By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live April 2, 2024 on USA Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer… The show started with separate shots of Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes (w/personal security) arriving to the Performance Center… Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. “The Good Brothers” Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. “The Latino World Order” Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde to become number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships. Axiom and Frazer started out the match with dives to the ringside to hit The Good Brothers. Wilde and Axiom swarmed the Good Brothers with dropkicks. Axiom and Wilde then traded quick rollups. Axiom hit Anderson with a huracanrana. Axiom then planted Wilde with a standing Spanish Fly for a two count. Frazer tagged in and hit Anderson with a DDT. Frazer hit Anderson and Wilde with a double DDT after a moonsault.
Wilde avoided a Phoenix Splash from Frazer. Wilde slammed Frazer for a two count. Del Toro tagged in but ate a top rope enzuigiri from Axiom. Gallows and Anderson hit went for a Tower of Doom on everyone, but it was blocked. Del Toro and Wilde hit Gallows with a shoulder to shoulder double missile dropkick. Wilde hit everyone at ringside with a Spiral Tap heading into picture-in-picture.[c]
Back from break, Axiom hit Wilde with a Super Spanish Fly for a great nearfall. Frazer and Axiom hit Wilde with frog splashes. Axiom hit Anderson with a huracanrana. Gallows used power strikes to take down most of his opponents. The wrestlers then teamed up against Gallows. Axiom and Frazer assisted Wilde in his signature trampoline splash. Gallows broke up Wilde’s pin attempt. Frazer hit (barely) Wilde and Gallows with a top rope flip dive. Anderson shoved Axiom onto the pile of wrestlers for a n improvised trust fall.
Anderson actually hit the pile of wrestlers with rope assisted a flip dive. Del Toro hit the pile of wrestlers with a corkscrew crossbody. The Good Brothers hit Del Toro with a Magic Killer after dodging a dive. Axiom hit a Good Brother at ringside with a suicide dive. Frazer hit Del Toro with a 450 for the win.
Nathan Frazer and Axiom defeated The LWO and Good Brothers via pinfall in 10:48 to become number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Axiom and Frazer in the center of the ring. Frazer talked about how he and Axiom never slow down. Axiom said they are unstoppable. Both men hyped up the tag team title match. Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin posed with their title belts at the crow’s nest…
John’s Thoughts: High speed non-stop action from the cruiserweights in this match with Anderson and Gallows doing a good job slowing things down to allow viewers to take in all the fast moves. Joaquin Wilde in particular has been stepping up his game in his NXT resurgence, reminding me of when he was really doing good work in TNA’s X Division as DJ Zima Ion. Del Toro also looking great back in NXT. Happy that they decided to go with the team that could use the boost as well as put on the most entertaining match at Stand and Deliver.
A Lexis King promo aired where he recapped his feud with Von Wagner and Robert Stone. Lexis pointed out that Stone has been trying to lead Wagner in the right direction. Lexis said without Stone, Von can’t stand up to King. King laughed and said that we’ll soon see the King’s hand raised in victory…
Fallon Henley, Thea Hail, and Kelani Jordan made their entrance in country themed attire…[c]
An ad aired for WWE’s WrestleMania week events…
An interviewer caught up with Ilja Dragunov who was heading to his dinner to meet Tony D Angelo. Ilja walked up to his car which had a parking boot on it. A random SUV showed up to escort Ilja to the meeting. Ilja accepted the ride after being reluctant at first…
Jacy Jayne and her crew made their entrance…
2. Fallon Henley (w/Kelani Jordan, Thea Hail) vs. Jacy Jayne (w/Jasmyn Nyx, Izzi Dame, Kiana James). Both women started out the match with strikes and technical wrestling. Henley tripped up Jayne and hit her with a side jump kick. The heels at the side distracted Henley which allowed Jayne to pick up control of the match. Thea Hail did her usual Scrappy Doo “let me at them” routine with Jordan holding her back. Jayne got a suplex for a nearfall.
Henley got a two count after a sunset flip. Jayne put Henley in a cravate. Hail and Jordan rallied Henley to her feet by cheering on. Henley hit Jayne with a headbutt and a punch combo. James got on the apron for the distraction. Hail took out James with a suicide dive. The heels had the numbers advantage on Jordan at ringside (Nyx’s arm being in a sling though). The distraction allowed Jayne to catch Henley in the ring with a running knee for the win.
Jacy Jayne defeated Fallon Henley via pinfall 3:58.
The camera cut to Gorilla Position where NXT GM Ava was at the production table. Jayne cut a promo to brag about her win. Ava interrupted, saying that it was live TV. Hail, Henley, and Jordan were yelling randomly. Ava booked the expected six person tag involving all the wrestlers in the prior match…
Lexis King made his entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A match featuring a bunch of the random women of NXT’s women’s division. I bring up “random” because a lot of the newer wresters don’t have character development and they are being put on TV all at once. Even Vic Joseph was struggling to keep up with all the women in this program. I do think NXT has done a better job with all of these TV ready women in recent weeks because instead of sprinkling all the random faces throughout the show, they are all concentrated in this “get everyone on the PPV” microcosm feud. It makes it so the rest of the show quality is in-tact.
A Josh Briggs vignette aired. Briggs talked about being a tag team wrestler primarily until JBL put the battery in his back to become a big man singles wrestler. Briggs said he’ll stand on his own and deliver the fight of his career at the PLE…
Vic Joseph thanked the band The Wonder Years for providing the song “Year of the Vulture” as the theme song for Stand and Deliver. Vic also noted that Jacy Jayne, Izzi Dame, and Kiana James vs. Kelani Jordan, Fallon Henley, and Thea Hail was made official for stand and deliver…
Von Wagner sprinted to the ring to start the match quick…
3. Von Wagner vs. Lexis King. Von manhandled King all over ringside and in the ring. King got a boot in, but Von caught him out of the air for a fallaway slam. King sidestepped Von to send him into the ringpost. King then caught Von with a switch knee on the ring apron. King kept Von on the mat with elbow drops. King choked Von with a boot against the buckle. Von then rallied back. King ended that momentum with a neckbreaker for a two count.
King put Von in a Sleeper which Von escaped by slamming Lexis into the buckle. King went back to the hold was but was tossed again. King hit Von with a few knees. Von came back with a power slam. Von gave King a big boot. Von hit King with a underhook slam. Von hit King with a strong chokeslam on the apron which fired up the crowd.
Von cleared the announce table (Vic got his candy bowl out of the way). King escaped a power bomb attempt with a clunky DDT. King caught Von with his swinging neckbreaker finisher for the victory.
Lexis King defeated Von Wagner via pinfall in 5:53.
John’s Thoughts: A bit clunky at points, with both wrestlers having room for improvement to clean up some moves. The few clunky points aside, both men are showing improvement and looked solid here. Von Wagner in particular has endeared himself to the NXT audience and does a good job firing them up with his big man power moves.
Carmelo Hayes’s personal security allowed Ava into Melo’s locker room. Ava told Melo that she advised the referees to be lenient at Stand and Deliver. She also said she has extra security on this show to make sure Melo and Trick won’t get out of hand. Melo told Ava to get her guards ready, because he has his personal guards ready…
Natalya was coaching Karmen Petrovic backstage. Roxanne Perez showed up and talked trash to Natalya, calling her a former hero. Petrovic picked up her katana sword and told Natty to head with her to the ring…
Lola Vice made her entrance…[c]
Ariana Grace was standing in front of a bunch of dresses on a coatrack. Wren Sinclair asked why she had that coatrack there. Grace said it was to make “Georgina” (Gigi Dolin) look great. Wren said Gigi already looks cool. She said she thought beauty pageants are for people to showcase their natural beauty. Grace said she was appalled that Wren would say she is going to be a detriment to “Georgina”. Grace said that sounds like fighting words. Grace walked off with the coat rack…
Karmen Petrovic and Natalya made their entrance. Vic noted that Petrovic carries an actual sword to the ring as a symbol of a warrior. Vic also noted that Natalya and Karmen are both Canadian
4. Lola Vice vs. Karmen Petrovic. Vice had a proper footsie stance to keep Karmen’s kicks at bay. Vice managed to tangle up Petrovic with some jujitsu holds. Karmen came back with a Rolling Sobat and discus lariat for a two count. Vice hit Karmen with a nice switch roundhouse. Vice then hit Karmen with some Muay Thai clinch knees. Vice got a two count off an axe kick. Vice put Petrovic in a Full Nelson.
Petrovic hit Vice with a swich kick. Petrovic then took down Vice with a shortarm kick combo. Petrovic then hit Vice with a Overhead Essense of the Dragon King kick for a nearfall (I don’t know the name of that karate kick, so I’ll use the Like a Dragon Kiryu naming. I also personally like how that kick looks and would love to learn it.). Vice came back with a nice spinning backfist. Vice then mocked Natalya with a Sharpshooter on Petrovic. Petrovic tapped out.
Lola Vice defeated Karmen Petrovic via submission in 3:47.
Natalya had a “are you kidding me” look on her face after Vice used her finisher. Vic hyped Supernova Sessions for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A better than expected match from two of NXT’s developmental wrestlers. Both women constantly show improvement so their future is looking bright. These are two of my favorite wrestlers in developmental due to being biased with my primary striking background. Speaking of which, both women do a good job integrating Tae Kwon Do and Karate in a pro wrestling context. Vice doing a good job also melding in her grappling arts. Natalya was good at ringside reacting to the sharpshooter with Vice doing a good job milking out the submission for crowd reaction.
Vic Joseph plugged the announcement of Clash at the Castle being in Glasgow, Scotland this year…
The show cut to cinematic mode inside that shady SUV that Ilja was in. They then made it to their destination with Ilja being dropped off. It was a random warehouse. A random mafia goon was acting as a doorman. Inside of the warehouse, a man was cutting wood with a buzzsaw.
Another dude was using a nail gun on wood. The mafia dudes then surrounded a tiny red table where the dinner will presumably take place. Tony D’Angelo sat across from Ilja with the NXT Title on the red table. Both men shared at each other for a long time heading into the “To be continued” graphic…
[Hour Two] Meta Four were in the ring for the Supernova Sessions talk show. All four of them bragged about being named the hosts of the Stand and Deliver PLE. Noam then announced Roxanne Perez as his first guest in the tune of the “Roxanne you don’t have to put on a red light” song. Perez rolled her eyes and told Noam to introduce her opponent at Stand and Deliver. Lyra Valkyria made her entrance.
Perez said on Saturday she’ll take back the title she never lost. Lyra said she’s sick and tired of Perez saying the same thing over and over. Perez reiterated that the title was taken from her. Lyra pointed out that she had a chance to defend the title and lost the title against Indi Hartwell. Lyra talked about blaming Indi for that and blaming Lola Vice for costing her the match against Lyra. Lyra said Perez winning the title was “shocking”. Perez told Lyra to shut up.
Perez said she’ll make sure Lyra learns loss on Sunday. Perez said she’ll knock Lyra off her high horse and if she can maintain her moral compass. Perez talked about how Champions aren’t made after winning the title, but after losing. Perez said she’s a new Roxanne. She said she wouldn’t have had it in her to break arms a few months ago, but not now.
Perez said she is now dangerous. Perez said she’ll take her title back. Lyra said Perez keeps calling it “her” title. Lyra said a Perez does is make excuses and all she does is bitch. (Noam and the crowd did the “woah” meme) Lyra said Perez will have more things to bitch about after Saturday. Perez said she’s going to let out all her pent up rage on Saturday. Perez swung at Lyra. Lyra then lifted Perez and gave her a Death Valley Driver through Noam Dar’s coffee table…
A Dijak promo aired. Dijak said he’s the law in the ring and he hands down justice with conviction and reckless abandon. Dijak highlights were shown. He said he didn’t come back to NXT to make friends, he came back for championship gold. Oba Femi was shown watching the promo on a monitor. He said he’ll show Dijak why he’s the North American Champion. Oba Femi then made his entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Solid women’s segment to showcase the NXT Women’s Title match at Stand and Deliver. Lyra continues to come off as very plain on the mic. Not bad, just kinda cookie cutter babyface. She delivered her lines well here though so it’s not too bad, and you can always pop the crowd with random curse words. Perez meanwhile is really turning heads with her very successful heel run. She’s even delivering on the mic with solid heel logic (it being heel logic allows babyfaces to not look bad by taking advantage of the logic holes). I hope the “moral compass” line will lead to Lyra shifting heel because that might be a good way to make Lyra develop a deep character.
An ad aired for the WWE Hall of Fame…
Ava and a referee were having words with Trick Williams backstage. Vic hyped Trick and Melo facing off later in this show…
A replay aired of Lyra hitting Perez with the Death Valley Driver…
Joe Gacy was making his entrance. Shawn Spears hit Gacy with a steel chair and laughed at him. Oba told Spears to step back and let him have his match. Gacy was sent to the ring and he accepted continuing…
5. NXT North American Champion Oba Femi vs. Joe Gacy in a non-title match. Oba worked on Gacy with power moves and methodical strikes. Oba caught Gacy with running European Uppercuts in the corner. Gacy recovered, but was taken back down on the apron with a running hammer blow to the chest. Gacy rallied back with strikes and an enzuigiri.
Gacy hit Oba with a Saito Suplex and Lionsault. Oba reversed the handstand lariat into a Snake Eyes. Oba tossed Gacy like a Shot Put. The air was let out of the room when the referee put up the X sign.
Oba Femi defeated Joe Gacy via referee stoppage in 3:46.
The camera cut away from Gacy. Oba Femi looked legitimately concerned even though he was trying to stay in character…
John’s Thoughts: Damn. As wrestling fans we always question if what we’re seeing on TV is a part of an angle. This was very very likely not an angle due to how they had to scramble to end the match and cut to the next segment. Oba Femi even legitimately looked concerned, which is not what his “character” would do. Prayers to Joe Gacy and hopefully whatever happened wasn’t too harmful to his well being.
Lyra was complaining to Tatum Paxley backstage about Perez pissing her off. Lyra then talked how she’s going to do anything to keep the title even if it means not being herself…
Vic Joseph plugged upcoming segments…[c]
Ariana Grace got a televised entrance for the next match…
6. Ariana Grace vs. Wren Sinclair. Sinclair took down Grace with a side headlock takedown. Grace got to her feet and pressured Wren to the ropes. Wren slapped away Grace’s beauty queen wave. Wren took down Grace with a crossbody combo. Wren blocked a kick and hit Grace with an atomic drop and dropkick. Grace stopped on a dime to block a dropkick. Grace used a crossarm hook slam. Booker compared Grace to Sharmell due to both being pageant queens.
Wren escaped a Boston Crab. Wren got a nearfall off a small package. Wren escaped another Boston Crab attempt. Wren gave Grace some loud chest slaps. Wren rallied with clotheslines. Wren got a two count off a crossbody. Wren got another nearfall off a rollup. Grace picked up the win after an illegal rope assisted jackknife pin.
Ariana Grace defeated Wren Sinclair via pinfall in 3:57.
Vic plugged this week’s WrestleMania themed WWE programming. Vic then ran through the Stand and Deliver advertised card…
Sol Ruca made her entrance…[c]
Back to the mafia dinner cutscene, Tony D thanked Ilja for joining him. Tony D joked about getting Ilja’s parking situation fixed. Tony talked about how Ilja needs to realize what this place symbolizes. Ilja said he was shocked at the location and he did his research to find out that it’s a scary place. Tony said this place doesn’t represent the end of Ilja’s life, not yet, but rather the end of Ilja’s title reign. Ilja said many men have said that, but haven’t been able to do it. Tony D said he’s not any man.
Ilja talked about being unbreakable. Ilja said Tony is the Don, but he’s the Dragon. He said nothing is going to stop him from holding the title. Tony grabbed on Ilja’s hand and said that the goons are ready to pounce, Tony said he could have taken Ilja out a few minutes ago, but he wants to take Ilja out in front of the world where the Don will be NXT Champion. Tony stood up and said it’s not personal, just business. A person handed Ilja a silver platter. Tony told Ilja to enjoy his last supper…
John’s Thoughts: They’re not going to reveal the meal? I kid, I kid. During last years WrestleMania media junket, I got a chance to speak with Santos Escobar and several others who were a part of these Tony D mafia cinematics and everyone praises his natural acting ability (I was also told that these mafia segments have Jeremy Borash closely attached to the production. He was famous for producing the Matt Hardy Broken Universe as well). These segments aren’t for everyone, but I do like what cinematics can bring to the table as long as they aren’t generic or low budget. This segment felt very nostalgic to Lucha Underground, which I was fond of, with all the death threats and melodramatic telenovela camera shots (I chuckled at the KDrama levels of random staring in these segments). The dingy venue also reminded me of the old Lucha Underground “Temple” in Downtown Los Angeles.
Blair Davenport made her entrance…
7. Blair Davenport vs. Sol Ruca. Blair started the match with a shotgun dropkick. Sol gained control after showing off some agility. Sol hit Blair with a Press Slam and moonsault for a two count. So hit Blair with an X Factor and dropkick. Sol dumped Blair to ringside. Sol did a handstand dodge and a PK from the apron. Blair sent Ruca into the steel steps. Blair gave Sol a knee first suplex onto Sol’s surgery knee brace. The show went to picture-in-picture.[c]
A replay aired of Blair’s suplex to Sol’s knee brace. Sol had a bit of a rally. Sol then dumped herself and Blair with a tumbling suplex. Sol rallied back and tried to revive her knee. Sol hit Blair with a slingshot splash for a two count. The replay showed that she springboarded off one leg.
Blair came back with a Saito Suplex for a nearfall. Sol gave Blair a drop toehold onto the bottom buckle. Sol hit Biair with an impressive Rainbow DDT for a two count. Blair snatched Sol out of the Sol Snatcher with a slam. Blair hit Sol with a Body Slam. Sol countered the Kamigoye into a rollup for the win.
Sol Ruca defeated Blair Davenport via pinfall in 9:17.
Separate shots of Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes (w/Personal Security) were shown as they were heading to the ring from backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I would have liked to have seen a bit of a mean streak from Sol Ruca given the revenge angle they are trying to pay. That aside, both women did a good job here and Sol Ruca looking good against the in-ring veteran in Blair Davenport. The highlight of the match were the cool counters in the ending segment.
Dijak met up with Josh Briggs and asked if he saw what Oba just did to Joe Gacy. Briggs said that won’t happen to him. Oba confronted both men and said he’ll remain champion…
Joe Gacy crawled to Ava’s desk. Gacy requested a match against Shawn Spears on the kickoff show of Stand and Deliver. Ava booked it…
John’s Thoughts: Thank The Lord. Good to see Gacy okay and healthy enough to work this weekend. I really hope WWE didn’t try to do a kayfabe angle with the X sign because that would be very tasteless. My guess is that it was legit stoppage based off the editing and Oba Femi’s concerned look. Vic mentioning the stoppage was reassuring that the injury scare wasn’t too bad. Because it’s wrestling, there’s always the chance we just watched a pre tape.
[Overrun] Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes made their entrance for the face off. Security Guards and Melo’s personal security also were in the ring. Trick took the mic first. He said they should both be happy to main event the biggest show of the year, but it shouldn’t be like this. Trick talked about Trick Melo Gang having such a strong bond. Trick then even was proud of how he and Melo will be the first two black men in the same match to main event a Mania Weekend NXT PLE.
Trick said he has to go at war with a man he called a brother. Melo took the mic and was drowned out with boos. Melo talked about Trick coming a long way since a dark match he had on Smackdown years ago. Trick noted that it was his third overall pro wrestling match. Melo said that it was Trick and Melo against the world, but now it’s trick vs. Melo. Trick said the world will be watching, and watching how Trick ruined it for everybody. Trick said Melo ruined it.
Melo compared title belts to girlfriends. Melo said Trick was supposed to get his girl, the North American Championship, but instead went behind Melo’s back to go after his “girl”. Melo talked about looking shocked a few months ago due to his friend becoming an enemy. Melo talked about how it was different and he had momentum. Trick said he thought Melo had his back when he wanted to bet on himself.
Melo said he wanted to help Trick and pave the way, but he listened to the fans to go to a place where he doesn’t belong because that’s Melo’s place. Melo said it doesn’t matter if he has a championship, Trick Williams must always be on the backseat of Melo’s career. Trick said his days of being in the back seat are long gone. Melo sarcastically said Trick has been hot for a few months, while Melo has been hot for three years. Melo said people like watching the journey of Trick, but once the next man steps up, those fans will switch up on Trick like Nintendo.
Trick laughed and said he knows Melo more than anyone. Trick said Melo is envious and it’s written all over his face. Melo asked if he cares what the people think. Melo said they won’t be in the ring with Trick, Melo will. Melo said he’ll prove why he’s the man, why he’s “HIM”, and why when Melo shoots “I don’t miss”. Trick said Melo will know that Trick is here to knock Melo off the mountain and how at the end of Stand and Deliver people will be chanting Whoop Dat Trick while Trick Whoops Dat Ass. A pull-apart brawl ensued. Trick and Melo cleared security from the ring and traded hands. The locker room ran out to pull both men apart to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: Strong show closing segment to give some final hype for Trick vs. Melo. It was done in the classic melodramatic style that works to sell main events. I wouldn’t be surprised if HBK had his fingerprints all over this because of his feud history and even some of the NXT main event feuds he’s had his hands in (Paul Levesque also seemed to fancy the sports-like approach over the soap opera approach. Both good storytelling methods). We know that Trick is very versatile on the mic, but Carmelo Hayes really impressed me here holding his end of the deal as a top heel.
He also did a great job doing that over the exaggerated boos from the crowd. Rock, Roman, and Cody may be the marquee, but Trick vs. Melo can be the sleeper hit of the weekend. A lot to put on the plate on a developmental wrestler like Trick, but Trick has quickly exceeded expectations on his rise to being the main protagonist of NXT. Melo has stepped up his game as Trick’s perfect foil, especially with nice usage of subtle facial expressions and cocky demeanor.
Stand and Deliver looks to be one hell of a card and I think it’s better than last years because they overdid it last year with so many multi-person “get everybody on the show” matches. Most of the matches on the show are singles (even a traditional tag team match). It’s a positive too that they concentrated the random developmental women match into a singular match. Even the big man three way has a novelty to steal the show if they’re up for it and given time.
Roxanne’s heel character = Cora Jade from Wish and it’s not even funny.
Yeah,
I do wonder had Cora not been injured would this be what we currently see from Roxanne?