NXT is on the air from Center Stage in Atlanta, once the
home
Personally, seeing pro wrestling on television from Center
Stage again is very nostalgic for me. I have watched
wrestling on TV from the venue since 1989. Production has
come a long way.
The show starts with Bayley’s first match on NXT since 2020.
NXT Women’s Champion Giulia & Bayley defeated Roxanne Perez
& Cora Jade
Bayley pinned Jade to win the match. This was such a fun
match. Really good opener.
The babyface duo gets to shine early on, but the heels take
over before a commercial break. Perez & Jade both do dives
just before the show cuts away to a split-screen. Bayley is
trying to rally as the show returns from the break.
Bayley tries to climb the turnbuckles, but the heels work
together to trip her up and stomp on her. Bayley is
separated from her corner, and the heels work her over.
Bayley-to-belly and a hot tag to Giulia. Some Matrix moves
and Giulia is on fire. Missile dropkick for a two count.
Miscommunication by the heel duo, as Jade inadvertently hits
Perez with a forearm smash. Giulia hit a knee for a near
falls where Jade dives in to break it up. Bayley rushed into
the ring to fight with Perez, and their fight spilled
outside the ring.
Perez takes a hard bump into the barricade, and she is down
selling the rest of the match. Meanwhile, Giulia drops Jade
with a headbutt. Bayley climbs the turnbuckles around Giulia
tags her, and Bayley leaps off the top rope with a flying
elbow drop. Bayley then hooks a leg and covers Giulia for a
three count.
Eddy Thorpe is the focus of a vignette, where is standing by
a fire as he cuts a promo. He vows to make his mark, and he
will not be broken. Should be noted he still has that strap
like in a strap match.
After a fun wrestling match to open the show, now is the
sports entertainment portion of the program.
“The Grayson Waller Effect” with NXT Champion Oba Femi
Although it starts as a talking segment with Femi facing off
with Garyson Waller and Austin Theory. That leads to Femi
issuing a challenge to either Waller or Theory, asking which
one will face him at Vengeance Day. Trick Williams is shown
watching the proceedings on a monitor backstage.
After Femi challenges Austin and Waller, out comes NXT
General Manager Ava. She tells Femi he does not make the
matches around here, she does. Ava is then interrupted by
the entrance of Trick. He storms past Ava and into the ring.
Trick throws both Waller and Theory out of the ring, but
Femi cuts off Trick and give him a pop-up powerbomb. The
show cuts to a commercial break with Trick down, and has a
match up next.
Sarah Schreiber interviews Izzi Dame to ask what is going on
with Dame and Tony D’Angelo. Dame says nothing is going on,
and they are not even friends. They just have a similar
enemy. Up walks Ridge Holland to interject, and he calls
Dame a liar.
Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo comes up to take up for Dame, and
Holland says he does not want to talk with D’Angelo’s
lackey. Holland and Stacks get face-to-face when they are
separated by referees.
Referees are at ringside checking on Trick Williams, who is
still selling the powerbomb from Femi. Trick vows to
wrestle, and the refs let him.
Trick Williams vs. Wes Lee (with Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont)
A day after JD McDonagh took a nasty bump on an announce
desk, they do a spot in this match were Lee jumps off the
apron with meteora that drives Trick backwards on the
announce desk. From there, the show cuts to a commercial
break.
Igwe and Dupont get involved at one point, and there is
blatant interference. The ref lets it go, as Trick thwarts
the heels. However, Trick starts kicking too much butt.
Trick won’t back off when the ref says so, and Trick shoved
the ref down. The ref then disqualifies Trick. A miscarriage
of justice as Gorilla Monsoon would say. Trick picks up a
metal folding chair, and he heels flee.
In a backstage skit, Ava tells Femi that he will defend the
NXT title in a triple threat match against Theory and Waller
at Vengeance Day. Another triple threat match. How original.
But wait, there’s more.
After a commercial break, Ava is talking with Trick, who is
upset he is not getting the title shot at the PLE. Ava tells
Trick to prove it, and she books him in a tag match with
Femi as Trick’s partner against Waller and Theory for next
week on NXT.
NXT Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley (with Jacy
Jayne & Jazmyn Nyz) defeated Shotzi (with Tatum Paxley &
Gigi Dolan) to retain her title
Henley pinned Shotzi with ‘The Hoedown” to win the match.
Rough to watch at time because Shotzi took such crazy bumps.
Shotzi does a dive on to everyone at ringside. From there,
the respective entourages start fighting at ringside. They
fight their way up the ramp and exit stage right. Henley
chop blocks Shotzi’s knee, and the show cut to a commercial
break wondering whether Shotzi can continue.
Shotzi makes a comeback after the show returns from the
break. She takes some crazy bumps. Moments late, she drops
all her weight on Henley when Shotzi jumps off the ropes
with a senton bomb.
Henley cuts off Shotzi, and Shotzi gets trapped in the tree
of woe. Henley then suplexed Shotzi, and Henley does a
famouser (Rocker Dropper), that Vic Joseph on commentary
called the “The Hoedown”. Silly name, but Henley is so damn
good.
After the match, Stephanie Vaquer enters stage right to
confront Henley. Then a title match is officially announced
that Henley defends against Vaquer at Vengeance Day.
Kelani Jordan was very rude to Karmen Petrovic, and Petrovic
calls her a “bitch” as Jordan walks off.
Sarah Schreiber interviews Ava in a backstage skit. Ava is
about to announce the NXT Womens’ title match for Vengeance
Day when Roxanne Perez interrupts with Cora Jade in tow.
Perez assumes she is not the challenger, and she blames Jade
for losing in the tag match.
Ava instead announces Perez is challenging for the title in
yet another triple threat match. What such an overdone
concept. Anyway, the women’s title match is Giulia defending
against Perez and Bayley in a triple threat.
Jade storms off, as she is upset over the news. Perez chases
after her. Later in the show, Jade tells Ava they need to
“have a word!”
Ethan Page vs. Cedric Alexander
Page pinned Alexander.
The match goes through a commercial break. Page works over
Alexander’s hand, targeting it and smashing the hand on the
ring steps. After a while, Alexander fights back with a
suplex. Alexander then makes a comeback. Michinoku Driver by
Alexander for a near fall. Brainbuster for a two count as
well.
Alexander has Page in a submission when Page snaps
Alexander’s fingers to break the hold. There is a slugfest
and they trade strikes. Page blocks Alexander’s handspring
finisher, and Page executes a Diamond Cutter. Page then
covers Alexander for a pinfall.
Page pulls the bottom turnbuckle pad off, as if Page is
going to smash the injured hand. Je’Von runs down the ramp
for a save, and Evans leaps into the ring to splash Page.
Evans is a house of fire, and Page is set sailing out of the
ring.
Fatal Influence cut a promo where they announced Stephanie
Vaquer against Jacy Jayne in match for next week.
Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a leather vest in a
vignette. Now they have matching vests like a real team.
WWE Women’s Tag Tea Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi defeated
Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson to retain the titles
Belair pinned Jackson to win the match, and the champions
retain their titles. My feed of the CW was in-and-out
several times during the match, so it seems disjointed to
me.
The live crowd booed heavily at the false finish, thinking
Jackson has pinned Belair. The crowd turned on the match
when Belair kicked out.
Belair and Naomi execute a tandem sit-out finisher on
Jackson, and Belair scores the deciding pinfall.
There was a teaser of some sort at the end of the show for
Vengeance Day.
