NXT is back at its regular home on a sound stage at the
Performance Center in Orlando, where NXT is filmed before a
live studio audience.
Opening the show is new NXT Champion Oba Femi, who enters
and takes center stage in the ring with his title belt over
his shoulder. Femi talks about taking his rightful place on
the throne. Femi mocks past speeches about others not
believing they would accomplish it, but Femi always knew he
would become champion.
Since day one, Femi was backed by dynasty. Femi runs down
his accolades in NXT, liking it him being backed by dynasty.
And he was backed by dynasty when he won the NXT
Championship. All of this is now his, dubbing himself “The
Ruler” of NXT.
The crowd almost ruins the moment with a “you deserve it”
chant, as Femi shifts to Trick Williams. Femi at first puts
over Trick as the former champion, until saying Trick has a
ceiling. Femi boasts he has no ceiling. As for Eddy Thorpe,
he “is a real of work, isn’t he?” Femi likens him to a bug
that will not die. Femi issues a “final warning” to Thorpe,
telling him to go annoy someone else in the locker room.
NXT North American Champion Tony D’Angelo interrupts Femi,
because hardly any monologue in NXT can go interrupted.
Unless you are The Rock, and only The Rock. Anyway, “The
Don” congratulates Femi on getting the big seat, but
D’Angelo took exception to Femi noting he was the longest
reigning North American champ. D’Angelo reminds Femi that
“The Don” is the only person he has not beat, and D’Angelo
says if they met that he would leave as “The Double Title
Don.” This how you know Vince is indeed gone for good. The
use of the word “title” in a nickname.
Femi mentions that D’Angelo got knocked out by Santa Claus,
and D’Angelo says he will take care of Ridge Holland. Speak
of the devil. Holland then interrupts to taunt D’Angelo with
a photograph from the Santa incident. D’Angelo sarcastically
says he’ll sign the photo as he exits the ring, heading
towards Holland. They met up and a melee ensues. As they
brawl at ringside, in runs Eddy Thorpe to ambush Femi.
Thorpe is booed by the crowd, as he DDT’d Femi. Thorpe then
wraps a strap around his fist. The kind of strap used in a
strap match. Thorpe punches Femi with what I guess is
supposed to be a loaded fist, but it was just a strap around
his fist. Thorpe then grabs the title belt, and he poses
with it as he stands over Femi.
A backstage skit sets up Ethan Page against Dante Chen for
later tonight.
NXT is on the road at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta on
January 28. The famed Center Stage was the site of countless
television tapings for WCW beginning in 1989 through the
mid-90s. ROH also taped television at Center Stage in the
Sinclair days.
Shotzi defeated Stephanie Vaquer to become number one
contender to the NXT Women’s North American Championship
Shotzi pinned Vaquer after outside interference from NXT
Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley. Jacy Jayne
also interfered during the match, but she got a double
headbutt for her trouble. Henley hit Vaquer with a belt
shot, and Shotzi cradled Vaquer for the pinfall.
The match went through a commercial break. While there was a
number one contender’s match last week, there was another
this week. Why not? Vaquer won a shot last week, and somehow
lost that title shot this week. Unless this sets up a triple
threat, because that is not overdone at all in the
slightest. The champ did cost Vaquer the match with outside
interference.
Kelani Jordan slaps Cora Jade in a backstage skit. This
would seem to set up a singles match between the two, as
Jordan keeps teasing a heel turn.
Ethan Page defeated Dante Chen
Page pinned Chen in what was more of an angle than a match.
Page jumped Chen before the bell, and Chen hardly had a
chance. Chen did get some offense as he fired up on Page,
but Page cut him and nailed him with a cutter. Page then
scored the pinfall. An injury angle after the match was
longer than the match itself.
Page attacks Chen after the bell. Page drags him outside the
ring, and Page pins Chen’s leg between the ring steps. Page
then Pillmanizes the leg. Chen sells big, and Page smirks.
Suddenly, Je’Von Evans then runs to to make a save. Evans
peppers Page with punches, but one punch to Evan’s injured
jaw drops him. Evans spits up blood as Page taunts him.
My CW feed was spotty for a bit during what appeared to be a
backstage skit. The picture on my screen was in and out like
a fiddler’s elbow, but I do believe Ashante “Thee” Adonis
and Karmen Petrovic are courting again.
New NXT Women’s Champion Giulia is featured in a good video
package.
Champions from the main roster are back in NXT, with DIY
here for a cameo. Sarah Schreiber interviews the WWE Tag
Team Champions Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano. They came
“home” to NXT to see Fraxio, whom are being dubbed the
greatest tag team in the history of NXT.
Meta-Girls (Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend) defeated Unholy
Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) in a number one contenders’
tag team match
Legend pinned Fyre to win the match, and Meta-Girls become
number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
The tag match itself went through a commercial break, and
then seemingly lasted forever. Meta-Girls did some cool
tandem moves, including Legend picking up Jackson with a
military press and then tossing Jackson on top of their
foes.
As the match is winding down, Meta-Girls are on a roll when
Legend spills outside when she is low-bridged over the top
rope. Jackson has to play Ricky Morton until Legend gets
back on the apron for a hot tag. Meta-Girls then execute a
tandem cutter finisher, and Legend covers Fyre for a
pinfall.
NXT General Manager Ava presents Lexis King with his version
of the Heritage Cup trophy. Charlie Dempsey and Wren
Sinclair confront King. There is some bad acting, which
seems to set a rematch for the trophy. Loud banging noises
distract everyone, and Ava goes to look outside where she
finds Tony D’Angelo brawling with Ridge Holland.
TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich is seen watching the
show from front row ringside. Later on, TNA Genesis is
plugged on commentary.
Cora Jade defeated Kelani Jordan
Jade pinned Jordan to win the match. Jordan let her anger
consume her, giving in to the dark side of the force. That,
and a eye rake, cost Jordan the match.
Jordan continues to show a mean streak. Late in the match,
she was super aggressive with Jade trapped in a corner. The
referee a few times got between them to break it up. The
last time as the ref is pushing Jordan away, Jade rakes
Jordan’s eyes. Jordan is momentarily blinded, and Jade
capitalizes with a double-arm DDT. Booker T on commentary
referred to the DDT as “gnarly”, and he is not wrong.
Eddy Thorpe with a wicked promo he shot with his own cell
phone. From there, the show cuts to a Red Cross PSA related
to the wildfires in California. Odd transitional, but the
video of the devastation is unbelievable.
Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura confront Fraxiom in a
backstage skit. The tag champs are getting ready for their
match, but Briggs says he and Inamura “got next.” As Fraxiom
is leaving, in walks OTM to confront Briggs & Inamura. They
exchange words. In a comedy bit playing off the language
barrier, Inamura thinks OTM (“Out the Mud”) are into mud
wrestling. Fighting soon breaks out, leading to a pull-apart
brawl. Seems to set up a tag match, but first OTM has
another tag match in the main event.
Trick Williams tweeted that he needs to figure out his next
move.
NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom)
defeated OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price) to retain their
titles
Axiom pinned Nima to win the match. And still…
WWE Tag Team Champions DIY are seen watching the match from
a perch overlooking the ring. Lots of high flying and tandem
high spots from Fraxiom, and some cat-and-mouse against
their larger foes. Nima & Price with power moves at times,
and they look good. Fraxiom carries their match, but OTM
hold their own well. The match begins to break down with all
four fighting around the ring.
Outside the ring, Price looks to utilize the announce desk.
Price clears the desk, but he gets cut off in the process.
Meanwhile, Nima shoves Frazier off the ropes a few times as
they were fighting atop the turnbuckles. Frazier manages to
do a backflip and land on his feet, while Axiom makes a
bling tag beforehand. Frazier climbs the turnbuckles in
another corner, and Frazier jumps off the top rope with a
flying body press on the announce desk, thus driving Price
through the table. Meanwhile, Axiom with a Spanish Fly on
Nima, and Axiom signals for a Golden Ratio. Axiom delivers
the Ratio, and he hooks a leg to cover Nima for the deciding
pinfall. Good match.
Roxanne Perez is headed to the ring for a monologue. Cut
away to the parking lot where someone has arrived to the
building. They get out but all we see is their feet as the
show cuts to its final commercial break.
After the commercial break, Roxanne Perez is in the ring for
a monologue. Perez begins by saying when she first won the
NXT Women’s title for the second time (which is not bad
math, as there was an angle), no one thought she would be
champion for 276 days.
With every title defense she made history, and all she
wanted to do was make women’s wrestling something special.
She wanted NXT to be on a main event level, and this is the
“best” women’s division in wrestling today. But her stands
Perez without her title, because she was beaten last week.
Perez congratulates Giulia, and Perez says the people got
what they wanted — which was Perez dropping the title. Perez
then heels by saying what is most sad is what the NXT
women’s division has become with Giulia as champion. The NXT
women’s division is “lost” without Perez. She adds that
neither NXT nor the fans deserve her.
Perez name-drops the Four Horsewomen, saying they needed
four, but Perez only needs one (herself). That is the cue
for Bayley to interrupt. She was the mystery person that
arrived earlier in the show. Huge pop for Bayley, as she
enters the sound stage to confront Perez.
Bayley tries to give Perez some advice, but Perez dismisses
the advice. Bayley insists the division will be fine without
them. Perez eventually cuts off Bayley, and Perez says
Bayley is like all the others Perez used to look up to.
Perez says Bayley broke records, but Perez broke those
records. Perez sarcastically tells Bayley that now Perez
should be Bayley’s role model. Bayley responds by saying
Perez is going nowhere, while Bayley proclaims she will win
the title on Friday. With that, they were running out of
time. So, Perez slaps Bayley across the face, and a brawl
ensues as the show abruptly goes off the air.
