Courtesy of WWE
NXT STAND & DELIVER 2024 REVIEW
- Rob Crowther, Editor In Chief
NXT Stand & Deliver 2024 took place earlier today at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia breaking the all time record for an NXT event with an attendance of 16,545. The event itself featured some TOP TIER wrestling from the current and next generation of Superstars, every single one of which hit the ring with something to prove.
The pre-show match for the evening showcased the always incredible Joe Gacy vs. Shawn Spears. This was a great match, and both men delivered. Very cool to see Gacy in his old stomping grounds again, as the crowd went back and forth between "Let's go Gacy" and "Lets go Spears" chants. Gacy scored a huge win over Spears with this signature back handspring lariat, and received a nice ovation from the Philadelphia crowd.
The opening match for the evening saw the team of Axiom and Nathan Frazer challenge Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin for the NXT Tag Team Championships. This match was incredible and really set the tone for the evening. Spots galore, and a ton of high flying from two personal favorites in Axiom and Frazer. Corbin hit an impressive End of Days before setting up his partner Breakker for match winning spear. Go back and watch this one if you haven't yet.
Next up was a hard hitting match amongst Dijak, Josh Briggs, and Oba Femi for Femi's NXT North American Championship. This was another incredible match with "NXT" chants throughout. These three took some big chances and they all paid off (safely too, I might add). They executed an amazing three man tower spot unlike anything I had seen before. My one issue with the match however, was a production issue where the camera man slid into the ring which pretty much gave away the finish, and instantly took me out of the match. I appreciate trying new things, but for the live crowd this completely took me out of the story of the match. Nit picking here, because this match was excellent.
Up next, Thea Hail, Fallon Henley, Kelani Jordan took on Jacy Jayne, Kiana James, & Izzi Dame in a six woman tag match. This was a really fun match amongst six incredibly talented women. Hail completely stole the show in this one having some great storytelling moments with Jacy Jayne, Duke Hudson, and more. All six women showed up and showed out, but Hail continued to steal the show by laying in a modified kimura lock on Dame for the win.
The momentum continued as Roxanne Perez showed that she is truly a prodigy with a phenomal showing against the always impressive Laya Valkyria. I was skeptical about a heel Perez, but she continues to succeed at everything she does. Roxanne wins her second Women's NXT Championship after two Pop Rocks.
The NXT Championship was on the line as Ilja Dragonuv defended against the don of NXT, Tony DeAngelo. Fun entrances here, and D'Angelo even had a bit of a Sopranos inspired theme before his official entrance. D'Angelo showed he could hang with the best and is right on the cusp. These men literally tore down the house, but it wasn't D'Angelo's night. Great show of respect after the match here by two of NXT's best.
Our main event between the ever popular Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes was solid, but felt a bit rushed. The intro package to this one was phenomenal, and even had me convinced that we were going to see an all timer here. The match was great, and both men are incredible. Multiple ref bumps, and I was a bit confused by some of the psychology at certain moments, but still a good one. Trick was also one of the first, if not the first to kick out of the Nothin' but Net, and even put Melo away after one Bicycle Knee Strike.
This was a great event overall, and again, I love seeing the hunger from the next generation of main roster Superstars. Everyone put it all on the line and showed why NXT is one of the best wrestling programs week in and week out.
Catch the Replay of NXT: Stand & Deliver now on Peacock