NXT UK
Date: May 27, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things picked up a lot last week when the Heritage Cup changed hands. Tyler Bate defeated A-Kid to win a heck of a main event, and now we could be in for a few different directions. The big story coming up would seem to be Meiko Satomura challenging Kay Lee Ray for the Women’s Title, whenever that is going to take place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Nathan Frazer vs. Sha Samuels

Noam Dar is here with Samuels. Frazer chops away to start but Samuels hammers him with right hands in the corner. A running clothesline is countered into a Downward Spiral into the corner but a Dar distraction lets Samuels toss him REALLY far off the top. The chinlock goes on, followed by a hard elbow for two on Frazer. Back up and an elbow drops Frazer again as the power is working for Samuels. Dar suggests and receives a slam for two and it’s time for some fishhooking. Samuels runs him over for two more and the chinlock goes on again.

Frazer is sent into the corner and a belly to back suplex gets two. That’s enough to finally start the comeback with some right hands and a running forearm to drop Samuels. Some rapid fire chops in the corner have Samuels in trouble but Dar distracts Frazer from the floor. Frazer decks Dar, who is ejected for trying to come after him. A running clothesline puts Samuels on the floor for a heck of a running flip dive and a nine count. Back in and Samuels tries his Butcher’s Hook but gets dropped with a springboard moonsault into Nightmare on Helm Street. The frog splash gives Frazer the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C. Frazer continues to impress, but more importantly he continues to appear, as NXT UK seems to have at least some kind of a plan for him. I’m not sure where that plan is going, but it is a lot better than never making television. This was a nice comeback win over a big name, and the fact that he got rid of Dar in the same match made it even better.

Last week, Dani Luna and Flash Morgan Webster had a staredown with Jinny and Joseph Conner.

Joseph Conner and Jinny are ready to show Subculture what they are all about.

Noam Dar is annoyed at being ejected and will take it out on Ilja Dragunov next week.

Teoman vs. Ashton Smith

This is fallout from Teoman mocking Smith for Oliver Carter being gone. Smith shoves him around to start and hits a release backdrop to send him flying. A shot to the face puts Teoman down again as it’s all Smith to start. More right hands and a judo throw get two on Teoman and Smith knocks him outside. The following only gets Smith caught in the ring skirt so Teoman can pound him in the back though, meaning the slow beating can starts up back inside.

Teoman takes the knee out and kicks the arm, setting up a stomp onto the shoulder. The arm is wrapped around the post but the Crossface attempt is countered into a suplex. Teoman is right back with a sliding forearm to the head for two more but Smith hits him in the face a few more times. A gutwrench suplex sends Temoan flying again but he sends the arm into the corner. The Crossface makes Smith tap at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Smith was getting to show off a bit here, which is nice to see after him not really doing anything for a good while now. It might not lead anywhere, but one nice match is more than some people get. Teoman continues to look good and once he gets an actual story, he might be able to go somewhere. For now though, these one off matches will do fine for him.

Post match Teoman puts the Crossface on again but Oliver Carter runs in for the save.

Ilja Dragunov isn’t worried about Noam Dar because he has changed, which is the truth. Dar keeps giving his own version of the truth. Now it’s time to bring violence to Dar.

Pretty Deadly come in to see Jack Starz and mock him for not having friends. Starz yells at him and a match seems ready, if Starz can find a partner.

Andy Wild vs. Kenny Williams

Williams has a new look but gets tossed into the corner by the neck to start. Wild puts him on the top but a rake to the eyes cuts him off. A chop block puts Wild down again and Williams stays on the leg, including a standing leglock. Williams charges into a boot in the corner though and an overhead belly to belly gives Wild a breather. The leg gets taken out again though and a bulldog driver gives Williams the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C-. Short and to the point here as Williams gets his first win after dispatching Amir Jordan. I’m not wild on the bulldog driver as a finisher but it is a pretty emphatic knockout move. This went about as well as it could have and Wild looked good even in defeat, so not a bad use of four minutes.

Video on Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura in two weeks. Ray talks about trying to show respect but she isn’t trying to make friends. Satomura just wants the title and wants a clean match but then Ray laid her out a few weeks ago. Now it’s time to fight again.

Video on Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown, with Coffey being ready for a rematch. They’re on for next week.

Trent Seven vs. Sam Gradwell

Gradwell has been calling out Seven for coasting on his reputation as of late. They go with the aggressive lockup to start with Gradwell taking him down by the arm. Seven is right back with a crossbody but Gradwell hits a rather hard STO to cut that off in a hurry. A few forearms to the face (with Nigel saying they had some mustard, ketchup and a bit of mayonnaise as well) keep Seven in trouble and there’s a hard shot to the back as well.

The chinlock goes on, with Gradwell cranking on it pretty hard. Seven fights up and hits a DDT (Andy: “That’s going to mes up his hair!”) and a half and half suplex sets up the Emerald Flosion. Gradwell is sent outside for the suicide dive, with Seven coming up holding his knee. Back in and Seven misses a splash, banging up the knee in the process. Gradwell grabs a half crab but Seven reverses into one of his own.

That’s broken up and Gradwell sends him outside, setting up a pretty hard forearm off the apron. They both beat the count at nine with Gradwell going up top but getting caught with a top rope superplex. Gradwell forearms him so hard that Seven might have lost a tooth and a Samoan driver gets two. The Seven Star Lariat gets the same and the double frustration has set in. With nothing else working, the Birminghammer finishes Gradwell at 14:08.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up rather hard and that is what you would want to see out of a match like this. Gradwell has come a LONG way since his return and it might have made more sense for him to get the win here. Seven did need a win to get him back on track though so it isn’t a horrible decision. Still though, Gradwell winning something in the future would be a good idea.

Overall Rating: C+. Another good show this week, which has long since become a trend around here. NXT UK has the talent pool and the setup to make a weekly show work, with the one hour run time continuing to be the right length. I continue to like this show every week and that has been the case for a long time now, again showing that it can be done if they don’t overthink things.

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NXT
Date: May 25, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

It’s time for the big fight night with a Takeover: Stand & Deliver rematch between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Finn Balor. Kross took the title from Balor last month and it is time for Balor to get his rematch. This is being treated as the big dream rematch and hopefully they live up to the hype. Let’s get it.

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

The opening video looks at Kross vs. Balor and makes it feel like the biggest match in a pretty long time.

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai

Blackheart can’t roll Gonzalez up to start so it’s off to Moon, who can roll Gonzalez up for two. Kai comes in and sends Moon into the corner but Blackheart makes a blind tag. A running splash in the corner sets up the reverse Sling Blade to Kai and it’s back to Moon for two off the standing moonsault. Blackheart puts on a Texas Cloverleaf but Gonzalez breaks it up from behind, setting up some big elbows.

We take a break and come back with Moon and Gonzalez coming in off a double tag, meaning Moon can come in and clean house. Some slingshot knees to the ribs set up the middle rope Codebreaker but Kai cuts Moon off on the way back up. Blackheart has to make a save and then comes in to kick away at Kai. A fireman’s carry facebuster gets two on Kai but something like a Doomsday Device is broken up. Moon pulls Kai into a modified STF until Gonzalez makes the save. Gonzalez’s lifting powerbomb is countered though and Moon grabs a modified Eclipse. The Dominator/sliding cutter finishes Kai at 10:26.

Rating: C+. Energetic match here and I’m a bit surprised by the ending. The match would seem to have been there to also set up Moon as the next challenger to Gonzalez, which would be a good way to go. Kai being there to take the fall for Gonzalez is a formula which could work if they are going to be a team, so nice job of setting things up for the future and keeping the right people strong.

Post match Gonzalez jumps them both so Moon can be choked on the rope. Gonzalez sends Blackheart into the barricade, the post, and the barricade again. Moon vs. Gonzalez works for me.

Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are ready for the Grizzled Young Veterans and promise a round three. They both throw chairs and Thatcher wants to break some limbs.

NXT is excited to have fans back.

Video on Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne, with Dunne injuring Fish at Takeover: WarGames.

Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne

Oney Lorcan is here with Dunne. Fish goes right after him at the bell and tries for the leg. That earns himself a heck of a chop and a kneebar from Dunne, who is fine with cutting someone to pieces. Dunne cranks on the arm a bit before taking Fish into the corner. The chinlock is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but Dunne fights back up.

That’s fine with Fish, who drops him arm first onto the top. Dunne gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Dunne working on the leg before switching over to the arm. Fish fights up and hits a spinebuster but gets taken right back down by the arm. Dunne sends him outside to drop him again, but Fish manages an exploder suplex into the ropes back inside.

Some knees to the ribs have Dunne rocked in the corner but he snaps off a German suplex. There’s a big kick to the head but Fish hits a jumping elbow for two. The seated armbar goes on but Dunne rolls through into the Bitter End (what a sweet counter) to put Fish away at 12:12.

Rating: C+. That’s the only way to go here as Fish is going to mostly be a good hand around here. Dunne seems primed for a main event run so there wasn’t much of a choice to this one. There is nothing wrong with a competitive match where you know how things are going to go and they made it work.

Post match Lorcan jumps Fish and stays on the arm, including putting him on the apron to stand on it, with the arm being bent down towards the floor.

We look at Bronson Reed winning the North American Title last week.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to start her road to redemption. Boa is behind her, unseen.

Hit Row knows this is the land of opportunity and it is time to go gold. They’re watching the champions and are ready to put an L on their heads like they’re Mario’s brother. Everyone is on notice and if you didn’t know, now you know.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Zayda Ramier

Martinez’s entrance has some Glacier elements. Ramier gets taken down in a hurry but she moonsaults over Martinez in the corner. Some shots to the face give Ramier a quick two but Martinez knocks her down. Some rolling butterfly suplexes give Martinez two and there’s a spinebuster for the same. Ramier manages a hurricanrana into a choke but Martinez drives her into the corner for the easy break. A press slam off the top sets up a running knee into the Air Raid Crash to finish Ramier at 3:22.

Rating: C. This was more competitive than I would have bet on but Martinez survived everything that was thrown at her to win in the end. That’s all this needed to be, through Ramier got in a little bit of offense to give her a bit of a rub as well. She might turn into something later, so that was a nice bone to her here.

Post match the lights go out and we get a lot of red smoke. The blue lights come back up and Tian Sha’s symbol is on Martinez’s hand.

Ted DiBiase is in the back and the Robert Stone Brand comes up to him. DiBiase throws money at them and walks away.

Here are Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase for the Million Dollar Faceoff. Grimes talks about how he hasn’t always had money and how he looks up to DiBiase. Money lets Grimes treat people horribly and get away with it, because he has so much money to do whatever he wants. DiBiase says he likes Grimes because he is looking for the best person to personify the Million Dollar Man.

It isn’t all about money, because there is also everything that happens in this ring. Grimes has lost his focus since he got his money….and here is LA Knight to interrupt. Knight talks about how much of an opportunity there is here because he is perfect for something like this. Grimes says Knight needs to stay out of this talk between millionaires but DiBiase wants to hear what he has to say.

Knight talks about needing DiBiase as the final piece of the puzzle. That sounds appealing to DiBiase, who praises Knight’s million dollar body and mind but Grimes says this is between himself and DiBiase. Knight needs to leave, but he decks Grimes instead. DiBiase says Grimes is never going to get it and laughs before leaving with Knight. This is intriguing, for the talking possibilities alone.

Indi Hartwell is looking for Dexter Lumis but runs into Ever-Rise instead. Drake Maverick tries to calk things down and says Lumis was in that room over there a few hours ago. Hartwell goes in and finds a room with the walls covered in pictures of sad things, mainly themed around broken hearts. One of them has Dexter with a knife through his heart, leaving Hartwell freaked out.

Frankie Monet vs. Cora Jade

Monet takes her into the corner to start and the chops are on in a hurry. Some running knees to the back set up a running hip attack in the corner, followed by the running knees to the face. A hard knee drops Jade again but she gets in some forearms, which surprise Monet more than anything else. Jade grabs a Russian legsweep for two but a spear cuts her off. The yet to be named Road To Valhalla (Beth: “That looked familiar!”) finishes Jade at 3:08.

Rating: C. Another effective squash here, with Monet looking confident and dominant at the same time. Jade’s offense meant nothing and served to make Monet all the more angry so she could finish things off. Monet feels like a complete product already, but a little more seasoning never hurt anyone.

The Grizzled Young Veterans want the Tag Team Titles so they’ll be watching MSK’s Tag Team Title defense next week.

We look at Bronson Reed winning the North American Title and talking about how much it means for Australians.

Walter yells at Imperium about how Alexander Wolfe is gone for good and now it is time to show how sacred the mat is again. They start by making up for losing the Tag Team Titles to Breezango.

Here is Bronson Reed to celebrate his title win. After soaking in some tears, Reed talks about how the title represents being willing to fight for what you want. Now that he has this, try to take it from him. Cue Legado del Fantasma (this could be interesting), with Santos Escobar talking about how this business was born to him. That title has Escobar’s attention and it is why he took the Cruiserweight Title in the first place. He likes being the champion of Mexico and the United States (Joaquin Wilde: “What about Canada?” Escobar: “I told you Canada doesn’t count!”) so the beatdown is teased, but MSK runs in for the save.

William Regal sets up a triple threat match for next week between Kyle O’Reilly, Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne, with the winner getting an NXT Title shot at Takeover.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross

Kross, with Scarlett, is defending. Balor starts kicking at the leg and grabs a headlock for some early control. Kross sends him outside but they switch places, with Kross being frustrated as we take a break. Back with Kross kicking away at the legs and planting Balor for daring to try a comeback. Some shoulders to the ribs and more to the back have Balor in trouble in the corner and there’s a big shot to the back to make it worse.

Kross sends him flying again and a German suplex has Balor reeling. Balor finally manages to take him down though and rolls into the jumping double stomp. Kross knocks him outside but Balor manages to tie things up in the ring skirt. That means a bunch of stomping to the back and we take another break. Back again with Kross hitting a powerslam for two but Balor grabs something like the Nightmare on Helm Street.

Another double stomp is pulled into a rear naked choke and Balor takes his time to get to the rope. They head outside with Kross sending him into the barricade over and over to stay on the back. Once back inside, Balor manages a quick DDT into the Sling Blade. With Kross being sent back outside, it’s a big flip dive to take him down…for all of a few seconds, as Kross drops him onto the announcers’ table.

Back in and Balor hits a double stomp into the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. A release German suplex drops Balor and there’s a Doomsday Saito to put him down again. The running elbow is countered into a cradle for two but Balor’s seated abdominal stretch is countered into some forearms to the back of the head. Balor slips out and hits his own forearms to put Kross in trouble for a change.

A straitjacket choke has Kross in trouble and Balor switches over to a triangle choke. Kross grabs the referee to save himself though and there’s a powerbomb to put Balor down hard. A forearm to the back sets up the running elbow to the back of the head, setting up a bunch of stomps to Balor’s head. The Krossjacket Choke ends Balor at 22:41.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but the last few minutes were the intense stuff you would expect from these two. I’m curious if Balor sticks around NXT at this point, as there is nothing left for him to do and the main roster could certainly use him. They didn’t get to the same level that they did at Takeover, but this was quite good for a big time TV main event.

Kross and Scarlett pose as Balor rolls away to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was another good one up and down but it wasn’t quite to the same level as some of their recent efforts. The action was good and the main event felt important, but the rest of the show was just kind of there. The good thing is that they have started the build towards Takeover though, which is coming up pretty quickly. NXT are the masters of slow and steady, though this one, while good, was more of the former.

Results

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez – Dominator/sliding cutter combination to Kai

Pete Dunne b. Bobby Fish – Bitter End

Mercedes Martinez b. Zayda Ramier – Air Raid Crash

Frankie Monet b. Cora Jade – Road To Valhalla

Karrion Kross b. Finn Balor – Krossjacket Choke

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 UK
Date: May 20, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a title match as we have A-Kid defending the Heritage Cup against Tyler Bate in their rubber match. That alone should be enough to carry the show but we should be getting some other good stuff around here to make the rest of the show work. If it is like their recent efforts, everything should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on A-Kid vs. Bate, with Bate becoming a huge star and A-Kid needing to become his own man. Bate needs to win something to get back on top and it’s time for a showdown.

Opening sequence.

Rampage Brown vs. Wolfgang

They trade cravates to start as we hear about their various European championships. Brown hits a dropkick but gets whipped hard into the corner to put him down as well. It’s already time to go outside for the slugout with Wolfgang sending him into the post. A backbreaker gives Wolfgang two back inside and we hit the bodyscissors to stay on the ribs.

Some shots to the knee get Brown out of trouble but Wolfgang gets up for a middle rope splash to the back. Brown Samoan drops his way to freedom but Wolfgang is right back with a spear for two. Another spear hits knee though and Wolfgang is sent hard into the post. A lariat sets up the doctor bomb to finish Wolfgang at 6:19.

Rating: C+. This was two big guys hitting each other rather hard for a few minutes and that is almost always going to work. Brown does not have the most depth and in his case that is about as perfect as you could get. Wolfgang hasn’t gotten to shine very much on his own but he looked fine here, so we’ll call it a good opener.

Ashton Smith was working at the Performance Center when Teoman came in. He asked where Oliver Carter has been lately and accuses Smith of forgetting about his family.

Aoife Valkyrie is training in the woods because now she knows what failure feels like. Now it is time to look forward and fly.

Rampage Brown is a little banged up but runs into Gallus. Joe Coffey says he’ll let Brown have some time to heal up and then come looking for him.

Amele vs. Xia Brookside

The angry Brookside goes for her in the corner to start but can’t get anywhere. Brookside takes her down by the arm and starts cranking away but gets pulled outside. Amele drives her back first into the apron and it’s time to go back inside for some stomping to the back. Brookside fights up with a running hurricanrana for two but Amele snaps off a northern lights suplex for the same. A kind of spinebuster plants Brookside for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere here and I’m a little surprised that Amele won so clean. Brookside has kind of hit a wall in recent weeks and I’m hoping that she gets to bounce back sooner rather than later. At the same time, Amele looked impressive here and maybe she could go somewhere soon.

Nathan Fraser isn’t happy with Sha Samuels messing with him as of late so he takes Samuels’ notes from him. We have a match set for next week.

We recap Meiko Satomura becoming #1 contender for the Women’s Title, meaning champion Kay Lee Ray laid her out as a result.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions. Noam Dar wastes no time this week and brings out Ilja Dragunov for a chat. For the sake of Dragunov not going insane, Dar puts up some videos of waterfalls and they both have nice, comfortable robes. Dragunov’s looks to be more like a kid’s version though and he doesn’t look pleased. Dar brings up the loss to Walter, with Dragunov talking about the violence and anger that has come with the loss. He isn’t that person anymore though, but Dar brings up some of Dragunov’s recent acts of violence.

However, Dar wants to fix things up a bit, so he has a stuffed dog named Lenny. That’s too far for Dragunov, because Dar must think this is funny. Violence is teased, but Dar says he thinks this is an act. Dragunov walks out and Dar looks annoyed as the music plays. Dar was making me laugh here, despite my disdain for pretty much every wrestling talk show.

Sam Gradwell comes in to see Sid Scala to complain about Trent Seven. Gradwell isn’t going to press charges but he’ll singe off Seven’s moustache.

Post break, Scala makes Ilja Dragunov vs. Sid Scala and Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey for two weeks from now.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. A-Kid

A-Kid is defending and Trent Seven is Bate’s corner man. Round one begins with a feeling out process as they both seem a bit tentative. A-Kid flips out of headlock and nips up to an early standoff. Bate takes him down by the arm but A-Kid reverses into a wristlock of his own. A monkey flip doesn’t get Bate out of trouble and the wristlock stays on. Bate finally flips out and it’s another standoff to end the round fairly evenly.

Round two begins with A-Kid grabbing a headlock takeover but Bate kicks his way to freedom again. Almost totally even so far with A-Kid’s advantage being pretty minimal. A-Kid has to flip out of a headscissors and cranks on both arms at the same time. Another escape gives us yet another standoff so Bate grabs a headlock to end the round with a minor advantage.

Round three begins Bate slapping on an armbar but getting countered in a hurry. Bate tries to pick up the pace and slides through the legs so A-Kid drops down onto him for a sleeper. That’s broken up and they trade rollups until A-Kid blasts him with a diving forearm to the jaw. Bate uppercuts him to the floor as the pace has picked up in a hurry. Back in and Bate pops him in the jaw but they both crash over the top to end the round on the floor.

Round four begins with Bate charging across the ring for an uppercut to the jaw. A-Kid dropkicks him right back and a fisherman’s suplex gets two. Bate knees him in the face but a middle rope elbow is countered into a backslide (cool). The airplane spin goes on so A-Kid reverses that into a Crossface attempt. A-Kid goes with the sleeper instead so Bate drops him back onto the mat for the break. A guillotine has Bate in trouble but he muscles A-Kid up into a suplex for two as the round ends.

Round five begins with both guys banged up and Bate powers him to the mat for an early two. A bridging German suplex gets two on A-Kid and the Tyler Driver 97 is good for the same. Spiral Tap misses and A-Kid grabs a cross armbreaker, which he switches into a Rings of Saturn with his legs. Time expires just in time though and Bate survives again.

Round six (the final round) begins with Bate in pain but being able to hit the rebound lariat. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a hurricanrana for two so Bate blasts him with a right hand. That earns him a superkick into a rollup but Bate drops down into a cradle for the pin and the title at 58 seconds of the sixth round (18:58).

Rating: B. They made me buy into this and I wouldn’t have bet on that coming in. I like the rules but they made the drama work here, which is a lot harder than having good action. The idea of the rounds and the clock ticking down is a great effect and this was an awesome main event, even if the winner might not have been in the most doubt.

Post match A-Kid is disappointed but presents Bate with the trophy and applauds to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was what mattered most here (shocking I know) but they managed to get in a few other good things and also build up for later. This show has gotten the NXT formula down to a near science and the one hour run time makes it that much easier to watch. Another quality show here, with the main event getting the most out of its unique rules.

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

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NXT
Date: May 18, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s time for a big main event with the North American Title being defended inside a cage. Johnny Gargano has to defend against Bronson Reed, which could set up a heck of a Tsunami to crush Gargano for good. That could be quite the match as you have two talented people in there, plus a lot of other things on the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the cage match.

Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark

Stark starts fast and drives her into the corner to hammer away, setting up a springboard missile dropkick. They head outside with Storm getting knocked around until she manages to whip her into the steps. The running hip attack crushes Stark against the steps and Stark barely beats the count. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Storm boots her down for two.

Stark grabs a backslide for two and nails an enziguri to put both of them down as we take a break. Back with Stark reversing Storm Zero into a hurricanrana for two, followed by a half nelson suplex for the same. Storm is back up with Storm Zero for two and shock exists. That’s fine with Storm, who grabs a judo throw and spins it over into a DDT, which drops Stark on her head (that was TERRIFYING) for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. They got me with the finish as I was thinking Stark was going to win after surviving Storm Zero. Granted I would hope they could come up with a better way to do it than by dropping Stark on her head, but at least she seems to still be alive. Storm really needed the win, and if she can get a less disturbing finisher, she should be good to go.

Post match here is Frankie Monet to stare at Storm.

Legado del Fantasma is ready for MSK but Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher come in to say not so fast. Thatcher goes into Spanish to say…..I believe “the cat does not have shoes.” Ciampa: “That makes perfect sense.” The match seems to be made for later.

Cameron Grimes comes up and says park his car, but he’s in Ted DiBiase’s spot. He gets a match with the valet, who happens to be Jake Atlas, for later.

The Way is at a spa, where Indi Hartwell admits that Candice LeRae was right about everything, including Dexter Lumis. As you might have guessed, Lumis is giving her the massage, though she can’t see him due to the cucumbers over her eyes.

We get a Prime Target on Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor II. Kross was feeling the injuries from the match for weeks and can’t believe Balor survived as long as he did. At the end though, Kross left with the title. Balor says getting back up is how you keep going though and it’s time to go. Pat McAfee is ready for the rematch and Paul Heyman says everyone is interested in the match, even Roman Reigns. As for a spoiler….it’s a little too close to call. Next week, it’s round two. More greatness from these videos, as usual.

Cameron Grimes vs. Jake Atlas

Before the match, Grimes says everyone is glad to see Ted DiBiase, but he has a video on the REAL DiBiase, including all kinds of bad things happening to him over the years. Atlas dropkicks him to the floor before the bell and we take a break. Joined in progress after a break with Grimes hammering away but charging into a boot to the face. A springboard armdrag sets up a running enziguri in the corner, followed by the middle rope hurricanrana for two.

Grimes clotheslines him down and grinds an elbow into the chest in the corner. Atlas sends him chest first into the corner and snaps off a German suplex….as Ted DiBiase arrives in his limo. Something misses off the top and Grimes snaps off the flipping powerslam. The Cave In is loaded up but we’ve got Ted DiBiase in person, allowing Atlas to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:51.

Rating: C-. The action wasn’t the point here and Grimes losing to Atlas in this kind of situation isn’t going to hurt him. Grimes vs. DiBiase continues to be one of the best things going on in all of wrestling today and I want to see where it keeps going. I’m not sure if it is going to be but they have me wanting to see it every week.

Post match Grimes gives chase but DiBiase is in the limo, saying that Grimes will never be a Million Dollar Man. Ranting ensues again.

Bronson Reed is ready to make everything he has put into his career worth it by winning the North American Title. He has been around the world but now he is going to be here, winning the title and telling his wife that they did it.

We get a sit down interview with Pete Dunne, talking about how he can win any title he wants at any time. He has never had a bad match and even when he loses, people leave the ring a different person. Dunne talks about being influenced by British style and everything he has put together over the years (with the required Fit Finlay reference). The fans’ influence makes a huge difference and he can’t wait to see what is next.

Alexander Wolfe vs. Killian Dain

The rest of Imperium (minus Walter) and the still scared Drake Maverick are here too. Dain punches him into the corner to start but gets kicked and uppercutted for his early efforts. Some uppercuts from Dain allow him to send Wolfe into the corner. Fabian Aichner knocks Maverick off the apron and there’s a German suplex to Dain. Marcel Barthel throws in a chair but Wolfe takes too long, allowing Dain to hit a running crossbody for the pin at 1:49.

Post match, Imperium turns on Wolfe and beats him down, setting up the posing.

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are done with Mercedes Martinez and are ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Ever-Rise come in (with coffee mugs) to say Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon are the #1 contenders. They plug their show, but Gonzalez doesn’t watch it. Matt Martel says that sounds like she wants to hit him….and she does, dropping him with one slap. These guys are good.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher

Wilde dances at Ciampa to start, who takes him outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and we hit the front facelock on Wilde, setting up the chinlock. Thatcher comes in for a hammerlock on Mendoza, followed by a headscissors from Ciampa. Mendoza fights up and raises a boot in the corner to cut Ciampa off. Thatcher comes back in for a headlock into an ankle lock.

With that still on, Ciampa comes in with his own to Wilde but stereo rollups get….no count because two of the people are illegal. Stereo enziguris put everyone down and we take a break. We come back with Ciampa hitting a string of running clotheslines in the corner. Mendoza breaks up the hanging DDT on Wilde as we see Mendoza’s busted nose being checked on during the break. Ciampa gets punched and chopped in the corner but Mendoza misses a charge into the post.

The hot tag brings in Thatcher to hammer away in the corner, with Ciampa getting to do the same. Legado gets Ciampa into the corner for a clothesline and some moonsaults get two. Thatcher breaks up the Russian legsweep/boot combination and Wilde nails the big running flip dive. Back in and the hanging DDT gets two on Wilde with Mendoza making the save. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to jump Ciampa though and now the boot/Russian legsweep is good for the pin at 15:41.

Rating: C+. What we got was good but we got quite a bit of it as this match felt long. Legado is a solid team, though it’s weird to have heels who fly around like they do. At the same time though, it sets up the Veterans vs. Ciampa vs. Thatcher, which more than works for everyone involved. Legado likely gets a title shot too so that is a well used match.

Bobby Fish says his business is with Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan. The torn tricep was a long recovery, but now he is back and there is a debt to be paid. First up is Pete Dunne because they have unfinished business. Next week, they can finish it.

Back at the spa, the Way’s credit card is declined. They think it is Austin Theory, but the spa employee called the credit card company and found out that it was something about a florist three weeks ago. Indi Hartwell puts the pieces together and realizes that Dexter Lumis still loves her. Hartwell runs off screaming this over and over as Candice LeRae is stunned. Beth: “Forget Bennifer! INDEX IS BACK!!!”

Johnny Gargano is ready to prove that Bronson Reed is not on his level. Gargano stops the unstoppable inside of a steel cage.

Aliyah vs. Sarray

Sarray starts fast with a springboard armdrag into a basement dropkick but Jessi Kamea grabs a leg. Aliyah gets in a few shots of her own but walks into a spinning kick to the face. There’s a German suplex into a missile dropkick from Sarray, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. The high collar suplex finishes Aliyah at 2:25.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon are ready for the Way again and it’s time to get gritty and wild. Howling ensues (Moon: “That’s what she said.”).

Hit Row vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese

That would be Ashante Adonis/Top Dolla, with the former taking over on Nese to start. Dollar hits a World’s Strongest Slam/Wasteland at the same time and it’s already back to Adonis for the corner stomping to Daivari. A superkick drops Nese and Dolla has to calm Adonis down. Something like an AA into a neckbreaker gives Dollar the pin on Daivari at 2:20.

Post match, Hit Row brags about the win, with Isaiah Scott promising to watch the North American Title match.

William Regal announces Legado del Fantasma vs. MSK for the Tag Team Titles in two weeks. There are going to be some new stars in the cruiserweight division, and also next week it’s Dakota Kai/Shotzi Blackheart vs. Ember Moon/Raquel Gonzalez.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Frankie Monet’s debut, Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase in a Million Dollar Faceoff, plus Balor vs. Kross II.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed

Gargano, with Austin Theory, is defending inside a cage. An early escape attempt doesn’t work for Gargano as Reed pulls him back and shoves Gargano out of the air without much trouble. Reed sends him into the cage a few times and drives his face into the steel to make it worse. A missed charge hits cage, but the slingshot spear doesn’t work because of the cage.

That lets Reed snap off a hanging DDT but Theory is there to cut off a climb attempt. Gargano superkicks the knee out and we take a break. Back with Reed hitting a super Samoan drop for a delayed two. That means it’s time to go up but Gargano powerbombs him back down. It’s too early for Gargano to escape though as Reed pulls him back in and sits on his chest. A powerbomb is countered with a grab of the cage though and Gargano hits a poisonrana to put both of them down.

One Final Beat is countered with a toss into the cage but Theory slams the door on Reed’s head. Now One Final Beat can give Gargano two so it’s time to go up. Reed is right there to catch him with a superbomb but makes the mistake of climbing, allowing Theory to cut him off. Gargano gets headbutted off the top and Theory gets punched down. The splash to the back sets up the Tsunami to give Reed the title at 15:25.

Rating: B. This was exactly how such a match should have gone, with Reed overcoming the obstacles/odds and winning clean in the end. There was no fluke here either, as that Tsunami is one of the best looking finishers going today. Gargano was a good choice as champion because he could do something like this, but is more than enough of a legend to be back just fine in a few weeks. Solid main event here, and a good example of how a telegraphed finish isn’t a bad thing.

Pyro goes off for the celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Pretty awesome show here as they had a bunch of nice stuff capped off by the big main event, which more than delivered. I can always go with watching NXT get to do their thing and show how a good show is supposed to be put together. They have things set up for weeks now while delivering this week as well. That’s an efficient two hours and it was worth the watch here as usual.

Results

Toni Storm b. Zoey Stark – Judo throw spun into a DDT

Jake Atlas b. Cameron Grimes – Rollup

Killian Dain b. Alexander Wolfe – Crossbody

Legado del Fantasma b. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher – Russian legsweep/running enziguri to Ciampa

Sarray b. Aliyah – High collar suplex

Hit Row b. Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari – Fireman’s carry flipping neckbreaker to Daivari

Bronson Reed b. Johnny Gargano – Tsunami

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NXT UK
Date: May 13, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time to get ready for a title match as the main event this time around is a five woman gauntlet match for a future shot at Kay Lee Ray. This is almost a necessary move as Ray has been champion for the better part of forever now, meaning she is going to need a fresh challenger. On top of that, the Heritage Cup rules are back as Nathan Frazer faces Noam Dar. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside is out of the gauntlet match so we have an empty fifth spot. This shouldn’t be hard to figure out.

Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar

Heritage Cup rules. Round one begins as Frazer takes him down into a hammerlock and then switches into a wristlock. That’s reversed into the same thing from Dar, who has to avoid a charge against the ropes. They go to the mat with Dar grabbing a headscissors into a standoff as the round ends, with Dar getting in a cheap shot elbow after the bell. Round two begins with Dar going straight to the leg but Frazer is back up with a forearm to the face. A small package finishes Dar at 59 seconds of the second round (4:37 total).

Round three begins with Frazer hitting a dropkick into a running shooting star press for two. Cue Sha Samuels to watch at ringside and the distraction lets Dar get in a shot to the leg to take over. A kick to the arm puts Frazer down but one to the chest is cut off. Frazer goes up top and headbutts him down but time runs out before he can do anything.

Round four begins with Frazer hitting a running dropkick into the corner but Dar avoids a top rope double stomp. Dar strikes him down for two but the Nova Roller is countered into a rollup for two. An enziguri hits Frazer but he gets pulled into an ankle lock to tie it up at 1:14 of the round (10:03 overall). They slug it out to start round five with Frazer grabbing a quick rollup for two. A swinging suplex gets the same and Frazer goes up but Samuels grabs his leg. With that broken up, Frazer misses a springboard and the Nova Roller finishes Frazer at 1:50 of the round (12:27 overall).

Rating: C+. These matches have grown on me a lot over the last few months and I can go for more of them. Frazer lost via cheating so he isn’t hurt that badly and already has a rematch set up. Samuels and Dar might not be the top pairing in the world but they are perfectly adequate for what they are supposed to do.

Rampage Brown throws away Gallus’ ball and still wants to fight Joe Coffey. He seems to settle for a match with Mark Coffey though.

Video on Pretty Deadly.

Trent Seven is giving Jack Starz some advice when Sam Gradwell comes up. Gradwell says Seven is overrated and he sees right through this dad act. The brawl is almost on but it’s broken up in a hurry.

Levi Muir vs. Mark Andrews

The rest of Subculture is here with Andrews. Muir’s wristlock doesn’t last long as Andres rolls him u for two. Back up and Muir snaps off a powerslam before hammering away in the corner. They slug it out with Muir getting the better of things and snaps off a slingshot suplex. Andrews kicks him into the ropes for a 619 to the back but has to counter another slingshot suplex into a Stundog Millionaire (that was cool). Muir is knocked outside so Andrews is right there with the suicide dive. Back in and Fall To Pieces finishes Muir at 4:34.

Rating: C. I liked this better than I was expecting to as Andrews really is one of the better high fliers going today. He is one of those guys that is so easy to get behind and that is harder to find than it might seem. Muir is someone with some potential of his own and could go somewhere if he is given a bit more of a chance and a character.

Amale comes up to Sid Scala but can’t get Xia Brookside’s spot in the gauntlet match. Instead, she’ll be facing….to be announced, whenever Brookside is back to health. They might have spoiled that a bit.

Video on Kenny Williams beating Amir Jordan last week to get rid of him.

We get a sitdown interview between Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid and #1 contender Tyler Bate. A-Kid wants the big win to prove himself over one of the big names. Bate says A-Kid may be the master of the Heritage Cup rules but he isn’t the master of him. They don’t seem intimidated but do shake hands.

Gauntlet Match

Five women, with only four known, and the winner gets a title shot against Kay Lee Ray. Isla Dawn is in at #1 and Emilia McKenzie is in at #2. McKenzie takes her down with the waistlock to start and then forearms away. A swinging neckbreaker gives McKenzie two but Dawn kicks her down and gets two off a suplex. McKenzie is right back with an enziguri and running dropkick, followed by a spear for two of her own. Dawn kicks her in the head though and a bridging half nelson suplex gets rid of McKenzie at 3:31.

Dani Luna is in at #3 and kicks Dawn in the face, setting up some rolling suplexes for two. A fall away slam sets up an exploder suplex for two more but Luna misses a charge into the post, allowing Dawn to roll her up at 5:33. Meiko Satomura is in at #4 and is taking Xia Brookside’s spot. Dawn is smart enough to dropkick her on the way in and takes it outside to send Satomura into the barricade.

Back in and Dawn kicks her into the ropes, with commentary being all stunned. Some Saito suplexes into some double knees get two on Satomura but a knee drop misses. Satomura kicks her in the back but gets rolled up for two. Dawn tries another rollup, only to have Satomura reverse into one of her own for the pin at 9:43.

Jinny is in at #5 to give us the final fight and Satomura gets taken down by the arm. A front facelock gives Jinny two and a rollup is good for the same. Satomura kicks her way out of an armbar and then spins out of a headscissors. Back up and Satomura wins a strike off, capped off by a running dropkick. The Crossface is broken up in a hurry and Jinny hammers away with right hands. Satomura has had it with this and hits the Death Valley Driver, setting up the Scorpion kick for the pin at 16:35.

Rating: C. The match was fine as a way to set up Satomura vs. Ray II and that’s all it needed to be. The action itself worked, though it suffered from the same problem that these matches so often do: Satomura was suddenly spent after being in there for like five minutes because she had beaten a somewhat drained Dawn. All that mattered was Satomura winning though so they got the important part right.

Kay Lee Ray comes out to trade bows with Satomura….and then superkicks her to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was average for the most part with the matches all being watchable, but it served its purpose of setting up some things for later. Satomura vs. Ray and A-Kid vs. Bate should be good, though this was just a preview of the big stuff instead of the actual big ones. It wasn’t the best show, but it did what it needed to do for the future, which is rather important in its own right.

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NXT
Date: May 11, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

It’s another double title night as we have two titles on the line. As a bonus, one of the matches, in this case Kushida defending the Cruiserweight Title against Santos Escobar, will be two out of three falls. That’s nice enough, but will it be nicer than Raquel Gonzalez defending the Women’s Title against Mercedes Martinez? Well yeah it probably will but that’s beside the point. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap/preview.

Karrion Kross vs. Austin Theory

Non-title and Scarlett/Johnny Gargano are here. Theory is rather worried to come in but Gargano talks him into it, meaning the stalking can start fast. A clothesline doesn’t do much to Kross but his clothesline takes Theory’s head off. Kross looks annoyed at Theory and tosses him with a Doomsday Saito. Gargano offers a distraction though and Theory rakes the eyes to take things outside.

A DDT on the floor drops Kross but Theory breaks the count at nine for some reason. Kross gets posted and Theory hits a rolling clothesline as we hear the Bronson Reed gets a North American Title shot against Gargano next week. Kross comes right back with another Doomsday Saito and Theory is out, even as Kross hammers away at the back of the head. The Krossjacket choke finishes Theory at 6:03 as Kross stares at Gargano.

Rating: C. I would have bet on total destruction here but Kross got in enough offense to make it work. Theory is someone who could be a star if he was given the right kind of presentation as the talent is certainly there. That being said, there was no reason for Kross to break a serious sweat here and that did not take place, so they did it the right way.

Post match Finn Balor pops up behind Karrion Kross to say he doesn’t wait in lone. The match is on at some point in the future.

Earlier today, Leon Ruff asked William Regal for a match tonight but was turned down because of the beating he took last week. Ruff wrecked Regal’s desk but Angry Daddy Regal got serious and told him to get out.

Breezango vs. MSK

Non-title. Lee and Breeze start things off with Breeze taking him down and strutting a bit. Back up and Lee drops him with a shoulder before flipping over Breeze to show off as well. Their stereo superkicks connect with each other’s feet and we get the wincing standoff. Lee comes in and takes Breeze down, setting up some dancing. Fandango comes in and runs the ropes to go over both of them before colliding with Breeze.

Back up and Breeze runs the ropes as well, with the referee dropping down and then leapfrogging over him, allowing Carter to hit a dropkick. Back from a break with Fandango dragging Lee over to the corner, where Breeze slingshots him….into Fandango. That’s enough for the hot tag to Carter and the push moonsault gets two.

Fandango makes the save and it’s time for the four way slugout. Breezango gets the better of things but Carter catches Fandango on top. A running knee puts Fandango on the floor and Carter hits a middle rope moonsault to take out both of them. Back in and a running dropkick in the corner sets up the spinebuster/Blockbuster combination to finish Breeze at 10:49.

Rating: C+. The match was pretty good but e pluribus gads Breezango is one of the least interesting things NXT has had in a long time. The interest goes away as soon as they are shown doing almost anything and that has been the case for a long time. MSK is very good at what they do, but my goodness they are not an interesting team to watch. I’m not sure how to fix that, but being a bit more serious would be a good start.

Post match Breezango teases turning on MSK but shake hands in peace.

Johnny Gargano goes into William Regal’s office and wants to know why he made the match against Bronson Reed. Of course Regal doesn’t hate him, because Gargano is the North American Champion and has his own headband! Gargano doesn’t seem convinced and storms off.

Commentary talks about Takeover: In Your House II when Ever-Rise pops up behind them. Those guys have grown on me so much.

Here is Pete Dunne, with Oney Lorcan, to talk about Finn Balor getting the next shot at Karrion Kross. Dunne can’t blame him because Kross knows how tough Dunne really is. The open challenge is on and here is Leon Ruff to jump Dunne from behind.

Pete Dunne vs. Leon Ruff

Oney Lorcan is here with Dunne. Ruff starts fast and hammers away but Dunne counters a jump out of the corner. Dunne starts working on the hand but Ruff snaps off a hurricanrana. One heck of a clothesline cuts Ruff off though and it’s right back to the hand cranking. A big stomp on the arm makes Ruff scream and it’s time to bend the arm around the rope.

Ruff manages an enziguri out of the corner and a missile dropkick to put Dunne down. Dunne pops back up with a dropkick and then knocks the middle rope twisting cutter out of the air. A Figure Four necklock with some elbows to the head have Ruff knocked silly and the referee stops it at 3:03.

Rating: C+. I continue to marvel at how much Ruff has gotten out of this run and jobbing to Dunne after getting in a few shots is not a bad role to have. That being said, Dunne looks primed to become the next big thing around here and is starting to feel more like his NXT UK version. That is a great thing for everyone around, because that Dunne is one of the best in the world.

Post match, Dunne breaks the fingers for a bonus.

Legado del Fantasma promises to get the Cruiserweight Title back tonight.

Frankie Monet debuts in two weeks.

Also in two weeks: Kross vs. Balor II for the title.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Martinez vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Gonzalez, with Dakota Kai, is defending and gets knocked down to the floor to start. Martinez scares Kai over the barricade and dives off the apron to take Gonzalez down. We take a break and come back with Gonzalez hitting a heck of a clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on but Martinez punches her in the face for the break. Well that works. Something like ground and pound has Gonzalez in trouble and it’s off to a sleeper.

Gonzalez rams her into the corner for the break but gets forearmed hard in the face. The hanging DDT (or maybe a fisherman’s buster) out of the corner gives Martinez two and they head to the apron, with Martinez hitting a spear. Back in and Gonzalez flips her throat first onto the top, which puts Martinez on the floor again.

This time Gonzalez posts her but Martinez comes back in with some forearms to the face. A clothesline cuts Martinez down for two and a backbreaker is good for the same. The lifting powerbomb is countered though and Martinez hits a running knee to the face. There’s the fisherman’s buster for two on Gonzalez, followed by some knees to the face. Gonzalez is right back with a big boot (because knees to the face can be shrugged off) into the lifting powerbomb to retain at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was about two strong, hard hitting women hitting each other in the face over and over again and that’s what they did. I’m not sure if there was any real drama over a possible title change here, but Gonzalez getting a nice win and making the powerbomb look good in the process is smart. Good stuff here, limited selling of shots to the face aside.

The Way seems to have attacked Bronson Reed.

Here is Isaiah Scott, who introduces his new group, which seems to be called Hit Roh (pronounced Row), featuring AJ Francis, Ashante Adonis and Briana Brandy. The three of them put a chair in the ring for Scott, who talks about the mistakes he has made in NXT. He has been thinking that he is a dangerous man, and now it is time to have some people who think like him.

First up is Francis, now known as Top Dollar. He is the top in everything and raps a bit about how great he is. Brandy dubs herself B Fab and talks about how she is the mind of the team. She put money on Leon Ruff’s head so Dollar dropped him. Scott dubs the team as NXT’s new problem. If it gives Scott something to do, that is some awesome news.

We go to an auction for a house, with Cameron Grimes showing up and bidding eight million dollars. Ted DiBiase pops up and bids TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS, sending Grimes into hysterics all over again. These things continue to be gold.

Zoey Stark used to be a fan of Toni Storm but then she went all nuts. Storm doesn’t like her because Stark lives in the gym and works hard to be here.

Oney Lorcan vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Pete Dunne is here with Lorcan. This is fallout from earlier when Lorcan said O’Reilly couldn’t beat anyone, which had O’Reilly thinking Lorcan had been in the sun too long. Kyle dives for the leg to start but gets caught in a front facelock. O’Reilly escapes a headscissors so Lorcan takes his head off with a clothesline. The triangle choke over the rope has Lorcan in trouble until O’Reilly has to go after Dunne. Lorcan gets in a cheap shot from behind and we take a break.

Back with Lorcan hammering away, including some shots in the corner. O’Reilly hits a running knee to the knee though and some more knees to the chest have Lorcan in trouble. A belly to back suplex sets up a quickly broken kneebar, so O’Reilly hits the brainbuster. The top rope knee to the back finishes Lorcan at 8:58.

Rating: B-. Lorcan is one of those guys who can go out there and have a fine match with anyone, meaning it felt like O’Reilly had to do something to win here. That’s what you need in a match like this, as you can pencil in O’Reilly vs. Dunne for Takeover. Good match, with that top rope knee getting turned into a pretty serious finisher.

Post match Pete Dunne comes in for the big beatdown but Bobby Fish returns for the save. O’Reilly is glad to see him but they agree to go their own ways because they have their own things going on. That’s good, as there is absolutely nothing left for them to accomplish as a team.

We get a superhero movie trailer style vignette for the Way.

Bronson Reed is sick of the Way so next week, the title match against Johnny Gargano is inside a cage.

Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar vs. Kushida

Escobar is challenging and this is 2/3 falls. The brawl starts in a hurry and Kushida is sent outside, where Legado del Fantasma tries to jump him. Cue MSK immediately to take them out though and all four are ejected. Kushida hits a big flip dive from the top to drop Escobar and we take an early break.

Back with Escobar working on a half crab before putting Kushida on top. A fireman’s carry drop puts Kushida ribs first into the turnbuckle and we hit most of a Boston crab on the steps, with Kushida’s throat going into the post. Back in and the surfboard has Kushida in trouble, followed by a reverse chinlock to work on the back even more. Escobar stomps in the corner but a superplex is countered into a sunset flip for two. Back up and Escobar grabs the Phantom Driver for the pin and the first fall at 10:57. Commentary says we’re going to a break but hang on as Kushida grabs a cross armbreaker to even things up at 11:23.

Now we take the break and come back with Escobar snapping Kushida’s arm across the top and hitting his signature suicide dive tot he floor. Back in and Kushida counters the double underhook gutbuster and takes Escobar down for a breather. Kushida kicks him to the floor and takes Escobar down by the arm, only to miss the running kick to the arm back inside. Escobar rolls him up for two and counters the Hoverboard Lock into a small package for two more.

They go into the pinfall reversal sequence, with Kushida’s cradle (that he used to win the title in the first place) getting two. A double clothesline puts them both down though and we need a breather. Back up and Escobar takes him to the top, only to get pulled into the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida rolls it into the middle of the ring but Escobar makes the rope anyway. A suplex sends Escobar into the corner and a bridging northern lights suplex retains the title at 22:14.

Rating: B+. These guys work very well together and it is nice to see Kushida get a win after a big match like this. That being said, the ending was rather abrupt and I was almost expecting some kind of shenanigans. I’ll take Kushida retaining the title clean though, as it makes his title reign feel that much more established. I’m not sure what is next for Escobar, but having the goons with him should keep him fine for a long time. Good wrestling match here, and sometimes that is what you need, especially if it makes the Cruiserweight Title look important for a change.

Overall Rating: A-. This was almost Takeover-esque with some of the matches working very well. Granted this show did start off a little bit slowly, but once it got on a roll, it was on a roll in a big way. I liked this one a lot and they made me care about things I likely wouldn’t care about otherwise. Very good show here, and a nice example of what NXT can do when they are focusing well, including setting up stuff for the next few weeks. That’s quite a use of two hours.

Results

Karrion Kross b. Austin Theory – Krossjacket choke

MSK b. Breezango – Spinebuster/Blockbuster combination to Breeze

Pete Dunne b. Leon Ruff via referee stoppage

Raquel Gonzalez b. Mercedes Martinez – Lifting powerbomb

Kyle O’Reilly b. Oney Lorcan – Top rope knee to the back

Kushida b. Santos Escobar 2-1

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 UK
Date: May 6, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time to get rid of someone as the main event of this week’s show will feature Amir Jordan vs. Kenny Williams in a loser leaves NXT UK showdown. This presents an interesting challenge as the result should not be surprising, but neither of them are really major stars in the first place. NXT UK can probably find a way to make it work though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Dave Mastiff

Dragunov slugs away to start but Mastiff gets in a shot of his own. A headlock doesn’t last for Dragunov, who is sent into the ropes in a hurry but comes off with a heck of a forearm. Dragunov jumps on his back for a choke as something seems to be wrong with Mastiff. A drop back breaks the hold but the referee checks on Mastiff and stops the match at 1:37.

The replay shows that the forearm busted Mastiff open and he did look shaken up.

Video on Xia Brookside (the first of five, one for each of the entries in the gauntlet match). She’ll fight for us.

Kenny Williams is ready for the main event.

Stevie Turner wants the best in NXT UK and seems to like the future. Must be an Asuka fan.

Ilja Dragunov doesn’t want to talk about what happened out there.

Gallus plays with a ball because whenever they drop it, they pick it back up. Rampage Brown comes up and isn’t happy that Joe Coffey isn’t here.

Video on Isla Dawn, who will sacrifice her soul to be Women’s Champion.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions, with Noam Dar talking about how people see him as underrated. That doesn’t make sense to him, but he doesn’t need validation from the fans anyway. With that out of the way, we’ll get to our guest with Nathan Frazer coming out. Frazer changed his name from Ben Carter because Carter was the name he used to hide his wrestling career from his family and coach. Now he is with WWE though so how much hiding can he do? Sha Samuels says Frazer isn’t a real British wrestler and after some yelling, a challenge is set.

Video on Jinny, who has studied for next week.

Amir Jordan is ready for the main event.

Subculture video. They want you to join them.

We look at Tyler Bate beating A-Kid in their first match last year, with both guys watching. Then they wrestled again, with the more confident and experienced A-Kid beating Bate, his mentor. Now it’s time for the rubber match for the Heritage Cup.

Video on Dani Luna, who is strong.

Saxton Huxley vs. Trent Seven

Huxley backs him into the corner to start and uppercuts away at the ribs. Some knees to the ribs put him down Seven down again but he’s right back with a slam into a legdrop. Back up and Huxley hits a running knee into a Thesz press to take over again. Some facewashes in the corner set up a running hip attack into a big boot as this is almost one sided so far.

Seven gets knocked down to the floor for an elbow off the apron for two back inside. A missed charge lets Seven hit a DDT though…and Sam Gradwell pops up on the screen to talk about how Seven can’t get the job done, no matter how much weight he lost. Seven is fine enough to snap off a dragon suplex into the Seven Star Lariat for the pin at 6:03.

Rating: C. I can go for more Seven, who feels like an actual legend around here. Huxley is slightly better since his return but it still isn’t anything you need to see. That being said, Seven vs. Gradwell should be a pretty good match once we get there, and for once we might have a chance of Gradwell winning something.

Video on Emilia McKenzie, who wants to prove herself around here.

Amale has attacked Xia Brookside and left her laying. Brookside might be in danger for next week’s match.

Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan

No DQ and Loser Leaves NXT UK. Williams takes him into the corner for some shots to the ribs to start but Jordan fights out and talks about how it’s all on the line here. A whip into the corner puts Williams down for two but he is right back with a kick to Jordan’s already banged up shoulder. Williams jumps down onto the shoulder and then cranks away, followed by a trip to the floor.

Some chair shots to the back keep Jordan down and it’s time to throw in a toolbox. Williams grabs something from said box and sits down in a chair, promising to end Jordan for good. Jordan fights his way out despite being upside down and kicks Williams outside. The suicide dive connects but a kick only hits post. The mats are peeled back but Jordan manages to block a bulldog driver onto the concrete.

Jordan is whipped into the barricade but manages to send him over said barricade so the walking/fighting portion can begin. An anvil case takes Williams down again but he comes back with a fire extinguisher blast. They crash through the barricade, with Jordan saying he won’t quit because this is his life. Back in and Williams takes the turnbuckle pad off and sends Jordan into the steel for two.

A powerbomb onto the exposed floor is broken up though and Jordan manages to suplex him onto the concrete instead. Jordan throws him back in for the top rope Swanton and a rather near fall. With Williams down, Jordan goes up top, only to have Williams throw a chair at him for the crotching. A bulldog driver into the chair finishes Jordan at 13:55.

Rating: B-. They had a rather hard hitting fight here and it did come off like a struggle, so points for getting the feeling right. Like I said at the start though, it is kind of hard to get into a match with this kind of setup. Jordan was all but destined to lose here and that took away a lot of the drama that the match had. Good enough, but as good as it was going to get.

Post match Jordan is crushed but managed to pull himself up so he can walk away on his own to end the show, complete with one look back at the NXT UK logo.

Overall Rating: C. This was a weird show as the main event did deliver but it wasn’t quite big enough to have such a focus. The rest of the show was mainly focused on the upcoming women’s gauntlet match than anything else, though the other builds worked out. Not every show they do is going to be some big smash, but if this is the new standard for a somewhat weaker show, they’ll be just fine.

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

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NXT
Date: May 4, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

The big story this week is the return of Finn Balor for the first time since he lost the NXT Title to Karrion Kross back at Takeover: Stand & Deliver. That alone should be interesting as we get to see what is next for him. In addition, the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line as Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart defend against the Way. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap sets up tonight’s Women’s Tag Team Title match, plus Isaiah Scott vs. Leon Ruff.

Isaiah Scott vs. Leon Ruff

Falls count anywhere. Ruff charges into an elbow to the face to start but he’s right back up with a failed crucifix bomb attempt. Instead Scott knocks him down but the JML Driver is countered with Scott being knocked to the floor. The suicide dive is blocked as well and Scott slams him back first into the apron. Scott sends him into the barricade and hits a heck of a delayed top rope superplex for two (Ruff being small can make for some great crashes).

Ruff is sent outside where he counters a kick from the apron to tie Scott’s legs in the ropes. That means a running dropkick to knock Scott to the floor as well, but Scott is fine enough to chop Ruff out of the air. Scott whips out a toolbox and we take a break. Back with Ruff hitting a flip dive off the stage to take Scott down again. They go back into the ring with Scott reversing another superplex into the super crucifix bomb for two.

To get even scarier, Ruff busts out a poisonrana off the apron to the floor. Scott catches him against the barricade though and hits the Confidence Boost on the floor for two. Ruff comes back with a toolbox shot to the knee and puts on a kneebar with I believer a wrench to crank on the leg even more. That’s broken up so Ruff hits the great looking spinning cutter out of the corner. Scott it sent outside again and another diving cutter connects but Ruff climbs up onto the set. The big dive lands on…..AJ Francis, who catches Ruff and throws him down rather hard. Back in and the JML Driver finishes Ruff at 15:24.

Rating: B. This got some time and had the right result, with Ruff getting in everything that he could for a long time. Ruff is someone who has made the absolute most out of his TV time as he has gone from a guy who was just there to a former North American Champion who can put on some rather good matches. I had fun with this and Ruff got to showcase himself again before the right person won.

Post match, Ruff celebrates with his entourage, including Francis and an unnamed man and a woman.

The Way comes in to see William Regal, but he’s busy talking to Scarlett. Austin Theory looks at her and says those are the biggest he’s ever seen and knows they have to be real. Her nails of course.

Asher Hale vs. Cameron Grimes

Hale is Anthony Henry of Evolve fame. Grimes runs him over to start and goes to the hard strikes in the corner. Hale’s kick to the leg earns him an uppercut back down but a dragon screw legwhip slows Grimes down. A missile dropkick gives Hale two but Grimes knees him down. The swinging sitout Side Effect sets up the Cave In to finish Hale at 3:04.

Rating: D+. Not quite a squash here but what matters here is Grimes getting more TV time and capitalizing on his momentum from the Ted DiBiase stuff. I’m not sure what is coming next from the two of them but at least Grimes is getting to do something great. I love NXT making something for him and turning it into something interesting, which you don’t get to see very often.

Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro aren’t worried about Tian Sha because they want the Tag Team Titles. Frankie Monet comes in and thinks they’re so adorable.

Cameron Grimes celebrates with Ever-Rise. They aren’t thrilled when he goes to the VIP room. NXT has a VIP room?

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Timothy Thatcher/Tommaso Ciampa

Before the match, the Veterans rants about how much they don’t like Thatcher or the shoes off deal. Thatcher and Ciampa interrupt the catchphrase though and we’re ready to go. Ciampa and Drake lock up to start with Ciampa taking him down for a headscissors. Thatcher comes in to send Drake into the corner for the tag off to Gibson, who comes in to lock up for a bit.

That means Thatcher can take him to the mat and start working on the shoulder before switching to a chinlock. Drake’s save is cut off and Ciampa takes him down, meaning the rapid fire forearms to the chest put the Veterans on the floor. We take a break and come back with Drake pulling on Thatcher’s ear and handing it off to Gibson for a cravate. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ciampa for the chops in the corner (with Thatcher holding the tag rope in the air and standing on the apron like a statue).

Ciampa hits a running knee to Drake’s head for two, steps on and bites his finger, and hands it back to Thatcher. Everything breaks down again with Drake and Thatcher crashing out to the floor. Thatcher wins a strike off with Gibson but can’t get the Fujiwara armbar. Instead, Gibson plants Thatcher with a DDT for two but someone steals Barrett’s shoe somewhere in there and throws it inside. Ciampa offers a distraction and Thatcher hits Gibson in the head, setting up the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 14:27.

Rating: C+. Good fast enough paced match here with both teams looking good, even if the shoe thing was a bit of an eye roll inducer. I could go for Thatcher/Ciampa as a high level team as it isn’t like they can’t hang in the ring. There are enough teams out there to make things interesting and hopefully both of these teams get some more TV time in the near future.

Joseph to Barrett: “Your shoe’s off! YOU HATE GIBSON!”

The Way yells at William Regal about the upcoming North American Title defense against Bronson Reed. It’s still on, as is Austin Theory vs. Karrion Kross next week.

Isaiah Scott and company brag about his win and leave the building.

Video on Sarray and Zayda Ramier.

Here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett for a chat. Kross says he isn’t going to be afraid of anyone and wants to give the people what they want. Let’s give them a fight so we’ll start next week against Austin Theory. Cue Kyle O’Reilly to say Kross is the NXT Champion and that is the match O’Reilly wants. He thinks Kross wants it too….but here is Pete Dunne to interrupt. Dunne asks if they are having a laugh and starts to throw his hat in the ring but here is Finn Balor to cut him off as well.

Balor goes after Kross and gets knocked down so Dunne goes after Kross as well. Kross sends him outside and kicks O’Reilly into the corner. Balor shotgun dropkicks Kross into O’Reilly in the corner as security comes in. A Kross clothesline drops Balor and a security guard gets suplexed. Kross is left alone but here is the Way to jump him from behind. Theory gets suplexed but some superkicks put Kross down for a few seconds. Gargano adds a belt shot to finally leave Kross laying. This did a rather nice job of making Kross look like a monster and lining up the challengers.

During the break, Gargano and Theory (favoring his shoulder) left, despite Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae having a match later.

Zayda Ramier vs. Sarray

They trade headlocks to start with Sarray knocking her down off a running dropkick. Back up and Sarray gets pulled into an STF to put her in some trouble. That’s broken up and Sarray pulls her into something like a Muta Lock. Since that can’t last long, Sarray hits a running dropkick against the ropes and a missile dropkick puts Ramier down again. Sarray snaps off a hard t-bone suplex for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C. This was a much more impressive match from Sarray, who didn’t exactly impress me last week. They had more of a squash this time around with Ramier only getting in a little offense before getting crushed in the end. What matters is Sarray looked better, though there is still a long way to go with making her a star around here.

Walter yells at Imperium via video in German. Alexander Wolfe isn’t happy and walks off.

The Diamond Mine is still coming.

Sarray checks on Zayda Ramier when Toni Storm and Zoey Stark get in a staredown. Storm storms off and Stark checks on Ramier as well.

Jake Atlas vs. LA Knight

Knight says the fans just saying his catchphrase doesn’t make them cool. As for Atlas, Knight is going to hit him so hard that Atlas is going to need an atlas to tell him where he is. Knight gets taken down into an armbar to start but sends Atlas into the corner for some stomping. Atlas nails a running dropkick to send Knight outside but the suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. A slingshot shoulder drops Atlas but he is back with a German suplex for two. Atlas kicks away but Knight ducks a big one and hits the bulldog driver for the pin at 3:05.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one but Atlas got in some offense before Knight won, as he should have. Knight has all of the charisma that you could need and he is backing it up well enough in the ring. All they need to do is having him talking and doing well enough with the wrestling, which is what we got here. In addition: NXT is smart enough to put people on shows like this and keep them in fans’ minds until they have something to do. That can be rather important long term and it doesn’t happen enough today.

Indi Hartwell is panicking over not getting Dexter Lumis back but Candice LeRae hides a drawing he has left her. She also closes the blinds because Dexter is looking in (into the women’s locker room that is).

Toni Storm talks about how Zoey Stark is the flavor of the month but she is rapidly losing that flavor. Storm bought her into this business and now she is going to take her out. I miss these “talk to the camera” promos as they don’t happen enough these days.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat. Santos Escobar talks about tradition and says last week was part of a premonition. He is going to regain his Cruiserweight Title and he’s doing it soon. Joaquin Wilde says MSK won the Tag Team Titles but they didn’t beat Legado del Fantasma. Raul Mendoza issues the title challenge but here is Kushida on screen to issue a challenge to Escobar for a Cruiserweight Title match next week. Escobar says he’s on. It’s great seeing Kushida finally getting to do something.

We get a sitdown, split screen interview between Raquel Gonzalez and Mercedes Martinez. Raquel says the title means she is the baddest woman in this division and she has pure power. Martinez talks about how she has been around for a long time but Gonzalez isn’t intimidating her (Gonzalez: “Not yet.”).

They promise to beat each other up next week and Martinez says she paved the roads that Gonzalez has come down. Gonzalez: “Am I not gritty?” Martinez calls her cookie cutter but Gonzalez says she has accomplished in a year than Martinez ever did. Gonzalez says Martinez is the next challenger, but she won’t be the last. That was a good closing line and Gonzalez sounded a lot more natural than Martinez here.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon find Frankie Monet’s dog in their tank. The dog is sent on but the tank is now unusable due to, uh, various things now in it.

Cameron Grimes is going to the VIP room but he isn’t on the list. The entire room has been rented out, and here’s a long white limo. Ted DiBiase gets out and says he has bought the whole club. DiBiase hits the catchphrase and laughs before going inside. Grimes: “THAT WASN’T EVEN FUNNY!” It was a little funny.

Next week: Kushida vs. Santos Escobar for the Cruiserweight Title in a 2/3 falls match, plus Raquel Gonzalez defends the Women’s Title against Mercedes Martinez.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Way vs. Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart

The Way is challenging in a street fight so they start fast, with Barrett saying where we’re going with this one, we don’t need rules. They go straight for the weapons, with LeRae pulling out a bunch of chairs but Moon (in street clothes for some reason) kicks her down. Some trashcans are thrown in and Indi is double teamed in the corner. A basement dropkick sets up Blackheart’s running backsplash and Moon puts a trashcan over a seated Indi.

That sets up the stereo basement dropkicks for two with LeRae making the save. Candice gets dropped with a double trashcan lid shot and it’s time for another table. Hartwell breaks that up and drops Blackheart onto the apron before setting up four chairs at ringside. Moon puts her face first into the chairs and Hartwell is set in a chair on the four chairs. Blackheart’s dive is cut off with a blast from a fire extinguisher though (as it could have been rather nasty otherwise) and we take a break.

Back with Moon dropkicking LeRae down and sending her shoulder first into the post. The Dominator/sliding neckbreaker combination gets two on Hartwell and LeRae is laid onto a ladder bridged between the ring and apron. Blackheart’s top rope backsplash drives her through, leaving Moon to drive Hartwell through a table in the corner for two. Back up and Hartwell kicks a ladder into both champs and then holds up a ladder with Blackheart laid across.

That lets Candice hit a Lionsault onto Blackheart onto the ladder but Moon is back up to kick away. A spinebuster onto the ladder plants Moon for two but Blackheart is back up to send Hartwell into the barricade. Hartwell is put onto the announcers’ table for the BIG splash off of the tower and they’re both done. LeRae plants Moon back inside and Hartwell is somehow back up to put Moon through a table on the floor. That leaves LeRae to hit Blackheart with brass knuckles. The Wicked Stepsister onto a chair finishes Blackheart for the pin and the titles at 15:38.

Rating: B. This was a wild fight and that’s what they needed to do here. The women’s tag team division isn’t a strong one in the first place so going with the title change here was the right move. Moon and Blackheart were thrown together for the tournament so there was no need to keep them together long term. The Way at least feels like a regular team (they even have a name) so let them get a bit more established to build up the titles somewhat. Also, well done on not having Dexter Lumis involved here. He and Hartwell are kind of interesting, but this wasn’t about that story.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both very good, stuff was announced for later, and the two not so great matches were about three minutes long each. This is where NXT tends to shine: building up a lot of different stuff, almost like a buffet, rather than one big main course and hoping that’s enough. Nothing stands out above the rest, but it makes for a better show with a solid average throughout rather than being so up or down. Rather effective effort here, as they used the tried and true NXT formula.

Results

Isaiah Scott b. Leon Ruff – JML Driver

Cameron Grimes b. Asher Hale – Cave In

Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Fujiwara armbar to Gibson

Sarray b. Zayda Ramier – T-bone suplex

LA Knight b. Jake Atlas – Bulldog driver

The Way b. Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart – Wicked Stepsister onto a chair to Blackheart

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 UK
Date: April 29, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a cool but also odd match as Meiko Satomura will be facing Aoife Valkyrie. That could go in a few different directions but it is a great test for the so far impressive Valkyrie. Other than that, we could be a long way off from the next main event story around here, but you never know with NXT UK. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rohan Raja vs. Teoman

This is Raja’s, who previously wrestled as Gursinder Singh in Impact Wrestling, debut. Raja takes him down to the mat to start so Teoman is straight over to the rope. Back up and Teoman starts cranking on the arm but a neckbreaker gets Raja out of trouble. There’s a slap to Teoman’s face so he elbows Raja down and kicks him in the face.

The neck crank doesn’t last long and Raja is back up with more shots to the face. Teoman dropkicks the leg out though and a quick DDT sets up the Crossface. They roll back into the middle and Teoman cranks on it even harder, eventually snapping Raja’s arm. That’s enough for the referee to stop it at 6:03.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go very far but it did a good job of making Teoman look like a bigger danger. Raja was built up a bit to make him seem like someone worth beating, which is better than having Teoman in there beating up a jobber. I’m curious to see more of Teoman, who has a long way to go but this helped him a bit.

Post match we see the replay and you can hear the snap when Teoman cranks back on the Crossface.

Video on Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews and Dani Luna, all of whom enjoy skateboarding and being around graffiti. Their new name seems to be Subculture, though I’m not sure they need their own name.

Dave Mastiff interrupts an Ilja Dragunov promo and a match seems to have been made.

Sid Scala brings out Kay Lee Ray for a chat. Ray wants a better introduction than that, because she has beaten everyone Scala and Johnny Saint has thrown at her. Scala agrees, so it is time to have a gauntlet match for the #1 contendership. That will include Jinny, Isla Dawn, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna and Emilia McKenzie. Ray says it doesn’t matter because none of them are beating her. This was less than three minutes. If it had been on Raw, it would be pushing fifteen.

Video on Pretty Deadly making media appearances as champions.

A-Kid is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Tyler Bate in their rubber match in three weeks.

Levi Muir vs. Sha Samuels

Muir actually shoves him away to start and a crossbody cuts Samuels off again. Samuels isn’t having this and runs him over, setting up some arm cranking. The Butcher’s Hook is broken up and Muir makes the clothesline comeback. A torture rack is loaded up so Samuels rakes the eyes to escape, setting up a spinebuster to finish Muir at 3:58.

Rating: C. Muir got in a lot more than I was expecting here and that was nice to see for a change. Samuels winning is a good way to get he and Dar back on track but it was a surprising change to have him actually break a sweat her for a change. It wasn’t competitive, but it was entertaining in the short form.

Trent Seven says he is a founding father around here but Sam Gradwell pops up to say they signed on the same day. So why is Gradwell not as revered around here? Seven isn’t on Gradwell’s level.

Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie is undefeated and bows to Satomura to start. The lockup sees Satomura driven into the ropes so she grabs a headlock and they roll around on the mat a bit. Satomura works on the arm but Valkyrie pulls her into a rollup for two. This time it’s Valkyrie working on the arm but getting sent into the corner for a running elbow. Valkyrie is back up with an enziguri to the floor, setting up a quick dive. Back in and Valkyrie slaps on a full nelson with her legs but Satomura slips out and starts kicking at the leg.

A reverse Figure Four sends Valkyrie very slowly to the ropes so Satomura kicks her in the head. Back up and Valkyrie nails another enziguri, followed by a sunset bomb for two. Satomura suplexes the heck out of her for another two but the Scorpion Kick is countered into a kick to the face. The moonsault gives Valkyrie two but Satomura is back up with a DDT. A running moonsault knee to the back rocks Valkyrie again and Scorpion Rising finishes Valkyrie at 10:37.

Rating: B. I’m not sure if Valkyrie should have been losing here but it was a heck of a match as Satomura continues to get the best out of people. Valkyrie is someone who has been built up well and if she isn’t going to win or even for the title, feeding her to Satomura for the first big win is not a bad idea. It isn’t like losing to someone built up as the best ever is going to hurt her, so this was more a delay than anything else, assuming there are plans for Valkyrie.

Video on Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan before their Loser Leaves Town match last week.

Symbiosis vs. Gallus

Symbiosis would be Eddie Dennis/Primate/Tyson T-Bone. Dennis bails away from the idea of having to fight Joe Coffey so it’s off to Primate. Joe is taken into the corner and the alternating beatdown is on, including a few shots from Dennis. An elbow to the face cuts him off though and Wolfgang comes in to work on the arm a bit. T-Bone tags himself in though and drives shoulders into Joe’s ribs in the corner and Primate adds a springboard ax handle.

The rapid fire stomping is on and it’s back to Dennis for a boot to the face. Joe manages to kick Primate and T-Bone down but Dennis is back in to cut him off. The Severn Bridge is escaped and Joe grabs a neckbreaker for a double knockdown. Wolfgang comes in off the hot tag and it’s time to clean house.

T-Bone manages a fall away slam so it’s Mark Coffey coming in to wreck a lot of people. Primate escapes a chokeslam and clotheslines Mark in the back of the head, allowing Dennis to grab a lifting Downward Spiral and spin him into a slam. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang spears T-Bone to the floor, leaving Joe to hit All The Best For The Bells to pin Primate at 9:27.

Rating: C+. Nice job of getting Gallus back here, though having Symbiosis being called Symbiosis and then losing was a little weird. Either way, I’m not sure I can imagine them being as big of a deal as Gallus so putting them over to build them back up makes more sense. It helps that Gallus is a good trio, with Joe becoming one of the most reliable people around here.

Overall Rating: B-. Good grief this show is fun and easy to watch. When you consider what Raw puts us through every week, this is absolutely awesome by comparison and I had an easy time sitting through the hour plus show. The women’s match was very good and then the main event gives Gallus a nice boost back up. Another nearly great show, which is taking place more and more around here.

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
Date: April 27, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

The Tuesday escapades continues with the return of Adam Cole for the first time since his loss at Takeover. That could be interesting, though if nothing else it is kind of a relief that he is not heading up to the main roster. Other than that, we have a pretty big six man tag to fill out the wrestling side of things. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Mercedes Martinez

Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai. Martinez gets taken to the mat to start but bounces out of a headscissors and slaps her in the face. Back up and Martinez hits a spinning spinebuster (it seems like we get three of those per show these days) for two but Kai grabs a Rock Bottom backbreaker for the same. The running boot in the corner misses though and Martinez hammers away.

Something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator out of the corner gets two but Martinez gets drop toeholded into the corner. The running boot sends Martinez outside and we take a break. Back with Kai sending her outside again and hitting a kick to the ribs on the way back in. A Codebreaker through the ropes drops Martinez again but she is back up with a running shot in the corner.

Martinez takes her down with a delayed butterfly suplex and cranks Kai down by the arm. Kai rolls outside so Martinez throws her back in, where Kai grabs the referee’s leg. That lets Gonzalez take a swing but Martinez knocks her down instead. Back in and Martinez puts Kai in a fireman’s carry but Gonzalez comes in for the DQ at 12:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fine way to set up Gonzalez vs. Martinez down the line as Martinez beat up Gonzalez’s friend. That should make for a fine big time TV match as Martinez can have a good enough match with anyone. She certainly did here too as the power was a good way to keep Kai from running around with all of her kicks. The wrestling was fine but the storytelling was more important, and better.

Post match the beatdown is on with Martinez being laid out.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon have to worry about the Robert Stone Brand tonight and then they can deal with the Way. Hold on though as here is a delivery woman with some flowers for both of them. Frankie Monet comes up and introduces herself before reading the card, which says they’re from Dexter Lumis. Moon and Blackheart try to give each other the flowers.

Earlier today, Cameron Grimes went to look at a ring (as in jewelry) for a special someone (Grimes: “ME!”). The jeweler says he has something special for him….and we’ll see it later.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans for a chat. They accuse MSK of ducking them in a regular tag match because the Veterans need the titles. Cue Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa to interrupt, with Ciampa says they’re grizzled and veterans. After dubbing himself Toothless Timmy, Thatcher mocks the IF YOU HATE GIBSON SHOES OFF chant and the fight is on, with the Veterans being cleared out.

Drake Maverick and Killian Dain are ready for their match tonight against Imperium, but Maverick is convinced that Dain is turning on him to join Imperium. Dain says you gotta have faith, and Maverick is stunned at the George Michael reference.

Quick Tian Sha vignette.

Shane Strickland says if Leon Ruff wants to play this game, they can play it for his life.

Toni Storm vs. Zayda Ramier

Before the match, Toni talks about how Zoey Stark is going to be a footnote in her legendary career. Tonight, every time she slaps this rookie, she is going to imagine that it’s Stark. Storm throws her around by the hair to start and Ramier is in early trouble. There’s a backbreaker with Ramier being bent over the knee, followed by a German suplex to make it even worse.

Cue Stark for a distraction though, allowing Ramier to get in a quick knockdown. A shooting star press (which lands perfectly despite Storm being in the middle of the ring, to the point where I though Ramier was going to leave it two feet short) finishes Storm for the huge upset at 3:27.

Rating: C-. This was a squash until Storm slipped on a banana peel at the end. Storm isn’t going to be hurt by a dirty loss and the angry promos on Stark should be good. It isn’t likely to lead to Ramier becoming a bigger star, though stranger things have happened in NXT. I’m not sure if she should try the shooting star from that distance again, but it worked out in the end.

Bronson Reed runs into Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae on the way to the ring. Austin Theory pops up and asks why they’re standing in the dark.

LA Knight saw a twinkle in the eye of Indi Hartwell and knows that means she had a twinkle in her loins. He has references and after Dexter Lumis lets her down, come talk to him, because that is just a fact of life. Knight leaves and Ever-Rise comes up to ask if the interviewer has a question about their social media event. She doesn’t.

Austin Theory vs. Bronson Reed

If Reed wins, he gets another North American Title shot. The rest of the Way is here and Indi Hartwell is completely not in this. Barrett: “Don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.” As commentary is astounded at the Billie Jean reference, Theory gets knocked to the floor with straight power. Back in and Theory’s jumping shoulder is swatted out of the air, followed by another shoulder to leave Theory hanging from the bottom rope by his feet.

Theory crashes to the floor as Reed goes after Johnny Gargano, allowing Theory to come back with a dropkick inside. Reed is knocked outside this time so Theory fakes an injury, leaving Gargano to add a superkick. One heck of a dive takes Reed down and a missed charge sends him into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Reed caught in a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Reed tosses him around again, setting up the splash in the corner. Theory is back with a neckbreaker for two as commentary points out Hartwell not being interested in the match. For some reason Theory tries a Samoan drop, which goes as well as you would expect. Reed’s version gets two but Theory manages a TKO for two of his own.

They’re both down so here is Dexter Lumis, with Hartwell walking away (because of the flowers to Blackheart and Moon). Lumis ges on the apron with Hartwell saying he talks too much. Lumis shoves Hartwell out of the way of a charge and takes the shot himself. Reed knocks Theory over and hits the Tsunami for the pin and the title shot at 12:24.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here but what matters the most is Reed getting another shot. I was surprised when he lost the first time so giving him the title in the rematch could make up for things. That Tsunami looks great (and Barrett’s call makes it even better) and it should be enough to carry him to the title as it isn’t like Gargano needs the thing anymore. As much as I’d love to see Theory get a push of his own, he works well as the clueless moron who happens to be crazy athletic.

Johnny Gargano is nervous.

MSK thanks Kushida for his help and tonight they’re taking out Legado del Fantasma.

The Way blames Dexter Lumis, Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon for the loss. Indi Hartwell gets rather annoyed and storms off, with the team thinking she is going to deal with this.

Finn Balor is back next week after recharging in Mexico.

Imperium vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

Alexander Wolfe is here with the team. Drake refuses to walk in front of Dain out of the possibility of pain and agony. Dain starts fast with a clothesline to send Barthel outside. Back in and Maverick hits some dropkicks to Barthel’s leg but Maverick gets sent into the wrong corner. With Dain being held out of the corner, some double teaming puts Maverick down and we take a break.

Back with Maverick still in trouble as Barthel sneers down at him. Maverick kicks him in the leg but Aichner comes in to swing him around by the jeans. A shot into the corner gives Maverick a chance but Barthel pulls Dain off the apron, meaning there is no one for the tag. Maverick looks crushed and a kick to the back of the head makes it even worse. Dain comes in and starts wrecking things but gets knocked outside….where Wolfe won’t hit him with a chair.

Barthel doesn’t like the indecision but here’s Maverick to hit a dive. Dain throws Maverick at Aichner but Wolfe won’t let Dain send Barthel into the post. Instead Dain gets sent into the steps as Maverick hits a high crossbody on Aichner….who rolls through, setting up the European Bomb for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C. Imperium as a whole is a great concept and something that works well. Imperium without Walter is a team that is good at everything they do but the interest and spark aren’t there. It has shown badly every time they are out there without him, including here as it just wasn’t that engaging of a match. They are more than fine with everything else, but it was hard to care at all about what they were doing.

Pete Dunne says no one is talking about him because he has everyone shaken. Kushida stepped to him and got taken out. If he wanted to be Cruiserweight Champion, it wouldn’t take long. Or maybe he gets on a plane and goes back to the UK to take his title back from Walter. The North American Title could be interesting too, and then there is Karrion Kross. Dunne isn’t scared of Kross because he doesn’t need smoke and mirrors to get the job done. Everyone should fear him. Rather awesome promo here, as Dunne can bring the intensity.

Back at the jewelry store, Cameron Grimes buys a watch, but it isn’t ticking (Grimes: “Karrion Kross would hate this!”). He’ll take it anyway, but here is someone with the same watch. That would be…..TED DIBIASE, who laughs at Grimes and leaves, causing Grimes to scream a lot. Yep that was great.

Jessi Kamea/Aliyah vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon

Non-title and non-match as we get some more flowers and cupcakes delivered to the champs…so here is the Way to jump them from behind. The beatdown is on and Robert Stone holds up the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Cole talking to a Sports Illustrated reporter. After being told that the interviewer is waiting on Cole to get off the phone, Cole talks about how he has been better, like during his 403 day reign as NXT Champion. It wasn’t him who forgot what the Undisputed Era was about but people will remember him. Kyle O’Reilly was back not long after Takeover and wrestled in the main even that night, which Cole finds interesting.

O’Reilly has been here for four years and people are just now starting to notice him. As for the NXT Title picture, Karrion Kross is good, but is he great? He got injured during his first title win. Was that a freak accident or is he just not ready? Kross hasn’t had to deal with Cole yet and when he does, that title is coming home. Cole berates the interviewer for making him sit outside in the heat and making him wait before leaving. We see Kyle O’Reilly watching on a monitor and shaking his head.

We see what looks like a UFC style training montage for something called the Diamond Mine.

Next week: the Way challenges Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart for the Women’s Tag Team Titles in a street fight and Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott in a falls count anywhere match.

MSK/Kushida vs. Legado del Fantasma

Joaquin Wilde takes Kushida down to start but stops to dance, allowing Kushida to grab him by the arm. Lee comes in and gets taken down for a double basement dropkick as Legado takes over. Back up and Lee manages a dropkick of his own, allowing the tag to Carter to take over on Mendoza. MSK cleans house with Escobar being knocked outside as we take a break. Back in and some double teaming into a basement dropkick hits Wilde, setting up the handspring kick to the face to send him outside.

We take a break and come back with Carter in trouble for a change, including being taken down to the mat by the arm. Carter gets kicked down into the corner and a snap suplex gets two. A belly to back suplex is escaped though and Kushida comes in to clean house, including a basement dropkick to Wilde. Everything breaks down and the push moonsault gets two on Wilde as Mendoza makes the save.

Kushida holds the ropes so MSK can hit stereo dives but Escobar sends Kushida into the steps. A powerbomb puts him through the announcers’ table and a whip sends Carter into the steps. That leaves Lee on his own and the triple teaming is on in a hurry. A moonsault gives Wilde two but Lee manages to avoid a dropkick and send Wilde and Mendoza outside.

Escobar misses a frog splash as the medics check on Kushida. Lee kicks all three down as Carter is back up on the apron for the hot tag. Carter is knocked down and it’s Kushida coming back in and getting dropped with the Phantom Driver. The Russian legsweep/running boot combination finishes Carter at 13:27.

Rating: B. This started slowly but got a lot better in the end to make it a heck of a main event. I’m surprised that they actually went with it as the big finale to the show, but it isn’t like there was anything bigger going on. That’s a good sign for everyone and you have two more title matches set up immediately. They cranked up the violence and intensity here, which was more than I would have expected from this match. Nice job with this one and it did what it needed to do.

Post match Legado holds up the titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event picked this one up a little bit, but what matters most here is the fact that they did this without most of their main event stars. Cole had an interview and O’Reilly just nodded after said interview ended, meaning this was mainly a show built around the lower level stories. That is not a bad thing whatsoever and it is a great sign to see these people manage to make the show work so well.

Results

Mercedes Martinez b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Raquel Gonzalez interfered

Zayda Ramier b. Toni Storm – Shooting star press

Bronson Reed b. Austin Theory – Tsunami

Imperium b. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick – European Bomb to Maverick

Legado del Fantasma b. MSK/Kushida – Russian legsweep/Running boot combination to Carter

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