WWE extends its stay in New York City tonight with The Theater at Madison Square Garden hosting tonight’s episode of NXT.
Tonight is the go-home show for Stand & Deliver — and there will be a pair of number one contender’s matches to determine title bouts for the April 4 PLE. Kendal Grey and Lola Vice are facing off to determine Jacy Jayne’s NXT Women’s Championship challenger. Along with that, Los Americanos and Birth Right will meet with a Stand & Deliver Tag Team title shot against Vanity Project on the line.
TNA World Champion Mike Santana will be in the building, teaming with OTM against DarkState.
Jasper Troy and Keanu Carver will continue their rivalry in a match where Josh Briggs serves as the special guest referee.
Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan is also set for the show. Plus, Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley will have a confrontation with Blake Monroe.
We’ll also get a follow-up on the Sol Ruca and Zaria rivalry after they were spotted brawling in NYC earlier today.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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NXT is on the air from The Theater at MSG. The brand’s champions and their next challengers arrive to the building in footage from earlier today.
Live in the arena is the entrance of DarkState for the opening tag match, and their opponents — OTM — entered next. Following them was OTM’s partner, who gets a hometown reaction. Billed from The Bronx in NYC, TNA World Champion Mike Santana has a superstar entrance.
DarkState (Dion Lennox, Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars) vs. TNA World Champion Mike Santana & OTM (Lucien Price & Bronco Nima)
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Santana was clearly the star of the match, and the match itself is a really good opener. The crowd was hot as well. They loved Santana.
Heat on Price as the show goes through a commercial break, which led into a hot tag where Nima ran wild after the show returns from the break. Nima gets a near fall on Griffin after a uranage slam. Santana then came in to clean house, and he was over big with the crowd.
Santana with a great sequence that included a pop-up cutter, a suicide dive sailing through the ropes on OTM at ringside. Santana follows up with a frog splash for a near fall. Santana is soon cut off until OTM jumps back into the ring for a save. Griffin and Shugars double team powerbomb gets a two count on Santana. Shugars goes on to have a great closing sequence with Santana before they all go home.
Santana catches Shugars with a DVD, and he follows with a lariat. Shugars sells big as he turns inside out taking a bump. Santana then leaps over the ropes to the floor with a swan dive on OTM. In the ring, Shugars takes OTM’s finisher. Price covers Shugars for a three count.
Match result: OTM & Mike Santana defeated Darkstate when Price. pinned Shugars
— Vic Joseph sits down with NXT North American Champion Myles Borne for an interview ahead of Stand & Deliver. This led to Johnny Gargano interrupting and cutting a helluva promo on how he has to win the title from Borne at the PLE this Saturday.
Gargano with his charisma and deliver sort of stole the segment, but Borne did very well for himself before Gargano runs in. Borne once again thanks No Quarter Catch Crew for helping him, and Borne also thanks Ethan Page for giving bringing out the edge in Borne that he needed to become champion.
Borne puts over Gargano and his achievements, and Borne really hopes that “Johnny Wrestling” shows up in the ring at Stand & Deliver.
In comes Gargano, and he sits down with a mean look on his face. Gargano cautions Borne. Careful what you ask for. Before there was Stand & Deliver, there was NXT Takeover. They called him “Johnny Takeover”, and Gargano says if that man is still inside him then Borne better pray. Gargano warns Borne he will eat him alive. But this is not personal. What is personal is the North American title.
If Gargano wins, he returns to Smackdown and gets his life back. If he loses, Gargano is unsure what happens. One thing Gargano does know is he will take Borne “into deeper waters” than Borne has seen, and Gargano will show him what it means to be a champion. For the first time in two months, Gargano will not lay down and die.
“I will stand and deliver like only I can, because I have to,” Gargano says in conclusion. “More than you know.”
— Wren Sinclair has some encouraging words for Kendal Grey
Los Americanos (Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano) vs. Birthright (Uriah Connors & Stacks with Arianna Grace, Lexis King & Charlie Dempsey) in a number contender’s tag team match
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The match goes through a commercial break. Grace gets involved in the match, which also involves some comedy spots. The match also has some intensity and plenty of action. El Grande Americano appears just before the finish to play a part in the outcome.
During the match, Shiloh Hill storms to ringside with a metal folding chair. Hill stalks Lexis King, who flees with Hill on his trail.
El Grande Americano distracts the refereee so that Bravo & Rayo came load their mask with gimmicks. Rayo headbutts Stacks off the apron, and Bravo hits Connors with a flying headbutt with the loaded mask. Bravo then covers Connors for a pinfall.
Match result: Los Americanos defeated Birthright when Bravo Americano pinned Connors to become number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship
In winning, Los Americanos earns a title shot against champions Vanity Project for the NXT tag titles at Stand & Delver on Saturday. Vanity Project look on from a box seats overlooking the ring. They have a staredown with Los Americanos.
Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan
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Parker shines early on until Jordan traps her in the ring skirt. Parker then takes a bump into the ring steps, and she sells her arm as the show cuts to a commercial break. Jordan is working over Parker as the show returns from the break.
Jordan continues to target the arm. She goes to springboard into a split-legged moonsault, Parker blocks her. That leads to a spot on the top rope where Jordan takes an avalanche suplex from Parker. Sit-out tree slam by Parker, and Parker cradles Jordan for a pin. Really good bout.
Match result: Jaida Parker defeated Kelani Jordan via pinfall.
— Vanity Project tries to flirt with Blake Monroe, and they offer to protect her from Tatum Paxley. Monroe recently stole the Women’s North American Championship belt from Paxley.
Contract Signing for the NXT Championship Fatal Four Way
Seating behind two tables in the ring are NXT Champion Joe Hendry, and his three challengers — Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Tony D’Angelo. NXT General Manager Robert Stone is hosting the segment.
D’Angelo steals the show with a great promo on all three of his opponents. There is plenty of bickering, as usual with contract signing segments in WWE. Joe Hendry with a good babyface promo, but D’Angelo still outdoes them all on the microphone. D’Angelo talks about NXT being in his blood. Tony D vows to run all three over like a freight train. This leads to a wild brawl and the breaking of two tables.
D’Angelo chokeslams Saints through a table, while Page drops Hendry with a Razor’s Edge through the other table. Fisticuffs between Page and D’Angelo in a pull-apart brawl.
Jasper Troy vs. Keanu Carver with Josh Briggs as special referee
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Booked like a hoss fight, this is what Gorilla Monsoon might have dubbed as the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. They brawl around ringside before the bell, and they tussle over Troy’s chain he brings to the ring.
Briggs lets things slide as ref, but he also gets in Carver’s face early on to threaten him as the referee in charge. Carver shoves a planted fan at ringside, and Briggs intervenes to shove Carver back. Carver then stalks Vic Joseph at the commentary booth before pointing his finger and issues a warning to Booker T. All of that walking and talking allows Troy to recover, and he gives Carver a chokeslam on the announce desk. The booth implodes. Troy follows up with a Bossman slam on Carver for a two count.
Upset over the two count, Troy shoves Briggs. He as referee responds by booting Troy with a high kick. Troy takes a Monty Brown Pounce from Carver, before Carver hoists him up to deliver a running powerslam. Carver then covers Troy, and Briggs counts the pinfall.
Match result: Keanu Carver defeated Jasper Troy via pinfall.
After the match, Carver insists that Briggs raise Carver’s arm as the winner. Briggs at first agrees, but is a swerve. Briggs instead hits Carver with a short-arm clothesline. Still wearing the zebra stripes, Briggs then exits the ring with Carver down selling in the ring.
Following a commercial break, Tatum Paxley enters the ring for a confrontation with Blake Monroe.
NXT North American Champion Tatum Paxley challenges Blake Monroe
Paxley cuts a promo that ultimately leads to her issuing an ultimatum to Monroe. Paxley wants Monroe to bring her the title in NYC, which Monroe recently stole from Paxley. Out comes Monroe holding the title belt. Monroe is soon challenged for a title match at Stand & Deliver by rightful champion, who plays on Monroe’s ego to convince her to accept the match.
Paxley warns Monroe her bad side will come out. Paxley says she can be the “goth to your glamour” or “the fire to your hell.” Paxley will allow Monroe time to think on the offer, but Paxley demands the title belt from Monroe.
They fight over the belt itself in a tug-o-war. Paxley then elbows Monroe and the fight is on. Monroe powders, and she snatches the title belt again as she flees the ring.
— Sarah Schreiber interviews Robert Stone, and they hype the card for Stand & Deliver. Stone announces that a ten-person mixed tag team match for the pre-show on Saturday. All of the members of Birthright against Eli Knight, Shiloh Hill, Wren Sinclair, and Hank & Tank. This was also set up earlier in a locker room skit with the babyfaces.
Keanu Carver storms into interrupt the interview. Carver demands a match against Josh Briggs. Stone remarks that he also spoke to Jasper Troy, and Carver screams he does not give a damn about Troy. Stone instead books a triple threat match with Carver vs. Troy vs. Briggs. Stone then hears a loud commotion off camera. Stone rushes to find Kelani Jordan was ambushing Jaida Parker. That would seem to set up a return match between the two.
— Sol Ruca and Zaria are the focus of a video package that highlights their backstory as teammates turned rivals. This hypes their match at Stand & Deliver.
— NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne is backstage with talking with her Fatal Influence cohorts — WWE Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. Izzi Dame was eavesdropping and she interrupts to tell Jayne that she will tell her exactly what she wants. Sure. Okay.
— Hard sell for Stand & Deliver as the Vic Joseph voices over a rundown of the NXT card on Saturday.
AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey (with WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair) in a NXT Women’s Championship number one contender’s match
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Chain wrestling at the start, and this is good from the start. They wrestle through a commercial break. Vice delivers a hip attack in a corner, but misses a follow-up attempt. She is still able to kick Grey off the apron, and a seated senton off the apron by Vice just before the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break. Near falls during the break during picture-in-picture.
Grey fires up after the show returns from the break, and Grey goes to bar an arm for a submission hold. Vice fights to block the hold, and Vice counters to apply a sleeper. Grey escapes only to walk into a spinning back fist. Grey takes a bump out of the ring selling the back fist. On cue, out comes the Fatal Influence trio.
Jacy Jayne enters ringside flanked by Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. The heel trio distracts Vice, which allows Grey to recover enough to fight back. Vice goes for a hip attack, but Grey moves out of the way. Vice crashes into the ring steps, and Grey rolls Vice back into the ring.
Grey climbs the turnbuckles, and she leaps off the top rope. Vice cuts her off with a superkick for a near fall. In closing moments, Grey lands a roaring elbow for a close near fall. They struggle to their feet as they rise and trade strikes. Punches and kicks. Vice does her signature series of kicks, but Grey counters by trapping Vice’s leg in an ankle lock. They go on to trade near falls.
For the finish, Vice locks in a guillotine chokehold. She cranks on it as Grey tries to roll free. Grey with a Northern Lights suplex while Vice has the guillotine locked on. The referee counts a pinfall while a ref on the floor sees Grey tap out to the submission hold.
Disputed finish as Shawn Michaels comes to help sort things out. Cliffhanger ending as the show goes off the air with no announced winner.
