2025-01-14 WWE NXT - REVIEW

2025 Malapert Smark Podcast Review System:

🤯 - Mind Completely Blown!!! [+10]

🔥 - This Was Fire!! [+5]

❤️ - Loved It! [+3]

👍👍 - REALLY Liked It! [+2]

👍 - Liked It [+1]

1/2 👍- Kinda Liked It [+0.5]

👊 - Indifferent [0]

👎 - Didn’t Like it [-1]

👎👎 - Hated It [-2]

🤮 - Made Me Sick [-5]

🙋‍♂️- Chris Jericho Bad [-10]

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STORYLINES:

(1) Oba Femi, Tony D’angelo, Ridge Holland, Eddie Thorpe, Ava, Robert Stone, Stevie Turner

-Oba Femi comes out to cut in ring promo confidently boasting about becoming NXT Champions and give respect to Trick. As Oba addresses Eddie Thorpe, he is interrupted by Toni D’Angelo. D’Angelo reminds Oba Femi how D’Angelo beat Oba and starts talking about possibly going for both titles. Oba Femi reminds Tony how he got beat up by Santa Claus and to leave him be. Oba & Tony are interrupted by Ridge Holland. Ridge disrespects D’Angelo, bringing a picture of Ridge attacking D’angelo as Santa Claus on December 24th, which leads to Tony attacking Ridge. As Ridge and Tony fight on the outside, Eddie Thorpe attacks Oba Femi from behind, raises the NXT title and says he’s not going anywhere. 

-Backstage in Ava’s office, … Oba Femi vs Eddie Thorpe NXT Title match made for next week.

-Backstage, Ava hears a noise in the parking lot and runs over to see Ridge fighting with D’Angelo. 

-Eddie Thorpe X Post has Thorpe recording promo talking about title match with Oba Femi next week. Praises Ava for making the match and says he laid a trap for Oba Femi and it was too easy. Thorpe is happy with his day and work and says he’s going to go celebrate.  

-Ridge vs D’Angelo NXT North American Title match set for next week.

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: I’m here for Eddy Thorpe! Very impressed with the promo he recorded on his phone. Honestly one of the best I’ve ever seen done like that. Usually it’s pretty awkward. This guys got a decent psycho streak. I’m digging it. I knew if Shawn Michaels saw something in this guy, there must have been something!

(2) Dante Chen, Ethan Page, Oro Mensah, Hank, Tank, Jevon Evans

-Backstage Ethan Page interrupts Dante Chen’s conversation to boast about his segment with the Rock last week. Chen tells Page no one wants him in the locker room after what Page did to Je’von. This almost leads to a fight when Chen decides to try to talk to Ava to get a match with Page. 

-Later, Ethan Page with the jumpstart, quickly defeats Dante Chen. 

-Post match, Page attacks Chen and puts him out with a devastating attack using the steel steps. Je’von Evans enters to try to help but Page leaves him laying too.

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: Havent seen Dante Chen in forever. Guess they needed someone to job just to elevate Ethan Page as a heel…. I was surprised to see Je’Von come back so quickly. I think they could have kept him out a bit longer to really sell the injury and make his return more impactful. But overall, I liked todays story and the advancing Ethan Page arc. 

(3) Stephanie Vaquer, Shotzi, Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley

-Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley if Fatal Attraction interfere to cost Stephanie Vaquer against Shotzi. Henley succeeds in avoiding title defense against Vaquer. 

-During commercial break, Vaquer is intensely looking for Fatal Attraction backstage, but does not find them. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: Stephanie looking through the hallways for Fatal Influence during the commercial was pretty great. Never seen that before. I guess Fatal Attraction left the building, or this could have been a running angle throughout the show. I think that could have been way crazy.

(4) Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, Zaria, Cora Jade

-Backstage Sol Ruca & Zaria give differing advices to Kelani Jordan on her mindset going forward. Cora Jade enters and talks down to Kelani, saying she’s just the same girl she was, to which Kelani responds by attacking Cora. 

-Later in the night, Cora Jade rakes the eyes behind the ref’s back to pick up a win over Kelani Jordan. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: 

(5) Oba Femi, Dion Lennox

-Backstage, Lennox bumps into Oba Femi and says he’ll challenge him for that title one day. Oba doesn’t respond and keeps walking. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 1/2 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👊

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: I kinda like this idea. It seems like a good match for the future. Why not plant a little seed? But Oba Femi’s face was pretty funny. Got too much on the mind to be worrying about Dion Lennox right now. 

(6) Shawn Spears, Adriana Rizzo, Izzi Dame

-Backstage we see Shawn Spears attempting to turn Rizzo against the Family. Izzi Dame enters to tell Spears that Rizzo doesn’t need her. Rizzo wasn’t happy with Dame helping her, saying she didn’t need the help. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👎

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👊

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: WTH is going on with this? i would think a creepy stalker angle would be a cancellable offense in this day an age. the sad part of it is that if they’re gonna go with a controversial angle, at least make it good. this is shawn spears. it’s not good. 

(7) Izzi Dame, Karmen Petrovic, Ashonte Thee Adonis

-As Izzi Dami walks past Ashonte and Karmen, she is disgusted. We see Ashonte ask Karmen to be his girlfriend with flowers and she accepts. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👎

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👊

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: Im with Izzi Dame on this one. Ewww! But at least it was a short segment this week. If this is going somewhere, that’s all well and good, but man, they really gave us nothing on the way to the “payoff.”

(8) Giulia

-Video Package shows highlights of Giulia winning NXT Title and cutting a promo proclaiming her confidence in taking the coming challenges. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👊

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: 

(9) DIY

-DIY are in NXT to scout Fraxiom, who DIY think they will be facing at some point.

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 1/2 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: Not a bad idea for a match. Champion vs Champion…

(10) Meta4, Unholy Union

-Lash & Jakara defeat Fyre & Dawn to become #1 contender’s for the WWE Tag Team Titles.

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 1/2 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - SKIPPED

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: This was a well worked match. I suppose this is a bit of a demotion for Unholy Union back to NXT, but they did great work. I don’t mind elevating Lash and Jakara, but Unholy Union need to be up on the main roster too. 

(11) Lexis King, Ava, Charlie Dempsey, Wren Sinclair

-Lexis King is talking to Ava backstage, proud of himself for all the hard work he’s put in to win the Heritage Cup. Charlie Dempsey comes in to congratulate King, but Wren Sinclair points out that King cheated. King claims it was an accident. In the end, Ava decides Charlie Dempsey deserves another match and appears set to make the match she is distracted by noises in the parking lot…

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: I feel like something is building here with Lexis King and when it finally pops, it’s gonna be great. Innocent little Lexis King with daddy issues. Sure. Unlike the Ashonte/Karmen program, Lexus King segments are all fascinating. 

(12) Fraxiom, OTM, Briggs & Inamura

-Backstage, Briggs and Inamura step up to Fraxiom, telling them they saved Fraxiom last week but still don’t have their attention. Now they do because they got next. OTM walks in and tell Briggs & Inamura they’re talking to the wrong guys. This leads to a brawl between OTM and Briggs & Inamura, while Fraxiom walk away. 

-Fraxiom defeat OTM to retain NXT Tag Team Titles.

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 1/2 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: I mostly liked this for Briggs and Inamura’s involvement. The match, I had an outside hope that OTM would win and get made, but it was as I expected… I will say that i’m impressed with the confidence OTM have been cutting promos with despite knowing they wouldn’t go over.

(13) Trick Williams

-Announcers discuss Trick’s X Post where he says he needs to figure out his next move…

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 1/2 👍

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👊

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: Figure out your next move, bro.😆 A little pretentious. Like just do your next move. We don’t all have to know you’re trying to figure out what you’re going to do. But still. Interesting story device. Making us wonder if he would try to head up to the main roster, or if he feels he has unfinished business in NXT…

(14) Roxanne Perez, Bailey

-Roxanne Perez comes to the ring to cut a promo putting over her NXT Title reign and tells the fans NXT will not be the same without her because no one will care about the division like she did. Bailey enters and tells Roxanne that Roxanne can learn from the loss. Roxanne doesn’t want advice from Bailey, to which Bailey tells Roxanne that Roxanne will be stuck in NXT while Bailey goes to WrestleMania as champion. This leads to a brawl that ends the show. 

🌪️REVIEWS🌪️

Kayhan TheMalapertSmark - 👊

Robert TheFrozenAsian - 👍

➡️COMMENTS⬅️

⭐️Kayhan: This was somewhat too random for me. Like, why would Bailey come out just to encourage Roxanne? It seemed to me like they kinda trumped up this feud and just threw them in the ring together without a great reason other than Bailey will help teach Roxanne. So I’m not a big fan of this. I’m sure Roxanne is gonna get push on the main roster, but I am unsure if the can pass for a main roster wrestler. We will see. Will she be great, or another Alexa Bliss?

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