The November 6 edition of WWE NXT aired from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and brought hardcore back to the company.

Trick Williams teamed with WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley to battle the dangerous duo of "All Ego" Ethan Page and Ridge Holland at the former ECW Arena.

Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Kelani Jordan, Zaria and Jordynne Grace formed a super-team to combat Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade and Fatal Influence.

Former ECW and WWE star Dawn Marie returned to serve as the special guest referee for a Hardcore match between Jaida Parker and Lola Vice.

Wes Lee was set to clash with Je'Von Evans after their intense brawl last week. Rob Van Dam took a vested interest in that match, but it was unclear what he planned to do this week.

This was set to be a wild night on a rare Wednesday edition of NXT.

Hardcore: Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker (Special Guest Referee: Dawn Marie)

Lola Vice had Jaida Parker trapped in a sleeper until Parker blasted her with a brick. She followed up with Hipnotic to take the win.

A match like this can protect talent, but an overuse of weapons can quickly lead to too many obvious set-ups that betray the scripted structure of the match.

This was on full display early in this match thanks to multiple awkward slowdown spots and weapon introductions.

With the level of talent involved, this was a match that should have improved down the stretch, but Parker and Vice never found their rhythm.

In a very even match-up on paper, it never felt like Vice had a chance to win, overwhelmed by Parker in a match that went a bit too long for its content. At least the definitive result out over Parker as a big deal.

Result

Parker def. Vice by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Vice teased the Three Amigos but actually hit a DDT on a steel chair after two suplexes.
• Parker hit a Teardrop off a ladder onto Vice that broke a ladder underneath her. The impact did not sell the ladder break.
• Parker broke a steel chair on Vice's back then sent Vice into a ladder with a hip attack for the closest near-fall of the match.
• Dawn Marie did not play into the decision at all, just working a standard referee role throughout.
• Backstage, in front of Dion Lennox, Ashante "Thee" Adonis and Karmen Petrovic continued to struggle to communicate.
  

Wes Lee vs. Je'Von Evans

Wes Lee looked poised to hurt Je'Von Evans with a steel chair, but Rob Van Dam arrived to distract him. The Young OG capitalized with a springboard cutter and Five Star Frog Splash to win.

This should only be the first match in this rivalry. Lee and Evans delivered in a big way and left plenty more to explore. In this environment, they leaned more hardcore, battling outside and using their environment.

It sold the hatred between these two men, but it also left room for a more traditional match in the future.

The Young OG picked up the first win with help from RVD. Lee will need to get his win back soon if he hopes to get an NXT Championship match in the future.

The potential of this rivalry should build to Deadline where Lee would be the perfect heel to win the Iron Survivor Challenge and finally get his shot at Trick Williams to start 2025.

Result

Evans def. Lee by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Lee attacked Rob Van Dam backstage after he gave veteran advice to Kelani Jordan for her match.
• Vic Joseph announced that referees should show leniency for all matches on this show in terms of disqualification and count outs.
• Lee planted The Young OG with a vicious brainbuster on the steel steps before the commercial break.
• Evans kicked out after the Cardiac Kick, which Joseph made clear was a rare sight.
• The Young OG continues to take big risks with his spots that do not always pay off. This time, he overestimated how far he could fly for the Five Star Frog Splash.
  

Trick Williams and Bubba Ray Dudley vs. "All Ego" Ethan Page and Ridge Holland

Ridge Holland was glad to throw out every single trick in this match, and it paid off as he managed to roll up Trick Williams for a surprise three count.

"All Ego" Ethan Page took a cheap shot at Trick afterward until Bubba Ray Dudley made the save. Holland bailed while Trick and Bubba hit Page with the Whassup.

D-Von Dudley arrived with a table to assist Trick and Bubba in blasting All Ego with a double chokeslam.

Outside of the fun nostalgia pops for Bubba in the ECW Arena, this was bad. Everyone was moving at a snail's pace. After all of Holland's bluster and build, he won with a roll-up.

Page has gone quickly from NXT champion to goofball, and it may take him a while to find his credibility again after all this.

Even D-Von's appearance was a little anticlimactic as he could not get physically involved, leaving Trick still in the weird fill-in spot.

Result

Holland and Page def. Trick and Bubba by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Vic Joseph seemed to get genuinely annoyed with Booker T cutting him off on commentary during entrances.
• Holland slapped Bubba, who decided to tag in afterward to face him down. The crowd chanted "Bubba's gonna kill you!".
  
• Ava announced the return of Deadline, heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota in December including the Iron Survivor Challenge.
• Rhyno made a surprise appearance after the announcement to Gore Mr. Stone.
• As Stevie Turner carried Mr. Stone to the EMTs, Ava told Nathan Frazer and Axiom that she would address the state of the tag division next week.
  

North American Title: Tony D'Angelo (w/ The Family) (c) vs. Nunzio (w/ Tony Mamaluke)

Nunzio was completely outmatched by Tony D'Angelo, who put him away with a spinebuster. The two shook hands afterward.

This was a complete squash, and despite the crowd's reverent reaction for Nunzio, he did next to nothing in this one. His sell of the spinebuster was the one highlight of the match.

This felt mostly like a waste of time but certainly played into the nostalgic vibe of the night. D'Angelo can add another successful title defense to his resume.

Result

D'Angelo def. Nunzio by pinfall to retain the North American Championship.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Nunzio and Mamaluke confronted The Family backstage. Nunzio challenged The Don, and they announced Adrianna Rizzo would fight Nikkita Lyons next week.
• Nunzio hit the Sicilian Slice. The crowd responded with a "You Still Got It!".
• The Sicilian Shooter threw out a prayer as he prepared to take the spinebuster.
• Shawn Spears told Brooks Jensen that he was happy with The Don's confidence, ready to challenge the champion.
  
• Lyons delivered a pre-taped warning to Rizzo.
  
• Mr. William Regal put over Lexis King before telling No Quarter Catch Crew to become more than just Charlie Dempsey's group.
  

Giulia, Vaquer, Jordan, Zaria and Grace vs. Perez, Jade and Fatal Influence

After a high-energy battle of top women, Zaria was the last woman standing, countering the Pop Rox into an F5 to seal the win on Roxanne Perez.

This was a showcase match for the babyface team, each delivering impact offense. The heels got some run down the stretch to make this look more competitive, but this was all about the new stars.

The action got formulaic down the stretch with every woman hitting one big move before falling to the next star, but it is hard to argue this all was not very effective.

The crowd was electric. Zaria and Giulia especially continue to be highlighted as massive stars, and Grace looked as better than she ever has in an NXT ring.

The final pinfall was surprising as The Prodigy has taken pinfall losses to multiple women now, but NXT has time to sort out the pecking order in a stacked women's division in future weeks.

Maybe the Iron Survivor match should be for the NXT Women's Championship and let pure chaos reign with all these great stars.

Result

Zaria, Giulia, Jordynne Grace, Stephanie Vaquer and Kelani Jordan def. Perez, Cora Jade, Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx by pinfall.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Both teams promised to win big ahead of the main event.
• Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson told the powerhouse team that they were rooting against them. Giulia and Vaquer teased fighting them.
• Francine was shown watching in the audience.
• The crowd was hotter and more consistently loud for this match than anything else on the night.
• Zaria had Fatal Influence reeling until all ten women got involved in a wild brawl. It ended with Jordan hitting a perfect moonsault outside on the heels.
• Grace got the biggest hot tag of the match and ran over all five women.
• Meta-Four arrived to mock the field, but Giulia and Vaquer dived onto them.
• Zaria accidentally Speared Grace near the end of the match.
  

Overall Grade

In a completely unsurprising result, the best matches of the night focused on the future of the business over the ECW legends.

The 10-woman tag to end the night was pure energy from the opening bell and made everything else look superfluous in comparison.

Wes Lee vs. Je'Von Evans though was the other obvious highlight of the night.

The rest was simply too focused on cheap pops with ECW originals far beyond their prime. Bubba Ray Dudley's role was especially unnecessary.

Still, the one-night event style worked to make this show feel different from its peers and honestly make better use of its venue than other recent NXT live events outside the Performance Center.

The crowd played a huge role in delivering the energy, and the future of NXT continues to look very bright.

Hopefully, the nostalgia appearances will be kept to a minimum on the road to Deadline.

Overall Grade: B-