WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From March 25
WWE NXT promised a triple header of championship glory on its March 25 edition live at the Performance Center.
Stephanie Vaquer was ready to open and close the show for two of those title defenses. She put the Women's North American Championship on the line against Fallon Henley and the NXT Women's Championship against Jaida Parker.
Could The Dark Angel stay the sole woman with gold in NXT, or would we see a new star emerge?
Je'Von Evans challenged Lexis King for the Heritage Cup. Was The Young OG finally ready to capture glory in NXT?
Darkstate continued to terrorize the NXT locker room, and North American champion Shawn Spears had something to say about his future.
This was an important night for the black-and-silver brand, likely setting the stage for Stand & Deliver on April 19.
NXT Women's Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Jaida Parker
Jaida Parker was rolling against Stephanie Vaquer, hitting the Teardrop, only for Jordynne Grace to pop up on the apron.
The distraction allowed The Dark Angel to counter the Hipnotic into a leg-trap pin combination for the three-count.
Afterward, Fatal Influence struck, laying out the champion with the help of a series of running sentons from Jacy Jayne.
With the NXT Women's Championship on the line, this flew by faster than expected. Even before the screwy finish, these two had only started rolling in the final minute of action.
It was a good showcase for Parker, who seemed to have the champion on the ropes. These two could deliver some interesting rematches down the stretch with more time and variety in the action.
Grace costing Parker the match may have protected the challenger, but it did not make the champion look good. She seemed to escape with the victory rather than truly fighting at her best.
The goal of the night is to reinforce the idea Vaquer can do special things, such as defend all her gold on the same night, and it will be down to the main event on whether that is a success.
Result
Vaquer def. Parker by pinfall to retain the NXT Women's Championship.
Grade
B-
Notable Moments
—NXT opened with a hype video for Vaquer, saying how no one had successfully defended two titles on the same night.
—The women's locker room was seated backstage to watch the action.
—Security arrived to stop Grace and Parker from brawling after the result.
—Vaquer refused to quit on her title match despite needing a significant amount of ice and tape for her ribs after the Fatal Influence attack.
Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger (w/ Wes Lee)
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger came out flying early on, but Wes Lee kept Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe on track.
Lee then distracted the referee to allow a cheap shot that set up Dupont and Igwe to hit a combination of a back suplex and splash for the win.
These two teams have been in conflict since Dupont and Igwe first arrived in NXT, and this is as good as they have looked together.
If Nathan Frazer and Axiom are soon heading to the main roster, teams like this are why NXT can survive.
Lee has played a big role in elevating Dupont and Igwe from their early spot, but they are still not there as a team. They are getting close quickly, though.
Hank and Tank, meanwhile, feel as ready as they ever have. They had the fans rolling with them throughout.
Result
Dupont and Igwe def. Hank and Tank by pinfall.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
—Shawn Spears interrupted Ricky Saints' interview with Vic Joseph to tell him he had too much ego to ever succeed. Saints warned Spears that he was coming for the North American Championship.
—Lee walked out of the locker room angry at Saints for jumping the championship line. Andre Chase and Ethan Page also almost came to blows after Uriah Connors mocked All Ego.
—The Motor City Machine Guns helped hype up Hank and Tank before they headed to the ring.
—Tank opened the ropes wide for Hank to dive through into Dupont and the announce table.
—MCMG gave Hank and Tank more advice backstage on finding their own path to championship gold.
Heritage Cup: Lexis King (c) vs. Je'Von Evans
Je'Von Evans threw his whole body into his fight with Lexis King, but Oba Femi arrived to ruin The Young OG's moment.
With the referee distracted, the NXT champion planted Evans with an apron powerbomb, forcing a count-out loss.
Darkstate arrived with the lights going dark. Evans and Femi brawled until Trick Williams arrived and blasted Evans with a Trick Knee.
The new group mocked all involved, enjoying the carnage.
Is anyone in NXT better than Evans rignt now? This was as good as King has looked in NXT, and it was helped immensely by The Young OG's fiery performance.
While the result was a little disappointing, it was also expected as Evans is pushing toward an NXT Championship match and could not afford to lose to King.
Instead, he basically lost to Femi while King just enjoyed the spoils. It was smart booking that still took a little away from the explosive work that preceded.
The motivations of Darkstate remain obscure but intriguing. The biggest question is whether they may have another member, perhaps even a leader, that fans have not seen.
Trick has been leaning heel recently, particularly with Evans, and he could be the man at the head of this stable.
Result
King def. Evans by count-out to retain the Heritage Cup.
Grade
A-
Notable Moments
—Evans confronted Trick in the locker room, telling the former NXT champion that he would prove him wrong by winning gold.
—Nathan Frazer and Axiom argued in a backstage interview about the latter's recent match with Gunther until they saw Femi marching angrily in the parking lot.
—King intentionally targeted the injured jaw of Evans throughout this match until The Young OG's mouthpiece fell out.
—Evans nearly took the win with a Five Star Frog Splash. He then ran into a clean superkick to the jaw.
—Darkstate delivered a follow-up warning to the NXT locker room that no one is safe.
—Trick cut a passionate promo in the parking lot, calling himself the true champion and warning Femi that he would be there next week to meet him.
Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin
Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson showed off early in this match, but Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley's unorthodox pace was hard to follow.
After The Meta-Girls collided in the ring, Paxley and Dolin caught Jackson with the Cemetery Drive to win.
This was messy to say the least. In particular, Dolin was not landing her moves clean when she got the tag, relying on The Meta-Girls heavily to bump and make it convincing.
Dolin and Paxley needed to win as NXT tries to legitimize this new duo that is crossing brands with TNA. It did not feel like they should have won, though.
Legend and Jackson feel bigger than NXT at present as a tag team and might need to escape the 50-50 booking to get over in the WWE women's tag division in the long term.
Result
Paxley and Dolin def. Legend and Jackson by pinfall.
Grade
D+
Notable Moments
—Legend and Jackson questioned backstage why Paxley and Dolin were getting a shot at the Knockouts tag team champions before them. It almost caused a brawl.
—Zaria and Sol Ruca came out after the match started to watch closely.
'All Ego' Ethan Page vs. Andre Chase (w/ Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors)
Andre Chase fought with fire against Ethan Page, but his hesitations spelled his doom.
All Ego hit a top rope powerslam into the Twisted Grin for the victory.
It's no surprise this was a good match with the talent involved. Chase has consistently proved he can perform in big spots, and Page has exceeded all expectations in NXT lately.
In the end, All Ego picked back up some momentum as NXT teased Ricky Saints vs. Page is on the way. It could even happen at Stand & Deliver.
NXT has played the long game in the aftermath of Chase's loss to Ridge Holland. It has been four months, and Thea Hail and Riley Osborne have not returned to TV.
The former leader of Chase U at least seems to be turning a corner slowly with two potential new students to foster. It is a solid foundation of a story for newcomers Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors.
It would be nice to see this story move soon, though, especially with the return of Hail and Osborne.
Result
Page def. Chase by pinfall.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
—Saints walked right past Page during his entrance and joined commentary.
—Connors and Dixon tried to do the Chase U taunt during Chase's entrance, but he stopped them.
—The Professor hesitated to hit the Chase U stomps, and Page recovered enough to catch his foot during the sequence.
—After the win, Spears blasted Saints with the North American Championship at ringside.
—Tony D'Angelo told The Family to start looking into Darkstate while asking Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo if he could trust him.
Women's North American Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Fallon Henley
Fallon Henley focused on the injured ribs of Stephanie Vaquer throughout this grueling battle for the double champion.
However, after she knocked out Jacy Jayne outside and sent Henley crashing head-first into Jazmyn Nyx, The Dark Angel landed the SVB to win.
Fatal Influence jumped on Vaquer afterward until Jordynne Grace made the save. Jaida Parker tried to attack Grace, but she was sent out of the ring.
The show ended with Vaquer and Grace facing off while most of the women's division argued with NXT general manager Ava that they deserved the next shot at The Dark Angel.
The dramatic hook of Vaquer's rib injury sold this match in a big way, allowing them to build up the crowd to a flurry down the stretch.
Even if the interference late was over the top, this was the best Vaquer and Henley have looked together. It would have been stronger if Fatal Influence had been kept out of the equation, though.
The ending of the night also overloaded the idea that this roster has so much talent rather than finding a cleaner answer to who is up next.
It seems like Grace, Parker or both will focus on the NXT Women's Championship while a fresh competitor will emerge to challenge for the Women's North American Championship.
Result
Vaquer def. Henley by pinfall to retain the Women's North American Championship.
Grade
B+
Notable Moments
—The crowd rallied Vaquer with a steady "Ole" chant.
—Vaquer went for the same leg trap pin attempt on Henley that defeated Parker, but the challenger kicked out.
—Nyx caught Vaquer with a Chick Kick outside followed by a springboard blockbuster from Henley for the near-fall.
Overall Show
This was a night of consistently strong action, even with one clear outlier.
Stephanie Vaquer delivered in the opener and the main event, even while leaving plenty of room for bigger performances on the road to Stand & Deliver.
Je'Von Evans cannot miss, taking Lexis King to a career-best effort and selling why he should be in line for an NXT Championship opportunity.
"All Ego" Ethan Page continues to make the most of his in-ring opportunities. Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe showed off the future of the NXT tag division.
Hype is building in a big way for Stand & Deliver. The NXT Championship scene and entire women's roster feels electric.
Outside of a few awkward backstage segments, this was a great show that also left plenty on the table to show that talent are readying themselves to steal the show come WrestleMania week.
Overall Grade: B+