SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
FEBRUARY 11, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
LIVE ON CW NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
-Vic promoted Vengeance Day, live this Saturday at 6 Eastern. I’ll basically never see an NXT PLE on time as long as that’s in place. Oh well. Ridge Holland was shown walking to the arena earlier, and he ripped a pro-Tony D’Angelo sign a fan was holding.
(1) BAYLEY vs. CORA JADE
Bayley got a big reaction as she was introduced first. Jade tried to swing the kendo stick but Bayley ducked it. The stick went flying and the ref called for the bell. Jade bailed early to boos and Bayley followed her and pummeled her around the barricade. Bayley feigned a kendo stick shot but then tossed Jade back into the ring. Jade bailed again and Bayley did her past-the-pole dropkick.
Bayley took Jade back inside and got a near-fall, but Jade grabbed the hair and shoved Bayley to the mat. They had some back-and-forth and Bayley took over again. She hit a running knee. Jade bailed and Bayley hit a sliding dropkick to the outside. Jade shoved Bayley’s back into the apron, then yanked Bayley’s throat into the top rope and then hit some knees. Jade laid out Bayley with another big knee out of the corner, did her “single falling tear” taunt and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Bayley qualifying for the Elimination Chamber was mentioned. It really is strange to see someone from the main roster who’s a genuine star and not kicking tires in NXT. Bayley to Belly got two. Bayley hit a couple of clotheslines, then draped Jade in the corner for double knees. She covered for two. Jade reversed a shot and trapped Bayley for two. Gut-wrench suplex by Jade got two. Bayley tried another B2B but was thwarted. Bayley slammed Jade for two.
Bayley’s original hugger-era music played, and Roxanne Perez hit the ramp dressed like Bayley from that era. Bayley went out after her and Jade followed and hit a double-underhook DDT on the floor. Back in the ring, she hit another to finish. Angle on Perez, who looked a litte concerned at this result, as they’re telling the story that although she runs with Jade, she wants Jade to be running behind. The two had a chippy conversation in the ring.
WINNER: Cora Jade at 10:38.
Ava hit the ramp and quickly turned this match into a fatal four-way. Roxy wasn’t happy, but pretended to smile for Jade’s benefit. Bayley knocked the two of them together and hit Bayley to Belly on Roxy.
(Wells’s Analysis: With the Perez-Jade story going as it has, it was inevitable that Jade would be added to make this a four-way. The door is now open for Giulia to retain due to Jade and Perez having some sort of issue in the match, which itself might lead to them trying out Jade as a badass babyface now that she’s gotten more comfortable in a “tougher” role. The match was pretty good, but the angle was a little odd, as Perez clearly didn’t want Jade to win and therefore shouldn’t have shown up on the ramp to taunt Bayley in the first place)
-Zaria and Sol Ruca were talking in the locker room and Nikkita Lyons showed up for the first time in weeks to annoy them. Lyons told them to touch grass and not sand, and that one win didn’t make them a real tag team. She challenged Zaria to a match with “Big Cat ‘Kita.” I can’t stand much of Lyons’ act, but that’s a properly irritating nickname for a heel to give herself, I admit. [c]
-Oba Femi’s music danced him out to the ring. Sadly, wrestling’s best-dressed man was just in a t-shirt and jeans on this night. It was one of his own shirts, though, so I get it from a promotional standpoint. Femi cut a promo about the triple threat tonight, which was really more of a handicap match in the minds of A-Town Down Under. He said their egos will get in the way, though, because in the end only one man walks out with the championship.
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory hit the ramp to their music. Waller said Femi finally gets to share the ring with stars. Theory said Waller has never really gotten his flowers in NXT despite all he’s done. He said everyone forgets that Waller is the pillar that shaped NXT into what it is today. He said this is why Waller is going to help Theory beat Femi this Saturday. Waller had a great reaction and played it off like this is what will happen, though it’s clear what Waller will do when the time comes. It got chippy and Theory said he was the United States Champion. Waller cut him off and said “Yes, and you beat John Cena. We’re sick of hearing it.” Theory said it was a rare achievement, and Waller doesn’t understand because he’s never been a singles champion. Things deteriorated further until they turned their aggressions to Femi and they started cutting on him as he stared back at them coldly. A-Town feigned a physical fight, but it was a ruse to get the drop on Femi. They both hit signature spots on him to boos, then each one had a moment with Femi’s NXT Championship belt. The heels posed together as the segment ended.
-Pre-taped Eddy Thorpe hype segment. He cut a promo on Trick Williams and said that Vengeance is the only thing he seeks now. I believe it’s the same spot from last week, which is fine, because it was pretty good. He added that it’s a strap match, which has been obvious since he first brought the thing out there.
-Hank & Tank entered ahead of the triple threat tag match. [c]
-Dr. David Cohen updated us and said that Je’Von Evans will be ready to go Saturday against Ethan Page, but in the case of another fracture, he’s looking at a return time of six months or even a disqualification from coming back period. Ava and Evans were watching this on a monitor and Evans said this proved he could be cleared. Ava made him sign a waiver that said WWE isn’t liable if he takes the match. He said “Okay, I’ll think about it” and then immediately signed and said “I thought about it.”
(2) HANK WALKER & TANK LEDGER vs. JOSH BRIGGS & YOSHIKI INAMURA vs. TAVION HEIGHTS & MYLES BORNE – Triple threat tag match for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships
Inamura went at Tank, then Hank, then Borne, with some strong style strikes early. Hank & Tank took over with a double-team but Heights made the blind tag. No Quarter Catch Crew double-teamed Hank for a quick two count, but Hank put Borne up in the electric chair and dropped him on the rpes. Tank and Inamura hit the ring and Inamura went hard again, and Booker said he was really liking him. Briggs hit the ring and Tank ducked a double-lariat and hit a cros-body on both. Tags and spots were too fast for any story to be told as the next minute or so was honestly too quick to type or even follow. This company’s obsession with making every multi-team match a spotfest with no flow or heat sequences is so frustrating. Axiom & Nathan Frazer were shown on the perch waving down at the men in the match. They went to a moment of selling as the match went to commercial. [c]
Inamura dominated Borne as the match continued to be a bit of an Inamura showcase. Briggs tagged in as the pair dominated Borne & Heights. Hank and Tank got involved and soon enough, the match was another mess of activity with nobody being featured for more than a couple of seconds. There was an “NXT” chant. Sigh. Eventually it slowed down and Heights and Hank had an exchange. Briggs got involved and the three took turns attacking one another. Briggs tried to boot Hank from the ring, and then instead hit a powerbomb and covered for two, broken up by NQCC. Everyone ended up outside and Hank hit a cross-body from the top buckle. Back inside, Hank slammed Briggs for a very long two.
Briggs and Hank went up in a corner. Both guys missed, but Inamura tagged in. Briggs laid out Hank and Inamura hit a glorious frog splash to finish.
WINNERS: Yoshiki Inamura and Josh Briggs at 12:09.
Axiom and Frazer picked up mics and put over Briggs and Inamura. They said Briggs is one of the most underrated guys here and they now saw what all the hype is about with Inamura. They said they wanted a shot, but the problem is now they’ve got one at Vengeance Day. I was remembering this as an official #1 contender’s match, but apparently it was an unofficial one and I just connected the dots. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: Hoo boy was this exhausting. They sure got in a lot of spots, but it was hard to get into any team’s heart and drive when momentum shifted every couple of seconds. On the positive side of things, though, the work was very clean, and Inamura is a truckload of fun. It could be an interesting clash of styles on Saturday if they bother to slow down once and a while)
-The Family, along with Izzi Dame, hung out backstage. Stacks tried to smooth things over with D’Angelo after some tough weeks and D’Angelo said it was fine and he has to do this steel cage match alone tonight. D’Angelo said it was all good and as usual, we can say “Fuhgeddaboutit.” Well, I assume we’re all seeing the same ending coming here.
(3) JDC vs. LEXIS KING (c) – Heritage Cup Championship
[HOUR TWO]
Vic reiterated that the Lexis King has changed the rules and it’s just one fall to a finish now, and mentioned it’s also now called the “Heritage Cup Championship” and not just the Heritage Cup. So…it went from a belt with an identity to a championship that looks like any other. I really hope this is just a Lexis King thing. Corey and Booker put over the new rules so it’s probably a total change and they know they need to convince the people that see it for the downer that it is.
JDC (the former Fandango, and I won’t mention that again) was in control early on with grapples and chops. Vic said he hadn’t wrestled here since 2021 (I believe he and Tyler Breeze were champions pretty shortly before their releases). They did a bit with King looking for a towel and a corner person, though he’d done away with corner help, before JDC took him out on the ramp side and a “TNA” chant led into split-screen commercial. [c]
King had control, as he had during the break. He posed to boos. JDC missed a dropkick from the second rope but he hit some chops. King trapped JDC in a half-crab and he called it “Lance Storm-esque.” King kept up the heat sequence with some slowed-down offense until JDC hit a big lariat out of nowhere from against the ropes. JDC hit some European Uppercuts in he corner and then a leg drop and a falcon arrow for two. King bailed and JDC hit a tope con giro. Back inside, JDC hit a leg drop from the top for a long two. “That was three” chant. Graves called it “Beautiful Bobby-esque.” JDC sold pain to his landing side, and King took advantage and hit the Coronation from the buckle to finish.
WINNER: Lexis King at 9:36.
(Wells’s Analysis: JDC created a lot of movement around King, a classic heel who just happens to be a guy who was facing a wrestler with way more in common with his dad in the ring than he has. After months of twisting in the wind, King is now once again genuinely being pushed. He was brought in with enough fanfare that it feels like they’re committed to his success with a level of bullheadedness that most signees don’t see the benefits of)
-Bayley was talking to Ava and Roxanne Perez immediately Roxanne Perez showed up and there was an argument. Perez was still in her Bayley gear and Bayley said “This is the best you’ve ever looked, you ugly idiot.” Bayley took her leave, and then Cora Jade showed up and said she was going to win the championship this weekend, and she was glad that Perez would be right there to see it.
-Nikkita Lyons entered. Her entrance was cut off by commercial. Small miracles. [c]
-Fatal Influence, in the back, talked together. Kelani Jordan showed up and called for a championship match when Vengeance Day is over. Jaida Parker showed up next and cut on Jordan and made her intentions clear as well. Ashante Thee Adonis showed up next to speak on the behalf of Karmen Petrovic, who wasn’t there. They all talked over one another as the segment ended.
(4) ZARIA (w/Sol Ruca) vs. NIKKITA LYONS
Slugfest to start. Zaria hit a big boot and a couple of lariats, then another big boo. Zaria wanted a German suplex. Lyons blocked two, then hit one, sort of. Lyons went up and Zaria tried a powerbomb, but Lyons hit a rana. German suplex by Zaria. Both sold on the mat like the match was ten minutes in. Lyons still had some extremely male chants, but they were strongly diminished from a couple of years ago. Lyons worked a sleeper and Zaria escaped. Zaria hit a spear and an F-5 to finish.
WINNER: Zaria at 2:48.
(Wells’s Analysis: Lyons is fully in short match enhancement mode, and even then she’s still not looking like she belongs in a ring. Zaria got in a few decent spots but she needs a better opponent to really show out, and ideally some small opponents that can bump all over the ring to get her over as a monster)
-Ethan Page sat down for a promoted promo on Je’Von Evans. He’s looking to end his career. [c]
-Sarah Schreiber caught up with Trick Williams and asked whether he agrees to the strap match. Williams said he’d do it, eye to eye, face to face, and he’d whoop that ass. Seriously, it is insane how little they use Williams sometimes when he’s as over as he is. This segment was thirty seconds long.
-RICKY STARKS!!!!!!! showed up out of nowhere and had a mic. He said if NXT is the future of wrestling, then they need a superstar of the future. If this is the hottest brand, they need the hottest free agent. “Ricky” chant. He said not to let the handsome face and expensive fragrance fool you: he’s here to turn this upside down. He said the revolution will be televised, and here he is. He did his taunt and took off. Vic said “We DO know who that is!” Nobody (other than the fans) said his name, so they’ve got ample time to decide whether they want to call him Ricky Starks or to change it. My gut says they’ll stick with his name, as he has just enough name value to keep rolling with it.
(Wells’s Analysis: I saw Ricky’s entire run on NWA, where he was good enough that championships and PPVs were being built around him right before COVID happened and soon enough, he was poached by AEW (I interacted with him on Twitter a little about this at the time). I worried he’d get lost in the shuffle in AEW and eventually, that did happen. I think he’s got a real chance to be a major star in NXT if the timing proves to be right, and a nice long-term midcard player on the main roster eventually who might visit the main event scene in the best case scenario)
[c]
-At some “pre-game” event, Kale Dixon and newcomer Uriah Connors tried to get Andre Chase to go out. Chase said it’s a school night. They reminded him that Chase U is dead, and he said that old habits die hard. He left. Dixon said “I told you he’s not okay” and Connors said “We’ll see.” I’d be expecting Duke Hudson to show up soon if he hadn’t been let go.
-The Ricky Starks hype train is in full effect as most of his appearance was replayed. Vic said social media was abuzz.
(5) TONY D’ANGELO (c) vs. RIDGE HOLLAND – Cage match for the NXT North American Championship
I can’t believe I’m seeing even just one of these guys in a cage match, let alone both in the same match. Mike Rome handled formal introductions. Introductions happened at around 17 minutes to the hour.
Rights to open. Both guys apparently thought they were going to take control early as the first couple were awkward. D’Angelo got the early advantage in a corner and he exploded from one with a forearm. Breadbasket shots by D followed by a suplex. He covered for two. D kept it up with another corner whip and a lariat. Holland went to the eyes to get a brief advantage, but D tossed him into the cage. D tried a backsplash agaisnst the cage but Holland moved and a heat sequence was now ready to go during the split-screen segment. [c]
Holland had D’Angelo in a chinlock. D escaped just to get caught with another, this time with an arm trapped as well. D managed a jawbreaker but Holland hit a lariat for two. Outside, the Family showed concern as Holland went up the ropes. Holland elbowed D to the mat, then missed from the top. D’Angelo shoved Holland into one side of the cage, then another. Belly to belly by D’Angelo, then another. Cover for two.
Holland hit a pump kick and a Snow Plow (called by Vic!) for two. The two hit their knees and exchanged rights. They got to their feet and a spot was completely botched by one of them. D hit a powerbomb against the cage, then hit a spear for a long two. Vic acted shocked, but there are seven minutes to go, so nah. Izzi Dame showed up with a crowbar. Stacks kept it away from her, and then shoved it between the grates himself. Holland ended up with it (imagine that) and he hit a DDT atop it for two. D’Angelo went to the eyes and hit the spinebuster to retain. Seriously?!
WINNER: Tony D’Angelo at 11:09.
The Family tried to enter to celebrate, and Holland beat down Luca Crusifino and Stack as they went to the ring. Izzi Dame and Adrianna Rizzo tried to help D to his feet, and then Shawn Spears and Brooks Jensen showed up. Dame then grabbed the crowbar, and of course went at D’Angelo. Niko Vance joined the party and the heel faction took out D. Stacks and Crusifino tried to get back to the ring and they were thwarted as the heel faction used chairs to knock them down from trying to climb up.
-Final Vengeance Day hype. This got the last couple of minutes before the show went off the air. We got one last look at the new four-person faction that will be debuting there.
(Wells’s Analysis: I keep forgetting about the debuting faction. It’s strange that this go-home show finished with two factions that aren’t going to be represented at Vengeance Day. Great that Izzi Dame finally has something to do; let’s see if she’s graduated to a more interesting in-ring act as she was little more than a create-a-wrestler when we last saw her. I remain baffled that this championship, long treated as a prize for great workers, is still being held hostage by a guy like D’Angelo. I thought they’d turn him heel here as his character should be, but that wasn’t the play this week)
FINAL THOUGHTS: I’m generally a pretty positive dude when it comes to NXT, but this was a really weird go-home show. I know they don’t want to tax Saturday’s competitors too much, but this show felt like it existed on a different plane, and much of the work was to further the weekly show (which is great, but it didn’t make me want to see Vengeance Day very much). The night’s news was carried by Ricky Starks, who might very well end up in a big angle at Vengeance Day, now that the company is sure they’ve got him. For those uninitiated, if any remain, I can say that the excitement is well placed, and I hope he’s put in a position to succeed. Bayley and Cora Jade had the match of the night (on a quiet night, in-ring wise) and Yoshiki Inamura thankfully was able to stand out in a match where most of the time, nobody ever stands out thanks to the nonstop spots. There’s a risk that I’ll be somewhat negative tonight on PWT Talks NXT, but on the other hand, there’s Ricky Starks, so we’ll see what happens. Join Nate Lindberg and me tonight or stream tomorrow.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.