TJR: WWE NXT Battleground 2024 Preview
This is WWE NXT Battleground as Trick Williams faces Ethan Page, Roxanne Perez battles TNA’s Jordynne Grace, and plenty more.
It feels like a new era of WWE NXT since the brand lost a lot of talent since the last PLE called Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend two months ago. I don’t think many people who follow NXT would have predicted that Ethan Page and Jordynne Grace would be top title challengers at this show, but here we are. It just shows how unpredictable and fun this current era of WWE can be.
I am intrigued to see how it looks at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It’s not a big facility, so it should have a similar feel to the WWE Performance Center that hosts NXT regularly. I like arena shows better, but at least this is a way to try something different and hopefully the Vegas crowd has a lot of energy.
Also, it has been announced that singer Sexyy Red will be the host. She seemed to be a legit fan when she was there a few weeks ago so that’s cool to see. I don’t know much about her, but a dude in his 40s like me isn’t the target demographic. If it appeals to the younger fans then that’s what matters. I hope she has fun.
You can watch NXT Battleground this Sunday, June 9th at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Peacock or WWE Network. I’ll have a review on Sunday night, but it might not be live due to a prior family commitment. I’ll try to get it done that night.
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Ladder Match for the Inaugural NXT Women’s North American Championship: Sol Ruca vs. Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker vs. Fallon Henley vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Michin
I like how this match was determined by having women compete in the NXT Combine and then the women in the top 12 had to win qualifying matches to make it to this match. The winner will become the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.
They have solid babyface options with Sol Ruca, who was the star of the NXT Combine and certainly could benefit from a title win. I think Kelani Jordan has a bright future, but probably isn’t much of a contender here. The same goes for Michin, who adds some veteran presence although I doubt she wins this match.
The heel side has more contenders because I think it could be a breakout win for Lash Legend or Fallon Henley, both of whom have been on the NXT brand for about three years at this point. Jaida Parker is newer over the last year and I really like her long-term potential as well.
My feeling since this match was first announced was to pick Legend. They had Legend take the pin in the tag team match on NXT TV this past week, so that also makes me lean towards her winning this match. If I had to rank them I’d put Lash first, then Henley and then Ruca. I don’t see the others really having a shot. I also expect Ruca to do some incredibly athletic things involving a ladder. Be smart about it. Don’t be too risky out there. I’m going to go with Lash Legend to win. I think she’ll turn babyface by breaking free from Meta-Four, celebrate with real-life boyfriend Trick Williams and use that momentum to have a solid reign as the first NXT Women’s North American Champion.
Winner AND NEW NXT Women’s North American Champion: Lash Legend
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NXT Tag Team Championships: Nathan Frazer & Axiom I vs. The OC – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The exciting babyface championship team of Frazer & Axiom has been bullied by The OC’s Gallows & Anderson over the last month. The story is that Gallows & Anderson have won titles nearly everywhere they have been, so they come into this match as legitimate threats to win the titles. I’m not sure if it’s going to happen, but I think it’s a possibility. My feeling here has been for the champions Frazer & Axiom to retain. I’d also like to see NXT improve the tag team division because it hasn’t been that great for a while now.
Winners: Nathan Frazer & Axiom
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NXT Underground Match: Lola Vice vs. Shayna Baszler
They are two legit badasses who were allies for a few weeks before they turned on eachother after losing one match. Neither woman is a clear cut babyface in this match, but I think the fans will be into it just because these NXT Underground matches with no ropes are usually fast paced and exciting.
Baszler is a main roster star who really doesn’t need wins like this, but are they really going to have her lose to an NXT wrestler like Vice? I think it will happen. It makes more sense to try to put over Vice as a threat on the NXT brand and having her beat Baszler will certainly give her some more credibility long term. I’m intrigued to see who wins and how it is booked.
Winner: Lola Vice
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NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Joe Coffey vs. Wes Lee
It’s the second straight NXT PLE where Femi is defending his NA Title in a triple threat match. I don’t know why the bookers like triple threat matches so much, but here we are again. That triple threat match at Stand & Deliver was outstanding, so maybe they like the dynamite of Femi in a match with two opponents since he’s still so new as a pro wrestler. What a triple threat match also does is it provides a way for Femi to lose the title without being pinned, which I think could happen.
My official prediction is for Femi to retain. I think Lee winning back the title after being out for nearly half a year would be a great story. I feel like it’s unlikely in this match. I think Coffey is more likely to win due to the Gallus boys interfering to help him in a match with no disqualifications. With that said, I think Femi makes a great champion and I want to see this “rookie” continue to improve as the dominant champion that he is.
Winner: Oba Femi
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NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
I like Roxanne Perez as the NXT Women’s Champion. She does a tremendous job and she is better as a heel than she was as a face. However, the more I think about this match, the more I think that it makes a lot of sense for Jordynne Grace to win the title. I think it would shine a big spotlight on the NXT brand to have an actual TNA wrestler win the title. It might also boost the audience of both TV shows just because fans might be curious about a wrestler from another company holding a championship in WWE, which really doesn’t happen often. I say go for it and try to create a buzz with a title change. I’d also have Grace lose it within a month or two. It would be like when Becky Lynch had it for about six weeks. That’s long enough.
As for the match itself, I think it will be technically sound and probably one of the best matches on the show. Grace is a terrific technician who also has a great power game obviously. Perez is a crafty heel that can do it all in the ring. This should be an excellent match. While the match intrigues me for the action, it’s the booking decision that really intrigues me.
Winner AND NEW NXT Women’s Champion: Jordynne Grace
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NXT Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs. Ethan Page
Ethan Page’s first NXT match is for the NXT Championship in a match that could be the main event. Should this one be a title change? I say no to that. The journey that Trick Williams has been on has been a long one and he just won the title in April, so I think it’s important that he has a lengthy, meaningful title reign.
I think these guys will have a pretty good match that’s competitive the whole way. A win by Page could shock people and grab some headlines for sure, but I’d rather see the champion keep his title. It’s important to establish Trick as “The Guy” on the NXT brand so keep the title on him for at least a few months. I’m intrigued to see how Page does in NXT because I think he’s a tremendous performer who has a very bright future in WWE just like Trick does.
Winner: Trick Williams
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And Finally…
The Match I’m Looking Forward To The Most
Roxanne Perez vs. Jordynne Grace for the match quality and the possibility of a non-WWE contracted wrestler like Grace winning a title.
The Match I Care About The Least
Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. The OC – Gallows & Anderson. It should be a fine match. I just don’t think it’s as interesting as the rest of the card.
Longest Match
NXT Women’s North American Ladder Match about 20 minutes.
Shortest Match
Shayna Baszler vs. Lola Vice about 10 minutes.
Excitement Level on a Scale of 1-10 (1 being low, 10 being high)
I’m around a 7.25 out of 10. I think for it to be an 8 out of 10 type show then there needs to be a few matches over the four star level. I don’t know if this show can get there without the likes of Dragunov and Hayes on the card. There still should be a lot of fun moments. As I noted in the preview, I’m intrigued by some of the booking decisions on this show, so that’s a positive thing because I like the unpredictability factor. I hope there are surprises too.
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John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
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