WWE NXT live results: Tony D’Angelo addresses Ilja Dragunov
The road to Stand & Deliver continues on tonight’s edition of WWE NXT.
The WrestleMania weekend NXT special is now less than three weeks away. In advance of their NXT Championship match in Philadelphia, Tony D’Angelo is set to address Ilja Dragunov tonight.
A grudge match between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes has now been made official for Stand & Deliver. Tonight, Williams will be in action against Noam Dar. It’s Williams’ first match since Hayes betrayed him at Vengeance Day.
Last week, the LWO’s Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro earned their place in an upcoming triple threat number one contender’s tag match. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger and Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. No Quarter Catch Crew on tonight’s show will determine the other two teams.
Also announced for tonight: Riley Osborne challenges for the Heritage Cup, Tatum Paxley takes on Roxanne Perez, Sol Ruca is back in action against Brinley Reece, and we’ll hear from NXT North American Champion Oba Femi.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– After the WWE signature open, we went straight to Roxanne Perez entering the WWE Performance Center and our opening match, as Vic Joseph welcomed us to the show.
Roxanne Perez defeated Tatum Paxley
As Paxley tried to run into the ring, Perez attacked her outside the ring and threw her inside to start the match. Paxley fought out of Perez’s initial attack and began to take the fight to her.
In the ring, Perez caught Paxley with a modifed arm drag, then continuing to work over the arm of Paxley. Perez snapped Paxley’s arm back to get a near fall. Paxley responded with some strikes of her own while favoring her hurt arm. Enzuigiri by Paxley staggered Perez, as she followed it up with a modified powerslam.
Perez whipped Paxley into the corner, arm-first. She then got Pop Rox on Paxley, then ending this match with a Crossface as Paxley had no choice but to tap.
After the match, Perez got the mic and called out NXT General Manager Ava to give her the NXT Women’s Title opportunity she deserved. Instead, the NXT Womens’ Champion Lyra Valkyria ran out and tried to throw hands with Perez.
A momentary unintentional distraction by Paxley allowed Perez to seize the opportunity and lock in the Crossface on Valkyria. Perez then posed with the NXT Women’s Title over the fallen Valkyria.
Good short match that helped further establish Roxanne Perez’s new heel character and her driven obsession for the NXT Women’s Title. Tatum Paxley’s well-meaning assistance backfiring certainly adds to the story of whether or not Lyra Valkyria trusts well enough.
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– Backstage, Meta-Four were discussing Noam Dar’s upcoming match with Trick Williams. The group was then interrupted by Alpha Academy’s Akira Tozawa, Otis, and Maxxine. Otis made a remark about Lash Legend, stating that he was “jelly of Trick Willy”, which made Meta Four leave the scene.
– As a doctor was tending to Lyra Valkyria’s hurt arm, NXT GM Ava visited her. Valkyria cut to the chase and asked Ava to make the match for NXT Stand & Deliver: Lyra Valkyria versus Roxanne Perez. Ava agreed as Valkyria walked off.
Josh Briggs calls out Oba Femi
Briggs showed up at the commentary desk and challenged Oba Femi for taking out his best friend Brooks Jensen, and doing so with a smile.
Femi immediately showed up, mic in hand. He said that he relished the idea of testing a man’s limits, because in the ring, the only thing that matters is results. Briggs interrupted Femi and questioned his claims of being the “baddest dude in NXT”, demanding that Femi put his North American Championship on the line.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Femi.
Dijak made his way to the ring, reminding Femi that once he was “done playing around”, he was waiting for him. Briggs cut Dijak off, calling him “wannabe Shaft”, much to Dijak’s dismay.
Femi said that this wasn’t about either Briggs or Dijak, it was about him, and everyone else. Briggs shoved Dijak into Femi as a brawl broke out. Femi clotheslined Briggs out of the ring as Dijak countered an attemped back drop by Femi.
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– Shawn Spears was backstage watching a screen. He said that “pride always comes before a fall”, walking off afterwards. Unbeknownst to him, Joe Gacy peered from the background, laughing.
– We got a recap of Trick Williams challenging Carmelo Hayes to a match at NXT Stand & Deliver. They showed Carmelo Hayes arriving to the Performance Center, accompanied by his security detail.
Tag Team Qualifying Match: Axiom & Nathan Frazer defeated Myles Borne & Charlie Dempsey
Myles Borne & Charlie Dempsey were the chosen representatives for the NQCC.
Dempsey and Axiom started off the match, as Dempsey had control, right up until Frazer was tagged in. Frazer hit a nice kick on Dempsey and took it to him with a sustained offense. Borne tagged in and Frazer continued to control the pace of the match with repeated arm drags.
Tag to Axiom as Frazer sends Borne to the outside. Axiom and Frazer hit alternating dives on Borne and Dempsey outside the ring. With the action back in the ring, Dempsey took back momentum with a counter of an Axiom pin attempt into a fantastic German suplex. Axiom sent to the outside right in front of Dempsey’s NQCC teammates as the action continued into the picture-in-picture commercial break.
As NXT returned live, Axiom and Dempsey were fighting it out. Bridging fallaway slam by Dempsey got a two-count. Axiom fought out of Dempsey’s submission as the two began a hard chop exchange.
Hot tag to Frazer, who took Borne and Dempsey down with a double dropkick. Running shooting star by Frazer on Borne almost got the win for him and Axiom.
Phoenix Splash avoided by Borne. Attempted springboard dive by Frazer countered into a catching powerslam that was only a near-fall. Alternating tags by Axiom and Frazer as Axiom hit an avalanche Spanish Fly, followed by Frazer landing the Phoenix Splash on Borne. Axiom with the Golden Ratio to intercept Dempsey as Frazer pinned Borne to bring his team one step closer to an NXT Tag Title shot.
Fantastic, fast-paced match to help get the Performance Center crowd hyped, with well-earned “this is awesome” chants. The team of Frazer and Axiom compliment their styles well and their offense is just so enjoyable to watch. Dempsey’s technical style continues to get better with every match and it was a nice to get a glimpse of it here.
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– After a recap of Mr. Stone versus Lexis King last week on NXT, we got video from NXT Anonymous showing Stone arguing with Von Wagner, upset about being carried by him following King’s beatdown.
– NXT Tag Champions Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker were interviewed about the continuing NXT Tag Team Contenders tournament. Breakker joked that Corbin was mad about paying for dinner last night. Alpha Academy showed up and said that they wanted to earn their place at Stand & Deliver. They challenged Corbin & Breakker to a match next week, where if they win, they’d be added to the NXT Tag Title match at Stand & Deliver. Breakker accepted on his team’s behalf.
Sol Ruca defeated Brinley Reece (with Edris Enofe & Malik Blade)
Ruca started off with some impressive acrobatics, which prompted Reece to answer with a cartwheel of her own. Reece with a headlock that Ruca fought out of. Acrobatic flip by Ruca led into an X-Factor for the two.
Reece with the clotheslines on Ruca and a scoopslam. Ruca slammed Reece an middle-rope avalanche flip as she began to take over. Sol Snatcher by Ruca brought this match to an end.
Post-match, Blair Davenport attacked Ruca from behind, laying her out with a Kamigoye knee.
A good match to establish Ruca back into the fold, and the post-match attack by Davenport should lead to a Stand & Deliver match.
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– Backstage, Gigi Dolin & Wren Sinclair discussed Gigi’s match with Ariana Grace last week. Grace showed up and brought out a sash that said “Miss NXT in Training”, and forced her to wear it, much to Dolin’s dismay.
– An Instagram video from Ridge Holland was shown, discussing his future.
Tony D’Angelo addresses Ilja Dragunov
Tony D’Angelo came out to the ring, flanked by his Family.
He started by saying that he will get his big opportunity at Stand & Deliver, boasting that the D’Angelo Family is in a period of aggressive growth and expansion. He introduced Luca Crusifino and boasted his legal successes, calling him his new “consigliere.”
Crusafino got the mic to say he pledged his loyalty to the D’Angelo Family.
D’Angelo once again talked about how he’s the one man who will break the unbreakable, before Ilja Dragunov interrupted on the titantron.
Dragunov talked about how D’Angelo left him alone on a bridge last week with his thoughts, declaring that the NXT Title is the one power that will be beyond his reach.
D’Angelo cut off Dragunov, saying that he doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation, mentioning that he got Ava to book a match next week with Stacks Lorenzo versus Dragunov. D’Angelo announced that Dragunov may not make it to Stand & Deliver in one piece, stating that he’ll see him next week.
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– Riley Osborne was shown training for his Heritage Cup match up next, as Thea Hail showed up and apologized for her behavior on their date last month. Osborne accepted Hail’s apology and headed out, with Hail and Chase U following him.
– They showed TikTok videos from Lola Vice & Karmen Petrovic showing off their karate skills.
Heritage Cup Match: Drew Gulak defeated Riley Osborne to retain
Drew Gulak will represent NQCC in this matchup.
The first round began with Gulak and Osborne locking it up in the ring. Osborne escaped out of Gulak’s hold and hit a running crossbody on him. Lots of back and forth action as the round hit the final minute.
In the dying minute of round one, Osborn hti a Shooting Star Press to pick up the first fall.
As the second round started, Gulak left the ring, only to be confronted by Chase U. This gave Osborne the opening to hit a dive to the outside on Gulak. Back in the ring, Osborne continued the attack on Gulak. Dueling rollups by Gulak and Osborne get near falls, but in the end, Gulak tied it up with a pin with about 1:36 left in round two. Cheap shot by Gulak after the fall causes a bit of a scuffle as we headed to a picture-in-picture commercial break.
NXT returned with round three almost done as Gulak and Osborne were at a standstill. Osborne’s top rope move was caught into a submission by Gulak, who turned that submission into a Gu-Lock. Osborne held on just long enough for the round to expire.
A replay of Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx showing up during the picture in picture break to cause trouble was shown.
Round four began with Osborne hitting a nice rolling hurricanrana for the near fall. More dueling pinfall attempts from each men also net near falls. Osborne and Gulak are in a deadlock as the time winded down on round four.
Osborne got Gulak up on the top rope as Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail got into it, with the action spilling into the ring. Osborne’s attempted superplex was stopped by Jazmyn Nyx, who tripped up Osborne while the referee was distracted to give Gulak the victory.
I enjoyed this match. Osborne showed some nice potential, and Gulak is always a pleasure to watch, even if the No Quarter Catch Crew gimmick isn’t exactly one to write home about.
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– Brooks Jensen was shown walking outside the infamous NXT parking lot, as Fallon Henley talked to him. Jensen was mad about people taking pity on him before leaving. Kelani Jordan then appeared, angry about Izzi Dame and Kiana James supposedly attacking her. Henley offered to assist Jordan against Dam and James.
– Backstage, Ava was on the phone before Duke Hudson & Thea Hail confronted her. Ava told Hail that as a result of Jazmyn Nyx’s actions in the earlier match, she will face Nyx next week on NXT. Ava then talked to Hudson, stating that he’ll also be in action next week, and that a win next week will mean good things for Hudson in the North American Title picture.
Tag Team Qualifying Match: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated Tank Ledger & Hank Walker
The match was joined in progress with both teams brawling in the ring. Once things settled, Walker & Anderson were the legal men as the match continued.
Suplex by Walker got a one-count. Anderson retreated to his corner and tagged Gallows in. Now it’s Gallows in control momentarily, as he punched Walker on the top rope, sending him crashing outside. Gallows threw Walker around the barricade and apron before sending him back to the ring.
Gallows worked over Walker in his corner, then flooring him with a nasty clothesline. Tag to Anderson as Walker began to fight back a bit until Anderson regained control.
The Good Brothers still had Walker isolated from Tank Ledger, with back and forth tags and offense. Walker finally created an opening with a kick to Gallows, and then the headbutt to Anderson. Hot tag to Tank Ledger as the big man finally got into the match.
Nice double team catch and toss by Walker and Ledger almost got the win, but the pin was interrupted. Running powerslam interrupted as Gallows pulled Walker outside, leaving Ledger alone for the Magic Killer by Gallows & Anderson. And they advance to the Triple Threat Qualifier.
A hard hitting match, but not something I could fully get behind with. Might just be because these two teams don’t really have that much of a chemistry with each other. There’s at least room for improvement on Walker and Ledger’s end.
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– Kelly Kincaid was backstage with Trick Williams. She asked him about his thoughts on the upcoming match with Noam Dar. Trick said that he was ready for Noam Dar’s challenge and that if Carmelo Hayes showed his face, he’d whoop his ass again.
– Izzi Dame & Kiana James were talking with Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx briefly, before Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan attacked Dame & James. NXT referees separated the two.
– Scheduled for next week’s NXT: Thea Hail vs. Jazmyn Nyx, Ilja Dragunov vs. Channing “Stacks Lorenzo”, Alpha Academy vs. Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin, Duke Hudson vs. Josh Briggs, and Shawn Spears vs. Dijak.
Trick Williams defeated Noam Dar
Booker T went crazy for Trick’s entrance and the fans chanting “Whoop that Trick!”
Scoop slams by Williams’ on Dar started the match off. Dar caught Williams’ foot for an ankle lock attempt, but he fought out of it. Armbar by Dar is turned into a pin attempt by Williams, who kicked out.
Backfist from Dar is followed by a guillotine submission on Williams, but the strength of Trick was too much. Fierce uppercut by Williams flattened Dar soon after. On the corner, Dar took Williams off his feet with a kick. Now it’s Dar on the offense with a hard dropkick for the two-count.
A picture-in-picture cut in showed Carmelo Hayes’ door, with the private security detail knocking on the door.
Back in the ring, as Williams won the tug-of-war between he and Dar, following that up with a pop-up uppercut to send Dar scurrying to the outside. Final picture-in-picture commercial break of the night upcoming.
Returning to live action, Williams threw Dar down with a powerbomb, but that only got a two-count. Dar and Williams began to trade blows, with Dar winning out in the end. Leaping forearm clothesline by Williams stopped Dar’s momentum.
Dar countered a spinebuster into a DDT, but that only netted a near-fall. Ankle lock by Dar, but Williams reaches the rope to break the hold.
Williams got a Book End out of nowhere on Dar to begin his own flurry of offense. Lash Legend got on the apron, which distracted Williams long enough to get felled by a German suplex and back elbow combo from Dar for the very close near-fall.
Dar in the corner, but his attempt at a finish is stopped by Williams’ Trick Shot knee for the one, two, three.
Post-match, Williams got on the mic and immediately challenged Carmelo Hayes to fight him right now. Hayes’ personal security detail showed up and surrounded the ring, with Hayes himself soon following. But “Carmelo Hayes” on the ramp is a decoy, as the real Hayes unmasked as one of the security detail. He attacked Williams and had the remaining security hold him up, before finishing Williams with his running knee. NXT concluded with Hayes talking trash to a downed Williams as the crowd booed his dastardly attack.
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Overall, an entertaining NXT that continues to finalize the Stand & Deliver card nicely. The main event Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes feud is an intense one, and I enjoyed the closing angle with Hayes getting the upper hand on Trick with some trickery of his own. Their match at Stand & Deliver is one deserving of a stipulation, and hopefully we get one announced soon.
Heel Roxanne Perez is a success so far and she is killing it as an entitled heel willing to go any lengths to get the title she never lost back. Her eventual match with Lyra Valkyria at Stand & Deliver should be great.
I’m interested in seeing Tony D’Angelo potentially transition into a more ruthless mob boss character, and bringing that aspect out against Ilja Dragunov will only help heat this title feud up even more.
The mini-tournament to decide the NXT Tag Team Championship challengers has been fun and the triple threat between LWO, Axiom & Nathan Frazer, and the Good Brothers should be quite entertaining.
Lots to enjoy from tonight’s edition of NXT for sure.
