NXT LVL Up – January 27, 2023: His Name Is Kale
NXT LVL Up
Date: January 27, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Vic Joseph
Over in the main NXT continuity, we are coming up on Vengeance Day, which should be a nice change of pace from all of the regular NXT shows. That has very little to do with LVL Up though, which doesn’t ever really have a special show. The best we can hope for is a midcard name from NXT so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Dante Chen vs. Kale Dixon
Yes, Kale. They grapple against the ropes to start and some slaps to the face get under Kale’s skin. Some armbars have Kale in trouble but he grabs a belly to back suplex. Kale sits on Chen’s back and grabs a bodyscissors, which is broken up without much trouble. Chen fights up, kicks him in the head, and hits the double chop for the pin at 5:53.
Rating: D+. I still don’t get the appeal of Chen and the other guy’s name is Kale, so what else were you expecting? They did a bunch of armbars before Chen shrugged off whatever Kale threw at him and won. Yes it’s the build up new stars show, but Chen has been around for a bit and hasn’t grown in any meaningful way, yet here he is again. Beating Kale, because yes, his name is Kale.
Lola Vice (former MMA fighter Valerie Loureda) is ready to be the first Cuban American WWE star.
Lola Vice vs. Dani Palmer
Palmer headscissors her down to start but Vice reverses into a headlock. Back up and Vice kicks her down for two and we hit the double arm crank. Palmer fights up and drops her as well, setting up a standing moonsault for two. What looks to be a corkscrew moonsault misses for Palmer though and Vice kicks her in the head for two. Vice loads up what looks like a powerbomb but gets reversed into a jackknife rollup to give Palmer the pin at 3:59.
Rating: C-. Palmer continues to get in some reps and they might have a little something with her if she keeps it up at this pace. The interesting part here is Vice though, as she is getting the chance to be the next MMA star to become something in WWE. There is enough of a track record to give her a chance, but this was a tiny first step and nothing to go on for her future.
Scrypts vs. Oro Mensah
Scrypts flips around to start and grabs a headlock. Mensah spins out of a wristlock and puts on his own headlock before clotheslining him to the floor. Of course that means a dive but Scrypts takes him down by the hair back inside. A flipping kick gives Scrypts two and we hit the chinlock.
The comeback is blocked and Scrypts hits a dropkick before sending him hard to the floor. Back in and we hit another chinlock until Mensah fights up with some forearms. A choke in the ropes keeps Scrypts in trouble but he rolls outside for a wise breather. Back in and Mensah is ready for the Molly Go Round but Scrypts rolls him into a sunset flip for the pin at 6:37.
Rating: C. NXT certainly seems to have given up on Scrypts, who hasn’t been on NXT TV in a long time and is now relegated to LVL Up. At the end of the day, I can’t say I blame them, as there is no mystery as to who he is and the character never made a ton of sense in the first place. Mensah losing is a weird thing to see too, as he has at least been around for a little bit recently.
Overall Rating: D+. Bleck, what a nothing show this was. When your best match is one of the bigger jokes of NXT against a former tag team guy trying to find his way, it isn’t much of a show. LVL Up rarely has big names on the card but this was bottom of the barrel even by its limited standards. They can do better and hopefully that is the situation next week.
Results
Dante Chen b. Kale Dixon – Double chop
Dani Palmer b. Lola Vice – Jackknife rollup
Scrypts b. Oro Mensah – Sunset flip
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