NXT has been hit and miss lately but they managed to turn a corner at No Mercy delivering one of their best shows in quite some time. Not only did the push and hype the upcoming TNA invasion angle but everyone delivered phenomenal performances except for the Speed Championship and well, there’s never been an amazing speed match because the concept itself is as stupid as putting Nia Jax in a match and expecting her opponent to leave unscathed.
It was pretty much ‘put up or shut up’ time for Ricky Saints whose NXT run has yet to have that defining moment. Saints has all the qualities of a main roster, main event performer. His time in NXT though has been rough due to some wonky booking which to Saints’ credit he has powered through and persevered with a smile on his face. In the main event, it was Saints against Oba ‘Send Me To The Main Roster Already’ Femi for his NXT Championship.
To start things off, Saints hits him with four solid punches to the face. Saints goes off the ropes flipping over Oba. Oba punches him in the face. Oba picks up Saints by the neck slamming him down and telling him to stay down. One kicks sends Saints into the ropes. A kick off the ropes sits Oba down. Saints climbs the ropes but Oba pulls him down into his arms. Saints escapes kneeing Oba in the back. Oba flies out to the floor. Saints runs off and through the ropes, or at least tries to. Oba meets him with a fist to the face.
Oba just pummels Saints with punches and kicks and clotheslines. Saints bails to the rampway. Oba bring him back in, punches him sending Saint through the ropes and back onto the ramp. He falls back in the ring. Oba drapes Saints over the top rope gives him a forearm smash knocking him on the apron. Oba then drapes Saints over the turnbuckle bending Saints over it.
Saints leaps off the ropes. He is chokeslammed by Oba for a two count. Saints clocks Oba with a knee to the face and walks the ropes bringing the hammer down on Oba’s arm. Three forearms off the ropes sends Femi down. A Samoan Drop gets Saints a two count.
Saints carries Femi off the top rope for a powerbomb and another two count. The exchange punches in the middle of the ring.
On the floor, Oba cleans off the announce table. Oba holds him up for a powerbomb but Saints DDTs Oba on the desk instead and then Tornado DDTs him on the floor. Saints runs across the apron only to get smacked down by Femi. Back inside the ring, Saints kicks out of a Fall from Grace. Saints reverses another Fall From Grace into another DDT. Another Tornado DDT off the ropes for a three count.
NXT No Mercy Results
Je’Von Evans vs. Josh Briggs
The announcers notice that Evans’ hip looks tender, probably from his match against Sami Zayn last night.
Evans is pissed. He punches and chops Briggs. The fight goes to the floor. Briggs slams him into the ring apron. Evan is whipped into the barricade. He leaps over it. Briggs charges and crashes into the steel ring steps. Evans gets bouncy until Briggs catches and slams him into a corner and heaves him across the ring.
We are told that GM Ava will have a special announcement later on based on what happened on NXT on Tuesday.
Evans is struggling to get to his feet later on. Briggs works over Evans’ hip and back whipping him into a corner after corner.
“Briggs, you suck!” chants the crowd.
Evans takes to much time trying to get to the top rope. Briggs shoves him off the apron. Evans crashes into the barricade…hard.
Briggs misses a big splash. Evans cannot take advantage though. Briggs beats down on him some more.
He nails Briggs with some clotheslines. Briggs stands up to those shots but not a couple of kicks off the ropes. Evans rips off his shirt. Briggs backs away. Evans showers him with punches. Evans climbs to the top rope. Briggs heads to the floor. Evans splashes him on the floor and back in the ring for a two count.
Evans dives into the ropes. Briggs kicks him in the back of the head almost pinning him. Evans takes a GTS of sorts but still kicks out. Briggs tries to chokeslam Evans off the top rope but Evans flips out of it only to be planted with another one for a two count. Evan dives out of the ring. Briggs catches him just heaving into the outside of the ropes. Inside the ring, a big Briggs clothesline for another two count. Briggs drags him by the hair to a corner. Briggs tries to climb to the top rope. Evans grabs his foot saying…Hell, no!
Evans turns a chokeslam into a cutter and splashes him for the win.
Winner: Je’Von Evans at 17 minutes and 52 seconds.
Rating: 8 / 10
We get a replay of the TNA attack on NXT last week and Kelani Jordan’s big Knockout World Championship win at Victory Road. She cuts a promo just for the NXT crowd.
Vic announces that Lainey Reid suffered an injury and isn’t medically cleared to wrestle at No Mercy.
Sol Ruca (c) vs. Jaida Parker (WWE Women’s Speed Title)
Ruca comes to the ring riding a skateboard. Parker is the challenger? Not exactly someone I would associate with a speed match. Ruca is all over Parker to the point of knocking her to the floor. Rucs leaps off the stairs onto her. She even mocks Parker’s high steps. Parker stops all that nonsense with a punch to the face and stomp to the throat. Parker blocks the Soul Snatcher stomping Sol in the corner. Sol falls over when trying to lift up Parker for a tilt-a-whirl slam. Parker catches her with another haymaker. Both women throw hands. A Somoan Drop has Sol rolling to the floor. With 60 seconds left they battle on the floor. Parker hits Hipnotic rolling Sol back into the ring. She is distracted by Zaria. Parker slaps her in the face. Lash Legend appears. She tries to punch Parker. Parker steps out of the way and Zaria spears Legend. Parker slides back into the ring for a Sol Snatcher.
Winner: …and still WWE Women’s Speed Champion…Sol Ruca at four minutes and 49 seconds.
Rating: 6 / 10
Jordynne Grace vs. Blake Monroe – Weaponized Steel Cage Match
The cage has steel chairs, kendo sticks all around it. They are all painted pink. Blake comes to the ring in camoflauge gear. One of Grace’s fists is wrapped up. She injured it in that TNA – NXT brawl.
Both women start by throwing hands but within seconds Grace throws Blake into the cage. Blake bashes Grace with a kendo stick. Grace pulls it out of her hand and clobbers her back. Spinebuster on a steel chair for two. Grace puts Blake in a Sharpshooter while pulling a steel chair into the equation, sitting down on it.
Grace props up a steel chair in a corner. Blake dodges though and Grace goes into it shoulder-first. Blake throws Grace into the cage again and again. Blake puts Grace’s injured hand into the cage cranking down on it. Blake smashes a garbage can over Grace’s back. She then takes a kendo stick and stabs Grace’s hand with it.
Blake snatches a hair dyer. She uses the cord to tie Grace’s hands to the ropes. She pulls scissors out of her glamour bag. She begins cutting Grace’s hair…and I mean A LOT of it.
The crowd chants: Holy shit! Holy shit!
Grace fights free. She sees her hair all over the ring.
“BITCH!” screams Grace before haymakering and slamming Blake down over and over.
Both women battle on the top rope. A Samoan Drop off the top rope to the mat gets Grace a two count. Grace pulls a strap off the cage. She begins whipping Blake across her back. Blake knees Grace into the cage. Grace puts her leg over the bottom rope to break the count.
Blake pulls down another glamour bag. She dumps counterfeit diamonds all over the ring. Grace slams Blake onto the diamonds but hurts her back as well.
Grace scoops part of her hair off the mat stuffing it into Blake’s mouth. Blake puts Grace into a Tree of Woe, puts a garbage can over her head and hits a double stomp for a two count.
Blake sets up a table in the middle of the ring with one of the legs up in the air. Grace picks up Blake slamming her over and over into the steel cage. Grace flips the table over. Both women sit on the top of the cage hitting each other with chops to the chest. Grace picks up a crow bar. Blake throws white powder in her face. Grace still gets Blake up for an Air Raid Crash onto the table below.
Winner: Jordynne Grace at 16 minutes and 15 seconds.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
We cut to GM Ava in her office. She describes the relationship between NXT and TNA as fractured. She informs us that she talks to Santino Marella for hours to find a solution. On Tuesday, October 7th, NXT and TNA will produce an event called Invasion on the CW. The companies will compete in two Survivor Series matches. The picks will start this Tuesday on NXT. DarkState will also square off against the TNA Tag Team Champions, The Hardy Boys in a title for title, winners take all match. Trick and Oba will have a rematch with everyone barred from ringside.
Lash Legend’s music plays. Legend rips into TNA. She wants to lead the women’s NXT team at Invasion. She trash talks Jaida Parker. An angry Parker comes out. They brawl which brings security out.
Lainey Reid is interviewed backstage about not being able to compete tonight. She was injured during training and is now wearing a walking, fracture boot. Lola Vice stops by. She tells Reid her time will come, not to worry. Reid snaps back that she hopes she still feels that way when Jacy wins tonight. Lola gives her a warning. We are in Vice City and Lola is taking the title home
Ethan Page (c) vs. Tavion Heights – NXT North American Championship
Tavion comes out without the belt. I thought he won it on NXT last week. I am very confused. Tavion tries to corner Page as he comes out but the official waves him off.
Tavion wrestles with a waist lock into the ropes. The crowd starts chanting: USA! USA!
They do realize that Ethan is the NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION, don’t they?
Tavion follows Ethan to the metal walkway. Ethan backdrops him onto it. Ethan begins parading around with Tavion stunned.
“My back hurts too from carrying NXT,” says Ethan to the cameras.
Ethan works over Tavion’s back. Ethan charges in and misses. Tavion lifts Ethan up but his back fails him. Ethan gives Tavion a backbreaker over the turnbuckle. Tavion rolls around on the floor in agony. Ethan is too busy parading for the crowd. He turns around to a series of clotheslines from Tavion.
Tavion locks on the ankle lock. Page gets to the bottom rope. Tavion doesn’t break the hold until Page fights out. Page counters a sleeper on the top rope with a powerslam and a Twisted Grin for the quick win.
Winner: …and still NXT North American Champion, Ethan Page at 10 minutes and 19 seconds.
Rating: 7 / 10
As Ethan poses we hear from El Hijo Dr. Wagner Jr on the video screen. He’s the AAA Latin American Champion don’t you know? “I will see you, real, real soon,” he says.
Kelly Kincaid chats to Myles Borne backstage. Borne says he has been trying to walk his own path in NXT but NXT is his family. He throws his name in the ring to be the captain of Team NXT.
Mike Santana appears via Instagram. He says the TNA World Championship is “being held hostage” but not for very long. He will bring it back to TNA.
Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Lola Vice – NXT Women’s Champion
A lot of headlocks and arm locks to start off the match. Lola finally puts on an arm bar to turn things around. The crowd starts cheering Lola’s name. Jayne confers with Fallon on the floor. Fallon distracts Lola enough for Jayne to take the momentum back. A big body shot doubles Jayne over in pain. Lola begins targeting Jayne with kicks to the stomach. A kick knocks Jayne to the floor. Lola smashes Jayne’s face into the announce desk. Lola is distracted by Fallon. Jayne sends her into the steel steps then canonballs her.
Lola fires back with some strikes. Fallon jumps on the apron. Lola turns around and gets backbreakered. Jayne targets the back. Machine gun kicks knock Jayne onto a corner for a hip check. Jayne dodges a back fist and flees the ring. Lola dives onto Fallon. She turns around and gets kicked in the face by Jayne.
Lola has Jayne stunned with a spin kick. Fallon pulls the official out of the ring. The official sends her to the back. Lola has Jayne in a facelock submission. Jayne rolls out of it, just barely.
Jayne taunts Lola’s family at ringside. Lola turns a DDT in a front face lock. Jayne batters her way out of it when she gets back to her feet. Jayne gives Lola a belly-to-back off the top rope and running knee for a two count. Jayne bails to the floor to grab the title belt. The official grabs it out of her hands. Lola hits the back fist but falls into the ropes and to the floor.
Someone in a mask and hoodie clocks Lola on the floor then runs off. Lainey Reid? Jacey Jayne hits the elbow smash when Lola crawls back into the ring to beat the count.
Fallon and Jayne play dumb in the ring pretending not to know who that was. Hmmmm.
Winner: …and still NXT Women’s Champion, Jacy Jayne at 18 minutes and 24 seconds.
Rating: 8 / 10
Oba Femi (c) vs. Ricky Saints – NXT Heavyweight Championship Match
Winner: …and new NXT Champion, Ricky Saints at 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
Rating: 8 / 10
Event Rating: 8 / 10
