By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Joe Hendry and Ricky Saints: Their strong verbal exchange set the table for their NXT Championship match at the Vengeance Day premium live event. Saints looks far more comfortable playing a heel than he did during his babyface run in NXT, and this was his best mic work yet since he signed with WWE. It was refreshing to see Hendry get the opportunity to do more than play the smiling babyface. It took long enough, but Hendry finally got to show an edge in NXT. Hopefully, it’s the first step toward him becoming a multi-dimensional character like he was in TNA. A case can be made for either one of these guys getting a post-WrestleMania call-up to the main roster. As such, the outcome of their match at Vengeance Day should feel less predictable than most title matches do when they occur this early in a new champion’s reign.
“Vanity Project” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. “OTM” Bronco Nima and Lucien Price vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. Shawn Spears and Niko Vance in a four-way for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles: While the match was entertaining, the Hit is mostly for Baylor and Smokes going over. NXT needs to create new stars after losing some major players to the main roster. Baylor, Smokes, and Jackson Drake can’t replace Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans, but they can be difference makers as a young heel trio. As much as I love Ethan Page’s work, Rick Saints looked and felt like a better fit with the Vanity Project. Saints heading up the group would give NXT a strong heel faction and provide a major credibility boost to Baylor, Smokes, and Drake.
Keanu Carver vignette: There are a lot of angry heels in pro wrestling. The edge Carver has over most is that he feels real, thanks in part to this highly effective character profile piece. While some badass wrestlers seem like they probably become a different person the moment the camera is off, Carver comes off like a genuinely pissed-off guy who walks around with a chip on his shoulder. The story of getting kicked off his football team was believable both as a story and because of his delivery.
Sol Ruca, Zaria, and Fatal Influence: Okay, now they’re just f—ing with those of us who have been begging for Zaria to turn on Ruca. Whether that’s true or paranoia, this was a good segment. They set the table with Zaria telling Ruca that their friendship was over during a backstage segment. Jacy Jayne heeled on Ruca during an in-ring promo. Ruca showed good fire with her rebuttal before the Fatal Influence attacked her. Zaria coming out and acting like she was going to spear Ruca, only to help her, was easy to see coming, yet effective nonetheless. Will Zaria finally pull the trigger next week when Ruca challenges for the NXT Championship, or will creative wait until fans drop their guard and then turn her in an homage to Tommaso Ciampa’s epic turn on Johnny Gargano?
Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice: Jordan and Vice apparently bring out the best in one another. They came through with another strong match, and this has quickly become one of the best feuds in the NXT women’s division. The finish with Jordan stomping Vice’s hand and then attacking it to get the submission was another example of her new ruthless approach.
Tony D’Angelo vs. Cutler James: A soft Hit for a nice showcase win for D’Angelo. I had no problem with D’Angelo beating one member of DarkState, but seeing him destroy Dion Lennox afterward was concerning. D’Angelo is feuding with four men. I’m sure the feud will be laid out so that DarkState uses the numbers advantage to get the better of D’Angelo at times, but it’s hard to see them as a badass faction if they are pushovers individually. Can they gain anything from a feud with one man?
NXT Misses
Ethan Page vs. Shiloh Hill for the NXT North American Championship: Does the NXT creative team listen to the fans? Hill’s matches tend to feature him getting roughed up at some point, only to remove his fake tooth and essentially Hulk up. The idea that Hill gets a surge from removing his tooth is absurd. It also begs the question of why he wouldn’t just wrestle without his tooth. Hill has real potential with a good look and impressive promo skills. Building his matches around a missing tooth weak and unnecessary.
Myles Borne: He has the tools, but there’s still something missing. NXT wisely threw in the towel on the white meat babyface act, but the jury is still out on having him play more of an ass-kicker. Perhaps it’s the dramatic shift from one end of the spectrum to the other, but Borne comes off like he is playing character rather than this being an extension of his actual personality. He doesn’t feel genuine, and there’s nothing for the fans to latch onto.
Elio LeFleur vs. Eli Knight for a shot at the WWE Speed Championship: This was good by Speed match standards, but not good enough to justify Robert Stone citing the match quality as an excuse to change the rules on the fly.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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