wrestling / TV Reports
Ciocco’s WWE NXT Review 3.24.26
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...NXT Universe! After a one-week road trip to Houston, Texas, the Tuesday Night Delight returns to Orlando and the Performance Center, where the show will continue its march towards Stand and Deliver in St. Louis in less than two weeks.
The Tag Team title tourney will continue, as last week the Birthright moved on with a win over Hank and Tank, and this week, The Culling will do battle with the WWE Men’s Speed Champion Elio LeFleur and Eli Knight. Will Spears and Nico prevail, or will the new best friends prove superior?
This won’t be the only match with title implications, however, as we get the Number One Contenders gauntlet for the Men’s North American Title and a future shot at Myles Borne. We know that Jackson Drake, Dion Lennox, Shiloh Hill, and Charlie Dempsey will be involved, and there will be a fifth participant to be named. Who comes out on top, and can the winner dethrone the recently crowned champion Borne?
Tony D’Angelo accomplished one of the two missions that he set out to execute upon his return, which was too knockdown DarkState. His second mission is to become the NXT Men’s World Heavyweight Champion, but before he can get there, he will face Ricky Saints, a man who is also vying for yet ANOTHER World Title opportunity. Will the Revolution be televised, or will the Don whack Saints and move a step closer to Joe Hendry and the World Title?
As I have mentioned many times over, the true highlight of any NXT show is the Women’s Division, and to that end, we’ve got two matches and a segment. One such match will feature Kelani Jordan facing Thea Hail in a match that, at least from the surface, doesn’t appear to have much going on around it. However, both ladies are coming off recent losses (Jordan to Lola Vice, Hail to Wren Sinclair), and a win by either one in this match could potentially move closer to a North American or World Title shot. Will Jordan rebound from her Underground lose to Vice, or will Hail and her frantic energy get her a win here?
Speaking of Sinclair, the new Women’s Speed Champion and her best friend Kendal Grey will face off with former Speed champion Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. Will the team lovingly known as WrenQCC keep their momentum going, or will Jacy’s girls rebound and get back on track?
In a situation that obviously will not be awkward, Sol Ruca and Zaria will meet face-to-face. Given how their friendship fell apart and given the fact that they seemingly canceled one another out in their conquest to win the Women’s World Title from Jayne, it stands to reason that this will be far from cordial, and I’m guessing that we get a match out of this at, say, Stand and Deliver. All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us tonight!
So, how is everyone doing on this Taco Tuesday? RIP everyone’s brackets that were turned upside down by Florida getting knocked off. I saw a lot of brackets from people who just moved the number one seeds on to the Final Four, and this is why I do not do brackets for March Madness. It is a maddening March for my Flyers, though, because even though we keep winning (especially on the road), we aren’t getting any closer to potentially making the playoffs. Still, they have improved from last year, and that’s always a welcome sign. Can’t say the same for the Pacers, though.
So, enough about me and enough about you, let’s get ready to chant the letters N-X-T!
THEN!
NOW!
FOREVER!
TOGETHER!
Tonight, NXT is back home at the Mother Base in Orlando, Florida! Vic Joseph and Booker T will be on the call tonight, assuming Booker is okay to call the action given how upset he was last week with Robert Stone and Keanu Carver!
Vic says we will all feel the fallout from Houston! Cue the highlights package!
Shiloh Hill and Robert Stone are in the back. Hill says he wants to go first in the gauntlet. Tatum Paxley is here and she wants to know where Monroe is because she has her title. Hill says he might be able to help her with that and they take off. here is Josh Briggs, but before he can dig in, a ref is here, too. Poor Stone is going all over the place lol.
We’re starting off hot tonight!
Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey vs. Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid
The bell rings, with Sinclair and Henley starting us off. Fallon beats down Wren in the corner, trying to get her pound of flesh for the loss last week. Sunset Flip from Sinclair breaks that up. Henley with an Irish Whip to the corner and a clothesline.
Reid gets the tag, and she throws herself into Sinclair with a crossbody for a two. Sinclair reverses the offense with a flying head scissor and she tags in Grey. Kendal looking for a springboard attack, but Reid ducks out to the apron. We see someone has attacked Elio LeFleur and Eli Knight in the back! So that’s why the ref needed Stone on the scene.
While that is going on, Sinclair gets the tag, and she takes over with an arm drag and a snap suplex to Reid. She goes to tag in Grey, but Henley is in and they knock Grey off the apron. Reid and Henley isolate Sinclair as we head out for break.
Sinclair continues to get beaten up in the Fatal Influence corner as Jacy Jayne mocks her from ringside. Henley has Sinclair in a variation of the STF, but Wren sits back to break the hold. Henley with a crucifix pin, but the ref is late to the pin, so she gets a two. Booker losses his mind and wants the match to be over lol.
Sinclair gets to her feet and tries to fight back, but Henley kicks her back down to the mat. Sinclair avoids a kick from Henley, but she can’t tag in Grey. Vic says that Elio and Eli have been taken to medical.
Booker: HUH????
Henley with another pin for another two on Sinclair. She keeps trying to rip Wren away from the ropes, but she holds on. Finally, Wren pops up and hits an enziguri. Wren tries a second one, but Fallon ducks and tries to strike Grey, but she backs off. Sinclair FINALLY gets the tag, and Grey throws a beatdown on Reid and Henley.
The straps are down, and Grey with an overhead suplex to Reid for a two. Thrust kick from Grey, but Reid catches her and Henley assists on a top rope neck breaker. Reid with another pin, but Sinclair with the save after pushing Fallon onto the pile. Grey fights back with the cross-arm breaker, but Reid escapes it. Undeterred, Grey applies it one more time to Reid. Henley tries to make the save, but Wren trips her up and applies the Final Wrench! Double tapout!
WINNERS: Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey
TIME: 9:20
THOUGHTS: A very good opener. Wren played the face in peril, but both her and Kendal were able to neutralize the advantage that Fatal Influence usually have going for them.
RATING: ***1/2
Post-match, Kendal has the mic. Last week, Wren took the Speed Title from Fallon, and she just tapped out Lainey. And at Stand and Deliver, she will take the Women’s Title from Jacy.
Lola Vice is here. She says that Kendal will have her day, but at Stand and Deliver, she is going to break Jacy’s jaw and become the first Cuban American born Women’s Champion in NXT.
Stone is here. Next week in New York City, Lola will face Kendal, and the winner will move on to face Jacy at Stand and Deliver!
Sol Ruca is walking. She will come face-to-face with Zaria next!
COMMERICALS!
Stand and Deliver comes to St. Louis on Sunday, April 4th!
Ruca is already in the ring as we return. She’s been going back and forth about what she wanted to say. A part of her didn’t want to say anything. She has seen and read everything that Zaria has posted on social media, and that’s not the Zaria she knew. She thought they were stronger than this. She kept replaying this over and over in her head trying to figure out where they went wrong, but she doesn’t know. She thinks Zaria doesn’t feel she can stand by her anymore.
Even after every spear and every snarky comment, she stood by Zaria. When people said Sol, she said Zaria as well. You didn’t want a team; you just wanted your moment. And when you couldn’t make your own moment, you took me out instead. All Sol wanted to do was pull Zaria forward. Every good moment she shared it, every moment that came her way she included her.
Smackdown, Evolution, the WWE Women’s tag team title opportunities, the John Cena Show. Maybe that is where she went wrong. She wanted her to shine just as much as she did. She got her in the Battle Royal. She vouched for her to get a TNA Knockout’s Title Shot. And she even let her defend her North American Title while she was injured. And while she was fighting for us, you were waiting for the chance to make it all about you. And that’s fine, that’s cool. But she sees her, she hears her, and worst of all, she knows who she is. So, if you want to prove it, then face me at Stand and Deliver.
Zaria is here. You really don’t get it, do you? All she wanted was us, but you wanted your own success more. You didn’t give me anything. And every time I stepped into this ring, I wasn’t Zaria, I was Sol’s partner. That moment that I speared you and F-5’d you, that wasn’t betrayal, that was me taking back everything you took from me. And for the first time, I wasn’t standing in your shadow, I was standing over you, like you have done to me. And it’s fitting that Stand and Deliver is where it began, and this is where it ends. Look at you, standing there upset because you didn’t win the Women’s Title. Welcome to the club, sunshine, how does it feel? To stand beside the person that has everything that you want, and that person thinks they gave you everything because you stood by them. I hate it. I hate that I always had to stand behind you.
I know that you think that I don’t care, Sol, but I do. I care. I care enough to realize that as long as you are standing, I am never going to. But shockingly enough, this isn’t about you. This is about me finally choosing myself. And if breaking you is what it takes to get through to you, then so be it.
Sol wants to know how this is any different. Zaria gaslighted her and betrayed her. And when she wouldn’t give in, she threw this all away.
Zaria says you aren’t the villain in my story; you are the mistake.
Oof.
Ricky Saints and Ethan Page are watching their tag team match from the week before. They argue over this, and we see Josh Briggs sitting there behind them. He says you guys are complaining about titles, but he can’t even get five minutes with Stone. They continue to argue, and Joe Hendry appears. Hendry says if Ricky doesn’t take care of Tony D’Angelo tonight, then he will at Stand and Deliver.
Page: You could see me at Stand and Deliver.
Saints: Or Me
Page: Or Me
Kelani Jordan is here for her match up next!
COMMERCIALS!
Kelani Jordan vs. Thea Hail
Thea is in the ring as we return. The bell rings, and Jordan starts to impose her height and strength. Thesez Press from Hail though and she lays in the hands. Jordan says that’s cute and she does the same thing to Hail. Jordan gets a two on the pin. Jordan takes Hail and rams her face first into the corner. She goes to the other corner and does it again. A third attempt is blocked, and Hail attempts to DELETE Jordan.
Hail tries a suplex, but Jordan fights off Hail. Undeterred, Hail locks in the Kimora! Jordan fades a bit, but she springs back and throws Hail to the mat. Jordan runs into another Kimora! Jordan side steps and drops Hail face first in the corner. Split Legged X-Factor from Jordan followed by the One-of-a-Kind and Jordan wins!
WINNER: Kelani Jordan
TIME: 2:40
THOUGHTS: I’m surprised that this was a quick borderline squash match. Jordan did need the win though after losing to Vice in the Underground.
RATING: **1/2
Post-match, Jordan continues to beat up Hail and locks on her own arm bar, but Miss Parker is here! She launched an attack, but Jordan hightails it.
The Progressive Spotlight revisits the events of last week, where Keanu Carver interrupted Booker’s moment. Jasper Troy says that Booker T is a mentor to him and Carver will pay for what he did. Next week, in New York, he will put Carver down for good.
Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley are in the back. Hill tells Paxley that he knows where Blake Monroe is. Paxley says how do you know, and Hill says he posted her location on-line in a video that apparently Tatum doesn’t watch. Hill’s music hits, and he has to head to the arena to get the gauntlet match underway! That’s coming up after the break!
COMMERCIALS!
Jackson Drake is here to be entrant number two!
NXT North American Title #1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match
Vic mentions that we will get a new entrant every three minutes, so we’ll see how they stick to their own rule.
Drake gets the upper hand on Hill to open the match. Drake stomps on Hill and then poses before pinning Hill for a two. Drake continues the kick or be kicken abuse as the fans tell him he sucks. Drake with another pin attempt for a two. Drake hits a back elbow off an Irish Whip for another two.
Hill turns the table by dropping Drake throat first on the top rope. Tilt-a-world slam and the standing splash for a two. Big elbow from Hill for another two. Entrant #3 is Dion Lennox! Lennox hits the ring with clotheslines and charging shoulder blocks. Overhead throw to Hill and a spinebuster to Drake as we hit the break.
Drake turns the tables during the break, and he chokes out Lennox and Hill. Shiloh with a double leg takedown, but Drake fights him off and kicks him out of the ring. Fisherman’s Buster from Drake to Lennox for a two.
Entrant #4 is Charlie Dempsey! Dempsey goes right after Hill with chops and a back suplex. He hits Lennox with one and hits a backbreaker on Drake. Dempsey has a sleeper on Lennox, so here comes Drake and he puts him in a sleeper. Hill sneaks in and he puts him in a sleeper lol. Hill ends up slamming everyone and then tries to pin everyone but that’s just a two.
Myles Borne is watching in the back as Drake sort of kind of stomps on Lennox to break up another pin. Lennox throws Hill into the wall at ringside, and he reenters the ring and hits both Dempsey and Drake with a German.
Entrant #5 isn’t here yet, but Candice LeRae is! She’s tried to snap him out of this funk that he has been in but bringing him home might do the trick. So, the final entrant in this match is Johnny Gargano!
But he doesn’t come out, so LeRae goes to the back and brings him out. Gargano seems a bit unsure of himself, but the fans aren’t as they chant JOHNNY! He tries to enter the ring, but Dempsey kicks him in the head! Lennox with a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for a two.
Dempsey with the Triangle Choke on Lennox, but Dion picks him up and powerbombs his way out of it. Lennox rolls out to the floor, and OTM are here! They flatten Lennox at ring side and Booker sounds like he had an orgasm lol. Lennox is returned to the ring, and Hill pins him!
Dion Lennox is eliminated @ 12:35
Gargano spends the break rolling around the ring, while everyone keeps pushing him back into the ring. The fans keep trying to will Gargano into this match, as Drake and Dempsey work over Hill instead. Hill tries to sneak out a pin over Drake, but he kicks out at two. Dempsey drops Hill, but Drake with a leg lock on Dempsey. Charlie reverses Jackson, and Shiloh sits down and applies the same submission lol.
Gargano gets onto the ring steps and looks around for a bit. He’s on the apron now, but Hill knocks him down again. Hill goes back to the submission on Drake. Dempsey and Hill roll out of the ring and battle around ringside. Drake takes flight and hits a Senton Atomico to both men!
Drake returns Hill to the ring and he hits a 450, but Hill kicks out at two. Dempsey is back with a German, but Drake lands on his feet and Jackson hits an Enziguri and clotheslines Charlie to the floor. Drake takes flight again and hits a tope suicida to Dempsey! Drake back in the ring, springboard handstand, but Hill hits a Gut Check instead and Drake is gone!
Jackson Drake is eliminated @ 18:10
Dempsey is back and he lays into Hill with strikes. Dempsey with a bridging Northern Lights followed by a second one with a high point for the pin but that’s a two. Hill hits another Gut Check, though, and Dempsey is eliminated!
Charlie Dempsey is eliminated @ 19:50
The rest of the Birthright pull Hill out of the ring, and they lay a beating on him. They throw Hill back into the ring, Candice pushes Gargano into the ring and he falls on top of Hill and he wins!
WINNER: Johnny Gargano
TIME: 20:25
THOUGHTS: Surprise entrant at number five wins the entire gauntlet. Ordinarily it would be too cliche and trite, but with Gargano coming home, it makes for a great story rather than a forced one. He won’t beat Borne, but it still is cool to see.
RATING: ***3/4
Post-match, Myles Borne arrives to stare down his challenger for Stand and Deliver. It appears that Johnny might finally be coming back to life, as he approaches Borne and looks at the title belt.
More backstage drama. First, Swipe Right want to know if Stone has someone to take the place of Elio and Eli. Stone says he will figure something out. Josh Briggs is here and he wants to know if he can get five minutes, but Stone is pulled away by the same ref who pulled him aside earlier. He says that no one wants to referee the Troy-Carver match next week, and Stone says he will figure something out. Jaida Parker is here, and Stone assumes that she wants a match with Kelani Jordan. Parker says you know it, and Stone gives it to her next week in New York.
The Culling are here, but with Elio and Eli injured, who will take their place?
COMMERCIALS!
NXT Origins focuses on Tiffany Stratton. As with other Origins videos, it features footage from NXT and from WWE. Easy 10/10 video package, though.
OTM and Sarah Schriber are in the back. OTM says they didn’t forget what DarkState did to them. They are getting their revenge and they aren’t done yet. Sarah says this has gone for a long time, but they disclose that next week in New York, they will face DarkState in a six-man match. Sarah wants to know who their partner is, but OTM admit they don’t have friends in NXT, but they do have someone from New York.
It’s TNA Champion Mike Santana! When OTM put in the call, he answered. DarkState has felt these hands before, and they will again next week. Before you step into the Garden, you better wipe your feet on the mat, and then you’ll get rolled up and rolled over.
Rayo and Bravo are here! Rejoice!
NXT Tag Team Title Tourney Match: Los Americanos (Rayo and Bravo) vs. The Culling
Spears and Bravo to start this one. Spears with an arm bar, and Bravo keeps kipping up. Bravo psyches up, but Spears with an arm drag and a cartwheel. He fakes the TEN poses, allowing Bravo the chance to hit his own arm drag and he poses.
Rayo and Nico Vance are in now. Both Rayo and Bravo try to double team him, but Nico flattens both of them and then grabs the hand of Rayo. Whip by Nico, Rayo does the Spiderman in the ropes, but he runs into a lariat from Nico. Rayo escapes Vance and tags in Bravo. They both hit a dropkick to Nico, sending him from the ring. They take care of Spears, and Rayo jumps into the arms of Nico, but Bravo turns the tide and Nico hits the floor. That’ll take us to the break.
Spears corners Bravo and lands some chops during the break. He takes way too long on another strike, as Bravo counters and hits corner punches. Bravo drags Spears to the corner and tags in Rayo. Rayo with a springboard splash but no cover. Bravo gets the tag, and he hits a springboard back senton onto Spears. Spears manages to send Bravo from the ring and into the corner of the ring steps.
Nico approaches Bravo and rams him repeatedly into the ring apron before dropping him on the apron with a side suplex. Back in the ring, and Spears stalks Bravo before hitting a tilt-a-world slam for a two. Spears bum rushes Bravo to his corner and sits Bravo on the top. Bravo punches Nico away, but Spears tries to rip his mask off. Bravo fights Spears away and he hits a crossbody from the top.
Rayo gets the tag and he jumps over Nico and hits double knees to Spears. He hits a dropkick to Nico and a crossbody to follow. Rayo and Bravo try a double team move, but Nico stops that and swats both men away. Bravo does come back with a dropkick, and he gets Nico up for a scoop slam!
Spears enters the ring, but he runs into the airplane spin! Nico is back, and he saves Spears from certain doom. Nico to the top rope, but he hits the mat and he hurt himself? Did Bravo put the El Grande metal in his mask? Spears in now and hits a scoop slam on Bravo for a two. Oh, Rayo is putting in the metal at ringside lol. Spears is rolled up by Bravo; he runs into the head of Rayo! Nico gets wiped out, and Bravo steals it for his team!
WINNERS: Los Americanos
TIME: 10:10
THOUGHTS: Spears and Nico didn’t need to win this match, and Los Americanos winning is never a bad thing!
RATING: ***1/2
Next week, the number one contenders to the tag team titles will be determined!
Keanu Carver and Stone are in the back. Carver says he will smash in Troy’s face after what he just said about him. Stone says that no one wants to referee their match next week, and Carver says he doesn’t need a ref to beat Troy’s ass. Josh Briggs is back, and since he can’t get Stone’s attention, he will referee the match because neither of these guys scare him.
Tatum is on the hunt for Red October Blake Monroe in the back!
Tonight’s main event between Tony D’Angelo and Ricky Saints is up next!
COMMERCIALS!
Blake Monroe vignette with the North American Title (that isn’t hers by the way). She is in the tub, so words might allude me here. She hears a knock on the door, and she assumes its room service. She gets dressed and heads to the door, but it’s Tatum Paxley! She grabs Monroe by the hair and says she will face her next week for HER title.
Sexxy Red had some comments on her social media. Can’t say I really care.
Vic runs down the matches for next week’s show in New York, the final show before Stand and Deliver!
The Revolution is televised!
Ricky Saints W/Ethan Page vs. Tony D’Angelo
The bell rings, as Saints wants to shake hands. Never mind, he tries to kick D’Angelo, but Tony catches his foot and puts on a standing ankle lock. Saints screams in pain and gets to the ropes. Saints tries to shoot the half, but D’Angelo reverses him and they roll around a bit. D’Angelo with a pin for a two.
Saints tackles D’Angelo to the mat, but Tony back to his feet and he slams Saints to the mat. Ricky to the floor, so Tony follows. He has him lined up, but Saints kicks him away. D’Angelo grabs Saints and press slams him back into the ring. Page admonishes him, and Saints with a baseball slide to D’Angelo. Tony has Ricky up, but Saints sneaks out the back and shoves him into the ring steps. Page and Saints celebrate as we head out for the final break.
Back in the ring, D’Angelo takes control again, but his corner charge comes up empty. Saints zones in on the arm that Tony rammed into the ring steps and the corner. He heads to the top and does the Taker walk and there comes the pose! D’Angelo uses his power to fight back, but Saints again goes back to the bad arm with a single arm DDT. Saints with a stomp and a pin for two.
Saints with a side headlock, but D’Angelo gets to his feet and drives Ricky to the corner. Not bothered in the slightest, Saints hits a swinging neck breaker for a two. D’Angelo fights back, but Page trips up Tony. Apparently, the referee didn’t see it. Saints looking Revolution DDT, but Tony blocks it and hits a release suplex. He can’t follow up, though, and Ricky hits two corner dropkicks.
Saints tries Rochambeau, but D’Angelo sneaks out the back, so he hits a SPEAR instead for a two. Saints throws D’Angelo into the corner and he stomps on him. Another hammer lock throw from Saints. Saints taunts the fans and he hits a snapmare and a kick to the back. That only swerves to piss off D’Angelo, as Saints slaps him, but Tony decks him with a slap.
D’Angelo with an overhead throw and a suplex before he hits a SPEAR! D’Angelo looks to finish things, but Page is in and he chop blocks Tony from behind, and the match is over!
WINNER: No Contest
TIME: 10:15
THOUGHTS: Maybe it was just me, but I found this match to be rather boring. Saints was funny with some of his expressions and mannerisms kept it somewhat interesting. And then the match ends in a no contest, but hey, the post-match stuff made up for that I suppose.
RATING: ***
The beatdown continues post-match, but Joe Hendry is here! He takes care of Page and Saints before turning his attention to D’Angelo, and he eats a Standing Ovation! On the floor, we see Page and Saints fighting over the NXT World Title, while D’Angelo is grinning in the corner like a dumbass. Hendry looks very stern, by the way.
Vic runs down the card for next week’s show in New York. Sarah is in Stone’s office, and she wants to know about the main event for Stand and Deliver. Stone says that at Stand and Deliver, Hendry will defend the World Title against D’Angelo, Saints, AND Page! And next week in New York, he will have them sign the contract to make it official.
