NXT – February 11, 2025: Anyone But Lance Wigglesworth

NXT
Date: February 11, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Vengeance Day and the card is mostly set. This week is going to be about building up the rest of the show, which could use some work at this point. Bayley is here again this week to face Cora Jade so odds are we’ll be seeing Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Bayley vs. Cora Jade

Jade misses the kendo stick shot to start and Bayley hammers away early on. They go outside with Bayley beating her up against the barricade, followed by a ram into the announcers’ table (Booker: “LET’S KEEP IT LEGAL!”) for two. A basement elbow to the back gives Bayley two more but the Rose Plant is blocked. Jade is sent outside for a big dive but she ties Bayley up in the ropes for some knees as we take a break.

Back with Bayley hitting the Twisting Stunner over the ropes and the Bayley To Belly gets two. Some knees in the corner set up another suplex for another two but Bayley can’t quite get a sunset bomb into the corner. Instead Jade rolls her up for two in a nice save as that would have been ugly otherwise. Bayley knocks her into the corner…and here is Roxanne Perez as Hugger Bayley for a distraction. With Bayley going after Perez, Jade gets in Jaded on the floor, followed by Jaded inside for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: B-. That’s probably the biggest win of Jade’s career and that is quite the move, especially when she is chasing the TNA Knockouts Title. I’m not sure I can see her winning the title, but this is the kind of win that could give her some strong momentum in that direction. Bayley does add some star power around here though, and the Hugger deal was rather good.

As Jade celebrates, we go back stage where Ava whispers something to Giulia, who nods. Cue Ava, who adds Jade to the Women’s Title match at Vengeance Day. Bayley lays out the surprised Perez.

Nikkita Lyons mocks Sol Ruca and Zaria so a match is set for later.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. Femi is ready to face both members of A-Town Down Under at Vengeance Day, even if it’s really a handicap match. They can make the mistake of trying to get together to take him out…and here is A-Town Down Under to interrupt. The two of them aren’t impressed with Femi, with Theory talking about how Waller doesn’t get the respect he deserves around here.

Waller says Theory can ride shotgun when he becomes NXT Champion, which lets Femi say it sounds like both of them want to be champion. Waller is tired of hearing about Theory being US Champion and beating John Cena but Theory points out Waller never doing anything on his own. They agree to go after Femi and manage to put him down, only to argue over who gets to hold the title. They aren’t really hiding that this is going to be Femi retaining the title, but it’s still not the most interesting story.

Video on Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe, with Thorpe wanting a strap mach at Vengeance day.

Je’Von Evans is medically cleared to return, but if he gets hurt again, he could be out of action for months. Don’t tease me like that.

Evans signs a liability waiver for his match with Ethan Page at Vengeance Day.

Hank And Tank vs. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Inamura cleans house to start until Heights clotheslines Hank. Everything breaks down early on and Briggs hits some running dropkicks to send the Crew outside. Tank comes in and backdrops Borne to the floor as this is all over the place. Hank And Tank crush Borne on the floor but Heights Samoan drops Hank for two as Fraxiom is watching from the balcony.

We take a break and come back with Heights breaking up Hank’s tag to Tank. Instead, Hank hands it off to Inamura, who cleans house with Briggs. Hank and Heights slug it out but Briggs kicks both of them down. A powerbomb gets two on Hank, with Tank making the save. That leaves Hank to hit a big dive onto the pile outside and the fans are impressed. Back in and Hank knocks Briggs off the top but Inamura breaks it up. A top rope splash gives Inamura the pin on Hank at 12:10.

Rating: B. They didn’t really bother with the tagging stuff here and it wound up being totally wild throughout. That’s not a formula that works all the time but they were having a very fun match here, which is better than watching most of these guys try to go technical. If nothing else, points for having Inamura and Briggs actually win something after talking for weeks on end.

Post match Fraxiom thinks Briggs and Inamura deserve a title shot, so they’ll see them at Vengeance Day.

Stacks apologizes to Tony D’Angelo, who says everything is cool, which everything seems to be.

Heritage Cup: JDC vs. Lexis King

King is defending, JDC is better known as Fandango (now in TNA) and the Cup is now one fall title matches. Feeling out process to start with King grabbing a front facelock, only to be taken down into an armbar. A sunset flip out of the corner gives JDC two and he sends King outside for a big dive.

We take a break and come back with JDC missing a middle rope dropkick. King grabs a Canadian Mapleleaf (with commentary getting in the Lance Storm reference) but JDC makes the ropes for the easy break. A Falcon Arrow gives JDC two and King bails to the floor, where a big flip dive takes him down again. Back in and Down And Dirty (guillotine legdrop) gives JDC two but he gets caught on top. A hanging Coronation retains the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. On one hand, I do get the idea of getting rid of the Heritage Cup rules as they didn’t mean much around here, but at the same time, now it’s just another title. We already have the North American Title and I really don’t think there is much of a need to have two midcard titles around here. Maybe it doesn’t last much longer, but I’m not sure how much sense this whole thing makes.

Roxanne Perez rants to Ava about Cora Jade being added to the title match. Bayley doesn’t want to hear the complaining, but does say this is the best that Perez has ever looked. Jade comes in and doesn’t like what Perez said, but says she’ll win on Saturday.

Fatal Influence is ready for Fallon Henley to defend the Women’s North American Title at Vengeance Day. Kelani Jordan and Jaida Parker both come in to say they want title shots but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to say Karmen Petrovic should be getting the shot. Bickering ensues.

Zaria vs. Nikkita Lyons

Zaria starts fast with some clotheslines but Lyons snaps off a hurricanrana. A double knockdown gives us a breather and Lyons is back up for a camel clutch. That’s broken up with straight power but Lyons misses a Vader Bomb. The spear into an F5 finishes Lyons at 2:47. Well that was abrupt.

Video on Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans.

Trick Williams is in for the strap match with Eddy Thorpe.

Vengeance Day rundown….and here is former AEW star Ricky Starks in the crowd. He isn’t given a name, but he does acknowledge the RICKY STARKS chants by saying “you obviously know who I am.” Starks says you need an absolute star around here and he is here to turn this place upside down. So there’s your big moment, and dang that’s a fast turnaround after Starks left NXT. I’m not sure what he’s going to do around here, but egads please just let him be called Ricky Starks and not Lance Wigglesworth.

Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer wish each other luck at Vengeance Day, with Vaquer hinting that she’s coming for Giulia’s title.

Andre Chase says meets Uriah Connors but can’t party on a school night. Kale Dixon says he thought Chase U was dead, and Chase says it is, but old habits die hard.

North American Title: Ridge Holland vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo, with the Family, is defending in a cage with pin/submission only. Holland slugs away to start but D’Angelo fires back with the uppercuts to the ribs. A clothesline puts Holland into the corner but he rakes the eyes for a breather. Back up and D’Angelo sends him into the cage and we take a break.

We come back with D’Angelo fighting out of a chinlock before a clothesline puts him back down for two. Holland misses a top rope splash and D’Angelo starts sending him into the cage a few times. D’Angelo grabs a belly to belly but charges into a boot to the face for a breather. They slug it out from their knees until D’Angelo powerbombs him into the cage for two. Izzi Dame tells Stacks to help so he throws in a crowbar, which Holland takes away and drops D’Angelo. Another shot gives Holland two but D’Angelo goes to the eyes. A crowbar shot and spinebuster retain the title at 10:59.

Rating: B-. The cage didn’t really add much here, but I’ll take it over another street fight or weapons based match. D’Angelo is definitely turning into something, and even though his gimmick would be death on the main roster, he’s doing far better than I would have expected around here. Holland losing again is a bit much, but he certainly wasn’t crushed. Just have him win something already if you’re going to though?

Post match Holland and the Family (minus Tony) brawl to the back. Cue Shawn Spears and company, with Dame decking Tony to put him down. The big beatdown is on and the Family is held off with a chair as Tony is destroyed.

We get a long video on Vengeance Day, complete with a look at the four mystery people, complete with a skull mask. Interesting, as I was thinking it was Spears and company after that ending.

Overall Rating: B-. They are trying hard with Vengeance Day but I really can’t get into it. Having Jade added to the Women’s Title match makes it a bit more intriguing, but she feels like she is there for the sake of giving Giulia someone to pin. Other than that, the NXT Title match isn’t doing much for me and the Tag Team Title match was thrown onto the card out of nowhere. This show was a nice try at a go home show, but the show they’re going home to isn’t doing it for me and that’s a big problem.

Results
Cora Jade b. Bayley – Jaded
Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura b. Hank And Tank and No Quarter Catch Crew – Top rope splash to Hank
Lexis King b. JDC – Hanging Coronation
Zaria b. Nikkita Lyons – F5
Tony D’Angelo b. Ridge Holland – Spinebuster

 

 

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