Posted on 7/22/126 by Bob Magee
I won’t lie. Last week’s show was a little frustrating.
However, when I look over the advertised card for this
week's show, I see a glimmer of hope. Six matches, all with
stories behind them and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t
looking forward to that street fight.
So, with all that said, let’s dig into the meaty offering
that is this week's episode of NXT!
The show opened (of course) in Robert Stone’s office, with
Stone telling Security that Naraku and D’Angelo can’t touch
before their match. Then Thea Hail came in but before she
could say much, Nattie walked in to say “tonight I’m ending
Jaida Parker” and then leave, with Stone chasing after her.
Coulda been an e-mail, Nattie, coulda been an e-mail.
Saquon Shugars, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs DarkState (Dion
Lennox, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin)
Saquon Shugars got kicked out of Darkstate and has been
carrying around a baseball bat about it. He begged anyone
and everyone to be his partners in this match last week and
came up with Dar and Moreno. I have always loved Dar, so the
way things are going if at least 1/6 of the people in the
match are exciting, then I’m ok with it.
The brawling started right as DarkState entered the arena.
When the bell rang, Lennox and Dar started the match. Lennox
had a serious size advantage, but when Shugars tagged in, he
quickly tagged Griffin to avoid having to face him.
Cutler tagged in and he and Griffin double teamed Shugars
with some hard strikes. Shugars turned the tide with a chop-
block and then tagged in Moreno woul double teamed Griffin
with Dar. Moreno and Dar hit stereo knees from the apron on
Cutler and Griffin on the outside.
Then Shugars got thrown from the announce table to the ring
apron by DarkState because Dar and Moreno were… elsewhere?
Back in the ring, Lennox stomped Dar and flipped him with a
bridged northern lights suplex. Cutler tagged in and beat up
Dar for a bit before joining with Griffin for a pop up
uppercut. DarkState continued taking it to Dar with rotating
strikes and pin attempts.
Finally, Dar managed to get a hot tag to Shugars who went
right for Lennox, sending him running. Griffin pulled him
back but Shugars took out both Cutler and Griffin with a
crossbody. He hit a falcon arrow in Cutler, but Lennox broke
up the pin.
Shugars fell to a backbreaker from Cutler and DarkState
triple teamed him with an attempted powerbomb, but Shugars
countered and got out of it. He started throwing dropkicks
along with Moreno to clear the ring. Moreno went off the top
rope and crushed Cutler and Griffin on the outside.
Then Shugars picked up Lennox and drove him through that one
panel in the NXT set that everyone gets thrown through.
Back in the ring, Cutler and Griffin double teamed Moreno
and got the pin to win the match.
Match Result: DarkState defeated Saquon Shugars, Noam Dar
and Romeo Moreno
After the match, security had to pull Shugars and Lennox
apart because apparently they can’t touch either.
-In the women’s locker room Jaida Parker, Wren Sinclair,
Kendall Grey, Thea Hail Skylar Raye and Lizzy Rain were all
conveniently standing in front of lockers with their names
on them. They took turns complaining about how they aren’t
getting opportunities and then Parker left to go fight
Nattie.
-Back from break, NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey and Wren
Sinclair came out to the ring to talk at #1 Contender Lola
Vice. Grey said that she is glad Vice won their #1
Contenders match and Vice said thanks, I’m great. She then
ran through how hard it was for her to get the NXT title and
Great sympathized.
They debated what a champion is, who needs validation about
what, and so on and so forth. Vice said that she looks like
a champion, but we have to acknowledge that might be because
she’s one half of the AAA Mixed Tag Champions.
Vice said that Grey can beat her in a match, but not a
fight. Sinclair and Vice both tried to stop Grey, but in the
end they agreed to a match in the Underground for the NXT
Women’s Title.
Hank Walker W/ Tank vs Keanu Carver
Carver jumped Hank (and Tank) at the Great American Bash BBQ
a few weeks ago, but it took them until now to get into the
ring about it.
Not shockingly, it was a brawl from the get go. They fought
in and out of corners with Hank getting the upper hand in
the early going. Carver came back and sent Hank to the
outside where Tank threw him back in where he immediately
hit a Boss Man Slam on Carver.
Carver fought back with a backbreaker, lifting Hank like he
was Noam Dar for the move. He put Hank down and then moved
to the outside to send Tank into the steel steps. Hank flew
at him and knocked Carver’s head on the ring post.
Back in the ring, Hank went for a splash, but Carver stepped
aside and grabbed him for a big slam to get the 1-2-3. “That
was easy!” exclaimed my daughter.
Match Result: Keanu Carver defeated Hank Walker
After the match, Carver continued the beat down. Tank tried
to help, but Carver slammed him on the announce table. EK
Prosper then flew in and stomped Carver, sending him back
into the ring to get dropped by Hank and Tank.
-In the warehouse, Nattie and co. crossed paths with Thea
Hail and offered to train her since she’s not doing great on
her own. Hail said that she didn’t like Nattie and that
shocked everyone (myself included) so hard that they left.
-Next, footage from “last night “of Shiloh Hill meeting
Danhausen in his lab" was shown. Hill showed off his missing
tooth to a fellow “tooth guy” and Danhausen gave him one
from his collection. Danhausen asked for Human Monies for
the tooth and Hill paid him in Cryptocurrency instead.
Jaida Parker vs Nattie w/ Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic
Right off the bell, Nattie and Parker worked through a
technical exchange. Lyons got up on the apron, but had
little to no effect. They ran through a few more takedowns
and holds with neither one getting out in front.
Nattie got Parker off her feet with a waistlock takedown but
Parker countered it and went to work on Nattie’s arm, trying
to wrench it out of the socket. Parker flattened Nattie with
a lariat and sent her to the corner for some smacks and a
rump attack.
Lyons and Petrovic pulled Nattie out of the ring, but Parker
followed and Nattie chop blocked her knee to send her
sprawling. She threw Parker back into the ring and wrapped
her leg around the ring post to further injure the knee.
Nattie put Parker in the figure four around the post and
then celebrated when the Ref told her to break the hold.
Nattie dropped a few elbows in the ring and put Parker in a
knee stretch hold. Parker got her other leg over and worked
out of the hold.
Nattie went back to the knee, working it over in
anticipation of the Sharpshooter. Parker countered into a
rings of Saturn. The hold was broken and Nattie went for the
Sharpshooter, but Parker kicked her off. Nattie took her
head off with a clothesline in response.
Nattie hit a dragon screw through the ropes on Parker’s
knee. Parker managed to hoist Nattie up on her shoulders for
a modified Samoan drop. They got to their feet and traded
shots, trying to set up each other for finishers. Parker got
Nattie with a Falcon Arrow, but only got a two count.
Nattie came back with a Michinoku driver for a two count of
her own. Nattie stomped Parker and stepped through for the
Sharpshooter. Parker managed to get under the ropes to break
it but ended up on the outside. Nattie followed and Parker
sent her knee-first into the steel steps.
Lyons and Petrovic tended to Nattie sending her back into
the ring just in time for Parker to chop block her. Paker
then put Nattie in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the
ring. Nattie couldn’t reach the ropes, and Lyons and
Petrovic argued about throwing in the towel. Suddenly a
towel flew into the ring, immediately ending the match.
Match Result: Jaida Parker defeated Nattie via towel
throwage
After the match, it was revealed that it was Thea Hail who
ran to ringside and threw in the towel, not Lyons or
Petrovic. Why that counted as a way to stop the match is
beyond me, but I guess it’s near the back of the rule book.
-Back from break, Robert Stone was on his phone but
interrupted by Kelani Jordan who showed him footage from his
own show about how she was ‘robbed’ in the #1 Contenders
Match. He said “so?” and then she left so OTM could wander
by and Stone could deal with the HR task of asking Bronco
Nima if he’s going to be on AAA or NXT in a couple of weeks
when they both have shows on the same day. He didn’t make a
decision.
Shawn Spears vs Niko Vance
A while back, Shawn Spears started a spooooky group called
the Culling with Vance, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley. Paxley
left to play with dolls and Dame and Vance saw that
Judgement Day segment with Finn Balor, so they threw Spears
out of his own group.
Spears appeared behind Vance from the darkness and they
started brawling on the outside. Vance tried to jump on
Spears from the apron, but Spears clocked it and punched him
in the tummy before sending him back into the ring.
Vance turned the tables, sending Spears to the corner, which
he exploded out of with chops. Spears hit a Thesz Press and
stomped Vance. Vance came back with some strikes and sent
Spears to the corner, which he came out of with a
clothesline.
Vance exited the ring and Spears followed, suplexing him on
the floor and getting into a staredown with Dame. Nico came
back with a powerslam on the floor. Vance threw Spears back
into the ring and hit a backbreaker and then a falling
headbutt from the second rope.
Spears rolled out and landed in front of Dame. Vance
followed and dropped Spears spine-first on the ring apron
(the cullingest part of the ring!). Vance sent Spears back
into the ring and went for a cover, but only got two.
Vance went up top, but Spears met him there and pulled him
down. The chops flew again and Spears hit Vance with a
flurry of offence. Spears went for a superkick, but Vance
caught it and countered with a DDT for a two count.
Spears left the ring and lured Vance out with him to drop
him with a punch, bounce his head off the steel steps and
send him back in. Spears then grabbed a chair and the ref
told him not to use it on Vance. Dame got up on the ring,
but then Lizzy Rain showed up and pulled her off the apron.
Spears did the Eddie Guerrero thing and dropped to the mat
while the ref was distracted, throwing the chair to Vance.
The ref turned around, saw Vance with the chair and Spears
“laid out” and called for the bell.
Match Result: Shawn Spears defeated Niko Vance via Guerrero
DQ
-In the lunchroom, Kam Hendrix told Robert Stone he’s only
at 67% health, and Myles Borne and Tavion Heights wandered
by. They asked Stone for a tag team title match. In spite of
no one asking, Borne offered to defend his North American
title next week if they could get their tag match. Kam then
“got a text from medical” that said he was totally cleared
and Stone was like “OK, less work for me.” So next week,
Borne vs Hendrix is happening.
Reina Volcan vs Skylar Raye
This is Volcan’s NXT debut match. She’s kind of like if
Zaria, Stephanie Vaquer and Nia Jax fell into that machine
from The Fly.
They tied up and Volcan immediately scoop slammed Rae. Rae
tried a headlock, but Volcan send her off the ropes into a
shoulder block, followed by a power slam for two. Volcan
charged and Rae stepped aside, sending Volcan into the
turnbuckles.
Rae threw some strikes, but Volcan came back with a tilt o
whirl backbreaker for another two count. Volcan went the
submission route, but Rae kicked her way out of the hold.
Rae managed to knock Volcan off her feet and then hit a DDT,
but Volcan kicked out at two.
Volcan hoisted Rae up on her shoulders for a Natural
Disaster, which is kind of a jiggling torture rack. Rae
quit, Volcan wins.
Match Result: Reina Volcan defeated Skylar Raye
In his office, Robert Stone was eating Popcorn Chicken (now
available at KFC). Shiloh Hill wandered in and said that
Tristan Angels consumes him and Hill wants to put him down.
So Stone made a match for next week, Hill vs Angels. Again.
Hill then took Stones SEVEN boxes of popcorn chicken and
left.
-Out in the parking lot a black SUV pulled up. Vic Joseph
said that “This must be who Stone was on the phone with all
day!” How he knew that? No idea. Maybe this is just another
KFC delivery from Uber Eats. Regardless, we went to
commercial before the identity of who was in the car could
be confirmed.
-Back from break, the following matches were confirmed for
next week: Tristan Angels vs Shiloh Hill, Kam Hendrix vs
Myles Borne for the North American Title and Lizzy Rain vs
Izzi Dame, which I assume is less a match and more a tongue-
twister.
NXT Championship Street Fight: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs Naraku
Is anyone else a little disappointed when Street Fights
don’t take place in the street? Anyway, Naraku and D’Angelo
have been battling over the NXT title for weeks. There’ve
been matches, fireballs and NO TOUCHING thanks to Robert
Stone.
RIght off the bell, Naraku hit D’Angelo with a shot of
poison mist sending him sprawling to the outside. Naraku
followed and threw him through the LED board and the steel
steps. Then he put him back in the ring along with the steel
stairs.
Naraku hit D’Angelo with the steps and went for a cover.
D’Angelo kicked out at two. Naraku went under the ring where
they keep the trash cans, chairs and kendo sticks and threw
a bunch of each into the ring. The crowd, never satisfied,
chanted that they wanted tables.
Naraku hit D’Angelo with a chair, then set up a trash can in
the ropes in the corner, He set up a four chairs and then
suplexed D’Angelo through them for another two count. Naraku
set up another chair and went to stomp D’Angelo’s head
through it, but D’Angelo moved. Naraku went for a suplex,
but D’angelo countered and suplexed him instead.
They rolled to the outside and D’Angelo stole someone’s
water and rinsed his eyes out, bringing him back to 100% in
time to drive Naraku through the ringside barricade.
They fought up the entrance and into the back. D’Angelo
threw Naraku through HBK and Matt Bloom’s monitors. Naraku
choked him with a cable in return and they fought their way
back to the entrance where Naraku hit D’Angelo with a fallen
light.
Naraku tried to suplex D’Angelo who countered it with one of
his own and threw Naraku back into the ring. Naraku grabbed
a Kendo stick and D’Angelo countered it with a crowbar. He
smashed the kend stick and Naraku tried to run away, but
D’Angelo took a swing and missed, but put the crow bar
through the part of the set everyone gets thrown through
(bad night for that dry wall).
Naraku went under the ring and pulled out a ladder. As he
was putting it in the ring, D’Angelo hit him with a baseball
slide then thew the ladder at him. D’Angelo pulled a table
out from under the ring and set it up next to the steps in
the ring.
D’Angelo went for an Alabama Slam through the table, but
Naraku countered it, so D’Angelo threw him into that trash
can he had set up earlier. Naraku came back with a chop to
the throat before dropping D’Angelo junk-first on the ropes
and clotheslining him out of the ring.
Naraku went looking for something under the ring but what he
found was D’Angelo hitting him with the ladder. D’Angelo
went to put Naraku through the announce table, but Naraku
countered and sent D’Angelo through instead.
Naraku threw D’Angelo back into the ring and made the cover,
but D’Angelo kicked out at two. Naraku loaded up his mist
again, but D’Angelo blocked it with his hands. He rubbed the
mist in Naraku’s face then beat him with a kendo stick.
D’Angelo took Naraku up the steps in the ring and then
chokeslammed him through the official Slim Jim Table.
D’Angelo made the cover and got the pin to retain his NXT
Championship.
Match Result: Tony D’Angelo defeated Naraku
After the match, as D’Angelo was celebrating, who should
come wandering in through the crowd? MIKE SANTANA that’s
who! Santana was revealed as the man Robert Stone has been
on the phone with and he and D’Angelo locked eyes as the
show came to a close.
Pretty good ending to a slightly better show than last week!