WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before No Mercy

Ahead of No Mercy 2024, WWE NXT had some surprises left in store on the August 27 show.

Joe Hendry promised a concert, likely aimed at NXT champion "All Ego" Ethan Page before their clash on Sunday night.

Wes Lee and Zach Wentz went face-to-face in response to the betrayal of Lee a few weeks back.

Kelani Jordan was ready for a warm-up before her title defense and was challenged by a mystery opponent of Wendy Choo's choosing.

No Quarter Catch Crew fought The D'Angelo Family in a mixed six-person tag, while Fatal Influence looked to make a statement at the expense of Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson.

Karmen Petrovic looked for revenge after Izzi Dame cost her an opportunity at the NXT Women's Championship.

This wasn't one of the most stacked shows on paper, but with No Mercy on the horizon, the gold brand needed to deliver some big moments to hype the event.

Jazmyn Nyx distracted Lash Legend long enough for her to walk into a discus forearm from Jacy Jayne.

Jayne and Fallon Henley then combined to hit a shining wizard/running knee combination for the victory.

The presentation of Fatal Influence felt different than at any time in the buildup of this trio, and it made a difference.

Henley and Jayne were solid together and picked up a necessary win. This victory showcased the dangerous chemistry on display in this group that could have Toxic Attraction-level upside in NXT.

Legend and Jakara Jackson remain a work-in-progress team that needs opportunities like this to grow. It was not a slam-dunk effort, but the former continues to show out with her power.

Hopefully, this will continue to build a stronger foundation in NXT with key female veterans, who are awaiting the arrival of multiple big signings in the next couple months.

Result

Fatal Influence def. Meta-Four by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Both teams promised victory in pre-match promos.
• Fatal Influence came out with new (good) music and a signature trios entrance.
• Legend caught Henley on her back and then grabbed Jayne up front before dribbling them between the ropes. She then swung the legs of Henley into Jayne.
  

• Oro Mensah tried to cheer up Legend and Jackson. Lexis King got involved, leading to Mensah and King coming to blows.
  

Karmen Petrovic brought the fight to Izzi Dame, even when she was overpowered by her new rival.

Dame set up for the swinging side slam, but Petrovic reversed into a roll-up for three.

Two rising names in the NXT women's division battled off the back of a personal attack in the parking lot last week. This contest should have felt like much more than it was.

Instead, this came off as just another match, lacking the necessary heat. This was likely just the first of a series that can ramp up the tension.

Hopefully, the two will work out the kinks and get more time for future clashes. This feels like a major test of the upside for two women hoping to finally get a real spotlight.

Result

Petrovic def. Dame by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Eddy Thorpe talked with multiple women about his DJ work over the weekend. Ashante "Thee" Adonis was surprised that Thorpe was not flirting with them.
• Sarah Schreiber interviewed Jaida Parker about stepping up to Roxanne Perez. The Prodigy interrupted and sent the interviewer running. Parker slapped Perez for talking down to her.
• Parker and Perez both indicated someone important was watching their exchange backstage, likely hinting at the arrival of Giulia or Stephanie Vaquer.
  

Wren Sinclair tried to take the lead throughout this match, much to the chagrin of Charlie Dempsey.

That miscommunication cost them as Luca Crusifino laid out Myles Borne for the win.

Good time was given to this, but it still felt short. The action cruised along but only ramped up in the closing moments. It could have been more but was well worth the time investment.

It was a surprisingly subdued performance from Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, who likely wanted to give Crusifino and Adriana Rizzo more of the spotlight.

This story still lacks a strong spark, though. The Don has treated No Quarter Catch Crew as a lesser group, and the results mostly back that up.

At the very least, it's time to get Stacks, Crusifino and Rizzo wrestling more regularly. It feels like most of The Family had done nothing for months ahead of this match.

Result

Stacks, Crusifino and Rizzo def. Dempsey, Borne and Sinclair by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Dempsey and Sinclair continued to verbally spar as they prepared for this match.
  
• The Don tried to focus on hyping his crew. Two Family employees wanted to talk to D'Angelo, but he told them to wait until after the match.
• During the bout, the same two whispered in The Don's ear, and he had to head to the back.
  

• Crusifino got the big hot tag and looked unstoppable down the stretch.
• D'Angelo headed to his restaurant where Oba Femi had taken his seat. The two nearly came to blows, but Femi said he would save it for Sunday.
  

With security on hand, Wes Lee told Zach Wentz that he was on a different level.

Wentz said that he grew up when he lost his opportunity in NXT.

Both men promised victory in a match that would redefine their former friendship.

Lee has earned a chance to be a top heel in NXT, but again he did not come off believable in his promo. His repeated line about "levels" was undercut by a more sincere response from Wentz on losing a friend.

Add onto it that Lee's most biting lines for Wentz require insulting TNA as a brand, and this whole feud is walking a tightrope between building a rivalry and talking down about a partner.

It does not help that Trey Miguel has been almost forgotten in this story. This all comes off as a way to simply end MSK rather than pay off any long-term Rascalz history.

Still, it's clear these two men are going to leave everything in the ring at No Mercy. Hopefully, it can live up to the moment.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Wentz said every team breaks up in wrestling but he did not feel like it could ever happen to The Rascalz/MSK.
• Wentz broke the fourth wall by calling out that he has always had Lee's back through his injury recovery and rehab.
• Lee called himself an "NXT Superstar" and Wentz a "TNA wrestler" as an insult.
  

Kelani Jordan demanded Wendy Choo reveal her opponent before Choo appeared on the titantron to send out TNA's Rosemary.

The Women's North American champion connected on the corkscrew moonsault to survive The Demon Assassin. Afterward, the arena went dark and Choo's laugh echoed as she choked out Jordan to stand tall.

Over eight years, Rosemary has stood as one of the defining members of the TNA Knockouts division. She has been completely loyal to TNA, making a WWE appearance seem impossible.

However, this TNA partnership continues to bring unexpected moments. It's a shame the two did not have more time as this came off as too one-sided for the pedigree of Rosemary.

Hopefully, this is more than a one-off appearance. Choo's dark persona would fit well with the canon that Rosemary has created, perhaps even leading to an Undead Wasteland appearance in NXT.

Result

Jordan def. Rosemary by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Rosemary gleefully followed Choo's commands and pushed the Women's North American Championship to her after the match.
  

Malik Blade brought the fight to Brooks Jensen early, but Jensen just hit harder.

A DDT followed by a diving elbow drop sealed the victory.

This was a squash, as expected. On his own, Blade was never going to be a match for Jensen, especially as NXT attempts to push him big alongside Shawn Spears.

The story made sense, but the action was fairly flat. Jensen is still not completely selling this "loose cannon" character. He just doesn't have the necessary menace.

Spears might be able to impart that upon him with more time, but it hasn't happened yet.

Result

Jensen def. Blade by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Jensen attacked Edris Enofé backstage, leaving Blade alone for his match.
• Backstage, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price confronted Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, challenging them to a match.
• Nathan Frazer and Axiom confronted Chase U in their classroom, promising to ruin the celebration at No Mercy.
  

Je'Von Evans fought with all his heart, but Gallus' advantage was too much to overcome.

Mark Coffey saved Joe Coffey from a cutter and set up his brother for All The Best for the Bells to win.

On paper, Coffey vs. Evans was not an exciting matchup, but the former played his role so well against the latter, pushing the young star to prove his toughness.

The way the Gallus leader fired up when Evans tried to match him blow for blow made this feel special and set the stage for the best match of the night by a solid margin.

It is a shame to see Evans losing, though. He never got his one-on-one title opportunity and remains one of the most exciting options to challenge Ethan Page in the future. Losses like this delay that eventual clash.

The rest of this feud will need to focus on elevating The Young OG as an all-around talent. This first match indicates that will happen.

Result

Coffey def. Evans by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Sarah Schreiber interviewed Evans just before he headed to the ring. He wanted Gallus to know that he could square up to anyone.
• The Young OG hit a series of clotheslines on Coffey that did not faze him. Evans then bounced off the ropes to plant a clothesline that leveled his opponent.
• Coffey almost won with a release German suplex into a Glasgow Sendoff.
• Somehow, Coffey kicked out at two after the Evans spirngboard cutter.
  

Joe Hendry started his concert with a song for "All Ego" Ethan Page.

All Ego interrupted to ruin the fun, but NXT general manager Ava responded by bringing out Trick Williams as the special guest referee for the No Mercy title match between the two.

Page walked into a Standing Ovation and Trick counted the three.

The show ended with Pete Dunne warning Trick that he would not make it to their match next week.

While Hendry's latest song was not his best, the way it sparked the crowd made this whole segment work. It genuinely felt like Page was facing an entire movement coming for the NXT Championship.

This segment put over Hendry too strong for him to actually win at No Mercy, but it was always unlikely that the TNA wrestler would become NXT champion.

What mattered was to sell a big match for a major moment, and the show ended with its two hottest stars controlling the crowd with confidence. It rocked.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Trick told Hendry earlier in the night that he believed in him. The No. 1 contender told Trick that he would give him the first shot after he won the gold.
  
• Hendry's song for Page made fun of All Ego's love of action figures and his workouts in cosplay.
  
• The crowd was singing the main chorus of Hendry's song as Page tried to talk. The singing only stopped when Ava arrived.
  

NXT could have used a few more weeks to build up No Mercy. It feels like everything is coming to a head too quickly.

That played out a night that just did not give enough hype for Sunday's show. Most of the competitors at No Mercy were barely seen on Tuesday.

Beyond Joe Hendry and Zach Wentz, who could be coming to the end of their NXT runs, no one was working this night at the level of its importance.

Even with some matches given solid time, the overall action felt superfluous. Even the best bout of the night, Je'Von Evans vs. Joe Coffey, was good because it was a surprise.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Izzi Dame needed a stronger build. Kelani Jordan vs. Rosemary should have been more competitive. Fatal Influence vs. Meta-Four and The Family vs. No Quarter Catch Crew both did their job.

As a whole, it was a fine week of NXT but a low-level night for a premium live event go-home event.

Overall Grade: D+