By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Trick Williams and Mike Santana: Williams cut a fun, gloating promo as the new TNA World Champion. He was only kidding, but TrickNA is a better name than the dreadful TNA name, but I digress. Santana delivered a fiery promo in defense of the company while also getting himself over with unfamiliar fans. Williams did the little things right by selling Santana’s lines in a believable manner as opposed to responding in an over-the-top manner. The announcement that these two will meet for the TNA World Championship on next week’s show was surprising. I thought they would save their first match for TNA Slammiversary in July, but no complaints about getting a must see title match on next week’s show.
Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page for the NXT North American Title: More good than bad. The hard work from the wrestlers was good enough to overcome a serious case of overbooking that saw security guards keep the wrestlers apart before and even during the match. The pre-match separation was actually the right move in that a wrestler shouldn’t be rewarded for taking a pre-match cheap shot by having the referee call for the opening bell. The problem is that these jump starts happen frequently enough that it begs the question of why company officials cared about it in this match, yet not in other matches. Security also stopped Page from grabbing a chair during the match, which never happens. A referee might grab the chair, but security? The guards also stopped the wrestlers from fighting into the crowd and pulled them apart at ringside again. On the bright side, I did enjoy the spot where Page performed a cutter on the chair at ringside, which, along with the other throat shots, made the new champion look sadistic while providing Starks with a solid out for losing.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women’s Championship: Well, I don’t think anyone saw this title change coming. Where was NXT security when Jayne attacked Vaquer before the bell? In a total contradiction of the opening match, the referee rewarded the heel for attacking the babyface by immediately calling for the opening bell. Anyway, the title change really was a shocker. I could have done without the contrived shot of ring announcer Mike Rome and the people around him with their jaws dropped. I get what they were going for, but it’s not like they normally cut to a shot of Rome after a match ends. I prefer the shots of genuinely shocked fans. Good for Jayne. She played a sidekick to Mandy Rose and Fallon Henley in two factions. She struck me as a valuable role player. I would have bet against her getting a run with the NXT Women’s Championship, but I’m happy she’s getting it. The big question now is what this loss means for Vaquer in terms of whether she is main roster bound. Did NXT creative decide to shake things up, or did these title changes occur because they are losing key wrestlers to the main roster? Only time will tell whether this title change was the right long term move, but it made for a wild night of television.
Mike Santana vs. Tavion Heights: It was a feel-good moment seeing Santana make his WWE debut after all these years. Santana has a cool story of redemption, and I hope they help him tell it on NXT television. Meanwhile, Heights continues to impress, and this was more than just a showcase win for Santana. Heights got plenty of offense and looked good in defeat. I’m not a big fan of the single-leg sleeve look, but Heights has major upside. I also like the call of having Santana and Heights show respect for one another when the match was set up and again when they shook hands afterward. It gave Charlie Dempsey a chance to turn his nose up, while also getting across that Santana is a cool guy who will show respect when it’s earned.
Jasper Troy vs. Dante Chen: A solid spotlight match for Troy in his NXT debut match. I’m surprised it wasn’t total domination for Troy, but he gave up some offense and still went over in dominant fashion. It will be interesting to see how they navigate Troy’s feud with Oba Femi. Assuming Femi keeps the title (and nothing feels like a slam dunk after last night’s title changes), how will Troy’s monster status be protected?
NXT Misses
Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley: They lost me the moment Paxley walked out carrying her silly dolls. It got worse when the finish saw Parker throw one of the dolls across the ring, causing an emo Paxley to pick it up and stare at it while Parker took out Paxley with her finisher. One can only hope that Paxley is transitioning into a new persona, though it’s hard to be excited about her joining or feuding with The Culling.
If it’s necessary for Vaquer to drop the title, it’s still completely baffling that they didn’t have her drop it to Jordynne Grace instead.
It’s because Jordynne’s going to Smackdown and Stephanie to Raw apparently.