This Saturday Night at 6pm est is NXT Vengeance Day. The 1st stand alone PLE of the NXT calendar. This past Tuesday night debut of the “Absolute One” Ricky Starks has the intrigue for this PLE at a fever pitch. Will we see him get involved and make it known who he has his sights set on first in NXT? There is so much potential for Starks on this roster. Even tonight’s card could be telling for where Starks begins on the NXT Ladder. So let’s get into the card and breakdown it down match by match.
NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi vs. Austin Theory vs. Grayson Waller
A-Town Down Under got the upper hand on Big Oba Femi this past Tuesday night. They had teased a possible split before taking out the NXT Champion. The only real question I have is when the going gets tough and that opportunity to win the NXT Championship, will Austin Theory and Grayson Waller be able to remain a team and allow one of them to dethrone Oba Femi. My guess is not a chance, the cracks in the A-Town Down Under foundation will grow bigger and Oba Femi will Retain with ease.
Pick: Oba Femi Retains
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Giulia vs. Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
The proof of just how successful NXT has been on the business is right here in this match. Bayley got her start in NXT and is now a sure fire Hall of Famer and one of the most decorated Superstars in the business. She’s going after 2nd NXT Championship. Against a group that would give anything to have the career Bayley has had. Cora Jade looks to finally be hitting her stride coming off a recent knee injury and earned her way into this match up with a win over Bayley this past Tuesday. That win came with an asterisk as Roxanne Perez has been a Thorne in Bayleys side for weeks, culminating in a Bayley Cosplay dissertation to help Cora win. Roxanne the former NXT Champion held down the division thus far in her career and looks destined for the Main Roster sooner than later but for now she looks to add to her already impressive NXT Championship resume.
If you stopped right there, you’d say what a great triple threat match. Well, NXT Women’s Champion and international superstar Giulia is in the match up and with the odds stacked against her will look to retain the title she won off of Roxanne Perez at New Year Evil. I’d be surprised if they took the title off Giulia this early in her reign. That said the odds aren’t in her favor but if for just hypotheticals if I had to pick on to take it off Giulia, give me Bayley for the simple fact that it would eat at Roxanne Perez and further that storyline.
Pick: Giulia
NXT Women’s North American Championship Match: Fallon Henley vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Much like Giulia, NXT hit the jackpot with another international star. They have presented Vaquer so well thus far in her WWE career the only thing missing is some Gold. No disrespect to Fallon Henley or the the rest of her Fatal Influence Stable Mates but this is Vaquers moment in the sun.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Fraxiom vs. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura
Fraxiom continues to Impress and level up with each title defense. Saturday night should be no different. Briggs continues to try and find himself after they spilt up of him and Jensen. Insert Yoshiki Inamura as his new running mate and you have yourself a very interesting dynamic. That’s will only get you so far against Fraxiom. Sure Biggs and Inamura looked impressive in there win to get here but they still have to work on that chemistry, that Fraxiom has mastered. This feels like a stop gap for Axiom and Fraser’s next program heading into Stand and Deliver, which could he see the much Speculated Hardy Boyz step to the NXT Tag Team Champions?
Pick: Fraxiom Retains
Strap Match: Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe
I love me a good old fashioned strap match. I did not however have Trick Williams and Eddie Thorpe on my list of must needed Strap Matches. Don’t get me wrong NXT has a great track record of putting on PLE matches that maybe didn’t belong there and it ends up being an absolute banger, so I’m not completely down on this match up. I’m just not that invested in it and it feels like an excuse to give Trick Williams something to do in the card, which is never a bad thing.
Pick: Trick Williams
Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans
If this match doesn’t end with Je’Von Evan’s proclaiming he beat Ethan Page with a “Broken Freakin Jaw”! Then what are we doing here? Evans got himself “Cleared” by a “Real Doctor” to have the match happened. I use air quotes here because that Dr. on Tuesday looked like he runs his practice out of a storage unit. Either way Ava requested Evan’s sign a waiver and the match is being unsanctioned so Ethan Page can lose and no harm is done to his standing but maybe some damnit his Ego and we get another match from these two.
Pick: Je’Von Evans
There you have it, all my picks and thoughts ahead of Saturday’s Vengeance Day! What matches are you most excited about and who do you think will stand out the most? Also will Ricky Starks involve himself in the action? Let me know in the comments!
