Last week’s NXT Roadblock at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden delivered stellar TNA-versus-NXT and champion-versus-champion matches that ended with Stephanie Vaquer standing tall as double champion. Tonight, the men’s roster looked ahead to Stand & Deliver on April 6 with NXT Champion Oba Femi eyeing two potential challengers. Will Trick Williams reclaim his spot on top, or will “Young OG” Je’Von Evans surpass him amidst his wave of momentum?
Chelsea Green (c) vs Sol Ruca – Women’s United States Championship
Green is accompanied by her foreign secret service in Piper Niven and Alba Fyre, who pats down Mike Rome and the referee. The crowd chants the Pledge of Allegiance and “Chelsea for president” during the opening sequence, and the champion takes control via the service’s outside interference. The two give Green’s quirkiness some oomph and credibility, and the ironic package puts the opposing Women’s Intercontinental Championship to shame. Ruca’s usual finesse isn’t there, and an awkward cartwheel DDT gets a two-count with Fyre’s help. Zaria decimates Fyre with a spear, Niven knocks down the former, and Ruca connects with an outside moonsault. But Green ultimately counters Sol Snatcher and follows with Unpretty-Her for the victory, preparing the Green Administration for quite the run.
Winner: Chelsea Green
Je’Von Evans understands Trick Williams’ mindset now after getting jumped at NXT Roadblock by the four mystery assailants, but the latter isn’t friendly. “You ain’t me… you ain’t never gonna be champ. Tighten up,” Williams says. Heritage Cup Champion Lexis King casually agrees, and Evans responds with a closed fist.
“Stacks” hypes up The D’Angelo Family and suggests Tony D’Angelo stays in the back until he’s 100%. D’Angelo teases dissension but agrees, commending “The Underboss” for his forethought.
New NXT Women’s Champion and Women’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring to a standing ovation. She admits difficulty in English not being her first language, but wrestling is. Holding two belts, she rightfully calls herself the best before Jordynne Grace interrupts. She touts defeating Roxanne Perez last week until Jaida Parker blindsides her, the official number-one contender. “Jaida Parker will make you reap what you sow. Quit playing with me,” she says, potentially requesting her match much sooner than Stand & Deliver. Meanwhile, “The Juggernaut” Grace is not seen again after a shoulder block.
Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura vs Hank Walker and Tank Ledger
In the locker room, Walker and Ledger plan to get extreme after taking advice from The Hardy Boyz two weeks ago. Orlando booed both competing teams for not being Matt or Jeff in that segment, but Inamura gets a nicer reaction tonight. Walker is more excited for his comeback than anyone else, and Ledger completes their tag finisher for a two-count. Walker and Ledger’s attempts at extreme are missing two dives, and Briggs and Inamura capitalize with a respective lariat and splash for victory.
Winner: Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura
Eddy Thorpe empathizes with Ridge Holland in being unaccepted by the people and the locker room. Thorpe derogatorily calls Ricky Saints a “sports entertainer” like Trick Williams, continuing the meta era of WWE.
The D’Angelo Family vs The Culling
The six-person mixed tag team match begins with a brawl, and Tony D’Angelo watches backstage from the monitors. “Stacks” takes out the opposition, and the women counterparts in Adriana Rizzo and Izzi Dame hit consecutive dives preceding picture-in-picture. Brooks Jensen lights up Orlando when he lights up “Stacks’” chest with chops, and Booker T lights up when he sees his scissors kick. Niko Vance impresses with aggression alone, and Luca Crusifino makes the first legit hot tag of the night. As The Family hits Statter Machine, the four mystery assailants attack D’Angelo in the back, and Vance capitalizes on Crusifino for the pinfall victory.
Winners: The Culling
NXT General Manager Ava makes Vaquer versus Parker for the NXT Women’s Championship official for next week when Fallon Henley barges in to complain. Vaquer accepts her Women’s North American Championship match in back-to-back defenses.
Karmen Petrovic vs Jacy Jayne
The match spawns from Fatal Influence’s attack on Petrovic last month that lasted all of picture-in-picture. Ashante “Thee” Adonis comically stood, watched and ate a steel chair too. Booker T commends his pheromones, Adonis slides in a poetic steel chair that Petrovic declines, and Jayne takes advantage with a rolling forearm for three.
Winner: Jacy Jayne
Walker and Ledger ponder if they were extreme enough before Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe rub salt in the wound. “Just stick to what you’re good at… eating contests,” Igwe jokes. After, Parker speaks confidently about defeating Vaquer next week, but Orlando is more concerned about Petrovic leaving Adonis… again.
Ricky Saints vs Ridge Holland
Despite the falloff of publicity, Saints still works here. He hits a dropkick and hits his pose before Holland methodically takes over and smothers Saints’ offense. Before break, Holland dumps Saints onto the apron on his tailbone, and Booker T insists it was on purpose – much like the NXT storyline that made previous injuries canon. Vic Joseph says “the air has been taken out of the NXT Universe” – as it does for most Holland matches – until Saints at long last recuperates. Holland is too bulky for a clean Rochambeau, but Saints covers anyway to win an underwhelming singles debut.
Winner: Ricky Saints
In the parking lot, the four mystery assailants speak: “Waiting around got us nowhere,” Dion Lennox says. They re-enter the building, agreeing they haven’t made their statement yet.
Saints is interviewed backstage, quickly interrupted by The Culling. Vance says their own revolution is happening, and Dame says he “doesn’t measure up.” Saints says he always measures up in the right places, and familiar face Shawn Spears simply scoffs.
Eddy Thorpe vs Trick Williams – NXT Underground
Amid Underground popularity in the new WWE 2K25 match type, NXT Underground returns with an undefeated Thorpe within the ropeless ring. Commentary mentions the Evolve roster surrounding the ring that Thorpe is sent into with an uppercut, but he recuperates with a running knee. He back-suplexes Williams through the announce desk and applies an arm triangle in-ring, but Williams weakly powerbombs him into the mass. Williams definitely connects with Trick Shot, and intense ground-and-pound wins him the match.
Winner: Trick Williams
“Oba, bring your punk-ass out here,” Williams says, and NXT Champion Oba Femi obliges. The two faces of NXT stand face-to-face before the lights dim, and the four assailants surround the arena. Je’Von Evans rushes the ring to help, Williams shoves him down, and the three brawl amongst the Evolve lumberjacks. Evans cutters Femi and eyes down Williams, and the assailants simply let their music play. “Does Je’Von Evans, the ‘Young OG,’ have your attention now?” Vic Joseph closes.
NXT 3/18/25
Orlando, FL
Invasion angles never work, and this one is as nonsensical as the rest. What’s really intriguing is the organic momentum of “Young OG” Je’Von Evans, a quality that the majority of this show couldn’t capture.
