Posted on 4/02/125 by Bob Magee
NXT is back on the air from a sound stage at the Performance
Center in Orlando before a live studio audience.
Opening the show is the entrance of NXT Women’s and North
American Champion Stephanie Vaquer. Some cross-promotional
footage shows Vaquer at UFC in Mexico City.
NXT General Manager Ava is the ring to greet Vaquer. Ava
brags on Vaquer, and on her retaining both titles in matches
last week. Ava then makes an announcement that gets roundly
booed by the studio audience. Ava informs the audience that
Vaquer is relinquishing the Women’s North American
Championship.
A new Women’s North American Champion will be determined in
a ladder match at Stand & Deliver from Las Vegas. Qualifying
matches start tonight. The studio audience hated Vaquer
relinquishment of the title, especially when Ava had
anything to say about it.
Vaquer spoke and tried to salvage the negative crowd
reaction, and the studio audience was much more receptive to
her. Yet, they did not like any mention of her giving up the
title. Vaquer says she relinquished the title under one
condition, which is she picks her opponent for the NXT
Women’s title match at Stand & Deliver.
Then a WWE in-ring promo ended without an interruption or
angle. April Fools! Of course there are interruptions!
Jordynne Grace enters to interrupt Vaquer, and Grace
apologizes for doing so again. Grace says with Jaida Parker
no longer in the picture, they can focus on the match
everyone wants to see — the Juggernaut vs. La Primera for
the first time ever on NXT’s biggest stage.
Out comes Jaida Parker to interrupt the previous
interruption, because the more interruptions the merrier.
Parker and Grace argue over who Vaquer should choose, and
Vaquer tells them to figure it out. Parker and Grace start
brawling, when security pours in to separate them. Grace
throws some dudes around, as this appears to set a return
match between Grace and Parker. Or maybe a triple threat
with Vaquer, which would be very WWE of them to book.
Trick Williams calls out NXT Champion Oba Femi in a promo
posted to social media, which sets up a confrontation for
tonight.
Femi is interviewed on his way into the building, and he
says Trick will find out the hard way not to call out “The
Ruler” of NXT.
Zaria (with Sol Ruca) defeated Lash Legend (with Jakara
Jackson) in a Women’s North American Championship qualifying
match
Zaria pinned Legend to become the first to qualify for the
ladder match at Stand & Deliver. They worked hard and had a
competitive match. Although Zaria won clean, Legend got to
shine at times.
The wrestled through a commercial break. Ruca and Jackson
had a melee at ringside before the show cut to commercial,
but otherwise the seconds in the corner played little part
other than moral support. Zaria won after delivering a F5
and covering Jackson for a pinfall.
Yoshiki Inamura challenges Wes Lee to match tonight in a
backstage skit. Inamura and Josh Briggs were in a locker
room, when they confronted by Wes Lee and company. There is
bickering, leading to Inamura challenging Lee to a match.
Kelani Jordan and Roxanne Perez have words in a backstage
skit that also featured Ava. As Jordan and Perez argue, Ava
informs them they meet tonight in a qualifying match.
A vignette features Tony D’Angelo and The Family having a
sit-down to discuss intel on Dark State. This was a clever
way of doing character development on Dark State while
maintaining their mysterious new gimmick.
Stacks runs down the information he learned about the
members of Dark State. Dion Lennox, Osiris Griffin, Cutler
James, and Saquon Shugars are the members of Dark State, and
The Family discusses all of their backgrounds.
Main roster cameo from Pretty Deadly for a skit with Hank &
Tank, who were wearing Pretty Deadly gear. Hank & Tank then
gets a pep talk from Pretty Deadly. No Quarter Catch Crew
walks by and insults Hank & Tank. They rip off their Pretty
Deadly gear and head towards Gorilla.
Myles Borne & Tavion Heights (with Charlie Dempsey & Wren
Sinclair) defeated Hank Walker & Tank Ledger in a tag team
match
Hank & Tank continue their losing streak on NXT television.
They again emulated another team, including doing their
movest. Yet, Hank & Tank go down in defeat. I am assuming
they eventually discover themselves and win by developing
their own moveset. Otherwise, this losing streak is a lousy
way to get them over.
No Quarter Catch Crew looked better than ever as a team.
They were smooth and calculated in the ring. Typical WWE
formula tag match, and nothing necessarily wrong with that..
Babyfaces shine early on, heat spot, hot tag, and finish.
Heat on Hank as the Catch Crew work him over. Hot tag to
Tank, and cleans house. However, Hank & Tank attempt some
signature moves of Pretty Deadly. That backfires as they a
re cut off.
For the finish, Heights lifts Tank into a fireman’s carry.
Borne then DDT’s Tank off the shoulder of Heights, and Borne
covers Tank for the deciding pinfall.
Trick Williams is headed to the ring to call out Oba Femi.
Williams gets into the ring after a commercial break, and he
begins to call out Femi. However, Trick is soon interrupted
by Je’Von Evans.
Je’Von confronts Trick in the ring, and Je’Von cuts a promo
on him. As if this show did not have enough bickering, there
is some more bickering here in this segments. Lots of it.
Then another interruption, because that is a trope in modern
pro wrestling.
This all sets up a triple threat title match at Stand &
Deliver. Out comes NXT Champion Oba Femi for the second
interruption of the segment. “The Ruler” gets into the ring
to confront the other two already in the ring. More
bickering, because personal grudges are money.
GM Ava is out to end the bickering with an announcement. She
books a triple threat for the NXT Championship at Stand &
Deliver with Femi defending against both Trick & Je’Von. A
triple threat, huh? Such an original booking concept for
what is billed as the biggest NXT show of the year. The
match itself should be good.
Anyway, Trick drops Je’Von with a sucker punch, and Trick
brawls with Femi. Trick clotheslines Femi out of the ring.
Suddenly, the arena lights do dark.
Spotlights shown as Dark State appears. They jump Femi at
ringside, and then Dark State gangs up on Trick. Dark State
leaves them both laying.
Andre Chase is the trainer’s room nursing a rib injury.
Medical staff won’t clear him, and Chase is sent home. He is
asked if anyone can take care of him. In walks Kale Dixon
and Uriah Connors to help Chase, and he finally warms up to
them.
Jordynne Grace and Jaida Parker are seen in a backstage
melee. They have a pull-apart brawl. Later in the show, a
return bout between the two is made official for next
Tuesday.
Hank & Tank talk with NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom in
another backstage skit. Fraxiom are then met by the tag team
called Swipe Right. They are Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes,
who are doing a misogynistic bro gimmick.
Kelani Jordan defeated Roxanne Perez in a Women’s North
American Championship qualifying match
Jordan pinned Perez in an upset. Jordan qualifies for the
ladder match at Stand & Deliver after pinning Perez in what
was a good match. Hopefully this is a breakout win for
Jordan, as Perez put her over. Perez appears to be putting
people over on her way out of NXT, and hopefully on her way
to the main roster. Long overdue.
They were given a lot of time, and they made the most of it.
They also wrestled through a commercial break. Jordan missed
her first attempt at a split-legged moonsault, with no water
in the pool. Jordan connects on a second attempt for the
finish. Roxanne got a lot of near falls, including in the
closing moments.
In a skit from her backstage office, Ava books a trios match
with any three members of Dark State against the main event
trio from Stand & Deliver. Next week is Dark State in a six-
man tag match with Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, and Trick
Williams. Dark State responds in a promo uploaded on social
media, confirming the match next Tuesday.
Ricky Saint is interviewed by Sarah Schreiber, and Saints
vows to win the NXT North American title tonight in the main
event.
Ricky Saints defeated NXT North American Champion Shawn
Spears (with The Culling) to win the title
Saints wins his first title in WWE mere weeks after his
television debut. Saints pinned Spears to win the title, and
Saints fought off interference from The Culling. Ethan Page
attacked Saints in a post-match ambush to end the show with
a cliffhanger.
The title match itself was really good, and they wrestled
through a commercial break. Great dropkick by Saints at one
point. Just before cutting to commercial, Saints does a Don
Jardine walk on the barricade, mixed with some Rick Rude
gyrations.
The studio audience really came alive after Saints executed
a superplex jackhammer off the top rope. The Culling would
soon interfere in the match. Niko Vance jumps into the ring
to distract the referee, and Izzi Dame slid the North
American title belt to Spears.
Belt shot for a near fall, as Spears waffles Saints with the
title belt. Saints kicks out for a near fall. Moments later,
Saints counters Spears’ C4 finisher. Saints delivers his own
version of C4 (Death Valley Driver).
The Culling interfere again. This time it involves Brookes
Jensen jumping on the apron. Saints biels Jensen into the
ring, and Saints fights off the interference before they go
home.
Saints with a spear knocks Vance off the apron, and Saints
with a Cactus Jack clothesline sends himself and Jensen over
the top rope to the floor. Saints runs around the ring to
spear Vance on the floor. Back in the ring, Saints with a
spear on Shawn Spears. Saints follows up with Roshambo.
Three count as Saints wins via pinfall. And new…
In a post-match angle, Ethan Page runs in to ruin Saints’
celebration. Page jumps Saints and lays him out with a
finisher. The show ends with Page standing over a fallen
Saints, while Page holds the North American title overhead.