NXT – October 1, 2024: Arrival (Debut On CW)

NXT
Date: October 1, 2024
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re officially on the CW and it is an absolutely packed show with two title matches and CM Punk as a special guest referee. That’s more than enough for this show but the question is what other surprises we might be seeing. This show has some serious potential and now we get to see just how it goes. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We get a new opening sequence with a silver logo. That’s not bad.

Here is Shawn Michaels to gt things going and he gets right to the point by unveiling some new NXT Men’s and Women’s Titles….and HHH is here as well.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia

Giulia is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start with Giulia taking her down but missing some elbows. An exchange of rollups gets two each until Giulia hits a dropkick. Perez slips out of a hammerlock slam but it’s too early for Pop Rox. Another exchange of rollups gets two each (and someone loses a buckle) as we take an early break.

Back with Perez working on the arm until Giulia fights up and hits some headbutts. Giulia plants her down with a hammerlock northern lights suplex for two but Perez knocks it outside. The dive connects but Giulia kicks her in the face on the way back in. A butterfly superplex with a bridge gives Giulia two but she can’t get what looked to be the Rings Of Saturn. Instead Perez pulls her into a crossface and uses the Bayley/Sasha Banks kick off the apron to get it back to the middle.

Giulia reverses that into an STF and Perez makes the rope. Back up and a quick Pop Rox connects, with Giulia rolling outside to leave Perez frustrated. Perez follows her outside and it’s a northern lights bomb to plant Perez on the floor. They both beat the clock back in so Perez goes out and grabs the title. The distraction lets another woman in a hood run in and hit a double arm DDT on the floor. Back in and Pop Rox retains the title at 13:06.

Rating: B-. Oh I’m not sure on that finish, as ending the first match on the new show with a screwy result is a bit of a stretch. Perez winning is one thing as Stephanie Vaquer is waiting on her,

And it’s Cora Jade.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier play WWE2K to train for A-Town Down Under, who win the titles.

Ava and CM Punk are sure that things are going to be down the middle in the main event when Lexis King interrupts. He isn’t sure if he should do what he wants to do or try to win. Punk tells him to figure out his own path.

We recap Wes Lee turning on the Rascalz, meaning it’s time for a street fight for revenge.

Jaida Parker and Lola Vice argue over who is running the team tonight. Kelani Jordan comes in to tell them to chill.

Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz

Street fight. Lee misses a big flip dive to start and gets a shopping cart rammed into him for crash into the steps. Wentz pulls out a board but Lee dives into it for the big crash. It’s time to throw in a bunch of weapons but Wentz scores with a superkick and some chair shots. They go to the apron and crash through a table at ringside as we take a break.

Back with Wentz hitting a Coast To Coast but Lee dropkicks him into a chair in the corner. Wentz slams him onto a chair and pus a trashcan over Lee, setting up a Swanton for another near fall. Back up and Wentz tries a UFO (springboard cutter) but gets shoved over the top and mostly past the table for a nasty crash. Back in and a double stomp onto the back onto a chair gives Lee two. Wentz fights up and grabs a chair, only to get low blowed. Lee puts him in a chair, wraps a chain around his legs, and hits a middle rope Meteora for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: B-. It was a violent match but it’s still hard to get into the whole crossover feud. Wentz won a quick X-Division Title and lost it two weeks later, thereby ending his career singles accomplishments. Just having a history with Lee doesn’t make for an interesting match and the fans only seemed so invested here.

Here is the freshly heel Miz for MizTV, featuring Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo, who are facing off for Femi’s North American Title next week. D’Angelo talks about how he’s going to win the title next week after training even harder. Femi says Miz should know when someone doesn’t mean a word that they are saying and that is the case with D’Angelo.

That sends D’Angelo on a rant about growing up on the streets of Chicago and how his family are here. Femi says they can’t fight for D’Angelo, who knows he can’t win. They stand up and D’Angelo says Femi is just a man, with Femi saying he is inevitable. Miz hits the catchphrase to wrap it up. Miz added absolutely nothing here, though he wasn’t given the chance to.

We look back at Cora Jade’s return earlier tonight.

Jade says everyone had forgotten about her when Roxanne Perez comes in. Maybe a common enemy can drive them back together.

Jaida Parker/Lola Vice vs. Fatal Influence

It’s Jacy Jayne/Fallon Henley for the team here, with Kelani Jordan on commentary. Henley and Parker start things off, with Parker hitting her in the face and scoring with a running shoulder. Vice comes in for a front facelock before punching the villains in the ribs. Parker stacks them up on the middle rope for the running sitdown splash, followed by Vince’s running hip attack. Henley fights out of the wrong corner as Jordan can barely get a word in. Parker and Vice get in an argument though, allowing Henley to get in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Jayne holding Vice in a bodyscissors, setting up a cannonball for two. Henley’s running elbow gets two but Vice fights up, only for Jazmyn Nyx to distract Parker. Vice is sent into her and you know that isn’t going to go well. The comeback doesn’t last long for Vice as stereo running knees finish her off at 10:57.

Rating: C+. This was all about the team exploding and I’ll take that just breaking down rather than waiting around for weeks to get to the obvious. Vice and Parker could both be stars if given the chance, which makes it all the better that they seem to have something to do. Fatal Influence isn’t a great team, but they’re good enough for what they’re doing.

Post match Fatal Influence calls in Kelani Jordan, who brings out Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill to clean house.

Video on Je’Von Evans, who is ready to face Randy Orton. This is to set up a huge RKO isn’t it?

Video on Ethan Page vs. Trick Williams for the NXT Title. Page won the title, pretty much by accident, at Heatwave in July and now it’s time for Williams to get the title back, with CM Punk as special referee.

We get a vignette of a woman walking down a road with the signs saying 10/27, or the date of Halloween Havoc.

NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending and CM Punk is guest referee. Page takes him into the corner to start and Punk breaks it up at four before doing the same thing to Williams. Back up and Williams takes him to the ropes, where Punk blocks a right hand. That lets Page grab a rollup with feet on the ropes, meaning Punk won’t count. Williams knocks him outside but Page’s whip sends Williams through the barricade (they really need to fix those) as we take a break.

Back with Page hammering away and grabbing a DDT to cut off a comeback attempt. Williams’ jumping neckbreaker lets him strike away but Page sends him face first into the steps. A not great Ego’s Edge sends Williams through the announcers’ table but Punk isn’t going to count. Instead it’s a quick Trick Shot to Page, who falls onto Williams (ala Heatwave) for two and Williams is ready to fight. Another Trick Shot misses so Page hits his own knee for two. Page glares at Punk and hits a GTS for two but Williams slips out of another Ego’s Edge. The Trick Shot gives Williams the title back at 12:28.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what it was but this never came close to taking off. Maybe they ran out of time or something or there was just no drama over who was winning (like there was any chance Page was retaining), but I never got into this one. Williams gets the big feel good moment and the unofficial Punk endorsement, which is all fine and good. It’s not a bad match, but I was expecting a bit more than what we got here.

Post match Punk gives Page the GTS and confetti falls to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was good but didn’t feel like some big blow away show. Given the card that they had and some of the guest stars, I was expecting something huge and got an ok show for the most part. The biggest issue is other than the main event, nothing on here felt like it was a special moment. I came in thinking this would be some major show and instead I just got a pretty good edition of NXT. That’s an acceptable way to go, but it felt like it should have been more.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Giulia – Pop Rox
Wes Lee b. Zachary Wentz – Middle rope Meteora with a chain
Fatal Influence b. Jaida Parker/Lola Vice – Running knees to Vice
Trick Williams b. Ethan Page – Trick Shot

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.