NXT is on the air from The Factory at The District in
Chesterfield, Missouri. Opening the show is the new NXT
Champion.
Trick Williams enters for a monologue. Williams gave himself
a new nickname, “Tricky Two Times”. Say it two times because
he is a two-time champion. Williams is soon interrupted by
Wes Lee, who is in the crowd to cut a promo on Williams.
Lee says Trick is not “it”, and Lee vows to take the title
from Williams. Interrupting Lee is the sudden entrance of
Jey Uso. Big pop from the live crowd for Uso, as he looks
like a superstar. He gets the microphone to saying he is in
your city. Trick thanks him for being there. The crowd yeets
with Uso, and they “yeet” along with Williams. Dueling
chants from the crowd: “Whoop that trick…Yeet!”
They go from the previous segment right into introductions
for the first match, which is a six-woman tag. The WWE
Women’s Tag Team Champions team with the NXT Women’s North
American Champion for the opening match.
Kelani Jordan, Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated Fatal
Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jaxmyn Nyx)
Jordan pinned Nyz to win the match. The story going into
this trios match is Fatal Influence are upset over NIL
athletes in NXT, and here they face wrestlers that were all
athletes in prior sports.
Henley and Jordan started the match against each other. The
heel trio makes quick tags, and Jordan is seemingly soon in
trouble. She counters and fires up. Cargill & Belair come in
to help clean house, and the babyface trio looks strong.
Henley hanging in the ring with a main roster talent like
Belair just reinforces the belief she is ready for a call
up. Meanwhile, she and the other heels do a distraction
spot. Low bridge on Jordan, and she takes a bump on the
floor as the show cuts to its first commercial break.
Hot tag when the show returns from the break, and Bianca
Belair runs wild. She gets to shine before tagging out.
Belair & Cargill with tandem offense on Nyz, and Jordan
follows up with a split-legged moonsault. Jordan then covers
Nyz for a pinfall.
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom interact with
Randy Orton in a locker room skit. Orton asks them just how
fast is Je’Von Evans, and Axiom remarks he might be the
fastest in NXT. Frazier takes exception to that, and the
champs begin to bicker. Frazier apologies for losing his
temper, but Orton says sometime you need find that place.
Orton wishes luck to the champs.
Sarah Schreiber is interviewing Giulia backstage when an
“old friend” enters the room off camera. That ends the
interview, as the show cuts to commercials. This would lead
to the live debut of Stephanie Vaquer in the next segment in
an angle that would seem to set up a tag program.
NXT Champion Roxanne Perez enters the ring for a monologue
promo. She boasts and brags about retaining her title
against Giulia. Perez then introduces her old friend, Cora
Jade. Last week, Jade returned to NXT and helped Perez
retain the title.
Jade was wearing her knee brace, so I figured the segment
would turn physical, but not before Jade cuts a promo. Jade
claims that not even Perez knew that Jade would be
interfering in the match last Tuesday. Jade is back, and the
Jade you used to know was a girl trying to make it in NXT,
but now she is the woman that will make NXT.
Jade does says that Perez deserves to be champion. Jade also
puts over Perez’s heel persona, and Jade says that is why
they should be friends again. That is bad for the rest of
the roster. Perez said she should have listened to Jade a
while ago, but Perez finally learned her lesson.
Interrupting Perez and Jade is the entrance of Giulia. She
stops in the aisle to wait for backup, and it comes in the
form of her “old friend” from earlier. Stephanie Vaquer
enters to stand alongside Giulia. They rush into the ring,
and they brawl with Jade and Perez. The babyface duo clear
the ring, and the heels flee the ring. This would seemingly
set up a tag match, although a backstage skit that followed
could set up a singles match for Vaquer’s in-ring debut in
NXT.
Wren Sinclair is with the No Quarter Catch Crew talking
about taking on Giulia. Charlie Dempsey is impressed by
Sinclair, as she wants to challenge Vaquer to a match. The
skit continues with Dempsey and crew meeting up with Lexis
King, who wanted some idea for a gimmick match with Oro
Mensah. Dempsey suggested some ideas with rounds. King and
Dempsey talk it over.
Tony D’ Angelo defeated NXT North American Champion Oba Femi
to win the title
D’Angelo pinned Femi to win the championship after
countering a powerbomb with a sunset flip. D’Angelo fought
from underneath, and he ultimately prevails. The title
change was quite a surprise for me, and the live crowd also
popped accordingly. The match was also pretty good.
Femi looks strong at the outset, while “The Don” looks to
outsmart the champ. Turns out Femi outsmarts him, as Femi
chokeslams D’Angelo on the edge of the ring apron just
before a commercial break. D’Angelo is being worked over
when he show returns from the break.
A crowbar is slid into the ring for D’Angelo to use, but he
tosses it out of the ring instead. Close near fall for “The
Done”, after D’Angelo powerbombs Femi through the announce
desk. Femi first teases putting D’Angelo through the desk,
but “The Don” counters him. That foreshadows the finish.
For the finish, Femi goes for a powerbomb, but D’Angelo
counters with a sunset flip and a roll up. D’Angelo holds
Femi down for a three count, and D’Angelo wins the title.
And new…
Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson run into Jade Cargill & Bianca
Belair, where the women’s tag champs are challenged to a
title match. Cargill accepts on behalf of her and Belair,
saying they do not back down from a challenge. However, the
champs want the match on Smackdown instead of NXT. The match
is agreed to and set up for Friday night.
A skit sets up Lola Vice against Nikkita Lyons in a singles
match for next week. Vice is in NXT GM Ava’s office, and
Vice wants a match with Jaida Parker. Instead, in walks
Lyons. She bickers with Vice, setting up a match between the
two.
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom defeated
Austin Theory & Grayson Waller
Frazier pinned Theory to win the match and retain the tag
titles. This was a really good match.
The match goes through a commercial break. Despite flying
high early on, the babyface champs are in peril as the show
heads into the break. Axiom is trying to rally when the show
returns from the break, but a hot tag is broken up. A-Town
Down Under continue to isolate Axiom. He eventually shoves
Theory off the ropes, and Axiom lands with a splash. Hot tag
to Frazier, and he runs wild with high spots galore. That
guy is so dang good.
Theory cuts off Axiom, and he gets a few near falls. Axiom
tags back in, and the champs are soon in control with tandem
offense. The match really heats up from here, and the pace
soon quickens. There is a cool spot with double submission
being broken up. Axiom caught Waller in a rear naked choke,
and Frazier then catches with a guillotine choke on Theory.
He counters Frazier, and Theory suplexes Frazier on Axiom to
break up the other submission.
The finish was the champs tandem finisher. Spanish Fly by
Axiom, followed by a Phoenix Splash from Frazier, and
Frazier covers Theory for a pinfall. The champs retain their
titles.
A video package recaps the story with Ridge Holland against
Chase U. Holland is then interviewed backstage, where he is
ambushed by Riley Osborne. They have a pull-apart brawl. A
singles match between the two is clearly in the works.
Next up is a musical performance in the middle of a
wrestling show, which rarely works well outside of a
WrestleMania. Even then, an argument can be made it is still
out of place. This was no exception. Sexxy Red is performing
a rap song in the ring when she is (thankfully) cut short.
Ethan Page interrupts the Sexxy Red concert, and he gets in
the ring to cut a promo. Red is looking on as Page rants and
raves. Page says this is his ring, and he is not leaving
until he gets a title rematch with Williams.
The entrance of Je’Von Evans interrupts Page. Evans
confronts Page in the ring. Page tries to sucker punch
Evans, but Evans blocks it. Evans punches Page several
times, and Page is clotheslined out of the ring. Evans
dances in the ring with Red as the show goes into a
commercial break.
After the break, a video package hypes the arrival of DELTA
(although she is not named in the vignette). The vignette
portrays her as a kaiju monster wreaking havoc on a city.
In other news, “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” returns next
week. However, it is being rebranded as “The Halloween Havoc
Wheel.” For a WCW mark like me, though...
Randy Orton defeated Je’Von Evans
Ortin pinned Evans after the RKO. This was good, and it was
a much different kind of match than Evans usually has on
NXT. The pacing was more deliberate and not so frantic. When
Evans would explode into a flurry of offense, it stood out
more against a ring general like Orton.
Evans went for a dive, but Orton blocks it. Orton then drops
Evans on the announce desk. Orton drops Evans several more
times on the desk, but it does not implode. Orton keeps
trying, and keeps dropping Evans on the desk.
Evans flew into a comeback, but Orton cuts him off. Orton
delivers a draping DDT, and Orton teases the RKO. Evans
counters with superkick, and he springboard into a flying
cutter for a close near fall. Evans goes for another flying
cutter, but Orton blocks the second attempt. RKO by Orton,
and he covers Evans for a pinfall. Orton helps Evans to his
feet after the match, and Orton raises Evans’ hand.
Wes Lee and Ethan Page are in Ava’s office, where she
announces a number one contender’s match between Lee and
Page. Ava was also impressed with Evans in the main event,
and she adds Evans to make the match a triple threat number
one contender’s match. That is set up for next Tuesday on
NXT.
Overall, this was a good show. It was very wrestling heavy,
with only a few silly skits. The title change was a
surprise, and the matches all delivered.
