Posted on 6/25/125 by Bob Magee
The show opens with short and direct promos from the four
wrestlers looking to earn a title shot for the NXT Women’s
Championship. Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker and
Jordynne Grace all cut promos ahead of the fatal four-way
later tonight.
Kicking off this WWE show is a TNA title match, which is
still an odd sentence to type. Way less odd considering the
TNA champion is WWE talent defending against someone else
from WWE on their show.
TNA World Champion Trick Williams defeated Josh Briggs (with
Yoshiki Inamura) to retain his title
For his entrance, Briggs wore a vest with a smoking skull
resting on his shoulder. He and Trick have a really good
opening bout, and Trick pinned Briggs to retain the TNA
title. Joe Hendry returns to NXT television in a post-match
angle.
The match goes through a slit-screen commercial break. Just
before cutting to commercials, Trick gets in the face of
Inamura and they jaw at each other at ringside. Trick goes
to cheap shot Inamura, but he blocks Trick. Briggs then
boots Trick with a big leg, and Briggs is fired up as the
show heads into the break.
Trick cuts off Briggs during the break with a spin kick.
Briggs with a comeback after the show returns to full
screen. The action intensifies as they trade near falls.
Trick counters a chokeslam, and they botch an attempted
powerbomb. Briggs then completes the chokeslams for a close
near fall, where Trick grabs the bottom rope to stop to
break the count.
Slugfest as the trade punches and kicks. They fight on, and
Briggs goes for a moonsault press. No water in the pool.
Trick then hits Briggs with a running knee strike, and Trick
hooks a leg while covering Briggs for a pinfall.
Trick gets the house microphone and cuts a promo in front of
the live studio audience. Boasting about himself, Trick says
he carried two brands. He proclaims himself as the greatest
TNA champion. Suddenly, Joe Hendry’s theme song interrupts
the post-match promo, along with an entrance video.
Trick squares up and looks toward the entrance ramp. Hendry
sneaks into the ring behind Trick. The TNA champ turns
around only to get clotheslined by Hendry. Trick bumps and
feeds for Hendry, before Hendry clotheslines him over the
top rope to the floor.
No Quarter Catch Crew are in a skit where Tavion Heights
reveals a special protective mask he will wear in his match.
Charlie Dempsey assumes Heights is out of the match due to
injury, but Heights is cleared to wrestle with the
protective mask.
In a separate skit, Myles Borne is talking with a couple
collegiate football players. Lexis King tries to interrupts
by yelling at Borne, who is partially deaf. King also
insults the football players, but he soon backpedals. This
skit seems to set up a singles bout with King against Borne.
Je’Von Evans vs. Tavion Heights (with Wren Sinclair &
Charlie Dempsey)
Evans pinned Heights to win the match. The protective mask
Heights wore looks like Hannibal Lecter. Heights looked
strong at times despite cleanly dropping the fall. They had
a good match with a lot of action. Evans flew with a dive
before the show cuts to commercial.
Soon after returning from the commercial break, they go
home. For the finish, Evans leaped to the ropes with a
double springboard tornillo splash. Evans then scores a
pinfall.
After the match, Jasper Troy runs in to attack Evans. Troy
lays out Evans with a Black Hole slam. Troy then strolls out
of the ring past the No Quarter Catch Crew. Troys’ beef is
apparently only with Evans.
Noam Dar is out due to an apparent injury, and he
relinquishes the NXT Heritage Cup Championship. Dar was set
to defend against Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. Instead,
Lorenzo faces his arch-rival Tony D’Angelo for the vacant
Heritage Cup. Winner takes the Cup in the latest in the saga
of the D’Angelo Family.
Ricky Saints defeated Ashante “Thee” Adonis
Saint pinned Adonis after a Roshambo. In what was basically
a showcase match to get Saints over, the bout goes through a
commercial break and is rejoined in progress. Saints gets to
pose before the show cuts to the break. Heat spot as the
show returns, and Saints makes a comeback. Saints delivers
his finisher and scores a decisive victory.
Ethan Page runs in after the match to ambush Saints. Page
uses a voiceover to trick Page into falling prey to a sneak
attack. Page then executes Saint’s own finisher as Page
gives Saints a Roshambo. Those two seem headed for a blow
off match.
Darkstate is the focus of a pre-taped promo sponsored by a
corporate insurance company, which kind of kills their whole
gimmick. Pays well though.
NXT Champion Oba Femi is headed to the ring for an in-ring
monologue. Femi with a strong promo that leads to Inamura
coming out to challenge Femi.
Femi first boasts in his monologue as he puts himself over
as “The Ruler” of NXT. He defeats all comers and now sits
atop his kingdom. Other nights coast, but not Femi. He
craves the fight, and Femi says he’s grown restless for new
challengers.
Yoshiki Inamura and his striking mohawk confront Femi.
Inamura talks about coming to NXT looking to chase glory. He
went home when glory did not come. Inamura went home to
Japan and realized what he missed, like his tag partner Josh
Briggs and NXT itself. Inamura pledges his love for NXT and
its fans. He wants to pay back their passion by winning the
NXT Championship.
Femi responds by saying they are both strangers in a strange
land. Femi then says they differ because Femi stayed and
thrived here, while Inamura went back. Femi talks about the
fans still embracing Inamura when he came back. Femi says
that does not fool him. Femi sees Inamura as a warrior
looking for the spirit of the fight, but Femi cautions that
fighting for the honor of the fans is a mistake. Femi warns
that Inamura will fall to the “The Ruler” like everyone
else. Inamura steps towards Femi, gets in his face, and
Inamura says he is ready.
Inamura was looking good until he is blindsided by Jasper
Troy. Heckuva of a way to put Inamura over as a challenger.
Good segment except for the dumb run-in.
Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo defeated Tony D’Angelo to win the
NXT Heritage Championship
Stacks won the Heritage Cup after Luca Crusifino
inadvertently hits D’Angelo with the bucket.
No falls in the first round. They keep fighting after the
bell sounds to end round one, and they are pulled apart by
officials. Not long into the second round, D’Angelo scores a
pinfall after a spear. Stacks takes a bump on the announce
desk and sells his ribs before taking the spear.
Most of round three takes place during a commercial break.
The show returns from the break with 20 seconds remaining in
round two. Stacks with a knee drop for a near fall as the
round ends. Between rounds, Stacks with a cheap shot by
stomping on D’Angelo’s knee. That plays into the start of
the next round.
D’Angelo buckles to the knee injured by Stacks stomping on
it, and Stacks using a small package for a pinfall to end
round three. That evens the score in the match a one fall
apiece.d;
Luca Crusifino runs down to ringside to get in the corner of
D’Angelo. The story going into the match is D’Angelo still
mistrusts Crusifino, which also plays into the finish.
D’Angelo hip-tosses Stacks out of the ring, and Stacks is
caught by his henchmen from his mafia crew. One of the
henchmen tries to use a spit bucket as a weapon, but
Crusifino blocks it. However, Crusifino inadvertently hits
D’Angelo with the bucket. Stacks then delivers a shining
wizard, and Stacks covers D’Aneglo to win the Cup in the
fifth round.
Crusifino pleads his case to D’Angelo as Crusifino tries to
help him up. An angry D’Angelo decks Crusifino, and
Crusifino sells big.
The Fatal Influence trio is interviewed backstage by Sarach
Schreiber. Falling Henley first cuts a promo on Blake
Monroe, and then NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne cuts her
own promo on Monroe. Jayne then comments on the fatal four-
way later tonight. Jayne vows to retain the title at
Evolution.
Jordynne Grace warms up in the locker room, as the main
event is up next. Beforehand is a backstage skit that sets
up a singles match between Thea Hail and Lainey Reid. Lash
Legend interrupts them on her way to the main event.
NXT GM Ava and NXT North American Champion Ethan Page are in
another skit, and she tells Page that he and Ricky Saints
are required to be in her office next week. Suddenly, there
is a commotion off camera. Ava runs to see NXT Tag Team
Champions Hank & Tank laid out.
Joe Hendry is interviewed backstage, and he vows to regain
the TNA title at Slammiversary. Hendry also cuts a promo on
Wes Lee, as the two are scheduled for a singles match on NXT
television.
Chase U is the focus of a vignette.
Jordynne Grace defeated Jaida Parker, Lash Legend and Izzi
Dame (with Tatum Paxley) in number one contender’s fatal
four-way
Grace pinned Parker to win the match.
Paxley is in Dame’s corner after a skit earlier in the show
where Dame invited Paxley to join her. Fatal Influence
watches from a perch above the ring. NXT Women’s North
American Champion Sol Ruca and her partner, Zaria, run to
counteract outside interference from Paxley. Zaria carries
Paxley away before the show cuts to its final commercial
break.
Lots of action and high spots after the break, a lot of near
falls in the closing minutes. All four were given time to
shine. They did a Tower of Doom spot.
The closing moments were intense. Grace picks up Parker into
a torture rack, and Grace then turns it into a sit-out
powerbomb. Grace then covers Parker to win the match, and
she becomes number one contender. Although the match was
good, it was a very contrived way to make Grace the top
contender instead of building her up as such a contender.
But they had a tournament and this match because why not.
Regardless, Grace goes on to challenge Jacy Jayne for the
NXT women’s title.