SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
JANUARY 21, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
LIVE ON CW NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXTCommentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber, Byron Saxton
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
-Corey Graves is back in the house, so…the plot thickens?
-Oba Femi and Bayley were shown walking through the back making their arrivals (separately).
(1) TONY D’ANGELO (c) (w/Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino & Adrianna Rizzo) vs. RIDGE HOLLAND – NXT North American Championship
Graves said that Holland was “scratching and clawing to hang on to relevance” in WWE, framing it as this making Holland dangerous, though it was kind of like saying the quiet part out loud. Mike Rome’s tall frosted tips handled formal intros.
Lockup to open. They rolled around the ring and reset. Holland hit an uppercut and they exchanged strikes. Holland laid out D with a block. Another reset. Rope run and D hit a big arm drag and a lariat. He fired up and jawed at Holland, then hit a headlock takedown. Graves invoked the name of Joe Hendry, the newish champion of TNA. D laid out Holland again and Shawn Spears appeared at the top of the ramp to survey the scene heading into split-screen commercial. [c]
Holland had D’Angelo grounded with an armbar, but D recovered just as full-screen returned and he ran the ropes for a forearm. Body slam by D’Angelo followed by a fisherman suplex with a float-over for two. Kind of a slick spot by D’Angelo’s extremely straightforward standards. The two exchanged strikes and Holland hit a pump kick and a snap suplex for two. Spears was still lurking on the ramp. D hit a cross-body (called a spear by Vic, weirdly) and Spears went to the ring. Izzi Dame quickly got involved to help D’Angelo, while Brooks Jensen and Nico hit the ramp and the outside men all brawled. In the mess of activity, D’Angelo hit the spinebuster to finish and retain. On the outside, Izzi applauded and said “now we’re even.” Graves wondered how that came about.
WINNER: Tony D’Angelo at 7:28.
(Wells’s Analysis: I continue to marvel at the company’s insistence that D’Angelo is an uppercard talent when he’s just some guy, but at least he’s committed to the gimmick, silly and high-concept as it is. Holland has fallen again in a championship match and it feels like his push might be over for now, unless he has some sort of quick follow-up. I’ll give NXT props for finally making me somewhat interested in Izzi Dame)
-Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont hit the locker room and Dion Lennox talked about challenging Lee. Lee was going on about Lennox not being worth his time when Trick Williams appeared and silently went to his space. Lee said “We’ve got a former champion in our midst! From the penthouse to the outhouse-” and Trick turned around, b&^%h-slapped Lee, and left the scene without a word. Lee licked his wounds as the announcers said he was in no mood to play around. Also hanging out silently in the scene were Edris Enofe and Malik Blade, who are just WAY too talented to continue to get no airtime. [c]
-Bayley hit the ring to another huge reaction. “Welcome home” chant. She said they were right that it’s her home. She said she came out here last week because she cares about Roxanne Perez and all she’s done for the division and all she got was a slap in the face. She said Perez tried to slam her by saying she was like CM Punk or Natalya, but that was a compliment. She said now she’s in NXT to get rid of entitled little idiots like Perez. Bayley was briefly thrown by someone who yelled out “I love you Bayley!” She worked it into the promo after saying she loved them too. She called out some of the women in the youngest locker room in the business, and said they needed to be hungry when someone like Giulia was on top.
Giulia’s music played her to the ring. She said she came from Japan and wanted to be in NXT. She said Roxanne may not look up to Bayley, but she does. She said she hopes to hold the title with as much honor and love for NXT as Bayley. Bayley thanked her and said she’d make big moments of her own. She said the title changed the landscape of not only NXT but WWE.
Roxanne Perez showed up and said she was embarrassed for Bayley after back-to-back losses, and said she was happy she had a front row seat to SmackDown to see it. Cora Jade was also there. Bayley called out the boo-birds and said they couldn’t hear the heels. Jade powered through and said Bayley wasn’t a role model once she left. Bayley and Giulia played along with the crowd and pretended they couldn’t hear. Perez told them to shut the hell up, amping up the nuclear heat that was on display. Perez said Bayley had done a lot, and then thanked her for her service but said it was no longer needed.
Perez said everyone should be booing her because Bayley was trying to come down here and be the #1 woman in the #1 women’s division, because she knew deep down this generation surpassed the four horsewomen era (it has, given the strength of the midcard, but that’s still a great line). They all came to blows.
-Jaida Parker was watching on a screen in the locker room and she bragged about Bayley mentioning her two weeks in a row. Kelani Jordan jawed with her and Karmen Petrovic showed up and said love was in the air, so everyone should be cool. Parker asked why she was so excited to get a kiss from a guy who was going to leave her in a few months. Petrovic said she was the one who initiated it and not to bad-mouth her man. Parker said “you mean Nikkita’s man” and the two started going at it.
The camera cut back to the ring, where the four there were still brawling. In an unorthodox move, they went to split-screen on the non-match brawl. [c]
-Back from break, Dion Lennox had been introduced ahead of the next match, with the four women cleared out.
(2) DION LENNOX vs. WES LEE (w/Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont)
Lee cornered Lennox early, who bailed. Lee hit a tope suicida. Back inside, Lennox hit an impossibly high press-slam. Lennox threw some rights. Lee ran the ropes and kicked a waiting Lennox in the face. Lee got in another shot but Lennox hit a big shoulderblock. Lee booted a charging Lennox, but he hit a spinebuster that made Tony D’Angelo’s look like it shouldn’t finish anyone. He covered for two. Lee hit a superkick, a back kick and an enzuigiri. Cardiac Kick finished.
WINNER: Wes Lee at 2:22.
(Wells’s Analysis: I hope we’re close to the last time I mention that Lennox is way, way too impressively powerful to be doing quick jobs. I understand it’s a stacked field, but they have to have a better stepover guy)
Lee cut a brief promo on Trick Williams, who ran to the ring and laid him out. He said if Lee wants him next week in Atlanta, he’s got him. Williams shoved past Lennox with a hard shoulder as he went to the back, and Lennox looked back as Williams walked to the back.
-A Lexis King segment focused on him being a changed man and how he became a champion. Charlie Dempsey said Lexis King’s name being on the cup is a disgrace.
-King made his entrance ahead of the title defense. Nobody was with him, so the rule about the corner man may have evaporated. [c]
-Sarah Schreiber interviewed Stephanie Vaquer, who said she wants the North American Championship. She said if Shotzi becomes the North American Champion, she will meet hell. She added that Fallon Henley can run, but she can’t hide. It was brief, but a nice outing on the mic for Vaquer.
(3) LEXIS KING (c) vs. CHARLIE DEMPSEY (w/Tavion Heights & Myles Borne & Wren Sinclair) – Heritage Cup Championship match
ROUND ONE: Dempsey kicked away an attempt at a handshake. King held on to a headlock as Dempsey tried to escape, and Dempsey rolled him up and broke. King hit a dropkick and an arm drag to ground him. Vic mentioned the lack of the corner man for King, so the rule is still in place, but it’s part of the story. King kept working the arm and flexed as he had Dempsey grounded. Dempsey hit a nice rollup for two and King reversed for two. King blocked Dempsey to the mat and they reset. King went for another handshake and Dempsey obliged, then threw hands. King tried a fancy rollup but Dempsey reversed to a headlock submission. King quickly escaped and they worked some more reversals until time expired with Dempsey working a crossface chicken wing. The camera caught a pair of brass knuckles in King’s bucket in the corner, and Graves laughed at the fact as the match went to split-screen commercial. I noticed for the first time that it said “Non-Stop NXT” in the corner, so apparently most or all breaks will be shown tonight? [c]
ROUND THREE: During the break, King won a fall. Vic said this is why you can’t miss the split-screen breaks. Vic said Charlie Dempsey “dropped the ball like Mark Andrews.” Graves said he’s a Steelers fan and still feels bad that Vic said that. Vic said he’s a Browns fan so he really has nothing, then pointed out that King is a Bengals fan so they’ve got the whole AFC North covered. Normally these major sports comments are distracting, but this was amusing enough. The third round was back-and-forth until Dempsey scored on a rollup with 32 seconds to go in the third fall.
King grabbed the brass knuckles, then thought better of it and shook his head.
[HOUR TWO]
ROUND FOUR: Dempsey hit a dragon screw that sent King to his own corner, where he could feasibly have grabbed the knucks again, but he didn’t. They ran the ropes and King took the upper hand with a block and a lariat. King hit a Northern Lights suplex with a bridge for two. King went high and hit a cross-body for two. Dempsey blocked a move and hit a German suplex. King crawled to his bucket again, but Dempsey snatched him before he could make a decision on the knuckles. Dempsey got dumped to the ramp side and King hit a plancha on the lot of them. Back inside, Dempsey rolled up King for two. Action went to the corner and the ref got smashed between the two and the corner. King didn’t grab the knuckles, but instead kicked back to nail Dempsey with a low blow. The Coronation finished with about 11 seconds remaining in the round.
WINNER: Lexis King at about 10:00 combined.
(Wells’s Analysis: King’s long story about whether or not he has it in him to be truly good continues. That sounds like a complaint, but it’s easily the most interesting thing he’s done on the brand. NQCC is kind of in a holding pattern as they’ve again come up short in a match for this particular title)
-Naomi and Bianca Belair cut a promo on Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson in front of a wall that wasn’t familiar, so it wasn’t likely they were in the house. They promoted the match for next week.
-Karmen Petrovic made her entrance, with Ashante Thee Adonis at her side, ahead of the next match. It wasn’t split-screen so the “non-stop” branding during the split-screen breaks is suspect. [c]
-Andre Chase talked with Hank & Tank. He said all teams break up eventually, so they should do it now and get it over with. They shook their head at one another. Kale Dixon showed up again and said Chase was a badass. Chase said he used to be, but it’s over. He left. Dixon said “but it doesn’t have to be!” Behind the scene, a bunch of young PC kids were watching an old Chase U video for some reason (Bodhi Hayward was featured from behind, so it was an old one)
(4) KARMEN PETROVIC (w/Ashante Thee Adonis) vs. JAIDA PARKER
Commentary focused on the tension between Petrovic and Adonis rather than the match. Parker and Petrovic exchanged early blows and Parker took over with an electric chair drop. Parker hit a trio of blocks in the corner, then set up Petrovic and hit the teardrop, then did her high-step taunt. Graves mentioned that you’re not going to find a bigger fan than his wife Carmella. Parker hit a nice swinging neckbreaker for two. Parker remained in control until an inside cradle for two by Petrovic. Parker missed in the corner but put Petrovic up on her shoulders. Petrovic rolled down and covered for two. Petrovic hit some running forearms and a tornado clothesline, then a sling blade for two. Petrovic missed a big kick and Parker planted her. Parker ran the ropes for her Drive-By finisher but got distracted by Kelani Jordan, who had appeared at ringside. Petrovic rolled Parker up for a three count that served the story, but wasn’t believable given Parker’s domination of the match.
WINNER: Karmen Petrovic at 5:09.
(Wells’s Analysis: Petrovic needed a win as she’s in a storyline that would fall flat if both she and Adonis were doing nothing but jobs, but Parker has had to eat a few pins recently after an extended push. I’m sure she’s fine for whenever she heads north, and still strikes me as the surest bet to be a major player on the main roster (yes, even with the new signings) but here’s hoping she doesn’t get defined down too far too soon)
-Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson talked with Sol Ruca and Zaria in the locker room about the former’s chance at the tag championship. Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley showed up and it seemed everyone was on board with an NXT team taking the championship, though Zaria remained stoic, arms crossed.
-Eddy Thorpe and Oba Femi were shown getting serious in their separate spaces ahead of tonight’s main event. [c]
(5) CHANNING “STACKS” LORENZO & LUCA CRUSIFINO (w/Tony D’Angelo & Adrianna Rizzo) vs. BROOKS JENSEN & NIKO VANCE (w/Shawn Spears)
There was a brawl before the bell that lasted about a minute before the match was legally started. Stacks dominated Vance early and the heels got bumped to the ramp. Stacks ran the ropes and Vance arm-dragged him over to lay out the heels. Back inside, Crusifino made the tag and the faces tried a double-team but Jensen yanked the leg of a running Stacks and Vance took over on offense against Crusifino. Jensen tagged in and hit a big suplex for two. Vance tagged in and Jensen laid out Crusifino one more time before Vance covered for two. Vance hit some headbutts. The crowd chanted “you suck” much of the time that Vance was in the ring. He’s pretty green and perhaps should still be on LVL Up, honestly, though I don’t have a ton of familiarity with him yet.
Everyone got involved and Stacks dropkicked both faces from the second buckle. The Family tried a double-team but Crusifino got dumped and Vance blocked him into the steps. Vance tagged in and hit a big lariat on Stacks to finish.
WINNERS: Brooks Jensen & Niko Vance at 4:24.
(Wells’s Analysis: This match was no fun to follow as everyone was involved much of the time with no attempt to work a true tag match. Vance has some impressive raw power but his fundamentals are pretty iffy)
-Schreiber interviewed Axiom & Nathan Frazer, who promoted their defense against the Rascalz on TNA. Briggs and Inamura stepped into the scene and Briggs asked “What part of ‘we got next’ do you not understand?” There was a brief conversation before OTM showed up and brawled with Briggs & Inamura.
-Vic promoted Ethan Page addressing “the NXT Universe” next. [c]
-I missed a scene with the Family, but it sounded like Tony D’Angelo was taken to task for not being out there during the tag loss, and he said he couldn’t babysit everybody.
-Ethan Page cut a promo, previously recorded. He said he might owe Dante Chen an apology, but he didn’t know how much he would enjoy listening to people screaming in pain. He transitioned to Je’Von Evans and said next time, it won’t be just one punch. He said he won’t stop.
-Evans was talking to Ava, in a pretty amusing scene because his jaws were wired shut. Ava said Evans wasn’t cleared, but Cedric Alexander is.
After Evans left, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory showed up and they buttered up Ava and said they wanted to host the Waller Effect next ek. They asked for some more security because they’re a big deal. Waller said maybe they’ll watch a match tonight out there because they like wrestling.
-Bayley & Giulia will face Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez from Atlanta next week. Trick Williams will face Wes Lee. Fallon Henley will defend the NXT Women’s North American Championship against Shotzi. Additionally, the winner of tonight’s championship match will be on the Grayson Waller Effect.
-Oba Femi walked through the back ahead of tonight’s main event. [c]
-Diamond Dallas Page was shown sitting in the front row.
(6) OBA FEMI (c) vs. EDDY THORPE – NXT Championship match
Mike Rome made formal introductions at just 13 minutes from the hour. Thorne got in a kick and a German suplex early, followed by a diving forearm for a one count. Thorpe ran the ropes and Femi laid him out with a hard right. Femi bealed Thorpe around the ring. Back body-drop by Femi. Thorpe bailed to the announce table but Femi threw him right back into the ring and tried to swing at him on the apron, but Thorpe moved and Femi sold the forearm. Thorpe dropkicked Femi from the apron to the floor. Vic mentioned Thorpe’s record is 22-8-1 since signing and this is his biggest chance so far. A LOT of those wins must not have been televised (at least on NXT proper) because it sure doesn’t feel that way. Waller and Theory were shown watching from the perch. The match went to split-screen. [c]
Femi had been on the wrong end of a heat sequence, but he tossed Thorpe across the ring. Femi worked Thorpe over in the corner, then hit a sidewalk slam in the middle of the ring. Running European uppercuts and a spinebuster by Femi got nearly three. Seriously, if guys like Oba aren’t winning with the spinebuster, D’Angelo needs a new finisher (or everyone else needs to stop using it, which isn’t happening). Thorpe got a quick rollup for two but Femi laid him out with a lariat.
Thorpe reversed a move and hit a stunner. Thorpe went high and hit a flying elbow for a long two. The two went to a shot exchange and worked their way up to kicks and a big back elbow by Femi. Thorpe hit a snap German for two. He went for a diving chop but Femi caught him and hit a chokeslam for a very long two. Femi missed a charge and ate the post in the corner. Thorpe dropkicked Femi to the corner and went for a big kick, but Femi caught and tossed Thorpe to the mat. Pop-up powerbomb finished.
WINNER: Oba Femi at 10:12.
Waller and Theory were shown excitedly reacting to the fact that they get to interview Femi next week. Femi looked up at them and they taunted down at him and jawed a little. The camera panned and Trick Williams had shown up to get in Femi’s face. Thorpe popped up and went for Williams, and Williams booted him (back to the midcard?). Femi held up his belt in Trick’s face and the show ended.
FINAL THOUGHTS: There were some intriguing developments this week, with Trick Williams apparently not done in NXT (though I don’t think he’s long for the brand), Tony D heeling somewhat on Stacks (though who knows which will actually be framed as the heel, as they’re so weird when it comes to D’Angelo), and Lexis King once again tapping into the bastard he was when he showed up. What I appreciated most about this episode was that most of the time it feels like NXT is on the short ride to yet another PLE or major episode, and this one felt like a quality weekly show meant to be followed by a quality weekly show. I know I’m yelling into the wind saying there are just too many special shows these days and they water down the product, but…well, here I am saying it again. Nate Lindberg and I will talk it over on PWT Talks NXT right about now. Check it out tonight or stream tomorrow.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.