Counting the WWE shows alone, this weekend is packed with The Great American Bash and Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12, followed by Evolution on July 13. Throwing everything against the wall with NXT’s various involvement, that includes TNA Slammiversary on July 20, competitors brawled throughout the night with two go-home shows in one.
Ricky Saints vs The Vanity Project
Saints runs the gauntlet first against Brad Baylor while North American Champion Ethan Page joins the commentary desk. 20-year-old Baylor shows poise, but Saints decisively pins him with a tornado DDT. Ricky Smokes enters next, and Saints suplexes him hard to the floor during picture-in-picture. Evolve Champion Jackson Drake interferes, allowing the other Ricky to capitalize until Saints gains the second pin with a jackknife. Drake hits indie-esque offense before Saints counters a Swanton, following up with a lariat and Rochambeau for victory. He heads to Great American Bash, challenging for the North American Championship with a stipulation of his choosing: a falls count anywhere match.
Winner: Ricky Saints
Zaria and Sol Ruca get excited for their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship fatal four-way match at Evolution. Lainey Reid butts in as per usual, and Kehlani Jordan tells her to worry about Thea Hail.
Blake Monroe interrupts a Jordynne Grace training montage with a phone call, and a phony split-screen follows. Their oddball training session is “to be continued” before teaming on Saturday. Monroe’s version of training is a nail and spa day with Grace. “You need to think of your self esteem as something you lift,” the former says.
Tavion Heights vs Charlie Dempsey
No Quarter Catch Crew enters together, and if Heights wins, he’s freed from the group like Myles Borne did previously. Heights fires up after Dempsey rips his facemask off, and the competitors knock heads before break. The hostage hits effortless suplexes, but Dempsey traps his leg in the steel steps for repeated stomps. Dempsey ties him into knots, and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel to a dejected reaction.
Winner: Charlie Dempsey
NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger yap together while Lexis King fumbles around in the background. Je’Von Evans hypes up tonight’s tag team title defense, and Jasper Troy pounces him into the garage door. He is indeed bouncy.
Mike Santana vs Joe Hendry vs The High Ryze
Heading into Slammiversary on July 20, the TNA guys are still NXT fan favorites. They throw around beefy Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont into break, but the latter come back with splashes. Meanwhile, Natalya and Maxxine Dupri enter the building, and Santana makes the comeback. He connects with a tope on Dupont, Hendry cannonballs onto Igwe, and Wes Lee causes a distraction. TNA Champion Trick Williams shoves Hendry into the steps, but Santana Spins The Block on Dupont for three. Williams and The High Ryze immediately drop them, and the champion hits an assisted Trick Shot alongside a fitting posse.
Winners: Mike Santana and Joe Hendry
The Great Muta, Naomichi Marufuji, Ulka Sasaki, Iyo Sky and Kaito Kiyomiya cheer on Yoshiki Inamura in a package preceding his NXT Championship match against Oba Femi. “You are a champion!” Muta exclaims.
Darkstate speaks after attacking Matt Cardona at TNA Impact on Thursday, and they promise to return. With half the vigor of his teammates, Cutler James says they’ll have eyes on tonight’s NXT Tag Team Championship match.
Inamura and Femi meet face-to-face before their match at Great American Bash. The challenger says he’ll fight with honor to make Japan proud, but Femi says he isn’t worthy. Josh Briggs steps in to blaring boos, rejects having honor, and vows to have Inamura win at all costs. The big men brawl, and Inamura hulks up for a spinning slam on Femi before officials separate them.
Kehlani Jordan vs Lainey Reid
In their locker room chatter, Reid said she’s the future of NXT – and she’s been shoved into programming as if it’s true. Zelina Vega is shown walking into the Performance Center while Jordan makes a comeback on a targeted leg. She modifies her split-legged moonsault, rebounding off the adjacent ropes for the win before Thea Hail brawls away with Reid.
Winner: Kehlani Jordan
Troy blindsides Evans in the trainer’s room before an abrupt cut to break. NXT itself could use the trainer’s room; it has trouble breathing. Later, Troy storms the ring, demanding he gets inserted into the NXT Championship match on Saturday. Evans runs out, splashing Troy and the miscellaneous guards.
In a cinematic backstage segment, The D’Angelo Family meets for the first time in months. Adriana Rizzo recounts the legacy they threw out and says she got them a triple threat match next week. They argue amongst themselves, and D’Angelo suggests they should split the Heritage Cup Championship in half. “Don’t let me catch you by yourself,” says the unintimidating “Stacks.”
The Culling vs Hank Walker and Tank Ledger (c) – NXT Tag Team Championships
In a signature, shadowy pre-tape, Izzi Dame predicts bringing more gold to The Culling against Women’s North American Champion Ruca on Saturday. The champions jumpstart, and the teams trade momentum as Ivy Nile walks through the halls. Dame and Tatum Paxley stall Ledger, and Niko Vance hits a huge pounce over the announce desk. “Booker’s down!” Vic Joseph yells before break. Ledger’s comeback is halted by superkicks from Shawn Spears and a diving headbutt from Vance. The champion escapes a pinfall following interference from Dame and Paxley, and Zaria and Ruca carry them away. Spears sacrifices himself for the champions’ Honk Honk, and the nonexistent reign is briefly resuscitated.
Winners: Hank Walker and Tank Ledger
Evans versus Troy is confirmed for Great American Bash before break. Footage from earlier explains why Kale Dixon couldn’t compete in the singles match Andre Chase gifted him. “I’m freaking out,” he says in the trainer’s room, with a diagnosis of time cutting.
NXT General Manager Ava previews Evolution on Sunday and announces the NXT participants in the battle royale: Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kehlani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley. Fatal Influence and Grace interrupt consecutively, and the latter reiterates the tagline of “paving the way.” Legend’s chatter is followed by a returning Stephanie Vaquer, welcomed with a warm pop. Dupri and Natalya precede Parker and Giulia’s entrances from the crowd, and the Evolution Summit devolves into a multi-women brawl.
