WWE NXT RESULTS: Sarray Revenge Match Ends in Shock, Choo Delivers Second Round of Toxic Attraction Embarrassment and The Queen of Harts Takes to the NXT Ring (April, 19th 2022)
Welcome all to an absolutely stacked episode of WWE NXT to report on womens wise. This weeks episode served up not one, not two but three womens matches. Sarray would receive her grudge match against Tiffany Stratton, WWE Main Roster veteran Natalya would return to the NXT ring for her first match in many many years there against the recent newcomer Tatum Paxley and to top it off, Roxanne Perez, the former Rok-C who debuted on the most recent episode of NXT LVL Up, makes her way to NXT Television as she snags a one on one match versus NXT Womens Tag Team Champion Jacy Jayne.
The first womens moment of the show is Tiffany and Sarrays rematch against one another. The “Buff Barbie Doll” Tiffany is first to head of the ring, followed by Sarray, again under the guise of the Warrior of the Sun and not the vulnerable schoolgirl Tiffany pulverised easily before. The last moments of the few minute match sees Sarray struggle to yank Tiffany out of a corner as she looks to do a german suplex. Tiffany eventually releases herself from the ropes and manages to knock Sarray back hard, and with her positioned on the mat nearby to the corner, Tiffany takes advantage and connects with the usual spinning vader bomb for the three count. Tiffany wins the match.
Not too long later, the new NXT Tag Team Champions, the fun and charismatic Pretty Deadly encounter Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell in a backstage corridor. They greet the new champions, with Indi throwing a little shade as she mentions how they look prettier in person compared to on TV. Persia wonders if the two can do them a favor, and when asked for clarification, Indi mentions a match. They think at first that they will face Persia and Indi, but they later clarify they meant Dexter Lumis and Duke Hudson, as the two walk into the scene. The clearly hesitant Kit Wilson and Elton Prince back off, but insist they will let the ladies know if they will be fighting their men.
Then sometime later theres a vignette for Cora Jade, a week after she was embarrassed by none other than one of her role models, Natalya. Cora reflects on how she felt like her heart stopped when Natalya’s music hit amidst her promo last week. Shes heard before that a fan shouldnt meet their idol because they will always disappoint, and she never realised how true that was until she met the real Natalya. She emphasises how her future isnt bleak and while Natalya is a future Hall of Famer, she is dead ass wrong. She saw Natalya as a role model, as a dream match, but now her only dream is to kick her legendary ass. She tears up what was once the photo of them both to culminate the vignette.
From one woman to another, we then see a hype promo for Roxanne Perez, the former ROH Womens World Champion and Reality of Wrestling Diamonds Division Champion who has since made the move to WWE. She describes how since being a little girl, things werent always easy, and she did grow up in a chaotic home. She was sort of the outcast in her school days also, but when she opened a WWE Video Game, none of that seemed to matter, it was her escape. She ended up getting a playstation and she’d always get a new WWE Game and get lost gaming for hours. She’d even create herself and dream of what it’d be like to step foot in the WWE ring. She was told playing as herself would be the closest she’d get to being a WWE Superstar, but she knew one day the virtual world would become the real world. Next week she steps into real life.
And speaking of Roxanne, while her debut is impending for next week, she is currently backstage with McKenzie Mitchell, who asks how she feels knowing her debut is next week. Roxanne calls it surreal and adds on how shes super nervous, but this is something she worked for her entire life. Suddenly in walk NXT Womens Champion Mandy Rose, introducing Roxanne to herself as well as to GiGi and Jacy, the NXT Womens Tag Team Champions. Mandy adds that she understands the butterflies Roxanne is feeling standing next to them, how thats totally normal, but if theres advice she can give, its to not set her bar too high because she’ll never get there. Roxanne sarcastically thanks Mandy for that advice and the sense from Toxic Attraction is that Roxanne is being attitudinal to them, that shes got a big head already. Jacy gives Roxanne a chance to back up all her attitude, seeing if she can move her debut to tonight. Roxanne seems taken aback at things moving so fast, as Jacy reminds her again that shes moving her debut to tonight, and against her because its not a video game, but real life. Roxanne is evidently nervous but says she will figure something out.
Then see Elektra Lopez a short time later, accompanying Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro (fka Raul Mendoza) alongside Santos Escobar to tag team action against Zak Gibson and James Drake. The competing members of Legado Del Fantasma pull off the victory against the NXT UK Alumni, with Santos then calling out the former North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, who ends up coming to the ring alongside Trick Williams. However, it is revealed that during the break, Joaquin, Cruz and Elektra would bow out to let Santos work singularly, leading to Fallon showing up and attacking Elektra from behind. Also there were Briggs and Jensen to try and separate the scrapping ladies, only to start throwing hands with Joaquin and Cruz.
Also later comes the second womens match of the evening as Tatum Paxley gets her biggest match to date against former Divas Champion, former Smackdown Womens Champion and former Womens Tag Team Champion Natalya. Tatum is already in the ring while Natalya gets a fully televised entrance, Ivy Nile not in her corner due to her seeming upcoming NXT UK debut. Towards the end of the bout, Natalya would shake off prior offense from Tatum, moving away from the corner and diverting Tatum’s own offense, with Tatum colliding instead with the corner. Natalya would then capitalise, taking down Tatum double leg style and applying the sharpshooter, with Tatum not taking long to tap out to her. Natalya wins the match.
Later on, McKenzie would catch up with Natalya backstage to question the Queen of Harts on her response as to what Cora had to say earlier tonight. Natalya accuses Cora of playing a victim and insists last week wasnt an attack but rather an act of self defense. Every Woman who blossoms in NXT makes their way to the main roster and comes to find her. But, instead of Cora coming to find her and cut her legs off from underneath, she came to find Cora in her home. A rather imposing figure then steps up to Natalya, Nikkita Lyons, as shes heard Natalya say how shes putting the whole locker room on notice. She is putting her on notice, because after shes done with Lash Legend, shes coming for her. Natalya informs Nikkita how everyone wants a piece of someone when they are at the top. But once the sharpshooter is in and Nikkita is screaming, she will know what to do. Nikkita reminds Natalya how shes flexible, and her words leave Natalya smirking but also speechless.
Then its over to one more womens moment, the final womens match of the show, the NXT in ring debut of Roxanne Perez only days after she competed against Sloane Jacobs as part of NXT LVL Up. Just like on LVL Up, Roxanne gets a fully broadcasted entrance, and out after her is the NXT Womens Tag Team Champion Jacy Jayne, unsurprisingly flanked by fellow champions GiGi Dolin and Mandy Rose. The Blair Baldwin officiated matches final moments see Jacy come back from Roxanne’s own, stalling her momentum with a kick only to be subjected to some arm drags after. Jacy comes back with some more offense and also mocks Roxanne, but soon getting her attention as well as the rest of the stables is Wendy Choo, as she appears on the tron. She reveals that shes done a little remodelling to the Toxic Lounge, in the form of tossed over furniture. She starts tearing apart more of the Lounge and as Jacy sells her disbelief, Roxanne bursts back into action, rolling up the distracted Jacy Jayne, transitioning into Code Red and pinning her. Roxanne wins the match.
Following right on from that we see Legado Del Fantasma, Elektra Lopez included, in the parking lot. Cruz, Joaquin and Elektra seem celebratory considering the win Joaquin and Cruz had got over Drake and Gibson, but Santos is fuming over the debut of Tony D Angelo’s own stablemates. To make matters worse, Santos Car has been targeted, and theres even a fish left atop the front bonnet, and its obvious to Santos as to whom planted that.
Then the main event match sees the answer to Persia and Indi’s challenge towards Pretty Deadly, for them to face the newly paired unit of Duke Hudson and Dexter Lumis. It appears thats been accepted, as Pretty Deadly defend their newly won gold in the ring against Lumis and Hudson in the main event, with Persia and Indi in the corner of the challenging duo. Towards the end of the match, Duke is in clear disbelief that his pinfall didnt end in a three count, then ends up knocked to the mat by a kick from Elton Prince that leads to Duke being pinned to the dismay of the Aussie accompaniment. Elton and Kit win the match, retaining the NXT Tag Team Championships.
(Tiffany Stratton vs Sarray)
(Cora Jade Segment)
(Roxanne Perez, Jacy Jayne, GiGi Dolin and Mandy Rose Backstage Segment)
(Gibson and Drake vs Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde w/ Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez)
(Natalya vs Tatum Paxley)
(Natalya and Nikkita Lyons Backstage Segment)
(Jacy Jayne w/ Mandy Rose and GiGi Dolin vs Roxanne Perez feat Wendy Choo)
(Roxanne Perez Backstage Exclusive)
(Elektra Lopez, Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde Backstage Segment)
(Dexter Lumis and Duke Hudson w/ Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta vs Kit Wilson and Elton Prince; WWE NXT Tag Team Championship Match)
(Yulisa Leon, Valentina Feroz, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter Backstage Exclusive)
Thoughts On:
Sarray vs Tiffany: A good match and again another show of development from the evolving Tiffany Stratton. However, even i was surprised at the ending. I thought the story would have been that the Warrior of the Sun version would be harder to beat for Tiffany in comparison to the vulnerable schoolgirl Tiffany beat in the past. With her beating the stronger Sarray, where does Sarray go from here? It was her first big match since the character redevelopment and shes proven no different to the schoolgirl Sarray or the Sarray prior to the character tweaks. It seems shes just there to enhance others with her years of expertise like Natalya and Tiffany was the one selected to be elevated.
Natalya vs Tatum: Its the same scenario as Sarray vs Tiffany here, only the outcome was foreseeable. Other than trying to prove herself to Diamond Mine, Tatum isnt really in anything angle wise here and Natalya is evidently going to pick up the win to enhance her momentum ahead of clashing with Cora and seemingly Nikkita too, all while helping all who she works with develop in the ring. Tatum is another Tiffany in terms of quickly growing as an in ring competitor and i thought she did a good job here.
Roxanne vs Jacy: I liked this match and wasnt surprised at Wendys involvement. Roxannes win didnt come across sneaky and cheap either as she actually rolled Jacy up then hit her finisher, which was a nice touch. This could be either leading to her teaming with either Wendy or Cora against Toxic Attraction, or even with Wendy and Dakota or Cora against Toxic Attraction or 2 members of Toxic Attraction and Natalya. Or shes been sped into a top babyface position and may even challenge Mandy for the title, though i still do expect Wendy to challenge at some point beforehand. Its a little unclear at the moment not only because of Yulisa/Valentina and Katana/Kayden eyeing the gold, but because Cora and Roxanne have history that could be played up, though Cora and Natalya’s feud could cross over to the main roster too with Raquel involved. Time will tell.
– Catherine
Cattie's Womens Wrestling 