NXT 3/4/2024

NXT is back at the sound stage at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and NXT is taped before a live studio audience.

Opening the show this week is a women’s tag team match set up by a skit on the previous episode.

Sol Ruca & Zaria defeated WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green & Piper Niven

**1/2

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Ruca pinned Green to win the match. So, Ruca scores a pinfall on the US champ, likely setting up a match. This was a good opener. They all worked well together, and there were possibly some seeds planted for an eventual turn. Green got a bloody nose in the match.

Early on in the match, Zaria against Niven was a battle of two powerhouses. Ruca does a wild dive over the ropes to the floor, but Green responds with a senton. The heels take control as the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break.

The heel duo gets heat on Ruca, building to a hot tag. Zaria runs wild. Somewhere along the way, Green gets her nose busted open. Green is lifted on Zaria’s shoulders, and Ruca does a moonsault for a modified Doomsday Device. Zaria lifts Niven and gives her a F5 on top of Green. Ruca then executes a Sol Snatcher on Green, and Ruca covers Green for a three count.

Ruca runs around the ring celebrating the win, and Zaria briefly glares at her. Is that foreshadowing an eventual turn, or am I reading too much into it?

Trick Williams is talking with NXT GM Ava when they are interrupted by Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon. They have a gift basket of office supplies for Ava. How thoughtful of the young lads. Trick shoves the gift away, and Trick tells them to come back later with their package. Dixon tells Trick to call down, and Trick and shoves gift into Dixon’s chest.

Trick then tells them to go bother Mr. Chase. Dixon remarks that Trick was the reason Chase U was put on line in the first place. Trick then snaps and shoves Dixon against a roll-up door (likely for the sound effects it makes). Ava orders Trick to let him go as Trick tells Dixon he will find out tonight. This appears to set up a match tonight between Trick and Kale Dixon. Yes, the dude is named Kale. Same as the leafy member of the cabbage family.

Jaida Parker defeated Kelani Jordan

**3/4

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Parker pinned Jordan after a hip attack. The outcome would seem to conclude the program between Parker and Jordan, and what a match to end the feud if this is it. The match goes through a commercial break, so they were given plenty of time to deliver. And they delivered with a good match.

Jordan is currently on a losing streak, and the announcers played it up on commentary. Nothing gets someone over like a losing streak. Jordan still had a mean streak, but she still does all of her babyface spots. They build to Jordan executing a Spanish Fly off the top rope.

Moments later, Jordan tries to follow up with a 450 splash. No water in the pool. Parker moved out of the way, and Parker catches Jordan with a Parker’s hip attack finisher. Parker then covers Jordan for a three count.

NXT Champion Oba Femi is at a kayfabe press conference. This builds up the upcoming title defense against TNA X-Division Champion Moose at NXT Roadblock.

TNA Tag Team Champions Matt & Jeff Hardy enter the sound stage for an in-ring promo. Jeff says it is good to be in NXT, and it is great to be “home” in WWE. They talk about beating No Quarter Catch Crew. Hardy Boyz were over with the studio audience, which should be no surprise.

Out comes Hank Walker & Tank Ledger to interrupt the promo. Tank apologized for interrupting them, and he says they wanted to get advice from two GOATs. Matt & Jeff put them over, and Jeff says to get noticed they need to take it to the extreme. He was not talking about high spots, but about the hungry and whatnot.

They are all soon interrupted by Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura. Those two cut promos on Hank & Tank. Briggs & Inamura want a title shot. Hank asks Tank if he is thinking what he is thinking, and then they both dive through the ropes on Briggs & Inamura. The two teams brawl to the back.

Suddenly, in the ring with The Hardy Boyz is Fraxiom. NXT Tag Team Champion Nathan Frazier & Axiom are there to confront Matt & Jeff, but in a respectful way. They plug their match in a couple weeks Roadblock. Fun segment, albeit a bit long in the tooth.

Jordynne Grace defeated Cora Jade via referee stoppage

DUD

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The referee stopped the match when Jade apparently suffered an injury. Jade is backed into a corner during a commercial break, and the ref moves in to break them up. The ref backs Grace away as medical staff get into the ring to check on Jade. This all happens before the show returns from the break.

When the show does return from commercials, Jade gets up and is escorted out of the ring. Grace smirks as she is announced as the winner via referee stoppage.

Ethan Page and Je’Von Evans argue and cut promos on each other in a segment where they are on separate satellite feeds. This was similar to the old “Face-to-Face” segments on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, except this was far more serious. Evans cuts an impassioned promo on Page.

Trick Williams defeated Kale Dixon via referee stoppage

DUD

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Williams smashes Dixon in a squash match, and the referee stepped in to stop the match. Trick rocked Dixon with a flying punch soon as the bell rang to start the match. Trick began to pummel Dixon, and the ref stops the match.

After the match, Trick calls out Eddy Thorpe. This all led to setting up a gimmick match. Thorpe appears on a perch overlooking the ring, and Thorpe challenges Trick to have their match under NXT Underground rules. Trick agrees, so the match is not set with new stips.

Roxanne Perez apparently attacked Jordynne Grace in a backstage angle.

TNA X-Division Chamion Moose is present for a fake press conference. This is for hyping Moose against Oba Femi for the NXT Championship at Roadblock. Moose vows to leave Roadblock as a dual champion.

Ava steps in to announce Roxanne Perez will face Jordynne Grace a Roadblock. Ava says they will take one more question at the press conference. Fatal Influence then crashes the press conference, and Fallon Henley asks Ava why Fallon has not gotten for rematch for the Women’s North American title. Ava says they can talk about this later, and Fallon yells they can talk about it right now. Ava then walks out of the presser. Is that somehow spoofing US politicians at town halls in recent weeks?

Ricky Saints is backstage when he runs into Ridge Holland. Saints and Holland briefly have tense words after Holland says Saints does not belong here. Saints then runs into Shawn Spears, who is heading to the ring for the main event.

Shawn Spears defeated NXT North American Champion Tony D’Angelo to win the title

***

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Spears pinned D’Angelo to win the championship. Stacks crashing into D’Angelo during the match played into the finish, which furthers the growing rift between Stacks and “The Don” himself.

The match plods through a commercial break. In the closing moments, Spears locks in a sharpshooter. D’Angelo escapes and delivers a fisherman’s buster. Izzi Dame at ringside grabs Spears’ foot. Not sure if she was supposed to put the foot on the rope, but Spears was too far away. So he kicks out instead. Adrianna Rizzo then jumps Dame for interfering, and all hell breaks loose.

The D’Angelo Family and Spears’ faction start brawling around ringside. During the melee, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo is shoved by Spears into D’Angelo. “The Don” takes a Nestea Plunge off the apron on and lands on a folded chair laying on the floor. Spears screams “SO MUCH FOR FAMILY” as he rolls D’Angelo back into in to the ring. Spears with a C4 for a close near fall, as D’Angelo kicks out.

For the finish, D’Angelo goes for a his pop-up finisher, but “The Don” buckles as his back gives out. This plays on an earlier spot in the match, and Spears hooks a leg to cradle D’Angelo for the deciding pinfall. And new…

Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up