Here are the results for January 28th 2025 from the Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia
Bayley & NXT Women’s Champion Giulia vs Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade
It starts with a brawl that Bayley and Giulia come out on top of. Perez and Giulia face off once again, plenty of counters and reversals and pin attempts. Giulia gets the better of her, tagging Bayley in but Perez gets a tag before they get physical. Bayley with a pair of elbows to Cora for a 2. Jade manages to trap Bayley in their corner for a double team, but she fights out and takes out both women.
Tandem suplexes by the champ and Bayley. Perez hits a suicide dive onto Bayley, Cora with a diving swanton onto both Bayley and Giulia. Jade and Perez work together to wear down Giulia. She finally makes the tag to Bayley who runs wild. She hits a pair of big suplexes for a near fall. Jade hits a running knee on Bayley in the corner.
Perez mocks the Bayley arm wave she used to do when she was in NXT, that was a nice touch. Cora and Roxanne now are beating Bayley down, but she hits a surprise Bayley to Belly. Giulia and Perez are tagged in and they go at it. Giulia with a beautiful northern lights suplex.
Missile dropkick from the top rope for a near fall. Cora accidentally knocks Perez down! All 4 women are in and they’re brawling. Giulia reverses the DDT from Cora, Bayley hits the diving elbow drop to win.
B+ – This was a great way to kick off the night. Bayley and Giulia are kept strong, as is Perez. I doubt this is the last we see of Bayley in NXT, she has a date with Roxanne Perez and mayve even Giulia. They showed Perez and Jade arguing, hinting that we might see this alliance begin to fracture.
-Eddy Thorpe talks about proving himself and living up to his ancestors. His destiny is not chance, he cannot be broken.
Grayson Waller Effect
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory are in the ring. Theory gets a pop in his hometown. They introduce their guest, the NXT Champion Oba Femi. Waller bigs up his accomplishments in NXT but the fans chant for Theory. He also bigs up Oba Femi, before praising himself.
Waller and Theory don’t see Femi as a future main eventer. Femi does not see them as NXT champion, he has accomplished more than they have done combined. Waller talks about their win at Wrestlemania. They continue to boast themselves but they do put over Femi. They predict Femi will be back on the indies selling t-shirts. The fans chant for Theory to turn on Waller. Femi says they’re all talk whilst he is building a dynasty.
Femi challenges one of A-Town Down under for a match at at NXT Vengeance Day. Out comes Ava to interrupt, we also see Trick Williams waiting around before deciding to interrupt things too. Trick and Oba go face to face. Trick wipes out ATDU, but Femi drops Trick with the Fall From Grace! Trick is recovering and he has a match next.
B- – I liked this. Theory proved here that he is great at playing to a crowd as well as being a solid face if he ever does turn on Waller. They continue to hype the inevitable rematch between Femi and Williams which we might see at Wrestlemania Weekend. Waller is a great heat machine.
-Izzi Dame says he helped out Tony D’Angelo last week to return a favour and there is nothing going on between them. Ridge Holland comes to argue with her, Channing Lorenzo comes out to defend Izzi from Ridge. They’re separated from each other.
Wes Lee w/Tyriek Igwe & Tyson DuPont vs Trick Williams
Wes immediately dropkicks Trick into the corner, he is really selling the pain of the Fall From Grace. Lee with a nice kick combination. Lee with an innovaticve 619 to Trick’s ribs. Williams catches a dive, Lee escapes and continues to target the ribs of Trick. The former NXT champion punches Lee out of the ring. Lee hits Trick with a meteora from the apron to the announce table.
Wes wears Trick some more with knees and kicks to the midsection. A huge spin kick gets a near fall for Wes. Lee is using a good variation of submissions whilst verbally taunting Trick and the crowd. Williams kicks himself free and begins to fight back with huge clotheslines. Trick hits the uranage, Lee’s allies save him from the Trick Shot.
Trick takes out DuPont and launches Lee over the top onto him. Huge dive by Trick on all 3 men. Trick is unleashing on Wes and the referee cannot control the match. Trick throws the referee down, he has a chair in hand and is swinging it like a mad man. Williams gets disqualified.
B – A good match, the DQ finish made sense to protect both men. Wes gets a big win over a former champion but it was cheap, whilst Trick continues to show his aggression since losing his championship. Good storytelling, good selling from Trick for the most part in this one too.
-Ava is mad at Oba Femi for trying to match make. Femi just wants to know who he is facing at Vengeance Day. It will be both Waller and Theory in a triple threat.
-Ava goes in and chews out Trick Williams for his actions. He forces him to team with Oba Femi next week against A-Town Down Under to prove he deserves another title shot. (I see a fatal four way being set up.)
Fallon Henley (c) w/Fatal Influence vs Shotzi w/Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley, NXT Women’s North American Championship
Shotzi attacks Henley immediately, hitting a hurricanrana and a wheelbarrow facebuster. Shotzi with a top rope hurricanrana. Fatal Influence drag Henley out of the ring, Shotzi dives on them all. Gigi and Tatum brawl with Fatal Influence and run them off. Henley whacks Shotzi’s leg into the ring post. It is now a straight 1v1.
Henley starts to dismantle the left leg of Shotzi, using cheap shots and submissions. A double clothesline by both women, they trade blows, Shotzi hits a rolling neckbreaker to take control. Shotzi hits her comeback moves. Henley throws Shotzi into the ring post again and then into the announce table. Henley locks in a stretch muffler.
Shotzi hits her comeback again, she hits Sliced Bread for a near fall. She reverses a Superplex and hits a top rope senton for a near fall. Henley reverses a second Sliced Bread attempt. She hits the Exploder Suplex and the Hoedown to retain. Stephanie Vaquer comes out and she will be the challenger at Vengeance Day.
B – Another good match here, I like that they incorporated the leg injury a lot during the match. Henley retaining was the right move here, I think that her time as champion will come to an end in 2 weeks time to Vaquer.
-Karmen Petrovic tries to thank Kelani Jordan for last week, but Jordan says it was not a favour, it was for her own reasons. Jordan criticises Petrovic, Karmen calls her a bitch as she leaves.
-Ava hypes up Vengeance Day and she is looking for the best opponent for Giulia. She is interrupted by Perez and Jade. Perez refuses to be blamed for Cora Jade being pinned and she is deserving of the title match. Ava reveals it will be Giulia vs Perez vs Bayley at Vengeance Day. Cora Jade is pissed, she says they’re not good. The tensions continue.
Ethan Page vs Cedric Alexander
This begins as a fight, Cedric kicks the hell out of Page. They continue to trade blows, Cedric getting the upper-hand. Dropkick by Cedric. He is incensed, shouting abuse at Page but his emotion distracts him and Page targets the arm that he injured.
Page keeps trying to escape and he manages to drop Cedric on the apron. He tries to rip off the protector on Cedrics hand, but fails. He manages to throw him hand first into the post and the stairs, he has managed to relieve him of the hand protector. Cedric with a clothesline to Page on the apron. Ethan viciously beats down Cedric and uses unique offence to target the hand of Cedric.
Huge superkick by Page for a 2. Cedric hits a snap German suplex to gain a reprieve from the assault on his hand. Basement dropkick and a Michinoku Driver gets a near fall for Cedric. Brainbuster by Cedric for a near fall. He locks in the Koji Clutch, but Page targets the injured hand to escape.
Page reverses a handspring kick by booting Cedric in the face. He hits a Twist of Fate to win the match. He goes to continue the attack but Je’Von Evans comes out to fight Page off.
B – A good match, I would have been a bit more invested if the previous 2 matches weren’t also mostly built around targeting an injured opponent. They had a high intensity which matches the feud that they’re having. Page winning is best and I hope he continues to win his way back to a championship whether that be in NXT or on the main roster.
-Fallon Henley cannot even celebrate her championship win. She is interrupted by Jacy Jayne who is confident Henley will retain. Jacy will have a match against Vaquer next week.
Bianca Belair & Naomi (c) vs Meta-Girls (Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) for Women’s Tag Team Championships
Naomi and Jakara start the match. Naomi with a stiff kick to Jackson’s face as they exchange blows. The champs double team Jackson. We get Bianca vs Legend, a powerhouse battle. Bianca hits a back suplex and a standing moonsault for a 2. Lash counters a headscissors into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
Lash hits a cartwheel into a moonsault! That was awesome. They wrestle to a stalemate before talking trash to each other. The champs double team Lash now and Naomi is in, kicking away at the powerhouse. We visibly say Naomi call a spot to Lash. Legend with a snake eyes to Naomi, the referee is distracted by Bianca protesting allowing Jackson to sneak attack Naomi.
Naomi is beaten down by the challengers now. Naomi hits a blockbuster on Lash and gets a tag to Bianca. She hits her comeback attacking Jakara Jackson. Bianca with a headscissor to Legend and a press slam to Jakara. She hits a moonsault for a 2. A Doomsday Enziguiri by Naomi and Bianca for a near fall. Jakara with a dive onto Bianca. Naomi wipes out Lash. Jakara hits a slingblade to Naomi.
The Meta-Girls hit their wheelbarrow facebuster x Cutter combo but Belair breaks the pin. Bianca spears Jackson. Naomi counters Lash with an X-Factor. She hits an enziguiri but Lash drops her with a big boot. Bianca sends Lash into the steel steps. Jakara gets a pin and it was VERY near 3, the fans boo but I don’t think it was a 3. They hit a double KOD on Jackson to retain. The champions acknowledge the champions after celebrating their win.
B+ – A great main event. The challengers continue to impress me and I see big things for both Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. A win for the champions was never in doubt but hopefully this got more eyes on the Meta-Girls who are becoming some of my favourite female wrestlers in NXT.
B Grade Overall – A consistent show again this week. Nothing ground-breaking but everything was enjoyable to me. Things are shaping up for Vengeance Day pretty well, I think we’re in for a good show.