WWE NXT Vengeance Day 2024 Predictions: Wrestling Inc. Picks The Winners
Valentine's Day might be all about love and romance, but that's still two weeks away. On February 4, at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, the "WWE NXT" brand presents Vengeance Day, the final "NXT" premium live event before Stand & Deliver on WrestleMania weekend. The headlining match features "NXT" Champion Ilja Dragunov defending his title against the Iron Survivor, Trick Williams — but that won't be Trick's only match of the evening.
Williams will also compete in the finals of the 2024 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, where he and his partner, Carmelo Hayes, will take on the formidable team of Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin. The winners get a shot at the "NXT" Tag Team Championship, even as Breakker is contemplating main roster contracts and the friendship between Hayes and Williams hangs on a thread. The tag titles aren't on the line at Vengeance Day — though champions Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, along with fellow Family member Adriana Rizzo, will face Bronco Nima, Lucien Price, and Jaida Parker of OTM — but the women's title and the North American title are, with Lyra Valkyria defending against former champion Roxanne Perez while Oba Femi makes his first defense against the man he beat for the championship, Dragon Lee. A No Disqualification match between Joe Gacy and Dijak rounds out the card, and most importantly, Chase U calendars should go on sale at some point during the show.
So who does the WINC staff think is going to win each of these matches? The answer to that question lies here, in our Vengeance Day picks. And remember, we're actually keeping track of our successes and failures this year, so make sure you're following along if you want to mock us relentlessly (though we did get three out of four correct at the Royal Rumble). Now, on to the picks!
No Disqualification: Dijak (92.8%)
Ever since the end of The Schism following the releases of "The Dyad," Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler, former faction leader Joe Gacy has been without a purpose on "NXT." That is, until he messed with one of the toughest guys on the roster. On an episode of "NXT" at the beginning of January, Gacy was on commentary during a match when Dijak took on Trey Bearhill. Dijak got in Gacy's face and knocked off his headphones at one point during the bout. Following the match, Gacy got in the ring and attacked Dijak, causing the latter to come unhinged. That sheer aggression in Dijak is why a whopping 92.8% of us here at WINC think there's no hope for Gacy at Vengeance Day and Dijak will get the victory.
What helped in many of our decisions to go with Dijak over Gacy was the added stipulation that came from the Vengeance Day go-home show on Tuesday. Dijak and Gacy met face-to-face backstage and began brawling throughout the night. The fight culminated in Dijak throwing the former Schism leader from the top of a truck into a dumpster. When "NXT" General Manager Ava gave Dijak a talking to and threatened him with suspension later on in the night, Dijak demanded a No Disqualification match at the premium live event. Gacy, popping up from the dumpster covered in trash, gladly accepted. While there's no question that Gacy is completely unhinged these days, he's no match for Dijak's size and power... especially when the former T-BAR is angry and ready for retribution.
Written by Daisy Ruth
Six-Person Mixed Tag: The Family (85.7%)
This one may have gotten personal following Out The Mud's unsuccessful challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championships in early January, resulting in all of Lucien Price, Bronco Nima, and Jaida Parker (along with SCRYPTS, of course) feuding all month with Tony D'Angelo, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, and Adriana Rizzo, but our collective prediction states emphatically that we see The Family coming out on top.
The two of us in the minority may have reasoned that an OTM win in this match would set up another shot at the tag team titles for Price and Nima, but perhaps this is more about showcasing the two ladies added to these factions, who have provided each a new dynamic, than it is about elevating a tag team like OTM, who are still relatively new to the scene. Instead, the consensus here sees the champs going over, setting up a showdown against whichever team comes away with the Dusty Cup.
Seeing the women involved in this one is something to look forward to as we haven't seen much of either to this point. Rizzo's only televised in-ring action was in the NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender's Battle Royal, while Parker competed in that match, as well as a first round loss to Karmen Petrovic in the NXT Breakout Tournament, and a pair of appearances on "NXT Level Up." What factor SCRYPTS ends up playing here is also something to watch, at least in terms of the numbers game, but some might also argue that Parker's presence for OTM may threaten the former Reggie's long-term security as the faction's mouthpiece. It's highly likely he goes flying through the air at some point in this one either way.
Written by Jon Jordan
NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (100%)
The story of Oba Femi and Dragon Lee seems to mirror that of the mythological David vs. Goliath. In this case, though, the chances of an underdog victory are obsolete, as 100% of Wrestling Inc. staff have predicted Oba Femi to successfully defend his "WWE NXT" North American Championship against Lee at "NXT" Vengeance Day.
Femi's "NXT" journey has accelerated rather quickly, beginning with his dominant performance in the 2023 "NXT" Men's Breakout Tournament. After outlasting seven other men in the tournament, Femi was rewarded with a contract for an "NXT" title match of his choosing. With "NXT" North American Champion Dragon Lee coming off a fresh title defense against Lexis King on the January 9 episode of "NXT," Femi immediately charged down to the ringside to invoke his title shot. Despite his admirable fighting spirit, Lee was subsequently squashed by Femi, leading the title to change hands.
In addition to Femi's overwhelming sense of strength, Lee's obligations to "WWE SmackDown" are another factor to consider heading into this title match. Following Lee's "SmackDown" debut in October, a report (via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter) stated that the luchador had signed a main roster contract, indicating that he was expected to be a part of the blue brand's programming moving forward. However, an untimely injury to Wes Lee would prompt Dragon Lee to return to "NXT" ahead of the Deadline premium live event, where he stepped in to challenge, and ultimately defeat, Dominik Mysterio for the "NXT" North American Championship.
With the "NXT" North American Championship now off Dragon Lee's waist, Vengeance Day seems like the most logical setting for him to conclude his brief "NXT" return before he resumes his duties on WWE's main roster.
Written by Ella Jay
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final: Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin (57.1%)
The WINC team is almost split when it comes to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, which will pit the "Wolf Dogs" of Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin against Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, the latter of whom will be pulling double-duty on Vengeance Day. It may be due to the seemingly never-ending tension between Hayes and Williams, but a little over half of us, 57.1%, are going with the Wolf Dogs. That could be partially because Corbin and Breakker seem to be more on the same page after Breakker's impressive performance in the Royal Rumble. On the go-home episode of "NXT," Corbin seemed to be more in on the team and more confident than ever, even using Breakker's nickname for their duo that he previously shrugged off.
The drama between Williams and Hayes does come to mind in our predictions, especially with Williams' "NXT" Championship match against Ilja Dragunov more than likely set to be the main event of the show. As seen further on in our predictions, none of us have much faith in Williams for Vengeance Day, with a potential feud on the horizon for him and (soon-to-be former?) best friend Hayes, possibly ahead of an official main roster call-up for the former "NXT" Champion, who has already been making appearances on not only "WWE SmackDown," but in the Royal Rumble match himself. It's highly possible that Williams and Hayes losing the "Dusty Classic" toward the beginning of the show could have implications later on, furthering the story between the two. These are the reasons that 57.1% of us expect Breakker and Corin to take this one.
Written by Daisy Ruth
WWE NXT Women's Championship: Lyra Valkyria (57.1%)
As she continues to tiptoe the line between babyface and heel, Roxanne Perez has displayed an increased sense of aggression toward her opponents and on the microphone. However, it may not be enough to overcome the resilient "WWE NXT" Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria, who defeated future WWE Hall of Famer Becky Lynch to win the title in October.
According to a survey raised to Wrestling Inc. staff, 57.1% percent of voters believe that Valkyria will retain the "NXT" Women's Championship in her upcoming title match against Perez at "NXT" Vengeance Day. After winning a 20-woman battle royal to earn this title opportunity, Perez emphasized that she is not the same competitor she was a year ago, asserting that she is no longer "just happy to be here." Perez feels that she is now reinvigorated (and coming with avengeance), with a specific aim of reclaiming the very title she technically never lost. Standing in her way, though, are a few notable obstacles.
Given that "NXT" already saw four rather short title reigns in 2023, it seems rather counterproductive for the brand to continue this trend by having Valkyria drop the "NXT" Women's Championship just over three months into her reign. A loss in this title match may also prove to be more beneficial for Perez as it could potentially lead to a full-blown heel turn, and spark an intriguing rematch at "NXT"'s biggest event of the year — Stand & Deliver.
Another factor to consider is the ever-growing clinginess and unpredictability of Tatum Paxley, who has become glaringly fixated on Valkyria to the point where she mercilessly planted Perez through a table. As her obsession with Valkyria continues to intensify, it is almost expected that Paxley will insert herself into this title match in some capacity, leaving Perez to likely fend off not one, but two adversaries.
Written by Ella Jay
NXT Championship: Ilja Dragunov (85.7%)
Trick Williams has been waiting for his shot at Ilja Dragunov since winning the Iron Survivor Challenge at WWE NXT No Mercy in December. However, with Williams pulling double duty on Sunday night, the vast majority of the Wrestling Inc. staff has concluded that Dragunov will retain the "WWE NXT" Championship.
Dragunov has held the "NXT" Championship since WWE NXT No Mercy last September. With Williams already dipping his toes in the main roster, it seems likely that the champion will continue holding the title into WWE WrestleMania season. Since winning, Dragunov has only defended the title three times, and we feel as though the Russian-born wrestler has more to give in terms of in-ring performances. While Dragunov almost certainly has a bright future on the main roster, his time hasn't come yet.
Additionally, over the last year, Dragunov and Williams have met in singles action two times, with Dragunov walking away victorious in both contests. While it would be nice to see Williams get a win over the villain, wrestling in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic just a short time before his "NXT" Championship match just seems like it will be too much to overcome. While our staff is relatively split on the idea of Williams and Carmelo Hayes winning the tag tournament, it's going to be a much taller mountain for Williams to climb if he wants to win the "NXT" title.
Written by Nick Miller