By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Battleground Hits
Joe Hendry vs. Trick Williams for the TNA Championship: Any questions about whether this match should have closed the show were answered when the live crowd came to life and popped like they were seeing something special right after the opening bell rang. The fans eventually got into the NXT Women’s Championship bout, but they didn’t give it the big match treatment until the wrestlers pulled them in with strong ring work. Hendry and Williams clicked and came through with a satisfying main event. The finish with Hendry’s head hitting the title belt gave him an out for losing. Williams winning the TNA Championship is the most interesting move they could have made. Hopefully, the build is on for Williams defending against Mike Santana at Slammiverary in July.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jordynne Grace for the NXT Women’s Championship: The best match of the night. It was great to see a clean finish. Vaquer went over, but Grace surely gained something in defeat, especially in the eyes of fans who have only seen her NXT work. This felt like a great start to what should be an outstanding rivalry for years to come.
Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan for the NXT Women’s North American Championship: These two bring out the best in one another. They had a heck of an opening match, and their previous match was also a blast. Zaria saving Ruca from being hit by Jordan’s One of a Kind finisher gave Jordan an out for losing, and it also felt like they took another step toward the Zaria heel turn. The Sol Snatcher is always an impressive finisher, but Ruca going long distance with the move was sensational.
Oba Femi vs. Myles Borne for the NXT Championship: A soft Hit for an entertaining match that didn’t seem to fully connect with the live crowd. Borne had some well-designed hope spots and near falls. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like they were able to sell the crowd on a potential title change. There’s no shame in a character losing to Femi. Borne wasn’t made simply by being competitive with the NXT Champion, so the key is what comes next for him.
NXT Battleground Misses
Tony D’Angelo vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo: Things were going fine until they went a little overboard with the storytelling. After several minutes of brawling, D’Angelo suddenly had a change of heart out of nowhere and felt bad for beating up his childhood friend. The live crowd rightfully booed this phony campiness. D’Angelo got the crowd back and was on the verge of winning when he stopped again because he was surprised to see Luca Crusifino standing at ringside. The last time we saw Crusifino, they teased that Stacks was about to take him out. It would have been more understandable had D’Angelo been distracted because he was happy that his friend wasn’t dead. Rather, D’Angelo looked bothered by Crusifino’s presence for some reason, and then he shoved him away after the match when Crusifino tried to embrace him. Some of this is sure to be explained on the NXT television show, but it made for an awkward story that felt far more confusing than compelling.
Josh Briggs and NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. “The Culling” Shawn Spears, Brooks Jensen, and Niko Vance: A minor miss. It was a solid match that featured hard work from everyone involved, but the low-stakes match felt like it belonged on the NXT television show as opposed to the premium live event. It was strange that Briggs hit his finisher on Jensen and could have pinned his former tag team partner, yet opting to tag out instead. It was nice to see Briggs’ current tag team partner Yoshiki Inamura return after the match
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