Before we begin proceedings, I want to praise the Master and Ruler of the World. I forgot yesterday to offer my condolences to someone who greatly influenced my wrestling fan base in the mid to late 1990s. Whether you call him Vicious, Justice, or Sycho, Sid Eudy really put a dent in the WWF when he returned as Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard before becoming champion himself. He was (no pun intended) one of the catalysts for change that brought about the Attitude Era when fans accepted his brand of… justice. And even now, that theme song rocks.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest and show my respect. Now, as far as NXT goes, let’s get to the main storyline going through the area right now: Joe Hendry vs. Ethan Page. Last week I said that Joe is so hot right now. Thanks to the way NXT has booked him and his talents, Joe is not only fighting for the NXT Championship at No mercybut he’s probably the most popular wrestler on the brand. AND HE DOESN’T EVEN GET HERE!
That is not exactly easy to achieve. So the black and yellow brand followed up with a Joe concert And Inserting NXTs other Hot potato in the title fight: Trick Williams. That’s what fascinates me and why I’m writing all this. In just a few weeks, Joe Hendry’s star has overshadowed Trick. That’s not an insult to Trick, but a compliment to the man who tells us to believe in it.
This also keeps Trick close to the championship without getting his hands on it, although I wonder if he’ll be refereeing this strictly down the middle. Joe promised him a championship match, so why not make sure Joe walks away with the title? That seems to be the thinking behind throwing Trick Willy into the mix when he already has his hands full with Pete Dunne.
It would not surprise me if Pete gets involved in No mercy‘s main event because of trickery, which could lead to shenanigans that could potentially give Joe Hendry the title. That sounds ridiculous, right? It’s impossible for a TNA wrestler to win the NXT title. But they’re doing so much to make me believe it’s possible. I believe in Joe Hendry because he’s having a moment right now.
The biggest sign of this moment? Trick Williams is now the second biggest attraction at a men’s event and a massage.
Believe that.
B-Sides
Distractions
Wendy Choo is hot on Kelani Jordan’s heels this week, both literally and figuratively. She took it to a new level by putting Rosemary (!) in front of the North American Champion for a short but entertaining match designed to unsettle Kelani. Vic Joseph and Booker T did a great job of selling Rosemary to the uninitiated, explaining why she was a threat while Rosemary’s entrance reinforced those words. I was intrigued by Wendy’s intentions. It didn’t seem like she wanted Rosemary to pull the typical wrestling cliche of softening Kelani up; Wendy wanted a distraction. These were mind games and Kelani looks completely out of place. This is a great opportunity for a new champion to get his footing because it gives him more than a challenge. Kelani barely defeated Rosemary (and it’s never a shame to lose to the champion like that), but it kept her focused on her right hand while her left did the work.
Rosemary knew she wasn’t there to win, just to distract. Mission accomplished. I usually enjoy these kinds of feuds because they usually develop the character. Kelani is still growing, so let’s hope this feud with Wendy, a fully developed personality, is another building block on her journey to figuring it all out.
Punching
Look, I don’t use many words here because actions speak louder. And in this case, Jaida Parker’s actions spoke at a volume usually reserved for concerts. Props to Roxanne for taking that slap like a G because it sounded and felt powerful.
Aside from the flattery about violence, we got some information about Jaida. Luckily, unlike Lola Vice, they didn’t give away her personality. She talked about her soccer skills, her journey through NXT and gave a new interpretation of one of my favorite sayings. Jay-Z’s sayings: She’s not a soccer player who became a WWE Superstar, she’s a WWE Superstar who needed Play football. My Aquarius colleague said all this with the same harshness that she has shown since day zero, which only benefited the segment.
Then came the moment with Roxanne, followed by intrigue. Who did Jaida see on camera? Was it NXT Anonymous? Will we find out? Will it even matter? Stay tuned (hopefully) for those answers and more. Same NXT time. Same NXT channel.
Single
- The Family gave it their all in a mixed tag match against No Quarter Catch Crew. But the bigger story was a couple of cats who forced Tony D’Angelo out of the arena. It turns out Oba Femi had taken up residence in Tony’s room at THE restaurant. Much like his feud with Ilya Dragunov, The Don thinks he can show the world that Oba Femi is mortal. Oba disagrees. We’ll find out on Sunday. The mutual respect aspect between two very bad men always works.
- Fatal Influence defeated Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend. Why? Well, we need to build up Fatal Influence for one thing. But also the story of Meta-Four being a little helpless without Noam Dar needs to continue. How do they get out of this tailspin? Maybe Oro Mensah’s feud with Lexis King will help. It just got personal between the two when they talked about father figures, or lack thereof.
- Joe Coffey and Je’Von Evans put on an incredible competition. think This could be the start of a nice fight between the two, as the other Gallus guys have stepped in. Je’Von is legitimately upset that he lost, so I expect they’ll do this again at least one more time.
- Speaking of personal, Zach Wentz & Wes Lee sounded like two guys who a lot this week. But it was mainly about Wes believing he was at the top of the food chain and Zach wasn’t. In fact, Zach is just a TNA wrestlers. The only problem I have with it is that “TNA wrestler” is used pejoratively, while NXT has Rosemary and Jordynne Grace and Joe Hendry is, well, Joe Hendry. I understand why Wes said that, but it undermines what’s happening at the top of the card and elsewhere in the territory. Unless, of course, Zach wins.
For a taped go-home episode, this was a fun two hours where the stakes were stacked on top of each other. The championship game has multiple storylines as Jaida and Roxanne ramped up the intensity. This was just a fun two hours that did exactly what it needed to while hinting at a few things that happened afterward.No mercy.
How are you guys? Food for thought: Are any of the TNA wrestlers going home with Ws? No mercy?
