NXT LVL Up
Date: September 29, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s the last show before No Mercy but I’m not sure if that is going to make much of a difference around here. The Global Heritage Invitational has come to an end and unfortunately that probably means the end of any matches with important for this show. Hopefully I’m wrong though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Fallon Henley vs. Arianna Grace

This is Grace’s first match in almost a year and she knows we all missed her because she is a true beauty queen. Grace armdrags her down and allows Henley to kiss her hand. Henley does the same thing and makes the same offer before kicking Grace in the head. Back up and Grace knocks her into the corner, setting up the reverse chinlock. Henley fights up and starts the comeback, but misses a charge into the corner. Grace grabs a rollup but gets caught with her feet on the ropes. The distraction lets Henley grab a rollup for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Not much of a match here and Grace is pretty much exactly what she was before her injury. I’m still not sure how far she is going to get with an only ok gimmick, but she needs to grow in the ring a lot. What matters is she’s back in the ring, as she can’t do much while still recovering from injuries.

Riley Osborne knows we have seen a quick glimpse of him but tonight he’s ready for another win.

Riley Osborne vs. Myles Borne

Osborne flips around to escape a wristlock and a rollup gets a fast two. Borne drives him into the corner and hammers away until a dropkick cuts him off in a hurry. A dropkick puts Osborne down and Borne grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Osborne elbows away before knocking him out to the floor. The big dive connects but a shooting star misses back inside. Borne grabs a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:04.

Rating: C+. This was a faster paced match than usual around here and Osborne has the energy needed to get himself noticed. It’s going to take some time for him to get noticed but things are already on the right path. Borne has certainly improved as well and is turning into a much more polished star.

Oro Mensah vs. Tavion Heights

The rest of Meta Four is here with Mensah. Heights takes him down by the wrist to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. Mensah sends him throat first into the rope to take him down and adds another kick to the face. A rollup gives Heights two but he gets caught with a springboard kick for the same. Heights is back up with a string of suplexes for two each but Mensah kicks him in the face again for the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C-. Not the best match here as there is only so much you can get out of Mensah kicking him in the face over and over. Heights was showcasing himself well enough with the suplexes but at some point he needs something better than what he got from Mensah. He can do more than this, but for some reason it wasn’t on display here.

Overall Rating: C. And we’re back to the same LVL Up that we’ve been stuck on for months. The Global Heritage Invitational stuff helped for a few weeks but here we are again with one nothing match after another. With only one decent match throughout, there is only so much to get out of LVL Up and it was thoroughly covered this week.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Arianna Grace – Rollup
Myles Borne b. Riley Osborne – Dragon sleeper
Oro Mensah b. Tavion Heights – Low superkick

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Matt Camp, Nigel McGuinness

We are back to the show that changes so little week to week that I didn’t even realize I watched the same episode twice. Odds are there are going to be a lot of the same things this week as tends to be the case around here. That should mean some ok stuff, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for anything spectacular. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Sloane Jacobs

Hartwell grabs a headlock takeover to start as we hear about Hartwell’s time in the Way. Jacobs slips out and hits a basement dropkick, only to get slammed down for two. A cravate goes on but Jacobs fights up and kicks her in the face a few times. Not that it matters as Hartwell hits the spinebuster for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C-. As has been the case for the last several weeks, Hartwell continues to be little more than just kind of there and that doesn’t seem to be changing. I don’t know what happened to her over the last few months, but part of it might be that she is just ok in the ring most of the time. Jacobs is still figuring out what she is supposed to do in the ring, which could take her a long while.

Arianna James and Kiana James say don’t underestimate them.

Myles Borne vs. Guru Raaj

Borne wrestles him down to the mat without much effort before going after the arm. Raaj pulls him over with a headlock but gets reversed into a headscissors. That’s broken up as well and Raaj hits a pair of dropkicks for two. A top rope ax handle gives Raaj the same and we’re off to the chinlock. That lasts a bit longer than expected and Borne is back up with a dropkick of his own. There’s a suplex for two on Raaj, who is back with a running boot. Raaj goes up but dives into a Downward Spiral to give Borne the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. I think we can write off Borne’s awful debut match as a one off as he has come a long way in just a few weeks. Borne has the technical side down and if he can get some charisma to go with it, he’ll be fine. Then you have Raaj, who is also good enough with the in-ring stuff but has almost nothing to set him apart. Fix that and he could be around for awhile too.

Respect is shown post match.

Sol Ruca/Fallon Henley vs. Arianna Grace/Kiana James

Henley shoves James down without much trouble to start and drops Grace with an early right hand. Ruca comes in for a cartwheel into a moonsault for two on Grace but a quick pull of the hair lets James hit a running shoulder in the corner. We hit the seated abdominal stretch to make Ruca yell a lot until she fights back up. James cuts off the tag with a front facelock but a quick leg trip allows the hot tag to Henley. Everything breaks down and Henley hits a Shining Wizard to finish Grace at 5:05.

Rating: C. Grace and James are supposed to be something of a heel duo but I’m not sure what kind of a future they have together. On the other hand you have Ruca, who looks crazy athletic but is still brand new, and Henley, who has more charisma than she know what to do with most of the time. There is potential here though and this was by far the most exciting thing on the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yep, this was indeed an episode of LVL Up, meaning two mostly nothing matches and a decent main event. The lack of bigger names was a problem here though and it didn’t exactly make me want to see where these people go next. Part of that problem is they aren’t going anywhere other than this show, which is the high point for a lot of the people who appear here. For now though, ok enough week, even if nothing on it was particularly good.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Sloane Jacobs – Spinebuster
Myles Borne b. Guru Raaj – Downward Spiral
Fallon Henley/Sol Ruca b. Arianna Grace/Kiana James – Shining Wizard to Grace

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NXT
Date: September 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the one year anniversary and that is something that could work very well. WWE knows how to hype up its own history like few others and they could manage to make it work around here. I’m not sure how many highlights there are for this show, but there is at least some potential. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers vs. Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly is defending inside a cage, where thankfully there are no tags. The champs try for stereo escapes to start and are quickly pulled down into some suplexes. Wilson is sent into the cage and Prince gets kneed in the face a lot. The Creeds have to cut them off again, but this time Prince hits a middle rope Codebreaker to drop Julius. Brutus is fine enough to powerbomb Wilson into the cage. Prince and Brutus slug it out on top of the cage until Julius pulls Wilson down with a springboard Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with the champs double superplexing Julius. The champs go up but Julius pulls them back, leaving Brutus to hit the Creed Bomb for something like a Doomsday device. Cue Damon Kemp with handcuffs so Julius goes up to cut him off. That leaves Julius handcuffed to the top of the cage so Brutus has to make his own save. Brutus can’t keep up with the numbers though and Spilled Milk gets two. A series of rams into the cage crush Brutus again and another Spilled Milk retains the titles at 14:58.

Rating: C+. I’ve been big on Pretty Deadly for a long time now and it is great to see them getting this kind of a win. This felt like a major moment and they needed to do something like that to feel like bigger stars. Hopefully they get to hold onto the titles for a good while, as the Creeds seem busy with Damon Kemp at the moment.

Damon Kemp is pleased.

Wes Lee wins the vote for a North American Title shot and is very pleased. Von Wagner, one of the losers, isn’t and storms off. Joe Gacy says he approves of the vote and wishes Lee luck. Lee seems a bit disturbed.

Video on the last year of NXT. Like it or not, there has been A LOT of stuff in there, some of which worked better than others, but things did happen. As usual, this is where WWE shines, as they made some silly angles and moments feel a lot better than they were.

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Legend starts fast and knocks Henley outside hard. A ram into the apron has Fallon’s back in trouble and they go back inside for an over the shoulder backbreaker. With that broken up, Henley ducks the pump kick and hits a running knee to finish Legend at 2:17. Well that’s a surprise and I’m not complaining.

Yulisa Leon has torn something in her knee and will be out nine months. Sanga consoles her as an annoyed Von Wagner and Mr. Stone come in. They rant a lot and Sanga says watch the language because there are ladies present. A fight is teased.

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs run into Toxic Attraction. After Jensen stumbles over being nice to Mandy Rose, Henley doesn’t think much of what she says back to him. Another fight is teased, with Toxic Attraction mocking Henley a good bit.

Here is Toxic Attraction to say it is appropriate that they are the featured attraction on the anniversary show. They promise to keep dominating and brag about all of their title wins, with Mandy Rose saying she’s better than Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes. Cue Alba Fyre to say Mandy knows nothing about her. The bat holds the team off and Mandy has to be saved. She goes back to get the title as the next challenger seems to be set. Fyre is one of the few challengers Mandy has left so this is a smart way to go.

Cora Jade talks about how great she is, despite taking her time to rise up. The lack of confidence cost her, until the match with Natalya brought her to the next level. Then she dropped Roxanne Perez like she should have done a long time ago and now the sky is the limit. The change of attitude has allowed her to become a star and this time next year, she’ll be the top star.

Wendy Choo doesn’t think much of Jade and says she may dress weird, but she’s still smart. Lash Legend comes in and is still mad about the loss to Fallon Henley. Glaring at Choo ensues.

Quincy Elliott vs. Sean Gallagher

Elliott gyrates a lot and Gallagher is shaken. A flip from Elliott makes it even worse so Gallagher hits him, only to get mauled in return. Elliott hits a Banzai Drop to finish at 1:21. The fans seemed into Elliott so they’re doing something right.

Cameron Grimes is ready to fight the D’Angelo Family himself, because he’s teaming with the one person he can trust. Time to go to the moon.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams jump Wes Lee in the locker room and crush his head in a locker. Sounds like replacement time.

Cameron Grimes vs. D’Angelo Family

Stacks starts for the team and gets dropped with a running shoulder. A knee to the ribs does the same and there’s a running kick to the back of the head. D’Angelo comes in and the numbers game puts Grimes in trouble in the corner. Cue Joe Gacy and the Dyad, with Gacy getting on the apron as Grimes’ partner.

Grimes fights out of the corner and Gacy extends his hand, but Grimes would rather get suplexed by D’Angelo for two instead (probably smart). A backflip gets Grimes out of a suplex and he staggers into the corner, where Gacy tags himself in. House is cleaned but Grimes stops to yell at Gacy, only to have the Family break it up. A Cave In hits D’Angelo and the handspring lariat finishes Stacks at 5:36.

Rating: C. The match was just kind of there, but please do not let this turn into a Gacy/Grimes thing. If they have to feud with each other then fine, but putting Gacy above Grimes sounds like a horrible idea. Then again that might just be Gacy in general, as almost nothing he has done has been worthwhile whatsoever.

Post match Gacy hugs a confused Grimes, who says he doesn’t need Gacy. The Dyad jumps Grimes and Gacy joins in with the beatdown, including putting the smiley face sticker on Grimes’ chest.

JD McDonagh is getting his beard shaved and says this is a necessity. He doesn’t like Bron Breakker or Tyler bate for that matter, but doesn’t seem phased by the fact that he is bleeding from the shave.

We get a sitdown interview with Bron Breakker, who was scared after his first match but the people made him feel at home. After some issues getting there, Breakker won the NXT Title, which was a big deal for his family. Then he got to induct the Steiner Brothers into the Hall of Fame, which was a great honor for him. Breakker won the NXT Title for the second time and then beat a bunch of people to retain it. We’ll see what’s next.

Tyler Bate respects Bron Breakker but wants a rematch for the NXT Title. As for JD McDonagh, Bate is down to face him to get the title shot.

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark vs. Kiana James/Arianna Grace

Stark pulls James into the corner to start and it’s off to Lyons, who blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a release fisherman’s suplex into a nip up. We take a break and come back with Lyons fighting back again, including a spinning kick to Grace for two. Stark comes in to take Grace down and James gets tagged in, much to her own fear.

James manages to get in a cheap shot on Lyons and takes Stark down in a bit of a surprise. A backdrop kicks Stark out of trouble so Grace comes in, only to get kneed in the face. Since there is no Lyons, Grace kicks Stark in the face for two instead. Stark manages the Z360 (the flipping knee) to Grace and it’s Lyons with the splits splash for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark were supposed to be in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament so it would seem that they are going to be pushed as a regular thing. Grace and James only got together recently and have already lost so their future might not be as bright. Stark is still able to have a good one with just about anyone though and that made up for some of Grace and James’ shortcomings.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are happy with not voting for Joe Gacy. Cue the Dyad for the brawl but security breaks it up. Hank Walker is told to go back inside because he has his own match.

Oro Mensah (Oliver Carter of NXT UK) is coming next week.

Grayson Waller is sure that he is going to be voted the biggest star of NXT, but the final four were Toxic Attraction, Nikkita Lyons, Carmelo Hayes and….Bron Breakker. Waller goes off on the fans for not voting for him because he is the face of this brand.

Javier Bernal vs. Hank Walker

Walker is a security guard, doesn’t have music, and comes to the ring in street clothes. Bernal gets caught in the corner and is tossed right back out of it, only to dropkick the knee out. Some kicks to the knee stagger Walker but he tossed Bernal around again. Walker takes him down and hammers away before taking off the shirt to quite the reaction. A running elbow finishes Bernal at 3:20, which is viewed as a major upset.

Rating: D+. They do realize that Walker has wrestled on one of the other NXT shows right? I’ve seen Walker a few times on LVL Up and I have no idea what the appeal is supposed to be. The fact that he looks like Seth Rogen is only going to get him so far and he didn’t show me anything here to make me think he has potential.

Video on cool entrances.

Sol Ruca is coming. She’s still a surfer.

Some alumni congratulate NXT 2.0 on its anniversary.

Bron Breakker is voted Superstar Of The Year.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending, at least in theory as Lee was taken out earlier. Hayes talks about how he is running over everyone and he has more on him than anyone else. Hold on though as we seem to have a surprise challenger.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is still defending and the fans are WAY into Sikoa. A whip into the corner sets up a running corner clothesline but it’s too early for the running Umaga attack. Instead Sikoa sends him over the top and onto Williams as we take an early break. Back with Williams tripping Sikoa down to bank up the bad knee and give Hayes control for a change.

The half crab keeps Sikoa in trouble until a rope breaks things up. Hayes’ jumping knee is blocked and Sikoa hammers away. There’s the Samoan drop to Hayes and Sikoa takes Williams out. A swinging Rock Bottom sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin and the title at 10:00.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the title change is any kind of a surprise as NXT would want to have a big moment to end the show. That being said, Sikoa winning the title is almost confusing due to his Smackdown/Bloodline status, but I can’t imagine they changed their minds on a promotion and then and then gave him a championship immediately thereafter. This should be interesting, but it’s more bizarre than anything else at the moment.

Shawn Michaels gives us a voiceover talking about what NXT means to end the show, complete with a new, and much less rainbowy, logo, with the 2.0 disappearing.

Overall Rating: C+. What mattered more than the wrestling here was the fact that the show felt like a big celebration of the first year of NXT 2.0. The video package on the history’s show was great and the title change at the end felt special. This was a show that made me want to see more of NXT, and the ending gave me a hope that they are going to be a bit more serious going forward. I liked the show and had a good time with it, so they hit their mark this week.

Results
Pretty Deadly b. Creed Brothers – Spilled Milk to Brutus
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Running knee
Quincy Elliott b. Sean Gallagher – Banzai Drop
Joe Gacy/Cameron Grimes b. D’Angelo Family – Handspring lariat to Stacks
Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark b. Kiana James/Arianna Grace – Splits splash to James
Hank Walker b. Javier Bernal – Running forearm
Solo Sikoa b. Carmelo Hayes – Superfly Splash

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 2, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re reaching another point where I am running out of ways to talk about this show. One of the only things of note is that Javier Bernal, a regular around here, is now on NXT as a more annoying version of himself. At least that gives me a reason to believe that we might be seeing some of these people on a bigger stage sooner rather than later. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Duke Hudson vs. Myles Borne

Hudson takes him down to start but spends too much time posing, allowing Borne to pull him down. With that not working for Borne, he grabs an armbar to put Hudson down instead. The armbar stays on Hudson’s arm but he catches Borne on the middle rope to take over. A loud chop in the corner sets up a shot to the ribs but Borne comes back with some dropkicks. The straps come down and Hudson’s high crossbody gets two. That’s too much for Hudson, who hits a big boot for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C. I’ve always liked Hudson but it doesn’t seem like he has the greatest future at the moment. You can only do so much when you are stuck around here after a pretty uninspiring NXT run. Maybe Hudson can find something else to do, but it isn’t quite working here. Then you have Borne, who is at least starting to turn it around a bit after a very dull start to his career.

Dante Chen is ready for Xyon Quinn because he has Singapore in his corner.

Arianna Grace vs. Erica Yan

Grace armdrags her down to start but Yan comes back with a snapmare and does a little….gesture? That’s broken up and Grace gets her to the mat and stomps away. Yan’s rollup gets two but Grace kicks her to the mat and grabs an arm crank. Yan fights up and hits an atomic drop, setting up a facebuster. Grace gets sent into the corner though and it’s a Wasteland for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C-. This was a bit sloppy in parts but it seems that Grace is going to be the next star in the division. I still don’t get the appeal of her and the beauty pageant stuff isn’t working, but maybe NXT sees some value in a Santino Marella cameo. Yan hasn’t been around in a bit so it was nice to have her back, even in defeat.

Dante Chen vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn starts fast and drops Chen face first onto the top turnbuckle and hits a backbreaker. A splash to the back gets two and Quinn whips him hard into the corner. The bearhug goes on for a bit, followed by Quinn picking him up for an even bigger bearhug. Chen fights back and hits a kick to the head for two but a Death Valley Driver cuts him down. The running punch finishes for Quinn at 5:55.

Rating: C. I still like Quinn but at the end of the day, this is about as good as he is going to be doing for the time being. You would think that he would get somewhere because of his great look but that still isn’t getting him very far. Hopefully he gets a chance at some point, but it really doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

Overall Rating: C-. This was more along the lines of a show built wrestlers who should be something but just aren’t there yet for whatever reason. The problem at this point is that they just aren’t very good or didn’t do well in their first chance around here. I’m not sure if they are going to get better, but for now, this is really all they’re going to be able to do.

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NXT
Date: September 6, 2022
Location: capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re done with Worlds Collide and that means it is time to start the build towards whatever is next around here. Odds are that is going to be a big weekly show in a month or so, continuing a schedule that has severed NXT well. NXT has a fresh batch of stars from the UK here and now we get to see them full time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds Collide if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Worlds Collide.

Here is Tyler Bate for a chat. He thanks the fans for having NXT UK’s back since the beginning, along with Bron Breaker for having such a great match. Cue Gallus to accuse Bate of letting the UK down and not being the Big Strong Boy anymore. The brawl doesn’t take long but Breakker runs in for the save. I think we have a tag match.

Pretty Deadly brags about winning more Tag Team Titles when Lash Legend comes in to brag about them.

Back on Sunday, Cora Jade interrupted Meiko Satomura and mocked her before setting up a match between them. Well not quite actually as Satomura already has a match with Roxanne Perez.

Doudrop/Nikki Ash vs. Toxic Attraction

Ash sends Dolin into the corner to start and hands it off to Doudrop for some heavy shoulders. It’s back to Ash, who is driven into the wrong corner so Jayne can pose a lot. Ash comes back with a chinlock to keep Jayne in trouble, setting up a swinging neckbreaker. Back up and Nikki gets knocked off the apron with Doudrop following in a bigger crash as we take a break.

We come back with Jayne grabbing a front facelock before taking Ash down with a neckbreaker. Ash fights up and gets over to Doudrop so house can be cleaned, including a double backsplash. Jayne has to save Dolin after a Cannonball so Ash ties her in the ring skirt for the hard forearms. Dolin goes up so Doudrop pulls her out of the air for a Michinoku Driver. The basement crossbody finishes Dolin at 10:40.

Rating: C. It says a lot when I was so sued to calling Toxic Attraction the champions that I almost did it again here. Doudrop and Ash might be sticking around long term and that isn’t a bad thing for them. Giving them a few wins at least reheats them a bit, though it may be too late for them to be brought back to any value.

Apollo Crews talks about Grayson Waller going for his eyes. Payback is coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Wes Lee

McDonagh headlocks him down to start as we talk about the return of Braun Strowman to Raw. Back up and Lee kicks him away, only to get his neck snapped across the top rope. We take a break and come back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock. The rapid fire kicks to the chest and a double stomp to the back have McDonagh on the floor. Lee knocks him over the announcers’ table and takes him back inside for a Meteora. A hard knee rocks McDonagh again but he pulls Lee into a suplex. Another attempt is countered into a sunset flip but McDonagh kicks him in the face. The Devil Inside finishes Lee at 9:34.

Rating: B. Lee was bringing it here and McDonagh was right there with him the whole way, making for another good match. These guys were working hard and keeping the pace fast, which is more than you see most of the time in a match on this level. I’m still not sure what Lee is going to do and McDonagh’s oddness makes him hard to pin down as well. For now though, I’ll settle for something like this.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are having coffee when Pretty Deadly comes in to join them. D’Angelo asks them how much it cost to get Damon Kemp to screw over Diamond Mine. Prince burns his mouth on the coffee before saying they did everything themselves.

Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is looking rather nervous here and Satomura takes over on her arm to start. Back up and Perez sends her into the corner, setting up a headscissors into a rollup for two. Satomura pulls Perez down into a choke but vets reversed into an STF, causing Satomura to elbow her way to freedom. Perez sends is outside for a heck of a suicide dive and we take a break.

Back with Satomura pulling on both arms but Perez fights up and grabs a Russian legsweep. A Koji Clutch is broken up and Satomura hits a running spinwheel kick. Perez catches her up top with a super hurricanrana for two, giving us the shocked kickout face. Satomura has had it with her and comes back with a Pele kick into Scorpio Rising for the pin at 11:22.

Rating: B-. More goodness here and a very nice rub for Perez. You can see so much natural talent and star power in her matches and giving her a match with Satomura is a great way to go. Satomura sticking around is a good thing as she adds value to anyone doing anything, including as she did with Perez here.

Respect is shown post match but Cora Jade runs in to stick Perez down.

Tyler Bate and Bron Breakker are ready to take out Gallus.

Damon Kemp explains how he tore Diamond Mine apart from the inside because he didn’t like being left as the bench as a backup. He knew Roderick Strong and Julius Creed were going to explode and he stirred the pot. Then he took Strong out in the parking lot and cost the Creeds the Tag Team Titles. More on this next time. I’ve heard far worse explanations.

Dyad tries to recruit Kiana James, who gives them a polite brush out. Then James runs into Arianna Grace, who seems to be what James was looking for. Someone hugged the Dyad as the women were talking.

Trick Williams vs. Ricochet

Carmelo Hayes is on commentary. Ricochet kicks him to the floor and Hayes isn’t sure what to do early on. Back in and Ricochet starts cranking on the arm but Williams manages a pop up uppercut for two. Williams takes him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table, setting up a running neckbreaker for two more back inside. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody into the Recoil into the shooting star press (with a stare at Hayes) for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C+. They kept this one quick and Ricochet was his usual high flying self. Williams continues to be someone that is fun to watch but that you also want to see get hit in the face, which is an impressive combination. I’m not sure if Ricochet is sticking around full time, but another match with Hayes would not be the biggest shock.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are still having coffee when Cameron Grimes walks past. Grimes says they’re just like Joe Gacy and he still doesn’t need anyone. D’Angelo throws an insult so Grimes throws the coffee, earning himself a Rock Bottom through the table.

Sol Ruca, a surfer, is coming.

Diamond Mine is ready to wreck Damon Kemp, plus Pretty Deadly next week. Pretty Deadly comes up to say not so fast, because the people can vote on the stipulation so Pretty Deadly can prove everyone wrong.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

First match in a best of three series. They trade wrist control to start before Frazer reverses into a headlock, allowing them to flip up to their feet. Frazer dropkicks him to the floor for a dive and we take a break. We come back with Axiom sending him to the floor for a suicide dive before starting in on the arm back inside.

Frazer fights up again and hits something like AJ Styles’ moonsault into a reverse DDT for two, followed by a Sling Blade. The running shooting star hits knees though and Axiom pulls him into a triangle choke. Frazer makes the rope and pulls Axiom into a half crab, followed by something like the old Haas of Pain to send Axiom to the ropes as well. Back up and Axiom hits a heck of a jumping kick to the face for the pin at 11:42.

Rating: B-. This was more of the modern style match with both guys hitting their stuff and trying to wear the other one down until the big finish could give them the win. I don’t know if I need to see them do this two more times, but it is good to get them both on television a bit more often. They have the in-ring abilities but are still needing something to do, so this is better than nothing.

Javier Bernal annoys Hank Walker (security guard) and a fight nearly breaks out until Walker goes to escort Gallus to the ring.

Quincy Elliott is here next week.

Here’s what else is coming next week.

Gallus vs. Tyler Bate/Bron Breakker

Mark Coffey is here with Gallus. Breakker headlocks Joe Coffey to start and takes him down in the corner before handing it off to Bate. Joe gets over for the tag off to Mark so it’s a double suplex to drop Gallus. We even get an old school Steiner pose we we take a break. Back with Bate hitting a big dive to the floor but a Wolfgang distraction lets post Breakker to take over again.

Back in and the rib work begins, including some forearms to the ribs and a chinlock. Mark grabs a bearhug but Bate slips out and goes through the legs to set up the hot tag. Breakker comes in for the spinebusters and a Steiner Bulldog gets two. All The Best For The Bells is cut off with a spear and the Tyler Driver 97 finishes Mark at 10:51.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on Gallus losing again but at least they lost to a pair of big singles stars. Bate getting the main event pin should help him a bit and they had another hard hitting match on the way there. Gallus could use a win of its own and soon, but it’s far too early to write anyone off.

Post match the winners celebrate but JD McDonagh runs in to take them both down, including a big beating to Bate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with nothing close to bad and a bunch of good to very good matches. Throw in some angle advancement and that is a heck of a good use of two hours. NXT might not what it once was but it is still a very nice show a lot of the time. This is one of their best in recent memory and it comes off a pretty good Worlds Collide, so they might even be on a roll.

Results
Nikki Ash/Doudrop b. Toxic Attraction – Basement crossbody to Dolin
JD McDonagh b. Wes Lee – Devil Inside
Meiko Satomura b. Roxanne Perez – Scorpio Rising
Ricochet b. Trick Williams – Shooting star press
Axiom b. Nathan Frazer – Running kick to the face
Bron Breakker/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Tyler Driver 97 to Mark

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NXT LVL Up
Date: August 19, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

The show continues its usual path of almost nothing sticking around from week to week but there is something interesting about having random matches with people popping up every so often. The problem is that a lot of the wrestlers on this show aren’t exactly grabbing me most of the time but maybe we can have some surprises. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Javier Bernal

Well at least we’re getting rid of both of them at once. They shake hands to start before a wristdrag gives us an early standoff. Chen armdrags him down but Bernal hits him in the face rather than shake his hand again. Back up and Chen hits him in the face as well before getting taken down for some shots to the head. A sliding lariat gives Bernal two but Chen sends him into the corner. Chen is taken down again and Bernal rolls to the floor, where a “fan” starts taking a lot of pictures. Cue Hank Walker to pull the fan back, with the distraction letting Chen take over again inside. The double chop gives Chen the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C. Every time I give up on the idea of any angles or stories taking place on this show, they surprise me with something like Walker. Granted it would be nice to have it be ANYONE (ok maybe not anyone) other than Walker be involved but I’ll take it over the same stuff over and over. Bernal and Chen are regulars here and I can’t picture either of them going anywhere, but at least there is a little something going on.

Axiom is ready for his test against Xyon Quinn tonight, though he wishes there was a comic book test in high school. He has an equation to deal with Quinn. I had forgotten Axiom was a thing and this made me think I made the right decision.

Ivy Nile vs. Arianna Grace

Before the match, Grace talks about her unlimited potential. She dedicates the upcoming win to the fans as a thank you for their overwhelming support, but the fans don’t seem to buy it. Grace grabs some rollups to start and grinds away with a hammerlock. That’s enough to send Grace bailing to the ropes before trying a catapult into the corner.

Nile holds onto the ropes for the save and stomps down onto the sternum, only to have Grace get in a shot to the face to take over. The arm trap chinlock keeps Nile down, at least until she fights up and strikes away. A running dropkick in the corner gets two on Grace and the dragon sleeper makes her tap at 4:25.

Rating: C-. Grace still isn’t doing anything interesting so it was nice to see Nile shut her down without much trouble. Nile continues to feel like someone who should be the next big thing but she hasn’t even been around that much in recent weeks. Granted it might be the slow game, but I could go for seeing her shrug off everything Mandy Rose throws at her and choke the title reign out.

Axiom vs. Xyon Quinn

Feeling out process to start as commentary hypes up Axiom’s intelligence, which is usually a heel characteristic. Quinn gets knocked outside so Axiom hits a quick dive, only to get dropped by a heavy shot. Back in and Axiom grabs a small package for two but gets planted by a backbreaker for the same.

Axiom seems to load up a satellite DDT but is thrown down onto his mask instead. A hard clothesline gives Quinn two more and, after shrugging off Axiom’s guillotine choke, something like a rolling Death Valley Driver gets another near fall. Axiom comes back with the rapid fire strikes into a dropkick and the Golden Ratio (jumping basement superkick) finishes Quinn at 6:10.

Rating: C. Axiom seems like a great example of something that sounded good on paper but isn’t exactly working in reality. Having a superhero style character works, but a math based superhero character feels like something that you would see in a bad fourth grade class. A-Kid is a good star in his own right, but this isn’t exactly working, which is why he’s on LVL UP and not regular NXT. Quinn…my goodness that is an impressive miss, as his look alone seemed to be enough for a bodyguard spot on the main roster at worst.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what it was but there was a bit more energy to this show. The action wasn’t exactly great, but having Axiom as some fresh blood, Grace talking before her match and what might be the start of a small angle in the opener made this feel like a better show than most. I have no reason to believe that it is going to continue, but at least they did a little something different for a change around here.

Results
Dante Chen b. Javier Bernal – Double chop
Ivy Nile b. Arianna Grace – Dragon sleeper
Axiom b. Xyon Quinn – Golden Ratio

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NXT
Date: August 9, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re a week away from Heatwave and that means we need to get in the final push towards the show. In this case that means a few grudge matches, plus One Final Accord between Santos Escobar and Tony D’Angelo. Other than that, we have a bit of a twist with a rounds match between Wes Lee and Trick Williams. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Kayden Carter/Katana Chance winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

We get some rapid fire interviews from people wrestling tonight, including Trick Williams, Wes Lee, Cora Jade, Zoey Stark and Tony D’Angelo.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kiana James

Before the bell, we get a quick promo from Lyons and Zoey Stark, who are ready to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. James fights out of an early suplex attempt and cranks on the arm. That’s switched to the knee, which is crushed in the corner before James takes her to the floor for a whip into the steps. Lyons fights back up with a German suplex and most of a nip up but James gets to the ropes. Back up and Lyons kicks her in the face, setting up the splits splash for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. Nothing much to see here as Lyons gets a win to keep her on TV in a quick feud. James has a unique enough character but she still needs a win or two to make her seem important. That might be a little bit in the future, but at least she is getting in the ring on TV a bit more.

James jumps Lyons post match, because this feud is continuing for whatever reason.

Roderick Strong doesn’t like Apollo Crews watching film with the rest of Diamond Mine. A match seems to be made for tonight.

Lash Legend cuts off Malik Blade and talks about how amazing she was last week. This goes on so long that we just cut back to the arena.

Wes Lee vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams. This is a Rounds Match, meaning there are three six minute rounds with the first to two falls winning. You win by pinfall, submission or countout but a knockout or DQ instantly ends the match (it’s Heritage Cup rules if you watch NXT UK). They’re also both in boxing gloves, even though this isn’t a boxing match.

Round one begins with a lot of circling and then flailing but Williams hits a good shot. Lee slugs away in the corner and the round ends with Williams going down. They take the gloves off to start the second round and Lee grabs some armdrags. A slingshot dive to the floor connects for Lee but Hayes offers a distraction, allowing Williams to drop Lee for the first fall at 57 seconds of the round and 4:12 overall.

Round three begins during the break and we come back with the start of round four, with Williams still up 1-0 and wearing a boxing glove on his left hand. Lee grabs a rollup for the second fall to tie it up at 1:14 of the round and 9:32 overall, even with Williams’ feet on the ropes during the pin.

Williams blasts him with a left hand in between rounds and gets two at the start of the fifth round. Another shot to the face gives Williams two, followed by a suplex for the same. Lee fights back with some knees and a bulldog but stops to grab a boxing glove and knock Williams silly for the pin at 2:54 of the round and 12:44 overall.

Rating: C-. I usually like the rounds/Heritage Cup stuff but this was too wacky with the boxing being added. Just wrestle the gimmick match as is without adding in something else, as that’s too much for a match that fans aren’t likely to be used to in the first place. Lee winning was a bit of a surprise, though he could use the boost.

We go to Chase U where Andre Chase is talking to a woman we can’t see. Thea Hail comes and finds out that she has hurt Arianna Grace’s face. She and Bodie Hayward were doing something on the university’s campus and a ball hit Grace in the eye. Grace wants revenge so Chase makes a match for later. Actually she was thinking more along the lines of a lawsuit, which sends Chase into a rant about how this university solves things in the ring. Hail is excited for her first match and falls over something on the way out.

Carmelo Hayes is still in the ring to complain about Nathan Frazer interrupting the open challenge last week. Giovanni Vinci interrupts and says he’ll take that title shot right now. They’ll do it at Heatwave instead but the fight starts now, with neither being able to hit anything until referees break it up.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh, with McDonagh playing more mind games and promising to wreck Breakker’s arm. Breakker is ready to hurt him but McDonagh says to never bet against an ace.

Lash Legend is still telling Blade about her match last week, with Edris Enofe now there too.

Thea Hail vs. Arianna Grace

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail. Grace takes her down and starts unloading with forearms but only hits Hail’s raised hands. Hail fights out of a chinlock and hits some elbows to the face, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Grace backs off while favoring her eye, only to sucker punch Hail. Wasteland (Barrett approves) finishes Hail at 3:50.

Rating: C-. Maybe it’s me not being a fan of the gimmick but I’m not getting into Grace whatsoever. The beauty queen thing isn’t clicking and feels like something that has been done better before. Hail losing is a bit depressing as well as she has done so well with the Chase U stuff. Not exactly a great match either, but Hail’s energy helped it a lot.

Apollo Crews is on his way to the ring and we seem to look into his mind’s eye, where a green video shows Diamond Mine down in a ring.

We look at Solo Sikoa beating Von Wagner in last week’s falls count anywhere match.

Sikoa has a PCL injury and he’s out 4-6 weeks. Cameron Grimes comes up to say congratulations. Sikoa says he’s coming for the North American Title next week but Grimes doesn’t seem to like being compared to him.

Apollo Crews vs. Roderick Strong

No Diamond Mine with Strong. They go with the grappling to start with Crews wrestling him down before crews drives him into the corner. Back up and Strong grabs his first backbreaker before dropping him onto his back again. Crews knocks him back and goes up, only to give into a dropkick to cut him down in a hurry.

Back with Strong working on a reverse chinlock before kneeing away at the ribs. A missed charge in the corner lets Crews make the clothesline comeback. The middle rope Blockbuster and a wheelbarrow suplex give Crews two but Strong suplexes him onto the apron. Another backbreaker is shrugged off and Crews muscles him into a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The spinebuster finishes for Crews at 15:23.

Rating: B-. Commentary was calling this a match of the year candidate for NXT and while that might be a bit much, it was certainly good. Crews is someone who can go move for move with just about anyone and Strong isn’t going to have a bad match most of the time. The problem is that everything else Strong does is about as uninteresting as you can get around here and it was hard to bring myself to get into anything he was doing.

Lash Legend is still talking until Malik Blade finally cuts her off to say she lost. Legend is offended by the interruption but Pretty Deadly comes in to defend her honor. A match is made.

Sanga is trying to give Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz advice but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter come in to offer them a title match. Feroz and Leon aren’t sure about this but Sanga offers to help them find inner peace.

The Diamond Mine are doing another film story on Apollo Crews’ suggestion. They see something that they don’t like but Roderick Strong comes in to yell at them for not being out there. Julius Creed yells about someone getting involved in the big tag match last week and is going to deal with it next week. Strong doesn’t want to hear about that and breaks Damon Kemp’s laptop.

We have one final accord between Santos Escobar and Tony D’Angelo. The meet outside the building and….sit down at a table to talk. They have the same argument they have had over and over about which family is better and how neither of them have accomplished anything. Escobar offers one final match between the two of them: if D’Angelo wins, Escobar is gone, but D’Angelo gets to keep the rest of Legado del Fantasma. If Escobar wins though, Legado is free. The match is on, and it’s a street fight. This was a long segment that could have been set up in a much faster segment.

Tiffany Stratton goes into her locker room where Wendy Choo (dang it) is waiting. Choo has night vision goggles on and turns the lights out, allowing her to beat up Stratton. Choo says this isn’t over, making me wonder WHY THE HECK IS THIS NOT OVER. There is NO reason for this to keep going, and stop acting like Choo is the heroine in any of this with her one “prank” and sneak attack after another.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Pretty Deadly

Prince gets caught in the wrong corner for some early double teaming to start but a toss into an elbow cuts Blade down. Pretty Deadly goes to pose on the floor but here are Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley to chase them back inside. The hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house as everything breaks down. A quick Spilled Milk finishes for Prince at 4:32.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly winning is fine enough, though it would be nice to have Blade and Enofe win a match every now and then. The good thing is that they are continuously on TV and not getting squashed, so they are being at least somewhat protected. I could go for another of these on a bigger stage, or at least without the interference in the middle.

Cameron Grimes doesn’t like being mocked for being knocked down during last week’s main event. The Schism comes up to offer their condolences and Grimes might be a bit more interested.

Nikkita Lyons gives Zoey Stark a pep talk before her match.

Video on Toxic Attraction, with Jacy Jayne liking rock music and Gigi Dolin playing by her own rules.

Apollo Crews is happy with his win but Grayson Waller comes in to ask why Crews is here. A match seems likely.

Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade

Mandy Rose is on commentary. Stark armdrags her down to start and fires off some knees to the ribs. Jade gets in a few shots of her own, including a knee to the face for a needed breather. We take a break and come back with Jade cranking on the neck but missing a shot with her stick. Stark grabs a German suplex to get out of trouble before they slug it out.

Jade tries to jump over her in the corner but gets superkicked down for two, with Rose wanting Jade to make a comeback. A hammerlock DDT gives Jade two and something like Sliced Bread connects for the same. Jade goes for the stick but Roxanne Perez pops up to take it away. Stark hits another superkick and flips Jade into a knee to the face for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. I liked that finisher from Stark and Jade is already finding her rhythm as a heel. The good thing is that they are continuing to figure out what they are doing with this women’s division and it feels like there are multiple directions they could go on any given week. That’s more than most women’s divisions can say so well done.

Post match Perez chases Jade off and Rose gets laid out by Stark’s flipping knee (with Rose going DOWN on contact) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This one wasn’t working for me so well as a lot of the first half was pretty lame. Things got better later on in the show but I’m only kind of interested in what they have on tap for Heatwave. NXT tends to do well with the big shows though so there is a good chance they make it work. Not a great show this week, but next week is the one that matters.

Results
Nikkita Lyons b. Kiana James – Splits splash
Wes Lee b. Trick Williams 2-1
Arianna Grace b. Thea Hail – Wasteland
Apollo Crews b. Roderick Strong – Spinebuster
Pretty Deadly b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Spilled Milk to Enofe
Zoey Stark b. Cora Jade – Flipping knee to the face

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NXT LVL Up
Date: August 5, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

The Road to Clash At The Castle is on and will have absolutely no bearing on this show whatsoever. I’ve again give up on trying to figure out what is going on with this show from one week to another and that means we are probably in for random matches this week. That works to an extent, but it can get a little tiresome after awhile. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen/Guru Raaj vs. Bryson Montana/Damaris Griffin

Raaj and Montana grapple a bit until Raaj hits a dropkick to stagger him. Chen comes in for a chop but Montana is back with a clothesline. Griffin hits a chokebomb into a neck crank as we talk about Rhea Ripley hurting Dominik Mysterio. With that broken up, the double tag brings in Chen and Montana with the former cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Griffin misses a middle rope splash, allowing Chen to hit a double chop for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C. This got a bit better near the end with the pace picking up, but it was still just a random tag match between people who were only so good in the first place. I still like Montana, but he was only something of a factor here with Chen getting the focus. At least we know what his finishing move is though, if that is something that kept you up at night.

Arianna Grace reminds us that she is a former beauty pageant queen and gives something like a beauty pageant speech about inspiring girls by beating Thea Hail tonight.

Thea Hail vs. Arianna Grace

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who works on a wristlock to start. A headlock goes on and Hail runs around in a circle to keep Grace in trouble, setting up a headlock takeover out of the corner. Back up and Grace runs her over, setting up a pose on Hail’s chest. Hail reverses a belly to back suplex into a crossbody for two but Grace stomps her in the corner. A chinlock is broken up with a drop back onto Grace and Hail hits a running flip neckbreaker for two. Grace is right back with a rollup and a grab of the rope for the pin at 5:03. Ignore that being the same finish that Javier Bernal used last week.

Rating: C-. Maybe it’s the rather lame beauty queen deal or the lack of much else from her, but Grace still hasn’t shown me very much since she got here. That isn’t the worst thing as she is still stuck with a pretty bad gimmick, but there is nothing to suggest that she is going to break through to the next level (as low as that still may be) anytime soon.

Xyon Quinn vs. ???

Before the match, Quinn gives the unnamed opponent a chance to leave…and that’s exactly what he does. Quinn wants an opponent out here right now and that’s what he gets.

Quincy Elliott vs. Xyon Quinn

Elliott comes to the ring on a bedazzled moped for reasons of “just because”. Quinn unloads on him in the corner to start but Elliott hiptosses him down. The basement shoulder gives Elliott a breather but Quinn knocks him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Elliott starts gyrating until a forearm and Death Valley Driver plant him for two. The frustration sets in for Quinn so he grabs a cobra clutch, which is broken up with ease. A running shoulder in the corner sets up the slingshot bottom rope splash to finish Quinn at 4:49.

Rating: C-. As is usually the case, I get what WWE sees in Elliott, but I hope they don’t try to go too far with him. It’s almost weird seeing him get a singles win, but it’s even odder seeing him beat someone like Quinn. It seemed that Quinn was going to be one of the upcoming big projects and he has completely collapsed. Elliott might not be the next big thing, but he’s in a better place than Quinn right now.

A lot of dancing ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t one of their better efforts as there was almost nothing worth seeing and a bunch of forgettable matches. The only part that felt different whatsoever was seeing Quinn’s opponent run off and that’s not enough to carry a thirty minute show. Nothing to this one and I don’t know if there is a reason to believe that is changing.

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NXT
Date: July 26, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the first show of the new regime and I’m not sure how much of a difference that is going to make. NXT seems a bit more planned out that Raw and Smackdown so it might be a little while before the impact takes hold. Maybe they have a few surprises or at least ideas this week though so let’s get to it.

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

Here is the recently returned Zoey Stark for a chat. She is REALLY happy to be back and talks about being on the shelf since October after tearing her ACL and MCL. The doctors told her it would be over a year before she could return, but she worked in that trainer’s room so hard and beat the expectations by four months. Now she is the #1 contender for the Women’s Title and only has Toxic Attraction standing in her way. Cue Cora Jade on the platform to say she is already sick of Stark.

Jade was ready to be champion but Stark had to take HER MOMENT, just like Roxanne Perez did. They bicker about Jade trashing the Women’s Tag Team Titles but here is Toxic Attraction to interrupt. Mandy Rose is looking forward to becoming the fourth longest reigning Women’s Champion tomorrow when she surpasses Paige. Stark wants her title shot tonight, but instead has to settle for Gigi Dolin. This was just an “I’m back” promo, with Jade being annoying to keep her presence going.

Grayson Waller is ready to take out Wes Lee.

Tony D’Angelo and Family are ready to destroy the Diamond Mine.

Wes Lee vs. Grayson Waller

Waller takes him down to start and gets two off an early rollup. Lee is back with a victory roll for two of his own and there’s a double stomp to Waller’s back to set in the frustration. They run the ropes until Waller kicks him in the chest. That doesn’t do much to Lee, who dropkicks him to the floor and follows with a suplex.

We take a break and come back with Waller hitting a fireman’s carry flipped into a sitout powerbomb for two. Waller starts slapping him in the face, which has Lee fired up and unloading with shots to the face. Lee goes up top but gets shoved off for the big crash down to the floor. Waller yells at the referee and it’s Trick Williams in the crowd (in a hoodie and boxing gloves) with a shot to the back of Lee’s head. Lee dives back in to beat the count but the rolling Stunner gives Waller the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Lee continues to be in a weird spot as he is around almost every week but doesn’t ever really do anything important. Granted that is part of the “finding himself” story, but it isn’t exactly making him feel like a big deal. Waller is still a rather good villain, though he doesn’t come off as anything more than a midcard pest most of the time. He could also go with a better finisher than something that requires being outside to start most of the time.

The Schism talks about how Joe Gacy has opened their eyes to a new world. Now they want Cameron Grimes to join them, because Gacy can be the father figure that Grimes needs.

Arianna Grace is bragging about how much people were enjoying watching her in the battle royal last week when Indi Hartwell knocked her out. Hartwell’s gear is atrocious but here she is to say Grace would have done the same thing. Grace talks about how she would never do that as a former beauty queen and can’t stand this negative energy. Grace hasn’t shown me anything on LVL Up and I don’t see an improvement here.

Apollo Crews vs. Xyon Quinn

Crews dropkicks him down to start but Quinn is back up with some shots to the head. Quinn grabs a chinlock before elbowing Crews in the face for another knockdown. Crews fights back up but gets dropped again as he can’t get anything going. An enziguri gets Crews out of trouble though and he grabs a quick spinebuster for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C-. I like Quinn a good deal but it’s becoming clear that he doesn’t have much to him besides a great look. He is long past the point of feeling like he is going to be something for the time being and while that is sad, it also isn’t surprising. Then you have Crews, who looks like a star and has much stronger of a resume, but the lack of personality is still holding him back. He’s miles ahead of Quinn though and that didn’t leave much doubt here.

Toxic Attraction isn’t worried about Zoey Stark but here is Sarray to say she wants a shot. Mandy Rose is ready for her revenge next week.

We look at Von Wagner beating Solo Sikoa down last week at Smackdown.

Solo Sikoa wants a falls count anywhere match with Wagner next week. Yes more brawling/hardcore stuff, but at least they have the slightest logical reason to go that way.

Gigi Dolin vs. Zoey Stark

The rest of Toxic Attraction is here and their early distraction lets Dolin jump her from behind. Some knees to the ribs and an elbow to the face rock Stark and we hit the bow and arrow hold. Stark fights up and hits a superkick, followed by a fireman’s carry flipped into a knee to the face for the pin at 2:50. Short and to the point here.

Post match Mandy Rose goes after Stark and gets chased to the floor. Cue Cora Jade to kendo stick her down but Roxanne Perez returns to make the save.

JD McDonagh is here….as a fan.

Wendy Choo has nightmares about losing to Tiffany Stratton. She wakes up and promises that this isn’t over with Stratton and next time won’t be so nice. How has anything about this feud been nice???

JD McDonagh is in the crowd and tells a fan to eat his popcorn slowly because people die eating it all the time. Next up he goes to talk to the timekeeper, who has an important job and talks about how you can break a hand with a hammer. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor has a great voice, but then there is Wade Barrett. McDonagh talks about how the calcium deposits from bare knuckle boxing can hurt your joints so watch out for that.

Then we have Vic Joseph, who said some bad things about McDonagh’s family last week. McDonagh thinks he could break Joseph’s collarbone with his bare hands…but he won’t. Instead, McDonagh gets in the ring and calls out Bron Breakker, who is happy to oblige. Breakker is ready to face him in three weeks and knocks McDonagh down, which has McDonagh smiling.

Chase U is ready for Andre Chase to face Giovanni Vinci. Thea Hail wants to do the fighting for him but Chase himself has this. Nathan Frazer comes in and gets to be the Chase U flag bearer.

We look back at Axiom’s debut with a comic book theme.

Roxanne Perez has a lot going on, including being half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions. She has no partner though, and hands the belt over to Alundra Blayze. Next week, it’s a fatal four way elimination match for the vacant titles.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Andre Chase

Chase armdrags him into an armbar to start and grabs a sunset flip for two. Some rollups get two each on Vinci and it’s right back to the armbar. Vinci fights up but gets distracted by the flag waving, allowing Chase to send him into the post. We take a break and come back with Chase being dumped out to the floor.

Back in and Chase hammers away, setting up a belly to back suplex for the double knockdown. The spelling stomps look to set up a double underhook something but Vinci powers out. A backslide doesn’t work for Vinci as Chase grabs a butterfly powerbomb for two more. The Fratliner is broken up though and Vinci clothesline him down. The sitout Last Ride finishes for Vinci at 12:24.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of how you use someone who has been built up into a little something to get a bigger prospect over. Vinci has done well in NXT so far, but he hasn’t won much to make him feel like a big deal. Chase might not be a top star, but the fans love him and the charisma is impossible to ignore. Beating him feels like it matters and that is what made this better than something like the Quinn vs. Crews match.

Post match the beating continues but Nathan Frazer makes the save.

Diamond Mine is ready for the D’Angelo Family.

Yulisa Leon is talking to Valentina Feroz when Sanga comes in. Sanga gives them a pep talk for next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance want the titles they have been chasing. Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley come in to gloat and trash talking ensues. Elektra Lopez comes in to say Diamond Mine will lost to the D’Angelo Family tonight and the brawl breaks out.

Arianna Grace vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell takes her down by the arm to start and works on a headlock. That’s reversed into a chinlock with Grace’s knee in her back before Grace plants her down. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught, allowing Hartwell to boot her in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C-. Grace is still pretty new at this, but the former beauty queen deal doesn’t exactly sound inspiring. I haven’t cared for what I’ve seen of her so far and this didn’t help make things better. At least Hartwell has a bit more star power, even if she hasn’t done much lately. Not a very good match, but at least Hartwell got a boost out of the mess she has been in lately.

Mr. Stone and Von Wagner are ready for Solo Sikoa next week.

Kiana James has a PowerPoint presentation about Nikkita Lyons being terrible in the ring. We see Lyons’ childhood as the daughter of a musician. Lyons doesn’t even have a great vocabulary. James is going to further investigate Lyons, but she already doesn’t care for her.

Video on Alba Fyre vs. Lash Legend.

D’Angelo Family vs. Diamond Mine

Tony D’Angelo drives Roderick Strong into the corner to start but gets armdragged down for his efforts. Everything breaks down and it’s a huge brawl, with Brutus Creed going for an ankle lock on D’Angelo, who gets pulled outside to safety. Julius dives off the apron to take them all down though and we take a break.

Back with Kemp hitting a jumping knee on Wilde and sending him outside. A swinging slam to Del Toro is broken up with a chop block though and Kemp is down. Kemp’s knee gets slammed into the mat and Stacks grabs a quickly broken half crab. Kemp kicks his way to freedom and brings in Julius Creed to clean house. Julius runs the corner to superplex Del Toro and a German suplex drops D’Angelo. Brutus comes back in to run over the Family but Cruz and Del Toro hits their Russian legsweep/big boot combination. Strong knees Brutus by mistake though and D’Angelo fisherman’s suplexes Brutus for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: C+. The Diamond Mine continues to fall apart and it’s hard to imagine that they’re a thing much longer. This wasn’t so much about the D’Angelo Family winning as much as it was about the Diamond Mine losing, so they did have the logic right. I’m curious to see where the split goes, and at least they had a pretty good match to help us get there.

Alundra Blayze doesn’t know who is winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week. Toxic Attraction comes up to say they’ll win but Blayze says they have to earn them. This annoys Toxic Attraction to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t the best show, it was nice to see something a show that felt nice and steady again. This show touched on a variety of feuds and angles while also moving some stuff forward. They need are starting to set up their next big show so they even have a direction. Now just get things set up and pay them off at that show and they’ve gotten somewhere in the right way, just like NXT of old.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Wes Lee – Rolling Stunner
Apollo Crews b. Xyon Quinn – Spinebuster
Zoey Stark b. Gigi Dolin – Fireman’s carry knee to the face
Giovanni Vinci b. Andre Chase – Sitout Last Ride
Indi Hartwell b. Arianna Grace – Big boot
D’Angelo Family b. Diamond Mine – Fisherman’s suplex to Brutus

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

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 8, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Nigel McGuinness

We are well on the way to Summerslam and as usual, that will have no impact on what you are about to see here. That isn’t a good thing, but it is the way this show, and its predecessor, has worked for years. The show continues to just exist and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Myles Borne

Chen goes to the arm to start and stays on it as Borne tries to take him to the mat. Back up and the arm gets cranked over Chen’s shoulder, only to get flipped down into a headlock. Chen can’t shove him off so we stay in the hold for a rather good while. To their credit, Borne is cranking on the thing and Chen is trying to fight his way out. Back up and we’re right back to the headlock…..which Chen rolls up into a cradle for the pin at 4:39???

Rating: C-. What is there to say about something like this? The whole match was work the arm, headlock, another headlock, pin. They were trying to do some stuff with the basics and Borne was billed as an amateur, but usually that means more than working a headlock. It’s certainly different and they surprised me, but this is their best use of the show’s TV time?

We actually get a promo on this show (DO MORE OF THIS) as Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are ready to face two of the strongest guys in NXT in the main event. Super basic promo, but get these guys (or anyone for that matter) in front of a camera and talking. There is no pressure on a show like this so let them get their feet a little wet.

Yulisa Leon vs. Arianna Grace

They go with the power grappling to start with Leon getting her to the mat without much trouble to start. A headlock doesn’t work for Grace as Leon flips over and strikes a pose on the mat. Grace cranks her to the mat by the arm before working on the armbar on the mat. Leon powers out and grabs a flapjack, setting up a missile dropkick. A fall away slam, with Leon holding onto her and flipping back over into the cover, is good for the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C. It’s almost weird seeing Leon winning a match like this but Grace isn’t ready to beat just about anyone yet. What mattered here was finding something for Feroz and Leon to do and the dancing seems to be their thing. I don’t know how far that is going to get them, but it is better than having them stand around doing nothing.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Damaris Griffin/Bryson Montana

On the way to the ring, Enofe grabs a microphone and handles the team’s (somewhat risque) introductions. Blade grabs a headlock on Griffin to start but gets driven into the corner for his efforts. Montana comes in and gets caught with some quick kicks to the face. A fall away slam (with Montana not leaving his feet) sends Blade flying though and we hit the bearhug.

With Blade dropped again, the chinlock goes on for all of a few seconds before he fights back up. Enofe gets the hot tag but gets taken down….as Quincy Elliott is here for no apparent reason Dancing on the floor distracts Montana, leaving Griffin to take a running Blockbuster. Enofe drops a top rope elbow for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C-. As annoying as Elliott can be, it is nice to see something resembling a story around here. It can’t be hard to have the slightest idea going from one week to another rather than a bunch of one off matches so I’ll take what I can get. Enofe and Blade continue to have some potential, but they are going to need to string together some wins that actually matter for ones. This wasn’t one of those, but it’s better than another loss.

Overall Rating: C. It’s not a good show, but there is the slightest bit of hope for the future and I’ll take that after so, so much of the one off matches. Blade and Enofe getting the focus is nice to see, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see it wind up being about Elliott, as NXT seems to like him a lot. Other than that there wasn’t much here, but I’ll take the slightest change over nothing at all.

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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