NXT brought big show to Denver, and there was a title change to start off the night. That being said, the NXT North American Championship was quite a contest on the card. Oba Femi is a nasty champion, and he’s very brutal. The unforgiving Femi had a battle ahead of him against the Don of NXT.

At NXT No Mercy 2024, Oba Femi defended his NXT North American Championship in a singles match against Tony D’Angelo, who was accompanied by Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino, and Adriana Rizzo. Despite the numbers advantage favoring D’Angelo, Femi’s resilience and strength were on full display throughout the match. Femi managed to retain his title, overcoming both D’Angelo’s tactics and the potential interference from his entourage. The victory solidified Femi’s position as a formidable champion in NXT.

The buildup for this match was interesting to watch unfold. In July 2024, NXT Heritage Cup Champion Tony D’Angelo faced repeated interruptions from NXT North American Champion Oba Femi during his interviews. On the August 13 episode of NXT, D’Angelo lost the Heritage Cup to Charlie Dempsey, a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew. The following week, as Dempsey and his stablemates celebrated the victory, they were interrupted by Femi, who expressed interest in winning the Cup. D’Angelo then appeared, seemingly to ask for a rematch but instead provoked a brawl between his D’Angelo Family and the NQCC. D’Angelo and Femi later brawled, with D’Angelo gaining the upper hand. It was subsequently announced that Femi would defend his North American Championship against D’Angelo at No Mercy.

Oba Femi didn’t control this whole match as Tony D’Angelo powered through in the early goings of the contest. He wanted to show Oba Femi that he is a mortal man, and Oba sold a bit for The Family’s leader. Then Oba fired back with a throw and he prepared to attack.

Femi started abusing D’Angelo next, but he didn’t get the pinfall right away. Tony D wasn’t going to go down that easily. Oba nailed a Papa Shango shoulder breaker for a two count as well, and that was impressive power for both men involved.

They moved the action to the apron as The Family cheered on Tony D’Angelo. He hit a move on Femi on the apron, but he bounced back with even more fight when they got back in the ring. Oba got on Tony’s shoulders for an electric chair drop, but Oba bounced back again. He went outside and got a crowbar. The Family tried to stop Femi, but he laid them out. This created a distraction for Tony D to lay him out at ringside and then get him back in the ring for another near fall.

Tony D got out of a powerbomb attempt from Oba Femi, but he hit the second one. Then The Don kicked out of the powerbomb to shock fans in Denver. Finally, Oba Femi nailed a sit-down powerbomb to win the match. This was an impressive match for both competitors, but it also made it very clear that Oba Femi is still the NXT North American Champion for a reason.

September 1, 2024 8:42 pm