By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live October 22, 2024 on The CW
[Hour One] The NXT Intro theme aired…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
1. “Damage Ctrl” Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane vs. “Meta Four” Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Jakara and Iyo started the match. Iyo took down Jakara with a Shotgun dropkick. Sane tagged in. Sane and Sky hit Jackson with Stereo Shotgun Dropkicks. Jakara used a dodge to send Kairi into the ringpost. Lash tagged in and lifted up Sane with a choke. Lash used her power to block a Sunset Flip. Kairi came back with a slap.
Lash carried Sane on her back and Iyo on her front for a double Torture Rack. Lash slammed Sane to the mat for a two count. Lash used her size to block Sane’s Irish Whip. Sane then went into a Sleeper on Lash. Lash threw Sane over the top to break the hold. Sane used a Huracanrana to dump Lash to ringside. Sane also dumped Jakara to ringside. Sane hit Jackson with a diving forearm. Iyo hit both opponents with an Asai Moonsault heading into regular break.[c]
Iyo and Jakara took each other out after the break. Sane tagged in and knocked Lash off the apron. Sane rallied with right hands on Jackson. Sane hit Jackson with a Spear. Sane dodged Lash’s pump kick and hit her with a backfist. Sane hit Jackson and Lash with a tackle in the corner. Sane hit Jackson with a top rope forearm for a nearfall. Sane hit Jackson with an Alabama Slam.
Sane hit Iyo with an assisted pop up elbow for a two count. Lash and Iyo tagged in. Iyo slipped off the Slingshot and Vic noted that it might have been due to Sane accidentally hitting the ropes. Sky slammed Jackson to the mat. Jackson dodged a Over the Moon Sault. Lash tagged in and hit Iyo with a pump kick. Lash hit Sane with a backbreaker. Jackson tagged in. Piper Niven attacked Jackson at ringside for the DQ.
Meta-Four defeated Damage Ctrl via apparent DQ in 11:25.
After the bell, Chelsea Green attacked Lash from behind. Niven hit Jackson hit Lash with a Vader Bomb. Green and Niven also took down Damage Ctrl. Green ended up hitting Sane with a dive to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: A solid tag team match with both teams looking pretty good. There was that botched slingshot by Sky, but accidents happen and that didn’t ruin the match. Jackson is a bit of the unknown factor in that injuries have kept her out of the ring during most of her development, but she really did a great job here selling for a majority of the match before the Lash hot tag. Lash continues to show that she’s improved A LOT since the 2.0 days. She has a high ceiling in WWE because of her solid Big Man style, Power, and Size. I’m okay with the run-in, especially since Green and Niven looked good getting their heat.
Footage from ‘Earlier today” had Tank Ledger standing on top of the NXT outdoor Merch Stand where he introduced NASCAR racer Cole Custer who drove up. Hank and Tank walked over to welcome Cole Custer to NXT. OTM and Jaida Parker pulled on up to talk trash and challenge Hank and Tank to a match…
OTM made their entrance…[c]
Sol Ruca and Karmen Petrovic were spotting Brinley Reece during her deadlift squats. Reece joked about turning down Ashanti Adonis. Sol pointed out that there may be a little somthin’ somethin’ between Karmen Petrovic and Ashanti. Ashanti showed up and started to hit on Petrovic. Petrovic said she only returned the favor by costing Ashanti a match after he cost her a match.
They stared at each other a bit before Sol shoo’d Ashanti away. Sol pointed out that there has to be something going on between Ashanti and Karmen. Karmen said that Sol doesn’t know what Karmen is into. When Karmen left, Reece said that it looks like they just saw a canon event…
Tatum Paxley made her entrance…
2. Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley. Jaida dominated the early chain wrestling. Tatum went for a comeback but got draped in the corner and hit with Jaida’s signature draping Banzai Drop. A picture-in-picture showed Lola Vice watching the match from the back. Tatum hit Jaida with a backfist and rolled her up for a two count. Tatum hit Parker with a nice facebuster to the knee. Paxley took down Parker with an enzuigiri.
Paxley hit Parker with Argentine Rack Slam for a two count. Tatum got another two count off a rollup. Both women traded counters. Parker hip checked Tatum a bit and followed up with Hip-notic for the win.
Jaida Parker defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 4:15.
Lola Vice had to be held back at the top of the ramp. Wendy Choo showed up and dragged Tatum Paxley into a Roadie Case. Choo rolled the case away…
Lexis King approached NQCC. King said he has things in common with Charlie Dempsey like good facial hair. He said he’s not a “loose canon” and is a straight shooter. Dempsey said he knows what King is doing, but the result is not going to be what he wants. Dempsey told Wren Sinclair to go ask Ava to give King his Heritage Cup match. Wren said that all King needs to do now is find a corner-person. King mulled over who that would be?…
Vic Joseph hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Solid win as usual to give Parker a simple win. Paxley has a great character, but the creative team seems to not know what to do with it. I hope they find something for her. Either that or send her on excursion to TNA like Wendy Choo. Speaking of Choo, not sure where the abduction leads? Given how they’re booking this week’s Impact show, I would have thought they were setting up Rosemary and Choo to challenge Jody Threat and Dani Luna for the TNA Knockouts Tag Titles?
Wendy Choo was wheeling the roadie crate backstage. The camera panned over to Nathan Frazer and Axiom chatting with Je’von Evans and Cedric Alexander. Frazer praised Evans for a good match and said that he’ll get his day someday. Evans saw that as condescending. Frazer said he didn’t mean anything bad and he received a lot of crap at his age…
Vic Joseph hyped up Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc. He also hyped Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence for later in the show…
A hype package aired for the mentioned women’s tag team match…
A subtitled Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia promo aired. She talked about walking unknown roads and paving her own way. She talked about raveling the world to conquer Europe, Japan, and South America. She said it doesn’t matter how many heads she had to crush, she was going to WWE. Giulia talked about how they had a match before and became friends fright after.
She said she wants to team with Steph because she can only trust someone who hits as hard as she does. She said once they beat Perez and Jade on Sunday they will be on their way to the championship…
The camera cut to backstage where Adriana Rizzo was attacked and laid out by a mystery person. Tony D’Angelo yelled to Luca and Stacks to get a doctor…[c]
Luca Crucifino was already in the ring, alongside Channing Lorenzo…
3. Oba Femi vs. Luca Crucifino (w/Channing Lorenzo). Oba started the match with a shove. Oba caught Luca out of the air and hit him with a Shoulder Breaker. Oba worked on Luca’s left arm by yanking it. Vic noted that Tony D couldn’t make it out because he’s checking on Adriana Rizzo after she was attacked. Oba took down Luca with a clothesline. Oba put Luca in a Half Nelson hold. Luca went for a bit of a comeback by running into Oba.
Oba quickly recovered and gave Luca a chokeslam. Oba dodged a Plancha attempt and gave Luca a clubbing blow to the back on the apron. Oba tossed Luca like a Shot Put. Oba picked up the win after a power bomb.
Oba Femi defeated Luca Crucifino via pinfall.
After Luca went to check on Luca, Oba tossed him to ringside and attacked Luca more. Oba tossed Luca into the ringpost. Luca tried to rally, but Oba tossed Stacks over the top rope. Oba laid a table next to the barricade. When Oba went for a toolbox, Tony D ran out to attack Oba. Oba recovered and tossed Tony D into the steel steps. Oba zip tied Tony D to the bottom turnbuckle (as usually happens in pro wrestling, he did struggle to get the zip tie on).
Oba put Stacks through the regular table. Oba then cleared the announce table. Oba dragged a ladder and created a bridge between the ladder ring and announce table. Oba power bombed Luca through the ladder. Oba jawed with Tony D while Tony was still zip tied to the bottom buckle…[c]
A vignette aired for new women’s wrestler Delta aired. She punched a CGI wall that had the words Halloween Havoc on it. Her new WWE Name seems to be “Zaria”…
Separate shots backstage were shown of Ethan Page and Trick Williams walking were shown…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A logical squash by Oba heading into Halloween Havoc. Post match beatdown of both of Tony’s goons complete’s Oba’s prophesy of The Family not being able to be at ringside at Halloween Havoc. Tony D didn’t need the Family when he won the title and only plucked one out because he fired up after Rizzo got accidentally knocked down by Oba. My guess is the Tables and Ladders match is for Tony D to find a way to get the win while also protecting the indestructible aura of Oba Femi.
The show cut to a Andre Chase promo. He talked about how important Chase U was. He said that people try to better themselves at the University, but not Ridge Holland. Chase talked about how the tried to help Ridge prove that he’s better than what people think. He said that they won the titles together, but he was let down when Ridge betrayed them. He said everyone was right about Ridge. he said he’s going to make Ridge feel what Chase felt. Chase challenged Ridge to a Ambulance Match at Halloween Havoc…
[Hour Two] All Ego Ethan Page made his entrance in a suit and glasses (I think it’s ultimately the glasses that makes him look like his old Chandler Park character, Abyss’s little cousin). NXT Champion Trick Williams made his entrance to the ring. Trick said for what Page did to him last week, he should have dropped Page’s ass like a mix tape. He said he’s not going to do that because he promised Ava. He said he sees Page as scared and desperate.
Page said maybe he’s desperate, or that’s what he wants Trick to think. Page pointed out how he comes off as a person who talks about how great he is. He said you might know him as a father and husband. He said you might also know him as a wrestler for 17 years. Page said people often gloss over what it took for Page to get here. Page said he and Trick had different paths. He said he didn’t have a top notch Performance Center made to pamper him. He said he never had the greatest coaches in teh world prepping him for a top position in the top company.
Page said he had to go through hell to get where he’s at. Trick said he gets it, they both have their stories. Trick said he’s not going to let Page shame him for being blessed. Page asked Trick if he’s ever been busted open, have blood and sweat blur his vision, and know that you have to keep fighting. Page asked Trick if he’s been hit down with a weapon and had to get up and keep going. He asked trick if Trick ever tasted the copper and salt after getting hit, having it happen so many times. Trick said he’s glad that Page is used to that because he’s going to bust Page’s ass on Sunday. Page said to give it up to Trick, all flash and fake confidence.
Page said he hit Trick in the head with the light to give Trick a preview of the Devil’s Playground, where anything goes. Page said that benefits one man, All Ego. Trick said that Trick looks great with abs, fur, bling, immaculate. He said that Trick has every skill he needs to defend the title, but he doesn’t have the devil inside of him like Page. Page said Trick is not tough and not built for the Devil’s Playground. Trick said that was crazy. Trick said he went through war with Melo, Ilja, and Pete Dunne. Page asked if Trick knew if any of those men tried to make Trick question being a professional wrestler.
Page said on Sunday you’ll see a Page these people haven’t seen, and a person that Trick has never saw in his entire career. Trick said Page was all talk. Trick said that Page never beat Trick, and when he won the title he didn’t even pin trick. Trick said Page is going to do anything to stay close to the title and he’s not going to let Page do it.
Page asked Trick if this looks like desperate. Page said he is desperate expecially after all the years it took to win a title in WWE. He said he’s going to teach Trick how to play by the Devil’s rules, “my rules”. Trick said he’s looking forward to it. Trick dropped the mic and left to his entrance theme.
Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez were in the lounge talking crap about Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia. Fatal Influence showed up and talked about how They’ll take care of Kelani Jordan while Perez and Jade take care of Giulia and Vaquer. Kelani showed up and talked about how she sees fear in the eyes of Jade and Perez. Jordan asked Fatal Influence who she was going to defend the title against. Fallon Henley said you’ll find out later…
Sol Ruca made her entrance
An ad aired for NXT at the old ECW Arena, the 2300 Arena…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Awesome promo segment, especially good for Ethan Page to build up his All Ethos (sorry, bad nerdy pun). But he did build up his ethos here in bringing up his journey to WWE while still framing it like a heel. I still think he’s losing on Sunday. The guy was main roster ready 6 years ago, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets called up after losing (if he loses).
Karmen Petrovic made her entrance with her signature Katana Samurai Sword. She looked flustered when she saw Ashanti The Adonis in the crowd leaning all up on som shawtys in the crowd…
4. Sol Ruca vs. Karmen Petrovic. Sol started the match with a side headlock to gein control. Sol used a flip to block a Monkey Flip. Sol tripped up Petrovic and then rode Petrovic like a surfboard. Sol hit Petrovic with a superkick. Petrovic came back with a Rolling Sobat. Petrovic got distracted by Ashanti and the random shawtys. Petrovic hit Sol with a basement kick.
Karmen kicked around Sol and got a nearfall. Sol came back with a Codebreaker. Sol rallied with alternating hands. Sol hit Karmen with a few springboard axe handles for a two count. Sol hit Karmen with a high kick. Karmen came back with a high kick and cross arm slam. Karmen was then distracted by Ashanti leading one of the baddies to the back (we can all assume he’s going to get some booty, as I assume Karmen is thinking). Sol took advantage of this by hitting the Sol Snatcher for the win.
Sol Ruca defeated Karmen Petrovic via pinfall.
Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe were chatting with Nikkita Lyons backstage. Igwe and Lyrons aid they are waiting for their moment and they will be ready. Lyons told Tyson to be agressive. She told Igwe to take his opportunities. Oba Femi handed Lyons a robe she dropped. Lyons thanked Oba. Oba said “no, thank you”…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Welp, the hormones and pheromones are all flowing in the performance center. Lots of horny and sexual tension all up in dat place. Hey, I’d ship these pairs. Oba and Nikkita. That’s a whole lotta meat! Powerful meat! I’m also rooting for Ashanti to finally steal the heart of his karate shawty!
A tweet was shown of Rhea Ripley welcoming her fellow countrywoman Zaria to WWE…
OTM were already in the ring. Hank, Tank, and Cole Custer made their entrance. OTM jumped Hank and Tank before the bell, but Hank and Tank managed to turn the tables…
5. “Out Tha Mud” Bronco Nima and Lucien Price (w/Jaida Parker) vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger (w/Cole Custer). Hank and Tank sandwiched Price to get a two count on him. Nima tagged in and gained control with a Face Wash kick on Tank. Price tagged in and gave Tank a Uranage. Tank escaped with a Judo roll to bring in Hank. Hank hit Nima with a few Stinger Splashes and a Bulldog. Hank hit Price with a Pounce to send him into Booker.
Hank dumped Price to ringside. Hank hit Nima with a Bossman Slam. Price broke up Hank’s pin. Parker tried to attack Tank, but Jaida Parker ran out and beat down Parker. Cole Custer hit Nima in the back. Hank and Tank hit Nima with their double team power slam finisher to give the win.
Tank Ledger and Hank Walker defeated Out Tha Mud via pinfall.
Vic Joseph noted that NXT will be sponsoring Custer’s car. Lola Vice entered the ring to dance with Hank, Tank, and Custer. Axiom and Frazer were in Ava’s office. Frazer was yelling at wanting a match against Jevon Evans. Axiom told Frazer to calm down, but Frazer yelled that he wants to prove they are the best tag team in the world. After Axiom and Frazer left, Lexis King told Ava that he needs her help to find him a cornerman, because nobody trust him. Ava told King he has to find one himself. King left…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Eh, it was harmless. The “celebrity spot” of the night. The interference looked weak, but the NASCAR guy isn’t a trained wrestler, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. NXT is getting their name on a stock car, so I guess that’s a plus (I don’t watch Nascar anymore, so I can’t really say how effective it would be). I’m not a fan of OTM taking the loss because I saw a lot from them in the ring and on the mic from their time in NXT Level Up. They were starting to catch on when Scrypts was cutting good promos for them, but then they got lost when the former Reggie’s contract ran out. I hope they give these Inglewood looking brotha’s a shoot because I really see something there (Yes, I know they are billed from Oakland, but their graphics look all Inglewood. A.k.a Ingle-hood).
A sponsored Ridge Holland promo aired. Holland asked why there was so much hostility from Chase to a former student. Holland talked about how he’s tearing Chase’s creation piece by piece, brick by brick, member by member. He said the only person standing is Andre Chase. Holland said he’s going to be the man everybody expects him to be, the most dangerous man in NXT. Holland said on Sunday, Chase will take his last ride on an ambulance. Holland closed the doors of an ambulance he’s in…
Kelani Jordan vs. “1 member of Fatal Influence” was announced for Halloween Havoc. Vic ran through the rest of the advertised matches at Halloween Havoc…
John’s Thoughts: Again, low key, Ridge Holland might be the most improved wrestler in all of WWE over the past year. This guy is a strong and believable promo, and he’s done it in sad, mad, and goofy style promos. Lots of range. On top of that, I also praise him for his improvement in the ring. It sucks that he went through so many perils from his early callup and subsequent injuries. I really hope that he gets rewarded for all this improvement with another main roster run.
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Tony D’Angelo backstage. Tony D talked about Rizzo, Stacks, and Luca being taken out. Tony said Oba is making things more personal than a title belt. Tony said he’s going to use every table, ladder, or chair to personally beat Oba’s ass!…
Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer crossed paths with Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane backstage…
Fatal Influence made their entrance…[c]
Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia made their entrance…
John’s Thoughts: Giulia’s entrance gives me chills, in a good way. I also feel like her going with the straight hair these days also works for her (she used to wrestle in MMA cornrows). She’s gonna be a huge star in WWE, and by presentation alone. Her in-ring is going to send her to the moon!
6. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer vs. “Fatal Influence” Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne (w/Jasmyn Nyx). Giulia hit Henley with a armdrag and dropkick. Jayne tagged in and ate a Yakuza Kick and Body Slam from Giulia for a one count. Steph tagged in and gave Jayne a front kick to the head. Stephanie hit Jayne with a headscissors and head slam. Henley got on the ropes for the distraction and was tackled to the heel corner.
The heels gave Vaquer tandem strikes after Henley tagged in. The heels used quick tags to cut the ring in half on Vaquer. Vaquer hit Henley with a jawbreaker and back kick. Henley caught Vaquer with a huracanrana. Vaquer hit Henley with a jump kick. Giulia tagged in. Vaquer hit Henley with a 619. Giulia ran through both opponents. Giulia and Vaquer hit Jayne with a double team elbow drop.
Giulia was tripped off the apron by Nyx. Henley and Jayne swarmed Giulia with kicks heading into regular break…[c]
Giulia rolled up Henley for a two count. Giulia rallied with forearms. Henley came back with a chop block. Jayne tagged in and gave Giulia a thrust kick. Jayne hit Giulia with a running Senton. Jayne put Giulia in a butterfly stretch. Giulia escaped and hit Jayne with a basement Shotgun Dropkick. Vaquer caught the hot tag and hit Henley with a crossbody. Steph hit Henley with Eat Defeat. Steph gave Jayne headbutts.
Steph gave Jayne a Meteora in the corner. Steph no sold a big boot from Henley and gave her a Dragon Screw for a two count. Giulia tagged in. Giulia and Steph took down Henley with stereo Yakuza Kicks. Jayne shoved Steph into Giulia to break the hold. Giulia and Henley traded some Boo-Yay fighting spirit forearms. Henley caught Giulia with a back elbow. Henley knocked Giulia off the top rope and gave her a Blockbuster. Jayne hit Giulia with a Spinebuster.
Vaquer broke up the pin. Vaquer dragged Jayne to ringside. Nyx distracted Giulia. Jayne rolled up Giulia for a nearfall. kelani Jordan attacked and knocked down Nyx at ringside. Giulia hit Jayne with a running hip check. Stephanie tagged in and hit Jayne with her Package Shoulder Breaker for the win.
Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia defeated Fatal Influence via pinfall.
Vic Joseph plugged Halloween Havoc ticket sales. Vic ran through some advertised matches for Halloween Havoc. Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade appeared at the crow’s nest. Fatal Influence were at the wheel. Jayne spun the wheel and I didn’t catch where it landed. The lights then started flashing as graphics for Zaria were shown. The show ended with Vic Joseph yelling “She’s here!” and Zaria appeared at the top of the ramp…
John’s Thoughts: A fun tag team match that really picked up in the end. I didn’t like Stephanie’s generic royalty-free-sounding music at first but it’s sorta growing on me (I do expect WWE to eventually get a OST theme in for her eventually). Stephanie and Giulia had good tag team chemistry and this was a fun showcase of the international sensations. In a signature HBK foreshadowing moment (I’m still waiting for that Adam Cole vs. HBK match that HBK teased in this fashion), I can’t wait until we get that hard hitting Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer that they teased before this match.
Fatal Influence is a bit dead in the water at this point. Toxic Attraction Lite? I hope they dissolve this and take a different direction with all three women, especially the drastically underutilized and talented Fallon Henley. At least they served well here as cannon fodder for more important acts. This week’s episode was a step down from last week in that last week’s show had a lot of worthwhile matches. This week’s show did a solid job throughout, setting the table for the incoming Zaria, with all her CGI vignettes, Rhea Ripley tweet, and appearance in the end. The show also focus on setting the table for this Sunday’s Halloween Havoc.
Cole Custer looks like the first henchman to get knocked out in a Dukes of Hazard episode.
Way too heavy on the women’s wrestling side of things tonight. By far the worst episode since NXT went to CW.
The wheel span up “Spinner’s Choice”, John, and Fallon was about to say what the choice was when the lights went out for Zaria’s appearance.
So it looks like Nikkita attacked Rizzo.