Our WWE NXT results for tonight include the Speed Tournament semi-finals, featuring Josh Briggs taking on Eli Knight, Sol Ruca and Zaria teaming up to face WrenQCC with the stipulation that whichever woman scores the pinfall will be the number one contender for the Women’s NXT Championship, Hank Walker and Tank Ledger clashing with the Vanity Project, and Jaida Parker battling Blake Monroe. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
WWE NXT Card:
- Jaida Parker vs. Blake Monroe
- ZaRuca (Sol Ruca and Zaria) vs. WrenQCC (Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair)- Whichever woman scores the pinfall will be the number one contender for the Women’s NXT Championship
- Speed Tournament Semi Finals: Josh Briggs vs. Eli Knight
- Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes
WWE NXT Results:
And New…
The new NXT Champion Joe Hendry makes way to the ring, being serenaded by “we believe” chants. Hendry says that as he watched Ricky Saints climb closer to the NXT Championship in the ladder match last week, he heard the crowd chant “We Believe,” and it pushed him to win. Hendry is interrupted by The Vanity Project.
The crowd is all over Jackson Drake as he tries to speak. Drake admits they tried to take him out last week. Drake promises to finish the job and take the NXT Championship. Hendry says he has no problem kicking Drake’s a$$ and defending the NXT Championship. A brawl breaks out, and the Vanity Project triple teams Hendry.
Grade: B-
Solid opening promo. Not 100% sure The Vanity Project will make for the most compelling adversaries, but let’s see how this goes.
Jaida Parker vs. Blake Monroe
Parker attacks Monroe before the bell rings. The referee pulls Parker away. Monroe tosses her ring jacket at Parker. Monroe tries to run away. Parker traps Monroe in a seldom-seen body scissors. Monroe stuns Parker on the top rope. Parker sends Monroe out to the apron. Arm stunner using the top rope by Parker.
Monroe falls to the floor. Parker follows, but Monroe sends Parker into the commentary desk, headfirst, with a drop toe hold. After the break, Parker fires up and lands her patented teardrop hip attack. Monroe rolls out of the ring to avoid Hypnotiq. Parker follows, and both women trade shots outside the ring. Monroe and Parker are both counted out.
Double Count Out
Security tries to separate Parker and Monroe. Parker crushes Monroe with a teardrop hip attack on the ring steps. Parker accidentally nails a referee with Hypnotiq as Monoroe runs away. Parker gives chase as Monroe escapes through the crowd. Security holds Parker back. Parker punts one of the security guards in the nuts and gives another security guard a “this is Sparta!” kick that sends him through the barricade. Yes, you read that correctly.
Grade: B
This was far from Parker or Monroe’s best match, but it was a fun watch. Parker isn’t the one, and she proved it here tonight. Though this didn’t end in a win, Parker beat the brakes off Monroe, and given the issue between the two, this writer is sure this was the first of many wild matches. Also, Parker kicking that dude through the barricade… huge pop.
Speed Tournament Semi Finals: Josh Briggs vs. Eli Knight
Knight pins Briggs after a moonsault with 53 seconds left.
Winner- Eli Knight
After the match, Elio LeFluer hits the ring and shakes hands with Knight. Jasper Troy hops the barricade and destroys both men.
Grade: C+
… Speed matches… am I right?
The entire tag division interrupts DarkState while they are in the ring. A brawl breaks out. Tony D’Angleo attacks DarkState from behind in the chaos.
Grade: C
Less talk, more fight.
NXT Championship Match: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Evolve Champion Jackson Drake w/Swipe Right
Drake lands a head kick and a swanton for a quick two count. Hendry fires up and sends Drake out of the ring. After some back and forth, the referee catches Swipe Right, sending Hendry into the ring steps. The referee ejected both men from the ringside. After the break, Hendry counters a diving rana from Drake into a powerbomb. Standing Ovation by Hendry. Hendry pins Drake.
Winner and STILL NXT Champion, Joe Hendry!
After the match, Ricky Saints attacks Hendry.
Grade: B-
So far, this has been the match of the night. Hendry is a fun babyface, and Drake is a surprisingly effective sniviling heel. Not sure about the Vanity Project as a whole, but Drake is so hateable he’ll eventually make a good heel NXT Champion, if anything, because his face is so punchable.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes
After getting distracted by OTM and The Culling brawling in the aisle, Drake hops the barricade and lays Tank out with a running knee behind the referee’s back. Baylor rolls up Tank for the win.
Winners- Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes
Grade: C+
Good tag action, but nothing to write home about. Hank and Tank have the same match every week on NXT.
ZaRuca vs. WrenQCC (Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair)
Whichever woman scores the pinfall will be the number one contender for the Women’s NXT Championship
Ruca and Zaria argue, but still land some tag-team offense. Ruca goes for a pin, but Zaria breaks it up! Zaria and Ruca keep aggressively tagging each other. Grey and Sinclair land stereo dives after confusion leads to Zaria and Ruca being sent over the top. Zaria gets pushed into Ruca, constituting a tag according to the referee. As Zaria hits her finish, Ruca hits a Sol Snatcher and gets the three count.
Winner and NEW Number One Contender, Sol Ruca!
Ruca and Zaria argue, but still land some tag-team offense. Ruca goes for a pin, but Zaria breaks it up! Zaria and Ruca keep aggressively tagging each other. Grey and Sinclair land stereo dives after confusion leads to Zaria and Ruca being sent over the top. Zaria gets pushed into Ruca, constituting a tag according to the referee. As Zaria hits her finish, Ruca hits a Sol Snatcher and gets the three count.
Winner and NEW Number One Contender, Sol Ruca!
After the match, NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne has a staredown with Ruca.
Grade: B-
This one was fun, but extremely predictable. At some point, they have to pull the trigger on this Ruca/Zaria split. It’s getting to the point that no one will care when it finally happens.
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