Tonight, we’ll find out the challenger for the NXT Women’s Championship at WWE Evolution.
A fatal four-way match between Jordynne Grace, Jaida Parker, Lash Legend, and Izzi Dame is set to headline tonight’s NXT episode. Each competitor earned their way into the fatal four-way with victories last week — and now one of them will secure a title shot at Evolution with one more win. The all-women’s PLE is taking place in Atlanta on July 13.
Jacy Jayne is the current NXT Women’s Champion, but she has Blake Monroe (the former Mariah May) eyeing her title.
Two title matches are also part of tonight’s card. To open the show, Trick Williams puts his TNA World Championship on the line against Josh Briggs. There will then be a Tony D’Angelo vs. Channing Lorenzo match later in the night to determine a new Heritage Cup Champion after Noam Dar had to vacate the trophy due to injury.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show opens with short and direct promos from the four wrestlers looking to earn a title shot for the NXT Women’s Championship. Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace all cut promos ahead of the fatal four-way later tonight.
Kicking off this WWE show is a TNA title match, which is still an odd sentence to type. Way less odd considering the TNA champion is WWE talent defending against someone else from WWE on their show.
TNA World Champion Trick Williams defeated Josh Briggs (with Yoshiki Inamura) to retain his title
For his entrance, Briggs wore a vest with a smoking skull resting on his shoulder. He and Trick have a really good opening bout, and Trick pinned Briggs to retain the TNA title. Joe Hendry returns to NXT television in a post-match angle.
The match goes through a slit-screen commercial break. Just before cutting to commercials, Trick gets in the face of Inamura and they jaw at each other at ringside. Trick goes to cheap shot Inamura, but he blocks Trick. Briggs then boots Trick with a big leg, and Briggs is fired up as the show heads into the break.
Trick cuts off Briggs during the break with a spin kick. Briggs with a comeback after the show returns to full screen. The action intensifies as they trade near falls. Trick counters a chokeslam, and they botch an attempted powerbomb. Briggs then completes the chokeslams for a close near fall, where Trick grabs the bottom rope to stop to break the count.
Slugfest as the trade punches and kicks. They fight on, and Briggs goes for a moonsault press. No water in the pool. Trick then hits Briggs with a running knee strike, and Trick hooks a leg while covering Briggs for a pinfall.
Trick gets the house microphone and cuts a promo in front of the live studio audience. Boasting about himself, Trick says he carried two brands. He proclaims himself as the greatest TNA champion. Suddenly, Joe Hendry’s theme song interrupts the post-match promo, along with an entrance video.
Trick squares up and looks toward the entrance ramp. Hendry sneaks into the ring behind Trick. The TNA champ turns around only to get clotheslined by Hendry. Trick bumps and feeds for Hendry, before Hendry clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor.
No Quarter Catch Crew are in a skit where Tavion Heights reveals a special protective mask he will wear in his match. Charlie Dempsey assumes Heights is out of the match due to injury, but Heights is cleared to wrestle with the protective mask.
In a separate skit, Myles Borne is talking with a couple collegiate football players. Lexis King tries to interrupts by yelling at Borne, who is partially deaf. King also insults the football players, but he soon backpedals. This skit seems to set up a singles bout with King against Borne.
Je’Von Evans vs. Tavion Heights (with Wren Sinclair & Charlie Dempsey)
Evans pinned Heights to win the match. The protective mask Heights wore looks like Hannibal Lecter. Heights looked strong at times despite cleanly dropping the fall. They had a good match with a lot of action. Evans flew with a dive before the show cuts to commercial.
Soon after returning from the commercial break, they go home. For the finish, Evans leaped to the ropes with a double springboard tornillo splash. Evans then scores a pinfall.
After the match, Jasper Troy runs in to attack Evans. Troy lays out Evans with a Black Hole slam. Troy then strolls out of the ring past the No Quarter Catch Crew. Troys’ beef is apparently only with Evans.
Noam Dar is out due to an apparent injury, and he relinquishes the NXT Heritage Cup Championship. Dar was set to defend against Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. Instead, Lorenzo faces his arch-rival Tony D’Angelo for the vacant Heritage Cup. Winner takes the Cup in the latest in the saga of the D’Angelo Family.
Ricky Saints defeated Ashante “Thee” Adonis
Saint pinned Adonis after a Roshambo. In what was basically a showcase match to get Saints over, the bout goes through a commercial break and is rejoined in progress. Saints gets to pose before the show cuts to the break. Heat spot as the show returns, and Saints makes a comeback. Saints delivers his finisher and scores a decisive victory.
Ethan Page runs in after the match to ambush Saints. Page uses a voiceover to trick Page into falling prey to a sneak attack. Page then executes Saint’s own finisher as Page gives Saints a Roshambo. Those two seem headed for a blow off match.
Darkstate is the focus of a pre-taped promo sponsored by a corporate insurance company, which kind of kills their whole gimmick. Pays well though.
NXT Champion Oba Femi is headed to the ring for an in-ring monologue. Femi with a strong promo that leads to Inamura coming out to challenge Femi.
Femi first boasts in his monologue as he puts himself over as “The Ruler” of NXT. He defeats all comers and now sits atop his kingdom. Other nights coast, but not Femi. He craves the fight, and Femi says he’s grown restless for new challengers.
Yoshiki Inamura and his striking mohawk confront Femi. Inamura talks about coming to NXT looking to chase glory. He went home when glory did not come. Inamura went home to Japan and realized what he missed, like his tag partner Josh Briggs and NXT itself. Inamura pledges his love for NXT and its fans. He wants to pay back their passion by winning the NXT Championship.
Femi responds by saying they are both strangers in a strange land. Femi then says they differ because Femi stayed and thrived here, while Inamura went back. Femi talks about the fans still embracing Inamura when he came back. Femi says that does not fool him. Femi sees Inamura as a warrior looking for the spirit of the fight, but Femi cautions that fighting for the honor of the fans is a mistake. Femi warns that Inamura will fall to the “The Ruler” like everyone else. Inamura steps towards Femi, gets in his face, and Inamura says he is ready.
Inamura was looking good until he is blindsided by Jasper Troy. Heckuva of a way to put Inamura over as a challenger. Good segment except for the dumb run-in.
Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo defeated Tony D’Angelo to win the NXT Heritage Championship
Stacks won the Heritage Cup after Luca Crusifino inadvertently hits D’Angelo with the bucket.
No falls in the first round. They keep fighting after the bell sounds to end round one, and they are pulled apart by officials. Not long into the second round, D’Angelo scores a pinfall after a spear. Stacks takes a bump on the announce desk and sells his ribs before taking the spear.
Most of round three takes place during a commercial break. The show returns from the break with 20 seconds remaining in round two. Stacks with a knee drop for a near fall as the round ends. Between rounds, Stacks with a cheap shot by stomping on D’Angelo’s knee. That plays into the start of the next round.
D’Angelo buckles to the knee injured by Stacks stomping on it, and Stacks using a small package for a pinfall to end round three. That evens the score in the match a one fall apiece.d;
Luca Crusifino runs down to ringside to get in the corner of D’Angelo. The story going into the match is D’Angelo still mistrusts Crusifino, which also plays into the finish.
D’Angelo hip-tosses Stacks out of the ring, and Stacks is caught by his henchmen from his mafia crew. One of the henchmen tries to use a spit bucket as a weapon, but Crusifino blocks it. However, Crusifino inadvertently hits D’Angelo with the bucket. Stacks then delivers a shining wizard, and Stacks covers D’Aneglo to win the Cup in the fifth round.
Crusifino pleads his case to D’Angelo as Crusifino tries to help him up. An angry D’Angelo decks Crusifino, and Crusifino sells big.
The Fatal Influence trio is interviewed backstage by Sarach Schreiber. Falling Henley first cuts a promo on Blake Monroe, and then NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne cuts her own promo on Monroe. Jayne then comments on the fatal four-way later tonight. Jayne vows to retain the title at Evolution.
Jordynne Grace warms up in the locker room, as the main event is up next. Beforehand is a backstage skit that sets up a singles match between Thea Hail and Lainey Reid. Lash Legend interrupts them on her way to the main event.
NXT GM Ava and NXT North American Champion Ethan Page are in another skit, and she tells Page that he and Ricky Saints are required to be in her office next week. Suddenly, there is a commotion off camera. Ava runs to see NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank laid out.
Joe Hendry is interviewed backstage, and he vows to regain the TNA title at Slammiversary. Hendry also cuts a promo on Wes Lee, as the two are scheduled for a singles match on NXT television.
Chase U is the focus of a vignette.
Jordynne Grace defeated Jaida Parker, Lash Legend and Izzi Dame (with Tatum Paxley) in number one contender’s fatal four-way
Grace pinned Parker to win the match.
Paxley is in Dame’s corner after a skit earlier in the show where Dame invited Paxley to join her. Fatal Influence watches from a perch above the ring. NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her partner, Zaria, run to counteract outside interference from Paxley. Zaria carries Paxley away before the show cuts to its final commercial break.
Lots of action and high spots after the break, a lot of near falls in the closing minutes. All four were given time to shine. They did a Tower of Doom spot.
The closing moments were intense. Grace picks up Parker into a torture rack, and Grace then turns it into a sit-out powerbomb. Grace then covers Parker to win the match, and she becomes number one contender. Although the match was good, it was a very contrived way to make Grace the top contender instead of building her up as such a contender. But they had a tournament and this match because why not. Regardless, Grace goes on to challenge Jacy Jayne for the NXT women’s title.
