NXT Stand & Deliver looks to deliver an epic day of match-ups, and that will include plenty of gold on the line. Carmelo Hayes will be one of those looking to defend his title at the event, as the current North American Champion will be defending his Championship in a Ladder Match against four other competitors. During tonight’s NXT it was Roderick Strong vs Solo Sikoa vying for their chance to enter that contest, and both brought out everything they had in a thrilling opening battle. After some near falls and brutal offense from both competitors, Sikoa was the last man standing, and now he takes the next slot in the Ladder Match next week.
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Sikoa joins Santos Escobar and Hayes in the match, and Escobar even came out to take a look at the competition during tonight’s match. Hayes and Trick Williams were also on hand to check out the match, and you can probably expect them to be on commentary for the final two slots as well.
Later in the night, it was A-Kid and Grayson Waller taking each other on for the right to be in the Ladder Match, and A-Kid struck first, putting Waller on his heels early. They locked up and A-Kid showed off his impressive arsenal, throwing Waller towards the other side of the ring. He then hit a dizzying series of maneuvers but Waller slammed him into the ropes to halt his momentum.
Waller hit a big kick to A-Kid’s face, but then A-Kid almost pinned him twice before he got knocked over with a kick to the face by Waller. A-Kid kicked out of the pin attempt, and then he countered a move by Waller and hit a dropkick to the head of Waller. Then he countered a move into a submission but Waller got to his feet. Then A-Kid got Waller into a Guillotine but Waller countered and put a stop to the offense. Waller then slammed A-Kid down and got just enough to get the pin and the win.
Waller now takes the next slot in the match, which includes Hayes, Escobar, and Sikoa. There’s only one slot remaining, but Hayes fixed that after the match. Hayes then announced a Triple Threat qualifying match for the final spot, which would include Cameron Grimes, Roderick Strong, and A-Kid. Hayes then told him he might be A-Kid but he won’t ever be a ChamPion, and Trick Williams threatened A-Kid only to get a huge kick to the face from A-Kid before heading out of the ring.
We’ll have to see who makes the cut, but A-Kid has all the momentum coming into this, so he seems like the best person to get into the mix. He might not win the North American Championship, but he would be a great person to feature during the lead-up to the throwdown.
Who should be the last entrant in the Ladder Match? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
