NXT
Date: June 27, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the second half of the Gold Rush tournament and that means we have a title match main event. Baron Corbin will finally get his shot against Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title, plus the Tag Team and Women’s Titles are on the line. That is a heck of a card so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

Women’s Title: Thea Hail vs. Tiffany Stratton

Hail, with Duke Hudson, is challenging. Some rollups give Hail two but the Kimura sends Stratton straight to the rope. Cue Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak as Stratton gets in a shot to take over, setting up a double stomp for two. Stratton starts working on the arm and we take a break.

Back with Hail firing away in the corner and grabbing a t-bone suplex. The spelling stomps set up an armbar but Hudson is arguing with Dempsey. Hail gets the Kimura again and Stratton taps but the referee is yelling at Gulak. Hail makes the eternal mistake of letting the hold go and getting the referee, allowing Stratton to get the rollup pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. Hail continues to be such an entertaining ball of energy out there and it is hard to take your eyes off of her. At the same time, Stratton feels like an absolute star and someone who is going to keep the title for a long time to come. Hail’s title win might happen someday, but it’s Stratton’s time and NXT seems to know it.

Post match Dempsey and Gulak beat down Hudson but Andre Chase returns for the save. The people seem to still like him.

Video on Ilja Dragunov, who loves fighting.

Gallus still hasn’t heard from Joe Coffey.

Last week, Dana Brooke was getting her knee looked at when Kelani Jordan came in. Jordan praised her and there seems to be some respect.

Tag Team Titles: Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Gallus

Gallus is defending. Blade rolls away from Joe to start and slips out of a double teaming in the corner. Enofe comes in to start working on Wolfgang’s arm before it’s right back to Blade to headlock Mark. A dropkick gets two as we see Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo watching from the platform.

We take a break and come back with Blade in trouble as Wolfgang cranks on the neck. Coffey shoulders him down and grabs a front facelock, only to go after Enofe. The distraction lets Blade duck underneath and bring in Enofe to clean house. Enofe tries to use Coffey as a launchpad but slips, only to come back with a spinebuster for two instead. A frog splash gets two on Coffey with Wolfgang making the save. Cue Stacks to go after Coffey but he knocks Enofe into the steps by mistake (though he doesn’t seem too upset by it). The flapjack/dropkick finishes Enofe to retain at 13:13.

Rating: C+. I still think Enofe and Blade could and should be champions someday and moving the belts here wouldn’t have been the worst idea. Gallus isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire as champions and it would be nice to see some fresh blood around the belts. At least there seems to be something going on with the Stacks deal, but Gallus still aren’t all that interesting.

The Meta Four don’t want to talk about losing the Heritage Cup but Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend want the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

It’s time for a Schism family meeting. Joe Gacy tells them to speak freely, with Dyad talking about how their lives were supposed to be made better. The problem is that Gacy’s life is the only one getting better. Gacy accuses Fowler of not letting Reid have a voice, with Fowler saying Gacy bosses them around.

That doesn’t work for Gacy, who says they were never fully dedicated but they’re in a better form now. Cue the Diamond Mine to say they’re sick of this and declare Schism a cancer that wants to take over NXT. Gacy wants the Creeds vs. the Dyad next week, loser leaves NXT. The Creeds are in, though Julius looks a bit nervous. Schism’s schism continues and it couldn’t happen to a more annoying group.

Lucien Price and Bronco Nima talk about growing up together and using football to let out their aggression. Now they’re back on the same time and they’re here to dominate.

Axiom/Scrypts and Hank Walker/Tank Ledger are impressed by Price and Nima. Nathan Frazer walks up and gets some congratulations from Axiom on winning the Heritage Cup. Axiom says he’s drawn to the cup.

Trick Williams gives Carmelo Hayes a pep talk….and Rhea Ripley shows up (BIG pop for that). She warns them to stay out of Judgment Day business and leaves.

Heritage Cup: Dragon Lee vs. Nathan Frazer

Lee is challenging. Round One begins with neither being able to get anywhere on the mat. Neither can get anywhere off a wristlock so we have a standoff. Cue Axiom to watch as Frazer works away on a headlock. Scrypts is here too as they trade rollups for near falls each. They fight over a lockup and get nowhere as the round ends.

Round Two begins with Frazer snapping off a flying mare and hitting a running dropkick. Lee tries a hurricanrana out of the corner but gets pulled into a sunset flip to give Frazer the first fall at 1:10 of the round and 5:05 overall. Round Three begins with Lee cartwheeling his way out of a hurricanrana. Lee knocks him outside and hits the big flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Round Three over, the score still 1-0 Frazer, and about a minute of Round Four done. Frazer hits a dive to the floor but Lee hits a quick powerbomb for the pin at 1:45 of the round and 10:33 overall. Round Five starts with Lee tying him in the Tree of Woe for the top rope double stomp. They both go up top and come crashing down, with Lee hitting another powerbomb or two. They’re both down for a bit before slugging it out from their knees. A fight over a rollup goes to Frazer, who gets the pin at 2:59 of the round and 13:02 overall to retain.

Rating: B-. These rounds matches can be tricky as while they’re entertaining, they make me want to see these wrestlers have a regular match without the gimmicky setup. Lee and Frazer could have a heck of a match out there no matter what, so why chop it up with the round stuff? Either way, good match and the best on the show so far.

Raw Underground is back next week.

We see Gable Steveson training Eddy Thorpe for his Raw Underground match with Damon Kemp. Steveson will be in Thorpe’s corner.

Mustafa Ali comes in to see Wes Lee and apologizes for getting a little too involved as referee last week. Tyler Bate comes in to question how things went last week. Ali wants a title shot and Bate offers to referee. Bate and Ali bicker as Lee walks off.

Mr. Stone can’t find Von Wagner. Then he finds Von Wagner, who is upset over the photo of him as a baby and everything his family had to go through. Wagner says he can’t do this right now and leaves.

Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

They fight over a lockup until Dolin starts in on the armbar. Dolin dropkicks her up against the ropes and gets two off a rollup before they crash out to the floor. We take a break and come back with James going outside again, but this time she manages to send Dolin into the steps. We hit the chinlock back inside but Dolin fights up again. With nothing else working, James goes for her loaded bag, only to get caught with a crucifix bomb to give Dolin the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. Dolin is in a weird place as NXT seems interested in pushing her but it doesn’t ever really seem to go anywhere. She feels unique enough that she can do something interesting but it hasn’t exactly gone to that next level. James isn’t much higher up at the moment, though she seems to have found more of a niche than Dolin.

Post match James hits her with the bag and pours cans of paint onto Dolin.

We go to the prison, where Joe Coffey visits Tony D’Angelo. Tony looks confused but Joe says things have changed since Tony was locked up. Tony promises that Stacks will handle things, but Joe says Stacks already has things handled. Stacks has ambition, with Joe saying Stacks sold Tony out. Joe plays some audio from his phone, with Stacks talking about how he’s the new Don and wanting Gallus to lay low for a week.

We look at Blair Davenport jumping Roxanne Perez during a fan Q&A show.

Jacy Jayne isn’t happy with Lyra Valkyria, who pops up to hit her in the face. Rhea Ripley pops up to say Jayne deserved that and Valkyria is a bada**.

The Dyad freaks out over next week’s Loser Leaves NXT match but Ava calms them down.

NXT Title: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They start fast with Hayes sending him outside and nailing a dive as we take an early break. Back with the fight heading outside again and Hayes being sent over the barricade. A big boot knocks Hayes silly but he gets out of a chinlock. The springboard clothesline takes Corbin down but he grabs a backbreaker for a breather.

Corbin rips the shirt off and drops Hayes with an elbow before taking him up top. Hayes knocks him off for a frog splash and the Fade Away his Corbin as well. The springboard DDT gets two more and a cradle gets two. Corbin is right back with an AA into the chokebreaker for two of his own and frustration sets in.

They fight out to the floor with Corbin sending him face first into the announcers’ table. Some elbows to the head drive said head into the table for two back inside. Deep Six is broken up but the second attempt plants Hayes for two more. Hayes manages to send him to the apron for a slingshot DDT. Back in and Nothing But Net finishes Corbin to retain the title at 16:28.

Rating: B-. The length hurt this one a good bit as it stopped being interesting early on, got a bit better near the end and then just kept going. Cut out about five minutes of this and it’s a lot better, though they did have me wondering if they were actually going to change the title here. Hayes is starting to feel like a champion and if he can avoid unnecessary losses like this week on Raw, he’ll be good for the time being.

We get a preview of next week’s show, including Mustafa Ali one on one with Tyler Bate.

Bron Breakker leaves Shawn Michaels’ office, shouting about how he has beaten everyone and Shawn can’t control him. Breakker says you’ll see what he means next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a classic or even must see show, as a lot of it felt like a bunch of stuff you might see on a month of normal shows stacked up onto one. The action was good enough and things were set up for next week, but it was missing that spark that really made it feel special. For now though, good enough show, even if it wasn’t as solid of a showing as last week.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Thea Hail – Rollup
Gallus b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Flapjack/dropkick combination to Enofe
Nathan Frazer b. Dragon Lee 2-1
Gigi Dolin b. Kiana James – Crucifix bomb
Carmelo Hayes b. Baron Corbin – Nothing But Net

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the rules:

Six three minute rounds, twenty second break between rounds.

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

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

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. Dragon Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Creed Brothers

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

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

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

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

The masked attacker will reveal themselves on NXT.

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

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton

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

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

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

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

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

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

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes

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

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

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

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

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

Hayes and Williams celebrate to end the show.

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

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

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creed Brothers vs. Dyad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

NXT LVL Up
Date: April 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Wrestlemania Weekend and the NXT double taping, meaning it is time to get back to a regular edition of this show. That means three matches instead of two and with some LVL Up names being announced for NXT proper, we could be in for some fresh faces around here. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Bushwhacker Butch.

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Boa

Oh yay, Boa is back. Boa kicks him down to start but gets pulled into an armbar. Back up and Chen hits a dropkick but Boa kicks him in the face. Ava comes out to watch and then leaves as Boa suplexes him into a chinlock. Back up and Chen reverses a suplex into one of his own before hitting a pump kick. The double chop finishes Boa at 5:07.

Rating: C-. Yep, that was a Dante Chen match, as he is a generic guy who has nothing to set him apart (aside from his ability to beat young up and comers). Boa continues to be someone who has nothing that makes him stand out and I’m almost scared to imagine either of these two being presented as a big deal. They’re not bad by any means, but they’re really basic and that makes for a dull match.

Oro Mensah is ready for the monster that is Joe Gacy.

Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer vs. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson

Ruca and Legend start things off with Ruca working on the arm and it’s off to Palmer, who gets launched at Legend for two. Jackson comes in and gets headscissored down, only to come back with an Edge-O-Matic for two of her own. Palmer manages a rollup before flipping over for the hot tag to Ruca. Everything breaks down and the Sol Snatcher finishes Jackson at 4:49.

Rating: C. That Sol Snatcher is just awesome no matter what else happens in a match and it is going to get a reaction no matter what. The key here was that it came out of nowhere and made Ruca look like a killer. Palmer continues to have potential and Legend is still coming along now that she isn’t on TV every week and driving people crazy.

Oro Mensah vs. Joe Gacy

The rest of Schism is here too. Mensah cranks on a headlock to start and they fight in the corner until Mensah kicks him out. A rather spinny anklescissors sends Gacy outside but they switch places, allowing Gacy to kick him down. Back in and Gacy cranks on the neck and yells a lot. A knee to the face and scoop brainbuster drop Mensah, setting up the chinlock. Mensah fights up and starts the comeback, including a springboard kick to the face for two. A springboard moonsault misses for Mensah though and Gacy finishes with the Upside Down at 5:08.

Rating: C. If Schism is only getting five minutes in a week, things are looking up. I don’t know if they’re downgrading the team a bit or if this was just a cameo, but keeping them away from the main NXT for a bit is nice to see. Mensah continues to be little more than a jobber to the stars but at least he did his thing well enough here.

Overall Rating: C. It was nice to have some fresh faces around here, but there isn’t much more to the show than that. Gacy being around gave the show its star power for the week and since he didn’t talk, we’ll call it a positive. You never know what you’re getting with this show, though at least there are some people heading to the main NXT to give these matches a bit more importance.

Results
Dante Chen b. Boa – Double chop
Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer b. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson – Sol Snatcher to Jackson
Joe Gacy b. Oro Mensah – Upside Down

 

 

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: March 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is the Roadblock special, because we need a special event less than a month before what is probably the biggest NXT event of the year. Since the NXT Champion is in a six man tag, the real main event is probably Shawn Michaels appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect. NXT has teased Michaels fighting Waller, so odds are we see who is doing it in Michaels’ place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Tiffany’s Epiphanies, as Tiffany Stratton runs down the card and talks about how we got here. In her own style of course.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dijak

This is the Jailhouse Street Fight, meaning a casket match with a jail cell (weird choice of name). Dijak tries a nightstick to start but gets clotheslined to the floor instead. It’s way too early to send Dijak into the cell but D’Angelo fights his way out of it too. After Stacks gets knocked down, they head back inside where Dijak hits High Justice onto a chair. Dijak throws in a bunch of chairs as commentary makes Big Boss Man references.

A bunch of chair shots put D’Angelo down but he catches Dijak on top with a chair shot. The flipping belly to back superplex sends Dijak crashing (that looked good) and we take a break. Back with Dijak hitting a springboard elbow to put D’Angelo through a table on the floor (that looked good). D’Angelo is back up with the belly to back Rock Bottom on the floor and they’re both down.

Dijak is sent into the cell but brings Stacks with him for the save. A discus boot to the face puts Stacks over the barricade so D’Angelo throws Dijak down. D’Angelo explodes with chair shots but a low blow gets Dijak out of trouble. Stacks dives into the cell to keep the door from closing, allowing D’Angelo to come back with a bunch of crowbar shots. The door is slammed onto Dijak’s head and D’Angelo locks him in for the win at 11:22.

Rating: C+. The elbow alone gets this a boost but otherwise, I have no idea why this needed to have the jail cell deal. It didn’t add much of anything and Dijak getting knocked cold in the cell isn’t much better than having him get pinned. This was a weird way to go, but a face D’Angelo could be….I’m not sure what actually.

Roxanne Perez is nervous about facing Meiko Satomura tonight and she has pushed herself harder than ever. She’s ready.

Josh Briggs comes in to Kiana James’ office to talk about Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley. Briggs points out the flowers that someone (who he assumes to be Jensen) sent her and says his friends’ happiness is his own happiness. After pulling away the name card and hiding it under her planner, James seems concerned and agrees to call Jensen tonight.

Here is Gallus for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Pretty Deadly, who pop up on the platform. Gallus wants them down here face to face and ask what it is going to take to make that happen. Gallus lays the titles down and say come take them, so here is Pretty Deadly. The beating doesn’t take long and Pretty Deadly runs off without much of a fight. The eventual match should be interesting.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t pleased with Stevie Turner because she is here for a fight. Valkyria wants the Women’s Title too.

New signing Dragon Lee is here.

Indus Sher vs. Bron Breakker/Creed Brothers

It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Indus Sher taking over. We start with Veer and Breakker hammering on each other until Julius comes in to take over. Brutus slams Julius onto Veer for two before it’s off to Mahal. A suplex drops Mahal in a hurry and it’s off to Breakker to slug it out with Sanga. Everything breaks down and the good guys send them outside for the big flip dive, allowing them to pose as we take a break.

Back with Mahal kneeing Julius in the face for two but Julius flips out of a belly to back suplex. Sanga comes in to run Julius over but something like an Angle Slam gets Sanga out of it. Breakker gets the tag and scores with a moonsault before Julius hits a heck of a 450 for two. A Doomsday Deice is broken up though and Sanga runs Julius over. A side slam/middle rope elbow drop gets two and everything breaks down again. Everything breaks down and Breakker spears Sanga and Mahal. Julius slams Veer down, setting up a Doomsday Brutus Ball for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C+. That should be the end of the Creeds vs. Indus Sher unless they run back the regular tag match one more time. Other than that, this was Breakker smashing people and the Creeds holding their own against the monsters. Mahal continues to add nothing, but that hasn’t stopped them for a long time now.

Long video on Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect. We waste no time in having Shawn Michaels come out as the guest, with Waller saying he would have freaked out if he was here at 12 years old. Waller brings up being a Bret Hart guy though, and Shawn says “we’re going there”? As the fans chant HB Shizzle (that will never get old), Shawn talks about how they used to be cool and wants to know what changed.

Waller talks about how he won the Iron Survivor Challenge, he was taking over. For some reason though, Shawn treats Waller the same as people used to treat Shawn in his day. Shawn was told he was too small and not a draw but look what happened. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says Waller cashed in his title shot and lost. To see the problem, Waller needs to look in the mirror.

Waller says Shawn is only in the Gorilla Position every week because HHH had a heart attack. Shawn can give him that one, but Waller needs to understand something: HBK is directing this ship. Waller accuses Shawn of trying to get rid of him, maybe even cutting him after Wrestlemania, because they don’t want a star. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says NXT has always been about the collective.

We hear a list of names who helped build the place (including the Undisputed Era) and the current stars, which includes Waller. The thing is, Waller is just a part of it. Waller: “I’m a part of it! I’m a part of it!” Waller doesn’t buy this team player stuff from SHAWN MICHAELS, but Shawn says that isn’t true of him now.

That sends Waller out of his chair, because Shawn doesn’t see what is right in front of him. Shawn: “ENOUGH!” People a lot bigger than Waller have been running him down for 40 years, but do not ever run NXT into the ground. Waller: “Then do something about it.” Waller issues the challenge for Stand & Deliver for Shawn to put on the HBK had one last time.

Shawn takes off his jacket and says that for over a decade, he has had people challenging him to a Wrestlemania dream match. People have been asking for dream matches for so long that they have backed the Brinks truck to his door. Heck the drivers know his address! Waller is just a guy and he’ll come and go. Everyone wants to fight Shawn, and nothing would make him happier than to beat Waller up at Stand & Deliver.

The reality is there is someone who wants to take Waller out even more, and that man is…..Johnny Gargano. The brawl is on and Waller bails in a hurry. Ok they needed someone big if Shawn wasn’t going to do it and Gargano fits. And remember: Waller interrupted Gargano’s NXT farewell and it was never followed up on, so well done for some continuity.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Dolin (who didn’t get an entrance) takes her to the floor to start and the brawl is on. Back in and Dolin cranks the arm and yells a lot before going right back to the floor. Dolin knocks her down again and we take a break. Back with Dolin fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped with a clothesline for two. Dolin fires off kicks to the chest but Jayne grabs a neckbreaker. Dolin is right back with an abdominal stretch, which she swings back like a crucifix bomb….for the pin at 7:58. Well ok then.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what happened here but it wasn’t an interesting or even important feeling match. The ending came out of nowhere and felt more like Dolin caught Jayne rather than beating her. This match showed one major problem: outside of having different hair color, there isn’t much to make these two stand out from each other. Save for a few moments here and there, they have never done anything other than stand behind Mandy Rose and be a team. That doesn’t work well when you need to make a new star and it wasn’t working here.

Post match Jayne shrugs off the impact of the abdominal stretch bomb and loads up a Pillmanization but referees break it up. So this is going to continue?

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Fallon Henley about the Kiana James stuff. Josh Briggs comes in to compliment him on the roses idea, but Jensen seems a bit confused. Anyway, James calls him (Jensen: “Hey girl.”) and they seem to have a date, with Henley being astounded by how he was talking. Henley and Briggs pick up on the roses deal and have an idea.

Here is Bron Breakker to say it’s time to set up the biggest match on the biggest stage. At Stand & Deliver, he wants Carmelo Hayes, and calls him out right now. Cue Hayes to say that yes, it is time for these two to go at it. Breakker says he has been going through challenger after challenger but he kept wanting it to be Hayes. They’re both ready to fight and they’ll do it at Stand & Deliver. This felt like they were building up a battle of titans rather than a personal feud and that is a good way to go.

Thea Hail is meditating with Tyler Bate when Chase U comes up. Hail is making progress in her recovery and she’s ready to be out there for now. Duke Hudson doesn’t buy Bate’s “snake oil” for a second.

Joe Gacy vs. Andre Chase

Joined in progress with Chase hitting a running clothesline and hammering away as Chase U is rather happy on the floor (Schism on the other hand is unhappy). Gacy knees him in the face and gets two off a brainbuster. Chase comes right back with the spelling stomps but gets caught on top. A sunset bomb gives Chase two but Thea Hail goes after Ava on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I’m out of ways to get upset at Chase losing and Gacy winning over and over. For the life of me I don’t get what NXT sees in Gacy and Schism but there is a chance that it involves the father of one of the team’s members. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and involved far too healthy of a dose of Gacy to be very good.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are in the woods under the full moon and get rather spooky.

Post match Andre Chase tells Thea Hail he’s proud of her but Duke Hudson reminds Chase that he lost. Hudson says Chase U is a bunch of loses and a bloody joke before walking off.

Wes Lee issues another open challenge for next week. Cue Axiom to say he’s getting the shot, though Lee says get to the ring first. Seems cool with Axiom.

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Satomura is challenging. Bell, handshake, break nine seconds in. Back with Satomura taking her down with a test of strength but Perez pulls her into a chinlock. That’s reversed into an ankle crank before Satomura starts striking away at the face. A running forearm just wakes Perez up and she dragon screw legwhips Satomura down. Perez knocks her outside for the dive but a super Russian legsweep is blocked.

Satomura kicks away but Perez sticks the landing on a Death Valley Driver. Another attempt works and Satomura hits the cartwheel knees to the back. They head outside with Pop Rox not exactly working so Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for two, with the foot on the rope saving the title. Perez is fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was the best match of the night and it was hyped up more than any other match, but it didn’t exactly feel epic. Part of that is due to Satomura being explained to us rather than shown to us. She is absolutely a legend and by far the best in-ring star in the division, but her only time under the WWE banner was in NXT UK. No one saw her there, so what is there for fans who haven’t seen her to go off? She’s clearly great if you just watch her in the ring, but you need more than that to make this feel like some huge accomplishment for Perez.

Post match respect is shown…and Perez collapses. Referees and medics come out, with Booker T. getting in the ring to check on her as well. Perez is taken to the back on a stretcher and into the ambulance to end the show. This feels like it is tying into the “I’ve never trained harder” promo from earlier.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be a special. There were some matches that felt bigger than normal, but giving the show a name and talking about it like it was something important didn’t really work. Having so much Stand & Deliver talk didn’t help either, as that show felt so much bigger than anything else that was going on here. What we got was good, but this certainly didn’t feel like a must see show, no matter what catchy name it had.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Dijak – Dijak was locked in the cell
Creed Brothers/Bron Breakker b. Indus Sher – Doomsday Brutus Ball to Veer
Gigi Dolin b. Jacy Jayne – Abdominal stretch bomb
Joe Gacy b. Andre Chase – Handspring lariat
Roxanne Perez b. Meiko Satomura – Rollup

 

 

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

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

AND

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