Our WWE NXT Homecoming results for tonight include Grayson Waller returning to NXT to host The Grayson Waller Effect with guests NXT Champion Oba Femi & number one contender Ricky Saints, Stephanie Vaquer, Lyra Valkyria & Rhea Ripley battling Fatal Influence, NXT Alum Tyler Breeze returning to challenge Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair defending the WWE Womens Tag Team Championships against The Culling’s Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame, and Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano clashing with Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
WWE NXT Homecoming Card:
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Tatum Paxley & Izzi Dame
- NXT North American Championship match: Ethan Page vs. Tyler Breeze
- #DIY (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes
- Stephanie Vaquer, Lyra Valkyria & Rhea Ripley vs. Fatal Influence
- Grayson Waller Effect with guests Oba Femi and Ricky Saints
WWE NXT Homecoming Results:
A highlight package of NXT Full Sail memories airs.
It’s Time to Play the Game
Triple H‘s music hits, and he makes his way to the ring. The Full Sail crowd is on fire for WWE’s COO. Triple H tells the crowd he can’t tell them how good it feels to be home. A “welcome home” chant breaks out. Triple H puts over the Full Sail arena, the fans, and everyone else. We are NXT. Triple H thanks the crowd. Shawn Michaels‘ music hits. HBK joins Triple H in the ring. HBK tells Triple H that they are happy to have him here tonight, and his NXT superstars are ready to steer the ship into the future. Triple H says What if he said he wanted to come back. HBK says he didn’t want this to get uncomfortable, but then they would have a very big problem.
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Former NXT GM William Regal walks out on the stage. Regal says he knows how to settle this. Someone in the crowd yells, “War Games!” Regal tells the fan that’s his line. Regal yells, “War Games!” The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, join Regal on the stage. Flair says it doesn’t matter who is in charge; the women have always run NXT. Flair puts over the former NXT women’s superstars. Bliss says if you aren’t down with that, they have two words for us. You know what they are.
Grade: B
Fun opening, but the crowd almost ruined this one. We all love a bit of crowd participation, but the Full Sail crowd stepped on several lines here because they seem more interested in being part of the show than enjoying it. In this environment, this writer worries that the Full Sail crowd will try to outdo the European crowds.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Tatum Paxley & Izzi Dame
Paxley and Bliss face off first. Paxley takes Bliss down. Bliss tries a clothesline, Paxley avoids it by sliding, and Bliss poses on the ropes. Paxley and Bliss trade flips. Bliss almost hits the Sister Abigail DDT. Paxley scurries away and tags in Dame. Flair tags in and offers Dame a handshake. Dame slaps Flair’s hand away. Flair lights Dame up with a chop. Flair chop blocks Dame. Paxley charges in and meets a drop toe hold from Bliss. Flair and Bliss land stereo flipping neck breakers.
After the break, Flair is lighting up Paxley and Dame with chops. Dame catches Flair with a diving code breaker. After some outside interference, Paxley gets several near falls. Flair manages to break them up. Paxley misses a 450. Bliss hits the Sister Abigail DDT for the win.
Winners and STILL WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss!
Grade: B
Great showing by Dame and Paxley. Flair and Bliss gave them both a lot here, and they ran with it. If WWE ever REALLY wants to invest in the women’s tag division, they will need actual teams. Paxley and Dame work pretty well together and could work well on the main roster.
#DIY (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes
Hayes and Gargano trade strikes and takedown attempts. Williams surprises Gargano with a dropkick. Ciampa and Gargano clear the ring and celebrate by patting themselves on the back. Ciampa and Gargano beat down Hayes. Williams tags himself in and clears the ring. Hayes tags himself in and facebusters Gargano. Williams isn’t happy. Williams sets up a sneak attack on Hayes. Hayes turns around, and Williams leaps over him and clotheslines Gargano!
Doomsday springboard clothesline by Williams and Hayes. Williams grabs the TNA Championship. The ref snatches it away. Ciampa blasts Williams with a Fairytale Ending. Williams kicks out. Gargano and Ciampa set up Meet in the Middle. Hayes pushes Williams out of the way and brawls with Ciampa and Gargano. Gargano gets dumped out of the ring. The Miz appears and drops Gargano with the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz tosses Gargano back in. Hayes lands Nothing but Net for the win.
Winners- Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes
Grade: B
Entertaining tag match. They managed to tell a compelling story, playing into the tension each team has had over the past several years internally. Miz’s appearance was a nice touch that built to Hayes and Miz’s eventual blow-up around Hayes’ United States title aspirations.
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Backstage, United States Champion Sami Zayn puts over Je’Von Evans. Josh Briggs walks in and whines like a big baby about Evans getting all this attention. Evans leaps into the frame and attacks Briggs. Security breaks it up. Zayn tells Evans to focus because the sky is the limit.
AAA’s El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. is at ringside for the next match.
NXT North American Championship match: Ethan Page vs. Tyler Breeze
Breeze and Page trade strikes. Page levels Breeze with a nasty right hand. After the break, Page lands an Ego’s Edge. Breeze kicks out. Breeze trips Page and slams his knee into the ring post. Page screams in pain as Breeze locks Page in a ring post figure four. Back in the ring, Breeze traps Page in a Canadian Maple Leaf. Page escapes.
Superkick by Breeze. Page kicks at 2.9. After a series of counters, Breeze lands the Beauty Shot! Page kicks out again. Breeze goes up top. Page cuts Breeze off and hits a hangman’s version of Twisted Grin for the win.
Winner and STILL NXT North American Champion, Ethan Page!
Grade: B-
Solid match. Not 100% sure the right person won. A short reign for Breeze with Page chasing him could be fun. Oh well.
The Grayson Waller Effect
Waller dumps on Femi and Saints. Femi says he’s going to humor Waller tonight. Femi tells Saints he doesn’t think Saints is special in any way. Since Saints got here, he’s been looking past NXT so he can go to the main roster and carry Cody Rhodes’ bags. Saints asks who Femi is without the championship. Femi is nothing more than a pampered athlete.
Saints fires up and says, ” Come No Mercy, he will not be delayed or denied because he’s Absolute Ricky Saints. TNA Champion Trick Williams interrupts. Williams says the NXT championship still belongs to him. Waller says he’s going to talk to NXT GM Ava and pitch Williams vs. Femi, title for title, with the winner facing Saints at No Mercy, winner takes all.
Grade: B
Not much to say here, great set up for a title vs. title match. Does that match have an actual finish? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Stephanie Vaquer, Lyra Valkyria & Rhea Ripley vs. Fatal Influence
Fatal Influence attacks Ripley, Valkyria, and Vaquer during their entrances. Vaquer and Jayne trade pin attempts and strikes. Valkyria tags in and lights Nyx and Henley up with strikes. Ripley floors Henley with a headbutt. Ripley powerbombs Nyx out of the ring onto Henley and Jayne. After the break, Fatal Influence is working over Valkyria. Valkyria manages to tag in Vaquer. Vaquer clears the ring. Jayne and Nyx take over on Vaquer.
Vaquer manages to tag in Ripley. Ripley clears the ring. Valkyria takes Nyx out with a dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Ripley and Vaquer land duel devil’s kisses. Jayne tries to run away. Lola Vice appears and backs Jayne back to the ring. Vice lights Jayne up with a spinning back fist. Jayne falls into a Riptide from Ripley. Ripley pins Jayne.
Winners- Stephanie Vaquer, Lyra Valkyria & Rhea Ripley
Grade: B-
Fun match. The interference at the end didn’t take away from the match, which is a welcome change. Vice had to get involved somehow, and this was the best way to do it. This match gets a bump solely because of the double devils kiss from Vaquer and Ripley. Someone go check on Booker T.
WWE NXT Homecoming Review:
Tonight’s show was a fun event with tons of nostalgia for anyone who was/is a fan of the NXT Black and Gold. With all the surprises, we also got a ton of solid in-ring action, with the Hayes and Williams vs. #DIY taking match of the night honors. What did you all think of the show? Let us know in the comments!
Rating: B
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