WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From May 13
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on May 13.
NXT Battleground is coming up on May 25, so WWE only has this week and next week's show to set everything up for the premium live event.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Tuesday's show:
—Oba Femi vs. Charlie Dempsey
—Trick Williams and Joe Hendry sign their contract
—Wes Lee vs. Tony D'Angelo
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's NXT.
Oba Femi vs. Charlie Dempsey
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Myles Borne and NQCC opened the show with a promo before Dempsey and Femi's schedule match began.
The NXT champion had a huge power advantage, but Dempsey used his technical ability to prevent the powerhouse from fully dominating the contest.
He tried to keep the big man grounded by focusing on his legs with submissions and other offense, but Femi's energy was too much for him to overcome.
He made a comeback and hit a big powerbomb to defeat the leader of NQCC right in front of the No. 1 contender.
This was a solid match, but it wasn't designed to be a show-stealing bout. This was done to make Femi look like a beast, which isn't hard to do.
Result: Femi defeated Dempsey
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Dempsey has such a bright future if he can keep progressing as he has been.
—Femi's power is on the level of some of WWE's strongest competitors. He picks up grown men as though he's carrying a bag of groceries.
Tony D'Angelo vs. Wes Lee
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Lee and Tony D's match was up next, and while Lee came into this with some fire, The Don was still looking to take out his aggression on someone after being betrayed by Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo.
Lee's speed and agility only got him so far until D'Angelo turned the tables and took control. He sent his rival out of the ring and into the arms of his friends before taking out all three men with a dive over the top rope.
Lee tried to use some dirty tactics such as using the ropes for leverage during a pin, but The Don kept finding ways to survive. Once he was back in control, he started throwing Lee around like a ragdoll.
Stacks appeared on the big screen to taunt The Don, and Lee took advantage of the distraction so he could hit his finisher for the win.
Stacks said he was going to pay Adrianna Rizzo a visit as D'Angelo tried to recover.
This match had decent energy, but it was a little anticlimactic. Sometimes NXT uses too many predictable booking tropes, and this was one of those times.
Result: Lee defeated D'Angelo
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
—You can tell Tony D meant business because he was wearing his black tank top.
—The hip toss out of the ring was a cool spot.
—D'Angelo's gimmick is so goofy that it makes you forget he is actually a really good wrestler.
—The Don hit a beautiful belly-to-belly suplex.
Ethan Page vs. Myles Borne
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Tony D was shown getting into a vehicle and taking off to find Stacks before we went back to the ring for Ethan Page vs. Borne.
Surprisingly, Borne was alone while the rest of NQCC stayed backstage.
They locked up clean, and Borne scored a takedown in a waistlock. All Ego hit him in the face and applied a headlock.
The No. 1 contender looked more competitive than he has before, which was obviously done to make him look more of a threat to Femi. Page didn't job to him, but he helped the young man look like a strong competitor.
All Ego has been incredible in the role of a veteran who helps guide some of the younger talent in feuds. He feels like a big deal in NXT but still manages to put others over without his character suffering. It's a tough balance to maintain.
We returned from a break to see Page hit a superplex for a two-count. Borne began to make a comeback and hit a series of power moves to set All Ego up for the finish. After hitting a dropkick, he rolled Page up for the win.
This was a fun match that made Borne look better than he has in any singles bout to date. His progression has been awesome to watch and even though he probably won't win the NXT title, he has clearly impressed enough people to earn the opportunity.
Result: Borne defeated Page
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Bubba Ray and The Undertaker were shown with some LFG talents backstage.
—It was weird to see WWE acknowledge the recent releases in a segment with Tatum Paxley complaining about everyone being gone.
—Page is a prime example of how a bad song can make good entrance music under the right circumstances.
—The way Page tried to counter a dropkick did not work out, but the announcers sold it as an amazing counter.
Thea Hail vs. Tatum Paxley
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Tony D was shown arriving at his safehouse only to be attacked by Stacks in the front yard.
Back in the arena, Thea Hail and Tatum Paxley met for a singles match.
Hail took Paxley down and yelled at her before hitting a kick and a standing moonsault for a quick two-count. She was showing more heel tendencies than usual, but a falling kick from Paxley stalled her momentum.
Both women came into this with enthusiasm, but they may have been trying to go just a bit too quickly because they had a couple of moments that should have looked better. Even a simple roll-up looked a little awkward at one point.
Hail tried to win with a Kimura Lock, but Paxley ended up getting herself disqualified by going after her opponent's eye and refusing to relent. She lost it after the match and kept attacking Hail until refs pulled her away.
This was a strange finish, but it was more interesting than the usual DQ. Paxley is clearly in a dark place and this was a decent way to show her descent into madness.
Well, further into madness anyway.
Result: Hail won by DQ
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
—During a backstage segment, Je'Von Evans and Ashante "Thee" Adonis had some of the most painfully scripted dialogue, even for NXT.
—It's so weird how WWE gave Hail a new song and then immediately replaced it with another song.
—Paxley is really great at facial expressions. She has the acting part of this business down already, even if WWE gave her a strange gimmick.
Jordynne Grace and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne
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Hendry and Williams met backstage with NXT general manager Ava to sign their contract for the TNA title match. The Scot said TNA is hotter than it has been in years and he takes pride in that.
This week's main event saw Stephanie Vaquer team up with Jordynne Grace to take on Fatal Influence's Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne.
Grace used her power to control Henley while looking right at Vaquer, but the champ tagged herself in and hit a springboard dive to one-up her partner. Fatal Influence fought back and took control as the show went to a break.
Grace and Vaquer had to fight back, so they put their friendly rivalry aside to work together. Grace even saved Vaquer from a double-team spot by putting herself in harm's way.
The Juggernaut was able to recover and hit her finisher to pick up the win for her team. She and Vaquer had a tense moment after the match, but it didn't get physical.
The show ended with a shot of Page backstage standing over Ricky Saints after attacking him.
Result: Grace and Vaquer defeated Fatal Influence
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Hendry is one of the few guys who can pull off having two different colors for his beard and hair.
—Josh Briggs had a backstage segment with Shawn Spears, Hank and Tank. It looks like Spears wants to reunite Briggs and Brooks Jensen.
—The way Henley was selling the back-and-forth clotheslines from Grace was great.
—The suplex Henley hits from the corner is a fun spot when her opponent can pull it off.
The Final Word
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Tuesday's episode of NXT addressed a lot of different storylines and even set up a potential feud or two, but it felt a little light on in-ring action.
We had the usual number of matches, but the majority of what we got was either too predictable or didn't live up to the standards NXT has set.
It's hard to make every show feel must-see, but NXT has always done a good job of pairing up people who work well together, so it's always noticeable when a show falls short of the benchmark.
Dempsey and Femi could have had a better match if they had five more minutes, and Page and Borne could have done the same. The main event ended up being the best thing on the show, which isn't surprising considering who was involved.
Grace has become a fixture in NXT quickly, Vaquer continues to shine in every performance, and the duo of Jayne and Henley have become a cohesive unit. If you only see one match from this week's show, make it this one.
Grade: C+
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