Posted on 4/17/124 by Bob Magee
Noam Dar (with Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson & Oro Mensah)
defeated Dijak
Dar pinned Dijak after a distraction by Mensah, followed by
a Nova Roller. Good match to open the show, and the result
can easily lead to a return match. It would not be the only
outside interference on this show.
Meta-Four are the corner of Dar. Dijak was a lone vigilante,
which fits his whole gimmick. Notable height difference
between Dar and Dijak, and they played on that at times.
Yet, the match was still very competitive.
Still not sure which one is the protagonist here, or if
there is even supposed to be a good guy. Dijak seems like
the babyface, except when he is pummeling Dar with stiff
chops.
The match itself goes through a split-screen commercial
break. Hard overhand chops by Dijak buckle Dar numerous
times. Dar worked to target what Booker T called "pressure
points." Dijak twice countered a guillotine choke. The
second time, Dijak counters into a pop-up choke bomb, and
Dar gets a shoulder up for a near fall.
Dar kept going for a fisherman's buster suplex, but the
larger Dijak would counter. Finally, Dar executes the
suplex. From there, the height difference is less of a
factor. The fight soon spills outside, and Dijak is
sandwiched into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Dar
follows up with a roaring elbow for a near fall.
They trade strikes and kicks, until Dar is turned inside out
with a discus kick. Mensah causes a distraction, and he gets
super kicked by Dijak. Mensah takes a bump off the apron,
and his distraction is fruitful. Dijak turns around to walk
into a Nova Roller. Dar then scores a three count on Dijak.
Mensah was selling his jaw, but Meta-Four was otherwise very
proud of themselves. Dijak stares daggers through them. This
program has just begun.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov meets with NXT GM Ava in her
office. Ava wants Dragunov to have a match tonight, but she
will let Dragunov pick his opponent. Instead, Dragaunov
makes a open challenge. As if an open challenge is not an
overdone trope these days.
Tatam Paxley cuts a promo on Lyra Valkyria. The vignette
which hypes up a match between the two.
Lola Vice defeated Sol Ruca
Vice pinned Ruca after outside interference by Blair
Davenport. Second match in a row to have outside
interference play a part in the finish. Would not be the
last time on this show. After the match came a pre-taped
promo where Natalya challenges Vice to a NXT Underground
match at Spring Break.
Vice works over Ruca during the body of the match. Comeback
by Ruca, and she gets a near fall after a standing
moonsault. Ruca fires up again to springboard into a sunset
flip. Ruca climbs to the top rope, and she goes for her
finisher where she cartwheels off the top rope. Blair
Davenport runs down to ringside, and she trips up Ruca.
After taking a bump into the ring, Ruca eats a kick from
Vice.
Vice is dancing and celebrating her win when Natalya appears
on the Titantron. Nattie' cuts a promo on Vice, and Nattie
challenges Vice to an NXT Underground match as part of week
two of Spring Breakin'.
Arianna Grace is giving Gigi Dolan a makeover. Stay tuned
for that.
Ridge Holland defeated Joaquin Wilde
This match was set up with an angle on X, where Holland
snapped on Wilde. So much for Holland stepping away from the
ring, after the heartfelt speech a few weeks ago. Holland is
still facing some sort of inner turmoil. Shawn Spears comes
down to ringside, furthering his mind games with Holland.
To set up the finish, Wilde goes for a dive through the
ropes. Holland catches Wilde and turns the dive into a hard
powerslam on the floor. Back in the ring, Holland gives
Wilde a DDT, and then Holland covers him for a pinfall.
Holland bumps into Spears on his way out.
Ivar basically tries to give Josh Briggs some veteran
advice in the trainer's room, and Briggs takes offense to
that. This sets a match for later tonight between Ivar and
Briggs.
Thea Hail and Andre Chase have a heart-to-heart talk in a
backstage skit with comically bad acting.
Tony D'Angelo is decked out in a very nice suit and hat. He
is headed to the ring to address the audience, flanked by
his Family. Tony D speaks for a moment, until he is
interrupted by No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey is no
positioned as the leader of that group, as he was flanked by
Myles Borne and Damon Kemp. No sign and no mention
whatsoever of Drew Gulak.
More bad acting, as Dempsey argues with D'Angelo. There is a
debt to be paid of some sort, because every storyline for
D'Angelo has to seemingly have a mafia angle. At least that
somehow sets up a wrestling match for the Heritage Cup. The
argument turns into a brawl, with the Catch Crew and the
Family in a melee. Catch Crew is sent packing.
Much of the men's roster rush to the ring to answer the open
challenge issued by champ Ilja Dragunov, but they are all
outsmarted by Je'Von Evans. He leaps over the ropes on the
opposite side of the ring, springing to the ring to face
Dragunov.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defeated Je'Von Evans in a non-
title match
Dragunov pinned Evans in arguably the best match on the show
so far. The live studio audience was hot from start to
finish. Evans got to shine with plenty of high spots and
close near falls. Evans got air as he flew around the ring.
Dragunov ultimately counters a splash by getting his knees
up. Dragunov then dead lifts Evans, leading into the finish.
Dragunov delivers Torpedo Moskau, and Dragunov covers Evans
for a pinfall.
Sol Ruca cuts a promo where she demands Ava book a no
disqualification match between Ruca and Davenport for next
week. This sets up a "Beach Brawl" for next week.
Tatum Paxley defeated Thea Hail (with Andre Chase, Duke
Hudson & Riley Osborne)
Paxley is getting a push lately in a feud with Valkyria, so
of course Paxley gets the win here, albeit with outside
interference. Yet another match on this card that ends after
a heel interferes in the match.
Hail is making a comeback when Jazmyn Nyz jumps on the apron
to distract the referee. Meanwhile, Jacy Jayne trips up
Hail. Paxley then catches Hail in a crucifix for a pinfall.
Hail attacks Jayne after the match, and they are pulled
apart. In a separate pull-apart brawl, Lyra Valkyria rushes
into the ring to jump Paxley. They brawl until referees pour
into the ring to separate them.
NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez is interviewed by Kelly
Kincaid, and Perez cuts a promo about Valkyria and Paxley.
GM Ava interrupts to book Perez in a tripe threat title
match against both Valkyria and Paxley, which takes place
next week on week one of Spring Breakin'.
Authors of Pain (with The Final Testament) defeated Malik
Blade & Edris Enofe
My guess is this run in NXT is for Akam and Rezar to get
ring time ahead of a bigger program on the main roster, as
they are put over strong. They got a somewhat dominate win,
but Enofe & Blade did get to shine.
New NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom walk out
to confront AOP, after a sneak attack on last week's
episode. Axiom & Frazier are held back by security, but this
clearly build to a tag title match.
Gigi Dolan uses scissors to alter a dress that Arianna Grace
picked out for her. This continued an angle from earlier in
the show, and it seemingly appears to set up Grace and Dolan
being as an odd couple team of sorts.
Ivar defeated Josh Briggs
Ivar pinned Briggs to win what was a hoss fight. Briggs had
tape on his ribs, selling an injury from last week. That
would play into the match. NXT North American Champion Oba
Femi is seen watching the match on a monitor backstage.
Briggs got some near falls, but he ultimately lost. His
injury surely hurt his chances, which plays into the story
of Ivar trying to give him advice about the injury earlier
today.
Briggs takes a roundhouse kick on the floor. Ivar then rolls
Briggs back into the ring, and Ivar does a moonsault press.
Ivar then covers Briggs for the pin.
The announcers on commentary run down the card for night one
of Spring Breakin' next Tuesday on NXT:
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defends his title against Trick
Williams, and Williams will leave NXT if he fails to win the
championship
Roxanne Perez defends the NXT Women's Championship against
Tatum Paxley and Lyra Valkyria in a triple threat match
Sol Ruca faces Blair Davenport in a no DQ "Beach Brawl"
No Quarter Catch Crew vs. The D'Angelo Family in a six-man
tag team match
Contract signing for NXT Underground with Natalya and Lola
Vice
A video package features the recent story between Trick
Williams and Carmelo Hayes, ahead of their blow off match in
the main event on tonight's card. In a pre-match interview,
Carmelo Hayes says the feud is over when he says so. Hayes
is followed around by his personal security team.
Big pop from the live studio audience for the entrance of
Trick Williams, and chants of "whoop that trick" fill the
sound stage.
Trick Williams defeated Carmelo Hayes in a steel cage match
Williams pinned Hayes clean to win this blow off match. Not
on the same level as their Stand & Deliver match, and the
cage itself likely hurt the quality of the match. It was
good nonetheless.
The old school fan in me wants to bemoan a cage match so
soon after Hayes and Williams' last match, with only a one
week notice no less. There also seems to be little reason
for the cage, except as a gimmick match in this bitter feud.
Cage matches used to mean so much more. Do not even get me
started on more outside interference in this match on a card
already full of such. On an unrelated note, there are kids
that need to get off my lawn.
Hayes' security team hands him weapons like a club, which
Hayes uses to pummel Williams. Later on, Williams begins a
comeback after executing an avalanche Rock Bottom. Williams
then fires up into a full-fledged rally.
Back and forth in the closing moments, leading into a double
down. They take turns smashing each other's face into the
chain link of the cage. Hayes goes for a super bulldog off
the top. Williams blocks it by landing in a pose. Williams
then hits Hayes with a big kick. Hayes signals for his
security to interfere, and they start trying to enter the
cage.
The heel security team is trying to climb the cage as
Williams fights them off. One guy makes it into the ring,
and he has a chair. It does him no good, as Williams easily
thwarts the ambush. Williams boots him out the cage door.
For the finish, Hayes picks up the chair as Williams is
shutting the cage door. Williams turns around and ducks a
chair shot. Williams then delivers his jumping knee finisher
to the chair for a Van Daminator of sorts. Williams goes on
to hooking a leg in covering Hayes for a pinfall.
Williams has a stare down with Dragunov as the show goes off
the air.