By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live May 28, 2024 on USA Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
The show started out with NXT GM Ava in the ring with a podium and covered belt. Ava said her usual obligatory “NXT has the best women’s division in professional wrestling” line. Ava hyped up an NXT Women’s North American Champion being crowned at NXT Battleground.
Ava then introduced music artist Sexyy Red, who twirked on her way to the ring. Sexyy Red unveiled the new women’s North American Title. They also announced Sexyy Red as the host of Battleground. Tatum Paxley crawled in the ring and played tug a war with Sexyy Red over the North American title. Michin ran out and a referee was in the ring to start the match…
1. Mia “Michin” Yim vs. Tatum Paxley. Yim dominated the match early, but Paxley eventually took control. Jaida Parker walked out to watch the match at ringside. Michin sent Paxley to ringside with a baseball slide. Yim then did a dive to ringside to hit Paxley. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
Back from break, both women were trading strikes. Michin caught Paxley with the Monty Brown Pounce. Vic tried to handshake Jaida Parker, who joined commentary, but Tatum said Booker told her Vic was a snitch. Yim hit Paxley with a German Suplex and headbutts in the corner. Yim hit Paxley with a cannonball. Paxley reversed Seoul Food with a Modified Angle Slam for a two count.
Paxley did a Matrix dodge while Yim did a spiderman dodge. Both women did creepy crawls to each other. Yim reversed a hoild with a rollup for a two count. Yim reversed a suplex and hit Paxley with Seoul Food (Eat Defeat) for the victory.
Mia “Michin” Yim defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 9:14 to qualify for the NXT Women’s North American Championship ladder match at NXT Battleground…
Yim jawed with Parker after the match…
John’s Thoughts: Good match between the veteran Yim and the much-improved developmental wrestler Tatum. Tatum is someone to look out for in 2024 after putting in her dues as a enhancement talent for years, developing a intriguing character, and really stealing the show in her match against Roxanne Perez and Lyra Valkyria. I hope Yim gets a bit of a push because she’s been underutilized over the years. Plus I’m a bit biased with her being a fellow Blasian.
Joe Coffey told his brother Mark that Ava gave them a slap on the wrist for recent attacks. Joe then asked Mark where Wolfgang was? Oro Mensah, Lash Legend, and Jakara Jackson approached Gallus and asked why they attacked Noam Dar. Joe Coffey denied the allegations and walked off with his brother. Oro and Jakara continued to blame Trick Williams as the number one suspect with Lash defending him…
Chase U made their entrance heading into break…[c]
Vic Joseph plugged WrestleMania in Las Vegas for 2025…
A replay was shown of of Lola Vice betraying Shayna Baszler by giving her a high spin kick to the temple. This will lead to Lola Vice vs. Shayna Baszler at Battleground in a NXT Underground match….
Lola Vice was shadow boxing in the locker room. Ariana Grace showed up and told Lola that Baszler is dangerous and a cage fighter. Lola said she was too and Grace can find out first hand. Grace let out a censored “oh shit!”…
Ridge Holland made his entrance…
2. Ridge Holland vs. Riley Osborne (w/Thea Hail, Andre Chase, Duke Hudson). Holland dominated early with the collar and elbow. Holland then won a strike exchange with knee strikes and a toss. Ridge sent Osborne into the corner with chops. Holland turned Osborne inside-out with a clothesline. Holland told Chase U that he doesn’t want to do this. Holland hit Chase in the corner with a power Irish Whip.
Osborne managed to take down Holland with a Whisper of the Wind and enzuigiri for a two count. Ridge and Osborne then dumped each other to ringside heading into break.[c]
Osborne rolled up Holland for a nearfall. Holland tossed Osborne off the top rope. Holland hit Osborne with a Belly to Belly suplex. Chase was cheering on both men. Holland went for a power slam, but Osborne escaped and supericked Holland. Osborne dropkicked Holland off the apron. Holland blocked a Suicide Dive with a forearm. Holland went to Hail to apologize. Hail calmed down Holland.
Osborne gave Holland a inside cradle for a two count. Osborne rallied with flying uppercuts and a dropkick. Osbourne gave Holland chops in the corner. Holland used a thrust kick to trip Osborne off the top rope. Holland hit Osborne with a Bear Trap DDT for the victory.
Ridge Holland defeated Riley Osborne via pinfall in 11:20.
Ridge Holland helped Riley Osborne to his feet for a handshake. Osborne rolled away and refused…
John’s Thoughts: A surprisingly good match that was given a good amount of time. Osborne has always been impressive, but we don’t see Ridge in too many long singles matches and he looked solid here. Good Big Man vs. Cruiserweight style match. Still not sold on “sad dad Ridge” yet, but he has thankfully toned it down and it’s less annoying.
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows on their thoughts on the tag team champions. Gallows and Anderson blamed the champions for ducking out on them. Anderson said the attack last week is what they get for treating them like “Outsiders”. Gallows said they attacks will continue unless they give them a title shot. Anderson got close to the camera asked Axiom and Nathan if they have their attention now. Kelly was about to send the show to ringside, but she got word in her headset to send the camera to backstage…
Oro Mensah was left lying on the ground. Jakara and Lash argued over weather or not Trick Williams was the attacker…
Entrances for the next match took place…
3. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade (w/Brinley Reece). Enofe and Blade hit Anderson with a high low attack to give Blade a two count. Edris tagged in and hit Anderson with a diving clothesline for a two count. Enofe and Blade hit Anderson with a double dropkick. They also took down Gallows.
Enofe high fived Brinley, but Blade accidentally ran the ropes and knocked Enofe into Brinley to knock her out. Enofe called for medics to take Reece to the back heading into break.[c]
Gallows worked on Blade with his signature boxing punches. Anderson and Gallows then cut the ring in half on Blade. Blade actually had the opening for a hot tag after hitting Gallows with a jawbreaker, but Enofe was distracted by Anderson. After a bit more heat, Enofe tagged in and rallied against both Good Brothers with rapid dropkicks.
Enofe hit Gallows with a sling blade and took out Anderson with a a punch on the apron. Gallows dodged a dive from Enofe and hit Enofe with a chokeslam. Anderson tagged in. Gallows and Anderson hit Enofe with a Magic Killer to give Anderson the pinfall.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated Edris Enofe and Malik Blade via pinfall in 9:05.
Axiom and Nathan Frazer sent Gallows and Anderson to ringside with dives. Frazer took a mic and said that they won’t get a title match “yet”. Axiom took a mic and said that they will defend the titles against Gallows and Anderson at Battleground…
The show cut to a Dante Chen sitdown promo. Chen talked about how last week for him was the greatest night of his life. He said he’s waited over two years for an opportunity. he said he’s sat in the back watching others have success. He said he never was jealous or envious, and instead was happy for their success. He said he told himself to always stay ready, one day he’ll have his moment. He said he wants to represent his country as the first Singaporean WWE star. Chen thanked the fans of Level Up for the ovation he got last week…
Developmental wrestlers were cheering on Dante Chen in the locker room. Lexis King showed up to talk trash. King said Chen will not win again. Chen said he’ll take that bet and they can have the match tonight. King said Chen’s 15 minutes of fame will be up…
Roxanne Perez was shown walking the hallways…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Simple and effective promo from Dante Chen to set him up as a plucky underdog babyface. He did well in his first real pre-tape. Hopefully the guy gets rewarded for all the dues he’s put in over the years putting over other wrestlers.
Vic Joseph plugged Summerslam 2026 tickets in Minnesota while also teasing that we’ll find out soon about the 2025 location…
Trick Williams was psyching up Je’Von Evans for their match against Gallus. Sexyy Red showed up to chat with both men. She said she noticed all the sweaty bodies arounds. Before Red left, Evans asked her if she can join them at ringside for the main event…
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez made her entrance. Perez said we should all acknowledge that Perez is the only woman in WWE to respect the women’s championship. She talked about winning the title at two big events, but then notice that other women pass the belt around to move on to something bigger. She said she’s the only one who shows real respect for the championship.
She said since 13 years old, she’s trained to get this title after 9 years. Perez said the title represents future greatness, not present greatness. Perez said she finds it disrespectful that Ava is making her come out like this to wait for her challenger. She said as the champion of the best women’s division in pro wrestling, she deserves more respect. Ava made her entrance and said that Perez was playing woe is me, despite Ava saying she’s a great champ. Ava then called out Perez’s challenger.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace made her entrance with the TNA Knockouts Championship. A TNA chant ensued. Grace took the mic and soaked in censored “Holy Shit” chants. Grace said some people may remember her from the Royal Rumble, but if you don’t she’ll officially introducer herself now. She said she’s the TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace.
Grace said Perez is a great champion who built her name in NXT like she did in TNA. Grace said we need to find out who built a stronger foundation. Grace then challenged Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship at Battleground which Vic hyped up to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: Awesome surprise and good to see that WWE has a good working relationship with TNA. Side note, NXT claims to have the best women’s division in pro wrestling, but TNA has had the strongest and most trailblazing women’s division over the years, dating back to the Gail Kim and Awesome Kong days. Jordynne Grace (with their men’s titles being held by a weak faction) is their strongest current champion and flagbearer, putting on the best matches there. I hope they give Grace and Perez a lot of time to steal the show. The single title being on the line has me tipped off that Perez isn’t dropping the title (Though, it would be fun to have Grace work an excursion in NXT). Based off reports, I wonder if Giulia was their original pick before she got injured in Japan?
An Eddy Thorpe vignette aired where he was standing over a bonfire. He said fire was used for healing in his culture. He talked about healing for months and he’s ready to lead the way for all indigenous people with a dream. Thorpe said through the fire he’s been reborn…
Separate shots of Lola Vice and Ariana Grace were shown in the hallways…[c]
Andre Chase was talking to the rest of Chase U about getting that fight out of their system. Osborne continued to argue about Holland not being good to work with. Duke Hudson said he actually sees what Osborne sees. Hudson and Osborne walked to talk off-screen. Thea Hail then walked off saying she has to prepare for her match next week. Ridge Holland met with Andre Chase who congratulated him for a good scrap…
Entrances for the next match took place…
4. Lola Vice vs. Ariana Grace. Grace begged for mercy several times while also going for rollups. After a failed turtle attempt, Vice hit Grace with a axe kick. Both women exchanged kicks. Vice treated Grace like a punching bag in the corner. Vice yelled “I’m a Latina” and hit Grace in the corner with a hip attack.
Grace got to her feet and hit Vice with a chop and corner elbow. Grace hit Vice with a Suplex. Vice dodged an elbow drop. Vice caught Grace and took her down with a spinning back elbow for the victory.
Lola Vice defeated Ariana Grace via pinfall in 2:12.
Vice took the mic and said she’ll either tap or knock out Shayna Baszler at Battleground. Vice said Shayna can pick “bitch”. Shayna Baszler ran out, but was held back by security…
A introductory vignette aired for Carlee Bright. My guess is she’s more of an NIL type because she talked about her cheerleading background at the University of Minnesota. She said she’s going to bring her education and cheerleading skills to NXT…
Natalya and Karmen Petrovic praised Carlee Bright for having a good first match a few weeks ago. Izzi Dame walked in to talk trash. Karmen Petrovic told Izzi to not disrespect a legend like Natalya and not bring negative energy to the locker room. Izzi continued to talk trash. Petrovic attacked Izzi leading to a pull apart between the two women…
Lexis King made his entrance, ranting about how Dante Chen didn’t really beat him…[c]
Vic Joseph plugged Clash at the Castle ticket sales….
The No Quarter Catch Crew were lifting weights backstage. Damon Kemp asked Charlie Dempsey if he was alright. Dempsey said he’s not. He said he felt like he lost a piece of himself after losing the cup. Dempsey said they need structure and a chain of command. Myles Borne stepped up to face Tony D’Angelo next week. Instead, Charlie Dempsey volunteered and demanded that Damon Kemp yell “capiche” in agreement.
Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson were worried in the medical office with Oro Mensah. Jakara wondered if one of them will get attacked next? Lash said she’ll ask Trick Williams what’s up and knows he’ll tell her the truth…
Dante Chen made his entrance…
5. Lexis King vs. Dante Chen. Chen worked on Lexis with rapid chops and a Stinger Splash. Chen took down Lexis with a pump kick. King came back with a Superkick and mounted punches. King then worked on Chen with methodical kicks while also getting in Chen’s face about being the King. Chen got a nearfall off a inside cradle.
Chen rallied with hands. King came back with a clothesline. King hit Chen with a Jackhammer for a two count. While King was distracted arguing with the referee, Chen rolled up King for the victory.
Dante Chen defeated Lexis King via pinfall in 1:42
King attacked Chen after the bell and dragged him to ringside. King hit Chen with a drive by knee to the back of the neck. King then ripped off the tarp to expose the wooden floor. King hit Chen at ringside with his spinning neckbreaker finisher. Vic said Lexis King proved he can be a “loose canon” (get it?)…
John’s Thoughts: Simple and effecting booking with Chen getting another scrappy win with Lexis King getting his heat back in the end. King actually had one of his better character nights tonight, being consistent throughout the segment, with being in a rage over last week’s loss. Curious to see what both men do next. Since King can always get his heat back, I’d triple down with giving Chen a more definitive win next time.
A Josh Briggs promo aired. He was n a black jacket sitting in front of a projector. He talked about how he signed in 2020 wanting to break out on his own. He said his goals were too big too early which lead to him getting a little brother and little sister. He said they did prove they could win, but soon they had to break out on their own. He said he did get his hands raised a few times, but wondered who he was betting on? Josh said he doesn’t know who Josh Briggs is now, but will find out…
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Shawn Spears, who talked about people like Josh Briggs being unguided. Spears talked about being down that path before. He said he’s going to guide the youth to reach their maximum potential. He said for all their problems “I’ll be the answer”…
Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan was plugged for after the break…[c]
An ad aired for WWE Speed…
Luca Crucifino, Stacks, and Adriana Rizzo argued at a red table about how the No Quarter Catch Clause kept getting in their way. Tony D’Angelo walked in and told Stacks and Luca have to take care of NQCC in order to prevent them from getting in their way for the Tag Team titles.
Tony D told them to be prepared because even though they announced Damon Kemp as an opponent, they can always pull out their Catch Clause thing. Stacks asked if they should “take someone for a ride”. Tony D refused and said they can beat NQCC at their own game…
Entrances for the next match took place. Fallon Henley joined the commentary table. Booker T noted that Wren Sinclair spent time training at his Reality of Wrestling school…
6. Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan for a spot in the NXT Women’s North American Championship match at NXT Battleground. Both women started out at a stalemate during the chain wrestling. Wren managed to hit Jordan with an X Factor. At ringside, Jordan hit Wren with a Corkscrew Plancha. Wren and Jordan traded rapid fire pinfall variations. Jordan hit Wren with a Split Leg Moonsault for the victory. Vic threw in a “one of a kind” ode to RVD.
Kelani Jordan defeated Wren Sinclair via pinfall in 3:15.
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in on commentary. Vic then ran through the advertised NXT Battleground card…
A random British lady was arguing with Ava about not being booked for the combine. Oh, it was actually Stevie Turner. Jordynne Grace walked in and said she agrees that Turner needs an opportunity. Grace challenged Turner to a match next week…
Separate shots of Gallus and Trick, Je’von Evans, and Sexyy Red were shown walking backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I actually couldn’t recognize Stevie Turner at first. Without the whole Matrix/Twitch gamer girl look, she looked more like former WWE wrestler Taryn Tarrell. I kinda liked the twitch streamer gimmick. Lots of wrestlers do use the platform and I think it would be pretty cool to try to translate it to some in-ring. Anyways, decent enough match between Jordan and Sinclair with the athletic Jordan moving to the ladder match.
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Wes Lee about qualifying for the North American Championship. Kelly then asked Wes about his thoughts on Joe Coffey saying how Gallus is going after both the North American and NXT Titles.
He said he can see the fire in Gallus’s eyes and their first goal is going after the NA title, but they won’t get to step two because Wes is going to win. Oba Femi walked into scene and talked about how the title will stay with him. Wes said he’s made a career of proving to people like Oba Femi that they’re wrong…
Tony D’Angelo vs. Damon Kemp for the Heritage Cup, Jordynne Grace vs. Stevie Turner in a non-title match, Thea Hail vs. Jazmyn Nyx, and a Lola Vice and Shayna Baszler video package.
Entrances for the next match took place. Sexyy Red booty twirked to Trick’s “Whoop Dat Trick” chants…
7. Je’Von Evans and NXT Champion Trick Williams (w/Sexyy Red) vs. “Gallus” Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey. Trick started with a flying tackle and body slam on Mark Coffey. Evans tagged in. Evans and Williams cleared Gallus from the ring with dropkicks. Trick and Evans danced with Sexyy Red at ringside. Joe held down the top rope to dump Evans to ringside. Joe tackled Evans into the steel steps. Joe kept yelling that he’s an OG heading into picture-in-picture.[c]
Gallus cut the ring in half on Evans back from break. Evans got a window of opportunity with a backdrop on Joe. Trick tagged in with a hot tag. Trick cleaned house. Trick hit Gallus with a double Book End to get a two count on both opponents. The Coffey Brothers recovered with a double Uranage to give Mark a two count. Evans flew in and barely hit Joe with a slingshot cutter.
[Overrun] Trick took down Mark. Trick and Mark traded right hands. Trick and Mark traded counters. Mark hit Trick with a jumping leg lariat for a two count. Joe took the NXT Title from ringside, but Sexyy to the title from Joe. Evans hit Joe at ringside with a dive. Trick hit Mark with the Trick knee for the victory.
Trick Williams and Je’Von Evans defeated Gallus via pinfall in 8:36.
Lash Legend made her entrance after the match with a mic. Lash let Evans and Red leave the ring. Lash told Trick to be honest with her, did he attack Noam and Oro? The lights turned off. All of a sudden, “All Ego” Ethan Page attacked Trick form behind. Vic Joseph yelled “Wasn’t he in A…?”. Page put Trick in the corner. Ethan said he was the man that attacked Oro and Noam then followed up with a running strike on Trick in the corner. Vic closed the show by saying that Page is definitely “All Ego”…
John’s Thoughts: Nice surprise with Page. I was actually thinking in my mind that with Trick not having too many challengers, and WWE having a good relationship with TNA, that WWE should consider bringing in Page’s old tag partner Josh Alexander in for a match with Trick. Page is probably better since I expect him to be in WWE more long-term. Decent TV main event to get the celebrity guest some time, but as I alluded to a bit, Trick Williams has taken a bit of a step back after most of NXT’s main event picture got drafted to the main roster.
Page is someone I’ve been high on over the years. He’s great on the mic, good in the ring, and can do either comedy or serious character work if you need it. While I don’t mind he keeping some of his character stuff, I hope he takes a bit more of a serious approach (And sure as to hell, I hope he doesn’t bring that stupid Karate Man gimmick that sucked). While Trick has taken a step back, I understand. They are building up challengers due to the lack of main event picture stars.
They might be able to sign some good up-and-comers if those low end Ring of Honor and AEW contracts start running down due to AEW being more in line to sign high-priced veterans. This week’s episode was solid. As I said, they are building up wrestlers to replenish their upper cards. Jordynne Grace and Ethan Page also showing up were nice surprises as well.
John, I think the original plan for Guilia was Heatwave and not Battleground due to the clearing of contracts in Japan. But I can be corrected on that. Either way Guilia’s injury does put Heatwave in jeopardy if that was the case. I can tell you Jordynne’s appearance got a loud “WHAT?” from me!
It’s great they have an apparent relationship with TNA,but all we’ve seen is Jordynne Grace.How bout Moose?He could take on Trick or even Oba Femi..
Even my closed captioning can’t understand Booker T.
Shuckdy Ducky Quack Quack mother fucker