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WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From March 17
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on March 17.
NXT Vengeance Day was just 10 days ago, but the developmental brand is already preparing for its next big event, Stand and Deliver on April 4.
In addition to Tuesday being Booker T Appreciation Night, we were treated to three title bouts. Here is a look at what WWE advertised for Tuesday's show:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Tuesday's episode of NXT.
Jacy Jayne vs. Sol Ruca vs. Zaria
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Last time in action: Jayne defeated Zaria (NXT, March 3), Ruca defeated Lainey Reid (NXT, March 10)
NXT opened with the NXT women's title bout featuring Sol Ruca and Zaria challenging Jacy Jayne. With ZaRuca recently breaking up, there was an extra layer of drama added to the match.
Even with Jayne being the one holding the gold, it felt like Zaria and Ruca were mainly focused on each other, especially in the early moments.
Each competitor leaned into their strengths here. Zaria used her power, Ruca used her agility, and Jayne used heel tactics and her teammates at ringside to gain the advantage.
The feud between Zaria and Ruca will obviously lead to a big singles match, likely at Stand and Deliver, so it wasn't surprising to see their issues prevent either of them from winning.
This was a decent match with a couple of standout spots, but Jayne was able to escape with her championship thanks to interference from her Fatal Influence cohorts.
Result: Jayne defeated Ruca and Zaria
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Calling Them Out
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Ricky Saints came to the ring to talk about recent setbacks, but he said he and Ethan Page know how to pivot and that is why they won their tag match last week against Joe Hendry and Myle Borne.
All Ego joined him in the ring and reminded him that it was he who pinned Hendry last week, implying he should be the one to get the NXT title shot instead of Saints.
Both men wanted to call out Hendry, which brought out the champ to respond. He started taunting Page and Saints while planting seeds for them to fight each other, but they ended up attacking Hendry instead.
After the champion took out both of them, Tony D'Angelo came out of nowhere and dropped all three men. The bearded Don has his sights set on gold.
Even though nothing about this segment was surprising, it did its job of setting up multiple contenders for the NXT title heading into the biggest show of the year.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Los Americanos vs. The Vanity Project
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Last time in action: Los Americanos lost to MCMG (Main Event, Jan. 30), The Vanity Project lost to Hank, Tank and Shiloh Hill (NXT, March 3)
Jackson Drake, Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor were in action this week in a six-man tag match against El Grande, Rayo and Bravo Americano.
The booking of the Americanos is kind of strange. On the main roster, they are undeniably heels, but they have been booked as babyfaces in AAA, and that appears to have carried over to NXT since they were facing a heel trio this week.
The first half of this was a high-energy back-and-forth exchange. Both teams were looking strong, but the Vanity Project had the upper hand heading into the break.
If WWE is going to insist on keeping this fake luchador gimmick, then this is how the group needs to be used. They are all great wrestlers, so letting them show that is going to keep fans more invested than solely focusing on comedy stuff.
All six competitors brought their best to Texas this week, but in the end, it was Los Americanos who scored the win thanks to Grande using the loaded mask to hit a headbutt for the pin. This was a much better match than it had any right to be.
Result: Los Americanos defeated Vanity Project
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Booker T Appreciation Night
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WWE decided to make this week's show Booker T Appreciation Night. The two-time Hall Of Fame inductee has become a fixture in NXT, but this segment was designed to do more than celebrate the former world champion.
A special video aired, highlighting what Booker has accomplished, with some NXT talent sharing their memories of his career. Book's family was in the ring with him when Vic Joseph presented him with a plaque.
Ever since Keanu Carver arrived on the scene, he has had issues with Booker, so it wasn't a surprise when he showed up to spoil the festivities. He took out some security guards on the way to the ring. Two of Booker's students tried to intervene, but it took Jasper Troy to make the save.
This segment did two things well. Not only did it do a good job honoring Booker T, but it made Troy and Carver look more important than they have since arriving in NXT. This segment was better than expected and created intrigue in a Carver vs. Troy showdown.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Fallon Henley vs. Wren Sinclair
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Last time in action: Sinclair defeated Thea Hail (NXT, March 10), Fatal Influence lost to ZaRuca (NXT, Jan. 20)
The Women's Speed Championship was the second title defended on the show when Fallon Henley faced Wren Sinclair.
Since this was for the belt, the time limit was five minutes instead of the usual three, but that still isn't much time, so both women were going quick to get in as much offense as possible.
Sinclair didn't even need the full five minutes. She was able to make Henley tap out to her submission finisher with 1:20 left on the clock.
These quick bouts are rarely an ideal way to feature a Superstar, but they did well with what they had to work with, and the feel-good moment of Sinclair winning in her home state was a nice way to cap it off.
Result: Sinclair defeated Henley
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Hank and Tank vs. Birthright
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Last time in action: Hank, Tank and Hill defeated Vanity Project (NXT, March 3), Birthright defeated NQCC (NXT, March 10)
This bout may not have had gold on the line, but the winners would become the new No. 1 contenders for the NXT tag titles, so the stakes were still high.
Stacks and Uriah Connors represented Birthright against Hank and Tank, and they didn't wait for the bell to begin their assault.
Hank and Tank used their size to control their smaller opponents, but Stacks and Connors had the numbers on their side with Charlie Dempsey, Lexis King and Arianna Grace at ringside.
This was a high-energy match that made Birthright look like a formidable new team, but they still had to resort to dirty tactics to get the win. This was a decent match, but it was definitely overbooked for what it was.
Result: Birthright defeated Hank and Tank
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
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Last time in action: Paxley defeated Dame (Vengeance Day)
The feud between Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame came to a head this week when they met for the North American Championship inside a steel cage.
Dame attacked Paxley before they were in the cage and stomped on her against the steel steps. She rolled Paxley into the ring and grabbed a chair before joining her and officially beginning the match.
The champion fought back and gained the upper hand before they spent a long time fighting on the top rope against one of the cage walls.
This bout was strange because they did a good job of using the stipulation to their advantage, but it also felt like they relied on it too much and forgot to include much else.
Both women worked hard and took some big bumps, so the match had plenty to enjoy. Dame put up a great fight, but Paxley prevailed to retain her NA title. As she was celebrating on the stage, Blake Monroe appeared from a trap door to attack her.
Result: Paxley defeated Dame
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
8 of 8This week's NXT in Houston might not have been the show of the year, but it was above average in two ways.
The Booker T segment led to Carver and Troy creating a lot more interest in a potential singles match between them.
On top of that, the majority of the show was focused on the women's division across three title matches.
Sinclair was the only challenger to leave with a new belt, but the other two matches were the biggest highlights on the show. Jayne and Paxley still have their respective championships, but both have challengers waiting in the wings with Kendal Grey and Blake Monroe.
Stand and Deliver is shaping up nicely, so the next two weeks should see the rest of the card settled before the show airs on April 4.
Grade: B-
