NXT TV RESULTS (8/19): Wells’s live report on Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams, Fatal Influence vs. Elegance Brand, US-Canada Summit, more

(1) YOSHIKI INAMURA vs. JOSH BRIGGS – Philadelphia Street Fight

The two battled out to the ring before any bell, and the ref called for it before they even got to the ring, since the rules aren’t going to matter much. They battled out on the ramp side, which was very wide and spacious in this venue. Inamura reentered and Briggs started tossing chairs into the ring. Two in a row struck Inamura. Jeez, man. My feed pixelated and went out completely as we’re dealing with huge storms in the southern Twin Cities metro tonight, and remained black for five full minutes, thankfully some of which was the commercial break. [c]

If my feed keeps failing, I’ll pull this report, but…we appear to be back. I returned to a huge spot wth Inamura landing on a chair. Kendo sticks and trash cans got involved. Inamura got taped to the top rope and took it like a man as Briggs swung the kendo stick again and again, leaving welts. The audience fired way up as Inamura went all fighting spirit and broke free of the tape and yelled. Inamura, his back reddening quickly, pounded Briggs in a corner. He put a trash can over Inamura’s head and punched it a few times, then swung a baseball bat at it. Briggs came out of the can bleeding all over his face.

Inamura left the ring and rolled a table into the ring. It was branded, of course. Briggs got set up on it and Inamura went up, but Briggs quickly recovered and went up in the corner. Inamura punched him down and Briggs just walked back and laid back down on the table. Big yikes at that. Inamura hit a frog splash through the table and got a long two. Inamura got another table and set it up, then got a third. Briggs got back into it and he used the table Inamura was setting up to clock Inamura in the nuts. Briggs set up Inamura on the table and went up and hit a moonsault – just barely clipping Inamura, but the table broke, so whatever. He got the three.

WINNER: Josh Briggs at 15:54.

(Wells’s Analysis: I wish I hadn’t missed so much from the storm, but these guys went pretty hard. As popular as Inamura has become, I think Briggs is the far bigger priority for the brand. Good, hard-hitting stuff)

-On social media, Masha Slamovich, Ava and Santino Marella had a three-way conversation that ended with Slamovich being named special referee later tonight.

-Ricky Saints made his entrance. [c]

-Trick Williams cut a promo on Je’Von Evans, saying he was crazy to think he could beat Trick Willy tonight.

(2) RICKY SAINTS vs. JASPER TROY

Saints struck quickly and tried to escape or reverse everything early. He tried to cut down Troy with a headlock after monkeying his way around to Troy’s back. Troy backed up to a couple of turnbuckles to break, and Starks just kept going back to the hold, which is totally reasonable but rarely happens in wrestling. Saints broke away and hit a high cross-body for two. He went to the corner again, and Troy booted him to the floor. The match went to split-screen. [c]

Troy threw some forearms, continuing a slow heat segment from the commercial break. He hit a really awkward tackle, then missed an elbow drop. Saints got in some rights but just one right from Troy was enough to slow him down. Saints ducked a lariat and hit a Samoan drop. Saints missed from the top and Troy took him outside and charged him to the steps. Troy separated them and set up Saints on one, then ran and went for a senton, but ate steel as Saints moved. Saints hit a DDT outside, then went inside and hit a tornado DDT to finish.

WINNER: Ricky Saints at 9:11.

(Wells’s Analysis: These two didn’t really mesh, which likely has a lot to do with Troy still having a good way to go. It comes off as a decent win for Saints, but Troy has a weird feel of being in his own world on the show right now and not totally part of the roster.

-The Elegance Brand and their concierge were talking to Ava, which was to say the concierge was talking, but the women were just nodding and that was about it. Masha Slamovich showed up in her referee gear and made a sly smile. The Concierge loudly complained that it was the look of bias. [c]

-Jordynne Grace went out to the ring for a face-to-face. She said she came to NXT after traveling the world and being in hundreds of locker rooms, building a reputation. She came thinking she was going to do what she’s done everywhere: win championships. She said she expected setbacks, but didn’t expect one of those setbacks to be a friendship. She said she watches wrestling and she’s been doing it for fifteen years, and she knows how friendships normally pan out, and she thought she might be the exception. “Stupid, I know,” she said. She said being in WWE, the adjustment has been really hard. She said she’s never had someone try to exploit her weaknesses publicly, but now she has one objective. She doesn’t need to prove she’s better than Blake and she doesn’t need revenge – she said she wants Blake Monroe to see who she is, and hold a mirror up to her.

Monroe’s music played her to the ramp with some security. She said “That’s enough, muscle muffin.” She had security with her, and said that was because she knows Grace wants to get her hands on her, but that’s not happening. She had a contract in her hands, and said that she had it written up so Grace can’t lay a hand on her before Heatwave, or the match is off. She said at Evolution, Monroe was sitting out watching while Grace was wrestling “as one of the main characters.” Interesting usage. She said Monroe must be jealous. “Blake is jealous” chant.

Grace said Monroe is a disgusting snake, and Monroe said this is proof that Grace is too angry. She said she’s an outsider playing a superstar, and now there’s simply not enough space for both of them. She laid it on thick and said Grace was pathetic, then hid behind the four security guys, trying to bait Grace. Grace said she doesn’t need to put a hand on her to make a point. She dominated three of the big security guys. One was left, and he looked at Grace scared, and then ran out and up the ramp to cheers. Monroe was terrified of Grace.

-Fatal Influence was talking in the back, and Zaria and Sol Ruca showed up. Ruca talked tough to Jayne about what they’re facing tonight and Fatal Influence left. Lainey Reid slipped into the scene briefly and said something about Ruca’s titles as well, but I got my first cable blip since the first segment and missed exactly what. Sigh. [c]

-In a promoted segment, Sarah Schreiber talked with Je’Von Evans, who said he’s not surprised Trick Williams abandoned him in their eight-man match. He said to be a champion, he’s got to think like a champion, and to get to Oba, he’s got to get through Trick. He said Trick is trying to be a lot of things, and Evans just wants to be a wrestler.

[HOUR TWO]

(3) THE ELEGANCE BRAND (Ash & Heather & M) (w/The Concierge) vs. FATAL INFLUENCE (Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx) – Six-woman match with special referee Masha Slamovich

I don’t remember if Henley temporarily ditched her holstien-looking fancy jackets, but if she did, they’re back. M and Henley started. M got in the early offense but Henley managed a tag to Nyx, who got in a single-leg takedown. Rope run and M hit a…springboard boot, kind of? Heather taged in and M put Heather up in the electric chair and slammed her onto Nyx. Ash tagged in and Jayne did too. There was a chant for Jayne for some reason. These two and Slamovich are the three that’ll be in the TNA Women’s Championship triple threat. Henley tagged in after a very small taste of the coming match and she hit a big palm strike in the corner. Rope run and the Concierge held Henley’s leg. Henley got booted because she was distracted. Corey says that the Concierge needs his shell back (he does kind of look like a turtle). Slamovich tossed the Concierge out of the arena to cheers as the match went to split-screen. [c]

Jayne made a hot tag – I guess? She’s a heel – and dominated M and Heather. She did a cannonball on M in a corner, then hit a senton from the second turnbuckle for two. She took issue with Slamovich’s count, which was perfectly on time – so far, Slamovich is playing it straight. It broke down and all the women got involved, but Ash (the former Dana Brooke, for anyone out of the loop) hip attacked their opponents off the apron and made an opening for her team. All six got involved and got big spots in one after another. Ash hit what would’ve been the three on Nyx, but Slamovich wasn’t in position. She finally got there and got a two count. Jayne tagged in and hit The Rolling Encore on Ash for the win.

WINNERS: Fatal Influence at 10:48.

(Wells’s Analysis: No matter who walks out of the triple threat as champion, they’ve got a Slamovich-Ash continuing feud set up. Fun stuff here, though M and Heather were…okay in the ring)

-Charlie Dempsey tried to give Kendal Grey advice backstage. Wren Sinclair showed up and said someone who was 61-0 in college doesn’t need advice. He said if he was in college he’d go 600-0. Grey took off and The Culling got into Dempsey’s face and laughed at him because he’s lost his group. Dempsey wanted to take them on and they goaded him into a match. The Culling walked off, and Sinclair tried to lecture Dempsey about going 2 against 1. [c]

-Canada/USA Peace Treaty. Chelsea Green and Ethan Page were introduced, with Alba Fyre and Piper Niven of course there also. There was a big table in the ring and four rolling chairs, and Page asked the Secret Hervice to toss the table out of the ring so they would feel safe. The US contingent, Tavion Heights and Tyra Mae Steele, were introduced next. This is a pretty gutsy call if they want the crowd to take the US side, as Heights is finally getting a push and Steele is only one match into her NXT career. There was a “USA” chant early, so I guess the crowd is playing along regardless.

Page put over Heights, and said he watched as Heights broke out of NQCC. He said he’s becoming a star, but he doesn’t like the way Heights looks at him. He said Heights doesn’t look at him like he’s the greatest North American ever to wear the North American Championship. He said Heights is biting off more than he can chew. He said it’s extraordinary that Heights was in the Olympics, and that’s great, but this is a different world because the second and third place finishers go home with nothing.

Heights said Page might think he’s crazy for thinking he can take the title, but he thinks he’s crazy for not knowing it can happen. He said he wants what’s on his plate, and what’s on Page’s plate, and he’s definitely hungry for that gold.

Green said that Heights was being rude, which isn’t surprising since Americans are rude. She said now that she thinks about it, Canada is the better country in every way. Tyra said that Chelsea is bloviating. She said “College word! Do you not know what that means?” She explained that it’s talking forever with nothing to say. It broke down with Green and Steele, who both talked up their accomplishments. Steele said she could take Green down anytime she wants, and if she doesn’t believe her, Green can ask the Secret Hervice. Green held them back from coming into the ring.

Heights and Page got loud as the segment broke down. Page said Heights wanted to be violent just like any American. It got close to breaking down, and Ava came out to the ramp and said at Heatwave, it’ll be a mixed tag team match. She wished them good luck. She took off, and the Canadians attacked the Americans. The Americans got the better of it and snapped on stereo ankle locks. The Secret Hervice yanked the Canadians to safety.

-Backstage, Myles Borne and Lexis King ran into one another. Borne was about to throw hands, and King said he had to apologize because he shouldn’t have made light of Borne. He twice referred to Borne as “deaf and blind.” Borne said he wasn’t blind, and King sprayed something (Rick Martel’s Arrogance, maybe?) into Borne’s eyes. [c]

-Backstage, Kelani Jordan told Lola Vice they made a great team last week, so no hard feelings when she wins at Heatwave. Lash Legend showed up and called out Vice for losing at TripleMania, and Jordan did the same to Legend about Nia Jax. Legend complained that Jaida Parker shouldn’t even be in the match. Apparently Parker isn’t in the building, because she didn’t show up.

-DarkState walked up to Ava and talked up their match last week, and Ava said they should be worried about Hank & Tank. They mentioned the name of Joe Hendry, who popped out of a locker behind them. Ava said “You guys did it to yourselves.” Hendry asked which two were going for the tag gold at Heatwave, and they said he’d find out when the rest of the world does.

-The announcers ran down the Heatwave card, with a four-way and two triple threats in addition to the mixed tag, Grace vs. Monroe, and Oba Femi against whichever of Je’Von Evans or Trick Williams wins the main event.

-Je’Von Evans was introduced ahead of the main event. [c]

(4) JE’VON EVANS vs. TRICK WILLIAMS – #1 Contendership for the NXT Championship

Trick was wearing the TNA Championship upside down, and Vic explained he does this on purpose because he turned the brand upside down. Williams attacked with a pump kick for a long two and then a scissor kick for two also, while Oba Femi watched the two from a private box. Williams went for the Book End but Evans rolled through. Evans rolled up Williams for two. Evans was already bleeding from the mouth. Williams made light of Evans, who kicked him in the head. Huracanrana and a dropkick by Evans for two.

Evans chopped Williams around the ring. Williams turned it around and laid in his own chop. In case you were wondering who the crowd would favor at Heatwave, they’re chanting “Oba.” Rope run and a flying lariat by Williams. Ground & pound by Williams, who postured to the crowd to boos. This crowd has been very willing to play along with face-heel dynamics considering Philadelphia doesn’t always do so. Neckbreaker by Williams for two.

Things slowed down and Williams leaned on Evans a little before Evans flew off a rope with a clothesline. Evans dumped Williams and hit him with a tope con giro. Evans wanted a springboard move, but Williams got up and launched him out and onto the announce table, which exploded on impact. Crowds are too easy to chant “holy sh*t” sometimes, but they certainly earned it with that spot, and the feed was still muted when they finally went to commercial with Evans still selling on the outside. [c]

Upon return, they replayed the spot from three different angles, getting a lot of great reaction shots from the announcers. Inside the ring, Williams set Evans up on the ropes, but Evans finally had some fight left in him. Williams launched Evans to his back, ending that particular hope spot. Williams posed up at Femi, who told him to get his eyes on the match. Williams laid out Evans again and Evans was selling it like he had no idea where he was.

Evans finally threw a right and Trick acted like he was just pissed off that he would keep trying. Evans finally got in a flurry, ducking shots throughout. He pounded Williams in a corner until he was pushed back by the ref. Evans dumped Williams and hit a tope suicida. Back inside, German suplex by Evans. Evans went up and nailed the frog splash for a long two. Evans hit the springboard bicycle kick for two. Williams fought off the springboard cutter and laid in a big uppercut. Williams absorbed a right and hit the Book End. After some misses, Williams hit a spin kick, then a slam for two. The clock struck the hour here, and the show was still on.

Up from a perch, Mike Santana distracted Williams, and Evans hit a cutter to finish. The VERY moment the finish happened, the feed cut and went to CW’s National News Desk. Well, glad they let us see the whole match, but NXT really needs to figure out the timing of these shows because the overrun is a thing of the past.

WINNER: Je’Von Evans at 14:49.

(Wells’s Analysis: Absolutely fantastic match as Williams dominated a lot of it and Evans bumped all the hell over for him, and Evans is just excellent as he continues to learn the act that’ll make him all his money: the ultimate underdog. Evans gets yet another shot at the NXT Championship, while Williams will obviously face Santana in a singles match soon enough, though that might be on TNA TV. I can’t heap enough praise on this one)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Evans and Williams just killed it in there in the main event on a night with a lot to like. The opener was also a ton of fun, though Briggs politely placing himself back on the table was a really hard thing to watch. Jasper Troy will continue to be put in there with strong opponents to really learn his craft, and likely has a long way to go. The Elegance Brand vs. Fatal Influence was a lot of fun also, especially considering the only babyface in the match was the referee. Jordynne Grace & Blake Monroe did a lot to heat up their match, and the US-Canada peace treaty was as silly as we hoped, but also very effectively got us a mixed tag for Sunday. Nate Lindberg and I will talk it out on PWT Talks NXT in a few minutes here. Check us out tonight or stream tomorrow.