Courtesy of WWE
NXT BATTLEGROUND REVIEW
- Matthew Widdis, Contributor
Special host, Sexyy Red, welcomes us to Las Vegas, Battleground, and her ability to do the splits.
Sol Ruca vs Fallon Henley vs Lash Legend vs Jaida Parker vs Kelani Jordan vs Michin in a Ladder Match for the NXT Women’s North American Championship
Almost immediately, Sol Ruca and Fallon go for ladders. Lash Legend plays the colossus and carries Jordan around the ring, hitting her with knees as she pleases. Outside the ring, Michin ends up disabling Booker T’s headset so Vic Joseph is alone on commentary for a bit. When the ladder hits the ring, Kelani puts on some very smooth tumbling to avoid it from everyone.
Lash shows a lot of strength when Fallon Henley jumps on her back for a sleeper and then Kelani jumps on Fallon’s back to do the same. At one point four of the women team up to carry Lash off the ladder in the center of the ring and toss her overhead onto the ladder splayed out from the ring apron to the commentary desk! Mad scramble for the climb sees Michin with advantage after hitting a tornado DDT on Jordan by way of a climb up kick on Jordan.
Sol Ruca hits Sol Snatcher on Jaida and Fallon but Kelani Jordan outlasts them all to scramble up the ladder and become the inaugural North American champ.
Winner and first: Kelani Jordan
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs Nathan Frazer & Axiom (c) for the NXT Tag Team Championship
From jump, Booker T and Vic Joseph drilled it on the mic that the champions’ motto is “Never slow down.” That was the theme for the match, alright. The Good Brothers were beating on the champs throughout and tagging as soon as they got any comeuppance. The smaller men made it a point to roll through on any missed ariel attempts as Axiom nursed a slight shoulder issue.
Gallows was a menace to Frazer, cornering him when he could and rarely letting him get more than arm’s reach away. But Axiom and Frazer made sure to make the most of their blind tags and pin saves by coming in with crazy velocity. Towards the end, the champs weathered a TKO from Anderson, a big big biiig powerbomb from Gallows, and a great tandem neckbreaker maneuver but managed to combo a Spanish Superfly from Axiom with a Phoenix Splash from Frazer to pin Anderson and retain.
Winners and still: Axiom & Nathan Frazer
Josh Briggs reflects on breaking into NXT, his partnership with Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley, and his recent attempts at singles gold. He’s frustrated and unsure of what’s going to happen next but… he’s going to find out, we guess?
A package is played highlighting former Minnesota cheerleader, Carlee Bright.
Dante Chen says that he’s stayed ready for two years and proud of each chance for victory that he gets on Level Up and NXT.
A whole crew of black shirts come bouncing out to the rope-less ring and that means it’s time for Undergound! UFC’s Khalil Rountree Jr and Brandon Moreno are ringside
Lola Vice vs Shayna Baszler in an NXT Underground Match
Shayna comes out with a jiujitsu jacket on while Lola is rocking a taekwondo top and the house lights go down real low. Lola throwing strike combos until Shayn hits a big double leg takedown and dumps her dead center of the ring. They fight a bit on the outside and Vice keeps trying to make it a striking contest. Shayna having none of it and going for slams and an ankle lock. Meeting the ring post with her face takes away Baszler’s advantage and Lola goes for a rear naked choke. Baszler gets loose by leaping off the ring and into the spectators!
The ladies brawl on top of the commentary table and Baszler nearly takes out her own knee trying to decapitate Vice. Back in the ring, Lola Vice is on the attack and switches from an Achilles lock to a knee bar to a toehold. Rear mounted punches and another RNC attempt. Queen of Spades in trouble but she switches out and catches the Miami Mamacita with a big knee after a failed submission attempt.
Shayna misses another knee and Lola’s spinning backfist takes her off her feet and off the ring apron. Lola is insisting that Baszler is out but there are signs of life and they continue. Baszler is beating on the ringside spectators for being in her way and Lola hits a lethal ax kick while she’s distracted. Vice tries to get Shayn back in the ring but is caught in a triangle hold and then kicked to the ground.
Shayna gets tossed into the steel steps. She’s somewhere on Mars when she’s tossed back into the ring. Lola hits hammer fists until the referee steps in.
Winner: Lola Vice
Eddie Thorpe is done healing and ready to represent the traditions of Native competitors, starting this coming Tuesday.
Sexyy Red and her entourage congratulate Kelani Jordan on her historic win in front of an old school UFC logo.
The next NXT PLE is going to be Heatwave in Toronto on July 7th (one night after WWE: Money in the Bank.)
UFC Hall of Famer, Forrest Griffin (and both of his ears) in the front row.
Oba Femi (c) vs Joe Coffey vs Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship
All three men exchange blows for a bit until Lee and Coffey team up to get Oba Femi out of the ring. They keep the big man on the outside but he sees his chance when lee goes for a cover. The former champ isn’t backing down for the giant but his three, four or even five strikes aren’t getting the impact of Oba’s one. Coffey and Lee doing their best against Femi and each other in the corner until the champ throws Wes Lee onto Joe Coffey like an involuntary Fastball Special.
Coffey has some success with brawling and boxing, landing punches in bunches, a sidewalk slam, and a Vader bomb to the bigger man. Wes Lee even helps out with a flying stomp as Coffey has Femi up for Death Valley Driver!
Wes Lee catches Coffey with a right hand that drops him right on top of Femi and nearly wins it for the Gallus boy! It gets worse for Coffey as Femi hits him with a pop up powerbomb into the ring apron and then catches Lee in time to powerbomb him directly into Coffey.
Wes Lee hits the Cardiac Kick on the champ but Coffey breaks up the pin. Oba Femi clotheslines Coffey out of the ring and that brings in Mark Coffey and Wolfgang of Gallus. They take out Femi for now. Coffey hits a moonsault and diving tackle on Wes Lee but it’s not enough to keep him down. Cardiac Kick but Gallus pulls the ref out as he’s counting. Wes Lee takes them out with a dive but that leaves a recovered Oba Femi in there with Joe Coffey.
Wes tries a meteora but gets spiked like a football he can barely move, never mind break up the pin when Oba Femi hits the pop up powerbomb on Coffey.
Winner and still: Oba Femi
Wendy Choo wakes up and it looks like she’ll be choosing violence this Tuesday.
Crowd cam finds Ash Costello of New Year’s Day.
Jordynne Grace vs Roxanne Perez (c) for the NXT Women’s Championship
Grace walks out with the Knockouts belt around her waist and “TNA!” chants from the audience. This goes the way you’d imagine: Jordynne tossing Roxanne around at will with Roxanne weathering the storm, countering the throw, or taking a short cut (a la the classic “Greco-Roman thumb to the eye.) Roxanne spends a lot of time going after the injured left shoulder. She tries for Pop Rox on the apron but it’s blocked still a rough ride down to the floor for Grace.
Roxanne on the offensive has Jordynne Grace playing defense, using her power to stop The Prodigy’s techniques in their tracks. Tatum Paxley comes out of the crowd to nick the Knockouts Championship belt! Before she can get to the back, though, Danash Brookey Elegence stops her. Jordynne Grace comes out to level them both and then back in to hit a cartwheeling DVD on Perez. Juggernaut Driver is countered into a cutter. Pop Rox for the win!
Winner and still: Roxanne Perez
Sexyy Red says that she had lots of fun hosting tonight and congratulates Lola Vice on her big win. They take a moment to twerk and get Sarah Schrieber to join in.
Wes Lee gets asked about his match earlier but, before he can answer, he gets waylaid by Gallus.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, Jamahal Hill in the crowd looking like he’s cutting weight.
Trick Williams (c) vs “All Ego” Ethan Page for the NXT Championship
Trick starts out by taking out his frustrations over the past weeks. He’s dropping Page with right hands and a body slam. But Page is playing the long game. He gets Trick hung up on the top rope. He’s got him running into the steel steps. Butterfly backbreaker and it looks like Ethan Page is on top.
Bear hug is a curious choice but gets Trick worn down and set up on the top turnbuckle. Whipped down by both arms and body slammed. Crowd chants “You don’t go here!” at Page. Trick breaks free and starts rolling. Ethan Page powders out before he gets the Trick Shot between the eyes. Trick launches himself over the barricade and onto Page before tossing him back into the ring.
Back in the ring, Trick hits a discus big boot but gets caught when he goes up top. Running knee to the face. Both men on their knees and trading “Boo/Yay” shots to their feet. Rock Bottom to Page but it doesn’t do the trick (no pun intended.)
The champ is fed up and gets the steel step up against the commentary table. It looks like he’s trying for a suplex but All Ego powers out for a body slam through the table. Back in the ring and Ethan Page hits the Razor’s Edge! Trick gets the shoulder up at 2.999 despite what Page says. He keeps arguing with the referee and has to be pulled away from closed punches in the corner. That’s the opening the champ needs. Trick Shot don’t miss.
Winner and still: Trick Williams
What Comes NeXT?
Meta Four and The Good Brothers stayed in the back but Bronco Nima and Lucien Price accompanied Parker to the ring for the women’s ladder match. I’m guessing that was just to get them a little facetime so we remember they’re still around.
An argument could be made for any one of the ladder match participants to have won. I think Kelani can establish the title to where it needs to be. And I think some of the others may be on the road past that title.
The tag team match was the biggest question mark of the night. Frazer and Axiom did it right by keeping the pace and strategy evident. Gallows and Anderson are damn near legends now but still have a lot to give others and seem to be happy to do so.
Lola Vice is ramping up to be a very big star in NXT. She could be the next Tiffany or Bianca of this current crop.
Oba Femi retaining was the right choice and he should stay dominant until it’s time to give him the NXT Championship or send him to Raw or Smackdown. These triple threats are doing him well until he can carry a PLE banger by himself. Wes Lee is so good, though. It is a shame that nobody since Kevin Sullivan has figured out how to make a cruiserweight division work and matter for a promotion. There are a few dozen extremely talented guys who weigh in at around a buck seventy “but make up for it with heart” and they can’t all be at the top tier in big promotions.
Apparently, the numbers for TNA didn’t reflect much impact (no pun intended) of Jordynne Grace showing up on NXT. This is unfortunate because getting new faces in front of the crowd and taking them away builds intrigue and anticipation for what could possibly come down the road. Rare that anything that isn’t worthwhile walks through any forbidden door.
Either women wrestlers need to stop wear fishnets or stop wearing earrings. It’s got to be one or the other and a choice has to be made soon.
Immediately started hearing grumblings about this main event. Maybe because of that, I have to say it exceeded my expectations. Trick is 100% a star but still progressing. Ethan Page built this match with fire promos and therefore built Trick. The finish protected both men and, though there were some points where there were potential disasters, they got handled safely. It was never all that smooth but they built the house brick by brick, trick by trick.