Our WWE NXT results for tonight include the WWE Women’s Speed Title Tournament beginning for the vacant championship, Je’Von Evans battling DarkState’s Saquon Shugars, and Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid) colliding with The Culling (NXT Women’s Champion Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame) and Lola Vice in a six-woman tag team match. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida.
WWE NXT Card:
- WWE Women’s Speed Title Tournament Begins
- Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) vs. Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame & Lola Vice
- Je’Von Evans vs. Saquon Shugars
WWE NXT Results:
Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) vs. Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame & Lola Vice
Paxley and Jayne start off hot, trading strikes. Paxley tags in Vice, who unloads on Jayne in the corner. Reid tags in and works over Vice. Vice counters Reid into a rolling armbar. Reid manages to escapes. Vice tags in Dame, who gets leveled by a clothesline from Reid. Dame responds with a clothesline of her own. Paxley and Dame double-team Reid.
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Vice, Paxley, and Dame take control. Dame rolls her eyes as Paxley and Vice land stereo running hip attacks, complete with Vice’s hip taunt. After the break, Vice is getting worked over by Fatal Influence. Vice manages to tag in Paxley. Paxley clears the ring with a flurry. Everyone lands a big move. Dame gets a blind tag and saves Paxley from a Rolling Encore from Jayne by throwing her face in front of it (lol). Jayne pins Dame.
Winners- Fatal Influence
Grade: B-
Solid opening contest with an interesting finish. This is the second time Dame has ended up eating a Rolling Encore from Jayne because of Paxley. The build-up to the eventual split between Dame and Paxley has been quite interesting and remarkable, not following the typical story beats that this type of angle usually would.
Lani Says…
TNA Knockouts Champion Kelani Jordan says she is going to hold on to the championship by any means necessary. Jordan asks the crowd why, when Dominik Mysterio or Cody Rhodes cheats to win, everyone cheers. Why does everyone have a problem with Lani? The crowd is booing Jordan out of the building. Jordan rants about being mistreated for being a winner.
Jordan says all these people care about are women with fat a$$es and catch phrases. What the fans should care about is a dominant athlete like Lani. Jordan isn’t handing out title shots like Paxley; it’s time for Jordan to be selfish. Jordan isn’t defending her championship at Gold Rush. You can call Jordan whatever you like, but you will have to call her champion. Jordan drops the mike and walks away.
Grade: B-
This was Jordan’s best promo since debuting in NXT. It wasn’t exactly Dusty Rhodes telling us about hard times, but it was way more effective than any other promo Jordan has cut. The crowd did everything it could to throw Jordan off here, but much to her credit, she was unflappable. This writer is still undecided about Heel-Lani, but this is a good start. Scratch that, her absolutely potatoing Jordynne Grace last week was the good start. That was gnarly.
Josh Briggs vs. El Grande Americano w/Los Americanos
Briggs lands a few strikes. Americano sends Briggs flying with a hip toss. Headstand hammerlock by Americano, who the crowd is treating like he’s John Cena. Speed Championship number one contender Jasper Troy appears in the crowd and distracts Americano long enough for Briggs to land a big boot.
Tavion Heights runs down to the ring and yells at Briggs. Outside the ring, Bravo and Rayo drop Briggs with a double backstabber. Briggs is tossed back into the ring, and Americano locks Briggs in a submission hold. Briggs taps out.
Winner- El Grande Americano
Grade: C+
Way too much going on in this one. At some point, the janitor interfered in this match. Americano is so over with the crowd, but it gets to a point where the matches just don’t mean anything if they all end the same way.
Backstage, Ricky Saints and Trick Williams brawl. Williams hits Saints in the gut with a lead pipe.
WWE Women’s Speed Title Tournament: Zaria w/Sol Ruca vs. Wren Sinclair w/Kendall Grey
Sinclair and Zaria trade several quick pin attempts. Neither woman can get an early three-count. Sinclair focuses on Zaria’s previously injured shoulder. Zaria powers out of an octopus hold. Zaria floors Sinclair with a clothesline. Wren traps Sinclair in a Fujiwara armbar. Zaria powers out and lands a spear. F5 by Zaria. Zaria pins Sinclair.
Winner- Zaria
Grade: C+
Not going to go on a rant about the Speed format here… but you know what? It’s still not working. When nothing has a chance to register, nothing matters.
TNA Knockouts Champion Kelani Jordan vs. Tyra Mae Steele
Steele and Jordan trade submission and pin attempts. Steele takes Jordan down and gator rolls her around the ring. A bow and arrow by Steele leads to Jordan and Steele trading roll up reversals. Jordan floors Steele with a superkick. Steele ends up on the apron. Jordan stuns Steele’s arm against the top rope. Steele clutches at her arm while Jordan sends her into the ring apron. Jordan traps Steele’s arm in the ring steps. Before Jordan can crush Steele’s arm. Steele escapes. Lariat by Steele. Steele lands a flurry. Jordan runs into a butt-butt from Steele. Modified Angle Slam by Steele. Jordan kicks at two. Spinebuster by Jordan. Jordan hits the One of a Kind Moonsault for the win.
Winner- Kelani Jordan
After the match, TNA Director of Authority Santino appears on the ‘Tron and tells Jordan she will defend the Knockouts Championship at Gold Rush in a triple threat match.
Grade: B
So far, this has been the best match of the night. Jordan is working like a heel, an actual heel, was the highlight. Jordan tried to cheat and actively tried to maim Steele. Steele is progressing well in the ring. Her offense was crisp, save for an awkward moment midway through the match on what looked like it was supposed to be a clothesline.
Je’Von Evans vs. Saquon Shugars w/DarkState
As Shugars and the rest of DarkState make their way to the ring, Evans dives over the top onto everyone. Shugars counters Evans’ bouncy rana into an inverted atomic drop. Shugars works over Evans. Evans fires up and flattens Shugars with a running whoopee cushion. Shugars responds with a nasty backbreaker. Evans lands a step-up springboard rana. Bouncy rana by Evans. Shugars falls out of the ring. After a distraction from his buddies, Shugars sends Evans flying off the apron.
Shugars slaps Evans. Evans goes nuts and unloads on Shugars with punches and stomps. Lennox pulls Shugars out of the ring. Evans dives through the ropes and takes both men out (almost took himself out with a nasty landing). Evans goes up top. Shugars crotches Evans and hits a modified facebuster. Shugars goes up top. Evans moves out of the way. Evans lands two cutters. Osirus pulls Shugars out of the ring again. Evans manages to pin Shugars after hitting his finisher.
Winner- Je’Von Evans
As soon as the bell rings, DarkState hits the ring, but Evans rolls out and lives to fight another day.
Grade: B
Ok, THIS was the match of the night. Evans and Shugars had a fun match, even with the outside interference.
Championship Celebration
AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions Ethan Page and Chelsea Green rant about how amazing they are. Page says the greatest North American ever. Green almost says Joe Hendry‘s name. Page points at the cake in the ring, assuming Hendry will pop out of the cake. Green says the name and Hendry appears on stage. Page assumes Hendry wants a shot at the North American Championship at Gold Rush.
Hendry says he does want a title shot, a shot at the AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions. Green and Page laugh. Green says Hendry would need a partner. Hendry says he has a partner. You just have to say her name and she’ll appear. Hendry’s theme plays, and instead of believing in Joe Hendry, the song asks us to believe in Thea! Thea Hail pops out of the cake and hits Green and Alba Fyre in the face with pies. After a brawl. Hendry hits Page in the face with a pie.
Grade: B
Fun segment. Green and Page are great together, and hopefully, this act makes an impact on the main roster together at some point. Hendry and Hail are the perfect foil for Green and Page. They are literal opposites of each other, and this feud should lead to some fun segments.
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