By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Taped December 19, 2024 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired December 31, 2024 on The CW
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice. Lola was yelling at Kelani to come to her senses but she wasn’t having any of it. Kelani used a dropkick and a couple of crossbodies to get a two count. Vice came back with a Cravate takedown. Jordan reversed the hold into a key lock. Jordan got out, but Vice used a fireman carry to get Jordan back in a grounded wristlock.
Jordan escaped and baited Vice into the corner. Vice dodged a diving crossbody. Vice hit Jordan with a Taekwondo kick combination. Vice hit Jordan with her “I’m a latina” hip attack heading into regular break.[c]
Vice did a Eddie Guerrero shimmy while doing the Three Amigos. This allowed Jordan to reverse an Amigo into a rollup for a two count. Vice worked on Jordan with TKD kicks. Jordan hit Vice with an RVD crescent kick reversal. Jordan went for her signature handstand elbow, but Vice reversed it into a Rear Naked Choke. Jordan got out by getting to a vertical base and slamming Vice on the mat.
Cora Jade ran out with a Kendo Stick and got on the apron to talk trash with Kelani Jordan. Jordan tossed Vice into Jade to knock Jade off the apron. Jordan then picked up the win with a Jackknife Rollup.
Kelani Jordan defeated Lola Vice via pinfall in 8:54.
Jade beat up Jordan and Vice with Kendo Stick shots to the back. Stephanie Vaquer ran out to confront Jade. Steph caught and pulled away Jade’s Kendo Stick. Vice sized up and tried to hit Jade with a spinning backfist, but Jade ducked it and Vice accidentally hit Stephanie. Lola went to check on Stephanie while Jade was looking smug backtracking up the ramp…
John’s Thoughts: By developmental standards, a really good match. Both women have grown a lot and have tightened a lot of their loose ends, at least for this match. Vice in particular is showing her progression and I like her continuing to mesh Judo/Jutjitsu and Tae Kwon Do into a pro wrestling environment. The shinnigans at the end set up a potential match with Vice and Vaquer while also continuing the potential shift of Jordan to the dark side.
The following matches were nomnated for Match of the Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams at NXT Vengeance Day, Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak for the North American Championship at NXT Stand and Deliver, Fraxiom vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson for the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT Heatwave, Roxanne Perez vs. Thea Hail for the NXT Women’s’ Championship at The Great American Bash, the 2024 Women’s Iron Survivor match, Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca…
Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak for the North American Championship at NXT Stand and Deliver won match of the year…
The show cut to Josh Briggs recording his own promo from what I assume is his his home. He was honored to be in the Match of the Year. He said he wanted to thank everybody who got to “feast your eyes” on that match (Nice nod to the released Donovan Dijak). He said that award would mean a lot to them. He said all three of them went into that match with the mindset of making it of the best match of the weekend, and they tried their best to do so. Briggs then hyped him and Inamura going for the tag team titles in 2025…
Vic Joseph plugged “Moment of the Year” for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: That match was wonderful and all three men put in work. WWE was throwing all of their NXT and main roster athletic big men at Oba Femi to provide movement during his matches and they helped make him look great with him simply looking great on his own merit as well. Oba’s a star and it would be easy to predict him being a future Mania main eventer. Happy for the love being shown to Dijak both with the nomination and Briggs mentioning Dijak’s cheesy “feast your eyes” catchphrase (Dijak is a cheesy dude, but that’s what makes him awesome. I have no clue why WWE, land of the giants at one point, couldn’t find a role for the multi-faceted big man). If I were giving a honorable mention, I would give props to Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan which was getting comparisons to the famous Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet spotfest from back in the day. Jordan and Ruca being NIL developmental wrestlers makes it even more impressive that they caught the attention of many.
An ad aired for the NXT New Years Evil show happening next week at the famous Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles…
A sponsored promo aired for Giulia. Giulia spoke in Japanese and was subtitled. Giulia talked about how she’s been waiting for a rematch for the title since October when she was screwed out of the win by Cora Jade. She said that Perez should be in the conversation of all time great NXT Women’s Champions. Giulia said Perez’s time on top will be over because it’s the time for the Beautiful Madness to take over.
She said for her she has to prove to both the fans and herself that she can live up to all the hype that WWE has given her. Giulia said she wasnts to be in the same league of future WWE hall of famers like Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler, and Asuka. She said shen she first witnessed pro wrestling, electricity surged through her body. Giulia let out an “uhh”. She said she knew wrestling was her calling. She said Joshi Wrestling is all about grudges, relentless determination, and trying to prove yourself.
She said she had matches that the fans will always remember, during her 7 years in Nihon. Giulia said the warrior spirit in her tells her not to lose. Giulia said there’s nothing Perez can throw at her this time that she can’t overcome. Not a weapon, friend, or anything. She said she won Iron surrvivor for this chance, and a chance to hold the women’s title in the air. Giulia said 2025 will start off with a new women’s champion. Vic Joseph plugged Perez vs. Giulia for the Shrine Auditorium show…
John’s Thoughts: Solid promo from Giulia. Props to WWE’s translation and localization crew for using good verbage for the subtitles. While I feel like we haven’t seen the best of Giulia in the ring yet (she’s really holding back compared from what I seen in Japan. Stephanie Vaquer by comparison is looking more powerful from an in-ring perspective). That said, her charisma, aura, and confidence really shines through. Same praises I gave for Oba looking like a future Mania main eventer, I give to Giulia based off her look and charisma alone.
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in on commentary where Vic sent the show to the “Moment of the Year” announcement…
The following moments were nominated for “Moment of the Year”: Carmelo Hayes turning on his best friend Trick Williams, Indiana Pacers Tyreese Haliburton heeling on the Orlando Magic fans at the WWE Performance Center, Wes Lee turning on Trey Miguel and Zach Wentz, Jaida Parker hitting Lola Vice in the face with a brick, Ethan Page getting knocked out on Je’von Evans to win the NXT Championship, Joe Hendry appearing in NXT, Jacy Jayne saving Chase U by selling Chase U calendars, Trick Williams defeating Ilja Dragunov to win the NXT Championship, Giulia debuting in NXT, the women main eventing the ECW themed show, NXT’s CW debut in Chicago…
Say his Name and he appears!!! I believe in Joe Hendry! Clap clap! Joe Hendry’s run in NXT was the “moment of the year”…
The show cut to a recorded Joe Hendry promo. Hendry thanked the WWE Universe for voting his debut at the moment of the year. He said it was a magic moment and even better because of the crowd and online reception. Hendry assured that “say his name and he appears” means that he still can appear anywhere, anytime, and on any show…
John’s Thoughts: Good on NXT stuffing that category with a long list of memorable moments (Though I wouldn’t have thrown the more mid moments like Jaida Parker’s brick or Jacy Jayne’s calendar on the list). Pro wrestling thrives off memorable moments, and it’s a sign of a good show when you can produce memorable moments on the regular. Happy for Joe Hendry still getting online love from the fans. He’s definitely WWE bound because WWE really loves this guy (I’d also see Wentz and Miguel being on WWE’s TNA wish list as well. If I were HBK, I’d also take a look at Mike Santana). Personally, I’m really happy to see this man click since I been a huge Joe Hendry hype man ever since he was throwing poke balls at Ken Anderson or messing with Big Damo back in the day.
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Cedric Alexander about a health update on his buddy Je’von Evans, who got his jaw busted by an unhinged All Ego Ethan Page. Alexander said he’s been in the business and has never seen something like that. Alexander said Je’von’s jaw was shattered in several places, and there’s no recovery timetable. He said when he went to visit Evans, he was forced to talk via text in the room because Jevon’s jaw was wired shut.
Cedric said getting back to wrestling isn’t what’s most important because he hopes Je’von can eat solid food again and get a normal quality of life. He said Page took that quality of life from him. Ethan Page walked into frame wearing one of his signature track suits. Page said he hopes that one of Je’von’s texts told Cedric to “stay away from Ethan Page”, because he wants to put Cedric next to Je’von in a hospital bed.
Cedric jumped Ethan and beat him up through the hallways. A referee couldn’t calm down Cedric. Page and Alexander brawled to the ring area with referees pulling them apart. Joseph said that the match between them was supposed to be later, but was moved up for “right now”…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Cedric needs to make his promos seem a bit less like he’s reading off a teleprompter script. Nitpick aside, the content of his promo was really good as NXT has done a solid job the past few weeks really selling the Je’von Evans blood capsule spot. I’m surprised they’re not black and white filtering the violent scenes because even with simulated blood, TV tends to censor down the violence. I like it. Makes it look more devastating. Ethan Page is also at another level too. Showing the world that he can be a main event, menace heel.
2. “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Cedric Alexander. The match was joined in-progress, with Cedric stomping a mudhole into Page. Page tried to rally back, but Cedric came back with a dropkick and enzuigiri combo for a nearfall. Page staggered Cedric with a jawbreaker to the knee. Cedric dumped Page to ringside and hit him with a Suicide Dive. Page reversed a Slingshot into a Single Legged Codebreaker for a nearfall. Page worked on Cedric wiht methodical offense and pin attempts.
Cedric fought his way out of a chinlock. Cedric rallied with shoves. Both men traded reversals. Cedric hit Page with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Page ran through Alexander with a Yakuza Kick. Page hit Cedric with twisting Cutter for the win.
Ethan Page defeated Cedric Alexander via pinfall in 4:26.
Page attacked Alexander after the bell and dumped him to ringside. Page tossed Alexander into the steel steps. Page put Cedric’s hand into a toolbox and slammed it on Cedric’s hand. Cedric sold a hand injury while medics and referees checked on him…
John’s Thoughts: Great post match stuff with Ethan Page building up his credibility as both an in ring threat and outta ring menace. Him doing two injury angles on two friends are great story points to evolve his new persona.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger were arguing with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont in the locker room and wondered why they dragged them away from the Christmas fatal four way last week? Igwe said they were pissed that Hank and Tank were in the match and not he and Dupont. Dupont was more diplomatic, saying that Igwe was just looking out for him and that they were still cool with Hank and Tank.
Shawn Spears showed up and said he was here to give some lost souls direction. Wes Lee showed up and said that Igwe and Dupont have a voice, and don’t need direction. Spears said he doesn’t need “this” because “I already have what I need”. Hank and Tank challenged Dupont, Igwe, and Wes to a tag team match. Wes pointed out that Hank and Tank were down a man. Tank wondered how they’ll find a tag partner on New Years Eve? Hank said he doesn’t know, but they’ll find one…
Shotzi Blackheart, Gigi Dolin, and Tatum Paxley made their entrance…[c]
The rest of the entrances for the next match took place. Vic reminded viewers that the WWE Transfer Portal was still open…
3. Shotzi Blackheart and Gigi Dolin vs. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Dolin and Carter started the match. Carter tripped Dolin and shook her booty all up in front of her face. Lash tagged Dolin out and gave Carter a series of body slams and a standing Frog Splash for a two count. Carter escaped a Chokeslam and tagged in Chance to work on Lash with tandem offense.
Shotzi tagged out Carter and Jakara tagged out Lash. Jakara hit Shotzi with a suplex for a two count. Gigi tagged in and drapped Jakara on the ropes. SHotzi and Gigi hit Jakara with draping strikes after Shotzi tagged back in. Carter tagged in and drapped Shotzi on the bottom rope, hitting her with a Face Wash. Chance hit Shotzi and Gigi with a crossbody at ringside. Chancde and Carter hit Gigi and Shotzi with stereo Corkscrew Planchas heading into break.[c]
Carter tagged in after Gigi fell in her direction after a Lash punch. Chance tagged in and was slammed on Lash by Carter for a two count that the rest of the women broke up. Jakara tagged in and caught Chance with a Missile Dropkick. Carter hit Jackson with a Scorpion Kick. Carter backdropped Chance into a 450 on Jackson.
Gigi tagged in. Shotzi hit Jackson with an assisted neckbreaker. Gigi held the ropes for a suicide dive for Shotzi. Shotzi botched the dive and landed on her neck (Seriously! Not again!). Refs went to check on Shotzi. Jakara hit Gigi with a Sling Blade. Lash tagged in and put Jakara on her shoulders. Jakara dove on Carter, Chance, and Shotzi at ringside. Gigi got a two count on Lash after a Crucifix Bomb.
Jasmyn Nyx and Fallon Henley got up on the apron and distracted the referee. Jacy Jayne shoved Gigi Dolin off the top rope. Lash hit Gigi with a Pump Kick. Jackson tagged in and hit Gigi with an assisted Wheelbarrow Cutter for the victory.
Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend defeated Gigi Dolin and Shotzi and Katana Chance and Kayden Cater via pinfall in 11:24.
After the match, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn appeared on the big screen to trash talk Lash and Jakara…
John’s Thoughts: I never wanted to say this, but at this point can we ban Shotzi from doing dives to ringside. I’ve given her the benefit of the doubt for years, but for years I’ve seen this botch over and over again, ending in extended injuries about 30% of the time. This is dating back to Hoodslam (indie), All Pro Wrestling (indie), TNA Impact, NXT, and WWE. I honestly love her fearlessness, pluckiness, and determination, determination she’s exhibited since WWE saw something in her in the Tough Enough days. She’s a real life badass. No question; but one of these days her obligatory botch is going to lead to something she can’t come back from. And I say this because I think she’s one of the most talented and marketable women in WWE without the dives and with her charisma, with her confidence, with her unique look. She also has a natural connection with the younger audience (which I saw back in her All Pro days).
Stephanie Vaquer and Lola Vice were arguing backstage with Lola saying that she didn’t hit Stephanie on purpose. Kelani Jordan showed up to mock both women, saying that they told her to calm down, and now they aren’t calming down themselves. Jordan said they both deserved what happened earlier. Stephanie and Lola shoved Jordan and the women had to be pulled apart. The camera panned over to Cora Jade watching the drama from a distance.
NXT GM Ava showed up to chat with Jade. Ava said she’s looking for a new number one contender for the women’s North American Championship and is booking Cora Jade vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Stephanie Vaquer in a number one contenders match at New Years Evil. Jade scoffed and nervously said that Ava’s decision was fine…
William Regal, NXT Heritage Cup Champion Lexis King, and Charlie Dempsey were all in NXT GM Ava’s office. Ava tried to congratulate Lexis, but he cut her off. He said he didn’t want to cut her off, but it felt so good to be Heritage Cup champion. HE said what makes it better was he won with integrity and without cheating. Ava said Lexis did win via DQ though. Lexis said it was the referee’s final decision though.
Ava said it was a bit of a grey area as to weather or not the title should change hands via DQ. Ava said to end all dispute, she’s booking a one fall match between Dempsey and King for the title as a sudden death of sorts. King was disappointed. Ava was about to talk to Regal, but Regal said he’s all good and doesn’t want anything to do with it. Ava took King’s cup away and handed it back to Dempsey because it was a Sudden Death. Dempsey walked away with his Heritage Cup. King said he did everything right!…
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in on commentary with Booker saying what Ava just did was wrong…
The following tag teams were nominated for Tag Team of the Year: Chase U, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson, Fraxiom, and Hank and Tank…
Sarah Schreiber announced Nathan Frazer and Axiom as the tag team of the year. Frazer and Axiom showed up with their ring bell awards. Axiom talked about how this means a lot to them. He said they went from rivals to being a team. Frazer said it’s crazy what their run has turned into. They both joked about kicking each other in all their matches. Frazer said it’s an honor that it was the fans that picked them as best tag team. Bronco Nima and Lucien Price showed up and said they were coming after the tag titles…
Zaria and Sol Ruca were backstage. Ruca headed to the ring for her upcoming match…
Sol Ruca made her entrance…[c]
Several “WWE ID” independent wrestlers were shown watching the show from the front row. Izzi Dame made her entrance…
John’s Thoughts: She’s wore this in her recent matches, but Sol Ruca has upgraded her ring attire in a good way. She’s more pro wrestling now, where her old attire felt like gym attire.
4. Sol Ruca (w/Zaria) vs. Izzi Dame. Both women were even during the collar and elbow. Sol took down Izzi with a side headlock takedown. Sol did a matrix handstand into a lariat to counter Dame’s clothesline. Sol jumped over Dame to send Dame into the corner. Sol rode Dame like a surfboard draping on the corner. Dame used a clubbing blow to intercept Sol’s slingshot move. Booker said Izzi dame reversed a Sol Snatcher and Vic noted that Sol wasn’t going for the Sol Snatcher.
Izzi worked on Sol with methodical offense. Shawn Spears was shown watching the match from the crow’s nest. Dame got a two count off a tilt a whirl cutter. Sol blocked from being slammed in the corner. Sol hit Dame with a few springboard moves. Sol hit Dame with a high kick. Dame blocked a slingshot splash. Sol hit Dame with a Slingshot Splash. Sol went for a Triangle Moonsault on Dame, but Dame pulled Zaria over and Sol accidentally hit Zaria with the moonsault. Dame caught Sol with a Mafia kick when she went to check on Zaria. Dame hit Sol with a Sky High for the win…
Izzi Dame defeated Sol Ruca via pinfall in 4:58.
Shawn Spears was shown nodding in approval at Dame’s win…
Vic Joseph plugged Women’s Superstar of the Year being announced after the break…
The show cut to Hank and Tank begging someone off screen to be their tag partner. The camera panned over to a depressed looking Andre Chase who was wearing a plain white button up shirt. Chase hung his head and the camera cut to commercial…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Is it just me, or does Shawn Spears watching the women with a methodical glare make him look like a creeper? I kid, I kid. Anyways, good to see Dame working matches again. Not sure why she disappeared for a hot minute. I think she is decent in the ring and has good size to her. Sol isn’t damaged as she’s the athletic and high flying plucky babyface. They are clearly setting up a Zaria heel turn, but why go in this roundabout way? Her apocalyptic vignettes, her Killer Kross TNA entrance, her look, her presentation, all screamed monster-heel off rip.
Vic Joseph plugged an upcoming WWE fan event. Vic and Booker then checked in on commentary to hype up the “Female Superstar of the year” award…
The following women were nominated for Female Superstar of the Year: Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice, Jaida Parker, and Roxanne Perez…
Sarah Schreiber announced Roxanne Perez as the Female Superstar of the Year. Perez showed up to the interview set with her ring bell award. Perez bragged about being a two time winner of this award. She bragged about getting her title back, beating main roster stars to defending her title, and dropping a pipe bomb on CM Punk. Perez talked about people hyping up Giulia as the one who will take the title from her, but she’s going to prove that the progidy is the one and only one…
John’s Thoughts: It seems like they kept this list short to put things in favor of Perez (which I don’t fault WWE for. Perez is a workhorse of the division and deserves her flowers. I can see fans giving mega-babyface Giulia the popular vote if she was included, even though she doesn’t have the track record Perez does).
Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe, and Tyson Dupont made their entrance to Lee’s heel theme. Hank, Tank, an Chase made their entrance next. Chase was wrestling in his untucked white shirt…
John’s Thoughts: Wes Lee named one of his finishers off Vegeta’s finisher (Final Flash). Now mah boy has found himself a Nappa and a Raditz with these two big ol’ dudes.
5. Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, and Andre Chase vs. Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe, and Tyson Dupont. Igwe dominated Tank early on. Hank used his body as a cushion to block Tank from getting Irish Whipped. Hank winded up a axe handle to hit Igwe. Tank tagged in and tackled Igwe from a three point stance. Igwe got control and rallied with strikes on Tank. Hank rallied the crowd to support Tank.
Wes tagged in and ate a Spinebuster from Tank. Chase, Hank, and Tank dumped Igwe and Dupont to ringside. Hank and Tank hit Wes with their body press move. Chase hit Igwe and Dupont at ringside with a top rope cannonball.[c]
The heels used tags and methodical offense to cut the ring in half on Hank. Hank reversed a Tornado DDT by WEs into a Suplex for a window of opportunity. Tahnk caught the hot tag and cleaned house.Tank took down Igwe and tagged in Chase. Chase took down Tank and Chase with thrust kicks. Chase rallied back against Igwe with right hands. Chase got somber again and gave Hank a cold tag before walking to teh back. Igwe hit Hank with a Stunner for the win.
Tyriek Igwe, Tyson Dupont, and Wes Lee defeated Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, and Andre Chase via pinfall in 12:00.
Vic Joseph noted that Andre Chase got depressed and PTSD when he looked at the Chase U student section and saw no Chase U students…
Ashante the Adonis was on his phone looking serious and in his street clothes. He got Karmen Petrovic’s voicemail. He told Karmen that she’s the one, and has always been. He said if he can’t spend New Years with Karmen, he’ll spend it alone. After Ashante hung up, Nikkita Lyons pulled up, trying to drag Ashante over to a “hot new years party”.
Ashante said if he can’t spend it with Karmen, then he’ll spend New Years alone. Nikkita Lyons said “too bad, thought chu a playa!” while bouncing her tig ol’ bitties. Lyons left. The camera panned over to Spears trying to recruit Dame with Dame telling her to leave her alone. Tony D’Angelo and the family showed up and told Spears to respect a woman like Dame.
Dame left, saying that at least there’s people like D’Angelo who listen. Spears mocked D’Angelo for getting beat down by Santa Ridge last week. Spears left. D’Angelo told Luca and Stacks to take care of Ridge for him…
The following wrestlers were nominated for Male Superstar of the Year: Tony D’Angelo, All Ego Ethan Page, Oba Femi, Trick Williams. Vic noted that the winner will be announced after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: The Ashante Adonis and Karmen Petrovic are consistantly one of my favorite segments on a week-to-week basis. A guilty pleasure of course. Nikkita didn’t click as a babyface, but I’m getting a kick out of her doing this hood white thicc baby gurl thing, trying to booty all up on Ashante, just to muck up that whole Adonis and Petrovic situation.
Andre Chase was walking backsage, looking depressed and holding his shoulder. NXT Developmental Wrestler Kale Dixon showed up and asked Chase when the next Chase U semester was starting? Chase put his hand on Dixon’s shoulder and told him that Chase U is dead. After Chase left, Dixon told him to “wait!”…
The following matches were hyped for next week’s themed show at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium: Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia for the NXT Women’s Championship, Charlie Dempsey vs. Lexis King in a standard singles match for the NXT Heritage Cup, Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Cora Jade in a NA Title Number One Contenders Match, Fatal Influence vs. Paxley, Shotzi, and Gigi, and Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thrope vs. Oba Femi for the NXT Championship…
Mike Rome was in the ring with the Male Superstar of the Year award in hand. Before he could announce the winner, he was cut off by Oba Femi making his entrance. Oba Femi made his entrance wearing a turtleneck sweater. Oba took the Year End ring bell award from Rome. Oba took a mic and said it doesn’t matter who wins Male Superstar of the Year. He said this award is just a prop in a popularity contest. Oba said it’s laughable that the fans are trying to control the narrative in NXT by voicing their opinions on social media. Oba said it doesn’t matter if the fans cheer “oooh” for him or not, Oba’s performance remains the same, it’s inconsequential.
He said the fans control nothing, and the only person who controls things in this company is him. He said he’s the ruler, the one who controls the narrative, the man who steers the ship, and the captain. He said if you don’t believe him, you can find out next week when he becomes champion. NXT Champion Trick Williams made his entrance. Trick said he doesn’t see a problem with getting love from the fans. He said he appreciates the fans showing him love. He said not to get things twisted, next week he, Oba, and Eddy have a triple threat match. He said he needs to dig deep. He said he needs to bring that old thang back: dat Trick Curry, Tricky McGrady, Trick Jordan, TrickBron James, the Trick Williams that gets things done.
He said Oba got his own names, the Rule, destroyer, Thanos junior. Trick said he got a nickname for Oba, “Ol’ Beatable Oba”. Trick said if Oba were not beatable, he’d still have the North American title and the New Years Evil match would be Title vs. Title. Trick said he’s not chasing Oba, Oba is chasing him. Trick said if Oba wants to talk facts, let’s talk facts.
Trick pointed out how Oba took time off after Halloween Havoc and Trick wondered how long Oba’s next break will be after he loses at New Years Evil. Eddy Thorpe blindsided Oba and Trick and sent Trick to ringside. Oba broke the NXT Year End Award over the face of Oba Femi. NXT closed with Eddy Thorpe posing in the center of the ring with the NXT Championship. Shawn Michaels, Paul Levesque, and Lee Fitting getting their usual credit as executive producers…
John’s Thoughts: I took time off doing live coverage during the holidays, and NXT decides to do full on shows with angles and such (I wouldn’t have minded clip shows for a holiday break). Don’t worry, I’ll be back with live coverage next week. Did we find out Male Superstar of the Year? I guess you can find out online. A decent go-home segment. Oba Femi continues to be the most credible of the three men with Trick Williams actually fighting uphill for crowd approval in this feud, due to Oba just being so damn cool and badass.
No way Eddy Thorpe is winning (though there’s a tiny tiny chance he does if they want to pull a Jinder Mahal with him by elevating a undercard wrestler to world champion). I think Eddy has gained a lot already even in loss because he was meandering in NXT without a good character (thank god they dropped the wrestling DJ gimmick that was a bland version of Joaquin Wilde’s old heel gimmick). The formula still states that Trick pins Eddy and they have Trick and Oba headline the Mania weekend show in Vegas (do they go a different route though? They had Oba Femi sorta lampshade that finish last week).
Overall, this was a good show if you watched it, though there was nothing too must-see to go out of your way for. One low key thing I kinda hope persists is Wes Lee, Igwe, and Dupont getting developed. I also hope for more from the Karmen Petrovic and Ashante Adonis romcom. I also a kinda intrigued to see what the next evolution in Chase University is going to be with Duke Hudson, Riley Osborne, and Thea Hail ejected from the fake university?
John, if you could provide the entrance order and the move that finishes the match it will help me a lot. In Australia with the worldwide switch to Netflix, we are missing out on this edition of NXT live (and Smackdown this week).
Ummmm…
It looks like he’s rather late doing it tonight.