 Ethan Page def. Ricky Saints to Win the NXT North American ChampionshipI assumed Starks would retain to set up Page getting called up to either Raw or SmackDown, but that obviously wasn't the case. The title change was a pleasant surprise, but I can definitely see the belt going right back to Saints before long. This was complete chaos from the get-go and I love the story they told with Page injuring Saints' throat and capitalizing on that to win the title. This was a hot way to kick off the show. Mike Santana def. Tavion HeightsSantana making his NXT debut was a long time coming. Fun fact: He and Ortiz were offered NXT deals when their TNA deals expired in 2019, but they opted to go to AEW instead. For those unaware, Santana has been killing it in TNA and on the independent scene over the last year, so this was a cool moment and a damn good match at that. I can understand some wanting this to be more of a straightforward showcase for Santana, but Heights was impressive and I've always felt he has potential, so I can't complain. Mike Santana Attacked TNA World Champion Trick WilliamsI'm shocked Santana confronted Williams only two days after Williams won the TNA World Championship. I'm even more shocked we're getting that match for the title next week. I sure hope it ends in a non-finish so we get the rematch at Slammiversary so Santana can win it in New York. Regardless, this was a solid segment to kick off the feud between these two. I'm all for Santana already getting the star treatment in NXT. Jaida Parker def. Tatum PaxleyThis stemmed from Paxley being bullied by Parker backstage last week. Paxley bringing out dolls that looked like Gigi Dolin, Shotzi and herself was a nice touch, but I didn't like how the finish was Parker throwing one of the dolls into the ring to distract Paxley and that being what won her the match. That was lame, but the matchup itself was fine. Thea Hail ran out afterward to get her hands on Parker, who was also attacked by Parker backstage last week. Jasper Troy def. Dante ChenTroy was the male winner of LFG's first season (which was worth checking out, by the way) and I appreciated how he's getting an aggressive push right out of the gate. I just fear that with Oba Femi being his first feud, he'll lose and it's only downhill from there. Hopefully he's protected in defeat. Nonetheless, this was a simple squash for Troy and Chen played his gatekeeper role perfectly as always. Je'Von Evans, Laredo Kid and Rey Fenix Interrupted NXT North American Champion Ethan PageI didn't expect to see Page back in the ring for a talking segment after winning the North American title at the start of the show. Then again, Worlds Collide is in less than two weeks and they needed to announce his match immediately. Him and Evans have history, so that should be fun, and the addition of Kid and Fenix should make it a super fun Fatal 4-Way. I do wish Fenix had a bigger match on the show, though. Jacy Jane def. Stephanie Vaquer to Win the NXT Women's ChampionshipWell, this came completely out of nowhere. Jane hasn't been prominently featured in... ever, actually. I don't have an issue with Vaquer losing the title since her main roster call-up is clearly imminent, but to Jane of all people? The jury is out on that one. The match itself was entertaining as I expected it to be after they established they have great chemistry together the last time they faced off. Overall ShowTo say this was a newsworthy show would be an understatement. Not one but two new champions were crowned and I honestly didn't see either title change coming. Plus, there were multiple match announcements for Worlds Collide, which was necessary with the event happening next Saturday. We also got Santana's NXT debut and a significant segment with him and Williams. This was easily a thumbs-up episode that kept the ball rolling coming out of Battleground.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
July 2025
|
RSS Feed