WWE NXT 1/28/2025

WWE NXT 1/28/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/wwe-nxt-1212025.html

 We are in Atlanta, GA. Booker T, Vic Joseph and Corey Graves are on commentary.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Giulia and Bayley vs Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez

G = Giulia, RP = Roxanne Perez

The faces knock the heels out of the ring with forearms to start. G backslides RP. RP grabs her by the hair then G dropkicks her. Bay backs off RP then pounds on Cora. Bay snapmares Cora and sliding lariats her for 2. RP hits gut shots on Bay. Bay puts her on the 2nd rope and double knee presses her down.

G and Bay hit stereo corner attacks then do suplexes together. RP topes both opponents. Cora then top rope swantons onto both opponents outside. We go to PiP break and return. 

Bay stunners Cora over the 2nd rope. Bay gets stuck up top and takes a knee from Cora up there. RP boots Bay in the gut in the corner. Bay backdrops RP. Cora back elbows Bay on the ropes and RP asai moonsaults Bay for 2.

Cora takes a belly to belly suplex. G and RP get in. G ducks a shot and forearms RP over. G overhead suplexes her then boots her out of the corner. G 2nd rope dropkicks RP for 2. Cora nails RP on accident then is rolled up for 2.

G pumping knees Cora for 2. Bay sends RP into the rails outside. G headbutts Cora. Bay top rope elbow drops Cora and wins.

Thoughts: It was an okay match. It was anything great but everything looked fine and it was inoffensive.

We get and Eddy Thorpe video. He's outside with fire as usual. He says he's been overlooked in NXT but forced his way into the title picture and proved he belonged. He says you can try to write him off but he doesn't write back. He says he will make his mark in NXT and says we will understand that he can't be broken.

The Grayson Waller Effect

Austin Theory is with GW. GW says they were partying with Quavo and 2Chainz. GW brings out Oba Femi. GW says Oba is used to having the NXT Title. Oba says the title is where it should be. The crowd chants for Austin. Austin says Oba started NXT at 24 and has been taking over. He says it reminds him of him and says he's the youngest US champ ever.

He says everyone sees Oba here as a main eventer on the main roster. Austin says him and GW don't see it at all. Oba says he never saw their potential either as NXT champ. He says neither of them have been NXT champ and he has done more in NXT than both of them combined.

GW says he wants to know if the hype is real. GW says they won the tag titles at Mania while Oba was watching the show and praying to do what they did. Austin says he was at 4 Mania's while Oba's NXT contract ink was drying. Austin says they have seen people like Oba a million times. He says people like him end up in catering then on the indies 6 years later.

Oba says they talk this big game but he doesn't see any titles. Oba says they have big mouths and try to write checks with their lips that they can't cash. Oba says he's making a dynasty. Oba says Vengeance Day is in 2 weeks and asks which one of them will step up. Trick Williams is watching in the back. GW says he wants the NXT Title.

Ava comes out. She says Oba doesn't make the matches around here. Trick Williams comes out. Trick nails GW and Austin. Oba pop-up powerbombs Trick.

Thoughts: I didn't really get Trick coming out to beat up the heels for no real reason. Oba then powerbombed Trick making him look like a chump. This didn't work.

Izzi Dame is interviewed by Sarah. Izzi says she knows everyone wants to know what's going on with her and Tony D'Angelo. Izzi says they have a common enemy in Shawn Spears and nothing else. Ridge Holland comes in. Ridge calls her a liar and says he should be the North American champ. Stacks comes out and asks if there's a problem. Stacks says we don't talk to a lady like that. Ridge calls Stacks a lackey. They argue and the argument is separated by others.

Trick is still down and trying to get in.

Trick Williams vs Wes Lee

Wes shotgun dropkicks Trick. Wes kicks Trick in the back and chinlocks him. Wes hits shots to the gut. Trick hits some shots. Wes low dropkicks Trick in the back for 2. Wes 619's Trick on the ropes. Trick catches Wes' top rope crossbody.

Wes low crossbodies Trick for 2. Trick punches Wes out of the ring. Wes rams Trick into the apron edge. Wes jumps off the apron and meteora's Trick on the commentary table. We go to break and return.

Wes slaps Trick around and Trick flips him with a lariat. Trick slams Wes then back body drops him. Trick uranages Wes for 2. Igwe and Dupont help out Wes. Dupont is thrown in and hit by Trick. Trick hiptosses Wes onto Dupont outside. Trick then dives off the stage onto the two.

Trick pounds on Wes in the corner then uppercuts both. Trick throws the ref and gets DQ'd.

Thoughts: We didn't get to see ton of this. What we got was okay and different with Trick getting himself DQ'd and showing some aggression.

Trick kicks a chair into Dupont's face after.

Ava is watching in her office. Oba Femi comes in. She says she makes matches around here and tells Oba to stop overstepping her. Ava tells Oba it's him vs Grayson Waller vs Austin Theory in a triple threat. 

Ava and Trick talk in the back. Ava asks what's up with him. Trick says that's what happens when you lose your title. Ava tells Trick he's not in the triple threat. Trick asks what Theory and GW did to get a title shot. Ava says Trick can team with Oba against GW and Theory next week.

WWE NXT Women's North American Title - Fallon Henley (c) vs Shotzi

Fall pokes her and piefaces her. Shotzi trips her then flying headscissors her. Shotzi hits a step up enzugiri. Shotzi rolls her up. Fall slams her down backwards. Shotzi top rope hurricanrana's her. Shotzi hits a top rope dive onto all of Fatal Influence otuside. Gigi and Tatum then beat up Gigi and Jacy and send them to the back.

Fall bangs Shotzi's foot off the post and chopblocks her from behind. We go to PiP break and return. Shotzi armdrags Fall. We see Lash and Jakara warming up for later. Shotzi brazilian kicks Fall then slingblade facebusters her. Shotzi suplexes Fall into the buckles. Shotzi corner sentons Fall.

Fall pushes Shotzi into the post. Shotzi's knee is banged into the commentary table. Shotzi spinning forearms Fall then hits a sliced bread #2 for 2. Shotzi gordbusters Fall off the 2nd buckle then top rope sentons her for 2.

Shotzi gets a 2 count on her. Shotzi is hanging from the ropes and is foot pressed down. Fall fameassers Shotzi and wins.

Thoughts: It wasn't anything too good. Shotzi's not exactly that great of a wrestler and both her and Fall are limited.

Fallon is on the stage and Stephanie Vaquer shows up behind her. They stare down and Fallon holds the title up at her.

Kelani and Karmen talk in the back. Karmen thanks her for last week. Kelani says she didn't go out there for her. She did it for her. she says she doesn't like Jaida and says Karmen's delusions have nothing to do with Ashante. Kelani says Ashante will leave her @ss then Karmen says, "what a b!tch".

Sarah interviews Ava in the back. Ava says she's sick of dealing with Trick. Ava says NXT has the best women's division. She says she wants to find the best competitor. Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade come in and complain. Ava says it's Giulia vs Perez vs Bayley in a triple threat Vengeance Day. Perez says "good" and Cora says, "no, we're not good".

Ethan Page vs Cedric Alexander

Ced has a brace on his wrist. Ced pounds on him and takes him down. Ced hits kicks to the back. Ced hits knees on Page in the corner. Ced foot chokes him. Page slaps Ced and Ced knee chokes Page. Ced foot chokes Page then dropkicks him. Ced hits mounted shots.

Ced drops Page with a big punch and foot chokes him. Page backdrops Ced on the apron. Page tries to take off Ced's wrist brace. Page pushes Ced into the post. Ced facekicks him. Ced gets his injured wrist banged off the post. 

We go to PiP break and return. Page is banging Ced's wrist off the top rope. Ced germans Page. Ced dropkicks Page in the back of the neck. Ced michinoku drivers him for 2. Ced brianbusters him for 2. Ced does a koji clutch. Page grabs the wrist to break it.

They trade shots. Ced hits kicks on Page. Ced handsprings and is kicked in the wrist. Page hits a neckbreaker and wins.

Thoughts: It was fine with Page working the wrist and Ced showing aggression towards Page for injuring him. The crowd didn't really buy into Ced though and it could have been shorter.

Page goes to attack Ced more after. JeVon Evans runs down and jumps over the top onto Page. He hits a bunch of shots and lariats Page onto the ramp.

Fatal Influence talk in the back. Fallon says Vaquer is next. Jacy says you don't disrespect and take Fallon's moment like that. Jacy says she didn't forget about Vaquer. She says Fallon will show you don't cross Fatal Influence. Fallon says Jacy will make Vaquer pay next week if Ava approves it. Jacy seems surprised by this.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura do a video. Josh says the N-1 Victory tournament was one of the best experiences of his career. He says he got Inamura something for it and gives him a vest. Inamura says it means a lot to him. Briggs says they need to look like a tag team. Briggs says they will get to Fraxiom. Inamura says he promises Briggs will be a champ again. Inamura says Fraxiom can't touch them.

WWE Women's Tag Titles - Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) vs Meta-Four (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson)

BB = Bianca Belair, JJ = Jakara Jackson

Naomi side headlock takeovers JJ. JJ headscissors her. JJ side headlock takeovers her. Naomi headscissors her. JJ uses hte ropes and flips out of a wristlock then reverses it on Naomi. Naomi trips her and kicks her for 2.

Naomi trips JJ then dropkicks her. JJ takes a double elbow drop. BB and Lash go at it. Lash throws her down. BB backdrops her. BB standing moonsaults her for 2. Lash swinging backbreakers BB then handspring moonsaults BB for 2.

BB and Lash try dropkicks at the same time then kip up together. We go to PiP break and return. Lash chinlocks Naomi. Lash short arm clotheslines her. Lash corner splashes her. Cora Jade wants to talk to Ava in the back in an inset. Naomi 2nd rope blockbusters Lash.

BB shoulders over and dropkicks JJ. BB suplexes JJ. BB hits corner punches on JJ. BB headscissors Lash. BB gorilla presses JJ down. BB handspring moonsaults JJ. JJ is held for a springboard kick from Naomi.

Lash forearms BB off the apron then JJ topes BB. JJ slingblades Naomi. Naomi is held for a cutter for 2. Lash does a reverse AA on BB. Naomi counters a move on Lash and facebusters her.

Naomi step up enzugiri's Lash and runs into a Lash facekick. Lash is sent into the steps out. JJ backrolls Naomi for a close 2 (which should have been 3) and Naomi reverses it. JJ takes a double burning hammer and is pinned.

Thoughts: The ref messed up the nearfall near the end and clearly just stopped counting when the pin was not reverses as it should have been. They got a lot of time for this one. It wasn't great but it was an okay showing from Lash and JJ. Last has come a long way from what she used to be. I thought it was a fine main event.

Overall thoughts: The show was just average. The women got a lot of focus without the interest really being there and some of the girls like Cora, Perez, Lash, Jakara, Fallon and Shotzi are only going to get you so far. We got some thrown together matches for NXT Vengeance Day that don't look that great. Trick is being pushed as being angry at NXT right now and it seemed like Kelani Jordan began a possible heel turn here. The crowd was either not that loud or just not mic'd up well. I would just give this a 5 out of 10 and wouldn't really recommend this.

I said last year that NXT was going to be in a funk for a while when people like Ilja and Melo got sent to the main roster with no one to replace them. I can't anything has really changed since. The men's division has made no real progress as a whole and prospects are just not being produced like they should be. It's not that the talent isn't there. There's lot of people who I think could be good. But they never get chances. The women were the main focus of this show and have been the main focus as of late. But it's not the women who I think have big upside like Sol, Dani Palmer, Kelani and others it's people like Perez, Cora, Giulia and Vaquer, who are what they are. Triple H's Black and Gold era NXT ended up being a super indy that didn't develop many new people and never refreshed the roster. We are kind of going to back to a worse version of that instead of NXT 2.0, where it was sink or swim with a lot of new wrestlers. I think the main rosters and NXT need to get on the same page and start making hard decisions about keeping and cutting people.