NXT recap & reactions: Why this mystery is different (2024)

Mystery

NXT goes to this well quite a bit: who beat up whom? Whether it’s in a parking lot or backstage, we usually see someone laid out with no aggressor in sight. It’s a trope Shawn Michaels clearly loves. He loves it so much that he sometimes uses it multiple times in the same show. While we’re usually wondering who did it and why, what they’re doing with Trick Williams, Lash Legend, and Noam Dar rings just a bit differently because of the other drama.: Lash & Trick.

Did Trick do it? Did Lash do it? Nothing about Trick points in his direction but as shown later, Lash is a big possibility since Trick clearly has her wrapped around his finger. Add that to the fact we know she’s probably just as powerful as Noam. I mean, she power lifted Otis.

Wrestling comes packed with tropes and every territory leans on certain ones. The execution is what takes an angle from meh to memorable. I’m not saying this is automatically the latter since it just started, but this love story wrinkle gives it a different feel. Not for nothing but if Lash did it, that also makes it different since we rarely get an angle where a woman beat up a man. What if she did it without Trick knowing? How would he feel about that? And, of course, what if she didn’t do it at all? No one likes being accused, so if she catches all this heat from her crew for nothing, she’s surely going to say something about that.

I do hope they keep the emotion at the center here. Lash is clearly torn, while Trick seemingly loves controlling the situation. Oh, and we still don’t know exactly what happened between those two and when. Crafting an interesting mystery is simple when it involves people in which the audience is already invested. There’s something here with Trick & Lash, which makes NXT going this route for what feels like the umpteenth time go down just a bit easier.

B-Sides

America

• Interesting formula for the first Women’s North American championship match. Izzi Dame dominated most of the match, which I understand given she’s stepping outside of Kiana James’ shadow. Sol got the win out nowhere, which established that she can hit anyone with that Sol Snatcher at the drop of a dime. She’s the top seed in the tournament, so setting her up as dangerous is fitting. Plus, she just defeated Blair Davenport, which was no easy feat. Nonetheless, good showing for Izzi.
• Lash Legend came into this match frustrated. So that frustration, along with a little help from Jakara, helped her make quick-ish work of Ivy Nile. They established Lash as a powerhouse who can do major damage when she’s motivated.

Luck of Lucien

Nice way to make Edris Enofe & Malik Blade’s losses mean something. They’re going with the bad luck angle. While it’s a little silly. it’s at least something. These cats keep flirting with moving up but can’t get there. Chalking it up to bad luck gives them a story that will hopefully resolve itself with a big win.

They almost got it this week against OTM, but Edris’ bad luck extended to his boots. The man’s left boot came undone during the match, and eventually stopped him from gaining momentum during the match’s turning point. I can’t speak for everyone, nor do I ever try, but I sympathize with them. It sucks when it feels like nothing is going your way, which makes them emotional favorites. Maybe, hopefully, this gets the audience even more on their side.

This was a fun tag match that even included some North American tournament play, as Jaida Parker and Brinley Reece knuckled up several times. It got so hot between those two that it took multiple refs to pull them apart.

Can’t Buy Me Love

Let’s start at the beginning: Noam Dar got jumped. And no, it wasn't in the parking lot. With Jakara and Oro Mensah present, it became glaringly obvious who wasn't. When Lash arrived, they wondered aloud about her absence. Remember, Lash didn’t leave the building with Meta Four last week. Was she with Trick? Was she plotting? That’s the mystery.

And I touched on all that up top so here’s how it affected Main Man Mensah’s match with Je’Von Evans. First off, Oro looked great. He rarely gets a chance on NXT tv to go off, but he did here. And the match came with the extra edge that he wanted to win this one for Noam, who is out indefinitely.

Meta Four got up to their usual tricks. Then this happened:

Trick has that woman hypnotized. The saga continues and Meta Four takes an L. Fun match with an intriguing finish that moves the story forward in multiple ways. I dig it.

Don’t Get Mad, Get Even

We got a lot going on in Carlee Bright’s NXT debut match. She begged Ava for a shot at Lola Vice. She got it and looked good, but they also showed us Nattie & Karmen Petrovic standing by. Why is that important? Well, Karmen took Nattie’s advice to heart. She showed some aggression this week and attacked Lola during a backstage interview, while Lana went after Shayna Baszler. If you’re new to this pro wrestling thing, welcome! But also, those are signs that Lola’s match wouldn’t last long and that those two would make an appearance.

Carlees showed some fun offense and a great selling ability. She’s great in peril , which works perfectly with Lola, who always looks aggressive. Lola got the W, because of course she did, but it set up Nattie & Karmen stepping to the two women they hate. I liked Karmen taking the mic from Nattie mid speech and getting right to the point:

Love the fire, love the character development, and everything about this blood feud.

Goodfellas

I didn’t expect Tony D’Angelo to work well in a Heritage Cup match. Grant it, we get a lot of different configurations in these bouts with varying styles, but Tony rarely does the mat wrestling. This showed he can hang, if not with the best of them, at least well enough to look like he belongs. In fact, his first victory came from countering Charlie Dempsey into a victory roll. That’s different for a guy who usually focuses on power and bludgeoning cats.

Tony was the story here for me. Charlie isn’t new to this spot, and he delivered as usual. But Tony really surprised me. Not only with his counters, but his Suplexes, takedowns, and ability to switch styles impressed me. He’s the new Heritage Cup champ after five rounds and defeating Charlie 2-1, so the match went a long way in making him credible. I liked him going to what he knows best in the last round. He told the story of a man who can do anything you can do but don’t forget, he’s still a gangster.

BUT WAIT, that’s not how NXT closed its show.

Earlier, Wes Lee, Josh Briggs, and Ivar made their intentions for Oba Femi’s North American championship very clear. Oba, as usual, told them all to fight about it and he’ll take the winner.

What’s better than a triple threat? A Fatal 4 Way. But who takes that fourth spot? While Tony D celebrated his big win, the cameras cut to this:

And just like that, we have a fourth. That’s a big return and an even bigger statement. Oba needs challengers and I like the crew in front of him. This is also a very cool cliffhanger leading into next week.

This was a solid two hours of wrestling. Lots of story developments, meaningful matches, surprises, and a mystery! NXT came up big this week.

But let’s just get to it: Who do you think beat up Noam and why? Let me hear it, people!