Wrestlemania weekend kicks off with NXT Stand and Deliver

Wrestlemania weekend kicked off with a bang as the guys and gals of NXT showed off in front of a raucous Philadelphia crowd. The main event was iconic as Trick Willams and Carmello Hayes were the first two African American men to main event a NXT PLE . Also NXT set a new record. The announced crowd inside of Wells Fargo Center was 16,545, the largest crowd in the brand’s history.

NXT Tag Team Championship match: Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker (c) vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer

Axiom and Frazer started the match before the champions even got in the ring, flying high to take out Breakker and Corbin before the bell rang. The size difference came into plat and it wasn’t long before the champs took control of the match. Axiom and Frazer were able to capitalize on misses from the champions, but couldn’t secure the pin. Breakker would sneak in a powerful spear on Frazer to set up Corbin for the pin and retain the tag team titles.

NXT North American Championship match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs

It was a true battle of the behemoths as three of NXT’s largest superstars. Each man in this match showed off their athleticism by displaying amazing acts of strength and different move sets. There were several great spots in the match, mainly from Femi picking up all of the stars on his shoulders and throwing them down in a move that wowed the crowd. Dijak looked like he was going to get the pin off Femi, but Briggs pulled the referee out of the ring just before the count reached three. Dijak then went for the pin on Briggs, but Femi came in and slammed Dijak on top of Briggs and secured the pin to retain the title in a match that displayed all sorts of power. 

Thea Hail, Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan vs. Jacy Jayne, Kiana James and Izzy Dame

Another match that started before the bell even rang, Jayne, James and Dame attacked their opponents before the bell rang. The fans finally got the Jayne and Hail faceoff that caused this match in the first place.  Dame tried to sneak an attack on Hail, but Hail countered with a beautiful arm lock to get Dame to tap out for the win. 

NXT Women's Championship match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez targeted Valkyria’s injured left shoulder and she went after it often. Tatum Paxley tried to come to the aid of Valkyria, but it was unsuccessful and that’s when the challenger really went to finish it off. It took a few tries, but Perez was finally able to get Valkyria to submit for the win. Perez's long journey back to the NXT title was successful even going on full heel mode.

NXT Championship match: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Tony D'Angelo

D’Angelo went after Dragunov’s injured right hand; anytime the champion went on the offensive, the sting of his hand would kill any momentum. D’Angelo landed a few blows inside the ring, but Dragunov was unfazed. He got the challenger down and landed a second H-Bomb, this time off the top rope, to seal the victory. The two stars showed respect for each other after the bell rang and the crowd gave an ovation for each competitor. 

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams

The crowd erupted to the “Whoop that Trick” chants as Williams made his entrance. Trick Williams is starting to establish himself as one of the biggest young stars in the WWE. It didn’t take long for the match to escalate outside of the ring and into the crowd, with both stars trading shots at each other. The match got back into the ring, and the intensity never toned itself down. Hayes was extremely effective with his heel tactics. Williams tried to corner Hayes, but he moved the referee in his place and knocked out the official. With no referee in sight, Hayes brought out the chair. Hayes landed a Nothing But Net. Williams kicked out. Hayes tried using the chair again, but the referee stopped it. It gave Williams enough time to land a spinning leg kick, get the pin and finish the event with the crowd chanting for him as he celebrated the victory.