On the final show ahead of Vengeance Day, the January 30 edition of WWE NXT promised a big night, especially featuring the hottest star of the gold brand, Trick Williams.
Carmelo Hayes and Trick went up against Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in the semifinals of the men’s Dusty Classic to decide who would face Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin in Sunday’s final.
Trick also faced off with Ilja Dragunov ahead of the biggest match of his career for the NXT Championship at Vengeance Day.
Elektra Lopez looked for revenge against Lola Vice in what could well be her last NXT appearance.
Roxanne Perez wanted to take out Tatum Paxley after her attack following last week’s contract signing, hoping to focus back in on defeating Lyra Valkyria at Vengeance Day.
Von Wagner hoped to finally capture gold by defeating Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup. Andre Chase promised to speak with the Chase U student section about the university’s future.
NXT had a chance to build hype for Vengeance Day with great action and unpredictable promos.
Carmelo Hayes caught Joaquin Wilde mid-air with a double-knee facebuster. He tagged in Trick Williams for the running knee strike for the win while wiping out Cruz Del Toro outside.
This was as good as advertised. The teams pushed the pace from the start, delivering wild spots consistently. It wasn’t always completely clean, but the ingenuity showed what tag team wrestling can be at its best.
NXT has committed everything to Trick for Vengeance Day. He is still relatively new, with just over two years of wrestling experience. Working double duty in the same show is a difficult ask.
However, if officials trust he is ready, this could be the moment when he becomes a lasting star in the business. It is all down to his conditioning.
If he can pull it off, Trick Melo Gang vs. Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin followed by Trick vs. Ilja Dragunov will be phenomenal moments in NXT history.
Result
Trick and Melo def. Wilde and Del Toro by pinfall to advance to the finals of the men’s Dusty Classic.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- The crowd went wild as Trick got the tag and hit a pair of Book Ends on both opponents.
- LWO went double Coast to Coast on Melo. Trick barely broke up the pin.
- Afterward, Oba Femi laid out LWO and Dragon Lee.
- Later, Melo again warned Trick about Dragunov’s mind games.
Tatum Paxley was hardly a match for Roxanne Perez, who wiped her out with Pop Rox.
Afterward, The Prodigy cut off a potential follow-up attack by Paxley, beating her down until Lyra Valkyria pulled Perez off.
This was short and simple. Perez had to make Paxley pay for last week. Commentary got a chance to ask whether Valkyria might be welcoming the heel support. The title competitors stood face-to-face days before their match.
As far as the action was concerned, Paxley probably could have gotten in more offense, but Perez could not afford to look weak before her big title match.
Valkyria should beat Perez at Vengeance Day, but the way she wins will be important. It feels like both women are near a breaking point. One could turn heel during or after the bout.
Result
Perez def. Paxley by pinfall.
Grade
C+
Notable Moments
- Earlier in the day, Valkyria asked Paxley about her actions last week and implored her to stay out of the champion’s business.
- Paxley lost focus in the match after she hit a Valkyria pendulum kick in front of the champion on commentary.
Elektra Lopez beat down Lola Vice throughout this fight, but it took just one roundhouse kick for Vice to knock out La Madrina for the three-count.
This was OK for the time it got. The two kept the pace fast and the action physical. It was not an involved fight, but both looked decent by the time it was over.
The finish kept Vice on the winning path while also selling how dangerous Lopez can be. It felt like the Breakout winner survived with a lucky kick rather than winning definitively.
Lopez should do well on SmackDown, assuming she will permanently back up Santos Escobar in the future. Her move to the main roster has been a long time coming, and she can continue to learn by working with more seasoned talent.
Result
Vice def. Lopez by pinfall.
Grade
C
Notable Moments
- Lopez battered Vice with arm-catch clotheslines and then a uranage for a near-fall.
Ridge Holland had control of the action until Gallus arrived, and the distraction allowed Lexis King to hit the Coronation to win.
Afterward, Gallus blasted the left leg of Holland with a steel chair.
This was a forgettable performance from both men. They had little chemistry and even less crowd interest. There was no reason for this bout to get so much more time than better-established matches on the same night.
While King needed a more legitimate victory, Holland remains the more engaging performer. The former Brawling Brute just doesn’t seem to have a strong footing in NXT yet, especially with the crowd.
The feud with Gallus might get more interesting when someone backs up Holland in this fight.
Result
King def. Holland by pinfall.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- Lexis King tried to give Ava a gift basket of his merchandise. The NXT general manager instead booked him against Holland.
- Dijak and Joe Gacy brawled in Hard Justice’s private office.
- That brawl continued outside where Hard Justice kicked Gacy into a dumpster. Ava then agreed to let Dijak and Gacy fight in a No DQ match at Vengeance Day.
Duke Hudson played a tribute video for Andre Chase and Chase U. Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail arrived just as The Professor was ready to say goodbye.
Jayne announced the “ladies of Chase U 2024 calendar” that would save the university from financial failure. An overjoyed Chase named her an official member of Chase U, which seemed to sit uneasy with her.
Ignoring the odd logic of Chase deciding to give up on Chase U before checking in with Jayne’s plan, this was a fun drama segment.
It is far from time to end Chase U, which has the potential to appear on the main roster as well. Hopefully, the resolution will help Chase, Hail, Jayne, Hudson and Osborne get back on track in the ring.
It’s likely there will be more complications along the way. Jayne is still not completely trustworthy and may have a more dastardly plan.
Grade
B-
Notable Moments
- The Professor’s many expletives were highlighted in the wild video package.
- Only one picture was shown from the 2024 calendar, but the other women in the shoot walked out to hint at more risque photos inside.
- Lexis King interrupted the backstage celebration of Chase U until Osborne told him back off again.
- That brawl continued outside where Hard Justice kicked Gacy into a dumpster. Ava then agreed to let Dijak and Gacy fight in a No DQ match at Vengeance Day.
- The Family and OTM cut pre-taped promos on each other ahead of Vengeance Day.
Arianna Grace had no answer for the physical offense of Fallon Henley. However, Lash Legend wiped out Henley outside with a big boot and threw her back in to take the pin.
Both women worked this slower than necessary, especially given the messy finish that was coming. The crowd was out of it by the time Henley was ramping up her offense, and Meta-Four’s involvement broke any remaining flow.
The goal was to show that Henley has a problem to deal with in Legend and Jakara Jackson, and she cannot afford to focus on anything else in the meantime. Meanwhile, the ally she had chosen in Wren Sinclair may not be ready to step up.
Grace also snuck away with another victory, perhaps setting her up for an NXT Women’s Championship match sooner than later. She continues to prove she is a solid hand and may deserve that spotlight.
Result
Grace def. Henley by pinfall.
Grade
C
Notable Moments
- Earlier in the night, Grace tried to give Sinclair some advice but ended up insulting her and Henley, setting up a match.
- Brooks Jensen tried to speak to Henley, clearly not over the group breakup, but she needed to head out to wrestle.
- Grace mocked Henley, which only motivated her as she battered Grace with hands and kicks.
Noam Dar used the distraction of Oro Mensah to pick up the first fall with a surprise Nova Roller in the second round.
The Scottish Supernova got the second pinfall after sending Wagner shoulder-first into the steel post, followed by a stack-up.
Afterward, Dar and Mensah mocked Mr. Stone’s kids until the big man sent Mensah through the announce table.
This was pretty bad. Wagner was moving in slow motion early on until Dar took over, and the flow of the match was almost equivalent to a squash. Given the way The Scottish Supernova has been booked, it was odd to see him this dominant.
This year could have been a chance to restart Wagner, at least with a confident showing. Instead, his credibility is right back in the dirt. While his segments with Stone are fun TV, a change is needed fast.
Hopefully, a real challenger is on the horizon for Dar. He needs someone at the level of Dragon Lee or Nathan Frazer again to make the Heritage Cup scene interesting.
Result
Dar def. Wagner with two falls to zero to retain the Heritage Cup.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- Stone’s kids watched closely from the crowd.
- Wagner battered Dar in the first round but took it too slow and ran out of time. The big man attacked his rival after the bell, not understanding there was a break.
- Dar trapped Wagner in an kneebar in Round 3, and the big man had to wait out the clock as he could not escape but would not tap out.
Trick Williams questioned whether Ilja Dragunov was playing mind games with him. The Mad Dragon told him to worry about Carmelo Hayes’ plans.
Dragunov hugged Trick, but Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin struck, taking out both men. Melo arrived to help clear the ring.
The story was set before this promo. Trick and Dragunov didn’t add anything more to that angle, mainly just repeating what they have said before. However, the story was strong enough to make this still feel important.
Trick comes off as the heir apparent to NXT’s top title. While Dragunov has looked invincible, it seems more likely Melo will be the one to decide Trick’s fate and not The Mad Dragon.
Signs seem to point to The A Champion turning heel by the end of Vengeance Day. Trick vs. Melo for the NXT Championship would be a phenomenal headliner for Stand & Deliver. Nothing is certain until it plays out, though.
Grade
C+
Notable Moments
- Backstage before the end of the night, Breakker and Corbin sounded tighter than ever as a tag team. Corbin even accepted the “Wolf Dogs” name.
- Dragunov took credit for helping Trick become the man he is, more than Melo.
- Melo did not look happy that Trick’s focus moved back to The Mad Dragon after the ring was cleared.
NXT promised a big card and emotional moments, and it delivered a decent show that relied upon the weeks of hype preceding to keep fans invested.
Scheduled matches got too little time, promos repeated much of what had already been said, and the overall card remained mostly the same in terms of make-up and excitement.
It would have been nice to see bigger performances in matches like Noam Dar vs. Von Wagner, Lola Vice vs. Elektra Lopez, and Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley.
This did not make it a bad show but it was a letdown. The drama between Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov is NXT’s most important angle, and nothing was going to shake that build.
Overall Grade: C-
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