Posted on 7/02/125 by Bob Magee
Opening the show is the entrance of TNA World Champion Trick
Williams, and he joins the announce team for guest
commentary alongside Vic Joseph, Booker T and Corey Graves.
Joe Hendry defeated Wes Lee (with Tyson Dupont & Tyriek
Igwe)
Hendry pinned Lee after a chokeslam. Williams was on
commentary, but other than stare down with Hendry, he did
not play into the match itself. Yet, the match still
featured a run-in.
The match goes through a commercial break. Just before the
break, Hendry takes a wrecking ball dropkick from Lee on the
floor. Hendry then counters to clothesline Lee. Hendry then
has a stare down with Trick Williams at ringside. Those two
meet in a title match at TNA Slammiversary in triple threat
that also includes Mike Santana, who runs in later in this
match to aid Hendry.
When the show returns from the break, Igwe and Dupont
distract Hendry. That allows Lee to hit Hendry with a dive.
Lee then casually springboards off the middle rope into a
Phoenix Splash. From there, Hendry counters a tilt-a-whirl
with a vertical suplex. It’s off to the races from there.
Hendry manages to counter Lee again.
Santana runs down to ringside to counteract interference by
Igwe and Dupont. Hendry deliver a chokeslam soon thereafter,
and Hendry covers Lee for a pinfall.
Luca Crusifino comes to ring wearing a suit. He calls out
Tony D’Angelo to clear the air. “The Don” accuses Crusifino
of costing him the Heritage Cup in a match last week. They
then accuse each other of hitting the other in the face.
Crusifino goes on to talk about how he left college and
turned down offers to join a law firm in order to instead
chase his dream in WWE. Crusifino says he as never done
anything to doubt D’Angelo, and that is loyalty.
Out comes Heritage Cup Champion Stacks to interrupt the
bickering to himself bicker with other two. Stacks
sarcastically thanks Crusifino helping him win the Heritage
Cup. Crusifino yells at Stacks to shut up. This is between
Crusifino and D’Angelo. “The Don” chimes to to agree, and
Crusifino decks D’Angelo with a right.
Stacks enjoys the sight of a decked D’Angelo, and he puts
his arm around Crusifino while taunting D’Angelo. Crusifino
then suddenly decks Stacks. The plot thickens.
NXT Champion Oba Femi is interviewed backstage by Kelly
Kincaid. He comments on Jasper Troy against Yoshiki Inamura
in a match later today. In walks Inamura, flanked by Josh
Briggs. Inamura gets a promo that concludes with him saying
he will see Femi at Great American Bash.
Myles Borne defeated Lexis King
Borne pinned King to win the match, which was set up in a
skit last week with University of Florida football players
George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp. They were front row
ringside for this match, and the celebrated after the match
with Borne. For the finish, Borne does the Florida Gator
chop before a Zig Zag and a pinfall.
Darkstate is featured in a pre-taped promo where each member
gets to talk and threaten the NXT roster.
Lainey Reid defeated Thea Hail
Reid pinned Hail in a disputed finish. Not only did Hail
have her hand under the plane of the bottom rope, but Reid
was also holding the rope for illegal leverage. Moments
before the finish, Reid tries to cheat by putting her feet
on the ropes. For the finish itself, Reid delivers a knee
strikes and covers Hail for the disputed finish. A rematch
is plausible.
No Quarter Catch Crew is featured in a skit that sets up
Charlie Dempsey against Tavion Heights. If Heights wins, he
leaves the Crew. This is such an odd stipulation. Just leave
if you want. Dempsey says when he wins, he does not want to
hear about it again. Dempsey also heeled on Wren Sinclair in
the skit.
Jasper Troy cuts a promo vowing to win tonight against
Inamura, and then Troy vows to win the NXT title at Great
American Bash.
Tatum Paxley & Izzi Dame (with The Culling) defeated NXT
Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca & Zaria
Dame pinned Ruca to win the match, which could also set up a
title match with the champ dropping a fall. Paxley aligned
herself with The Culling throughout the story of the match.
Ruca & Zaria are in sync most of the match until they go
home. The tag bout goes through a commercial break. Just
before cutting to commercials, Ruca & Zaria do a cool tandem
spot that includes a dive to the floor and military press
outside the ring. They do other tandem spots, including a
modified take on the old Quebecers finisher. However,
miscommunication and aDamen inadvertent spear tease
dissension.
Just before the finish, Zaria accidentally spears Ruca after
Paxley saves Dame. For the finish itself, Dame uses a sit-
out powerbomb to score a pinfall on Ruca. With Dame pinning
a champion, that would seem to set a title match in the near
future.
In a skit from the office of NXT General Manager Ava, Ricky
Saints meets with NXT North American Champion Ethan Page.
Flanking Page is Vanity Project from Evolve, which includes
WWE Evolve Champion Jackson Drake. This skit sets up Saints
in a “Vanity Project gauntlet” next week. If Saints runs the
gauntlet, he can pick a stipulation for his title rematch
against Page.
Chasu U is featured in a vignette. Andre Chase apologizes to
Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon for tough love. Chase has Dixon
booked in a singles match next week. Chase wants Dixon to
promise he will listen to Chase.
Joe Hendry is being interviewed by Kelly Kincaid when
Santana also joins them. Hendry and Santana agree to fight
against High Ryze.
Backstage in a skit, NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank
agree to put their titles on the line
Yoshiki Inamura defeated Jasper Troy in number one
contender’s match
Inamura pinned Troy clean with a flying body press. In
winning, Inamura earns a title match against NXT Champion
Oba Femi at The Great American Bash.
So much for Troy’s big push. They figuratively cut his legs
off here with a clean loss after several weeks of a pushing
him. Inamura also kicked out of Troy’s finisher, which was a
black hole slam. Inamura fired up in the closing moments. He
then climbed the turnbuckles and leapt off with a splash to
score the deciding pinfall.
Femi comes out after the match to have a stare down with
Inamura on the entrance ramp. Meanwhile in the ring, Je’Von
Evans springboards in to attack Troy. That is payback from a
previous angle involving the two, and it also indicated a
direction for both Evans and Troy.
Jordynne Grace is headed to the ring for a monologue. She
starts by saying getting to this point (in NXT) is the
hardest thing she has done. It reminds her that she thrives
under pressure. So is heading into Evolution and is in the
ring this time and not on the sidelines. She gets to compete
alongside the best women’s wrestlers in the world.
Grace goes on to say for sake of being honest, she fears
being vulnerable. She thought a lot and asked herself if she
really belongs in WWE. She says the audience knows her
journey. She did not grow up wanting to be a WWE superstar,
but Gracy says she did everything she could to get here. She
became someone WWE could not ignore.
Grace is interrupted by the Fatal Influence trio consisting
of NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Jazmyn
Nyz. Jayne taunts Grace by mocking her “sob story” about her
journey. Jayne mocks by saying Grace might bench press more
than her, but Jayne tells Grace she could never carry the
women’s division. Keep flexing and a title might fall into
her arms, but Jayne says it will not be her title.
Jayne claims she is at the top of her game. The live studio
audience drowns her with boos, and Jayne taunts them too.
Grace eventually cuts off Jayne and tells her to shut up.
Grace starts saying a vow to become the champion when Jayne
goes for a sneak attack. Grace tries to fight them off, but
Grace is overcome by the odds.
Jayne and Henley are jumping Grace when Blake Monroe runs
down for a save. Monroe and Grace clean house and clear the
ring as the heels flee. Out comes Ava, who bickers with
Fatal Influence. Ava books a match for The Great American
Bash with Monroe & Grace against Jayne & Henley. The two
heels — Jayne & Henley — rush into the ring after the
announcement and they brawl with Monroe & Grace. The
babyfaces again clean house on the heels before the show
goes off the air.