Time to Whoop Dat Ego!

With two weeks before NXT’s debut on The CW, Trick Williams and Ethan Page sit down to sign the contract for their NXT Championship showdown! Will things go smoothly? Or will this be like any other contract signing in pro-wrestling?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Wendy Choo & Rosemary VS Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley; Lyra & Tatum win.
• Tony D’Angelo w/ The D’Angelo Family VS Hammerstone; Hammerstone wins.
• Ashante THEE Adonis VS Eddy Thorpe; Eddy wins.
• Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander VS Myles Borne & Tavion Heights w/ No Quarter Catch Crew; Je’Von & Cedric win.
• Brooks Jensen w/ Shawn Spears VS Dion Lennox; Jensen wins.
• Lola Vice VS Jacy Jayne w/ The Fatal Influence; Lola wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Ava Raine is in the ring.

The NXT General Manager says, “Two of the biggest nights in NXT history are quickly approaching, when NXT goes on the road to Chicago and St. Louis for our debut on the CW Network. Now, in St. Louis on October 8th, a very special someone will be making her NXT return. Sexyy Red! And also, in St. Louis, WWE superstar, Randy Orton, will compete in an NXT ring for the first time ever! But with all that said, now let’s talk about Chicago. On October 1st, when NXT heads to Chicago, CM Punk, who is here tonight, will also be there. Wes Lee and Zach Wentz will battle it out in a Street Fight!

“Now there will also be a very special edition of Miz TV, Roxanne Perez will take on Giulia for the NXT Women’s Championship, and finally, Ethan Page will defend his NXT title against Trick Williams. And that match is why I’m standing out here right now. So gentlemen, if we could please come, get this contract signed, starting with the challenger, Trick Williams.” Fans cheer and chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK! WHOOP DAT TRICK!” Trick gets a mic to let out a “WOOOOOOHOO~!” Hey wants us to get straight to business. Don’t let the shiny vest fool you. He’s in pain, hurting, after going to war last week.

But that doesn’t change anything. Pete Dunne is still a Butch. But for real now, Trick and Dunne went to work, Ethan Page tried to hold a brother down, but some how, some way, Trick was the Last Man Standing. And in two weeks, October 1st, The CW, in Chicago, where history is always being made, they’ll make more history when Trick wins that title. The fan swill be chanting, and tell ’em what they gon’ do! “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” But then Ethan Page just makes his entrance. Ethan says whoa, hey, why did they stop? Keep going! Do the chant, do the dance! Let’s have fun. Ethan can be Booker T. Whoop Dat Trick, uh-huh!

Trick says no one likes Ethan. Oh, they don’t? The fans sing, “Ethan Sucks! Believe In Joe! Ethan, Put On Some Clothes!” Ethan says he’s dressed like a million dollars! But Trick, he will compliment Trick where it is due. Trick has every right to be confident, because he is THE Trick Williams. But Ethan isn’t Pete Dunne. He is All Ego. And Ethan just happens to be Trick’s Kryptonite. Ethan has the receipts to back it up! The biggest one is this belt right here, THE NXT Championship. Trick says since Ethan stole that belt, Ethan’s been running. But come October 1st, there’s no more running when they’re face to face.

Oh, Ethan “stole” the title? Ethan laughs, but he takes off his coat. Trick thinks Ethan stole this!? This title right here?! He stole it? Trick, Ethan didn’t steal nothing! He EARNED this! He WON this! Wanna know what Ethan remembers most about the night he won? It was everyone’s faces when the ref counted 1-2-3! There was shock and surprise on everyone’s faces, including Trick’s. Trick, Ethan didn’t steal anything. And on October 1st, Trick will have a different expression on his face: DISAPPOINTMENT! You think you figured it out? You sure did not! Ethan will beat Trick to finally put an end to this.

But y’know what won’t end? The Era of Ego! And we will still be saying N-X-ME! Trick asks if Ethan is crazy. What even is NX-ME? The only thing everyone here knows is that when Trick sees Ethan in Chicago, that era is over, and we’ll be saying N-X- OH NO! Ethan kicks Trick low, reels him, and hits EGO’S EDGE through the table!! Ethan says Trick won’t even make it to Chicago! Ethan then tells Ava that this place has fallen apart since she became GM. She needs to get her act together. Ethan leaves, but no one put pen to paper! What will happen to the title match now?

Tony D’Angelo meets up with Hammerstone.

This was after NXT last week, and The Don says when he gave Hammerstone an envelope of cash to do a job, he’s supposed to get it done. Hammerstone says Oba Femi is a beast, alright? Tony of all people should know that. Tony does, that’s why he paid Hammerstone. So this is what they’ll do. Hammerstone will go talk to Ava, and he can ask for a rematch. And this time, Hammerstone takes care of it. Yeah, no, Hammerstone’s not doing that. Oh, he’s saying no to Tony? Does he know what happens to people who say no to him? Well, Tony is The Don, right? So why isn’t The Don taking Oba out himself?

Oh, okay, big mouth. Tony knows he’s The Don, but he paid Hammerstone. So maybe Tony will take care of Hammerstone instead. Is Tony getting himself stuck between a stone and a hard place trying to fight all these giants?

Ava regroups with Stone and Stevie backstage.

The GM says it would’ve been nice for one contract signing to go her way. And maybe if she’d had her “surprise” out there, this would not have happened. The assistants agree, the show will still work out. Je’Von Evans excitedly hurries over, apologizes for the interruption, and says that Chicago show is filling up real quickly. So he’s gonna shoot his shot for St. Louis. Ava says okay, she’ll think about it and get back to him. Okay, that’s not a no. Je’Von heads out, Ava heads for the training room. What “shot” will Je’Von find himself having when NXT arrives in The Gateway to the West?

Wendy Choo & Rosemary VS Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley!

The Sleepy Psycho and the Shadow Assassin have gone after champions and though who would stand in their way, but now they’ve got a duo coming after them! Will The Morrigan and unhinged powerlifter make the most of their reunion? Or will this “playdate” become a living nightmare?

NXT returns and the demented duo makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Rosemary starts against Tatum. These two step up, forehead to forehead, and they tie up in a rematch from last time. Tatum throws Rosemary down, but Rosemary roars back up! Rosemary grabs Tatum’s hair but Tatum returns the favor. Rosemary kneels low, waistlocks, and SLAMS Tatum down. Tatum fights, the fans duel, and Tatum pries the waistlock open so she can backflip to the switch! Tatum facelocks, tags Lyra, and they double whip Rosemary for a leg sweep, and handshake DOUBLE ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally as Lyra clamps onto Rosemary’s arm. Tag back to Tatum, she climbs up to AX HANDLE Rosemary’s arm! Tatum wrenches and steps over the arm, but Rosemary rolls her up! TWO, but Rosemary fires hands! Tag to Wendy, she wrenches Tatum toa n ELBOW BREAKER! Tatum still manages a waistlock and O’Conner Roll, TWO! Wendy rolls Tatum up, TWO! Tatum has the body scissors, and ROLLING ROLLING ROLLING CLUTCH! Cover, TWO! Wendy runs up, into a DROPKICK! Wendy ends up in the corner, Tatum CROSSBODIES! Tag to Lyra, she RAMS into Wendy, then NORTHERN- NO, Wendy fights it!

Wendy THROWS Lyra by her hair, then tags Rosemary. The demented duo double suplex, but Tatum makes the save! Tatum & Lyra dodge, then DOUBLE DROPKICK! The fans fire up, Tatum is especially excited, but Lyra gets her to focus. They both run, to DOUBLE DROPKICK again! Tatum & Lyra hug in the ropes, and NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Wendy wristlocks Tatum. Tatum fires forearms, reaches for Lyra, but Wendy holds on. Tatum breaks free, but Wendy blocks the kick! Wendy ducks the enzigiri, but Tatum BOOST her away! Rosemary tags in, Wendy GERMAN SUPLEXES Tatum! Rosemary hooks Tatum up and Wendy runs, LARIAT RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP COMBO! Cover, TWO! Tatum stays in this but Rosemary stays on her. But then Tatum ducks the lariat to ENZIGIRI! Wendy tags in and she stops Tatum again! But Tatum arm-drags free! Then she ducks a boot, hot tag to Lyra! The fans fire up as Lyra rallies on the demented duo!

Lyra ENZIGIRIS Rosemary, then SOBATS, RAMS, KICKS and NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Wendy stays in this but Lyra stays on her. Lyra brings Wendy over, Wendy shoves her away. Tatum tags in, BOOTS Wendy, then BACKBREAKER! Lyra goes up, FLYING LEG DROP! Cover, Rosemary breaks it! Lyra grabs Rosemary but Rosemary TOSSES Lyra! Rosemary goes out and LARIATS Lyra! Tatum fireman’s carries Wendy, but twe4ndy fights free! Wendy shoves Tatum to  corner, Tatum BOOTS back, but Rosemary runs up! Tatum ROCKS Rosemary, but Wendy SHORYUKENS Tatum!

Wendy climbs up, brings Tatum up, but Tatum fights the superplex! HEADBUTT! Rosemary sneaks a tag, Wendy rises back up! SUPER BELLY2BELLY! Tatum flounders around, into a SPEAR!! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Tatum survives and the fans fire up! Rosemary is furious, but she stands Tatum up. Wendy runs, but Lyra trips her up! Lyra drags Wendy up to HEEL KICK! Rosemary is furious, but Tatum hooks her up, TWISTED! Lyra goes up, for CHANGE OF FORTUNE! Cover, Lyra & Tatum win!

Winners: Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley, by pinfall

The reunion is a dream come true, and they take down the nightmare! But will this be the end of the story? Or will things only get spookier from here?

Backstage interview with Ava and Trick.

Sarah Schreiber catches up with the GM and #1 contender, and says this was clearly not how she wanted tonight to start. Ava says it is not. She doesn’t know why Ethan went that far, but the contract is getting signed tonight, one way or another. She excuses herself, and Trick says he definitely signs that contract. And when he sees Ethan, ain’t nothing, no one, and nada holding him back! Trick heads out, cleared by the doctor. Will Trick make Ethan sign his part even if he has to be forced?

The No Quarter Catch Crew prepares backstage.

Charlie Dempsey it is great to have Tavion Heights back. Tavion says he’s glad to be back. Dempsey says Tavion went to Japan, made a name for himself, and more importantly, he made Dempsey proud. Tavion says that experience in Japan was dope! He has lightbulbs in his mind going off. Dempsey says that’s what Japanese wrestling does. But now that Tavion’s back, he and Myles Borne can take the tag division by storm! The Heritage Cup is back where it belongs, and now the NQCC- Wren Sinclair interrupts by saying what Charles is getting at, is that they all missed Tavion. She can’t speak for Charles, he’s gotta be all grumpy, but-

Dempsey tells Wren she’s been wonderful, she really has. But uh, if she’s gonna be NQCC- Which she is! Yes… Well, then she needs to do things for herself. She needs to make a name for herself like the others have. She hears Charles loud and clear! He’s fired up, so is she! She CHOOPS Charlie and says let’s freakin’ go! Myles laughs, but then stops when Charlie frowns at him. But now that Wren is motivate, what is she going to do with that energy?

Tony D’Angelo w/ The D’Angelo Family VS Hammerstone!

The Don made the deal, it didn’t go how he’d hoped, and now he expects the hitman to pay the consequences. Is this going to go about as well for Tony as when he took on Oba Femi? Or can he prove he has what it takes to topple mountains?

The bell rings and Tony ties up with Hammerstone. They go around, end up in a corner, and Tony fires hands! The ref repriamnds, Tony whips corner to corner, but Hammerstone comes back to CLOBBER him! Hammerstone eggs on Tony, the fans rally and The Family coach Tony. Tony rises, resets, and ties up with Hammerstone. Tony headlocks, but Hammerstone powers up. Tony squeezes tighter, but then Hammerstone throws Tony away! Tony grows frustrated, and we see Oba watching backstage. Hammerstone runs up, but Tony dodges to waistlock. Hammerstone swings an elbow, but Tony ducks to BELLY2BELLY!

Hammerstone gets up, Tony hits another BELLY2BELLY! And a SPINEBUSTER! Hammerstone goes to a corner, Tony storms over, but Hammerstone counter punches! Hammerstone whips, Tony KICKS him, but that just makes Hammerstone mad! Hammerstone roars, runs up, and he CLOBBERS Tony! And ELBOWS him! And then picks Tony up to RAM him into a corner! Hammerstone RAMS Tony again, fires forearms, then whips corner to corner. Hmaerstone runs up but intoa  BOOT! Tony runs up, but into an OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! The fans rally, The Family coaches Tony, but Tony is conflicted.

Tony bails out, and he might be coming to terms with the differences in strength. Oba says Tony is broke, and chuckles as he leaves the viewing room. Tony paces on the outside, but the count is climbing! Tony lets it hit TEN!? Hammerstone wins!

Winner: Hammerstone, by count-out

The fans boo and even Hammerstone is upset. The Don just quit the match!? No one understands, least of all his own cousin, Rizzo. Is Tony losing his edge?

Zachary Wentz appears outta nowhere!

He apologizes for interrupting, but he has something he needs to show everyone. Last week, he and Trey were supposed to challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championships, and here is why. Evan in the truck, play the footage Zach sent you. It is footage from a parking lot in Dayton, Ohio, 10:12 PM on Sunday, September 8th. Trey is going to his car, putting his gear away, when outta nowhere, Wes Lee runs up and mugs Trey! And Wes even SLAMS the car door shut on Trey! Wes runs away, and Zach says we have no idea how long Trey will be out for. But what Zach does know is that Wes is an absolute piece of garbage!

Wes went to Trey’s hometown! How many rides together did they take in Trey’s car? Why is it Wes can’t handle Trey & Zach moved on? Or is it Mr. Big Solo Star is bitter that Zach got his hand raised at No Mercy? Wes deserves everything that is about to happen to him in Chicago! Wes thought losing at No Mercy was bad? Well on October 1st, the pain Zach puts Wes through in the Street Fight will be TEN TIMES WORSE!! The fans cheer that! Zach says this ends in Chicago! The Must-See Civil War comes to a head, who will stay standing after the smoke clears?

Ava Raine speaks with someone.

She has no idea why Ethan did what he did, but Ava’s already having a rough night. Ava’s “surprise” is Tyrese Haliburton! And he says as a long-time fan of WWE, contract signings never go well. He’ll handle this for her. Oh, really? Tyrese will get it done? Stevie scoffs and says no way. But Stone tells her that she clearly doesn’t know basketball. This is the two-time All Star from the Indiana Pacers and a gold medalist! Tyrese does have this! Now give him some, player! Uh, who is he? R-Robert Stone… The guy who picked Tyrese up at the airport…

Ava and Tyrese move on from that awkwardness, and Tyrese promises, he will get this done. Tyrese heads out, and then Ava looks at Stone. Stone said they were best friends! Stevie chuckles and Stone feels foolish. But will this special guest have any better luck convincing Ethan Page to sign on the dotted line?

Backstage interview with The Fatal Influence.

Sarah Schreiber is with Jacy Jayne, Jazmyn Nyx & Fallon Henley and notes that after a few confrontations, Jacy faces Lola Vice tonight. Jacy says, “Confrontations? No, I don’t think so. All we do is speak the truth. And you can either handle it like a mature woman, or go cry about it like the rest of the women in this locker room. Lola Vice? Great fighter. But in that teeny, tiny little brain of hers, she thinks she’s a way bigger star than she actually is, and tonight, I’m gonna prove it.” Sarah brings up Jaida Parker, and Fallon says, “Oh, you mean the next It Girl of NXT? Puh-lease! We left her laying flat two weeks ago.”

Jazmyn adds that Jaida acts tough, but if she wants to find them, she would’ve by now. Jacy says this women’s division is becoming The Fatal Influence Division. Not Lola’s, not Jaida’s, and certainly not that little cheerleader, Kelani Jordan, who by the way, has been ducking them. Sarah wants to counter that but Fallon says thanks, that’s enough. Let’s go, girls.

Lola was watching that…

Bigger star in her mind? After she breaks Jacy’s jaw, she won’t be able to talk anymore. Brinley Reece says everyone’s got a problem with Fatal Influence, just like Lola and Jaida. Lola says yeah, Jaida said she didn’t want help, and Lola doesn’t want hers. But Jaida walks in and says she knows Lola does not have Jaida’s name in her mouth again. But okay, Fatal Influence left the set? Bet. Lola says hold on. Where does Jaida think she’s going? Fatal Influence belongs to Lola tonight. Jaida may not want help, but Lola doesn’t need Jaida’s either. Jaida can do whatever she wants to them, after Lola’s had hers. Lola heads out, will she be serving Fatal Influence up on a silver platter?

Ashante THEE Adonis VS Eddy Thorpe!

They say all is fair in love and war, so the would-be ladies man shouldn’t be upset The Alpha Wolf didn’t give away his full game plan. Though, it might also just be a misunderstanding blown out of proportions. Whatever the case, will Ashante show that doing things Adonisly work better than doing things honestly? Or will he get dropped like Eddy drops the beat?

Ashante brings a rose with him, and he finds a young lady to give the rose to. Surprisingly, the lady accepts, and she kisses Ashante on the cheek! Guess there’s someone out there for everyone after all. Eddy then makes his entrance, and that’s when Ashante attacks! The ref reprimands, backs Ashante off, and Ashante says start the match then! The bell rings and Ashante runs back in, but Eddy dodges! Eddy CHOPS, takes his vest off, then stalks Ashante. Eddy ROCKS Ashante, CHOPS him, then bumps him off buckles. Eddy KICKS and KICKS and reels Ashante in for a BIG back suplex! Ashante staggers up, Eddy reels him in, but Ashante pushes free. Throat chop!

Ashante CLUBS Eddy, CHOKES him on ropes, but he lets off as the ref counts. Ashante stomps and kicks Eddy around, throws knees in, then talks smack. Ashante stalks Eddy to a corner, CLUBS him, then brings him up again. Eddy fires body shots! The fans rally, but Ashante knees low. Ashante whips and ELBOWS! Eddy writhes, Ashante drags him up, but Eddy CHOPS! Ashante ROCKS Eddy, Eddy ROCKS him back! They go shot for shot, Ashante knees low and CLUBS Eddy. Ashante fires forearms in Eddy in the corner, then goes corner to corner. Eddy ELBOWS Ashante, runs up and fires more forearms! Then Eddy swings, but into a drop toehold!

Eddy hits ropes and sputters as he falls back! Ashante drags Eddy up, but Eddy fires forearms again! The fans rally as the shots keep going, and then Eddy CHOPS! Ashante KICKS, but Eddy dodges the boot! Eddy KICKS, ROCKS, SOBATS, but Ashante waistlocks. Eddy ELBOWS free runs, but Ashante dodges the boot to HEEL KICK! Eddy PELES! Both men are down and the fans fire up! They slowly rise, and Eddy waistlocks. Ashante elbows free, goes to a corner, but Eddy runs up. Ashante puts Eddy on the apron then AIR DROPS him down! Ashante goes up the corner, to TORNILLO! Down goes Eddy, the fans fire up, and Ashante puts Eddy in.

Ashante goes up again, smiles at the lady who accepted his rose, then leaps, only to FLOP! Eddy hurries to get Ashante up, NEEDLE DROP! Cover, Eddy wins!

Winner: Eddy Thorpe, by pinfall

Ashante loses focus and that is why he loses out! Will he learn what really matters in this pro-wrestling life? Or will his attention continue to be divided?

Chase U speaks.

Thea Hail tells Ridge Holland, “You’ve given Chase U the biggest wake-up call we’ve ever had. We welcomed you in with open arms. We wanted to be the people that said that they got Ridge Holland wrong. That they didn’t know you like we knew you because they didn’t have the chance to. We wanted to say, ‘I told you so.’ Not the other way around. But seeing how you broke Mr. Chase… How you hurt Duke, I don’t know who that person is, and Ridge, you broke my heart.” Riley Osborne says he hates that he was right all along, and that Duke was right all along. Mr. Chase is hurt, and Ridge thinks eh can treat Thea like that?

They welcomed Ridge, they gave him a chance, but all Ridge did was show the world who he really is, and that is weak! Next week, Riley will make things right! For Duke, for Chase, for Thea, and to finally get Ridge out of our lives once and for all! But is Turbo Terry going to find that the real Ridge Holland is far too much for anyone to stop?

CM Punk is here!

The fans sing along with Cult of Personality as Punk walks out, and he says, “It’s CLOBBERIN’ TIME!” Punk continues to the ring, high-fiving fans as he goes, and he grabs a mic on his way into the ring. Punk says he’s in a different mood than he was last night. Did they see Raw? Well, he wanted to get business out of the way on Raw because he knew he’d be here, and he didn’t wanna be in a bad mood. He wants to have fun. Do they want to have fun? “YES!” Punk says he watched NXT on USA, and sees all these beautiful people. But he has never been in this ring, in this building, surrounded by these “NXT Fanatics,” so this is pretty cool.

Punk says a few people here, he recognizes. They’re here almost every week. And when Punk was rehabbing, he would sneak in to watch, some would call him out. The fans chant “We Saw You!” and he says yes, he saw them seeing him. And he appreciates them. It’s just hard to hide and watch the show. He loves watching the show, seeing the blood, sweat and tears of every man and woman that comes out here. They’re on national television at an early stage, and Punk loves seeing that development. Now, selfishly, there is some scouting going on. One day, you’re rubbing elbows with CM Punk. The next day, you’re throwing elbows at CM Punk.

Punk is sure some time in the near future, he’ll butt heads with superstars like Lexis King. Did you see that beard? It is fantastic. Carmelo Hayes is already tearing it up on SmackDown. Ethan Page is here. And not to start any rumors, but sooner or later, Punk will be standing across the ring from Bron Breakker. The fans bark it up, but Punk says let’s keep it light. Punk was talking with Je’Von Evans a minute ago. Punk has T-shirts older than Je’Von! Punk loves NXT. HBK called Punk because he knew Punk loved NXT. HBK told Punk that NXT debuting on CW would be in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.

So Punk asked, or maybe begged, to be part of that. He loves Chicago, he loves NXT, so not only did HBK say Punk could be part of that show, “the reckless 1995 Shawn came out” and said Punk could do whatever he wants on that show. A very dangerous promise, but Punk came up with an idea. Wait, here comes Roxanne Perez. Roxie “checks her watch,” wanting to know if it’s still Clobberin’ Time. The NXT Women’s Champion goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and is a bit nervous. She apologizes for interrupting, she’ll let him get to the announcement about Giulia because no one can get enough of her.

But that aside, 13 year old Roxie would be freaking out sharing the ring with her favorite wrestler ever, CM Punk. Punk is one of the main reasons why she’s here in the WWE. She always looked up to Punk, followed in his footsteps. The Voice of the Voiceless was her voice. But uh… She always did prefer his wife. The fans cheer for “AJ! AJ!” But in all seriousness, Punk doesn’t get how happy she was when he returned to the WWE. Ten years! Roxie was impatiently waiting for his return, and now he’s here! So before he gets back to it, she just wants to say she finally realized… she should’ve been a Drew McIntyre fan!!

The fans go nuts hearing her say that! Punk frowns, and Roxie says she knows why Punk wants to be in NXT! Punk wants one last moment of glory before McIntyre ends him at Bad Blood! But hey, just stay home, Punk. Just stay home with Larry, because Roxie doesn’t want Punk there, or need him there. Everyone else might want Punk, but not Roxie. Because when Roxie beats Giulia, Chicago won’t be Punk’s town anymore. It’ll be Roxie’s. And Punk needs to realize this isn’t about him, or about Giulia, but about one person and one person only, and that’s Roxie! Roxie tells fans to shut up about Giulia, but Punk asks if he can retort.

Roxie says no, she wasn’t even done yet. Roxie sighs, and says she doesn’t really care how big Giulia is in Japan, Roxie is big around the world! She is untouchable!! Tell her when she’s telling lies. Because a wise man once said, “I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I’m not.” Punk says Roxie is certainly on her way to being hated. And he feels she just assumes he’s upset, her stepping on his big announcement. But he kinda loves it! The “balls” on Roxie! Maximize your minutes. If anyone can appreciate an overconfident champion, it’s Punk. And that chip on her shoulder, he used to have one just like it. In fact, it was about the size of Roxie.

But uh, that chip is what made him the Best in the World. This chip here (the title) is what makes her the best. Maybe not just in NXT, but maybe in WWE. Because ladies and gentlemen, he was in Portland last night, and Bianca Belair VS Iyo Sky tore the house down! The entire time, Punk was thinking, “You know who would fit in here with these two badass ladies? Roxanne! You know who might be better than these two women? Roxanne!” But that won’t matter when Roxie gets her ass handed to her by Giulia! Punk didn’t come out to talk about Giulia, he doesn’t know Giulia. He does know Roxanne, but he wasn’t gonna talk about her, either!

If Roxie wants, they can talk about Giulia. Seems to annoy a certain someone. But surprise! Here comes Giulia herself! Roxie seethes as The Beautiful Madness makes her way to the ring. She has a mic to tell Roxie, “The countdown is on. You have two weeks left.” Mic drop! Giulia turns, and Punk stops Roxie from getting a cheap shot in! Giulia wags her finger at Roxie, then takes her leave. Will Giulia prove Punk right when she finally dethrones Roxie?

Backstage interview with Kelani Jordan.

Sarah is now with the NXT Women’s North American Champion, and says Fallon said Kelani is ducking Fatal Influence. Is that true? Kelani says, “Me… ducking them? Interesting.” But when it comes to Fatal Influence, no one is off limits. They will verbally and physically attack anyone they see. And Kelani is aware as a champion, she has a target on her back. But she’ll defend this title against those who excel in the ring, not those who excel at throwing insults. But just think about last week. Jordynne Grace was a badass defending her title in an Open Challenge. So it kinda inspired Kelani to try her own Open Challenge.

But if, or when, she does, she better see those Fatal Influencers step to the plate and put money where their mouth is. Wren suddenly pops in, tells Kelani that Charles “Charlie” Dempsey told her to make an opportunity for herself, so… SLAP!! She’s doing it now! Kelani glares and Wren runs away! Will Kelani make an example out of Wren that no one does it like Lani?

The D’Angelo Family regroups backstage.

They’re all a little worried about Tony, but here he comes. Stacks says they should go find Hammerstone. Tony says forget it. Then what about Oba? What about Oba? Well, there’s talk on the streets… Who cares about that? Stacks asks when Tony when he’s stepping back in the ring with Oba. Tony says there is a right place and a right time. But Tony’s the one who can beat him! Luca, you’re not thinking about all the angles. Rizzo asks what’s going on with Tony. Tony says it’s nothing, but Stacks asks if he’s hurt. Tony asks back what’s the matter with them. He’s fine! Then, what is it? Tony asks what they want him to say. Rizzo says the truth.

Then the truth is, Tony’s afraid! That’s the truth! Tony’s afraid, dammit! Tony’s supposed to be The Don, leading the family, afraid of no one and nothing. Never backing down from a fight, even one he can’t handle. Tony paces, and says it is different with Oba. Oba’s a machine, a destroyer, inhuman, and Tony can’t beat him! So there it is. HE said it. Tony then leaves the room. What will Tony do now if he’s already hit a brick wall?

Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander VS Myles Borne & Tavion Heights w/ No Quarter Catch Crew!

The Young OG & PRIMED Alexander didn’t much care for how the NQCC’s returning member got himself involved in the Heritage Cup match last week. But that’s fine, because now the ball is in their court, and Cedric knows a thing or two about top level tag team wrestling. Will this former Raw Tag Team Champion help Je’Von get bouncy~? Or will Myles & Tavion take NQCC and the NXT Tag Division to new heights?

The teams sort out, and Je’Von runs up to SUPER PUNCH Tavion! The fans fire up as Je’Von fires hands on Tavion and Tavion fires back! Je’Von ROCKS Tavion, Myles runs in but he gets a CHOP, CHOP, and CHOP! Myles knees low, whips, but Cedric tags in. Je’Von LEAPS over Myles, trips him up, and Cedric basement dropkicks! The fans fire up, Cedric covers, ONE! Cedric drags Myles up, but Myles ROCKS him first! And UPPERCUTS him down! Myles brings Cedric up, tags Tavion, and NQCC double whip. They fireman’s carry Cedric for a DOUBLE DEATH VALLEY! Cover, TWO! Tavion clamps onto Cedric’s arm and grinds him down.

Cedric endures, the fans rally, and Cedric fights up. Tavion grinds the arm to bring Cedric back down, then he taunts Je’Von, Cedric fires body shots, but Tavion HIP TOSSES him down! Tag to Myles, but Cedric DROPKICKS Myles! Tag to Je’Von, but Myles fights back! Myles blocks a kick, spins Je’Von, but Je’Von cravats and Cedric gives him a boost! SLICED BREAD! Cedric adds a PENALTY KICK! Myles bails out, Tavion runs in, but Cedric gives Je’Von a boost to RANA Tavion! Je’Von DROPKICKS Tavion out! NQCC regroups, the fans rally up, and Cedric PL- NO, Wren stands in the way! So Je’Von FLIES over her to take out NQCC!

The fans fire up, Je’Von & Cedric regroup, and they taunt Tavion, Myles & Charlie while NXT goes picture in picture.

The NQCC slowly gets up and Je’Von waits. Myles runs in, but into an arm-drag! Je’Von has the armlock, but Myles fights up. Cedric tags in, he takes the handoff, then wrenches to UPPERCUT the arm! Cedric arm-drags to a cording hold and he grinds Myles down. Myles endures, fights up, and reaches out. Myles knees low, scoops, then SLAMS Cedric! Tag to Tavion and NQCC drags Cedric up. They double whip to DOUBLE ELBOW! Cover, TWO! Tavion clamps onto Cedric, drags him up, and whips him to ropes, for a LARIAT! Tavion whips and LARIATS again! Tavion snapmares Cedric, but Cedrick’s right up to ELBOW!

Tavion staggers, Myles tags in, but so does Je’Von! Je’Von dodges Myles, CLOBBERS Tavion, but Myles whips. Je’Von ducks ‘n’ dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! Je’Von keeps going, he CLOBBERS Myles then whips. Myles reverses, and Tavion DUMPS Je’Von out! Tavion CLOBBERS Je’Von, then runs to LARIAT! Wren cheers, Tavion puts Je’Von in, and Myles stomps him. Myles kicks Je’Von to the corner, ROCKS him, then tags Tavion. NQCC brings Je’Von up to double whip, double SHOULDER TACKLE, then Tavion covers. TWO, and Tavion grows annoyed. Tavion drags Je’Von up, suplexes, then SLAMS! Cover, TWO!

Je’Von stays in this but Tavion stays on him. Tavion drags Je’Von back up, snap suplexes this time, then tags Myles. Cover, TWO! Myles clamps onto Je’Von with a chinlock, and NXT returns to single picture. The fans rally, Je’Von fights up, and he pries the hold open. Je’Von turns things around, but Myles knees low! Myles whips Je’Von to the corner, runs up, but into a BOOT! Je’Von CHOPS Tavion, BOOTS Myles, then runs up, but into a SNAP POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Tag to Tavion, Myles sends Je’Von and Tavion fireman’s carries. ASSISTED GUTBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Je’Von is still in this but Tavion stays between him and Cedric.

Tavion fires forearms, but Je’Von is just firing up! Je’Von fires hands with Tavion, gets the edge, then dodges one to SUPER PUNCH! Je’Von crawls, but Tavion keeps him form Cedric! Tavion whips, Je’Von ducks ‘n’ rebounds to NEURALIZER KICK! Hot tag to Cedric! Cedric rallies on NQCC with haymakers! He blocks Myles’ kick, give sit to Tavion, then gets Tavion’s leg! DRAGON SCREW CHAIN! The fans fire up and Tavion goes to a corner. Cedric runs in to forearm SMASH! Snapmare, and basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up, Cedric brings Tavion in, but Tavion fights the suplex! Tavion fires body shots then whips.

Cedric reverses to scoop, MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, Myles breaks it! Then Myles DECKS Je’Von! But Cedric TOSSES Myles! But Tavion LARIATS Cedric inside-out! Tavion crawls over, tag to Myles! NQCC drags Cedric up, fireman’s carry and facelock, TKO DDT COMBO!! Cover, TWO!! Cedric survives, that’s the level of a tag champ! The fans rally, Cedric fights off Mules, and he BOOTS Tavion! Cedric and Myles switch around, and Myles DDTS! Cover, Je’Von SPRINGBOARDS in to break it up!! The fans are fired up, and here comes Kelani! She’s caught up to Wren! Kelani DECKS Wren, then runs her off to the backstage area!

Mules is stunned, but then he gets a LUMBAR CHECK!! Cedric tags Je’Von, then DIVES onto Tavion! Je’Von goes up and up to SKY TWISTER! Cover, Je’Von & Cedric win!

Winners: Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander, by pinfall

The payback has been paid, and uh oh! Randy Orton just put out a tweet that reads, “He Je’Von, wanna know who your opponent is? See you in St. Louis on October 8th, kid.” The Young OG wanted his shot at something big, and here it is! Will he be able to get bouncy even against the Apex Predator?

NXT Media catches up with Ridge Holland.

The reporter asks if he heard what Chase U had to say, and he says he already told everyone that he’d destroy Chase U. Andre Chase? Done. Duke Hudson? Done. Two down, one to go. And next week, Riley, Ridge’ll be seeing ya. Is Yorkshire Grit about to end Chase University once and for all? In the background, we see Brooks Jensen walking up, and Shawn Spears is already waiting for him. Spears wishes Jensen luck, and Jensen sighs. He asks Spears, are they doing this? Wait, does Jensen mean that? Yeah. Is Spears with him? Yeah. The Chair Man accompanies the conflicted Jensen, but will even Spears’ twisted guidance lead to victory?

Brooks Jensen w/ Shawn Spears VS Dion Lennox!

NXT returns as the buff bookworm makes his entrance, Jensen & Spears already waiting in their corner. The bell rings and Dion says he was just trying to help Jensen. Jensen storms up on Dion, powers him to a corner, then arm-drags him across the way! Jensen then runs up to TOSS Dion the other way! Jensen tries again, but Dion arm-drags instead! Then hip toss! And DROPKICK! Jensen bails out, smacks the desk in frustration, but Spears calms him down. Jensen runs in, but Dion SPINEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Dion brings Jensen up, but Jensen hits a back suplex! The fans rally, Jensen snarls and CLOBBERS Dion!

Jensen rains down fists, the fans boo, but Jensen drops a knee on Dion’s head! Spears smiles as Jensen shows that aggression. Whip and WHEEL KICK!! Jensen isn’t done with Dion, he snap suplexes hard! Jensen also has a smile, because he sees Dion’s glasses. Jensen grabs the glasses, puts them on to mock Dion, then he shows them to Dion. Dion gets furious and he fires haymakers! Dion reels Jensen in for a LARIAT! Dino DECKS Jensen, whips him, and then backdrops him high and hard! But now Spears goes for the glasses! Dion stands on Spears’ arm and says not today! Jensen runs up, Dion rolls him up! TWO!

Jensen hurries to DDT low!! Cover, Jensen wins!

Winner: Brooks Jensen, by pinfall

Jensen comes away with a smile, as does Spears, because in their minds, they just overcame someone who is just holding Jensen back. Jensen & Spears shake hands, will this partnership bring them both to the top of NXT?

Wes Lee speaks.

The caption says, “I’ll find out who sent that footage in one day, but I told y’all I did it and there’s proof. #IMTHEREASON.” In the video message, Wes says, “Man, what the hell? Everyone’s upset about my vacation back to Ohio, and look, I had a great time. There was good weather, saw the family, even got to hang out with some old friends.” Wes knows Zach wants to say the attack on Trey was “uncalled for,” but Wes says that’s just taking out Zach’s insurance policy. Trey caught Wes slipping during No Mercy, so Wes caught Trey slipping in the parking lot.

Everyone does realize that if not for Trey at No Mercy, Wes would’ve sent Zach’s ass back to TNA, no more worrying about this. Sooooo~, Wes had to do it! And now, it is really 1v1, brother VS brother, and this Street Fight ends everything! See you in Chicago, bro.

Another social media exchange goes down.

A-Town Down Under, via Grayson Waller’s account, posts a video. They meet up, and Waller asks if Theory saw that #Fraxiom stuff last week. Fraxiom? Kurt Cobain and the Power Ranger? No, the “micro wrestlers” who are NXT Tag Team Champions. Same diff! But the only reason those two are champs right now are because of The Bloodline jumping The Profits. Waller & Theory won the WWE Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania, but Waller misses having gold around his waist. Theory says he never got to be NXT Tag Team Champion, either. They gotta change that. Oh, hey, they can go to St. Louis! Neither of them has anything that night.

So then, ATDU will challenge Fraxiom for the NXT Tag Team titles in St. Louis! Oh, but those “little fops” would never say yes. How can they get them to accept? Oh, how about next Tuesday? Yes! They’ll give NXT the A-Town Down Under rub, put those fops on The Grayson Waller Effect, and then they’ll have to say yes! Genius! Theory tells Fraxiom to get ready, because those titles are going A-Town Down Under! See you soon, idiots! Well, being that this is social media, Fraxiom easily replied. Frazer said, “We don’t have to wait ’til next week to answer your challenge. We accept. Obviously.” Axiom adds, “And we will still see you next week. Mamarrachos!”

And as such, Ava has made it official! NXT in St. Louis gets that much bigger, will Fraxiom show A-Town Down Under that they have the superior chemistry?

Lola Vice VS Jacy Jayne w/ The Fatal Influence!

The Mayor of Vice City wants to tear down this toxic trio as badly as anyone, but when “Rockstar” Jacy has back-up in Jazmyn and Fallon, will this be anything but a fair fight? Or can Lola’s hands put Jacy to bed before the others can influence the outcome?

NXT returns and Lola makes her entrance. The bell rings and Lola BLASTS The Influence off the apron! Lola then fires hands on Jacy in a corner! The ref counts, Jacy shoves Lola back and BOOTS her! The fans fire up for Lola as she reverses the whip then KNEES low! Then SOBATS! Jacy tumbles out, Lola hurries after her, but Fallon & Jazmyn bark at her. Jacy then RAMS Lola into the apron! Jacy goes up to PENALTY KICK, then she puts Lola in. Jacy rains down fists on Lola, then sits her up to KICK! And SUPERKICK! Lola crawls to a corner while Jacy mocks the shadow boxing. Jacy mocks the hip shake, too, before the CANNONBALL! Cover, TWO!

Jacy is annoyed already, but she drags Lola up. Jacy ROCKS Lola, Lola staggers to ropes, but she mule kicks! Lola kicks again, Jacy blocks, but Lola BODY BLOWS! Then she BOOTS the lariat, and ROUNDHOUSES! And KICKS! And KICKS! Jacy drops to her knees, Lola fires LIGHTNING KICKS! The fans fire up for the AX KICK! Jacy crawls to a corner, Lola says “I’m a Latina~!” And she HIP ATTACKS Jacy! Lola snapmares Jacy, but Jazmyn distracts! Fallon grabs at Lola, Lola kicks her away, but Jacy runs in !Lola dodges, URAKEN!! Cover, Lola wins!

Winner: Lola Vice, by pinfall

Lola says buenas noches to Jacy, but Fallon & Jazmyn pounce! They stomp Lola, the fans boo, but the mugging continues. Lola BOOTS Jazmyn, ELBOWS Fallon, but Jacy is back to CLOBBER Lola! The Influence stomps away on Lola, but here comes Jaida! The fans fire up as Miss Parker throws big hands on all of ’em! HIP ATTACK for Fallon and she tumbles out! Jazmyn runs in but Jaida DUMPS her out! Jacy tries, but she gets an ELBOW! And then a GOURD BUSTER! Jaida runs, but the Influence saves Jacy from the Hipnotic! Lola storms up, spins Jaida around, and Jaida almost swings on Lola!

The two argue about not needing the other’s help, but refs rush in to keep these two from throwing hands. Will Jaida and Lola each realize that there’s strength in numbers when it comes to this toxic element?

Rizzo finds Tony D.

She asks if they can talk. He says sure. Rizzo says she’s afraid, too. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Tony says for him, there is! Rizzo got disrespected, The Family got disrespected, and Tony failed. Rizzo says if he believes that, fine. Because it doesn’t matter what the others believe, it’s Tony who has to carry that fear inside. Afraid to lose? Afraid he’ll be remembered as a coward? But it doesn’t matter what they think. When it’s all said and done, no matter what, he’ll always have The Family. Rizzo sees what this is doing to him. She knows him. She knows he doesn’t believe what he’s saying. And she knows he wants another shot at Oba.

Tony says yeah, he does. Okay. Then let’s do it! And if Tony loses? Then he loses. But at least he did it through the fear. All heart. She knows he’s okay with that. Stacks believes in him, Luca believes in him, and so does Rizzo. But Tony, you gotta believe in you. So what does he say? Tony says okay. Rizzo says they’ll do special training. He’s ready. When did Rizzo get so tough? Aw c’mon, she grew up with fighters! They hug it out, and The Don is ready to try again. Will Tony find a way to bring down the mountain that is Oba Femi? Or will he at least go down swinging?

Tyrese Haliburton is in the ring.

The fans have a mixed reaction since Tyrese is a Pacer and this is Florida. Tyrese explains that Ava tried earlier, it didn’t work, so now he will make sure Trick and Ethan get the contract signed. He didn’t come alone, though. He brought reinforcements of his own. The fans boo as the rest of the Pacers line-up is here. Tyrese says yeah, he’d boo too, if he had no choice but to be an Orlando Magic fan. But let’s not talk about that. Tyrese says let’s bring out the challenger, Trick Williams! The fans cheer and chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” again as Trick returns to the ring. Trick shakes hands with Tyrese and again has a mic.

Trick says first thing’s first, this must be a big deal if we’re bringing out the Olympic gold medalist. The fans boo but Trick says don’t be hatin’. Tyrese doing his thang. But Trick will be real. Just like Team USA went to Paris and got the gold. Trick’s going to Chicago to get his gold, too. Tyrese did his thang, believe that. But to be serious, Trick calls out Ethan Page to bring his ass out here to sign the contract, before Trick signs Ethan’s forehead with the bottom of his Gucci loafer. Tyrese says with that said, here is NXT Champion, Ethan Page. All Ego makes his entrance again, not very happy about this.

Trick goes ahead to sign his part, and Ethan says this is ridiculous! Trick, Ethan gave you an out earlier tonight. But Trick decided to come out here and stutter around anyways. But that’s fine! If this is what Trick wants, forcing Ethan to sign the contract, he’ll do it. But Ethan will put this in a way that Trick and his pal, Tyrese, will understand. When it comes to this championship, Ethan Page is the Boston Celtics. The fans boo that, they like that team even less! Ethan says when he beats Trick, Trick will feel like the Pacers. The fans do appreciate that burn. Ethan says Trick will have to watch him be victorious, carry this championship, and this entire company!

Then the Era of Ego will continue to make history! Now hold the contract so he can sign it. Tyrese does so, and Ethan signs his part. And there we have it. In two weeks, Trick Williams VS Ethan Page for the NXT Championship. And you know what time it is? Time to WHOOP DAT TRICK! That’s all we got. Oh, wait, one more thing. Hit the music. CM Punk makes his way back out here?! Ethan is a bit fearful with the Second City Saint making his way out here. CM Punk joins Trick and Ethan in the ring, mic in hand, and he stands between the two. Punk thanks Tyrese, he thanks the fans, and wants Ethan and Trick to calm down.

Punk brings up how earlier, he was rudely interrupted by the soon-to-be former women’s champion, Roxie. This is the match he was here to talk about! This is the match he had an announcement for. Because this match isn’t just about the NXT Championship. A match this big determines the direction the entire brand it goes. Two very special athletes, two very different men, with two completely different visions. A match this big doesn’t just deserve, it NEEDS something special. Fans are already anticipating a “REFEREE! REFEREE!” Yes, the people have spoken, this match needs a special guest referee!

CM Punk says ladies and gentlemen, he is that man! Live on The CW, NXT, the title determined in a match with the ref being C M PUNK! The only rule is you listen to the official, and that’s Punk. And since he is the official, y’all can fight right now. So the hands start flying! The fans fire up, security rushes out here, and Punk is just as disappointed. We want to “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” but they’re separated just enough so that they can only shout at each other! Will the Era of Ego continue on through the Windy City? Or will the winds of change bring us back to the days of Whoop Dat Trick?

My Thoughts:

A great episode of NXT as the penultimate episode on USA Network. Great throughline of the NXT Championship contract story, and how it weaved into other stories tonight. Ethan attacking Trick and putting him to the table without signing the contract was a clever change of things. Punk also had a great promo segment with Roxanne and Giulia, with Roxie having line of the night on that “I should’ve been a McIntyre fan.” Good promos from Tyrese, and he was able to pivot not being accepted by a Florida crowd. I’m just a bit mixed on Punk being the special guest referee in what’s essentially a rehash of Seth Rollins getting involved as special ref for SummerSlam.

At the same time, Punk had to do something in Chicago, and he’s not gonna have a full on match himself, he has to save his energies for Bad Blood and Hell in a Cell. Punk being the ref could affect the outcome, namely if McIntyre tries going after him and creating chaos in the process, so that’s a lot of great intrigue going into the new era of NXT. As for Giulia and Roxie, I’m still leaning towards Giulia winning and Roxie moving on to RawDown even as soon as the Raw after Bad Blood. Though, there is some irony to how she’d be stepping into divisions as a very tiny, very sassy underdog Heel, because she could very well be stepping to a newly crowned Rhea Ripley, or a still-champion Nia Jax.

But I feel I need to take a detour to talk the choices for special guests that aren’t wrestlers. It’s great to have someone from Team USA basketball here, a rising name in the NBA, but like, it wasn’t someone from the Florida teams so of course Tyrese was gonna get booed. And NXT, stop trying to make Sexyy Red work, it’s not actually working. There was someone who visibly facepalmed in the crowd when Ava announced Sexyy Red’s return. And what did Red even do for Battleground a few months ago? She introduced the show, but that didn’t impact it in any way, shape or form. It’ll be the same for NXT on CW, because if wrestling fans aren’t already watching NXT, a non-wrestling guest isn’t gonna do it.

Moving on from that, good use of Twitter tonight to get stories going. ATDU cut a promo to set up a NXT Tag Team Championship match as well as a Grayson Waller Effect. Fraxiom is definitely retaining in St. Louis, though, the NXT Tag titles aren’t leaving for SmackDown with Waller & Theory. And while Zach had a good response promo to Wes’s promo from last week, Wes’s response promo to Zach kinda did point out how redundant it was to show the attack footage now, not last time. Either way, the Street Fight is going to be great stuff, and Wes surely will win. I don’t know if it “ends” the story, because then they’d be 1-1 and would need an even wilder tiebreaker as the blowoff.

Great promos from everyone in the Chase U story, but uh, pretty sure Ridge demolishes Riley. I’m still hoping for Mr. Chase to make a heroic return after that match so that he and Ridge can battle it out. Very good tag match from #Tyra against Rosemary & Wendy, and I’m rather surprised Lyra & Tatum won. There was no sign of Rosemary & Wendy coming back for more, but they could just be waiting to surprise us with that later. Ashante VS Eddy was good stuff, and it seems they’re following what I theorized last week: Ashante does find a lady who doesn’t mind his flashy approach. However, the twist is that she ended up a distraction to him. Not sure if they’ll keep it to the same exact lady, but it is story progress, at least.

Very good stuff intermingling some other stories tonight. NQCC had a good promo to official welcome Tavion back, and then Wren would have to go and misinterpret Charlie’s advice like that. That was a good ol’ slap, but then Kelani went after Wren in return, that is definitely a title match right there. Je’Von & Cedric of course win, but I can just see how Je’Von VS Randy Orton is gonna go. Je’Von is gonna springboard for his OG Cutter, only to get an RKO instead. But even so, Je’Von getting a match with Randy Orton this soon in his career is a great sign of everything WWE sees in Je’Von in regards to his bright future here.

Very good though very quick match from Jensen VS Dion, building both guys very well. Dion already has that “Game time mentality” thing going to give us the sense of a Bruce Banner becoming Incredible Hulk dynamic, and he got to show more of that here as Jensen taunted him with his own glasses. But of course, Spears distracted Dion just enough to tip things in Jensen’s favor. And more good stuff in this Fatal Influence story. Good promo from Lola and Jaida in the locker room, and good match. Lola winning out was great, and of course being jumped by The Influence brought out Jaida. Lola and Jaida are definitely going to realize their teamwork will be for the greater good of humbling The Fatal Influence, it’s just a matter of how long it’ll take for them to see it.

And very good stuff in Tony D’Angelo’s story. He gets mad at Hammerstone, fights Hammerstone, and what a clever move to give him the “Crisis of Confidence” during the match. He lets Hammerstone win rather than suffering a clear defeat, and we got a very good couple of promos with him and The Family. This feels very Rocky 3, Rocky being afraid of Clubber Lang, who would be Oba Femi in this case. This is good character work to help build Oba. Now, this probably leads to an upset victory over Oba when Tony is ready for his rematch, but hey, it’d free Oba up to go for THE NXT Championship.

My Score: 8.8/10