WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 31

NXT Vengeance Day will be one of the biggest nights in brand history, and the January 31 edition was the last stop before the roster headed to Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

NXT champion Bron Breakker and NXT women's champion Roxanne Perez would speak ahead of their title matches as well as their respective challengers Grayson Waller, and Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne.

The Creed Brothers would finally face Indus Sher in a tag team match to decide which was the better tandem in NXT.

Meanwhile, three teams would compete in The New Day Invitation to earn a spot in the NXT Tag Team Championships match at Vengeance Day on Saturday: The Dyad, Malik Blade and Edris Enofé, and Andre Chase and Duke Hudson.

This show needed to build the excitement for a major event that would test many of NXT's top stars in front of a fresh live audience.

Creed Brothers (w/ Ivy Nile) vs. Indus Sher (w/ Jinder Mahal)

Jinder Mahal grabbed the leg of Julius Creed to slow him down. Ivy Nile got on the apron to threaten The Modern Day Maharaja and was knocked down accidentally by Julius.

Brutus Creed attended to Nile as Sanga and Veer took down Julius with a chokeslam to win.

This was a solid tag team match that felt like it could have gone longer. The two teams fought hard, and the Creeds adapt well to any challenger.

Indus Sher needed to win this. The Creed Brothers will likely get the win back before it is over, but Sanga and Veer could not afford to lose this return match.

The Nile bump near the end was silly, making her look frail when she has been established as one of the toughest women in NXT. Hopefully, she gets some revenge before this is over, working as more than just a damsel.

Result

Indus Sher def. Creed Brothers by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Brutus planted Veer with a German suplex and then hit a standing senton followed by Julius connecting with a standing shooting star press for a near-fall.
• Julius pulled out an impressive gut-wrench powerbomb on Veer, dead-lifting the big man even after partially losing his grip.
  

Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Stark

Indi Hartwell had Zoey Stark on the ropes until her opponent tripped her off of the top rope.

This set up Stark to hit her GTS variation for the victory. The heel attacked Hartwell after the match until Sol Ruca made the save.

While Indi Wrestling can be inconsistent in the ring, she is showing signs of improvement. This was better than any match these two have had previously, and it looked like they had found their chemistry.

It was definitely the best move for Stark to win. She is the best option to challenge Roxanne Perez after NXT Vengeance Day.

NXT must build her up as a worthy challenger.

Result

Stark def. Hartwell by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Hartwell and Stark confronted each other backstage to set up this match. Stark made it clear she did not injure Nikkita Lyons last week.
  
• Indi Wrestling hit a series of clotheslines into a spinebuster for a near-fall.
  
• These first two matches were commercial-free, making for much more exciting and complete battles.
  

Dijak vs. Von Wagner (w/ Mr. Stone)

Wes Lee promised a victory at Vengeance Day, but Dijak interrupted to declare his own forthcoming victory.

Von Wagner and Mr. Stone came out to make the case that Wagner should get a title shot.

Dijak and Wagner got into it, setting up an impromptu match. While the size of Wagner overwhelmed Dijak, he still pulled out the victory with Feast Your Eyes.

Dijak brought something out of Wagner that fans have rarely seen. This was an exciting clash of big men that made both look better coming out of the contest, and it made up for the bad promo segment that preceded.

As it looks more likely than ever that Wagner will head to the main roster soon, performances like this solidify his value.

Meanwhile, the former T-Bar continues to rehabilitate his image and could dethrone Lee as NXT North American champion.

Result

Dijak def. Wagner by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Lee struggled on his own to sell the NXT crowd with a generic babyface promo.
  
• Wagner started his promo by telling Dijak to take off his sunglasses inside.
• Wagner planted Dijak with a double underhook facebuster off the second rope.
• Late in the night, Stone begged Wagner to let him know more about him so that they can help each other reach the next level.
  
• Apollo Crews gave a final warning to Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams.
  

Axiom vs. Tyler Bate

Axiom and Tyler Bate knew each other well, going back and forth in a great technical showcase.

The Big Strong Boy pulled off the win with the Tyler Driver 98, and Damon Kemp attacked both men afterward.

Sometimes, a match just works because the two men are too good to fail. This was the closest Axiom has gotten to his series with Nathan Frazer in NXT. The two had chemistry to spare in a fun competition.

With the right story and bigger stakes, these two can do so much more. They can build the drama while still keeping that same impressive chemistry.

Adding Kemp into the mix for now is smart, as he can learn so much from working with both stars.

Result

Bate def. Axiom by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Bate and Axiom reminisced over the history of Bate and A-Kid in NXT UK and wanted to create a new moment in NXT. Kemp interrupted to talk down both.
• Bate went for the Tyler 97, but Axiom turned it into a takedown pinfall followed by a headscissors for another near-fall.
  
• Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo promised Tony D'Angelo big plans would be completed next week.
  
• McKenzie Mitchell went over footage that implicated everyone from Elektra Lopez to Wendy Choo in the injury of Nikkita Lyons.
• Grayson Waller and Bron Breakker talked about their history and plans for Vengeance Day in a vignette that highlighted their rivalry.
  

Stevie Turner vs. Dani Palmer

Dani Palmer gave Stevie Turner more of a fight than she expected. However, The Streamer took out Palmer with a pump kick, DDT and sit-out side slam for the win.

This wasn't that impressive a debut, but not much was learned either way about Turner. She had a tendency to mean-mug the crowd too much, but otherwise it was a fairly standard showcase of her move set.

The gimmick Turner has presented so far is more of a joke than a serious idea, but wrestlers have proved time and again that talent can make anything work. She just needs to show she is ready for the spotlight.

Result

Turner def. Palmer by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• A chat log from Stevie Turner's stream rolled during her entrance.
• Turner caught Palmer in the ropes for three face washes before a running boot.
• Isla Dawn led a ceremony with Alba Fyre to let go of her ego and be reborn.
  
• Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne barely let Roxanne Perez talk in their side-by-side interview until she walked away. The champion attacked Toxic Attraction and destroyed the set.
• Fallon Henley and Kiana James got into a fight after the former told someone named Zach that she loved him. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter enjoyed the arguing.
  

Drew Gulak (w/ Hank Walker) vs. Charlie Dempsey

Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak had the technical battle fans would expect of the two submission specialists.

Gulak fought out of a crossface chickenwing and threw Dempsey face-first into Hank Walker to set up a surprise pinfall.

This was a solid bout, though a lack of hype and drama let down what should have been a big match. After a couple months of build, this could have felt like a special contest instead of something just good.

At every turn, Gulak has shown he does not value the safety of his own students. This trend continued as Walker took an unnecessary shot for a cheap win.

NXT is building a really interesting clash between Gulak and Walker.

Result

Gulak def. Dempsey by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Gulak bashed the arm of Dempsey with an axe handle followed by a lariat near-fall.
  
• Dempsey went after the knee of Gulak, using leg twists and knee bars.

New Day Invitational: The Dyad vs. Malik Blade and Edris Enofé vs. Chase U

Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler had a plan that played out in isolating Andre Chase. Finally, Duke Hudson got the big hot tag that turned the action around. Chase U picked up the win with the Fratliner on Reid.

The night ended with Gallus and Pretty Deadly staring down Chase U, and The New Day celebrating the win of the underdogs.

This was a fun ending to the show. Everyone involved was game to make the most of the moment. It looked like The Dyad would finally pick up a big win, but Chase U rode a hot streak to a surprise victory.

NXT has some exciting tag teams in this division, and The New Day's presence has elevated the competition. It is likely Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will lose the gold at Vengeance Day, but they have done wonders in a short run.

The best bet is for Gallus to take the tag team titles, but Chase U could be the next champions as well, riding momentum and the strongest slow-build story in NXT.

Result

Chase and Hudson def. The Dyad and Blade and Enofé by pinfall to earn the final spot in the NXT Tag Team Championships match at Vengeance Day.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• The Schism promised to get revenge on NXT for keeping The Dyad away from the NXT Tag Team Championships for too long.
• Reid and Chase hit a powerbomb/backstabber combination on Chase for a near-fall.
• Blade and Enofé hit a frog splash and diving elbow on Reid and then a running rolling neckbreaker to nearly get the win before everyone else broke it up.
• Chase planted Reid, Fowler and Enofé with a Tower of Doom bomb and then got distracted by Ava Raine until Thea Hail took her out.