Vengeance Day 2026
Date: March 7, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s another special event in NXT and that should make for some interesting moments. The main event is NXT Champion Joe Hendry defending against Ricky Saints, but we also have a street fight and the return of NXT Underground. The card has been put together pretty well and hopefully it lives up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how everything can change with one look. Tonight, it’s all about vengeance. So shouldn’t it be Vengeance Night? Each match gets its usual look.

Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker

Street fight. They slap it out to start and go out to the floor with Parker taking over. A table is loaded up but Parker takes too long, meaning she has to block a double arm DDT. The table is set up some more, only for Monroe to come back with some umbrella shots. The table leads are folded back, meaning the crowd…oh you know what they’re saying. Back in and Monroe loads up a chair in the ropes, only for Parker to drop her onto it face first.

They go back to the floor, where the Hipnotique hits the steps to give a rather angry looking Monroe an opening. Back in and Monroe grabs a kendo stick around the throat for something like a Skull Crushing Finale and a near fall. Parker fights up and slugs away but Monroe grabs her arm and uses it to send Parker face first into the buckle. A running hip attack crushes a chair into Parker in the Tree Of Woe for two, followed by a right hand with…something wrapped around Monroe’s fist.

Monroe uses the stick to grab a crossface, which is broken up rather quickly and Parker is mad. She hammers away with the kendo stick and a Blockbuster sends Monroe out to the floor. Monroe gets in a trashcan lid shot and sets up the table before grabbing a brick. Since picking up a brick takes too long, Monroe gets chaired in the ribs and sent on the table.

That means Parker can hit a middle rope Tear Drop through the table, followed by a Hipnotique for two back inside. Parker gets sent through a kendo stick though and Monroe’s knee to the chest gets two. It’s time to pour out a bag of a bunch of diamonds, with a super hurricanrana driving Parker into the pile. The Glamour Shot onto the diamonds finishes Parker at 13:00.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard street fight here, though I was expecting Parker to win as she is red hot at the moment. At the same time, Monroe certainly needed a win here as she has kind of been floundering. I’m assuming this is the end of their feud, and that could be interesting for both of them, though I’m not sure where they’re going from here.

Ricky Saints asks Ethan Page where he was to help against Joe Hendry last week. Page is sorry but he just lost the North American Title. Eventually Page agrees to help him tonight, but Page seems interested in getting the NXT Title himself.

Darkstate jumps Tony D’Angelo in the parking lot…but it’s not the real D’Angelo. Instead he pops up from behind and jumps them with a crowbar as we’re ready to start.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dion Lennox

They start fighting in the parking lot, with Lennox being sent through a windshield. The fight goes inside with D’Angelo being smart enough to lock the rest of Darkstate outside. D’Angelo punches a hole in the restroom door but manages to knock a chair out of Lennox’s hand. Darkstate is back though, with D’Angelo and security fighting them off. Lennox almost crushes D’Angelo with a cabinet and they go back to slugging away. D’Angelo drags him back outside where Darkstate is back too.

Lennox loads up a big crowbar shot but OTM and a bunch of the locker room shows up to really get rid of them. D’Angelo tackles Lennox through a wall and they’re FINALLY in the arena. They get inside and sure let’s ring the opening bell. That means another slugout until D’Angelo is sent into the middle buckle. A big boot misses but Lennox is able to choke away on the ropes anyway. Lennox spinebusters him for two but D’Angelo is right back with a release German suplex.

The torture rack neckbreaker and a clothesline put Lennox on the floor, where he fights back again. Lennox can’t manage to crush D’Angelo’s ankle with the steps so he throws D’Angelo over the barricade instead. That doesn’t last long as Lennox superplexes him off said barricade and through the announcers’ table for a big crash. Booker: “Man.” Back in and a slingshot powerbomb gives Lennox two more but D’Angelo cuts him in half with a spear. The big spinebuster finishes for D’Angelo at 7:09.

Rating: B. Well, it certainly felt like a fight, though it’s one of those weird cases where the brawl before the match itself almost got more time. The other thing is that Lennox still doesn’t feel like a big deal. Granted he was more the last option than anything else, as D’Angelo absolutely ran through Darkstate like they weren’t even there. That’s not an awful way to go, though it pretty much ends Darkstate’s experiment as a team that matters. To be fair, they never quite clicked anyway so maybe that’s for the best.

We recap Tatum Paxley challenging Izzi Dame for the Women’s North American Title. They were friends and Paxley won the Women’s Title, only for Dame to turn on her, leaving Paxley betrayed yet again. Then Dame stole the Women’s North American Title (a chainsaw was involved), so Paxley is coming for revenge and the title.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame

Dame, with the Culling, is defending. Paxley jumps at her and hammers away, setting up a sleeper. With that broken up, Paxley dropkicks her outside and followed with some forearms up against the barricade. A flip dive off the steps takes Dame down again but she drops Paxley face first onto the steps. Paxley is right back with a jumping elbow back inside and hammers away in the corner.

The Cemetery Drive is broke up so Paxley grabs some rollups, only to get hit with a hard clothesline. Dame kicks her in the face and stomps away, followed by a basement dropkick. Some Irish whips with knees to the ribs connect for Dame (it worked for Val Venis in No Mercy and it’ll work for her here) and a choke in the corner gets two. The abdominal stretch goes on but Paxley reverses into one of her own. That’s quickly broken up so Paxley goes with the forearms, only to get backbreakered.

Dame grabs a Liontamer (with Shawn Spears coaching her on how to make it work), which is reversed into a Boston crab to send Dame over to the ropes. Back up and a superkick rocks Dame, followed by a German suplex to put her down again. A flipping ax kick gives Paxley two but Dame catches her on top. Dame’s superplex is broken up but she avoids a 450, allowing Dame to hit something like a Claymore for two. They forearm it out until Dame hits a Sky High.

Now the 450 (with Paxley’s knees hitting the mat a bit too early) connects for two but the Cemetery Drive is blocked. Dame kicks her in the head and a flipping belly to back suplex into a cutter plants Paxley for two. That leaves Dame rather distraught on the apron, where Paxley gives her a sunset bomb to the floor (which only looks so great because it’s rather hard to land something like that in one motion).

Paxley sends her inside but stops for a staredown with the Culling, allowing Dame to come back with a Sky High of her own for two. Dame’s gutwrench powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two of her own so Spears gets on the apron. Paxley rams them together though and a rollup gets two. Dame’s Codebreaker is countered with a backflip and a rolling Liger kick knocks Dame silly. The Cemetery Drive gives Paxley the pin and the title at 15:35.

Rating: B. That’s exactly how the match should have ended, with Paxley standing up to Dame and beating her clean to win the feud. They had a good match and it got a lot of time, as Dame felt that she should have won through power and athleticism but Paxley stayed in there with pure heart. That’s a great story with the right ending and it’s easy to cheer for someone like Paxley.

OTM didn’t attack Darkstate for Tony D’Angelo’s sake but they appreciate what he’s doing. They’re coming for Darkstate and then the Tag Team Titles.

Here is Robert Stone, who brings out Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne promises to walk into Stand & Deliver as Women’s Champion. That’s interesting because she remembers being called a transitional champion not too long ago, but now those voices are a lot more quiet. There were times where she got a bit paranoid because she thought she would be released.

Last year, she was happy to just get in a tag match on the Stand & Deliver Kickoff Show. Now she’s coming in as a dominant champion and she should main event the show. Next year, she can headline Wrestlemania against whomever their precious champion is then. Jayne brags about having Zaria beaten but cue Zaria (in a Sol’s Ex shirt), who blames her loss on Sol Ruca. Fallon Henley doesn’t want to hear this because Zaria can only blame her own jealousy for her issues.

Henley helped Jayne win the Women’s Title but that’s never thrown in her face. Lainey Reid has helped Jayne keep the title so maybe it’s time for Zaria to blame herself. Cue Sol Ruca to interrupt, with threats of snatching souls. She knows how Jayne and Zaria operate and is coming for the Women’s Title. Stone makes a triple threat title match between Zaria, Ruca and Jayne for the upcoming Houston show. Ruca gets triple teamed by Fatal Influence, with Zaria pulling them off. Zaria can’t F5 Jayne but Ruca is in with a Sol Snatcher to Zaria, only to get laid out by Reid. This was a long thing to set up one match in a few weeks.

Lexis King and company ask Charlie Dempsey for an answer and it’s going to be a no. King says it’s time for Dempsey to finally embrace his destiny and the team walks off. Tavion Heights is tired of this and wants a one night NQCC reunion to take them out. Dempsey is in.

We recap Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in NXT Underground. They both have extensive backgrounds in other sports and Jordan eventually won the TNA Knockouts Title. Vice kicked her out of the locker room, though it’s ok for Vice to go to AAA. That’s not ok with Jordan and they kept arguing over gymnastics vs. MMA. Vice knocked her out but Jordan injured Vice’s hand and actually beat her by submission. Tonight, it’s a much bigger fight in NXT Underground.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice

No ropes, wrestlers around the ring, and knockout/submission only to win (it’s basically MMA without judges), with Vice coming in with a bad hand. They go to the mat to start with Vice firing off some left (non injured) hands. Jordan gets smart by going after the hand and ramming it into the post. A release northern lights suplex drops Vice onto her hand again and Jordan stomps down onto it as well. Jordan takes the glove off the bad hand and wraps it around the post again as Vice is in big trouble.

Vice manages to send Jordan face first into the post and some strikes rock Jordan for a change. There’s a German suplex to send Jordan flying and Vice kicks her onto a pile of wrestlers at ringside. Vice goes after the lumberjacks, allowing Jordan to hit a superkick. Hold on though as Jordan goes over to yell at Vice’s father, which is never a good idea. That’s enough for Vice to catch her with one heck of a spinning backfist for the knockout at 6:40.

Rating: C+. I never know how to rate these things as they’re so different than usual matches. It told a good story with the hand being hurt but Vice fighting through the pain and using the hand to knock Jordan out cold. The finish looked great as anyone scoring that kind of a knockout is a great way to go. Awesome finish and Vice looked like a killer in the end.

Stand & Deliver is coming to St. Louis on April 4, two weeks before Wrestlemania Weekend.

Jacy Jayne is panicking over the triple threat so Lainey Reid offers to take out Sol Ruca. Works for Jayne.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Joe Hendry for the NXT Title. Hendry won the vacant title in a ladder match and Saints is livid, as he doesn’t think Hendry is a true main eventer. They’ve been brawling ever since and it’s time for the title match.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Joe Hendry

Hendry is defending. Saints slaps away at Hendry’s back to start, earning himself a beating out to the floor. Back in and Saints knocks Hendry into the ropes, with Hendry’s ankle getting tied up. That lets Saints kick him out of the ropes before taking Hendry back inside to keep up the beating. Hendry fights back and grabs a delayed vertical suplex for two before spinning out a suplex attempt.

A neckbreaker puts Saints down but he gets in a shot of his own and tries the strutting Old School. That takes too long as well and Hendry kicks him down for the crotching. They head outside, with Saints sending him hard into the steps for the big crash. Saints’ neckbreaker and a shot to the shoulder gets two and we’re off to the chinlock. With that broken up, Saints hammers away in the corner and sends Hendry outside for an ax handle from the apron.

A belly to back suplex gives Saints two and a slingshot rollup of all things gets the same. Saints puts him in the corner for a running basement dropkick and the kickout has the frustration mounting. The fall away slam and nip up let Saints do the mocking pose, but that’s enough for Hendry to pop up with a spear. Hendry’s fall away slam sends Saints flying and Hendry gets to spin around.

Saints’ hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb for two and now it’s Hendry’s turn to be frustrated. Saints slugs his way up and grabs an Air Raid Crash for two, followed by the crossface. Hendry rolls around enough that Saints has to settle for a guillotine choke and Hendry is on trouble. That doesn’t last long as he powers up and tries a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up as well and Saints scores with a superkick, only to walk into an AA for two. Saints is sat up top for a super fall away slam for two and Hendry is running out of ideas.

Back up and Saints manages a jumping knee into a hammerlock DDT for two of his own. Cue Ethan Page to pick up the title, which distracts Saints enough that Hendry gets two off a rollup. Saints spears him down for two more so Page throws the title in, with the referee taking it away. A low blow and springboard tornado DDT drop Hendry for another near fall so a ticked off Saints just hammers on him. The referee almost gets bumped and Hendry gets in a low blow of his own, allowing the Standing Ovation to retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B. These guys were trading bombs here and having Page out there made it feel that much more likely that Saints might actually steal the title. At the same time, it lets Hendry get in a big time title defense, which should help make him feel like a more legitimate champion. At the same time, Page feels all but guaranteed for the Stand & Deliver title shot, where we really could see him get the title back. Solid main event here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Hendry celebrates as the villains leave to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another solid show with a bunch of grudge matches, some of which happened to have titles on the line. That’s the point of a show like this, as a bunch of the feuds are cleared out on the way to Stand & Deliver next month. That is the clear big goal from here and this did a good job of getting things ready. Nice work here, as NXT is starting to find itself, as it has to do so often.

Results
Blake Monroe b. Jaida Parker – Glamour Shot onto a pile of diamonds
Tony D’Angelo b. Dion Lennox – Spinebuster
Tatum Paxley b. Izzi Dame – Cemetery Drive
Lola Vice b. Kelani Jordan via knockout
Joe Hendry b. Ricky Saints – Standing Ovation

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

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

We’re coming up on Gold Rush but this week has a major match in its own right. This week features Ricky Saints defending the NXT Title against Trick Williams in a last man standing match. That should be more than enough to carry things, though next week is when things get really big. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Quick Veterans Day tribute.

Here is the Culling to get things going. Tatum Paxley is so happy with getting this far and wants to be champion for a long time. She knows she needs to listen to her friends though, especially Izzi Dame. That gets her a bit of a lecture of about how she can’t give everyone title shots, which Paxley thinks makes sense. Spinning the wheel was really fun though!

Dame says the last time she did everything for the fans, she wound up alone, which was when the Culling came in to save her. She can’t keep handing out title shots, but here is Fatal Influence to interrupt. Jacy Jayne says Paxley can prove it wasn’t a fluke at Halloween Havoc by beating her again. Dame cuts it off and Paxley thinks about it….and gives Jayne a rematch at Gold Rush. That doesn’t have Dame overly pleased.

Earlier today, Evolve Champion Jackson Drake was pleased to be given a title defense at Gold Rush. He’s less happy about defending against Sean Legacy. Chelsea Green and Ethan Page come in with Green bragging about regaining the Women’s US Title. As a result, Ava gives her a match too.

Speed Title: Jasper Troy vs. El Grande Americano

Americano is defending and gets driven into the corner for some hard shoulders to the ribs. Americano’s dive is pulled out of the air but he slips away and kicks at the chest to limited avail. Troy elbows him in the face for two as we’re already two minutes into the five minute time limit. Things slow down for a bit until Americano catches him with a running knee.

A Blockbuster connects but Troy knocks him hard to the floor. Troy grabs the chain and has to knock away Rayo and Bravo, who are ejected as a result. Americano scores with a suicide dive with about a minute left. The running headbutt connects but Americano gets caught loading up the foreign object. Troy cuts him off and hits the Black Hole Slam to win the title at 4:43.

Rating: C+. They packed some stuff in here and I was surprised by the title change so we’ll call it a success. It does seem like things are passing Americano by a bit, though it’s not like being the Speed Champion matters very much. At the same time, it could mean a good bit more to Troy so maybe this is the change he has been needing.

Joe Hendry appears next to Thea Hail and they thank each other for last week. Now they’re ready to win the AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion. For tonight though, Hail is going to beat up Alba Fyre. Hendry: “Hail yeah!”

Sean Legacy is in Ava’s office when Zaria and Sol Ruca come in. Legacy wishes Ruca well in her rehab, with Ava saying Ruca is medically cleared. She wants to face Blake Monroe next week, with Ava sounding a bit skeptical but making the match anyway.

Thea Hail vs. Alba Fyre

Joe Hendry, Ethan Page and Chelsea Green are here too. Hail’s early Kimura attempt is rammed into the corner and Fyre kicks her in the back for two. Back up and Hail Thesz presses her to hammer away before a dropkick puts Fyre on the floor. Hail goes after Green though and gets taken out by Fyre’s dive as we take a break.

We come back with Hail striking away, including some ax handles to the chest. Hail misses the bottom rope backsplash though and Fyre gets two off a tornado DDT. A Michinoku Driver gives Hail two and she grabs the Kimura, which is broken up by a Page distraction. Hendry cuts him off in a hurry and Hail dives onto Green. Back in and a sunset flip dives Hail the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Hail’s renewed push is nice to see as it’s certainly better than whatever she was doing over the last few months. She’s been looking for someone to bounce off of since Chase U imploded and this makes as much sense as anyone else. At the same time, it’s sad to see Fyre falling this far, but that has been the case for a long time now.

Ricky Saints is getting taped up and gives Tatum Paxley a pep talk. The Culling comes in to pull Paxley away.

Blake Monroe is rather pleased with winning the Women’s North American Title but gets in an argument with….herself, in a different outfit. The one in the different (darker) outfit says none of this matters until the real Monroe beats Sol Ruca for good. The real one can win with Darker on her side because that’s the kind of champion that the real one needs to be. That’s not cool with the real one because they won’t like it, but the Darker one says it won’t matter because she’ll still be champion. The real one agrees. This company is WAY too obsessed with split personalities.

Je’Von Evans is on the phone with Leon Slater and they have an announcement for later.

Jordynne Grace (in glasses) says Kelani Jordan isn’t an original because anyone can do it. Grace knows what it means to be the Knockouts Champion. Jordan has been blaming the world for what she is. At Gold Rush, the only one she can blame is Grace. That’s a good line.

Here is Je’Von Evans for a chat. He’s excited to be in the Last Time Is Now Tournament but a bit scared too. That’s on Monday though and now he has an announcement here. Leon Slater pops up on screen and we get the announcement: they’re challenging Darkstate for the NXT Tag Team Titles next week. Cue Darkstate in the crowd to say that they’re going to take out Evans and Slater next week. The four of them get in the ring but here is Slater to help Darkstate out with some dives.

Kelani Jordan comes up to Trick Williams and admits that he was right: it’s lonely at the top but it means being champion. Williams approves.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Skyler Raye vs. Fallon Henley

Raye is the winner of season two of LFG and is a cheerleader. Raye’s early dropkick sets up some rollups and quick near falls. Henley reverses into a crossface attempt, which is cut off with a quick rollup as we’re a minute in. A hurricanrana sends Henley into the corner and a high crossbody gets two. Henley is back with a Sling Blade though and the Fameasser finishes Raye at 2:17. Well that was qui…er, speedy.

Jasper Troy is happy with his win. Darkstate pops up and is ticked off at Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater.

Fatal Influence is ready to dominate.

Josh Briggs vs. Tavion Heights

Briggs kicks him in the face at the bell and stomps away as a villain should. Heights gets smart by wrestling him down, which is broken up without much trouble. A roll into a fireman’s carry is broken up though and Briggs knocks him down again as we take a break. We come back with Height slugging away but a cheap shot to the legs takes him down. Briggs shoves him in the face a few times and gets taken down for his efforts. Some clotheslines are cut off with a boot to Heights, who avoids another boot. The belly to belly gives Heights the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C+. I’ve been a fan of Heights for a bit and it’s nice to see him getting something. There is always room for someone who has that kind of an amateur background and it was working fine here. At the same time, I’m not wild on seeing Briggs lose again as it happens too often, but I could go for more of Heights.

Myles Borne is in Ava’s office and says he’ll be out there for the main event, but Ava warns him not to interfere. With Borne gone, Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey talk about finding one more member of the No Quarter Catch Club. Cue Lainey Reid to slap Grey and the brawl is on, likely setting up the Evolve Women’s Title match at Gold Rush.

Gold Rush rundown.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Trick Williams

Saints is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Williams misses a kendo stick shot to start so Saints grabs the stick and uses it to walk the ropes. Some stick shots have Williams down and a whip sends him hard into the steps. Back up and Williams gets smart by going after Saints’ banged up ribs before tying Saints up in the ropes. That means a beating with the kendo stick, followed by a rather nasty series of chair shots.

Saints is back up at seven and he blocks a trashcan lid shot to start the early comeback. Williams is knocked outside and we take an early break. We come back with Williams being sent through the barricade, allowing Saints to give him one heck of a beating with a kendo stick. An even bigger beating with a chair gets nine and Saints’ spear gets the same. Williams (bleeding from the side of the head) is up to knock Saints back to the floor, where a running shot with the steps puts him down again.

The running knee off the steps sets up a Rock Bottom onto them, with Williams putting the steps onto him in a smart move. Saints slips away and misses a spear through the wooden wall, only to pop right back up. They fight into the crowd, with Saints spearing him off a balcony (ok not a tall one but a balcony either way) through the announcers’ table to retain at 15:32.

Rating: B. They were kind of meandering to start but then it got a lot better once it felt like a fight. Saints got violent by the end and that’s what it should have been. Williams needs to move on to something else and Saints is going to need a fresh challenger, with a spot likely waiting for him in the second week of Gold Rush.

Post match the credits roll….and Oba Femi is back to end the show. Yeah that works.

Overall Rating: B-. This was an up and down show, as I liked the main event a lot more than I was expecting, but I still can’t get into the Speed stuff. It’s perfectly fine and a nice way to keep the show moving, but I can only get so invested into a match that runs three minutes. They did make Gold Rush feel like a bigger deal though and that’s the important part. Good enough show here, but the Speed stuff is already getting a bit annoying.

Results
Jasper Troy b. El Grande Americano – Black Hole Slam
Thea Hail b. Alba Fyre – Sunset flip
Fallon Henley b. Skyler Raye – Fameasser
Tavion Heights b. Josh Briggs – Spinning belly to belly suplex
Ricky Saints b. Trick Williams when Williams could not answer the ten count

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

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NXT
Date: September 30, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with No Mercy and there was a surprise title change as Ricky Saints defeated Oba Femi to win the NXT Title. That’s a big enough story, but at the same time, we have a week to go before the next event, as TNA is coming for Invasion. That show’s lineup will be announced this week, which should be rather important. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s TNA invasion, which set up next week’s TNA Invasion.

Long No Mercy recap.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. Saints talks about how he wanted to bring reality around here and the reality is he is your new NXT Champion. Did he do it? Did WE do it? He bet everything on himself and that title is the proof that it works…and here is Jacy Jayne to interrupt. She brags about having the gold and now it’s time to deal with TNA. Cue Ava to interrupt, saying that Jayne is right, which is why the two of them are the captains for Invasion.

Cue Santino Marella, who says you can’t trust a man named TRICKY to be your captain so Mike Santana will be his captain instead. At the same time, NXT’s Kelani Jordan will be the women’s captain for TNA. They’re ready for a summit later but Jayne has no idea how Jordan makes sense as a captain. Saints says he’ll see Santana later tonight.

Je’Von Evans runs into TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater, who he is set to face at Bound For Glory. They’re cool with each other and ready for their title match. The Culling comes in to say they don’t approve of this and a match seems to be made for later. Lyra Valkyria comes in and has a present for Tatum Paxley: a new doll! Screaming for joy ensues.

Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend

Legend jumps her in the corner to start fast and a suplex drops Parker. A running shoulder puts Parker on the floor, where she gives Legend a Samoan drop. We take a break and come back with Legend grabbing a half crab, which is broken with a grab of the rope. Parker scores with a quick Blockbuster but Legend grabs the tights to cut her off (with the fans approving). The hip attack connects in the corner, only for Legend to pop up with a pump kick. Legend’s backbreaker faceplant is broken up though and the Hipnotique (more a running shoulder this time) finishes for Parker at 9:08.

Rating: C+. They were just starting to get going at the end but I can go with Parker picking up the win. She’s been needing that for a good while now and beating Legend clean feels like an important moment. At the same time, Legend losing isn’t great to see, but I’d be stunned if we don’t get another match between these two.

Trick Williams talks to the NXT roster and says he should be co-captain with Ricky Saints. That’s not quite cool with Saints, who says there are two spots left on his team and Je’Von Evans (next to him) is getting one of them. The other spot is going to Myles Borne, who impressed Saints at No Mercy. Williams, who seems to have some authority here, picks Josh Briggs, which makes Evans walk off. Saints says he’ll deal with Evans, and tonight it’s Briggs vs. Borne for a spot on the team. They really did not make this clear and I shouldn’t be this unsure of who is in and who isn’t.

Here is Ethan Page to brag about his title defense on Saturday, as he turned away an OLYMPIC level threat. Now it’s time to go south of the border and deal with El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. Page calls him out but instead he gets TNA’s Mustafa Ali, who is greeted with a WELCOME BACK chant.

Ali gets right to the point: two years ago he earned a North American Title shot but he was released before he got his shot. Page says cry to someone who cares, but Ali says he’ll be politicking for it. That’s why he’s talked to Ava and Santino Marella and the title is on the line next week at Showdown (not Invasion). Page isn’t happy but says bring it. The brawl is on and Page is cleaned out.

Fatal Influence is here to pick the women’s Survivor Series team. First up: Sol Ruca, who agrees. Lola Vice wants to be on the team but Fallon Henley says she’s getting the final spot. Lainey Reid comes in to say don’t trust Henley and the big argument is on. Jayne calms things down and makes Henley vs. Vice for the spot on the team. Zaria asks to talk to Ruca in private.

Video on the Hardys, who are back in a title vs. title match against Darkstate next week. They’re ready to win the only WWE titles they’ve never won and DELETE Darkstate.

Myles Borne vs. Josh Briggs

For a spot on the NXT Survivor Series team. The fans don’t like Briggs, who shoves away an early headlock. Borne knocks him down and hits a sliding forearm before sending Briggs outside. The big running flip dive connects but Briggs knocks him down back inside to take over. Briggs sends Borne into the corner but stops to acknowledge the fans chanting about him. A crossbody takes Borne down and a chokeslam gives Briggs two as we take a break.

We come back with Briggs fighting out of a chinlock and going up top. Briggs catches him though and hits a pair of backbreakers for two. Borne gets in a belly to back suplex but walks into a boot. That’s enough for Briggs to load up his chain but cue Matt Cardona to cut off the big swing. The distraction lets Borne hit Borne Again for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. Borne has come out of absolutely nowhere and turned into a rather solid star. I’m not sure how far he’s ever going to go, but for someone who was little more than an extra hand in a stable, he’s come an incredibly long way. You can see the confidence in him and that’s an incredible sign for his future.

Jordynne Grace congratulates Kelani Jordan and wants to be on the TNA team but makes the mistake of mentioning Joe Hendry. Mike Santana comes in and wants to talk to Jordan, leaving Grace and Hendry to want in on next week.

Fallon Henley vs. Lola Vice

Vice starts fast but gets elbowed in the face, setting up a dropkick to the back for two. Henley sends her throat first into the ropes for a right hand, followed by a running elbow for two more. The comeback starts fast with some suplexes and Henley is quickly knocked outside. The spinning backfist finishes Henley at 3:50.

Rating: C. This was about all it needed to be as Vice shrugged off everything Henley threw at her (which granted wasn’t much) and then pinned her clean. Vice is still someone who can be around the title picture so putting her onto the team over Henley is a good move. I’m glad they didn’t extend this one out as there was no need for it to go any further.

Darkstate is ready for the Hardys.

Jacy Jayne says that was her fault as Fallon Henley wasn’t ready. Lainey Reid comes in to say she attacked Lola Vice and Jazmyn Nyx, who never belonged in Fatal Influence. The team is stunned.

Je’Von Evans/Leon Slater vs. The Culling

Slater headlocks Spears to start and hits a running clothesline in the corner. Vance comes in and gets his arm worked on, including Evans’ top rope ax handle. A spinebuster gets Spears out of trouble but he sees Izzi Dame yelling at Tatum Paxley for playing with the doll she got earlier. The Culling is sent outside and taken down by dives and we take a break.

We come back with Slater fighting out of a full nelson and kicking Spears away. A kick to the face drops Vance and the tag brings in Evans to pick up the pace. Vance manages to Alabama Slam him out of the corner for two and it’s already back to Slater. That means the big running flip dive over the post can drop the Culling but Spears knees Slater out of the air. Slater is back up with a double Lethal Injection and the Swanton 450 (exactly what it sounds like and it’s awesome) pins Spears at 10:51.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard tag match until it all went nuts at the end, which is where Slater took over. Slater is one of the most exciting stars going today and it would not surprise me at all to see him getting on a much bigger stage. His time in TNA has gone well so far and he needs a lot more experience, but dang he is fun to watch.

Team TNA is here (in a CYBERTRUCK of all things) and they’re confronted in the parking lot. We come back from a break with the big summit in the ring, with Trick Williams declaring himself co-captain. Ricky Saints shuts that down immediately and names the men’s NXT team: Saints, Williams, Je’Von Evans and Myles Borne (who has suited up since his match). Mike Santana says TNA has a locker room full of men ready to turn this place upside down. The TNA team: Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose and Leon Slater (no Hendry oddly enough).

Jacy Jayne doesn’t buy Kelani Jordan being loyal to NXT and picks herself, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker and Lola Vice. Jordan counters that with herself, the IInspiration (apparently the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions) and “Jak…I mean Mara Sade!” (formerly known as Jakara Jackson). The huge brawl is on with Shawn Michaels coming out to watch to end the show. The only thing I got out of this: Jordan isn’t great with a live mic. Oh and the women’s match is looking like a total squash on paper.

Overall Rating: B-. They were in a very tricky spot here as they had to build to No Mercy in the previous weeks before turning all of their attention to Showdown. The invasion still feels a bit out of nowhere, but they’ve turned it into a pretty big deal in short order. I’m wanting to see the show, even if the build was pretty much done in the span of one night. It’s a one story show so if you don’t care about the invasion then you won’t care, but it walked a thin line fairly well.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Lash Legend – Hipnotique
Myles Borne b. Josh Briggs – Borne Again
Lola Vice b. Fallon Henley – Spinning backfist
Je’Von Evans/Leon Slater b. The Culling – Swanton 450 to Spears

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

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

No Mercy 2025
Date: September 27, 2025
Location: FTL War Memorial, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s another special and the card is looking big enough. We have a nice mixture of title matches and grudge matches, which should make for a nice night. The main event is…well it could be a few different things actually, but in theory it’s Oba Femi defending the NXT Title against Ricky Saints. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a pretty standard look at the card.

Josh Briggs vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans kicks him in the face to start fast but misses another boot and gets sent over the barricade. With Evans favoring his hip, Briggs sends him over the barricade but Evans is back with a ram into the steps. Back in and a springboard crossbody into a springboard hurricanrana has Briggs in trouble.

Briggs shrugs off a dropkick though and starts hammering away, followed by some backbreakers for two. A hard whip into the corner has Evans in more trouble but he fights out of said corner with the right hands. An enziguri staggers Briggs but he knocks Evans off the apron for a crash to the floor. A right hand seems to wake Evans up and he springs around for a German suplex.

Evans sends him outside for a heck of a dive, followed by a frog splash for two back inside. Briggs goes simple by hitting him in the back of the head for two more. Some big boots and another backbreaker set up a knee to the area near Evans’ head for another near fall. They go up top with Evans flipping out of a super chokeslam but getting caught with the regular version for two.

It’s back to the floor, where Briggs throws him into the ropes for a right hand. Back in and a hard lariat gets two, with Evans making the rope. Evans knees him in the face but a springboard is booted out of the air. The chokeslam is countered into a cutter (ala Randy Orton vs. Undertaker) and the top rope cutter finishes for Evans at 16:24.

Rating: B. Evans has turned me around on him with some of his recent stuff and it has been very nice to see. He’s no longer just someone who does his same basic stuff and has become a high flier who knows how to use his strengths. I got into seeing him take down the bigger guy here and it was a rather nice opener.

We look at Trick Williams vs. Dominik Mysterio at No Mercy 2023. Ok then.

Last night, Kelani Jordan won the TNA Knockouts Title after Ash By Elegance had to vacate the title.

Jordan is excited to be the champion and will fight like heck to keep it.

Lainey Reid is injured but Sol Ruca is still defending the title.

Women’s Speed Title: Sol Ruca vs. ???

Ruca, with Zaria, is defending against….Jaida Parker with a five minute time limit. They start fast and Ruca knocks her to the floor, where we get a mockery of Parker’s stepping taunt. Parker rolls to another part of the floor, where she cuts off a baseball slide and hits her in the face. Back in and a falcon arrow gives Parker two but the Hipnotique is countered into….we’’ll call it a tilt-a-whirl slam but it didn’t hit clean at all.

They head to the apron, where Parker gets in a forearm as we have two minutes left. Ruca reverses a suplex into a DDT for two and they fight outside again with a minute to go. Ruca’s moonsault off the steps misses and the Hipnotique connects but Parker would rather go after Zaria. Cue Lash Legend to go after Parker but Zaria spears Legend. The Sol Snatcher connects back inside to retain the title at 4:43.

Rating: C. The Speed Title is a nice idea that doesn’t work very well with the longer match. No five minutes isn’t a ton of time, but it also doesn’t make for the greatest matches. Parker was a last minute replacement, but it’s not like Reid would have done that much better. This is something that belongs on the pre-show rather than the main card and it showed pretty badly here.

Joe Hendry was disappointed by his most recent loss when Darkstate interrupted to threaten him again. Hendry seems intrigued by what sounded like an offer to join them.

We recap Blake Monroe vs. Jordynne Grace. They were friends for a few weeks but then Monroe turned on her, saying that Grace wasn’t good enough for her. Grace has come after vengeance and now it’s time for a weaponized cage match.

Jordynne Grace vs. Blake Monroe

In a cage with weapons. Grace swings a chair to start but misses, allowing Monroe to come back with some kendo stick shots (Joseph: “Like the Guardians against the Rangers!”). Grace knocks her down though and puts on a Boston crab, with the chair over the back of Monroe’s neck. The chair is wedged into the corner but Monroe sends her into the cage a few times.

Monroe goes after Grace’s injured thumb and then stabs at the hand with a kendo stick. A hairdryer is used to tie Grace’s wrists to the ropes and Monroe hacks off a bunch of Grace’s hair. Grace gets out and unloads on Monroe but the powerbomb is blocked with a grab of the cage. A weightbelt is used to give Monroe a whipping and it’s time for a pink trashcan. That takes too long though and Monroe hits her with the trashcan lid for two.

Monroe pours out a bag of diamonds but Grace manages to suplex her onto them for two instead. They go to the corner with Monroe hitting a double stomp into a trashcan for two. The fans want and receive a table, before the fight heads to the top of the cage. A metal bar shot to the face rocks Monroe but she loads up a powerbomb. Grace blocks that instead and switches into an Air Raid Crash through a table for the pin at 16:48.

Rating: C. This match didn’t know what it wanted to be, as it was designed to be all about the violence and the hatred but then wound up being a lot of less than serious spots. The weapons being pink and featuring stuff like a hairdryer and a bag of diamonds didn’t exactly help either. I’m glad Grace got a bit win, but dang I was wanting something a lot different than this.

Ava announces Invasion, with TNA facing NXT on October 7 in a pair of Survivor Series matches. Also, Darkstate vs. the Hardys, winner take all.

Lash Legend comes out to mock TNA and say she should be the captain of the NXT Survivor but will be back. Lola Vice comes in to say she’s sorry Reid is hurt Series team. Jaida Parker comes out for the brawl…and that’s it.

Lainey Reid is disappointed that she’s injured when Lola Vice comes in to console her. Reid thanks her…but knows Vice is losing anyway.

We look at another No Mercy classic, with Ethan Page beating Joe Hendry in 2024.

North American Title: Tavion Heights vs. Ethan Page

Heights is challenging and rams into him to start, with neither of them going anywhere. They head to the ramp where Page hits a quick backdrop to take over, followed by some elbows to the back inside. A belly to back suplex gives Page two and a regular suplex gets the same, with Page staying on the back. Page gives him a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle (OUCH) for a crash out to the floor.

Heights gets back to his feet and makes the comeback, including something close to a Sling Blade. An ankle lock puts Page in more trouble until he makes it to a rope. The leg is fine enough for Page to hit an Ego’s Edge for two before floating straight into a Boston crab. That’s broken up as well and they go up, with Heights grabbing a sleeper. Page reverses that into a super powerslam, followed by the Twisted Grin to retain the title at 10:19.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a good bit more than I was expecting, though Heights was only so much of a serious threat to take the belt. Page is on a bit of a roll right now and I could see him being something of a replacement Miz on the main roster. For now though, he gets to continue his second reign as a champion and that’s going well enough.

Post match AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. pops up to say he wants the North American Title.

Myles Borne is glad Lexis King made him tap into a different world. NXT is his family and he’s ready to go to war with TNA. He doesn’t care who comes after NXT, because they’ll be ready to defend their house.

TNA’s Mike Santana is ready to win the TNA World Title back and he’s not the only one in TNA who is ticked off. He’ll be back on Tuesday and he’s not coming alone.

Frankie Kazarian is going to be at NXT on Tuesday too.

From No Mercy 2024, Roxanne Perez b. Jaida Parker.

Women’s Title: Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fallon Henley, is defending and Vice is the hometown star. We get the Big Match Intros before Jayne pulls her into a headlock. That’s reversed into a headscissors, which is reversed just as fast. Vice gets another headlock and stays on Jayne, who needs a breather in the corner. Henley offers a distraction and gets nowhere, as Vice is right back with a knockdown into a chinlock.

That’s broken up and they head outside, with Henley offering another distraction so Jayne can knock her into the steps. Back in and Vice fights back only for Henley to offer another distraction. A Backstabber gives Jayne two and we hit the chinlock with a knee to the back. Vice is able to reverse into a crossface, which is stacked up for two and the escape. Some kicks send Jayne into the corner for the running hip attack, with Jayne being sent outside. Vice’s flip dive connects (Henley seemed to take a big hit) but Jayne is back with a pump kick.

Back in and Vice’s spinning kick to the face gets two as Henley pulls the referee out. Henley is ejected but Vice misses a charge into the corner, allowing Jayne to hit a heck of a backfist for two. Vice is back up with a tornado DDT into a guillotine, which is broken up with a ram into the corner. A belly to back superplex into the running knee gives Jayne two and she’s stunned off the kickout.

The title is brought in but Vice rolls her up for two instead. Jayne kicks her in the arm but Vice kicks her in the face. They strike it out until Vice connects with a spinning backfist but falls out to the floor. Cue a woman in a hoodie to knee Vice down on the floor but she beats the count back in. The Rolling Encore retains the title at 18:40.

Rating: B-. I was thinking that Vice was going to win the title here, but at the end of the day, Jayne is in a great place as champion. It makes a lot of sense to keep the title on her, as someone is going to have to take the title from her sooner or later. I’m not sure where Vice is going from here, but she’s going to need a win to bounce back from this one way or another.

TNA’s Moose and Mustafa Ali are ready for the invasion.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title. Saints has been around for a few months and has done well but he wants the top prize. Femi has talked about being the best of the best and is ready to make the Absolute look mediocre.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and powers Saints into the corner to start. Saints gets a boot up to cut him off though and a rollup gets a quick two. A shot to the back has Saints in trouble but he’s up with some chops to slow it down. Saints poses a bit too much and has to slip out of a powerslam, meaning it’s a dropkick to stagger Femi. A running knee sends Femi outside but he’s back in with some Irish Curses to cut Saints off again.

Femi drops him with a clothesline out of the corner and Saints has to beat a count back inside. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Saints’ back, followed by a backbreaker to make it even worse. Saints fights up but springboards into a chokeslam for two. Back up again and Saints tries some running shots to the face, eventually managing to knock Femi down. The spear gives Saints two and it’s time for a double breather.

Femi catches him on top but Saints slips down and powerbombs him out of the corner for another near fall. Back up and Femi gets rolled up for two but he sends Saints flying for a crash. The Fall From Grace is countered into a hurricanrana for two and they knock each other down for another breather.

They go outside, with Femi loading up the announcers’ table, only for the Fall From Grace to be reversed into a DDT. A tornado DDT on the floor drops Femi again but he knocks Saints silly with a single shot. Back in and the Fall From Grace connects for two and Femi can’t believe it. Another Fall From Grace is countered into another DDT and another tornado DDT gives Saints the title at 17:23.

Rating: B. This was the story of Starks trying to fight through adversity because he had something to prove, which is exactly what he had to do. Other than spamming the DDT a bit, the match was put together well and it was definitely a big moment after a show without much in the way of title changes. Femi very well may be on his way up to the main roster too, as there isn’t much left for him to do in NXT.

Saints celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and main event were both good (imagine: Shawn Michaels knowing how to book a match involving smaller wrestlers fighting monsters) but that Speed Title match and the cage match brought the show way back down. There’s nothing on here that is worth going out of your way to see but there is a good chance that this was Femi’s NXT swan song. Overall it’s a fine show, though not exactly a must see event. Check it out if you’re bored at best.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Josh Briggs – Top rope cutter
Sol Ruca b. Jaida Parker – Sol Snatcher
Jordynne Grace b. Blake Monroe – Air Raid Crash through a table
Ethan Page b. Tavion Heights – Twisted Grin
Jacy Jayne b. Lola Vice – Rolling Encore
Ricky Saints b. Oba Femi – Springboard tornado DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @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: September 16, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s a special show this week with Homecoming, meaning a bunch of stars of NXT’s past are back around. That’s the kind of thing you kind of have to do when the show is back in its old stomping grounds. We’re also getting pretty close to No Mercy and the show is likely going to get some build here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a history of NXT at Full Sail, dating back to the HHH with long hair era. The idea was that you were seeing the future, including stars like Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, the Four Horsewomen and several others. There are all kinds of highlights included here, as NXT has been around for a very, very long time with some great moments.

We get a modernized version of the opening, set to The Roar Of The Crowd. Oh dang that’s a flashback.

Here is HHH to get things going for a special moment and yeah the fans seem to like him. He’s glad to be home and that’s good for a WELCOME HOME chant. This place is something special and for every talent who walked through that….video board (HHH: “I was going to say curtain but there isn’t one.”). He thanks everyone who has helped make this place work, including the fans at home.

The people turned this from a whisper into a roar. They are the ones who said NXT is the future and then they said the future is now. Those same people then shouted WE ARE NXT so HHH is here to say thank you…and here is a dancing Shawn Michaels to interrupt (with the fans singing his song). Michaels: “As I came walking out of that…video board is it?” He thanks HHH for the billion dollar deals and says his current NXT stars are ready to take over. HHH asks what would happen if he wanted to come back to NXT.

Michaels says that would be a very, very big problem….and here’s William Regal to interrupt. After saying there is one way of doing this (and calling out a fan for saying the line before he can, with Regal saying to edit that out), Regal says this means WARGAMES. Cue Charlotte and Alexa Bliss to interrupt, with Charlotte saying it doesn’t matter who is in charge because the women have always run NXT. Charlotte talks about some great women of NXT’s past. And Carmella. Anyway, they have a title match for tonight and if you have a problem with the women, they have two words for you. Very fun opening segment.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Alexa Bliss/Charlotte

Bliss and Charlotte are defending. Paxley and Bliss start things off with a doll showdown until Paxley takes her down by the head. They trade poses before Paxley has to escape a quick Sister Abigail DDT attempt. Charlotte (thankfully she’s healed up) comes in but Dame slaps her handshake away. A jawbreaker staggers Charlotte but everything breaks down with the champs hitting stereo running faceplants.

We take a break and come back with a facebuster putting Charlotte in trouble again. She chops away but Dame is right there to cut her off. Stereo big boots leave them both down though and Charlotte gets over for the tag off to Bliss. A running Blockbuster gets two on Paxley and a choke shove puts her down again. Shawn Spears offers a distraction though and Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Paxley’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and the Psycho Trap connects, with Charlotte having to make a save. That means Bliss can hit the Sister Abigail DDT for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: B-. It was interesting to see someone who could match Charlotte in size but this was just about having a pair of former NXT stars making a special return. There was no way the Culling was getting the titles here, but it was nice to have the reunion with the NXT fans. Nice match too, as the pairings made good sense.

Zaria and Sol Ruca argue in the back over their lack of success as a team. Lainey Reid and Candice LeRae come in to argue about which of the two of them will be getting a shot at Ruca’s Speed Title…but Shayna Baszler comes in to tell Ruca and Zaria to fix this. And that’s that.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. DIY

Gargano and Hayes miss rolling kicks to the head to start and the fans are VERY into this. Ciampa (with his face painted) comes in to knee Williams to the floor and Gargano adds a big dive as we take a break. We come back with Ciampa giving Williams a reverse DDT, allowing the tag off to Gargano for the house cleaning. Gargano and Hayes go to the ramp until Gargano sends him back inside for the slingshot spear.

Back in and Williams runs through Ciampa and loads up the Trick Shot but Hayes tags himself in. Hayes hits a spinning faceplant and Williams teases going after him but hits a diving clothesline on Gargano (who seemed to be his target). A springboard Doomsday Device gets two on Ciampa, who is right back with Project Ciampa for two on Hayes.

Williams grabs the title but Ciampa grabs the Fairy Tale Ending. Hayes breaks up Meet In The Middle but gets caught in the Shatter Machine. Meet In The Middle connects with Williams making the save…and the Miz runs in for a Skull Crushing Finale to Gargano on the floor. Back in and Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin at 10:39.

Rating: B. This was a match that felt big coming in and then it wound up being able to live up to most of the hype. Later in the match was was thinking Miz shouldn’t be happy with his partner doing this kind of thing on his own so points for having the stories come together. It’s also nice to see the newer generation of NXT stars getting a win, as you don’t want a show like this to be dominated by the old guard.

Sami Zayn is glad to be back here and likes what he sees in Je’Von Evans. Josh Briggs interrupts to say Evans is nothing but here is Evans to brawl with Briggs. With that broken up, Zayn tells Evans that the sky is the limit for them and they have to fight.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Tyler Breeze

Page is defending and drops Breeze with a running shoulder to start. That lets Page do Breeze’s pose on the ropes so Breeze hits a dropkick and poses himself. Back up and Page hits a heck of a right hand as we take a break. We come back with Breeze fighting out of the Twisted Grin and hitting a running forearm. Page is right back with an Ego’s Edge for two but Breeze wraps his leg around the post and grabs a Hartbreaker.

Back in and a half crab sends Page to the ropes, followed by the Supermodel Kick for two. The Unprettier is broken up so Page goes to the corner, where Breeze pulls him into a Cheeky Nandos Kick. Breeze goes up again but Page cuts him off and hits a hanging Twisted Grin for the pin to retain at 10:33.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Breeze come back, as having him put into this kind of a spot is a great flashback, even if it seems like a one off. That’s a nice way to bring someone back and have them put a current champion over. The fans were still in for what Breeze was doing and he didn’t look like he had lost a step.

Post match AAA’s El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. shows up for a staredown with Page.

Tavion Heights is annoyed but Damian Priest comes in to give him a pep talk. He sees a lot of himself in Heights, who is very appreciative. Priest says he’s here for advice too, which Heights seems to want.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with Ricky Saints and Oba Femi already in the ring. Waller mocks both of them to start but Femi brushes it off. Femi says Saints can carry as many bags as he likes but he won’t be carrying the NXT Title. Saints asks who Femi is without the title, because all he sees is a pampered athlete. Years ago, Saints gave everything in a tryout to get an automated email saying no, so he’s coming back to get the title, but here is Trick Williams to interrupt.

Femi has something that belongs to him, and he means the title. Waller thinks he’s going to get a winner takes all match set for next week with Femi and Williams, with the winner facing Saints. Waller says TNA wrestlers won’t like it but no one cared about the company until he said the letters. Femi cuts him off and says he’s ready to win both of them.

Wren Sinclair has some ideas to help the No Quarter Catch Crew but Charlie Dempsey says the solution is….he goes to Japan for a month. Bobby Roode pops in to do his pose but Joe Hendry’s name is mentioned and Roode says it was great to see the TNA World Title at Wrestlemania.

Here is Lexis King for a chat. He doesn’t think much of Myles Borne so next week they’re facing off in a Lights Out match…and here is Finn Balor to interrupt. Cue Borne to jump King from behind and the Coup de Grace leaves King laying. Balor was going to be over like almost no other here so there was zero reason to try to make the fans boo him.

Darkstate is here when Montez Ford (on his own) interrupts. Ford mentions the team having targets on their backs and they aren’t happy as he leaves. Kind of an odd segment.

Bianca Belair is here.

Fatal Influence vs. Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer

Valkyria is substituting for an injured Tiffany Stratton. Fatal Influence jumps them before the bell to start fast, with Vaquer being sent into the wrong corner. A backsplash gives Nyx two but Vaquer dropkicks her way out of the corner. Valkyria comes in to clean house and for some reason Nyx goes after Ripley. That earns her a superkick from Vaquer as we get some reactions from various TNA wrestlers, who aren’t happy with the lack of respect NXT has been showing TNA. That sounds invasionish as Ripley tosses Nyx onto the other two as we take a break.

We come back with Nyx cranking on Valkyria’s neck, followed by a kick to the chest for two. A double flapjack into a double Natural Selection has Valkyria in more trouble and Ripley is knocked off the apron. Jayne’s running knee gets two on Valkyria and we get more TNA reactions to the title match. Valkyria fights up and brings Vaquer in to wreck the villains. The SVB is broken up and a catapult sends Vaquer into a Nyx Kick for two.

Vaquer fights out again and brings in Ripley so destruction can ensue. Everything breaks down and Valkyria dropkicks Nyx through the ropes. That leaves Vaquer and Ripley to point at Booker and then do stereo Devil’s Kisses (Vic Joseph fans Booker down in a hilarious bonus). Jayne tries to leave but Lola Vice cuts her off and sends her back inside for Riptide and the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B. This was the kind of fun main event that it should have been, as Fatal Influence had as much chance of winning as I did of being Miss Nevada 1972. The double Devil’s Kiss bit was great and the fans loved it, with Booker making it that much better. I had a great time with this and it was exactly the kind of non-serious match match, even with Vice getting involved, that it should have been.

Vice and the winners celebrate together.

Trick Williams and Oba Femi have their staredown, but William Regal thinks the TNA stars are going to cause trouble next week. Williams and Femi don’t seem to mind.

Overall Rating: A-. Excellent show, as they did a very nice job of not making the modern NXT stars look weak. You had the NXT legends show up and help boost up some of the current roster while giving them some wins here and there. This was treated as a big celebration of the history of NXT while also boosting things up. The TNA stuff is an intriguing bonus, so this couldn’t have been much better.

Results
Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. The Culling – Sister Abigail DDT to Paxley
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. DIY – Nothing But Net to Gargano
Ethan Page b. Tyler Breeze – Hanging Twisted Grin
Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Riptide 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: September 9, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are closing in on both Homecoming and No Mercy, with Oba Femi set to defend the NXT Title against Ricky Saints. The big story for this week though is about the Tag Team Titles, with Hank & Tank getting their rematch against Darkstate. The big question might be about who shows up as a surprise before Homecoming though so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Je’Von Evans to call out Josh Briggs for a brawl. Ava comes out to make the match and let’s go.

Je’Von Evans vs. Josh Briggs

Evans hits a frog splash for an early two but Briggs is back up to hammer away in the corner. Briggs’ crossbody gets two as the fans are making their dislike of Briggs rather known. Evans fights out of a chinlock and strikes away before low bridging Briggs to the floor. That earns Evans a face first drop onto the apron but Evans flips out of a powerbomb and lands on the apron. A big dive sends Briggs crashing over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Briggs having lost his vest and Evans hammering away in the corner. Briggs sends him throat first into the top rope before demanding respect. That’s enough to trigger the comeback but Briggs pulls him out of the air. A flipping Stunner rocks Briggs and a big kick gets two. Briggs lariats him down but Evans flips into a kick to the head. A flipping Coast To Coast hits Briggs, who grabs a chair but has it taken away. Evans goes up and gets punched out of the air to give Briggs the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. This was about the big brawl, though the ending came out of nowhere. Evans fighting against these monsters is showing a lot of heart and I could go for seeing him get the big win down the line. For now though, Briggs really needed the win to establish himself as someone who matters, as that has been missing for a long time.

Post match replays show that Briggs had wrapped a chain around his hand. Ah that makes sense.

Ava puts Oba Femi and Ricky Saints on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Trick Williams comes in to allude to something with Eva and says he hasn’t forgotten Femi. Saints wouldn’t understand the championship business.

Here is DIY, who are celebrating ten years since their debut as a team in NXT. They may be on Smackdown now, but NXT will always be their home. Ciampa knew that his last match in NXT wasn’t really his last match in NXT. He brings up Trick Williams, who of course comes out to interrupt. Last week they got the better of him because it was 2-1 so now it’s time for his NXT crew to even things up.

Cue Carmelo Hayes, who looks at Williams and talks about how Williams has said a lot of things that are true and a lot that are false. DIY built this house and Hayes did the repairs on the house, but Williams needs to learn that rent is due. The next time he gets in the ring, he needs to take his high heels off, sit down and listen while the OG’s talk.

Williams says he wears his heels where he wants to but Ciampa asks which one is the little brother. Hayes wisely points out that Ciampa and Gargano are hardly the ones to talk about friend stabbing each other in the back. That’s shrugged off and the tag match is set up for Homecoming.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Lainey Reid vs. Faby Apache

Apache dropkicks her down to start and sends her to the floor for a dive. Back in and Reid gets in a kick to the head as we’re already a minute in. Something like an Edge O Matic drops Reid but a double underhook is broken up with two minutes gone. A dragon suplex gives Apache two but Natalya (in the crowd) offers a distraction, allowing Reid to hit a running knee for the pin at 2:38.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready for the #1 contenders match tonight when Hank & Tank come in. Stereo pep talks ensue.

Blake Jordan is in a bathtub and talks about how Jordynne Grace has ruined everything. The Glamour can bleed and come back so now Grace has awakened her.

Tag Team Titles: Darkstate vs. Hank & Tank

Darkstate is defending. Griffin gets crushed to start and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination connects, with Lennox having to make a save less than a minute in. The big double brawl is on and Hank & Tank clear the ring, setting up the double dives. We take a break and come back with Lennox giving Tank a spinebuster for two.

A double spinebuster gets the same, followed by Griffin hitting a powerslam. Tank finally fights out of trouble and it’s off to Hank to clean house. A spinning Downward Spiral gets two on Griffin but the rest of Darkstate gets involved. James says Joe Hendry’s name so Hendry appears, only for Lennox to grab a rollup pin to retain at 10:50.

Rating: B-. This was the match we needed to get out of the way so Darkstate can move on to fresh challengers. Despite Hank & Tank holding the titles for over four months, they didn’t feel like the most serious champions. Darkstate already beat them so now it’s time to move on to someone new, which should be covered here.

Video on the Flag Match, which is basically a game of capture the flag. Tavion Heights and Ethan Page are ready.

Ethan Page seems to recruit Ridge Holland’s help.

Lexis King thinks Myles Borne is blind but Borne comes in, turns off the light, and jumps him with a chair.

Tavion Heights vs. Ethan Page

Non-title. There are flags in the corner and you have to retrieve/wave your country’s flag. Heights powers him into the corner to start and they go outside. Some stomping has Page down but he’s able to catch Heights on top. Ego’s Edge is broken up but Page cuts him off on top again.

They crash down to the mat for a double breather until Page kicks him in the head. Heights gives him a crossbody and they both go for the flags until Page makes a save. That means Heights crashes onto the ropes and out to the floor so Page goes up. Heights crotches him down and hits the belly to belly though, which is enough to get the flag for the win at 6:48.

Rating: C. This was little more than a way to give Heights the win over Page, which should set him up for a title match in the near future. That would be a good thing to add to No Mercy, which very well may be where we’re going. The wrestling wasn’t the point here, so it was nice to keep things moving as there was only so much for them to do.

Post match Heights gets the Canadian flag and drapes it over Page. Then Tyler Breeze of all people shows up for a selfie with the downed Page.

Lola Vice talks about growing up shy and going to see her dad at his tae kwan do school. Everyone in her family is a black belt and has college degrees. She’s ready to win near her hometown. After their videos, she’s going to have to.

Fatal Influence is ready for the triple threat so they can hold all of the titles.

Big preview of Homecoming, including Tyler Breeze getting a North American Title shot.

Zaria/Sol Ruca vs. Fatal Influence vs. Culling

For a future Women’s Tag Team Title shot and under elimination rules. Paxley, Nyx and Zaria start things off, with the former two kicking Zaria down. They trade rollups for two each but Zaria is back in to clean house. Dame comes in but gets hurricanranaed by Henley, leaving us with Dame vs. Zaria. The slugout goes to Zaria but they crossbody each other for the double down. Henley is back in to forearm Dame and Nyx drops her for two more. Ruca comes in with a springboard missile dropkick, setting up her surf spot.

Henley cuts Ruca off though and dives onto Nico Vance, leaving Zaria to dive onto Shawn Spears. Ruca’s twisting moonsault drops the Culling and Ruca poses with Zaria on the barricade as we take a break. We come back with the fans doing the Wave and Nyx breaking up Ruca’s springboard. Zaria gets sent into the steps and Nyx fisherman’s suplexes Ruca for two.

Dame pulls Nyx off the ropes though and it’s a powerbomb/Blockbuster combination to plant her down. Zaria comes back in to clean house, including a nasty Alley Oop to Paxley. Ruca and Zaria are back up with double spears but the Sol Snatcher takes Zaria out by mistake. Nyx steals the pin for the elimination at 12:39. Jayne gets in a right hand to Paxley for two and a catapult sends her into a Nyx kick for two more. Dame and Nyx brawl to the floor, where Henley kicks Dame in the head. Back in and Paxley misses a 450 but Dame hits a powerbomb to pin Henley at 15:02.

Rating: C+. This got some time and the elimination rules made it a bit more interesting. I wasn’t feeling all of it by the end though as it did start to drag, but at least they had a surprise ending. Zaria and Ruca aren’t having the best luck, though I wasn’t expecting the Culling to win here. It’s nice to see someone other than Fatal Influence win here, and it came in a good enough match.

Post match Jayne yells at the rest of the team. We cut to the back where a bunch of cars arrive.

Post break, Jayne keeps up her diatribe, saying the loss is NOT on her and she does not need anything from the fans. She says she’s the greatest Women’s Champion of all time but here is Stephanie Vaquer to interrupt. Vaquer lists off her own success but Jayne points out that there are three of them and one of her.

Cue Tiffany Stratton to talk about what she’s done and how long she has been Smackdown Women’s Champion. Jayne says they’re like the seniors who come back to high school. Stratton doesn’t know if Mami is going to be happy with being called a senior to here is Rhea Ripley. She doesn’t buy what Jayne is saying and the challenge is on for a six woman tag next week. Yeah that’s a big way.

We run down the Homecoming card to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show, as it was about getting us to Homecoming next week while also having some guest stars this week. It made for a good enough show, with the big trio coming in at the end working well. Next week is really starting to feel bigger than No Mercy, though hopefully it winds up evening out a bit. Either way, nice enough preview for next week’s show, which should be a huge one.

Results
Josh Briggs b. Je’Von Evans – Punch with a chain
Lainey Reid b. Faby Apache – Running knee
Darkstate b. Hank & Tank – Rollup to Tank
Tavion Heights b. Ethan Page – Heights pulled down the flag
Culling b. Zaria/Sol Ruca and Fatal Influence – Powerbomb to Henley

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

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NXT
Date: August 26, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re done with Heatwave and the big story seems to be Ricky Saints coming after Oba Femi’s NXT Title. That should make for an interesting story as we are less than a month away from No Mercy, which already has a title match set. Lola Vice will be challenging Jacy Jayne for the Women’s Title at the event after earning the shot this weekend. Let’s get to it.

Here is Heatwave if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Heatwave.

Here is Ricky Saints to get things going. Saints says he will always put his money behind Je’Von Evans but Oba Femi stopped Evans at Heatwave. He has done quite a few things around here but there is one thing he still wants. That is the NXT Title, but here is Josh Briggs to say not so fast. Briggs wants the title shot first so Saints says he’s right here in front of him and is ready to fight. Ava comes out to say we need a new #1 contender so the match is on for tonight. Simple and to the point here.

After Heatwave, where Blake Monroe beat Jordynne Grace, Monroe told Ava that she wanted the Women’s Title. Kelani Jordan came in to say not so fast, so Ava made their match for later.

Kelani Jordan vs. Blake Monroe

Jordan snaps off a dropkick to start and they trade rollups for two each. A running dropkick gives Monroe two and she grabs a flipping armbar. That’s broken up and Jordan hits some clotheslines into a cartwheel elbow, followed by an X Factor to send Monroe outside. Cue Jordynne Grace to chase Monroe, who can’t escape this time. Jordan grabs something like an Angle Slam into One Of A Kind to finish at 4:17.

Rating: C. Jordan is an interesting case as she is certainly athletic and getting somewhere with what she’s doing, but she’s going to need some adjustments if she’s going to move up the card. The good thing is that the groundwork is there and she’s definitely ahead of a large portion of the roster. As for Monroe…I’m not sure why this is still going so soon after beating her clean on Sunday.

Video on Lexis King vs. Myles Borne, with King accusing Borne of faking his deafness.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

Blindfold match, with Borne explaining that he needs the fans to guide him when he can’t see. After a few early misses, they manage to lock up before King misses some right hands in the corner. Borne is able to hit his dropkick for two, leaving King to miss a charge out to the floor. Borne throws him back inside and avoids a dropkick but King gets in a slam. The elbow misses though and they slug it out from their knees. They grab hands and slug it out until King backs him into the corner. King grabs the referee and pokes him in the eye, allowing King to pull up the mask. A low blow and the Coronation finish Borne at 4:55.

Rating: C. The key thing here was keeping the match short or the idea was going to get old fast. That’s what we got here, as King went with the obvious cheating. It’s how this should have gone and lets Borne look like he got cheated. At some point they’ll have a rematch and Borne can get a big win one way or another, which is what matters most.

Wren Sinclair is panicking over having to face the Culling because she doesn’t have a partner, but Charlie Dempsey has found her a partner: Kendal Grey. Sinclair is relieved and Grey agrees to help Sinclair, but slaps Dempsey.

Wren Sinclair/Kendal Grey vs. The Culling

Dame misses a big boot to start and Kendal grabs her by the waist, meaning it’s off to Sinclair. Dame pulls her into the wrong corner, allowing Paxley to come in for a bodyscissors. Back up and Dame tags herself back in before Paxley can try a moonsault. Sinclair’s rollup gets two but Dame gives her a Sky High (as Grey has Paxley tied up) for the fast pin at 3:30.

Rating: C+. The idea was to have the Culling not exactly working together as Dame seems to treat Paxley as little more than a goon. That’s only going to work for so long as Paxley just wants a friend and is not going to accept being used again. Sinclair and Grey were just two people thrown together, but Grey seems to be getting at least a look on the bigger roster.

Josh Briggs vs. Ricky Saints

For the NXT Title shot at No Mercy. Saints chops away to start but gets caught with a running elbow. The Boss Man Slam gives Briggs two and we’re off to the early chinlock. Back up and Saints starts working on the arm, setting up a strutting Old School. They head outside with Briggs getting posted as we take a break.

We come back with Briggs hitting a crossbody for two but Saints’ Falcon Arrow gets the same. Briggs kicks him in the face for two and hits the chokeslam for two more. Starks is back up with a quick headscissors into a reverse DDT, followed by the springboard tornado DDT for the pin at 12:46.

Rating: B-. Saints getting the shot is the more interesting call, though I was thinking Briggs might have gotten a televised title shot before we went there. Either way, this sets Saints up as a much bigger match as he’ll get his shot in a featured setting. The good thing about Saints is that he feels like a legitimate threat to take the title and that has been lacking for Oba Femi for a good while.

Lola Vice, Sol Ruca and Zaria are all friends with matching shirts before their six man tag tonight. Jaida Parker comes in to congratulate Vice on the win, though Vice isn’t convinced. Lash Legend comes in to argue with Parker, leaving Zaria to lift Vice a few times.

Post break, Ricky Saints is still in the ring when Oba Femi comes out for the staredown. Saints believes that Femi is starting to feel the pressure of being the champion and promises to take the title. Femi says he’ll prove that Saints is average but here is Darkstate (the new Tag Team Champions) to interrupt. They are ready to fight but here are Hank & Tank to help hold them off.

Video explaining the Speed Title, which has a three minute time limit. The tournament to crown a new #1 contender starts next week.

Alba Fyre vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, Ethan Page and Tavion Heights are here too. Steele starts fast with a suplex and then grabs the legs and rolls around. Fyre’s legs are fine enough to come back with a superkick to the floor, allowing her to stand on Steele’s hair back inside. A knee and DDT give Fyre two and Steele grabs an ankle lock. Page offers a distraction but gets his hand stomped, allowing Steele to roll Fyre up for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C. As was the case on Sunday at Heatwave, the theme recently has been giving some fresh stars a chance. That’s what we’re seeing here with Steele, who is getting her feet wet against someone like Fyre, who is a rather polished star. I’m not sure how well it’s going to go but at least they’re giving her a chance as she has to start somewhere.

Post match Green goes after Steele but Heights comes in for the save. Page decks him with the belt though and cover him with the Canadian flag.

Hank & Tank come in to ask Ava for a fight with Darkstate, which they receive…in an eight man tag, also involving Oba Femi and Ricky Saints.

Jacy Jayne is mad about losing the TNA Knockouts Title and Fatal Influence argues over who should get the Speed Title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Lola Vice/Zaria/Sol Ruca vs. Fatal Influence

Ruca and Henley trade rollups to start until Henley grabs a swinging suplex, allowing Nyx to come in. A leg lariat puts Ruca down but she’s right back up with a Paisan elbow with Zaria. Zaria’s middle rope clothesline drops Nyx for two more and it’s already off to Vice vs. Jayne. Vice’s cross armbreaker doesn’t work so Jayne hits a hard clothesline for her own near fall.

Back up and it’s off to Ruca to chop away at Henley, setting up the surfing spot in the corner. Ruca gets knocked outside though as Lainey Reid is watching from the balcony and we take a break. We come back with Ruca hitting a Codebreaker to the arm but Jayne cuts off the tag attempt. Jayne stomps Ruca down in the corner but she’s right back up, allowing the tag off to Zaria.

House is quickly cleaned and Ruca’s handstand spinning top rope splash gets two. The villains drop Ruca again so it’s off to Vice for the running hip attacks in the corner. Fatal Influence’s stereo running knees drop Vice for two with Ruca making the save. Everything breaks down and Ruca hits the Sol Snatcher, leaving Vice to spinning backfist Henley for the pin at 14:15.

Rating: B-. This was what it needed to be as Vice is getting closer to the title shot and beating one of Jayne’s partners is a nice way to start. Vice very well may be the one to take the title off of Jayne while the other two are going to come after Ruca and the Speed Title. It makes for an interesting couple of stories, and that should be enough to bridge the gap to No Mercy.

A quick preview of No Mercy and next week’s show wrap us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about moving on from everything at Heatwave and starting the fairly rapid fire build towards No Mercy. That’s what the show needed to be and they hit the ground running, with the NXT Title match already being set up. I’m curious to see what else winds up on the show, but at least they’re off to a good start.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Blake Monroe – One Of A Kind
Lexis King b. Myles Borne – Coronation
The Culling b. Wren Sinclair/Kendal Grey – Sky High to Sinclair
Tyra Mae Steele b. Alba Fyre – Rollup
Sol Ruca/Zaria/Lola Vice b. Fatal Influence – Spinning backfist to Henley

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

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NXT
Date: August 19, 2025
Location: The Met Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

We’re on the road here and that should make for an interesting situation. We’re actually not in the old ECW Arena, which might make things a bit easier as the fans there can be, shall we saw, totally insane. It’s also the go home show for Heatwave, which still has a few spots to fill in on the way. Let’s get to it.

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

We start with a brawl in the back with Josh Briggs jumping Yoshiki Inamura, which is the straight of the street fight.

Josh Briggs vs. Yoshiki Inamura

They go into the arena for the opening bell, where a suplex on the floor has Inamura in more trouble. Briggs throws in some chairs and wedges one of them in the corner before kicking Inamura in the face. Inamura knocks him down for a breather though and it’s time for a Phillies bat. Briggs cuts that off with a chair to the knee and steps on the bat as we take a break.

We come back with Briggs superplexing Inamura onto a piece of barricade, which is bridged over some steps. The audience has to be muted for a bit and they’re also not happy with Briggs for taping Inamura’s arms to the ropes. Some HARD kendo stick shots to the back have Inamura’s back banged up. Inamura rips the tape off (that looked cool) and breaks the kendo stick in half before chopping away to put Briggs down in the corner.

The trashcan is put over Briggs’ head for more strikes and Inamura plants him onto the trashcan. Naturally it’s table time and the top rope splash through said table gives Inamura two. Another table (a SLIM JIM table) is set up and Inamura tries to get another, which is rammed into his ribs. A lariat with a chain drops Inamura and Briggs moonsaults him through the table for the win at 15:52.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it’s nice to see Briggs getting a big win. That has been missing for a long time and hopefully it’s the start of something bigger. The street fight makes sense in a city which is known for its hardcore and they did rather well while they had the chance.

Ava and Santino Marella talked to Masha Slamovich, with Slamovich agreeing to be the guest referee for the women’s tag match. The bosses are in.

Trick Williams loves himself and he’s ready to beat Je’Von Williams and then become a three time NXT Champion this weekend.

Ricky Saints vs. Jasper Troy

Saints runs into Josh Briggs as he’s leaving and we get a quick staredown. Saints hits a dropkick to start and hammers away before grabbing a choke. Troy breaks out of that pretty easily but misses a charge, only to knock Saints outside as we take a break. We come back with Saints kicking away at the leg but getting dropped with a single shot. A Samoan drop gives Saints a breather and he avoids a charge to send Troy hard into the post. They head outside with Saints being sent into the steps but Troy’s backsplash hits the steps as well. Back in and a springboard tornado DDT finishes for Saints at 9:15.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have the time to make this work as well, but Saints gets to slay a monster for a big win. That’s about as much as he needs, especially with Briggs likely being the next opponent. Troy can go on to threaten someone else as he’s still new and young enough that he’s far from being wasted. If nothing else there is always the classic bodyguard route, which could work well.

Hank & Tank are in Ava’s office and want to know which members of Darkstate they’ll be facing but the Elegance Brand comes in. The Personal Concierge complains about Masha Slamovich being guest referee. Cue Slamovich to shake Ava’s hand because she’ll be referee tonight.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. She worked a long time to get here and she never expected to make a friend in Blake Monroe. The thing is, she’s watched wrestling for a very long time and she knows how these things end. The adjustment to coming to WWE is really hard and now someone is trying to force her to face her issues. She doesn’t want revenge on Monroe, but she wants Monroe to see herself for what she really is.

Cue Monroe with security, saying that she wants Grace to see the truth. Monroe has drawn up a contract, saying that if Grace touches her before Heatwave, the match is off. Grace says this is where Monroe is wrong, because Monroe was ringside at Evolution while Grace was in the ring. That must have been a crushing moment because Monroe is a jealous snake. That’s what sets Monroe off, calling Grace a jealous impersonator. Monroe hides behind security so Grace beats the guards up. Grace grabs Monroe’s wrist and promises to show her what ugly really is at Heatwave. Nice stuff here, with Grace making her point clear.

Fatal Influence is warming up when Lainey Reid comes in to wish them luck. Sol Ruca and Zaria come in and say that Jacy Jayne is losing soon. Reid says at least Jayne defends both of her titles. Ruca says she has the need for speed. Zaria: “No.” Ruca: “Yes.” Zaria: “No.”

Je’Von Evans is ready to beat Trick Williams to get on to his NXT Title shot at Oba Femi.

Fatal Influence vs. The Elegance Brand

Masha Slamovich is guest referee. M and Henley lock up to start with Henley grabbing a quick rollup for two. Nyx comes in to put M down for two more but she’s back up with a running knee lift. It’s off to Ash, who gets rolled up for a quick near fall. Jayne comes in and misses a spinning forearm to Ash can roll her up for two more (they’re not exactly doing anything high level here). The Personal Concierge trips Henley though and gets ejected as we take a break.

We come back with Henley getting sent into the wrong corner, where M gets in a running boot to the head. Ash misses her moonsault though and the tag brings in Jayne to clean house. A middle rope backsplash gets two on M and a double flipping faceplant puts her down again. M is back up with a superkick and Ash’s top rope double stomp connects for two as everything breaks down. Ash hits her Rarefied Air Swanton for a very delayed two as Slamovich was trying to keep control. Jayne’s discus forearm finishes Ash at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Slamovich was barely a factor here as I forgot she was the referee until the ending. The match itself was a bit weird as it was heels vs. heels and that’s only going to get so far. Jayne getting the win is kind of surprising too as it’s weird to see the champion standing tall going into the title match this weekend.

Post match the Brand and Slamovich get in an argument as Fatal Influence approves.

Kendal Grey and Charlie Dempsey are in the back with Dempsey trying to offer her armbar advice. Wren Sinclair comes in to remind Dempsey of Grey’s college wrestling background when the Culling comes in. They decide there is no saving Dempsey and Sinclair and leave.

Here are Chelsea Green and Ethan Page, with the Secret Hervice, for their peace treaty with the Americans. The Canadians get rid of the table (they know how it is in Philadelphia) before the Americans (Tavion Heights/Tyra Mae Steele) come out as well. Page says they’re here to share their opinions and settle their issues. He praises Heights but says Heights sees opportunity when looking at Page.

In their world, there is only gold, but Heights talks about all the times he has been close to being out and how blessed he has been by the athletic gods. Green accuses the Americans of being rude when they are in the ring with superior athletes. Steele says they speak their mind in Philadelphia and she thinks Green needs to shut her mouth. Steele brags about her gold medal and says it represents the best. She can take anyone down anytime and Heights is ready to fight too. Cue Ava to make the mixed tag, with the Olympians grabbing double ankle locks to send the Canadians limping.

Lexis King interrupts Myles Borne and apologizes for what he has been saying lately. It’s impressive that someone could wrestle so well despite being deaf and blind. Borne: “I’m not blind.” King: “You are now!” And he sprays something in Borne’s eyes.

Kelani Jordan and Lola Vice are in the back and talk about working out when Lash Legend interrupt. Legend isn’t impressed with them and says she’s the biggest threat to the Women’s Title rather than anyone, including Jordan and Jaida Parker.

Darkstate interrupts Ava and brag about their success…but mention Joe Hendry, who pops out of a closet. He wants to know which members of the team will be wrestling on Sunday but is told he’ll find out when everyone else does. Threats are made, including one saying Hendry doesn’t want them behind him. Ava and Hendry find that strange.

Heatwave rundown.

Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams

For the NXT Title shot on Sunday (with Oba Femi watching from a balcony) and Williams’ TNA World Title isn’t on the line. Williams decks him with a spinning boot to the face to start but Evans reverses a Rock Bottom. Evans wants him to bring it and snaps off a hurricanrana into a dropkick. Back up and Williams knocks him into the corner, followed by a running clothesline.

Williams’ suplex and neckbreaker have Evans in trouble and the cravate goes on. Evans avoids a charge in the corner and hits a springboard clothesline, allowing him to send Williams outside. Back in and Evans’ springboard is broken up, with Williams LAUNCHING HIM off the ropes and over the announcers’ table for an incredible crash. Commentary is stunned (with a great shot of Booker) and Femi even stands up as we take a break.

We come back with Evans fighting out of a front facelock but getting slammed off the top. Williams tells him to bring it so Evans slugs away, with a right hand sending him to the floor. The big dive takes Williams down and a frog splash gets two back inside. Williams is back up with a right hand but misses a knee, allowing Evans to roll him up for two. Back up and the spinning kick to the face drops Evans but Williams gets distracted by Mike Santana, who is in Femi’s spot. The distraction lets Evans hit the top rope cutter for the pin at 14:51.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, with Evans getting the title shot which could result in him winning the title. If nothing else, there is a good chance that he could get a TNA World Title shot as well, which wouldn’t be the worst idea. Williams gets to move on to keep defending the title, which is likely going to be in trouble at Bound For Glory. Either way, nice main event here, which did what was needed.

Overall Rating: B+. The wrestling here was rather good and the peace agreement segment worked well enough. The big thing here though is I’m more interested in seeing Heatwave than I was coming in, which means they’re doing something right. As is usually the case with the better NXT shows, it felt like there were boxes being checked off with every segment and it worked well here. Rather strong show going into the pay per view.

Results
Josh Briggs b. Yoshiki Inamura – Moonsault through a table
Ricky Saints b. Jasper Troy – Springboard tornado DDT
Fatal Influence b. The Elegance Brand – Discus forearm to Ash
Je’Von Evans b. Trick Williams – Top rope cutter

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: August 5, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

With less than a month to go before Heatwave, it might be time to start putting the card together. You can probably figure out some of the matches from here, but there are some blank spots that need to be filled in. We have a pair of title matches this week, plus Nia Jax is here so let’s get to it.

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

Blake Monroe vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan starts fast and takes her down for a basement dropkick. Monroe avoids a charge to send Jordan outside, followed by her own basement dropkick back inside. A Sling Blade drops Jordan and Monroe gets to lay on the Maybelline ad on the mat. Jordan comes back with a handspring Stunner and a half crab, which sends Monroe over to the ropes. Something close to an Angle Slam gives Jordan two more but Monroe headbutts her out of the air. Cue Jordynne Grace (in a neck brace) to chase Monroe out of the arena and into a waiting car for the countout at 5:19.

Rating: C. This was a fine step to keep teasing Monroe vs. Grace, as Monroe should be scared of someone who can bench press a small foreign car and wants to destroy her. Monroe having the car ready to go was a good touch as well as she’s showing some brains to go with being evil. Jordan was far from destroyed here too so it’s not like this was some fluke win.

Andre Chase doesn’t give his students much of a chance but they’ll take any chance over none.

Tag Team Titles: Hank & Tank vs. Chase U

Hank & Tank are defending. Chase U fire off some superkicks for the early near falls and an assisted powerbomb gets two on Hank. A slingshot spear is cut off by a kick to the head though and it’s Tank coming in for the slugout. Dixon is up to send both champs outside and a big running flip dive takes them out. Back in and Dixon misses something off the top, allowing Hank to hit Baron Corbin’s Deep Six. The powerslam/neckbreaker combination gets…two as Connors makes a last second save (that might have been a bit mistimed). Hank gives Dixon a Boss Man Slam and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination retains at 3:35.

Rating: C+. The new Chase U still isn’t working but they had a better outing than I was expecting here. They were putting in some effort and this was a rather action packed match. Hank & Tank need some bigger challengers and Darkstate seem to be likely candidates and this was just a stepping stone to get there.

Post match Darkstate comes in to wreck Hank & Tank, likely setting up a Tag Team Title match.

Fatal Influence is glad to have gotten rid of some competition. TNA’s Personal Concierge (that’s his name) comes in to say Ash By Elegance (formerly known as Dana Brooke) will be taking the Knockouts Title this week. Jacy Jayne isn’t convinced and tells Lainey Reid to polish the title.

Myles Borne and Tavion Heights catch up and are rather cool with each other.

The Culling gives Tatum Paxley a pep talk.

Thea Hail is very, very excited (the coffee is helping) about facing Nia Jax.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

King works on a headlock to start as the fans are split. Borne escapes but gets taken down with a spinning high crossbody. Back up and Borne dropkicks him out of the air for two before sending him outside for a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Borne being rammed into the steps. King stomps on his ear on the steps and a knee to the ear gets two. Borne fights up with some suplexes and his own knee to the head. The Borne Again (Zig Zag) finishes King at 9:26.

Rating: C+. This was about making Borne look like he could fight from underneath and come back for the win, which is one of the most basic stories in wrestling. Fans are going to get behind Borne because he has to overcome adversity and he beat up a bully who is mocking him. That’s going to work every time and Borne continues to carve out a rather nice niche for himself.

Darkstate says they jumped Hank & Tank a few weeks ago and now they want the Tag Team Titles.

Thea Hail vs. Nia Jax

Both of them flip off the crowd and Hail grabs a chinlock to start. That’s broken up just as fast so Hail settles for two off a rollup. Jax chokes her on the ropes and dumps Hail outside as we take a break. We come back with Jax cranking on both arms and then running her over for two. The cobra clutch have Hail in more trouble and a wheelbarrow faceplant drops her again. Jax misses a charge into the corner though and Hail’s spinning DDT gets two. A springboard backsplash gives Hail two but Jax pulls her out of the corner. The Annihilator finishes for Jax at 9:36.

Rating: C. Jax is going to be a big deal during the time she’s down in NXT and that means they needed to give her a big win to start things off. She smashed through Hail here, which is the only way this should have gone. Hail might be energetic and fairly popular but she’s not someone who is going to beat a star like Jax.

Post match Jax mocks Lash Legend, who comes in for the brawl. Security breaks it up.

Ava gives Jordynne Grace a match with Blake Monroe at Heatwave.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He has been champion for 200 days and it’s time to find another challenger for the title. Cue Trick Williams, who says that he is the face of two brands, but Femi brings up that Williams can’t beat him. Williams says he’s a new man and ready to beat Femi, but here is Je’Von Evans to interrupt. Evans: “Trick I ain’t gonna lie…your a** goofy as h***.”

He wants the title shot, because Williams can barely defend the TNA Title. Femi says they can figure it out and likes Evans’ idea of the two of them fighting for a shot. Williams says no, because they’ll do it in two weeks in Philadelphia. Cue TNA’s Moose to remind Williams that he’s getting a title shot in ten days at TNA Emergence. He remembers facing Femi too…and here is Darkstate. This time though, the team is dispatched, with Moose throwing one of them out onto the pile.

Arianna Grace checks on Stacks but Lash Legend and Nia Jax pop in for a fight.

Wren Sinclair is happy that she’ll get to spend quality time with Charlie Dempsey, who isn’t happy. Sinclair does the Joe Hendry clap and Hendry pops out of a refrigerator. Hendry gives Dempsey a shirt but Dempsey throws it away. Dempsey says that Hendry is always viral, which comes from virus. Sinclair: “He’s not a doctor. He just watches a lot of Grey’s Anatomy.” A match is made for next week and Sinclair gets a photo with Hendry.

Yoshiki Inamura vs. Stacks

Non-title. Stacks jumps him from behind to start and the bell rings with Stacks grabbing a neck crank. A sliding forearm takes Inamura down again but he slams Stacks off the top. Inamura goes nuts with chops and sends Stacks outside, where Arianna Grace comes in to yell. Grace’s slap to Inamura earns her an ejection but the argument allows Josh Briggs to sneak in and boot Inamura, allowing Stacks to get the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C+. It was energetic while it lasted and they managed to set up two things at once here. First of all, Briggs vs. Inamura can probably be penciled in for Heatwave, which should be a good grudge match. In addition, Stacks and Grace seem to be a thing now, which is at least something new for both of them. Not a bad use of such a short amount of time.

Here is Ethan Page for a chat. He’s proud of retaining the title over Santino Marella and his stupid sock last week. We hear about some other great Canadians, but Page is at the top of the list. He starts to sing O Canada but here is Tavion Heights to interrupt. No one wants to hear what sounds like a goose dying, but he knows what it’s like to represent his country. Now that he’s out of the No Quarter Catch Crew, it’s time to crawl out on his own.

Page says Heights needs to learn his place…and here are Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice to interrupt. Green loves her fellow Canadian, saying Page once fought a moose and the moose apologized. She’s not worried about a filthy American hitting her, so Heights hits Page instead and promises to find a woman who will hit Green.

Lola Vice consoles Kelani Jordan, saying a win is a win. Fatal Influence comes in to mock them, with Jazmyn Nyx saying she has gotten a tag match set for next week.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend’s brawl interrupts Zaria and Sol Ruca. Ava comes in to make a match between them for next week. What a coincidence that this is the same thing that Sheamus and Rusev did this week on Raw.

Je’Von Evans, Moose, Oba Femi and Trick Williams are in Ava’s office. They want to fight each other but she gives them an eight man tag against Darkstate next week. Hank & Tank come in and get a title defense against Darkstate at Heatwave.

Ricky Saints says he has worked to get here but he has a target on him due to people being jealous of him. People like Ethan Page and Jasper Troy are coming for him and now he wants to be NXT Champion. In two weeks, he’ll beat Troy on the way there.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Sol Ruca

Paxley, with the Culling, is challenging and Zaria is here with Ruca. Paxley hits a running shoulder in the corner to start and grabs something like a reverse surfboard. Ruca switches into the regular version as the fans are doing the Wave. Shawn Spears gets up on the apron for a distraction so Ruca dives onto the team. We take a break and come back with Paxley firing off some headbutts, followed by a neck stretch. Ruca fights up and grabs a neckbreaker into a running knee to the head.

Paxley’s enziguri lets her hit something like a Whisper In The Wind for two of her own. Ruca sunset bombs her out of the corner but misses a charge into the post. The Psycho Trap gets two and they go up, with Ruca slipping off. The delay lets Paxley grab a super swinging neckbreaker as Nia Jax and Lash Legend are STILL brawling down the ramp. In the melee, Ruca grabs the Sol Snatcher to retain at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Paxley got to show off her stuff here and it went fairly well, though the ending left a bit to be desired. That’s quite the weak way to set up a distraction finish, even if it came off the Sol Snatcher. Odds are Paxley will be less welcome with the Culling after this, and that might be setting up a match with Izzi Dame. Not much of a match event, but I’ve seen worse.

Overall Rating: C+. The big thing task with this show was setting up things for Heatwave and we have some matches covered. That’s a good way to go, with the wrestling and cameos being mostly secondary. It’s not a show that you really need to see, but it’s a show that needed to happen with the next big event coming up pretty soon. Fairly skippable show this week.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Blake Monroe via countout
Hank & Tank b. Chase U – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to Dixon
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Borne Again
Nia Jax b. Thea Hail – Annihilator
Stacks b. Yoshiki Inamura – Big boot
Sol Ruca b. Tatum Paxley – Sol Snatcher

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

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NXT
Date: July 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the last show before both the Great American Bash and Evolution, both of which will have some NXT involvement. Therefore, it’s time to see who is going to be in the Evolution battle royal, plus finding out any last minute additions to the shows. That should make for a nice evening so let’s get to it.

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

Ricky Saints vs. Vanity Project

Gauntlet match, Jackson’s Drake’s Evolve Title isn’t on the line, and if Saints wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for his match with Ethan Page (here too). Brad Baylor starts for the Project and Saints strikes away, including a middle rope dropkick. Baylor gets in a shot of his own though and hammers away, including a spinning butterfly suplex. Saints makes a quick comeback though and hits the springboard tornado DDT for the first pin at 3:09.

Ricky Smokes is in second and grabs a quick suplex for two on Saints. We take a break and come back with Smokes hitting a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two more. Saints comes back again and grabs an overhead belly to belly for two of his own. An atomic drop into a jackknife rollup gives Saints the pin at 8:38 total.

Drake is in third and stomps away in the corner to start fast. A kick to the back gives Drake two and he grabs a surfboard. The fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more and Drake is getting a bit frustrated. Drake misses a running kick to the chest and Saints gets his knees up to block a springboard Swanton. The Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 12:13 total.

Rating: C+. The Vanity Project is a good choice for something like this as they’re still a level beneath the NXT roster so it’s not like they lose any status here. Saints gets to run through some people and head on to his big match with Page at the Bash. For now, good enough opener for the show and it sets up some things for the future.

Post match Saints makes it an anything goes, falls count anywhere match with Page at the Bash.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are fired up for the Women’s Tag Team Title match at Evolution but Lainey Reid says she should be in the battle royal. She’s asked what she’s done to earn that spot and doesn’t have much of an answer.

Earlier today, Blake Monroe blew off a training session with Jordynne Grace, who wants her to have a glamorous workout. Grace agreed, and we’ll see more of this later.

Tavion Heights vs. Charlie Dempsey

If Heights wins, he is out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights armdrags him down a few times to start and they take turns sending each other to the floor. Back in and Dempsey grabs a cravate to frustrate Heights. That’s broken up so Heights tackles him down and hammers away. They head outside again and knock each other down as we take a break.

We come back with Heights fighting off a crossface chickenwing and throwing him down a few times. They crash out to the floor again, but this time Dempsey crushes the knee with the steps. The half crab goes on back inside, followed by a stepover toehold. Dempsey turns it into an STF and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel at 9:39.

Rating: B-. The idea of Heights trying to get out of the team but not being able to do it is a good way to set something up for him, especially here where he didn’t give up. Sinclair could be going either way here and I like what they’re doing with the story. The match itself was a nice technical vs. power showdown as well, so we’ll call this a nice outing.

Hank & Tank are ready for their match while Lexis King messes with stuff behind them. Je’Von Evans comes in for a pep talk but gets jumped by Jasper Troy.

Mike Santana/Joe Hendry vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Hendry and Igwe take each other down for an early standoff and it’s off to Santana for a dropkick. DuPont gets sent flying with the fall away slam and we take an early break. We come back with Hendry getting two off a rollup but a clothesline drops him for the same. A series of splashes get two as we see Natalya and Maxxine Dupri arriving in the back.

Hendry muscles Igwe up for a suplex and the tag brings in Santana to clean house. The Rolling Buck Fifty (rolling cutter) hits Igwe and a big flip dive to the floor takes him out again. Everything breaks down and Hendry hits a dive to the floor of his own. Cue Trick Williams for a distraction but Santana hits Spin The Block (discus lariat) to pin DuPont at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it continued to show that Hendry isn’t quite as interesting as Santana no matter how he is presented. Santana is just on fire right now and Hendry has already had his moment, but Hendry being there adds some star power to the title match. I’m not sure Santana wins the title, but dang it’s fun to see him in the ring every time.

Post match Williams drops Santana so Hendry goes after him. High Ryze comes back in for the beatdown.

We look at Yoshiki Inamura becoming #1 contender to the NXT Title last week. Various Japanese stars, including THE GREAT MUTA and Iyo Sky say they believe in Inamura.

Darkstate brags about invading TNA and suggest they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Here are Oba Femi and Yoshiki Inamura, with Josh Briggs, for a face to face chat. Inamura says Femi is his greatest challenge but he is ready. He has the support of his friends and family and now he must make them proud. Femi says it’s good that Inamura has support, because maybe those people can pick up his pieces. No one is taking the title from him, but Briggs says Inamura beat Jasper Troy a lot more easily than Femi did.

Inamura may be a man of honor but Briggs isn’t, so he will do everything he can to make Inamura champion. This is “their” chance and the brawl is on, albeit quickly broken up. This was a good showing from Inamura, who feels like someone who is trying to prove he belongs here. At the same time, this is the second straight major event where Femi is defending against a pretty low level challenger, but it brings up a big issue in NXT: who else is there to come after the title?

Jordynne Grace shows up for Blake Monroe’s makeover and rips the sleeves off the robe she is given. They get their nails done and a massage, plus makeup. Grace admits she kind of likes this and they’re ready for the tag match at the Bash.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid

They trade early takedowns to start with Jordan grabbing a monkey flip and dropkick out to the floor. Back in and Reid ties her leg up in the ropes and cranks away but a Figure Four attempt is blocked. Reid’s spinebuster gets two and the half crab goes on. Jordan tries to use the free leg to kick her way out but Reid just pulls her into a Boston crab for a smart counter. That’s broken up as well and Jordan hits a handspring elbow into a nipup (impressive after having her leg and back cranked). Reid catches her up top but gets shoved down, setting up One Of A Kind to give Jordan the win at 4:23.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild about Jordan’s lack of selling but the ending was a nice touch which showed off Jordan’s rather impressive athleticism. The win gives her a boost going into the battle royal, which she isn’t likely to win but at least she could have a good showing. Reid is still finding her footing around here, but she’s far from a lost cause.

Post match here is Thea Hail to brawl to the back with Reid.

Jasper Troy jumps Je’Von Evans in the trainer’s room.

We have a meeting of the former D’Angelo Family, with all four members showing up. Riz tries to talk but gets shut down by Stacks. Riz isn’t having that and talks about what happened between Stacks and Tony. She realizes this can’t be fixed but she has set up a triple threat next week. While she doesn’t know if their paths will cross again, this will be the final battle. Stacks says he’s bigger than all of them and they can’t take it. Next week, he’ll prove it. D’Angelo says he’s done here and everyone stares at each other. That could go in a few different ways and that’s a good thing.

Here is Jasper Troy, who wants in on the NXT Title match. Cue Je’Von Evans to jump him and hit a big dive onto both Troy and security.

Tatum Paxley likes being part of the Culling, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank are defending and charge in to start the fight fast. We settle down to Spears stomping on Hank, allowing Vance to send him into the turnbuckle. Tank comes in for some dancing into a double splash but Spears is back with a neckbreaker. That doesn’t last long as the champs fight back, only for Hank to miss a top rope clothesline. The Culling runs Hank over on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hank knocking Vance off the top, allowing Tank to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Vance’s top rope headbutt hits Tank for two. Izzi Dame gets in a cheap shot so Spears can grab an implant DDT for two more. Cue Zaria and Sol Ruca to take out Tatum Paxley and Dame, leaving the champs to hit their powerslam/neckbreaker combination on Spears to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Hank & Tank still don’t feel like the most serious champions, but they’ve at least figured out something that fits for them. That’s a good thing for them to have and it would be nice to see it continue to grow. That being said, if Darkstate comes after the belts, there is no reason to believe the title reign will be lasting much longer.

Great American Bash rundown.

Kale Dixon couldn’t wrestle as scheduled due to high blood pressure, caused by nerves. Andre Chase isn’t happy but seems to understand.

Here is Ava, who talks about the original Evolution, which took place when she was in high school. She’s so proud that NXT will be all over Evolution, with Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley being in the battle royal. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Ava saying she just talked about Jacy Jayne. We get a rant from Jayne about how she’s the focal point of the show, but cue Jordynne Grace saying she’ll take the title.

Lash Legend comes out to say she’s going to win the battle royal. Stephanie Vaquer returns to NXT and says Grace will win. Maxxine Dupri and Natalya come out to say they’ll be the last two in the battle royal. Jaida Parker pops up in the crowd to say she’ll win. Everyone gets in and the big brawl is on to end the show. This was more than Raw and Smackdown have done for the show, and that’s not surprising given how much of a focus the women’s division has received around here.

Overall Rating: B. I came into this show not particularly wanting to see either Evolution or the Bash and I left a lot more interested in both. They did a heck of a job building up both shows and there is even some stuff set up for next week’s regular show. That’s a very nice way to go, even if the wrestling was pretty middle of the road this week. What mattered was everything else, and that stuff was quite well done.

Results
Ricky Saints b. Vanity Project last eliminating Jackson Drake
Charlie Dempsey b. Tavion Heights when Wren Sinclair threw in the towel
Mike Santana/Joe Hendry b. High Ryze – Spin The Block to DuPont
Kelani Jordan b. Lainey Reid – One Of A Kind
Hank & Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Spears

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