The John Report: WWE NXT 04/30/24 Review (Spring Breakin’ Week 2)
This is WWE NXT featuring Natalya facing Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match, Oba Femi defending the North American Title, and more.
I thought last week’s NXT show with Trick Williams beating Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title was the best WWE show of the week. They really had a nice balance of matches, promos and advancing stories. Since several key NXT wrestlers got drafted to Raw & Smackdown over the last week, it will give many wrestlers a chance to step up into bigger roles. As usual with NXT, I will do a summary style for most of the show and then play-by-play for one or two matches.
This episode took place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. My WWE NXT Review archive is here. Let’s get to it.
A video aired showing highlights of last week’s NXT Spring Breakin’ show. Sol Ruca beating Blair Davenport clean last week makes a lot of sense since Blair got drafted to Smackdown. Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov also got drafted to Raw after losing the title to Trick Williams last week. That title change was expected.
The commentary team was Vic Joseph and Booker T as usual. There were reports that Mike Rome will replace Alicia Taylor as the ring announcer, but it’s still Alicia this week.
Let’s Hear from Trick Williams
Trick Williams made his entrance as the NXT Champion and he was wearing the title around his waist. Booker did his adlibs during the entrance while the fans chanted “WHOOP THAT TRICK” as usual.
Trick said that he fought for this, he prayed for this and they wall wanted this: Trick Williams is your new NXT Champion. Trick said there were a lot of people he could thank right now, but there’s one person he wanted to focus on – Ilja Dragunov. Trick talked about facing Ilja multiple times while thanking Ilja for what he did for him and said that Raw got a good one by drafting Ilja. Trick spoke about how he wanted to call this the “Whoop That Era” so of course the fans chanted that. Trick said they will continue to break records and continue to make history.
There was an interruption from Lash Legend of the Meta-Four group with an envelope. Lash congratulated Trick for doing his thing last week. Trick and Lash are dating, but it’s not acknowledged on screen. They did share a kiss a few weeks ago.
Lash said that Trick is a gentleman and the hottest superstar in NXT. Lash said that the entire NXT Universe is rocking with her. Trick mentioned the last time they were together, she tried to slap him in the face. Trick said now she wants a little taste. Trick said she thinks he is her Reese’s Cup and she wants to take the gold off to taste the chocolate on the inside. Lash said she didn’t like Reese’s Cup because she likes Kit Kat chocolate bars. Trick spoke about breaking her off then.
Lash said that Trick has his head in the clouds and he’s not focused. Lash said in this envelope, she had the truth. Lash told Trick to enjoy his NXT Title run right now because soon it’s going to come crashing down because things are going to get really hot.
Analysis: A fun promo exchanged by Trick and Lash with some unique lines by both of them. I don’t know what’s in the envelope, but it certainly could lead to something that involves Noam Dar of Meta-Four being a title contender against Trick soon. I think Trick will have a long title reign that goes at least six months, so he should hold it for most of the rest of the year.
There was an Arianna Grace-Gigi Dolin dinner segment where Grace tried to teach Dolin about dinner etiquette. Dolin burped after drinking a sip of water. Dolin also talked about the matches on the show. Dolin burped again while Grace had to sell it like she had never seen somebody burp before.
Oba Femi made his entrance as the NXT North American Champion and he had a brief staredown with Trick Williams, who was leaving the ring. Oba is in action after the break.
(Commercial)
They showed the arrivals of Lola Vice (with Shayna Baszler) and Natalya (with Karmen Petrovic) earlier in the day.
NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi vs. Ivar
They are big dudes since Femi is 270 pounds and Ivar is 340 pounds, so the fans chanted “Meat” to start it. Ivar hit a shoulder tackle followed by a clothesline out of the ring. Ivar did a somersault dive off the apron onto Femi on the floor. Back in the ring, Ivar hit a spinning slam for just a one count. Femi caught a charging Ivar leading to a backbreaker. They left the ring where Ivar sent Femi hard into the steel steps. Ivar hit a running cross body block that sent Femi crashing through the barricade at ringside. They went to break there.
(Commercial)
Ivar knocked down Femi on the apron. Ivar went up top and hit a somersault dive onto a standing Femi on the floor. That was wild so the fans chanted “NXT” for that. Back in the ring, Ivar went for a springboard attack, but Femi slammed him. Femi nailed a spinning forearm for a two count. Femi hit a couple of running uppercuts, but Ivar came back with a spin kick to the head for two. Ivar went up top, but Femi got a hold of him and Femi did a Samoan Drop-like move for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. Ivar hit another spin kick to knock Oba down. Ivar went up top and hit a Doomsault on Femi for a two count because Femi got his left foot on the bottom rope to stop the count. That moonsault was hit perfectly on Femi. Oba charged at Femi, who used his legs to drive Femi down. Ivar went up top again, but Femi was back up and hit an Electric Chair drop. Femi hit a Popup Powerbomb on Ivar for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Oba Femi
Analysis: ***1/4 Ivar had a great showing in defeat by displaying a lot of athleticism throughout the match. There were a couple of moments where Ivar came close to winning even though most people watching assumed that Femi would win. Femi has been an undefeated champion that will be tough to beat. The win made Femi look like a badass champion since he took a beating throughout the match and Femi hit a Powerbomb for the win. That was an impressive way to end the match.
After the match, former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee made his return. Wes walked in from the crowd and jumped from the barricade to the steel steps to show he was doing just fine. Wes had a staredown with Femi to look at the North American Title.
Analysis: Welcome back to Wes Lee. Wes hasn’t wrestled since late November 2023 so it’s been five full months. He had a serious back injury and there were concerns that he would be out for a very long time, to see him back is pretty cool. I know Wes posted a video about being back in the ring recently, so I’m glad everything is okay and he can return soon.
Thea Hail was backstage with Chase U along with Fallon Henley. Hail wanted Henley to go to ringside with her. Henley was resistant at first, but then Henley agreed to it.
Thea Hail (w/Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, Riley Osborne & Fallon Henley) vs. Jacy Jayne (w/Jazmyn Nyx)
The action spilled to the floor quickly as Hail hit a suicide dive onto Jayne on the floor. Hail missed a dive off the top, so Jayne hit a senton splash leading to a break.
(Commercial)
Jayne and Hail took turns hitting moves, but when Hail went for a springboard attack, Jayne hit a neckbreaker for two. Hail avoided a cannonball attack and then they did a double headbutt. Hail got some offense going after a neckbreaker along with a sitout slam for two. Jayne superkicked Hail out of the ring. Nyx nailed Henley with a kick after Henley pushed Hail out of the way. Hail put the Kimura Lock on Jayne and Jayne tapped out. It went about eight minutes.
Winner by submission: Thea Hail
Analysis: **3/4 A solid match to give Hail a big win over a long-term rival. They had issues for a while and Hail was finally able to get the victory over Jayne as a measure of revenge. Henley took a shot on the floor to help Hail, which led to Hail finishing off Jayne in the ring.
After the match, Henley was selling the attack on the floor. Henley grabbed Hail and punched Hail in the face. Jayne had a bloody nose. Henley was booed as she walked to the back.
Analysis: There’s a heel turn for Fallon Henley, who has been a babyface on this brand for nearly three years. She hasn’t been able to break through as a face, so maybe going heel will get her to that next level.
The new tag team of Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe were featured in a video. They are powerful dudes who have known eachother since their days as collegiate shotput athletes.
(Commercial)
Natalya was thrown getting ready backstage with Karmen Petrovic. Natalya said she’s going to break her referring to Lola Vice.
The OC – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe
The big man Dupont hit a splash on Karl in the corner. Igwe tagged in for a double shoulder tackle. Karl took some offense from the newcomers for a couple of minutes until Luke tagged in with punches. Dupont got some offense on Karl, who was back in and Dupont nailed a sidewalk slam along with a running uppercut. T&T hit a double spinebuster on Luke. Karl avoided a charging Igwe and Karl hit a spinebuster. Luke kicked Dupont out of the ring. The OC hit the Magic Killer for the pinfall win after four minutes.
Winners by pinfall: The OC – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Analysis: **1/4 Just an average match. It did allow the newcomers Tyson & Tyriek to show off their power. They did get plenty of offense in the match because The OC really only hit a few moves at the end match to get the win.
The NXT GM Ava was shown backstage talking on the phone about how she had a big announcement coming up.
(Commercial)
There were highlights shown of the WWE Draft involving members of the NXT roster getting picked. Somebody should have coached Teddy Long to say Ilja Dragunov’s first name properly. They showed comments from NXT coaches talking about how much it means to see talents going on to the main roster and Robbie Brookside said that the future of WWE has never been better.
Let’s Hear from NXT GM Ava
The NXT GM Ava said that NXT talents drafted to Raw & Smackdown will be missed, but they have to keep moving forward. Ava said that at NXT Battleground, the NXT Women’s North American Champion will be crowned in a Ladder Match just like how the first men’s NA Champion was crowned. Ava said that the female roster will be in a combine and 12 women that impress will have six matches where the winners will go on to the Ladder Match. Ava said she truly believes their women’s division is the best in all of wrestling and they can show that at Battleground.
Jaida Parker showed up to say that she was going to be the next history maker. Parker said that she won’t even break a sweat when she wins the championship.
Sol Ruca was next to join the promo party. Sol said that Parker isn’t lacking confidence, but Sol claimed that she is going to be at the top of the Ladder in Vegas.
Arianna Grace made her presence felt by wondering why everybody was so aggressive.
There was a surprise because Michin (former Mia Yim) from Smackdown was next. Michin said she had unfinished business back in her old stomping grounds. Michin said she’ll be in the Combine because she wants in at Battleground. Grace thought that Michin was disqualified from competing, so Michin punched her down.
The fight was on as about a dozen women from the locker room joined the others in the ring and there was a big fight with referees there to try to break it up.
Analysis: A promo party featuring several contenders for the Women’s North American Title. I don’t know who it could be because I think there are a lot of good choices. I like Parker or Ruca as the first winner. I think maybe somebody like Jacy Jayne or Fallon Henley should win too. There are a lot of options in a deep division. Doing a Ladder Match at Battleground should be a lot of fun.
The NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom were in the locker room when The Street Profits showed up to talk to them. This is a reminder of how short Frazer & Axiom are. Anyway, Ford & Dawkins talked to the champions about how they have faced AOP a lot. Dawkins said that the champions have the heart to get it done. Ford told them to always remember…never slow down. Ford: “I watch the product all the time!”
Lola Vice was shown training with Shayna Baszler. Lola was working the bag with punches. Baszler wanted to get some ground work in and Lola said there was no need for that when you have the fastest hands in NXT.
Shawn Spears vs. Ridge Holland
This has been building for a while. Spears picked up a win over Ridge in the past and now Ridge gets another shot. Spears bailed to the floor at the start of the match as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
Spears was in control with a neckbreaker. They did a spot where Spears went up top, so Ridge grabbed him and did a press slam. Ridge clotheslined Spears in the back of the head followed by a spinning sidewalk slam. Ridge gave Spears a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckle like Spears did to him in the past. Ridge hit a lifting Redeemer DDT for the pinfall win after about eight minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Ridge Holland
Analysis: **1/2 An average match with an obvious result. It’s a measure of revenge for Ridge since he got a win. I just don’t think this Ridge story is working that well. The NXT fans like a lot of wrestlers on this show and react loudly to a lot of them, but when Ridge is out there, they barely react to anything. There’s just no connection with Ridge and the fans.
Roxanne Perez, the NXT Women’s Champion, complained to NXT GM Ava about not being drafted in the WWE Draft. Ava said that champions are protected by their brand, so it had nothing to do with her. Ava wanted to talk to Perez about something, but Perez walked away. Ava told somebody in her office that they could talk to her later.
Ivar was shown in the trainer’s room when Josh Briggs congratulated Ivar on putting up a fight and softening up Oba Femi for Briggs. Wes Lee walked in to exchange words with Briggs, who wanted Lee to leave. Lee said that he could beat Briggs for a shot at the title. Ivar told Lee that he wasn’t done with Oba. Chase U walked into the trainer’s room as well.
Analysis: A lot of contenders for the NXT North American Title. That’s a good thing.
The Final Testament group was backstage. Paul Ellering said they were coming for all the titles and told NXT to get ready for AOP up next.
(Commercial)
There was a video with Tony D’Angelo and The Family driving in a car. Tony said he wanted to take the Heritage Cup. Tony gave instructions to the others in the group telling Luca Crusifino to set up the match, Adrianna Rizzo said she had a spot for the cup at the restaurant and Tony wanted Stacks to get footage of past Heritage Cup matches so Tony could be prepared.
NXT Tag Team Championships: Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. Authors of Pain – Akam & Rezar (w/Karrion Kross, Scarlett & Paul Ellering)
Frazer and Axiom hit multiple dropkicks to send their bigger opponents out of the ring. Frazer and Axiom each hit two suicide dives, yet AOP guys were still standing. After the bell rang, Akam & Rezar worked over Frazer for a couple of minutes. Rezar hit a huge German Suplex on Frazer as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
The match returned with Axiom as the face in peril until he broke free to bring Frazer into the ring. Frazer hit an impressive leaping DDT on Akam for a two count. Rezar caught a leaping Frazer and threw him into Axiom. Rezar tagged in for a rising knee strike that led to a two count. Axiom pulled down the rope to send Rezar out of the ring. Axiom kicked Akam while on the top rope and there was a loud leg slap for that. There were some attempted distractions by Kross, Scarlett & Ellering, so the referee ejected them from ringside. New Catch Republic’s Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate showed up at ringside to cheap shot kick Rezar while the referee wasn’t looking. That led to Frazer superkicking Akam into a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! by Axiom on Akam for the pinfall win after 10 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Nathan Frazer & Axiom
Analysis: *** It was an exciting matchup as usual any time Frazer & Axiom are in a match. The finish was done in a way that protects AOP heavily because they only lost because of Dunne & Bate appearing at ringside to kick Rezar, which led to the double team superkick/ROLLUP OF DEATH~! (it’s so deadly) on Akam to get the big win. It’s not like the champions Frazer & Axiom looked dominant by winning this match. I was still entertained by it. Frazer & Axiom are one of my favorite teams in all of WWE because they’re incredible performers.
Chase U was shown in the trainer’s room. Thea Hail was sad about Fallon Henley attacking her. Ridge Holland walked in saying you can’t trust anybody in this business. Andre Chase congratulated Ridge on his win and Ridge said he was doing well.
Lash Legend and Meta-Four were shown outside. Noam Dar said if Trick wants to know the truth then be his guest on Supernova Sessions where they will reveal all.
Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan were shown talking in the parking lot. Henley said it was time to put herself first.
Analysis: I hope heel Fallon Henley does well. The NXT brand hasn’t pushed her that much as a face, so maybe she’ll break through as a heel.
There were backstage walking scenes featuring Lola Vice (with Shayna Baszler) and Natalya (w/Karmen Petrovic) heading into their main event match.
(Commercial)
The team of Edris Enofe & Malik Blade were chatting backstage about a mirror breaking last week, which was bad luck. Their friend Brinley Reece brought them black kittens to try to help them. They were black kittens, so Enofe didn’t like it because of bad luck. Edris left while Blade and Reece realized the black cats bring bad luck. I don’t know where this story is going and I don’t care that much.
Next week on NXT:
* Wes Lee vs. Josh Briggs
* Supernova Sessions with Trick Williams as the guest
* NXT Women’s Combine
The entrances took place for the main event with Lola Vice up first joined by Shayna Baszler. Lola had a more serious fighter’s look and she wasn’t shaking her ass on the way to the ring like she does during matches. Natalya looked very intense as well.
NXT Underground: Lola Vice (w/Shayna Baszler) vs. Natalya (w/Karmen Petrovic)
No countouts, no pinfalls and the only way to is by knockout, TKO or submission. The ring was surrounded by male and female wrestlers. There were no ropes. It was a black mat.
Natalya caught Vice’s leg and tackled Vice onto a pile of wrestlers on the floor. Vice got a kick to the ribs. Natalya went for an armbar, but Vice fought her off. Natalya worked over Vice with strikes to the body. Natalya applied a kneebar submission on the left leg, but Vice got out of it and stomped on Natalya a few times. Vice worked over Natalya with forearms along with a hipcheck that sent Natalya off the apron and onto a bunch of people on the floor.
(Commercial)
I know part of the appeal of Underground is that it’s dark, but if they had more lights on it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Natalya was in control with a suplex on the floor. Natalya did another suplex on the floor. Vice tripped up Natalya on the commentary table so Natalya bumped onto the hood of the table. Back in the ring, Natalya delivered some punches, but Vice sent Natalya into the ring post. Vice worked over Natalya with kicks to the upper body. Vice had the left arm in a submission, but Natalya managed to get out of it. Vice applied a guillotine headlock for about a minute when Natalya got up and delivered a slam. Vice applied a tight headlock, so Natalya left the ring and gave Vice a spinebuster-style slam on the floor. Natalya rammed Vice’s left leg around the ring post. Natalya applied the ringpost Figure Four Leglock that Bret Hart made famous. Petrovic jumped on Baszler’s back and Baszler went into Natalya to break the hold. Natalya applied a Sharpshooter, but Baszler attacked so Natalya sent Basler out of the ring. Natalya blocked a kick leading to Natalya applying the Sharpshooter submission move. Natalya had the Sharpshooter locked in, but that’s when Shayna Baszler choked out Karmen Petrovic on the floor. Natalya was watching that happen, so Natalya let go of the hold and went after Baszler. Natalya sent Baszler into the barricade along with some punches. Baszler held Natalya’s foot in the ring, so Vice hit a spinning back fist to the head. Vice pounded Natalya with forearms, so the referee stopped that match as a Knockout finish. This match went about 12 minutes.
Winner by Knockout: Lola Vice
Analysis: ***1/2 That was great, even with the cheap finish since Baszler got involved in the match. They did a tremendous job of making this feel like a fight between two women who hated eachother. There weren’t any table spots like we have seen in other Underground matches in the past, but they did use their environment well with some bumping onto the wrestlers outside the ring. I’m not a huge fan of the distraction finish in a match like this, but it does give Natalya an out about why she lost because Baszler took out Petrovic and also held Natalya’s foot leading to Vice nailing the spinning back fist to the face. It was a big win for Vice while Natalya reminded people just how talented she is, especially in an environment like this. I already knew, but she doesn’t get the chance to go 10+ minutes in a singles match as much as she should, so whenever she does get the chance, it’s always going to be a great match.
Roxanne Perez, the NXT Women’s Champion, was in NXT GM Ava’s office. Ava said that she had a new opponent for Perez. It was Chelsea Green, who happened to walk into the ring. Green said that the title would look good in her jewelry box. Perez left while Green told Ava she was the best and Green said she would love it here. End show.
Analysis: It’s a fresh opponent for the heel champion Perez. Green is a heel too, but maybe in this setting, she’ll be cheered by the fans just because she’s a unique character that’s against a heel champ like Perez. I doubt Perez will lose the match to Green. It should be interesting at least.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Lola Vice/Natalya
- Axiom & Nathan Frazer
- Oba Femi/Ivar
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The Scoreboard
This week: 7.5 out of 10
Last week: 8.25
2024 Average: 7.09
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Final Thoughts on WWE NXT
A pretty good show for the second week in a row although I liked last week’s episode a bit better. Plenty of bigger NXT names were picked for the WWE Draft, but they still have a deep roster and people ready to step up. Natalya is an example of that since she had a terrific NXT Underground match with Lola Vice. It wasn’t a clean win for Lola because Shayna Baszler got involved, but Lola beating Natalya does elevate Lola a bit. I’m not sure if the story is done for now. I enjoyed the presentation and it was an entertaining main event.
The two title matches were good with Oba Femi beating Ivar to retain the NXT North American Title. Ivar got plenty of offense before Femi found a way to win. Good to see Wes Lee back too. Nathan Frazer & Axiom didn’t have a dominant Tag Team Title defense against AOP because there was interference, but that match was fun too.
They also advanced plenty of stories starting with Trick Williams celebrating the NXT Title win and getting confronted by Lash Legend. Fallon Henley turning heel might be good for her. A lot of women are contenders for the new NXT Women’s North American Title, which will be up for grabs in a Ladder Match next month at Battleground. Booking wise, I think NXT is perhaps the most consistent show in all of wrestling. There are green talents and some of it is silly, but the way they use the entire roster is so impressive.
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John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport