SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
APRIL 30, 2024
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Backstage Correspondent(s): Kelly Kincaid
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
-Highlights from last week’s night one of Spring Breakin’ aired. The first several matches got quick treatment and then much was made of Trick Williams finally winning the NXT Championship against Raw-bound Ilja Dragunov.
-Trick Williams’ music played him to the ring. He said he’s talked about this and prayed for this, and we all wanted this, and now Trick Williams is NXT Champion. “You deserve it” chant. He said there’s a lot of people to thank for this, but tonight he wants to focus on Ilja Dragunov. He said Dragunov pushed him to his limits and he thanked him for everything he did for his career, and for NXT. He said Raw just got a good one.
Trick said this was going to be the “Whoop that” era. The crowd played along and chanted Whoop That Era. He said he’d continue to break records and make history. Meta-Four’s music played, and Lash Legend – alone – appeared on the ramp. She said last week he did his thing, and now guess what? Now you’re the new NXT Champion. She asked for help getting in the ring and he held the ropes open for her. She said he’s such a gentleman, and he’s the hottest thing in NXT. She was holding a manila envelope, so some sort of match offering is coming. Williams said last time they were in this ring, she slapped him. He said he knows exactly what this is – she thinks he’s her little Reese’s Cup and she wants to get right to the chocolate in the middle. The crowd hooted and hollered for all of it.
Williams asked if the envelope was full of photos for him to autograph for Meta-Four. She said that’s close. It’s “the truth.” She told him to enjoy his championship for now, because soon, things are gonna get really, really hot. The envelope’s contents weren’t revealed. They set a nice hook with a very different opening segment.
-Gigi Dolin and Arianna Grace were at a posh restaurant. Gigi was ravenous and Grace tried to get her to take a dainty sip of water. Dolin took a big swig and belched, with disgusted Grace. The scene was a way for Dolin to promote tonight’s matches while Grace tried to turn Dolin into a girly girl. She toasted to herself, trying to turn Gigi into a pageant queen. Dolin belched once more, as Grace tried in vain to keep her from doing it.
-Oba Femi made his way to the ring for his match. He passed Trick Williams as he did so, and the two exchanged looks. [c]
-Earlier today, Lola Vice and Shayna Baszler arrived, as did Natalya and Karmen Petrovic. Vic confirmed it’s tonight’s main event.
(1) OBA FEMI (c) vs. IVAR – NXT North American Championship match
Ivar took a good look at the championship belt on a podium outside the ring before his entrance. Shoving to start. Blocks followed. Ivar took down Femi after a rope run, then clotheslined him from the ring and hit a cannonball on Femi on the outside. Ivar rolled Femi inside and ten missed from the top but rolled through and hit a body slam for just one.
Ivar threw some back elbows in a corner, but Femi caught one and nailed Ivar with a uranage backbreaker. Femi charged Ivar to a corner, where he went spilling over and out. Femi followed him outside and after some basic exchanges, Ivar barreled through Femi into a barricade to a big reaction as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Femi and Ivar were up on a turnbuckle exchanging shots, and Vic said men this size shouldn’t be doing this. Ivar headbutted Femi to the floor, then hit a cross-body for an “NXT” chant. Ivar hit another splash into a barricade, and the match went back inside. The two exchanged some shots and Ivar went to the second rope and Femi caught him for…a uranage, I guess, though it didn’t work as intended. Femi cleaned it up by hitting a beautiful lariat for two. After a rope run, Ivar hit a spinning heel kick for two.
Ivar went up and Femi caught him and dropped him from a torture rack and covered for two. Ivar laid out Femi and hit a wicked moonsault – I think Femi ate Ivar’s knees right in the chest – for a long two, and Femi got his foot on the bottom rope to break. “This is awesome” chant. Ivar went up again, but this time Femi recovered and put him up and hit him with an electric chair drop. Pop-up powerbomb by Femi was good to finish. Vic said “Pop-up powerbomb, and Oba Femi has no regard for human life.”
WINNER: Oba Femi at 11:01.
Wes Lee’s music played to a huge reaction. Lee entered from the crowd in street clothes and jumped from the barricade to the steps, then went in. He stood next to Femi, which really drove home the size difference. Femi held up his belt.
(Wells’s Analysis: A very enjoyable big man match to open. The outcome wasn’t ever in doubt, but Ivar provided a rare kind of opponent for Femi as a guy who can match size and power with him. Wes Lee was a welcome sight after a long layoff, and it feels like he’s back ahead of schedule, though I can’t really remember the timeline at this point. It’s hard to imagine Lee being the one to end Femi’s reign, but Femi could easily be fast-tracked to the NXT Championship picture or even the main roster, so maybe)
-From the Lee-Femi moment, they quickly transitioned to Thea Hail, Chase U and Fallon Henley walking through the back. The crowd were chanting “Welcome back” loudly to Wes Lee, so most of what they were saying was lost. I’m pretty sure it was basic psyched-up babyface stuff.
(2) THEA HAIL (w/Chase U & Fallon Henley) vs. JACY JAYNE (w/Jazmyn Nyx)
The two jawed to open. Jayne slapped Hail, who responded in kind. They hit the mat for some ground & pound, selling the feud. Hail put Jayne on the outside and hit her with a tope suicida. Back inside, Hail missed a high cross-body and Jayne hit a senton and posed as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Jayne missed a senton. Hail went for a springboard back elbow but Jayne caught her for a neckbreaker for two. Jayne pounded Hail in a corner and then Hail caught a kick and the two went for synchronized headbutts that put both on the mat. Hail’s large entourage tried to get her into it. The two hit their feet and threw big forearms. Hail took control, fired up, and hit a falcon arrow for two. Hail went for a running lariat but Jayne caught her and rolled her up for two. Jayne threw some rights and Hail went to the outside. Jazmyn Nyx tried to hit her with a Pele kick and Fallon Henley ran over and ate it for her. Back inside, Hail snapped on the Kimura Lock and got a quick tap.
WINNER: Thea Hail at 7:58.
Chase U celebrated in the ring. Henley entered, still licking her wounds, and Andre Chase kind of backed into her, which annoyed her further. Chase U exited, but Henley yanked Hail back into the ring and laid her out to a shocked reaction. Jayne and Nyx smiled about it as Henley passed them on the way out. I wasn’t sure if I saw it just a bit earlier so I didn’t mention it, but Jayne was bleeding badly from the mouth.
(Wells’s Analysis: So Henley’s little character moments were indeed leading to a heel turn. I guess if she’s totally stagnated creatively they may as well go this direction, but I think her future is as a babyface. Then again, I didn’t think Roxanne Perez would make much of a heel, and here we are)
-Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe hype segment. They’re up next. [c]
-Karmen Petrovic provided some hands for Natalya to spar ahead of the main event. She had Nattie fight off some kicks as well, and gassed her up. Nattie said “I’m gonna break her” and the two shared a hug.
(3) TYSON DUPONT & TYRIEK IGWE vs. THE GOOD BROTHERS (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
The debuting babyfaces dominated with power early. Igwe worked an armbar on Anderson, then worked him with some combo shots and made the tag. Dupont tagged in and hit a big splash for two. They made another tag and Igwe got pushed back to the heel corner and Anderson tagged in. Anderson got in just a few shots before Igwe battered him with rights and lefts in the corner. Anderson parried a shot and then broke down Igwe with some rights and worked a chinlock. Igwe lifted Both made tags and Dupont took over with dropkicks and strikes. Vic called them “Tyson and Tyriek” the same way he says “Malik and Edris,” for some reason preferring to say first names in a tag setting. Weird.
Anderson took over by sidestepping a charge in the corner. He hit a spinebuster and made a tag. Magic Killer finished and Vic said they spoiled the debut of Tyson and Tyriek.
WINNERS: Gallows & Anderson at 4:14.
(Wells’s Analysis: The tradeoff is that the babyfaces actually got the majority of the offense. They look like another good power team but they don’t have a major hook yet. The Gallows & Anderson NXT run continues to confuse me as they had a feud brewing with Breakker & Corbin, then never faced them, and haven’t looked to get any closer to a tag team championship match.)
-Ava told someone on the phone she had business to do tonight. Vic wondered aloud what she had on her mind. [c]
-The WWE Draft was recapped, as it related to NXT. Carmelo Hayes was framed as an NXT guy, though he had one and a half feet in the main roster. Kiana James, Ilja Dragunov, Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport were all drafted. Dijak was drafted back to Raw as well. Some of the NXT Coaches put over the talents and talked about getting them ready for the main roster, and put over the system that allowed them to create better wrestlers.
[HOUR TWO]
-Ava, now in the ring, said nothing made her prouder than her people making it to the next level. She said she wondered who would step up now. She said the NXT Women’s North American Champion would be crowned on June 9th at Battleground, in a six-woman ladder match, just as the first men’s North American Champion was. She said they would have a combine, and the 12 women who impressed the most would advance to six qualifying matches.
Jaida Parker’s music started and she said Ava could have her little combine, but she’d run through the competiton. Sol Ruca’s music played and she went after Parker verbally. Arianna Grace was next. She told the women to have more decorum. She thought a ladder match was too barbaric. Michin’s music played and she hit the ramp. She asked “Did somebody say ladders?” She said she had unfinished business in her new stomping grounds. She said she would be in the combine because she wanted to be part of this. Arianna Grace introduced herself and said she believed Michin was disqualified from the competition. Michin immediately attacked her. a bevy of women charged the ring and they all brawled.
-Backstage, Axiom & Nathan Frazer ran into the Street Profits. The Profits put over AOP and said tonight was going to hurt, but tonight they could show AOP what they were all about. They said the one thing AOP doesn’t have is heart. Montez said the one thing they had to do is…never slow down. The champs loved that they knew the catchphrase and Ford said “I watch the product! Every Tuesday night, I’m watchin’ it!”
-Shayna Baszler sparred with Lola Vice.
(4) SHAWN SPEARS vs. RIDGE HOLLAND
Here’s a feud desperately seeking a babyface, unless Spears is meant to be one? Holland intensely backed Spears into a corner. Spears bailed and grinned in at Holland and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Spears dominated the break and then worked a chinlock. Holland escaped and hit a press slam, then blocked Spears repeatedly in a corner, then laid him out with a lariat to the rear side. Side slam by Holland. Holland tied Spears up in the ropes and beat him with knees and rights, then a running kick. The crowd was a bit restless, but a few people chanted “Spears.” Holland hit a Death Valley Driver into the corner, then hit his Redeemer DDT on Spears to finish.
WINNER: Ridge Holland at 7:35.
(Wells’s Analysis: All the hype for Spears returning, and now it’s…this. Not that I think he should be a particularly major player, but he’s hovering near the bottom of the depth chart. I’m still not totally sold on the Holland story, but they’re committed, at least)
-Roxanne Perez threw a fit to Ava about not getting drafted. She blamed Ava and said she had a weird vendetta against her. Ava told Perez that champions were protected, but Perez wasn’t having it. Ava said she called her there for a reason, but Perez didn’t want to hear it. Ava said she’d have to talk to her later.
-Ivar and Josh Briggs talked. Briggs cheekily thanked Ivar for softening up Oba Femi for him. Ivar said he wasn’t done with Oba Femi. Wes Lee stepped in and Briggs immediately tried to run him off. Lee said if Briggs wanted a match he’d have to go through him. Briggs said it would be no problem, and he left the scene. Ivar stressed to Lee that he isn’t done with Femi.
-Paul Ellering put NXT on notice in a brief scene ahead of AOP’s match with Axiom and Nathan Frazer. [c]
-The Family were in a car. Tony D had things for everyone to handle. He wanted Stacks to get footage of all the Heritage Cup matches. He said “This kid’s gonna pay up.”
(5) AXIOM & NATHAN FRAZER (c) vs. THE AUTHORS OF PAIN (Akam & Rezar) (w/Paul Ellering & Karrion Kross & Scarlett) – NXT Tag Team Championship match
The champs attacked before the bell and used their speed to maintain control. There was a longish segment before the bell sounded with much of it spilling outside. FInally the bell rang, and immediately Frazer got laid out by a Rezar lariat. Rezar bealed Frazer and posed. Rezar threw some knees on Frazer and made the tag to Akam, who kept up the assault and leaned on Frazer. He tagged Rezar, who threw some rights. Frazer threw body shots to Rezar, who no-sold them and hit a suplex as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Rezar was working over Axiom and boos rained down. Rezar missed a boot in the corner and Akam tagged in. Axiom ducked him and tagged Frazer, who struck early and often, dominating Akam. Frazer hit a high-angle DDT for a long two. Action went outside where Rezar caught Frazer, and he threw Frazer into Axiom, who was on the apron. Back inside, AOP teamed up for a big knee to the skull of Frazer, who kicked out at the last moment. Akam set up something from the rope, but Axiom yanked the rope down and Akam went spilling to the floor. Axiom tagged in and he tried to set something up, but Scarlett held Akam’s leg. The ref threw Scarlett from the ring. AOP had the champs beat, but New Catch Republic – Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne – showed up and turned the tide, allowing a rollup victory for the champs.
WINNERS: Axiom & Nathan Frazer at 9:34.
(Wells’s Analysis: The faces didn’t get to create a lot of movement for the big men as they were in control most of the time and it was a dreadfully plodding affair as a result. AOP caught lightning in a bottle being there with The Revival and #DIY the first time around, but they didn’t look so much like world beaters as simply roster filler here.)
-Thea Hail fought tears, asking the rest of Chase U why this keeps happening to her. Ridge Holland showed up and he and Andre Chase had a basic exchange, asking each other how things were going. Ridge said he was trying to string wins together the right way. Chase said if he could help in any way, he was available. They bumped fists.
-Outside the arena, an unseen interviewer caught up with Meta-Four and asked Lash Legend what was in the envelope. The group swarmed and gave no information. After they left, Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan left also. Jordan asked what happened in there and said this wasn’t her. Henley said she wasn’t sure, but she had to put herself first for once.
-The ring was being prepared for the Underground match. [c]
-Edris Enofe and Malik Blade talked backstage. Blade was worried because Enofe broke a mirror last week. Blade said he’s cooked. Brinley Reece tried to make things better, and she brought in two cats for them to play with. They were black cats, so Enofe freaked out even further. After he left, Reece said “Oh right…bad luck. Should I return them?”
(6) NATALYA (w/Karmen Petrovic) vs. LOLA VICE (w/Shayna Baszler) – Underground match
-The women made their way to the ring. Referee Darryl Sharma was in an all-black tight shirt and jeans. Dude is surprisingly jacked. Alicia Taylor handled formal intros. I read a story that Mike Rome was headed to NXT to do ring announcing perhaps as soon as tonight, but Taylor worked the entire show, so I don’t know if there’s fire to that smoke yet.
The rope-less ring was surrounded by PC wrestlers, nearly all of whom haven’t hit TV in any meaningful way. The women spilled out early and brawled, but made their way back into the ring, where Vice took control with some vicious kicks and some body shots to a downed Natalya. She was dispensing with the alluring part of her act and treating it like a blood feud, and her intensity was great. She booted Natalya out atop some of the PC kids and jawed at her as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Action had gone outside, where the women were brawling in front of the announce table, and the crowd of PC kids had made room for them. Natalya went up on the table and Vice tripped her, where she fell backward atop the table, adorned with a surfboard for the themed week. Vic pointed out that there was a monitor right under the surfboard so it was a worse landing than it looked. The brawl went back up onto the ring, where Vice worked a body scissors and added some elbows to the head.
[OVERRUN]
Vice snapped on a guillotine as the match continued to resemble a real fight much more than a pro wrestling match. Natalya worked her way over to the edge of the ring and went to the outside, breaking the hold by slamming forward onto Vice. Okay, maybe it looks more like a wrestling match. Back inside, Natalya tried to set up the sharpshooter, but Baszler jumped into the ring to try to break it up. Nattie charged Baszler off the ring and onto some PC kids, then applied the sharpshooter. Vice was ready to tap, but on the outside, Baszler had snapped a lock on Karmen Petrovic to take the focus of Natalya. Nattie broke the hold to go out and make the save. Baszler grabbed Nattie’s foot as she tried to get over to Vice again, and Vice took her down and rained down rights until Sharma called for the bell because Natalya was defenseless. Vice did her poses as Baszler looked on amused.
WINNER: Lola Vice at 11:50.
(Wells’s Analysis: They did a pretty good job of making the match look different from what they usually do, and Vice’s intensity was off the charts. Vice gained something substantial here as they rehab her after her unsuccessful cash-in after the Breakout Tournament.)
-Roxanne Perez was with Ava again. She said both of these women were good but they can’t hold a candle to her. Ava said if Perez had listened earlier, she would have found out who her next opponent is, next week. Perez said she just defended last week. Ava told Perez not to tell her how to do her job. Ava introduced Perez’s opponent for next week…Chelsea Green. Ugh. Perez looked unamused and she left the scene. Green said she thinks she’s going to like it here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Natalya and Lola Vice had a pretty interesting match that earned the main event slot, and I think Vice could really be ready for the next level now. For whatever reason, the show really felt like it had strong pacing tonight, keeping moving forward while not seeming like it had no space to breathe. The NXT North American Championship picture got a lot more interesting as Oba Femi returned but Ivar and Josh Briggs both made their intentions to continue their pursuits clear, and we have something brewing with Ridge Holland. I’m not sure it’s a brew we’ll want to drink, but it’s something. Fallon Henley is now in the “somewhat regretful” stage of her heel turn, but I have no doubt that she’s truly turned and that she’ll solidify it in some way next week. For a show that lost a lot of talent to the draft, it sure felt like they had no trouble stocking the shelves tonight. We’ve got a full house for PWT Talks NXT and we’ll go live soon. Cheers.
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