Results
- Axiom & Nathan Frazer def. Romeo Moreno & Noam Dar (Recommended)
- Naraku def. Mason Rook (NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match)
- Kendal Grey def. Kelani Jordan (NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contenders Match) (Recommended)
- Dion Lennox def. Jasper Troy
- Zara def. Tatum Paxley (NXT Women’s North American Championship)
Fraxiom take down Moreno & Dar in NXT return
This week’s episode of NXT, live as usual from the WWE Performance Center, was an eventful one. We were told off the top that this week begins the Road to Great American Bash, as tonight’s episode will determine the top men’s and women’s title matchups for Premium Live Event (PLE).
But before either of those #1 contender matchups, the night opened with a return of sorts, as the Fraxiom duo of Nathan Frazer and Axiom came back to NXT for the first time in over a year to face the duo of Romeo Moreno and Noam Dar. The Dar and Moreno team has been a storyline of a vet (Dar) and newcomer (Moreno) both struggling to find their footing since getting in the NXT ring recently.
We almost got a showdown between the two Spaniards (Moreno and Axiom) but were denied the moment after Frazer insisted on getting tagged in. After a commercial break, Dar did his best Andrade El Idolo impression, catching Frazer coming off the top rope with a spinning back elbow.
Moreno got a hot tag late in the match, giving him the long-awaited exchange with Axiom. Dar got back into the match and had a crazy slam into an armbar, but Frazer broke up the move with a top-rope frogsplash.
Dar and Moreno were sent to ringside, allowing Fraxiom to hit them with a pair of stereo tope suicidas. Back in the ring, Axiom and Dar went back and forth with roll-up attempts. A dropkick from Axiom was reversed into an Ankle Lock. Moreno hit the ring to give Frazer an Ankle Lock as well.
Frazer hit a superplex then tried to follow up with another suplex, but Moreno countered it into a roll-up, causing a close near fall. Frazer put Moreno in a sleeper, setting him up for a superkick from Axiom. But Romero dodged the superkick, causing Axiom to hit his teammate!
Moreno and Dar hit a double-team slam to Frazer, but it only gave them a two-count! The PC was red-hot and chanting “This is awesome” by this point. Moreno came flying off the ropes and to ringside, looking for a dive onto both members of Fraxiom, but ate a superkick from both once he hit the floor.
Dar was taken out with a Spanish Fly. Axiom gave Moreno a Golden Ratio, then Frazer hit a Corkscrew 450 Splash for the pinfall victory. An awesome tag match that really resonated with the PC crowd. This match proved a few things: Fraxiom remain criminally underused on the main roster, and Moreno is some real fun. I’ve really been digging his matches since he joined the NXT roster.
After the match, Frazer said he thinks Dar found a new tag partner in Moreno. Proud of their showing, Moreno and Dar hugged to end the segment.
Backstage, Wren Sinclair insisted that she can’t be in Kendal Grey’s corner tonight, not wanting to be a distraction. Lola Vice approached Grey and insisted that the spinning backfist she hit her with last week was intended for Kelani Jordan. Grey wasn’t convinced.
Mr. NXT Pt. 1
We saw the first segment for the inaugural “Mr. NXT Pageant,” which was being held between Tristan Angels and Shiloh Hill. This was pre-taped, but a QR Code was shown on-screen for fans to vote on who they think should win.
We had a panel of judges showing up throughout the night to grade the competition: EVOLVE champ Aaron Rourke, comedian Matt Mathews, and viral sensation Kit Wilson. Angels had three outfits that fit more of what a model might be wearing in a competition, while Hill seemed to just be wearing the type of stuff he wears backstage on any given week of NXT. I laughed when they did the swimwear portion: Angels came out in a small piece of spandex, meant to show off their physique. Hill took the prompt too literally, coming out in long board shorts, a scuba mask, and a beach ball. Judges didn’t dislike Hill but gave the edge to Angels in the first of three portions of the competition.
Naraku books ticket to Great American Bash
The next challenger for Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Championship was next, as recent promotional newcomers Naraku and Mason Rook faced off in a #1 contenders match. Just to show how early this match has come for both men in their NXT runs: This was both their second TV match since joining the company.
Rook got a near fall after a commercial break after coming off the middle turnbuckle with a powerslam. Naraku was caught running off the ropes with a Blue Thunder Bomb a minute later for another close pin attempt.
Naraku escaped a move from Rook and countered into a powerbomb for a two-count. The former EVIL scored a lariat then a suplex for another near fall. Naraku hopped on Rook’s back for a sleeper hold, but Rook escaped by cannonballing into a corner of the ring with Naraku still on his back.
Kam Hendrix appeared late in the match. Rook, who has become something of an enemy for Hendrix as of late, knocked him off the ring apron with a forearm. This distraction allowed Naraku to give Rook his Enter the Abyss finisher for the pinfall win. Naraku will be taking on D’Angelo at Great American Bash.
This was a somewhat expected finish, and I like it because it helps both men remain in the spotlight: Naraku can now feud for the title, while Rook can go against Hendrix. I enjoyed this one.
After a heated exchange backstage, Tavion Heights suggested facing Jackson Drake next week, with the winner challenging Myles Borne for his NXT North American Championship at Great American Bash. Borne seemed quite chill about Heights just inviting himself to a match with him.
Kendal Grey earns title shot
We went from one #1 contenders match to another, as Kelani Jordan and Kendal Grey faced off for a title opportunity against Lola Vice in the next segment.
Jordan tried to get the jump on Grey, but she was able to thwart her attempted attack from behind before the match got started. Jordan was in control during the early minutes of the match, but Grey started to gain some momentum after the show returned from a break. She connected with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex then a pair of Olympic Slams. She tried for her Shades of Grey, but Jordan was able to dodge the move. A roll-up pin attempt from Jordan was stopped after the referee noticed she had her legs on the ropes for leverage.
Jordan was able to lock in a crossface to Grey, but Grey escaped by transitioning into a roll-up attempt. Jordan hit the ropes for a move but was caught for a German Suplex from Grey, which she bridged into a near fall pin attempt.
Grey came off the top rope for a move, but ate a huge superkick from Jordan on her way down. Jordan connected with a slingshot cutter, then a five-star frogsplash. That quick sequence wasn’t enough to put away Grey, who kicked out at two.
Jordan came flying out of the corner for a move, but Grey caught her mid-air with an armbar – this was an awesome sequence. Jordan scored some knees to the head of Grey while in the armbar, using the strikes to escape the submission.
Jordan locked in a submission of her own, putting Grey in a Dragonscrew. Grey escaped, they traded roll-up attempts, Grey tried for an ankle lock, an armbar from her was countered into a roll-up, Grey kicked out then caught Jordan with her Shades of Grey for the pinfall win. Grey will face Lola Vice for the NXT Women’s Championship at Great American Bash.
Awesome, technical stuff between these two. While it pains me that Jordan, who has been on the NXT roster for who knows how long, didn’t get her first title shot with this win, Grey has been incredible as of late and we’ve all been hungry to see her get that one-on-one title opportunity. Should be a fun match between her and Vice.
Mr. NXT Pageants Pt. 2
The second part of the NXT Pageant Show was shown next: The talent portion. Shiloh Hill solved a Rubix Cube in under a minute. Tristan Angels tried to do the same but failed. Angels juggled, then Hill outdid him by juggling while riding a unicycle. While Hill arguably lost the fashion part of the night, he dominated Angels here.
Saquon Shugars is the DarkState hunter
Backstage, NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo said that he respects Naraku but doesn’t really get him. Naraku walked into the frame and gave D’Angelo a note. He bowed, then left. The mind games from the #1 contender continues.
The next match saw Jasper Troy take on Dion Lennox of DarkState. This match was made after DarkState jumped Troy backstage last week, leaving him down and out in a trashed office.
Lennox was in control of this match, but became distracted once former DarkState member Saquon Shugars appeared on the titantron with a message: “Watch your back!” This allowed Troy to dump Lennox out of the ring, getting him back into the fight.
I was expecting some more Shugars involvement in this match, but he surprisingly didn’t show up until after the bell. Lennox dodged a Vader Bomb out of the corner from Troy, then scored a powerslam on the huge former Speed champ for a clean pinfall win.
Shugars reappeared on the screen after the match. “That was smooth … If only Cutler [James] was there to see it.” As Lennox was watching this video, Shugars appeared from through the crowd and dropped Osiris Griffin with a bat to the back of the legs. Shugars continues to get revenge on his former faction.
We were shown a social media clip, where Jaida Parker invaded one of Nattie’s training sessions to attack her. Their long-awaited grudge match will come next week.
Shiloh Hill is Mr. NXT
The final portion of the Mr. NXT Pageant was live and in the ring. Tied up 1-1, Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels were scheduled to compete in just one more category: Public speaking. They were both asked why they should be Mr. NXT.
Angels said that he’s the most good-looking man in England, “and therefore the entire world,” and he’s humble. He said anyone who thinks of voting for Hill instead should “take a long walk off a short cliff.” Harsh.
Hill said he’s had trouble finding himself as of late, but that’s what NXT is all about. “Things change so fast you can’t have it all figured out, but that’s okay. As long as you’re willing to roll with the punches, adapt, and hit back harder, you’ll be alright. And I feel like during my time in NXT, I’ve embodied that quite well.”
The comedian judge picked Hill to win the pageant. Kit Wilson picked Angels. Aaron Rourke was so torn that he abstained from voting (What??), leaving the deciding vote to the NXT fans, who have been voting throughout the night. So, in the event of Rourke not making the odd choice of abstaining, we would’ve had four judges and this very well could’ve ended in a tie? Whatever.
Anyway the fans obviously picked Hill to win, making him Mr. NXT. His celebration was short-lived, as Angels gave Hill a nasty post-pageant attack featuring a steel chair.
Here’s what is confirmed for next week:
- Nattie vs. Jaida Parker
- Jackson Drake vs. Tavion Heights (NXT North American Championship #1 Contenders Match)
- Tony D’Angelo & Naraku meet in face-to-face
- Arianna Grace vs. Lyala Diggs (WWE Speed Women’s Semi-Final)
- Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail (WWE Speed Women’s Semi-Final)
Zaria earns NXT gold for the first time
Title action closed out the night, as Tatum Paxley defended her NXT Women’s North American Championship against Zaria. We knew this one wasn’t going to get too much time, as the show had just 14 minutes left by the time the entrances were done.
Zaria attempted to bring a quick end to this match, catching Paxley in the opening minute with a spear, but the champ kicked out at two. Full of energy, Zaria brought Paxley to ringside and ran her into a barricade and ringpost before heading back into the ring.
Paxley got back into the match, scoring a series of kicks then running Zaria shoulder-first into a ringpost. The champ came off the ring apron and to the floor with a moonsault as the show went into its final commercial break.
Paxley continued to be on a roll as the show continued, picking up momentum with a long run of moves. Paxley connected with a Sematary Drive then tried to follow up with a 450 Splash, but Zaria dodged the high-risk move and instead scored a spear for a near fall.
A back-and-forth striking exchange ended with Paxley dropping Zaria with a superkick. Zaria found herself draping upside down in a corner of the ring, allowing Paxley to score a Coast-to-Coast dropkick for another two-count.
Both women had their finishers countered. Paxley scored a Rolling Thunder cartwheel kick, but Zaria powered up after taking the move. The fight went to ringside, where Zaria dodged a moonsault from Paxley then hit an F5 on the floor. Back in the ring, Zaria scored a spear then another F5 for the pinfall win. Zaria is your new NXT Women’s North American Champion.
This was clearly the right decision. While Paxley has put together a great title reign, Zaria needed something badly now that she’s separated from Sol Ruca. Putting a title on her for the first time ever feels like a good way to show that she can now get a push on NXT. I also thought these two put together a great main event, making the match feel epic despite being just over 10 minutes.
Final thoughts
I thought this was a great episode of NXT. Sure, the Mr. NXT Pageant stuff was a little too silly, but we got four fun matches, three of which moved along storylines for some of the brand’s top titles. This show felt like it was completely worth my time this week.
