NXT #720
February 13th, 2024
WWE Performance Center
Orlando, Florida
It’s time for another Episode of NXT and I am once again quite excited about the show and look forward to being entertained as only I am when I watch NXT. Byron Saxton is again on the call with Vic Joseph as Booker T continues to recover from recent surgery.
We open the show with Oro Mensah working out a bit backstage, whilst Noam Dar is laying down with only Cucumber slices over his eyes, relaxing, talking about how it’s “tough at the top”. He’s confident about ennding the situation once and for all with Wagner and Stone. Then as this happens, Wagner and Stone show up peaking through the door and yell out ‘Sneak attack!’ and they go after the Meta-Four lads. As they brawl with them, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson show up in a panic and as they exit, Mr. Stones sons are standing outside the door way. They ask where they went and the young lads pointed in opposite directions. What a great start to the show already.
Tag Team Match
Mr. Stone & Von Wagner vs. Meta-Four (Noam Dar & Oro Mensah) (w/Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend)
Background:
As we know Von Wagner was unable to defeat Noam Dar for the NXT Heritage Cup a few weeks ago, but after the match, Oro Mensah and Noam started yelling at Mr. Robert Stones children in the audience, which didn’t sit well with Von, or the kids. They begged their Dad Robert to stick up for himself and fight them with Von this week. It’s funny Robert Stone stating he’s not a wrestler because he is the former Robbie E from TNA.
The Match:
Both Mr. Stone and Von Wagner brawl with Meta Four toward the ring to start the match off. Robbie must be stoked to get back out there and wrestle. However, he does appear to be wrestling like he’s a non wrestler. As far as Noam Dar is concerned, I would have to imagine he’s in NXT until they bring in this new ‘NXT Europe’ they had talked about some time ago. Then again, you never know, he’s been with this group for some time now, it would a shame to see them split. Wagner was waiting for a hot tag from Stone in came the big fella, Von Wagner. He double chokeslammed Meta-Four, but then tags in Mr. Stone who hit a BIG splash off Wagners shoulders on Dar, but only got a 2 count thanks to Mensah. Stone got overzealous with a dive to the outside and missed, and thanks to a distraction from Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend, Dar and Mensah picked up the win.
Winner/s: Meta-Four (Noam Dar & Oro Mensah) via pinfall in 5:29.
We then saw highlights of last week with Carmelo Hayes talking about turning on Trick Williams, as well as Ilja Dragunov’s plight with wanting answers, and also having to deal with Dijak later in the show, followed upwith Hayes laying Dragunov out to end the show, as well as attacking Joe Gacy.
We have another Chase University Segment, Andre is all stoked that class is back in session. Everything has returned back to it’s original form. They must have so much fun recording these segments. Andre dropping so many F bombs. As Thea went to go chat to Mr ‘Lover Lover’ Riley Osborne, in came Adriana Rizzo. The music became all Italian as she walked in, and Jacy hands a massive envelope to Adriana, who will speak “to The Don and she what she can do”. Super entertaining stuff.
Gauntlet Match
Ridge Holland vs. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang)
Background:
Ridge has been desperate for weeks to lay on the ruckus with Gallus, demanding GM Ava give him a Handicap match with them. She finally sufficed and gave him something close to it, which was a Gauntlet Match this week.
The Match:
I have been wondering where they’re going with all of this for the last few weeks, because if Gallus wins, where does Ridge go from there? If Ridge wins… against 3 guys. What does it do for Gallus? Wolfgang starts out with Ridge. One thing about Ridge is, the man is a Hoss. He’s got a lot of promise. With how deep the WWE Roster is right now, without perhaps a blood feud with Sheamus, how is he going to climb those ranks? Ridge managed to hit an excellent suplex on Wolfgang but it looks like Ridge will have a tough time managing to get through all 3 members here as Wolfgang has matched up so evenly with him. Ridge managed to hit a ‘Northern Grit’ type manouver to finally pin Wolfgang whilst we were in Commercial Break!
Marc Coffey was in next in the Gauntlet, it’s really not often where we see these two in a ‘Singles Wrestling’ kind of way. Marc started going to work on Ridge’s left leg, till Ridge began another comeback. A big headbutt followed with a huge overhead Belly to belly, then with another ‘Northern Grit’, but Joe Coffey interrupts the pin and gets Marc Coffey DQ’d. Ridge punched Joe and he went FLYING. Gallus start attempting a beat down on Ridge, who manages to get his hands on a Steel Chair Joe brings into the ring and he just wailed on them. It’s really annoying seeing wrestlers having to actively avoid those chair shots to the head. Really annoying. Poke in the gut, shot to the back. Can we come up with a way of doing it where the guy puts his hand up? Anywho, Ridge looks on unable to believe how he snapped just now.
Winner/s: Ridge Holland via DQ in 10:40.
Backstage, Von and Robert are walking around disappointed, and Lexis King is just sitting by himself on a one of those production cases. Just ready to antagonize them about losing all the time. King talks about Mr. Stones kids needing a real role model to look upto.
Backstage, the No Quarter Catch Crew are backstage looking over Noam Dar’s Heritage Cup Trophy. They bicker about the NQCC wanting to win the trophy eventually. This was pretty funny with Noam Dar talking about the shooters going “down to a basement to lather themselves in baby oil” to do whatever it is they do when they train. This will be interesting to see if Noam and Mensah start becoming babyfaces. I can’t see the NQCC becoming babyfaces anytime soon.
Singles Match
Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice
Background:
Tatum has shown her obsession with NXT Womens Champion Lyra Valkyria is getting to a level where it’s actually becoming effective, despite the fact that Lyra has been rather against the idea of Tatum hanging around her too much because of the risks involved having an unhinged human being hanging around that much when Lyra needs to focus on her title reign.
The Match:
Lola Vice has a theme song that matches her foxiness. Tatum is a super cute stalker, she’s got one of Lyra’s Feathers and rubs it on her face before the match begins. Lola came out of the gate pretty fired up. Tatum reversed a waistlock in a way I had never seen before, they both went back and forth with grappling and reversals. Lola showed some excellent aggression early on, and Tatum fought well with her hope spots. Lyra Valkyria then came out to give support to Tatum, which was unexpected from not just me, but Byron and Vic on Commentary. Lola then wiped Tatum out with a kick, but Lyra tried to give Tatum some encouragement, and Lola hit a back fist, for a 3rd near fall, followed by Lola’s spin kick. Lyra kept on with the encouragement, and Tatum got a rope break! Lola couldn’t believe it. Finally, Tatum nearly got choked out by Lola, who tapped out, and Lyra carries Tatum out of the ring!
Winner: Lola Vice via submission in 3:55.
Backstage, it’s a match made in heaven as the Legal Eagle is speaking with Tony D’Angelo. Stacks shows up, Adriana isn’t far off, and these three just make me laugh so much, they’re entertaining as hell. Tonights Main Event is clearly a serious situation for them.
Lyra has an unconscious Tatum Paxley with her and places her down, not in a trainers room, just randomly in the warehouse backstage. Out of the blue Shotzi shows up and says they look closer than she thought. Shotzi wants a title shot, out of the blue here. I love how fake that interaction came across. Tatum comes to after Lyra says she’s not her friend, and Tatum says “So, we have Shotzi next week?” She’s SO cute – LYRA, BE HER FRIEND ALREADY.
Singles Match
Jaida Parker vs. Adriana Rizzo
Background:
The feud with Out The Mud and The Family has reached boiling point lately with OTM attacking Adriana and the workers of the restaurant that the Family hang out at. The Family have defeated OTM in Tag Title matches, and even at NXT Vengeance Day in a 6 Person Tag Team Match. This singles match between the ladies could very well be the end of the feud, or a continuance.
The Match:
Disappointed Adriana has her entrance cut out. Jaida then gets center stage, and this is an important match for her. For both ladies really! I read somebody on Twitter say this match stunk, so, I am going to have a more critical eye here to see if they’re just being a “hate-watcher”. Rizzo hit a great dropkick and snap suplex. Jaida stays in character as the match wears on, hit’s a butt drop to Rizzo’s stomach as she’s laid out on the 2nd rope…and Rizzo fights out of a tough looking submission. Jaida cuts her off with a snap suplex of her own. That’s interesting, nothing has ‘stunk’ thus far? Adriana shows some great fire for her comeback, Jaida hit a spinebuster, followed by a running club to the back. Then, Jaida hit a forearm to the face to pick up the win. Strange, the match got both ladies over in their own way.
Winner: Jaida Parker via pinfall in 4:02.
Dijak is in his lair on his tablet once again. Seeing the vision of the footage on his sunglasses is tremendous. He’s getting mad over Joe Gacy costing him the NXT Championship last week, and we can hear Joe’s laughter in Dijaks head. Dijak opens a bag… and it appears he’s got some plans for Gacy tonight.
Bron Breakker is backstage breathing heavily and Baron shows up trying to motivate Bron as they have their shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship, Baron talking about not having won a title in 6 years. Bron asks him if he’s hungry for it. Baron says yes. Bron asks if he’s hungry like a wolf. Baron says yes. Dog? No. Bron corpses. Baron promises he will call them the Wolf Dogs if they win the titles tonight. Bron smacks Baron in the chest hard to end the segment and it was almost like it wasn’t supposed to happen.
Singles Match
Joe Gacy vs. Carmelo Hayes
Background:
Simply based off last week when Joe Gacy showed himself after Melo attacked Ilja Dragunov, and Hayes threw Joe into a barricade for being annoying.
The Match:
Joe started off hot, and the NXT crowd are going on about Melo selling out. Gacy really was a staple of NXT 2.0 in the early days, and I suppose the Schism situation didn’t help, as well as was as the rumors of he joining the Wyatt 6. No matter what the situation, it’s all a shame. Gacy dominates Carmelo early on, Melo seemingly struggling to have Joe figured out. Melo freaks out as Joe smiles at him as Melo is barking trash talk at him. No doubt, Gacy can get it done in the ring. This match got given a lot of time! Gacy looked to close in on Hayes but copped the ‘Nothing But Net’ for the win.
Winner: Carmelo Hayes via pinfall in 12:46.
Dijak came out after the matchand started wailing on Gacy with a baton. He then starts sticking a straight jacket on Gacy, and the referees are annoyingly just barking at him ‘Stop it right now Dijak, come on man, come on Dijak that’s it, come on man, Dijak, get out of here man, Come on man. Dijak called Joe a stupid A-Hole, and security still haven’t come out. There’s a Free Joe Gacy chant.
We go backstage and Brinley Reece is being annoying, and Karmen tells her she doesn’t need to work out so much, Kilani Jordan starts giving her a pep talk, and then Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson show up. NXT, I appreciate you aren’t doing backstage interview interruptions anymore, but you HAVE to find a spot for Kelly Kincaid every week. That was a tip top little confrontation there as Meta Four don’t understand Kilani being the future, and Kilani doesn’t understand what Noam Dar sees in Lash Legend.
It made me feel a little emotional seeing the Perth skyline being promoted on a WWE PLE advert for WWE Elimination Chamber! Next week is going to be something special.
Roxanne Perez and her heel turn continues, as Gigi, Wren Sinclair, Arianna Grace and another young lady are in the locker room talking, and Roxanne is whinging about Shotzi getting a title shot next week, and nobody seems to give a shit except for Wren. Wren tries to make Roxanne feel a bit better about it but of course the psycho hose beast just hits Wren in the head because Roxy’s got a serious case of mad cow disease going on right now.
“Goodness is a Mans Stuggle. Evil However, Is Human Nature.” – another mysterious promo airs between that segment and Oba Femi’s entrance.
Oba Femi In Ring Promo
The fans have to keep on making stupid noises between every break in a sentence, which just makes me worry that these idiots aren’t really listening to what Femi is saying. I wish they would just stop trying to make ‘things a thing’. Oba Femi, send anybody that you want to challenge him, he says, but don’t send anytbody that you want back. Then Lexis King’s theme song hits and he starts trying to antagonize him, about Oba being the ‘Ruler’, and Lexis is ‘The King’, and Oba wants him to get to his point. Femi gives King a title opportunity for next week, and Lexis attacked Femi, and went for a Coronation, Oba went for a Powerbomb, and Lexis escaped.
Josh Briggs is backstage near the NXT Kitchen talking about the Main Event and Brooks Jensen shows up in his double denim and mentioned to Briggs about last weeks request for Brooks to grow balls? It ends with Brooks charging at Briggs and attacking him and there’s a massive pull apart backstage over it, as Ava shows up for her one cameo on the show to try and get them to calm down and I guess they’re booking the match for next week.
I love how security and everybody is there so quickly to break that up, but Dijak and a straight jacket with a baton assaulting Joe Gacy only gets 2 referees waving him off.
We see a Tweet from Ilja targeted at Carmelo Hayes, as Ilja is in Germany recovering.
One thought – I am concerned after weeks of build up and momentum, Blair Davenport hasn’t been seen in I believe, 3 weeks. Also, no Fallon Henley this week, AND I assume Tiffany Stratton is completely gone from NXT now which is disappointing but expected.
Singles Match
Kiana James (w/Izzi Dame) vs. Brinley Reece
Background:
Last week Kiana James and Izzi Dame continued their bullying of the NXT Rookie ladies by tipping Brinleys coffee into a bin backstage, which has led to this one on one matchup right here.
The Match:
Kiana makes me laugh with each of her entrances because the handbag is just so massive. Brinley was immediately impressive with some evasions and a deep arm crag on Kiana, and Kiana is impressive too with her aggression. Kiana is cutting a super good pace. Izzi NAILED Brinley with a sweet clothesline on the outside. Brinley started fighting back. Brinley hit a TKO on Kiana, but Kiana hit her with her cool knee to the head, and it was over.
Winner: Kiana James via pinfall in 3:10.
I was wrong, Ava is backstage once again, on the phone, and confirms Briggs Vs Jensen next week and I have to laugh… who is she possibly talking to on the phone about that. We know somebody is going to interrupt her, and yep, it’s Roxanne Perez. Roxanne shows up with a pissy attitude, and Ava lays down the law and just wants to know if Roxanne hit Wren in the face backstage or not. Roxanne faces Wren next week, Roxanne is being a little bitch, and it’s fantastic.
Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are backstage, and Malik is worried about Brinley, and Edris Enofe barely gives a damn. Brinley rocks up cartwheeling upto the fellas, and Edris can’t believe she’s still in a good mood. Malik is happy for her, and Edris is upset again, this made me rock my head back with laughter, what is even NXT sometimes.
The run down next weeks matches including Roxanne Perez against Wren Sinclair, Josh Briggs against Brooks Jensen, Oba Femi and Lexis King for the North American Championship, and Shotzi has a shot at Lyra Valkyria and the NXT Women’s Championship.
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match
The Family (Channing Lorenzo & Tony D’Angelo) (c) vs. Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker
Background:
Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin won the NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament which has earned them a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles this week after issuing the challenge to The Family last week on Episode #719 of NXT.
The Match:
This appears to possibly be getting given a bit of time here for the Main Event. Seeing Tony D and Bron interacting is interesting, it’s a clash I have been waiting for. These two teams are coming across like this is a clash of 2 juggernaut teams in NXT. Bron did a great job selling here. It’s been super back and forth between the two, they all went tit for tat in a ferocious way. Stacks got worked down on by the Wolf Dogs during the commercial break, and Stacks was really bringing it too with his selling. Stacks finally got the hot tag to the Don of NXT, who as usual came in like a house of fire. Tony hit a SWEET spinebuster in mid air on Bron, and the Family looked to end things with the Wolf Dogs with a Powerbomb-Neckbreaker combo. Stacks managed to make a hot tag, but Tony was immediately cut off with a Deep 6 from Corbin, followed by the Flapjack/Powerslam combo from the Wolf Dogs. They all end up on the outside of the ring, and Bron go a Bada Bing, Bada Boom through the announce table! Baron managed to break up the pin. This match was seriously a wild affair. End of Days by Corbin on Stacks, Tony takes out Corbin, but Bron spears Stacks and the Wolf Dogs win!
Winner/s: NEW NXT Tag Team Champions, The Wolf Dogs in 12:27.
Final Thoughts:
What a Main Event. The program is seriously firing on all cylinders, and anybody who doesn’t agree, is clearly forcing themselves to not admit it. All you have to do is listen to those fans! I still have concerns with the rotation of their Superstars, some have not shown up for some weeks now, like Nikkita Lyons, Blair Davenport, Gigi has been in backstage segments, even interviewer Kelly Kincaid has seldomly been seen. I know they cram a lot in the 90 minutes or so that the show goes, but perhaps NXT LVL Up needs to be given some extra time every week. Who knows. Nonetheless, still another great episode of NXT!
