Our WWE NXT results for tonight include the Women’s NXT Champion Tatum Paxley addressing the NXT Universe, the WWE Speed Championship is on the line when the champion El Grande Americano clashes with Jasper Troy, Travion Heights battling Josh Briggs, and Trick Williams challenging NXT Champion Ricky Saints in a Last Man Standing match. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida.
WWE NXT Card:
- Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship: Ricky Saints (c) vs. Trick Williams
- Women’s NXT Champion Tatum Paxley Speaks
- WWE Speed Championship Match: El Grande Americano (c) vs. Jasper Troy
- Tavion Heights vs. Josh Briggs
WWE NXT Results:
Truth Will Ultimately Prevail
NXT Women’s Champion Tatum Paxley walks to the ring with the rest of the Culling. The crowd chants for Paxley. Paxley says she loves being announced as the NXT Women’s Champion. Paxley realizes that she needs to listen to the people close to her if she wants to stay a winner. Izzi Dame smiles and gives Paxley a hug. Paxley apologizes to Dame. Dame says they are here because they want her to succeed. Dame asks Paxley to promise not just to hand out title shots. Dame reminds Paxley that the last time Paxley fought for the NXT Universe, she ended up alone. Now that Paxley is with the Culling, look at her now.
Fatal Influence interrupts. Jacy Jayne gets booed out of the building. Jayne wants a title shot, and since Paxley intends to be a fighting champion, this needs to happen. Jayne says she agrees with Dame that Paxley should defend the championship against someone who deserves it. Paxley says she is going to be more selective… after Gold Rush. Jayne can have her rematch. An overly excited Paxley celebrates with Jayne.
Grade: C+
Paxley and Dame spun in circles during this promo. This was entirely too long. Jayne getting muted by boos didn’t help either. This was a mess.
WWE Speed Championship Match: El Grande Americano (c) vs. Jasper Troy
Troy drives Americano into the corner. Troy pounds on Americano and gets a near fall after a body slam. Americano takes control after Los Americanos gets involved. The referee ejects Los Americanos. Americano attempts to load his mask with the illegal metal plate. In the confusion, Troy crushes Americano in the corner. Blackhold Slam by Troy. Troy pins Americano.
Winner and NEW WWE Speed Champion, Jasper Troy!
Grade: C+
Speed matches… they are things that happen sometimes on NXT. At this point, the writer is tired of having the same complaint every week, so I’ll come up with a new one about a match format that inherently makes it impossible to care about.
Alba Fyre w/Chelsea Green and Ethan Page vs. Thea Hail w/Joe Hendry
Fyre and Hail trade pin attempts. Fyre slaps Hail. Hail goes nuts and lands a flurry, capped with a trust fall to the outside. Green gets in Hail’s face. Hail blocks a slap from Green. Fyre takes Hail out with a dive out of nowhere. After the break, Hail fires up again. Page hops on the apron. Hendry sends Page into the ring steps. As Page staggers, Green tries to slap Hendry, but Hendry ducks. Green slaps Page. Back in the ring. Hail pins Fyre with a sunset flip.
Winner- Thea Hail
Grade: B-
Fun TV match. The Page/Green and Hendry/Hail thing works. It’s fun.
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Backstage, Je’Von Evans is on the phone with TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater. Evans is on his way to the ring to make an announcement. Slater apologizes for not being able to be in the arena. Evans says he spoke with the truck and they are going to put Slater on the ‘tron.
The Young OG
Evans notes that he’s excited to be in the Last Time is Now tournament. Slater is up on the ‘tron. Evans notes that Ava and Santino have given them the opportunity to face DarkState for the NXT Tag Titles. Slater is excited and promises to take DarkState’s bloodcloat gold. His words. The lights go out in the arena, and DarkState appears. When DarkState swarms, Slater hops the barricade and stands with Evans. Evans and Slater clear the ring.
Grade: B-
Evans and Slater are quite amusing on the mic. This writer can listen to them chatter back and forth all day. DarkState still seems to be missing something. Granted, this is still developmental, but that group needs something. Maybe a mouthpiece?
WWE Women’s Speed Championship Tournament Match: Fallon Henley w/Fatal Influence vs. Skylar Raye
Raye tries several pins. Henley won’t stay down. Raye counters a powerbomb into a rana. High crossbody by Raye. Raye lands a dangerous tornado DDT. Henley drops Raye on the top rope. Henley lands a famouser for the win.
Winner- Fallon Henley
Grade: C+
Raye looks to have potential. Henley is solid and should have more to do than play around with this Speed stuff.
Tavion Heights vs. Josh Briggs
Briggs boots Heights into next week as soon as the bell rings. Briggs works over Heights. Briggs misses a big boot. Height lands a huge belly-to-belly for the win.
Winner- Tavion Heights
Grade: B-
You know… being the OG who puts over the younger talent on NXT is an important role to fill… but man, at some point they have to try at least to do something with Briggs, right? So many half measures. Never any actual commitment.
Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship: Ricky Saints (c) vs. Trick Williams
Williams tries to attack Saints with a kendo stick, but Saints blocks it. After walking the ropes, Saints takes the kendo stick and works over Williams with it. The fight spills out of the ring. Williams takes control and ties Saints up in the ropes. Williams breaks a kendo stick over Saint’s injured gut. Saints beats the count. Williams continues his assault. After the break, Williams leaps in the air and gets hit with a chair. Saints beats Williams with a chair repeatedly. Williams is busted open. Saints sets up his finish. Williams escapes and launches Saints into a chair set up in the corner. Williams hits Saints with the ring steps.
Saints beats the count. Williams leaps off the steps and hits a Trick Shot. Instead of waiting for the count, Williams Book Ends Saints on the ring steps. Saints breaks the count. Saints tries a Spear, but Williams sends Saints through a wall. Williams thinks he’s won. Saints explodes out of the hole in the wall and attacks Williams. The fight goes into the crowd. Saints Spears Williams off a balcony through the commentary desk. Saints mushes Williams in the face as he gets to his feet at the count of 9. Williams is out.
Winner and STILL NXT Champion, Ricky Saints!
As Saints celebrates, Oba Femi’s music hits. The show cuts off before Femi actually appears.
Grade: B
If you like this sort of thing, you will love this match. This one was brutal, but didn’t overstay its welcome. Not sure what happened with Femi’s music hitting, but he did not actually come to the ring. Was that just a timing mix-up, or does it mean something more?
WWE NXT Review:
Tonight’s show was the definition of just ok. The only real standout tonight was the main event, which was a car wreck in the best way possible. It’s growing hard to stay positive when it comes to WWE TV, since every show seems to be either running in place or not running at all. We are getting close to Stand and Deliver season, so maybe things will pick up once we are officially on the road.
Rating: C+
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