NXT
Date: September 12, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than three weeks away from No Mercy and tonight we’ll find out the show’s main event. This week will see Ilja Dragunov vs. Wes Les with the winner getting an NXT Title shot against Carmelo Hayes at the big show. Other than that, Becky Lynch is here to challenge Tiffany Stratton for the NXT Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Wes Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov

The winner faces Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title at No Mercy. Lee knocks him into the corner to start and strikes away before doing it in another corner for a bonus. Dragunov comes back with some forearms of his own as commentary runs down tonight’s card. The enziguri misses for Dragunov and Lee dropkicks him in the back of the head.

One heck of a chop puts Lee down again but he flips out of a German suplex. Lee kicks him to the floor and hits the required dive but another is cut off. We take a break and come back with Lee getting two off a hurricanrana and kicking him in the head a few times. A Spanish Fly gives Lee two but a hard clothesline gives Dragunov the same.

Lee scores with the Cardiac Kick to send Dragunov outside but he’s right back with a top rope superplex. The H Bomb gives Dragunov two more so he loads up the Torpedo Moscow. Lee cuts that off with a jumping knee but Dragunov blasts him with the forearm to the back of the head for the pin and the title shot at 13:26.

Rating: B. This was quite the fight with Dragunov hitting Lee very hard but Lee hanging in there with his own fast paced offense. While Dragunov felt like the favorite, it wouldn’t have been crazy to see Lee pick up the win, which gave the match that extra layer of drama. Dragunov vs. Hayes II should be a heck of a fight though and No Mercy is looking a lot better.

Post match Carmelo Hayes comes out for the showdown.

We look back at Bron Breakker crushing Von Wagner’s head with the steps. Wagner moved away at the last second, but still got hit hard enough to suffer a minor skull fracture.

Here is a serious looking Baron Corbin for a chat. Corbin talks about how normally, people don’t like him and he doesn’t like them, but last week was different. Von Wagner has a history of skull issues and Bron Breakker took advantage of that. Breakker needs to come out here right now so here he is, though Corbin cuts him off at the entrance. The fans have to get in their chants about tables (because of course)….but Corbin thought last week was AWESOME! They celebrate a bit, but Breakker says he didn’t do it to make Corbin happy. It was about ending Wagner’s career and he absolutely loved it.

Corbin was out here to be nice and he was even going to pay Breakker’s fine, but apparently Breakker doesn’t get it. We hear about Corbin’s career but Breakker cuts him off and challenges him to a fight at No Mercy. Breakker tells him to spend the next three weeks with his family, but Corbin slaps him in the face and the fight is on. I’m glad they didn’t turn Corbin face (though they could have made it work there) but Breakker jumping straight to the match seemed like it needed another step.

Charlie Dempsey/Damon Kemp/Drew Gulak vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Myles Bore

Fallon Henley is here too. Briggs slams Kemp to start and Jensen adds an elbow, followed by the running corner clotheslines. Gulak comes in and gets caught with a running neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Borne hits his own neckbreaker on Dempsey, followed by Jensen hitting a running spinwheel kick on Kemp. The fight heads outside with Borne posting Jensen so Kemp can hit a Rock Bottom into a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:40.

Borne celebrates with the winners and Henley is upset.

Andre Chase wants Duke Hudson to find Thea Hail but she’s blocked him. We cut to Hail and Jacy Jayne backstage where two guys hit on them. They make fun of Hail for sounding a bit like a child so she beats them up. Hail is tired of looking like this so it’s time to go shopping.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Dana Brooke

Kelani Jordan is here with Brooke. They trade some misses to start until Valkyria kicks her out to the floor. Brooke takes her down for two back inside and the cravate goes on. Valkyria drives her into the corner and starts kicking away before hitting the spinwheel kick. A top rope splash finishes Brooke at 3:34.

Rating: C-. Every week, I watch Brooke’s matches and segments and try to find a way to be interested in anything she does. Every week, that gets harder and harder to do as Brooke continues to be that uninteresting. She’s just someone who can have an acceptable match and happens to have been around for a long time. That doesn’t warrant this much TV time but she’s here doing the same thing week in and week out regardless.

Post match Brooke tries to lunge at Valkyria but Jordan holds her back.

The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament is coming.

Eddy Thorpe isn’t done with Dijak, who pops up in the woods where Thorpe tends to go. Dijak whips a tree and Thorpe is out to get him.

Dominik Mysterio runs into Carmelo Hayes and they brag about their titles. A match is set for next week.

Becky Lynch talks about her original time in NXT and no one thought she was championship material. Now she’s back and ready to win the title. Kiana James comes in to says he doesn’t want Lynch around here, which Becky takes as an application for a beating after she wins the title.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Axiom

They trade snapmares to start before Axiom takes him to the mat with a headlock. Back up and Bate elbows him out to the floor but they switch places, with Axiom hitting a moonsault. Bate powers him up into the airplane spin so Axiom rolls outside as we take a break. We come back with Axiom favoring his knee and charging into a suplex out of the corner.

They trade hard kicks as we see the Meta Four watching, with Noam Dar sitting on an elephant. Axiom cranks on the arm but gets caught in another airplane spin. This one is countered into a poisonrana for two, only to have Bate come back with a brainbuster for the same. Axiom Spanish Flies him into a rollup but Bate cuts him off with the rebound lariat. The Tyler Driver 97 finishes Axiom at 10:10.

Rating: B-. As tends to be the case with a lot of TV matches, the break in the middle killed a lot of the flow they had going. Axiom is one of those great hands that can wrestle with anyone while Bate always feels like he is one step away from being a breakout star. They had a good back and forth match here, but it could have been better with some more time.

Group A Standings
Butch (1-0-1, 3 points, 1 match remaining)
Tyler Bate (1-0-0, 2 points, 2 matches remaining)
Axiom (0-1-1, 1 point, 1 match remaining)
Charlie Dempsey (0-1-0, 0 points, 2 matches remaining)

Butch talks about his history with Tyler Bate, but next week, it’s time for Butch to prove that he is the toughest man in NXT.

Schism, now seemingly just Joe Gacy and Ava, say their tree is dying.

Carmelo Hayes comes in to see Trick Williams, who offers to have Hayes’ back next week against Dominik Mysterio. Hayes declines but they’re absolutely still friends. As this is going on, Wes Lee clears out his locker behind them.

Creed Brothers vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Ivy Nile is here with the Creeds and Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo come out to watch from the balcony. Brutus gets knocked to the floor to start and Enofe dropkicks Julius for a fast two. Back up and an assisted crossbody gets two on Enofe with Blade having to make a save. A Hart Attack Blockbuster gets two on Brutus and a Fameasser puts him down again. Brutus powers up though and brings Julius back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Brutus Ball/powerbomb combination finishes Blade at 3:37.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match, but the Creeds are showing how they are far above almost every other team around here. They’re crisp, they work well together and Julius’ house cleaning is as good as it gets in NXT. They feel like they’re one big match away from the main roster, though the division getting some depth might keep them around a bit longer.

Post match Hank Walker and Tank Ledger come in to stare at the Creeds but Bronco Nima and Lucien Price come in to brawl with them in the aisle instead.

Becky Lynch is glad to see Lyra Valkyria, who wants her to win tonight.

Roxanne Perez talks about what the Women’s Breakout tournament can mean but Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice come in to talk trash to her. My goodness learn how women talk already.

No Mercy rundown.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Akira Tozawa

Frazer grabs a headlock to start before sending Tozawa into the ropes. Tozawa is right back with a snap German suplex into a missile dropkick. With Frazer on the floor, Tozawa hits a dive but takes too long going up, allowing Frazer to run the ropes for a superplex. That’s floated into a suplex neckbreaker for the pin at 2:31. Well that was brisk.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey (2-0-0, 4 points, 1 match remaining)
Nathan Frazer (2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining)
Duke Hudson (1-1-0, 2 points, 1 match remaining)
Akira Tozawa (0-3-0, 0 points, 0 matches remaining)

Joe Coffey is ready to beat Duke Hudson next week and win the group. Hudson comes in to point out that if he wins, it’s a three way tie and he’ll be able to call himself the Spoiler.

Mustafa Ali is happy with becoming #1 contender to the North American Title and doesn’t care about a fast count. Dragon Lee comes in and isn’t happy, but Ali says Lee will get the first title shot when he wins the title. Lee doesn’t seem happy.

Wes Lee says he’s done and leaves.

Gigi Dolin jumps jumps Blair Davenport but security breaks it up.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton

Lynch is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. Stratton drives her into the corner to start and cartwheels into a standoff. Lynch flips around a bit as well but it’s too early for the Disarm-Her. They trade forearms until Stratton knocks her to the apron for a hip attack. We take a break and come back with Lynch hitting a running elbow in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Lynch two but Stratton hits a Sky High for the same.

Lynch catches her up top but a superplex is broken up. A Swanton gives Stratton two and a double stomp gets the same as frustration is setting in. Lynch is back up and counters the Prettiest Moonsault Ever into a super Russian legsweep for two. They head outside with Lynch having to climb onto the barricade to avoid a powerbomb. Back in and Lynch hits a legdrop into the Disarm-Her, sending Stratton to the ropes. The sitout powerbomb gives Stratton two but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses. Lynch is right back up with the Manhandle Slam for the pin and the title at 13:20.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and the good sign is that Stratton looked more than comfortable in there against a top star like Lynch. They’ve got something with Stratton and it seems that they know it, which makes her all the more valuable. At the same time, Lynch isn’t likely to be a long term champion and someone can take the title from her for a big rub. Great main event here and they more than lived up to the expectations.

Lynch celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, NXT is at its best when it lays out a bunch of things it needs to do and then accomplishes them, all while setting up something for the future. That was the case here, with both next week as well as No Mercy being set up. At the same time, they had a good opener and a better main event, making it a strong wrestling show as well. Very solid effort this week and No Mercy is looking that much better rather quickly.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Wes Lee – Forearm to the back of the head
Damon Kemp/Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Myles Borne – Rock Bottom neckbreaker to Jensen
Lyra Valkyria b. Dana Brooke – Top rope splash
Tyler Bate b. Axiom – Tyler Driver 97
Creed Brothers b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Brutus Ball/powerbomb combination to Blade
Nathan Frazer b. Akira Tozawa – Suplex neckbreaker

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: September 5, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than a month away from No Mercy and NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes is wanting to take care of some previous issues. That could make for some interesting situations as Hayes needs a new opponent. Other than that, we still have the Global Heritage Invitational to work on this week so let’s get to it.

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

NXT Women’s Title: Kiana James vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending and they trade some flips into an exchange of wristlocks. They trade cheating rollups for one each until Stratton takes her into the corner and stomps away. James hits a clothesline for two and the double arm crank goes on. That’s reversed into the same thing from Stratton but James is out in a hurry as well. Stereo clotheslines leave both of them down so Stratton goes for the loaded bag. James takes it away and hits the 401k for two but Stratton goes for the eyes. A knockdown into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever retains the title at 5:10.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and given the teases of Stratton vs. Becky Lynch, there wasn’t much of a reason to believe that James was a serious threat. That being said, she did well in her biggest match ever and it’s nice to see NXT giving her a quick boost like this. James is talented, but they might have something special with Stratton and thankfully they seem to know that.

Post match Becky Lynch pops up on screen to say she’ll be here next week….for a shot at the Women’s Title. Well that escalated quickly.

Carmelo Hayes runs into Wes Lee in the parking lot but nothing happens.

The Creed Brothers want the Tag Team Titles back and thank Tony D’Angelo and Stacks for watching out for Ivy Nile. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe come in and seem to want the Tag Team Titles as well.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Oro Mensah

The rest of Meta Four are here too as Dragunov takes him into the corner by the arm to start. Dragunov gets taken into the corner for some elbows to the face but Dragunov kicks Mensah in the jaw. They slug it out until Dragunov misses an enziguri, allowing a superkick to put him on the floor. A suplex drops Dragunov again and we take a break. Back with Dragunov fighting up and striking away, setting up the Constantine Special. Mensah hits a kick of his own for two but Dragunov grabs a powerbomb. The Torpedo Moscow finishes Mensah at 9:47.

Rating: C+. They beat each other up here but Dragunov has a good shot at being the next #1 contender. That made this little more than a warmup match before he has the chance to get the title shot so this went as it should have. Dragunov’s mini feud with the Meta Four could be interesting and going through Mensah to start is a good way to go.

Post match here is Wes Lee to interrupt. They argue over who will get the next title shot so here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Last week Hayes talked to Shawn Michaels and next week, it’s Dragunov vs. Lee for the No Mercy title shot. Well that’s efficient.

Dominik Mysterio is ready to be guest referee.

Nathan Frazer is never going to slow down.

Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail are in the back when Gigi Dolin interrupts. Blair Davenport interrupts as well and, after a lot of bickering, Hail vs. Dolin is set for tonight.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Duke Hudson

Andre Chase is here with Hudson. Frazer picks up the pace to start but gets planted to cut him off just as fast. Hudson is knocked outside for the top rope flip dive but he plants Frazer again back inside. A Razor’s Edge is countered into a hurricanrana and Frazer hits the phoenix splash for the pin at 2:47. They didn’t have time to do anything here but Frazer gets to survive in the tournament.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey – 1-0-0 (2 points, 2 matches remaining)
Nathan Frazer – 1-1-0 (2 points, 1 match remaining)
Duke Hudson – 1-1-0 (2 points, 1 match remaining)
Akira Tozawa – 0-1-0 (0 points, 2 matches remaining)

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are talking to the Creeds when Lucien Price and Bronco Nima come in. Julius offers a handshake but gets ignored as they start arguing about the Tag Team Titles. Scrypts comes in to say he can relate to Price and Nima.

Tyler Bate vs. Dabba-Kato

Bate goes right after him to start but gets caught in a choke for his efforts. Kato bends him over the knee for a bit before blocking Bop and Bang. Somehow Bate manages the airplane spin and the Spiral Tap finishes Kato at 2:54. They went from slow to blazing in about a minute as Kato loses again, meaning he’ll likely be crushing people again soon.

Dominik Mysterio runs into Carmelo Hayes and nothing much is said.

An annoyed Kiana James storms into the women’s locker room and gets in a fight with Roxanne Perez.

Baron Corbin wants Bron Breakker and Von Wagner to destroy each other.

Tiffany Stratton has no comment on Becky Lynch.

Dragon Lee vs. Mustafa Ali

For the North American Title shot and North American Champion Dominik Mysterio is guest referee. Ali takes him to the mat without much trouble to start and they flip up to a standoff. A hurricanrana sends Lee into the corner but he’s right back with a legsweep into a slingshot dropkick. Ali drops him with a clothesline for two but Lee sends him outside or a heck of a suicide dive over the announcers’ table. Back in and Ali snaps off a tornado DDT for two, only to have Lee superkick him for the same. Ali misses a 450 and gets sitout powerbombed for two. Lee complains about the count so Ali grabs a rollup for a very fast three at 5:20.

Rating: B-. They got a lot in there (I’m shocked) and thankfully Dominik wasn’t a factor until the end. Now there is a problem though, as Ali really needs to win the title after this much of a buildup but taking the title off of Dominik doesn’t make sense. It was an exciting match, though the triple threat seems likely after that finish.

Post match Ali says he didn’t want it like that and drops Dominik.

Ilja Dragunov comes in to see Trick Williams and asks about Williams saying Hayes could beat him. Next week, Williams can keep lying to his best friend or himself.

Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey and Damon Kemp yell at Miles Borne for teaming up with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs. They know he isn’t ready and they’ll prove it next week.

Eddy Thorpe isn’t done with Dijak.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Axiom vs. Butch

This could be good. Axiom takes him down into a leglock to start and Butch bails to the rope. Butch ties up the legs this time before stomping on the arm for a change. Back up and a clothesline drops Axiom and there’s the X Plex to make it worse. Axiom’s arm is bent around the rope and we take a break.

We come back with Axiom still in trouble and getting hit in the mask. Axiom manages a quick suplex but Butch pulls him into a quick triangle to cut off the comeback. Some kicks stagger Butch though and we have two minutes left (in the 12 minute time limit). A double knockdown gives them a breather but Axiom is back up with the Golden Ratio. The rope saves Butch so Axiom puts on a quickly broken double arm crank. Butch hits the Bitter End for two but time runs out at 12:00.

Rating: B. These two had a good match and was anyone expecting anything else? They are the kind of guys who can have a good match with anyone and it’s great to see them getting some time. I like the time limit draw here too, as it plays into the tournament scoring while also protecting both of them from a loss. Best match of the night too.

Group A Standings
Butch – 1-0-1 (3 points, 1 match remaining)
Axiom – 0-0-1 (1 point, 2 matches remaining)
Tyler Bate – 0-0-0 (0 points, 3 matches remaining)
Charlie Dempsey – 0-1-0 (0 points, 2 matches remaining)

Post match Tyler Bate comes out to smile at both of them.

Von Wagner talks to a table in rather affectionate terms.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are worried about some of the challengers they might face but here are Los Lotharios to interrupt. Words, and then punches, are exchanged.

Gigi Dolin vs. Thea Hail

Jacy is here with Hail, who is dressed a bit darker. Dolin shoulders her to start and gets two off a backslide. The running hip attack misses though and Hail hits a running splash in the corner. Dolin can’t get the abdominal stretch so Hail jumps up with a Kimura. The rope is reached and they head outside, where Dolin gets in a posting. Cue Blair Davenport for a distraction though and another Kimura finishes Dolin at 3:37.

Rating: C. They were starting to get something together here with the submissions and counters but there is only so much you can do with about three and a half minutes. I can go with the idea of a darker Hail, as the nearly psychotic student was only going to go on for so long. A big reunion with Chase U down the line could be great, but for now Hail is using this to grow and that is a good thing.

The Creeds’ locker room is trashed but it feels good to be back.

Lyra Valkyria and Kelani Jordan chat until Dana Brooke interrupts. Brooke wants Valkyria gone and bickering ensues.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to say she isn’t worried about losing the Women’s Title to Becky Lynch.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

No DQ, Mr. Stone is here with Wagner and Baron Corbin is on commentary. They start fast with Breakker Cactus Clotheslining him to the floor. Breakker is sent over the announcers’ table and the fight goes around the ring. Back up and Breakker gets in a chair shot as we take a break.

We come back with Breakker hammering away and hitting Wagner with a kendo stick. Wagner blocks another swing though, only to have Breakker hit him with a hard clothesline for two. We hit the waistlock but Wagner powers him into the corner and comes back with a sitout powerbomb for two more. A fireman’s carry doesn’t work for Wagner as the ribs give out so Breakker hits the Steiner Bulldog onto a chair.

The Recliner is broken up so they trade clotheslines but can’t knock each other down. Breakker misses a charge into the corner and Wagner hits a chokeslam for two. They go outside with Wagner sending him through the platform. Wagner hits the powerbomb through the announcers’ table but Breakker hits him low back inside. The spear finishes Wagner at 13:31.

Rating: B-. This was more of a wild brawl but a lot of what Wagner did was shrugged off before the spear for the pin. That’s a weird way to go but at the same time, Breakker is still above Wagner on the NXT food chain and it’s too early for Wagner to be getting this kind of a win. Or at least until he drops the “you got tabled/table for one” nonsense.

Post match Breakker grabs the steps and puts Wagner’s head on the other half. Breakker lifts them up and slams them down but we cut to black before the crash. Corbin can be heard yelling something like “HE ACTUALLY DID IT” to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of a strange show this week as they did a lot but a good bit of it isn’t overly important. They set up a North American Title match at No Mercy but there is bound to be some kind of shenanigans in there. The NXT Title match will be set up next week, along with Stratton vs. Lynch. Instead of doing much here, this was more about setting up the future, which makes for an important but not quite interesting show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Kiana James – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Ilja Dragunov b. Oro Mensah – Torpedo Moscow
Nathan Frazer b. Duke Hudson – Phoenix splash
Tyler Bate b. Dabba-Kato – Spiral Tap
Mustafa Ali b. Dragon Lee – Rollup with a fast count
Butch vs. Axiom went to a time limit draw
Thea Hail b. Gigi Dolin – Kimura
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear

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: August 1, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re past the Great American Bash and Carmelo Hayes is still the NXT Champion after defeating Ilja Dragunov in the main event. The show was another strong effort when NXT goes on the road and now they’re having to get ready to do it again at the end of next month. There is a good chance that the build starts here so let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the Great American Bash.

New Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Stacks arrive but get jumped by Gallus. Joe Coffey says no matter what, Gallus boys on top.

Jacy Jayne storms the announcers’ table and promises to finish what she started with Lyra Valkyria at the Great American Bash.

Jacy Jayne vs. Lyra Valkyria

The fight is on before the bell with Valkyria in trouble as we officially get things going. Jayne takes her down and nails a kick to the back before they head outside. Valkyria takes over and we go to an early break. Back with Valkyria elbowing her way out of the corner but Jayne knocks her down again.

A backsplash gets two but Valkyria manages a quick toss outside, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Valkyria’s northern lights suplex gets two but Jayne’s spinebuster gets the same. Back up and Valkyria hits a spinning kick to the head into a top rope splash for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: C. They started fast but then it turned into a more basic match after the break. Valkyria gets a nice win over someone with some status and that is a good idea. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Valkyria as the next challenger to the Women’s Title and a win like this can be a step forward for her.

Trick Williams congratulates Carmelo Hayes on retaining the NXT Title but says he has to start doing this for himself. Hayes is totally cool with that and says Williams should go get his, but Williams says he isn’t a sidekick. Hayes says he never saw Williams as a sidekick, which Williams says he knows, but now it’s Williams’ time to go after the dragon. Williams clarifies that this is NOT a breakup and Hayes promises to have his back anytime. They seem to part as friends.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are getting checked out by the medics but D’Angelo says they want Gallus tonight. Stacks says that’s 3-2 but D’Angelo is going to make a call.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio for a celebratory chat. Mysterio says the win on Sunday makes him the greatest luchador of all time, but here is Dragon Lee to say Mysterio’s dad is the greatest of all time. Lee and Rhea disagree about Dominik’s cajones but we get a title match set for next week. Rhea says she’ll be here too, but Rey Mysterio pops up on screen to say he’ll be in Lee’s corner next week because Lee is the future of lucha libre.

Wes Lee is mad about his loss and vents to Carmelo Hayes, who tells him to calm the h*** down. Noam Dar comes in to say he’s the Heritage Cup Champion because Nathan Frazer never beat him. On the other hand, Dominik beat Lee twice. That’s enough to trigger a brawl, with referees quickly breaking it up.

Thea Hail is depressed over her loss at the Great American Bash, with Andre Chase saying he had no choice. Hail shouted she still had a chance but Baron Corbin shows up to tell them to leave. Corbin tells Hail that the job isn’t for everyone so she should leave. Chase: “That’s it Corbin. You’re a piece of s***.” A match seems to be made but Hail still doesn’t want to talk to Chase.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

Thorpe charges right at Dijak to start and sends him into the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Dijak is right back up for a slugout before drilling Thorpe with a clothesline. Dijak can’t get a chokeslam so Thorpe sends him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. A charge only hits post though and Dijak grabs a chokeslam for two. Back up and Thorpe grabs a suplex for two but can’t hit a German suplex. Instead Dijak tries a torture rack but gets reversed into the German suplex to knock him silly. They head outside, with Dijak posting him hard, setting up the cyclone boot to finish Thorpe at 4:22.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to get very far but they used the time they had well. Dijak continues to feel like a monster and some of the things he can do still look great. At the same time you have Thorpe, who has hit a rough patch and doesn’t feel like nearly the up and comer he was a few weeks ago. There is still time for him, but Dijak getting pushed is certainly interesting at the moment.

Tony D’Angelo makes a call to someone and gets a second partner for tonight.

Dana Brooke and Kelani Jones are happy with Brook’s win last week but tells Jordan to find her killer instinct.

Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez

Leon and Lopez start things off with Lopez taking over. Feroz comes in but gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Vice add a running hip attack in the corner. Lopez’s enziguri sets up a chinlock but it’s quickly back to Vice. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work for Vice and Feroz crawls over for the tag to Leon. Everything breaks down and Vice kicks Leon in the head for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C. Another match without much time, but what matters here is setting up Vice and Lopez as a new team. It’s not like there are a ton of options in the women’s tag division so setting up someone from NXT is a good way to go. Maybe this is just a one off, but beating Feroz and Leon does feel like a little something at least.

Tiffany Stratton talks about how much pain she was in against Thea Hail but she survived. She’ll be back next week for something fabulous.

Wes Lee/Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah/Noam Dar

Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend are here with Mensah and Dar. Lee starts fast on the floor and Hayes has to come out for the save before asking what Lee is doing. We settle down to Hayes being driven into the wrong corner but coming out with the springboard clothesline to Mensah. Lee comes in for two off a falling backsplash as the fans start chanting HAPPY BIRTHDAY to someone (apparently Hayes, who is turning 29). Mensah rolls outside and Lee loads up a dive but Hayes calls him off as we take a break.

Back with Mensah hitting a northern lights suplex for two on Lee. A quick shot takes Mensah down though and the big tag brings Hayes back in to clean house. Hayes takes Dar down with La Mistica (headscissors into a faceplant, minus the armbar) but Jackson gets in the way of something off the top. Everything breaks down and Lee’s Cardiac Kick hits Hayes by mistake. Mensah superkicks Lee into the Nova Roller to give Dar the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This match, especially the ending, was more about setting up Lee as the likely next challenger for Hayes. After Lee’s record North American Title reign, he has more than earned a shot so that all lines up. Other than that, this was a pretty nice tag match and it isn’t like being pinned by a long running Heritage Cup Champion is some major upset. They did what they needed to do here and that’s nice to see.

Post match Hayes and Lee argue, with Hayes trying to play peacemaker but Lee yells a lot.

Bron Breakker talks about the sad story Von Wagner has been telling but the truth is that Wagner is soft like his father. The scar he had on his head was nothing compared to how Wagner will look after Breakker gets done with him.

Axiom is looking to get a North American Title shot (Dominik Mysterio can’t keep his masked people straight) but Mustafa Ali interrupts and tries to get his own title shot. Dominik and Rhea Ripley leave as they argue, with Axiom saying he doesn’t respect the disrespect. Ali rants about being disrespected for three years.

Baron Corbin vs. Andre Chase

The rest of Chase U is here and Thea Hail is rather distraught. Corbin powers him around to start but Chase slips out and knocks Corbin outside. A Death Valley Driver plants Chase on the floor and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Chase’s back back inside. Fans: “THROW THE TOWEL!”

Chase fights up and gets in a shot to the leg before dropkicking the leg out again. The Russian legsweep sets up the spelling stomps but Corbin is back with a spinebuster. A half crab goes on and Thea throws in the towel at 4:40. The referee doesn’t see it so the match continues with Corbin letting the hold go as Thea leaves. End of Days finishes Chase at 5:14.

Rating: C. As much as I want to see him win, Chase losing here is what makes the most sense. He isn’t as big of a star as Corbin, or even close to it, and he has the whole Hail thing on top of it. Corbin gets a bit of a win to help make up for the Gable Steveson mess, but for now it’s going to be about Chase U, which seems to be in a lot of trouble.

We look at Roxanne Perez going back home to Texas for the Great American Bash, where Blair Davenport jumped her. Then she beat Blair in a Weapons Wild match, because no one can break her.

Meta Four is bragging about their win when Tyler Bate returns to say he has been in Tibet for a bit. Since Noam Dar says he’s the Heritage Cup Champion and has beaten everyone, he might need a fresh opponent. Bate accepts the challenge (which he himself issued) so the title match is on next week.

Here is the Schism to find out who messed with them last week. There are six masked people in the ring with them, with Joe Gacy talking about how insubordination must be eradicated. Ava tells them to unmask one by one, with the first two being no one in particular. The third is….Ikemen Jiro of all people, with his stylish jacket. Schism throws him and one other person out, leaving two people that Schism KNOWS are the Creed Brothers. They jump the still masked men but the Creeds pop up on screen from a beach.

They’ve also been to the pyramids, Easter Island, and…well back to the beach in some place they can’t agree on. What matters is they are NOT in Orlando, so we see that the two masked men are just more people. Gacy tells the worldwide followers of the Schism to find the Creeds and bring them back. Well at least the Creeds are kind of back and the Jiro surprise was good for a chuckle.

Last week, Cora Jade snapped after her loss to Dana Brooke and stormed out of the locker room.

Gallus vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks/Santos Escobar

Stacks hammers on Wolfgang to start before D’Angelo comes in for more of the same. A hiptoss sends Stacks into Wolfgang in the corner and everything breaks down, with the good guys hitting stereo punches to the ribs. The ring is cleared out and we take a break with Gallus in trouble.

Back with Gallus taking turns on Stacks, including Mark holding a front facelock. Stacks slips away but his partners are pulled to the floor, meaning there is no one to tag. Not that it matters as the tag off to Escobar allows him to clean house. Mark sends Escobar to the apron, where he scores with an enziguri. A high crossbody hits Mark and a victory roll gets two. Everything breaks down and Escobar snaps off a super hurricanrana to Mark. The Bada Bing finishes for D’Angelo at 9:54.

Rating: B-. This was little more than a fun reunion between Escobar and D’Angelo while giving Escobar a mini boost before his US Title match. It was just fine for what it was and should finish Gallus off from the title hunt for the time being. I can really go for more of these main roster cameos in NXT and this was another good one.

The winners celebrate, and seem to bury the old hatchet…..to not end the show.

Ilja Dragunov says he isn’t done with Trick Williams and promises to begins his retribution next week.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt like a nice, slower edition without much going on but when you look at it, they accomplished a lot. They covered the fallout from the Bash, set up some matches for next week and seemingly set up Hayes’ next challenger. That’s a rather efficient use of two hours and it’s cool to see an NXT that is covering so much in a single night. If there was some better wrestling throughout this would have been one of the better weekly NXT shows in a good bit. For not though, it was just another efficient one.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Jacy Jayne – Top rope splash
Dijak b. Eddy Thorpe – Cyclone boot
Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Superkick to Leon
Oro Mensah/Noam Dar b. Carmelo Hayes/Wes Lee – Nova Roller to Lee
Baron Corbin b. Andre Chase – End of Days
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks/Santos Escobar b. Gallus – Bada Bing to Mark Coffey

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NXT
Date: July 18, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than two weeks away from the Great American Bash and that means it is time to build towards Ilja Dragunov challenging Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title. That should go well, as it’s Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes. Other than that, Judgment Day’s NXT excursion continues as Dominik Mysterio challenges for the North American Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to open things up ans Vic Joseph is seen tapping Booker T. on the arm over and over in the background. Williams introduces Hayes, who talks about how the numbers game and interference cost them a tag match last week. Ilja Dragunov tried to “help” and here is Dragunov to interrupt.

Dragunov says he didn’t mean to mess with Hayes’ business last week, but he wasn’t about to let Damian Priest use his Money In The Bank briefcase to take the NXT Title to the main roster. Dragunov accuses Hayes of losing control last week, but Hayes praises his ability to keep going.

Threats are made for the Great American Bash, with Hayes saying he feels everything. There is no one more qualified to face him than Dragunov, but Hayes isn’t going to lose anytime soon. He is Mr. PLE and he will hit different. Dragunov says he has a fire inside but Hayes promises to blow it out. They only have so much time to set this up so diving in head first like this is a good idea.

Mustafa Ali comes in to Wes Lee’s locker room and says he doesn’t think much about Lee agreeing to face Dominik Mysterio. Ali is already set for his title match, but he isn’t sure about tonight. Lee doesn’t seem to like that disrespect.

Earlier today, Stacks picked up Tony D’Angelo from prison and everything seems ok.

Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza vs. Dragon Lee/Nathan Frazer

Angel and Humberto jump them to start until it’s Frazer picking up the pace as he and Humberto start. A running dropkick sends Humberto into the corner for one so here is Lee for a change. Lee gets taken into the wrong corner and Humberto goes after the mask. A suplex gives Humberto two and here are Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz. Frazer’s flip dive is cut off and dropped in front of them as we take a break.

Back with Lee fighting back and hitting a running knee for two on Garza. Everything breaks down and Carrillo drops Frazer face first onto the announcers’ table. Back in and a double top rope slam puts Lee down, setting up one heck of a moonsault to give Carrillo two. Garza hits a superkick on Lee but Frazer is back in with a middle rope Downward Spiral. Lee’s sitout powerbomb gets two on Carrillo, followed by a running flip into a reverse DDT to finish Garza at 11:27.

Rating: B. This got rocking by the end and that is what you want from a match like this one. It’s always a good idea to let a bunch of fast paced, talented wrestlers go out there and tear the house down and that is almost what you had here. Carrillo and Garza can work well with anyone and Lee/Frazer might just be a bit better. Very fun stuff here with some great near falls.

Post match Garza yells at Carrillo, who shoves him down and says it was his fault. Carrillo leaves through the crowd, with Garza following.

Baron Corbin finds a man standing near a bunch of torches and doesn’t know how he let this happen. Everything was easy but then he burned everything he had. Now it’s time to evolve, but to what? He will face his future, and we see the hooded person is…..a slightly taller Corbin?

Earlier today, NXT Anonymous revealed a clip of Booker T. giving Roxanne Perez a pep talk.

Booker is NOT happy about this invasion of privacy.

Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

James starts fast and hammers away but gets dropkicked to the floor for her efforts. Back in and James slams her down for two before Dolin wins a strike off. Dolin misses a shot though and pulls her down by the hair. It’s time to bring in the loaded bag but Dolin has it taken away, allowing James to hit the 401K onto the bag for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. That’s quite the odd result as I wouldn’t have bet on Dolin, who has felt ready to move up to the next level, to lose here as James hasn’t been doing much lately. Maybe James gets to go somewhere, but there is a good chance that this isn’t over yet as Dolin is going to want revenge. Or at least to find out what is is in the bag.

Last week, Scrypts agreed that he and Axiom would face Lucien Price and Bronco Nima this week, but Axiom said they aren’t a regular team. He’ll team with Scrypts, but this can’t keep happening.

Ivy Nile takes down the Diamond Mine banner.

Noam Dar is so depressed that he canceled last week’s Supernova Sessions.

Last week’s planned Supernova Sessions guest, Eddy Thorpe, is interrupted by the Meta Four, who give him a consolation prize of a photo of Noam Dar. The ensuing trashing of the photo results in Oro Mensah vs. Thorpe, likely tonight.

Bronco Nima/Lucien Price vs. Scrypts/Axiom

Axiom is powered into the corner to start but comes out with a headscissors and kick to the face. Back up and Axiom gets over to Scrypts for some flips…..and a forearm to the back of Axiom’s head as the team splits. A running boot gives Mina the pin on Axiom at 2:12. Good, as the team was holding Axiom back.

It’s time for Tony D’Angelo’s big return celebration. Stacks, with a bunch of people behind him, brings out Tony, who is very proud of what Stacks did. We see a video of the two stringing Gallus along to pretend that Stacks was turning on Tony. It’s all a ruse get the title shot and here is a livid Gallus. They don’t like being lied to, but the rest of the Family whip out crowbars so the beating can ensue. Mark Coffey goes through a table so D’Angelo and Stacks can hold up the titles.

Elektra Lopez vs. Thea Hail

Lopez, with Lola Vice, knocks Hail with Duke Hudson, into the corner t start but Hail comes out with a suplex. Not that it matters as Hail grabs the Kimura for the tap at 1:11.

Post match Hail says she wants to make Tiffany Stratton tap out, meaning it’s time for a REMATCH chant. Cue Stratton to say the rematch is on, because Hail is in over her head. Hail wants a submission match but gets turned down. That’s fine with Hail, who puts on the Kimura again until Tiffany agrees to the stipulation.

Tony D’Angelo and company wish Dominik Mysterio good luck tonight. With D’Angelo and company gone, Rhea Ripley calls over Lyra Valkyria and tells her to deal with Jacy Jayne.

Gable Steveson makes his decision next week.

Oro Mensah vs. Eddy Thorpe

The rest of the Meta Four is here with Mensah. They start fast by trading knockdowns until Mensah gets in a shot to take him down. Some right hands keep Thorpe in trouble and Mensah kicks him down again. The neck crank doesn’t last long as commentary bickers about who is right coming into this. Thorpe fights back and knocks Mensah outside, leaving the Meta Four to carry the catatonic Noam Dar inside. The distraction lets Dijak run in and drop Thorpe, setting up Mensah’s running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much to see but Dijak cutting Thorpe off means we should be having a big showdown in the near future. For now though, Mensah gets to shine a bit, which really has not been the case so far in the Meta Four. Not bad here, though somehow Dar was the interesting part, which might never have been said before.

Kelani Jordan and Dana Brooke do gymnastics. Cora Jade is not impressed.

We get a split screen interview between Blair Davenport and Roxanne Perez. Roxanne isn’t happy with NXT Anonymous (Blair: “It isn’t me.”) but she’s ready to face Blair in her home state of Texas. Blair says Perez had a great rookie year but that was last year. Perez goes off about how she is tired of being treated as this helpless and now she is ready to prove herself. Blair says you either have the killer instinct or you don’t (Perez: “I have it!”) and we’ll see that reality at the Great American Bash. Perez storms out as Blair mocks her.

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Wes Lee

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Lee grabs a headlock to start as the fans debate if Dominik is ready. Lee kicks him to the floor and teases the dive as we take a break. Back with Dominik hitting Three Amigos into the 619 into a Michinoku Driver or two.

The frog splash misses though and they slug it out with Dominik getting the better of things. Some right hands keep Lee down but Lee comes back with some hard shots of his own. Lee kicks him in the face and grabs a springboard tornado DDT. The Spiral Tap connects but cue the Judgment Day for a distraction. Ripley belts Lee and Dominik gets the pin and the title at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This was all about the big surprise at the end and that worked very well. Lee has gotten far more than enough out of the title reign and pulling the trigger here was a great surprise. That was one heck of a curve ball, but as usual, it helps that Dominik can wrestle a completely fine match. It’s not like this is some manager beating Lee, which makes it just a little more interesting. Pretty awesome surprise here and nicely done on finally ending Lee’s reign in a unique way.

The fans are STUNNED as Judgment Day celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The ending and the pretty awesome tag match were what mattered here and carried the show. The Bash is mostly set at this point, with Bron Breakker’s status being the top question mark. I liked the show well enough, but there are some parts that don’t quite feel as important. Unfortunately most of those were the women’s segments, which don’t quite have the same gravity. Stratton vs. Hail feels almost a bit silly in parts, but the fans want to see Hail win so there is something there. Overall, pretty nice show that did some important things, but not quite must see.

Results
Dragon Lee/Nathan Frazer b. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza – Running flipping reverse DDT to Garza
Kiana James b. Gigi Dolin – 401K
Bronco Nima/Lucien Price b. Scrypts/Axiom – Running boot tom Axiom
Thea Hail b. Elektra Lopez – Kimura
Oro Mensah b. Eddy Thorpe – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Dominik Mysterio b. Wes Lee – Belt shot from Rhea Ripley

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 14, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the normal three match structure here as NXT wasn’t taped in advance this week. That’s kind of a shame as the two match shows were kind of working for me. Other than that, it’s hard to say what to expect here, but it would be nice to see some more star power. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Kale Dixon/Luca Crusifino

Fallon Henley is here with Briggs and Jensen. Dixon gets backed into the corner to start so it’s off to Luca, who gets headlocked. Briggs comes in for an armbar but Dixon comes back in off a blind tag to stomp away. Luca grabs a bearhug but Jensen sticks the landing off a backdrop and gets it back to Briggs. Everything breaks down and a Hart Attack finishes Dixon at 4:40.

Rating: C. This felt like something that belonged on an old episode of Superstars as you have an established team against a makeshift team with people you might know. That doesn’t mean it was interesting though, as Dixon is still as bland as possible and Crusifino’s value stops once the bell rings. Briggs and Jensen have cooled way off, and it’s kind of a shame as they could be something in the NXT tag division.

Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice are ready for Vice to wreck Valentina Feroz.

Lola Vice vs. Valentina Feroz

Elektra Lopez and Yulisa Leon are here too and this is billed as black belt vs. black belt. They go to the mat to start with Feroz grabbing a headlock into a short armscissors. Back up and Vice kicks her into the corner where Feroz works on the arm. That’s broken up as Vice kicks her in the face and hits a running hip attack. A rear naked choke is broken up and Feroz hammers away. Feroz hurricanranas her out of the corner for two as the other two get in a fight on the floor. The distraction lets Feroz grab a sunset flip for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C+. Slightly better match than the opener here as there was certainly some more fire. Vice still feels like she could be something as she has that charisma to her but she is still starting out. Other than that, Feroz is starting to come together and could be something after some more seasoning.

Tavion Heights vs. Axiom

Heights wrestles him down but Axiom is fine enough to take over on the mat. A headscissors doesn’t last long on Heights and they’re back up for a standoff. Axiom grabs it again and holds Heights down a bit before kicking him in the head for two. Back up and Heights blasts him with a clothesline before a gutwrench suplex gets two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Axiom is back up and hits a dropkick for a breather. Heights can’t hit a German suplex so Axiom sends him outside for a big dive. Back in and Heights gets two off a doctor bomb but Axiom knees him in the head. The Golden Ratio finishes Heights at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a heck of a match, especially for around here, as Heights was looking like a power monster and Axiom was as smooth as ever. I was getting into this one and wondering who was going to win here. You don’t get to see something like that very often and it worked really well. Good main event.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event alone carried this show and that is not something you can say around here very often. Maybe it was just a one off fluke but what matters is that I was invested in this show for a change. Nice show here, though granted that is only because of one third of the card.

Results
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Kale Dixon/Luca Crusifino – Hart Attack to Dixon
Valentina Feroz b. Lola Vice – Sunset flip
Axiom b. Tavion Heights – Golden Ratio

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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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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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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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AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creed Brothers vs. Dyad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

NXT
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.