By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
Happy WrestleMania weekend! The biggest event of the wrestling year is upon along with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it – probably even more so this year with Las Vegas, Nevada being the host city. Add Easter to this (and Happy Easter to all who celebrate), and we have a packed weekend.
I’ll be by with my preview and picks for both nights of WrestleMania, but we’ll start with NXT Stand & Deliver taking place Saturday afternoon from the T-Mobile Arena. Heading into this show and to this weekend in general, I share the opinions that many have expressed when it comes to the builds of the WWE brand shows – too much reliance on multi-person matches. They can be used sparingly on occasion but using them too much on a given show for the sake of getting everyone on the show is a sign of lazy booking and takes away from the show’s importance. That said, I am sure the matches will be fine once the bell rings. Let’s run down the card.
Oba Femi vs. Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans in a Triple Threat for the NXT Championship. This is an example of the overuse of the multi-person match. Femi vs. Trick one-on-one would have made the most sense here given the story they were telling. They could have even gone with Evans against Trick or Femi if they wanted to. I think the goal here is to have Evans win the title and be revealed as the leader of the DarkState faction. I think Femi and Williams are being primed for the main roster soon, so putting the title on the young upstart would make sense. I’m interested to see how Evans does as a heel, as he’s a great babyface character and a potential switchover might be a bit too soon.
Don Predicts: Je’Von Evans wins the NXT Championship.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker in a four-way for the NXT Women’s Championship. This one definitely didn’t need to be a multi-person match. Vaquer vs. Grace was the match and if I’m being generous, I could have lived with a Vaquer vs. Giulia rematch. I’m very high on Parker and she’ll at the top someday, but this is not the time for her, and I suspect she’s there to take the pin. As for the outcome, the main roster needs some fresh talent and I think Vaquer fits that bill. I see the heel Giulia regaining the title and then you put Grace and Parker in chase mode.
Don Predicts: Giulia wins the NXT Women’s Championship.
Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship. The battle of AEW Alumni! This will be a good one and I don’t see a reason to move the title off Saints at this time. Page is another one that should be main roster bound. My only concern will be how he’s booked if he gets called up. He’s an upper mid-card main event talent. I just don’t want to see him lumped into comedy segments. He can deliver there too but as we’ve seen, he has much more to offer.
Don Predicts: Ricky Saints retains the NXT North American Championship.
Zaria vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame vs. Lola Vice vs. Thea Hail in a six-woman ladder match for the vacant NXT Women’s North American Championship. Another multi-person match, but I’m not as down on this, as I feel like this is the traditional match for this title each year. It’s tough to say who they’re looking to elevate here so I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb and go with Thea Hail. She’s been off TV for a bit and she brings an incredible amount of charisma. I’d like to see how she can handle being elevated in the pecking order as I think there’s potential there.
Don Predicts: Thea Hail wins the vacant NXT Women’s North American Championship.
Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger for the NXT Tag Team Titles. I’m going to go out on another limb here. Fraxiom has had a good run with the titles with a teased breakup for months. I don’t think we’ll see the breakup here, but I do think one or both are headed to the main roster, especially with both making appearances on Smackdown recently. I can’t say a Hank and Tank title run excites me, but it seems to fit the story they’re telling. I would have liked to have seen the journey to the top play out a little bit more, but it seems like a change may be upon us.
Don Predicts: Hank Walker and Tank Ledger win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
Tony D’Angelo, Stacks, and Luca Crusifino vs. three members of “DarkState” Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin. The D’Angelo Family have done all they can in NXT. I could Stacks joining Crusifino in Evolve while D’Angelo moves to the main roster. The only issue is he’ll need a new character as I don’t think the mafia gimmick will work well on a bigger stage. For this match, I think we see Stacks betray D’Angelo as a way to write off Tony’s character. He can then team or feud with Crusifino. In the meantime, I’d like to see some more distinct character development for the individual members of the DarkState faction. I like it so far, but I’d like to get to know the players behind the faction.
Don Predicts: DarkState defeats the D’Angelo Family.
(Pre-Show) Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley vs. Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne in a four-way for a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. This match is not needed. It feels like it’s happing just to get several more wrestlers from the women’s division on the show. At least it has something at stake, no matter how you may feel about the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. My pick for the outcome of the women’s tag team title match plays into my pick here. More on that during my WrestleMania predictions over the weekend.
Don Predicts: Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley win the four-way to earn the title shot.
Join John Moore for his live review of NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday morning starting with the pre-show at 11CT/noonET.
Let’s go Thea!!!