New Year’s Evil from inside the Shrine Auditorium in LA on
the air, and various wrestlers are seen arriving to the
building. That includes The Rock arriving in a pickup truck,
and he gets out popping the top on a beverage just before
putting his custom title belt over his shoulder.
Corey Graves is back on commentary in NXT for tonight, as he
joins Vic Joseph and Booker T at the announce booth.
Opening the show is a women’s title match.
Giulia defeated NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez to win
the title
Giulia pinned Perez clean to win the title, in what was a
helluva match. Superb. Great opener.
Great wrestling from the start with counters and reversals.
The mood shifts when Perez slaps Giulia across the face.
Giulia fires up and answers back with a headbutt. The
intensity picks up from there. Just before the show cuts to
its first commercial break, Perez stomps on Giulia’s arm
with Giulia draped on the bottom turnbuckle.
The show returns from the break with Perez executing a
Frankensteiner off the ropes, and she gets a near falls on
Giulia. They trade strikes, until Perez goes back to
targeting the arm. Perez with a tope suicida. Moments later,
Giulia has turned the tide. Giulia with a super butterfly
suplex off the top rope. Great action here, and Giulia
strikes with a sit-out tombstone piledriver.
Perez counters Giulia, and Perez locks in a crossface. Perez
breaks the hold and goes for Pop Rocks, but Giulia escapes,
only to eat a dropkick as the action spills outside. At
ringside, Giulia drops Perez with a Northern Lights Bomb on
the floor. They tease a double count-out. Cora Jade runs
down to ringside, and she rolls Perez into the ring. Somehow
this is not a DQ, and referee keeps counting on Giulia, who
barely breaks the count.
As they go home, Perez applies a Fujiwara armbar. Giulia
escapes the hold, and she hits Perez with a knee strike.
Giulia follows up with a Northern Lights Bomb, and Giulia
hooks a leg for a three count. And new…
Eddy Thorpe was supposedly injured as the victim of another
sneak attack, but this is like the boy that cried wolf. NXT
GM Ava does not believe him this time, and she leaves his
laying there selling for the trainers.
A video package has Je’Von Evans speaking through clinched
teeth, as he vows revenge on Ethan Page. Evans jaw is wired
shut after he head was Pillmanized by Page in an angle from
late-December.
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Kelani Jordan, Cora Jade and Lola
Vice in a fatal four-way match to become the number one
contender for the NXT Women’s North American Championship
Vaquer pinned Jordan to win the match. Plethora of high
spots and fast-paced sequences throughout the match, but
especially in the closing moments. Vaquer does a dive to the
floor, followed by Jordan doing a moonsault off the top
turnbuckle to the floor.
Just before the finish, Vice takes a knee from Jade. Vice
falls outside. Jade takes an Olympic slam from Jordan, and
Jordan climbs to the top rope. 450 splash, but no water in
the pool. Vaquer follows up, and she executes her finisher
on Jordan. Vaguer then scores a pinfall.
In a backstage skit, Oba Femi admits to Ava that he did in
fact attack Thorpe. Ava still seems indifferent.
Triple H and Nick Khan are seen on camera in the front row.
A video package sponsored by an insurance company features
OTM cutting a promo on NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier
& Axiom. The two teams meet next Tuesday in a tag title
match.
Gigi Dolin, Tatum Paxley & Shotzi defeated Fatal Influence
(NXT Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley, Jacy
Jayne & Jaxmyn Nyx) in a six-women tag team match
Shotzi pinned Henley to win the match, which may set up
Shotzi as a potential challenger.
The match goes through a commercial break. Breakneck pace
just before cutting to commercials, and everybody is down
selling when the show cuts away. Back from the break, and
they are working over Paxley. Hot tag to Dolan.
For the finish, Shotzi tags in for some tandem moves. Paxley
also helps with double-team moves. Her and Dolan jump off
the apron with stereo quebradas. Meanwhile, Shotzi with a
senton bomb on Henley. Shotzi goes on to cover the North
American Champion for a pinfall.
Ethan Page is arguing with Ava in a backstage skit, as Page
is upset like Dennis Stamp. He is not booked. In walks The
Rock, and he interrupts Page. Rock and Page meet and shake
hands. Rock has heard some things about Page, and it was not
all good.
Rock brings up Page breaking someone’s jaw, and Rock tells
Page that payback will be a bitch. Nonetheless, Rock tells
Page to that he can come to him if needs anything. Rock goes
to give Page a warning about Rock’s daughter Ava, although
she is never referred to as his daughter on television. Rock
tells Page he will see him on the main roster, and Rock
slaps Page on the buttocks like an old school football
coach.
Rock then asks Ava for advice with the crowd. Sure, like he
needs it. Ava tells him the NXT crowds are different. Rock
says he will speak from the heart.
Lexis King defeated Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey
(with No Quarter Catch Crew) to win the trophy
King pinned Dempsey in what was a good match. This show has
yet to have a bad match. Really good so far.
The match goes through a commercial break. They traded
submission holds at times. They also traded stiff strikes.
They collides together a few times. The second time, Dempsey
went for a leapfrog. King inadvertently headbutts Dempsey in
the groin. Dempsey sells big. King then delivers The
Coronation, and King covers Dempsey for a three count.
A backstage skit sets up a number one contender match
between Shotzi and Stephanie Vaquer. That is set for next
week.
Oba Femi defeated NXT Champion Trick Williams and Eddy
Thorpe in a triple threat match to win the title
Femi pinned Williams, thanks to some unintentional help from
Thorpe. Good match, but the subplot with Thorpe detracted
from the fight between Femi and Williams. However, Thorpe’s
involvement allows Trick to save face despite the finish.
No Eddy Thorpe to start the match, and it begins as a
singles match with Trick squaring off with Oba. Thorpe would
run in later to join the match. Not long after the start of
the match, the show cuts to a commercial break.
When the show returns from the break, Thorpe is making his
way through the backstage area, and Thorpe is wielding a
metal folding chair. Meanwhile, Femi and Williams are having
a slugfest in the ring.
Trick gives Femi a Rock Bottom off the middle rope for a
near fall. They continue to trade strikes. Trick fires up
and is on a roll, until Femi blocks Trick’s knee strike
finisher. They go on to trade near falls. Trick counters
Femi’s finisher, and Trick lands a big boot for yet another
near fall.
Sit-out powerbomb by Femi on Trick, followed by a cover.
Thorpe suddenly appears a ringside, where Thorpe pulls the
referee out of the ring to break up a pin. Thorpe still has
the chair. Femi with biel throw, brings Thorpe into the
ring. Femi then mauls Thorpe, beating him from pillar to
post. Thorpe got nothing.
Great false finish as Trick lands his jumping knee strike
out of nowhere, but Femi kicks out. Trick measures for
another kick, but Femi dodges and Trick is hit by Thorpe
with a chair. Pop-up powerbomb by Femi, and he covers
Williams for a pinfall. And new…
Rock closes the show
Closing the show is an appearance by The Rock. Huge pop of
course. Rock shake hands and interacts with the fans in
attendance on his way to the ring. His entrance took
forever, and the crowd chanted his name once the music
finally stopped blaring over the house speakers.
Rock has goosebumps and he shows them off as he paces around
the ring. Rock even talks about having chills as he begins
his promo. He pauses so the crowd can chant his name again.
Rock looks towards the timekeeper, and says we have six
minutes left. He has hardly begun to speak yet.
Rock says he has a lot of nicknames, and he talks about a
few. He also does some catchphrases. Rock says the crowd is
feeling it, and they need to help The Rock out. Rock
addresses the hug with Cody Rhodes the night before on Raw.
Rock mocks the fans for having a problem with it. Rock says
to shut your mouth and enjoy the ride he is taking them on.
Rock keeps cursing and keeps getting bleeped out. He does
apologize for the language after saying they have a few
minutes left. Rock says he wanted to go see NXT, but Rock
did not know what to say.
Rock wants to tell the fans something important, which wants
to thank them. He puts over the fans for coming to NXT, and
the crowd chants “N-X-T.” Rock tells the fans they are
important to the show. Rock talks about depending on the
crowd. Rock says he loves NXT and does his “can you smell”
catchphrase as the show goes off the air. What a haphazard
promo that went nowhere.
