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Feels Good
There’s a pattern for this year’s Stand & Deliver in that it delivered a lot of solid matches but nothing that felt worthy of this show and its legacy. For a regular Tuesday night in March? Sure, but not for Stand & Deliver. NXT just isn’t captivating at the moment. As Geno noted in our offices, it’s lacking star power. That’s part of it for me but it’s just lacking excitement. Maybe that’s the star aspect. Maybe it’s them making their PLEs feel like regular Tuesdays. Or maybe it’s just not having compelling stories. Or all of the above.
I think it’s safe to say the Joe Hendry as champ thing didn’t work, at least this time around. Joe was the least interesting person in this Fatal 4 Way, which is never a great look for the champ. Perhaps they go back to him down the line but it felt right taking the title off of him and putting it on Tony D’Angelo. Ethan Page and Ricky Saints will see each other based on their friendship seemingly erupting here. Or at the least, a slight volcanic reaction. That said, we know what things look like with them as champ. NXT needs a shakeup; who better to do that than the guy who called himself The Don? There’s a long story with Tony in NXT chasing the ultimate prize. I like the idea that he couldn’t get it done when he had a crew but finally did as a solo act. Was he too focused on family and not enough on business? Did he need the chip on his shoulder that came from not having a support group?
I’m probably looking deeper into it than anyone in creative will but that’s what I do here. Anyway, Tony wanted it more than anyone else. Plus, when someone says they have two objectives and they check the first of those off their list, it makes them look bad if they don’t accomplish item number two. Tony somewhat got his payback on DarkState so the championship was the only logical place for him to go.
I hope his reign is a lot different than Joe’s because NXT needs a spark.
B-Sides
- St. Louis momentarily became Vice City. We have a new Women’s NXT champ with a mean backhand. This was a hard match to follow thanks to numerous blackouts due to Jacy Jayne’s very unaccommodating top. That’s no fault to anyone, least of all the former champ. Just stating it as a fact for anyone who missed it. Now, I figured Jacy losing might portend the end of Fatal Influence. The tension in the group didn’t reveal itself during this match, but it lurked in the back of my mind. Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid tried interfering, of course, but Wren Sinclair put a quick stop to that. From what I could tell, this was a mostly clean triple threat between three women desperate for a championship. It just never felt like Jacy’s night. They probably think it’s too early to crown Kendal Grey, making Lola the right choice. To say nothing of the work she’s put in for the past several years. This is a change of pace for the Women’s division, obviously. I’m curious what story they give Lola. Jacy was simple: The unexpected champion with a chip on her shoulder because no one believed in her. That gave every title defense a bit more weight since it always felt like her last. Lola is in a very different position and doesn’t need the world’s validation. How does that factor into her reign? Time will tell.
- Tatum Paxley retained her title in a very solid match with Blake Monroe. It wasn’t spectacular or anything crazy, just solid wresting and in-ring storytelling. I want more of these two in the near future and I want to truly dig into their similarities. We got some of it this match with Blake having a manic moment in the ring, but Blake needs a different type of match to let her freak flag fly.
- Johnny Gargano’s promo on NXT sold me on his match with Myles Borne. The match itself didn’t quite live up to that but it was also solid. My main issue was I never once felt Myles’ title was at jeopardy. Candice LeRae’s role as motivator and instigator worked for me, even when she put hands on Myles. But I never thought Johnny had a chance. The matches that work best for me are the ones where the outcome is in question. This was a test for Myles on what is supposed to be NXT’s biggest stage. It still is in theory but something about this St. Louis venue added to the NXT on CW feel that permeated the night and this match. The most interesting thing was Dion Lennox attacking Myles post match and getting into a semi-heated discussion with his DarkState bruvs afterward. Why? They wondered how him attacking Myles was good for them as a whole instead of just good for Dion. I’d say signaling discord in a group is a good sign they’re on their way out but this is NXT, land of the long teases. Tease!
- Speaking of long teases, Sol Ruca finally vanquished Zaria. Not after one, not two, but three Sol Snatchers, the last being of the avalanche variety. This was another solid match that started hot with Sol attacking Zaria before the bell rang. The rest of the match didn’t maintain that intensity throughout, but I appreciated them using the steel entrance ramp for key parts in the bout. Sol executed the first Sol Snatcher there, which led to a great moment where Zaria recovered before her after both women took some punishment from the move. Showed Zaria’s resolve and how much she needed this win over her former best friend. Unfortunately for her, this wasn’t her story. Lola needs contenders and Sol should be number one on the list. That is unless Izzi Dame has her way.
- Sadly, Los Americanos are not the new NXT tag champs. Sigh. I mean, that’s really all that needs to be said here. My guys didn’t win despite them trying to cheat so hard to get the win.
- Booker T, my man: James Brown wrote “The Payback” not The O’Jays.
Stand & Deliver did a lot of standing and not much delivering. This was fine for a Tuesday night but not this brand’s WrestleMania. I hoped that this show might break NXT’s stale streak but nope, it kept it going with flying colors.
What say you, Cagesiders? Did they make the right call by putting the title on Tony D’Angelo?
