The go-home episode of WWE NXT for Stand & Deliver went down live at the Performance Center. The show was loaded with wrestling. New matches were added to the card for NXT’s biggest PLE on the WrestleMania weekend.
We were treated to new production shots, some cinematic promos, and everything in between. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest hits and flops from the April 2, 2024, episode of WWE NXT.
Miss – Finisher to Lexis King versus Von Wagner
Lexis King at best is an annoying heel full of himself. He still needs to improve between the ropes. That being said, King put on a decent show against Von Wagner this week on WWE NXT. The two had a solid match tied to King’s mockery of Wagner.
There were some downsides here and there but it was overall a decent effort from both men. The closing stretch, however, felt it it could’ve been better. King really needs to debut a new finisher. The current one doesn’t look like it could took out a man the size of Wagner.
King evaded Wagner’s powerbomb attempt on the announcer’s desk with a DDT on the floor. He sealed the win with The Coronation. A slingshot DDT may’ve been the more effective finisher against the big man here.
Hit – Great tag team action to kick off WWE NXT
Axiom and Nathan Frazer, LWO, and The Good Brothers collided kicked off WWE NXT this week. The three men faced off to determine the number one contender to the NXT Tag Team Champion at Stand & Deliver.
It was a great match with high-octane action. The double missile drop kick from Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde on Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows looked cool. Frazer and Axiom picked up the win after a hard-hitting battle.
The duo face tag team champions Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin this Saturday.
Miss – Ilja Dragunov & Tony D’Angelo
This segment felt more like a mob boss interrogation scene than a champion-challenger face off. Ilja walked into Ton’s territory alone. That’s cool and all but what’s the purpose of surrounding the room with all these goons when The Don himself has to do all the dirty work.
I’m doing about the moment where Tony grabbed and squeezed Ilja’s injured arm. If they wanted to showcase Don as the all-conquering Don they should’ve just let his men pull a torture trick from all these crime movies.
You get the point, right?
Hit – Shot of the gorilla
I read a comment the other day that read something along the lines of WWE replacing Kevin Dunn with Martin Scorsese. That’s how highly fans think of the company’s current production work. There’s no denying that production values have improved a lot since Triple H fully took over the company.
NXT seems to be moving in the same direction as well – not that it didn’t have a fantastic camera work to begin with. I believe this week’s episode was the first time we got a shot of the gorilla position during the Jacy Jayne segment. Also, Ava booking matches on the spot was some clever booking.
Miss – Joe Gacy is injured?
No, he isn’t. But what was the point of throwing the ‘X’ sign when you had a match announcement incoming. Gacy was absolutely destroyed by Oba Femi in their singles outing this week on WWE NXT. Gacy was unable to continue the match, and the referee awarded the outcome to the NXT North American Champion.
Oba’s expression really got me and I legitimately thought Gacy was injured. Turns out, it was just an angle (which I thought was brilliant to make Oba look like a monster heel. With that said, Gacy should’ve sold the injury till Stand & Deliver and square off against Shawn Spears in an impromptu match on the show.
Hit – The brawl to end WWE NXT before Stand & Deliver
Trick Williams versus Carmelo Hayes main events Stand & Deliver this Saturday. This bout has the “biggest match in the history of NXT” tagline. Fans want Williams to “whoop that trick” and truly cement his status as the face of NXT.
The two men met for the final time before Stand & Deliver this week. Both men went back and forth on the mic before turning their confrontation into a brawl. The show ended with the NXT locker room inside the ring as they tried to separate both proud superstars.
Also read: WWE RAW Hits And Misses (4/1/24)
