40 years after Jim Crockett Promotions’ first iteration of the event, NXT took over Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, with The Great American Bash. With less than 1,000 in attendance, the event tucked itself underneath a packed wrestling weekend that included Saturday Night’s Main Event in the same city, hours later. With a card created for counter-programming, those interested in NXT got an inoffensive, two-and-a-half-hour showcase.
Je’Von Evans vs Jasper Troy
The Center Stage Theater is close quarters with a short elevated ramp and tight commentary booth. An overhead hard camera plays into tonight’s David versus Goliath opener, as Troy’s size stifles Evans’ athleticism. “That Monster” catches every springboard move and manhandles Evans for the majority of the match. With taped ribs, Evans scraps back and eventually hits a signature twisting kick for two. He connects with an outside dive to “NXT” chants, hits a German suplex and top-rope frog splash for another near-fall. Troy delivers a chokeslam and attempts a Black Hole Slam, but Evans reverses with a sneaky pinfall for victory. Another Troy loss isn’t an upset, and the WWE LFG winner isn’t at Evans’ level yet anyway.
Winner: Jasper Troy
Heading into tomorrow’s battle royal at Evolution, Jaida Parker promises people will remember her name in a vignette. In an Instagram post, Heritage Cup Champion “Stacks” makes a hit list with names like Santino Marella, Logan Paul’s dad and A-Train. “Keep that head on a swivel,” A-Train sarcastically says at the Performance Center before “Stacks” misplaces the Cup.
Izzi Dame vs Sol Ruca (c) – Women’s North American Championship
After the typically long WWE PLE ad break, Za-Ruca is interviewed backstage about their busy weekend. Ruca debuted on Smackdown last night and will compete with Zaria for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships tomorrow. Tatum Paxley immediately smacks Zaria, and Dame capitalizes with a Sky High for a rope break. Dame controls with poise – the same she carries as the centerpiece of The Culling, which is finding its groove. Ruca’s groove is thrown off with misstepped dives and jet-lagged movements from her Smackdown flight from Nashville. After trading offense, Paxley places Dame’s foot on the ropes, Zaria delivers a ringside Spear, and Ruca hits Sol Snatcher on her opponent for victory.
Winner: Sol Ruca
Lola Vice recaps her AAA debut at Verano de Escandalo and looks forward to Evolution’s battle royal on Instagram. Backstage, Blake Monroe and her “muscle muffin” Jordynne Grace prepare for tonight’s tag team match against Fatal Influence.
Ricky Saints vs Ethan Page (c) – Falls Count Anywhere Match for the North American Championship
Canadian Page adopts U.S. heat with a red, white and blue entrance jacket. Saints jumpstarts the match and brawls through the stands, tight-rope walking across the guard rail. Fighting through the concourse, Saints puts Page through the merch table, but the latter comes back with a steel chair to the injured larynx. “Tony fumbled” chants accompany the ringside brawl, Saints bulldogs Page into a chair, and the champion backdrops the former into two sitting chairs. Page sends Saints into a corner guard rail for two, but the challenger recuperates with a powerbomb through four chairs. Backstage, Page shoves Saints into an idle Jasper Troy, who hits the challenger with a Black Hole Slam. Page hits Ego’s Edge off the stage through two tables, retaining in another great street fight on the champion’s resume.
Winner: Ethan Page
On X, Luca Crusifino says he’s glad the D’Angelo Family is done, looking ahead to their triple-threat match set by Adriana Rizzo this Tuesday.
NXT General Manager Ava, with permission from Santino Marella, overlooks the contract signing between Mike Santana, Joe Hendry and TNA Champion Trick Williams – who compete for the title on July 20 at Slammiversary. TNA President Carlos Silva spectates ringside as “TNA” chants start at the NXT show; they get to play this weekend too. Santana says he’ll bring TNA back to the roots of “the very best in professional wrestling,” Hendry says he’ll bring TNA to new heights, and Atlanta “believes” in him more than the others. Williams claps back, saying he’s “the man carrying two brands” and won’t need The High Ryze and First Class’ help next Sunday. Hendry and Santana team together to send Williams through the table, but only one can bring the TNA Championship back to TNA.
Cutting off the Saturday Night’s Main Event promo, Darkstate jumps the ring, hounding Hendry and Santana. “No one is safe,” Corey Graves reiterates, including those in TNA.
Kehlani Jordan stakes her claim at the Evolution battle royal, and after, Tony D’Angelo says his empire was built on broken trust. “I have to destroy the family I created,” D’Angelo says with the stolen Heritage Cup Championship, throwing it over a bridge to swim with the fishes.
Yoshiki Inamura vs Oba Femi (c) – NXT Championship
Backstage, Inamura tells Josh Briggs he’ll become champion with honor, but Atlanta chants for Femi like a coliseum lion. Inamura continuously hulks up in the early goings, but Femi methodically dominates thereafter. The challenger comes back with strong-style strikes and a deadlift German before Femi uppercuts him into the referee. Briggs clocks Femi with the NXT Championship belt to Inamura’s disapproval, and the challenger hits a top-rope splash without a referee. He refuses to use Briggs’ chain, hits a powerbomb for two, and Femi knocks the former off the apron. Inamura rolls Femi up, but the champion recuperates with Fall From Grace to win the meat-off.
Winner: Oba Femi
Lash Legend says the Evolution battle royal will be her big moment, and after, TNA Champion Williams complains to Ava about Hendry and Santana. Ava suggests that Darkstate is working with Williams, and to prove he isn’t, sets up a six-man tag team match for Tuesday: Williams, Hendry and Santana versus Darkstate.
Backstage, Inamura thanks Femi for the challenge and apologizes about Briggs. Femi offers another title match before Briggs stirs a pull-apart brawl, saying he’ll deal with the champion on Tuesday.
Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe vs Fatal Influence
Monroe makes her NXT in-ring debut, and commentary reiterates that it’s in the main event of a PLE. Grace and NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne tangle before their title match at Evolution to “we want Blake” chants. Jazmyn Nyx gives Fatal Influence the upper hand ringside, and commentary agreeing that Jayne is “the most beatable champion in NXT” doesn’t help their opponents’ outlook. “The Glamour” Monroe eventually receives the hot tag, and Booker T says her rudimentary offense is “nothing glamorous.” Nyx interferes again with a kick, and Fallon Henley cuts Grace’s comeback off with a spear from the elevated ramp. TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich evens the odds, and she’ll face the winner of Grace versus Jayne at Slammiversary. Grace hits Jayne with an elbow, followed up by a DDT from Monroe to pin the NXT Women’s Champion – the most beatable in wrestling.
