Our WWE NXT results for tonight include Zaria’s highly anticipated in-ring debut, Tatum Paxley battling Wendy Choo in a Casket Match, Axiom and Nathan Frazer defending the NXT Tag Team Championships against Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander, Charlie Dempsey defending the NXT Heritage Cup against Lexis King with William Regal in his corner. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE NXT Card:
- Zaria’s in-ring debut
- Casket Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Wendy Choo
- NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Axiom and Nathan Frazer (c) vs. Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander
- NXT Heritage Cup Match: Charlie Dempsey (c) vs. Lexis King w/William Regal
WWE NXT Results:
Casket Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Wendy Choo
Choo drags a bed to the ring on the way to the ring. Paxley and Choo trade shots. Paxley tries to German suplex Choo into the casket, but Choo blocks. Senton off the apron by Paxley. Paxley puts a trash can on Choo’s head and hits it with a kendo stick. Paxley crashes into a trash can while attempting to splash Choo. Choo puts Paxley in the trash can and dropkicks it. After the break, Choo hip tosses Paxley into a doll house. Choo rolls Paxley into the casket and closes the lid, but Paxley uses Choo’s pillow to block the lid. Paxley fights her way out of the casket.
Choo hits Paxley with her pillow. Choo emptied the pillow, and it was filled with Legos. After a series of reversals, Choo slams Paxley on the pile of Legos. Choo rolls Paxley into the casket. Paxley won’t stay down. Choo hits a sleepy time elbow into the casket, and the lid closes with both women inside. The match can’t end since one person must put another in the casket. Choo sits up. Paxley sits up and starts laughing. Both women brawl. Paxley sprays Choo with a fire extinguisher. Choo falls off the casket and breaks her bed in half. Paxley puts Choo in the casket and closes the lid for the win.
Winner- Tatum Paxley
Grade: C+
Both women looked good out there, but there wasn’t much to this feud. It’s hard to invest when you aren’t given an explanation of why you should care, but this was a fun match nonetheless.
The Champ is HERE!
Trick Williams says there is one reason he isn’t in the hospital right now after Ridge Holland‘s attack last week. Williams asks WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley to join him in the ring. Dudley obliges. Williams thanks Dudley for helping him at Halloween Havoc. Dudley says that was less about Williams and more about Holland being disrespectful earlier that night. Dudley notes that he wondered why no one else came to save Williams at the PLE.
It’s because Williams is the NXT Champion, and that puts a target on his back. Williams says he hears what Dudley is saying, but he wants revenge right now. Williams asks Dudley to team with him in the ECW Arena against Ethan Page and Ridge Holland. Dudley gets hyped and says it’s not about him; he can’t take a spot from someone in the locker room. Though Dudley appreciates the offer, he has to say no.
NXT Heritage Cup Match: Charlie Dempsey (c) vs. Lexis King w/William Regal
Round One:
King and Dempsey trade pin attempts and submission holds. Neither man can get the advantage. King is holding his own with Dempsey. Dempsey floors King with a European uppercut. A butterfly suplex by Dempsey gets a three count.
Dempsey 1/King 0
Round Two:
Dempsey works King’s arm and shoulder. King is sent out of the ring and injures his knee. King fires up and lands a flurry of one-legged offense. During the break, medical attempted to help King to the back, but he refused to stop the match)
Dempsey 1/King 0
Round Three:
Dempsey unloads on King with strikes and suplexes. King and Dempsey trade strikes. Regal tries to hand King a pair of brass knucks. King refuses to use them. King says he’s not his father. Regal hides the knucks before the referee can see them. Dempsey German suplexes King and gets a three count.
Read More: Francine To Appear At WWE NXT’s 2300 Arena Show
Dempsey 2/King 0
Winner and STILL Heritage Cup Champion, Charlie Dempsey!
Grade: B
Zaria vs. Brinley Reece
Reece chops Zaria. Zaria destroys Reece with a lariat. Zaria hyperextends Reece’s elbow. Reece retreats to the corner, writhing in pain. Reece’s arm seems to have popped out of the socket. The referee checks on Reece and tells Zaria to stay back. Zaria grabs Reece’s arm and pops it back into place. Reece tries to fight back, but Zaria cuts her in half with a spear. Zaria lands an F5 for the win.
Winner- Zaria
After the match, Fatal Influence appears in the crowd. Henley complains about Zaria stealing her moment at Halloween Havoc. Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade appear and want to introduce Zaria to the women’s division. Fatal Influence, Perez, and Jade surround the ring. Kelani Jordan hops the barricade and joins Zaria in the ring. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer run down to the ring and stand with Zaria and Jordan. Perez says she still likes their odds. Jordynne Grace‘s music hits. Grace stands with Zaria and co. A huge brawl breaks out. Fatal Influence and Jade are cleared from the ring. Zaria and Grace press slam Perez out of the ring onto everyone else.
Grade: A
Zaria’s debut match was exactly what it should have been. Reece got enough offense to look competent, but beyond that, Zaria obliterated Reece. This is how you debut a new talent with pure dominance. The brawl at the end was a nice touch, and seeing TNA’s Jordyne Grace back in NXT is always fun. The NXT Women’s division is on fire right now.
Kelani Jordan vs. Nikikita Lyons
Lyons and Jordan trade takedowns. Lyons and Jordan both get dropped into splits and glare at each other. Lyons sends Jordan flying with a slingshot. Lyons works over Jordan. Jordan fires up and drops Lyon with an overhead kick. Lyons kicks Jordan in the head. Lyons goes up top. Rizzo appears on the stage and starts taking off her earrings. A distracted Lyons tries a Vader bomb, but Jordan moves. Jordan lands the One of a Kind Moonsault for the win.
Winner- Kelani Jordan
As soon as the bell rings, Rizzo runs to the ring and attacks Lyons. Jordan pulls Rizzo off Lyons, and Lyons rolls out of the ring. Rizzo tells Jordan that Lyons is the one who attacked her. Jordan pushes Rizzo a bit to help her land a dive on Lyons. Rizzo beats down Lyons.
Grade: C+
Wait… so Oba Femi called one of his hoodrats to take care of Rizzo? Hahahahahahahhaha! Jokes aside, this match was a bit sloppy. Lyons seems … slower since her last injury, but that is probably to be expected, considering it was a knee injury. Either way, Jordan seemed to be moving too fast for Lyons at points, which led to a few awkward spots.
Ego… Ego….
Ethan Page says you are sadly mistaken if you think he’s finished with the NXT Championship. Ridge Holland interrupts. Hollands says Page is out of shots at the title. Holland says he’s next up, and Dudley made the smart decision of his life not accepting William’s offer. Dudely interrupts. Dudley runs down Page and Holland. Holland threatens Dudley. Dudley decks Holland. Page attacks Dudley from behind. Trick Williams makes the save.
Grade: C+
Standard stuff here set up the tag match at the ECW Arena. Dudley is great on the mic and did a good job selling his beef with Holland.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Axiom and Nathan Frazer (c) vs. Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander
All four men take turns trading strikes and take downs. Frazer and Evans’ exchange ends in a stalemate. Frazer takes control and knocks Evans into the corner. Axiom asks for a tag, but Frazer ignores him and continues his assault. Axion tags himself in. Axiom and Frazer argue. Evans lands a kick that sends Frazer flying. Evans and Alexander clear the ring. Evans lands a dive.
After the break, Frazer and Axiom are working over Alexander. Alexander tags in Evans. Evans clears the ring. Evans leaps over Frazer, lands on the ropes, and hits a springboard cutter on Axiom. Axiom kicks out. Axiom surprises Evans with a destroyer. Alexander lights Axiom up with chops. Frazer and Axiom hit their finish on Alexander. Evans leaps off Frazer’s back and drops Axiom with a cutter. Wes Lee walks to the ring with a chair. Evans dives out of the ring onto Lee. Lee and Evans fight to the back. Back in the ring, Back in the ring, Axiom and Frazer pin Alexnader after a kiss of the dragon to a chorus of boos.
Winners and STILL NXT Tag Team Champions, Axiom and Nathan Frazer!
Grade: B-
Has there ever been this much speed in one match before? Evan and Alexander are a great pairing; they complement each other’s styles well. Evans is a fantastic highflyer, and Alexander can fly, but his ground game is his claim to fame. Both teams mirror each other in that way. The finish for this match was terrible. Axiom and Frazer’s tag team has run its course, and the crowd was unhappy that Alexander and Evans didn’t win tonight. This writer agrees with the crowd. You can’t tease break-up tension between a tag team for a year straight. It gets to a point where someone has to walk away. Not doing the break-up tonight is a missed opportunity.
WWE NXT Review
Tonight’s show had everything you would want. Tons of solid in-ring action and broken furniture (if you are into that sort of thing). The battle lines have been drawn in the women’s division, with all of the major players taking sides. We have a solid setup for the ECW Arena show, with legends like RVD and Bubba Ray Dudley appearing tonight. The main event had a silly ending that the crowd turned on, but the match itself was solid enough to get the match of the night honors. What did you all think of the show? Let us know in the comments below!
Rating: B-
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