Turn and face the strange changes!

The Undertaker confronts TNA Champion, Trick Williams, and Jacy Jayne is the dual NXT Women’s & TNA Knockouts Champion!? Plus, Oba Femi defends his NXT Championship in a Triple Threat!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Mixed 8 Person Tag: ZaRuca, Hank ‘n’ Tank VS The Culling; The Culling wins.
• Ricky Saints VS Jasper Troy; Troy wins.
• Blake Monroe VS Wren Sinclair w/ No Quarter Catch Crew; Monroe wins.
• NXT Championship Triple Threat: Oba Femi VS Yoshiki Inamura VS Josh Briggs; Oba wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Booker T introduces the show!

“What up, y’all? We in Houston, Texas, and you know in Texas, man, everything is a little bit bigger, everything is a little bit better. And tonight, ain’t nothing changed! Tonight, we got The Undertaker in the house, y’all! Tonight, we got Ricky Saints taking on dat monster, Jasper Troy, tonight y’all! We got The Glamour Girl, Blake Monroe, making her in-ring debut tonight. And you know we got a Triple Threat for the NXT Championship! And you know what i say about that boy, Oba Femi. No bread, no water, just meeeeat~! As well as, guys, we gon’ kick this thing off with an 8 Person Mixed Tag Team Match! Are you ready? Are you ready?!

“Like I always say, now can you dig that, SUCKAAA~!?” The fans are as fired up as Booker, and out come #ZaRuca with Hank ‘n’ Tank! Will H-Town soon become Planet HONK HONK? Or will The Culling cut them all down in their prime?

Mixed 8 Person Tag: ZaRuca, Hank ‘n’ Tank VS The Culling!

Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame, Shawn Spears & Niko Vance make their entrance now, and that’s when ZaRuca, Hank ‘n’ Tank attack! The fans fire up for the brawl, with the ladies on the outside and the boys on the inside! Tank TOSSES Spears, Hank ROCKS Niko, and now the bell rings! Houston fires up for “NXT! NXT!” as Niko turns things around on Hank. Nik fires hands, Hank turns that around to give the hands back. Hank whips, Niko reverses, and Niko pops Hank up to ROCK him with a right! Niko tags Spears and Spears stomps Hank! The fans rally up for Hank but Spears tags Niko back in. They mug Hank, then Niko bumps Hank off buckles.

Niko seethes, then he UPPERCUTS Hank against ropes. Niko fires hands, ROCKS Hank, then tags Spears. The fans rally for “ZA-RU-CA! ZA-RU-CA!” but Spears hits Hank with a NECKBREAKER! Spears taunts Tank & ZaRuca, then goes back to Hank. Spears pushes Hank down and- NO, Hank blocks the stomp! Hank rises up, and he bumps Spears off buckles! Hank runs, Tank tags in, and Hank SPLASHES Spears to then BULLDOG! Tank runs to SENTON! The fans fire up and Tank covers, ONE!! Spears is tougher than that but Tank whips him to ropes. Spears grabs ropes, KICKS Tank, and tags Tatum! Zaria runs in, but Tatum hits the THESZ PRESS!

Tatum rains down fast hands and the fans fire up! Zaria pushes Tatum away, then BOOTS Tatum down! Izzi storms in but Sol runs up and LEAP FROG FACEBUSTERS! Tatum CROSSBODIES, but Zaria catches her! And trophy lifts! Tatum slips free, Spears tags in! Tank steps in and he cartwheels, then LARIATS! The fans fire up but Niko is in! Hank tags in, Tank ROCKS Niko! Hank ‘n’ Tank set up, HONK HONK! But Niko CLOBBERS Tank! Spears throws hands on Hank, the ladies get in, and it is another brawl! The Culling surrounds ZaRuca, Hank ‘n’ Tank, then they whip to the corners, only for ZaRuca, Hank ‘n’ Tank to reverse!

The Culling all bounce off buckles, stagger forward, and we get QUADRUPLE SCOOP SLAMS! The fans fire up as now Hank ‘n’ Tank coordinate with ZaRuca! They go to the corners, HONK HONK! QUADRUPLE BELLY SANDWICH! The fans fire up while The Culling regroups on the outside, and NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Niko CLUBS Tank down. The fans rally up but Niko whips Tank to ropes. Tank grabs ropes, ELBOWS back, then fires haymakers! Niko fires back, Tank ROCKS Niko, but Niko wrenches to HEADBUTT Tank! Niko goes up while Tank falls down! DIVING HEADBUTT FLOPS as Tank dodges! The fans fire up as Tank and Niko crawl! Hot tag to Spears and he BLASTS Hank! Spears whips Tank to the corner, Hank takes the bump and Tank CLOBBERS Spears! The fans fire up as Tank and Spears crawl. Niko runs in and BOOTS Hank down! The fans boo but Tank BACKDROPS Niko! Hot tag to Tatum!

Sol runs in and she rallies on Tatum! Then she sweeps the legs and handsprings over Tatum to LARIAT Izzi! SUPERKICK for Tatum! Sol has Izzi, she KICKS Niko & Spears to TORNADO DDT Izzi! Th efans are thunderous as Sol wipes out the whole Culling! Tag to Zaria and Sol sends her in, SPLASH on Tatum! Then ASSISTED DROPKICK! Sol goes up, Zaria sets up, KEG STAND SPLASH! Cover, Izzi BARRELS in and breaks it! “This is Awseome!’ as Zaria TOSSES Izzi and HEADBUTTS her down! But Tatum ENZIGIRIS Zaria! Niko and tank return! Tank dodges to go up, up, and FLYING SHOULDER! Hank is back, FLAPJACK SPLASH!

Spears is up, he SUPERKICKS Tank! And SUPERKICKS Hank! Spears runs, but into a LARIAT from Hank! Hank fires up, Izzi is here to CODE BREAKER SENTON! The fans boo but Izzi goes up a corner. Izzi aims at the cluster, and she SUPER CROSSBODIES Hank ‘n’ Tank! But Sol SUPER CROSSBODIES Spears & Niko! The fans lose their minds, Zaria aims at Tatum! Zaria runs in, but into a KICK! Tatum wrenches but Zaria fireman’s carries! Spears distracts, so Zaria dumps Tatum to drag Spears into a fireman’s carry! The fans fire up for the DELTA FORCE 5!! Spears flounders, but Tatum rolls Zaria up! TWO!!

Zaria ducks an enzigiri, then whips Tatum so she can SPEAR her down! Sol dodges Izzi and Izzi hits steps! Niko gets in Sol’s face, the ref is distracted, and Spears slides Tatum’s doll into the ring! Tatum has it, and considers using it as a weapon. WAIT! DARK STATE is here?!? They lost to Matt Cardona & The System for TNA Slammiversary, so they’re pissed! But wait, they disappear as quickly as they came? And Tatum has CLOBBERED Zaria in all the confusion! Cover, CULLING WINS!

Winners: The Culling, by pinfall

Whatever that was from Saquon Shugars and gang, it helped Tatum get away with one! Will this lead The Culling back to golden opportunities?

The Fatal Influence is here.

And Houston is a bit torn. They chant between “Jacy Two Belts!” and “Jacy Sucks!” as Jacy Jayne swaggers with both the NXT Women’s AND TNA Knockouts Championships. “I mean, wow, is this picture not worth a million bucks? Love it, hate it, like it, boo it, it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, Jacy Jayne runs Women’s Wrestling.” The fans are definitely torn, but Jacy says, “Not so bad for the third wheel, most beatable champion in history, right? Because not only am I your NXT Women’s Champion, but I am your NEW TNA Knockouts World Champion!

“That’s right, two divisions, two brands, and the one at the top is NOT Jordynne Grace, Masha Slamovich, or your hottest free agent, and it sure as hell isn’t your newest athlete signee, flavor of the month, or one of your internet darlings. IT’S ME~! And the best part about all of this is I did it all by myself, without any help or any support. Because the WWE Universe, you all tried to write me off. But look at me now!” Well, Jazmyn Nyx & Fallon Henley roll their eyes, they know they had something to do with this. But Jacy says she walked into TNA’s biggest PPV in history, and she walked right out with their title.

See, everybody always wants to talk about making history, they want their names written in the history books, so much that it’s become a cliche. But take a good hard look at your double champion, because there is nothing cliche about this! Jacy IS a history maker, she IS a- Lash Legend says “SKRRRRR~! Jacy Jayne, I gotta give you your flowers. I mean you both know that not only have we been here at NXT for a few years, but look, no one ever expected you to be the double champion. Just saying. But… You decided to take your moment and take that top spot to be that number one girl. So congratulations.”

Jacy pats herself on the back, but Lash asks if Jacy’s “delusional ass” really thought she’d stay on top for long. Absolutely not! Lash will keep it real! Jacy is on top, but she’ll downward spiral real fast. And wanna know what? Because it is time for Lash Legend’s moment! Time for her to lash out! And at Evolution, everyone was talking about one woman, and it wasn’t Jacy. It was the Bougie Bully! She eliminated Nia Jax when she hoisted dat ass over the top rope. She eliminated Nikki Bella by kicking her out, and she proved that not only is Lash the most dominant force in NXT, but of all WWE.

And y’know what? Lash realized that if she can step to the best of the best from Raw and SmackDown, then clearly, she’s equipped to get one of those titles. But then here comes Jaida Parker! The fans fire up again as now Miss Parker joins the conversation. “What up, baby? Alright, Lash, I cannot take your flowers away from you, cuz you did your thing in that battle royal, did she not?” The fans agree, “She did.” But baby, do us a favor and look around. This is NXT, and in NXT, Jaida has a direct line to that title! So it doesn’t matter if they get in her way or if they’re in line, because Jaida is a walking reality check, and the future of NXT!

The fans cheer, but Jacy says she is so glad they think so highly of themselves. They can has this out for themselves. Girls, get ’em! Fallon & Jazmyn almost laugh as they say, “Not a chance.” Lash & Jaida agree that the Influence don’t want none of this. So Jacy fires off! The brawl is 3v2, but Lash DECKS Fallon, BOOTS Jazmyn, and Jaida ROCKS Jacy! Lash TOSSES Fallon, TOSSES Jazmyn, and Jaida does the same to Jacy. But then Jaida and Lash bump into each other. They argue, the fans fire up, but who will get their first shot at the NXT Women’s Championship?

Ricky Saints finds Je’Von Evans backstage.

The Absolute says sup to the Young OG, and asks what he’s writing. Just some notes, thinking up new moves, trying to figure out what’s next for the Young OG. Saints gets that. But he will say this: Don’t overthink it. Je’Von just came off a huge win over Jasper Troy at Great American Bash. That’s true, he did. Saints is going to do that tonight, but surely Je’Von has some notes on that. Oh, yeah, for sure. For one, Troy had a Hall of Fame level crash out. It is hard to prepare for Troy when he’s always mad. But one thing Je’Von knows is that it’s just as Saints told him: Don’t overthink it. This is THE Absolute, Ricky Saints! And tonight, the revolution will be televised!

And furthermore, Je’Von will be watching him. Saints appreciates that, and he heads out. Will Saints make it through Troy to then head for a title? Or will “dat monster” eat him alive?

No Quarter Catch Crew meets backstage.

Tavion Heights hypes Wren Sinclair up, she’s been training for this! She’s got this! But Wren feels it was a better idea last week… Charlie Dempsey says it is still a great idea! NQCC doesn’t get nervous. Well, WrenQCC does! And what is Lexis King doing in the background? Wait, Myles Borne walks over and Wren asks what he’s doing here. Hey, Myles may not be NQCC, but he is still gonna support Wren. Lexis starts kicking the unique benches in the back but Myles has the others ignore that. Lexis probably thinks he’s Myles or something. But what matters is Wren is ready! She has homefield advantage! The fans are fired up, too! Let’s do this!

NQCC heads out, Myles stares in confusion at Lexis as he appears to smack a trash can around. Will Wren really be ready for The Glamour? Or will Blake Monroe make good on her first singles match in NXT?

Ricky Saints VS Jasper Troy!

This match only came about because The Absolute was battling with All Ego, accidentally bumped into the LFG Season 1 Champion, and thereby upset him. Well, upset him more than he already was in losing to Je’Von Evans. But will there be an upset here tonight as Troy gets his hands on Saints? Or will the revolution roll on in Houston?

The bell rings and the fans sing, “Ricky! Ricky Saints~!” Troy runs up, Saints dodges and he fires off haymakers! Saints backs Troy down, but Troy TOSSES him to the corner! Troy RAMS into Saints, RAMS him again, then RAMS again! The ref counts, Troy swings, but Saints dodges! Saints CHOPS, CHOPS, and then climbs up to rain down fists! The fans count along, Saints gets to 8 but Troy DUMPS him down! And then LARIATS him on the apron! Troy drags Saints in, but Saints avoids the SPLASH! Saints hurries to clinch and- NO, Troy blocks the Russian Leg Sweep! Troy scoops Saints right up for a RUNNING POWERSLAM!

Troy roars, the fans boo, but Troy covers, TWO! Troy drags Saints up, scoops again, and he THROWS Saints up and out! The fans boo, Troy roars, and NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Troy fireman’s carries Saints. Saints slips free, CLUBS Troy on the back, then ROCKS him with a haymaker! And another haymaker! Troy shoves Saints, Saints ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Saints leaps into a BEARHUG! Troy squeezes tight, then he THRASHES Saints around! The fans rally as Saints endures, and Saints fires hands! Troy squeezes even tighter, and Saints throws off an elbow pad. The ref fetches that, and Saints BITES Troy’s forehead! Troy lets Saints go, BODY SHOTS Saints, then brings Saints around, but Saints SLINGS Troy out of the ring! Saints runs to DIVE! Direct hit but Troy is still up!?

Saints fires haymakers on Troy, but Troy pushes Saints back! Saints ducks and Troy’s fist hits POST! Saints then YANKS Troy into the post! Saints fires more haymakers but the ring count climbs. Saints CHOPS, CHOPS, but Troy THROWS Saints into the apron! Saints rolls into the ring, the fans sing for “Ricky! Ricky Saints~!” Troy storms into the ring but Saints stomps his hands! Saints then reels Troy in, TORANDO- NO, Troy stops that and throws Saints away! Troy runs up, Saints dodges, Troy hits buckles! Saints goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Down goes Troy, but he’s right back up! So Saints goes up, FLYING TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO!

Troy survives and Saints is besides himself! Saints runs up, and he LARIATS Troy and himself out of the ring! The fans fire up for “NXT! NXT!” while the ref checks both men. Saints and Troy are each able to continue, and Troy has a wild look in his eyes. Troy storms up on the ref but the ref says Troy needs to back down. Saints jumps onto Troy! Saints fires hands, ROCKS Troy, and they continue up the ramp! Troy THRWOS Saints into the LED board! Troy then kicks Saints down the ramp. The fans boo, and then the ramp falls apart?! Troy tells the ref to call it already, or else! Or else what? Troy SENTONS onto Saints!! The fans go nuts as both men are down in the wreckage!

Troy rises as the ring count finally starts! Troy drags himself out of the pit and hobbles to the ring! He slides in at 9, and wins!

Winner: Jasper Troy, by count-out

Troy’s rage almost cost him, but he still came out on top. Will no one stop the Monstar as he rampages up the ranks?

Trick Williams meets with High Ryze backstage.

The “Trick’N A” Champion complains that The Deadman goes and called HIM out! Hell no! Trick is calling Taker out, let’s talk about it. Wes Lee says if Trick needs anything, they’re here to help. Trick says he appreciates it, but he’ll handle this man to man. Trick’NA VS Deadman. Je’Von laughs as he says, “There you go, Trick! Yessir, Trick!” Trick tells Je’Von to keep his mouth shut while grown folks is talking! Je’Von says hey, sorry, he just wants to see what’s happening. Trick says he’s got this. Trick and Wes fist bump, then Trick heads out. And Je’Von tells Wes to wait his turn, Je’Von’s gotta see this.

The Young OG follows Trick out, Wes says Je’Von’s supposed to mind his own business! But will we all see The Phenom #WhoopDatTrick?

The WWE mourns the loss of Ozzy Osbourne.

A rock ‘n’ roll legend but also a devoted fan and iconic face in the WWE. From first joining WWE at WrestleMania 2 through his induction to the Hall of Fame in 2021, that’s nearly four decades of friendship. #ThankYouOzzy.

Trick Williams heads to the ring!

Houston still chants, “Whoop Dat Trick!” for the TNA World Champion as he struts to the ring. Trick grabs a mic to say, “H-TOWN~! The man carrying two brands has finally arrived. And I ain’t bragging, I’m just here to spit some facts. And while we talking ’bout facts, last Sunday, I went to Long Island, New York for Slammiversary and I main evented the biggest show TNA has ever had to this day, let’s talk about it!” The fans cheer, and Trick says while we’re talking facts, he faced two of the best TNA has to offer! Trick beat #AverageJoe Hendry, the Loud ‘n’ Proud Boricua, Santana.

So with Trick breaking the record, Trick beating the best, that makes Trick undeniably, unequivocally, automatically the greatest TNA Champion of ALL TIME! The fans are torn, and Trick says he knows they don’t like him over there at TNA. He doesn’t blame ’em. He is dropping records, dropping diss tracks, and dropping everyone who stands in the way! Speaking of people in his way, those LFG boys were in his way. They stood in front of Trick. They got too big for their britches, so Trick stood on business, ten toes down, told ’em to get out the way when the champ is in the room! And can you believe this sensitive, lousy group? They snitched on Trick!

They ran and told their coach on Trick! That’s right, they called The Undertaker! Now like Trick said, he’s spittin’ facts, and it is a fact that Taker is one of the greatest ever in this business, let’s talk about it! The fans cheer and Trick says Taker is in the Hall of Fame for a reason. But it is also a fact that Taker has never held down two brands at the same~ time~! What Trick is saying is, LFG has Taker feeling disrespected. LFG has Taker tweaking, tweeting tweets, y’all. LFG has Taker gone soft! Trick has no problem to be the man who has the “kahunas” to take on Taker, cuz he Trick Willy! This is Trick’NA! Deadman, bring yo’ ass out here!!

The fans fire up as the bell tolls, and it tolls for Trick! The lights go out, and then “I AM AMERICAN BADASS!” The fans fire up as THAT Taker storms out here! He stares Trick down as he walks to the ring, then he pushes past Trick to raise his hands. The fans fire up, and Taker grabs himself a mic. Taker paces while the fans chant for him, “UNDERTAKER!” “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” Taker says, “Well, what do we have here? Lemme tell you what we have here. We got a dead man walking.” The fans cheer that! Taker says, “Look at ya! You got that nice title. You got the bling. And I’m sorry, but… Is this genuine cowhide right here? I’m asking for a friend.”

Trick confirms, real cowhide. Wow, he’s got it all! “Except for one thing. Respect.” Trick has that swagger, sure, but Taker keeps up with everything. Taker says this just ain’t the same guy with that TNA title as he was with the NXT title. Trick says that’s a fact! Brand new Trick! No, see, that guy scratched, clawed and fought his way to the top. That guy was hungry! That guy had that dog in him! The fans bark for that! Taker sees this Trick, and that ain’t him. Taker will tell this young fella something. “You can have the whole package, you can have all the talent, everything in the toolbox. But with your attitude, it ain’t a matter of you losing that title, it’s only a matter of when.”

Trick warns Taker to stay back, but Taker says that attitude will be Trick’s downfall. “And that is when the walls start crumbling down. Aw, man, I’ve seen it too many times, Trick. Look. Your attitude is rotten. And that… No, leave that on, man, leave that on. And that attitude is exactly what I try to teach to my LFG team.” Trick says he don’t give a DAMN about Taker’s LFG team! Taker’s a legend, right? No one on his LFG team is a superstar like Trick Williams! No one in NXT is a superstar like Trick Williams! No one in the ENTIRE WWE is a superstar like Trick Williams! The fans boo and Taker frowns. “Is that right?”

Taker says he’ll give Trick one more piece of advice. Trick is “a little too light in the ass to step to an OG.” Now, if Trick wants to dance with the devil, Taker can flip the switch real quick. But listen up. When Taker does, he promises Trick he will make him famous. Trick takes a swing! Taker catches him first! CHOKE SLAM!! The fans fire up as Taker did just Whoop Dat Trick! Will Trick have some respect from here on out? Or will it take a bit more to knock Cowboy Carter off his high horse?

Fatal Influence regroups backstage.

Jacy says, “Well that didn’t go well. What’re we gonna do about that? Who’s gonna take Lash, and who’s gonna take Jaida?” Fallon & Jazmyn look to each other, but then Michelle McCool walks in! And she says she saw that earlier. Not that they asked her opinion, but… She feels like it should be Jazmyn VS Jaida and Fallon VS Lash. Jazmyn agrees with Michelle. Fallon asks why that makes sense. Why does Jazmyn want Jaida over Lash? Well, duh, it takes a baddie to handle a baddie. Jacy says for one, Michelle is a Hall of Famer, she knows what she’s talking about. And two, Fallon is better than Jazmyn, that’s who should handle Lash.

So then it is agreed, Fallon VS Lash and Jazmyn VS Jaida! Michelle says Fatal Influence has this all figured out. But someone should talk to Ava, right? Michelle exits and Jacy asks which way is Ava’s office. Fallon and Jazmyn each point in a different direction. Jacy sighs and says she’ll figure that out on her own. Jacy leaves, will the Influence be able to keep Jacy’s challengers down?

Blake Monroe VS Wren Sinclair w/ No Quarter Catch Crew!

The Glamour used Jordynne Grace to get the spotlight, and then stabbed her in the back when it was the most shocking. But will Monroe continue to make it all about her? Or can Wren wrangle her like it’s the Texas rodeo?

The bell rings, the two tie up, and Monroe knees low. Monroe bumps Wren off buckles, stomps a mudhole, then lets off to soak up cheers and jeers. Monroe SCRAPES Wren’s face off the ropes! Monroe then digs her boot into Wren in the corner. The ref counts, Monroe steps off, and the fans rally up. Monroe storms up on Wren, but Wren blocks the buckle bump to ELBOW Monroe! Wren TACKLES Monroe, covers, TWO! Ghost pin, TWO! A roll into the ghost pin, TWO! Wren whips, Monroe reverses, but Wren grabs  the ropes. Monroe is furious and runs up, but into a SOBAT! Wren puts Monroe in a corner but Monroe BOOTS back!

Monroe goes up and MISSILE DROPKICKS Wren! Wren staggers up, into a SLINGBLADE! Cover, TWO! Wren is tougher than that but Monroe clamps on with a cording hold and chinbar! The fans rally as Wren endures, but Monroe grins as she twists Wren around. Wren fights up, fires body shots, and arm-drags free! Monroe returns, Wren dodges and CHOPS! And CHOPS! And DOUBLE CHOPS! Monroe runs up but Wren LARIATS! The fans fire up as Wren rallies, then BASEMENT BULLDOGS! Cover, TWO! Monroe stays in this but Wren brings her up to underhook. Monroe wrenches out and drop toeholds Wren into ropes!

Wren staggers, Monroe HEADBUTTS her! Monroe brings Wren in, BUTTERFLY DDT! Cover, Monroe wins!

Winner: Blake Monroe, by pinfall

The singles debut was a success and Monroe grabs a mic. “What’s the matter, JG?” WAIT, JORDYNNE GRACE RUSHES IN FROM THE CROWD! But she’s banned from the building! Monroe was going to taunt her, but not while she’s here in person! Grace busts through security and TACKLES Monroe! Security hurries back in, drags Grace away, but Grace GERMAN SUPLEXES them away! Grace storms out, BOOTS and ELBOWS the rest, but Monroe HEADBUTTS! Monroe reels Grace in, DDT onto a chair! Monroe has another evil smile while she watches Grace writhe. Will Grace’s revenge be denied? Or will it not be over until she wins?

NXT returns and Ethan Page is in the ring.

All Ego stands at a North American Championship podium with a very familiar pedestal next to him. On that pedestal is a very familiar satin cloth over a very familiar shape. Ethan says, “Today marks the 56th day as the greatest North American to ever hold the North American Championship.” The fans are torn on that, but Ethan says, “17 Americans before me had the honor and the privilege of being North American Champion. But going forward, my plan is to bring more honor, dignity, pride and class than all 17 Americans combined.” Again, the fans are torn. Ethan says how he plans to do that is because of who he is and where he comes from.

“Folks, my humble parents migrated to North America from humble Yugoslavia to provide my family with greater opportunity. And because of that, I was allowed to travel the roads of this continent and truly see every small town with a bingo hall, and every big city with a big arena, coast to coast. Now if my family had made different decisions, then I quite possibly could’ve ended up like all of you.” The fans boo that, but Ethan says he did not, because he was born in Canada. Ethan reveals the Canadian flags from under their veils, so the fans of course chant “U S A! U S A!” Ethan says no longer will this title represent the continent of North America!

What this title represents is an absolute lie! The fans tell Ethan to STFU, but he continues by saying what this title SHOULD represent is NOT the US, NOT Mexico, or any other country! Ethan was born in Canada, made in America, and that makes HIM the greatest North American alive! That affords him the privilege of doing this! HE THROWS THE BELT IN THE TRASH! Ethan says that also gives him the honor of bringing HIS nation great pride! Ethan reveals the new belt from under the veil, and it has a CANADIAN MAPLE LEAF BELT! “Folks, I’m just proud of being from Canada!”

So from here going forward, to claim you are a great North American, it now comes with the Canadian standard of excellence! Canadians do it better! They’re kinder to each other, they respect each other more, and when they take on challenges, they do it with pride and honor! And hey, that’s just the athletes! The civilians live better than in America, too! Better food, better healthcare, better looking women, and better air quality! Definitely better than Texas, at least. But hey, it is okay, he accepts you all as you are. Because Houston, Texas, USA is part of HIS North America! The fans tell Ethan off, but Ethan tells them that he takes great pride in holding the title.

However, Ethan takes even greater pride in being a Canadian citizen standing in the spotlight, surrounded by American mediocrity. Now, as the fans continue to rudely chant at him, he will close this celebration by asking they rise for the CANADIAN National Anthem! The fans boo but Ethan apologizes he doesn’t have a good singing voice. But the thought of an American butchering HIS country’s song? He’d rather just do it himself. “O~ CANADA~!” Wait, SANTINO MARELLA is here! The fans fire up as the TNA Director of Authority goes to the ring, and Ethan says they’re ruining his celebration!

Santino says, “Y’know what? You have a big mouth, Etan Pa-geh. You should be ashamed for yourself! Now many people here know that I am from Italy, and I am trying to follow in the great combats sports such as Bruno Sammartino, Cannonball Parisi, and of course, the great Rocky Balboa. The fans cheer those names! But what people might not know is that Santino lives in Canada, he raised his family there, and trust you him when he says… They don’t think like Ethan! The people from Canada, the US, Mexico, they’re all good, hard-working people! And the garbage coming out of Ethan’s mouth makes him sick, you sonamagun!

But of course, Ethan wouldn’t related, huh? Because he’s a bum hole boy! A what?! The fans chant, Ethan says stop that! Santino should check his jacket because he’s clearly lost. Go back to TNA, this is the champ’s show. Bye-bye. Santino says yes, he is the TNA Director of Authority, but he is also friends with “Ah-vah.” And they were in the back listening to this garbage, Santino couldn’t take it anymore! One thing Ethan did say is right: This title should be held by someone with dignity, honor, class, pride, but Ethan has none of those things! Y’know who has some of those things? Santino himself! See you next week!

What? Oh, Santino thinks he calls the shots? Ethan won’t wait, he wants to do this right now! Ethan puts the belt aside, takes his jacket off, and turns around, to see THE COBRA! Ethan runs away from The Cobra, grabs his belt and jacket, and he retreats! Will Santino recreate the Milan Miracle in Orlando?

Trick Williams returns backstage.

And he is very wobbly from that choke slam. He sees Oba Femi, and then Jacy Jayne. Jacy says excuse her. They let the double champ pass, and then Oba smirks at wobbly Trick Willy. Oba leaves Trick behind, but will Oba return still a champion? Or will the Triple Threat finally get the better of him?

Je’Von takes more notes.

Yoshiki Inamura sits with him and Je’Von asks, “Wassup, gangsta?” Inamura says he needs advice. Advice? Bro, he’s only 21. Oh, that’s true. Never mind. Je’Von says he was just playing around. What’s up? Inamura asks if he was a bad friend for not listening to Briggs and choosing to fight with honor. Je’Von says no, man, you’re not a bad friend. You have your own code, your own path. Inamura says he likes Briggs, but just not how he thinks. Yeah? Well, sometimes, you can love somebody and not really like ’em, you feel ’em? Inamura pats Je’Von on the shoulder. No, like, you feel ’em? Inamura pats Je’Von on both shoulders.

Inamura tells Je’Von he does feel him. But what is Je’Von up to? Just figuring out what’s next. Inamura says Je’Von has plenty of time. Thanks. As for Inamura, what is next is the NXT Championship! Je’Von says heck yeah. Inamura heads out, will he win that big Triple Threat tonight?

The NQCC regroups.

Myles says Dempsey still thinks he knows best. Dempsey says Myles should just go away. But then Bubba Ray steps in! He says Myles can stay, and dares Dempsey to tell him to go away. Yeah, didn’t think so. Bubba then tells Wren… Great job out there! He hugs Wren, says keep up the great work, he is so proud. And as for Tavion and Dempsey, he sees their problem. They already had their match, but it ended with controversy. Here’s an idea. Bubba will talk with Ava and if she’s cool with it, here’s the match: If Tavion wins, he is on his own. Thank you! Yeah, Tavion can tell Charlie, “Take care, brush ya hair.”

But Dempsey, if you win… Tavion stays in the crew and does it with a smile on his face. Good? Dempsey says good to him. They shake on it, and Tavion has his second chance. Bubba warns Myles, Lexis incoming. Lexis, wearing his noise canceling headphones, accuses Myles of being a phony! What? Lexis says he’s been wearing these headphones and he heard everything they said! Myles is just pretending for sympathy! If Myles is deaf, then Lexis is blind. Myles says Lexis isn’t blind nor deaf, but everyone around sure wishes Lexis was mute. Myles leaves Lexis behind, will the Drama King get it through his head that he’s the real problem?

NXT shares a video from Roman Reigns!

The OTC tweeted out, “The ball is in your court, Jey. #SummerSlam.” And Roman on video says he was sitting on the jet last night, running back all of “those squeaky little words” that came out of Bron Breakker, talking stuff he doesn’t understand. Roman said they could keep doing this, keep on brawling every single week. But Rollins’ boys think they’re the future. The only way to become the future, to become who you think you are, is by capturing the moment. And you can’t do it on Mondays, no. You gotta do them on the big stage, the PLEs, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania. That’s how Roman made his career, made his living.

So since none of them have titles, they don’t have much going on. So here’s the offer. If YEET MAN will trust Roman one last time, Roman loved standing shoulder to shoulder with Jey Uso. If Jey can trust Roman, they can take on “Bron Bron,” Breakker & Reed, at SummerSlam, with “Dumbass” Heyman in their corner. Roman checks his clock, and says there ain’t much time left. Will Jey accept this match and take down common enemies with his cousin?

NXT Championship Triple Threat: Oba Femi VS Yoshiki Inamura VS Josh Briggs!

The Ruler knows The Great Rush deserves better than what happened at Great American Bash, and that’s because the Bullhead Brawler couldn’t just leave well enough alone. But now Briggs is going into business for himself and putting himself right in the middle of this match. Will Oba make it through one more Triple Threat match? Or will there be a new champion one way or another?

NXT returns and Oba makes his entrance, Inamura already waiting in the ring with Briggs. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see what happens when three meaty men slap meat!

The bell rings and Oba fires off on Briggs! Inamura grabs Oba, Oba ELBOWS him away, then LARIATS Briggs up and out! Oba then brawls with Inamura, Inamura CLUBS away, then he dodges Oba’s haymaker to get around. Oba blocks Inamura’s chop, headlocks him, but Inamura RAMS Oba into the corner! The fans duel, “Let’s Go, Oba!” “YO-SHI-KI!” so no mention of Briggs… Inamura CHOPS, whips, but Oba reverses. Inamura bounces off buckles and Oba clinches, OVERHEAD SUPLEX! The fans fire up, Briggs is back, and he scoops Oba to SIDEWALK SLAM and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Surprisingly, Inamura and Briggs coordinate.

Briggs runs to RAM Oba, and then Inamura RAMS Oba! They pinball Oba this way, but then Oba dodges! Inamura and Briggs collide, Oba CLOBBERS them both! Oba then LARIATS Inamura, LARIATS Briggs, and the challengers go to corners. Oba runs in and ELBOWS Briggs! Then he runs and ELBOWS Inamura! And back to Briggs! Then back to Inamura! Then Briggs, then- Inamura scoops Oba! SPINNING POWERSLAM! Cover, but Briggs steps on the ref’s hand? The ref reprimands, Briggs apologizes, that was supposedly an accident! Inamura isn’t sure given Briggs’ history, but Briggs has him focus on Oba.

Briggs & Inamura stand Oba up, but he grabs each of them! DOUBLE CHOKE SLAMS from Oba! The fans fire up as Oba huffs ‘n’ puffs, and NXT goes picture in picture.

Oba stomps Inamura at the ropes, brings Briggs up, and bumps him off buckles. Oba CLUBS Briggs, whips corner to corner, but Briggs reverses to LARIAT! Briggs brings Oba around, CLUBS him on the neck, and he lets Inamura get some stomps in. Inamura covers, Briggs hesitates, TWO! Inamura watches Briggs closely, Briggs says they’re cool. Briggs & Inamura scoop to DOUBLE SLAM! Briggs then goes outside while Inamura climbs. Briggs grabs a chair! He puts the chair on top of Oba, and Inamura says no, that’s not what he wants. Briggs and Inamura argue, and then Briggs scoops to SLAM Inamura onto Oba! Cover, TWO!

Inamura is more upset but Briggs apologizes. Inamura scoops Briggs to SLAM him onto Oba! The fans cheer and Inamura covers, TWO! Oba is still in this, and Briggs says okay, they’re even. They shake hands, mug Oba, and then double whip. They BOOT CHOP COMBO, and then Inamura covers, but Briggs pushes him aside. Briggs covers, TWO! Inamura is annoyed but Briggs smooths things over again. The fans rally as Briggs RAMS Oba in the corner. Briggs whips Inamura in, but Oba ELBOWS him down! Oba BOOTS Briggs, then brings Briggs around to fire body shots in the corner. Oba puts Briggs up top as NXT returns to single picture.

Oba climbs up, has Briggs in a clinch, but Briggs resists! Inamura CLUBS Oba, gets under him, and the fans fire up as Inamura Electric Chair Lifts! But Oba holds onto Briggs! ELECTRIC CHAIR DROP DDT COMBO!! Inamura covers Oba, TWO! Cover on Briggs, ONE?!? Briggs is upset but Inamura says Triple Threat, every man for himself! “This is Awesome!” as Inamura and Briggs go back to Oba. Briggs choke grips, Inamura CHOPS Oba, and then CHOKE- NO, Oba slips free to shove Briggs, Inamura holds Briggs up but Briggs ELBOWS him away! Briggs apologizes, that was an instinctual thing. Oba runs up to CLOBBER them both!

Oba runs up but Briggs BOOTS him! And BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Briggs CHOKE SLAMS Oba! Cover, TWO!! Oba survives and Briggs is furious! Briggs CLUBS Oba, HAMMERS away, and then brings Oba up. The fans rally for Oba and he suplexes! Briggs slips fere, Inamura runs in, Oba hurdles! The POUNCE hits Briggs! Oba then choke grips Inamura! Inamura fights free, ROCKS and CHOPS Oba, then runs! But Oba pops him up! RIDGE HAND from Inamura! And then a POUNCE! The fans fire up and Inamura has Oba up! Inverted scoop for the POWERBOMB! Cover, Briggs YANKS the ref out!

The ref hurries back in and counts, Briggs gives Oba the ROPEBREAK! Inamura is furious that Briggs would do this to him, his friend! Briggs apologizes, but Inamura SHOULDER TACKLES Briggs down! The fans fire up, Inamura clinches Oba, URENAGE! Inamura goes to the corner and climbs! Inamura pumps up, GREAT RUSH SPLASH!! Cover, BRIGGS MOONSAULTS ONTO THEM!! Cover on Oba, TWO!! Oba survives again and the fans cannot believe this! They chant for “NXT! NXT!” giving them this main event! Inamura SLAPS Briggs, so the hands fly! Inamura CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! CHOP to the face!

Briggs kicks a leg out, ROCKS Inamura, but Inamura wrenches an arm to fire the strike fest! ROLLING- HAYMAKER from Briggs! Briggs runs, Inamura SPLASHES at the ropes! Inamura runs, Briggs ELBOWS him! Briggs runs, but he senses Inamura! Inamura ducks one lariat, but not the CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL! UPPERCUT from Oba to Briggs!! FALL FROM GRACE!! Cover, OBA WINS!

Winner: Oba Femi, by pinfall (still NXT Champion)

Briggs once again gets in Inamura’s way, and once again, Oba Femi stands tall! But then Briggs CLOBBERS Inamura! Briggs shouts at Inamura, “I don’t like you! I don’t like you!!” That was a very direct way of breaking up the friendship, but will Inamura make Briggs regret it?

Je’Von Evans finishes taking notes.

The Young OG is very stressed, but Taker walks over. “You still trying to figure out what to do next?” Je’Von is a bit speechless, but Taker says if you ask him, you continue going after the biggest dog in the yard. They both look at the TV, and Taker says, “You feel me?” Je’Von says yes he does. Will Je’Von be the David to Oba’s Goliath?

My Thoughts:

A great NXT live from Houston, the energy was great all night, and Booker T opening to hype up the show was great. I think he fumbled “Blake Monroe” but still corrected himself. Anyway, the Mixed 8 Tag was a great match to start with, especially with how hot it was from the start. Dark State distracting to help Culling was an odd move, and we didn’t even get a promo from them after. But Culling winning was still the right move because it sets Tatum up to face Sol for the Women’s North American Championship, just as I was thinking. Izzi might be a bit reluctant in supporting Tatum, though, given a look she had on her face at the end of the match.

Speaking of North American Championships, great promo from Ethan Page to make it unofficially the Canadian Championship. I need NXT off CW ASAP, though, they were censoring things and that just ruins the promo because I couldn’t really hear what Ethan was saying. But at the same time, Texas was the best place to get heat for a “Canada (or any country) is better than America” promo. Santino confronting Ethan was great, and we will get a great match from them, but I would think Ethan retains. Then maybe someone else who is North American between NXT and TNA shows up to challenge Ethan for like Heatwave at the end of August or something.

Great promo from the Fatal Influence to set up Lash Legend and Jaida Parker as potential challengers. With Taker here tonight, Michelle McCool being here tonight was a logical move, and she had a good promo with Fatal Influence to influence them towards those matches. I feel like Lash and Jaida should both win, then face each other. And at the same time, there needs to be someone from TNA showing up because Jacy needs to defend the Knockouts title, too. And I feel like they should have Jacy lose the Knockouts title first because she’s more concerned about keeping the NXT title. But even then, this could be the time for Lash or Jaida to finally get theirs, they’ve been doing great work and the fans are really behind them both.

Great match from Saints VS Troy, though that ramp spot was definitely not how they planned it. The panel fell out from under Saints because it was already gimmicked to break away, but was then too loose. But Troy doing such a big senton was still really good, and him winning by count-out is good for protecting Saints on some level. Great promo segment from Trick and Taker, and of course Taker gave Trick a choke slam. I still don’t think we get Trick VS Taker, but I guess we’ll see. Even then, Taker’s not winning, that’d make Trick and the TNA Championship look weak. And despite what Taker said about Trick not having that dog in him, Trick needs to be booked strong.

Very good stuff with NQCC, such as Myles encouraging Wren as a friend, not a teammate. Bubba Ray had a good promo, but I’m a little surprised Tavion VS Dempsey Round 2 is just… Normal. No special stipulations for the match, just that this is a second chance, which seems disappointing. But at this point, Tavion might as well win and go on his own. Lexis King confronting Myles was weird, but it explains what he was doing with the headphones making random noises around the arenas and sitting in the crowd. Still not sure what this leads to other than another match, and then the winner moves on to a title, which I would think is Myles.

Monroe VS Wren was a very good match but of course Monroe won. And then Grace showing up despite “being banned from the building” was great, but Monroe getting the better of her was a little surprising. I would’ve thought Grace stands tall here because Monroe will win their eventual match, but maybe they’ll give us more twists and turns before then. Je’Von Evans was great in being the throughline superstar for a lot of stories. Good promo from him with Ricky Saints, with Trick Williams, and with Yoshiki Inamura. Great Triple Threat main event for the NXT Championship, and this was a unique way of breaking up a tag team without it being a tag match.

As such, Oba naturally retained, and Briggs went after Inamura just outta nowhere. Taker and Je’Von having that final promo was great stuff, as obviously we’re going to get Oba VS Je’Von 1v1, likely going to Heatwave. That will be an awesome match, but I don’t see Je’Von winning the NXT title off Oba here. I say that because NXT has been teasing Oba VS Trick as Champion VS Champion with those backstage interactions, and like Jacy Jayne, they could give us a dual NXT & TNA World Champion, mostly for the sake of making history.

My Score: 9/10