WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 11

WWE NXT promised to begin setting the stage for Spring Breakin' with its April 11 edition at the Performance Center.

Four men stepped into a Fatal 4-Way to determine the next challenger for Carmelo Hayes' NXT Championship. Only Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh had earned spots before the show, but Bron Breakker was also certain to want his opportunity.

Kiana James and Fallon Henley looked to get back on the same page to regain the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships from Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre.

Von Wagner wanted to fight Ilja Dragunov despite the insistence of his manager, Mr. Stone, that they refocus. Stone declared he would leave Wagner if the big man lost again.

Andre Chase held a Chase U MVP ceremony for Duke Hudson, and Cora Jade would explain her actions after her attack on Indi Hartwell.

These were only the announced segments from a show that was certain to be big time for the gold brand on the road to Spring Breakin' on April 25.

Carmelo Hayes Calls Out Bron Breakker and Faces Potential Future Challengers

Carmelo Hayes offered Bron Breakker a spot in the No. 1 Contendership Fatal 4-Way. Dragon Lee interrupted and was followed by JD McDonagh, with both men wanting their respect. Grayson Waller arrived to announce he was the third man.

This was a fine opening segment but accomplished little as no one said much of note. It was the classic multi-man feud build where everyone got in their two-sentence shot and moved on.

It might have worked better if NXT had not already announced both Dragon and McDonagh for the Fatal 4-Way.

Instead, the only surprise was the return of Waller. While the Australian is the top heel in NXT outside of the newly turned Breakker, it may be a mistake to pair him up with Melo so soon.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• This segment included the announcement of Spring Breakin' in two weeks, which will be where the next No. 1 contender faces Melo.
• While Breakker was offered the fourth spot, it was not confirmed he would take it.
  

NXT Women's Tag Championships: Dawn and Fyre (c) vs. Kiana James and Fallon Henley

Fallon Henley and Kiana James worked well together when they could connect, but they were outmatched by Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre.

After some commotion outside the ring with Brooks Jensen, the champions pinned Henley following a lungblow/senton bomb combination.

This wasn't as good as the Stand & Deliver contest. It was good enough for television but focused too much on outside drama than the in-ring action. Dawn and Fyre mostly floated through this defense.

The right team won, and hopefully the experiment of James and Henley is over. The next chapter is the corruption of Jensen by James. This could be a smart way to take the young star to the next level as a heel, but NXT would lose a good tag team.

Result

Dawn and Fyre def. James and Henley by pinfall to retain the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Before the match, James and Henley fought in the locker room. Briggs asked where Jensen was, and James said he did not want to see his friends.
• Jensen arrived in a van during the match and marched to the ring. He tried to get Henley to use James' bag on Dawn. When she refused, he pushed down Briggs.
  
• James and Henley pulled out a Two-for-One outside, mirroring Briggs and Jensen.
  

Bron Breakker Offers Duke Hudson NXT Championship Shot While Ruining His MVP Ceremony

Andre Chase presented the MVP trophy to Duke Hudson, who talked himself up while thanking The Professor and Thea Hail.

Bron Breakker interrupted to offer the fourth spot in the Fatal 4-Way match to The MVP. He speared Chase and then broke the Chase U flag.

While we will get Carmelo Hayes vs. Breakker eventually, it makes sense to wait at least until Battleground for it. He can make the champion chase him. In the meantime, he can torment popular babyfaces to gain more heat.

Chase U are an easy target for any heel as the crowd loves them. They have a well-established story with defined characters among the university faithful.

Whether he fights Chase or Hudson, the crowd will be against Breakker.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Hail had to stop Chase from swearing on live television.
• Breakker explained that the NXT Championship was a curse he did not want back, refusing the final spot in the Fatal 4-Way.
• Noam Dar talked himself up as well as the Heritage Cup in a vignette.
• Gigi Dolin explained her upbringing as she returned to her former home.
  

Eddy Thorpe vs. Javier Bernal

Javier Bernal gave Eddy Thorpe his toughest fight to date, but once the latter regained control of the action, he sealed the win with a butterfly neckbreaker.

This was a solid showcase of Thorpe's talents, though he may given a bit too much to a guy who cannot buy a win on television. Bernal is a reliable talent who lacks any credibility in the ring.

It looks like Thorpe will next turn to a feud with Damon Kemp. He is another talented heel who lacks enough edge to truly threaten Thorpe's rise to stardom. However, he might help show more of the newcomer's in-ring arsenal.

Result

Thorpe def. Bernal by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Kemp watched this match closely from the ramp and then walked off after the result.
  
• Big Body Javy tried to lock in a Boston crab, but Thorpe kept rolling through and booted his opponent off him. He followed up with an enzuigiri and running elbow drop.
  
• NXT Anonymous caught Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo attacking Pretty Deadly in the parking lot with a crowbar.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Sol Ruca

It was obvious that Tiffany Stratton and Sol Ruca had similar backgrounds in this fast-paced athletic contest.

In the end, though, Stratton caught Ruca jumping and planted her with a rolling fireman's carry into a moonsault for the victory.

This match showed potential, but it was so obviously choreographed. The moves were there but not the spark. Both needed to slow down a bit to sell the action and the story.

In a few months' time, this could be a much better bout, highlighted at the top of an NXT card. But both will need to work with the coaches to refine their transitions together to take that next step.

The Center of the Universe was always going to win as she hopes to get an NXT Women's Championship match soon. But Ruca has shown she can rebound from losses and use this as the start of a long-term build.

Result

Stratton def. Ruca by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Stratton took offense to a TikTok involving Ruca and Dani Palmer in the parking lot, telling both that they needed her permission to take videos.
  
• Stratton and Ruca both landed on their feet off cartwheels.
• The Center of the Universe offered a handshake. When Ruca accepted, Stratton kicked her down and hit a standing moonsault.
• The Creed Brothers called out Gallus in an interview with McKenzie Mitchell. Stratton ran up to Mitchell after the interview and demanded the No. 1 contendership.
  
• Scrypts declared he was in Axiom's head.
  

Lyra Valkyria Issues Warning to Cora Jade in Title Pursuit

Cora Jade ran down the women's division one by one: From Roxanne Perez and Zoey Stark to Tiffany Stratton and Indi Hartwell.

Lyra Valkyria warned Jade that she would never allow her to be NXT women's champion and kicked her out of the ring.

NXT's female wrestlers have often struggled to sell themselves on the microphone, but Jade came in confident and left with even more heat. She is not a perfect talker, but she can carry herself as more of a star than much of the division.

It was good to see Valkyria keep up with her, portraying herself as a top act next to one of NXT's most confident stars.

Jade vs. Valkyria would be a great addition to the Spring Breakin' card.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• The crowd did not respond well to Jade, who kept her composure. Valkyria turned the fans even more, getting them to chant "Cora's jealous".
• Valkyria's exact threat to Jade was: "If you go near the NXT women's title, I will rip your eyes out."
  
• Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey challenged Wes Lee during an interview, and the NXT North American champion happily accepted.
  

Von Wagner (w/ Mr. Stone) vs. Ilja Dragunov

Von Wagner fell as he always does, racing off into an early lead but failing to finish the job. Ilja Dragunov knocked him out with a low running forearm and finished it off with Torpedo Moscow.

Dijak arrived afterward to stare down The Czar in the ring.

This was pretty much a squash match. Wagner started out hot, but he could not keep up once The Czar began hitting hard. Dragunov more or less hit his signature moves in sequence to finish this.

Mr. Stone is officially done with Wagner, and it makes the whole experiment come off as a waste. Stone and Wagner never worked as a duo, and NXT did not try to change the dynamic at all despite repeat teases.

Dragunov vs. Dijak is a money match for NXT. They are too good not to steal the show when they collide.

Result

Dragunov def. Wagner by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Wagner got too confident and mocked Dragunov, but Stone tried to get him back on track.
• Dijak promised to make The Czar "immortal".
  

Joe Coffey (w/ Gallus) vs. Tank Ledger

While Tank Ledger did his best, Gallus got involved to uneven the odds.

After the outside action, Joe Coffey planted Tank with All the Best for the Bells and then taunted his opponent before a second sealed it.

A brawl broke out after the bell involving Gallus, The Creed Brothers and The Dyad.

This was a solid big-man fight with limited time. Tank looked like a threat to Joe for a moment, and he will get chances to pick up some wins soon against lower-level competition.

There was a tease of allying Hank Walker with Tank, and that would be a smart play. It sets up a fresh big-man tag team to challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championship down the line, seemingly taking the spot of Brooke Jensen and Josh Briggs.

Result

Joe def. Tank by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Joe challenged Tank backstage. The Dyad demanded an NXT tag team title match from Gallus as well.
• Walker talked up Tank ahead of his match.
• Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo greeted Roxanne Perez in her return backstage. Zoey Stark challenged Perez, and Pretty Deadly laid out The Family.

No. 1 Contender: Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Duke Hudson

The action here was wild from the start. Dragon Lee wiped out JD McDonagh and then hit an impressive powerbomb on Duke Hudson, but Grayson Waller caught him with a return cutter to steal the pin on the Chase U MVP.

Unsurprisingly, this was easily the best bout of the night, in which everyone got their spot. Dragon and McDonagh continued from the Stand & Deliver Fatal 5-Way, keeping that same energy.

Hudson was the most popular figure in this match despite fighting three men with more credibility than him. NXT would do well to test how far he can go in the main event scene.

Waller's win was vintage for him as he remains a great opportunist, especially in multi-man matches. But it's a shame WWE may be wasting this matchup on a two-week build to Spring Breakin'.

Result

Waller def. Hudson, McDonagh and Dragon to become the No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Everyone focused on the biggest man early in the action. It finally backfired as Hudson double-suplexed Waller and McDonagh and then slammed Dragon onto them.
• The competitors jumped onto each other outside before Hudson went for dive, only to run right into a cutter from Waller for a near-fall.
• Dragon planted McDonagh with a double foot stomp followed by a tope suicida on Hudson and running soccer kick on The Necessary Evil to almost win.