Posted on 10/02/124 by Bob Magee
NXT is live from Chicago, and Shawn Michaels opens the show.
With the hat he was wearing, he kind of looked like Skinner
in a suit.
Shawn plays to the crowd and speaks into the house
microphone. HBK goes on to unveil new NXT championship belts
for the title matches tonight.
HBK says he has one question for us. Before he can say the
line, the voice of Triple H interjects, “Are you ready?”
Triple H gets into the ring and embraces HBK. They together
ask, “Are you ready?!” Huge pop from the crowd, and we are
ready for our first match.
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez defeated Giulia to retain
her title
Perez retains via pinfall after outside interference by the
returning Cora Jade. Aside from losing the match, this was
the best presentation of Giulia, and her character, since
she debuted in NXT. Not sure about Giulia losing her first
match, but that is very WWE.
They quickly exchange near falls early on. They wrestle to a
stalemate, and they go nose-to-nose as the show cuts to a
commercial break. After the show returns from the break, the
match heats up even more.
The crowd really comes alive after a series of headbutts
from Giulia. The action intensifies, and the crowd explodes
into “N-X-T” chants when Perez sails through the ropes with
a tope suicida. Giulia answers back with a super Northern
Lights suplex and a bridge. Chain wrestling, and both
counter their way into a crossface. They keep trading near
falls.
Pop Rocks by Perez, but Giulia rolls outside the ring to
avoid a pin. On the floor, Giulia gives Perez a Northern
Lights. They tease a double count-out, and they both roll
back just in time to break the count.
Perez gets the title belt, which is a red herring. That was
to distract the referee. Suddenly, a hooded assailant
attacks Giulia at ringside. The unknown attacker gives
Giulia an Evenflow DDT on the floor. Giulia is rolled back
into the ring, where Perez executes another Pop Rocks. Perez
then covers Giulia for a pinfall. The attacker then reveals
herself to be Cora Jade.
The arrival to the building from earlier today of CM Punk
and Trick Williams is shown just before the show cuts to a
commercial break.
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier and Axiom are playing
a WWE video game, and Frazier loses his temper. Axiom tries
to tell him to keep his temper in check, both in the game
and real life. This was both good and silly, especially
since Axiom is wearing his mask while at home on a couch
playing video games.
CM Punk talks with NXT GM Ava backstage about the title
match later on, and Punk reassures her about the NXT title
match having a definitive winner tonight. In walks Lexis
King to get some advice from Punk.
A video package recaps the history between Wes Lee and
Zachary Wentz, ahead of their street fight. Live in the
arena, Lee makes his entrance pushing a shopping cart full
of weapons as the show goes into a commercial break.
Jaida Parker and Lola Vice are warming up for their tag
match. As they begin to bicker, in walks NXT Women’s North
American Champion Kelani Jordan trying to convince them they
need each other. Parker and Vice storm off still at odds,
and Jordan remarks she has another plan.
Wes Lee defeated Zachary Wentz in a street fight
Lee pinned Wentz in a brutal match. Lee attacks Wentz in the
aisle before the bell, and the fight is on. They brawl at
ringside, and weapons soon come into play. Wentz smashes Lee
into the ring steps with a shopping cart. Chairs, kendo
sticks, and a piece of plywood were shattered everywhere.
Just before the show cuts to another commercial break, they
both take a plunge through a plywood bridge set up at
ringside.
Should be noted the days of split-screen commercial breaks
on NXT are seemingly done. Fine by me. I like my commercial
breaks the old fashioned way. Easier to ignore that way.
After the show returns from the break, Wentz goes coast-to-
coast with a Van Terminator that smashes a trash can on Lee.
Moments later, Lee takes a face-first bump on a chair. Wentz
then hits Lee with repeated shots from the kendo stick.
Trash can on the head of Lee, and he is smacked with the
stick. Wentz delivers a senton bomb on the Lee with the can
still trapped on Lee.
This was getting very brutal. It would quickly get worse
when Wentz goes for a springboard. Lee shoves him off the
top rope. Wentz was likely supposed to land on a table set
up in the aisle. Wentz overshoots the table, and he takes a
nasty bump on the floor.
More brutality and near falls. Lee wraps a chain around his
hand, and Lee pummels Wentz with the chain. Wentz is seated
in a chair as Lee gets on the middle rope. Lee wraps the
chain around his knee, and Lee jumps off the rope on a
seated Wentz. The chair beneath him craters from the
meteora, and Lee pins Wentz.
MizTV with guests NXT North American Champion Oba Femi and
Tony D’Angelo
Miz is loudly booed. Femi enters looking even more like a
superstar than usual. The live arena setting is so much
better than the Performance Center. Out comes Tony D’Angelo,
and he is flanked by The D’Angelo Family.
“The Don” is first to answer a question, and he gets the
“what” treatment. On the other hand, the crowd chants along
with Femi.
The crowd turns when D’Angelo says he grew up 20 minutes
from the building on the streets of Chicago. The crowd
chants for D’Angelo, while Femi says D’Angelo will never be
North American Champion. Femi insists D’Angelo cannot beat
him.
They get up from their chairs and they face off. D’Angelo
says Femi is just a man, and Femi replies he is “inevitable”
and D’Angelo is a broken man. Miz concludes the face-off by
plugging their title match next week.
Cora Jade and NXT Women’s Champion have a confrontation
backstage, where they tease joining forces again.
Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley with Jazmyn Nyz)
defeated Lola Vice & Jaida Parker
Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan is at ringside
for guest commentary alongside Vic Joseph and Booker T. This
leads to them bickering about NIL athletes. Meanwhile, a tag
match is going on.
The match goes through a commercial break. Parker & Vice
argue just before the show cuts to commercials, which allows
Henley to ambush Parker. When the show returns from the
break, Vice is trapped in a body scissors. Clips from during
the break show Vice getting rammed into a ring post.
The heels work over Vice. Double clothesline and a double
down. Vice about to make the hot tag when Nyz distracts
Parker. Henley sends Vice colliding into Parker. That upsets
Parker, and she walks out on the match.
Vice is left alone with Fatal Influence, and Vice fires up.
She is making her own comeback when Vice is cut off by a
roaring elbow by Jayne. Her and Henley deliver stereo knee
strikes on Vice, and Henley covers Vice for a three count.
After the match, Fatal Influence remain in the ring for a
promo. Their win was a statement made, and Henley says they
are setting their sights on the North American title. They
call out Jordan, but Jordan says she did not come alone.
Time for a surprise appearance.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargil
get a full entrance, and they get in the ring to confront
Fatal Influence. Jordan teams up with Belair & Cargill to
clean house on Fatal Influence. The babyface trio stand
tall.
An advertiser-sponsored video package hypes Randy Orton
against Je’Von Evans for next Tuesday on NXT.
Another video package recaps the story leading to tonight’s
main event.
CM Punk gets a full entrance and a big pop, as he enters for
his role in the main event. He is wearing sleeveless referee
shirt, along with a beaming smile.
A vignette teases the debut of a new women’s wrestler. This
could be DELTA, but no name is given.
Trick Williams defeated NXT Champion Ethan Page to win the
title
Williams pinned Page after a Trick Shot. They had a good
match. Nothing blow away, but Trick is still over. Likewise,
Punk is quite over as well if you can believe that.
The right guy won here.
Page tries to cheat early on by putting his feet on a rope,
but Punk catches him in the act. Trick was looking strong,
until he crashes through a gimmicked section of the
barricade. The show cuts to a commercial break with Trick in
peril.
Trick makes a comeback after the show returns from the
commercial break, and Trick is a house of fire. The crowd
comes alive as Trick runs wild. Page counters Trick at
ringside, leading to Page giving Trick a Razor’s Edge on the
announce desk. The desk collapses with Trick in a heap. Punk
goes to check on Trick, and Punk basically refuses to
administer a count-out. He had promised a definitive winner.
Several near falls for Trick down the stretch. Trick Shot
misses, and Page gets a near fall of his own. Page executes
a GTS right in front of Punk. Page glares a Punk while doing
the move. However, Trick kicks out at two. Page for another
Razor’s Edge, but Trick slips out. Trick falls into the arms
of Punk, who gingerly places Trick in a corner. Page misses
a charge, and he is hit with a Trick Shot. Trick then covers
Page for the deciding pinfall.
A case can be made for Punk making a fast count. That, along
with the other interactions in the match with Punk, would
give Page an out to save face. Furthermore, a post-match
scuffle could easily set up a match between Punk and Page.
However, Punk is currently wrapped up in a blood feud with
Drew McIntyre. They even have a big cage match this weekend
if you are unaware.
Trick celebrates by climbing on the ropes and posing with
the title, as confetti falls from the rafters. Meanwhile,
Punk and Page get into a shoving match. Punk then picks up
Page to deliver a GTS. Page is out cold as the show goes off
the air with Trick wondering what just happened with Punk
and Page. They quickly rushed off the air. No more overrun
with them being on network television.
Overall, this was a good debut on CW. The live arena setting
was much better than their usual sound stage. Hopefully, the
television revenue can offset production costs enough to
take the show on the road more often.