NXT
Date: November 13, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jason Albert, Alex Riley, Rich Brennan

So the WWE Vault randomly added this and since I haven’t looked at this show since it aired, it’s time to go back to go back to one of the best periods NXT ever had. We are coming up on Takeover: R-Evolution and Sami Zayn is chasing Adrian Neville and the NXT Title. Other than that, Hideo Itami needs some held dealing with the Ascension and has a new friend who debuted last week to help him out. That friend: Finn Balor. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Ascension attacking Hideo Itami, who brought in Finn Balor to even the score. The Ascension was quickly dispatched.

Opening sequence, featuring The Roar Of The Crowd (or whatever it’s called) and various stars with their names included. Dang I had forgotten how much fun this show was back in the day.

Here is Finn Balor, with the theme song but not the timed poses yet, which is quite bizarre after so many years of the same thing. He’s here because he is the future but here are Tyson Kidd and Natalya to interrupt. Kidd says no one cares but gets drowned out by a NATTIE’S HUSBAND chant. The first thing the Harts are taught is respect but here is Justin Gabriel to interrupt. He’s not impressed with Balor either and the brawl is teased but Hideo (Kenta) Itami comes in to even things out. A referee, as sent out by William Regal, says we’re having a tag team match (insert English word for “playa” here).

Finn Balor/Hideo Itami vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Natalya is here with Kidd and Gabriel. Itami works on Kidd’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Balor to dropkick Gabriel. The villains head outside and Balor hits the big flip dive as we take an early break. Back with Itami hammering on Gabriel and grabbing a chinlock to keep him down. Balor comes in for a chop but gets distracted by Kidd, allowing Gabriel to get in a dropkick.

Back in and some double kicks have Balor down for two but the chinlock doesn’t last long. Balor Pele’s his way out of trouble and hands it off to Itami for the harder kicks. Kidd gets a boot up in the corner to cut him off but Balor comes in for stereo basement dropkicks in the corner. The top rope double stomp gives Balor the pin on Gabriel at 10:34.

Rating: C+. Nice start for Balor here as he looked like a killer with some of the strikes, especially the yet to be named Coup de Grace. Bringing him in with someone like Itami is a good way to go and he got to smash some midcarders here. That’s about al you could hope for here and it was a good start, with Balor coming off like a star.

We look back at Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville (eventually known as Pac in AEW) in a #1 contenders match about a year ago, with Neville winning a good match.

Zayn says this feels different and his road to redemption continues. Destiny never makes mistakes and tonight will unfold like it’s supposed to.

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Banks’ new friend Becky Lynch is here with her while Bliss is still all about sparkling and blows glitter. The weirder thing is hearing them called Divas though, which feels like such an absolute relic of the past. Banks takes her into the corner for the double knees to the ribs to start as Bliss is compared to a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. A surfboard has Bliss in more trouble but she flips out and fires off forearms. Bliss’ sunset flip out of the corner gets two but Banks pulls her into the Bank Statement for the fast tap at 2:12. This was pretty much a squash and my goodness that’s weird to see given what Bliss would become.

Post match Banks calls out Charlotte, saying she has what Banks wants, meaning the Women’s Title. The challenge for the title match is on (again).

NXT Champion Adrian Neville knows Sami Zayn is going to bring everything he has but the reality is Zayn can’t win the big one.

Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake/Buddy Murphy

The Dragons’ Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Blake powers Kalisto down to start and hands it off to Murphy, who pulls a springboard crossbody out of the air. Blake’s knee drop gets two and we hit the seated armbar. Kalisto fights up and grabs a sunset flip before rolling over into a kick to the head. That’s enough for the tag off to Cara as the pace picks way up. Kalisto’s step up flip dive to the floor takes out Murphy and Cara Swantons Blake for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C+. I had forgotten about Blake and Murphy as a team but there were worse options out there for a pair of muscular guys with nothing else to do. On the other hand you have the Dragons, who were a good high flying team who took the titles from the monster Ascension. That doesn’t make them sound like long term champions, but they’re doing well with what they have.

The Vaudevillains promise to take the Tag Team Titles from the Dragons. Not quite, but they were in line.

NXT Title: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville

Zayn is challenging and twists the arm to start, sending Neville bailing into the corner. Neville’s headlock is countered and he misses a dropkick, allowing Zayn to dropkick him to the floor. The springboard flip back into the middle of the ring lets Zayn pose and he even holds the ropes open so Neville can get back in. Back in and Neville strikes away, with a running boot to the face sending us to a break.

We come back with Neville grabbing a chinlock before a running elbow in the corner connects for two. The chinlock goes on but Zayn fights up with some clotheslines and knocks Neville outside. The big dive connects and we hit those NXT chants. Back in and Neville blocks a high crossbody (though I’m not entirely sure how), setting up a standing shooting star press for two.

A spinning powerbomb gives Zayn two of his own and he rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. The exploder is blocked and Neville goes up, only to miss the Red Arrow. Neville comes up holding his knee and falls down before Zayn can fire off the Helluva Kick. Zayn goes to check on him…and gets rolled up to retain Neville’s title at 15:33.

Rating: B. These two worked very well together, which would be shown again during their classic at R-Evolution. This was more about Zayn screwing up at the last second though, as he was too compassionate about Neville’s injury to go for the title. That’s a good storytelling beat for him at the end of a rather solid TV match, with a reason to believe that Zayn could get the title if he just focuses that much more.

Neville is checked on by medics as Zayn is crushed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Sweet goodness I had forgotten how much fun this show really was. The action is good, the stories make sense and you can see where things should be going. What made NXT special was that they didn’t go in some weird direction out of nowhere and it made for a much more enjoyable show. From a flashback perspective, it is fascinating to see the next generation coming up, with Balor only having been there a week. This was a lot of fun and it’s still a good show so hopefully they pop up a few more of these as it’s one of the best runs any wrestling TV show ever had.

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NXT
Date: December 10, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Deadline and the big story is the Iron Survivor Challenges, with Oba Femi and Giulia winning the competitions to earn title shots at New Year’s Evil. That gives us something to build towards over the next few weeks and we should have some more fallout from the weekend to deal with as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

We open with a long Deadline recap.

Here is Giulia to get things going with a promise to win the Women’s Title at New Year’s Evil. Roxanne Perez comes out to suggest that Giulia was the weakest entrant of the match. While the women’s division is great, none of the women are at her level. Giulia wants to fight right now but cue Cora Jade with a baseball bat. Sure Giulia thinks Stephanie Vaquer is going to come out here for the save, but there is no question about who did it. We cut to the back where Vaquer is down so Giulia tries to fight, with Kelani Jordan running in for the save.

We look at Ethan Page being devastated after losing at Deadline.

The D’Angelo Family feels sorry for Page so Tony D’Angelo offers him a North American Title shot. Page calls that a step down for him so D’Angelo offers everyone in the room a shot. Everyone jumps up and NOW Page is willing to accept, saying that if he can’t win, he doesn’t have a career around here.

Lexis King talks to Charlie Dempsey and asks about another Heritage Cup shot. Dempsey says he’ll think about it, which is enough for King to leave. Dempsey praises the rest of the team but OTM comes in to bicker a lot.

Je’Von Evans vs. Wes Lee

They slug it out to start with Lee hammering him down on the ropes but getting sent to the floor for the big dive. Back in and Lee dropkicks him out of the air before sending things back outside. Evans shrugs off a whip into the barricade, setting up another dive to take Lee out again. Lee is smart enough to go after the knee and hits a dive of his own as we take a break.

We come back with Evans hitting a superkick, followed by a spinning kick to the head. A top rope clothesline gives Evans two but Lee grabs the referee to block a sunset flip. Lee snaps off a hurricanrana but charges into a Spanish Fly. Evans’ Pearl River Plunge gets two, as does Lee’s tornado DDT. Back up and Evans kicks him down again, setting up the spinning top rope splash for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B-. This was the match built around fast spots and dives, which is where these two end to shine. Evans getting a nice win makes sense for him and another loss is going to get on Lee’s nerves. They’re certainly trying with Evans and that is a good sign for his future. He still has a long way to go, but at least they’ve started.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer patch things up (again), with Frazer wanting to make things right after Axiom did so much work at Deadline.

Video on Josh Briggs going to Japan and meeting Yoshiki Inamura, who is here with him as his partner. They both like the hard hitting style.

Kelani Jordan and Giulia are mad about Stephanie Vaquer being attacked. Vengeance is sworn in the main event.

Sol Ruca and Zaria liked the Iron Survivor Challenge when Meta Four come in to say they would have won if they were involved. Trash talking ensues.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Fallout from last week’s tag team battle royal. Hank and Tank drop DuPont to start but Igwe comes in for a double clothesline. Igwe gets dropped with a double standing splash, earning the coveted SHUCKY DUCKY QUACK QUACK. A spinning belly to back suplex gets Igwe out of trouble and he drops Ledger with a jumping elbow. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Leger fights up and drops Igwe, allowing the tag back to Walker. There’s a spinning Boss Man Slam to DuPont and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination finishes him off at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was pretty to the point with Walker and Ledger continuing to win a decent amount of their matches. I still don’t get their appeal but the fans like them and that’s good enough to keep them around. Igwe and DuPont feel like a team with some potential as well, but losing in a five minute match isn’t a great sign for their future.

Post match DuPont shakes hands but Igwe walks away.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He brags about his win at Deadline and now it’s time for him to win the NXT Title. That brings him to Trick Williams, whose path he has yet to cross. Cue Williams…but Eddy Thorpe comes out to cut Williams off. Thorpe says his people have been through enough and says Femi took him out last week. Femi suggests that he didn’t attack Thorpe (though he never flat out denies it) but Williams says it’s time for he and Femi to clash in Los Angeles.

Femi says Williams is only the #1 guy around here because Femi allowed it. Now he is ready to take the title and the Trick era is ending. With Femi gone, Thorpe says Williams didn’t do anything about Femi attacking him. He accuses Williams of being a manufactured sports entertainer but Williams is sick of the doubters. The challenge is on for next week, with Williams telling Ava to make the match.

Fatal Influence is worried about Gigi Dolin.

Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley run into Izzi Dame, who threatens Dolin as well. Cue Shawn Spears, Brooks Jensen and Niko Vance but Dame isn’t interested.

Fatal Influence vs. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley

Fallon Henley is here as well. Paxley kicks her way out of trouble to start and Dolin hiptosses Nyx into a dropkick. Nyx and Dolin go to the floor with the latter being posted but Paxley comes back in to clean house. Henley shoves Paxley off the top though and Jayne hits a discus forearm for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was more about showing that Paxley and Dolin need someone to even up the numbers. There are more than a few options for that and I’m curious to see who they get. For now though, Fatal Influence gets a win to show they’re capable of beating someone, which is something they need every so often.

Post match the beatdown is on but Shotzi returns for the save and the villains are cleaned out.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are both trying to thank the other so Axiom has gotten a match with Oba Femi to avenge Frazer next week. That’s all well and good….but Frazer has gotten them a Tag Team Title defense for next week too. Axiom isn’t pleased, but Frazer says he can’t see his face.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Ethan Page

D’Angelo, with the Family, is defending. Page takes him to the mat for an early headscissors but D’Angelo is back up with a running shot to the face. They crash out to the floor in a heap though and we take an early break. Back with D’Angelo hitting a facebuster into a jumping knee to the face (always good to suck up to the boss) but Page kicks him in the face. Page kicks him out of the corner and hits a Twist of Fate for two. The Ego’s Edge is escaped and D’Angelo plants him with the spinebuster to retain at 8:38.

Rating: C+. This was more about Page losing and not knowing where to go next, but D’Angelo getting a win over a former NXT Champion should only help him. As is often the case around here, they only had so much time with the break in the middle, but it wasn’t bad by any means. I’m not sure what’s next for Page and that is a nice feeling to have.

Lexis King meets Ryan Leaf (former NFL player and current CW broadcaster), who was impressed by King going to Minneapolis to close that chapter in his life. Charlie Dempsey comes in to say that King can have his title shot in two weeks, but first he has to get through a workout. Works for King.

Ethan Page is all depressed and isn’t sure if he’s good enough. He’s lost and ashamed and leaves, still in his gear.

Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade vs. Giulia/Kelani Jordan

Perez and Jade jump Giulia on the stage so Jordan is here for the save. They get inside with the villains being dropkicked out to the floor, with Perez being thrown back in for the opening bell. A basement crossbody gives Jordan two and it’s off to Jade, who armdrags her way out of trouble. Jordan sens Perez hard into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Perez knocking Jordan to the floor for a suicide dive. Jordan fights out of trouble in a hurry and it’s off to Giulia to pick up the pace. A northern lights suplex gets two on Perez and a belly to back cuts Perez off again. Jordan’s top rope splash gets two with Jade making the save. Perez dropkicks Jordan but Giulia’s distraction lets Jordan hit a spinwheel kick. Perez hits Pop Rox on Jordan on the floor and brawls with Giulia, leaving Jade to DDT Jordan for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Jade needed to get a win, even if it was in a tag match, as she was the weak link of the four here. Jade vs. Jordan could be a nice feud on its own and I’ll take the idea of developing more non-title feuds in any division. I’m glad they didn’t go with what felt like the obvious result of Giulia pinning Perez to set up the title match, as the story is already there without having the champ get pinned.

Post match Stephanie Vaquer comes in to jump Jade and breaks the baseball bat over her leg. Jade is chased out of the arena.

Eddy Thorpe signs a contract for an NXT Title shot. Ava says they’re still looking for who attacked him….but Thorpe says she’s looking at the attacker. He just got his title shot and didn’t have to go through five people to do it. That’s a nice swerve and a clever heel move.

Overall Rating: B-. NXT is in a bit of a weird place here as the two title matches are set for their big show in January and that is what got the focus here. Those two matches alone are going to be enough to carry New Year’s Evil so it’s ok to wait a bit to focus on everything else. It made for a show that was centered around those two matches, but that didn’t leave much else that felt important.

I liked the swerve at the end as Thorpe came off as smart, but he feels like a speed bump for Williams more than anything else. Good enough show this week with the big matches getting the focus, though they’re going to need something else to bridge the gap in the coming weeks.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Wes Lee – Spinning top rope splash
Hank Walker/Tank Ledger b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to DuPont
Fatal Influence b. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley – Discus forearm to Paxley
Tony D’Angelo b. Ethan Page – Spinebuster
Cora Jade/Roxanne Perez b. Kelani Jordan/Giulia – DDT to Jordan

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 22, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

I’m getting more curious about what this show is going to be doing as they’ve been making some nice adjustments over the last few months. The show is still nothing exactly worth seeing but I’ll take a bit more effort over the same stuff week after week. Hopefully they can keep something going this time so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joe Coffey vs. Harlem Lewis

Coffey grabs a headlock to start and takes Lewis down for some grinding. That’s broken up and Lewis runs him over but Coffey is back up with some whips into the corner. Some kicks to the chest have Lewis in more trouble and we hit something like a seated abdominal stretch. Lewis fights out and pulls Coffey out of the air (dang) for a Jackhammer and a near fall. That’s enough for Coffey, who hits the Glasgow Sendoff into All The Best For The Bells and the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C+. Lewis pulling Coffey out of the air like that was worth at least something of an upgrade as that is impressive for anyone. Coffey actually needed the win after losing that six man a few weeks ago and this got him back on track. Odds are this story isn’t over though and for once, I can go for something like that.

Lainey Reid isn’t happy with being asked if she can beat Tyra Mae Steele. She also seems a bit nervous about Layla Diggs.

Lainey Reid vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Reid spins out of a foot grab to start but Steele takes her down by the leg without much effort. An armbar keeps Reid down but she sends Steele into the corner for a running elbow. A seated abdominal stretch is broken up in a hurry and Reid misses a charge into the post. Steele’s bridging German suplex gets two and she pulls Reid out of the air. After pausing for a second (that was weir), Steele rolls backwards into a Snake Eyes attempt but gets sent into the buckle. Reid rolls her up and grabs the trunks for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. Steel’s very early learning curve continues as there is only so much you can get out of these four minute matches. That being said, she’s getting her feet wet at this point and that should do her some good, though putting her in there with someone with some more experience might help. This wasn’t a particularly impressive match, but Steele is certainly a long term project.

Post match Layla Diggs chases Reid back into the ring for a Pounce from Steele.

Post break Diggs says she is tired of playing Reid’s games and revenge is coming.

Shiloh Hill vs. Dante Chen

They fight over wrist control to start as commentary talks about Chen’s desire to help rookies because people helped him when he got here. Hill’s cravate has Chen in some trouble but he avoids a charge to send Hill into the post. Chen stays on the arm with a DDT into an armbar, followed by an armdrag into another armbar. Hill fights up and they trade near falls until the Gentle Touch finishes Hill off at 6:03.

Rating: C. As usual, Chen is treated as nothing short of a superhero around here and it’s still a weird thing to see. I still don’t known if I get the appeal, but the fans around here seem to like him enough. Other than that, Hill goes from a promising star to losing to Chen, which tends to be the opposite of how things work. Kind of a weird way to go, but who am I to question Chen?

Overall Rating: C. The interesting thing here is the Reid/Diggs story, which is getting some time and actually building. It’s not exactly something I want to see, but I’ll take an attempt at something around here rather than just doing the same thing over and over. We’ll call this show a fairly boring step in the right direction, but a step nonetheless.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 15, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s been a bit since I’ve looked at this show and the god thing is that there is very little to be seen around here most of the time. There are a few minor things going on though and that has me slightly interested, if nothing else for the sake of seeing how the show might be changed up a bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Drake Morreaux

They fight over arm control to start until Morreaux takes him down into a gator roll. A shot to the face gives Mensah a quick two and an anklescissors sends Morreaux into the corner. Back up and Morreaux runs him over, setting up a short form chinlock. Mensah’s slam attempt doesn’t work on the much bigger Morreaux and he sends Mensah crashing out to the floor. Back in and we hit the armbar, which doesn’t last long either as Mensah is up to slug away. A flipping kick to the head sets up the slam to Morreaux and a springboard dropkick rocks him again. The running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes for Mensah at 5:49.

Rating: C+. They had a nice little story here with the smaller Mensah fighting against the bigger Morreaux. It’s a story that will always work in wrestling, even if Morreaux can only do so much at the moment. It wasn’t a great match, but it told a nice story and I’ll take that for just shy of six minutes.

Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon are ready to end their losing ways. They wish the interviewer luck, which has him rather confused.

Carlee Bright vs. Izzi Dame

The much bigger Dame powers her down to start but Bright fires off some chops. A running dropkick and hurricanrana have Dame staggered but she’s back up with a running shoulder. The big boot gives Dame two and a belly to back flipping faceplant gets the same. The crossface chickenwing doesn’t do much to Bright, but the Sky High she charges into is enough for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here, as Bright continues to be little more than someone who puts over the other stars. Bright has some potential but she needs something to separate her from the pack other than “she smiles a lot”. Dame’s size makes her stand out, but a name change wouldn’t hurt. What kind of a villain is named Izzi?

Post match Dame goes after her again but Kendal Grey makes the save. Again, a simple, easy story that gives you something to come back and watch later. It’s not that hard.

Post break, Dame says she doesn’t like Grey and Bright, with Kali Armstrong coming up to say she doesn’t either. Dame kind of stares at her.

D’Angelo Family vs. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon

Stacks headlocks Connors down to start before they both catch a boot to the ribs. With that broken up, Crusifino comes in to clothesline Dixon as the fans approve. Dixon gets sent to the apron and then knocked back over the top but Connors gets a quick tag. That’s fine with Stacks, who trips him own, only to get caught with a baseball slide from Dixon.

A running chop to the back wakes Stacks up but Dixon is smart enough to knock Crusifino to the floor. As tends to be the case, the diving tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Crusifino coming in to clean house. A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Dixon with Connors making the save. The villains grab an AA/sitout powerbomb combination (not bad) for two with Stacks having to make the save. Everything breaks down and Connors jumps into what looked like a double Downward Spiral for the pin a 6:32.

Rating: C+. They still didn’t have a ton of time here but they packed quite a bit in there for a nice main event. The Family are a far bigger team than Connors and Dixon, but the villains are slowly coming along. It’s not like they have anything else to do so throwing them out there in a tag team is far from the worst idea.

Overall Rating: C+. Some decent wrestling here but I’m still liking the idea of stringing some stories together from week to week. You can only get so much out of having one off matches so giving the wrestlers a small angle is better than nothing. The show is still completely skippable, but it could be a good bit worse.

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Deadline 2024
Date: December 7, 2024
Location: Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is one of the most gimmick heavy cards of the year as we have two twenty five minute matches which are kind of a cross between the Royal Rumble and an Iron Man Match. Other than that, Ridge Holland is challenging Trick Williams for the NXT Title, which could be quite the showdown. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how it is a special time of year before looking at the card. The NXT Title gets some attention as well, with the Iron Survivor Challenge matches still getting the final look.

The venue looks rather cool and rather different than the usual arena. The front looks like a normal arena but it keeps going rather far back.

Iron Survivor Challenge rules:

• 25 minute time limit
• Two wrestlers start with a new entrant every five minutes
• Any pinfall, submission or DQ is a fall and worth one point
• When someone loses a fall, they go to the penalty box for 90 seconds
• Most falls in 25 minutes wins a future NXT/Women’s Title shot

Eddy Thorpe is injured and out of the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge, with a mystery entrant having been selected.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Je’Von Evans is in at #1 and Wes Lee is in at #2. Evans grabs a quick sunset flip for two and drops Lee for a standing shooting star press and another near fall. Lee is back with a nasty belly to back suplex for two and he starts working on the back. A dropkick doesn’t work for Evans so Lee knocks him outside, setting up a rather slow motion dive through the ropes. Back in and Evans’ cutter is blocked, allowing Lee to get a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:55.

Lee – 1
Evans – 0
Page – 0
Frazer – 0
Unknown – 0

Nathan Frazer is in at #3 and goes right at Lee for a knockdown, setting up a heck of a frog splash for two. They both head outside and Evans is freed, allowing him to hit a big flip dive over the top onto the two of them. Back in and Evans’ side slam gets two on Lee but Frazer is back with the Sling Blade for two. Evans is clotheslined to the floor and Lee hurricanranas him into the apron.

Frazer’s dive thankfully doesn’t go badly as he gets his feet caught in the ropes but takes both of them down anyway. Everyone is on the floor and Ethan Page is in a #4. Page kicks all of them down and throws Frazer inside as commentary tells us about the success that #4 has had. That doesn’t seem to be the case as Frazer grabs a quick small package to pin Page at 10:38.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Evans – 0
Page – 0
Unknown – 0

Page has to be knocked into the box and Frazer makes Lee DDT Evans for two and a triple breather. Frazer hits the Phoenix splash on Lee but Page comes in to steal the pin on Frazer at 12:40.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Evans – 0
Unknown – 0

Evans still can’t hit a cutter on the apron so the villains get together to hit something like a suicide dive Doomsday Device on the floor. Evans pops back up and hits a quick dive but Lee makes a save back inside. Frazer is back in and we get an exchange of kicks to the head to leave everyone down as….Oba Femi is in at #5 to cause some damage. Femi wrecks everyone in a hurry and pins Evans at 16:17.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 0

Femi hits a toss powerbomb on Lee with Frazer having to make a save. That earns him a sitout Last Ride but Page breaks up the cover. Page insists that he needs to win so Femi grabs him by the throat and rams him against the box, meaning Evans can’t get out. Femi wrecks Lee but gets posted by Frazer, with Evans diving off the box onto Lee and Femi. The top rope cutter gives Evans the pin on Lee at 18:39.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 1

Frazer and Evans go after Femi in the corner to try and slow him down with five minutes left. Lee is back up and the triple teaming just makes Femi mad as he takes all three down. The pop up powerbomb hits Evans but Page steals a rollup pin on Femi at 21:12.

Page – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 1

Booker insists that no one else is going to get a fall and then Evans rolls Page up for the pin at 21:48.

Page – 2
Evans – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Femi – 1

Page PANICS over having to be locked in the box with Femi and has to be forced in. Femi of course massacres him until he is allowed back in with just under two minutes left. Lee is tossed out to the floor but Evans hits a dive on Femi as Page, or what is left of him, is released. Femi blocks Evans’ cutter off the steps and sends him up against the box. We have a minute left as Frazer snaps Femi’s throat across the top rope. Femi knocks both of them away but Frazer scores an enziguri with thirty seconds left. A double chokeslam lets Femi get a double pin on Frazer and Lee at 24:47.

Femi – 3
Page – 2
Evans – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1

Frazer hits a top rope cutter on Femi but time runs out at 25:00 to give Femi the win.

Rating: B. This match is a bit complicated on paper but once you get into it, the concept is great and you can follow it very easily. The on-screen graphics are perfect and tell you everything you need to know about the whole match. As for the match, it was a bunch of people doing their thing until Femi came in and just wrecked them. They had something with going after Femi in teams but ultimately, Femi was going to be in the title hunt or go to the main roster. There was no in between and this was the right call.

Lexis King walks around in the cold because he isn’t on the show. He’s given his all to try to be himself and while it looks like he’s lost a lot, nothing feels better than that satisfaction.

We recap Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice. They’ve been feuding for weeks and after a hardcore match last month, it’s time for an NXT Underground match.

Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes, people around the ring, and you win by knockout, TKO or submission. Vice knees her in the face to start but Parker is back up with a spinebuster. Parker plants her down again and tries a powerbomb, which is reversed into a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well so Vice grabs an ankle lock. Parker slips out and they go to the floor, where Vice’s spinning backfist hits the post.

The Hipnotic hits Vice’s bad hand and Parker knocks her down with some right hands to the face. Parker pulls out Vice’s black belt and uses it to pull Vice hard int the post. Back in and Vice uses the belt to hit some clotheslines until a headbutt cuts her off. Parker puts her onto the steps and hits the Tear Drop. Back in and Parker loads up the brick but gets kicked in the head. Vice pulls her into a quick choke and Parker is in trouble. That’s broken up so Vice hits the spinning backfist and chokes her out at 11:06.

Rating: B-. This was good but it went longer than it needed to and that hurt things. The brick thing was stupid from the beginning and it is still dumb here. Now that being said, it had the feeling of a fight and they were trying to do some different things to mix it up a bit. I liked the match and if they had cut off 2-3 minutes, it would have been that much better. Vice having something of a signature match is a good thing, though Parker still feels like a much bigger prospect.

Axiom tells Nathan Frazer, who is banged up, that they’ve got this.

We recap the NXT Tag Team Title match, with Axiom and Frazer defending against the No Quarter Catch Crew. The entire division kept getting in a bunch of brawls and then the Crew won a battle royal to get the shot.

Tag Team Titles: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Axiom and Frazer are defending and Frazer’s ribs are banged up. Frazer starts with Borne and the ribs are banged up enough that it’s quickly off to Axiom. For some reason Axiom tries grappling with Heights and actually gets two off a rollup. Axiom goes to tag Frazer, who says maybe later, allowing Heights to suplex Axiom into a gator roll. Frazer comes in to kick Borne down as OTM is here to watch.

A pair of dives take the Crew down but Frazer is banged up. Heights is back up with a clothesline to Axiom and a suplex to send Frazer over the top and onto OTM. That’s enough for OTM to be sent to the back and Borne snaps off a powerslam for two on Frazer. The chinlock goes on but Frazer flips his way out, only to get caught in a flipping slam for two. Heights’ powerslam gets the same and a Dominator gets two more as Frazer’s ribs are destroyed.

Frazer manages to get over for the tag off to Axiom, meaning it’s time for Frazer to take a breather on the floor. Axiom kicks Heights in the chest to limited avail so Heights hits him with a Death valley Driver for two. Borne comes back in but gets sent through the ropes and onto Heights. It’s back to Frazer, who manages a springboard 450 for two on heights as the ribs are seemingly a bit better.

A release German suplex drops Frazer though and a dropkick/sitout powerbomb combination gets two with Borne making the save. The Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash hits Borne but Heights makes the save, only to jump into the Golden Ratio. Back up and Axiom accidentally dropkicks Frazer, who gets planted with an AA onto the apron. Something like a TKO/DDT combination gets two on Axiom and the fans are rather surprised on the kickout. Axiom is back with a quick Canadian Destroyer to Heights and a small package to Borne retains the title at 15:45.

Rating: B-. Oh I really don’t know about that one, as it felt like a place where the titles should have changed hands. If the champs aren’t losing when Frazer is already banged up, it’s almost hard to imagine them losing to anyone at this point. Throw in even more miscommunication that they can overcome and it’s kind of a lot to take no matter how good the action can be. It wasn’t even a great match here, but rather a pretty good match with some how sequences.

Je’Von Evans isn’t overly upset about losing and Wes Lee slaps him for not being serious.

We recap Trick Williams defending the NXT Title against Ridge Holland. Over the last few weeks, Holland has been a wrecking ball in NXT and somehow this has become Williams standing up for NXT because Holland could kill it. Holland has also banged up Williams’ neck but Williams is fighting anyway.

NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Ridge Holland

Holland is challenging and starts fast with a failed Redeemer attempt. Williams slugs away in the corner but Holland runs him over with a hard shot. They go to the floor with Holland’s overhead belly to belly (which injured Big E.) being blocked. Instead Williams posts him and hits a slingshot to send Holland throat first into the bottom rope. A running neckbreaker gets two on Holland but he sends Williams into the corner to start in on the neck.

Some overhead suplexes have Williams in trouble and a neckbreaker gets two. Williams is tied in the Tree of Woe for some neck cranking and another neckbreaker connects for another two. Williams reverses another into a DDT and a flapjack but the Rock Bottom is countered into a crossface. That’s broken up and now the Rock Bottom can drop Holland for another near fall. Holland eventually gets him up with a powerbomb for two but the Swan Dive misses.

Williams kicks him in the face, followed by stereo kicks to the face for back to back near falls. They go outside and Holland loads up the announcers’ table, only to be backdropped to the floor. Back in and Williams misses a charge, getting his head caught in the ropes for the hangman spot. The referee gets him out and the Redeemer connects for two. Holland misses a charge into the post (having to push himself into it), setting up a Trick Kick and the Trick Shot to retain the title at 15:50.

Rating: B. Williams is turning into that kind of scrappy fighter who survives to find a way to win and it’s working for him. It made for a good story here of Williams managing to fight up and slay the monster, though Oba Femi is waiting for him and that might not go so well. At the same time, Holland losing the title shot after ending Chase U is a bit of a surprise, as I was expecting to see him win here. Good match, but not what I was expecting.

Ethan Page talks about his recent losses. It’s taken him 18 years to climb the mountain and now he has no idea how to get back there. He can’t do this and walks off.

Ava announces Wes Lee vs. Je’Von Evans for next week but Tiffany Stratton comes in to tease cashing in her Money In The Bank at New Year’s Evil.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Giulia is in at #1 and Wren Sinclair is in at #2. They take their times to start and then fight over a test of strength. That’s broken up and they go to the mat with Giulia cranking on the arms. Sinclair rolls out and gets two off a rollup, followed by a backslide for two more. Back up and Giulia runs her over with a shoulder before grabbing something like an Octopus.

That’s broken up and Sol Ruca is in at #3 for a spinning belly to back faceplant to Giulia. Sinclair is back up with Cattle Mutilation to Ruca but Giulia ties up their legs for something like a double STF. With that broken up, Ruca grabs a triple sleeper but Sinclair reverses into a Fujiwara armbar. Ruca switches into a neck lock but Giulia reverses into a choke. Back up and Ruca is sent to the floor, leaving Giulia to hit the Northern Lights Bomb to pin Sinclair at 9:47.

Giulia – 1
Vaquer – 0
Zaria – 0
Ruca – 0
Sinclair – 0

Ruca tries a quick rollup for two but Zaria is in at #4. That leaves Ruca and Giulia to realize they’re in trouble but a quick double Sol Snatcher sends both of them outside. Sinclair is back in…and gets caught with the Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin at 11:49.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Vaquer – 0
Zaria – 0
Sinclair – 0

With Zaria back up, Ruca and Giulia powerbomb her through the announcers’ able, only for Giulia to neckbreaker Ruca on the floor. Sinclair is back out and tries to throw them into the ring. Giulia throws her back in instead and they go outside, allowing Ruca to hit a big flipping dive.

Back in and Giulia gets kicked in the head as Stephanie Vaquer completes the field. A springboard high crossbody takes out Sinclair and Ruca and we get the Vaquer vs. Giulia showdown. Zaria is back up though and pulls Vaquer outside for a ram into the penalty box. Zaria German suplexes Sinclair and spears Ruca out of the air but Giulia grabs a choke. Vaquer jumps onto both of their backs but Zaria sends her into the corner, setting up a double Cannonball. Zaria F5’s Giulia for the pin at 17:42.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 0
Sinclair – 0

Zaria stays on Ruca before going up for a moonsault to both Ruca and Sinclair. Giulia gets out of the penalty box and cleans house, including a double missile dropkick/top rope backsplash combination to drop everyone but Vaquer. Back up and Vaquer scores with a superkick to set up another Giulia staredown. That’s broken up so they trade headbutts until Vaquer’s package backbreaker is broken up. Giulia superplexes Vaquer but Zaria breaks it up. Ruca springboards in with a splash but Vaquer rolls Sinclair up for the fall at 22:47.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 0

A string of knockdowns leaves everyone but Ruca on the floor and Sinclair is back in with a sunset flip for the pin on Ruca at 24:27.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 1

Zaria hits a double spear but Giulia knees her down and gets the pin at 24:47.

Giulia – 2
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 1

Vaquer’s rollup only gets two and Giulia wins at 25:00.

Rating: A-. This was excellent with everyone moving around and nothing close to a dead spot. They kept the drama going and the last minute had me wondering who was going to win. You could have gone in a bunch of different directions here but Giulia eels like the biggest star. Her winning the title on the first show of the year could be a heck of a moment and that might be what we’re seeing. Outstanding main event here as the NXT women’s division is one of the best things in wrestling at the moment.

Confetti and streamers go off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Pretty awesome show with the main event being more than worth a watch and even the worst matches on the show being worth a look. It was also over in less than three hours so it didn’t overstay its welcome. This was one of the best NXT shows in a long time and they are set for two big title matches on the first show of the new year. Great show and that main event is definitely worth a look.

Results
Oba Femi won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Lola Vice b. Jaida Parker – Choke
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Small package to Borne
Trick Williams b. Ridge Holland – Trick Shot
Giulia won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: December 3, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means it is time to finalize the lineups for the Iron Survivor Challenges. We have a pair of last chance matches tonight, plus the tag team battle royal to crown some new #1 contenders. This is a pretty stacked show and that should mean something good so let’s get to it.

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

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Jaida Parker vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Cora Jade

Jordan and Sinclair both grab early near falls and the other two join in with their own two counts. A high crossbody gets two on Parker but Jade is back in with a double clothesline to Jordan and Sinclair. Parker puts the two of them in the corner and sits on their ribs as we take a break.

Back with Jordan getting the worst of a Tower Of Doom but she’s able to powerbomb Jade out of the corner. Jordan frog splashes Parker and Sinclair at the same time with Jade making the save. Jade’s double arm DDT is broken up with a clothesline and Jordan drops a 450 but Parker drops Sinclair onto them to break it up. Parker goes for the cover but cue Lola Vice for the distraction, allowing Sinclair to get the pin on Jade at 11:16.

Rating: B-. They kept things moving here and it made for a fast paced match with Sinclair winning in a surprise. Jordan felt like the logical way to go here, but it was nice to see a bit of a twist. Sinclair has been doing rather well for the last few months and she deserves to get a chance to do something bigger.

Eddy Thorpe is going to win tonight and says he didn’t do anything wrong last week. Lexis King comes in to say Thorpe needs to stay calm, but tonight King is on his path to winning a title.

Here is a ticked off Jaida Parker to call out Lola Vice. After a break, and with the ropes being removed, Parker wants NXT Underground. Ava comes out to make the match for Deadline but here is Vice to promise to knock Parker out. Parker throws her the brick and then knocks Vice out with an elbow.

Brinley Reece and Dion Lennox try to calm Karmen Petrovic down about Ashante Thee Adonis. Petrovic gets some flowers from Adonis, who says he sent the text to Nikkita Lyons before her. She’s impressed.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier aren’t on the same page (again) about which Deadline match they should be focused on.

Tag Team Battle Royal

D’Angelo Family, OTM, Gallus, Hank Walker/Tank Ledger, No Quarter Catch Crew, Josh Briggs, Yoshiniki Inamura, Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Deadline and both members have to be eliminated. It’s a brawl to start with Inamura cleaning house. Hank and Tank get rid of DuPont and a chop gets rid of Crusifino. Heights and Briggs are both put out and Stacks is tossed to officially eliminate the Family. Back with Inamura and Nima out to get the field down even further. Hank and Tank get rid of Igwe, who grabs the rope and Walker is sent outside.

Walker catches Ledger before he’s eliminated and Gallus are put out back to back. We’re down to Nima, Borne and Ledger, with the fans rather behind….well NXT actually. Price chokeslams Borne onto Ledger, the latter of whom is back up to drop both of them. Back up and Nima gets crotched on top, allowing Borne to clothesline Ledger out. A dropkick eliminates Nima to give Borne, and the No Quarter Catch Crew, the win at 14:44.

Rating: C. Tag team battle royals are hard to make work and that was the case again here, mainly because a lot of these teams just don’t stand out. OTM and DuPont/Igwe haven’t done anything to distinguish themselves, Briggs and Inamura are brand new, the D’Angelo Family are just lackeys for D’Angelo himself, and the Catch Crew and Gallus are just ok. No one stands out above the pack and that didn’t help. Heights and Borne getting the shot works well enough though, as it’s no like there is a team who really belongs on top.

Here is Eric Bischoff to moderate a chat between Trick Williams and Ridge Holland. Bischoff talks about being on the cutting edge of wrestling and how awesome that has always been. It was a revolution in WCW and now the same thing is going on here in NXT. Two pieces of the puzzle to raise NXT up to that next level are his guests tonight so here are Holland and Williams.

Bischoff talks about how Holland is like a throwback to wrestlers like the Crusher. Williams is a total package (Williams: “Let’s talk about it.”) but Holland calls him a stand up comedian with abs. Holland is ready to take the NXT Title but Williams calls him bland and boring.

Holland says that while Williams was a football player, Holland was playing a man’s game in rugby. Williams slugs away and the fight is on with Holland hitting a lifting DDT onto the announcers’ table. That’s enough for Williams to be taken away on a stretcher. I have no idea why Bischoff was needed here.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Karmen Petrovic

They both miss kicks to start until Petrovic kicks her into the corner. Lyons is back with some choking on the ropes and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Petrovic strikes away but Lyons grabs a release German suplex. Cue Ashante Thee Adonis, who takes a kick from Lyons (aimed at Petrovic), which allows Petrovic to hit the Silent Slice for the win at 3:34.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here but I can go for Petrovic getting the win. She needs something to make her feel like a bigger star and while I’m not big on the Adonis story, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, she’s winning matches and that should help boost her up quite nicely.

Post match Petrovic says Adonis shoved her and walks off.

Shawn Spears is almost ready to unleash Niko Vance but we pan over to Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin, with Spears saying he’ll be watching Dolin’s return match.

The No Quarter Catch Crew is fired up and ready for Deadline.

Gigi Dolin vs. Izzi Dame

Tatum Paxley is here with Dolin, who takes Dame down for an early chinlock. Cue Shawn Spears to watch as Fatal Influence is watching in the back, with Dame stomping away on the ropes. A big boot takes Paxley out (Spears approves) but Dolin slips out of a half crab. An STO gives Dame two but Dolin is right back with the Gigi Driver for the win at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another short match here, with Dolin getting back in the swing of things after being away for so long. It seems like she is in for a Women’s North American Title match and she is going to need a few wins to get ready. That’s one of the easiest ways to do it, and odds are she’ll be facing the rest of Fatal Influence sooner than later. That’s not a bad idea, and in this case that is working well enough.

Sean Waltman praises Je’Von Evans, who is the same age Waltman was when he beat Razor Ramon. Evans is a big starstruck.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Axiom

Ethan Page is on commentary. It’s a fast start with King snapping off a running hurricanrana to send Evans outside. Back in and Alexander knocks King to the floor. Axiom and Alexander put each other down and we take a break. We come back with Thorpe getting the worst end of a Tower Of Doom and King hitting a big running flip dive to the floor.

Back in and King’s Swanton gets two on Alexander but Axiom is back up with some running shots to the face. The super Spanish Fly gets two on Thorpe, setting up a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and Alexander Michinoku Drivers King for two, with Thorpe making the save. The Golden Ratio hits King but Thorpe steals the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the way the Iron Survivor Challenge is going to go as it was a bunch of fast paced offense with everyone trying to score a fast pin. It makes for some exciting action and that is the point of what we’ll be seeing this weekend. Thorpe going forward is an interesting way to go, though King and Axiom were viable options as well.

Ava calls in and says the NXT Title match is still on for Deadline.

Eddy Thorpe can’t find Ava but promises to win the NXT Title.

Deadline rundown.

Here is Roxanne Perez for a chat. She’s interested in the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge because it’s what got her on the map, but everyone this year is fighting for second place. Any of them can get something out of winning but nothing compares to stepping in the ring with her. Cue all of the people in the match to interrupt and the big brawl is on, with Perez being knocked to the floor.

We cut to the back where Eddy Thorpe has been laid out.

Overall Rating: C+. Other than the last members of the Iron Survivor Challenges being introduced, there was only so much to this show. They tried something at the end with Thorpe being attacked, but I was only kind of getting into this one. The good thing is Deadline is such a gimmick heavy show and we should be in for a good one. Not a great show here, but it helped set the bigger one.

Results
Wren Sinclair b. Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan and Cora Jade – 450 to Jade
No Quarter Catch Crew won a tag team battle royal last eliminating OTM
Karmen Petrovic b. Nikkita Lyons – Silent Slice
Gigi Dolin b. Izzi Dame – Gigi Driver
Eddy Thorpe b. Axiom, Cedric Alexander and Lexis King – Golden Ratio to King

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: November 26, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re still on the way to Deadline and that means we have more Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches this week. In addition though, Ridge Holland beat Andre Chase last week to both break up the school (in some way) and become #1 contender to the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Holland beating Chase in a heartbreaking loss.

Chase U’s music plays but it’s Ridge Holland to crush some more souls instead. Holland gets right to the point by saying “I told you so” and says he’s coming for the NXT Title at Deadline. Short and to the point here, which might be best for Holland on the mic.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Axiom vs. Ethan Page

Nathan Frazier is here with Axiom. They start fast with some grappling but an early Golden Ratio attempt sends Page outside as we take an early break. Back with Axiom sending him into the announcers’ table and back inside, where Page kicks him in the mask. Axiom goes for an armbar but Page powerbombs his way to freedom to leave them both down.

Page grabs a waistlock before whipping said waist into the corner for a crash. A twisting backbreaker gets two but Axiom catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly for the same. Axiom goes up again but gets caught with a backbreaker onto the buckle as we take another break.

Back again with Axiom hitting a flipping DDT for two and trying a front facelock. That earns him a suplex into the corner and another backbreaker for another two. A super Ego’s Edge is countered into a super hurricanrana and Page is staggered. The Golden Ratio is loaded up again but Page hits a heck of a clothesline for the pin at 16:36.

Rating: B. This was a rather good match with Axiom getting the time to show what he can do. At the same time, Page was getting a chance of his own, as he isn’t so often known for what he can do in the ring. It worked well here though and they had me invested in what they were doing. Very nice opener here with Page staying around the title scene.

Post match Page brags about his win but Frazier says Page hasn’t won anything yet. Page says he just beat the guy that makes the team work but Frazier isn’t so sure about that. With Axiom being annoyed, Wes Lee and Je’Von Evans come out to say they’ll win. Cue a bunch of tag teams for the brawl with Axiom/Frazier.

Lola Vice and Stephanie Vaquer bicker about who will win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge but Wren Sinclair interrupts. Vice isn’t pleased and promises a beating.

Nikkita Lyons and Ashante Thee Adonis are in the back to talk about Adonis talking her. Karmen Petrovic comes in to ell at Adonis, with Lyons not being impressed.

Wren Sinclair vs. Lola Vice

Charlie Dempsey is here with Sinclair. Vice takes her down without much trouble to start but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Three Amigos give Vice two but Sinclair takes her own by the arm. Vice fights up and kicks away before they head outside. A stomp on the steps is broken up but Sinclair sends her into the steps. Back in and Vice knocks her silly with the spinning backfist for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. This was more of a technical match until the big knockout ending, with Vince knocking Sinclair silly. Vice continues to move up the ladder but at some point she’s going to need to win something that matters. Sinclair is doing well in this niche of the midcard villain and that is a valuable spot to fill.

Post match Vice calls out Jaida Parker for NXT Underground.

Tony D’Angelo assures Riz that his knee is ok.

Brooks Jensen and Shawn Spears are ready to get the North American Title.

Fatal Influence calls Tatum Paxley a freak but she says their past will haunt them.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Shawn Spears

D’Angelo is defending and Riz and Brooks Jensen are here too. Spears shoulders him down to start but gets hit in the face, only for D’Angelo to bang up his knee again. Another shot to the knee has D’Angelo down and we take a break. Back with D’Angelo pulling him into the post and hitting a superplex for a breather.

We cut to the parking lot where all of the tag teams are brawling again before coming back to Spears hitting a knee to the face. The Figure Four has D’Angelo in more trouble until a rope is grabbed. Booker declares the match over but D’Angelo gets in a quick spear for two. The spinebuster is loaded up but the knee gives out again, only for a second attempt to finish Spears at 8:33.

Rating: B-. I wouldn’t have believed it was possible but they are doing a nice job of turning D’Angelo into a star the fans want to get behind. He made a nice come from behind comeback here and won despite the knee injury, which is good guy wrestling 101. This was a good bit better than I was expecting and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Spears and Jensen jump D’Angelo with Niko, the driver from a few weeks ago, joining in. They all look at Riz.

The tag teams are still brawling in the parking lot and wreck a car.

A despondent Andre Chase leaves Chase U for the last time….but someone calls to him.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Kelani Jordan vs. Giulia

They fight over arm control to start until Jordan takes her down for an early splash. An exchange of near falls goes to a standoff until Giulia pulls her down into something like the Rings of Saturn. A headbutt and headscissors have Jordan in trouble and Giulia snaps the arm over the top rope. Back up and they hit each other in the face for a standoff as we take a break.

We come back with Jordan hitting a jumping kick to the face, setting up a big dive to the floor. Back in and Giulia misses a missile dropkick but counters One Of A Kind into a Hell’s Gate. That’s reversed with a powerbomb as Roxanne Perez is watching in the back. A hammerlock piledriver drops Jordan but she rolls into a cradle for two. That’s fine with Giulia, who knees her in the head and finishes with a northern lights bomb at 12:30.

Rating: B. Jordan is showing more and more potential and putting her in the ring with stars the caliber of Giulia is only going to help her grow. The NXT women’s division continues to be its best feature and if Jordan can develop from a good athlete into a good wrestler, she has all kinds of potential.

Ava makes a multi-person match between all of the Iron Survivor Qualifier losers for the last spot. As for Axiom and Nathan Frazier, they will defend their titles at Deadline against the winner of next week’s tag team battle royal. Axiom says they might have to wrestle twice, but Frazier points out that Axiom has to qualify first. As the endless bickering continues, Eddy Thorpe goes to yell at Ava, even grabbing her arm. Ava yells at him but some of the people arguing knock a door into her to send her down.

Post break, Shawn Michaels shoves Thorpe against a wall (!) and throws him out.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. Williams says that Ava is being checked on by medics (it wasn’t that big of a bump) before moving on to Ridge Holland ending Chase U. There have been all kinds of people who have given it their all for NXT, even people like Carmelo Hayes. That’s why he can’t let Ridge Holland become NXT Champion, because everything those people have fought for would go up in smoke.

Cue Holland, who says controversy follows him everywhere….and Eric Bischoff of all people pops up on the screen. He wants a closer look at NXT and is going to do something to make Williams and Holland want to destroy each other. That’s one of the most random cameos I’ve seen in a long time.

Charlie Dempsey tells Wren Sinclair that she’s in a last chance qualifying match next week too. She’s nervous.

X-Pac will be here next week too.

Women’s North American Title: Fallon Henley vs. Tatum Paxley

Henley, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is challenging. The fans are behind Paxley to start, even as Henley works on the arm. Paxley flips up and backflips away before going after the arm as well. A butterfly suplex rocks Henley and Paxley kicks her out to the floor, where a Fatal Influence distraction lets Henley get in a shot.

We take a break and come back with Henley punching her down for two and grabbing a chinlock. Paxley fights up and they both try crossbodies for a double knockdown. An exchange of strikes goes to Paxley and something like an Angle Slam gets two. Jacy Jayne offers a distraction so Henley can grab a pumphandle suplex for two. Paxley is right back with a knockdown into a 450 for two but the Psycho Trap is blocked. Henley hits the Fameasser to retain at 10:56.

Rating: B-. This was another good match to wrap up the show, with Henley continuing her ascension in the ring. She’s gotten that much better in recent months and it’s no surprise that she is getting a bit of a run with some gold. At the same time, it still feels like we’re waiting on the big challenger to show up and that could certainly cause Henley some problems. Paxley wasn’t that top opponent, but the fans were behind her here and that’s good to see.

Post match the beatdown is on but Gigi Dolin returns and helps clear the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Now this was more like it, with good action throughout and some big moments to make me want to see what is coming. The qualifying matches for Deadline did their job as you had wrestlers fighting to get into a bigger match, with stuff like the Chase tease and Dolin’s return, plus the still bizarre Bischoff cameo carrying the rest. Rather strong show this week and one of the best from NXT in a bit.

Results
Ethan Page b. Axiom – Clothesline
Lola Vice b. Wren Sinclair – Spinning backfist
Tony D’Angelo b. Shawn Spears – Spinebuster
Giulia b. Kelani Jordan – Northern lights bomb
Fallon Henley b. Tatum Paxley – Fameasser

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NXT
Date: November 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We have some major stakes tonight as Chase U’s future is on the line when Andre Chase faces Ridge Holland. The #1 contendership to the NXT Title is on the line too but that doesn’t seem to be as important. Other than that, we have more Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Axiom and Nathan Frazier still can’t get along over Frazier wanting single success and Axiom wanting to focus on the tag teams.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Nathan Frazier vs. Eddy Thorpe

Axiom is here with Frazier, who is wrestled down to the mat but Frazier is up with a leg lariat. Various tag teams pop up to watch as Thorpe kicks away in the corner but misses a charge into the buckle. A reverse Hennig necksnap gives Frazier two and they collide for a double knockdown as we take a break. Back with even more teams coming out to distract Frazier, allowing Thorpe to belly to back superplex him down for two. The teams get in a big brawl on the floor so Frazier dives onto them, followed by a swinging suplex to Thorpe. The Phoenix splash gives Frazier the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. This was more about the tag stuff, which still isn’t really going anywhere other than a bunch of wild brawling. Frazier getting a spot is fine way to go as he can fly around the ring and do his stuff, which is rather good. The match itself wasn’t the point here and that’s ok, as Thorpe wasn’t likely getting the Challenge spot anyway.

Andre Chase talks to Chase U and goes over some of their accomplishments and how it’s time to put it all on the line to stop Ridge Holland.

Giulia talks about bringing her Beautiful Madness to NXT and promises to win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

Robert Stone and Stevie Turner are with Kelani Jordan, who wants Giulia in a qualifying match next week.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Jaida Parker vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Parker shoulders her own a few times to start so Vaquer goes after the arm. Some cranking has Parker in trouble until she sends Vaquer into the corner for the sitdown splash as we take a break. Back with Parker hitting a reverse suplex for two and cranking on both arms. Vaquer fights up and hits a running Meteora in the corner, followed by the figure four necklock faceplants onto the mat. Parker is back up with a Falcon Arrow for two but cue Lola Vice to break up the Hipnotic. Vaquer hits a superkick into the package backbreaker for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was another match where the result wasn’t quite in question, as Vaquer wasn’t going to lose a singles match so soon into her NXT run. That being said, I’m not wild on having Parker lose again, even with the distraction. Parker is starting to turn into something around here and I could go for having her move up a bit, though she shouldn’t have beaten Vaquer. Put someone else in the spot instead.

Dion Lennox and Brinley Reece fire each other up.

Roxanne Perez is on vacation until after Deadline but Sol Ruca pops up to say she’s coming for the title.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Brooks Jensen

Non-title with Riz and Shawn Spears here as well. D’Angelo forearms him own to start and hammers away in the corner but Jensen gets in a hot shot for a breather. The chinlock goes on with Jensen switching it into a rear naked choke but D’Angelo is back up. D’Angelo bangs up his knee on the ropes and Jensen’s Codebreaker gets two. Back up and the spinebuster finishes Jensen in a hurry at 4:24.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to set up Shawn Spears as the next challenger to D’Angelo, as he can get Jensen to soften D’Angelo up for the title match. D’Angelo as a smashing machine is a little weird but he’s doing well enough. He needs a more interesting challenger than Jensen and Spears though, as I’m not sure how well the latter would go in a big time title match.

Post match Jensen takes out the bad knee again.

Ashante Thee Adonis and Karmen Petrovic are ready for their mixed tag. Flirting is included.

Lexis King is trying to be the best version of himself that he can be and people are starting to take notice. Yoshiki Inamura says he understands and King leaves. Josh Briggs comes in to ask what that was about and Inamura says he doesn’t know because this is a crazy place. We pan over to the tag teams still brawling. Inamura: “My kind of crazy!”

Ashante Thee Adonis/Karmen Petrovic vs. Dion Lennox/Brinley Reece

They come to the ring in Washington State/Oregon State gear for a college football tie-in. The women are set to start but a pair of tags…mean the women are going to start. Or not as more tags mean it’s the men. Or maybe the women. Reece finally rolls Petrovic up for two before Petrovic goes after the arm. Adonis tags himself in and gets hiptossed by Lennox but comes back with some dropkicks. Lennox is sent throat first into the top rope to slow him down again but manages to get over for the tag anyway. Reece cleans house until Adonis offers a flirty distraction, allowing Petrovic to kick her in the face for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. This story has been going on for a few months now and I’m still not sure I get the appeal. Petrovic falling for Adonis, who doesn’t seem to have any kind of similar feelings, isn’t making her look bright but it’s giving her something to do. Lennox and Reece still aren’t doing much but they’re good for opponents in a spot like this.

Ridge Holland is ready to end Chase U.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria

Charlie Dempsey is here with Sinclair. Zaria stalks her to start and blocks a rollup without much effort. Some suplexes have Sinclair down and her dropkick attempt goes badly. Sinclair gets two off a rollup but Zaria knocks her to the floor without much effort. Dempsey offers a distraction so Sinclair can get in a dive, followed by a rollup for two back inside. Zaria has had it with this and hits a spear into the F5 for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C+. Sinclair got in some offense here but Zaria is all about enacting beast mode and running through anyone in front of her. That’s a good role for her as there is always a place for that kind of a powerhouse. The match was a fine way to get another top name into the challenge, as putting these new names into some kind of a competition is the right way to go.

Tony D’Angelo is banged up but ready to fight Shawn Spears on one leg. Ava agrees and then tells Eddy Thorpe that the tag tams getting involved in his match isn’t enough of a reason to reverse the decision. Thorpe doesn’t like the double standard with D’Angelo and leaves.

Fatal Influence still doesn’t like all of the newcomers but want to fight. Fallon Henley is ready for an open challenge for next week…and here is Meta Four to interrupt. They’re ready to accept but a bunch of other women come in for a brawl. Tatum Paxley jumps Henley and lays her out to hold up the title.

Shawn Spears is pleased with Brooks Jensen.

Karmen Petrovic is happy with Ashante Thee Adonis…but Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she’s still waiting on that text back from Adonis. Petrovic isn’t pleased but Adonis says he never texted Lyons.

Ethan Page is ready to win the Iron Survivor Challenge and he’ll qualify next week.

Nathan Frazier isn’t impressed with Page but Axiom is ready to stop him from winning. Frazier isn’t pleased with Axiom being in but if Frazier can do it, why not him too?

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Andre Chase acknowledges being hard on a bunch of his students….but he wouldn’t apologize for a thing. It’s time to become NXT Champion.

Ridge Holland vs. Andre Chase

For the #1 contendership (Trick Williams is on commentary) and Chase U is basically done if Chase loses. Chase sends him into the corner to start but gets run over with a hard shot. Holland goes outside and pulls up the floor mats but takes too long, allowing Chase to hit a flip dive off the apron. We take a break and come back with Holland muscling him up into a spinning DDT for two.

A low blow takes Chase down again but here is Duke Hudson to pull the referee out and brawl with Holland. That’s broken up so Holland goes after Thea Hail, with Riley Osborne making the save this time. Holland gorilla presses Osborne onto the exposed concrete but Chase is back up for the brawl. Chase’s Russian legsweep into the spelling stomps gets two before a powerbomb out of the corner connects for the same. Holland rolls through a high crossbody though and the lifting DDT finishes Chase at 11:57.

Rating: B. Dang they actually did it. Chase U isn’t likely going away but it’s going to be completely changed in some way, whatever that means. Holland getting to be the one to slay the school is certainly a big step, though I wasn’t quite expecting it to come in a clean win. Holland is ready for a title shot now, and based on this, I’d be surprised if he didn’t win the thing.

Chase and the school are devastated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was all about the main event and it worked well, with most of the rest being about setting up the Iron Survivor Challenges. That makes for a focused show with a theme to it, but stuff liked the mixed tag and the D’Angelo vs. Spears/Jensen parts weren’t so good. Deadline is coming together, but dang tonight’s main event was a punch to the gut.

Results
Nathan Frazier b. Eddy Thorpe – Phoenix splash
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jaida Parker – Package backbreaker
Tony D’Angelo b. Brooks Jensen – Spinebuster
Karmen Petrovic/Ashante Thee Adonis b. Dion Lennox/Brinley Reece – Kick to Reece
Zaria b. Wren Sinclair – F5
Ridge Holland b. Andre Chase – Lifting DDT

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 8, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re still stuck with the shorter form shows due to the main roster being in Saudi Arabia. That doesn’t make a ton of difference around here, but it is at last something to shake up the run of the mill nature of this show. Other than that, we’re at least getting some minor continuity, which is more than we’ve gotten forever. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dani Palmer vs. Kali Armstrong

Armstrong powers her down by the arm to start but Palmer nips up and grabs an armbar of her own. Back up and Armstrong stomps away in the corner before an elbow drop gets two. The abdominal stretch, with the grab of a leg, has Palmer in more trouble but she fights out in a hurry. An enziguri puts Armstrong down and the moonsault gives Palmer the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Not much to this one with Armstrong as a fairly generic “I’m strong and better than you” villain. Palmer is only so much better than that made a fine enough match, albeit rather short. It’s not like Palmer has anything going on at the moment though and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

Dion Lennox, Shiloh Hill and Cutler James are ready for Gallus.

Gallus is ready for their six man tag. This is being treated like an actual match.

Dion Lennox/Shiloh Hill/Cutler James vs. Gallus

Wolfgang hammers Lennox into the corner to start but it’s off to Hill for some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. Mark gets taken into the corner by the arm and it’s off to James for a wheelbarrow faceplant. The numbers game gets Cutler in trouble though and a Regal Roll gives Joe two. James manages a backdrop though and the tag brings in Lennox to clean house. Some northern lights suplexes put Gallus down but Joe is back with the Glasgow Sendoff. Hill cleans house but gets sent outside, leaving Lennox to grab a rollup for the big upset pin at 6:13.

Rating: C+. And points for the shock here as I never would have bet on Gallus being in anything resembling trouble here but the young guys won. That’s an actual upset and something that could genuinely boost them up. Gallus has been treated as a big (well big enough) deal around here and to have a bunch of mostly unproven stars beat them was rather stunning.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m still trying to get over the main event as you just do not see results like that around here. I’ve been wanting anything important, or at least interesting, to happen on this show forever and, albeit once, they’ve actually done it. Now do something else to keep it going and turn this into an actual show that has some value for the regulars.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 1, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and the main roster is on the way to Saudi Arabia so this is another short form edition. Last week’s show featured something of a change in style with some stories being added to spice the matches up a bit. The change wasn’t much but I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Carlee Bright vs. Lainey Reid

They fight over a lockup to start until Reid shoulders her down. Back up and Bright cranks away on the arm before hitting a quick dropkick. A monkey flip out of the corner puts Reid down but she’s right back with the forearms in another corner. Reid chokes on the ropes and hits a gutbuster into the chinlock. That’s broken up and Bright grabs a middle rope hurricanrana for two as the fans are split. A Backstabber rocks Reid but she pulls the hair and grabs a rolling cutter for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. Bright was definitely starting to show some more in the ring here and that’s a good sign for her future. What’s not a good sign is that she still doesn’t have anything that makes her stand out. She’s rather athletic and that’s about the extent of anything that she has going right now. Reid is someone who isn’t exactly great in the ring, but NXT sees something in her and that’s what matters right now.

Post break Reid it’s worried about Layla Diggs.

Oro Mensah vs. Niko Vance

The rather strong Vance powers him into the corner to start and then runs Mensah over with a shoulder. An anklescissors sends Vance to the apron and a flipping kick to the head drops him again. Vance gets smart by going after the leg, though the fans don’t approve. Back in and Vance works on the leg, including slamming it onto the apron.

A shinbreaker into a suplex gives Vance two and he steps on the face for a half crab. Mensah slips out of a powerbomb though and chops away before ramming Vance into the corner a few times. The leg is fine enough for a springboard shot to Vance’s head but Vance sends him into the corner. Vance goes up but Mensah kicks him down, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C-. Well that happened. I have no idea what the point is in having Vance work on the leg for the majority of the match if Mensah is going to come right back with a bunch of jumping and kicking. Vance was wrestling a nice match as a bully here, but what he does doesn’t matter if Mensah isn’t going to do his part.

Overall Rating: C. Not much to this one, but again there is only so much that can be done with about twenty minutes on the whole show. Reid and Vance did well but I would have expected more from Mensah, who has been on the regular NXT show long enough to not do the Mike Bailey Special. Other than that, they are at least building to something with Diggs and Reid, which could be…well it’ll exist.

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