Will Oba Femi have a short NXT title run?
The 2024 Iron Survivor winner rang in the new year by beating Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe to win the NXT Championship. But that was the easy part. Being a champion means that you have to be ready 24/7, but unfortunately for Femi, he had his guard down last week. That allowed Thorpe to take advantage of the new champion and he left Femi beaten, battered, and broken.
The two have never seen eye-to-eye. Thorpe originally blamed Femi for his backstage “attack”. Femi returned the favor by actually assaulting him backstage following a segment where Thorpe left him lying in the ring. Though Eddy has yet to win a belt in NXT, the 34-year-old has shown to be a very crafty and smart wrestler in the past few months. He may not have power on his side, but as showcased in last week’s beatdown, you don’t need power to take down the big man. Can Eddy Thorpe pull off a shocking win by beating Oba Femi tonight?
In the second championship match of the evening, Tony D’Angelo is scheduled to face Ridge Holland. The challenger has been coming after D’Angelo for months. Holland feels that he’s better than the current North American Champion, but Tony D’Angelo is no slouch in the ring. Since beating Oba Femi, Tony has successfully defended his belt against Shawn Spears, Ethan Page, and Nunzio. The North American Champion may not be the flashiest wrestler in the locker room, but Tony D’Angelo knows how to get the job done. Will he be able add Ridge Holland’s name to the list?
Also, WWE and TNA confirmed their exciting new partnership last week. Several names such as Cora Jade, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, and NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom made surprise appearances at Genesis; how many TNA names will make their way over to the developmental brand? It’s already been confirmed that future WWE Hall of Famers Matt and Jeff Hardy will have an in-ring segment on tonight’s show, possibly gearing up for a potential match against the NXT Tag Team Champions some time soon.
Check out the confirmed line-up for tonight’s NXT show:
- Oba Femi vs. Eddy Thorpe for the NXT Championship
- Tony D’Angelo vs. Ridge Holland for the NXT North American Championship
- Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey for the NXT Heritage Cup