NXT LVL Up
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re back here for a new year and that could open up…well ok nothing is likely to change, as tends to be the case around here. Last week did see two of the new class actually win a match, albeit against a team actually less experienced than themselves. I’m not sure how much more I can expect here but let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Elektra Lopez/Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer

Kind of a weird dynamic here. Miller and Palmer start things off with a fight over arm control. Palmer drags her to the corner for the tag to Ruca, who elbows her down. A standing moonsault gives Ruca two and a middle rope spinning crossbody gets the same. Lopez comes in to pull Ruca down by the hair and some knees get two. We hit the seated crossface chickenwing and it’s Miller coming back in for a hard clothesline. The armbar stays on Ruca’s arm by way of barring it, only to have Ruca flip over and bring Palmer back in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and the Electric Shock finishes Palmer at 5:05.

Rating: C. This was a weird way to go as the face/heel dynamics didn’t quite match up. It’s also a bit strange to see Ruca losing (albeit not getting pinned) after she has been pushed so hard around here lately. That being said, Palmer is the kind of person you can put in her to take the fall without losing anything.

Tank Ledger is ready for Xyon Quinn because like a tank, he’ll keep moving forward.

Tank Ledger vs. Xyon Quinn

Ledger grabs the arm to start before they go to the test of strength. Quinn has to fight out of Ledger’s one arm lift and there’s a forearm to knock Ledger into the corner. A running shot to the face takes Ledger down and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and it’s a fall away slam to send Quinn flying. The fireman’s carry is escaped though and Quinn hits his running punch for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but they played on the idea of a rookie vs. a more experienced star. Granted Quinn is little more than a rookie himself but he is further along than Ledger. They seem to see a little something in Ledger so maybe this is the first, albeit minor, step towards something else.

Tavion Heights/Myles Borne vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Heights, a former Olympic wrestler, wrestles Blade down without much trouble. Blade fights up and hits a dropkick (earning some cheers) before it’s off to Enofe. Heights drives him into the corner though and Borne comes in for a dropkick of his own. The Crossface goes on for a bit before Heights powers Enofe back into the corner to keep him in trouble.

Enofe slips out of a suplex though and brings Blade back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Heights/Borne grab a fireman’s carry lifted into an assisted Downward Spiral (that was sweet) to Blade as everything breaks down. It’s back to Blade though and the Climax finishes Heights at 5:05.

Rating: C+. Heights seems like someone who is getting the hang of this pretty quickly and Borne has come a long, long way in the last few months. They were starting to cook near the end and that Downward Spiral got a very nice reaction. I could go for more from these teams, but could we please give Blade and Enofe a win that matters at some point?

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that went a good bit better than I was expecting, with a hot main event and some people seemingly moving up a few steps. It’s still not a great show and not even one that you need to watch, but for half an hour, there are certainly worse things to put out there.

Results
Elektra Lopez/Amari Miller b. Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer – Electric Shock to Palmer
Xyon Quinn b. Tank Ledger – Running punch
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Tavion Heights/Myles Borne – Climax to Heights

NXT LVL Up, 2023, Elektra Lopez, Amari Miller, Sol Ruca, Dani Palmer, Tank Ledger, Xyon Quinn, Edris Enofe, Malik Blade, Myles Borne, Tavion Heights

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 30, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

It’s time for the final WWE show of the year and I have no idea what to expect around here. The good thing is that the show has been a little more focused in recent weeks but there is no reason to believe that it is going to continue for any length of time. Maybe they have something planned, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Thea Hail vs. Amari Miller

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who gets armbarred to start. That’s reversed into a headlock takeover and some armdrags have Miller in more trouble. A middle rope spinning splash misses for Hail though and we hit the chinlock. Hail fights up and hits a springboard backsplash, setting up the neckbreaker spun into a faceplant for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C. Hail is such a ball of energy that it is almost impossible to not like her at least a bit. She is so all in on this Chase U stuff that she is going to be something if she can back it up even the slightest bit in the ring. Miler has that great personality and smile but she feels like she is in the same place she was a year ago, which is rarely a good sign.

Oro Mensah is ready to show Javier Bernal what he is all about.

Bronco Nima/Lucien Price vs. Bryson Montana/Oba Femi

Now this is interesting as you don’t have any star power involved. Nima and Montana fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far. Price comes in to kick Montana in the face for two, meaning it’s off to Femi. A big spinebuster drops Price and we hit the chinlock. It’s already back to Montana to forearm away but a charge misses in the corner. The tag brings in Nima as everything breaks down, leaving Montana to get Codebreakered into a German suplex for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that this show needs to do more often, as they let one of the new teams actually win something. Nima and Price might not be the next stars called up but at least they did something different here and that is long overdue. There’s something to be said about having four big guys hit each other and that’s what you got here.

Oro Mensah vs. Javier Bernal

Mensah wrestles him to the mat to start as commentary compares Bernal to Conor McGregor and Zoolander. An armdrag into an armbar has Bernal in trouble but he drops Mensah ribs first onto the top rope to take over. We hit the seated abdominal stretch, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker to stay on the ribs. With that broken up, Mensah makes the comeback and starts striking away, setting up a springboard missile dropkick. The running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes for Mensah at 6:20.

Rating: C. These are two guys who are in weird places. Mensah hasn’t done anything since he came over here and has dropped rather hard since being in that #1 contenders match. Then you have Bernal, who is doing his comedy stuff well on NXT but loses to someone like Mensah. That’s a strange way to go and it didn’t work well here.

Overall Rating: C-. Egads this was a pretty worthless show, though I did like Nima and Price getting a win. Hail beating Miller doesn’t feel like much but the energy picking up was nice. The problem here was the show feeling so boring and there isn’t much that could be done to fix it this week. Maybe it was due to the holiday season but there wasn’t much here in the way of effort in the matchmaking and it showed badly.

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NXT
Date: January 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re in the New Year and that means we have one more week before New Year’s Evil, because the scheduling around here is a little weird. Tonight we have another face to face deal between Grayson Waller and Bron Breakker, as has been the case before. Other than that, we’ll probably get some more matches announced for next week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the greatest moments of 2022, which certainly had a lot of changes around here.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Apollo Crews

Trick Williams is here with Hayes, who gets dropkicked down to start. Back up and Hayes hits the springboard spinning clothesline to take over, setting up the fade away springboard legdrop for two. Crews is fine enough to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two of his own and a string of suplexes have Hayes rocked. An apron moonsault to the floor drops Hayes again and we take a break.

Back with Hayes having banged up Crews’ knee during the break, meaning it’s time for a half crab. Crews fights up and hits an enziguri for a breather but Hayes grabs a suplex into a cutter. Melo Don’t Miss misses though and Crews hits a middle rope flipping DDT. The standing moonsault misses though and Melo Don’t Miss doesn’t miss for the pin at 14:21.

Rating: C+. The more I watch Hayes, the more I wonder why he has been spinning his wheels around here for so long. Let him either get into the title hunt or move up to the main roster and see what he can do. He’s way too smooth to be doing this over and over, but maybe this win is a step up for him.

Post match Axiom is back with a high crossbody to Williams and Hayes, meaning we’ll start his scheduled match with Williams after a break.

Axiom vs. Trick Williams

Joined in progress with Hayes working on the arm until Axiom fights up. A springboard dropkick gives Axiom a breather and a springboard crossbody gives him two. Axiom gets in another shot to the face, setting up the Golden Ratio for the pin at 3:10.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the time to go very far, but the weird thing is seeing Williams lose clean. Maybe it’s seeing him featured more on LVL Up but it is almost odd to see him losing here. That being said, Axiom is a bigger deal in NXT than Williams and he needed the win more so it makes sense.

Post match the beatdown is on but Apollo Crews runs in for the save.

Schism wants a Tag Team Title shot and wonders why New Day is ducking them. That would be due to Schism looking like extras from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They argue over which team is more of a family and a match between Kofi Kingston and Joe Gacy seems to be set.

Last week, Dijak kidnapped Stacks and beat him up as a threat to Tony D’Angelo. Stacks offers a match but Dijak says this is just the beginning. He leaves the key to the handcuffs and walks off.

Chase U and Drew Gulak and company don’t see eye to eye on some training methods.

Dijak vs. Stacks

Tony D’Angelo is here with Stacks, who has a big bruise on his ribs. Dijak is smart enough to go right after those ribs, with a hard knee getting two. A big boot gets two more on Stacks until Feast Your Eyes finishes Stacks at 3:43.

Rating: C. I love watching a lackey get beaten up as it is exactly why you have them around. Dijak needed a convincing win and he beat up Stacks to get one, even if Stacks had already taken a beating. Nothing match, but it sets up Dijak vs. D’Angelo as part of the three way North American Title feud.

Post match Dijak goes after Stacks again but D’Angelo makes the save and throws out the challenge for next year.

Javier Bernal interrupts Oro Mensah’s interview to plug his Feliz Javidad Christmas album, because he’s awesome enough to release a Christmas album in January. A match is made for tonight instead.

Here is Toxic Attraction for a chat. It’s time to get away from 2022 and apparently speak in ways that no normal human would ever consider. They want the Women’s Title, but here is Indi Hartwell to interrupt. She thinks there should be some fresh blood in this division but Cora Jade interrupts. Jade doesn’t think much of Hartwell, who loses everything. Nikkita Lyons, Zoey Stark and Wendy Choo get in their own interruptions until Thea Hail pops up to declare a GIRL FIGHT.

All of the women come out and the fight is on, with Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre (facing off tonight) fight off. Roxanne Perez pops up on the balcony to announce a 20 woman #1 contenders battle royal for next week. The fight is on and we cut to Fyre and Dawn fighting outside. This was every “I want a title shot/No I WANT A TITLE SHOT/insults abound” segment you’ll ever see, and thankfully everyone was in their designated place with their microphones ready for such a spontaneous moment. Rather horrible segment indeed.

Post break and the brawl is still on between Dawn and Fyre. Referees can’t break it up but Fyre knocks a pipe away from Dawn. They fight onto a platform and Dawn is knocked off onto a pile of 2x4s and chairs, with referees saying it’s over. Fyre puts her in a chair and tries to wheel her to the arena, meaning it’s time to ring the bell!

Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn

Extreme Resolution match (anything goes) and Fyre hammers away, setting up the Gory Bomb for an early two. Back with dawn using a wrench on Fyre’s finger until Fyre fights back and they go outside. Fyre sets up a table and Swantons onto Dawn (table doesn’t break), followed by a Gory Bomb through the table (table breaks) for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C-. I have no idea what to think of this as it was barely a match. They brawled, they did a big spot in the back, they came to the ring, they went to a break, they came back, they did another big spot, the match ended. I do like that Fyre got a win as she was on a bit of a losing streak, but odds are we’ll see more from this feud.

Grayson Waller is very confident about beating Bron Breakker because he can outsmart him.

Long video on Indus Sher vs. the Creed Brothers.

Javier Bernal vs. Oro Mensah

Bernal jumps him from behind to start and grabs a belly to back suplex for two. A clothesline gets Bernal out of trouble and we hit the Tarantula. With that broken up, Mensah hits the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 3:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a match where NXT realized they needed to do something with both of them and threw the match out there. Mensah has more or less vanished from the ring as of late and Bernal is hilarious in the back but not much once the bell rings. Mensah might as well have won on a coin flip so it works as well as anything else.

Kiana James interrupts Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley to congratulate Henley on the win last week. James tells Jensen to text her later, which doesn’t sit well with his friends.

Someone has filmed Katana Chance and Kayden Carter meeting with the medical staff without their knowledge.

Andre Chase vs. Drew Gulak

The rest of Chase U and Hank Walker are here too. Chase goes technical to start and gives a clean break as Gulak makes the rope. Gulak offers a similar rope break before armbarring Chase down. We cut to the back where Charlie Dempsey takes his arm out of a sling and comes to the ring as Gulak suplexes him for two. Chase is back up with a Russian legsweep into the Spelling Stomps. The Figure Four goes on, sending Gulak to the ropes. Back up and Gulak hits him in the face to crank up the intensity. The Gulock makes Chase tap at 4:29, with Gulak taking his time letting go.

Rating: C+. This was more storyline advancement than anything else and it went well enough. Gulak going heel as the evil shooter could be interesting and if it gives Chase a new foil, or at least something to do, I’m all for it. Chase and company need to be used for something, as they are crazy over and it would be a shame to not let them try a little upgrade for the team.

Wes Lee likes Dijak and Tony D’Angelo fighting each other and might show up for commentary next week.

Kofi Kingston vs. Joe Gacy

Xavier Woods is on commentary and says Big E. is certainly an NXT Tag Team Champion as well. Booker (at least I think this is what was said): “Big E. is finished, just like New Day at the end of this NXT run.” Kofi starts fast with a spinning top rope crossbody but Gacy crotches him on top.

Gacy starts hammering away as Booker wants New Day out of NXT. Some backbreakers have Kingston down and we hit the reverse chinlock. Kofi fights up and makes the comeback, including something like a snap Angle Slam for two. Woods and Schism get in an argument on the floor, leaving Kofi to hit the flip dive. Back in and Gacy’s swinging Rock Bottom is countered, setting up Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here as Kofi only felt like he was in a bit of danger to one of the more established NXT heels. That being said, Gacy has cooled off a ton and there is no reason to believe that he is going to beat a former WWE Champion. That’s part of the problem with Kofi and Woods being in NXT though: they’re such bigger stars than almost anyone else here that it is hard to buy anyone giving them a real test. Finally, heel Booker isn’t so much a good villain but rather an annoying guy who sounds out on his own planet. That’s not a good thing and hopefully it gets dropped fast.

Drew Gulak celebrates in the back when Charlie Dempsey comes up. Next week: Dempsey vs. Hank Walker.

Pretty Deadly yells at New Day about how they’re done jumping through hoops to get another title shot. Next week, Pretty Deadly will run a three team gauntlet to get their shot. Works for New Day.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with Bron Breakker as the guest. Waller thinks he’s going to outsmart Breakker again next week but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker is rather happy to be here and agrees that Waller has outsmarted him a few times. Waller is a bit surprised and it’s made worse as Breakker talks about how Waller is great at getting under everyone’s skin.

Breakker gets up and talks about all the times Waller has gone viral but Waller brings up Breakker’s dad. That’s too much so Waller gets punched to the floor, leaving Breakker to grab Waller’s phone. The big flip dive (with phone) takes Waller out to end the show. I still think the title changes next week, but this even things up a bit.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t really feeling this one as it showed one of the bigger problems with NXT these days: nothing comes off as a big story. Waller vs. Breakker is the top story but it isn’t like it is miles ahead of anything else. The show is very well balanced, but that might not be a good thing as it doesn’t make anything feel must see. They might want to fix that, though it isn’t like the show was a disaster. Just kind of there, but next week is the important one anyway.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Apollo Crews – Melo Don’t Miss
Axiom b. Trick Williams – Golden Ratio
Dijak b. Stacks – Feast Your Eyes
Alba Fyre b. Isla Dawn – Gory Bomb through a table
Oro Mensah b. Javier Bernal – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Drew Gulak b. Andre Chase – Gulock
Kofi Kingston b. Joe Gacy – Trouble In Paradise

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 23, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Byron Saxton

We are in the holiday season and that could make for an interesting show around here. Granted there is little reason to believe that will be taking place, but last week’s show did include some extra star power to make things more fun. Do something similar this week and they might have something. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Myles Borne

Dempsey grabs the arm to start but Borne wrestles him to the ground. That’s reversed with a wristlock, allowing Dempsey to flip around a bit. A forearm rocks Borne, who armdrags Dempsey down without much trouble. The fans approve of the wrestling as Dempsey works on the arm and then grabs a headscissors to pull Borne down again. Dempsey stays on the arm and even cranks on the ankle a bit at the same time (showoff).

Borne fights up but gets hiptossed right back down. A short armscissors has Borne in more trouble and Dempsey rolls him around the ring. Borne finally powers Dempsey up and drops back for the break, meaning it’s time to strike it out. Some rolling suplexes rock Dempsey but he avoids the top rope splash. Dempsey’s fisherman’s belly to back suplex finishes Borne at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah this worked and was one of the better matches I’ve seen in LVL Up history. They had a story of the two of them trying to out wrestle each other, with Dempsey just being that much better at the concept. This was a blast of a match and made Borne look better than he has at any point in his career so far.

Dani Palmer is ready to prove herself.

Dani Palmer vs. Sol Ruca

They trade armdrags to start with neither getting anywhere, followed by stereo dropkicks for another standoff. Palmer manages something like a seated abdominal stretch before they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Ruca dropkicks her into the corner though and it’s the Sol Snatcher (that inverted flipping cutter) for the pin at 2:57. Ruca hit it faster this time too and made it look more natural.

Hank Walker vs. Trick Williams

Williams sidesteps him to start and the fans seem to approve. Walker dodges a charge though and Williams goes sailing out to the floor. Williams misses an elbow back inside but manages to grab something like a reverse X Factor out of the corner for two. Some chops in the corner make Walker mad so he shows Williams how it’s done for two of his own. Another shot drops Walker though and Williams hits the chinlock. That’s broken up and Walker hits the running powerslam for two, meaning it’s time to take the shirt off. A running neckbreaker gives Williams two though and the Trick Kick finishes Walker at 6:08.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that is going to work most of the time as you had two bigger guys hitting each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Williams wasn’t in the most danger but Walker feels like he is starting to figure a few things out. Granted he didn’t have anywhere to go but up so isn’t the greatest accomplishment, but things are starting to work better than they were before.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener alone was a nice thing to see and I had a good time with this show. Believe it or not, they might actually be doing something with this show and again, that is going to be due to the amount of variety around here. The biggest complaint about this show is how repetitive it can be. Vary things up a bit and the show gets easier to watch. That isn’t complicated and now they are starting to get the idea.

Results
Charlie Dempsey b. Myles Borne – Fisherman’s belly to back suplex
Sol Ruca b. Dani Palmer – Sol Snatcher
Trick Williams b. Hank Walker – Trick Kick

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NXT
Date: December 27, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re taped again this week to close out the year. With about five weeks to go before Vengeance Day, there is quite a bit of time to fill and some of that will have to be covered tonight. This week’s show will feature a North American Title match, as Wes Lee defends against Tony D’Angelo. Let’s get to it.

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

Julius Creed is ready to prove a point against JD McDonagh, even if Brutus Creed ate all of the green bean casserole.

JD McDonagh is glad that the holidays are over so people don’t have to pretend they like their families anymore.

Julius Creed vs. JD McDonagh

Julius’ brother Brutus is here. Feeling out process to start, though McDonagh claims a pull of the hair. They fight over arm control until Julius bounces off the rope to armdrag him outside. That means a drop onto the announcers’ table but McDonagh is back up with a posting as we take a break.

Back with Julius hitting a backbreaker into a jumping knee to the face. McDonagh grabs the standing Spanish Fly for a double knockdown but Julius catches him on top. That’s broken up but McDonagh misses the moonsault, allowing Julius to hit the basement lariat for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: C+. That’s a heck of a win for Julius a the push seems to be on its way. He has the skill to do something on his own around here and that might be starting up soon. At the same time, McDonagh seems to have fallen quite the long way after being in the NXT Title hunt. I’m not complaining but dang that’s a drop down the card.

Post match here is Indus Sher to issue the challenge to the Creeds for New Year’s Evil in two weeks. The game seems to be on.

Tony D’Angelo isn’t worried about Dijak or Wes Lee. Stacks took care of Dijak last week you see.

Schism talks about how they are different than everyone else but this is their best life. They are one.

Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo

Choo starts fast and takes the fight to the floor. Back in and Choo misses a charge in the corner, allowing Jade to plant her with a backbreaker. Jade grabs the armbar to put Choo down but the running knee in the corner is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two. Choo hits a suplex and a small package gets two, followed by the full nelson slam for two. The Vader Bomb gives Choo the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C. Speaking of weird results, Jade losing here isn’t exactly something I would have expected. Choo kind of goes up and down the card but Jade feels like someone who should be getting ready to challenge Perez for the title. Kind of a nothing match, but I’m more than a bit surprised by the result.

Ikemen Jiro is ready to stop Scrypts using the power of the jacket.

Josh Briggs gives Fallon Henley a pep talk before she faces Kiana James. Brooks Jensen insists he’s on her side, eventually clarifying that he means Henley’s.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Scrypts

Scrypts, in Jiro’s jacket, tries to jump him from behind but gets knocked outside. Back in and Scrypts hits a basement dropkick to take over, setting up the triangle choke. Jiro fights up and makes the comeback, including right hands and a knee to the face. They head up top with Jiro getting shoved down, leaving Scrypts to hit the top rope flipping seated senton for the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C. Is it that clear that they are running out of interesting things to do at this point in a bit of a marathon taping cycle? I’m not sure what NXT sees in the Scrypts deal but it isn’t exactly clicking after a month or so. Yeah it’s clearly Reggie under the mask but what is supposed to be so menacing or even bad about him here? NXT doesn’t often have an idea that just misses but they seem to be at that point with Scrypts.

Oro Mensah loves being in the club and in the ring.

Alba Fyre is ready for Isla Dawn.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Lash Legend

Legend powers her into the corner to start but Valkyria is back up with a jumping shoulder. An armdrag sends Legend outside but she pulls Valkyria out with her for a chop. Back in and Valkyria hits a kick to the head, setting up a top rope splash for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C-. The string of pretty meh stuff continues here as Valkyria didn’t exactly show off here. She has a great presentation and feels like a star but it wasn’t exactly clicking. At the same time, somewhere along the way, Legend became a heck of a lot closer to competent after months of being a disaster.

Toxic Attraction is ready to rebuild and regroup after their biggest loss.

Bron Breakker wants to hurt Grayson Waller but he isn’t here. Waller sends in a video though and brags about how much smarter he is. Instead, Waller is back in Sydney, Australia and brags about how awesome the city really is. He’s ready to win the NXT Title and they can sign the papers next week. Breakker smashes the TV the video aired on.

Schism vs. Edris Enofe/Odyssey Jones/Malik Blade

Ava Raine is here with Schism. Gacy and Blade start fast with neither being able to get very far. A rollup gives Blade one but Gacy sends him into the corner. Reed comes in and gets caught with a dropkick, allowing the tag off to Enofe. It’s off to Fowler for a suplex to take over and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Enofe hits a good looking dropkick, allowing Jones to come in for a rolling splash. Everything breaks down and we take a break.

Back with Raine talking to Booker T. and seemingly freaking him out as Fowler chinlocks Blade. With that broken up, Blade gets over to Jones for the house cleaning, including a double side slam to the Dyad. Enofe drops a top rope elbow as everything breaks down again. Schism sends Jones outside for….six straight suicide dives to FINALLY knock him down. Back in and a double Doomsday Device into the double Codebreaker into the handspring lariat finishes Enofe at 11:15.

Rating: C+. As usual, Schism is a heck of a lot more tolerable when they aren’t talking. As for the match, the finishing sequence was quite good and Enofe looked like he was completely destroyed by the onslaught. Throw in Jones looking like a monster and this was a rather enjoyable match. From Schism. Believe it or not.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready for a pair of big matches next week against Apollo Crews and Axiom respectfully.

Kiana James vs. Fallon Henley

The winner gets Henley’s family’s bar. Henley elbows her in the face to start and hits a running shoulder to keep James in trouble. James hides behind the ring skirt and gets in a few shots to take over in the corner. That’s broken up as Henley hits her right back and grabs a facebuster for two. Henley trips James down, setting up the running knee to the face for the pin and the bar at 5:13.

Rating: C. Well, that’s that I guess. Henley wins the match and gets to keep the bar, which was fine one week, then in jeopardy, and now it’s fine again. I’m not sure how much drama there was to the story, but at least Henley gets a win after what felt like a pretty nasty losing streak. Fairly nothing match, but they got the important part right.

Roxanne Perez still isn’t used to being Women’s Champion but she is going to do everything she can to honor the title.

It’s time for the Drew Gulak Invitational, featuring him grappling with three young stars as Hank Walker watches. Gulak takes all of them down with varying levels of ease for the taps. After that ends with no drama, Charlie Dempsey comes out to challenge Walker for next week. Game on.

Here’s what’s coming up next week.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo, with Stacks, is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Lee getting in some right hands, only to get snapped over with a release belly to belly. D’Angelo gets two off a German suplex and shrugs off a front facelock. Lee gets whipped hard into the corner but manages to send D’Angelo outside for the big dive.

We take a break and come back with Lee holding a headlock to keep things slow. D’Angelo fights up and decks Lee again before starting in on the leg. They head outside with Lee’s leg being dropped onto the announcers’ table to make it even worse. Back in and Lee gets in a shot of his own before hammering away in the corner. Some right hands are cut off with a toss powerbomb out of the corner for a delayed….non-cover as D’Angelo goes after the leg instead. Cue Dijak to go after Stacks though and Lee’s leg is fine enough for the standing backflip Pele to retain at 14:48.

Rating: C+. Selling issues at the end from Lee aside, this felt like a big enough match for a main event, with D’Angelo looking fairly dominant in defeat. Lee is starting to string together some wins and is going to get to the point where him losing the title is going to mean something. The Dijak showdown is likely coming and that should be a good enough fight, so at least they’re setting things up.

Overall Rating: C. You could definitely tell that they are in need of a fresh taping as this felt like the bottom rung of the ladder. The show was far from bad but not much on here felt important, which made for a pretty weak night. There is a good chance that gets better next time, as it certainly needs to do before New Year’s Evil in two weeks.

Results
Julius Creed b. JD McDonagh – Basement lariat
Wendy Choo b. Cora Jade – Vader Bomb
Scrypts b. Ikemen Jiro – Top rope flipping seated senton
Lyra Valkyria b. Lash Legend – Top rope splash
Schism b. Edris Enofe/Odyssey Jones/Malik Blade – Handspring lariat to Enofe
Fallon Henley b. Kiana James – Running knee
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo – Backflip kick to the head

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 16, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Byron Saxton

We are closing in on the end of the year and I can’t imagine that is going to make much of a difference around here. While LVL Up is starting to get a little better, there is only so much you can do with no stories and the lowest of low level TV talent. You do occasionally get a nice match in here though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Schism vs. Lucien Price/Bronco Nima

Ava Raine is here with Schism. Reid can’t do much with the bigger Nima to start and gets his arm cranked. Somehow Reid manages to take the wrist crank into the corner for the tag to Fowler to try his luck. Fowler is powered into the corner for the tag to Price and a running knee to Fowler’s head rocks him hard. A Raine distraction lets Fowler take Price down by the leg though and it’s Reid coming in to keep Price in trouble. The straight power gives Price a breather though and it’s back to Nima. Everything breaks down though and Price gets posted, leaving Nima to get caught in a double Codebreaker for the pin at 5:44.

Rating: C. Price and Nima are a nice power team, but there is only so much you can expect them to be able to do this early in their careers. Then you have Schism, who is shockingly easier to take when they aren’t talking. That has been their case for a long time now, as the lack of Joe Gacy left this as the Grizzled Young Veterans winning a not quite squash.

Javier Bernal and Xyon Quinn are ready for their tag match tonight, even if Quinn seems disgusted by everything Bernal is about. Bernal: “Do you have a big body?” Quinn: “Of….of course I do. It’s twice as big as yours.”

Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend

Tatum Paxley is here with Nile, who gets elbowed in the face to start. Legend misses a charge in the corner though and Nile fires off some kicks in the corner. A headlock takeover lets Nile grind away and a running hurricanrana gives Nile one. Back up and Legend kicks her in the face for two before heading outside to hit Nile on the apron. A splash to the back gives Legend two and she adds a hard clothesline for two. Legend misses a kick though and Nile kicks away at the leg, only to get caught in a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker. Not that it matters as Nile is right back with the Diamond Chain Lock for the tap at 5:07.

Rating: C-. This was a matter of waiting for the inevitable finish as Nile wasn’t losing to Legend. The best thing about this match is that WWE seems to have given up on Legend for the time being. She might get there one day, but she is just not ready for television and needs a lot more work in the ring. While she has gotten better, she still isn’t good enough to be at this level yet and WWE seems to understand that.

Chase U vs. Xyon Quinn/Javier Bernal

Thea Hail is here for Chase U, who comes out first for some reason. Quinn powers Hudson away to start before winning a fight over a top wristlock. Hudson wins the rematch (possibly with a pull of the hair) before rolling Quinn down, much to Chase’s approval at the brains over brawn. Bernal comes in, sees Hudson waiting on him, and hands it back to Quinn. Hudson takes Quinn down for an elbow from Chase, followed by Chase’s hiptoss (with a big jump after).

The Russian legsweep sets up the Spelling Stomps but we pause for Quinn to glare at Hail on the floor. That’s enough to let Bernal get in a takedown so Quinn can hammer on Chase to take over. The double arm crank is broken up but Bernal runs him over again. Quinn has to tag himself in as Bernal is a bit cocky, only to have Bernal tag himself right back in. Chase enziguris his way out of trouble and a diving tag brings in Hudson. House is cleaned, including the big boot, and the Fratliner finishes Bernal at 7:04.

Rating: C+. The interesting thing about Chase is how well developed he is. You know what you’re getting with him and he comes across as someone who has put in the effort to make this work. The fans have completely accepted him and if you gave him the chance, he could become a bigger deal. This was a Chase U showcase and it worked well, as it might be the best act going in NXT.

Overall Rating: C+. This show worked because of the star power. It felt like there were bigger names involved up and down rather than a bunch of low level people filling in time. You already have people around here for NXT so why not put them on this show and make it more interesting? Nice stuff here, as Chase U steals another show.

Results
Schism b. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price – Double Codebreaker to Nima
Ivy Nile b. Lash Legend – Diamond Chain Lock
Chase U b. Xyon Quinn/Javier Bernal – Fratliner to Bernal

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NXT
Date: December 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are almost done with the year and won’t have another live show until January, as this week and next week are taped in advance. The big story coming out of last week is Roxanne Perez winning the Women’s Title from Mandy Rose, who is already gone from the promotion in a surprise. That is going to lead to some fallout so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Perez winning the Women’s Title over Rose last week.

Opening sequence.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Axiom

Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Feeling out process to start with Axiom’s headlock being countered into a headscissors. Back up and Axiom misses a kick to the head but grabs a northern lights suplex for two. Hayes’ springboard cutter misses hard though and we take a break. We come back with Axiom in control and grabbing a waistlock. That’s reversed into a crossface but Axiom slips away without much trouble.

A springboard crossbody gives Axiom two and we hit the triangle choke. Hayes slips out and kicks him in the head a few times but Axiom manages to get up top. That’s broken up and Hayes grabs his hand, allowing him to climb as well. With their hands still locked up, both are standing on top, where Axiom snaps off a super hurricanrana. Axiom loads up the Golden Ratio but Williams pulls him down from behind. Hayes’ Codebreaker sets up Nothing But Net for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: B-. Hayes continues to look as smooth as you can get around here and I have no idea why he and Williams haven’t been on the main roster for a long time now. They’re that good at what they do and putting both of them on the main roster would clear up some room for someone else in NXT. Good match, as Axiom continues to do his thing, but it isn’t as polished as Hayes’.

Post match, Axiom moonsaults onto Williams and wants more from Hayes.

Grayson Waller wants his title shot tonight, because if Roxanne Perez doesn’t have to wait, he shouldn’t either. The fact that Bron Breakker isn’t here tonight because he is in North Carolina on a media tour is a detail.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for his North American Title match next week and Stacks is rather pleased. Stacks has an assignment though: tell Dijak to stay out of their business and he’ll get the next shot. Grayson Waller shows up and asks if they have seen Bron Breakker. That’s a no, so Waller says if they do, tell Breakker Waller is looking for him.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Zoey Stark

Lyons jumps Stark during her entrance and the fight is on outside. The bell rings and Lyons knocks her outside, where Stark is fine enough to get in a posting. Starks grabs a chinlock back inside but Lyons fights up and hits a German suplex. A superkick rocks Lyons but she is out of the way of a springboard shot to the head. Lyons grabs a Samoan drop for two and another superkick staggers Starks this time around. A rollup has Starks in trouble but she reverses into one of her own and grabs the rope for the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C. You can only get so much out of this kind of a brawl when it only gets so much time. Lyons losing via screwiness likely sets up a rematch, maybe with less in the way of rules. Odds are that is going to mean we see Lyons moving up the ladder, which seems to be the a big goal for NXT in the women’s division.

Cora Jade is mad about losing the Iron Woman Challenge but Wendy Choo comes in for the brawl.

We go to Fallon Henley’s bar, where Henley is worried about not being able to pay the interest to keep the place. Kiana James and her assistant come in and think they could buy the place for some improvements. James knows how much money they owe in taxes and can’t wait to do what she wants with it. Henley calls her a b**** and we’ll have a match next week with the bar on the line. Sure, as we seem to be in Glow.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Toxic Attraction vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

Chance/Carter are defending. Dolin and Carter start things off with Carter being sent into the corner fast. It’s quickly off to Nile to grapple Jayne down but a right hand drops Nile hard. Carter tags herself in and sends Jayne outside, leaving the champs to hit the big double dive to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Carter hitting a running dropkick to Dolin in the corner but landing on Nile for two. Back up and Nile is caught on top, where Chance snaps off a super hurricanrana. Dolin comes in to go after Paxley’s arm but Carter makes the save. Jayne misses a running Cannonball in the corner but manages to slip out of the Diamond Chain Lock. Chance gets shoved off the top and Carter gets caught in the Diamond Chain Lock, only to flip backwards into a cradle to retain at 10:09.

Rating: C+. The match was very energetic and fast paced, but there is only so much you can do with this much stuff going on at once. Carter and Chance winning again will help boost their reign, but I’m not sure who is going to be their next real challengers. Toxic Attraction can only get so much out of going after the titles and we seem to have officially passed that point. Get some new challengers, whoever that might be.

Oro Mensah thinks music and wrestling go together.

Booker T. has a sitdown interview with Roxanne Perez about winning the Women’s Title. It was a mixture of emotions and she was overwhelmed (as was Booker, as shown in clips). We see some clips of Perez training at Booker’s school, plus some clips of what Perez has accomplished in nine months in NXT. She remembers asking Booker a lot of questions, which he seems to think is a good thing. Booker talked about what titles meant but you had to deal with butterflies. He’s a two time Hall Of Famer and she’s taking her first steps, but she knows she’s ready. The father/daughter stuff here is so sweet.

Here is Apollo Crews for a chat. He thought he would be here as the new NXT Champion. The vision was clear: he would capture the title that he came back here to win but he is never out of championship contention. At New Year’s Evil, Grayson Waller faces Bron Breakker, but three weeks later, it’s Vengeance Day.

Cue Carmelo Hayes to say he’s the next in line for a title shot and he’s fine with beating Crews. That’s not what Crews was expecting from someone as great as Hayes. They point out that neither is NXT Champion but Crews says there is always someone better than you. In Hayes’ case, that’s Crews. Jawing ensues. Anything involving Hayes being moved up in any way is a good thing.

Pretty Deadly brings New Day their Christmas presents but they want a title shot. New Day isn’t convinced and says that just doing the Pledge of Allegiance isn’t enough to get a title shot (inflation you see). Get the rest of their Christmas list (including a Tyler Breeze selfie stick) and we’ll see.

Alba Fyre is on her way to the ring but gets sprayed by Isla Dawn’s red mist.

Odyssey Jones, Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are ready to go out on the town but run into Ava Raine. They invite her out too, but she says the team is just filling in the voids in their lives with temporary feelings. Schism comes in to mock them further before walking off.

Indi Hartwell vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez hammers her to the floor early on and sends Hartwell shoulder first into the post. Back in and we hit the chinlock, with Lopez cranking away. Hartwell fights up and hits a kick to the head for two. Lopez is sat on top, where she pulls out a well hidden pair of brass knuckles. Hartwell’s belly to back suplex is broken up with a right hand to the face and Lopez gets the pin at 3:34.

Rating: C-. This was quick and to the point, with Lopez getting a win to help her rebuild. Lopez is someone who seems like she could be a force in the division, but that isn’t going to happen if she keeps losing so many matches. At least they have a start here, with a win over Hartwell being a decent first step.

Alba Fyre is cleared for her match.

Wes Lee is ready to face any and all comers, starting with Tony D’Angelo.

Alba Fyre vs. Sol Ruca

Hold on though as Isla Dawn jumps Fyre on the floor before the bell and uses the bat to crush her hand in the steps. No match.

It’s Christmas at Chase U, with the students giving Andre Chase gifts. The fact that Chase is allergic to fruit makes the long list of people with fruit cakes leave (after one heck of a rant from Chase of course). Duke Hudson doesn’t seem to know that it’s Christmas so he tricks a student into leaving and steals his #1 Professor plaque for Chase.

Josh Briggs, Fallon Henley and Brooks Jensen are ready to take New Day’s Tag Team Titles. Kiana James and the assistant come in, with James wishing Jensen luck. Jensen seems flattered. Henley: “Really?”

Drew Gulak is training when Hank Walker comes up to ask for any advice. Gulak likes his moxie and invites Walker to attend (but not participate in) his seminar next week.

Tag Team Titles: Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. New Day

Briggs and Jensen, with Fallon Henley, are challenging. Kofi takes Jensen into the corner to start and we hit the dancing. That doesn’t work for Briggs, who chops him down and cuts off the jumping back elbow. A powerslam gives Jensen two so it’s off to Woods to pick up the pace. Woods knocks Jensen into the corner for the running forearm, allowing Kofi to hit one of his own. Jensen manages to get over for a tag to Briggs though house is cleaned to send us to a break.

Back with Woods enziguring his way out of trouble so Kofi can come back in. A springboard spinning crossbody hits Jensen but the SOS is blocked. Jensen’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana but Briggs comes in to clean house. A moonsault hits Kofi (or mainly his face) to give Briggs two but Kofi is back with a poisonrana to Briggs. Trouble In Paradise drops Briggs again and Kofi dives onto Jensen. The Limit Break gives Woods the retaining pin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. I don’t think anyone was buying New Day losing the titles in their first defense but at least Briggs and Jensen gave them a pretty good match. It helps to give the NXT teams a nice rub from one of the most successful teams of this generation and that is what New Day is here to do. Solid main event here and hopefully the next of many from New Day.

Stacks talks to Dijak…..’s dressing room door before going inside to give him Tony D’Angelo’s message.

Grayson Waller wants Bron Breakker in the ring next.

Diamond Mine isn’t happy with their loss but they made great strides anyway. Indus Sher comes up to ask about their match with the Creed Brothers. Sher wants the Creeds to prove themselves, which Julius will do next week against JD McDonagh.

Here’s what is coming next week.

Grayson Waller, in a rather large zip up jacket, wants Bron Breakker out here right now because no one can do what Waller does. Breakker’s car arrives in the parking lot (that’s some amazing timing) and he comes to the ring for the spear….which knocks himself out. That zip jacket was covering a metal plate, because Waller is a Back to The Future III fan. Waller promises that he’ll outsmart Breakker again at New Year’s Evil to win the title.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a good series of matches with only one of them not working so well. At the same time it set up stuff for the future, including a battle for the bar next week. The show is starting to find its groove and they did well here, with nothing terribly bad and building up matches for the future. Not a bad use of two hours whatsoever.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Axiom – Nothing But Net
Zoey Stark b. Nikkita Lyons – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Toxic Attraction and Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley – Rollup to Nile
Elektra Lopez b. Indi Hartwell – Right hand with brass knuckles
New Day b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Limit Break to Briggs

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: December 9, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton, Matt Camp

This show is finally starting to figure a little something out and that can make things a lot more tolerable week to week. What matters around here is building some people up so that they have some clue as to what they’re doing when they go to the regular NXT show. I’m not sure how long that might take, but at least they’re trying. Lets get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Odyssey Jones vs. Damon Kemp

Kemp flips over him to start and gets hit in the face for his efforts. Jones starts cranking on the wrist before dropping a knee on the arm. Back up and Kemp snaps the arm over the top, setting up a loose crossface chickenwing. Jones can’t quite power out and drops down, allowing Kemp to put on something like a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and Jones hits the corner splash, setting up a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C-. What the heck happened to Kemp? Maybe it was just me but I was getting into his heel stuff against Diamond Mine and now he’s jobbing on LVL Up. It’s quite the sudden fall and it isn’t like Kemp had some horrible moment. Jones is someone who has grown on me a bit since his return and maybe he can be as good as he has been hyped up as being.

Valentina Feroz gives us a subtitled promo about wanting to prove herself to her fans in Brazil. In English, she’s ready for Sol Ruca.

Valentina Feroz vs. Sol Ruca

Feroz works on a headlock to start but Ruca grabs the arm and fires off some shoulders. A tilt-a-whirl slam gives Ruca two and she grabs a headlock of her own. Feroz can’t fight out so it’s a cravate to hold her in place. Back up and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Ruca two but Feroz charges into an elbow in the corner. Ruca goes up to the middle rope…and does an inverted backflip, grabbing Feroz with a cutter on the way down for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C. This is a match where the only thing that is going to matter is that finisher. It’s the kind of move that you don’t see very often but it makes you take notice when you do. Ruca needed something to make her really stand out and a sweet looking finisher like that could be just the ticket. It isn’t enough to carry her, but it’s a big upgrade.

Trick Williams vs. Ikemen Jiro

Williams likes the jacket and shoves him down a few times to start, only to have Jiro nip up each time. The frustrated Williams jumps over Jiro in the corner and pulls him down by the jacket in some smart thinking. A running neckbreaker gives Williams two and we hit the chinlock. Jiro fights up and knocks Williams down, setting up a middle rope moonsault for two. The Ikemen Slash is broken up though and it’s the Trick Kick to give Williams the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. I know Carmelo Hayes gets all of the attention but Williams is quite good at what he does every time he is out there. Williams is perfect as the enforcer/hype man, but he can do things on his own too. That is going to give him much more of a future around NXT and based on what we have seen from him, that is good news.

Overall Rating: C. This was back to the run of the mill shows and that isn’t a good thing. You had the big flipping cutter from Ruca but other than that, there was nothing here that stood out in the slightest. The action was just ok, though Williams did well in the chance he was given. Total middle of the road show here and that’s not exactly a compliment.

Results
Odyssey Jones b. Damon Kemp – Boss Man Slam
Sol Ruca b. Valentina Feroz – Middle rope inverted moonsault into a cutter
Trick Williams b. Ikemen Jiro – Trick Kick

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NXT
Date: December 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T

We’re done with Deadline and that means it is time to start the rather long road to Vengeance Day in February. Deadline saw the crowning of new Tag Team Champions and a pair of new #1 contenders. That should give us some places to go for the next few weeks and we should be in for some fun, though maybe not so soon after Deadline. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Deadline.

Here is Roxanne Perez to get thing going….but Grayson Waller interrupts from the parking lot. Waller has the camera walk us into the arena where he brags about everything he can think of until Perez cuts him off. She says he wasn’t the only Iron Survivor but Waller isn’t impressed. Cue Bron Breakker to say Perez did a great job at Deadline and promises she’ll be the next Women’s Champion. Waller brags about outsmarting Breakker, who he’ll outsmart again for the title at Vengeance Day. Breakker chases Waller through the crowd, leaving Perez to get jumped by Mandy Rose.

JD McDonagh gets checked out and knows the medical report before it is read to him. The Creeds come in, with Julius not being happy about McDonagh going after his knee. Brutus promises to hurt him tonight, which McDonagh finds happy.

We cut back to Roxanne Perez pulling herself up and saying she wants her title shot tonight. Mandy Rose is in.

Stacks jumps Wees Lee in the back, with Tony D’Angelo approving. The fight comes into the arena and we’re having a match.

Wes Lee vs. Stacks

it isn’t specified but there is nothing to suggest Lee’s North American Title is on the line and Tony D’Angelo is in Stacks’ corner. Stacks starts fast but gets dropkicked to the floor for the big running flip dive (with Lee landing HARD). We take a break and come back with Lee in trouble, including a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. The half crab goes on but Lee fights up and starts slugging away. Lee gets the better of things and hits his backflip kick to the head for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: C. They kept this one fast and it was more about D’Angelo vs. Lee being set up for the future. D’Angelo wanting the North American Title is a nice fit for him and having Lee beat his lackey first makes sense. I’m still not feeling Lee as the midcard champion, but at least he has a feud going on.

Post match Dijak comes out to distract Lee, allowing D’Angelo to jump Lee from behind. The triple threat continues to seem likely.

Chase U runs into Duke Hudson shaking hands with Drew Gulak. Andre Chase thinks Duke might enter the transfer portal and even apologizes for last week. Worry not though as Hudson isn’t transferring and is ready for Damon Kemp.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Toxic Attraction

Kacy Catanzaro and Katana Chance are on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with Toxic Attraction mocking the champs on the floor. We settle down to Jayne faceplanting Nile so Dolin can get two. Nile fights back and they head outside, with one more distraction being enough for the champs to jump Toxic Attraction for the DQ at 2:25. This feels like a way to set up a bigger match down the line.

Post match the brawl stays on and the fans seem impressed.

Fallon Henley’s mom isn’t having a good day but Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen want her to be happy. 2023 will be their year.

Carmelo Hayes says he would have won the Iron Survivor Challenge with five more minutes, but Trick Williams shows him a shot of Axiom’s moonsault.

Odyssey Jones vs. Von Wagner

Malik Blade, Edris Enofe and Mr. Stone are here too. Wagner can’t get anywhere with some running shoulders to start but a big boot puts Jones down. The sleeper keeps Jones in trouble until he makes the clothesline comeback. Jones slams him hard and, after Stone’s distraction accidentally allows Enofe to kick Wagner in the head, a crossbody gives Jones the pin at 2:50.

Javier Bernal doesn’t like McKenzie Mitchell cheering for Ikemen Jiro against him tonight. Bernal tries to name his fan base, eventually settling on Big Body Believers. More good stuff from these two.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Javier Bernal

Jiro slugs away to start but Bernal is back with some right hands. A back elbow sends Jiro outside but he catches Bernal with a kick to the head. Jiro’s super hurricanrana sets up the Ikemen Slash for the pin at 2:59.

Post match Scrypts jumps Jiro and steals the jacket.

Wendy Choo is happy Cora Jade lost the Iron Survivor Challenge because Jade is bad. Choo even talks about the evolution of her drink throwing, which started with a bad experience at a slumber party. Oddly enough, this worked.

Here is New Day for their championship celebration. Xavier Woods brags about Kofi Kingston’s ridiculous list of accomplishments (with Kofi cutting him off before Booker T. gets any more annoyed) before we hear about Woods having the first ever NXT match (Against Big E!). He never won an NXT title though…..and now that has changed! The celebration is on but here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt, saying New Day RUINED CHRISTMAS! Woods insists they would never do that because Santa Claus (a fan in costume) is here!

After a SANTA chant, Woods talks about how it was a bad week for Pretty Deadly when England was knocked out of the World Cup and then they lost the titles. Sure Pretty Deadly can have a rematch, as long as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance. That’s too far but here are Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, with an American Flag, to say they’ll say the Pledge for a title shot. We get the Pledge and, as Pretty Deadly looks near sickness, Kofi says they’ll find out about that title shot for Jensen and Briggs next week. Works for the country boys. Well that was out of nowhere.

The women’s division is in the back, talking about the Iron Survivor Challenge. Elektra Lopez talks a lot until Indi Hartwell jumps her, setting up a huge brawl.

Brutus Creed vs. JD McDonagh

Julius Creed is here too. Brutus starts fast but McDonagh takes it to the floor and goes after the arm. Said arm is rammed into the announcers’ table but Brutus gets in a shot to send McDonagh to the apron. McDonagh kicks Julius down and low bridges a charging Brutus to the floor. Cue Indus Sher to take a chair away from McDonagh, leaving him to hit a pair of Devil Insides (one outside, one inside) to finish Brutus at 4:15.

Rating: C. McDonagh continues to do very little for me in his new persona but at least he seems to be getting further and further away from the NXT Title picture. Beating a tag wrestler to help advance an already established tag feud isn’t a bad thing and McDonagh can still do enough good things. Just don’t let him move much further up the ladder and things will be fine.

Zoey Stark didn’t like a Nikkita Lyons Tik Tok reaction video from Deadline, so they’ll fight about it.

Lyra Valkyria is ready to debut.

Isla Dawn is ready to use some magic to get rid of Alba Fyre.

Amari Miller vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria enziguris her to the floor to start and hits the dropkick through the ropes. Back in and Miller gets kicked in the ribs and face, setting up a northern lights suplex for two. A frog splash finishes Miller at 3:01.

Rating: C-. I’ve always liked Miller as she has one of the bubbliest personalities around, but she was nothing more than cannon fodder for the debuting Valkyria. Debuting her with a squash is the best way to go for her and it isn’t like Miller is going to lose anything by getting pinned. This went as it should have, though Valkyria didn’t quite live up to the incredible hype she had built up in recent weeks.

Axiom isn’t worried about Carmelo Hayes.

Kiana James comes up to Brooks Jensen in the back, with Jensen seeming rather nervous. Jensen is worried about Fallon Henley but here is James’ assistant with a Christmas gift for Jensen: a new dress shirt which actually fits. Ok then.

Toxic Attraction jumps Katana Chance and Kayden Catanzaro.

Duke Hudson vs. Damon Kemp

Chase U is here too. Kemp starts fast and hits a running neckbreaker before hammering Hudson in the face on the mat. Cue Drew Gulak to watch but Andre Chase isn’t having this. Hudson Hulks Up and starts the comeback, setting up the big boot for the pin at 3:46.

Rating: C. Speaking of quick and to the point, we have Hudson winning here despite Gulak trying to get involved. It wasn’t a particularly good or bad match, but it felt like something that is going to be part of a bigger story later. Gulak getting to do something is a good sign, though having him vs. Chase could be rather entertaining.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. Rose takes her down by the arm for two to start before Perez snaps off some armdrags. With Rose sent to the floor, Perez takes her down with a suicide dive. A whip into the steps cuts Perez off and bangs up her arm as we take a break.

Back with Perez fighting up but getting taken down by the arm again. Rose runs her over and grabs the Crossface but Perez makes the rope. Kiss From The Rose connects….for two, and Rose is stunned. The fans are split as Perez grabs a small package for two. Pop Rox connects and Perez is champion at 9:35.

Rating: C+. I was expecting a Cora Jade run-in to cut off the title change so well done on the surprise. Perez winning the title out of nowhere was a nice twist as you don’t want every major title change to take place at a big event, just for the sake of some variety. This worked well and felt like a big moment, as Perez gets the title to establish herself as the next big prospect around here. Rose can move back up to the main roster, even if she might not have the easiest time becoming a star there again.

Perez celebrates in tears and Booker T. can’t help but laugh in joy to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling here was up and down, but the best thing was that the show felt like it was put together differently. They were doing things in a hurry and it never got boring. I don’t need them to do that every week, but once in awhile it’s nice to switch things up, especially coming off a show when I wasn’t expecting anything to happen. This show worked, and I’ll take that when I came in without many expectations.

Results
Wes Lee b. Stacks – Backflip kick to the head
Toxic Attraction b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile via DQ when Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter interfered
Odyssey Jones b. Von Wagner – Crossbody
Ikemen Jiro b. Javier Bernal – Ikemen Slash
JD McDonagh b. Brutus Creed – Devil Inside
Lyra Valkyria b. Amari Miller – Frog splash
Duke Hudson b. Damon Kemp – Big boot
Roxanne Perez b. Mandy Rose – Pop Rox

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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AND

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re into the final month of the year and much like the rest of the months, that isn’t likely to mean anything significant. I’m never sure what to expect in any given week on this show and I’m really not sure how much thought is put into the show week to week either. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Myles Borne

Mensah kicks out of a wristlock to start but gets wrestled to the mat for a quick two. Back up and a quick anklescissors takes Borne down, setting up a running crotch attack against the ropes. Borne is able to catch him on top though and some covers get some twos. We hit the chinlock on Mensah, followed by a quick belly to belly to give Borne another near fall. A northern lights suplex gets the same but Mensah hits his own suplex to start the comeback. Mensah nails a running forearm, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner to finish Borne at 6:10.

Rating: C-. This was mainly about Borne out wrestling and more or less dominating until Mensah hit one or two moves and hits finisher for the pin. Mensah just isn’t that impressive for the most part while Borne has come a LONG way after a few pretty lame early matches. Not much to see here, but it was mostly a Borne squash until the ending switched everything up.

Tavion Heights, a former Olympic wrestler, is ready to debut against Stacks.

Tavion Heights vs. Stacks

Tony D’Angelo is here with Stacks. Heights nips his way out of some headlock attempts but Stacks cuts him off with a dropkick. Stacks has to slam his way out of an armbar and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Heights snaps off a powerslam, setting up a gutwrench suplex for two. Not that it matters as Stacks is back up with a knee to the back of the head for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C. Heights is someone who looks like he has some potential but he has a long way to go. Putting him out there for an early match like this against someone with a bit of success like Stacks isn’t the worst way to go and they did things decently enough here. It’s fine enough for a debut, even with Stacks handling most of the work.

Thea Hail vs. Sol Ruca

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who flips around a lot and grabs a wristlock. The fans are behind Chase U, even as Ruca takes her down into an armbar. That’s broken up so Hail armdrags her for one before they’re back up for a quick standoff. Ruca powers her down though and hits a cartwheel splash for two, setting up the bodyscissors.

We hit the abdominal stretch to keep up the variety of rib work, followed by what should be the required surfboard. Hail fights up and shakes the ropes a lot, setting up a backsplash for two. Ruca jumps over her and tries a Matrix, only to get rolled up to give Hail the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C. Ruca is one of the craziest athletes I’ve ever seen and that was on display again here. Sometimes you just need to let someone use their natural abilities and make themselves look great, which is what they’re doing with Ruca. At the same time you have Hail, who is the most enthusiastic ball of energy that you are going to see in NXT these days. Fun match here, but more a showcase of what Ruca can do.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show is starting to find a bit of a groove as they are now focusing on building people up rather than just throwing out random matches. You can see where people like Ruca, Borne and even Hail are starting to come along. If this show actually helps develop people then cool, but they would be much better served by putting in some more extensive time on the Florida house show circuit. For now though, decent show this week.

Results
Oro Mensah b. Myles Borne – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Stacks b. Tavion Heights – Knee to the back of the head
Thea Hail b. Sol Ruca – Crucifix

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.