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NXT TV RESULTS
SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
Ava promoted “two of the biggest night’s in NXT’s history” as NXT goes on the road for two weeks. She promoted the St. Louis show where Sexyy Red will return and Randy Orton will compete for the first time in an NXT ring. She didn’t pronounce the “T” in Orton. If you’re going to be a talking head, come on, now. She also promoted a segment of MizTV for the Chicago show. She introduced Trick Williams, who entered to his music.
Trick said that Pete Dunne is “still a Butch,” and somehow, some way, he was the last man standing. He said he was going to make history in Chicago when he becomes champion again. He tried to lead a “whoop that Trick” chant and Ethan Page’s music played and he hit the ramp and tried to convince the crowd to keep chanting so he could chant along. They sang the “Ethan sucks, believe in Joe, Ethan, put on some clothes” song from the seemingly departed Joe Hendry.
Page finally got to the ring and he set down his belt. Williams said he’d be taking back the championship that Page stole from him. Page went on his “NX Me” kick. Williams said nobody is feeling that. Williams got in his face and tried to rebut, but Page kicked him low, then powerbombed him through the table set up in the ring out of nowhere. Ava looked disappointed at him and Vic pointed out that nobody had actually signed the contract yet.
-Vic threw to a video last week where Tony D’Angelo had hired Hammerstone, who lost to Oba Femi. Presently, D’Angelo said when he hands him a big wad of cash, he expects the job done. D’Angelo insisted that Hammerstone take care of it now, and Hammerstone said the Don can do it himself. D’Angelo said nobody says no to him, and maybe he’ll take care of Hammerstone instead. I’m not sure if the Family is turning heel or just leaning that way for a moment, but as a babyface faction, I think the mafia has a very low cap.
-Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley entered ahead of their tag match. [c]
Stevie Turner and Robert Stone flanked Ava, who thought aloud about the coming weeks. Je’Von Evans, with Cedric Alexander hanging about, “shot his shot” and asked if he could be on the October 1st show in Chicago. She mulled it over.
(1) LYRA VALKYRIA & TATUM PAXLEY vs. ROSEMARY & WENDY CHOO
Rosemary and Paxley opened. Rosemary had the upper hand on the mat until Paxley reversed and made the tag to Valkyria. The faces hit tandem elbow drops on Rosemary. Paxley tagged in and hit an ax-handle on Rosemary’s arm from the top, but Rosemary threw some rights, took her to the heel corner and tagged Choo. Choo and Paxley exchanged rollups for two. After a series of rolls, Paxley rolled up Choo for two. Paxley hit a cross-body in the babyface corner and tagged Valkyria. Choo laid in a shot and tagged Rosemary. The two set up a double suplex but Paxley made the save. The faces cleared the women from the ring and then dropkicked them through the ropes to the floor as the match went to commercial. [c]
Paxley kicked Choo off of her to try to make the hot tag, but Choo flew right into the heel corner, where Rosemary tagged in and cut it off. Paxley again got close after getting some shots in and after a second effort, she rolled past Choo and tagged Valkyria. Northern Lights with a bridge on Choo got two. The faces made some tags and hit an assisted leg drop from the second buckle for two, broken up by Rosemary. Rosemary laid out Valkyria on the outside and Choo got the upper had up on the heel turnbuckle. Paxley hit a headbutt and Choo made a blind tag to Rosemary. Choo kicked Paxley away and Rosemary speared her for two, but Paxley got her foot on the rope. Valkyria recovered and took out Choo on the outside. Paxley hit the cool move I can’t remember the name of and she tagged Valkyria, who hit her top rope rocker dropper to finish.
WINNERS: Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley at 9:53.
(Wells’s Analysis: Paxley continues to rise, though Rosemary isn’t there to be high up on the card. Still, it serves multiple purposes as Lyra has something to do as she finally gets matriculated into the main roster again, Paxley is elevated, and Rosemary continues to get a little national exposure)
-Trick Williams was checked up on in the trainer’s room. He said he was going to be ready for Ethan Page no matter what. [c]
(2) HAMMERSTONE vs. TONY D’ANGELO (w/Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino & Adrianna Rizzo)
Vic mentioned that Oba Femi is closing in on being the longest-running NXT North American Champion of all time. Seriously?! Time flies, I guess. An early grapple produced nothing, but D snapped on a headlock, quickly broken by Hammerstone, who shoved D’Angelo off. D hit a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes and a spinebuster. Rope run and D’Angelo kicked Hammerstone in the head. Hammerstone fired up and hit a lariat, then took D to a corner fr some chops. He charged D in another corner, got shoved off, but hit a belly-to-belly of his own. The camera lingered on D’Angelo, who appeared to be rethinking this match, and he bailed and the referee started to count. Hammerstone wanted him back in the ring, but D walked past his stablemates and got counted out.
WINNER: Hammerstone by countout at 2:54.
(Wells’s Analysis: D’Angelo is always in search of the next spark to his character, and tonight is no different. I continue to be ambivalent toward Tony D’Angelo the singles wrestler, but I’m intrigued by where this is going, at least)
-Zach Wentz charged in as Vic and Book tried to introduce something. He had a mic and he said “this is why we didn’t get to challenge for the tag team championships last week” and he threw to the big screen which showed Wes Lee ramming Trey Miguel’s head in a car door before the tag team match was meant to go off. Wentz said Lee was garbage and he deserves everything that’s going to happen to him in their street fight on October 1st. He said this ends in Chicago. Wentz’s music played as he looked intensely into the camera.
-Ava talked to Tyrese Haliburton backstage. He was booed, because wrong team. There was a “Pacers suck” chant. Robert Stone tried to suck up to him but Haliburton said if Ava gives him the contract for Page-Williams, he’ll get it done. Haliburton certainly isn’t one of the NBA’s bad guys so it’s a little eye-rolling that he got booed here when I don’t think there’s any intent for him to do something heelish.
Ashante Thee Adonis was introduced ahead of the next match. [c]
-Sarah Schreiber talked with Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne cut a promo on Lola Vice, and said she thought she was bigger than she is. Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx added thoughts on “the new IT girl” Jaida Parker. They said it was becoming the Fatal Influence division.
-Lola Vice shadow boxed in the locker room. Jaida Parker happened by and they got ever closer to realizing they might need to come together for a common goal.
(3) EDDY THORPE vs. ASHANTE “THEE” ADONIS
Adonis jumped Thorpe before the bell. The ref got them separated and started the match properly. Thorpe weathered a few shots and then got in some basic offense before Adonis got in a throat chop and then leaned on Thorpe. Adonis ran Thorpe on the ropes and chopped him to the mat. Thorpe got in a few forearms but Adonis tripped Thorpe to choke him on a rope.
Action went to a chop exchange and more. The two reversed a few shots and each got in a big boot, then sold on the mat for a moment for a minor ovation after the flurry. Thorpe ended up on the apron. Adonis booted him to the floor and then went to the very top and splashed Thorpe. He tried again in the ring but missed, and Thorpe hit his finisher.
WINNER: Eddy Thorpe at 3:28.
(Wells’s Analysis: Thorpe gets a much-needed win after he had to lose a feud to Lexis King, who usually loses himself. The two tried to pack in a lot of action in a short amount of time, and I think they succeeded)
-CM Punk walked through the back ahead of the crossover segment. Vic was ecstatic. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Vic promoted Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14th from Long Island. The original theme music from the show played, which was a giant dose of nostalgia for this old man.
-Thea Hail and Riley Osborne sat in an otherwise unoccupied Chase U classroom. Hail was still heartbroken as she spoke into the camera at Ridge Holland. Osborne said he hated that he was right and next week, he’s going to get rid of Holland from their lives once and for all.
-There was a “CM Punk” chant in the arena ahead of “Cult of Personality” playing. The arena got loud. It’s always jarring to see big stars in tiny spaces like this. Punk slapped hands with Booker as he soaked in the cheers for a minute. He entered the ring and took a mic from a stagehand.
-Punk said he was in a bit of a different mood from last night. He said he had to get it all out on Raw so he could be in a good mood tonight. He said he sees these beautiful people on TV every week but being here in the arena around the NXT Fanatics is really cool. He commented on how he was caught by a few fans as he was in the PC rehabbing and trying to watch the matches out near the arena. Punk said he knows sometime he’s going to butt heads with Lexis King. He mentioned Carmelo Hayes tearing it up on SmackDown. He mentioned Ethan Page. He also said “Not to start any rumors, but sooner or later I’m going to stand across the ring from Bron Breakker.” He also mentioned Je’Von Evans and said he has tee-shirts older than Evans. He said Shawn Michaels called him and mentioned that NXT would be in Chicago, and he was given the right to do anything he wanted on that show. He said he had a great idea, but he was cut off by Roxanne Perez’s music. “You gotta be kidding me,” he said.
Perez went to the ring and said Punk could get back to his little announcement that probably has something to do with Giulia, but she wanted to talk to her hero. She said Punk was a hero to her and a voice for the voiceless, but she always preferred her wife. “AJ” chant. Perez said she was so excited when Punk returned at Survivor Series, but she realized…she should have been a Drew McIntyre fan. She said Punk doesn’t need to show up in Chicago. She said when she beats Giulia, it won’t be Punk’s town anymore, it’ll be Perez. Punk asked if he can retort, and Perez said she wasn’t done yet. Perez said she didn’t care how big Giulia was in Japan, because she’s big all over the globe. She said she’d rather be hated for who she is than loved for who she’s not.
Punk said she’s well on her way to being hated. He mentioned she has the balls to be an overconfident champion, just like him. He said he had a chip on his shoulder about the size of Roxanne. He said “this chip” (the NXT Women’s Championship) meant she was the best. He said last night he loved the Bianca Belair-Iyo Sky match but Roxanne Perez might make it even better, but when she gets mauled by Giulia maybe it won’t matter anymore. Roxanne pretended to be unfazed.
Giulia’s music played her to the ring. As always, she owned the room. She had her own mic. She said “Roxanne, the countdown is on. You have two weeks left.” She dropped her mic and tried to take her leave. Perez tried to jump her, and Punk held her at bay. The two trash talked as Punk held his arm in between them. I guess we don’t get the announcement yet, but there’s a lot of show left.
-Sarah Schreiber asked Kelani Jordan about Fatal Influence. She said she wants to defend the title against women who excel not at hurling insults, but in the ring. Wren Sinclair jumped excitedly into the scene and said “Kelani? Charlie – Charles – Dempsey – you know him. He said I need to make my own opportunities here. So here I am.” She slapped Jordan hard across the face, then looked scared and ran. “Oh, hell no!” Jordan yelled, and she took off after her. [c]
-The Family tried to pump up Tony D’Angelo, who clearly had something going on. They pressed him about what was going on, and he said the truth is he’s afraid. He said he’s supposed to be the Don of NXT, but he’s afraid. He said it’s different with Oba Femi. “He’s a destroyer, a machine, and I can’t beat him. There. I said it.” I didn’t have Tony D pegged for a self-doubt segment, bu against Oba, I get it.
(4) JE’VON EVANS & CEDRIC ALEXANDER vs. TAVION HEIGHTS & MYLES BORNE (w/Charlie Dempsey & Wren Sinclair)
Quick action to start. Heights tagged in and he and Borne combined for a slam on Alexander. Heights covered for two. Heights snapped on an armbar. Heights had “Tavion” written in katakana scripting on his arm wrap. I didn’t think learning to speak Japanese would come up when I was covering NXT, but here we are. Evans hit a plancha on the sea of No Quarter Catch Crew members as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Borne had Evans in a headlock upon return. Evans tried to fire up as the crowd chanted “Young O.G.” Evans hit his feet but Borne kneed him in the breadbasket. Powerslam by Borne got two. Heights tagged in (his leg wrap says “Heights.” Glad to help) and he slammed Evans for two. Evans ran the ropes and got a big kick in. Both guys tagged. Alexander was a house afire and he hit the heels with a contrived spot where he gave a dragon screw leg whip to one, which forced that one to do a dragon screw on the other. Fun, if completely impossible.
Things broke down and finally the illegal men were disposed of. Heights took over on offense and he and Borne teamed up for a DDT. Borne covered Alexander for two. The two went into a cover and both other guys got involved again. Kelani Jordan showed up and ran off Wren Sinclair. A distracted Myles Borne was left open to the Lumbar Check from Alexander. Evans tagged in and hit his top rope finisher.
WINNERS: Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander at 10:27.
After the verdict was rendered, the big screen showed a tweet from Randy Orton, who said he would be Evans’ opponent on October 8th in St. Louis. Well, that is a mighty interesting way to get Evans ready for the fast track.
(Wells’s Analysis: A perfectly decent tag match, though the big news here is Evans getting a match with no less than Randy Orton three weeks from now in St. Louis. Evans will be the de facto heel in front of Orton’s hometown fans, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s received, as he’s essentially universally loved to this point)
-Backstage, Ridge Holland walked through and made some pointed threats to Riley Osborne.
The scene shifted to Brooks Jensen walking through the back. Shawn Spears sat nearby and said “good luck out there.” Jensen said “Are we really gonna do this?” [c]
-Vic officially announced the Orton-Evans match for the 8th.
(5) DION LENNOX vs. BROOKS JENSEN (w/Shawn Spears)
Jensen bealed Lennox early, then do it a second time. Lennox reversed a third, then hit an arm drag and a clothesline to the outside. Jensen walked right into a spinebuster for a long two. Jensen hit a back suplex and dropped in for some head shots. Rope run and a spinning heel kick by Jensen, followed by a snap suplex. Jensen walked over to Lennox’s glasses in the corner. He put them on, pretended not to see, and then mocked Lennox, who fired up and laid waste to Jensen with some strikes and a back body-drop. Spears tried to grab the glasses and Lennox cut that off. Lennox rolled up Jensen for two, but Jensen hit his DDT finisher. After his arm was raised, he shook hands with Spears.
WINNER: Brooks Jensen at 2:30.
(Wells’s Analysis: A mostly harmless quickie, and the Jensen-Spears story is rolling on, but it’s simply hard to buy someone as ridiculously powerful as Lennox is having trouble winning matches against lower-midcard competition)
-Via socials, Wes Lee said he’d find out who sent that footage one day, but he definitely did it and he’ll see Zach Wentz in Chicago.
-Jacy Jayne was introduced ahead of the next match. [c]
-Via socials, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory challenged “Fraxiom” to a tag team championship match. It was set for October 8th in St. Louis. These October 1st and 8th shows kind of exist in their own world, as the “real” stories in NXT continue around them.
(6) LOLA VICE vs. JACY JAYNE (w/Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx)
The bell rang and Vice booted Jayne immediately. Vice booted Jayne out to the floor, where Henley & Nyx distracted Vice and left her open to a charge from Jayne. Jayne took over on offense in the ring with some kicks, and she did some mocking shadow boxing to boos. Jayne hit a pretty nice cannonball in the corner, then covered for two. The two hit their feet and exchanged boots, which of course favored Vice. She set up Jayne in a corner, did her “I’m a Latina” booty shake and hit the hip attack. Backfist finished.
WINNER: Lola Vice at 2:10.
The other two members of Fatal Influence jumped Vice after the match. It was a three-on-one beatdown until Jaida Parker made the save. Hip attacks for everyone. She dumped both Henley and Nyx from the ring, then planted Jayne and set her up for a hip attack, which she evaded when the others yanked her from the ring. Parker almost accidentally gave Vice a backfist and the two had to be held apart.
-Adrianna Rizzo had a tender scene with Tony D’Angelo. She said she was scared too. She tried to give him a pep talk and said she knows he wants another shot at Femi. Tony asked, “What if I lose?” Rizzo said then, he loses, but he did it through the fear. D asked her when she got so tough. She said she grew up with fighters. “Bring it in,” she said, and they hugged.
-Tyrese Haliburton walked through the back, wearing an HBK shirt. Vic said he’ll try to get Page and Williams to sign their contract next. [c]
[OVERRUN]
-Next week, Grayson Waller will host the Waller Effect with guests Nathan Frazer & Axiom. Ridge Holland will face Riley Osborne and Kelani Jordan will defend her NXT North American Women’s Championship vs. Wren Sinclair.
-Tyrese Haliburton was in the ring. He said he wasn’t alone, and pointed out his Pacers teammates in the front row. Fans booed. He said “I get it – I’d boo if I had to be an Orlando Magic fan too.” Ha. I guess he was ready for this reaction. Trick Williams was introduced and he tried to put over Haliburton, a two-time All-Star and Olympic Gold medalist. He told Ethan Page to get out here and sign this contract before he signs Page’s head with “this size 14 Gucci loafer.”
Ethan Page was introduced and he said this was ridiculous. He said if he was going to be forced to sign this, so be it. He said he’d be like the Boston Celtics, and Trick Williams will be the Indiana Pacers (the Pacers lost in the Conference Finals to the Celtics this past season). I can’t help but think this would really work in, you know, Indiana. Haliburton got the signatures and said that was it. But oh, he forgot. Hit the music.
Cult of Personality played again and Punk returned to the ring as Page went bug-eyed. Page tossed his aside his jacket like he was going to fight. Punk said he was here because this is what he was trying to talk about earlier. Two very different men with two very different visions, and the match would determine the direction of the brand. The fans chanted “referee” and Punk said “The people have spoken, and I will be the special guest referee.” He said the only rule is that you will listen to the official. He said since he’s the official, “y’all can start fightin’ right now.”
The two went at it. Security held them apart while the crowd, as well as Punk, chanted “Let them fight!” [c]
FINAL THOUGHTS: This episode did some pretty heavy lifting here, setting up matches for next week, as well as getting things in place for the two weeks to follow. CM Punk was probably a necessary piece here as he established what he’ll be doing two weeks from now, and Je’Von Evans won the lottery by being the guy who will have the pleasure of doing a job to Randy Orton on October 8th in a match designed to continue to elevate Evans. This week’s matches were deeply in the background, with four quickies and two tag matches with little in the way of stakes, as it was primarily a long commercial for three weeks of TV. I thought the show mostly got away with it, surprisingly enough, with some interesting hooks and a surprising sub-story for Tony D’Angelo. Nate Lindberg and I will talk it over on PWT Talks NXT shortly. Cheers.
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