The single biggest show of the year for NXT, Stand & Deliver kicks off Wrestlemania Weekend with four championship matches and two huge fights where grudges will be settled. In the main event, former best friends collide as hometown hero Trick Williams faces off with Carmelo Hayes in a match that has become more than personal. “The Mad Tsar” Ilja Dragunov will defend his NXT Championship against the rapidly rising Tony D’Angelo, who will have his mob Family at ringside. Lyra Valkyria defends the NXT Women’s Championship against the woman who never lost it, Roxanne Perez, who has undergone an attitude change of late to showcase her own harsher edge. Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin look to continue their charge through the NXT Tag Team division when they battle the ultra-quick Axiom and Nathan Frazer, and Oba Femi defends the NXT North American Championship against the massive duo of DIJAK and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match. Finally, Thea Hail looks to get her hands on Jacy Jayne as they lead the teams of Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan, and Kiana James and Izzi Dame, respectively, into a 6-woman tag team contest.
+ Trick Williams vs Carmelo Hayes: I loved this. Hayes has always been a standout among the NXT roster, and I’ve said many times that he is absolutely ready for the call-up. Trick Williams, quite the opposite, was not good for a long time until quite suddenly he was. This was an equal credit experience and both men looked great before, during, and after. What more could you ask for from an intensely personal and emotionally charged main event?
+ Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Tony D’Angelo (w/ The Family) (NXT Championship): I have nothing at all against D’Angelo, but this match was a showcase of how incredible Dragunov is. There was a lot of character work from D’Angelo and I appreciate that for what it was, and I enjoyed this overall. But I am grateful it was not the main event
+ Lyra Valkyria (c) vs Roxanne Perez (NXT Women’s Championship): as a long time fan of Rok-C, I have come to really enjoy Lyra Valkyria, as well. This was one of those matches where the official ‘good guy and bad guy’ were flipped to the live crowd, but in some ways that made this even better than it would have been. Both these women are so much more than simply ‘competent’, and it made for a strong title match on a show of good matches
+ Oba Femi (c) vs DIJAK vs Josh Briggs (NXT North American Championship): god almighty this was nuts, and probably my favorite match of the show. All three guys looked like absolutely beasts several times, and the gunshot-noises from their strikes had the entire building on edge, as I was watching at home. Oba Femi showcased some absurd strength, and DIJAK was given yet another big match to shine in. For my money, Briggs was the surprise showing of the entire event as he leaned into his power role and looked so much better for it as a singles star. This was great
+ Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin (c) vs Axiom & Nathan Frazer (NXT Tag Team Championships): really, really good match. Axiom was on another level, even if he nearly decapitated Breakker at one point. Breakker got some crazy speed for a few big attacks, but this was a solid effort from all four guys. Axiom and Breakker in particular were just spectacular here
– Thea Hail, Fallon Henley & Kelani Jordan (w/ Duke Hudson, Andre Chase & Riley Osborne) vs Jacy Jayne, Kiana James & Izzi Dame (w/ Jazmyn Myx): the nicest thing I can say about this is that the crowd loves Hail, hates Jayne and James, and nobody died. Thea Hail has an it-factor about her that I really hope the WWE capitalises on, though I’m not holding my breath
> Ahh, I’ve missed the days of new hires sitting in the crowd. Amusingly, when Giulia was shown in the crowd, the guy behind her had no idea who she was, and was more interested in William Regal sitting next to her. That guy looked like a right tosser
Should you watch this event: I cannot say I am totally up to date on all of my NXT weekly viewing, but damn if I didn’t enjoy this show start to finish. Go out of your way to see that triple threat. Even the least good match, the women’s tag, was worth watching for story reasons, and everything else was good to great for story, in-ring or crowd reaction — or all three. This was a successful show overall.
MoshFish Reviews 