NXT recap & reactions: Fatal flaw

Gigi Dolin makes a comeback, Eric Bischoff is suddenly a thing again, and the men’s tag division chooses violence on this week’s NXT.

Squabble Up

NXT threw a lot at us in the opening match, so I’m scribbling my thoughts about all of it here.

for starters, Ethan Page and Axiom wrestled a fun, technically sound, and engaging match with a lot on the line. Ethan grounded Axiom out the gate and used his power to counteract everything Axiom does really well. That played into the ending as well, but we’ll get there. Ethan targeted Axiom’s back while the tag team champ went after the former NXT champ’s neck.

And like I said, it came down to power vs. speed. Axiom countered a top top Ego’s Edge with an Avalanche Frankensteiner, then went for the Golden Ratio. Unfortunately for the high flyer, Ethan had one last gasp left in him. He nailed Axiom with a hellacious clothesline for the last entry into the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match. My one issue here is the finish. I don’t like a heel winning cleanly when he’s shown no issue cheating in the past. Especially when facing a champion and with more at stake than Philly.

Let heels be heels consistently rather than picking and choosing when they get devilish.

The 20 minute match led into chaos, chaos, and more chaos. The Iron Survivor Challenge contenders hit the ring, including Wes Lee with a brand new haircut. He got rid of the dreads and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Wes stumbled a bit on the mic, which isn’t what he usually does.

But it was quickly forgotten when the tag teams hit the ring, starting with OTM. They took umbrage with Axiom & Nathan Frazer focusing on singles gold instead of their tag team championships. Same, OTM. Same. That’s when every single mens tag team hit the ring and a huge brawl came with them. That brawl stretched into the next hour with every single team beating up each other in the most dangerous parking lot in the land.

That’s a lot in about a half hour and some change but it all works. I’ve said this before but NXT is at its best when it feels like a connected universe. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction; Newton’s third law of motion, that sort of thing. Connecting the Iron Survivor Challenge to the burgeoning tag team scene feels right considering who participated in the opening match.

It also fully paints the picture of tag champs not taking their challengers seriously even though they both say they are and should. The words are one thing but the actions come with a megaphone. It also shows how dangerous these other teams are and why the champs need to get it together. But with Nathan vying for a championship match at New Years Evil, that sounds like a long shot. One of these very hungry tag teams are about to snack at Deadline after next week’s number one contender Fatal 4-Way. Which once again splits Nathan & Axiom’s focus.

Will they survive? God only knows why they have so far but this time really might be the end. Right?

B-Sides

Outta Da Blue

The title is a bit misleading because Gigi Dolin made her unofficial come back during this year’s Halloween Havoc intro video, meaning this wasn’t out of nowhere. But I love the song and it’s my wrap up so I make the rules.

Now, back to business. Jacy Jayne’s past came back to haunt her, just as Tatum Paxley predicted earlier in the show. It helped smooth over what was, for me, an awkward ending to the match with Fallon Henley. Fallon dominated most of it with Tatum getting a few hope spots and even some momentum at the end. But this was all Fallon, which I liked since she needs to establish her reign. That and it’s obvious NXT is trying to recreate a little of that Toxic Attraction magic. The weirdness came when Jacy tried interfering but Tatum saw it coming. That I liked; Tatum saw that move before and showed some smarts. But then Fallon countered Tatum’s finisher with what looked like a normal shove that somehow made Tatum double over, get back to her feet, then wobble into position for Fallon’s finisher. It looked off but it got the job done.

Gigi saving the day when Fatal Influence took it way too far after the W was perfect. She needs her revenge on Jacy, and she knows the damage a group like this can do to the division. I really hope they play into that past in her explanation. It will connect dots while also inspiring Fatal Influence to differentiate themselves from any Toxic groups that came before them. The crowd was hot for Gigi which made for an excellent finish to a solid show with a few flaws.

Singles

• Giulia has that quality that Jaida Parker has in that their moves look so real and so painful. She and Kelani Jordan put on a clinic this week with Giulia earning a spot in the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge. They framed the match as a huge one for Kelani; one where she needed to make the nickname match the outcome. She seethed when the match ended but she gets another shot in next week’s last chance qualifier. I wonder if she goes into that match with a different attitude. This is a good chance to give the former women’s North American champ more character. Fill in the blanks and make her more than just the white meat babyface. She plays that role very well but I need more at this point. I’d love to see her at Deadline with a little fire and a lot of aggression.
• Speaking of that Last Chance match, I’m already, sadly, counting out Jaida Parker. Why? Because after Lola Vice whooped Wren Sinclair, she challenged Jaida to an NXT Underground match. This was an easy call, also the right all, but I really want her in the biggest match possible. I don’t predict Lola lets that happen.
• Eric Bischoff and X-Pac are coming to Orlando next week. Why? Basketball reasons? I don’t know but Eric involved himself in the NXT championship picture with designs on making Trick Williams and Ridge Holland squirm. Shrug. NWO reunion! Shoutout to Booker T.
• I really don’t know what to say about anything happening with Ashante, Nikkita Lyons, and Karmen Petrovic. I tried writing something and it just didn’t make sense. All I know is, two women are fighting over a guy who substitutes the word “honestly” with “adonisly.” Of everything ridiculous and hard to believe thing that happens on a wrestling show, that takes the cake.
• Tony D’Angelo successfully defended the North American championship against Shawn Spears. Fine match but I still can’t get invested in Shawn or his story with Brooks Jensen. They do have a third in their party now as Niko officially joined the fray during the post match beatdown of Tony D and the rest of the family minus Rizzo. But I assume they have plans for her. Let's hope she’s not sleeping with the fishes any time soon.

As I said above, a solid show that never lost momentum. There’s still the weird stuff like this love triangle. It’s also wild how the Nikkita Lyons and Rizzo thing just disappeared in favor of...that. I have a few quibbles with how some matches ended, but I like the teases we got and making the men’s tag division feel alive and important. Create the sense of urgency by making the audience feel like it’s important for everyone involved. A nonstop brawl does that trick almost every time.

What say you? Who wins the number one contender spot next week?