NXT
Date: June 24, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

While the Great American Bash is coming up in a few weeks, tonight is about Evolution, as we have a four way match to crown a new #1 contender for the pay per view. Other than that, we should be finding out who is next in ling for Oba Femi and the NXT Title, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace all say they’re going to win tonight and go on to Evolution. Three out of four people lying is not a great ratio.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs, with Yoshiki Inamura, is challenging and sends Williams into the corner a few times to start. Williams’ whip is blocked and Briggs hits a running clothesline for two. A hot shot onto the buckle cuts Briggs off and Williams takes him down with a headlock. Back up and they trade some running shots to the face until Williams is knocked outside. Briggs gets in a big boot and we take a break.

We come back with Briggs countering a side kick into a suplex and hitting a splash. Williams gets in a middle rope knee for two and flips out of a chokeslam. A powerbomb doesn’t work for Briggs, who is right back with a chokeslam for two. Briggs misses the moonsault though and the Trick Shot retains the title at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This was a case of giving the champion a fairly safe title defense where he had to work for it anyway. Briggs didn’t even get a pin to earn the title shot so he was playing with the house’s money in the first place. It’s a fine way to open the show, though I could still go for seeing more of Briggs actually winning something.

Post match Williams says he wants respect but here is Joe Hendry from behind to clear the ring as we’re told that Hendry gets the title shot at Slammiversary.

Tavion Heights (in a Ribera Steak House jacket) is ready to win tonight and escape the No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey doesn’t seem thrilled.

Myles Borne is talking to some football players when Lexis King interrupts. King mocks all of them and leaves.

Je’Von Evans vs. Tavion Heights

If Heights wins, he’s out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights easily wrestles him down to start and gets two off an early cradle. The armbar goes on to keep Evans down but he’s back up with a springboard headscissors. Heights is sent to the floor for a big dive and we take a break. We come back with Evans getting the better of a slugout until Heights hits a Pounce for two. A German suplex gives Heights two but he charges into a superkick in the corner. The spinning top rope splash gives Evans the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. The result surprised me a bit, as while I wasn’t certain that Evans was going to win, I was surprised that he did it completely clean. Heights and Myles Borne both leaving the No Quarter Catch Crew in the span of a few weeks would have been a lot, but I was expecting Charlie Dempsey to get involved if nothing else. I’m sure Heights will keep trying to get out, but that was a pretty painful loss.

Post match Jasper Troy comes in to drop Evans.

We recap Tony D’Angelo vs. Stacks for the Heritage Cup. Stacks was set for the title match but Noam Dar was injured. As a result, D’Angelo was given the spot for the vacant title instead. The question is about Luca Crusifino, who is working for one of them but it isn’t clear whom.

Ricky Saints vs. Ashante Thee Adonis

They slug it out to start with Adonis fighting out of the corner. A crisscross lets Saints kick him in the face and throw Adonis outside as we take a break. We come back with Saints fighting out of the corner but getting caught with an AA for two. Saints fights back and grabs suplex like a backdrop into a tornado DDT for two of his own. Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here with almost half of the match taking place in the break. Saints gets a win to help reestablish himself a bit, though Ethan Page is what really matters for him. This was a fine way to get Saints back on track though and that’s what Adonis should be used for most of the time.

Post match Ethan Page pops up on screen for a distraction but here is Page to jump Saints from behind. Page hits his own Roshambo.

Darkstate says they’ll be front and center with chaos and destruction.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He has been NXT Champion since January and since then, a variety of stars have come for his title but wound up as footnotes. Femi loves the fight and wants someone to come step up to him. Cue Yoshiki Inamura to say he’s here to chase gold. He missed Josh Briggs but he also missed NXT, with its culture and the passion of the fans. Femi admires his moxie but says it won’t go well for Inamura. That’s fine with Inamura, who is ready, only for Jasper Troy to take him out. I’d rather have Troy over Inamura, but at least we should be getting a #1 contenders match out of this whole thing.

Izzi Dame gives Tatum Paxley a doll but Zaria and Sol Ruca come in. Paxley walks off with the doll and meets up with Dame and the rest of the Culling. Dame takes Paxley with her.

High Ryze comes in to see Trick Williams and next week, it’s Wes Lee vs. Joe Hendry. Williams approves.

Heritage Cup: Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo

For the vacant cup. Round one begins with D’Angelo knocking him into the corner but Stacks hammers right back. A trip to the apron and a backdrop get D’Angelo out of trouble. With the wrestling not working, they go back to straight brawling to end the round at a standoff. Round two begins with D’Angelo hitting a running clothesline and adding a spear for the pin at 37 seconds of the round and 4:07 overall.

We take a break and come back with Stacks hitting Cement Shoes for a very near fall as round three ends. Round four begins with D’Angelo slugging away but his knee (which was attacked during the break) gives out on the spinebuster attempt. Stacks gets a small package for the pin at 18 seconds of the round and 9:03 overall.

Cue Luca Crusifino to suddenly be D’Angelo’s corner man. Round five begins with Stacks tying up the leg but D’Angelo fights out and hits the spinebuster. Stacks is sent outside where D’Angelo goes after Stacks’ goons. Crusifino comes in to help but accidentally hits D’Angelo in the back with a bucket. A running knee gives Stacks the pin and the cup at 1:41 of the round and 14:21 overall.

Rating: B-. I’m rather impressed by how they’re managing to find new ways to keep up the mystery about Crusifino’s loyalties. At the end of the day, it could go either way as you could say it’s all a bunch of mistakes or he’s being subtle with his backstabbery. That’s a good way to keep the story going and they’re making it work rather well.

Post match D’Angelo lays out Crusifino.

Fatal Influence isn’t impressed with Blake Monroe and Jacy Jayne is ready for the four way tonight, as she’ll find out who loses next.

Thea Hail rants about recent issues when Lainey Reid comes in to mock her. Lash Legend comes in to say she has a match so they can’t be arguing right now.

Ava yells at Ethan Page for attacking Ricky Saints but Page just wants Saints away from him. They’ll settle it in her office next week. Hold on though as Hank & Tank have been attacked.

Joe Hendry is ready to take out Trick Williams and get the TNA World Title back at Slammiversary. He’ll be around here until then, including next week against Wes Lee.

Andre Chase tells his students that they need to toughen up. The attitude is what made the university a success….but Kale Dixon says it’s what killed it as well. Dixon and Uriah Connors leave, saying it was supposed to be different this time. Apparently they’re the ones who stopped Chase when he was closing the university in the first place (which isn’t that big of a reveal).

Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker vs. Izzi Dame vs. Jordynne Grace

Fatal Influence is watching as Legend slams Grace to start. Dame takes Grace’s place before the other two come back in. Grace and Parker are sent outside again, leaving Dame to slug it out with Legend. That doesn’t work for Legend, who sends Dame outside before missing a charge into the post.

Back in and Grace gets two off a fisherman’s suplex, followed by Dame’s flapjack getting two on Grace. Legend breaks up the Hipnotique but gets taken down by Grace, who is chokeslammed onto the apron by Dame. Cue Tatum Paxley, so Zaria and Sol Ruca grab her and take her back.

We take a break and come back with Parker hitting a Tear Drop each to Grace and Dame. A fireman’s carry to Grace is cut off by Dame’s big boot but Legend puts Dame on top. Parker cuts that off with a Backstabber to Legend and a sunset flip gets two. Since there are four people involved in the match, we get the Tower Of Doom with Parker getting the worst of things, leaving Grace to get two each. Grace misses the Vader Bomb and Legend gives Parker the over the back faceplant. Dame makes the save, leaving Grace to give Parker a spinning torture rack bomb for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if this earned the THIS IS AWESOME chants it was getting, but I can go with what we were getting here. If nothing else, Grace is someone who could massacre Jayne if given the chance, but that’s what was supposed to happen when Jayne got her title shot in the first place. This was pretty much Grace’s to lose, but the other three hung in there well enough to keep it interesting.

We run down next week’s card to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They started to look towards both the Great American Bash and Evolution here and that’s something that needed to happen. There are still a few weeks to go, but what matters is that the corner is starting to be turned. As is often (but not always) the case around here, nothing on here is worth going out of your way to see, but it makes for a good overall presentation. Simple, easy to follow stuff and acceptable action tends to work well for NXT and they did it again here.

Results
Trick Williams b. Josh Briggs – Trick Shot
Je’Von Evans b. Tavion Heights – Spinning top rope splash
Ricky Saints b. Ashante Thee Adonis – Roshambo
Stacks b. Tony D’Angelo 2-1
Jordynne Grace b. Izzi Dame, Lash Legend and Jaida Parker – Torture rack powerbomb to Parker

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

NXT
Date: June 17, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from the Great American Bash and it might be time to start getting things ready for the show. Last week, Oba Femi beat Jasper Troy in a heck of a hoss fight, meaning he’s going to need a fresh challenger. Other than that, Blake Monroe is going to be signing her contract this week so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Jacy Jayne being unhappy over being called the most beatable champion in NXT. As a result, Ava has set up a tournament for the title shot at Evolution.

Evolution Eliminator: Thea Hail vs. Jaida Parker

Hail jumps her from behind during Parker’s entrance and they get inside for the opening bell. Parker hammers away but Hail takes it outside again to ram Parker into the apron. Back in and an exploder suplex gets two on Parker, who is right back with a sidewalk slam for the same. The chinlock goes on and Parker actually pulls her back down to cut off the comeback attempt.

Back up and a snap suplex into a reverse snap suplex gives Parker two but Hail knocks her to the floor again. This time Parker is sent hard into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Hipnotique missing, allowing Hail to grab the Kimura. Parker powers up to drive her into the corner but Hail grabs it again. Parker does tap…but the referee doesn’t see it, leaving Hail to let go anyway. The distraction lets Parker hit Hipnotique for the win at 9:15.

Rating: C+. I rather like that ending, as it’s not something you see very often (Undertaker used it against Brock Lesnar once). Parker being smart to go with the athleticism should serve her well and hopefully this is another step towards the top of the card. She has a long way to go, but at least she got a win here.

Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura and Elijah are ready to beat up First Class and Trick Williams. Elijah leaves and Hank & Tank come in to say Briggs/Inamura have a title shot coming to them. Oba Femi comes in and gets into a quick staredown with Trick Williams (who of course just happened to be there).

Blake Monroe finds the perfect dress for her contract signing.

Evolution Eliminator: Lash Legend vs. Kelani Jordan

Legend shoves her down to start as commentary talks about Sensational Sherri. Jordan is back up with some rapid fire kicks, including a basement superkick. A headlock keeps Jordan in control and she snaps off a running hurricanrana. Legend gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Legend blocking a sunset flip and blasting Jordan with a pump kick.

An Argentine backbreaker keeps Jordan in trouble but she manages to escape with a Codebreaker. Jordan nails another kick and nips up with Sliced Bread setting up a Five Star for two. One Of A Kind is broken up though and Legend tries a belly to back superplex. That’s reversed into a high crossbody but the 450 hits knees. Legend’s over the back faceplant finishes Jordan at 9:56.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised by the result, but more than that I’m rather surprised that I’m happy about it. Legend’s transformation from…whatever she was before to what she is now is quite impressive as she has figured out quite a few things out. That has turned her into someone who has a lot of promise and I want to see where she goes from here. Jordan should be fine, but I’m not sure what is next for her.

We recap the downfall of the D’Angelo Family and Luca Crusifino being somewhere in the middle.

Tony D’Angelo is tired of waiting on Crusifino and will see him in the ring.

Here is D’Angelo for a chat. He says as the Don, you have to be ready for everything no matter what. That’s what got him in trouble with Stacks, but now he wants to talk to Crusifino right now. Cue Crusifino, who wants to know if this is what we’re doing. D’Angelo asks what happened with Crusifino and Stacks in the desert.

Crusifino says he was kidnapped and had his phone stolen but then Stacks let him go. He didn’t attack Stacks at Battleground because he didn’t know what to do. D’Angelo flat out asks him whose side he’s on but before he can answer, here is Stacks, with some goons, to interrupt.

Stacks talks about D’Angelo not trusting Crusifino and how Crusifino knows what to do next. The goons and Stacks hit the ring with D’Angelo and Crusifino fighting them off, but Crusifino swings at Stacks and hits D’Angelo….by mistake? Stacks certainly approves. That’s a nice touch, as it’s the kind of thing that could actually happen and it worked well.

AJ Francis says KC Navarro is injured and can’t wrestle in tonight’s six man, but Wes Lee will take his place. Trick Williams eventually approves.

We go back to the Chase U classroom, where Kale Dixon has questions but Andre Chase tells him to adjust. Dixon walks out and Uriah Connors goes with him.

The Vanity Project congratulates Ethan Page for hurting Ricky Saints. Cue Saints, who says he’ll be cleared next week. The Project laughs at him but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to mock him, with a match seeming likely.

Wren Sinclair hasn’t talked to Charlie Dempsey, though Tavion Evans Heights apparently wants out of the team. Je’Von Evans wants him out as well, so Dempsey says Heights and Evans can fight for Heights’ freedom. That was quite the messy way to set up the match.

Blake Monroe has photos taken.

Elijah/Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs vs. AJ Francis/Wes Lee/Trick Williams

The injured KC Navarro and the rest of High Ryze are here with the villains. Lee kicks away at Inamura to start but said kicks are shrugged off, allowing the tags off to Briggs and Francis. Briggs gets a boot up in the corner and it’s off to Williams, who gets clotheslined by Elijah. The Old School knee gives Elijah two but Williams kicks him in the chest. Everything breaks down and Lee’s flip dive is pulled out of the air.

Francis gets planted and splashed as we take a break. Back with Inamura fighting out of a crossface chickenwing but getting caught with a spear for two. Lee adds a slingshot hilo for two more but Inamura gives him a very spinning slam. Briggs comes in to clean house, followed by Elijah unloading on Williams in the corner. Everything breaks down and Lee accidentally takes Williams out. Inamura’s top rope splash finishes Williams at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was the big six man tag and I’m not sure if really lived up to the hype. In theory this should set up Inamura as Williams’ next challenger, and if that means seeing Inamura getting kicked in the face, I can live with the idea. Other than that, Francis is getting the hang of being a big man and Lee was fine enough to fill in for Navarro. Not a bad match, but kind of underwhelming.

Sol Ruca and Zaria are ready for tonight, with Tatum Paxley following them.

Stevie Turner, Ava and Robert Stone are in the back when Luca Crusifino and Tony D’Angelo come in. D’Angelo wants Crusifino to face Stacks next week but Ava says no….because Stacks is getting a Heritage Cup shot. Stacks’ consigliere already signed off on it, which has D’Angelo all the angrier.

Evolution Eliminator: Zaria vs. Izzi Dame

Sol Ruca and the rest of the Culling are here too. Dame kicks her in the face to start and they slug it out until Zaria gets two off a suplex. Back up and Dame powers her into the corner so Zaria grabs a choke to lift Dame into the air. We take a break and come back with Dame blocking a German suplex.

Instead Zaria is sent into the corner and a slam gives Dame two. A chokeslam gives Dame two more but Zaria pops up with the clotheslines. Now the German suplex can connect but cue Tatum Paxley to grab Ruca. That’s enough of a distraction for Dame to hit a Sky High for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: C. Zaria takes another loss, but this one did at least seem to be designed to set up something for her with Paxley going forward. That should eventually lead to the split with Ruca, which is a logical way for them all to go. Dame winning is fine as the four way will need someone to take the fall and it’s not like she has a ton of status to lose.

Josh Briggs says Yoshiki Inamura should get a TNA Title shot but Inamura wants Briggs to have it instead. Inamura will go after the NXT Title instead.

Evolution Eliminator: Lola Vice vs. Jordynne Grace

The early grappling goes nowhere to start so Vice grabs a running headscissors to send her flying. Vice fires off the kicks and hits the running hip attack in the corner as we take an early break. Back with Vice charging into a boot in the corner so Grace grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. The Vader Bomb is countered into a triangle choke though, with Grace having to powerbomb her way to freedom. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Grace takes her up top, where Vice pulls grace down by the arm for two. Grace suplexes her down though and grabs the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: B-. This was the power vs. striking and that’s a simple format which worked well here. Grace winning makes sense as she has been close to the title picture for a long time now. Vice very well could get back there and had a great showing at Worlds Collide, but Grace is the better pick at the moment.

So it’s Parker vs. Legend vs. Dame vs. Grace for the title shot. We recap the four matches.

Zaria yells at Tatum Paxley but Izzi Dame comes in to say Zaria and Sol Ruca aren’t her real friends anyway. Dame wouldn’t leave her out of Tik Tok videos.

Noam Dar is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Stacks next week.

Here is Ava for Blake Monroe’s contract signing. Monroe comes out to say she has been waiting to jump into bed with the talent in that locker room. The spotlight is on her now and she signs, which brings out Fatal Influence. They don’t like Monroe, with Jacy Jayne calling her the new flavor of the month. The brawl is on and Monroe is sent though a table. That’s kind of a weird way to present the new star but it seems to set Monroe up for a big feud right out of the box. Also seemingly not as a heel, which is a weird way to go.

We run down next week’s show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. Well they definitely had a focus here, as this might be the most women’s wrestling heavy show I’ve ever seen in NXT. That’s not a bad thing either, as I do like a show where there is a theme running throughout the entire night. Next week is looking stacked, though they’re going to need to shift towards the Great American Bash soon. Odds are that starts next week and that’s about as late as they can take it. Good enough show here, with the best women’s division going getting a big spotlight.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Thea Hail – Hipnotique
Lash Legend b. Kelani Jordan – Over the back faceplant
Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs/Elijah b. Trick Williams/Wes Lee/AJ Francis – Top rope splash to Williams
Izzi Dame b. Zaria – Sky High
Jordynne Grace b. Lola Vice – Juggernaut Driver

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

NXT
Date: May 20, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Battleground and that means we’re in for the final push towards the show. The card is mostly set and now we get to see what is going to be added at the last minute. Some of these shows can be hit and miss and that makes me curious about what we’re going to see. Let’s get to it.

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

Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante Thee Adonis vs. Sean Legacy

Ricky Saints is on commentary. Adonis stomps away in the corner to start and we get an exchange of rollups for two each. Evans is sent outside for a dive from Adonis and Legacy is tossed as well. Back in and Evans’ dive is cut off so he busts out another one to drop both Legacy and Adonis as we take a break.

We come back with Adonis spinebustering Legacy onto Evans but Legacy blocks the Long Kiss Goodnight. Legacy missile dropkicks Adonis to the floor and hits a running Spanish Fly for two on Evans. Back up and Evans snaps off a super hurricanrana to Legacy but Adonis tries to steal the pin.

That’s broken up as well and all three of them need a breather. Adonis hits a superkick on Evans but Legacy breaks up the cover with a springboard 450. Evans cleans house again and frog splashes Adonis, with Legacy making another save. Cue Ethan Page to go after Saints though and Evans dives onto both of them. That leaves Adonis to miss a frog splash and Legacy grabs Shambles for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was the showcase for Legacy and it worked well for him. It’s fairly clear that he’s one of the brighter prospects in Evolve and it would not surprise me to see him wind up full time in NXT sooner than later. They had an entertaining match here and while I’m not sure Legacy is going to move to the top, this is a nice start for him on the next level.

Ava sends security to deal with Ethan Page. That brings her to Tyra Mae Steele and Jasper Troy, the winners of WWE LFG Season 1. They’ll be debuting in the next few weeks but Troy promises to make an impact tonight. Ava: “Ok.”

We look at Jordynne Grace training. She signed around the same time as Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer and they all want to be at the top. Grace has been in Mexico and Japan, plus dominating TNA. On Sunday at Battleground, she’ll prove she’s the best.

Lola Vice wishes Vaquer luck but runs into Fatal Influence. They argue a bit and Fallon Henley vs. Vice is set for tonight.

Trick Williams says people break their neck to see him while Joe Hendry breaks his neck to see the people. Williams raps about not losing to an average Joe and Booker T. seems impressed. I’m not a rap fan but this seemed to be decent.

Josh Briggs dedicates his match to Yoshiki Inamura.

Shawn Spears vs. Josh Briggs

The rest of the Culling is here with Spears. We’re joined in progress with Briggs running him over but Spears fires off some knees to the ribs. They go outside where Spears posts him before taking it back inside for a neckbreaker. A superkick is blocked though and Briggs hits a quick splash for two. Spears’ dive to the floor is pulled out of the air and Briggs drops him onto the announcers’ table. They go to get back inside but the Culling gets in a cheap shot, allowing Spears to get a small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. Am I supposed to be sad that Inamura is gone? I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but it could be interesting to see Briggs and Brooks Jensen join forces again in some way. It’s not like either of them have done anything important else in a long time so why not see what they can do. The match was nothing all that good anyway, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Post match the beatdown is on but Hank & Tank run in for the save.

Kelani Jordan bickers with Zaria and Sol Ruca tonight, with Zaria saying she’ll take care of Jordan for Ruca later.

Thea Hail, with her eye bandaged, yells at Tatum Paxley about the attack last week. Paxley says Hail has no idea what it’s like to lose everyone, which Hail doesn’t accept. Jaida Parker then jumps Hail from behind but wants nothing to do with Paxley. That was kind of funny.

Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon vs. OTM

Andre Chase is here with Connors/Dixon. Price knocks Connors down to start and then faceplants Dixon as well, leaving Chase worried on the floor. Back in and Connors runs Price over, allowing Dixon to hit a quick DDT. Nima comes in though and gets knocked back, only to grab the assisted Alabama Slam to finish Connors fast at 3:10.

Rating: C. Just shy of a squash here, with OTM running over the new Chase U. That’s what it should have been, as Chase U has nothing going for them yet and have quite a long way to go. At the same time, OTM is a pair of powerhouses and it makes sense to have them smash through some people now that they’re back. If nothing else, they could be into the title scene sooner than later.

Here are Myles Borne and Oba Femi for their final showdown before the title match. Femi is surprised and impressed that Borne made it this far. He understands that Borne is fighting for people who believe in him and who are following their dreams. However, that dream was realized when Borne won the battle royal and it all ends when the bell rings at Battleground. Borne talks about how he has been treated differently for his entire career.

This is about making a statement and he hopes Femi underestimates him. Everyone has done that before, from the doctors and nurses to NXT coaches. He’s been overcoming battles all of his life and every ruler eventually falls. No he can’t hear well, but he’ll hear the 1-2-3 on Sunday when he wins the NXT Title. Borne leaves and here is Jasper Troy to jump Femi. Borne makes the save and holds up the title, eventually handing it back to Femi for the staredown. I don’t believe he has a chance of winning the title but man alive Borne is turning himself into one of the easiest to like stars NXT has seen in a good while.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page argue in Ava’s office and Saints is willing to give him a title shot to get his hands on him. Ava says they don’t make matches….and then she makes the match they want for the title next week.

Tony D’Angelo talks about what it means when you get betrayed. He and Stacks grew up together and have known each other for years. They made the D’Angelo Family but now Stacks wants to run everything. Stacks doesn’t get what it takes to be in charge and doesn’t see everything. On Sunday, Stacks will see how things really work. Those personal touches are making it even better and that should be a good thing at Battleground.

Lola Vice vs. Fallon Henley

Jacy Jayne is here with Henley, who gets wrestled to the mat without much trouble to start. Vice takes her down again without much trouble as Jayne doesn’t seem impressed on the floor. Back up and Vice snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor but Henley gets in a shot of her own.

We take a break and come back with Vice striking her way out of trouble. That doesn’t last long as Henley is back with some sliding forearms but Vice kicks her down. Vice’s running hip attack in the corner gets two so Henley grabs a flying faceplant. Vice fights up again so Jayne offers a distraction, only for Henley to be sent into her. The spinning backfist gives Vice the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Vice continues to be in a weird place, as she smashes through various stars but never seems to get to the next level. She doesn’t quite seem ready to move up to the title picture, but there isn’t much of a point in having her beat people like this. The issues between Fatal Influence continues and I’m not sure where that is going, but it doesn’t seem likely to go anywhere good.

Stephanie Vaquer has a sitdown interview where she talks about all of the work it took to get here. She was inspired by Rey Mysterio and now she knows that she had to do everything to accomplish her goals. Jordynne Grace conquers companies but Vaquer conquers countries.

Darkstate talks about how Dion Lennox started the team and they are all ready to take NXT down. They all bring something different, and now it is time to find out who is next.

We look at Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson (NBA stars) almost getting in a fight last year on Smackdown.

Kelani Jordan vs. Zaria

Sol Ruca is here with Zaria, who sends Jordan flying with a release German suplex to start. Jordan gets in a shot to the face and hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a choke to try and slow Zaria down. They go outside where Zaria sends her head first into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Jordan escaping a belly to back suplex attempt and managing a knockdown for a double breather. The exchange of forearms goes to Zaria so Jordan gives her a running crossbody. A tornado DDT plants Zaria for two but Jordan misses a 450. Jordan tries another choke but gets flipped into a Cannonball into the corner (that was cool). Back up and Jordan is sent outside, where she goes after Ruca. This brings Ruca up onto the apron but Zaria is sent into her, allowing Jordan to grab the rollup for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure why both women’s matches had the same finish but it’s not a great sign. That aside, Jordan winning to get the next shot at Ruca isn’t a bad way to go. She’s already a former champion and that could be quite the accomplishment if Ruca can beat her. At the same time you have Zaria….and she is certainly there. Unfortunately that’s about all there is to say about her at the moment and that isn’t promising.

Battleground rundown.

Here is Joe Hendry for a concert. After praising Trick Williams for trying in his first performance, Hendry sings about how he’ll be champion after Battleground. Williams is merely the World Champion of producing tears and is only a bad sidekick to Carmelo Hayes. This gives us a clip of Williams and Hayes in a haunted house back in the day, albeit with some Hendry heads superimposed.

Hendry sings about how Williams is Melo’s b****, which brings out Williams to interrupt. Williams calls him Average Joe and the fight is on, with the Trick Shot hitting the guitar. Hendry gives him the Standing Ovation (chokeslam) and sings about winning on Sunday to end the show. That’s pretty clearly the main event, which is a rather weird thing to see but it’s the right way to go.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about getting us ready for Battleground but thankfully they did a nice job of getting some things ready for other stories down the line. That is something that has been missing from various go home shows and it’s nice to have them get things better. I’m mostly interested in Battleground and I’m interested in where things are going, so we’ll call this a good enough one.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Je’Von Evans and Ashante Thee Adonis – Shambles to Adonis
Shawn Spears b. Josh Briggs – Small package
OTM b. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon – Assisted Alabama Slam to Connors
Lola vice b. Fallon Henley – Spinning backfist
Kelani Jordan b. Zaria – Rollup

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

NXT
Date: May 13, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

We’re less than two weeks away from Battleground and the big story is going to see Trick Williams challenging Joe Hendry for the TNA World Title. That means there is a good chance that Hendry will be around this week, along with some other things being set up for the show. We could be in for some big happenings so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is the No Quarter Catch Crew, with new #1 contender Myles Borne. He talks about how he was probably not the big favorite for last week’s battle royal and let’s get around this already: yes he has a disability because he is partially deaf. It affects his hearing and his ability to speak, but that’s not what he wants to be known as. He wants to be known as the one who overcomes the odds and while he can’t hear very well, at Battleground, he’ll hear himself called the new NXT Champion.

Cue Ethan Page, who is tired of this sentimental stuff. Borne won the title shot on a fluke so he can’t beat Oba Femi. Fans: “YOU CAN’T EITHER!” Page wants the title shot on the line tonight and Charlie Dempsey thinks it’s a good idea. Ava comes out to say it’s on, but Dempsey’s match is on right now. Page is right in that Borne came out of nowhere, but this did a good job of making him feel a lot more personable. That’s a nice thing to see and it worked well here.

Oba Femi vs. Charlie Dempsey

Non-title. Femi wastes no time in powering him out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dempsey getting a few shots to the head and grabbing a headscissors takeover. Dempsey starts in on the arm but Femi slams his way out of an armbar. A short armscissors is countered with a dead lift and Femi starts firing off the uppercuts. The Fall From Grace finishes Dempsey at 8:13.

Rating: B-. Dempsey going after the arm and trying to do the technical stuff worked well enough, but there was only so much you can do to stop a monster like Femi. This was more about Femi overcoming a bit of adversity and winning in the end, which is what he does well. Nice opener, and a bit better than I was expecting.

Earlier today, Thea Hail and Karmen Petrovic ran into Tatum Paxley, who was losing her mind and screaming about her friends leaving her (as Gigi Dolin was released).

Ricky Saints comes up to a warming up Ethan Page and mocks him for trying to ruin everyone’s moments. Page isn’t impressed and says Saints can go back to playing second fiddle to him. Saints: “Good luck with that.”

Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Lee has officially dubbed his team with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont as “High Rise”. Yeah that’s not good. Lee’s headlock doesn’t get him very far so he fires off some kicks to the legs. That earns him some uppercuts from D’Angelo but DuPont grabs the foot. That offers a grand total of no impact but D’Angelo sends Lee outside, with the other two catching him. D’Angelo dives onto the three of them and we take a break.

Back with Lee yelling a lot and promising to be the next Don. That brings D’Angelo up with some headbutts to the floor and an overhead belly to belly connects back inside. The powerslam gives D’Angelo two but he gets pulled down into a hurricanrana. The Cardiac Kick is speared down…but Stacks is on the Titantron. Stacks shows up at Riz’s safe house and that’s enough of a distraction for the Cardiac Kick to finish D’Angelo at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Odds are that is setting up the Stacks vs. D’Angelo showdown at Battleground and Lee winning here is a nice moment for him. Giving the stable a new name isn’t going to make it much better, but the winning could help. Not exactly a great match, but it set up the bigger match down the line.

OTM is coming back.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She saw Jordynne Grace becoming the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title and now it’s time for them to fight at Battleground. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne bringing up Fallon Henley losing the Women’s North American Title.

Henley doesn’t like that but here is Grace to interrupt. Grace is here to protect her investment, which isn’t something Vaquer likes. Jayne mocks Grace’s lack of success, which Vaquer says will continue at Battleground. Grace is going to make sure Vaquer makes it to Battleground. Given that it’s another show and a half, that’s not much of a guarantee.

Myles Borne says he has this, mainly due to Charlie Dempsey being banged up.

The Undertaker and Bubba Ray Dudley talk to the finalists of the women’s side of WWE LFG. Izzi Dame, Nikkita Lyons, Lola Vice and Lash Legend all come in to threaten anyone who comes for this division. Undertaker isn’t intimidated. Dang I can’t wait for LFG to be over so they can stop talking about it.

The D’Angelo Family races to the safe house.

Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page

For the Battleground title shot. Borne wrestles him into a front facelock to start and then armdrags him into an armbar. That’s broken up and Borne reverses Page’s suplex attempt into a successful version. Page elbow shim in the face and grabs a chinlock, which is broken up rather quickly as well. A clothesline puts Page out on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Page hitting a superplex but not being able to get a Boston crab. Borne snaps off an overhead belly to belly suplex and an Angle Slam gets two. Page blocks a dropkick for two more but it’s too early for the Ego’s Edge. Twisted Grin is countered as well and Borne hits a dropkick into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. The point of this match was to make Borne look like a more serious challenger to Oba Femi and it went just fine. At the end of the day, NXT has two shows to have Borne go from basically a nobody to challenging for the NXT Title. He got a clean win over a former NXT Champion and that’s good, but you can only get him so far that fast. Borne did look good here though and that’s all he could do.

Sean Legacy is upset about losing last week in the battle royal and wants Je’Von Evans.

Evans is interested but Ashante Thee Adonis comes up to mock the idea. Ricky Saints likes the idea too, and says maybe the winner can get a title shot after Battleground.

Tony D’Angelo arrives at the safe house and gets jumped by Stacks, who mocks everything he’s doing. The challenge is issued for Battleground.

Thea Hail vs. Tatum Paxley

Hail punches her down to start and wants to know what she did to Paxley. Some armdrags take Paxley down but she faceplants Hail down. Hail reverses a ram into the buckle as Jaida Parker is watching backstage. An enziguri connects with Hail, who is right back with a rollup for two. Paxley’s running flipping Fameasser gets two but Hail clotheslines her way out of trouble. The Kimura sends Paxley straight to the rope so Hail grabs it again. That sends Paxley to Hail’s eye, which is actually a DQ at 4:35.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much all about the ending and it only worked so well. At the end of the day, this feels like a total shift for Paxley as her short lived team with Gigi Dolin is over. It continues to astound me that the team was thrown together and then left to die without any kind of resolution, even a short term one, as it creates this kind of an issue. Paxley being insane could be a good way to go, but we’ll have to see where it goes from here.

Post match Paxley goes for the eye again and has to be held back.

Kelani Jordan comes in to yell at Sol Ruca and Zaria for taking her out last week. Jordan wants one more shot at Zaria and when she wins, she gets a title shot. Ruca accepts, with Zaria not being happy.

We get the Joe Hendry/Trick Williams contract signing. Ava talks about the prestige of the title and Williams promises to take the title. Hendry knows Williams knows what it means to break out, but now Williams is just complaining about everything. Hendry talks about how he’s making TNA bigger than ever before but Williams says everyone has his fifteen minutes of fame. Well except for Hollywood Trick that is.

Williams signs and Hendry talks about how this is Williams’ last chance, because he has no path back to the NXT Title. After Battleground, the TNA Title is gone too. Hendry signs and staring ensues. There wasn’t much new here, but both of them sold it well. I’m just not sure I can imagine Hendry actually beating him.

Hank And Tank come in to see Josh Briggs, who is a little blue. Briggs is sad to lose his friend and his partner but here is Shawn Spears to mock him for his losses. Briggs doesn’t want to hear this and implies he wants a match with Spears.

The new Chase U gets their first match set for next week against….OTM. Andre Chase: “GUYS WHAT THE F***?”

Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence

Grace backdrops and clotheslines Henley to start but Vaquer tags herself in. A springboard high crossbody hits Henley but it’s back to Jayne for a snap suplex. Vaquer pulls her into a European Clutch for two, only for Henley to get in a cheap shot from the apron. Jayne’s superkick sets up a Codebreaker and Vaquer is in trouble. Grace gets pulled off the apron and Fatal Influence puts both of them down as we take a break.

Back with Vaquer fighting out of the corner but Jayne plants her back down for two. Jayne hits her with a pump kick but Jayne gets in a shot of her own and brings Grace back in. Grace cleans house for two and everything breaks down with Fatal Influence actually getting the better of things. Grace takes a shot for Vaquer though, only to fight out of a double team. The Juggernaut Driver finishes Jayne at 10:54.

Rating: B-. So we have a team who is starting to work well together for the sake of their upcoming match, while Fatal Influence’s issues continue. I’m not sure how a split would go between them as there isn’t much of a reason to cheer for them, but we seem to be heading in that direction. The Grace/Vaquer story isn’t exactly original, but it should go well enough to get them to Battleground.

Battleground rundown.

Grace holds up Vaquer’s arm.

Ethan Page has attacked Ricky Saints.

Vaquer and Grace look at each other some more to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mostly the “get Battleground ready really fast” and it worked out fairly well. The problem here is that they only had so much time to make it work and they did it well enough here. There is still a lot to do next week, but this was a good way to get us closer.

Results
Oba Femi b. Charlie Dempsey – Fall From Grace
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo – Cardiac Kick
Myles Borne b. Ethan Page – Dropkick
Thea Hail b. Tatum Paxley via DQ when Paxley poked the eye
Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Juggernaut Driver to Jayne

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

NXT
Date: April 29, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

Last week’s big deal was the return of Joe Hendry, who confronted NXT Champion Oba Femi. Trick Williams isn’t happy with Hendry either and he showed up to jump Hendry over the weekend at TNA Rebellion. Other than that, it’s time to get ready for Battleground and now some stars are on the main roster, meaning some people will get to step up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Joe Hendry showing up last week and then getting taken out by Trick Williams at Rebellion.

Commentary talks about Hendry so of course here he is. Hendry talks about having a great week but then he got laid out by Williams. That was Williams crossing the line because he couldn’t stand people talking about Hendry. People were talking about Williams not being able to win so he went after Hendry, who has a violent side. Hendry calls Williams out…but it’s Darkstate to jump him instead.

Earlier today, Ava invited Iyo Sky back to NXT for one night and asked if she had a partner for tonight. Sky doesn’t yet, but Jordynne Grace comes in to offer her services. Works for Sky.

Karmen Petrovic listens to Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley vent about their losses but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in. He’s gotten Petrovic a match with Sol Ruca but she’s not thrilled about him calling Dolin and Paxley “losers”.

North American Title: Lexis King vs. Ricky Saints

Saints is defending and gets jumped to start fast. That doesn’t work for Saints, who fights back without even taking off his vest. A shot in the corner has King in trouble but he gets in a shot to the face. Back up and Saints sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes and we take a break.

We come back with both of them hitting crossbodies at the same time, allowing King to hit a Swanton for two. A fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two as Booker wants him to follow up. The tornado DDT is countered and King rolls him up for two. Now Saints’ tornado DDT can connect and Roshambo retains the title at 8:31.

Rating: B-. Good match here for Saints, as he gets to beat a former champion and continue to establish himself. The easiest way to make someone look good as a newcomer is to have them win matches and that’s what they’re doing with Saints. I’m not sure what is next for King, but he could use something new sooner than later.

Shawn Spears isn’t happy with the Culling’s recent issues but he wants Izzi Dame to put the spotlight on herself. If they can become a better team, they will find their success.

Here is Tony D’Angelo for a chat, with security flanking him. No, he did not expect Stacks to turn on him because they have known each other since they were kids. Stacks would go after someone and D’Angelo would step up for him because that’s what loyalty does. The thing is Stacks has always wanted to be the boss. While Stacks has stepped up when he was needed, even when D’Angelo was hurt, he has been a hot head and put the team in jeopardy.

That’s what made D’Angelo step in to make the save, which is why Stacks waited for the right moment to stab D’Angelo in the back. The Family is scattered…and here come some goons. Stacks pops up on screen, saying he won’t be showing up tonight. Security wouldn’t let anyone do anything tonight but D’Angelo needs to hear something.

The reality is that D’Angelo doesn’t understand that he isn’t a leader anymore. D’Angelo has gone soft and doesn’t even know who he can trust anymore. The goons come in and go after D’Angelo, who clears the ring without much trouble. D’Angelo tells Stacks to bring it but sneering ensues instead. This is a fairly goofy feud but if they focus on the personal issues between old friends who have split, they have something.

The Meta Four is happy to be back but Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson seem to think it’s time for the team to go their separate ways. Dar agrees and the team is done on good terms.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Sol Ruca

Non-title and Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic while Zaria is here with Ruca. Petrovic is sent to the floor to start but avoids a moonsault, only to get kicked in the ribs back inside. Ruca gets knocked into the corner for a baseball slide but is right back up for the comeback. A running kick to the chest looks to set up the Sol Snatcher, which is broken up for a change. Back in and Ruca pulls her out of the corner, setting up the Sol Snatcher for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. Not much to see here outside of the always cool Sol Snatcher (which looked like it was fairly close to missing this time). Petrovic didn’t get to showcase herself very well here, but it wasn’t like this was some big match for her in the first place. Ruca needs a challenger, and Petrovic pretty clearly is not it.

Post match Petrovic kicks Adonis down. Thank goodness, as that story has gone absolutely nowhere.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. Williams gets right to the point by calling out Joe Hendry, who does not appear because Darkstate already took him out. Hendry got the best of him last week so Williams showed up at Rebellion to take Hendry out. While Williams was in Los Angeles for Rebellion, he got a spot on All American and debuts soon.

Yeah he’s Hollywood Trick (as the fans chant him) but Hendry is local talent. Williams wants Oba Femi and the NXT Title so here is Ava, who reminds Williams of his ejection last week. That doesn’t seem to mean much to Williams, who says he is the biggest star in NXT and TNA. Ava says Williams can have a title shot…if he wins a 25 man battle royal next week, with the winner getting the title shot at Battleground.

Roxanne Perez talks to Giulia before their tag match tonight and Giulia seems to respect her.

Oba Femi is fine with facing Trick Williams if he wins the battle royal. The Undertaker comes in who says some of his guys from LFG are coming for Femi, so here are Jasper Troy, Shiloh Hill and Anthony Luke. Femi shakes Undertaker’s hand and looks forward to the challenge.

Tag Team Titles: Hank & Tank vs. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura

Hank & Tank are defending. Inamura runs Tank over to start but the champs take Inamura down to start fast. Briggs comes in to knock Hank down with a running shoulder and everything breaks down. We settle down to Inamura taking over on Tank, including a rather hard chop to send us to a break.

Back with Inamura striking away at Hank and Briggs coming back in for a splash for two. A German suplex gives Briggs two more but Hank is back with a top rope clothesline. Tank comes in but Hank gets sent into the steps, leaving Tank to get chokeslammed. Inamura’s top rope splash gets two with Hank making the save. Inamura picks Hank up but swings him into Briggs by mistake. The neckbreaker/powerslam combination retains the titles at 10:31.

Rating: C+. If that’s it for Briggs and Inamura, they’re going out just like they came in: doing very little and not exactly standing out. I haven’t gotten their appeal as a team since they got here and I still don’t see it here. Their issues at the end could set up a singles match between them, but it’s not like there is much interest in them in the first place.

The No Quarter Catch Crew is ready for the battle royal and don’t care what Charlie Dempsey (not here) think.

Chase U is back with a bunch of students and Andre Chase wasn’t sure he was ever going to be here again. Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon come in late but Chad doesn’t like them being late. Chase isn’t going to have students talking to each other like that, but F*** YOUR QUESTION CHAD! CHASE U IS BACK!

Kelani Jordan mocks Sol Ruca for not defending her title tonight like a real champion should. Zaria isn’t pleased and says if Jordan wants a title shot, they can fight first.

Hank & Tank came up to see Joe Hendry and they’re ready to help him against Darkstate. That’s quite the dream (ish) team for Darkstate to overcome and I’m not sure if they’re going to.

Roxanne Perez/Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace/Iyo Sky

The fight goes to the floor to start and the villains are in early trouble. Sky gets caught in the wrong corner but flips away and hits a double dropkick. Grace comes in to help Sky with an electric chair Swanton for two on Perez. Giulia gets dropped as well and an over the shoulder gutbuster gives Grace two. Perez offers a distraction though and Giulia gets in an eye rake to take over.

A spinning Russian legsweep gives Perez two but it’s back to Sky, who rolls Perez up for a fast two. Grace’s second electric chair attempt doesn’t work as well though as Sky is sent face first into the apron as we take a break. Back with Giulia stomping Sky for two but Sky rolls Perez into a kick of her own. Grace comes in to hit the running shoulders before sending both of them flying at once. Sky’s top rope double stomp into a Gory Bomb gets two on Giulia with Perez having to make the save.

Everyone is down and Perez makes a blind tag, allowing her to snap off a super hurricanrana to bring Sky down. Giulia plants Sky, setting up Perez’s double springboard moonsault for two. Grace and Giulia brawl up the aisle, leaving Perez and Sky to have a snappy pinfall reversal sequence. Sky kicks her down though, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin at 14:25.

Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this one as they were all working hard and had a heck of a match. Sky being back in NXT doesn’t feel like someone miles ahead of the rest of the division, which shows you just how deep the women’s division is around here. Outstanding match here and one of the best that NXT has had in a good while.

Post match Perez is frustrated.

Stephanie Vaquer wants to know her next challenger so Ava makes Grace vs. Giulia next week in a #1 contenders match. Works for Vaquer.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was by far the best thing on the show, but it also did a good job of making me more interested in the Battleground card. You can see a lot of the matches coming from here, with a few that still need to be made. I like what we’re getting here, and they’re doing a very nice job of balancing the guest stars. Good show here, with the main event certainly being worth a look.

Results
Ricky Saints b. Lexis King – Roshambo
Sol Ruca b. Karmen Petrovic – Sol Snatcher
Hank & Tank b. Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs – Neckbreaker/powerslam combination to Briggs
Iyo Sky/Jordynne Grace b. Roxanne Perez/Giulia – Over The Moonsault to Perez

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

NXT
Date: April 15, 2025
Location: Capitol One Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Stand & Deliver and there are still some spots that need to be filled in. The main thing that needs to be done is filling in the final spots in the women’s ladder match, but there is always the chance that another match can be added. Other than that, the already announced card has some build to be done so let’s get to it.

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

Ethan Page vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King vs. Wes Lee

Non-title and the winner gets a North American Title shot on Saturday, so here is Ricky Saints to join commentary. It’s a brawl to start until King gets triple teamed for an early beating. Thorpe drops all of them and a suplex gets two on King. Lee gets to take over for a bit and drops everyone but King avoids some charges to send everyone else into the corner.

Thorpe gets low bridged to the floor and a Codebreaker in the ropes gives King two on Lee. Back in and Lee puts everyone else down with a Tower Of Doom before a running shooting star press gets two on Page. Lee’s suicide dive hits King and Page sends Thorpe into Saints. That’s enough for Saints to get ejected and we take an early break.

Back with Page cleaning house and getting a Boston crab on King. Thorpe puts a crossface on King at the same time so Lee has to dive in to break up the tap. With the holds broken up, King gets caught in an electric chair, with Lee adding a Whisper In The Wind to take everyone out. Page and Lee slug it out until Thorpe Meteoras Lee, only to get caught with the Coronation. Page is right back up with the Twisted Grin to pin King at 12:21.

Rating: B. Fast paced and action packed opener here, with Page getting the title shot in the match that had already been set up. The good thing is that they had enough going on here to make you think there was a chance someone else could win, which is a nice bonus. Page makes the most sense though and it should make for a good title match.

Post match Page taunts Saints, who runs back in for a spear.

Jordynne Grace talks about starting out in wrestling and knowing she needed something else. This involved turning her body into a wall of muscle and becoming something that you couldn’t find anywhere else. She got to TNA and is now in WWE and knows what she has to do to win her first WWE title this weekend.

Various women talk about how they’re going to win the Women’s North American Title.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Gigi Dolin is here with Paxley. Vice takes her down to the mat to start but can’t get something like a crossface. Paxley reverses into an armbar but has to get out of a triangle choke. We take a break and come back with Vice cutting off a charge in the corner, setting up some rapid fire kicks. The running hip attack gets two on Paxley, who is right back with a running crossbody in the corner. Paxley catches her on top and pulls her down but the Psycho Trap is blocked. Instead, Vice hits the spinning backfist for the fast pin at 9:59.

Rating: C+. It feels like Vice hasn’t been around much lately and hopefully this is the start of something else for her. I’m not sure how likely she is to win the title, but at least she’s going to be on the show again. Paxley and Dolin are seemingly just a low level tag team at the moment and I don’t quite see a ton of upside there.

Giulia was tired of waiting for Stephanie Vaquer and she’s back for revenge and her title. Jaida Parker is confident but Giulia will show her how to take pain. Jordynne Grace is strong, but Giulia will introduce her to strong style.

The women’s division argues in the back so Ava makes a four way women’s tag match for Stand & Deliver, with the winner getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot next week. Roxanne Perez needs a partner.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For the title shot at Stand & Deliver. Hank & Tank is in at #1 and Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe are in at #2. Vic says this is the matchup that we have all been waiting for and…I really don’t think that’s true. Anyway Tank and DuPont lock up to start with DuPont taking over and handing it off to Igwe. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hank for the house cleaning, including the powerslam/neckbreaker combination to pin Igwe at 1:40.

The Culling is in at #3 with Hank & Tank taking it right to them. A running seated senton gets two on Jensen and we take a break. Back with Hank in trouble but getting in a clothesline to drop Vance. The referee doesn’t see the tag though and an assisted powerslam gets two on Hank. As tends to be the case, Hank breaks away rather shortly thereafter and the hot tag brings in Tank. House is cleaned but Tank gets caught in an electric chair. Jensen goes up but Tank powerslams him out of the air for the pin at 10:10 total.

The No Quarter Catch Crew are in at #4 and go right after the tired Hank & Tank. Heights grabs a chinlock but Tank jawbreaks his way to freedom, allowing Hank to come back in to make the comeback. Borne hits a big flip dive to take Hank & Tank down though and we take a break.

Back again with Heights suplexing Tank and hitting a crossbody for two. Hank pulls Borne outside though and Tank gets a rollup pin on Heights at 17:59. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are in at #5 (the last team) and start hammering away on Hank. Everything breaks down and Hank & Tank pull themselves up, with Hank getting a quick small package to pin Briggs and win at 20:47.

Rating: C+. I still don’t care much for Hank & Tank but they did have a story here and it fits to see them coming back and beating so many teams who had beaten them. The fans are getting into them as well and it makes sense to have them get the shot here. It was a bunch of rollups and quick wins, but I’ll take it over a team being randomly thrown out there.

Evolve’s Kali Armstrong is ready for her main event but Ava teases that she has a surprise for the qualifying match for the final spot in the Women’s North American Title ladder match.

Oba Femi arrives….and Darkstate is following him.

Jaida Parker knows that looking the part isn’t the same as being the best. She knows the pressure and is ready to move up to the next level. She lost her best friend when her uncle passed away and she knows she can lose anyone. Now she just needs the big game situation.

The D’Angelo Family, minus Tony D’Angelo (as this was Stacks’ call) gets in a fight with Darkstate in the parking lot, which goes inside. Various weapons are used and some Evolve wrestlers are beaten up before they crash through a wall. A fire extinguisher goes off and Luca Crusifino is slammed onto a car. Cue D’Angelo himself with a crowbar to clear out Darkstate. Cops arrive and D’Angelo yells at Stacks for going over his head. D’Angelo has gotten the match set up for Stand & Deliver. Stacks understands that he went too far.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready for the biggest match of her life. We see her going back to her native Chile as champion and talking about how important this was for her.

Hank & Tank are ready to win and Fraxiom come in to say they’re ready.

Roxanne Perez has found a tag partner: herself! That doesn’t work for Ava, but Cora Jade comes in to tease being her partner.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Andre Chase is scared about ruining Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon but Thea Hail comes in to say Chase didn’t ruin her. She’s ready to win the Women’s North American Title. This would have been a better surprise if Hail hadn’t been shown in a graphic before the break.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Karmen Petrovic vs. Thea Hail

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic and they trade rollups to start. Petrovic gets knocked to the floor but cuts off Hail’s dive. Hail makes the comeback without much trouble and a spinning double underhook slam plants Petrovic. The Kimura finishes Petrovic at 2:41. That’s a great return, but it gets Hail into a ladder match, which doesn’t work as well.

Here is Trick Williams to say he’ll win the NXT Title. Cue Oba Femi to say that Williams is a broken record, saying the same things he has said for months. No one is singing along though, because the spotlight has moved on. Williams seems ready to fight but Je’Von Evans comes in to tell Williams to shut up. Evans says Williams is dismissed and turns his attention to the Rules. Evans has dropped Femi a few times lately and knows it is a matter of time before Femi goes up to the main roster.

Femi was a star at the University Of Alabama (Femi: “Roll Tide.”) but Evans is a kid from North Carolina and shouldn’t have gotten here. Femi says being champion means he is the top dog and Evans is a CHILD. Williams is ready to fight again and Evans is sent to the floor so the other two can brawl. Evans dives in to take both of them out though and holds up the title to end the show. This was about all you needed for a final push towards the title match, with Evans getting a chance to shine over the two much bigger stars.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a more active than usual go home show as they had a return with Hail and some matches being added. Other than that, we had a few more qualifying matches, because it’s Wrestlemania season so there will be qualifying matches everywhere. Finally though, you had the usual final push towards the show and I’m more interested in seeing Stand & Deliver than I was coming in so call it well done.

Results
Ethan Page b. Eddy Thorpe, Lexis King and Wes Lee – Twisted Grin to King
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning backfist
Hank & Tank won a tag team gauntlet match last eliminating Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura
Thea Hail b. Karmen Petrovic – Kimura

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

NXT
Date: February 25, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re on the road again and on the way to Roadblock in a few weeks in New York. Things are also getting interesting again around here as we have the new mysterious group of people attacking various stars, including Mr. Stone at the end of last week’s show. Throw in some big TNA names, such as Moose and the Hardys in action this week, and we should be in for a fun night. Let’s get to it.

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

Women’s North American Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Karmen Petrovic

Petrovic, with Ashante Thee Adonis, is challenging. Vaquer takes her down to start but Petrovic kicks out of trouble, setting up a full nelson with the legs. That’s broken up so Petrovic hits something like a Shining Wizard for two. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and legdrop give Vaquer two but the running knees in the corner miss. Back up and Vaquer is sent outside, setting up a big dive and we take a break.

We come back with Vaquer striking away and grabbing the figure four necklock for the faceplants onto the mat. Vaquer goes up but gets hurricanranaed back down, setting up a spinning kick to the head for two. Petrovic superkicks a springboarding Vaquer out of the air for two but Vaquer gets smart by taking out the leg. The SVB retains at 11:42.

Rating: B-. Petrovic was working here and has come a long way since being little more than a bunch of kicks. That’s still the majority of her offense but there is enough to make her feel like a more complete worker in the ring. Vaquer feels like a star and the fans are reacting to it as well and it could be a long time before she drops the title.

Post match here is Giulia to interrupt. She congratulates Vaquer but says that she (Giulia) is the real best champion. The result: a challenge for a title vs. title match.

Ariana Grace and Santino Marella are happy with what is going on but Lola Vice comes in, saying she wants a fight. Vice is willing to fight Grace, assuming someone in her family taught her to fight. The match is on.

Lexis King tells Oba Femi that he’s ready for Moose. Femi doesn’t seem so sure.

TNA X-Division Title: Lexis King vs. Moose

Only Moose’s title is on the line. The much bigger Moose powers him into the corner to start and they trade slaps to the face. Moose puts him on the top and hits a dropkick out to the floor (that’s always impressive). King is whipped hard into the steps but he gets in a shot of his own. Back in and Moose release Rock Bottoms him out of the air, followed by a big backdrop onto the ramp.

Moose kicks him in the face (as it seems like we came back from a break though we never went to split screen or anything else) but King is back with a superkick as the fans approve. A high crossbody gives King two but Moose runs the corner and hits a spinning high crossbody for two of his own. Moose grabs a powerbomb for two, with the fans way behind the hometown King. The Coronation connects out of nowhere to give King two more but Moose is back with the spear to retain at 9:32.

Rating: B-. This crossover is going in something of a weird direction as you regularly see someone winning another promotion’s title. That hasn’t happened (yet) in this whole thing and I keep waiting to see it. King got in some hope spots here, but the idea was to push Moose as someone who could smash through good competition on his way to a showdown with Oba Femi down the line.

Post match Oba Femi comes out and says that in two weeks at Roadblock, it’s title vs. title when he faces Moose. Well that was quick.

Shawn Spears talks about how he is transforming people such as Brooks Jensen, Niko Vance and Izzi Dame. They are the new Family running NXT and next week, it’s time to take the North American Title.

Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan got in an argument on a bus earlier today.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. From the moment she first set foot in a WWE ring, she knew she belonged. Now it is time for her to become a champion and it is a matter of time before she is facing either Stephanie Vaquer or Giulia. Cue Roxanne Perez to interrupt, saying she knows everyone wants to be part of the best women’s division in wrestling, the division that Perez runs.

Grace says if this is Perez’s division, where is her title? Perez threatens to win the Women’s Title at Wrestlemania and then come back here to win the NXT Women’s Title again. Grace brings up the saying about having a plan until you….and then she hits Perez in the face. Putting Grace against someone who seems to be moving up to the main roster is a smart way to start her off.

Trick Williams and Je’Von Evans talk about what they both want and Williams does not seem impressed. Things are about to get physical but Ricky Saints comes in to introduce himself. Williams gives him a fist bump and then leaves, with Saints wondering why everyone is so angry around here.

Jaida Parker is annoyed at Kelani Jordan and while there might be a Him in WWE, Jordan is not the “Her” in NXT. Parker is getting a feel for her promos and they’re working well.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. Hardys

The Hardys’ TNA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Even Wren Sinclair is doing Jeff Hardy’s dance during his entrance. Jeff and Heights start things off with Jeff hammering away as the fans tell the Hardys that they still have it. The double elbow and fist drop/flipping splash combination get two on Heights but it’s Borne coming in for armbar. One heck of a clothesline drops Matt but he’s quickly over to Jeff, who uses Heights for Poetry In Motion.

That’s not it though as another Poetry On Motion off the ramp hits Borne and we take a break. Back with Matt in trouble as Fraxiom is watching from the ramp. Matt fights out of a chinlock and walks over for the tag to Jeff. The Whisper In The Wind takes the Crew out and the Plot Twist (Twisting Stunner into a neckbreaker) gets two on Borne. The Twist Of Fate into the Swanton Bomb finishes Borne at 11:11.

Rating: C+. The match was fine but there was a grand total of no chance that the Hardys were losing here. That’s not a bad thing at all as this was all about having the Hardys make their NXT debuts. Like them or not, the Hardys are indeed living legends in tag team wrestling and it is a good thing to have them around on a show like this.

Post match Fraxiom gets in the ring to show respect, with Frazier saying they’re the best team in the world today and standing in the ring with the best team ever. Jeff cuts to the chase and issues the challenge so here is Santino Marella (to his old WWE music) and the match is on for Roadblock for the TNA Tag Team Titles. Dang that is a stacked show.

The D’Angelo Family has a meeting and D’Angelo is proud of Stacks for trying, even if he came up short. D’Angelo is banged up but he has to try to deal with Shawn Spears next week.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are in the trainer’s room but Piper Niven comes in, saying Chelsea Green is in the building. Green comes in and isn’t impressed, with a tag match being made for next week. Green: “Wait. What did I just agree to?” Niven: “We have a match next week.” Green: “Well that was stupid!”

Ariana Grace vs. Lola Vice

Grace gets in a jab to start and is quickly struck down in the corner. The running hip attack connects but Grace manages to strike away. A swinging neckbreaker puts Vice down and Grace grabs the cravate. Grace kicks her down again and finishes with the spinning backfist at 2:27.

The mystery group has attacked the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Eddy Thorpe is walking through Cincinnati and talks about how his people were once forced out of their land and moved out west. Somehow, this is like him having to face Trick Williams again, so name the time and place.

Ava is here for some announcements. She seems to clarify that Oba Femi vs. Moose is only for the NXT Title and NOT title for title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Wes Lee/Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints/Je’Von Evans

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont are here with the villains. Apparently Cody Rhodes has called Saints “the most naturally talented wrestler since Barry Windham.” That’s….probably not accurate. Evans hammers on Page to start so it’s quickly off to Lee, who gets dropkicked down. Saints comes in for the first time and elbows Lee in the face and slugs away in the corner. Page and Lee are sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Evans getting caught on top but Igwe and DuPont get involved so Page can hit a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle. The Boston grab stays on the back, with Lee adding a shot to the back of his own. A powerslam out of the corner gives Evans two but Evans is back with a spinning kick to the face.

The tag brings in Saints to pick up the pace with a tornado DDT and a spear gets two on Lee. Evans and Page brawl into the crowd but Saints is sent into the post. Igwe and DuPont offer another distraction so Lee can hit a Meteora for two. The Cardiac Kick is loaded up but Saints reverses into the Roshambo (running Dominator) for the pin at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match here but this was all about getting Saints in the ring to introduce him to the NXT audience. He did perfectly fine as well, overcoming the odds at the end and winning over someone with some status. It wasn’t supposed to be some great match and it did exactly what it needed to accomplish.

A preview for next week’s show wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good, well thought out show which covered quite a few things that need to be done as they move forward. Roadblock is suddenly looking like one of the biggest shows of the year and a title change seems fairly likely. Setting up so much stuff and adding in some good enough matches in a single week is quite the feat and they pulled it off here. Nice stuff, as NXT knows how to set things up for the future.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Karmen Petrovic – SVB
Moose b. Lexis King – Spear
Hardys b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Swanton to Borne
Lola Vice b. Ariana Grace – Spinning backfist
Ricky Saints/Je’Von Evans b. Ethan Page/Wes Lee – Roshambo to Lee

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

NXT
Date: February 18, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re done with Vengeance Day and that means it is time to start getting ready for Stand & Deliver in about two months. The big story from Vengeance Day seems to be Jordynne Grace coming after the two Women’s Titles, which could lead to some big showdowns. Other than that, Oba Femi will need a new challenger so let’s get to it.

Here is Vengeance Day if you need a recap.

Long Vengeance Day recap, including four Performance Center wrestlers attacking Oba Femi and Fraxiom.

Here is Oba Femi and he wants the four guys to come get him now. Instead, here is TNA X-Division Champion (and fellow monster) Moose for a big man staredown. Moose says this has to happen and Femi seems ready for the whole thing. They stare each other down and hold up their titles. Works for me.

Earlier today, Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors invited Ava and Eddy Thorpe to their after party. That’s a no from both, with Thorpe saying they should be at Chase U. That sets up a match for later tonight.

Jaida Parker vs. Karmen Petrovic vs. Kelani Jordan

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic. Jordan and Parker slug it out until Jordan sends the other two outside for a dive. Back in and Parker chokes Jordan on the ropes before a snap suplex gets two. We take a break and come back with Parker hitting a reverse suplex on Jordan but Petrovic jumps Parker in the ropes.

Jordan hits a standing legdrop for two on Parker (no Booker, that isn’t innovative, as Big Show did it before) but Parker runs Petrovic over. Jordan breaks up the cover with a frog splash and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Parker hits a Hipnotic on Jordan. Adonis pulls Petrovic to the floor and Parker hits the Tear Drop on Jordan…but Petrovic grabs a rollup to pin Jordan at 11:32.

Rating: C+. They were doing well here with everyone getting in something, as Parker continues to feel like a future star. There is something of an “it” factor to her which is carrying her a long way and makes me wonder where she’s going. Other than that, Petrovic kind of steals a win, though the stuff with Adonis is still not doing much for me at all.

Post match Fatal Influence runs in to beat Petrovic down as we take a break. Back with Fatal Influence beating down Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer but Jordynne Grace runs in for the save. Grace clears the ring and issues the challenge for the six woman tag later tonight.

Stacks tells the rest of the D’Angelo Family that he has to deal with Shawn Spears on his own tonight.

Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Meta Four

Ruca and Legend miss kicks to the face to start and it’s off to Jackson for a quick dropkick. Ruca takes Jackson down just as well though and moonsaults into a Meteora for two. Legend and Zaria take turns exchanging gorilla presses until Jackson missile dropkicks Ruca to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Ruca fighting her way out of trouble, allowing the tag to Zaria for the house cleaning. Zaria suplexes Jackson for two and Ruca comes back in for a superkick. A running hurricanrana and armdrag drop Jackson and we get the big Zaria vs. Legend showdown. Zaria muscles her up but can’t keep a fireman’s carry. Jackson comes back in and gets speared into an F5. The Sol Snatcher finishes for Ruca at 11:39.

Rating: B-. This was better than I was expecting as Zaria and Ruca work well enough together. I can go with Zaria being put into a team if Vaquer and Giulia are already doing something in the singles ranks. It lets Zaria do something else and that’s better than nothing. I’m not wild on the Meta Four getting pinned, but I can’t imagine they’re long for NXT anyway.

Wes Lee and company are talking about how things are wild around here but the still unnamed Ricky Starks pops in to say he’ll answer your questions out in the arena.

Here are Ava and Ricky Starks for the contract signing. Starks is glad to be here and he’s ready to take this place by storm and win everything there is to win. The revolution is ready to begin and he’s ready to sign but Ethan page interrupts. Page says Starks is following his playbook and is probably guaranteed a title match in his contract.

Starks doesn’t buy this and is ready to take the show to a new level but Page isn’t convinced. Starks thinks Je’Von Evans will be coming back to get his revenge on Page…and here is Evans to jump Page and brawl with him to the back. Now it’s Wes Lee interrupting the signing so Starks offers to face him next week. Lee tries to cut off the signing but gets clotheslined to the floor. We see the contract and his name is officially Ricky Saints. Eh I’ve heard worse.

The No Quarter Catch Crew interrupts Fraxiom…and call out the Hardys (the TNA Tag Team Champions) for next week in Cincinnati.

Ricky Saints has gone to the back…and a bunch of people (Hank And Tank, Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura and perhaps others) have been attacked. Saints: “D***, this place is crazy.”

Shawn Spears vs. Stacks

Spears’ associates and the D’Angelo Family are here too. Starks starts the fight on the floor and hits a running boot to the face inside. Spears sends him to the apron though and grabs a hanging DDT. A regular DDT plants Stacks again and Spears hammers away on the mat. Stacks comes back with a slingshot Codebreaker for a breather as the goons almost get into it on the floor. A spinebuster gets Stacks out of trouble but Spears brainbusters him onto the knee. The C4 gives Spears the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C+. They were speeding through this and it seems like we are gearing up for a big Spears vs. Tony D’Angelo title match down the line. That should make for a nice showdown, though I’m still not overly interested in whatever Spears talks about most of the time. At least this is getting into more of a normal feud, which should go better for him.

Lexis King introduces himself to Moose and doesn’t like what he has been doing so far. Moose says if King wants an X-Division Title shot next week, he’s on.

Andre Chase is almost fired up over what Eddy Thorpe said but comes back to reality.

Andre Chase vs. Eddy Thorpe

Thorpe stomps away in the corner to start but Chase snaps off a hurricanrana. Chase takes him out on the floor as well but gets dropped back inside. Cue Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon in Chase U shirts to cheer Chase on from the student section, which is enough for Chase to fight back up. A big boot and Russian legsweep look to set up the spelling stomps but Chase can’t do it. Thorpe hits a German suplex into the impaler DDT for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. This was the next step in the story of Chase, as you can see that the magic is still in there but something is going to have to pull it out. That very well may be the return of Thea Hail down the line but I’m not sure how that is going to go. It’s a long term story, but for now it would have been a stretch for Chase to beat someone who took out Trick Williams over the weekend.

Post match Trick Williams pops up on screen to say this isn’t over with Thorpe.

Ethan Page interrupts Ava and Ricky Saints to complain about Je’Von Evans. Wes Lee and Evans come in so Ava makes it a tag match next week.

The Hardys are down to face the No Quarter Catch Crew next week and invite Fraxiom to watch.

Stephanie Vaquer/Giulia/Jordynne Grace vs. Fatal Influence

Vaquer rolls Henley up to start before it’s Nyx coming in to face Giulia. Nyx’s right hands don’t work as Giulia takes her down, allowing Grace to come in for a German suplex. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way brawl with the villains being sent outside. Grace hits a big dive but Jayne pulls Vaquer down by the hair back inside. Henley grabs a quick distraction and Jayne drops Vaquer as we take a break.

Back with Vaquer fighting out of a chinlock, setting up a rollup for two. The tag attempt is broken up and Henley kicks Vaquer in the face. Jayne gets in another shot and mocks Grace before the tag, only for Vaquer to get over for the tag a few seconds later. Everything breaks down and Grace MuscleBusters Nyx for two with Jayne making the save. Jayne is back with a running knee for two on Grace and Henley adds a Blockbuster. Giulia plants Jayne and grabs a belly to back suplex, followed by a dive from Vaquer. The Grace Driver finishes Nyx at 13:03.

Rating: B-. This was about giving Grace her first win as part of the NXT roster and it worked out well. Grace got to run through some people here and Fatal Influence are just good enough to feel like a challenge for her. Odds are Grace will be put into a bigger story sooner than later, but for now, she’s off to a nice start.

The winners post and Grace looks at the titles.

There is a brawl in the parking lot and Ava’s office has been trashed. Mr. Stone is down and the words “NO ONE IS SAFE” have been painted on the wall. Ava isn’t sure what happened to end the show. She’s not overly bright is she?

Overall Rating: B. This show did a nice job of making me want to see what is going to happen next week, while also giving us a nice cliffhanger to end the show. I was worried about the lack of impact from the four guys but they got involved well enough at the end. The action was good enough, but more than that, I’m interested in where things are going. That’s a sign that they are doing something right, so we’ll call this a rather nice success.

Results
Karmen Petrovic b. Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan – Rollup to Jordan
Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Meta Four – Sol Snatcher to Jackson
Shawn Spears b. Stacks – C4
Eddy Thorpe b. Andre Chase – Impaler DDT
Stephanie Vaquer/Jordynne Grace/Giulia b. Fatal Influence – Grace Driver to Nyx

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.

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

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.

NXT
Date: January 21, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from Vengeance Day and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. So far we don’t have a card set for the show but we should be able to start adding some things this week. On top of that, we have three title matches so let’s get to it.

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

Corey Graves is back. That’s good to see, as he’s far too talented to blow up his career.

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

D’Angelo, with his Family, is defending and after the Big Match Intros….we talk about Booker T.’s time as a TNA Legends Champion. Graves: “I believe in Joe Hendry.” Even after this partnership has been going on for months, this still feels weird. D’Angelo runs him over early to start but Shawn Spears comes out for a distraction as we take an early break.

Back with D’Angelo fighting out of an armbar and taking over, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. The spinebuster is broken up so D’Angelo goes with a spear for a knockdown instead. Cue Nico Vance and Brooks Jensen to go after the Family, but Izzi Dame comes in to kick Holland in the head. The spinebuster retains the title at 7:26.

Rating: B-. That was a heck of a spinebuster at the end, but what was more impressive was they had a good match with so little time. You can only get so much out of a seven and a half minute match with a break in the middle. For now though, the important thing is D’Angelo continues to look like a big deal and it would not surprise me to see him being NXT Champion by the end of the year.

Wes Lee, with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont, aren’t happy with Dion Lennox. Trick Williams comes in and Lee mocks him, earning an immediate right hand in a funny bit.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She’s here to talk about her issues with Roxanne Perez, who could be great but slapped her in the face. Perez thinks Bayley is like Natalya or CM Punk, but that might be a compliment? Last night, Perez interfered on Raw and that makes Bayley think Perez just isn’t ready. This women’s division has a lot going on and with a champion like Giulia at the top…and here is Giulia to say she certainly respects Bayley.

Giulia hopes to hold the title with as much honor as Bayley did. Bayley is appreciative as Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade interrupt to insult her. The fans boo them out of the building and suggest that Bayley wants the Women’s Title, because this era has exceeded the Four Horsewomen era. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly cleared out. Odds are this sets up a tag match, though I’m not sure I can imagine Perez or Jade as a serious threat to Giulia.

Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan argue but Karmen Petrovic interrupts and gets in a fight with Parker over Ashante Thee Adonis.

Bayley and Giulia are still brawling with Jade and Perez.

Wes Lee vs. Dion Lennox

Lee is ticked off after being slapped by Trick Williams (Joseph: “Williams slapped Lee so hard he thought his name was Desmond.”) and jumps Lennox to start, knocking him to the floor. Back in and Lennox runs him over, setting up a spinebuster for two as they’re going fast so far. That doesn’t last long though as the Cardiac Kick gives Lee the pin at 2:24. They’re trying with Lee, but I just can’t picture him as a top star.

Post match Lee calls out Trick Williams for next week so here is Williams to chase him off and accept.

We recap Lexis King winning the Heritage Cup for good last week.

Stephanie Vaquer wants the Women’s North American Title and doesn’t care who has it.

Heritage Cup: Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey

King is defending and Round One begins with a technical off going nowhere. King snaps off a dropkick into an armbar to work on the arm. They trade rollups for two each and it’s a standoff, with King trying another rollup. That’s reversed into a choke and then a crossface chickenwing but the round ends before a tap.

We take a break with King having gotten a pin in the second round to go up 1-0. Round Three begins with King working on the arm until a quick shot lets Dempsey take over. Dempsey gets two off a rollup and cranks on the arm some more before a bridging butterfly suplex ties it up at 2:28 of the round and 9:31 overall.

Round Four begins with King pulling out some brass knuckles but throwing them down with a shake of his head. Dempsey goes after the arm but gets suplexed out for his efforts. King hits a high crossbody for two, only to get suplexed for the same. Another tease of the knuckles doesn’t go anywhere so King knocks him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and the referee almost gets crushed in the corner, allowing King to get in a low blow. The Coronation retains the Cup at 2:50 of the round and 12:56.

Rating: C+. They’re definitely telling a story with King and his efforts to be good but getting pulled back into the dark side. That being said, this story feels like it is going to continue, even though it isn’t the most thrilling. Both of them need to move on to something else, though that low blow is likely going to result in another match.

Naomi and Bianca Belair are ready for Meta Four next week.

Andre Chase tells Hank And Tank to break up now because all teams split. As Kelani Jordan walks in the background, Chase goes to another room and sees people watching a Chase U video. Kale Dixon says Chase was great but Chase says Chase U is dead and leaves. Dixon: “But it doesn’t have to be.” It could be a long road from here, but dang the idea of Chase restarting the school and winning the NXT Title could be an all time NXT moment.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic, who takes him down by the arm to start. Parker catches her in an electric chair drop out of the corner and then hits the Tear Drop in the corner. A quick rollup gives Petrovic two and a Sling Blade gets the same. Parker gordbusters her down and loads up the Hipnotique, only to have Kelani Jordan come in for the distraction. Petrovic grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what the appeal of Petrovic and Adonis is supposed to be but the story is probably the least interesting thing in NXT at the moment. I can go for more of Petrovic as she has something about her, but Parker losing isn’t the best thing to see. Not much of a match either, and it’s part of a less than interesting story.

Sol Ruca and Zaria give Meta Four something of a pep talk before next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match. As usual, this sounded so scripted that it was painful.

Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance vs. D’Angelo Family

It’s a big brawl to start and a Stacks is hiptossed over the top onto Jensen and Vance. We settle down to Jensen suplexing Crusifino for two. Everything breaks down and the Family fights up, only for Crusifino to be sent outside. Back in and a spinwheel kick into a lariat from Vance finishes Stacks at 4:25.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and it was nice to see a new team getting a chance. That being said, it’s also quite the big step for them to beat the D’Angelo family so soundly. It wasn’t a great match, but it did a good job of saying that Jensen and Vance, with Shawn Spears controlling them, could be a threat.

Fraxiom is happy with their win last week and they’re ready to go to Impact to defend against the Rascalz. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura interrupt to say they want a title shot. OTM runs in and the brawl is on.

Dion Lennox is annoyed and throws a bunch of stuff.

The D’Angelo Family isn’t happy with Tony D’Angelo not being out there but he blames Izzi Dame for not shutting up. D’Angelo says Stacks has been the underboss for two years. He can do something on his own. Fair point.

Ethan Page is happy with hurting people and likes the sounds of people screaming in pain, including Je’Von Evans.

Je’Von Evans wants to fight Ethan Page but Ava says no due to his injury. Cedric Alexander comes in and is ready to face Page next week. Evans and Alexander leave but here is A-Town Down Under, who are supposed to be here next week. They want to offer the NXT Champion a spot on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Maybe with some extra security. As for tonight, they’ll be watching the main event.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Diamond Dallas Page is here.

NXT Title: Eddy Thorpe vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and powers him into the corner to start, only to miss a charge. Thorpe’s quick kick staggers Femi for two but he glares up at Thorpe for quite the look. One heck of a backdrop sends Thorpe flying but he gets in a dropkick off the apron. A-Town Down Under is watching from the balcony as we take a break.

Back with Femi powering him away again and hitting a heck of a spinebuster for two. A chokeslam is countered into a triangle choke and Thorpe even adds a hurricanrana for a near fall of his own. Thorpe stuns Femi with a Stunner and drops a top rope elbow for two more. Back up and Thorpe hammers away, including a slingshot German suplex for two. Femi powers up and hits a chokeslam for two of his own, only to miss a charge into the post. Thorpe tries to slug away but gets tossed with ease. The Fall From Grace retains the title at 10:18.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure I get this one, as it was mostly the monster Femi selling for Thorpe, who has cheated his way into everything he has. Femi won in the end, but he’s not the kind of champion who should be fighting from underneath for so long. It’s a good enough match, but I’m really not sure I get the thinking behind what they were doing. Also, you might want to not promote “the winner gets to be on the Grayson Waller Effect” over “the winner is the NXT Champion.”

Post match Trick Williams comes out for a Trick Shot to Thorpe before staring Femi down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a big card with three title matches and Bayley as a guest star, but it didn’t feel like a great show. They kept hyping up next week’s show in Atlanta and how big everything on that show was going to be and that didn’t keep me interested in what they were doing this week. It’s far from a bad show, but for what was included, it should have been better.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Ridge Holland – Spinebuster
Wes Lee b. Dion Lennox – Cardiac Kick
Lexis King b. Charlie Dempsey 2-0
Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance b. D’Angelo family – Lariat to Stacks
Oba Femi b. Eddy Thorpe – Fall From Grace

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.