Generation NXT - NXT recap for April 16, 2024

Noam Dar beats Dijak following the distraction by Oro Mensah.

Backstage, General Manager Ava is met by Ilja Dragunov. Ava proposes a match, but she lets Dragunov pick the opponent. Dragunov asks Ava to let the locker room that whoever wants to stand toe to toe with him will face him tonight.

We see a vignette for Tatum Paxley, who says that no matter how good she is, nobody wants to play with girls like her. She says the cool kids did not want to play with her, but she made them, then makes it known she wants the NXT Women's Championship. She says she loved Lyra Valkyria because she was the closest to good and wanted to be with her, but she lost the NXT Women's Championship and broke her heart. She then says that Lyra is nothing to her now. Tatum then says that Roxanne Perez is the coolest girl in the class, but she cannot have that anymore, and that needs to be her. She then proclaims that Roxanne is in her way.

Lola Vice beats Sol Ruca after Sol Ruca is tripped off the top rope by Blair Davenport. After the match, Natalya shows up on the TitanTron and tells Lola Vice that in two weeks, she will face her on her own turf and put her to the test in response to costing her a championship, and announces that it will be in NXT Underground.

In footage from yesterday from NXT Anonymous, Ridge Holland is seen meeting with General Manager Ava when Joaquin Wilde confronts Ridge. Ridge briefly pins Wilde to the wall, then leaves when Ava tells Ridge to stop.

We see Arianna Grace, who meets with Gigi Dolin for dress shopping. Gigi wants to play it safe and go with basic black, but Adrianna Grace opts towards more colorful clothing and says Gigi will be looking like her in no time.

Ridge Holland beats Joaquin Wilde. Shawn Spears shows up to watch later in the match.

Backstage, Josh Briggs finds out from the doctor that he has to take it easy with his ribs. Ivar shows up and tells Briggs to take it easy and wait until he is champion so he can get the first shot, but Briggs is not in the mood to wait and tells Ivar to put his war paint on so they can decide who faces Oba Femi first tonight.

We see TikTok footage of Brinley Reece training with Malik Blade and Edris Enofé. Enofé does not like his chances with the Authors of Pain, but Malik says they just have to believe.

Backstage, Thea Hail is met by Andre Chase, and the two of them talk about Jacy Jayne's recent revelations. Chase says that he decided to risk it all when he had faith that Thea Hail could beat Tiffany Stratton, but after seeing her suffer, he just wanted her to be okay. He says that his heart was and always will be in the corner of Thea Hail, and Thea apologizes to Chase for doubting him.

The D'Angelo Family (Tony D'Angelo, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Arianne Rizzo, Luca Crusifino) heads to the ring. Tony D'Angelo says that when he and Stacks lost the NXT tag team titles, he said it was time for rapid growth in the family, and while he is not NXT Champion, he is doing better than he was a year ago. He says he went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest men in NXT history in Ilja Dragunov, and it was one of the hardest fights he ever went through. He says that while he did not win, it was all about toughness. No Quarter Catch Crew (Charlie Dempsey, Damon Kemp, Myles Borne) suddenly shows up, and Charlie Dempsey confronts D'Angelo for airing their business. D'Angelo says Dempsey came to his family to take care of one of his own, and D'Angelo tells Dempsey not to mention any specifics before asking where his money is. Luca Crusifino gives Dempsey the option of handling the debt or having the family handle it their way, and D'Angelo says that the family lives by a code that cannot be betrayed before saying that the Heritage Cup looks pretty nice. Dempsey says the Heritage Cup represents talent and history, and should not be held by a two-bit gangster in wrestling boots. This soon leads to a brawl between both sides.

Ilja Dragunov enters the ring, and soon, the entire locker room shows up and fights over who faces Dragunov. All of a sudden, Je'Von Evans shows up on the other side of the ring, jumps over Dragunov and answers the open challenge.

Ilja Dragunov beats Je'Von Evans in an open challenge match.

Backstage, Kelly Kincaid interviews Karmen Petrovic, who plans on training Natalya for her NXT Underground match when Lola Vice shows up and says that Natalya cannot handle her heat, especially after she and Natalya see who she has in her corner.

Backstage, Sol Ruca meets with General Manager Ava regarding Blair Davenport, saying she wants her in a no-disqualification match at Spring Breakin' and that she will not stop until Blair has to be carried out of the ring.

Tatum Paxley beats Thea Hail after Jasmyn Nyx distracts Thea and Jacy Jayne trips Thea off the ropes as she goes for a moonsault. After the match, Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne brawl, and both women have to be held back. As this goes on, Lyra Valkyria suddenly shows up and attacks Tatum Paxley in the ring.

Backstage, Roxanne Perez says that Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley can destroy each other for all she cares while she takes entertainment in and gives a title match to who comes out of it. As Roxanne asks why General Manager Ava complains about her job, Ava shows up and puts Lyra, Tatum and Roxanne in a Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship at Spring Breakin'.

The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) beat Malik Blade and Edris Enofé. After the match, Nathan Frazer and Axiom show up surrounded by referees to confront AOP.

Arianna Grace and Gigi Dolin go dress shopping. Adrianna finds a jade green dress, and Gigi gets the idea to make the dress her own, both figuratively and literally.

Ivar beats Josh Briggs.

Backstage, Kelly Kincaid interviews Oba Femi, who simply finds Ivar's victory "interesting." On his way out of the locker room, Oba Femi hits Oro Mensah in the forehead with a door again.

We see a video package of the events leading up to Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes in a steel cage match.

Backstage, Kelly Kincaid interviews Carmelo Hayes, who tells Trick Williams that it is not over until he says it is and that he will make sure Trick does make it out of the steel cage as he takes everything from him.

Trick Williams beats Carmelo Hayes in a steel cage match. During the match, members of Carmelo Hayes' personal security try to get in the cage, and one of them succeeds while also bringing in a metal folding chair. Trick takes out that member of Carmelo's security, but Carmelo gets his hands on the chair. Carmelo swings at Trick, but Trick ducks and hits a jumping knee that knocks the chair into Carmelo's head, earning him the victory. After the match, Ilja Dragunov shows up on the balcony, and he and Trick have a staredown.

Here are the top ten moments from tonight's show!