WWE NXT continued a new era on the CW Network with big matches and appearances at The Factory in St. Louis.

Tony D'Angelo stepped up to Oba Femi, hoping to finally dethrone the longest reigning North American champion of all time.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom put the NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against SmackDown's Austin Theory and Grayson Waller.

Randy Orton worked his first match in NXT, testing the 20-year-old Je'Von Evans.

Kelani Jordan teamed with the WWE women's tag team champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill in order to bring down Fatal Influence.

Trick Williams spoke after reclaiming the NXT Championship from "All Ego" Ethan Page. Roxanne Perez also appeared along with Cora Jade to address the NXT Women's Championship scene.

NXT needed to build off the momentum of its big show in Chicago last week by bringing a hot product to St. Louis.

Trick Williams Is Interrupted by Wes Lee and Jey Uso

Trick Williams opened the show after a recap from last week. Wes Lee interrupted from the crowd, calling his shot to become a triple-crown NXT champion.

Jey Uso arrived to a thunderous ovation and "Yeet" chant. The two celebrated each other as champions while Lee disappeared.

This was a bizarre segment. Lee stepped up to the champion only to be completely overshadowed and then shuffled off for an Uso appearance that amounted to nothing besides a crowd pop.

Uso is one of the hottest stars in WWE, but his appearance here accomplished little beyond setting up the question: Who else might appear?

Trick vs. Lee is an exciting possibility for as soon as Halloween Havoc. After his brutal win over Zachary Wentz, though, it would have made more of an impact for Lee to get physical with Trick right away.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• The crowd was loud for Trick followed by a nuclear reaction for Jey.
• The fans delivered dueling "Yeet" and "Whoop That Trick" chants.
  

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Kelani Jordan vs. Fatal Influence

Fatal Influence tried to keep Kelani Jordan under wraps, but once she was able to tag in Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, this match slipped away.

Jazmyn Nyx was thrown around before taking the split-legged moonsault for the loss.

This was a fun opener that had the crowd loud, especially for the women's tag team champions.

While WWE brought some A-level talent to this week's NXT, Belair's talent jumped off the screen in a way few can replicate. It was obvious she was a level above her opponents and partners in the ring.

It was inevitable that Fatal Influence would lose, but NXT has at least protected Henley as the most dangerous threat to Lani as women's North American champion.

With The EST of WWE and The Storm heading back to SmackDown after this, Fatal Influence should have an opening to shift the momentum back in their favor soon before challenging for the gold.

Result

Belair, Cargill and Jordan def. Fatal Influence by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Belair hit a delayed vertical into a running springboard moonsault on Henley, showcasing her effortless mix of strength and athleticism.
• Jordan worked the most minutes for the faces as the isolated babyface while Cargill got the biggest hot tag of the match.
• Belair and Cargill popped a "This is Awesome" chant as they rolled late.
  

• Later, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson called their shot for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships. Belair and Cargill told them to show up on SmackDown.
  

Stephanie Vaquer Arrives to Help Giulia vs. Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade

Roxanne Perez mocked the crowd again for underestimating her. She then brought out Cora Jade, who explained that her friendship with The Prodigy was mending thanks to Perez's new attitude.

Giulia arrived and was followed quickly by Stephanie Vaquer in her first physical appearance in NXT. They charged the ring and cleared out Perez and Jade.

It was nice to finally see Vaquer in person, but NXT is playing a dangerous game immediately pairing the new top women in NXT despite limited experience together.

In particular, Giulia has gotten significantly better presentation than Vaquer from debuting at a premium live event to standing in front of her when she finally arrived.

This could change drastically if Vaquer wins the NXT Women's Championship, but she needs a chance to establish herself on her own since this is not a long-term tag team.

Jade and Perez talked around why they are finally working together, but the easiest answer is simply because this is professional wrestling. But it was interesting that neither was willing to say they are friends, only that they are working on it.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Just before Perez's promo, Giulia found an "old friend" backstage.
• Both Giulia and Vaquer grabbed the NXT Women's Championship, clearly establishing that one of them would be the next titleholder.
  
• Backstage, Wren Sinclair claimed the first shot at Vaquer next week. Charlie Dempsey also told Lexis King to challenge Oro Mensah to a Rounds match.
  

North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Tony D'Angelo

Tony D'Angelo threw everything he could at Oba Femi, but The Ruler kept kicking out.

However, when Femi popped back up, The Don reversed into a sunset flip for the pin and victory.

Femi found an incredible rival in D'Angelo that gave him two of his best matches of his career to date. This may not have been as technically complete as their first battle at No Mercy, but it was more moving emotionally.

These two told a complete story in building toward this rematch. The Don sold why he needed this win when it looked like Femi was not going to lose any time soon just a couple weeks back.

When he pulled off the upset, it was one of the best babyface moments NXT has delivered in 2024, including Trick Williams' victory last week.

This was a home run from start to finish as D'Angelo finally holds one of the brand's top titles.

The trick will be to keep Femi hot. If NXT plays its cards right, The Ruler could well be the one to dethrone Trick Williams without anyone batting an eye.

Result

D'Angelo def. Femi by pinfall to capture the North American Championship.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• Stacks tossed in a crowbar, but The Don refused to use it.
• The Ruler knocked down Rizzo outside on the ramp, which caused The Don to be unleashed. He suplexed Femi outside with ease.
• Femi planted D'Angelo with a sit-out chokeslam for a big near-fall.
• The crowd pulled out another "This is Awesome" chant.
• D'Angelo planted Femi outside the ring with a spinebuster through the announce table followed by a second in the ring for a close near-fall.
  

NXT Tag Team Championships: Fraxiom (c) vs. A-Town Down Under

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller struggled to stay in sync, and Nathan Frazer and Axiom took advantage. They hit a combination Spanish Fly/Phoenix Splash to pick up a fairly dominant win.

A-Town Down Under should have been a real threat to Fraxiom, but this was more one-sided than expected as Theory and Waller sold their inability to keep up.

That did not take away from the quality of a strong title match. In fact, it was refreshing to see Frazer and Axiom move past their own twice-a-match miscues and just focus on stealing the show.

This was the best tag team effort from A-Town Down Under in a while, and much of it was due to the efforts of the champions, who may be the best tag team in NXT when on point.

Result

Frazer and Axiom def. Waller and Theory by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Randy Orton accidentally encouraged the anger of Frazer after Axiom implied that Je'Von Evans is faster than Frazer.
• Lola Vice tried to talk to NXT general manager Ava in her office, but Nikkita Lyons interrupted to announce she is ready to return to the ring.
• After a pre-taped back-and-forth promo, Ridge Holland tried to deliver a further warning to Chase U, but Riley Osborne attacked him from behind.
  

Sexyy Red Concert; Randy Orton vs. Je'Von Evans

"All Ego" Ethan Page tried to cancel Sexyy Red's concert, but Je'Von Evans cleared him out and posed with Red.

Randy Orton made The Young OG wait before showing his veteran experience, slowing and grounding Evans.

While the youngster pushed The Viper, he still got caught with an RKO for the loss.

Afterward, Orton raised Evans' hand to show his respect.

For all the hype of this match, this was awkward from start to finish, unfortunately.

It never felt like The Viper found his pace with Evans, and it led to many awkward moments where Orton just waited for his opponent to hit his next springboard.

The most anticipated RKO was a complete whiff. NXT did not show it on the replay, and Orton called an audible to hit a second standard RKO to win.

This is always a potential risk with a newcomer like Evans in a big spot so early in his career. However, this was by far the most he has struggled in NXT, and it may be down to never clicking with Orton.

Hopefully, a rematch down the line will land better closer to the match promised on paper. Maybe they can also nail the connection on the RKO.

Result

Orton def. Evans by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Evans tried to catch Orton with a springboard cutter, but The Viper reversed it right into a scoop slam off the ropes.
• The Young OG nearly picked up the win off a corner jumping cutter.
• To end the show, Ava told Page and Wes Lee that they would fight next week to crown the next No. 1 contender in a Triple Threat also included Evans.
  

Overall Grade

It was a more inconsistent second week for NXT on The CW. The in-ring work was strong (besides a sloppy main event), but it did rely on multiple main roster veterans.

Oba Femi vs. Tony D'Angelo delivered the most NXT classic performance of the night, leading to the strongest stretch of the show complete with a huge title change.

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller played their roles well on a night that highlighted tag team wrestling better than much of WWE's weekly product.

The promos did not land as clean. Much of the mic time amounted to little throughout the night, and the entire product came off as rushed in delivering story beats for future weeks.

The transition to The CW has taken away NXT's overrun, which is cutting the product a bit tighter than before, with just short of 10 minutes of television missing per week.

Growing pains are inevitable with a new network, fresh expectations and a plan to create a unique vibe for the product going forward. Still, this night looked better on paper than in full delivery.

Overall Grade: B-