need something to do coming out of this loss anyway, and he
could worse than a program with Stacks. Despite no title
changes this week, it was quite the newsworthy go-home show
between Jade beating Bayley, Izzi Dame turning on D’Angelo
and Ricky Starks showing up. Never a dull moment these days
in the land of NXT.

D’Angelo got the better of things early, hitting a series of
strikes and a suplex for a two count. D’Angelo went for a
belly-to-belly suplex, but Holland eye-gouged his way out of
it. D’Angelo ultimately flipped Holland into the cage and
tried to follow it up with a splash, but Holland moved and
D’Angelo went into the cage hard. The show went to its final
commercial break of the night.

The show returned and Holland had control, complete with a
strong clothesline for a two count. Holland went to the top
and went for a splash, but D’Angelo moved. D’Angelo then
threw Holland into the cage repeatedly. D’Angelo followed it
up with a series of belly-to-belly suplexes. D’Angelo hit a
Fisherman’s Suplex for a two count. D’Angelo ran right into
a pump kick and a Snowplow from Holland for a nice near-
fall. Holland sold disappointment in not getting the three
count.

With both wrestlers on their knees, they traded elbows.
There was a tiny bit of miscommunication before D’Angelo
threw Holland into the cage and followed it up with a spear
for another nice near-fall. Izzi Dame tried to throw a
crowbar into the ring. Stacks stopped her and threw the
crowbar into the ring himself. Holland and D’Angelo fought
over the crowbar and Holland ultimately got possession of
it. Holland hit D’Angelo in the head with it and covered him
for a very good near fall. Holland jawed at D’Angelo and
D’Angelo eye-gouged Holland before hitting him with the
crowbar and his finisher for the win.

After the match, Holland attacked Stacks and some of the
family. They brawled to the back and Shawn Spears showed up
with his crew. D’Angelo jawed at them and Izzi Dame hit
D’Angelo in the back of the knee with the crowbar. Spears
and his faction worked over D’Angelo from there, with spears
working D’Angelo over with a chair. With the cage door
locked, Stacks and the D’Angelo family ran back out for the
save, but couldn’t climb the cage before Spears suplexed
D’Angelo onto a chair in the ring. A video package on past
Vengeance Days aired to end the show – until one final
teaser for the new faction aired to truly close things down.

• F4wonline