Battleground 2023
Date: May 28, 2023
Location: Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

NXT is back on the road and that is usually a good thing. NXT doesn’t have these major shows very often, but they have been doing them a bit more frequently as of late. The main event is a roles reversed rematch from the Stand & Deliver main event as Carmelo Hayes is defending the NXT Title against Bron Breakker. At the same time, we need a new Women’s Champion so let’s get to it.

The opening video is the same video that ended NXT, as we look at WWE’s history in Lowell and how much stuff has happened here over the years. Now it is time for the new generation and tonight’s card gets a look.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Gacy

Lee is defending and Ava is here with Gacy. They circle each other to start before Gacy has to duck a double chop. Gacy bails to the floor but everyone switches places, allowing Gacy to dive on the other two as the get in a fight. Back in and Gacy hits a scoop brainbuster for two on Bate before Lee gets the same off a German suplex. Lee snaps off a hurricanrana for two on Bate, who is right back with a jumping elbow.

Bate suplexes Gacy down and sends Lee flying with a t-bone suplex. In his showing off portion of the match, Bate airplane spins Gacy and swings Lee at the same time. That’s a Claudio Castagnoli spot, not an anyone else spot. Lee and Bate slug it out until Bate backdrops Lee into a Gacy powerbomb (which he didn’t seem to know was coming). Gacy is back up with a Rock Bottom to Lee and a layout reverse DDT to Bate.

The Rings of Saturn have Lee in trouble until Bate (after waiting a bit) slugs away to make the save. Bate misses another shooting star and gets caught in the Rings of Saturn again. Lee makes a save this time and avoids a double handspring/springboard clothesline from the two. A double Cardiac Kick gives Lee two each but he misses a charge into the corner.

Lee is fine enough to grab a sleeper on Gacy but Bate makes the save. Bate hits the Tyler Driver 97 on Gacy but Lee makes the save and cradles Bate, with Gacy making the save (way too fast after getting taken out). Back up and Lee hits a big running flip dive to take Bate down on the floor. Gacy hits a release Rock Bottom on Lee, who pops back up with a Cardiac Kick to retain the title at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Nice opener here as Lee continues his reign, meaning that Gacy isn’t getting the title, making this a solid match. Bate was just kind of there and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting a solo title shot against Lee in the future. Lee is almost ready to surpass Velveteen Dream as the longest reigning champion in history and it wouldn’t surprise me if that is NXT’s big goal at the moment. Part of the reason is because he can keep having matches like this, and it worked well here again.

We recap the Women’s Title being vacated, setting up the tournament, with the finals taking place tonight.

We recap the Heritage Cup Title match. Noam Dar brought the cup over from NXT UK, Dragon Lee, with Nathan Frazer (who doesn’t like Dar either) wants it.

Here are the rules:

Six three minute rounds, twenty second break between rounds.

First to win two falls win, with falls coming by pinfall, submission or countout. Knockout or DQ ends the match instantly. A fall automatically ends a round.

If no one has won two falls by the end of six rounds, the champion retains the title.

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is challenging with Nathan Frazer in his corner. Round One begins with Dar (who has no corner man) grabbing a waistlock into an armbar and driving some knees into the arm. Lee reverses into an armbar of his own and they stick with the grappling on the mat. Lee can’t get a sunset flip or a superkick, leaving Dar to bail over to the ropes. Instead Lee punches him in the face and hits a dropkick to the floor as time expires.

Round Two begins with Lee hitting some running elbows and a running hurricanrana. A slingshot kick to the chest has Dar in trouble in the corner but he tells Lee to bring it on anyway. Back up and Dar hits a spinning elbow to the head for the pin and the first fall at 1:31 of the round and 5:02.

Round Three begins with Oro Mensah now as Dar’s corner man and Dar cranking on the arm to no avail. Lee kicks him in the head for the break but Dar elbows him down again. A rollup gets two on Dar and Lee kicks him in the head again. With Dar on the apron, Lee hits a heck of a running hurricanrana to the floor, followed by a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Lee kicks away but time runs out with Dar in trouble. Hold on though as Dar gets in a cheap shot after the bell, leaving Lee down during the break.

Round Four begins with Dar hitting a running forearm for two but Lee small packages him for the same. Dar slaps on a cross armbreaker but Lee stacks him up to escape. A Texas Cloverleaf goes on Dar, with Mensah pushing the rope towards him for the break. Mensah sends Frazer into the steps, leaving Lee to hit a spinning crossbody for the pin at 2:06 of the round (11:25 overall) to tie it up. Frazer and Mensah get in a fight, with Frazer knocking him outside for a heck of a suicide dive.

Round Five begins with Lee striking away but Dar counters a kick into a quickly broken ankle lock. Another running hurricanrana is countered into a nasty powerbomb to the floor, followed by the spinning elbow to the face for two on Lee. Back up and Dar strikes away, only to get caught with a snap German suplex. Lee hits an awesome sitout powerbomb for two….and here is Jakara Jackson. The distraction lets Lash Legend come in and hit Lee with the bucket. The Nova Roller (running kick to the head) finishes Lee to retain the title at 2:18 of the round and 14:22 overall.

Rating: B. This is one of those match styles that takes some time to get used to as it’s rather different than just about anything else you’ll see. They wound up having a good, back and forth match, though the idea of Legend getting more TV time makes my head hurt. Other than that, I could go for something like this being an on again/off again feature, as it works well for a technical style wrestler. Nice introduction to the concept here, Legend interference aside.

We recap Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov. They hate each other and want to torture one another, which included Dragunov allowing Dijak to torture him. Now it’s a Last Man Standing match, which could be brutal.

Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov

Last Man Standing. They slug it out to start with neither being able to get very far with the grappling. Dijak knocks him outside and throws the steps back in, only to have Dragunov fight back to take over. Dragunov dives into a raised boot though and gets planted onto the steps for about seven. That lets Dijak get out a table but Dragunov knocks him into the barricade to cut that off fast.

Back in and Dijak’s chokeslam onto the steps is countered into a DDT onto them instead, leaving both of them down. Dragunov crushes Dijak with the steps in the corner, setting up a heck of a Van Terminator to knock Dijak silly. Somehow Dijak gets to his feet so Dragunov unloads on him with forearms and chops.

Back up and Dijak flips out of a German suplex, setting up a hard chokeslam over the top and onto the apron. A quick Feast Your Eyes knocks Dragunov silly, though nowhere near enough for the ten. That means it’s time for some kendo stick shots in the corner, though Dragunov is sitting on the turnbuckle, with his legs shaking. With Dragunov not going down, Dijak gets in his face to yell and swings the stick some more.

The stick is broken over Dijak’s knee so he goes to get a chair. The delay lets Dragunov hit the Torpedo but Dijak is up again. Instead Dragunov climbs onto the steps and hits a big flying forearm to send Dijak face first into the chair for the win (barely beating the count himself) at 15:56.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah this worked as they just beat the fire out of each other for about fifteen minutes. Dragunov knows how to sell a beating like few others and you can feel the pain when he is out there taking a beating. I could easily see Dragunov becoming one of the biggest stars in NXT rather quickly and this is his biggest win stateside so far. Heck of a fight here and it was all kinds of physical.

We go to Chase U, where Duke Hudson is happy with his students, except for Ricky (Duke: “RICKY YOU SUCK!”). Anyway, Hudson has a lot on his plate so he has brought in Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak to help teach catch as catch can wrestling. They use Thea Hail’s lack of grappling skills as proof that she has no future. Hail storms off but Hudson isn’t happy with how things are going. Hudson wants them to have a better lesson plan for next week and sends them off. As everyone leaves, Hudson does not seem pleased with the clip of Hail in the ring.

Noam Dar and company are VERY happy with what they did out there, as the Heritage Cup has come to America.

The Great American Bash is coming to Cedar Park, Texas on July 30.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Creed Brothers

The Creeds (with Ivy Nile, who cancels out Gallus’ Joe Coffey) are challenging. Julius cranks on Mark’s arm to start and it’s already a four way showdown. Gallus tries to charge at them but it’s Brutus working on Mark’s arm to keep him in trouble. Julius offers a distraction so Brutus can get in an ax handle to the arm but Wolfgang comes in off a blind tag.

That means a hot shot can drop Brutus, allowing the champs to take over for the first time. Brutus fights up from a chinlock but Mark is right there with a middle rope shoulder and a near fall. Mark’s chinlock is broken up but Wolfgang is right there to grab a front facelock. That’s broken up as well and it’s Julius coming in to clean house, including the suplexes.

As in about six straight, followed by a series of nipups. A standing shooting star into Brutus’ moonsault press gets two on Mark as Julius gets a needed breather. Everything breaks down and the Brutus Ball drops Wolfgang fast. They all get up for the double slugout with Julius clearing the ring again. Cue Ava to go after Nile, with the distraction letting Gallus hitting their running knee/spinning flapjack combination to retain at 9:33.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a hot story coming in but it wound up being a good showdown. As you might have expected, this included yet another Julius showcase, as he is one of the most athletically gifted people that I’ve seen in NXT for a very long time now. He isn’t ready to split off entirely on his own just yet, but once he does, the potential is right there for someone who can do that kind of insanely athletic stuff. If he has the charisma and mic skills to back it up, he is an absolute star in the making.

The masked attacker will reveal themselves on NXT.

Video on Lyra Valkyria, who is ready to win the Women’s Title.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton

For the vacant title. Feeling out process to start with Lyra grabbing a headlock takeover to little avail, other than frustrating Stratton. The feeling out process continues until Lyra seems to tweak her leg on a leapfrog. Lyra is right back up and backflips away from a test of strength, followed by an armdrag to send Stratton outside. Stratton pulls her outside and starts in on the knee, including ramming it into the post.

The knee gets crushed back inside and Stratton snaps it back a few times. The Muta Lock goes on to keep the leg in trouble but Lyra manages to get out. Back up and they slap it out, even as Stratton holds her by the leg. We hit the Stretch Muffler for a bit but Lyra is back up with a sunset flip for two. Lyra kicks her into the corner and gets two more off a rollup. Back up and something like an enziguri sends Stratton outside, followed by the big dive to the floor.

They head back inside with Stratton rolling through a high crossbody, setting up a Samoan drop, which is reversed into a crucifix for two. Stratton knocks her down and hits a bottom rope…I think elbow for two more and they’re both a bit winded. Stratton’s running basement dropkick gets two before rolling her over by the leg.

Back up and Lyra pulls her out of the air for a German suplex but the leg gives out on the spinwheel kick. Stratton hits a fireman’s carry slam, only to miss the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. The spinwheel kick connects but Stratton’s foot is on the rope. Lyra can’t follow up though and it’s the fireman’s carry slam into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to give Stratton the pin and the title at 15:59.

Rating: B. It was pretty easily Stratton’s best match ever and they didn’t exactly hide how this was going to go. Stratton has been presented as a major star in the division for the last few months and has seemingly just been waiting for the big moment. There was no better option for the title here and Lyra has been a glorified afterthought coming into this. Good match with the leg playing a part almost entirely throughout and it made for a special moment, with the title change making it that much better.

We recap Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title. Hayes took the title from Breakker at Stand & Deliver and then turned heel, attacking Hayes and Trick Williams multiple times. Now it is time for Hayes to defend the title again in his backyard in a huge rematch.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. Williams handles Hayes’ entrance, comparing Hayes’ title win to other Boston sports win (eh…..yeah ok nice idea). Hayes goes right after the leg to start but Breakker is fine enough to run him over with a shoulder. They head outside with Hayes hammering away but Breakker comes back with the spinebuster powerslam back inside.

Breakker sends him flying with a hiptoss, only to have Hayes score with a Fade Away. It’s back to the leg, followed by a top rope armdrag to keep the speed up. Breakker isn’t having that and blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the overhead belly to belly. A nice spinning belly to belly into some pushups, setting up another belly to belly to keep Hayes down. Breakker sends him flying with a German suplex and even mocks the LET’S GO MELO chant.

The Recliner doesn’t work though as Hayes manages a quick DDT out of a suplex for a breather. A pump kick and springboard clothesline drops Breakker again but he tells Hayes to hit him in the face. That means a knee to said face sets up a suplex cutter for two as Breakker is a bit rocked.

Breakker’s gorilla press is countered into a Codebreaker but it’s too early for Nothing But Net. Instead Breakker cuts him out of their with the spear (geez) for two. The straps come down but the gorilla press is countered into a small package to give Hayes two. Some superkicks into a springboard DDT plants Breakker and Nothing But Net retains the title at 14:15.

Rating: B. This got better as it kept going and it was a good main event as Hayes gets another crowning moment. What matters is having Hayes clear Breakker out, as there is no reason for Breakker to come after the title anytime soon. Breakker showed what a monster he can be but now the crown has moved on, meaning Hayes needs to find a new challenger after this one. Good main event, though if this wasn’t Hayes’ hometown, Stratton should have headlined.

Hayes and Williams celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It wasn’t quite a Takeover, but it certainly followed the Takeover formula. That is what it needed to be and the good thing is there was nothing close to bad on the whole show. They got some of the bigger stories out of the way at the moment and now things seem ready to move forward starting on the road to the Great American Bash. I had a good time with this one and for a show that only ran about two hours and fifteen minutes, you couldn’t ask for much more.

Results
Wes Lee b. Joe Gacy and Tyler Bate – Cardiac Kick to Gacy
Noam Dar b. Dragon Lee 2-1
Ilja Dragunov b. Dijak when Dijak could not answer the ten count
Gallus b. Creed Brothers – Running knee/spinning flapjack to Julius
Tiffany Stratton b. Lyra Valkyria – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Carmelo Hayes b. Bron Breakker – Nothing But Net

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 23, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Battleground and that means we need to finalize the Women’s Title match. The tournament semifinals will take care of that tonight and there are a few combinations. Other than that, we’ll probably get one more hard push towards Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker. Let’s get to it.

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

Lyra Valkyria, Cora Jade, Tiffany Stratton and Roxanne Perez all promise to win the title.

Women’s Title Tournament Semifinals: Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade

Valkyria starts fast with a small package for two and a suplex is good for the same. Jade manages to tie her in the ropes or some chops, followed by a kick to the back of the head for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Valkyria is up with a bunch of strikes, only to get caught in a guillotine choke of all things. Back up and Valkyria hits a quick spinning kick to the head for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. It was nice while it lasted but it didn’t last very long. Valkyria winning is a little surprising but I can go with the idea of pushing someone new to go after the title. The ending really was as out of nowhere as it seemed, with commentary saying they barely even saw Valkyria land the kick in the first place. Not bad, but almost shockingly short.

Post match Jade hits her in the knee before adding in a kendo stick shot for a bonus.

Ilja Dragunov jumps Dijak in the back and tries to crush him with a garage door. Referees intervene but Dijak is banged up.

Axiom vs. Dabba-Kato

Axiom goes for the knee to start before scoring with an enziguri. A chokeslam is broken up and Axiom goes for the leg again. Kato powers him around but a dragon screw legwhip over the rope slows it down again. Back up and a heck of a clothesline cuts Axiom off though and a sitout chokebomb gives Kato the pin at 1:57.

Post match Kato stays on Axiom but Reggie comes in to low bridge him to the floor. Axiom isn’t sure about this.

Tony D’Angelo is being interrogated and wants to get straight to the point. The officer wants to know why D’Angelo’s name keeps coming up in various investigations. They even have a video from an informant (which we can’t see) but D’Angelo denies it’s him. Another officer comes in and says they have more information. More on this later, though D’Angelo goes to listen at the door.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes, with Hayes taking the NXT Title at Stand & Deliver. Breakker then went full evil and has attacked Hayes/Hayes’ friend Trick Williams on the way to their rematch at Battleground. This feels like an epic showdown and that’s what it needs to be on this stage and at this level.

Here is Gallus for a chat. They aren’t happy about the other teams, such as Tony D’Angelo/Stacks and the Creed Brothers coming after the titles but here are the Creeds to interrupt. The Creeds waste no time in issuing the challenge but the match isn’t official. Instead the brawl is on, with Joe Coffey getting involved too. Stacks runs in to even things up and Gallus is cleared out.

Wes Lee isn’t sure what is going on around here and it feels like everyone is coming for the title. Maybe he should just stop letting people get close to him. Cue Tyler Bate to say they’re still friends but he has to worry about Eddy Thorpe tonight. Lee isn’t convinced.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Tyler Bate

Wes Lee is on commentary. Bate works on the wrist to start but Thorpe is back up with a headlock of his own. The technical off continues as Bate sweeps the leg for one and slides between the legs for an early standoff. A small package gives Bate two but a kick to the back cuts him off. Thorpe grabs a seated abdominal stretch but Bate powers up for the middle rope elbow to the face. The standing shooting star press gets two and Bate runs him over again, setting up the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to have Thorpe lose his first match as he had been getting a nice start to his NXT career. There is no shame in losing to Bate, but I wasn’t expecting Thorpe’s first loss to be so….basic I guess you would call it. The action was good though and that’s about all you needed to have here in such a short match.

Post match Joe Gacy comes in and takes out Bate and Lee, who can’t quite make a save.

Lyra Valkyria’s knee is bruised and swollen but she’s ready or Battleground. She wants Roxanne Perez in the finals because Perez is the best in NXT.

Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer

Non-title. Dar works on the wrist to start and is quickly reversed into a headlock. Back up and Frazer starts dodging anything Dar throws at him to increase the frustration. Frazer kicks him out to the floor, with Dar needing to be near the Heritage Cup, as we take a break. We come back with Dar breaking up a springboard to take over and stomp down on the arm.

Frazer is able to strike away, setting up an AJ Styles springboard moonsault into a reverse DDT. Dar tries to break up the springboard but Frazer head fakes him and hits a springboard ax handle. A swinging suplex gets two but a Phoenix splash misses. Dar’s ankle lock is broken up so he settles for kicking Frazer in the head. A cross armbreaker has Frazer in trouble until he stacks Dar up for two and the break.

Frazer gets two off a superkick and they chop it out. Dar hits a heck of a spinning elbow to the face for two as Dragon Lee comes out to admire the cup. The distraction sends Dar outside to check on said cup, allowing Frazer to hit a suicide dive. Back in and the Phoenix splash finishes for Frazer at 12:55.

Rating: B. Good back and forth stuff here with Dar being much more tolerable when he isn’t talking for days on end. Frazer is someone who can wrestle an exciting style and is always close enough to a win that it isn’t a stretch to see him get a pin. Now just give him something to do already.

Frazer and Lee admire the cup as Dar freaks out.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to hurt Dijak at Battleground. Cue Dijak and the fight is on, with the locker room having to split them up.

Carmelo Hayes returned to Boston and got to do a media tour for Battleground. It’s always cool to see a wrestler getting this kind of treatment.

Hank Walker vs. Tank Ledger

They’re partners/friends/opponents so they even come out together for a unique change. They go straight with the brawling to start with Ledger sending him into the corner. Something like a cartwheel splash gets two but Walker hits him in the face. Walker hits a splash in the corner and stereo crossbodies gives Walker the pin at 2:44.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in to spear them both down.

The Creeds thank Stacks for the help earlier. He offers to help them out at Battleground, but the Creeds have this. No offense taken, and Stacks/Tony D’Angelo can even have the first shot at the Creeds. Stacks seems pleased.

Here is Gigi Dolin for a chat. Dolin talks about coming from a broken home where there was a lot of addiction. She has trouble letting people in but she did it with Jacy Jayne, who turned on her. Jayne pops up to say she can’t stand any more of this emo talk. Jayne talks about how she carried Toxic Attraction but Dolin knows she is in Jayne’s head. That doesn’t work for Jayne, who brings up Dolin’s little brother. Dolin just points out the fact that they’re 1-1 but Jayne accuses her of pandering to her social media fan base. They can end this, but let’s do it inside a weaponized cage. The match, and more catty insults, are on.

Luca Crusifino promises legal recourse against Von Wagner tonight. That’s a bold threat.

Video on the Heritage Cup rules and Dragon Lee challenging Noam Dar.

Dar tries to get Oro Mensah’s help against Lee but that’s a no. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson come in to laugh at Dar.

Luca Crusifino vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who wastes no time in sending Luca outside. Back in and Luca avoids a charge in the corner and stomps away. A hiptoss neckbreaker gives Luca two and he sends Wagner outside. That lets Luca go after Stone, who has the picture of the baby in his pocket. That’s WAY too far for Wagner, who runs Luca over and hammers away in the ropes until it’s a DQ at 2:38.

Post match Wagner powerbombs Luca onto the announcers’ table, as Stone freaks out.

Tony D’Angelo is still being interrogated and this time, he gets arrested.

Women’s Title Tournament Semifinals: Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez has to jump up to get a test of strength to start but Stratton spins around and gymnastics herself to a standoff. A sunset flip gives Perez two and she starts cranking on the arm. Stratton reverses into a wristlock of her own but gets anklescissored to the floor. Back in and Stratton pulls her off the top for a crash and we take a break.

We come back with Perez dropkicking her to the floor. Perez nails the suicide dive, followed by the suicide dive for a bonus. Back in and Stratton rolls through a high crossbody, only to miss the triple jump moonsault. Perez hammers away with right hands but Stratton hits a Sky High for two of her own. They go up top with Perez snapping off a super hurricanrana, followed by a Russian legsweep for two. We seem to pause for Stratton to adjust her top, allowing her to hit the Regal Roll. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever sends Stratton to Battleground at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was the good match you would expect from two of the more talented women in NXT. Perez is probably the most decorated woman in the tournament so beating her is quite the prize in its own right for Stratton. Valkyria vs. Stratton might not be the most hyped up match, but it could go either way and that’s always a good feeling to have.

Battleground rundown.

Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton talk trash to each other….and the masked woman runs in to jump Roxanne Perez. The masked woman runs off before Valkyria can get to her.

Here is Dijak to sign the hold harmless papers for his match with Ilja Dragunov, only to be jumped by Dragunov. Dijak fights back and sends him into the barricade before signing. Dragunov fights back up and signs as well before kicking the stairs carrying Dijak down. Dragunov jumps onto him and poses on the steps to end the show.

Actually hang on as we get one more video on Battleground, complete with clips of various WWF/E shows in Lowell, Massachusetts over the years for a rather cool touch. They’re making it feel important so well done with putting together an awesome video.

Overall Rating: B. They brought the hard push towards Battleground here and that is what matters most. I’m a lot more interested in what happens at the show now than I was coming in so they have certainly done something right. There was also enough good wrestling here to make the two hours go by quickly, so now we should be in for a solid night on Sunday as NXT gets to hit the road again.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Cora Jade – Spinning kick to the head
Dabba-Kato b. Axiom – Sitout chokebomb
Tyler Bate b. Eddy Thorpe – Tyler Driver 97
Nathan Frazer b. Noam Dar – Phoenix splash
Hank Walker b. Tank Ledger – Crossbody
Luca Crusifino b. Von Wagner via DQ when Wagner attacked in the ropes
Tiffany Stratton b. Roxanne Perez – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 12, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s time for the latest offering from LVL Up and as usual, there is almost no guessing what weird combinations you might get. At the same time, there is not going to be much of a difference no matter who is involved, but it could make for an entertaining 20 minutes of content. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Tavion Heights

Heights headlocks him down to start but Chen fights up for a quickly broken sleeper. An armdrag into an armbar has Chen in more trouble but he’s right back with a crossbody. Back up and Heights snaps off some suplexes for two before we hit the chinlock, as Chen still can’t do anything with him. Chen manages to counter a suplex into another crossbody and the comeback is on. The double chop finishes Heights fast at 4:44.

Rating: C. Well of course. Someone gets going against Chen but they always fall short in the end. It’s the same thing every time no matter who it is and I really don’t get it. There’s nothing overly special about Chen and that was on display again here. Heights looks to have potential, but woe unto anyone who runs up against the force that is DANTE CHEN.

Kelani Jordan is ready to prove that she can hang here against someone as talented as Wendy Choo. She was a successful gymnast at Michigan State and even has a motto about being silent and showing your abilities. Who am I to argue with someone whose slogan belongs in any page-a-day calendar in the clearance section?

Wendy Choo vs. Kelani Jordan

They fight over a lockup to start with Jordan’s early wristlock not getting him very far. A headlock takeover has a bit more success but Choo reverses into a headscissors. Choo grabs a quick takedown for two, followed by doing it again for the same, which leaves Choo looking a bit surprised. A kick to the face and a running elbow drop gets two but Jordan fights up and elbows her down as well. Jordan’s springboard spinning crossbody connects for another near fall but Choo is back with the Snooze Button (full nelson slam) for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. Jordan didn’t do anything overly flashy here but she looked solid enough with the basics. You can see the athleticism and athletic background, which will be more than enough of a foundation to go somewhere. Choo still feels like she is finding her feet after returning, which is what a show like this can help her do.

Respect is shown post match.

Bronco Nima/Lucien Price vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Enofe hammers away on Nima to start but Blade has to pull him out of what looked like a powerslam. Price comes in and gets headlocked, which doesn’t last long as the power takes Enofe into the corner. One heck of a clothesline gives Price two and we hit a bit harder chinlock. Snake Eyes sets up a standing stomp to the chest to give Nima two. Enofe gets away and brings in Blade to clean house. The big slingshot dive to the floor drops Price and Nima, followed by a top rope elbow to finish Nima at 7:01.

Rating: C+. Nima and Price continue to look like a team who could go somewhere with more polish and seasoning, which is something they could get around here. The exact same thing is true with Enofe and Blade, but on a much higher level. They still seem to be able to move on to a much higher level, but I’m starting to wonder if it is ever going to happen.

Overall Rating: C. This felt a lot like what LVL Up has been for a long time now, as it had a lot of familiar faces running on a treadmill. At the same time, Jones had a nice debut, Heights looked good and the tag match did rather well too. There is a future here, but LVL Up has to actually do something different for a change if this show is going to benefit most of them in the long term.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 16, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Tournament time continues around here as we have more from the Women’s Title tournament, likely including the rest of the first round. Other than that, we are less than two weeks away from Battleground and there are a few more matches that need to be set. Throw in some more build towards Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes II and we should be in for a big night. Let’s get to it.

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

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Cora Jade vs. Fallon Henley

Henley takes her down to start and slides to the floor for a right hand. Back in and Jade starts in on the leg, including crushing it on the ropes for one. Jade hits a running dropkick in the ropes as we see the locker room watching (with Duke Hudson grading papers on the side). Henley fights up but her knee is too banged up, allowing Jade to roll outside. Back in and a shot to the knee takes Henley down, allowing Jade to hit the double arm DDT for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much time for this one but they managed to get in a quick story with the knee injury. I like Henley but there was no way she should have gone over here, as Jade has been treated as a much bigger deal for a long time now. What we got here worked well enough, but there just wasn’t enough time to really develop it.

Thea Hail and Kiana James argue a lot and a match is ready for later. Duke Hudson has to approve Hail for the match, and gives his ok without looking up.

The Dyad jumps Wes Lee and Tyler Bate. Joe Gacy says their relationship is based on lies and will fall apart. Can Gacy fall apart instead?

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrive in a very nice car and we follow them from the parking lot to the arena. Hayes said Williams defended his honor last week but after the match, Bron Breakker wanted to deliver a message. The tape on his ribs says message received, but Breakker needs to realize that this isn’t the same Hayes. They’re in his yard at Battleground and in his yard, they bite instead of bark.

They want him out here to fight right now, but get Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey (who they passed on the way into the arena) instead. They don’t like being disrespected and the WILLY WONKA chants don’t help things. The challenge is on and we seem to have a main event for later.

Ilja Dragunov interrupts Dijak and they promise to hurt each other.

Dani Palmer was attack at a live event by a masked woman (presumably the same woman who has been attacking various women for months).

Creed Brothers vs. Dyad

Julius and Fowler start things off with Julius powering him over. It’s off to Brutus with a top rope ax handle before both Dyads get passed around in a delayed vertical suplex. Fowler even gets passed back to Julius before finally being dropped for two. Reid comes back in and manages a Koji Clutch, with Fowler stomping away for a bonus. Julius finally spinebusters him down and we take a break.

Back with Julius fighting out of trouble again and diving over to Brutus (even as Fowler has Julius’ leg). Brutus knocks Fowler over hard for two before suplexing him/rolling up Reid at the same time for two each. A double clothesline leaves Fowler and Brutus down so Julius and Reid hit stereo 450s. The two of them slug it out until Reid reverses a powerbomb into a DDT. Ava goes after Ivy Nile on the floor and gets choked out, setting up the sliding forearm to finish Reid at 14:11.

Rating: B. It’s rather fascinating how much Joe Gacy’s presence makes my soul feel like it’s dying while Dyad can be a heck of a team when they can just get in the ring and do their thing. Other than that, Julius continues to feel like a stud and someone who could be a breakout star on his own at any time. This was a heck of an athletic display here and it made for a very enjoyable match, which I wasn’t quite expecting.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks were at dinner when Stacks had to go make a phone call. While he was gone, some cops arrived to take D’Angelo in for questioning about various criminal acts. Stacks comes back in, is told what happened, and makes another call as he leaves.

The Creeds want Gallus for the Tag Team Titles at Battleground.

Here is Noam Dar for a live Supernova Sessions. Dar says that his guest will not take the Heritage Cup from him and brings out Dragon Lee. Dar talks about training, but Lee says he has been trained since he was 14, including to be trained to respect his opponent. Lee wants the Heritage Cup but Dar mocks the idea of Lee even understanding the rules. Nathan Frazer comes out to say everyone wants to see Lee win the cup, so Lee issues the challenge for Battleground. Frazer says if Dar loses, maybe Alicia Fox will be interested. Oh and he can fight Dar next week in a regular match.

Dijak appears to have kidnapped and tortured Ilja Dragunov, who says he hasn’t had close to enough.

Jacy Jayne is annoyed about not getting to face Gigi Dolin in the tournament. She’ll have to beat up Roxanne Perez to blow off some steam instead.

Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes vs. Charlie Dempsey/Drew Gulak

Williams takes Dempsey down to start and it’s quickly off to Hayes for some armdrags to Gulak. A keylock has Hayes in trouble and it’s off to Dempsey to get taken down by the arm. Dempsey goes for a Boston crab but gets flipped away without much effort. Williams it back in with a jumping clothesline but gets taken down by the leg to put him in trouble. Dempsey can’t get a half crab as Williams kicks him in the head. There’s the tag off to Hayes to clean house as everything breaks down. A spinning kick to the face sets up Nothing But Net to give Hayes the pin on Dempsey at 6:33.

Rating: C+. Just a quick one here with Williams and Hayes showing that they are still fine after getting wrecked by Bron Breakker. I’m still a bit surprised by having Dempsey take the fall rather than Gulak, as Dempsey would seem to have quite the future ahead of him. Either way, this was about getting Williams and Hayes back up and it worked well enough.

Post match Hayes and Williams call out Bron Breakker again. Cue Breakker on the screen, and he’s at the barber shop.

Duke Hudson doesn’t remember giving Thea Hail permission to have a match but let’s go anyway.

Noam Dar runs into Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend. The latter talks about all of the talk shows around here and brings up Lashing Out. Please, I beg of you, ANYTHING but bringing that thing back.

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

Duke Hudson, still grading papers, is here too. Hail rolls her up for two to start but gets elbowed in the face for her efforts. James is sent outside though and a dive finally gets Hudson’s attention. Back in and the waistlock goes on but Hail fights up and makes the comeback. Some suplexes set up a headbutt to James’ ribs, followed by a high crossbody for two. James shrugs it off and hits the 401K for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to do anything and was mainly just there for James to get a win. Hail continues to be stuck in one place and little more than a piece in whatever is going on with Duke Hudson and Andre Chase. I could have gone with Hail getting in more offense here or even winning, but that doesn’t seem to be her thing most of the time.

Tank Ledger and Hank Walker run into Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen. Last week’s match made them closer, so Ledger wants to fight Walker next week. Walker eventually agrees.

Tyler Bate is hurt after the Schism attack, so Wes Lee is ready to go address this in the ring.

Video on Dabba-Kato, who isn’t happy with not being Drafted. Now he wants a title match.

Edris Enofe, Axiom, Malik Blade and Eddy Thorpe have varying degrees of worry about Kato.

Here is a ticked off Wes Lee for a chat. He’s sick of Joe Gacy and Schism, so if Gacy wants his title shot, come get it. Gacy, with Ava (still holding her neck) pops up on the platform to say he wants the North American Title. Ava says Tyler Bate is just using Lee so here is Bate in person. Bate says he wants a receipt on Gacy….and the title. Gacy mocks the idea and is told to shut up. Lee says let’s just make it a triple threat.

Roxanne Perez is ready to get the Women’s Title back and looks at pictures of everything that she has done so far. She still wants to get up to the main roster, but we’ll see how she gets there.

Von Wagner gets made at Javier Bernal for annoying Mr. Stone, who can’t believe Wagner stood up for him. Stone knows there is a superstar inside him….but is he ready to talk about the baby picture. Wagner: “Nice try.” WHY DOES STONE CARE ABOUT THE PICTURE SO MUCH???

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Jacy Jayne vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez goes for the arm to start and grabs a sunset flip for two. The armbarring continues but Jayne knocks her off the apron and we take a break. Back with Jayne grabbing a chinlock with a knee in the back to keep Perez in trouble. Perez fights up and hits a dropkick to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. A pump kick into a Russian legsweep gives Perez two but Jayne superkicks her into a discus forearm. Back up and Perez kicks her in the ribs, setting up Pop Rox for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. As tends to be the case with tournaments, this one didn’t have a ton of drama given that the winner would face Tiffany Stratton. Perez is still incredibly smooth in the ring given her limited experience and it is quite impressive to see. Jayne is going to have to deal with Gigi Dolin at some point anyway, so Perez moving on to bigger things is the way to go.

Post match Tiffany Stratton comes out to stare at Perez. Cue Gigi Dolin to jump Jayne until they have to be held apart.

Dijak is still torturing Ilja Dragunov and insists that he will break him. Dragunov is still standing. Dijak seems to take this as a challenge.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to call out Bron Breakker again. Cue Breakker, flanked by security, to mock both of them for the beatings he has given them. Hayes is ready to fight but Breakker says this is more about humiliating Hayes in his hometown at Battleground. Breakker insults Boston sports teams so Hayes flips onto the security. Williams brawls with security as Hayes and Breakker get inside, where Hayes his him low and gets in a belt shot (with the camera angle showing the belt not coming close) to end the show. Hayes had to get in something on Breakker after so many weeks of beatdowns.

Overall Rating: C. This was a weird show, as the action did have its moments (the Dyad vs. Creeds was rather good) and some stuff was set up for Battleground, but that doesn’t mean it worked altogether. The focus on people like Gacy and Noam Dar doesn’t exactly bode well around here and it made me want the show to end a lot faster than I usually do. The roster is still being shifted around after the Draft, but hopefully these weaker shows aren’t the new norm. NXT is better than this and while the show wasn’t bad, it had some really, really rough spots this week.

Results
Cora Jade b. Fallon Henley – Double arm DDT
Creed Brothers b. Dyad – Sliding forearm to Reid
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. Charlie Dempsey/Drew Gulak – Nothing But Net to Dempsey
Kiana James b. Thea Hail – 401K
Roxanne Perez b. Jacy Jayne – Pop Rox

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 9, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Things are going to be different around here as the Draft took away so many big name NXT stars. That means some spots are going to have to be filled, but in addition we have Battleground coming up in less than three weeks. We’re going to be in for a heck of a balancing act, including the Women’s Title tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Indi Hartwell vacating the Women’s Title due to her main roster promotion last week. A tournament was announced and chaos ensued.

The eight participants in the tournament are in the aisle and we’re starting fast.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Tiffany Stratton vs. Gigi Dolin

Stratton gets a promo before the match, complaining about being in the tournament and saying she needs this like she needs a pair of fat jeans. A clothesline doesn’t work for Dolin as Stratton Matrixes away, only to have her arm kicked out. Dolin hits a Bronco Buster in the corner but misses a second, allowing Stratton to start in on Dolin’s bad shoulder.

Stratton takes her down by the arm for two but Dolin manages a whip into the corner for two. Stratton’s snapmare out of the corner sets up a missed…I’m not sure, but she’s fine enough to block the abdominal stretch bomb. A Regal Roll sets up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to finish Dolin at 4:30.

Rating: C. Stratton has to be a favorite to win the title, or at least be in the final, so it makes sense to have her win here. Dolin isn’t about to win here, though I was a bit relieved that Jacy Jayne didn’t interfere here. Let Stratton get her win to start the tournament right, as she very well could be the next champion.

We have brackets for the tournament:

Tiffany Stratton
Jacy Jayne/Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria
Kiana James

Fallon Henley
Cora Jade

The Dyad is ready for their Tag Team Title shot but Joe Gacy is following Ava’s advice: he won’t be at ringside.

Earlier today at the barber shop, Trick Williams says he’s ready for Bron Breakker, with Carmelo Hayes thanking him for standing up to Breakker last week. Williams is ready for tonight alone, which is cool with Hayes.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Dyad

Dyad, with Ava, is defending, so Joe Coffey is here with the champs to even it out. Gallus takes over on Reid’s arm to start but Fowler comes in for a clothesline to take over. It’s back to Mark, who gets kicked in the face, setting up an enziguri into a Downward Spiral for two.

We take a break and come back with Mark fighting up on Reid and bringing Wolfgang in to clean house. A double Rock Bottom gives Gallus two but Ava offers a distraction, allowing Reid to get in a DDT. Cue Ivy Mile to go after Ava, allowing Gallus to hit the big boot/flapjack combination to finish Fowler at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Fine enough match, but what matters is that the Dyad didn’t win the titles. maybe they tie this into Gacy not being there and we get a rematch later, but anything with less Schism is a good thing. The tag division isn’t exactly deep right now, but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks would be fine. As for this match, it was fine enough for a title defense, though not quite some instant classic.

Gallus is off to drink.

Thea Hail wished she was drafted but Javier Bernal comes in to mock her. Duke Hudson comes in to say that Hail did well on her exam. Bernal thinks Hudson has a big plan, but Hudson says not so fast. He almost calls it Duke University again before a match is made for later.

A hooded figure is watching the various women who have been attacked in recent months. No word on who it is, but having that turn into something would be a good idea.

Javier Bernal vs. Duke Hudson

Thea Hail is here with Hudson, who shoves Bernal out to the floor to start. Hudson gets in a slam back inside but Bernal knocks him down for a breather. The chinlock doesn’t work and some right hands to the head trigger Hudson Dukes Up, including a side slam. A Razor’s Edge finishes Bernal at 3:54.

Rating: C. Hudson has come a long way in just a few months and I’m curious to see where this whole thing goes. You could have a story of him trying to take down Chase U or he could be telling the truth. That makes things all the more interesting, and that’s more than I would have bet on with him.

Mr. Stone and Von Wagner talk about their favorite foods until Stone whips out the picture of a baby who appears to have undergone brain surgery from last week. Wagner doesn’t want to talk about it and beats up Luca Crusifino for asking about it.

The Creeds want the next Tag Team Title shot and Gallus seems ready to fight.

Damon Kemp vs. Eddy Thorpe

Kemp takes him down to start but Thorpe is back with a headlock takeover. Back up and Kemp runs him over, only to get elbowed in the face. Thorpe’s half crab sends Kemp over to the rope so it’s a German suplex to drop Kemp again. A jumping elbow drop finishes Kemp at 4:59.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as they weren’t exactly hitting on all cylinders out there. Thorpe winning is no surprise as he seems to be getting a strong start, though something other than a jumping elbow drop to finish people off might be advisable. Other than that, I’d still like to see more of Kemp, but this seems to be his ceiling for the time being.

Kiana James is ready for the hardest first round match in the Women’s Title tournament. She accomplishes her goals though and will do it again.

Bron Breakker says he hasn’t changed his attitude, but rather he just stopped caring. He carried the NXT flag for over a year and what did it get him? Tonight, he’s going to hurt Trick Williams and put him in the same hospital he put Carmelo Hayes in.

Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov chops away to start so Dijak tells him to do it again. That’s not a good idea, as Dragunov chops him into the corner, setting up a middle rope knee drop. Dijak is fine enough to toss him off the top and out to the floor for the crash. Back in and Dragunov fights back up and slugs away, only to get caught with the Cyclone Boot for two. It’s time to grab a chair and after, after throwing the referee down, Dijak gets disqualified for using said chair on Dragunov at 4:23.

Rating: C+. I think you know one of the matches we’ll be seeing at Battleground now and I could certainly go for these two beating the fire out of each other in some kind of a stipulation match. Dijak is slowly starting to find himself again after such a long run of nothing and Dragunov works well with anyone. This is going to give us the ticked off Dragunov though, and that is just going to end in more violence.

Post match Dijak crushes Dragunov with the steps and stands on them for some choking.

Tyler Bate is meditating when Wes Lee comes in to thank him for the save last week. Lee says Bate is up next….and Bate wakes up from his meditation with no idea Lee was there. Everything is fine and he’s ready for his match.

Dani Palmer met Tank Ledger/Hank Walker and Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs. The teams agreed to a respectful match.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Tyler Bate

Drew Gulak and Wes Lee are here too. Bate slips out of a hold to start and snaps off a suplex, only to have to flip out of a Boston crab attempt. Back up and they hit heads, giving us a double knockdown. Bate is up first with an airplane spin, but here is Joe Gacy for an argument with Lee. A big dive drops Gacy and Gulak, with the diving Bate going back in to hit Bop and Bang on Dempsey. Not that it matters as Gacy gets in a cheap shot on Bate to knock him silly. Dempsey grabs a dragon suplex for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C+. There are a few places to go with this one and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends with Bate winning the title in a four way at Battleground. Bate has needed something more to do and while the meditation stuff is fine for him, some success would be even better. Dempsey as the evil wrestling machine works as well, and you can see a lot of the Villain in him.

Carmelo Hayes is on his way to help Trick Williams.

Noam Dar interrupts a Dragon Lee interview to invite him to be a guest on Supernova Sessions.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Walker and Jensen brawl on the floor to start before some double teaming takes over on Briggs inside. Jensen comes in and gets shouldered down hard but it’s back to Briggs for a big boot. We pause for Ledger to spit out a tooth (he puts it in his singlet), followed by a Hart Attack to finish him off at 2:41.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

Nathan Frazer talks about how international NXT has become but focuses on Noam Dar.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Kiana James vs. Lyra Valkyria

They trade rollups to start with neither getting very far. Another rollup gives Valkyria two but she gets sent hard into the corner. We take a break and come back with James crushing the ribs but Valkyria knocks her away. A middle rope dropkick puts James down and Valkyria sends her outside for a dive. Back in and a suplex gives Valkyria two but James’ powerbomb gets the same. Valkyria shrugs it off and hits a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They were working hard enough here and I’m a bit surprised by the result. James has been more prominently featured than Valkyria, who has yet to really find herself in NXT. Going with her into the next round is a way to go and she’s more polished in the ring than James, but it was still somewhat surprising.

Gallus is drinking at the bar when Tony D’Angelo and Stacks interrupt, saying they want a title shot. Joe Coffey isn’t having that but threats are made. Gallus’ friends get up and D’Angelo/Stacks are smart enough to leave.

Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams

They fight to the floor in a hurry, with Breakker having to suplex him onto the announcers’ table to stop an early flurry. Back in and Breakker puts on a seated abdominal stretch but Williams fights up with a dropkick. A jumping clothesline drops Breakker again and a Rock Bottom gives Williams two. Breakker has had it with this and spears him down, setting up the Recliner for the win at 6:15.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? Breakker is a machine about to get a title shot against Williams’ best friend so of course he’s going to crush Williams here. There wasn’t much else that could have been done, though Williams gave it all he had. He deserves more credit than he gets, as he has turned a basic hype man spot into something pretty good.

Post match Breakker goes for him again but Carmelo Hayes comes in. Breakker spears him out of the air (that looked GREAT) and grabs the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw, this show felt like a chance for the bosses to go “ok, what do we have now?” while running the tournament matches to fill in a lot of the space. What we got was good enough, but it felt like they were trying to fill it in as well as they could, which isn’t exactly easy given that they lost almost 20 names. Still though, good enough show, but they need to come up with something better to fill up the show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Gigi Dolin – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Gallus b. Dyad – Flapjack/big boot combination to Fowler
Duke Hudson b. Javier Bernal – Razor’s Edge
Eddy Thorpe b. Damon Kemp – Jumping elbow drop
Ilja Dragunov b. Dijak via DQ when Dijak used a chair
Charlie Dempsey b. Tyler Bate – Dragon suplex
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Hart Attack to Ledger
Lyra Valkyria b. Kiana James – Spinning kick to the face
Bron Breakker b. Trick Williams – Recliner

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 5, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with the Draft and that means it is time to get on to the new NXT. Since there are so many wrestlers gone from NXT, it might be time for some of the new generation to rise up. NXT might find some of those new names around here as has been the case before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Kale Dixon

Mensah takes him down by the wrist but Dixon reverses into a wristlock of his own. With that broken up, Mensah snaps off an anklescissors but Dixon forearms him in the back. Some backbreakers give Dixon two and we hit the hair pull on the mat. Mensah is back up with a kick to the head and a standing Lionsault. The running spinwheel kick in the corner drops Dixon for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match here as Mensah manages to get a win after all of those losses. Granted it was against someone as low level as Dixon but a win is better than another loss. This was quite the run of mill LVL Up match, as you had two fairly talented stars who are not going to get a chance on the main show anytime soon.

Boa is back and ready to show who he is against Eddy Thorpe.

Thea Hail vs. Lola Vice

Duke Hudson is here with Hail. Vice runs her over to start and thrusts her hips a bit, only to get taken down. Hail misses a standing moonsault but goes after the arm instead. Some kicks send Hail into the corner for the running hip attack and we hit the cravate. Hail fights up with some forearms out of the corner and a headlock driver finishes Vice at 4:08.

Rating: C. Vice continues to show off her charisma, with that fire in her eyes likely being more than enough to give her a chance. Hail is the same way, as she leans into the whole crazy college girl idea so well. It might not have been a classic, but you can see the charisma and talent on display here.

Boa vs. Eddy Thorpe

Thorpe has to duck away from some kicks to start before grabbing a headlock takeover. Back up and Thorpe hits a quick spinning crossbody but Boa kicks him in the chest to take over. Boa stomps away for two and grabs a butterfly suplex for two. Boa’s chinlock with a bodyscissors is broken up but Boa puts it right back on to keep Thorpe down. Back up and Thorpe grabs a Saito suplex but gets kicked in the face for two. Thorpe fights up again, setting up a snap German suplex. A jumping elbow of all things finishes Boa at 7:09.

Rating: C+. Thorpe continues to look like someone who could do something in NXT as he has a unique gimmick and look while also being able to back it up in the ring. On the other hand you have Boa, who has not stood out in the slightest since he debuted and that continues to be the case. Pretty decent match though as Thorpe keeps up some of his momentum.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was a bit better than usual here but the lack of bigger names didn’t help things. Mensah, Hail and Vice are as run of the mill as you get around here and it left me wanting to see someone more interesting. Thorpe is growing on me decently enough, though he needs to be on the main show instead of this one. Decent week here, but it’s still full of the same problems it has always had.

Results
Oro Mensah b. Kale Dixon – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Thea Hail b. Lola Vice – Headlock driver
Eddy Thorpe b. Boa – Jumping elbow

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT LVL Up
Date: April 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

The first night of the Draft is over and that is not going to mean a thing around here. As usual the show was taped far in advance of this one and that doesn’t mean much in the way of major developments. Other than NXT getting some names called up and some LVL Up stars taking their place, this show is more or less immune from the Draft. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyler Bate vs. Luca Crusifino

Ok that’s not someone I was expecting. Luca offers Bate a business card to start as commentary talks about what a big deal it is to have Bate here (yeah pretty much). Bate takes him down and stretches the legs before luring him in with the business card to over stretch Crusifino even more. Crusifino manages to take him down and grabs a quickly broken chinlock. Bate is back with the long form airplane spin, setting up the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. This is the kind of thing LVL Up needs to do: throw out someone who isn’t working on the regular NXT show that week and have them work a short match. Bate being here made the show feel more important, or at least interesting, and it isn’t like having him work five minutes is going to hurt anything. Nothing match of course, but Bate being there is enough of a benefit.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are old friends (they met over some nice meatloaf) and now it’s time to face the Dyad (“the green beans of the NXT tag team division”).

Ivy Nile vs. Lola Vice

They fight over a rather aggressive lockup to start until Nile rides her to the mat. Vice is right back with a kick to the ribs, followed by a running hip attack in the corner. A double arm crank is broken up though and Nile kicks her down again. Nile grabs a gutwrench suplex and the Diamond Chain Lock knocks Vice out cold for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C+. Vice has all of the tools in the world to be something, including the charisma that makes her feel like a star. Throw in the MMA background and all of the potential is right there. On the other hand you have Nile, who still feels like she could be something in the division as soon as she is given the chance.

Dyad vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

The rest of Schism is here with the Dyad. Walker shrugs off Reid’s headlock to start and sends Reid flying into the corner. Everything breaks down and it’s off to Walker to slam Fowler. Reid comes back in to whip Ledger hard into the corner but the chinlock doesn’t last long. Walker fights up and brings in Ledger to clean house, including a hard shoulder for two on Reid. Everything breaks down again and a wheelbarrow into a reverse X Factor (cool) plants Reid for two more. Walker is pulled outside and the double Codebreaker finishes Ledger at 7:06.

Rating: C+. The match got a little more time than most matches around here and it made things that much better. Other than that, the Dyad got to showcase themselves a bit, even if they do not seem likely to be long for the promotion after their recent release requests. Ledger and Walker could be decent as a working man team, though that isn’t likely to work all that well with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen around.

Overall Rating: C+. Better show this week, with the bigger names helping move things on a bit. You have Bate and the Dyad as bigger than usual names, plus the usual offering in the women’s match. That makes for a slightly better than average show, but as usual it is absolutely nothing that you need to see.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT LVL Up
Date: April 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton, Mr. Stone

Who knows what we’re getting around here, but less of Schism would be nice. I know they’re names but egads they can suck the life out of a show like no other. It would be nice to see some other stars who don’t get the TV time having a shot, but that isn’t likely to take place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Wendy Choo/Valentina Feroz vs. Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend

Jackson headlocks Choo to start but gets taken into the wrong corner for her efforts. It’s off to Feroz for a headlock of her own but Legend comes in to drop her on the ropes. Feroz can’t slip out of a suplex so Legend gets to pose as she put a foot on the chest for two. An elbow to the back gets a less arrogant near fall and Jackson comes back in for an aggressive chinlock. That’s broken up as well and it’s Choo coming in to take over. Everything breaks down and Choo hits a full nelson slam to pin Jackson at 5:19.

Rating: C. It’s nice to have Choo back, but there is only so much that can be done with her returning in this spot. She is one of the most unique gimmicks around, but she has to be used in the right way or it won’t work out. The other three were their usual selves, and it isn’t a surprise that Choo got the focus here, as she is by far the biggest star.

Javier Bernal and Kale Dixon are ready for the main event, though Bernal wants Dixon to work on his physique.

Oro Mensah vs. Damon Kemp

Kemp easily wrestles him to the mat but takes too long swiveling the hips, allowing Mensah to grab an anklescissors. Mensah sends him to the apron but gets his throat snapped across the top to put him back in trouble. Back in and Kemp elbows him down before swinging Mensah around by the neck for a crash. A bridging German suplex gives Kemp two and we hit something like a seated abdominal stretch. Mensah fights up and gets two off a rollup, followed by a kick to the face. That’s fine with Kemp, who grabs an electric chair into a suplex for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. I still like Kemp and there is something for him to do somewhere in NXT. He has the general heelish nature that makes you want to see him get beaten up and the amateur credentials to back it up. Mensah continues to be little more than “that guy who used to be a bit of something in NXT UK but never does anything here”, which might be his ceiling at the moment.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Javier Bernal/Kale Dixon

Enofe takes over on Dixon’s arm to start and hands it off to Blade for a knee to the ribs. A facebuster from Enofe gives Blade two and it’s off to Bernal. Blade misses a kick in the corner and Bernal starts in on the leg, with Dixon getting in some cranking of his own. Bernal’s half crab is broken up and the hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house. Bernal is sent outside, leaving Dixon to walk into the Climax for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C. Commentary was talking about how Enofe and Blade always feel like they could be the next team to break through but you can only be that for so long. There is a lot of truth to that, as the team has always been on the cusp but beating a makeshift heel team isn’t likely going to be their springboard. They could be something, though that isn’t going to matter if they never get a real chance.

Overall Rating: C. Choo’s return aside, there wasn’t much to see here as it was a lot of the familiar faces from LVL Up. By that I mean a bunch of people who don’t do anything on the main NXT show and there is no reason to believe that most of them are going to be much in the near future. Maybe one or two get to move up a bit if the Draft guts NXT, but that still sounds like quite the long shot.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 2, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are in for the final night before everything changes up next week. The NXT roster was gutted by the WWE Draft and now we get to see everyone have one last night around here. This is going to include multiple champions, so we could be in for some last minute title changes, which could be quite the shakeup. Or WWE will just do something stupid. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the NXT Draft picks.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Drew Gulak

Lee, with Tyler Bate (as evened out by Charlie Dempsey), is defending. An early dropkick puts Gulak on the floor but he’s back in with a sunset flip for two. Back up and Lee takes him to the top, only to get knocked to the mat for a top rope clothesline. Gulak cranks on both arms at once but Lee slips out and wins a slugout. A German suplex out of the corner is blocked and Gulak heads outside, where he is taken down by a dive. Dempsey’s interference is cut off by Bate and the Cardiac Kick retains the title at 5:23.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a lot of time here but they crammed in what they could for a nice opener. Lee is a great choice to open the show as he can excite the fans rather easily no matter who he is in there against. Gulak is going to be around as long as he wants to as he can always be a trainer, plus actively wrestling on the side. Nice opener here and I could have gone for a longer version.

We look at Carmelo Hayes retaining the NXT Title last week against Carmelo Hayes. After the match, the challenge was thrown out to Bron Breakker, who then wrecked Hayes and Trick Williams.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles before they leave NXT for good after tonight. They’re leaving the place in darkness.

Here is Trick Williams for an angry chat. He has known Carmelo Hayes since high school and they have been friends for years. Last week he took a spear for Hayes and he would do it again in a heartbeat because it’s his instinct. Cue Bron Breakker to say Williams must be tougher than Hayes because he’s actually here. The match is on for Battleground, but Williams wants to face Breakker as well. Breakker does it on his time so they can fight next week.

JD McDonagh is ready to move up to Raw but Noam Dar comes in to tell him to take out Dragon Lee tonight. McDonagh says stay away from him or he’ll take the Heritage Cup with him to Raw.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne knees her in the ribs to start and trips Dolin face first onto the apron. Back in and Dolin’s half nelson attempt is blocked and it’s a superkick to stagger her again. Dolin is back with a kick to the head though and an STO gets two on Jayne. They head outside again (where Dolin’s brother is watching in the crowd) and some Kawada kicks send Jayne’s head into the steps. They get back inside where Dolin is sent into the turnbuckle bar, allowing Jayne to hit a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 3:22.

Rating: C. Again they didn’t have much time here but this was about giving Jayne a pin over Dolin to even things up a bit. It was a quick beating and Dolin didn’t get in a ton of offense, but at least there were some shenanigans setting up the finish. There will probably be a rubber match at Battleground, but this feud has gone ice cold since Jayne got injured.

Post match Jayne keeps up the beating and even mocks Dolin’s brother for a bonus.

Axiom vs. Scrypts

Scrypts (no entrance) jumps Axiom to start but gets armdragged down. A northern lights suplex drops Scrypts again but he sends Axiom outside. The big dive drops Axiom and a top rope moonsault press gives Scrypts two back inside. Scrypts dropkicks him out of the air but Axiom knees him in the face for two. Axiom gets dropped again but he manages to superkick Scrypts out of the air as well. The Golden Ratio finishes Scrypts at 4:17.

Rating: C+. Now just move on to something else for Axiom already. He’s a talented guy who has been stuck in this weird/not interesting feud with Scrypts for a good while now. They did some nice things here with the flips and dives, but I’m still not sure what the point of Scrypts is supposed to be and I don’t know if NXT knows it either.

Post match Scrypts goes after Axiom and gets exposed as….well the fans chant Reggie but no name is given. This is up there with Doom’s reveal for non-surprises.

Earlier today, Brooks Jensen joined Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley at the bar and thanked them for dealing with him. They say he doesn’t need to apologize, but he did learn enough from Kiana James to help the bar make more money. Some women come up to hit on Jensen but he politely declines because he’s with his friends.

Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh

Lee works on the arm to start but gets driven into the corner. That doesn’t work for Lee, who hits some rapid fire dropkicks in the corner. Cue Noam Dar for a distraction though, allowing McDonagh to tie Lee up in the Tree of Woe. A charge misses Lee and sends McDonagh crotching himself into the post as we take a break.

Back with McDonagh holding a bodyscissors to keep Lee in trouble. Lee isn’t having that though and goes up top for a high crossbody, setting up the big flip dive to the floor. The top rope double stomp gives Lee two and they head to the apron, where McDonagh gets struck in the chest a lot.

They both crash down to the floor and beat the count, with Lee snapping off a fast German suplex. The poisonrana plants McDonagh again but he’s back with a hard clothesline as Noam Dar is here. Lee heads up but gets cut off by a super Spanish Fly. The brainbuster gives McDonagh two, only to have Lee Canadian Destroy him to the floor. Back in and the Devlin Side finishes Lee out of nowhere at 15:03.

Rating: B. These two got a lot more time and had a much better match, which shouldn’t be surprising given the talent involved. McDonagh gets a nice showcase on the way on the way out of NXT and onto Raw with some momentum. At the same time, Lee needs to win something around here and I’m not sure why he keeps losing so often. The talent is there, but those losses pile up.

Post match Lee and Dar brawl to the back.

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles because they’re a better team.

Joe Gacy is ready to sacrifice his body to Joe Coffey to get the Dyad a Tag Team Title match.

We look at various women being attacked in recent months.

Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey.

If Gacy wins, the Dyad gets a Tag Team Title shot against Gallus and the rest of Schism is here. Coffey knees him into the corner to start and stomps away but Gacy hits a knee to the face. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Coffey fights up and hits an elbow for two. Gacy’s belly to back gets the same but gets caught with All The Best For The Bells. The Dyad puts a foot on the rope though and Gacy hits the Upside Down for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. Well Gacy wasn’t going to lose here, even if he should have. Putting the focus on the Dyad is a better idea than focusing on Gacy, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see that coming sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, Schism is still the same level of bad that they have been since they came in and I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon.

Sol Ruca (via phone), Tank Ledger and Hank Walker give Dani Palmer a pep talk. Oba Femi comes in to scare the guys.

Eddy Thorpe was training earlier when Damon Kemp came in to tell him to take out the trash. Kemp called him a young boy too, making a match seem imminent.

Dani Palmer vs. Tatum Paxley

Palmer flips around to start, including flipping out of a wristlock and into a rollup for two on Paxley. Back up and Paxley knocks her into the corner to take over, setting up a chinlock with a knee in the spine. Palmer slips out of an abdominal stretch attempt and avoids a splash, followed by something like a standing Sliced Bread to drop Paxley again. A frog splash gives Palmer the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Palmer and that’s what it needed to be. She has the athleticism and some charisma to go with it so there is certainly potential there. Paxley is far from a top star but she is someone who has been around long enough to have a bit of a reputation. That makes her perfect to put Palmer over to start and that is all it needed to be here.

Andre Chase is too banged up from facing Bron Breakker, meaning he can’t teach this week. Instead, Duke Hudson takes over the teaching and says we have no more pop quizzes. Hudson: “Duke University?”

Von Wagner and Mr. Stone are going through a photo album but Wagner doesn’t want to talk about one of the photos. Wagner leaves, and Stone sees a baby dealing with a lot of medical issues (presumably Wagner himself).

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter/Chance are challenging and both teams are main roster bound. The champs jump them to start fast and the fight is on the floor before the bell. Chance dives onto both of them and we get the bell, allowing Chance to sunset flip Fyre for two. Carter clears the ring and hits a few kicks from the apron as we take a break.

Back with Chance snapping off a hurricanrana to Fyre, followed by a flipping legdrop to the back of the head for two. A springboard moonsault/legdrop combination gets two on Fyre but she kicks Chance into the corner. The Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two, with Carter having to make the save.

Everything breaks down and the 450/neckbreaker combination hits Dawn for two more and it’s time for the big double slugout. Dawn gets sent outside and a super Spanish Fly gets two on Fyre. A high crossbody hits Dawn but Fyre is back in with a Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination (that looked sweet) to retain at 9:14.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here, but they didn’t do it any favors with the break in the middle. It still gets very old having that cut out such a big chunk of the match but what we did get to see worked well. Now I’m curious to see what happens to the titles, though I could go with seeing them unified with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Dijak blames Ilja Dragunov for the beating he received last week.

Apollo Crews runs into Trick Williams in the parking low and gives him a pep talk.

Here is Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell, with the fans telling her that SHE DESERVES IT (likely meaning the promotion to the main roster, not the walking boot and crutches). She talks about her path here and what it meant for her to become champion. Then she got hurt in a title defense, but the title reign wasn’t ending on the medical table. Now she is on the way to Raw, but the most important thing right now is NXT.

Starting next week, there will be a tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion, with the new champion being crowned at Battleground. Hartwell leaves the title in the ring….and Dexter Lumis pops out from underneath said ring. Dexter takes her away and Tiffany Stratton comes in to pick up the title. A bunch more women come in and the big brawl ends the show. Makes sense, as Hartwell doesn’t seem able to lose the title right now and you don’t want her getting beaten on the way to the main roster. It also gives a bunch of people something to do so this is the right way to go.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of show, as NXT is finishing up a bunch of stars and there isn’t much that can be done with them as a result. Instead, you had some farewells and some things being set up for once everyone is gone. That doesn’t leave you with many options, but at least they got through the show with some good action and an important development in the end. The new NXT starts next week, but for now their latest finale went well.

Results
Wes Lee b. Drew Gulak – Cardiac Kick
Jacy Jayne b. Gigi Dolin – Spinning kick to the face
Axiom b. Scrypts – Golden Ratio
JD McDonagh b. Dragon Lee – Devlin Side
Dani Palmer b. Tatum Paxley – Frog splash

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: April 25, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for another special show with Spring Breakin, which features a pair of title matches. This time around we’ll see Indi Hartwell defend the Women’s Title against Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton, plus Carmelo Hayes’ first NXT Title defense against Grayson Waller. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the Spring Breakin picnic and yes, everyone is talking about tonight’s card instead of anything else. A good chunk of the roster is here doing picnicky things, including Javier Bernal acting like quite the moron.

Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Pretty Deadly

Trunk match, meaning a casket match but with a car trunk, hence the name you see. The brawl starts on the floor with Pretty Deadly going for the weapons, as they probably should. They get inside where some knees to the face have Pretty Deadly in trouble, even going right back to the floor. The weapons don’t suit Pretty Deadly, who take the table to the back to get rid of it. The breather lets Stacks send them into a ball pit (because there’s a ball pit) as we take a break.

Back with the balls from said pit all over the floor and a football being kicked between Stacks’ legs. They get back inside with a roll of coins dropping Stacks and a chair hits D’Angelo in the back. Stacks gets dropped with Spilled Milk on the floor and taken to the back. With Stacks in the trunk, the other two go after D’Angelo, allowing Stacks to find a fire extinguisher for the big saving spray. A double slam through a table is enough for D’Angelo and Stacks to get the win at 12:40.

Rating: C+. Nice enough weapons match here and thankfully Pretty Deadly didn’t take another pin. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was it for them in NXT as they have nothing left to accomplish and the main roster could use a new team. Oh and the match had a ball pit, making it even better.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to win the Women’s Title.

Duke Hudson fires up Andre Chase to face Bron Breakker.

Andre Chase vs. Bron Breakker

Duke Hudson is here with Chase, who has to slip out of the gorilla press to start. That’s fine with Breakker, who sends him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Breakker misses a charge into the post though and Chase gets in a few spelling stomps. The clothesline cuts Chase off rather quickly and the Recliner makes him tap at 2:18. Less of a squash than I was expecting but it did what it needed to do.

Video on Carmelo Hayes.

Dijak beats up Ilja Dragunov in the back, including crushing his ribs with a garage door.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade

Valkyria takes her into the corner to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Jade cranking on both arms but Valkyria fights up with some kicks to the face. A suplex drops Jade and Valkyria kicks her out to the floor. Jade snaps her throat across the top and grabs the stick. The referee takes that away, only to have Jade get in a cheap shot. The DDT finishes Valkyria at 8:20.

Rating: C. This was the weekly “a lot of the match was in the break” match and it’s still very annoying. They had about four and a half minutes and a screwy finish, meaning their backs were quite against the wall to start. The action was good enough and Jade feels like she could be one of the next big things in the division, but she needs a better showcase than this.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks drive Pretty Deadly….somewhere.

NXT Title: Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They trade rollups to start, with Hayes’ Crossface attempt sending Waller over to the rope. An early Fade Away attempt misses so Hayes tries another crossface, sending Waller to the ropes again. Waller gets in a chair shot to Williams on the floor though, with the distraction allowing him to drop Hayes.

We take a break and come back with Williams gone and Hayes having to escape a half crab. With that broken up, Hayes is able to hit the Fade Away but Waller knocks him down again. A double knockdown gives Waller two but Hayes is right back on Waller’s knee for a change. The springboard DDT gives Hayes two, though Waller bails to the corner to avoid Nothing But Net.

Back up and Waller blocks the Codebreaker, setting up a fireman’s carry sitout powerbomb for two. Waller Stuns him out of the air but Hayes rolls away before the cover. Instead, Waller takes him outside and puts him on the announcers’ table for a big drop through it and a near fall back inside. Back in and Hayes manages a quick Codebreaker, with Waller favoring his knee. A low superkick and Nothing But Net retains the title at 11:53.

Rating: B-. This was about what should have been expected, as Waller gave Hayes some trouble but Hayes picks up his first successful title defense. Waller is someone who has long since established himself as being able to bounce back from a loss without much trouble so he’ll be fine. Hayes has to be getting ready for the Breakker rematch though and this will boost him up for another match against the new big bad.

Post match Hayes grabs the mic and issues the challenge for the rematch with Bron Breakker at Battleground. Cue Breakker from behind to spear Hayes down. The returning Williams gets Reclined for a bonus. Another spear sends Hayes through part of the set, meaning a stretcher is needed.

Roxanne Perez has wanted to be a wrestler since she was a child so tonight, she wants the Women’s Title back. She’s doing this for every little girl who wants to feel safe.

We recap Brooks Jensen/Kiana James vs. Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs in the soap opera feud. This got a lot of time and was the majority of the feud.

Schism comes up to Joe Coffey to get the Dyad a Tag Team Title match. Joe Gacy will fight Coffey next week, with the title shot on the line.

Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley vs. Brooks Jensen/Kiana James,

Jensen doesn’t like Briggs powering him around to start and gets sent to the apron for his efforts. The fans want Fallon and that is who they get as James tags herself in. Henley hits a running clothesline but has to take out an interfering Jensen. James has to be saved by Jensen, who gets dropped by Briggs as we take a break.

Back with the guys forearming it out as Booker talks about pheromones. The women come back in with James running Henley over. It’s right back to Jensen, who can’t hit Henley, allowing Briggs to make a save. Briggs beats up Jensen until a spinwheel kick gets him out of trouble. A hard lariat to the back of Briggs’ head sets up a brainbuster for two so it’s time for the loaded bag. Jensen doesn’t want to use it and accidentally knocks James down, allowing Briggs to hit a lariat for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C. I really could go for this being the end of the story as it doesn’t seem likely to have some big game changing ending. At the same time, the idea of Briggs vs. Jensen isn’t exactly thrilling so hopefully they just make up already. Henley falling for one of them wouldn’t be the biggest shock either, but for now they need to get on to something else.

Post match James walks out on Jensen, who puts his head on Briggs’ chest for quite the development.

Dragon Lee wants Noam Dar’s Heritage Cup.

Scrypts is ready to go after Axiom next week.

Oba Femi can throw things.

Video on Indi Hartwell, who is ready to show that she isn’t just a fluke.

Sol Ruca has been attacked by an unidentified assailant.

Oba Femi vs. Oro Mensah

Femi powers him into the corner to start and then throws him right back out. A right hand knocks Mensah off the top but he strikes away back inside. The springboard kick to the chest drops Femi for two and he blasts Mensah with a clothesline. A pop up powerbomb finishes Mensah at 3:37.

Rating: C. Rather effective debut here from Femi, who is going to be all about the power and it was on display. Femi is a big monster who can throw people around with relative each so putting him in there with a smaller guy like Mensah was the right way to go. I had fun with this and Femi could be treated as a force rather quickly if that’s what they want to try.

Gigi Dolin pops in on commentary and demands a match with Jacy Jayne. They can start it up again next week.

Drew Gulak is impressed with Wes Lee but is ready to take the North American Title from him next week.

Post break Tyler Bate offers to be in Wes Lee’s corner next week. Meditation is promised.

Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell is defending. Stratton gets forearmed back and forth to start and we take a break about thirty seconds in (and yes, it’s still annoying). Back with Perez working on Stratton’s arm but having to kick Hartwell outside. Stratton escapes a headscissors without much trouble but gets slammed by Hartwell. Perez tries a springboard double wristdrag and….oh it goes badly, as Hartwell seems to forget to fall and Stratton kind of rolls over (it was like the other two forgot what they were doing, which should have just been a simple tumble).

They’re sent outside with Perez taking them down again, setting up a high crossbody for two on Hartwell back inside. Hartwell clotheslines Perez a few times but Stratton comes back in for the near fall. Stratton knocks them both outside for a Swanton onto the pair. We pause for Hartwell’s ankle to get checked so Stratton sends Perez into the corner. Stratton rolls through Perez’s high crossbody for two but Perez grabs a super hurricanrana for two of her own.

They slug it out until Perez grabs a Russian legsweep, only to have Hartwell come back in to drop both of them for two each. A spinebuster hits Stratton with Perez having to make the save. Stratton sends Hartwell outside and moonsaults Perez for two, with Hartwell making the save. Hartwell goes back in to hit the sliding forearm for the pin to retain at 15:18.

Rating: C. They were trying here but this was rough in spots, with Stratton and Perez having to work out something with Hartwell down and some not so smooth spots. Hartwell needed the win if she is going to be a longer term champion and pinning Perez is something that she had to do. Stratton and Perez will likely get the title back (assuming they don’t go to the main roster first) so boosting Hartwell now is fine enough.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks…seem to murder Pretty Deadly by throwing them in a river. They want the Tag Team Titles to end the show. Well that’s depressing. The murder, not the title desires.

Overall Rating: C+. This was pretty all over the place but you can see a pretty firm divide between the levels of talent. People like Hayes, Breakker and Pretty Deadly (maybe one or two others) just felt more polished than the rest of the wrestlers here and there isn’t much of a way around that. The title match was good and the trunk match worked well enough, though the rest of the card was a bit weak. Nice enough show, but nothing you need to see.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Pretty Deadly – Pretty Deadly was thrown into the car trunk
Bron Breakker b. Andre Chase – Recliner
Carmelo Hayes b. Grayson Waller – Nothing But Net
Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley b. Brooks Jensen/Kiana James – Lariat to Jensen
Oba Femi b. Oro Mensah – Pop up powerbomb
Indi Hartwell b. Tiffany Stratton and Roxanne Perez – Sliding forearm to Perez

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.