NXT Tag Team Championships Number 1 Contender’s Triple Threat: Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson VS The LWO
NXT kicked off this week with a Triple Threat Tag Team match as Axiom and Nathan Frazer, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and The LWO squared off for the right to head to NXT Stand and Deliver. The action here was pretty decent, the dives from Axiom, Frazer, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde were particularly good whilst Gallows and Anderson also did some decent stuff as well. In the end, to my surprise, it was Nathan Frazer who was able to secure the win courtesy of a lovely Phoenix Splash onto Del Toro, and yeah, I cannot wait for Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker VS Axiom and Frazer at Stand and Deliver.
Grade: B- (Because of the Winners)
Fallon Henley VS Jacy Jayne, Lexis King VS Von Wagner, Lola Vice VS Karmen Petrovic
Lexis King cut a video promo on Von Wagner and Mr. Stone before Ilja Dragunov got picked up by a couple of members of the D’Angelo Family. It was then time for the second match of the night as Fallon Henley took on Jacy Jayne. This was a decent little match, I like both women, and Fallon Henley is particularly impressing me recently. Outside of the ring, all hell broke loose when Thea Hail got into a fight with Kiana James, and with the likes of Kelani Jordan and Izzi Dame also involved, this ultimately led to Jacy nailing Fallon with a wicked knee strike to score the 3 count. It’s worth mentioning that after the match, Jayne talked trash about Thea Hail before Ava ultimately booked a 6-women Tag Team match for Stand and Deliver.
Grade: C+
Josh Briggs had a good hype package before we went straight into a match between Lexis King and Von Wagner. This was honestly pretty basic stuff, with Lexis trying to work Von down to the mat before the big man ran wild. In the end, though, Wagner was too invested in putting King through a table to the point where he lost focus on actually winning the thing. As soon as this happened, LK was able to hit the Coronation to get the victory. I’ll be honest, this feud just hasn’t worked for me.
Grade: C
Ava told Carmelo Hayes that the referee will be more lenient on Saturday before Natalya gave Karmen Petrovic some tips. Roxanne Perez then walked passed and dismissed both women. Arianna Grace was then very upset with Wren Sinclair’s thoughts on “beauty pageants” to the point that she challenged Wren to a match. You must’ve done something really bad to get Arianna to fight! Natalya then accompanied Karmen Petrovic to the ring as the Canadian superstar was scheduled to face Lola Vice. Both Karmen and Lola are very effective strikers, so watching them clash was better than you might’ve first expected. However, it did feel like there was a little bit too much focus put on Natalya at ringside. In the end, Vice was able to submit Petrovic in the Sharpshooter, and whilst this was obviously done as a shot to Nattie, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Lola to keep this going forward.
Grade: C+
Supernova Sessions (Featuring Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez), Oba Femi VS Joe Gacy, Arianna Grace VS Wren Sinclair, Blair Davenport VS Sol Ruca
Ilja Dragunov arrived at Tony D’Angelo’s top secret location, and all I thought whilst watching this is D’Angelo’s family are just a bunch of thugs! It was then time for another edition of Supernova Sessions as Noam Dar and the rest of Meta-Four welcomed Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez onto the show. Lyra and Roxanne both fired shots at one another, but it was actually Valkyria who landed the best “punch”, saying that “Perez has had multiple chances to win her Title back, and she’s failed every time!” In the end, The Prodigy pushed The Morgen to the point where Lyra sent Roxy crashing through a mini table, and yeah, this was a pretty decent segment made better by Noam Dar’s fantastic facial reactions!
Grade: B-
Dijak got his own video promo before Oba Femi reacted to it by laughing! Ava was then seen talking to Trick Williams before Joe Gacy made his way down to the ring to take on the NXT North American Champion. However, before he could get there, Shawn Spears appeared and whacked Gacy with a steel chair before Oba Femi went on to absolutely destroy Joe to the point that the referee had to call the match off. This was a weird match because it wasn’t great, but it did also highlight Femi as an absolute beast whilst still building the Gacy-Spears feud. Very odd!
Grade: C+
Tatum Paxley seemed worried about the way Lyra Valkyria was acting before it was time for Arianna Grace to go one-on-one with Wren Sinclair. For a developmental match, this was quite fun. I thoroughly enjoy Arianna Grace’s character, whilst Wren Sinclair’s gear is also really cool and very unique. There isn’t too much to say about this other than it was decent stuff, and Grace was able to steal the win by holding onto the bottom rope.
Grade: C+
Ilja Dragunov and Tony D’Angelo were back at their top secret location and Ilja made it clear that he’s not scared by either The Don or The D’Angelo Family. Tony D then made it clear that he will break the NXT Champion on Saturday. This feud just isn’t working (for me anyway). It was then time for the Main Event match of the night as Sol Ruca looked to get revenge on the woman that put her on the shelf for 9 months, Blair Davenport. I like both of these people, I think they’re both pretty good, and I actually feel slightly disappointed that Blair-Sol didn’t take place at NXT Stand and Deliver. Anyway, this was pretty decent, and Ruca was victorious via roll-up which makes me think this feud between her and Davenport may not be over yet.
Grade: C+
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams Come Face-to-Face
After Oba Femi, Josh Briggs, and Dijak confronted one another backstage and Joe Gacy got himself a match with Shawn Spears for the “Countdown to NXT Stand and Deliver” show, NXT ended this week with a final face-off between Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Both Melo and Trick barbed shots at one another and what I loved about this is both guys were right. Hayes was right that Williams went after his Title despite knowing how much it means to HIM, whilst Trick was right in saying that Carmelo is envious of his rise to fame. What I also liked about this is the fans were cheering for Williams whilst constantly booing for the former A-Champion. In the end, a brawl began and it ended with fellow NXT Superstars pulling Trick and Melo apart. This is the match I’m most looking forward to on WrestleMania Weekend, and that’s simply because Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are operating on another level now. I hope they’re able to have the match that they deserve, and can move up to the Main Roster and become stars up there too!
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