Posted on 3/12/125 by Bob Magee
TNA Tag Team Champions Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated Nathan
Frazier & Axiom to retain their titles
Jeff Hardy pinned Axiom to win the match. Miscommunication
by Fraxiom cost them at the finish. Great opener to kick off
the show.
Lots of tandem offense from both teams and high spots
galore, but not too many. They flowed well. They built to a
series of dives to the outside from Fraxiom. The show cuts
to its first commercial break with The Hardy Boyz on
defense. Hot tag to Jeff when the show returns from the
break.
Frazier goes for tope, but Matt catches him and gives
Frazier a Side Effect on the floor. That left Axiom alone
against the Hardys. Plot Twist by the Hardys for a near
falls on Axiom. Hardys were setting up for their finishers
when Axiom counters a Twist of Fate. Axiom shoves Matt into
a corner, which trips up Jeff, who crotches himself on the
top turnbuckle. That sets up a Spanish Fly.
Axiom with a Spanish Fly with Jeff. Frazier follows up with
a Phoenix Splash on Jeff. Frazier goes for a cover, but Matt
breaks up the pinfall. Match continues. Whisper in the Wind
and Twist of Fate by Jeff for a near fall on Frazier.
Fraxiom went for a high/low combo, but Jeff counters
Frazier’s grasp. Frazier was screaming at Axiom to jump.
When Axiom finally does jump, he inadvertently nails Frazier
with a missile dropkick. Axiom then takes a Twist of Fate
from Matt. Jeff then climbs the turnbuckles and leaps off
with a Swanton Bomb. Jeff then covers Axiom to win the match
and retain the tag team titles.
TNA’s Mickie James has advice to NXT’s Jaida Parker, and
Parker appreciates the pep talk.
Jordynne Grace defeated Roxanne Perez
Grace pinned Perez after going Beast Mode. Second good match
in a row on this show.
Perez targets Grace’s leg. The match goes through a
commercial break. Grace makes a comeback as the is returning
from the break. They trade a lot of strikes. Grace wanted to
do a signature power move, but her leg would not let her.
They trade near falls and counters, including a frog splash
by Perez for a two count. They work very well together.
Great sequences as they go home. Grace delivers a rolling
fireman’s carry slam, and Grace follows with her finisher
they are calling Beast Mode. Grace then covers Perez for a
three count.
Cameo by The Undertaker! Oba Femi is walking backstage,
heading for Gorilla, when he is stopped by Undertaker. Taker
tells Femi is watched him for awhile now, and he is
impressed with Femi. Undertaker stresses the importance of
Femi’s match tonight. Undertaker tells Femi to protect his
yard.
Trick Williams in a pre-taped vignette promises Eddy Thorpe
he will knock him out cold next week. They meet next Tuesday
in NXT Underground.
NXT Champion Oba Femi defeated TNA X-Division Champion Moose
to retain the NXT Championship
Femi retains via pinfall. What a match! These two had a
banger. The unstoppable force meets the immovable object.
This was a hoss fight. Femi gives Moose an uranage on the
apron just before the show cuts to a commercial break. Moose
turned the tide during the break, and Moose has Femi in a
chinlock when the show returns from the break.
Femi powers out of the chinlock and he tosses Moose across
the ring. Femi then delivers a pop-up powerbomb. Outside the
ring on the floor, Moose whips Femi into the ring steps.
They traded big strikes back in the ring. Moose springboards
off the ropes, only to get cut down with an uppercut from
Femi. Several near falls for Femi, but he could not put
Moose away.
Dueling chants from the crowd, while Moose sets up for a
superplex. They execute it to a big pop, but there was an
even bigger pop afterwards. Moose lands with the superplex
and rolls through to lift Femi for a vertical suplex. Femi
counters with a suplex of his own.
They traded strikes and kicks, but neither will go down.
Moose turns inside out with a clothesline, and Femi goes for
a his pop-up finisher. Moose counters to deliver a powerbomb
of his own for a near fall. Femi comes back to military
press Moose and throw him out of the ring, where they tease
a count-out.
The fight spills outside, Moose gives Femi a Rock Bottom
through the announce desk. “Holy s***” chants from the crowd
muted by CW censors. Moose rolls Femi back in the ring to
deliver a spear for another good near fall.
For the finish, Moose goes for another spear. However, Femi
blocks it to deliver a pop-up powerbomb. Moose then falls to
the mat and drapes on arm over Moose for the deciding
pinfall.
In a backstage skit, Fatal Influence is talking with NXT GM
Ava. Up walks Ricky Saints, and he wants a match with Ridge
Holland. Ava books it for next Tuesday.
Ethan Page interrupts them, and he gets in Saints’ face.
Page tells Saints that NXT does not like outsiders like
Saints. The irony here of course is Page was recently an
outsider himself, which is noted on commentary as Page walks
the aisle for the next bout on the card.
Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans in a New York City Street Fight
Evans pinned Page to win a heckuva street fight. What a
brawl and some wild high spots, although it may have gone a
tad too long. The finish was the wildest spot of the night.
They were both dressed in tank tops and pants, or street
clothes in other words. Slugfest from the start and they
brawl around the ring, and then they brawl around ringside.
A metal folding chairs are soon in play, and the hit each
other with the chairs. Page takes a bump on an unfolded
chair, which looked awfully painful. Moments later, Page
takes another bump on a folded chair, which looked like it
hurt a lot as well.
Evans takes a bump on a chair bridge. Evans earlier in the
match propped a table in a corner, only for Page to
powerslam Evans through the table after the bump on the
chairs. Yet, Evans kicks out as the show cuts to a
commercial break.
Evans with a springboard as the show returns from the
commercial break. Evans goes for another springboard, but
this time is cut down. Razor’s Edge by Page for a near fall.
They trade strikes and another slugfest develops.
A table was set up like a bridge from the apron to the
barricade in a manner similar to what Sabu used to do in the
original ECW. Evans leapt over the ropes for a cutter on
Page, who was on the apron. They crash through the table on
the spot. That deserved an “E-C-W” chant, but it got a “this
is awesome” chant instead. Evans follows that by sailing
high over the ropes on a dive to the outside.
Double springboard tornillo splash by Evans for a two count.
In a callback to how the feud began, Evans teases using
chair to Pillmanize the neck of Page. Escaping that, Pages
throws the chair at Evans. Page goes for a move on the
chair, only to take a cutter on the chair instead. In a
helluva spot, Page has his head stuck in an unfolded chair.
Evans then springboards into a cutter, and Page takes the
bump with his neck in the chair. One…two…three. The babyface
gets his revenge in the end. Great finish that fit the
story.
After the match, Evans is attacked but the four mystery
assailants that have terrorized NXT recently. They jump
Evans and lay him out with an assisted powerbomb. The
mystery four are supposedly Cutler James, Dion Lennox,
Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin.
Shawn Spears in a vignette talks with his faction, which is
now called The Culling. We do that every year here on the
ranch, but it is a much different culling altogether.
Eddy Thorpe cuts a promo on Trick Williams in a live
interview with Sarch Schreiber. The crowd was loud, which
drowned out Thorpe. The crowd chanted “whoop that trick!” As
Thorpe is insulting the New York Mets, Trick Williams jumps
Thorpe. A brawl erupts, and Trick whoops that other trick
all the way to the ring.
After getting Thorpe in the ring, Trick spears him. Trick
then clotheslines Thorpe over the ropes. Trick stands tall.
NXT North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer defeated NXT
Champion Giulia in a title vs. title match
Vaquer pinned Giulia, and now Vaquer hold both titles. Great
match to cap off a really great show.
Great counters and stalemate in the early part of the match.
These two work so well with each other, and their styles
matched together make for a different match than usually
seen on WWE television. Vaquer springboards into plancha
just before the show cuts to its last commercial break.
Vaquer does her signature headscissors spot as the crowd
counts along. Vaquer takes a double-underhook superplex from
Giulia. From here, I started having flashbacks to All Japan
Women’s matches from yesteryear.
Tombstone driver by Giulia for a near fall. Vaquer turns the
tide with a dragon screw, and Vaquer follows up with one of
her finishers, but Giulia kicks out. Vaquer went for Spinal
Tap off the top rope, but Giulia counters by trapping Vaquer
in a triangle. Giulia transition to Rings of Saturn, but
Vaquer gets a rope break. They keep trading near falls in
the closing moments.
For the finish, Vaquer twice delivers her SVB (package
neckbreaker) finisher. Vaquer then folds up Giulia for a
pinfall, and Vaquer becomes a dual champion.
Final thoughts: This was a really great show! Clean finishes
and good wrestling up and down the show. Some of the matches
were bangers. No bad matches. Every match delivered on the
show, and the setting made it seem even more important.
Highly recommend watching this episode.