Posted on 3/18/126 by Bob Magee
NXT is live from the 713 Music Hall in Houston in front of a
hot crowd. Opening the show is a triple threat title match.
Jacy Jayne (with Fatal Influence) vs. Sol Ruca vs. Zaria in
a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Championship
—
NXT Women’s Speed Champion Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid are
ringside in Jayne’s corner. So far, Henley has the best St.
Patrick’s Day gear on the show.
Lots of nifty spots, leading to near falls where Hayne
delivers a codebreaker. Ruca breaks the count by
springboarding into a Superfly splash, and Ruca gets a two
count on Jayne. Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary played
up the champ being at a disadvantage not having to drop the
fall to lose her title.
Ruca barely cleared the ropes on a Space Flying Tiger Drop,
and the audience collectively held their breath for a
moment. Outside the ring, Lainey Reid interferes to give
Jayne an underhanded advantage. While Zaria and Ruca sell,
Fatal Influence taunts and poses as the show goes into a
commercial break. The match continues in a split-screen.
In the middle of the match, Los Americanos are shown
preparing for their match tonight when the show returns.
Teammates turned rivals, Sol Ruca and Zaria finally square
off. They trade strikes until Jayne bursts into the ring
with a senton. Jayne is thwarted as Ruca leapfrogs a spear
from Zaria, and Jayne takes the spear. Ruca then spears
Zaria, and the live audience comes unglued.
In their take on a Tower of Doom, Zaria leaps on the ropes
for a German suplex on Jayne while Ruca flips over taking a
back suplex. Zaria tries to cover the other two, but both
kick out. Zaria looks to pummel Ruca, but Jayne land a
missile dropkick and a cannonball. Zaria cuts off Jayne to
deliver the F-5 to the champ, but Ruca breaks up the pinning
attempt. Zaria goes for the F-5 on Ruca, only to get an X-
factor from Ruca. Really good sequence.
Zaria take a bump out for the ring as they go home, and Ruca
crushes Jayne with a Sol Snatcher. Ruca goes for a sure pin,
and Zaria pulls Zaria out of the ring to break the count.
Zaria then executes the F-5 on the outside, and Ruca takes a
bump on the floor. Fatal Influence’s Henley and Reid
interfere by keeping Zaria from getting back into the ring.
Zaria drops Reid with a headbutt, and Henley takes the F-5
on the floor. Meanwhile, Jayne crawls over to steal the win
by pinning Ruca. Great opener. And still…
Match result: NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne defeated Sol
Ruca and Zaria in a triple threat match when Jayne pinned
Ruca to retain her title.
— Ricky Saints is supposed to “call someone out” in the next
segment on the show. He is heading to the ring as the show
cuts to a commercial break. Saints gets a full entrance
after the break. With RodeoHouston taking place head-to-head
tonight with NXT, Saints is dressed for the rodeo complete
with cowboy boots, leather vest and a bolo tie. A talking
segment leads to dissension between Saints and his cohort,
Ethan Page. NXT Champion Joe Hendry then confronts both of
them. Tony D’Angelo then lays out everyone
NXT Champ Joe Hendry plays challengers against each other,
and Tony D’Angelo strikes
—
Saints first delivers a monologue saying the main event
(himself) is standing before you. He boasts about himself
while talking about driving three hours from Austin to
Houston. He pivots to talking about his tag team with Ethan
Page. He brags about how they can pivot, mentioning there
win last week against the team of Joe Hendry and Myles
Borne.
Saints dubs himself and Page as “The Slump Busters” for
their team name. If their other cohorts in Vanity Project
were not in the title mix, Saints and Page would go for the
tag titles. Out comes Ethan Page to join alongside Saints.
Page likes the name, but he was thinking “Bounce-Back Boys”
instead. Saints tells Page he can call out NXT North
American Champion Myles Borne to issue a challenge. Page
informs Saints that Page does not want to be North American
Champion anymore. Rather, Page wants to be a two-time
champion.
Saints is at a lose for words as he processes the intentions
of Page. The tension is broken by the entrance of Joe
Hendry, who enters holding the NXT title belt.
Hendry cuts a promo that pits Saints against Page. Hendry
claims Saints uses Page to cover for his own loses. Hendry
points out Saints cannot regain the title. Saints cannot
play guitar, and he cannot sing. Henry then mentions that
Saints and Page once wrestled each other at Stand & Deliver.
Page and Saints then get into an argument and they exchange
barbs. They look ready to fight each other when they instead
attack Hendry. He fights then off and give each a fallaway
slam.
Suddenly, Tony D’Angelo runs in to attack all three.
D’Angelo wrecks shop and lays everyone out, and he stands
menacingly over all.
Birthright is backstage along with Fit Finlay and William
Regal. As Regal tells Birthright they must win the tag team
tournament, up walks Robert Stone. Regal talks Stone aside
trying to gain favor with the new general manager of NXT,
and Regal offers to put in a word with Shawn Michaels on
making it a permanent role as GM.
Los Americanos (El Grande Americano Nuevo, Rayo Americano &
Bravo Americano) vs. Vanity Project (Brad Baylor, Ricky
Smokes & WWE Evolve Champion Jackson Drake)
—
The heel trio takes over before the match goes through a
commercial break. Heat on Rayo Americano when the show
returns from the break, leading to El Grande Americano
running wild after a hot tag.
Americanos with a stereo dives while wearing cowboy hats,
and Grande gets a near fall in the ring. He then trades near
falls with the heel trio, and Grande kicks out after taking
a Burner Hammer and a 450 splash from Drake.
The crowd is clearly behind El Grande Americano as he hulks
up. In the closing moments, Drake rolls up El Grande
Americano and uses the ropes for illegal leverage. Brad
Baylor also helps with an assist, and the referee catches
the heels in the act. Meanwhile behind the ref’s back, El
Grande is handed a gimmick and he loads his mask.
Grande Americano knocks Baylor off the apron with the shot
from the loaded mask, but Drake dodges the loaded mask to
deliver a running knee strike. Rayo with a blind tag,
followed by another blind tag by Bravo. Russian leg sweep,
flying headbutt combo by Rayo and Bravo, followed by a
flying headbutt with the loaded mask by El Grande Americano.
He then covers Smokes for a pinfall.
Match result: Los Americanos defeated Vanity Project when El
Grando Americano pinned Ricky Smokes.
— In a backstage skit, Sean Legacy is on crutches and says
he cannot wrestle. Robert Stone rules that Eli Knight must
find a replacement to team with him or forfeit their spot in
the tag team tournament. That led to WWE Speed Champion Elio
LeFleur offering to team with Knight, and Stone okays the
new team.
Keanu Carver crashes Booker T Appreciation Night
Vic Joseph hosts a segment for Booker T Appreciation Night
ceremony, and Joseph introduces Booker T to the crowd.
Booker T is the focus of a great video package honoring his
career in wrestling as both a performer and mentor.
Booker T is in tears while surrounded by his wife and kids
and two students from his Reality of Wrestling school.
Joseph presents Booker with a plaque commemorating Booker T
Appreciation Night. The crowd chants “you deserve it” as
Booker T displays the plaque.
Booker gets the house microphone and says he has been doing
this for 35 years. Booker thanks the fans for making it all
possible. Keanu Carver suddenly interrupts the ceremony.
Carver yells for everyone to shut up, and he shoves aside a
referee on his way to the ring.
Several students try to intervene, but Carver tosses them
aside with ease on his way into the ring to confront Booker.
Carver is squaring off with Booker when in runs Jasper Troy
to brawl with Carver. They briefly fight before Troy
clotheslines Carver out of the ring. Referees pour out to
keep Carver separated from Troy.
Carves exits and out comes the NXT roster to honor Booker.
The roster is joined by Robert Stone. Booker says to cut the
music. Booker cuts a promo saying someone needs to take
control, and Booker yells at Stone that kind of stuff should
not happen in Booker’s hometown city. Booker’s theme music
then awkwardly blares over the house speakers, and the show
cuts to commercial while Booker is still cutting a promo.
The segment inexplicably ends without sound during a split-
screen break.
Fallon Henley (with Fatal Influence) vs. Wren Sinclair (with
Kendak Grey) for the WWE Speed Championship
—
Five-minute time limit for this title bout. Sinclair is
billed from Texas, which got a decent enough pop from the
crowd. The home state aspect might have popped the crowd
more at first if the match had not followed a segment
already playing on hometown vibes. However, the crowd still
popped big for the title change, as Sinclair won the title
in her home state.
For the finish, Sinclair counters an O’Connor Roll with
about a minute-and-a-half remaining in the bout. Sinclair
then catches Henley with “The Final Wrench” (cattle
mutilation hold), and Henley submits. And new…
Match result: Wren Sinclair defeated WWE Women’s Speed
Champion Fallon Henley via submission to win the title.
— Ethan Page and Ricky Saints have stormed into Robert
Stone’s office, and they are angry about Tony D’Angelo
ambushing them earlier tonight. They demand that Stone take
action. Page then says Saints wants D’Angelo in a singles
match next week. Saints is taken aback at first, but Page
talks him into it so long as Page is in his corner. Saints
against D’Angelo is set for next Tuesday.
— A commercial for NXT Stand & Deliver announces the show is
April 4 at The Factory in St. Louis.
Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Birthright (Uriah Connors &
Stacks with Arianna Grace, Charlie Dempsey & Lexis King) in
a number one contender’s tag team tournament quarterfinal
match
—
Heat on Hank, until a hot tag to Tank. The babyface duo then
a superplex/swanton bomb combination. Reception issues while
trying to watch on my local CW affiliate, so my feed is
choppy for a bit. Reception clears up in time for Hank to
plant Stacks with a Bossman slam. Lexis King jumps into the
ring and takes a bullet for Stack.
Somehow the interference by King does not qualify as a
disqualification, and King is sandwiched with a stereo
splash by Hank & Tank. Stacks then makes Hank & Tank’s combo
finisher, but Connors already made a bling tag. Connors
rushes in to roll up Hank for a three count. Birthright wins
to advance in the tournament.
Match result: Birthright defeated Hank & Tank when Uriah
Connors pinned Hank.
— NXT Champ Joe Hendry demands Robert Stone book a match
with the champ against Tony D’Angelo. Stone could like to
oblige, but he already booked Saints against D’Angelo for
next week.
— Timing was tight as the show crept closer to the top of
the hour, and they rush into the main event.
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame in a steel cage match for the NXT
Women’s North American Championship
—
Winner by pinfall or submission, no climbing out to win.
They still tried to climb out, and the fight began before
they ever got in the cage. This was a wild brawl with Paxley
retaining her title. The reception on my CW broadcast was in
and out at times. They used weapons like chairs, along with
using the cage itself as a weapon at time. They looked to
have a gritty cage match without blood.
They build to a superplex, and then they build to a
powerbomb spot on a metal folding chair. Paxley counters
with a code red on the chair, and Paxley follows up with
Cemetery Drive on Dame. Paxley covers Dame for a pinfall.
Match result: NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum
Paxley defeated Izzi Dame via pinfall to retain her title.
— In a cliffhanger ending, Paxley was celebrating and posing
with the title belt the ramp. Blake Monroe popped out of a
trap door like The Undertaker. She pulls Paxley down through
the trap door, and Monroe poses as the show goes off the
air.