With a loaded lineup, WWE NXT premieres on The CW Network with tonight’s episode from Chicago.

Hometown hero CM Punk will be in the building to serve as the special guest referee for the NXT Championship match between Ethan Page and Trick Williams, who is looking to regain the title from Page and become a two-time champion.

To kick off NXT’s new era, the NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line in tonight’s opening match. Roxanne Perez is defending her title against Giulia — and Stephanie Vaquer has warned that she’ll be coming after whoever leaves tonight’s show as champion.

The Miz is set to make an appearance when he hosts a Miz TV segment with NXT North American Champion Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo tonight. Former best friends Wes Lee and Zachary Wentz are facing off in a street fight. Plus, Jaida Parker & Lola Vice will team up against two members of Fatal Influence.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

NXT is live from Chicago, and Shawn Michaels opens the show. With the hat he was wearing, he kind of looked like Skinner in a suit.

Shawn plays to the crowd and speaks into the house microphone. HBK goes on to unveil new NXT championship belts for the title matches tonight.

HBK says he has one question for us. Before he can say the line, the voice of Triple H interjects, “Are you ready?” Triple H gets into the ring and embraces HBK. They together ask, “Are you ready?!” Huge pop from the crowd, and we are ready for our first match.

NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez defeated Giulia to retain her title

Perez retains via pinfall after outside interference by the returning Cora Jade. Aside from losing the match, this was the best presentation of Giulia, and her character, since she debuted in NXT. Not sure about Giulia losing her first match, but that is very WWE.

They quickly exchange near falls early on. They wrestle to a stalemate, and they go nose-to-nose as the show cuts to a commercial break. After the show returns from the break, the match heats up even more.

The crowd really comes alive after a series of headbutts from Giulia. The action intensifies, and the crowd explodes into “N-X-T” chants when Perez sails through the ropes with a tope suicida. Giulia answers back with a super Northern Lights suplex and a bridge. Chain wrestling, and both counter their way into a crossface. They keep trading near falls.

Pop Rocks by Perez, but Giulia rolls outside the ring to avoid a pin. On the floor, Guilia gives Perez a Northern Lights. They tease a double count-out, and they both roll back just in time to break the count.

Perez gets the title belt, which is a red herring. That was to distract the referee. Suddenly, a hooded assailant attacks Giulia at ringside. The unknown attacker gives Giulia an Evenflow DDT on the floor. Giulia is rolled back into the ring, where Perez executes another Pop Rocks. Perez then covers Giulia for a pinfall. The attacker then reveals herself to be Cora Jade.

The arrival to the building from earlier today of CM Punk and Trick Williams is shown just before the show cuts to a commercial break.

NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier and Axiom are playing a WWE video game, and Frazier loses his temper. Axiom tries to tell him to keep his temper in check, both in the game and real life. This was both good and silly, especially since Axiom is wearing his mask while at home on a couch playing video games.

CM Punk talks with NXT GM Ava backstage about the title match later on, and Punk reassures her about the NXT title match having a definitive winner tonight. In walks Lexis King to get some advice from Punk.

A video package recaps the history between Wes Lee and Zachary Wentz, ahead of their street fight. Live in the arena, Lee makes his entrance pushing a shopping cart full of weapons as the show goes into a commercial break.

Jaida Parker and Lola Vice are warming up for their tag match. As they begin to bicker, in walks NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan trying to convince them they need each other. Parker and Vice storm off still at odds, and Jordan remarks she has another plan.

Wes Lee defeated Zachary Wentz in a street fight

Lee pinned Wentz in a brutal match. Lee attacks Wentz in the aisle before the bell, and the fight is on. They brawl at ringside, and weapons soon come into play. Wentz smashes Lee into the ring steps with a shopping cart. Chairs, kendo sticks, and a piece of plywood were shattered everywhere. Just before the show cuts to another commercial break, they both take a plunge through a plywood bridge set up at ringside.

Should be noted the days of split-screen commercial breaks on NXT are seemingly done. Fine by me. I like my commercial breaks the old fashioned way. Easier to ignore that way.

After the show returns from the break, Wentz goes coast-to-coast with a Van Terminator that smashes a trash can on Lee. Moments later, Lee takes a face-first bump on a chair. Wentz then hits Lee with repeated shots from the kendo stick. Trash can on the head of Lee, and he is smacked with the stick. Wentz delivers a senton bomb on the Lee with the can still trapped on Lee.

This was getting very brutal. It would quickly get worse when Wentz goes for a springboard. Lee shoves him off the top rope. Wentz was likely supposed to land on a table set up in the aisle. Wentz overshoots the table, and he takes a nasty bump on the floor.

More brutality and near falls. Lee wraps a chain around his hand, and Lee pummels Wentz with the chain. Wentz is seated in a chair as Lee gets on the middle rope. Lee wraps the chain around his knee, and Lee jumps off the rope on a seated Wentz. The chair beneath him craters from the meteora, and Lee pins Wentz.

MizTV with guests NXT North American Champion Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo

Miz is loudly booed. Femi enters looking even more like a superstar than usual. The live arena setting is so much better than the Performance Center. Out comes Tony D’Angelo, and he is flanked by The D’Angelo Family.

“The Don” is first to answer a question, and he gets the “what” treatment. On the other hand, the crowd chants along with Femi.

The crowd turns when D’Angelo says he grew up 20 minutes from the building on the streets of Chicago. The crowd chants for D’Angelo, while Femi says D’Angelo will never be North American Champion. Femi insists D’Angelo cannot beat him.

They get up from their chairs and they face off. D’Angelo says Femi is just a man, and Femi replies he is “inevitable” and D’Angelo is a broken man. Miz concludes the face-off by plugging their title match next week.

Cora Jade and NXT Women’s Champion have a confrontation backstage, where they tease joining forces again.

Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley with Jazmyn Nyz) defeated Lola Vice & Jaida Parker

Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan is at ringside for guest commentary alongside Vic Joseph and Booker T. This leads to them bickering about NIL athletes. Meanwhile, a tag match is going on.

The match goes through a commercial break. Parker & Vice argue just before the show cuts to commercials, which allows Henley to ambush Parker. When the show returns from the break, Vice is trapped in a body scissors. Clips from during the break show Vice getting rammed into a ring post.

The heels work over Vice. Double clothesline and a double down. Vice about to make the hot tag when Nyz distracts Parker. Henley sends Vice colliding into Parker. That upsets Parker, and she walks out on the match.

Vice is left alone with Fatal Influence, and Vice fires up. She is making her own comeback when Vice is cut off by a roaring elbow by Jayne. Her and Henley deliver stereo knee strikes on Vice, and Henley covers Vice for a three count.

After the match, Fatal Influence remain in the ring for a promo. Their win was a statement made, and Henley says they are setting their sights on the North American title. They call out Jordan, but Jordan says she did not come alone. Time for a surprise appearance.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargil get a full entrance, and they get in the ring to confront Fatal Influence. Jordan teams up with Belair & Cargill to clean house on Fatal Influence. The babyface trio stand tall.

An advertiser-sponsored video package hypes Randy Orton against Je’Von Evans for next Tuesday on NXT.

Another video package recaps the story leading to tonight’s main event.

CM Punk gets a full entrance and a big pop, as he enters for his role in the main event. He is wearing sleeveless referee shirt, along with a beaming smile.

A vignette teases the debut of a new women’s wrestler. This could be DELTA, but no name is given.

Trick Williams defeated NXT Champion Ethan Page to win the title

Williams pinned Page after a Trick Shot. They had a good match. Nothing blow away, but Trick is still over. Likewise, Punk is quite over as well if you can believe that.

The right guy won here.

Page tries to cheat early on by putting his feet on a rope, but Punk catches him in the act. Trick was looking strong, until he crashes through a gimmicked section of the barricade. The show cuts to a commercial break with Trick in peril.

Trick makes a comeback after the show returns from the commercial break, and Trick is a house of fire. The crowd comes alive as Trick runs wild. Page counters Trick at ringside, leading to Page giving Trick a Razor’s Edge on the announce desk. The desk collapses with Trick in a heap. Punk goes to check on Trick, and Punk basically refuses to administer a count-out. He had promised a definitive winner.

Several near falls for Trick down the stretch. Trick Shot misses, and Page gets a near fall of his own. Page executes a GTS right in front of Punk. Page glares a Punk while doing the move. However, Trick kicks out at two. Page for another Razor’s Edge, but Trick slips out. Trick falls into the arms of Punk, who gingerly places Trick in a corner. Page misses a charge, and he is hit with a Trick Shot. Trick then covers Page for the deciding pinfall.

A case can be made for Punk making a fast count. That, along with the other interactions in the match with Punk, would give Page an out to save face. Furthermore, a post-match scuffle could easily set up a match between Punk and Page. However, Punk is currently wrapped up in a blood feud with Drew McIntyre. They even have a big cage match this weekend if you are unaware.

Trick celebrates by climbing on the ropes and posing with the title, as confetti falls from the rafters. Meanwhile, Punk and Page get into a shoving match. Punk then picks up Page to deliver a GTS. Page is out cold as the show goes off the air with Trick wondering what just happened with Punk and Page. They quickly rushed off the air. No more overrun with them being on network television.

Overall, this was a good debut on CW. The live arena setting was much better than their usual sound stage. Hopefully, the television revenue can offset production costs enough to take the show on the road more often.