WWE NXT certainly left a lasting impression with its first-ever episode on the CW Network.
October 1st officially marked a new era for the third brand as NXT debuted on CW and will remain on the network for at least the next 5 years as part of the new media rights deal. With a new NXT logo leaked ahead of time, the opening titles confirmed the new look along with the new theme song Millions From Now by Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz.
Shawn Michaels kicked off the show and officially marked the new era with updated title designs for the top Men’s and Women’s Championships. Later joined by Triple H, the two hyped up the crowd for the first match, which saw NXT Women’s Champion put the title on the line against recent signee Giulia.
Although many anticipated a title change, the result was the most shocking of the night as a returning Cora Jade helped her former rival retain the title against Giulia, which was also the former World of Stardom Champion’s first defeat in NXT. Jade had been sidelined for almost a year with a torn ACL.
While Perez was able to walk out of Chicago with her updated championship, the same could not be said for Ethan Page, who put his title on the line against Trick Williams in the main event with CM Punk acting as the special guest referee. Despite the fact that Page hit a GTS onto Williams in front of the referee, it was Williams’s night once again as he hit the Trick Shot to become a 2-time champion. Adding insult to injury, Page was also hit with the GTS by Punk as Williams continued to celebrate.
What Else Happened On WWE NXT?
With a number of guest appearances on the premiere episode, Wes Lee and TNA star Zach Wentz brought their rivalry to an end in a street fight that saw the former North American Champion prevail over his former tag team partner.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were also in attendance to come to the aid of Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan, who was called out by Fatal Influence after they defeated Jaida Parker and Lola Vice. It was later announced that Belair and Cargill would team with Jordan to take on Fatal Influence on the October 8th show.
Additionally, North American Champion Oba Femi and challenger Tony D’Angelo appeared on Miz TV to hype up the title match the following week.
Randy Orton will also be in action on the October 8th episode and will face off against Je’Von Evans in a first-time-ever match.
After the show went off the air, CM Punk had one more surprise for NXT fans.