Amazing Graces
The recap title references Ricky Saints. He’s a big part of this week’s story but he’s not the whole story. To get to Ricky’s turn, we have to start at the beginning with Je’Von Evans.
Je’Von called his shot. He didn’t want to wait until New Year’s Evil for his title match; he wanted Oba Femi ASAP. He said all of this with Ricky over his shoulder as the three men stood in the ring during NXT’s opening segment. Ricky wanted his rematch but Je’Von felt
his time was now. Oba, as usual, happily took all comers because he rules all.
Oba and Je’Von put on an incredible match. They set the tone early with Je’Von almost scoring a very early victory. This was all about him showing and proving his readiness. He talked a great game before the match and he backed it up. He didn’t catch Oba off guard either; they showed that Je’Von is just so much better than he was during previous championship matches. Much like another story I’ll get to later, Je’Von’s longterm storytelling is all about progression.
That moment at the announcer table is a microcosm of the match. Je’Von was one step ahead of Oba for most of the contest. He baited him, countered him, and just straight up out wrestled him. The Young OG grew up before everyone’s eyes and showed he was the man to take down the unstoppable.
Ricky, however, had other plans. If there’s one thing prominent about Ricky that came out more during his short title reign, it’s his ego. Ricky knew he could get a rematch against Oba. He knew he’d get a match against Je’Von too because that’s the type of cat Je’Von is. But he has to be the one to defeat Oba for that championship. Ricky said before Deadline that he needed to prove their first match wasn’t a fluke. How can he do that if Oba no longer has that championship belt around his waist? So he hurt Je’Von because it meant helping his cause and his ego.
That creates a shade of gray rather than making him either bad or good. But it also speaks to an insecurity usually reserved for heels. This also puts some mystery on New Year’s Evil as the NXT Championship match already happened. Who steps up in his place? Well, Dion Lennox, Myles Borne, Joe Hendry, and Leon Slater duke it out next week to determine the new number one contender. Good for them. But the tragedy is one of them should fight Je’Von for that championship. Instead, they get Oba, who looks more like a guy who got lucky rather than a man who dominated.
And all because one man couldn’t deal with the fact that he might not be the one after all.
Album Cuts
- Kelani Jordan continued her heel run with a W over Jordynne Grace. Of everything in NXT, Kelani’s story is so consistent. She’s a good girl gone bad after listening to damn near everyone tell her she needed an edge. They told her the good girl routine wouldn’t get it done. And over time, she realized they were 1000 percent right. She gave in to her Sith ways this week by threatening to wreck Jordynne’s knee multiple times, including with a chair. So when Jordynne finally had enough and went for the chair herself, the ref snatched it from her, which allowed Kelani to dropkick her through the barricade. Yup. Through the barricade. Kelani then finished the match with a 450. She’s at the point where wins are all that matter and the how is irrelevant.
- Thea Hail is getting a little boost. They teamed her with Joe Hendry, so that much was always apparent. But she made Blake Monroe tap during what was supposed to be an open challenge issued from the North American champ. Of course the bell never actually rang to start the match, so…yeah, I’m not exactly what to think of that part. But Thea’s effort earned her a proper match with Blake next week.
- Zaria & Sol Ruca are back on the same page! Zaria lurked like a stalker during Sol’s match with Wren Sinclair. Sol’s got Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event, so this was all about making her look very strong. And in truth, Sol is higher on NXT’s pecking order than Wren on the kayfabe tip, so giving her the relatively quick victory works here. Wren can take the L since her character is all about perseverance, while Sol looks dangerous before the biggest match of her career to this point. But let’s get to the real story: Zaria. Post match, we got another instance of NXT letting its wrestlers be people rather than cardboard cutouts. The two best friends apologized to each other after Zaria congratulated Sol and wished her luck against Bayley. They hugged, made up, and then went for some sweet treats. I keep saying they’re breaking up but maybe this is the story. Or, it’s another version of the Trick Melo Gang tale where they went through the ups and downs as friends only to meet a nasty split. And there’s always the chance that Zaria shivs Sol in her back in DC. This is a cutthroat town.
- Jacy Jayne and Kendal Grey squared off on the mic. I’m still not overjoyed by another Jacy reign but they’re at least giving the rest of her crew something to do. Kendal got a little flustered on the mic here but she’ll get better. Her in-ring is crisp and smooth, which more than compensates for whatever issues crop up on the mic. New Year’s Evil is still a couple weeks away, so if we’re going into a teaser match with Fatal Influence vs. Kendal & Wren, the challenger’s team needs a third. Who shall it be?
- Shiloh Hill made his debut against Lexis King, who seems like talent enhancement at this point. A commenter and I talked about Shiloh last week. I noted I couldn’t really wrap my head around the cat yet to have anything thoughtful to say about him. That changes now, at least al little bit. He looks solid in the ring and I can see why Undertaker liked him in LFG. The persona has potential but I didn’t see that in how they portrayed it here with him taking out his mouthguard and showing his missing tooth to give him strength like spinach does Popeye. Wow, will anyone under 30 understand that reference these days? Anyway, he got the job done but NXT has to consistently get him on TV. That’s not always easy for them as of late but hopefully with less TNA crossover, they’ll get back to that.
- Ethan Page cut a hell of a promo before Tony D’Angelo attacked him from behind. I thought it weird Tony went after Ethan rather than continuing what he started with Je’Von, or even Oba, but okay.
Another fun episode. That’s two weeks in a row that I’ve dug NXT’s Tuesday night offering. The Saturday Night’s Main Event matches remained a focus while never losing sight of New Year’s Evil. I do question the logic in letting Oba get the W in that fashion before his big match against Cody Rhodes. That aside, a satisfying two hours that kept me sports entertained.
What say you, Cagesiders?
