NXT airs tonight with another live show on the CW from the Performance Center in Orlando. Ethan Page defends his title as he moves one day closer to being the longest reigning Men’s North American Champion in NXT history. Plus, Tony D returns to action and the #1 contenders for the NXT Tag Titles will be determined!
Ethan Page’s Record Title Reign
If you’ve been watching NXT these last few months, one of the consistent highlights has been All Ego Ethan Page’s North American Title reign. After defeating Ricky Saints for the title last May, Page has proven that he is worthy of consideration for a main roster callup, and in the process, has become the longest reigning champion in the whole company.
Today marks day 266 of his reign, putting him just a week shy of tying the record for longest reign set by Oba Femi in 2024. Ethan is also on the doorstep of breaking another one of The Ruler’s records with a win tonight. Page and Femi are currently tied with 10 successful title defenses, so if Page defeats LFG Season 2 champion, Shiloh Hill, he will cement his claim of being the best North American Champion in NXT history.
Shiloh Hill was in the right place at the right time, deciding to play with a machete in interim GM Robert Stone’s office while Page and Stone were trying to think of a worthy challenger. Could the young upstart actually put an end to All Ego’s historic title reign, or will Page continue to tote his Canadian-flag themed title belt around a little longer?
Lola Vice Seeks Revenge
Lola Vice has been everywhere these last few weeks. After flying to Saudi Arabia and taking part in the Royal Rumble Match, Lola joined Mr. Iguana to defeat Ethan Page and La Hiedra to become AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions the weekend before last.
On the NXT front, Kelani Jordan has been making Lola Vice’s life hell for months, and the two feisty superstars will finally square off in the middle of the ring tonight. After Kelani brutally cost Lola the North American Title two weeks ago by smashing her hand with a ladder, the latest attack saw Kelani jump Lola Vice last week while Lola was having her hand checked by WWE medical.
Will this grudge match end with a decisive winner, or will they end with a double DQ or countout like the Jaida Parker/Blake Monroe match from last week?
Tony D’Angelo’s Crusade
As the NXT Tag Team Champions, Shugars and Griffin from DarkState dealt with all their possible contenders last week, Tony D’Angelo began to follow through on his vow to get revenge on the faction for destroying his family. He took out Dion Lennox and Cutler James with relative ease, making short work of them as Dion and Cutler watched the rest of their buddies brawling up the entryway.
One week in to his crusade, Tony seemed to get the upper hand. This week, he’ll take on Cutler James in a one-on-one match. With Shugars and Griffin preoccupied with their #1 contenders being decided tonight (see below), will Tony D be able to win the next round too, or will Lennox and James manage to even up the score?
Quick Hits
- Baylor and Smokes of the Vanity Project took advantage of a distraction last week to beat Hank & Tank. This week, OTM, The Culling, and Hank & Tank will join Swipe Right in a tag team fatal 4 way to determine the #1 Contenders to the NXT Tag Titles. Can the boys from Vanity Project keep the momentum from last week going and be the next to step up to DarkState?
- Blake Monroe and Jaida Parker fought to a double countout last Tuesday after weeks of trash-talk and blind-side attacks. Blake would escape through the crowd as Jaida took out multiple officials and security guards. Will Ms. Parker find a way to get her hands on the Glamour this week?
- Recent NXT signee Eli Knight came up with a bit of an unexpected win last week, defeating Josh Briggs in the NXT Speed Tournament semifinals. Knight earned a date with French luchador, Elio LeFleur, in the tournament final, which is set to go down tonight. With Speed Champion Jasper Troy lurking, which fresh new face will move on to challenge the LFG Season 1 winner for the gold?
- NXT Champion Joe Hendry recorded his first successful title defense last week, defeating Evolve Men’s Champion Jackson Drake. Ricky Saints launched a brutal attack after the match, signaling that he is likely the next man up. Will the Revolution be televised tonight, or will somebody say Joe Hendry’s name so he can appear and kick Ricky’s ass?
- The ZaRuca drama continued last week as Sol Ruca scored the pinfall instead of Zaria in their tag team match with WrenQCC. Sol is now set up as Jacy Jayne’s #1 contender. Will Zaria grit her teeth and support Ruca against Fatal Influence, or was last week’s result the last straw for their friendship?
All this and more on what’s sure to be an eventful episode of NXT on the CW tonight. Follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside, starting at 8 PM Eastern!
