The go home show for NXT Vengeance Day was a good show. Probably the most eventful NXT of the year, and one that will definitely make you interested to tune in on Saturday to see what happens. The match quality was certainly up and down this week, there were some very exciting contests including the tag team triple threat. As well as seeing Cora Jade achieve a childhood dream of stepping in the ring with her former role model in Bayley. But other matches such as, Lexis King vs JDC and the main event didn’t really achieve the same success as those bouts. However, the main event did give us a great finishing angle for the show, as it was revealed Izzi Dame was working with Shawn Spears all along. As Spears and his group demolished The Family. Storytelling was an aspect of the show that was consistently great throughout, as well as the finish of the show, we also got some cool video packages elevating matches for Vengeance Day. Of course, we also saw the buzz-worthy moment of Ricky Starks making an appearance in NXT, just 24 hours after becoming a free agent. The atmosphere in the Performance Centre was awesome this week, and you can understand why with the moments they saw from this episode of NXT. While Vic Joseph did a great job, particularly in the Ricky Starks segment where I’m sure it was very tough not to say his name. The developmental brand did a fantastic job in creating more intrigue for Vengeance Day, despite some matches lacking in quality. Now onto Saturday in Washington DC.
We have arrived at the go home show for NXT Vengeance Day. Cora Jade takes on her former role model in Bayley. Lexis King defends his Heritage Cup against JDC fka Fandango. Tony D’Angelo faces Ridge Holland in a Steel Cage match for the NXT North American Championship. Let’s get into the review!
GOOD Bayley vs Cora Jade
Very cool moment for Cora Jade, not only competing against someone she looked up to in Bayley, but actually pinning her as well. The match itself wasn’t anything spectacular, but there were some nicely thought out sequences, as well as Cora continuing to improve in the ring with every match she has. Bayley of course had to take control of the match throughout, acting as a ring general for most of it. The ending was a bit strange, on the one hand it was a pretty awesome callback seeing Roxanne Perez come out in Bayley’s old hugger gear. But I don’t understand why she’s acting worried that Cora won after her distraction, as surely she knew that was going to be a big possibility interrupting a match like that. After Cora picked up the win with back-to-back DDTs, she was added into the NXT Women’s Championship match at Vengeance Day, making it now a Fatal 4 Way.
Result: Cora Jade by Pinfall via DDT
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.25 Stars
Zaria and Sol Ruca were talking about doing a training session at the beach in preparation for their match with Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson, but they were rudely interrupted by Nikkita Lyons. Nikkita didn’t really say anything interesting, but she earned herself a match with Zaria later on in the show.
AMAZING Oba Femi and A-Town Down Under Segment
Oba Femi came out to the ring, and tried to cause trouble between A-Town Down Under. But Grayson Waller and Austin Theory decided to play mind games of their own, as they pretended to fall out to trick Oba. The funny thing is… a lot of the stuff Grayson and Austin said to each other, felt like there was a hint of real frustration between the two. NXT has advanced the break-up storyline between these two far better then the main roster has, and Vengeance Day got a lot more interesting.
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Dr. David Cohen gave us an update on Je’Von Evans’ condition heading into Vengeance Day. It was revealed that Je’Von will be cleared for his match with Ethan Page, but the doctor had very serious concerns that he could risk ruining his career by competing in the match.
AMAZING Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura vs Hank and Tank vs NQCC
Talk about a great showcase for NXT’s tag team division. This is a match that I didn’t have too high expectations for, but these tag teams stole the show this week on NXT. We haven’t seen Yoshiki Inamura’s in-ring ability too much on NXT, but this match told us all we need to know. The guy is a beast, from his explosive strikes to his incredibly fun aura, Inamura is someone that I could see being a real hit in NXT if he decided to sign there permanently. Hank and Tank continue to show themselves as perhaps one of the most underrated tag teams in NXT. While NQCC, particularly Taivon Heights, proved why they deserve a big push as well. The tag team division is on fire right now, with the two perfect champions leading it in Fraxiom.
Result: Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura by Pinfall via Top Rope Splash
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
AVERAGE Lexis King vs JDC – NXT Heritage Cup
It’s great to see JDC competing in a WWE/NXT ring again. But I was never truly in doubt throughout this match that Lexis King could actually lose his Heritage Cup, so no matter the quality of the wrestling on display, it was tough to get invested because of the predictability of the result. But the actual wrestling we saw was decent, everything was relatively smooth, without any real risks being taken.
Result: Lexis King by Pinfall via The Coronation
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 2.75 Stars
SQUASH Zaria vs Nikkita Lyons
This was a very short match. This saw Zaria struggle a little bit against Nikitta Lyons, but in the end a quick Spear and F-5 combo was enough to give Zaria the win in this one. Now she and Sol Ruca will go on to face the Meta Girls next week.
Result: Zaria by Pinfall via F-5
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: Too short to rate
Trick Williams was being interviewed as the ring got set up for the Steel Cage match. He accepted Eddy Thorpe’s challenge for a Strap Match at Vengeance Day.
Well this was unexpected. Just 24 hours after becoming a free agent, WWE wasted no time in signing Ricky Starks… and not only that he showed up to NXT this week. Ricky mentioned he’s arrived in NXT, and the Revolution is officially televised again. We are so back!
GOOD Tony D’Angelo vs Ridge Holland: Steel Cage Match – NXT North American Championship
If I’m being really honest, this rivalry between Tony D’Angelo and Ridge Holland has struggled to get my attention. This was clearly the last match between these two, and that is probably the correct call. What I am interested in though, is the rivalry between The Family and Shawn Spears’ new faction. The end of the show was a great closing angle, which really showed Spears and his group to be clever and ruthless.
Result: Tony D’Angelo by Pinfall via Spinebuster
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.25 Stars
Overall…
The go home show for NXT Vengeance Day was a good show. Probably the most eventful NXT of the year, and one that will definitely make you interested to tune in on Saturday to see what happens. The match quality was certainly up and down this week, there were some very exciting contests including the tag team triple threat. As well as seeing Cora Jade achieve a childhood dream of stepping in the ring with her former role model in Bayley. But other matches such as, Lexis King vs JDC and the main event didn’t really achieve the same success as those bouts. However, the main event did give us a great finishing angle for the show, as it was revealed Izzi Dame was working with Shawn Spears all along. As Spears and his group demolished The Family. Storytelling was an aspect of the show that was consistently great throughout, as well as the finish of the show, we also got some cool video packages elevating matches for Vengeance Day. Of course, we also saw the buzz-worthy moment of Ricky Starks making an appearance in NXT, just 24 hours after becoming a free agent. The atmosphere in the Performance Centre was awesome this week, and you can understand why with the moments they saw from this episode of NXT. While Vic Joseph did a great job, particularly in the Ricky Starks segment where I’m sure it was very tough not to say his name. The developmental brand did a fantastic job in creating more intrigue for Vengeance Day, despite some matches lacking in quality. Now onto Saturday in Washington DC.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere/Crowd/Commentary: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
