Ok, here was the solution:
My new machine's .vmx file didnt have my added nic's networkName.. it was set to "", so I pulled down the .vmx and took a closer look
The fix:
Edit the .vmx file's added nic networkName = "VM Network"
scp that edited .vmx back to the ESXi host
Run vim-cmd vmsvc/reload vmid
THEN DISCONNECT AND RECONNECT THE DEVICES
Run vim-cmd vmsvc/device.connection vmid 4000 0 (disconnect)
Run vim-cmd vmsvc/device.connection vmid 4000 1 (connect)
Do this for each added nic and viola! Success!
I hope this helps someone else out and saves them some time..