WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 28

In the final episode of WWE NXT at the Performance Center before heading to Los Angeles for NXT Stand & Deliver, the young stars of the gold brand fought for their spot on the WrestleMania weekend card.

The March 28 edition of NXT would include a Battle Royal to decide the final entrant in the NXT North American Championship Fatal 5-Way as well as a last-chance Triple Threat bout for the final spot in the NXT Women's Championship ladder match.

Johnny Gargano laid out a challenge to Grayson Waller for an unsanctioned match at Stand & Deliver last week, but he was banned from the arena by the Australian until the heel signed the contract for their clash.

Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo looked to gain momentum before their NXT Tag Team Championships shot against Gallus and The Creed Brothers.

Hank Walker sought revenge against Drew Gulak, while Tyler Bate would be in action days before helping to defend Chase University against Schism.

This show had much promise, hopefully setting a standard for Saturday's Stand & Deliver.

Last-Chance Qualifier Battle Royal for NXT North American Championship Fatal 5-Way

After a competitive Battle Royal, the final three were Charlie Dempsey, Axiom and Nathan Frazer.

The Superhero booted Dempsey to the floor, and a final impressive sequence between the two faces ended with Axiom tossing out Frazer.

This was a strong opener for NXT that highlighted multiple stars. The final three was a smart showcase of the future talent rising up the ranks. Hopefully, all three will get their time to shine before long.

The final sequence between Axiom and Frazer made it hard to explain why both were not in the Stand & Deliver match, but The Superhero earned his big break in the end while avenging his previous loss to Frazer in their series.

Of the men in the Fatal 5-Way, the safest bet would be a Wes Lee retention given how strong a champion he has been. If anyone is going to dethrone him though, Axiom would keep that same fight energy as the titleholder after an upset victory.

Result

Axiom wins the Battle Royal, last eliminating Frazer, to earn the final spot in the NXT North American Championship Fatal 5-Way match.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Odyssey Jones removed Dijak faster than expected, and he took out his frustration on the big man, throwing him into the steel steps.
  
• Crews went on a run, including eliminating Edris Enofé and Javier Bernal. Dabba-Kato finally took out his former friend.
  
• Dempsey took out both Gulak and Walker, who kept brawling to the back.
• Frazer elevated Axiom for a kick to eliminate Jinder Mahal. Dempsey worked with Axiom and Frazer to toss out Dabba-Kato.
• Frazer reversed the Golden Ratio into a superkick and then planted Axiom with a superplex to set up a Falcon Arrow to the outside that The Superhero escaped.
• After the match, Lee, Dragon Lee, Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh all arrived to face off ahead of their Fatal 5-Way match.
• Pretty Deadly previewed the NXT North American Championship match. Elton Prince predicted McDonagh's win while Kit Wilson believes Dragon will take it.
  

Tyler Bate (w/ Chase U) vs. Von Wagner

Tyler Bate rolled over Von Wagner with pep in his step. He high-fived a struggling Duke Hudson before hitting a rebound clothesline and Spinny Boy to win.

Axiom left a final video message for Chase U, promising to change the program.

This was a fine match, though Bate and Wagner have had better bouts. At this point, the big man lacks all credibility as a challenger. He was basically an enhancement talent next to The Big Strong Boy.

NXT has two paths to take with this eight-person tag at Stand & Deliver. Either Hudson will get back on the program and save Chase, or someone will turn on the university to hand it over to Schism. The best bet would be Bate, who is still an outsider to the university.

Result

Bate def. Wagner by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Before the match, Andre Chase hyped up Bate and tried to cheer up Hudson.
  
• Bate caught Wagner with a rebound clothesline and Bop and Bang.
• Mr. Stone tried to get involved, but Thea Hail attacked him and then set him up to take a suicide dive from Bate.

Elektra Lopez vs. Valentina Feroz

Valentina Feroz tried to stand up for herself, but she was quickly and easily taken down by Elektra Lopez. The heel put her away with a chokebomb.

This was a waste of the story that was built up to this point. Even if Lopez is a bigger priority over Feroz, The Brazilian Amazon should have been more competitive and forced the heel to use her bag of cheap tricks.

Instead, a complete squash match invalidated months of story build that led to nothing. What was the point?

Result

Lopez def. Feroz by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Roxanne Perez confronted Shawn Michaels in his office. She talked him into letting her participate in the NXT Women's Championship ladder match, despite his hesitancy.
  

Eddy Thorpe vs. Myles Borne

Eddy Thorpe walked into this match confident...and walked out dominant.

He weathered an early storm from Myles Borne and then put him away with a series of kicks and a rolling cutter.

Thorpe looked solid in his debut, though there was not much here to tell about his talent. As one of the rare signings who made an impact on the independent scene, he is a known quantity who will be important to refill NXT when call-ups begin after WrestleMania.

Result

Thorpe def. Borne by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• NXT showed a video package for Thorpe. He had a unique entrance, using red smoke.
• Vic Joseph said Thorpe had worked around the world but refused to be specific about his history before WWE.
  

Last Chance: Indi Hartwell vs. Sol Ruca vs. Ivy Nile

Ivy Nile looked poised to win as she locked Indi Hartwell in the dragon sleeper, but Sol Ruca caught her with the Sol Snatcher.

Hartwell knocked Ruca out of the win and hit Nile with a running low forearm to take the victory.

Everyone looked great in this match, so it's a shame it was so rushed at just four minutes. The chemistry between these three women made each look smoother than they have with other recent opponents. Ruca vs. Nile is money down the line.

Hartwell was the right call to win, especially if this is her last NXT show before a main roster call-up. She won't win in the ladder match, but she can make her mark and hopefully find a quick opportunity on Raw or SmackDown.

Indi Wrestling and Candice LeRae could reunite, or Bayley could add to Damage CTRL with one of her favorite NXT prospects.

Result

Hartwell def. Nile and Ruca by pinfall to earn the final spot in the NXT Women's Championship ladder match.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Hartwell nearly got the win off a spinebuster. Nile caught Hartwell with a knee to the face right after Ruca kicked out.
• All the women in the ladder match at Stand & Deliver came out to promise a win.
  
• Pretty Deadly previewed the women's ladder match. Elton Prince and Kit Wilson predicted that Stratton would take the victory.
  

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

Hank Walker fought with fire against Drew Gulak, and he looked like the better technician in the ring. However, Charlie Dempsey blasted him with a forearm to the back of the head, setting up Gulak for a small package to steal the win.

Once again, Walker showed out. He has impressed more with each performance, and Gulak gave him room to shine. The veteran took more of a backseat than expected, but he got the win in the end to make up for it.

Dempsey and Gulak are likely more of the immediate focus of NXT, but it was nice to see that Walker will not be lost in the shuffle. He continues to look like a star to watch.

Result

Gulak def. Walker by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• NXT Prime Target went over the different strategies of Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes going into Stand & Deliver.
• Walker punched his way out of the grip of Gulak and then planted him with a running splash. He hit a spin-out slam and running clothesline for a near-fall.
• Walker almost took the win by transitioning Gulak from a wheelbarrow into a cross armbreaker, but the heel got his foot on the ropes to save it.
  

Last-Chance Opportunity: The Family vs. Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs

Tony D'Angelo made the save late in this match and took advantage of a weakened Brooks Jensen to win with the Bada Bing Bada Boom.

Kiana James kissed Jensen to avoid admitting she was cheating on him, much to the dismay of Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley.

The energy in the arena was a little muted for this match, but the action was all there. Briggs remains a great hot tag, Jensen shows off more new offense in every big match, and The Family looked dominant as a pair.

This was the right call. Jensen and Briggs are already involved in the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship story. D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo need to look like a legit tag team next to two established tandems.

Result

D'Angelo and Stacks def. Jensen and Briggs by pinfall, costing the losers a spot in the NXT Tag Team Championship match.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• James told Jensen and Briggs that she got them a title opportunity as long as they beat The Don and The Underboss.
  
• Gallus gladly accepted any worthy challengers for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
• Pretty Deadly previewed both the men's and women's tag titles matches, warning that a fairy-tale ending was unlikely for everyone involved.
• Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre promised to bring the women's titles home.
  
• Fallon promised to tell Jensen everything after the match was over.
• Jensen was isolated by the heels, thanks to a running clothesline to the back of the head and an elevated diving elbow from Stacks.
• Jensen and Briggs nearly got the win off a combination powerbomb/spinning heel kick off the top rope, but D'Angelo broke up the pin.
  

Grayson Waller Signs Contract for Unsanctioned Match with Johnny Gargano

Grayson Waller took the contract and finally signed it, and Johnny Gargano waited for the right moment to reveal that he was masquerading as a cameraman. A brawl broke out that security could not contain.

This was a great promo from Waller, who put over what this all meant to him. He sold what it meant to him to take out Gargano in the former NXT champion's farewell appearance 15 months ago. He also did a great job building up his rival as a worthy challenger for the match he always wanted.

Waller vs. Gargano came off as the biggest match on the Stand & Deliver card, and it could well earn that accolade with the action in the ring come Saturday.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Pretty Deadly previewed Gargano vs. Waller. The two questioned whether Waller would put his career at risk by signing the contract.
• Waller brought his own security to look over the arena to make sure Gargano was not there and protect him when he got to the ring.
• The crowd was good at giving Waller heat without relying on the tired "What?" chants.