With the working relationship that now exists between WWE and TNA Wrestling, The Rascalz are set to reunite as a trio on NXT.
Wes Lee, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz will team up as they take on Gallus in tonight’s opening match. The match was made after Miguel & Wentz showed up on NXT last week, cheering up a dejected Lee following his loss to Oba Femi at Heatwave. Gallus confronted The Rascalz later in the night and said they don’t want them — or anyone else from TNA — in NXT.
Femi has a North American Championship defense scheduled for tonight. Duke Hudson is challenging him for the title.
We’ll hear from NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez after retaining against Lola Vice at Heatwave.
Plus, Je’Von Evans is out for payback against Brooks Jensen, The O.C. take on OTM in a six-person tag match, and Tatum Paxley faces off with Izzi Dame.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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A trios match is opening the show, and The Rascalz are back together.
The Rascalz (Wes Lee, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) defeated Gallus (Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey & Wolfgang in a six man tag team match
What an opener! Great start to the show. Joe Hendry makes a surprise appearance for guest commentary. Rascalz looked like superstars.
Hot start in the six-man tag, and the pace only picked up from there. The live studio audience was loud as they chanted and cheered for The Rascalz. The live crowd especially loved Wes Lee when he tagged in. Everybody got involved in a parade of spots, and everybody is down.
Vic Joseph on commentary name drops Joe Hendry, alluding that he was watching. Speak his name and he appears. Out comes Joe Hendry as he walks to ring with his theme music blaring over the house speakers. The show cuts to a commercial break as Hendry is walking around ringside. When the show returns from the break, Hendry is at the announce desk for guest commentary. Booker T is less than thrilled with Hendry’s arrival. Book in character may not believe in Joe Hendry.
Heat on Lee until he creates separation. Hot tag and in comes Wentz to shine. He got over well hear, and Booker noted his talent on commentary. Miguel with a twisting and modified fisherman’s buster-type move. It was wicked, and it netted a near fall.
Rascalz all three lock arms for a what I can only describe as a fooseball player 360. Great spot. They then explode into a flurry of offense, and the Rascalz clear the ring. Gallus powders, but Rascalz go after them with dives. Studio audience chants “N-X-T-N-A”.
For the finish, Wentz and Miguel hold Mark Coffey in a double Body Breaker while Lee leapt off the top rope with a double foot stomp on Coffey. Lee then covers Coffey for a pinfall. Rascalz win in their reunion match. Great opener.
After the match, a video package narrated by Hendry showed how he and Trick Williams became a tag team, and how well they wrestled in a tag bout last week on NXT.
Lots of talking segment in a row after the opening bout.
Kelly Kincaid was about to interview Chase U when she says Roxanne Perez is next. Thea Hail hears that and says she has to go as she leaves in a hurry. Andre Chase and Riley Osborne cut promos saying Duke Hudson will win tonight against Oba Femi in a North American title match.
When the show returns from a commercial break, NXT Champion Ethan Page is in the office of NXT General Manager Ava. Page has some complaints as champion. Oro Mensah barges in and Page cuts a promo on him. Mensah challenges to a match. Page balks and says he will not reward bad behavior. Page keeps running his mouth, and Ava tells him to defend his title tonight. Page blurts out the name of Dante Chen, and a NXT title match is booked for later.
Vic Joseph and Booker announce a two-week special using the Great American Bash moniker. The Bash specials air on Syfy for the dates of July 30 and and August 6. Though not noted in the announcement, WWE programming is preempted those weeks on USA Network for coverage of the Olympics.
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez is in the ring for a monologue. She is still upset over not being treated properly for the champion she is, and she defeated the biggest baddest last week.Yet, Perez did not get her flowers. Instead, Lola Vice gets a standing ovation despite losing the match. Perez is mad the standing ovation was not for herself. Perez names drops Charlotte Flair as a past NXT champion, but Perez says she will herself shatter of of the records.
Perez turns her tirade to the internet and the buzz over Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. Perez then calls into question Thea Hail being her next challenger. Out comes Hail to confront Perez.
Hail cuts a pretty good promo on Perez. Give Hail the pen, and she will write her name in the history books as the youngest NXT Women’s Champion. Perez insists she is not overlooking Hail, but that Hail is not ready. Hail is not a grown women, Perez says she is a little girl. That snide remark ignites a brawl. Going down to the mat, the grapple for position and submissions. Hail gets her arm bar locked in, and Ridge Holland has to pry her off Perez.
NXT North American Women’s Champion Keloni Jordan in a backstage interview also name drops Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. Wendy Choo then comes in to creep out Jordan.
Je’Von Evans defeated Brooks Jensen (with Josh Briggs)
Evans pinned Jensen to win the match. The trend of good matches continues on this show, but this match was much different than the opener. Different in a good way. This match had more time to breath, and the bouts goes through a commercial break. Shawn Spears walks down to ringside just before the finish. It was a minor distraction, but it inadvertently cost Jensen the match.
Jensen got to look strong despite losing, and got heat on Evans. Jensen targeted the ribs, including spots where he sandwiched Evans on the announce desk In one spot, Jensen leaps off the apron to sandwich Evans on the desk.
Spears appears at ringside, and Briggs goes to confront him. Jensen gets between them, and Jensen gets Briggs to back away from Spears. However, that all distracted Jensen from Evans, who does a dive over the ropes on Jensen. Double springboard by Evans into a flying Diamond Cutter. Evans then covers Jensen for a three count.
Jensen jumps Evans after the match, and Jensen is stomping on Evans when Briggs jumps in to make a save. Briggs pulls Jensen off Evans, and Briggs shoves Jensen. Briggs screams at Jensen, since Briggs has vouched for him. Briggs screams at Jensen that Briggs job is on the line.
In a backstage skit, The Family is playing poker when Charlie Dempsey comes to Tony D’Angelo for advice. Dempsey implies to wants to put a hit on a woman, but “The Don” says Dempsey has to handle that himself.
Dante Chen is interviewed and he cuts a promo ahead of his title challenge that is up next.
NXT Champion Ethan Page defeated Dante Chen to retain the title
Another good match on this show, as that trend continues. Nothing off the charts, but solid. Chen got some offense as the underdog, but he eventually dropped the fall to the champ. Chen got a final flurry in the closing moments. Near fall for Chen, but he is soon cut off by Page. Ego’s Edge (Razor’s Edge) by Page, and Page covers Chen for a pinfall.
After the match is over, Oro Mensah runs in for to attack Page. Despite the sneak attack, Page is able to easily fight out Mensah. Page leaves him laying and Page literally wipes his feet of Mensah, or so he thought. Page is leaving when Mensah comes back to brawl with Page. They fight around ringside and back into the ring. Memsah runs wild on Page, and Mensah gets a visible pinfall on Page. The studio audience counts to three, and this look to set a title match with Mensah challenging Page for the NXT title.
Duke Huson is the focus of a video package that hypes him up ahead of Hudson challenging tonight for the North American title.
Gallus is complaining to each other about their match earlier tonight when Joe Coffey speaks the name of Joe Hendry. So, Joe Hendry appears. Hendry says he is sticking around in NXT. This upset Coffey and company in what I assume was supposed to be a humorous segment. As a middle-aged man, I admittedly do not totally understand the comedy here, but Hendry has a lot of charisma.
Tatum Paxley defeated Izzi Dame
Paxley wins via pinfall with her wicked finisher called “The Psycho Trap.” Wendy Choo does her zombie walk down to ringside during the match. Her and Paxley have some sort of gothic partnership of sorts. After the match, Choo has a headless Barbie doll. Paxley has the head for the doll, and she puts the head on the doll. Choo then leaves as Paxley laughs maniacally.
Lola Vice defeated Jacy Jayne (with Jazmyn Nyz)
Vice wins a pinfall, but more importantly, a trios match is set up for the near future.
Jayne mocks Vice at one point earlier on, and Vice comes back with fire. Jayne cuts off Vice and applies some joint locks. Vice comeback with a series of kicks and a hip attack. A moment later, Vice ducks a clothesline and delivers a spinning back fist. Jayne drops like a stone, and Vice covers her for a pinfall.
Fallon Henley runs in to jump Vice after the match. Jayne and Nyz join in as the stomp on Vice. Running down to make a save is Karmen Petrovic and Sol Ruca. This angle would seem to set up a six-woman tag team match.
NXT Champion Ethan Page is stopped as he is leaving the interview for a TMZ-style interview. Page cuts a promo on Mensah before leaving through an exit.
The O.C. (Michin, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) defeated OTM (Jaida Parker, Bronco Nima & Lucien Price) in a six-person mixed tag team match
The six-person bout starts with a melee. Big brawl at the beginning, and when the smoke clears there is Michin and Parker in the ring. They run through some spots and such. Good stuff, and then comes the hoss fight portion of the match.
Gallows is running wild on Price, until Price responds with hiss moves of his own. In comes Nima, who is wearing a nose guard. Heat on Gallows, until a hot tag to Michin. She runs wild on Parker for several near falls.
Anderson squares off with Nima. Quick tags by The Good Brothers. Parker comes in to hip check Anderson, which brings in Michin to strike at Parker. Michin also executes her finisher on Nima. Michin then dives through the ropes on Parker. Back in the ring, Good Brothers deliver a Magic Killer, and Anderson scores the deciding pinfall.
In a skit, Wren Sinclair wants to be a part of No Quarter Catch Crew. She apparently has dirt on Dempsey, which the storyline murder of Damon Kemp. Though the material here was wacky, Sinclair saves the skit as she tries to shoot on Myles Borne. She was funny.
Eddy Thorpe and Lexis King are shown in a pre-taped angle. King picks a fight with Thorpe while Thorpe is DJ’ing a party. This leads to match next Tuesday on NXT.
Also announced for next Tuesday for a singles match with Oro Mensah against Ashante Adonis. This match was set up with a skit where Adonis was hitting on Jakara Jackson, and Mensah took exception to that.
NXT North American Champion Oba Femi defeated Duke Hudson (with Andre Chase, Thea Hail, Riley Osborne & Ridge Holland) to retain the title
Femi pinned Hudson clean to win the match and retain the championship. Femi shows his power and strength early on, and Hudson has to regroup. Hudson takes off his Chase U tank, and it gives him power like Jerry Lawler pulling down the strap.
Hudson runs in with a hurricanrana. Femi is reeling as he is on heels as the show cuts to its final commercial break. Femi turns the tide back in his favor during the break, and Femi has Hudson grounded when the show returns.
Femi strikes with two back-to-back backbreakers, but Hudson somehow kicks out. Hudson goes on to fight back when he cuts off Femi with a big boot. Comeback by Hudson, and he delivers a series of punches along with the flip, flop and fly. Meanwhile, his pals in Chase U are going crazy at ringside.
After a plancha, Hudson follows up with by slingshotting into German suplex. They fight on the turnbuckles teasing a superplex. Hudson is shoved off, but he responds by catching Femi with a flying head scissors. A final near fall for Hudson, as he counters Femi into a crucifix. Femi kicks out and gives Hudson a chokeslam. Hudson kicks out as they trade near falls.
They fight on the ropes, and Hudson does a sunset slip into an avalanche power bomb on Femi. A final near fall for Hudson, but Femi gets a shoulder up. The fight spills outside the ring, where Femi gives Hudson a side slam on the announce desk. Femi then does a pop-up powerbomb, and he covers Hudson for a pinfall. Femi retain his title. He poses with the belt.
Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are arguing as they are leaving the building. Jensen says they need to settle things with a singles match next week. Briggs caution Jensen that beat him up pretty bad last time, and Briggs does want to do that again. Jensen remarks they should have a no disqualification match. Jensen then gets into the passenger seat of a SUV with an unknown driver at the wheel. They sped off as the show goes off the air.
