NXT airs tonight with a live show on the CW from the Performance Center in Orlando. Currently scheduled for the show are three HUGE title matches, including one for the NXT Men’s Championship vacated by
Oba Femi a few weeks ago. Plus, we’ll hear from Tony D’Angelo, who may explain his recent actions.
A New NXT Men’s Champion will be crowned!
Oba Femi shocked the WWE Universe at New Year’s Evil when he vacated the NXT Men’s Championship, signaling to everyone that he was headed to the main roster. Now, less than a month later, NXT is ready to crown a new champ with a 7-man ladder match. After getting sweet talked by Ricky Saints to automatically qualify him, now-former-GM Ava set up a series of qualifying matches over the last few weeks to fill the other spots.
Dion Lennox, Keanu Carver, Sean Legacy, and LFG Season 2 winner Shiloh Hill won their qualifiers. Jackson Drake was supposed to take on Joe Hendry in the final qualifier, but Drake and his buddies in the Vanity Project injured Hendry before their match could take place. An obviously stressed out Ava added Drake to the match, but with the caveat that Hendry would be in it too if he was medically cleared. During the brawl that ended last week’s show, a hobbled Hendry made his way to the ring to get a piece of the action, confirming that he would be ready for the title match this week.
Who is going to climb the ladder and grab the gold to become the 27th NXT Champion in history?
Tag Team Madness
The Darkstate team of Saquon Shugars and Osiris Griffin retained their NXT Tag Team titles against OTM last week after the Vanity Project came down to the ring to get involved. This prompted Hank & Tank and Chase U to join the fray, but it was Shawn Spears and Niko Vance of The Culling that would be standing tall when the dust cleared.
Is The Culling next in line for the NXT Tag Team Championships?
NXT Women’s North American Championship
Speaking of The Culling, Women’s North American Champion Izzi Dame will have her first title defense tonight when she takes on Lola Vice and former champ, Thea Hail in a triple threat match. Thea picked up an upset win over Zaria last week, after Tatum Paxley’s never-ending pursuit of revenge on Izzi Dame led them right through the ring in the middle of the match. Lola is fresh off of winning Mr. Iguana’s affection after defeating La Hiedra at AAA this past weekend. Lola and Iguana look to be next in line to face Ethan Page and Chelsea Green for the AAA Mixed Tag Team Championships.
Which woman will be standing tall as North American Champion when all of these combustible elements meet at the Performance Center?
Tony D’Angelo Speaks
For weeks, Tony D’Angelo has been lurking around the Performance Center, randomly interjecting in matches and attacking other wrestlers with seemingly no rhyme or reason. After kicking him out of the building, having him arrested, and then inexplicably bailing him out because NXT “needs him”, Ava agreed to give Tony some time to explain himself.
What will the grumpy mafia boss turned vigilante have to say for himself tonight, and who or what might he be targeting next?
Quick Hits
- Blake Monroe and Jaida Parker continued their war of words last week, with Jaida reminding the Glamour that she’s not hard to find. Will Blake take Ms. Parker up on her offer this week?
- Stacks and Arianna Grace seem to be rallying the troops that invaded TNA a few months ago. What do they have cooking with Charlie Dempsey, Lexis King, and Uriah Connors?
- Myles Borne’s downward spiral continued last week when he couldn’t pull the trigger and use one of Ethan Page’s titles to defeat Dion Lennox and qualify for tonight’s ladder match. Borne laid out Page after the match, though, so does he now have the North American Championship in his sights?
- ZaRuca takes on The Elegance Brand from TNA tonight with the TNA Knockouts Tag Titles on the line. Will Zaria and Sol bring TNA gold back to NXT, or could this be the night that Zaria finally snaps on her partner?
- Ava posted on X over the weekend that last week was the last time we’ll see her on NXT TV. Does ol’ HB-Shizzle have a new GM lined up?
All this and more on tonight’s episode of NXT on the CW. Follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside, starting tonight at 8 PM Eastern!
