New TNA World Champion Trick Williams is set to appear as the fallout from Battleground takes place on WWE NXT tonight.
Williams made history on Sunday, becoming the first WWE-contracted wrestler to win the TNA World Championship. With help from a well-placed belt shot, he defeated Joe Hendry to become champion. We’ll hear from Williams tonight for the first time since his victory.
Mike Santana has declared that he wants to be the savior of TNA and is coming after Williams’ title. Tonight, Santana makes his WWE debut against Tavion Heights. The match was set up at Battleground in a confrontation between Santana and No Quarter Catch Crew.
A couple of title matches are also part of tonight’s lineup. After successfully defending against Jordynne Grace at Battleground, Stephanie Vaquer already has her next challenger. She’s putting the title on the line against Jacy Jayne after Jayne slapped her in the face on Sunday.
Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page for the North American Championship is kicking off the episode. The winner will defend the title at Worlds Collide against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.
Plus, WWE LFG winner Jasper Troy will be in action, Tatum Paxley faces Jaida Parker, and more.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
Opening the show is a title match and horde of security at ringside. NXT North American Champ Ricky Saints enters the sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando. After him is his challenger, Ethan Page. They brawl before Mike Rowe can finish the ring introductions, and the security team rushes into the ring to break them up.
With a pull-apart brawl ongoing in the ring, Rowe does an abbreviated introduction before the bell sounds to officially start the title bout. The winner defends the title at When World Collide.
Ethan Page defeated NXT North American Champion Ricky Saints to win the title
Page pinned Saints to win the championship in a really good opener. Since neither of these wrestlers had a match on the PLE last weekend, this was essentially their PLE match in they had plenty of time and high drama. They wrestled through a picture-in-picture commercial break.
The fight spilled onto ringside, where Page went to grab a metal folding chair. Members of the security team spots him from using the chair. The horde of security then holds back back Saints and Page from brawling at ringside. Is brawling at ringside suddenly banned?
Out comes NXT General Manager Ava to sort out this mess. Instead, she gives a message to the announce team. Ava then leaves ringside, and the announcers are even more confused than before. The referee does his best Big John McCarthy, and the fight resumes at ringside as security steps aside.
When the show returns from the commercial break, the fighting at ringside continues with Saints and Page brawling over the announce desk. Security breaks them apart and the ref yells at them to get back into the ring. With some separation between them, Page strikes with a Diamond Cutter on the floor. In taking the move, Saints comes crashing down on a folding chair. Saints sells big while clutching his throat, but he manages to crawl back into the ring and take a Razor’s Edge. Saints still somehow kicks out.
Still selling his throat, Saints valiantly fights back as the babyface in peril. Saints gets a near fall on Page, while still selling his throat. The live studio audience begins a “Ricky” chant when Saints eats a boot from Page. The match rolls on and Page counters Saint’s finisher. In doing so, Page maneuvers over to the ropes , where Page snaps Saints injured throat on the top rope. Page follows up with a Diamond Cutter. Page the hooks a leg and covers Saints for a three count. And new…
Referees and officials check on an injured Saints in the ring, while Page poses with the North American title belt on the ramp.
Sarah Schreiber interviews Fatal Influence, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Jacy Jayne cuts a promo on Fallon Henley. Jazmyn Nyx looks on behind Jayne.
Mike Santana is the focus of a personality profile introducing him to the NXT audience ahead of his upcoming match.
Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are back together again, and Briggs returns Inamura’s leather vest to him. Briggs suggest they set their sights on the NXT tag team titles, or Inamura suggest something “even bigger” for them.
Mike Santana defeated Tavion Heights (with No Quarter Catch Crew)
Santana pinned Heights after a roaring lariat. The bout itself goes through a commercial break, and they had a pretty good match. In Height’s corner was Charlie Dempsey, Wren Sinclair and Myles Born, but they played little into the match. Dempsey looked strong in winning, and he shakes hands with Heights after the match. Dempsey was disgusted by the display of sportsmanship from Heights.
The trio now known as High Ryze is the focus of a video package. That trio includes Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont, and Tyriek Igwe.
Up next is the aftermath from the fallout between Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. For that we get some bad acting when Luca Crusifino sits down with D’Angelo. Crusifino professes his innocence to “The Don”, but D’Angelo says he cannot trust anyone. Crusifino insists D’Angelo can trust him.
New TNA Champion Trick Williams is heading to the ring for a celebratory monologue. Trick is victorious and boastful, but he heels on the studio audience when they try cheering for him. Tricks mocks them by asking if they feel stupid for singing along with “Average Joe” on the previous episode of NXT.
Trick boasts about himself and the title win, and Trick lists luminaries that were champions of TNA. Trick then says he is better than all of them. Trick heels on the crowd from turning their back on him, so he is going to TNA. Trick wants to change the name of TNA to “Trick-N-A”.
Santana interrupts Trick and confronts him in the ring. Santana is there to take up for TNA, and Santana takes exception to Trick trying to tear it down. Trick yells at Santana in response, basically telling Santana to know his place. Santana proceeds to cut a promo on Trick, and Santana calls Trick a “pretender” as a wrestler, a rapper and a champion.
Santana vows to take the TNA title from Trick. They are interrupted by TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella, who appears on a video screen. Marella informs Trick that he will indeed be a fighting champion. Trick is booked to defend the TNA title next Tuesday on NXT against Santana.
Santana rocks Trick with punches, and Santana sends Trick packing. Santana then poses with the TNA title belt.
In a locker room skit, Ava informs NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer that she is booked in a tag match at When Worlds Collide, and Ava instructs Vaquer to find a tag partner. Vaquer agrees, but first she has a title match tonight. Lola Vice enters the scene offering to team with Vaquer.
Jaida Parker defeated Tatum Paxley
Parker pinned Paxley after a hip attack. This match was set up with a skit last week that also involved Thea Hail, who runs in after this match to attack Parker.
Setting up the finish, Parker threw on of Paxley’s dolls into the ring. Paxley brought the dolls to ringside before the match. Parker threw the red haired doll (probably symbolizing Gigi Dolan) into the ring. Paxley retrieves the doll. Parker then ambushes Paxley with the Hip-notic finisher, and Parker covers Paxley for a three count. Hail jumps Parker after the match, so they are clearing headed for a singles match between them.
Featured in a hype video is Jasper Troy, whose debut match on NXT television is up next..
Jasper Troy defeated Dante Chen
Troy pinned Chen in a glorified enhancement match. Chen did get a burst of offense just before the end, but Troy wiped out Chen. Tory then delivers a Black Hole Slam, and Troy scores a pinfall.
NXT Champion Oba Femi then gets Troy’s attention, with Femi perched on a stand overlooking the ring. Femi says he could have jumped Troy like Troy did to Femi last week, but Femi does tell Troy to enjoy his five seconds of fame because those five seconds are over now that Troy is in Femi’s sights.
Charlie Dempsey wants Myles Borne and Tavion Heights to pull back and focus on the group. Borne takes exception and says he is not going back. They agree to match with Borne against Dempsey. If Borne wins he can leave No Quarter Catch Crew. Why not just leave the group? He is an independent contractor after all. Oh wait… never mind. Must not be that kind of independent contractor.
New NXT North American Champion Ethan Page is the ring to celebrate his title win earlier in the show. After a hard fought win, Page appears with a scratch on him. He was not even selling the match at all.
Out comes Je’Von Evans to interrupt Page, because almost no monologue in NXT can go uninterrupted. Anyway, Evans announces that Page will defend the North American title against Evans at When World Collide, but that is not all.
Evans then introduces Laredo Kid, and he enters through the crowd. Laredo Kid says he is the most complete luchadore you will ever see. Kid is apparently added to the title match, but that is not all.
Out comes Rey Fenix, who cuts a promo on Page as he announces a fatal four-way match for the title at When Worlds Collide. It is Page defending against Evans, Laredo Kid and Femix. The winner then on a later date faces Sean Legacy, who won a number one contenders match last Tuesday.
NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her pal Zaria offers some kind words to Tatum Paxley in a backstage skit. Meanwhile, looking on is The Culling faction.
Jacy Jayne (with Fatal Influence) defeated NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer to win the title
Jayne pinned Vaquer thanks in part in outside interference from Fallon Henley. They teased more dissension within Fatal Influence, but ultimately it was Henley that helps Jayne win the title. The title change was quite a surprise.
Let in the match, Henley jumps on the apron to cause a distraction. This was similar to a spot Jayne did in Henley’s loss last week on the previous episode. Much like last Tuesday, it backfires on Fatal Influence. Jayne collides with Henley, and Jayne is then superkicked out of the ring. At ringside, Henley and Jayne argue. Jazmyn Nyz tries to keep the peace, but to no avail. Both Henley and Jayne shove Nyz aside as Vaquer leaps off the top rope with a high cross.
Back in the ring, Vaquer counters Jayne. Vaquer then does her signature head scissors spot much to admiration of Booker T on commentary. Vaquer then catches Jayne in a tarantula armbar. Henley swings around the ring post with Tiger Feint Kick to break up the armbar. Jayne then hits Vaquer with a roaring elbow, and Jayne covers the champion for a three count. Disbelief abounds on the title change. Even Mike Rome is in shock as he announces the winner. And new…
