By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT No Mercy Hits
Roxanne Perez vs. Jaida Parker for the NXT Women’s Championship: Parker has shined in television matches, but there was still the big question of whether she was ready for a title match in a full sized arena on the big premium live event stage. Parker showed that the moment was not too big for her. Granted, it helps to work with Perez, who has really found her groove as the heel champion. Perez has done a really nice job of having strong matches with inexperienced developmental wrestlers. Perez won’t have to carry her opponent during her next program. The arrival of Giulia after the match sets the table for what should be a hell of a feud. I’m not sure what comes next for Parker, but hopefully they have a bounce back moment in mind for her after this impressive outing.
Ethan Page vs. Joe Hendry for the NXT Championship with Trick Williams as special referee: I don’t know how much the crowd believed. Oh, they loved Hendry, but most of the fans had to know deep down that this wasn’t going to be his night. The deck was so stacked against Page that it felt like a case of if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. And I’m all for Page retaining his title and keeping both challengers in chase mode. I assume this will eventually lead to what should be a hot Triple Threat. It will be interesting to see how they do this from a creative standpoint because one can only assume that they are hoping for a split reaction for the babyfaces as opposed to the fans choosing one over the other. Having two hot babyfaces is a nice problem to have, and Page is killing it now that someone has finally handed him the ball.
TNA X Division Champion Zachary Wentz vs. Wes Lee in a non-title match: These two had no problem following the hot opening match. In fact, they topped it with their own fast paced, back and forth style. Trey Miguel snatching the chair from Lee before he could bash Wentz with it was well timed in execution and logical from a storytelling standpoint. The timing thing may not seem like a big deal, but think of all the times you’ve watched a wrestler wind up to hit someone with a chair and then be forced to wait an awkward second or two because someone arrived late to pull the chair away. All of that said, I continue to wonder if Miguel and Wentz will have a falling out during their tag team match on Tuesday that will lead to them feuding over the X Division Title in TNA and eventually having a Triple Threat match with Lee in NXT.
Andre Chase and Ridge Holland vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Titles: A hot opener. They threw the tag team rules out the window for several stretches and produced an action packed match. It was good to see Frazer and Axiom regain the tag titles after their surprising loss. Who would have guessed that joining Chase U would breathe life into Holland’s act? Holland turning on the Chase U crew after losing the tag titles drew tremendous heat until the idiotic “one more time” chant started. Holland has had a tough go of things since The Brawling Brutes broke up. Hopefully this heel turn is just what he needs.
Oba Femi vs. Tony D’Angelo for the NXT North American Championship: D’Angelo has graduated from being a developmental wrestler to being one of the guys the company trusts to work with inexperienced wrestlers. There were a couple of clunky moments, but this was mostly good. Femi continues to come off like a future main roster star. D’Angelo has the tools to join him, but they really need to tweak his mafia act soon because it’s hard to imagine it fitting in well on the bigger stage.
NXT No Mercy Misses
Kelani Jordan vs. Wendy Choo for the NXT Women’s North American Championship: A soft miss. The live crowd had to come down sometime. The first two matches were nonstop action, whereas Jordan and Choo worked at a more traditional pace. It doesn’t help that Choo’s character is out there and underdeveloped. And while Jordan has a ton of upside, she has yet to fully connect with the fans. The bulk of the match was enjoyable and they started to get the fans invested. They lost them for a moment when they both slipped and fell off the ropes. To their credit, they didn’t seem to panic and got the crowd back one more time for the finish.
That’s gotta be my favorite NXT PLE since the Black and Gold era.
Giulia looked like a million bucks. They presented her well and she looked like a major star in the making. That was so much better than Excalibur screaming out than screaming out how many matches someone won in Japan.
No matter how often they mention Parker as an NIL athlete, it doesn’t take me out of her gimmick. She fits it well.
The one negative I’d point out is that Ridge simply stood next to Booker after the beatdown. Seems he should’ve walked to the back at that point.
Excellent point about the chair grab timing! When you do the little things right it makes for a great PLE and this was one for sure
I am so excited for Guilia. She is a generational talent