Countdown Show: Arianna Grace and Karmen Petrovic VS Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx
On the Countdown Show to NXT Heatwave, Canada’s own Arianna Grace and Karmen Petrovic teamed up to take on Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx. This was totally fine, it was exactly what you would expect from a Kickoff Show match, but I do want to praise Miss Arianna Grace as she looked pretty good here! Jacy Jayne also did a good job of being the veteran of the contest (by some way too), and the ending saw Petrovic pin Nyx after a little assistance from Grace!
Grade: C+
NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi VS Wes Lee
The first show on the main card saw Oba Femi defend his NXT North American Championship against Wes Lee! This was a great start to the show, but I wasn’t at all surprised. Oba Femi has been amazing in 2024, and he only continues to get better whilst Wes Lee is the Greatest North American Champion of All Time for a reason! This also worked really well as a “David VS Goliath” matchup as Wes is such a terrific Babyface (the best in the company in my opinion), and he came very close to sealing the win with The Kardiak Kick! Unfortunately for The Kardiak Kid, he kept getting caught by Oba before Femi finally sealed the win with his devastating Powerbomb!
Grade: B+
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Kelani Jordan VS Sol Ruca
After a successful Title defense from Oba Femi, Kelani Jordan looked to do the same as she put her NXT Women’s North American Championship on the line against Sol Ruca. Both of these women are athletic and agile Babyfaces so whilst there wasn’t much of a story being told, the actual action was really strong! I’ve been saying for a long time how impressed I am with just how good Sol Ruca is, but Kelani Jordan also deserves a lot of praise because she’s very talented in her own right. This match could’ve gone either way, and it was all about which women could hit their finisher first. In the end, following a crazy Poisonrana from the top rope, it was Lani who hit her Split-Legged Moonsault to score the win and retain her Women’s North American Title!
Grade: B
NXT Tag Team Championships: Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Chase University
It was then time for some Tag Team action as Axiom and Nathan Frazer put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against Chase University. There’s been a lot of great Wrestling this weekend, a lot of great Wrestling in 2024, but this was absolutely amazing! Everything about this, from the offense, to the crowd reactions, to the near-falls, this was terrific! The dives that Axiom and Frazer were pulling out were amazing, as was Andre Chase’s Canadian Destroyer after breaking up a pinfall! We then got an amazing moment where Axiom just barely kicked out after Nathan accidentally Superkicked him, and I’m literally not doing any of this justice, it’s must-watch stuff! After an incredible match where both teams came so close to winning, it was a Golden Ratio from Axiom that finally landed the Tag Team Champions the victory! Axiom and Frazer are absolutely unreal!
Grade: A
NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez VS Lola Vice
Roxanne Perez was out next as The Prodigy was looking to retain her NXT Women’s Championship over the fierce Lola Vice. Whilst the action here wasn’t as good as the earlier bouts, the story was pretty strong as Lola smashed her arm onto the ring post and this created a target for Roxanne to try and get at. This is something Perez very much did effectively and it made it almost impossible for Vice to hit a back fist with as much power as she usually would. We then got a really good near-fall after Vice kicked out of Pop Rox, and she then managed to kick out again following a second Pop Rox onto the announce table. However, The Prodigy was clearly possessed as she dropped Lola Vice with a third, a fourth, and then a fifth Pop Rox to finally score the win! Fair play!
Grade: B
NXT Championship: Trick Williams VS Ethan Page VS Shawn Spears VS Je’Von Evans
And in the Main Event, Trick Williams put his NXT Championship on the line in a Fatal 4-Way against Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, and Je’Von Evans! I was deliberating through most of this show as to whether the earlier NXT Tag Team Titles match was the best NXT match of the year. I think it was, until I saw this! This match was absolutely insane, and it’s probably the best match of the year besides this year’s Mania Main Event! Je’Von Evans is absolutely crazy, he did a ridiculous dive over the ring post to send Trick crashing through the barricade, he hit the most amazing Flying Cutter after literally just hitting a Spanish Fly, and the fact he’s only 20 is actually insane! You’ve then got Shawn Spears who had a couple of amazing chair shots, including one where he swatted Evans in the back mid-air which might be the craziest thing I’ve seen all weekend (which is saying something)! We also had some great near-falls where both Ethan Page and Je’Von Evans looked like they’d legitimately won the match, and we also got some amazing storytelling from Trick Williams who looked deflated after pushing Je’Von off the ropes and through the announce table (in what was a pretty nasty-looking spot). Towards the end, it was Trick who was rolling as he nailed both Page and Evans with Trick Shots, but unbelievably, as Spears pulled Williams out of the ring, Mr. All Ego fell onto The Young OG and pinned him for the 1,2,3 meaning Ethan Page is your new NXT Champion! Wow, what a terrific Main Event, and what an incredible show!
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