Coming out of Vengeance Day last Saturday in Washington D.C., headlines feature a flourishing women’s division with new Women’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer, main-eventing NXT Women’s Champion Giulia and the arrival of newly-signed “Juggernaut” Jordynne Grace. But the biggest talking point heading into tonight’s NXT stems from last week: the debut of Ricky Starks, yet to be officially named but scheduled for a head-turning contract signing.
Opening the show, NXT Champion Oba Femi enters the ring unfazed by “those four fools” – the mystery assailants – who hounded him on Saturday. The lights dim again, but instead, TNA X-Division Champion Moose makes his first-ever WWE appearance; “No bread, no water, just meat!” Booker T aptly comments. Moose demands this match happens, and Femi assures it will before the two succinctly hold their belts high.
Before break, cameras catch Grace and Starks’ entrances into the Performance Center – the latter still not named, although Vic Joseph nonetheless hypes “the biggest NXT contract signing in history.” Footage from earlier shows Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors interrupting an Ava and Eddy Thorpe argument with a party invitation. Thorpe rejects them, tells them to return to class and disrespects Andre Chase, leading to a match between the professor and him tonight.
Jaida Parker vs Karmen Petrovic vs Kehlani Jordan
The winner of tonight’s opening triple threat becomes number-one contender for the Women’s North American Championship, now held by Stephanie Vaquer. “Miss Parker” arrives with traction and an unteachable swagger that her opponents pale in comparison, and she takes control preceding commercial. They trade offense, Jordan breaks a pin with a splash and delivers a unique one-legged Russian leg sweep. Parker hits her hip drop on Petrovic, and Ashante “Thee” Adonis pulls his bae away. The former hits another on Jordan, but Petrovic timely returns to steal the victory, heading to a championship match in Cincinnati next week.
Winner: Karmen Petrovic
Parker and Jordan brawl off as cameras follow Grace backstage, only to be interrupted by a three-on-one assault on Petrovic in-ring by Fatal Influence. Adonis submissively stands around while Petrovic gets mauled throughout picture-in-picture like a comical silent film. He gets dropped by a steel chair, Vaquer and Giulia appear but are still outnumbered. Perfectly timed, “The Juggernaut” Grace evens the odds and immediately demands a three-on-three tonight in her first match as an official NXT wrestler.
Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend vs Zaria and Sol Ruca
While Vaquer and Giulia rule the division, other new signee Zaria buddy-cops with Ruca. Jackson hits an outside dive on them before break, and Zaria makes a powerhouse comeback thereafter. Jackson fends her off with a tornado DDT, but Zaria recuperates with a vicious spear and F5. An opposingly beautiful Sol Snatcher from Ruca gains the victory, and the women’s division continues to flex.
Winners: Zaria and Sol Ruca
Wes Lee, backed by Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe, is interviewed about the unpredictability of NXT – ironically interrupted by the appearance of the unnamed Starks. “I know you have a lot of questions,” he says to Sarah Schreiber. “And I’m gonna answer that for you here in a few minutes. Nice jacket.”
NXT General Manager Ava enters the ring for Starks’ contract signing. He arrives to NXT’s Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz theme music and a standing ovation, announced simply as “the hottest free agent in professional wrestling himself.” Starks says main-eventing NXT PLEs and winning the NXT Championship is his reality, but he’s quickly cut off by familiar face Ethan Page. The latter boasts an unattainable bar for newcomers until rival Je’Von Evans jumps him out of the ring and through the stands. Lee now halts the signing requesting the first match, Starks agrees and welcomes him to “the revolution” before sending him over the ropes. The contract is finally inked, dramatically revealing the name… Ricky Saints.
NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom are met by No Quarter Catch Crew, who instead call out “the best tag team in the world – possibly of all time.” Myles Borne and Tavion Heights challenge TNA Tag Team Champions Matt and Jeff Hardy for next week in Cincinnati. Thanks to the prohibited portal, The Hardys once again return to WWE.
Saints finds the backstage area ransacked by the suggested four-man group with casualties such as Hank Ledger, Tank Walker, Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura. “Damn, this place is crazy,” Saints says.
Shawn Spears vs Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo
An earlier segment shows “Stacks” ready to handle business himself, and a recap covers Spears’ attack on Tony D’Angelo via new recruit Izzi Dame. Meanwhile, commentary insists that Ava has upped security, and Corey Graves also insists that Spears has “charisma oozing from his pores.” With a crazy missile dropkick, “Stacks” attempts a comeback, but a C4 from Spears puts it away.
Winner: Shawn Spears
Lexis King introduces himself to Moose after defeating his System mate JDC. Moose promises to destroy King in an X-Division Championship match in Cincinnati next week before cameras relocate to Andre Chase, Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors. “Chase U is dead,” Chase says as his music hits.
Andre Chase vs Eddy Thorpe
Chase walks out dejectedly and understandably so considering his group disbanded for no sensible reason. Commentary laughs at his Temu Jordans as Dixon and Connors appear in the stands to start rowdy “Mr. Chase” chants. The professor attempts his patented C-H-A-S-E-U stomps, forgets his name, and Thorpe capitalizes with an Impaler DDT for victory. Trick Williams shows up on-screen to assure Thorpe their rivalry isn’t over, and his theme music plays to give Orlando their hit of “whoop that trick.”
Winner: Eddy Thorpe
Saints walks and talks with Ava until Page and Lee consecutively interrupt, and Evans backs the newcomer up. Subsequently, Ava makes the tag match official for next week. Also regarding Cincinnati, The Hardys accept No Quarter Catch Crew’s challenge via X and welcomes Fraxiom to spectate ringside.
Stephanie Vaquer, Jordynne Grace and Giulia vs Fatal Influence
Orlando pops for Grace’s tag-in and brutal German suplex to Jazmyn Nyx. She dives onto all three opponents to a standing ovation, and Orlando counts along to Vaquer’s knee-head smashes. Fatal Influence controls through picture-in-picture until Grace makes a comeback with a clothesline-Muscle Buster combo. She moves with a compact crispness clearly highlighted tonight, and it takes all of Fatal Influence to suppress her. Vaquer dives onto Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne ringside, and Grace finishes Nyx with the Juggernaut Driver for victory.
Winners: Stephanie Vaquer, Jordynne Grace and Giulia
NXT doesn’t exit the airwaves unscathed from the mystery quartet, as Ava finds Robert Stone laid out in her office, spray-painted “no one is safe.”
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