With the Olympics over, WWE NXT is back tonight to its usual home on television. NXT returns to USA Network following its Great American Bash episodes, which aired on Syfy the past couple of weeks.
Tonight, Oba Femi is scheduled to put his North American Championship on the line in an open challenge. Alpha Academy’s Otis has vowed to answer that challenge after a confrontation with Femi that took place on Raw.
An NXT Tag Team title bout is set for tonight with Axiom & Nathan Frazer defending against Chase U’s Andre Chase & Ridge Holland. Plus, the Heritage Cup will be up for grabs as Charlie Dempsey challenges Tony D’Angelo.
Wes Lee betrayed The Rascalz last week after he and Zachary Wentz fell short in a title match against Frazer & Axiom. Tonight, we’ll hear from Lee for the first time since his heel turn.
Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe has also been announced. Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show begins with a recap from Great American Bash, and that concludes with the heel turn of Wes Lee. Cut to a backstage door at the Performance Center in Orlando, and in walks Lee. He is asked by a reporter why he turned on The Rascalz. Lee answers, “It’s time to start taking what’s mine.” Then Lee walks away.
Up walks NXT Champion Ethan Page. He asks for the microphone from the reporter, then adds that was a rhetorical question. Page snatches the mic away, and he tosses aside the gimmick piece with the NXT logo. Page replaces it with one that has his own logo. Page then makes his way to the ring for an opening monologue from the brand’s top champion.
Page is cocky as he cuts a promo on his way to Gorilla. He enters the sound stage and poses with his title belt before getting into the ring. Page brags about retaining the title against the challenger Oro Mensah. Page boasts he calls himself “All Ego”, and he was ever right to do so. Page says the “Era of Ego” rolls on, and Page proclaims that no one can take the title from him. Page name drops Wes Lee, Trick Williams, and Pete Dunne as prospective challengers, but he dismisses them. Page again says it is not N-X-T, it’s “N-X-Meee!”
Because almost every monologue on NXT is interrupted, out comes Joe Hendry to confront Page. At least this is surprise appearance by a character that is hugely over. If fewer monologues were interrupted, this interruption by Hendry would mean even more. Regardless, Hendry is over with the live studio audience. He gets into the ring to confront Page.
Hendry gives Page some props for being the talks of WWE… But only for 90 seconds, says Hendry. Then Hendry appears. The studio audience chants for Hendry. Page cuts off Hendry’s promo. Page suggests Hendry take his victory from last week, “and gets your ass back to TNA.”
Page questions why Hendry is still in NXT, and Hendry replies by saying he is there to win the NXT C Championship. Studio audience chants, “We believe.”
Page mocks the audience for believing in Joe Hendry. Page says Hendry’s theme song makes him sick. Page adds that Hendry is on minute 14 of his 15 minutes of fame. What Page believes the most: If Hendry is silly enough to come after Page’s title, Page will expose Hendry for a flash in the pan.
Hendry, with a gimmicked microphone of his own with his initials, cuts a fiery promo in response to Page. Hendry has “grinded” for over 10-plus years, and Hendry says he made believers everywhere he went. Hendry vows to make Page a believer when Hendry takes his title. Hendry breaks into song like this is a musical, and the studio audience sings along with Hendry. His theme music rises and blares as Page leaves the ring. Hendry is in the ring glaring at Page when Hendry is ambushed by Wes Lee. In a sneak attack, Lee blasts Hendry with a superkick. Hendry is laid out with Lee standing over him.
Wren Sinclair was bugging Charlie Dempsey in the No Quarter Catch Crew locker room, and Dempsey insists he needs to focus on his Cup title match tonight. Dempsey adds he has waited months for this match. The idea here is Sinclair is a hindrance, but that notion is a red herring. Not only did Sinclair’s win earn Dempsey the match last week, she goes on to play a major role in the title match that is up next.
Back from a commercial break, NXT GM Ava is surrounded by the women’s roster. There is a tumbler, and Ava says there will be a gauntlet eliminator ahead of No Mercy. Robert Stone and Stevie Turner bicker as usual as they both try to take charge of the lottery itself. They spin the tumbler and draw names. Wren Sinclair, Adirana Rizzo and Sol Ruca are the first names drawn from the tumbler.
Charlie Dempsey (with No Quarter Catch Crew) defeated NXT Heritage Cup Champion D’Angelo (with The Family) to win the title
Sinclair interferes to help Dempsey win the Cup. Dempsey won the title by capturing two falls, with D’Angelo having only won one fall. D’Angelo strikes first after scoring pinfall in the second round with his twisting fisherman’s buster finisher. Dempsey captures a fall in the fourth round by cradling The Dob for a pinfall, and Dempsey scores the deciding pinfall in round five to win the match. Sinclairs trips D’Angelo on the middle rope, and The Don takes a Nestea Plunge into the ring. Dempsey follows up with a butterfly suplex before scoring the deciding pinfall.
The wrestled through the first round with no falls. The match also went through a split-screen commercial break through much of the third round with no falls. Not that it was a bad thing either. This might have been D’Angelo’s best bout as champion. Really good match overall. The finish did not feel cheap despite the interference, as they created a narrative earlier.
Up next was a wacky segment with Lola Vice and Tatum Paxley, that also involved NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan. She was talking with Vice, and they part ways. Vice runs into Tatum Paxley, who is upset no one is her friend. Is this Sesame Street? At least it went somewhere, as this skit sets up a singles match for later on.
A video package hypes up the upcoming match between Eddy Thorpe and Lexis King. The hype video is great. The follow up later not so much, at least for Thorpe. They put him over so strong in the package, only to pin him clean later on.
Lexis King defeated Eddy Thorpe
King jumped Thorpe before the bell. King is able to work over Thorpe, and King works an arm. Thorpe fights back, but King targets the arm again. King then executes his Coronation neckbreaker, and King covers Thorpe for a three count. So much for Thorpe getting a push, but King looked good as a heel here. Bell to bell, Thorpe did well. Too bad he lost clean.
Trick Williams cuts a promo in a video package, hyping up a rematch with Pete Dunne. Williams vows to figure out Dunne.
Dunne is then interviewed by Kelly Kincaid. Dunne blows off a rematch with Williams, and scoffs at the idea. Dunne says he is focused on the NXT Championship.
Lola Vice defeated Tatum Paxley
Vice pinned Paxley after a back elbow. Kelani Jordan was at ringside for guest commentary. Jordan is attacked by Wendy Choo, who ambushes Jordan and applies a Cobra Clutch. Vice is momentarily distracted by the sneak attack at ringside. Paxley tries to capitalize, but she comes up short on a double stomp off the top. Paxley then walks into a back elbow, and Vice covers her for a pinfall. Vice helps Paxley to her feet after the match, while Choo stands over Jordan.
Another skit with GM Ava, as they draw the last three participants in the gauntlet eliminator. The final three entrants are Jaida Parker, Kendal Gray, and Karmen Petrovic.
Wes Lee enters the sound stage to a chorus of jeers. Lee explains his turn in a monologue. He understands the hate. He gets it. He shocked the world last week. Lee says he believed he was going to win the tag titles, but Zack Wentz let him down again. The first time was two years ago when Zack let Lee down. This alludes to Wentz departure from WWE a few years ago.
Lee overcame the odds of being slotted as a tag team guy, and Lee became the North American Champion. Lee accuses Wentz and Miguel of abandoning him, while they reunited in TNA. Meanwhile, Lee broke his back to become a star.
Lee is done being a caretaker for Wentz. Lee is done wondering what Wentz will say or do. This promo was dragging by now, and was too inside baseball at times. Nevertheless, Lee had passion in his words, and anger. Lee says his partners only reunited to get the WWE rub. See, too inside baseball.
Lee goes on tease a match at No Mercy between him and Wentz. No Mercy is fitting, as Lee makes it into a pun. Lee says after he defeats Wentz, The Rascalz can do back to TNA while Lee sets his sights on the NXT Championship. While I criticized some of the booking on this show, here comes some praise. They are doing a great job of getting the NXT title over as something everyone wants to win.
Lee concludes his monologue by wishing his former partner the best in their future endeavors.
Out comes Pete Dunne to confront Lee. Dunne takes exception to Lee wanting the NXT title. Suddenly, Joe Hendry’s theme song blares. Hendry runs in to jump Lee, getting a measure of revenge from earlier. A melee ensues between Lee, Dunne and Hendry. There is a pull-apart, and this seems to set up a triple threat match.
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom are interviewed, and the appears to be on the same page again. Something tells me that does not last long, but they nevertheless vow to retain their titles this week.
NXT North American Champion Oba Femi defeated Otis (with Tozawa & Maxxine) to retain the title
Femi retains after winning a hoss fight. They do a shoulder block spot early that led into a commercial break, where Femi is knocked out of the ring by Otis. When the show returns from the break, Femi is working over Otis.
The match spills outside, and Otis takes an ugly bump on the ring steps. The referee checks on Otis, and the match continues. Otis takes a series of smashes in a corner, but he kicks out for a near fall. Otis counters a powerbomb, and he mounts a comeback. Femi cuts him off, knocking Otis out of the ring.
Femi chops Tozawa off the ring apron, which somehow causes Otis to hulk up. Otis is a seemingly unstoppable force, setting up his worm spot into an elbow drop. Otis follows up with a Vader splash for another near fall.
Otis is punching Femi in a corner, when Femi gives Otis a powerbomb. Femi then covers Otis for a pinfall. The finish was sort of anticlimactic, but Femi had to go over. Really good hoss fight here.
Brooks Jensen is cutting a promo about his downward spiral, but Jensen found a mentor. That mentor is Shawn Spears, who appears to be manipulating Jensen.
Hank & Tank cut a promo in which they reveal a match next week against The Good Brothers.
Izzi Dame defeated Brinley Reece
Dame pinned Reece in a match where they tried, but they were put on a bad spot late in the show. They set up the match in a skit earlier in the show, which played on the gauntlet eliminator. The match plodded along until the finish. Reece goes for a hand spring, and Dame cuts her down with a high kick. Dame then executes her finisher, which is sort of a combo of a fallaway slam into a uranage.
Kelly Kincaid interviews GM Ava, who makes the triple threat match official between Wes Lee, Pete Dunne and Joe Hendry. The winners gets a NXT title shot at No Mercy. In walks NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, who cuts a snarky promo about the gauntlet eliminator.
There is some hard sell for the NXT shows on the road, as Shawn Michaels plugged ticket sales for the first two weeks on The CW.
Chase U (Andre Chase & Ridge Holland with Thea Hail, Duke Hudson & Riley Osborne) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom to win the titles
Holland pinned Axiom to win the titles. Really good bout, and Chase U certainly needed a win.
The match itself goes through a split-screen commercial break. Axiom & Frazier do a parade of dives before the show cuts to commercials. After the break, the action continues after a double down. Hot tag to Holland, who cleans house. Holland is cut off by Axiom & Frazier. Tandem and stereo moves by the defending champs. Frog splash by Axiom and 450 by Frazier, but Holland kicks out. Holland fired up, and Chase tags in to get a near fall.
Chase is perched on the top turnbuckle as Axiom & Frazier signal for their tandem finisher combo, but in runs Holland to break it up. Axiom almost kicks Frazier, playing on what happened last week. Frazier blocks the inadvertently thrown kick. That led into a false finish.
Axiom & Frazier do their tandem finisher with the superplex/Chasing the Dragon combo. Chase manages to kick out for a close near fall. Shocked face from Frazier. They go on trade near falls with Chase U. Holland & Chase do a powerbombs/backstabber combo for the last near fall.
Axiom and Holland do a Spanish Fly, which is supposed to set up Frazier doing a Phoenix Splash. However. Chase shoves Frazier off the top turnbuckle, and Frazier sails to the floor. But the announce desk broke his fall. Meanwhile in the ring, Axiom is in disbelief. Yet, he springs into action by giving Chase a shining wizard. Chase takes a bump off the apron. Holland then turns Axiom inside out with a lariat clothesline, and Holland follows up with his DDT finisher. Holland then scores a pinfall on Axiom, and Chase U win the tag titles.
Confetti fell as jubilation continues for Chase U.
