Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT is the go-home show before Heatwave.
At Sunday’s event, Trick Williams will defend his NXT Championship in a fatal four-way match against Je’Von Evans, Ethan Page, and Shawn Spears. They’ll be in the same ring tonight when they take part in a contract signing.
Also tonight is a segment with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez going face-to-face with her challenger, Lola Vice, ahead of their title match at Heatwave.
Heatwave is taking place in Toronto during WWE Money in the Bank weekend. Scotiabank Arena is hosting Money in the Bank on Saturday and Heatwave on Sunday.
To kick off tonight’s action, Michin goes one-on-one with Jaida Parker in a street fight. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger, Wendy Choo vs. Carlee Bright, and Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe vs. Gallus have also been announced for the episode.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Opening the show is a street fight to settle a grudge weeks in the making.
Jaida Parker defeated Michin in a street fight
Parker pinned Michin in one helluva street fight. Weapons came into play from the outset. Metal chairs, trash cans, tables and kendo sticks and such are littered around the ring. Michin also used a loaded sock as a weapon, swinging it around as a weapon. She also used her own belt to whip Parker.
Three chairs are set up at ringside, and Michin goes for a tope with Parker laid out on the chairs. Parker moves, and Michin crashes and burns on a chair. “Holy s***” chants are bleeped out on USA Network. Parker then goes for a hip attack. Michin’s turn to move out of the way, and Parker crashes into the barricade in a stunt where the barricade broke. From there the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break as the street fight continues.
More plunder after the break with more weapons coming into play. Parker is fish hooking Michin with a claw hammer as the show returns from commercials. Michin fights, and she piles some chairs together. Michin then dumps nuts and bolts on the chairs, and she teases a package piledriver. Parker counters, and Michin is backdropped on the pile of her own creation. Near fall for Parker, as Michin manages to kick out.
Parker is stuffed into a trash can, and Michin does a cannonball senton into a corner to sandwich Parker for another near fall. Parker sprays Michin with a fire extinguisher, and Parker deliver a hip attack that sends her and Michin crashing through a gimmicked wall. They crash through the wall, and the live studio audience chants “holy s***” again. “N-X-T” chants also ring out.
Parker drags Michin from the rubble and rolls her back into the ring. Parker then runs the ropes and delivers a final hip attack, dubbed the “Hip-notic” by announcer Vic Joseph. Parker then covers Michin for a three count.
A locker room skit seems to set up a match between Karmen Petrovic and Jazmyn Nyz. Petrovic was trying to cheer up a melancholy Arianna Grace, who still manages to insult Petrovic by insisting she is more Canadian than her. In walks Jacy Jayne and Nyz, who mock and bully the Petrovic and Grace. Petrovic steps up and issues a challenge to Nyz. The heels laugh and leave.
Je’Von Evans is the focus of a vignette that highlights him and his recent success in NXT. Good piece of character development with this video package.
In another good video package, NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan is featured as part of hype for her defending her title against Sol Ruca on Sunday.
New Catch Republic (Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne) defeated Hank Walker & Tank Ledger
Bate pinned Ledger to win the match. No heel-babyface dynamic here in this tag bout, just hard nosed wrestling.
Hank & Tank now have matching gear, but it makes them look like Public Enemy as they are wearing jerseys. Regardless, Hank & Tank continue to improve greatly. They also have really good chemistry together. Their opponents, New Catch Republic, were good as usual.
The tag match goes through a commercial break. Hot tag to Hank, and he cleans house. Hank rips off his jersey like he is Jerry Lawler pulling down the strap. Dunne counters to catch Hank in a triangle. Hank powers out and deadlifts Dunne for a Doomsday Device of sorts, here Tank leaps off the ropes to drop an flying elbow as Hank.
Bate runs wild on after a hot tag, until he goes for a tope con giro. Hank & Tank both catch Bate on an attempted flip dive, and they powerbomb Bate on top of Dunne. Hank & Tank then in unison bounce off the ropes and send Bate and Dunne off the apron.
Dunne is double-teamed, and he kicks out for a close near fall. From there, they go home. Hank jumps off the top rope, and Dunne counters with a kick. Dunne goes on to snap the fingers of Tank, and Dunne runs across the ring and jumps off with a double stomp on Hank. Bate leaps off the top rope with a twisting tornillo senton on Tank. Bate then scores the deciding pinfall.
Shawn Spears is the focus of a vignette, where he vows to win the NXT Championship at Heatwave in the fatal four-way match.
Izzi Dame defeated Brinley Reece (with Malik Blade & Edris Enofe)
Tatum Paxley appears during the match to stalk Dame. Despite being creeped out by Paxley, Dame is still able to look rather dominate over Reece. Dame with a Falcon Arrow before she pinned Reece for a three count. Paxley gets into the ring after the match, being even more creepy. Dame flees, after being creeped out again.
Ridge Holland is asked to stay behind as the rest of Chase U go to Heatwave. Holland was apologetic for having tried to cheat in a recent match, but Andre Chase still decries that Holland cannot go with them on Sunday.
Face-to-face with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez and Lola Vice
While the segment gets off to a rocky start, Vice saves the segment with an emotional promo about her journey to NXT. Roxanne enters the sound stage flanked by two security guards. They stand behind her as Perez addresses Vice.
Perez says that Vice is bigger name in just a few months of her being pushed on NXT than Vice was in Bellator. However, Perez says Vice is in a wrestling match on Sunday. That is Perez’s world.
Vice responds with basically her life story in combat sports. Through tears, Vice tells of how she trained for the Olympics. But Vice’s mom got sick, so Vice at 18 years old went into MMA to provide for her family. By 21, she was fighting in Madison Square Garden. Vice says her mom will be watching on Sunday, and Vice vows to win.
Perez mocks Vice, and Perez makes fun of her. Vice fights through more tears as she vows to show Perez why she is the greatest to crossover from MMA to WWE. Vice vows to become the first ever Cuban-American NXT Women’s champion.
Security goes to step between Vice and Perez, and Vice drops a security dude with spinning back fist. Vice then tells Perez that Vice might not be in her world. But when Vice knocks out Perez on Sunday, Perez will not know what world she is living in.
Ethan Page is the focus of a video packing, further hyping the main event of Heatwave.
Oro Mensah (with Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) defeated Myles Borne (with Charlie Dempsey, Tavion Heights & Damon Kemp)
Mensah pinned Borne, thanks in part in an inadvertent distraction caused by Damon Kemp. Before the match in a backstage skit, Kemp shows the group he was a pair of brass knux. Dempsey and company are not impressed. They are even less impressed after the finish.
The match itself goes through a commercial break, and the match was pretty good. Borne got to showcase his talents in the ring more so than ever before on NXT. He has an outstanding dropkick, and they were sure to highlight that with a spot in the match. Going through a commercial break, the match was quite lengthy.
For the finish, Kemp is trying to give the brass knux to Borne. That distracts Borne, and he is sitting duck for a Koppu kick from Mensah. Borne is then pinned by Mensah for a three count.
A hype video builds up the the North American title match on Sunday with Oba Femi defending against Wes Lee.
Like an old episode of TNA Impact, it’s TO THE BACK! Suddenly, there is a pull-apart brawl backstage between Gallus and the team of Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe. That would seem to set up a tag match.
Brinley Reece is usually super cheerful and positive, but she is finally broken. Sad about her match, she leaves to go work out as Blade & Enofe run after her.
The Good Brothers cut a quick promo threatening OTM.
Wendy Choo defeated Carlee Bright (with Kendal Gray)
Choo submitted Bright with a choke. Ever since she returned to NXT, Choo is now a zombie. In some ways she is basically doing The Undertaker gimmick, without the Western vibe of Undertaker. Choo is now a zombie after waking up from her sleep. It is very campy. Nevertheless, this bout is a showcase for Choo. She dominates Bright, and Choo applies a chokehold. Bright taps out, and Choo wins via submission.
Shawn Michaels voices over a video package telling the story of Brooks Jensen. Basically, Jensen is a loose cannon that has spiraled out of control. However, HBK says he believes in second chances. So, Jensen is invited to NXT next Tuesday for a sit-down with General Manager Ava. They will address Jensen’s future.
Jaxmyn Nyz defeated Karmen Petrovic
Nyz pinned Petrovic after a distraction by Jayne. Lame finish considering a match on the show already had a distraction finish.
Petrovic has a cool entrance with a sword. Too bad she lost again. At least Petrovic got to shine in the match. Jayne causes a distraction just before the finish. Pertrovic stomps on Jayne’s hands, but that still distracts Petrovic. Nyz delivers a leg lariat, and she covers Pertrovic for a pinfall.
Later in a skit set in Ava’s office, Petrovic is told she is booked in a tag match against Jayne & Nyz. Arianna Grace is revealed as Petrovic’s tag partner, much to he dismay of Petrovic.
More tension between the NXT Tag Team Champions, as Nathan Frazier is apparently more focused on his WWE Speed match tomorrow than the tag title match at Heatwave. Or at least that is what Axiom seems to think. Frazier insists he will be focused on the tag titles on Sunday.
Contract signing for the fatal four-way NXT Championship mach at Heatwave
Two tables are set up in the ring, with the challengers and champion seated around it. NXT Champion Trick Williams gets an actual entrance on television, why his challengers are already seated at the table when Williams enters.
Like many of these contract signing segments, there is some bickers. First up is Ethan Page bickering with Williams. They cut promos on each other.
Shawn Spears chimes in to cut promo on Williams. Spears tells Williams that his emotion will cost him at Heatwave. Spears insults everyone and finally gets around to insulting Je’Von Evans.
Spears mocks Evans because of his age, and Evans responds by cutting a promo on his own. He also gets some call-and-response from the studio audience. Evans flips the script on Spears as Evans mocks Spears for having not ever won a title in NXT.
Standing up, Spears walks over to Williams asking if he heard that. From there, things turn into a bickering contest on who can bicker the most. This is turning into a talking head segment on a cable news channel. Heaven help us.
Evans stands up to cut a promo. Halfway through his promo, Evans is attacked by Spears. Bedlam ensues and all hell breaks loose. Brawl in the ring as a melee is under way. In a stereo spot, Williams puts Page through a table while Evnas puts Spears through another table.
Williams and Evans are facing off in the ring as the show closes.
