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:

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AND

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

NXT
Date: May 30, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Battleground and that means it is time for NXT to head back home. There is a lot of fallout to deal with here, but we also have a weaponized steel cage match. That would be for those of you who just don’t get enough out of putting two wrestlers inside a big steel box. Let’s get to it.

Here is Battleground if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne, as the two of them were part of that famed two woman team known as Toxic Attraction. They were friends and now they’re not, so let’s put them in a cage full of weapons.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

In a weaponized cage, but Jayne jumps Dolin from behind during their entrances. Dolin is sent into the steps and the cage wall before Jayne throws her inside for the opening bell. Jayne whips her with a belt, only to be sent into the cage. Dolin gets in some not great belt shots of her own before putting a trashcan over Dolin’s head.

Some kicks rock Jayne and a running dropkick against the trashcan gets two. Dolin chokes with the belt some more and we take a break. Back with Dolin firing off knees and hitting an STO for two. Jayne plants her on some chairs for two and it’s time to load up a table. That’s a bit too long though and Dolin fights back on top, setting up a kind of chokeslam through the table for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: C+. It was a violent enough match (in the WWE sense that is) but I’m getting rather tired of having to put weapons in a cage. If that’s the option, why bother with the cage at all? Just do a street fight and have the weapons that way instead. Other than that, this still didn’t exactly feel like some big blood feud, but at least this should wrap it up for good.

Long recap of Battleground.

Wes Lee is happy with his win on Sunday but he’s a bit sore. The Dyad comes in to yell at him but Tyler Bate evens things up. A tag match seems likely.

Tony D’Angelo had his mugshot taken.

Gallus is happy with their win at Battleground when Stacks comes in. Stacks accuses them of turning D’Angelo in and gets beaten down as a result.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to brag about retaining at Battleground. Before they can get too far, here are Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson to interrupt. Dar brags about retaining his title but Williams points out the cheating that it took to keep the Heritage Cup. Hayes says the Heritage Cup is on a level, but the title is on a bigger level. They argue about whether Hayes could beat Dar once, let alone in two falls, with Hayes being accused of practicing load management (meaning he doesn’t wrestle often). Hayes gives Dar a title shot tonight.

Cora Jade brags about how unfair she was treated in the tournament but Ivy Nile comes in to tell her to shut up. They get catty with each other and a match seems likely.

Reggie comes up to Axiom in the back and thanks Axiom for opening his eyes. That’s why he helped Axiom against Dabba-Kato last week. Reggie leaves and Axiom doesn’t seem to know what to make of that.

Dyad vs. Wes Lee/Tyler Bate

Bate takes Fowler down to start and gets two off a sunset flip. Lee comes in and kicks Fowler in the head, setting up a spinning crossbody for two more. The good guys clear the ring with dropkicks but the Dyad is back in for the staredown….and Mustafa Ali is here. We take a break and come back with Ali on commentary as Bate is in trouble.

Bate knees his way out of a double suplex attempt as Ali talks about being a free agent, meaning he can show up anywhere. The tag brings in Lee to clean house, including a kick to Reid’s back in the corner. A double Cardiac Kick drops the Dyad and stereo Spiral Taps knock them silly. The Tyler Driver 97 finish Reid at 9:27.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough, but the Ali stuff is what matters here. Ali is someone who definitely needs to come up with something new and going down to NXT, where he can do more of his own style without getting crushed, might be just the ticket. For now though, I’ll setting for Bate rising up the ranks a little bit more.

Post match Ivy Nile runs out to jump Ava, drawing in Joe Gacy to go after Lee. Mustafa Ali comes in to help clear the ring and poses with Lee and Bate.

We look back at Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey mocking Thea Hail at Chase U during Battleground.

Earlier today, Gulak was running a grappling class and Hail made sure to get involved. Hail gets in with Dempsey and we cut away before we see how it goes.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for her big celebration, complete with various pictures of her in the ring. She lists off various stars who have won the title before and talks about what it means to be a champion. Tiffany calls out all of the women in the locker room, who must feel star struck. She brags about how she might just retire for life and thinks that everyone should have a chance at the Tiffy Title. Next week, it’s a battle royal to crown the new #1 contender, but it doesn’t matter who wins. Balloons and confetti go off but a bunch of women get in the ring to knock her to the floor.

Noam Dar’s goons come up to Trick Williams and they bicker a bit.

Dani Palmer is in the ring to demand that the attacker show her face. We see some clips of the attacker’s attacks and here is the attacker to attack again. And it’s Blair Davenport.

Last week, Eddy Thorpe was consoled over his loss when Damon Kemp came in to mock him. They’ll fight next week (as in a week from this show airing, not a week from them arguing).

Joe Coffey vs. Stacks

The rest of Gallus is banned from the building. Stacks starts fast with a headlock but gets sent into the corner for his efforts. A knee and elbow to the ribs give Coffey two but Stacks is able to knock him outside. We take a break and come back with Coffey hitting a release suplex for two as Stacks stays in trouble. Stacks gets in an elbow but they take it outside where Stacks is sent into the steps. The running headbutt to the chest and All The Best For The Bells finishes Stacks at 10:00.

Rating: C. Well that was a bit long, which might have something to do with the roster still being a bit thin. Joe hasn’t been in the ring much lately but he can still wrestle a competent power match. Stacks seems to be up to something with the whole D’Angelo deal and I’m curious to see where that goes. Then again there is every chance that Stacks turned on D’Angelo, and I’m not sure how interesting that feud would be. For now though, they had a decent enough match here.

Mr. Stone isn’t happy with Von Wagner being mad and says it’s time he sees a therapist. Stone will even pay for it! Wagner promises to think about the offer.

We get a kind of mini documentary on Ilja Dragunov getting ready for his Last Man Standing Match, followed by a look at the match itself. This, and the match, were rather good.

Cora Jade vs. Ivy Nile

Nile starts fast but gets pulled down by the hair to cut her off for two. Jade ties her in the ropes for a chop, which hits Nile HARD in the face. A running dropkick gets two but Nile fights up. Cue Ava for a distraction though, allowing Jade to hit Jaded for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere and they had an angle in the middle to take away even more of what they had. I can see why Jade is getting the win as she is in a better place at the moment, but I still think there is something to be done with Nile. She’s a unique kind of star and if she can get better in the talking department, she has a bright future.

Tank Ledger and Hank Walker love chicken parm, honey badgers and buffalo sauce. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe come in to discuss sauces and everyone seems cool.

The Diamond Mine and Schism get in an argument backstage.

NXT Title: Noam Dar vs. Carmelo Hayes

Only Hayes is defending, this isn’t under Heritage Cup rules. Trick Williams, Jakara Jackson, Oro Mensah and Lash Legend are all here too. Dar takes over to start but Hayes picks up the pace to get a breather. A springboard spinning crossbody takes Dar to the floor and we take a break. Back with Hayes hitting the Fade Away for two and striking away as Dar can’t get much going.

A pump kick drops Dar again and Hayes plants him down for two. The seconds get in a fight on the floor, which is enough for Williams to be ejected. The distraction lets Dar elbow Hayes down for two and slap on the kneebar. With that broken up, Dar puts Hayes on top but here are Dragon Lee and Nathan Frazer to cut off Mensah’s interference. Hayes hits a dive onto the villains on the floor, setting up Nothing But Net to retain the title at 11:12.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure how much drama there was to this one but Dar isn’t going to be hurt by losing to the NXT Champion. Lee and Frazer still being mad over Battleground makes sense and I liked having them run in here. Hayes can put on a good match with anyone and having him rack up another win is a smart move. He just needs a next big challenger to come after him.

Post match Baron Corbin of all people runs out and jumps Hayes. Corbin holds up the NXT Title to end the show. I’ve heard far worse ideas.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t a great show, but there was enough good action and stuff moving forward to come off of the pretty great Battleground. I like having the main roster guys come down, as they feel like a big deal and very well could pick up a title here or there. For now, we’re probably getting ready for the big TV special before setting up Great American Bash and that isn’t a bad way to go after one of the bigger (and best) shows of the year.

Results
Gigi Dolin b. Jacy Jayne – Chokeslam through a table
Wes Lee/Tyler Bate b. Dyad – Tyler Driver 97 to Reid
Joe Coffey b. Stacks – All The Best For The Bells
Cora Jade b. Ivy Nile – Jaded
Carmelo Hayes b. Noam Dar – 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:

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Axiom vs. Dabba-Kato

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eddy Thorpe vs. Tyler Bate

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

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

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

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

Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer

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

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

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

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

Frazer and Lee admire the cup as Dar freaks out.

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

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

Hank Walker vs. Tank Ledger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luca Crusifino vs. Von Wagner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Battleground rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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:

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AND

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

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

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

We open with a recap of the NXT Draft picks.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Drew Gulak

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

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

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

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

Axiom vs. Scrypts

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

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

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

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

Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh

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

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

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

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

Post match Lee and Dar brawl to the back.

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

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

We look at various women being attacked in recent months.

Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey.

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

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

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

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

Dani Palmer vs. Tatum Paxley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: April 4, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and quite a few things have changed. We had a pair of title changes, with the biggest being Carmelo Hayes taking the NXT Title from Bron Breakker. That should make for some interesting futures for multiple people around here so let’s get to it.

Here is Stand & Deliver if you need a recap.

We open with a long Stand & Deliver recap.

Here is new NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell to get things going. She can’t believe she’s finally champion and thanks the fans for having her back. Hartwell talks about going from nothing to something and then falling right back down but the fans never gave up on her. She wants Roxanne Perez to have the first title shot but here is Zoey Stark to interrupt. Stark hasn’t heard anything from Perez so Hartwell should give Stark the title shot instead. Hartwell says it’s on.

Yesterday at the airport, Axiom interrupted Wes Lee and again asks for a one on one title match. Sure.

Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Pretty Deadly

Stacks rolls Wilson up to start and hits a springboard forearm to take him down. D’Angelo comes in with a knee lift and a yell to Wilson as everything breaks down. Stacks gets sent into Wilson in the corner but a non-tag allows Wilson to come back in and take over on Stacks in the corner.

Prince comes in off a tag and sends Stacks into the corner again for two but it’s right back to D’Angelo. House is cleaned but Pretty Deadly changes places under the ring skirt. The distraction is enough for D’Angelo to be sent into an exposed buckle to give Prince the cheating pin at 7:08.

Rating: C+. That’s all it needed to be as Pretty Deadly gets to keep their roll going and D’Angelo and Stacks get to save some face due to the cheating. Pretty Deadly is one of those teams who work very well with everything they’re doing and have figured out exactly how to do everything they’re doing. That’s a hard trick to pull off and they’ve made it work so well.

Jacy Jayne laughs at the idea of Gigi Dolin winning the Women’s Title.

Odyssey Jones vs. Dijak

Dijak gets crushed in the corner to start as Jones uses the size advantage. With that not working, Jones heads up top but gets kicked in the head, allowing Dijak to hit a Death Valley Driver for two. The top rope moonsault finishes Jones at 2:47. The moonsault looked good.

Post match Dijak says he’s mad.

Video on Dragon Lee.

Gallus says this is their kingdom.

Nathan Frazer vs. Dragon Lee

Before the match, here is the returning Noam Dar with the NXT UK Heritage Cup. Dar talks about how he is back after months away and brags about how awesome the Cup is. Feeling out process to start with Frazer’s headlock not working so well. They flip to an early standoff and we take a break.

Back with Frazer being sent into the corner. Frazer fights out but gets caught again, with Lee hitting the top rope double stomp. Back up and Frazer kicks him down, setting up a Phoenix splash for two. Lee catches a charging Frazer in a sitout powerbomb for two more, followed by a running knee to finish Frazer at 10:10.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that lets both of them shine as they have the talent to go in a slightly longer than usual sprint. These two were trading their big spots and moves until Lee won to establish himself a little bit around here. Frazer might never be a star in NXT, but he is going to have a job for a long time by making people look good in competitive matches.

Chase U is pleased with the win at Stand & Deliver, with Andre Chase thanking Tyler Bate. Duke Hudson asks about his credit when Chase reminds Hudson that he doesn’t like awards. Hudson gets up and talks about everything he did, so Chase says next week, Hudson is getting the MVP trophy!

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to defend their Tag Team Titles against all comers. Drinking ensues.

Wes Lee is proud of what happened on Saturday and calls it the proudest match of his life. He knew he picked the right guys, but there is still Axiom to deal with tonight.

Women’s Title: Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell is defending and slips away to start. Stark hits a running kick for two and gives us a stunned kickout look face. Hartwell gets sent into the corner but comes out with a hard right hand for two. Another hard shot puts Hartwell down though and we take a break. Back with Hartwell fighting out of the cravate but getting taken down with a clothesline for two. Hartwell makes a quick comeback and hits a top rope elbow for two. The spinebuster gets the same but Stark is back with the flipping knee to the face, which sends Hartwell outside. Back in and Stark covers for two but Hartwell rolls her into a cradle for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C. I’m still not wild on Hartwell winning the title after being so miserable for so long, but at least she picked up the pace a bit here. Giving her a win over someone like Stark does at least help reestablish her without going too far over a big time challenger. Not a bad match, but like most of Hartwell and Starks’ stuff, it was just kind of there.

Post match Tiffany Stratton comes out to stare at Hartwell but Cora Jade comes in to jump Hartwell and say the title is hers. Stratton isn’t impressed.

Brooks Jensen begs Kiana James for forgiveness when Fallon Henley comes in to say James is cheating on her. James says she was dating around and playing the field. Then they had their first kiss and it was special. James leaves and Henley/Josh Briggs say James is trying to make him the bad guy. Jensen yells at them to stay out of his relationship.

Commentary acknowledges the passing of Bushwhacker Butch.

Cora Jade is leaving when Lyra Valkyria pops in to threaten her about trying to run away from fate.

Tatum Paxley vs. Ivy Nile

Nile goes right after her to start but Paxley knocks her into a headlock on the mat. Back up and Nile unloads in the corner, setting up something like a spinning Big Ending. A spinebuster lets Nile hammer away some more, followed by the Diamond Chain Lock to make Paxley tap at 4:24.

Rating: C-. This is what it needed to be, as Nile, the much more polished star, gets to run over Paxley to end their feud (at least in theory) and move on to something else. There was no reason to believe that Paxley was a threat to Nile and they didn’t bother trying to make her one. The match was little more than a squash and it went as it should have.

Ilja Dragunov is disappointed in losing at Stand & Deliver but promises to come back. Von Wagner comes in to challenge him but Mr. Stone pops up. Stone will get him the match for next week, but if Wagner loses, they’re done. Thank goodness, as this story has been on repeat for weeks.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Axiom

Lee is defending. They go with the grappling to start and Axiom gets a rollup for two. A test of strength goes to the mat with Axiom getting the better of things, setting up a springboard armdrag. Lee is sent outside and gets dropped by a dive, only to pop back up with a knockdown of his own as we take a break.

Back with the two of them slugging it out until Lee takes him down for a basement dropkick. A rolling double stomp gives Lee two but he has to fight out of Axiom’s choke. Axiom grabs a small package for two and knocks Lee back. The Golden Ratio misses though and Lee hits the Cardiac Kick for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Much like the Frazer vs. Lee match, this was something that was going to work well just due to the people involved. Let them go out there and have an entertaining match because they’re both skilled and work well together. Other than that, it should put an end to Axiom coming for the title, which could open the door for someone interesting to come after Lee.

Post match Lee shows respect and leaves. Cue Scrypts to jump Axiom but he gets dropped with a quick kick. Axiom says he’s going to expose Scrypts.

Nathan Frazer is upset by a tough loss but seems to have an epiphany about what he needs to change.

Coming to NXT: Tank Ledger, Dani Palmer and Oba Femi. They’re all regulars on NXT LVL Up.

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes for the big championship celebration. Hayes brags about his accomplishments and Williams declares it the HIM Era. Hayes says he’s a great champion but he has to give Bron Breakker his credit too. If Breakker is back there, Hayes would like him to come to the ring, so here he is. Things are fine here and Hayes thanks Breakker for the show of respect after the title change. On behalf of Hayes and everyone in NXT, thank you.

Breakker says every champion loses to the new guy and it was his job to pass the torch to the new man. That’s why he did what he did, just like Tommaso Ciampa did to him. Breakker tells the crowd to show respect for the new champion and goes to leave but Hayes stops him for a handshake….and then Breakker turns on both of them and lays them out. The fans chant ONE MORE TIME to end the show. If Breakker is staying in NXT, he had to do this.

Overall Rating: B-. Unlike Raw, this felt like a show that was coming off a big event and actually did something. You had promises of debuts, a big turn in the end, and some nice action throughout. This came off like a show that was planned in advance and I’ll take that over things being made up on the fly. Pretty solid effort this week, and as usual, they set things up for the future, which is so important yet not done nearly often enough elsewhere. As usual, NXT is dependable and that’s great to see.

Results
Pretty Deadly b. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks – Ram into exposed turnbuckle
Dijak b. Odyssey Jones – Moonsault
Dragon Lee b. Nathan Frazer – Running knee
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Stark – Rollup
Ivy Nile b. Tatum Paxley – Diamond Chain Lock
Wes Lee b. Axiom – Cardiac Kick

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

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

Stand & Deliver 2023
Date: April 1, 2023
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s probably the biggest NXT show of the year as they get to set the table for tonight’s Wrestlemania. This show is solid enough on its own though with multiple title matches, including the closest thing the modern NXT has to a dream match. The main event will see Carmelo Hayes finally challenging Bron Breakker for the NXT Title so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Chase U vs. Schism

The winners control Chase University. Chase starts with Fowler and hammers him into the corner so it’s off to Reid instead. Hudson tags himself in, which doesn’t sit so well. Hail comes in and gets to face the debuting Ava. Or maybe not as Ava hands it off to Gacy, which brings Chase in for the fight. Gacy knocks him down and tries his own spelling stomps, which is going too far for Chase.

With Chase in control, Hail comes back in, meaning Ava has to join her. Ava powers her down but Hail gets in a knockdown. A springboard backsplash connects so Fowler makes the save and comes in to face Bate. Some interference helps put Bate in trouble so he muscles Fowler up into a suplex and dives over for the tag to Chase.

Everything breaks down and Bate is sent to the floor as Hudson FINALLY comes in for the save. Bate hits Bop and Bang on Gacy but Hudson big boots Bate down by mistake. The handspring lariat connects but Gacy Chase makes the save. Schism takes everyone but Hudson down and Gacy offers him a shirt.

The Chase U shirt comes off (that gets the fans’ attention) and the Schism shirt goes on, but the rest of Chase U stands up to fight anyway (that was good). Then Hudson rips off the shirt and the real fight is on, with quadruple Bop and Bangs into quadruple spelling stomps. Bate and Hail hit dives to the floor, setting up the Fratliner to finish Fowler and save the school at 11:16.

Rating: C+. The crowd reaction here was a good sign as the fans have long since wanted to see Chase U get the big win. Hudson changing shirts twice was a heck of a roller coaster sequence and that is what they were trying to have. This should finish off the Schism feud for good and that is not a second too soon. Now get them on to some kind of title feud already, as it is LONG overdue.

The opening video looks at the major matches, with Pretty Deadly throwing in some comments about what we’re going to see and how important it is.

Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell

Perez is defending in a ladder match. The fight is on to start with Perez headscissoring Stark into Stratton in the corner. Perez hammers Valkyria down and low bridges Stark to the floor, setting up the dive on Hartwell. The ladder is picked up but a baseball slide drives it into Perez instead. Dolin tries her own ladder, which is baseball slidden into her as well. Perez and Valkyria get back in and fight over control of a ladder until Perez gets crushed into the corner.

Back up and Valkyria kicks Dolin in the head before suplexing her into the corner. Valkyria starts to go up but gets broken up, with Hartwell getting to kick Stark in the face a few times. Perez cuts off Hartwell from going up and slugs it out with Stratton on the ladder until Hartwell shoves it over. Dolin is back in with the ladder around the head helicopter spot before sending Valkyria onto a ladder laid up in the corner.

The big ladder is brought in and Perez, after avoiding a ladder being thrown at her, goes up. Stratton is there to cut her off though and both of them get knocked down. Hartwell is back in with a spinebuster to put Stratton on the ladder but gets knocked down by Stark. A ladder is bridged between the big ladder and the corner and Perez gets to make a save. Perez hurricanranas Stratton to the floor and goes up but Dolin makes the save.

Dolin swings her into the standing ladder, setting up the abdominal stretch bomb. Valkyria gets tied in the standing ladder so Dolin can go up, only for Valkyria can pull herself up. Dolin sends Valkyria crashing down but….Jacy Jayne pops up to knock Dolin down onto the bridged ladder. Referees get rid of Jayne so Stratton pops up the ladder, which is pushed over by Hartwell, leaving Stratton to basically Swanton the floor as she lands near some other people. Back inside and Hartwell can’t bring herself to climb….but here is Dexter Lumis to help her up and win the title at 17:01.

Rating: B. Are you kidding? After months of Hartwell’s “oh well, guess I’m wrestling today, doesn’t matter if I do though”, she gets the title for the sake of an InDex reunion? I can’t imagine Hartwell keeping the title for very long, but after all of the interest that I’ve lost in her over the last several months, this is really hard to care about.

The rest of the match was your usual multi person ladder match with people crashing all over the place, but thankfully they didn’t do anything too crazy. These matches have been done to death but they did things well enough to be a high energy opener that didn’t do a lot of the bad things that happens in these things.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Creed Brothers vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

Gallus is defending and agree to not drink to be ready. Julius, D’Angelo and Coffey start things off with Julius starting fast. It’s quickly off to Stacks, who gets small packaged and slammed down. Everything breaks down and the Creeds take over on the floor as UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier approves from the crowd.

Back in and Mark knees Brutus and decks D’Angelo, allowing Wolfgang to get the tag. Wolfgang and D’Angelo slug it out until Brutus hands it back to Julius for a bunch of suplexes into nipups (cool sequence). Stacks comes back in to run some people over until he gets sent to the apron.

Mark picks Stacks up on his shoulders….so Julius lifts BOTH of them onto his shoulders for a double electric chair (albeit as they hold the ropes but still). Brutus comes off the top and completely misses the Brutus Ball (the fans could tell too) and everyone crashes down before they go back inside. D’Angelo clotheslines Wolfgang to the floor and a double spinebuster drops Mark to give Stacks two…..as Joe Coffey returns to make the save. Gallus’ fireman’s carry flapjack/big boot combination finishes Stacks at 8:15 to retain.

Rating: C+. This was a step down from the opener and the ending was all about the big Joe Coffey return. Aside from that (and the not so great, yet still impressive) electric chair spot, it was pretty much your run of the middle triple threat match. There isn’t much you can do with that standard formula and while it was a fine way to get the teams on the show, it wasn’t exactly great.

Pretty Deadly wants to interview Bron Breakker…..but decide to give him his space instead.

We recap the North American Title match. Champion Wes Lee wants the best so he has requested four challengers (cut down from ten), meaning Wes got to pick his opponents to get us here.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom vs. Ilja Dragunov

Wes is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. McDonagh and Dragunov go outside to start with Wes sending Dragon out there soon after. Wes takes Axiom down but McDonagh and Dragunov are back in for the rapid fire chops. Dragon breaks that up and takes them both down into the corners for the running dropkicks.

We settle down (kind of) to Dragon vs. Axiom with Dragon knocking him outside for the big running flip dive. Wes is back in to strike away at Dragon, setting up a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Dragunov comes in to go after Wes, who sends him straight into the corner. McDonagh comes back in and takes over until Wes knocks him to the apron. That just means a moonsault onto Dragunov and Axiom on the floor.

Back in and the Devil Inside hits Wes but Dragunov grabs the referee’s arm at two. Everyone but Wes goes after McDonagh to take him out, leaving all five down. Most of them get back up and it’s Dragunov getting to clean house, including the Constantine Special (619 into a clothesline) to Axiom. Dragunov (bleeding a bit from the forehead) clotheslines Wes and then Death Valley Drivers him into Dragon in the corner.

Axiom is back up and sends Dragunov outside for the moonsault onto Dragunov and McDonagh. Dragon ties Wes’ knee up in the ropes and hits a big top rope double stomp to take him out. Back in and Axiom beats up Dragunov and McDonagh but Dragon makes the save. Dragunov powerbombs Axiom onto the other two and covers all three, with Wes diving in for the save. Axiom kicks Wes out of the air and Dragunov blasts Dragon with a knee.

Wes makes the save and moonsaults onto Dragunov for two of his own. McDonagh is back up to Rock Bottom Axiom onto Dragon for two but Axiom manages the springboard moonsault DDT to drop McDonagh for two more. With McDonagh on the apron, Axiom hurricanranas him onto Wes but Dragunov superplexes Axiom from the apron to the ring for two, with the Lees making the save. Dragunov gets caught between Dragon and Wes but manages to kick his way out of trouble. The Torpedo hits Dragon, only to have Wes hit the Cardiac Kick on Dragunov at the same time for the retaining pin at 19:19.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action and drama packed match that you would have expected, as it was all about people coming in and making saved and going for a bunch of falls. The good thing is that multiple people were real options to take the title but Wes gets to retain to look even better. What felt like it could have been a nothing reign coming in has turned into one of the best the title has had and has elevated Wes to a much higher level. Pretty sweet match here and it didn’t need all of the shenanigans or violence.

Pretty Deadly (in different clothes) want to talk to Carmelo Hayes but can’t decide which knock to use. Trick Williams pops up to say leave them alone. Hayes is ready to win the title though.

We recap Grayson Waller vs. Johnny Gargano. Waller is a disrespectful jerk and wanted to face Shawn Michaels. Instead, Michaels brought back Gargano to fight for NXT. Then Waller made it personal, so this is unsanctioned.

Video on Gargano, in case you forgot/have never seen him around here.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

Unsanctioned and Gargano jumps him before the bell to send it outside. Waller twists the knee around so Waller can go yell at Vic Joseph. Back up and Gargano unloads with trashcan shots to the back, with a big one sending Waller to the floor. The big dive is cut off by the trashcan lid though and Waller sets up a bunch of chairs at ringside. They’ll be for later though as Waller takes him inside for a buckle bomb.

Gargano is back up and suplexes Waller over the top and onto the chairs for the nasty crash. It’s time to set up a table, allowing Waller to get in his own shot. Sweet Chin Music is loaded up but Gargano knocks him to the floor. Waller drives him hard into the apron to take over but can’t follow up after the crash. Gargano takes too long going after the table, allowing Waller to hit his rolling Stunner.

They slug it out back inside with Waller taking over, including some kendo stick shots. Waller goes over to Candice LeRae and Gargano’s son, which is too far for Gargano. With the baby handed off, Gargano fights back and Candice jumps the barricade to beat on Waller with the stick.

Back in and One Final Beat gets two and Waller fights back again. A Van Terminator into a trashcan (there’s one of your big spots) gets two on Gargano and Waller isn’t happy. They go back to the floor where Waller puts him on the announcers’ table, only to take FOREVER to go up top. That lets Gargano pelt a chair at him and start hammering away again. Waller manages a quick rolling Stunner for two and yells a lot, only to get hit low. Gargano unloads with a chair over and over until the Gargano Escape finishes Waller at 18:19.

Rating: B-. This is what it should have been, as Waller is more about the hype and talk than what he can do in the ring (where he’s good enough). On the other hand you have Gargano, who is one of if not the most successful NXT star ever. Gargano stood up for NXT and beat down the loudmouth who kept running the place down. Waller is going to be fine after the loss and can talk his way right back to where he was. For now though, Gargano gets another nice moment, which is what he has been needing in recent months.

Post match InDex comes out for the big Way reunion.

Stacks is upset about losing but Tony D’Angelo says it’s ok. Pretty Deadly comes in to mock them and a big fight breaks out.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Fallon Henley/Kiana James vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Henley and James, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs, are defending. It’s a brawl on the floor to start before they head inside. Fyre trips Finlay from the floor so the villains can take over, with Fyre’s superkick getting two. Henley manages a knockdown though and it’s James coming in to clean house.

A belly to back gets two on Fyre and it’s back to Henley, who gets choked by Dawn in the corner. James trying to break it up only makes things worse but Henley fights out anyway. A middle rope Blockbuster gives Henley two and everything breaks down. James is sent outside but pulls Dawn out with her.

Back in and a powerbomb/missile dropkick combination gets two on Fyre with Dawn making the save. Fyre gordbusters James and Dawn comes in for a double superkick and a near fall. Everyone is down and James tells Jensen to give her the purse. Briggs says no and the distraction lets Dawn and Fyre take the champs down. A Backstabber/Swanton combination to James gives us new champions at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as they brought the energy throughout. They also got the ending right, as changing the titles was the only way to go here. Henley vs. James in a showdown is all but guaranteed and now they have cleared away the big thing that was holding it back. Solid stuff here, as Fyre FINALLY wins something in NXT (not UK).

We recap Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title. Breakker is unstoppable but Hayes has been successful against everyone else. This is treated as a dream match and I can actually see that for once.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes

Trick Williams handles Carmelo’s entrance, saying he needs the fans to stand so Hayes can deliver. Hayes makes sure he is completely beloved here by having a Lakers themed entrance. After the Big Match Intros we’re ready to go, with Hayes not being able to get anywhere with a power attempt. With that not working, Hayes tries to pick up the pace but his springboard is knocked out of the air.

Breakker grabs a front facelock and lifts Hayes up in quite the power display. Hayes sends him into the corner for the break and stomps away, setting up a springboard clothesline for two. The Fujiwara armbar goes on to keep Breakker down until the power helps him get back up. A shoulder gives Breakker two and he tries a torture rack, only to have Trick pull Hayes to the ropes.

That’s enough for an ejection and Breakker uses the distraction to flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Hayes hits a pump kick into a pretty sweet springboard suplex (Breakker was standing on the bottom rope and Hayes bounced off the middle rope to pull him in. Hayes goes up so Breakker jumps to the top and Frankensteiners him down. They pull themselves up and slug it out in the middle with Breakker getting the better of things.

The Steiner Recliner is blocked though and Hayes pulls him into a Crossface. That doesn’t last long either so Breakker hits the spear….right into the referee. Now the Recliner goes on to make Hayes tap but there’s no referee. Trick is back with a belt shot to Breakker for a rather close two. Breakker tries the gorilla press but Hayes switches into a Codebreaker. Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin and the title at 16:15.

Rating: B+. I liked this one a lot as it felt like a main event level match between two guys who were working well beyond their experience level. Hayes even won close to clean, as Breakker kicked out of the belt shot and Hayes beat him on his own after that. Hayes has been ready to be the guy around here and there is a long list of people who could defend against right off the bat. Heck of a match and a worthy main event

Post match Breakker glares at Trick and then hands Hayes the title in a show of respect. That feels quite a bit like a goodbye from Breakker and it’s not like he has anything else to do around here anyway.

Overall Rating: B+. This was getting into the same feeling of a Takeover (it’s not THAT good but it’s getting there) with nothing bad, wrestlers doing better than you might have expected, and the very good matches in different parts of the card. I had a rather good time with this and it’s probably the best NXT show since the original was blown up. They certainly, ahem, delivered here.

Results
Chase U b. Schism – Fratliner to Reid
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Stark, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria and Gigi Dolin – Hartwell pulled down the title
Gallus b. Creed Brothers and Tony D’Angelo/Stacks – Fireman’s carry flapjack/big boot combination to Stacks
Wes Lee b. Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Axiom and Ilja Dragunov – Cardiac Kick to Dragunov
Johnny Gargano b. Grayson Waller – Gargano Escape
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Fallon Henley/Kiana James – Swanton/Codebreaker combination to James
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 has come a long way in the last few months, having gotten away from the 2.0 stuff and trying to get back to where it was before everything went coconuts. A good portion of that is getting on the road again and that is what they are doing here with the biggest show of the year. As was the case last year, this is a glorified warmup to Wrestlemania, but it is also a heck of a card on its own with a major showdown in the main event. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kiana James/Fallon Henley(c) vs. Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn

This is one of your classic tropes of partners, or even champions in this case, who can’t stand each other but have to work together. Henley and James don’t like each other over what James might be doing to Henley’s friend Brooks Jensen and James isn’t exactly being open about things. Now they have to fight these monsters and that could be quite the problem for them.

I’ll go with new champions here, as James and Henley don’t feel like they are supposed to be long form champs. Fyre needs to win SOMETHING in NXT and this is about as good as it is probably going to get or her. That being said, it would not shock me a bit to see the angle drawn out even more, as there is a love of dragging out stories that could be over in about five minutes if someone would watch the TV show. But yeah, Dawn and Fyre win.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus(c) vs. Creed Brothers vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

This is a match that has been set up over a few weeks, mainly due to drinking and shooting pool at a local bar. Gallus are the big brawlers, the Creeds are the big wrestlers and D’Angelo and Stacks have mob ties so they can get whatever shot they want. Oddly, D’Angelo and Stacks have been leaning more towards the good side of late and it’s strangely working for them. I’m not sure that’s enough to win the titles though.

I’ll take Gallus to retain here, as they haven’t really done much with the belts so far. Their look alone is enough to get them a chance, but they can back it up well enough. The Creeds have already had their title reign and don’t need another so soon, but D’Angelo and Stacks winning would make some sense too. For now though, I’ll go with Gallus retaining, as they can lose them in a big regular tag match later.

Chase U/Tyler Bate vs. Schism

Here we have a match that should go one way but very well may go in the stupid way instead. Schism continues to be one of the least interesting, most annoying and useless things I have seen in wrestling in a very long time and they have already dragged Chase U down with them over the last few weeks. The winner of this gets control of Chase U and Duke Hudson isn’t exactly happy with what he has been doing lately. This doesn’t instill me with hope.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll go with Chase U, as I absolutely cannot take Schism getting another featured role. Schism talking as much as they do now is annoying as all goodness and it would be hard to fathom them getting to talk even more. Chase U really needs a win too and it would be great to see them FINALLY get to shut these pests up. I’m completely unsure if they will, but for the love of all things good and holy do the smart thing here.

North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom

For once this isn’t a ladder match and that was quite the relief to see. Instead it’s a scramble, with Wes wanting to face ten challengers at once but only getting four. In this case I could see a bunch of people walking away as champion, with Wes being right in the middle after having a rather strong reign with the title. It’s nice to have something this wide open as it leaves you with a bunch of options.

I’ll go with…..I think I’ll go with McDonagh winning, as he has been teased to win something big for a long time now and they might as well let him steal the pin here. Wes has held the title long enough that he doesn’t need to hold it much longer and a bunch of people could chase McDonagh very quickly. This is wide open and that makes for a fun match, which at least doesn’t involve a ladder.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

This is the personal match of the show as Waller is the huge pain and Gargano is standing up to fight for NXT. The match seems to be unsanctioned, even though Waller didn’t seem to sign the contract to make it official this week. What matters is getting Gargano back to his roots as it doesn’t seem to be working so well on the main roster. At least he is getting a chance here and it should be good.

I’ll take Gargano here in the big feel good moment as Waller has shown he can find a way to get back on top just by complaining enough. He is one of those people who will never shut up and he can do that all over again after Gargano wins. If nothing else, this ends the Gargano/Shawn Michaels issues with Waller and we can move on, as I’m sure Waller can find another target quickly enough.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez(c) vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Indi Hartwell

NOW we get to the ladder match and Perez is back to defend her title after missing a few weeks. As usual, you can eliminate some names right off the bat from this, as I can’t imagine Stark or Hartwell getting the title. At the same time, Dolin is shaky at best but could be an X factor. That leaves a few names as possible winners and that makes things more interesting.

I’ll go with Stratton winning here, as her winning the title and bragging about it would be perfect for her. You can then have Perez chase the title that she was never pinned for while also playing into her recent medical issues. Dolin or Valkyria winning isn’t out of the question, but this feels like it should be Stratton or Perez. I’ll take the former, in another match that could be wide open.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Carmelo Hayes

This is the match that has been set up for months now because there is no one left for Breakker to face. Hayes has felt like the next big thing around here and can back it up as well as anyone else. He has the athleticism, the talking and the resume to make him feel like a star, but Breakker is another kind of force. This is a toss up match and I have a feeling that the loser is going to be making it up to the main roster.

I’ll go with….Hayes to win here, as there is just no reason to keep the title on Breakker much longer. While Hayes would be fine on the main roster at the moment, putting him on top of NXT for a bit feels like something he has earned. There is no bad ending here though and that is a great thing to see. This feels like a special match and I want to see how well they can make it work.

Overall Thoughts

The potential is here for a major show and that is great to see. What matters here is having the top talent around and the main event feels like a huge showdown. Going on the road makes the show feel that much bigger as this show is just a few hours before Wrestlemania. NXT has come a long way and they are looking like they deserve everything they are getting here. Now just make it work.

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 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We have two shows left before Stand & Deliver and things have been picking up around here. That should make for some interesting moments on the way forward and we should be in for two nice weeks of NXT on the way to Los Angeles. NXT does know how to build up a show and hopefully they do it again here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller, including Waller invading the Garganos’ house last week.

Here is Pretty Deadly for a chat. They are your Stand & Deliver hosts so they are erasing all footage of last week’s beatdown from the NXT archives. Cue Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to interrupt, setting off an argument about titles. A challenge is issued for tonight with Williams accepting on behalf of….Hayes and Bron Breakker? The fight is on with Hayes getting double teamed, drawing out Breakker for the save.

Post break Hayes rants about how they didn’t need Breakker’s help. He doesn’t want to team with Breakker but Williams says this is a front row seat to study Breakker up close, which seems to work for Hayes.

Roxanne Perez has sent out a tweet saying she will be back, but she doesn’t know when.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Indi Hartwell

Stratton clotheslines her down to start but Hartwell hits some of her own. They fight to the apron with Hartwell being dropped on the apron as we take a break. Back with Hartwell fighting out of a chinlock as Booker T. can’t remember who Razor Ramon fought in a ladder match (thinking it was the 1-2-3 Kid, which never happened). Stratton double stomps her down but gets caught in a belly to back suplex. The kickout has Stratton frustrated so she misses a springboard Swanton, allowing Hartwell’s spinebuster to get two. Stratton Regal Rolls her to set up a moonsault for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. Hartwell has fallen so far in recent months and Stratton shrugging off her signature spinebuster with commentary not even making it a big deal tells you a lot. Stratton seems ready to move up to the title scene and getting into the ladder match is a good start. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do.

Gallus is playing pool when the Creeds show up and want to shoot some pool. Gallus wins but lose at darts. A Tag Team Title match is set up for Stand & Deliver. The four go to leave but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are outside. They would like to discuss some Stand & Deliver business, with Julius saying it’s going to be a long night.

Lyra Valkyria trains in what seems to be an empty building.

Gigi Dolin doesn’t feel bad about Jacy Jayne being hurt because she can watch Dolin win the Women’s Title. Tiffany Stratton comes in to laugh off the idea of Dolin winning. She’ll climb the ladder to the tippy top!

Wes Lee is in the ring to talk about having to give it everything he had, hence all of the challenges. He needs four challengers for Stand & Deliver….and here is Dragon Lee (no relation) to interrupt. Dragon wants to prove himself as well and wants in, with Wes saying he’s fine with that. Cue JD McDonagh to say he wants in as well but they both mock him for the upcoming beating at the hands of Ilja Dragunov. Cue Dragunov and we’re ready for our scheduled match.

Indi Hartwell is livid at her loss and Zoey Stark makes fun of her.

Kiana James watches the Hartwell outburst when Fallon Henley comes in to yell about what she found in James’ office last week. As you might expect, James is livid about the invasion of privacy but Henley is more upset about how James is treating Brooks Jensen.

Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh

Dragon Lee is watching at ringside. Dragunov knocks McDonagh down hart to start but McDonagh takes over and hits the slingshot spinning splash. Back up and they both avoid shots to the face before an exchange of hard forearms leave them down. Dragunov grabs some rolling German suplexes (the fans approve) before the 6 1 Line gets two. McDonagh sends him outside in a heap though and we take a break.

Back with McDonagh’s leg wrapped around Dragunov’s neck until he turns it into a Brock Lock (from the mat) to escape. McDonagh strikes him down and ducks the jumping enziguri before kicking away at the face. Now the jumping enziguri gives Dragunov a breather as the fans are rather interested in AEW’s (surely soon to be released) Fight Forever game. Dragunov plants him down but gets caught with a German suplex. Back up and Dragunov kicks him in the head but has to fight off McDonagh’s Twister. They fight to the floor again and both get into it with Dragon Lee, which is enough for the no contest at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was two guys hitting each other rather hard until they went to the ending to save both of them. Normally that would be annoying but it is a good idea here, with both guys needing to be kept strong as they (likely) head to the ladder match in Los Angeles. Sometimes you need a hard hitting fight and that is what you got here.

The brawl is on with Wes Lee taking them out and helping Dragon up.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come in to see Bron Breakker. Bron says they have the chance to do something special at Stand & Deliver but accuses Pretty Deadly (and Trick) of being clowns who can screw it up.

Wes Lee grants Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh spots in the North American Title ladder match. There is one spot left and here is Axiom to claim it. Wes says a lot of people want the match so next week, we’re going to have a battle royal for the last spot. Axiom is cool with that because all he wanted was a chance.

Here is Johnny Gargano……’s music, as we get Javier Bernal instead. Bernal wants to know why people love Gargano instead of him. What does Gargano have that Bernal doesn’t? Cue a ticked off Gargano to beat Bernal down before grabbing a microphone. Gargano has a contract for Grayson Waller to sign to make their match unsanctioned. Waller pops up on screen to say he’ll sign it…next week, as long as Gargano isn’t in the building. Gargano leaves the paper with Vic Joseph and knocks Bernal down again.

Eddy Thorpe (better known as Karl Fredericks) is coming next week and wants to honor his people (which appear to be Native Americans). Then he plays some DJing equipment (that’s certainly a combination). He’s here next week.

Ivy Nile is upset after what Tatum Paxley did to her last week but is ready to go to Stand & Deliver.

Video on Hank Walker.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey watch the Walker video, with Gulak wanting Dempsey to be a good student, seemingly telling Dempsey to hurt Walker.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Ivy Nile vs. Lyra Valkyria

Nile rolls her up to start before going after the arm and kicking her in the face. Valkyria sends her into the corner but Nile is right back with a snap suplex. The Diamond Chain Lock is broken up though and Valkyria nails a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 2:53. I know they’re pushing Valkyria and that makes sense, but dang that didn’t make Nile look very strong.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre jump Fallon Henley in the back, with Kiana James making the save.

Wes Lee is looking forward to the battle royal when Jinder Mahal, Dijak and Daba Katto take turns coming up to him, threatening to win next week.

And now, Chase U and Schism have a debate. First up, Rip Fowler talks about how much inclusion matters to the Schism. They even offered Duke Hudson a chance to take off his mask of school spirit. Hudson mutters something about taking off his mask and sits down, with Andre Chase asking what the f*** was that.

Next up we have Ava and Thea Hail talking about safety. Ava is happy to be under the Schism Tree and Hail…recites (rather quickly) a statement that sounds like it’s from a Chase U handbook. Then she goes into quite the rant about how evil Schism is, which has Chase rather impressed.

Finally we have Andre Chase and Joe Gacy talking about how prepared their associates are to be on their own. Gacy cuts Chase off and mocks the students before Tyler Bate comes out of the crowd. Bate goes into a big speech about how you need a prepared mind to be ready, and that is something you get at Chase U, not with Schism. The match is…not on, as Gacy says they have already beaten Chase U. Hudson offers to put up the school and that’s enough for the match to be set. Schism talking isn’t a good thing, but that should set up the blowoff match for good.

At the bar, Gallus, the Creeds and Tony D’Angelo/Stacks seem to have done a lot of drinking. Now a triple threat match is set for Stand & Deliver, as the bar is wrecked.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Bron Breakker/Carmelo Hayes vs. Pretty Deadly

Trick Williams is here too. Hayes takes Wilson into the corner but Prince comes in to knock Hayes outside. Back in and the ring is cleared, with Hayes and Breakker looking a bit nervous about each other as we take a break. We come back with Hayes cleaning house but double teaming takes him down.

Wilson grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back and a clothesline keeps Hayes in trouble. Hayes misses an enziguri but gets over to Breakker anyway. Everything breaks down and Breakker almost charges into Hayes in the corner. Instead Hayes hits a Codebreaker so Breakker can spear Wilson down. Breakker hands it back to Hayes for Nothing But Net and the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty run of the mill tag team formula match and while I’m not wild on Pretty Deadly taking another fall, at least it was two two juggernauts whose combined forces could be pret….never mind. Nice match here and Breakker can feel like a monster when he is let loose. Throw in Hayes looking as smooth as anyone in NXT and this worked well as a main event.

Hayes hands Breakker the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw and Smackdown, there isn’t much left to do for Stand & Deliver outside of filling in a few empty spots. They added enough this week to make the show feel important, though Stand & Deliver needs to get here before they lose momentum. For now though, this was a good enough nudge in Los Angeles’ direction. Just don’t screw up next week and get to the big show safely.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Indi Hartwell – Moonsault
JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov went to a no contest when Dragon Lee interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Ivy Nile – Spinning kick to the head
Bron Breakker/Carmelo Hayes b. Pretty Deadly – Nothing But Net to Wilson

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 14, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are past Roadblock and there has been a big story on the way to Stand & Deliver. The main event of last week’s show saw Roxanne Perez defeat Meiko Satomura to retain the Women’s Title. Perez collapsed after the match though, resulting in the title possibly being vacated. Tonight we start the qualifying matches for the (say it with me) ladder match for the (possibly) vacant title at Stand & Deliver. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Roadblock.

Here is Johnny Gargano to get things going. After asking the fans to watch his back so that Grayson Waller doesn’t jump him, Gargano talks about how Waller jumped him fifteen months ago. Waller attacked him during his farewell and then Gargano waited to see what Waller would do next. The last person to take him out was Tommaso Ciampa, who went on to become one of the greatest champions in NXT history. Gargano calls NXT his home….but hold on because Vic Joseph pops up with a phone, showing Waller at Gargano’s actual house. Gargano runs off to deal with this (as he should).

Earlier today, Wes Lee arrived and Axiom met him at his car, saying no one was interrupting his title shot tonight. Lee says the match is eight hours away but Axiom isn’t leaving his side. They’re off to eat.

Gargano left to deal with Waller.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly

Gallus is defending with Mark forearming Prince into the corner. Another hard shot sends Wilson outside so it’s off to Wilson, who gets beaten up by Wolfgang. The champs knock both of them outside and we take a break. Back with Mark in trouble and Pretty Deadly taking turns beating him down. Wilson kicks him in the back a few times and we hit the neck crank.

A backdrop gets Mark out of trouble though and it’s back to Wolfgang to clean house. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang is taken outside, where he pulls both challengers out with him. With nothing else working, Pretty Deadly gets in a belt shot for two on Mark but Spilled Milk is broken up. Instead Mark hits a running elbow and a running knee/fireman’s carry flapjack retains the titles at 12:33.

Rating: C+. That was more abrupt than I was expecting as this match seemed to have the chance to be a bit bigger. They have teased it enough in recent weeks but instead this came off like they were wrapping it up as fast as they could. At least Gallus got the clean pin though, which should get rid of Pretty Deadly from the title picture for the time being.

Josh Briggs is covered in leaves as he and Fallon Henley break into Kiana James’ office (featuring a door handle camera). They find a contract for a qualifying match for the Women’s Title, with James having already signed. Henley didn’t know about this and isn’t pleased, but a planner showing things like “get Brooks to make Fallon team with me” etc don’t sit well. Then they find notes about someone names Sebastian, who also sent the flowers last week.

Roxanne Perez has…hasn’t officially been stripped of the Women’s Title but qualifying matches (like the one mentioned in the previous segment) for a Stand & Deliver ladder match for the title will begin tonight. So if she’s healthy she’s in and it’s a title defense? I guess?

Perez’s doctor says her tests are clear but they aren’t sure what is going on or when she will be back in the ring.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark

Ruca knocks her to the floor to start but gets caught with a superkick to slow her down. Back in and Stark kicks her down, setting up the cravate. Back up and Ruca sends her to the floor for a heck of a moonsault from the top. Ruca loads up a springboard but dives into the flipping knee to the face to send Stark to Stand & Deliver at 4:32.

Rating: C. The match didn’t have time to do much but they did send Stark on to the ladder match. That being said, as strong of a heel as Stark as been, there is something to be said about going with the one with more momentum at the moment, as Ruca has been riding that Sol Snatcher for a good while now. There wasn’t a bad result here, but Ruca might have been the better option.

Scrypts (because he’s still a thing) talks about how he is drawn to one person and holds up a mask (Axiom’s perhaps).

Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. It’s a brawl to start with Dawn being knocked to the floor, leaving Carter and Chance to double team Paxley. A rollup gives Paxley two on Carter but Dawn is back in. Dawn comes in and helps beat up Paxley, with Carter being sent into Paxley in the corner.

It’s off to Nile for a double suplex on Fyre and house is cleaned. A few shots put Nile in trouble…but Paxley won’t tag her, instead getting in a shot to the face. Paxley goes to leave as Fyre and Dawn beat Carter down. That’s not enough as Paxley comes back to kick Nile in the ribs. A Backstabber/Swanton combination finishes Nile at 4:04.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here at once and it was probably better for them to speed through things. Fyre and Dawn make a lot more sense as challengers than the other teams so they went in the right direction. Then you have Nile and Paxley splitting, which is probably for the best as the team never felt quite right together. Nile moving back into the singles run is a good thing too, as she could be a big deal in the division down the line.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks offer Bron Breakker some protection during tonight’s contract signing. Breakker makes Sopranos references before declining and leaving. D’Angelo thinks it’s time to win some gold. Tag team gold. That might explain Pretty Deadly’s loss.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to talk about what JD McDonagh has done to him and his family in recent weeks. Cue McDonagh to say the two of them have caused each other a lot of pain both here and in the UK. Either they are destined to do this for a long time together or something has to change. Dragunov is ready to fight next week but the brawl is on now instead. They brawl off to the back.

Pretty Deadly can’t believe they lost but know they’ll have a spot at Stand & Deliver. Since no match could contain their star power so they should BE the show….as hosts!

Wes Lee is on the way to the ring for his match when he runs into a brawling McDonagh and Dragunov. McDonagh shoves him but Lee is sent to the ring anyway.

Thea Hail and Tyler Bate are doing their exercises when Andre Chase asks them for a minute. This means the two of them leave so Chase can talk to Duke Hudson. Chase talks about how wins and losses aren’t what matter around here, as Hudson has gone from skating by to giving him a purpose. Hudson thinks about this as Chase leaves, but Ava (who had been watching while wearing a Schism mask) comes up and puts her mask over the Chase U sign. Hudson isn’t sure about this. That’s an interesting way to go for Chase U, but egads the Schism problem just won’t go away.

Grayson Waller is impressed by Johnny Gargano’s house and goes to make sure the door isn’t unlocked.

A bunch of people fight to get to the ring to answer Wes Lee’s Open Challenge. Axiom manages to get in the ring…but Scrypts jumps him from behind, so I guess it doesn’t count. Then JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov brawl into the ring, leaving Lee to hit a flip dive onto the huge pile. No match.

Dragon Lee is excited to be here and likes what he saw with the open challenge.

We recap Dabba Kato returning at Vengeance Day and laying out Apollo Crews.

Jacy Jayne, with her arm in a sling, still knows she’s better than Gigi Dolin. The loss is written of as gossip, because Dolin had to cheat to win by injuring Jayne’s shoulder. Violence is promised in the future.

Apollo Crews vs. Dabba Kato

Crews dives off the top to take Kato out before the bell and the brawl starts on the floor. They get inside for the opening bell and go right back to the floor with Kato being sent into the steps. Back in and Kato knocks him down hard we we take a break. We come back with Crews still in trouble as Kato works on his back.

Crews slugs away to no avail as Kato drops a leg on the back of his head as Booker goes on about champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Some kicks to the head and an Angle Slam get Crews out of trouble though and a frog splash gets two on Kato. They go outside with Kato chokebombing him onto the steps for a rather close nine count. Crews dives back….into a sitout chokebomb to give Kato the pin at 8:47.

Rating: D+. I’m certainly glad they got this out of the way, as Kato gets his revenge for…whatever caused the issue between these two. It’s another example of a former pairing that didn’t really warrant a follow up getting one anyway, which is a running problem around here. Kato isn’t exactly improving but I’m sure he’ll wind up as a bodyguard for someone, which very well may be his ceiling anyway.

NXT Anonymous films Shawn Michaels asking Wes Lee to cool it with the open challenges but Lee says he has to prove himself. Lee wants to fight TEN PEOPLE at Stand & Deliver but Shawn gives him a Fatal Five Way instead.

Kiana James can’t get in touch with Fallon Henley but Brooks Jensen offers to go out there with her instead.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

No Brooks Jensen. James rolls her up for two to start as the fans are behind Dolin. A running kick to the chest gives Dolin an early two but James knocks her down. The chinlock with a knee in the back doesn’t last long as Dolin makes the ropes. The comeback is on, with an STO into the abdominal stretch bomb finishing James at 2:32. That was strangely abrupt.

Post match Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn run in to beat up James, with Brooks Jensen running out for the save.

Johnny Gargano gets back to his house and finds Grayson Waller outside, with the brawl starting in the yard. Gargano gets the better of it and tells Candice LeRae (who comes to the door) to call the cops (Gargano left NXT about an hour and a half ago. Why aren’t they already there?). Waller sends him head first into a wall and hits him with what looks like a rake before dropping Gargano face first into the dirt. Waller leaves and Candice, with daughter, checks on Gargano.

Stand & Deliver rundown, with Pretty Deadly officially hosting.

Brooks Jensen consoles Kiana James, who wants to know why she was jumped on her own. Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs show up, still in costume. Jensen: “You saw the bear movie without me!” Briggs: “I did. It was really good! I’ll watch it with you….” and James cuts them off. Henley had no idea about Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn qualifying for Stand & Deliver. Henley isn’t sure what to say.

It’s time for the contract signing between Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams). Booker on Bron: “He don’t want no buffalo sauce!” Vic: “What are you talking about???” There is no emcee for a change but they decide they don’t need one. Cue Pretty Deadly to run things and insist they aren’t here for violence. Hayes says the change is coming at Stand & Deliver. He did it with the North American Title and he’ll do it again with the NXT Title. At Stand & Deliver, Bron is coming in second place.

Breakker wants the good Hayes who beat everyone else, with Pretty Deadly saying that Breakker is an angry kitty. Hayes: “I thought you said you weren’t going to talk.” Hayes wants the unstoppable Breakker, because it’ll make the win that much sweeter. Breakker wants to see that Hayes being “Him” is more than just a saying on a shirt. Hayes talks about how this is such a huge match and they’re both ready for the pressure. He will deliver at Stand & Deliver and wants to make sure Breakker does the same.

Hayes signs and Breakker does the same so everything is official. They go to leave but Pretty Deadly says that’s not enough drama. The shirts come off and Pretty Deadly are put through the tables. The staredown ends the show. This made the match feel big, as Hayes is a heck of a promo when he is given the chance.

Overall Rating: C. All of the qualifying matches and other things going on didn’t exactly help Stand & Deliver (the Women’s Title situation alone is enough of a mess), but the main event got a nice boost. They made the match feel that much bigger and I could certainly go for that after taking their time getting to the announcement. Stand & Deliver has mostly come together, but the show still needs a nice lift up outside of the top matches.

Results
Gallus b. Pretty Deadly – Running knee/fireman’s carry flapjack combination to Prince
Zoey Stark b. Sol Ruca – Flipping knee to the face
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile and Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Swanton to Nile
Dabba Kato b. Apollo Crews – Sitout chokebomb
Gigi Dolin b. Kiana James – Abdominal stretch bomb

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.