When I think of The Great American Bash memories of WCW come to mind, sorry NXT. Ric Flair versus Terry Funk. Dean Malenko Vs. Rey Mysterio. Sting Vs. Big Van Vader. Those are the thoughts that I have but the brand is under the NXT banner now so let’s embrace the present and perhaps the future so here we go with Week One…
Roxanne Perez arrives with a smug look on her face. The Family is next but Oba Femi’s car pulls up and he steps out in front of them. Tony ain’t happy about being shown up like that.
A question. Can Mike Rome’s hair get any taller? He looks like Tintin with a beard for crying out loud.
The Unholy Union (c) vs. The Meta-Four – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Unholy Union attacks Meta-Four as they are being introduced. Unholy hurls Lash Legend into the ringside barricade. Jakara Jackson is double-teamed as the bell rings to start the match. Jackson is double suplexed as Legend reenters the battle. She holds open the ropes so that Jackson can dive onto Isla Dawn. Meta-Four takes over with Jackson leading the way. Legend just bowls over Dawn and Fyre with clotheslines and backbreakers. Dawn throws Legend into the ropes. Fyre kicks her in the head as the official is distracted. Dawn and Jackson end up fighting on the floor. Fyre gets a two count on Jackson with a DDT. Legend puts Fyre into an electric chair. Jackson hits a cutter but Dawn breaks up the pin. Dawn pulls the rope down on Legend. Legend falls to the floor. Dawn hits her with the double knees from the apron. Union pins Jackson with their Touch of Evil finisher.
Winners: …and still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Unholy Union.
Once the match ends Ethan Page comes out. He mocks Meta-Four for losing. Page tells Oro Mensah there won’t be any fluke victories next week. Page tells Oro this is the closest he will get to the title belt. Page swings the championship belt at Oro. Oro dodges, rolls up Page and pins him while Meta-Four lays down the count.
Shawn Spears interrupts Cedric Alexander’s tutoring session with NXT rookies in the back. Alexander says Spears cannot manipulate him because he doesn’t have a weak mind. Brooks Jensen storms out. He’s offended by the “weak mind” comment. He gets in Alexander’s face.
Tavion Heights lists off his Olympic accomplishments. They are why he will win the Heritage Cup tonight. Tony D’Angelo jokes that he doesn’t pull out all the stops every four years but every day.
Pete Dunne cuts a really cool promo on his former Brawling Brutes partners who he says betrayed him. Dunne calls out Trick Williams. He says Williams is in for a painful lesson next week.
Williams is shown live watching the recorded promo. Forget about whooping that trick. He is going to whoop that ass.
Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Tavion Heights – NXT Heritage Cup Match
Round One
I am not a fan of these Heritage Cup matches or the title. I generally tune them out. NXT needs to dump this and perhaps come up with another idea. Heights tries to outwrestle Tony right out of the gate. Heights shocks Tony with a hip toss. He takes a bow and gets speared for peacocking. Heights locks in a sleeper. Tony battles his way out. The round ends with both men looking for ankle lock or heel hook submissions. Wren Sinclair is in the audience cheering on the Crew and Heights.
Round Two
Tony goes for another arm lock. Heights rolls him up for a two count. Tony puts Heights in an arm lock once again. Tony lines up Heights in a corner laying in some shots to the head. Height’s neckbreaker scores him a two count. Tony puts Heights on the top rope. He suplexes him but the time runs out. Tony cannot attempt a pin.
Round Three
Tony gets a point with his Forget About It suplex. Wren Sinclair rushes into the ring during the break. She berates Heights and slaps him in the face. She demands he do better. Heights is fired up. He pins Tony seconds later. Sinclair and the rest of the Crew argue on the floor as Heights watches on from inside the ring. Tony and Heights trade haymakers. Heights gets a two count as does a snap suplex. Tony pins Heights with two spinebusters.
Winner: …and still NXT Heritage Cup Champion, Tony D’Angelo.
Jacy Jayne, Jasmine Nix, Lola Vice, Karmen Petrovic, Fallon Henley and Sol Ruca trash talk each other on social media ahead of their match tonight.
Brooks Jensen versus Cedric Alexander
A cruddy botchy, botchy match. Cedric looks off his game. Not sure why. Jensen slams Alexander on the announce desk but misses withe leg drop off the apron. Alexander wins with the Lumbar Check.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
A bio of Je’Von Evans which will continue next week.
Joe Hendry is chatting with some ladies backstage before his big concert.
Jaida Parker walks by Roxanne Perez. She claims Perez won’t have the championship for much longer.
The Rascalz cut a promo joking about how they all ended back on NXT. They kid about it being magical, multiverse shenanigans and all that. There is a weird laugh track with it. It is pretty clever though. They claim they never lost the tag team championships and since they beat the champs last week they deserve a championship match.
Joe Hendry sits in the middle of the ring with a guitar as the crowd cheers his song. Hendry says everyone is going to love his song, well, almost everyone. In the song, Hendry makes fun of Gallus.
If you hate Gallus then wave your hands in the air.
They got deported for having awful facial hair.
Hendry is about to sing his signature song but out come Gallus. They will be no encore. Joe Coffey taunts Hendry into “coming to get some”. Hendry punches Joe in the face. Gallus swarms Hendry. As Wolfgang and Mark Coffey hold Hendry, Joe smashes Hendry’s guitar over his back. They then pitch his gear out of the ring.
At least one organization recognizes the value of Joe Hendry and are strapping a rocket to him. Whoever thinks that Dolph Ziggler is a bigger draw then Hendry has rocks in their heads.
GM Ava, Ethan Page and Oro have a contract signing backstage. Page assures Oro he cannot beat him. Oro has zero respect for Page. They both put their names to the contract and that’s it. Nobody goes through a table. Nobody attacks anyone. Yup. That’s it.
Kendal Gray versus Jaida Parker
Wren Sinclair and Myles Borne come out. Gray throws Borne into the barricade. Gray almost pins Parker with the same in the ring. Parker wins with her running knee strike.
Winner: Jaida Parker
Thea is backstage with Ridge who is giving her a pep talk. Ridge: You do whatever it takes to become the champion. The rest of Chase U arrives. They don’t appreciate the advice at all.
Axiom signs a contract for an NXT Tag Team Championship Match against The Rascalz next week without Nathan Frazer’s say-so. There is more dissension.
Tatum Paxley stops Kelani Jordan backstage. She wants to play, wants a title shot. Wendy Choo looks on.
Jacy Jayne, Jasmine Nix and Fallon Henley versus Lola Vice, Karmen Petrovic and Sol Ruca
Ruca’s hair looked better last week. This match goes on far too long. Henley pins Petrovic for the win.
Winners: Jacy Jayne, Jasmine Nix and Fallon Henley
Joe Hendry is leaving the building holding his back. He claims Gallus is ruled by jealousy. He promises to make a ‘believer’ out of Joe Coffey next week.
Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Thea Hail – NXT Women’s Championship Match
One of the best women’s matches of 2024. All of Chase U accompanies Hail to the ring. Hail extends a hand to start the match. Perez slaps it away. Perez rushes to the ropes to escapes Hail’s submission. Perez puts Hail into an arm bar. Hail escapes as well. A suplex has Perez heading out of the ring. Hail dives off the top rope onto Perez. Perez starts paint-brushing Hail. That just fires up Hail. A neckbreaker sets up Perez for the World’s Smallest Slam. Perez slaps on a crossface. Hail rolls under the bottom rope. Perez dives on Hail on the floor. Perez trash talks Chase U. Hail dives on her. Hail gets a two count with a Michinoku Driver. Hail and Perez trade crossfaces and Kimura Locks. Perez kicks out of Hail’s finisher. Perez grabs the apron to avoid another submission. The official is distracted. Perez pokes Hail into the eye. Perez misses a charge into a corner. Kimura Lock on Perez again. Perez rolls them both to the floor. Perez slams Hail’s arm into the ring steps. Crossface versus Kimura battle again. Perez gives Hail Pop Rox for the win.
Winner: …and still NXT Women’s Champion, Roxanne Perez.
