With Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia this weekend, tonight’s episode of NXT was taped last week in a double-header set of wrestling. Smackdown’s Shotzi made her in-ring return to the brand challenging NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria in the main event, but a mid-match injury forced a stoppage and a very impromptu replacement instead.
Lexis King vs Oba Femi (c) – North American Championship
Following walk-ins from both Shotzi and Valkyria, the show gets right into in-ring introductions, and Femi obviously has the upper hand early on. Commentary rightfully puts over how he obtained gold less than 10 matches into his career. In the back, Mr. Stone tells Von Wagner that he’s going out to watch, does indeed, and eats a shove from King subsequently. Despite a noticeably down crowd, Femi’s intensity doesn’t falter, and he inevitably hits the Pop Up Powerbomb for victory.
Winner: Oba Femi
Thea Hail describes her awkward Valentine’s Day with Riley Osborne, and an eavesdropping Ariana Grace gives her input. Jacy Jayne takes offense to the genuine feedback and regroups her Chase University girls.
More conversation comes from NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley, who acts as weird as the others. The latter hesitantly agrees to stay backstage for Valkyria’s match with a reward in store.
“You deserve it” chants welcome in new NXT Tag Team Champions The Wolf Dogs, Baron Corbin and Smackdown’s newest signee Bron Breakker. Orlando gets to coin their “Spear of Days” finisher name before Andre Chase and Duke Hudson interrupt the fun. Chase University tries enacting their deal set by former champions The D’Angelo Family, but Nathan Frazer and Axiom interrupt to stake their own claim. General Manager Ava tries giving an imposing challenge to the two challenging teams: a number-one contender’s match for tonight.
“Men deny their truth. I will be a mirror to it,” says the next set of NXT’s mystery vignettes.
Roxanne Perez vs Wren Sinclair
Speaking of trying hard, Roxanne Perez appears flustered over missed opportunities and threatens Shotzi and Lyra Valkyria in her backstage interview. Perez is in her bag with technical wrestling, but the attempted mean streak is not working. She eventually hits Pop Rox but transitions to the Crossface, targeting Sinclair’s injured shoulder, for a submission win instead.
Winner: Roxanne Perez
No Quarter Catch Crew walks in on Meta-Four, boring Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar with heritage talk, yapping and the “catch clause” enforced for their tag team match next week.
Josh Briggs vs Brooks Jensen
Jensen unfortunately debuts a rip-off version of the previously used “Separate Ways” by Journey, but the focus is on former partner Briggs’ big shift. Vic Joseph suggests that “siblings fight,” but it’s a grudge match that spills over the barricade to Jensen’s advantage. After picture-in-picture, he makes a comeback after absorbing some smack talk and powers out of Briggs’ signatures, but the latter hits two hellish lariats for the win. Bloodied, the winner forces an embrace on Jensen: “I did this for you. I love you!” he says, but it’s Jensen who may have shined more in defeat.
Winner: Josh Briggs
The saga between Joe Gacy and Dijak is bluntly shot like a movie, and their logic for false imprisonment is a cameo by “Legal Eagle” Luca Crusifino. Gacy cackles in his straitjacket, locked behind glass like the Riddler to Batman.
In a nostalgic throwback to Trick Melo Gang’s early barbershop vignettes, Carmelo Hayes returns to the leather chair alone. “When you come for the one-of-one, you realize that Melo ain’t second to nobody,” he says. Villainous Hayes is untouchable, giving his petty but logical reasoning for taking out Trick Williams before setting sights on the NXT Championship.
Ariana Grace vs Jacy Jayne
Jayne is accompanied by Thea Hail and Jazmyn Nyx – a cover band of Toxic Attraction. Hail is too innocent to play the numbers game though, and Nyx has to attack Grace ringside to complete Jayne’s plan.
Winner: Jacy Jayne
Tony D’Angelo sits down with Adriana Rizzo and Stacks, turning down the tag team title hunt and setting a new tone. “It’s time for me to really be the don of NXT,” says D’Angelo.
Ridge Holland sits down, not at an Italian restaurant but at an interview regarding his steel-chair assault on Gallus. “The man that I am with that chair in hand, it is not the man I am in everyday life,” he says like Dr. Seuss.
Duke Hudson and Andre Chase vs Axiom and Nathan Frazer
Chase University and Riley Osborne bump into the women students after their shenanigans, and nothing is ever smooth at that school. Both teams have shaky arguments for being next in line, but the winners officially receive an NXT Tag Team Championship match. Chase levels with Axiom’s chain wrestling in his collar and sweater, but the speed of Frazer gets the better of him and Hudson. Axiom and Frazer hit four consecutive dives of increasing velocity before break, but Hudson makes his MVP comeback with a unique senton-lungblower combo. Axiom hits a top-rope Spanish Fly on the big man, who hulks up, tagging in Chase for the lucky roll-up victory.
Winners: Duke Hudson and Chase University
Smackdown’s The OC, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, blindside all four competitors and Osborne, and Orlando finally gets to its feet. They hit Magic Killer on Hudson to “two sweet” chants, and the Good Brothers’ world tour continues.
A promo package from NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov accuses Carmelo Hayes of being a coward and a rodent. “Come for this championship, ‘cause I’m coming for something more important: your soul,” he says with vibrant red eyes.
Fallon Henley and Thea Hail talk about their respective downers and bond over shared Valentine’s Day bummers. “Now that is a locker room leader,” adds Vic Joseph.
Lash Legend vs Kehlani Jordan
The 180 Legend has made since joining Meta-Four is amazing, and her height is finally coming to good use in-ring. She throws and stretches Jordan with ease, the latter’s agility aids in the comeback, but Jakara Jackson provides a distraction for Legend to capitalize with a chokeslam for victory. Vultures in Kiana James and Izzi Dame attack the loser like Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign, but Jordan is able to roll out of harm’s way.
Winner: Lash Legend
The OC answers for themselves in the parking lot, and Karl Anderson promises to “separate the men from the boys.” They’re eyeing The Wolf Dogs and their championships, and in a case of big fish little pond, some legitimacy has been shot into the white-and-gold’s shallow tag division.
Shotzi vs Lyra Valkyria (c) – NXT Women’s Championship
Drake once said that “trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers,” but it’s the opposite for this match that spurred from an X callout. They’re even in a solid bout of chain wrestling, but Shotzi grabs her left knee, jamming it ringside after a DDT to Valkyria through the ropes. Personnel attend to her throughout picture-in-picture, and the champion stands idly until General Manager Ava comes out to announce an open challenge.
Winner: N/A
Lash Legend vs Lyra Valkyria (c) – NXT Women’s Championship
Legend rides her wave of momentum from twenty minutes ago, and it’s a test of her readiness if tonight’s main event is indeed impromptu. She freely dominates for a while, and meanwhile, Roxanne Perez breaks a monitor in disbelief of another opportunity gone by. All it takes for Valkyria is a push to Legend off the ropes and a splash to gain the pinfall, and a courtesy clap follows.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria
NXT 2/20/24
Orlando, FL
Unfavorable circumstances led to an awkward main event and a quiet crowd for two hours. But NXT is too comfortable pairing bad acting and rookie wrestlers into their segments, and it was the basis of the entire episode.
