NXT Stand & Deliver Preview: WrestleMania Weekend is Here

Ladies and Gentlemen, the blog title says it all. We’re here. It’s WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas. We’re in store for 2 action packed days watching the best of the best in WWE perform and the landscape of sports entertainment changing forever. Before Night 1 of WrestleMania kicks off on Saturday, NXT’s Stand & Deliver will be taking place at 1 PM EST on Saturday afternoon. For those unfamiliar, NXT is WWE’s developmental show normally featuring young talent who are on the cusp of making it to the main roster. Some of the best wrestling of the weekend will be at Stand & Deliver and it’s a nice appetizer for WrestleMania. Here is the card and everything you need to know.

 WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship No.1 Contenders Match: Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade vs. Meta-Four vs. Fatal Influence vs. Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley

A theme of this preview is going to be me talking about how good the NXT Women’s division is. There are 18 women competing on this card and all of them have main roster potential. As far as this match goes, you’ll see a blend of different styles. Lash Legend of Meta-Four has shown off her power consistently and teammate Jakara Jackson has the athleticism to take over a show. They are the most consistent group out of this bunch. Gigi & Tatum are solid, Fatal Influence are the perfect heels and Cora Jade teams with Roxanne Perez, who in my eyes is the best wrestler of the 8. She will be on RAW or Smackdown shortly. I think the Meta Girls get this done and challenge Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the Tag Belts.

NXT Tag Team Championship: Fraxiom vs. Hank & Tank

If you haven’t seen Fraxiom wrestle, buckle up. They are arguably the best tag team in WWE and should’ve been on the main roster months ago. They are jaw dropping in the ring and you can’t look away. Hank & Tank have gone through the wringer in recent weeks. They got on a bit of losing skid but were able to get a massive win this past week on NXT in a gauntlet match to punch their tickets to Stand & Deliver. Fraxiom is the better team but I’m going with Hank & Tank. They have been built up as a struggling duo the past few weeks and after getting the big gauntlet win they are coming for the the gold and Fraxiom will (finally) go to RAW and instantly become title contenders on the flagship show.

The D’Angelo Family vs. DarkState

I’ll be honest, I don’t really care about this match. DarkState is a group of misfits who haven’t really gained much traction in WWE as singles competitors. Now, they’ve teamed up and caused chaos ambushing talent over the past few weeks. There seems to be some sort of fraction in the D’Angelo family between boss Tony and his right-hand man Lorenzo. DarkState will win to strengthen their stance as the “bad guys”. If there is a match to skip it’s probably this one but I could be pleasantly surprised.

NXT North American Championship: Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page

Two former AEW wrestlers who are both all around solid. Saints has bursted onto the scene since he signed with WWE. Ethan Page has filled the villain role perfectly during his time in NXT and earned a title match after beating Wes Lee, Eddy Thorpe, and Lexis King in a Fatal-4-Way match. These two have history and this is Saints’ first Premium Live Event with WWE. They are bound to put on a show and Saints will retain his gold.

NXT Women’s North American Championship Ladder Match: ZARIA vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Izzi Dame vs. Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Thea Hail

If you are only going to watch one match on the card, make it this one. Nothing embodies what NXT is more than this 6-women ladder match. NXT’s Women’s division drives their show and rightfully so. Sol Ruca is on the doorstep of getting called up to the main roster. She has superior athleticism and charisma. Her tag-team partner isn’t far behind. ZARIA has elite power to go up against any wrestler. Kelani Jordan is a former North American champion who comes in with a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Thea Hail just returned this past week to NXT after months off-screen and has all the tools to be a champion in WWE for a long time. Izzi Dame is part of The Culling who are looking to add some gold to their group. All that information about the wrestlers aside, just sit back and watch. The athleticism and risk taking are next level. This could be anyone’s match but I’ll take Thea Hail. 

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Guilia vs. Jaida Parker vs. Jordynne Grace

As good as the six women I mentioned before are, you could argue these four are even better (I wouldn’t argue that, but a lot would). Stephanie Vaquer recently beat Gulia for the belt. Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace have been going after each other for weeks. Both possess extreme power and not many women can do what they do in the ring. What’s intriguing about this match is you can make a case for all 4 of these women to win. Vaquer’s reign has been short but productive and really deserves to hold on, Gulia regaining the belt so quick would be a kind of swerve that at least I wouldn’t be expecting. Jordynne Grace signed a big contract recently and pushing her as the “the next big thing” could be beneficial, and Jaida Parker has been on a rocket ship recently and is ready to be the face of a brand like NXT. It’ll be a great match that I think ultimately Vaquer wins.

NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi vs. Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans

The final match on the card. The most prestigious championship in NXT. If you haven’t seen Oba Femi, he is an absolute monster. He’s listed at 6’6, 310 pounds, he threw Shot Put at Alabama and won multiple national titles there. Trick Williams is the definition of aura. He has one of the best entrances in all of WWE and the crowd loves him. He is a former two-time NXT Champion. Je’von Evans is knocking on the door of superstardom. He is 20 years old which is absolutely insane to be that young in this spot. He is phenomenal in the ring and has gotten better each week on the microphone. I don’t think Trick wins this match. Samoa Joe is the only wrestler I can recall that has won the NXT title 3 different times and I just feel like Trick has done all that he can do at NXT and will be joining the main roster soon. So the question really becomes: Femi or Evans. Im going with Oba. I think we see a pretty long reign for “The Ruler”. Evans is going to shine in this match and will continue to shine on NXT. His time will come but it won’t be this weekend.

If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading. I’ll have Night 1 & 2 WrestleMania previews dropping soon as well. For WWE fans, this weekend is our Super Bowl. I love basketball and will be watching the NBA playoffs all weekend but I’d be lying if I told you this wasn’t going on the main TV.  Feel free to comment/message with predictions and thoughts of your own. Let’s have a weekend!

X- @PaulyGroove

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