NXT – April 12, 2022: The British Are Coming And The British Are Here

NXT
Date: April 12, 2022
Location: Capitol Sports Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s another huge week around here as we have a series of title matches. This includes a guaranteed new champion as the vacant Tag Team Titles are on the line in a gauntlet match. Other than that, there are two title matches as the North American and Women’s Titles are on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Bron Breakker retaining the NXT Title over Gunther to send him to Smackdown, only to have Joe Gacy and Harland kidnap Breakker’s father Rick Steiner. Because of course they did.

North American Title: Cameron Grimes vs. Solo Sikoa

Grimes is defending and misses a running kick to the face to start. Sikoa’s waistlock is countered into an armbar and Sikoa can’t do much to get out of it. The hold is finally broken up so they shake hands, though Grimes says Sikoa’s Bloodline can kiss his grits. An enziguri knocks Sikoa to the floor and the apron flip dive takes us to a break.

Back with Grimes hitting a bridging German suplex for two but the Cave In misses. Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner for two and it’s time to slug it out. Grimes’ flipping powerslam gets two but Sikoa knocks him down again. The Superfly Splash is broken up by an invading Trick Williams, allowing Grimes (not sure if he saw Williams) to hit the Cave In to retain at 13:11.

Rating: C+. The ending should tell you where some stories are going, though Grimes retaining is a good sign. He finally won something and now setting up his title reign with a win gives me some hope. Grimes will have to beat Hayes in a regular match at some point so they might as well get there now.

Post match Williams and Carmelo Hayes beat Grimes down.

We go over the gauntlet match but Grayson Waller/Sanga interrupt so Waller can brag about how easy of a win it is going to be.

Video on Pretty Deadly attacking the Creed Brothers again last week. The Creeds demand revenge.

The Creeds draw their numbers and seem happy.

Here is Bron Breakker for a chat and he isn’t happy with what Joe Gacy and Harland did to Rick Steiner. Gacy pops up on screen and says they beat up Steiner but then let him go, which started teaching them about Breakker himself. They still have Rick’s Hall of Fame ring, which they throw in a fire, leaving Breakker stunned/silent. Throw the feud in with it if you can.

We look at Toxic Attraction winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles back last week.

Toxic Attraction brags about their win, with Mandy Rose promising to beat Dakota Kai tonight because the team is that good.

Von Wagner destroys Jacket Time in the back. That should take care of his match with Kushida

An angry Bron Breakker gets in his car and leaves.

Here are Robert Stone and Von Wagner to say Jacket Time is done. Hold on though as here is Ikemen Jiro to go after Wagner on his own.

Von Wagner vs. Ikemen Jiro

Jiro is banged up but slugs away on Wagner anyway. Wagner runs him over but Jiro is back up with the jacket punches. That’s too much for Wagner, who hits him in the face and hits the Death Valley Driver for the pin at 2:57.

Post match the attractive yet still unnamed woman tells Wagner to do more, which sees Jiro tossed from the ring and into the crowd.

Nikkita Lyons is ready to step up around here but Lash Legend kicks her in the face.

Video on Pretty Deadly, who dominated the United Kingdom and can do it here too. They started with the Creed Brothers and it’s time to win the Tag Team Titles.

Pretty Deadly draw their numbers and dance off.

Women’s Title: Dakota Kai vs. Mandy Rose

Rose is defending and has the rest of Toxic Attraction with her. Kai goes straight at her to start but gets taken down, allowing Rose to pose. A crucifix gives Kai two and she hits a dropkick. Kai kicks Rose to the floor and there’s a big dive to take out the team. We take a break and come back with Rose working on a bodyscissors before choking in the corner.

The chinlock goes on but Kai fights out and hits a Russian legsweep for two. Rose misses a pump kick but manages a spinebuster for two of her own. Kai keeps up the pace with a small package for a knee fall, setting up the Kairopractor. Toxic Attraction offers a needed distraction though, allowing Rose to hit the running knee to retain at 10:48.

Rating: C. NXT has somehow managed to turn Rose into a dragon that needs to be slayed, though I don’t need it to be anytime soon. Rose is starting to feel like a major player as champion and that could work for a pretty long while longer. Beating Kai might not be some huge game changer, but it is another win under Rose’s belt before someone takes the title from her.

Post match Wendy Choo pops up to spray Toxic Attraction with water guns. Barrett: “How old is Wendy Choo?” Better question is how old is whoever wrote this.

Joe Gacy doesn’t like social media and the court of public opinion. He is the only one who can carry NXT because Bron Breakker is too emotional. Now he is going to control Breakker’s life and tear it all down, but he’ll keep one thing. He pulls the Hall of Fame ring out of the fire and puts it on, because Gacy is a full on cult guy these days.

Tony D’Angelo comes up to Legado del Fantasma and offers an envelope to Santos Escobar as a peace offering. Escobar takes the envelope and puts it back in D’Angelo’s pocket.

Here is Cora Jade for a chat. Wrestlemania weekend was big to her but the best part was having her parents in the second row (Jade: “Working on front row guys.”). She held her own at Stand & Deliver but now she NEEDS to win the Women’s Title. When she was eight years old, she promised to be a champion and now she is going to work hard to be the best ever. Cue Natalya to interrupt and Jade is stunned.

Jade goes all fangirl as Natalya is happy to be back in the building. Jade talks about being ten years old and talking to Natalya on Twitter after a show in Indiana. Natalya remembers the night and knows she pointed to the right girl after that show. She dubs Jade as the future of the women’s division….but the future is bleak. Natalya slaps her in the face and puts on the Sharpshooter, making Jade tap. Having Jade act like she is a five year old meeting Santa Claus and then getting beaten up isn’t a good idea, though Natalya putting someone in NXT over is.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are fired up for the gauntlet match, with Fallon Henley yelling at them to go do it.

Nathan Frazer is coming.

Draco Anthony vs. Xyon Quinn

Anthony drives him into the corner to start but Quinn reverses for some shoulders to the ribs. Back up and Anthony blocks the Siva Tao, earning himself the running right hand to the face. Another punch knocks Anthony sillier and a third finishes at 2:56. Basically a squash.

Natalya comes in to see the women’s roster and, after accepting a challenge from Tatum Paxley, tells them that they’re all on notice. Noted.

Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell decide that Dexter Lumis and Duke Hudson should team up, though the guys aren’t into it. I knew it. I knew it. I KNEW IT! They have to take the stupidest story they have and turn it into something even worse because they can’t let ANYTHING ever go.

Tag Team Titles: Gauntlet Match

The titles are vacant coming in and there are five teams entered. The Creed Brothers are in at #1 and Legado del Fantasma are in at #2. They start fast with Wilde hitting a big dive to the floor to drop both Creeds and the fans are behind Legado. We settle down to Mendoza hitting some running clotheslines on Julius, setting up a springboard flip dive to give Wilde two. Julius gets up for the tag though and everything breaks down with Legado getting caught in stereo ankle locks.

Those are broken up and Julius is sent face first into the middle buckle. There’s a springboard missile dropkick to the back, setting up a 450 to give Wilde two. Brutus pulls Mendoza to the floor, leaving Julius to hit an Angle Slam. An assisted spinebuster sets up the basement lariat to give the Creeds the pin at 4:33.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen (with Fallon Henley) are in at #3, though Henley and Elektra Lopez get in a shoving match during the entrances. The teams actually involved get in a brawl as we take a break. Back with Briggs and Jensen in control and taking apart the announcers’ table. The double powerbomb sends Brutus through the table, leaving Julius to get punched in the face.

Brutus is back up (because powerbombs through tables are shrugged off) but gets knocked down again, leaving Julius to get sitout powerbombed for two. A top rope knee/Dominator (or close enough) combination gets two more with Brutus making the save. Julius brings Brutus back in, though Briggs and Jensen bring him over the top. The high/low is broken up though and Julius’ sliding lariat is good for the pin at 13:23 (total).

Grayson Waller (still banged up) and Sanga are in at #4. Sanga gets an easy cover for two on Julius, who slips out of a chokeslam and starts swinging away. Waller comes in to dance a bit and we take a break. Back again with Brutus finally throwing Waller down and making the tag off to Julius for a breather. Brutus starts cleaning house, including a suplex on Sanga. It’s back to Julius for the basement lariat to finish Sanga at 19:49.

Pretty Deadly is in at #5 to complete the field and now I get to try to figure out their new names, because of course they have new names. Deadly starts dropping knees and Julius gets caught in the wrong corner. Some right hands set up a failed suplex attempt but it’s Wilson coming back in for a double suplex.

Julius fights out of the corner and brings Brutus back in, only to get caught in the corner with a running elbow. A gutbuster drops Brutus and Julius is sent hard into the steps. Everything breaks down and a double headbutt puts Brutus and Wilson down. Prince gets in a cheap shot on Brutus though and Spilt Milk (Hart Attack with a running neckbreaker instead of a clothesline) gives Deadly the titles at 27:55.

Rating: C+. This is one of those formulas that WWE loves in gauntlet matches, as the Creeds basically beat most of the existing tag division before the new team beats them in the end. It was a very long match, but the Creeds surviving so much was getting to be a lot by the end. You can only have them take so much before it’s hurting the teams they’re beating and that took place here. At the same time, Pretty Deadly are fine choices for champions and I’m glad to see them getting their shot on the main NXT rather than just the UK version. It worked over there and it can over here too.

The Creeds are spent to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped this a lot and the three title matches felt like big deals, though the prospect of Bron Breakker vs. Joe Gacy for any length of time doesn’t do much for me. I do like some of the new stars coming in, as one of the best things about the old days of NXT was the rapid turnover of talent. You need to bring in new people and if that means taking away some of the longer running NXT UK stars, so be it. I liked this show for the most part and the ending makes me even more interesting going forward, so call it a success this week.

Results
Cameron Grimes b. Solo Sikoa – Cave In
Von Wagner b. Ikemen Jiro – Death Valley Driver
Xyon Quinn b. Draco Anthony – Running punch
Mandy Rose b. Dakota Kai – Running knee
Pretty Deadly won a gauntlet match last eliminating Creed Brothers

 

 

 

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