WWE NXT live results: Carmelo Hayes explains his betrayal

Two days after Vengeance Day, Carmelo Hayes is set to explain his betrayal of Trick Williams on NXT tonight.

Vengeance Day ended with Hayes turning against Williams and attacking him with a steel chair. Hayes took out Williams’ knee and then continued to target it with the steel chair attack. Tonight, we’ll find out why Hayes chose to betray his best friend.

Vengeance Day was a tough night for Williams even before the betrayal. Williams & Hayes lost to Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals. Williams also came up short in his title shot against NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov.

Breakker & Corbin will celebrate their Dusty Cup victory tonight.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice is also part of tonight’s lineup. Vice inserted herself into the NXT Women’s Championship match at Vengeance Day, which allowed Tatum Paxley to help Lyra Valkyria retain the title.

Lexis King vs. Riley Osborne, Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe, and Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson vs. Fallon Henley & Wren Sinclair have also been announced.

NXT is on the air live from a sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando. Opening the show is Carmelo Hayes sauntering to the ring. Carrying a metal folding chair, Hayes gets in the ring. He opens the chair and sits down in the middle of the ring. The live studio audience relentlessly jeer and boo him.

Hayes is about to speak, but he is drowned out by booing from the crowd. He finally says, “Not yet.” Hayes then leaves the ring and walks away. 

After a recap highlighting the results of Vengeance Day, Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker are at ringside standing alongside their newly won Dusty Cup. Corbin goes to introduce them, but Breakker wants ring announcer to give a proper intro for the “Wolfdogs.”

More odd couple comedy between them, with mixed results. They want a tag team title match, which they earned by winning the Dusty Cup. Breakker calls out NXT Tag Team Champions The Family. Instead, out comes Axiom and Nathan Frazier. Those two have a tag match that is up next.

Axiom & Nathan Frazier defeated Edris Enofe & Malik Blade

Frazier pinned Enofe to win the match. This tag bout was set up with a skit during Vengeance Day. Corbin & Breakker remained at ringside for guest commentary. Those two would jump Axiom & Frazier after the match. 

The match itself goes through two separate commercial breaks. It was quite good. Too bad the winners looked like geeks in the aftermath. For the finish, Frazier executes a Phoenix Splash on Enofe. Axiom then follows up with a Golden Ratio, and Axiom covers Enofe for a three count.

Corbin & Breakker jump Axiom & Frazier after the match is over. Axiom & Frazier are tossed out of the ring, like they are yesterday’s news. So much for them getting over after such a good match. This reminded of Monday Nitro when the crusierweights would work there butts off having a good match, and the NWO would come in clean house, making the cruiserweights looks like geeks in the process. 

Out comes The Family to have a stare down with Breakker & Corbin. “Wolfdogs” challenge the champs to a tag match next week. Tony D’Angelo accepts the challenge. Looks like a tag title match is set for next Tuesday.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is headed to the ring for a monologue. Of course, there is an interruption. Same old tired formula plays out. There is a twist at first, as Dragunov calls out Carmelo Hayes (for his attack on Trick Williams). Instead of Hayes, out comes Dijak to confront the champ.

Dijak claims Dragunov is obsessed with Trick & ‘Melo. Dijak gets in the front for a confrontation. The crowd boos the heck out of Dijak, as he begins to insult Dragunov. Tensions only rise from there.

Dragunov threatens Dijak that will suffer if he meets the champion. Dijak sucker punches Dragunov, with a shot to Dragunov’s broken nose (that was injured in his title defense against Williams). Officials and referees pour out to separate them. This angle sets up a non-title match for later tonight.

Jacy Jayne in a skit gives Thea Hail dating advice, which may turn out to be bad advice. Hail still has a big crush on Riley Osborne, and Hail has already agreed to a Valentine Day date with Osborne. 

In another skit, Mr. Stone’s two children convince Stone and Von Wagner to team up on time for a tag bout.

Lexis King defeated Riley Osborne (with Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)

Osborne was doing well for himself when he got distracted looking into the audience for Thea Hail. She was not there, of course. Osborne could not find her, and him being distracted allowed King to trim him up. King then executed The Coronation, and King hooked a leg in covering Osborne for a pinfall. 

Kelani Jordan is the focus of a vignette.

Carmelo Hayes is back, and he is heading to the ring again. Same as before, Hayes sits down in a chair. He is met by chants of “You’re not him!”

Hayes says he wanted to see Trick Williams succeed, but Hayes also took it away (with the attack last Sunday) to show Williams the “place” he belongs in. Hayes says that is what happens when Williams crossed Hayes. Hayes accuses Williams of crossing him by going after the NXT Championship. 

They agreed, according to Hayes, that Williams would go after the North American title, and Hayes would go for the top singles title. Hayes goes on to say Williams believed his own hype. They are not on the same level, according to Hayes. Hayes has a bunch of flawed logic, but it plays into another unsolved mystery on NXT.

Hayes admits he was the one that attacked Williams (in the sneak attack from months ago). Suddenly, Trick’s theme song blares over the speakers. Hayes at first acts startled, until Williams does not come out. That was a swerve, as Hayes says Williams is not coming out. Hayes says Williams is in the hospital.

Hayes claims Williams wanted to be ‘Melo so bad. Hayes insists Williams was only his hype man, and that is all Williams will ever be. 

A cryptic message teases the arrival of a new character. Something about three faces, but it hopefully has nothing to be with the Three Faces of Fear of WCW fame. 

NXT North American Champion Oba Femi is the focus of a vignette.

A backstage skit saw Riley Osborne tell Thea Hail that he will text her. She is still playing hard to get, despite being head over heels.

Roxanne Perez defeated Lola Vice

This match was set up at Vengeance Day, when the two had a pull-apart brawl. Their match tonight goes through a commercial break. Perez did well in carrying the match, and Vice held her own. Tatum Paxley ran down to cause a distraction during the match, which cost Vice the bout.

Vice was getting a big push. So much for that, although all hope is not lost. Vice still lost here via pinfall, after some a distraction and Pop Rocks. Vice got save some face as Tatum Paxley appeared at ringside. Paxley jumped on the apron just before the finish. That distracted Vice, which in turn cost her the match.

Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend (with Noam Dar & Oro Mensah) defeated Fallon Henley & Wren Sinclair

Not going to win match of the year, but far from the worst either. 

Hot tag to Henley, and she cleans house. Legend tries to pull Jackson out of the ring, and there is a tug-o-war with Henley, as Jackson is caught between them. Henley is sent throat-first into the middle rope. That allows Jackson to strike.

Sinclair makes a bling tag, and she pays for it. Legend cuts off Sinclair, and Legend powerbombs her. Legend then covers Sinclair for a pinfall. 

Josh Briggs has some tough love fore Brooks Jensen. Not sure where this is going, but it made Jensen looks like a geek. Briggs tells him to grow some balls. 

Jaida Parker goes to Ava in a skit, and Parker wants a match next week against Adrianna Rizzo. Ava books the match, but The Family and OTM are all banned from ringside. 

Ridge Holland also verbally petitions for matches against Gallus. He has to defeat them on at a time, and if he loses one match against them, their feud is done. Sure, it is convoluted, but oh well. Could be worse, and the matches should be good.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defeated Dijak in a non-title match

Mere days after a hard-hitting performance, Dragunov is back for another hard-hitting match. Things looked stiff at times, or at least snug.

They fought through a commercial break. Dijak targeted Dragunov’s broken nose at times, and Dragunov bled.

After all the seriousness and snug style of the match, the turning point was basically a comedy spot involving outside interference. Joe Gacy, whom Dijak defeated in a no DQ match at Vengeance Day, appears from underneath the ring. 

Gacy wallops Dijak with a foreign object that has a boxing glove attached to the end. Looks like something a heel Doink the Clown would use to interfere. Gacy laughs maniacally after hitting Dijak, and Gacy darts back underneath the ring. Please say high to Hornswoggle for us. Thanks, Joe.

Dragunov drops a H-bomb on a dazes Dijak, and Dragunov scores a three count. The champ wins, albeit by outside interference.

Carmelo Hayes runs in after the match, and Hayes jumps Dragunov with a sneak attack. Hayes pummels Dragunov, and Hayes delivers a belt shot with the NXT Championship. Hayes poses with the strap as the show ends.