WWE NXT Vengeance Day and AEW Grand Slam: Australia previews

So, next Saturday is another one of those great nights of wrestling, with two big shows happening on the same night. At first, I felt like NXT wanted to put on a show at the same time as Grand Slam to make AEW look bad and take even more fans away, but now, with the way both shows are scheduled, they’ll probably go back-to-back, with NXT serving as the lead-in to Grand Slam.

First, I want to say that I’m not a big fan of these 6 PM start times for WWE PLEs. It makes them feel like WWE just wants to get them over with as soon as possible to avoid competing with UFC and make WWE seem less important.

Also, I just want to take a minute to talk about Ricky Starks’ debut in NXT and how it could impact the PLE on Saturday. His debut was so well done—it caught everyone off guard, from the fans in attendance to those watching at home, and that’s all anyone is talking about. It’s a great start for a guy who should have been an upper-tier star in AEW. Now, it’s all about how they follow up with him because he has all the tools to become a major star in WWE. Considering how other former AEW wrestlers have found success, I don’t think they’ll drop the ball with him.

As for how I would use him at the PLE, why not align him with the new faction debuting on Saturday? This way, they get a strong worker and talker, and he gets involved in a big new storyline.

NXT Vengeance Day Preview

1. Triple Threat Match for the NXT Championship:
Oba Femi (c) vs. Grayson Waller vs. Austin Theory

This match will either be the opener or the main event, depending on whether they want to set up a big angle for Oba afterward. The main story here is the ongoing split between Waller and Theory. But in the end, this is just another match to make Oba look like a monster, and he’s coming out of the PLE still the NXT Champion.

Winner: Oba Femi

2. NXT Women’s North American Championship:
Fallon Henley (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer

This match will be a fun one and could go either way. But with the way they’ve teased Fatal Attraction getting involved and multiple women wanting a shot at the title, I see Fallon Henley retaining due to outside interference. This could set up a big ladder match for Stand & Deliver.

Winner: Fallon Henley

3. J’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page

Ethan Page is killing it with this new psycho heel character, and I think this match will further establish him. It’s going to be a really strong revenge match, and J’Von will pull off some great high-flying moves, but in the end, he’s not going to get his revenge on Page. In fact, I see Page taking him out and putting him on the shelf for a while.

Winner: Ethan Page

4. NXT Tag Team Championship Match:
Fraxiom (c) vs. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura

Fraxiom is one of the best tag teams in pro wrestling right now and will make their opponents look great. The fact that we don’t know much about Briggs and Inamura as a team makes me think they could pull off an upset and take the titles, even if only for a short reign.

Winners: Briggs & Inamura

5. Strap Match:
Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe

Who would have thought turning Thorpe heel would be the key to making him feel like a major deal in NXT? He’s fully embracing this unhinged heel persona, and this feud has done wonders for both guys. But the big project going into WrestleMania season is Trick’s redemption arc so that he earns a rematch against Femi at Stand & Deliver. To do that, he has to win this match—and he will, in one of the most violent matches on the show.

Winner: Trick Williams

6. Fatal Four-Way for the NXT Women’s Championship:
Giulia (c) vs. Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade

Depending on what happens with the NXT title match, this could easily be the main event and possibly the match of the night. This will be a great showcase for Giulia, who needs to look strong as champion. With Bayley heading back to the main roster and Roxanne likely getting called up, I think one of them will take the pin, giving Giulia a reason to move on to a feud with Cora.

Winner: Giulia

AEW Grand Slam Australia

1. AEW Women’s Championship Match:
Mariah May (c) vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm

While the storyline has some plot holes, it’s still one of the better feuds AEW has produced in the last two years, and this should be an incredible title match. I really hope AEW is smart enough to put this in the main event spot because I doubt anything else on the card will get as big of a fan reaction. As for the winner, I can’t see Toni not regaining her title on Saturday—they’ll want to end the show with a big moment, and this is the biggest one they have.

Winner: “Timeless” Toni Storm

2. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega vs. Kyle Fletcher & Takeshita

We all know how great Ospreay and Omega are, and they’ll do everything to make Fletcher and Takeshita look like a million bucks. In the end, I see Fletcher and Takeshita winning due to some dissension between Ospreay and Omega.

Winners: Fletcher & Takeshita

3. AEW Continental Championship Match:
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Buddy Matthews

Matthews is an incredible wrestler, and while he’s mainly on the card because he’s Australian, he can absolutely hang with Okada and deliver a fantastic match. While I’d love to see Matthews get his big moment in front of his home crowd, it’s not going to happen—Okada will find a way to retain.

Winner: Okada

4. Jay White & Cope vs. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli

Honestly, I have little interest in this match—it feels like a late 2010s WWE-style booking. But since AEW is putting everything behind the Death Riders to make them look like a bootleg version of the nWo, I see them beating the babyfaces and continuing this storyline.

Winners: Moxley & Claudio

5. AEW TBS Championship Match:
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Hayley Cameron

This could be a breakout moment for Cameron—she has all the tools to be a big star in AEW. But I fear she’s only in this match because she was getting over organically, and AEW might want to shut that down. I expect a competitive match, but I think Mercedes will do everything she can to make Cameron look bad. While I’d personally give the belt to Cameron and run with it, I see Mercedes retaining and continuing to bore fans with her outdated act.

Winner: Mercedes Moné

Final Thoughts

This will be an awesome night of wrestling for fans. Let’s be honest—AEW is lucky they aren’t airing Grand Slam in their normal timeslot because the show already has an uphill battle, being taped with spoilers likely leaking for nearly a full day. The last thing they needed was to go head-to-head with NXT, even if only for an hour. Because of this, both shows will get to shine without competing directly, and fans won’t have to choose which one to watch live.