The show is opening with the tag title match, where The Street Profits are subbing for The Rascalz. The first 30 minutes of the show are “commercial free” for the television viewing audience. That probably means we get more commercial time later in the show to make up the difference.
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom via disqualification
Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
The Bloodline run in for the DQ. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Jacob Fatu leave everybody laying. They especially target The Street Profits. This reminded me of a run-in by the NWO on Nitro in the late-90s, where they would ruin an otherwise good match with a needless run-in. At least this may play into something on Smackdown.
Frazier and Ford were especially good in the ring against each other. They were having a good match, albeit short on story. It was wrestling for the sake of it, which is understandable given it was a substitution, Street Profits had executed their finisher when Tama Tonga breaks up the pin attempt. Then the rest of the Bloodline members storm the ring and lay out both teams.
Tony D’Angelo is seen paying off someone for something.
Giulia defeated Chelsea Green
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Giulia pinned Green after a Northern lights bomb.
They had a competitive match, for better or worse. Giulia could have looked stronger with a more definitive win, but I am told hardly any one does squash matches anymore. Some of the stuff they did looked like it was painful as hell. Giulia smacks her face taking a suplex. Moments later, Giulia gives Green a draping neckbreaker off the apron to the floor, and it looked rough.
Green cuts off Giulia at one point, and Green sends her crashing into the announce desk. Green then tosses Giulia over the desk. Green climbs the turnbuckles for a missile dropkick, but no water in the pool. Giulia capitalizes with a running knee strike, and Giulia executes a Northern lights bomb. Giulia then covers Green for a pinfall.
Trick Williams cuts a promo in a backstage interview with Blake Howard, talking about Trick’s last man standing match against Pete Dunne. Williams has never been in a last man standing match, but that will not stop him. Nor will Pete Dunne. Williams called Dunne a “class one Butch,” whatever that means. Trick vows to be the last man standing.
TNA Knockouts Jordynne Grace cuts a promo explaining her open challenge for tonight on a video posted to X.
Lexis King is at the hair salon when he shares video clips he dubs his greatest hits. King is admiring his freshly groomed beard when he is suddenly attacked by Oro Mensah.
Lola Vice and Jacy Jayne have words in a locker room skit.
NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey (with Myles Borne & Wren Sinclair) defeated Je’Von Evans (with Cedric Alexander) to retain the Cup
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Dempsey scores pinfalls in the second and fifth rounds to win the match, while Evans only scores a pin on the third round. Tavion Heights returns to NXT in this match, doing a run-in that cost Evans the match.
No falls in round one, as times runs out on the first round. Dempsey scores first with round two, pinning Evnas with a Dragon suplex to win the second round. Evans evens the score in the third round, after pinning Dempsey with a springboard tornillo splash. Great action in round four, but no falls. Dempsey has a choke applied on Evans with the bells sounds to end the fourth round. Dempsey would not break the hold, prompting Cedric Alexander to rush in and break up the submission hold.
Dempsey pins Evans in the fifth round to win the match, thanks in large part to a run-in by Tavion Heights. Before that, Borne interferes. This causes Alexander to dive on Borne, and they start brawling their way towards the backstage area. Evans does a big running dive coast-to-coast, and he flew over the corner post on Dempsey. Suddenly, the returning Heights attacks Evans at ringside. Heights suplexed Evans on the floor, and Heights rolls Evans back into the ring so Dempsey can cover him for the deciding pinfall.
Rosemary & Wendy Choo via a creepy video package have a warning for Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley.
Sarah Schreiber interviews NXT Champion Ethan Page, boasts and brags about himself. He scoffs at the notion of having to face either Trick Williams or Pete Dunne. Page says he is rooting for himself.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are set to appear on NXT during the debut episode on CW.
Alexander Hammerstone (billed as simply “Hammerstone”) is revealed as the surprise opponent chosen by Tony D’Angelo. Hammerstone will face Oba Femi in a match that goes head-to-head with the presidential debate airing on numerous other channels and outlets.
NXT North American Champion Obi Femi defeated Hammerstone in a non-title match
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Femi pinned Hammerstone clean in a battle of the big guys. They have a decent match, but not as exciting as some of Femi’s other bouts. The story going in is Hammerstone is basically a mercenary for “The Don,” but Tony D’s plan backfires after Femi defeats Hammerstone. Femi cuts off Hammerstone just before they go home, which sets up a powerbomb for the finish.
Duke Husdon is on his way to Gorilla, and he is flanked by Thea Hail and Riley Osborne. Hudson cuts a fiery promo vowing to give Holland a Chase University-size ass whooping, in honor of Andre Chase (who is out selling an injury angle).
Jaida Parker has a baseball bat and she is looking for Fatal Influence. Lola Vice wants Parker to team up, but Parker is not down with that idea, so she keeps looking for the heel trio.
Ridge Holland defeated Duke Hudson (with Thea Hail & Riley Osborne)
Holland pinned Hudson clean after a Redeemer. This grudge match starts with a slugfest, and the brawling quickly spills out of the ring. The tone of the match maintains throughout, as they continue the brawling tactics. Holland does a flying crossbody, and they collide in what looked like a botch. They keep going, and Holland executes a jackhammer on Hudson. Holland then delivers a Redeemer DDT, and he covers Hudson for a pinfall.
Holland again attacks Hudson after the match. Riley Osborne is unable to save Hudson, as Osborne was written out of the match earlier when he rolled his ankle after taking a bump at ringside. Holland mauls Hudson, and Hudson is sent crashing into the barricade. Holland picks up a section of the barricade and he drops it on Hudson. Holland then gives Hudson a Redeemer DDT on the section of barricade. All the while, Thea Hail is screaming for Holland to stop.
Pete Dunne cuts a promo on Trick Williams, ahead of their last man standing match later tonight. Dunne has a mouse under his eye, and he makes it a part of the promo. Good stuff by Dunne.
MizTV is on NXT for the CW debut on October 1st.
Wes Lee hijacks the shows after interrupting the announcers, Booker T and Vic Joseph. Lee took Joseph’s headset and issues a challenge for a street fight against Zachary Wentz for the debut episode on CW.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Sol Ruca via disqualification in an open challenge
Sol Ruca answers the open challenge. She and Grace wrestle in a match that goes through a commercial break. They have a good match, where Ruca got to shine at times. She launches into a final comeback before Grace rolls through a high cross. Just as Grace was cutting her off, Ruca counters the counter. Ruca hits a tornado DDT for a near fall. They go on to trade several near falls.
Grace trips up Ruca, and Grace executes a muscle buster. Upon impact, the lights in the sound stage go dark. The light go back on and Grace is met by Rosemary and Wendo Choo. Rosemary distracts Grace so that Choo can choke out Grace. That resulted in a DQ. This spooky run-in clearly sets up a future match, or it was done to avoid beating either in an inter-promotional match.
Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley are in a wacky skit that somehow helps build to a tag match next week.
NXT GM Ava is talking in her office with Giulia, with Ava strongly putting over Giulia. In walks NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perex, who opens with snide remarks. Perez cuts a promo on Giulia. Funaki is there eto translate for Giulia, but she responds to Perez in English. Giulia tells Perez that Perez is scared, and Perez should be scared of Giulia.
Trick Williams defeated Pete Dunne in number one contender’s last man standing match
They start with a slugfest, which would be a more effective start had we not not already seen it in another grudge match on this show. Regardless, they hit the ground running. That is both figurative and literally, as they fighting spilled outside before a commercial break.
They brawl around ringside during the break, and the ring steps become a prop in the match. After the show returns from the commercial, a metal folding chair soon becomes a prop, albeit a stiff prop. Dunne removes the padding to expose the concrete floor. Dunne then gives Trick a DDT on the exposed floor. Nevertheless, Trick breaks the ten count. Trick then keeps beating the count in subsequent spots.
Trick delivers a running knee strike, and Dunne looks knocked out. However, Dunne jumps up to break the count at nine. Trick starts dissembling the announce desk, and he props up the cover on the barricade. Moments later, Dunne powerbombs Trick through the desk cover. Trick still answers the count.
They brawl through the studio audience. The fight on top of a perch overlooking the ring, foreshadowing a stunt. Playing off a spot they did in a previous match, they do a Russian leg sweep off the perch. They crash through tables set up below the perch. Out comes Ethan Page, and he pleads with Dunne to get to his feet. Page goes to attack Trick, who instead backdrops Page. With that, Trick gets to his feet, and he wins the match.
Back in Ava’s office, and she just got off the phone with CM Punk. Ava then announces Punk will appear on NXT next Tuesday.
Notably, the Bray Wyatt documentary (as seen on Peacock) followed NXT on the USA Network after NXT goes off the air.
Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing. This was better than Raw last night.
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