wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s NXT Vengeance Day 2024 Review
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams
This is our opening contest since Trick is pulling double duty. Corbin and Bron promised a special entrance and they both rode motorcycles to the ring. Bron opens against Melo, reigniting their rivalry. Bron gets the upper hand so Trick tags himself in and gets hot, taking out both opponents. We get a brawl between all four with fists flying in the middle of the ring until the Wolfdogs get sent packing. Trick and Corbin go at it back inside with Corbin knocking him down. Melo tags in and hits a series of chops and kicks before a series of counters sees Baron hit the post shoulder first. Melo superkicks Bron and hits a springboard Fameasser of sorts. They flub/mistime a few moves here but Baron takes a springboard shot from Melo. However, Melo eats a SICK move from Bron that is like a German Suplex of sorts into a cutter. Melo gets isolated as the Wolfdogs use quick tags and clubbing offense to wear him down. That lasts a few minutes before Melo leaps for the tag but Bron catches him to stop him. Melo avoids the flipping cutter a second time and makes the hot tag to Trick. He runs over everyone, kips up, and gets going but seemingly jams his knee. He and Melo send Corbin outside and Trick follows with a cross body off the apron. The camera misses a move Melo does inside that gets two. Bron press slams Melo into Trick’s arms and then German suplexes Trick which makes him do a fallaway slam onto Melo. Bron then assists Baron on a dive outside that has the crowd hype. Back inside, Corbin gets going and gets two on Deep Six on Trick, who is bleeding from the mouth. Bron busts out a Swanton Bomb onto his opponents on the outside as the Wolfdogs are pulling out all the stops. Trick and Melo cut off stereo moves on top and then Melo hits Bron with a super front suplex. Melo’s finisher is cut off and Trick botches a necbreaker on Baron. Bron then charges in and hits Melo with a Spear as Trick steps outside. It almost looked like Melo took it to save him. That’s enough to end it.
Winners: Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker in 14:28
A really good way to start the show filled with action and featuring some great offense from everyone. Corbin and Bron should hit the main roster together. [****]
No Disqualifications Match: Dijak vs. Joe Gacy
While not an angle I’ve followed super closely, Dijak tends to deliver in these matches. Each guy busts out a weapon at the bell and Dijak levels him with a lariat early. Gacy kicks out at one though and Dijak looks a big surprised. He tosses Gacy with a suplex throw and again only gets one. Gacy smiles about it all. Gacy starts up on offense, tosses chairs into the ring, and hits a cannonball attack with Dijak seated in a chair. He then sets up a table and brings out a crate of toys, placing toy soldiers on the table. He pours them all out onto the table but Dijak avoids a spot through it and turns the tide. again, every attack from Dijak is met with laughing from Gacy. He gets left in a trash can as Dijak drops elbows on him but Gacy uses the trash can to run into Dijak despite being blind to it all. As things head outside, Dijak wants a springboard move but Gacy shoves him back, sending him through the table with the toys on it. Somehow, Dijak is back up inside and hits a chokeslam on a chair for two. Dijak nearly lands on a trash on a big spot from the top but still lands rough. Gacy shouts that this is his playground as he wraps duct tape around Dijak’s eyes to blind him and then wails on him with kendo sticks. Despite being blinded, Dijak manages to grab Gacy enough to hit Feast Your Eyes. However, he can’t find him to make the cover. That allows Gacy to hit a top rope splash onto a chair for another near fall. Gacy hits the ropes and Dijak can now see. He hits him with the nightstick and then wins with Feast Your Eyes. Gacy smiles as he’s down and defeated.
Winner: Dijak in 11:56
That had some good moments though some of the pacing was off. Pretty violent though. [***]
Backstage, Jacy Jayne, Thea Hail and other Chase U ladies are signing autographs for the Chase U calendar, which will be on WWEShop tomorrow.
The D’Angelo Family vs. OTM
OTM’s entrance feels like a nod to GTA: San Andreas but the bikes just made me think of Hunico and Camacho. Meanwhile, the Family jumps OTM from behind in the ring to get this started. The women clash inside while the men brawl outside. Parker chops Rizzo out a few times and drops her ass on her in the corner. The men get tagged and OTM work over Tony with tandem offense until a tag to Stacks leads to the champs hitting their own double team offense. The Family all come in and set up a trio of suplexes but instead wail on their opponents, send them into the corner, and then hit running attacks in the corner. Tony and Rizzo argue a bit but get back on track as Tony hip tosses her into Parker and then he gets launched himself to give them the upper hand. A distraction from Scyrpts gives OTM the upper hand though as Stacks gets worked over. Stacks gets isolated and Pierce just wails on him with huge shots. Scrypts gets another cheap shot in outside. Stacks finally makes the hot tag to the Don, who fires off clotheslines and belly to belly suplexes. Parker enters to slap Tony and stop his momentum. That brings in Adriana Rizzo to tackle her to the outside. Tony checks on Stacks and hip tosses him over the top onto OTM outside. Rizzo follows with a frog splash of sorts onto the crowd. Back inside, Tony D’Angelo picks up the win with a fisherman buster.
Winners: The Family in 10:12
A fun mixed tag even if some of the people involved are still rather green. [**3/4]
We get a vignette for Kianna James and Izzi Dame. They say that whoever wins between Roxanne and Lyra should be their next target. However, they’re also tired of the up and comers, particularly being annoyed by Kelani James.
In the back, Trick asks Melo why he took the Spear for him (so it was what I thought). Melo says he did it because Trick needs to be as close to 100% for Ilja as possible. Trick was already battered so Melo had to have his bro’s back. Due to this though, Trick says he needs Melo by his side and not to let him go out alone as he has recently.
NXT Women’s Championship: Lyra Valkyria [c] vs. Roxanne Perez
Roxanne has been both Women’s and Tag Team Champion in NXT and never lost either, having to give them up for various reasons. They open this with some mat wrestling and jockeying for position that includes battling over a backslide. They keep that up, fighting over head scissors and doing some impressive counter-wrestling. Lyra’s feathers in her hair are shedding, leaving the ring covered in them. Perez gets the first real upper hand with a flying headscissors that sends Lyra outside but her tope suicida is met with a big forearm. Perez turns the tide inside with some aggressive offense and shots in the corner. Perez gets two on a springboard moonsault. Lyra hits a fisherman suplex for two but the next attempt is countered into an inside cradle. Lyra catches a kick and folds Perz with a German Suplex. They keep up with the big moves as Perez hits a super rana and Poop Rox. However, here comes Lola Vice to cash in her contract in the bank or whatever. Tatum Paxley tries to stop her but Vice kicks her in the head and cashes in. It is now a Triple Threat match. That seems like a dumb move by Vice. She sends Lyra outside and gets some close calls on Perez before hitting a big spin kick for two. She transitions into a pretty bad looking triangle choke that gets broken up by Lyra hitting a splash. Lola, as the fresh wrestler, does her thing hitting both women with corner ass attacks. Perez hits both opponents with a Russian Leg Sweep/DDT combo and signals for the title. Tope suicida takes out Lola and Lyra gets one too. Lyra turns it around and hits Night Wish but Lola breaks it up and tries to steal the pin by Lyra breaks that up. Lola comes close again against Lyra but eats a spin kick. Perez rolls up Lyra for two and hits Pop Rox, having this own. However, Tatum Paxley takes her out. Lyra avoids a kick from Lola and wins with Night Wish.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria in 13:31
That was going fantastically when it was just Roxanne/Lyra. The Lola addition wasn’t needed, especially given how she flubbed a lot of her moves. That said, it was still really good and featured late drama. [***1/2]
Riley Osborne comes up to the autograph signing and asks Thea Hail to be his valentine. Thea does her best to hide her excitement but it’s clear.
A vignette airs talking about someone with three faces. I missed some of it but the words also said things like “one face only his family sees and one face no one sees.”
NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi [c] vs. Dragon Lee
Oba won the title by cashing in his contract on Dragon Lee so this is their first legit match. Lee comes out firing, dropkicking Oba outside and following with a dive but he gets dropped on the apron hard and Oba takes control. However, he dropkicks the middle rope on Oba as he enters and again gets an opening. He hits a double stomp off Bret’s rope to the face and barely gets a two count. Oba counters his next move into a big chokeslam. He dominates from there and nearly ins via countout but Lee gets in at 9. Oba’s chokeslam backbreaker is a great spot that gets two but Lee finds a way to survive and then applies an Octopus Hold of sorts to wear him down. He then gets in some decent offense but the big moment is taking Oba from the corner and delivering a powerbomb. That should’ve gotten a bigger pop. Like he did when he won the tournament, Oba hit a huge running chop with Lee on the apron. He clears off the announce table but Lee seems to escape only for Oba to chokeslam him onto one of the announce chairs. Well, that’s new. Lee gets in one more hope spot inside but falls to a pop up powerbomb.
Winner: Oba Femi in 10:57
Solid big man/little man formula but nothing special. Oba feels like he’s gonna be a big deal. [**3/4]
I missed a backstage segment involving Edris Enofe, Malk Blake, Axio, Nathan Frazer, and Brinley Reece while taking out the trash.
Elsewhere, Roxanne Perez and Lola Vice brawl and have to be separated by officials.
NXT Championship: Ilja Dragunov [c] vs. Trick Williams
Melo at ringside with Trick Williams. Trick uses his power for an early body slam as the crowd chants “whoop that trick.” He wins the next exchange with a dropkick. My feed freeze for a few and I have to exit and return. I come back to see Ilja shouting and then he hits a spinning back first. They fight over a waist lock and Ilja yells as they struggle. He boots Trick outside and Melo gives the challenger some advice. Ilja attacks and stares down Melo for a few seconds before taking Trick up to the apron where he delivers a Death Valley Driver. Ilja gets two inside and when Trick rocks him with a chop, Ilja fires off several shots in a row and poses as the crowd boos. Trick wants more, trading forearms with him as he bleeds from the mouth. Alas, he gets planted with a powerbomb the champ. Trick blocks the H Bomb with a knee and then hits the First 48, giving him an opening. More trading of blows in the center of the ring until Trick hits a couple of axe kicks. Ilja fights back with a kick of his own but the Constantine Special is cut off. Ilja blocks a uranage, they trade boots, and Trick with a leaping lariat. They fire off more shots and one from Trick sends Ilja over the top and to the outside in front of Melo. Trick comes back with a uranage off the apron to the outside.Melo gets in Ilja’s face and gets leveled. Melo swings, Ilja ducks, and shoves him but he goes right into Trick’s bad knee and clips it. Trick fights back inside but hie knees buckles again. Ilja hits a powerbomb and adds the H Bomb as Melo looks on with concern. He adds another H Bomb off Bret’s Rope that looked like the finish but Trick kicks out. Trick avoids Torpedo Moscow and hits a spinning kick for a great near fall. A ref bump that also sees Melo get taken out leads to the Trick Knee as Trick gets the visual win. A new ref arrives and Ilja kicks out. Ilja fights back with another big forearm and comes off the top with H Bomb but Trick gets the knees up on Ilja’s already bloody nose. They face off from across teh ring and we get a Trick Knee attempt that sees the Torpedo Moscow hit instead. It actually looks like they both hit each other so when Ilja covers to retain, the crowd is kind of dead.
Winner: Ilja Dragunov in 17:57
That was really good nad had me on the edge of my seat at times. The finish was a great idea though I don’t know if it came off as well as they wanted. The drama with Melo was welcome and not overdone while the action was fantastic. [****]
The copyright logo comes up as Melo talks to Trick and you just know what’s coming. Trick goes behind him and clips the knee. He then gets a chair and wails on Trick’s knee as the crowd chants “fuck you Melo” and “Melo sucks.”
