NXT
Date: November 9, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re back with more of this show and I’m not exactly sure what that means. Odds are it means more Toxic Attraction though, as the trio has been all over the show almost every single week as of late. Throw in more of the usual suspects and this hasn’t been the most thrilling time in NXT in recent memory. Let’s get to it.

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

Kayden Carter/Io Shirai/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Toxic Attraction

They’re starting fast this time. Rose hammers on Carter to start and it’s quickly off to Dolin for more of the same. Carter fights up and brings in Shirai to take Jayne down by the leg. Catanzaro’s sliding trip takes Jayne down and a slingshot flip dive gets two. Jayne takes her into the corner though and it’s Rose coming back in, only to be sent outside for a slingshot corkscrew dive. Carter dives onto Rose and Dolin but Rose cuts off Shirai’s dive.

We take a break and come back with Rose chinlocking Catanzaro while holding a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and the tag brings in Shirai, who gets to take over for a bit. The Moon Over Moonsault connects on Rose as everything breaks down. Carter comes in as well and everything breaks down, with a brawl breaking out on the floor. The distraction lets Dolin pull Carter off the top and grab an abdominal stretch rollup for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: C. This could have been a lot worse and the fans were into it. That’s more than you can say for a lot of things around here so maybe they are making some progress. I’m not sure who is next for Toxic Attraction, but it is pretty clear that they are going to be a thing for a good while on this show.

Pete Dunne doesn’t think much of Tony D’Angelo and he can come get a fight if he wants one. Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes come in, with Williams saying a bunch of stuff that Dunne doesn’t understand. The result seems to be Dunne vs. Hayes for tonight.

MSK is walking to find whoever they’re looking for and finally get there….but the person has moved. They look up the new address, which is 420 miles away. First, they need a change of clothes and a shower, but they’re flying, with references to the Mile High Club. I’m assuming this is just a way to get the team away from the rather annoying NXT fans, which is rather sad if that’s the case.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Sarray

Ray walks through Toxic Attraction, who are still here for some reason. Ray knocks her down to start and hits a big forearm to the face. Sarray reverses a whip into the corner but misses a charge. Back up and Sarray pulls her to the mat for a nasty pull on the leg, only to have Ray make the rope. A fisherman’s suplex gives Sarray two but she misses the running dropkick in the ropes. They head outside with Ray hitting the KLR Bomb onto the announcers’ table. Back in and another KLR Bomb gives Ray the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C-. Pretty quick match here but the main idea was to get Ray back in the ring and winning a match. Ray has all of the potential in the world and it would be great to see her getting to do something more important around here. As for Sarray…I’m still not sure what went wrong but she isn’t looking to be the next big thing around here anytime soon.

Joe Gacy has requested a match with Boa to help him, because he sees the shame Boa carries. He also wants Harland to reach out his hand because he’s doing this for the two of them.

We see some clips of Bron Breakker on the UK tour, where he learned a lot and is ready to take the NXT Title.

Boa vs. Joe Gacy

Gacy knocks him down to start and scores with some shots to the face, setting up a suplex for two. Boa gets a boot up in the corner though….and we’ve got some flickering lights. They seem to recharge Boa, who cokes Gacy into the ropes and that’s a DQ at 3:27.

Rating: D+. So the guy who is subject to a thousand year old witch just got recharged by a red light and choked the woke guy for a DQ. This is one of those situations where you can see just how screwy the whole NXT 2.0 is, but at least the match was short. Nothing to see here, but the Boa attempts continue.

We look at the formation of Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro/Kushida), which has the Diamond Mine annoyed. It’s time to dominate.

Grayson Waller interrupts Solo Sikoa’s interview but here is LA Knight to annoy both of them. Sikoa wants this settled tonight.

Jacket Time vs. Creed Brothers

Barrett: “Jacket Time is the worst tag team name I have ever heard.” Joseph: “Worse than the Corre with two r’s?” Barrett mutters. Brutus takes Jiro down to start and Jiro’s running shoulder doesn’t make much different. Kushida comes in and is quickly powerslammed and suplexed, but he comes back with a double handspring elbow.

Back with Kushida coming in off the hot tag (see how easy it can be to come back with energy) and house being cleaned. Jiro comes back in with a Swanton for two on Julius but the Ikemen Slice misses. Julius rips off Jiro’s jacket, allowing Roderick Strong to pull Jiro outside. Back in and Julius hits a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin on Jiro at 7:45.

Rating: C. I can’t get my head around the name Jacket Time, but at least the match went as it should have. The Creed Brothers could be something special and that means they shouldn’t be losing a match like this. Thankfully NXT seems to know they have something there and if that’s the case then everything should work out for them.

Post match, Odyssey Jones runs in and helps clean house.

Toxic Attraction isn’t losing their titles anytime soon. Raquel Gonzalez rides up on a motorcycle and says keep her title warm for her.

Gonzalez rides into the arena and says she wants Dakota Kai out here right now. Cue a kind of unhinged Kai to say it felt good to hit her with a shovel, but here is Cora Jade for the pull apart brawl.

Andre Chase’s lesson of the day is Mental Toughness. One student asks about Chase messing up last week so another defends him, with Chase yelling a lot.

The Grizzled Young Veterans distract a food delivery driver and steal his meals, saying they can use this to distract a referee too. Remember when they were loudmouthed heels who were good in the ring and could get crowd hating them after about thirty seconds on a microphone? That’s not good enough around here apparently.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ru Feng

Feng goes right after Grimes to start and stomps away. Cue Duke Hudson to watch as Grimes fights back and knocks Feng into the corner. The Cave In finishes for Grimes at 1:40.

Post match Hudson gets in the ring and demands to know how Grimes was so good last week. Grimes says he won and thinks it’s funny but Grimes calls him an ugly hick who lives under a bridge. That doesn’t seem to bother Grimes, who says he holds it down everywhere. Hudson doesn’t accept that and the challenge is on for next week…in a poker showdown. Deal.

Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller

Sikoa punches Knight into the corner to start but some double teaming puts him in trouble. That doesn’t last long as Sikoa clotheslines both of them but gets punched in the face by Waller. Knight gets sent outside, only to come back in and breaks up Sikoa’s suplex on Waller. A double suplex puts Sikoa down but he counters a double superplex attempt into a double powerbomb. Sikoa hits a running hip attack in the corner on Waller but misses one on Knight. Waller is sent outside but runs back in for the Stunner on Knight. Sikoa sends him outside though and the Superfly Splash finishes Knight at 5:05.

Rating: C. I’m not big on this kind of match as they had three people hitting each other until the right one won. Sikoa is someone who is going to wind up as a force around here and I’m curious to see where he goes. Knight still has star power and I don’t think a loss like this is going to hut him all that much.

Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirrotta are annoyed at not winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles. This sends Hartwell into another speech about how much she loves her husband but Tony D’Angelo interrupts. He’ll see Dexter next week but for now, he hands Indi a dead fish and Persia gets some money.

Tommaso Ciampa was on the UK tour as well and is ready to beat Bron Breakker again.

Elektra Lopez vs. Erica Yan

Lopez runs her over to start and hits a snap suplex, followed by a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 1:24. Total squash.

Post match Legado del Fantasma calls out Xyon Quinn, who is right here to join the festivities. Lopez says Quinn turned a lot of heads last week so the offer to join is tossed out. Quinn thinks she is amazing but he isn’t down with the team. Legado goes after him and gets tossed outside in a hurry. Lopez’s slaps are blocked and Quinn pulls her to him, which she doesn’t seem to mind. The intrigued staredown ensues and Lopez holds Legado back.

Takeover WarGames is on December 5. And who in the world is supposed to be in that???

Kyle O’Reilly isn’t sure what to do with his future, but he thinks he and Von Wagner are a special team (no, they aren’t) and they should go after the Tag Team Titles. Imperium pops up but so does Wagner for the showdown.

Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Dunne jumps Hayes in the corner to start and stomps away in a hurry. It’s already time to work on Hayes’ fingers but he flips over Dunne and hits a springboard clothesline. Dunne sends him outside and slingshots out to grab Hayes’ arm, setting up the X Plex onto the apron. Cue Dexter Lumis to grab a headset and stare Williams down as we take a break.

Back with Dunne fighting out of an armbar but walking into a Codebreaker (for a big flipping bump) and a near fall. Dunne is back with a quick forearm to knock Hayes out of the air but what looks to be the X Plex is reversed into a twisting suplex. Hayes gets creative by trying the Gargano Escape but Dunne escapes that as well. Hold on though as Williams tries some interference, only to be taken out by Lumis. The distraction lets a gloved hand grab Hayes’ foot. That’s enough for the Bitter End to finish Hayes at 12:35.

Rating: C+. Thank goodness we’re starting to get champions losing in non-title matches around here as that was one of the main roster tropes that hadn’t made its way down here yet. Dunne vs. Hayes could be good on Takeover, but I don’t needs more of this 50/50 stuff. Or the “mysterious” hand popping up for that matter.

It was Johnny Gargano, in Dexter Lumis gear.

Overall Rating: C. The main word I would use to describe tonight is indifferent. The show had its up and down moments, but the biggest problem was that when things would get going, some goofy concept would come up and suck the energy out of the whole thing. As a result, the whole show felt like it was just kind of there all night, with little reason to get invested into almost anything they were doing. Takeover seems to be a stretch at this point, with WarGames (especially minus William Regal to announce it) being even harder to reach. The show could work, but that’s a far cry from what used to be a layup around here.

Results
Toxic Attraction b. Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter/Io Shirai – Abdominal stretch cradle to Carter
Kay Lee Ray b. Sarray – KLR Bomb
Joe Gacy b. Boa via DQ when Boa choked in the ropes
Creed Brothers b. Jacket Time – Gutwrench sitout powerbomb
Cameron Grimes b. Ru Feng – Cave In
Solo Sikoa b. LA Knight and Grayson Waller – Superfly Splash to Knight
Elektra Lopez b. Erica Yan – Sitout powerbomb
Pete Dunne b. Carmelo Hayes – Bitter End

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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205 Live
Date: October 29, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for more of the NXT B show and that sounds good enough to me. I’m still wondering if they are going to change the name though, as we are now in a rare case where every single thing about the show’s title is completely inaccurate. It takes something special to pull that off and a new name would make sense. Let’s get to it.

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

Boa vs. Jeet Rama

Mei Ying is here with Boa. Feeling out process to start until Rama takes him down to the mat with a headlock takeover. Back up and some armdrags have Boa in more trouble and even out on the floor for a breather. Boa gets back in and hits a few shots to the face in the corner, setting up the chinlock. A neckbreaker gets two on Rama, followed by a shot to the throat for the same. It’s off to a figure four necklock but Rama fights up and hits some rolling gutwrench suplexes. Boa escapes a powerslam though and grabs a reverse layout DDT for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: C-. Just a match here without much else to be said. Boa continues to be one of the people who is around at least semi regularly but that does not exactly make him interesting. Rama is someone who could go a little somewhere with some more development but this is about his peak at the moment.

Sarray vs. Katarina Cortez

Man Sarray has just not caught on. The fans are behind Sarray to start and they fight over a test of strength to get going. Sarray gets the better of things but gets flipped over, setting up a double bridge up. A double stomp rocks Cortez but she goes for the tape on Sarray’s back to take over.

The camel clutch goes on until Sarray makes the rope, meaning Cortez busts out a rocking horse to stay on Sarray’s back. The double arm crank has Sarray in more trouble but she’s out in a hurry. A hard half crab keeps Cortez down, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two. Sarray’s middle rope dropkick gets the same and the running dropkick against the ropes (I’m surprised she can still use that) finishes Cortez at 5:59.

Rating: C. Sarray is someone who has most of the tools to be a star but it hasn’t clicked yet. It’s not like the women’s division couldn’t use the help, but for some reason the only noteworthy thing about her is that dropkick. Cortez is good enough in the ring, but she needs a good bit more development.

Sarray checks on Cortez after the match. Maybe not kicking her in the face would be a bit nicer.

Xyon Quinn vs. Ru Feng

They stare each other down to start as Nigel refers to Quinn as a Samoan ghost. Quinn powers out of a top wristlock but gets headlocked down instead. A snap suplex gives Feng one but Quinn is back up with….I think it was a botched leapfrog but he tried to turn it into a leg lariat but had to settle for something like a Sling Blade (we’ll go with bad and leave it at that). Quinn hammers him down and finishes with the running elbow for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t awful, but that botch in the middle is all that is going to stand out in the whole thing. There’s only so much you can do when you have less than four minutes and one of the biggest things was a mistake. I like Quinn a lot and I’m sure he’ll be fine, as it means a bit to be in the featured spot here.

Overall Rating: C-. Much like the old days of 205 Live, it’s hard to really get annoyed at a show that is over in 28 minutes and includes a bunch of advertisements in addition to three matches. This show knows how to get in and out without overstaying its welcome, but it still isn’t great stuff a lot of time time. That being said, these wrestlers need whatever ring time they can so putting them on this far less watched show is a good idea.

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: November 2, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and that means it is time to get ready for…well I have no idea actually as I’m not sure what they’re going to do as far as Takeover goes. There were a bunch of title changes last week and now it is time to see where things go from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Mandy Rose to open things up and Barrett is VERY happy to see her as the new Women’s Champion. She is very proud of her win because she is the best looking champion in the title’s history and she is still the baddest b**** around. Last week was a great night for Toxic Attraction and we see all of them holding up their new titles last week (Mandy: “D*** I’m hot.”).

Her girls aren’t here, so we cut to the back where the rest of Toxic Attraction is beating up Zoey Stark. Mandy is proud of them but wants some competition. Cue Io Shirai to say she’ll fight right now, but Rose says she isn’t scared. Rose wants a referee out here right now so Shirai looks to the entrance and gets hit with the microphone. The beatdown is on until Shirai fights back, which draws out the rest of Toxic Attraction for the real beating. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter run in for the save, likely setting up the six woman tag.

In the back, Toxic Attraction find Dakota Kai, who says she didn’t help them last week. She just wants to get rid of Raquel Gonzalez.

Cameron Grimes is in Duke’s Poker Room with a bunch of other people, though he doesn’t seem to know the rules. Grimes: “You got 21? I GOT 22!” Hudson looks happy.

Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade

Kai wastes no time in knocking Jade down and grabbing a chinlock. Back up and Jake fires off the running elbows, setting up the running hurricanrana. Jade gets two off a sunset flip but Kai scorpion kicks her. The running boot in the corner finishes Jade at 2:24.

Post match the beatdown stays on, including another shot to Jade’s head. Kai pulls out a table and lays it on Jade on the floor, but stops before jumping off the apron. Instead, she walks away and leaves Jade down.

Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner have been yelling at Legado del Fantasma on Twitter over the weekend.

Robert Stone doesn’t like everyone being happy with Xyon Quinn beating him up last week. The challenge is on.

MSK is depressed by their Tag Team Title loss but they’re getting help from someone. They don’t say who it is, but he invented the legend of MSK and has helped millions and millions. We’re about to hear the legend, but a bus pulls up and we can’t hear the explanation. And they missed their bus, so they’ll just have to walk.

Xyon Quinn vs. Robert Stone

Stone doesn’t like Quinn and promises to win in a hurry. This one is for Frankie Monet though and it’s time to dance to Monet’s theme. Quinn stands in the middle of the ring while Stone dances around him before asking if Quinn can dance better. After Quinn says no, Stone dances around like a chicken so Quinn says play the music and then dances/sings to Shawn Michaels’ theme. He even dances with Stone a bit, including a Dirty Dancing lift. Stone slaps him in the face so Quinn says ring the bell. A Samoan drop and Jackhammer (better than that running elbow) finish Stone at 47 seconds.

Joe Gacy talks about how horrible the world is, including clips of people arguing and talking about how evil social media really is. Harland is called a monster because he’s big and has tattoos. They will change the world together.

Legado del Fantasma, including Elektra Lopez, seems impressed by Xyon Quinn, who says he has a lot of sides to him.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner

Elektra Lopez is here with Legado. O’Reilly headlocks Wilde’s head to start so Mendoza comes in and has his sunset flip blocked. The much bigger Wagner comes in to take Mendoza down as well but Mendoza springboards over him for a breather. That doesn’t go well either as Wagner plants him, allowing O’Reilly to come back in and go after the arm. Wilde comes in so Wagner shoulders them both down, setting up a double suplex as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly loading up a kick on Wilde but getting distracted by Lopez. Wilde’s kick connects in the corner and it’s Legado taking over for the first time. Mendoza kicks Wagner off the apron and it’s a springboard flip dive to drop O’Reilly for two. O’Reilly comes back and kicks Mendoza down, with Wilde making the save. Wagner comes back in but has some miscommunication with O’Reilly, allowing Wilde to roll him up for the pin at 10:59 (with Wagner’s foot in the rope).

Rating: C+. For the life of me I cannot get into this O’Reilly/Wagner team. O’Reilly was a main event player in NXT and now he seems to be there to mentor a pretty run of the mill big guy. The team isn’t bad or anything, but it’s not something I’m going to be interested in, which is making for some rough sits.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready to move on from the Way but Andre Chase pops up to say he has their back. Chase insists that he was NOT a coward last week and promises to give someone a beating to blow off some steam.

Back to the Poker Room, where Cameron Grimes is on a streak of beginner’s luck despite hitting on the women and not knowing the rules. Duke Hudson takes all of one of the women’s money and Grimes starts losing. More later.

Here’s Andre Chase for the open challenge (required on every show) but his microphone doesn’t work. We get a replacement microphone so Chase can say that people have been calling him a COWARD after last week. That sounds like a teachable moment so the challenge is on.

Andre Chase vs. Bron Breakker

Chase gets knocked outside in a hurry and Breakker blasts him with a clothesline. Back in and Chase chops away a bit but Breakker grabs the gorilla press powerslam for the easy pin at 1:41.

Post match, Breakker says he fell for one trap after another last week. Tommaso Ciampa is the man in NXT but they’re not done, because Breakker is coming after the title. Breakker’s voice in this promo was so Steiner that it might as well have been the University of Michigan fight song.

Imperium is proud of their Tag Team Title win, but they don’t like America. Toxic Attraction comes up to say Imperium should watch their six woman tag next week. Barthel thinks America has its benefits. I’m not sure if you noticed, but Toxic Attraction is a bunch of good looking women, just in case you didn’t get it from how many times we heard about them.

It’s time for Lashing Out With Lash Legend, with Lash talking about last week’s Halloween costumes. She doesn’t like the suggestion that LA Knight and Grayson Waller were the hosts because she is the REAL host around here. This week’s guest is Tony D’Angelo, who talks about allegedly kidnapping Lash’s producer, but here is the producer in person! D’Angelo makes vague threats to the producer’s family before moving on to saying he wants to face bigger NXT stars. This was the dumbest thing on a show with a lot of dumb things and feels like it belongs on a low level territory show from 1989.

Solo Sikoa vs. Jeet Rama

Sikoa sends him into the corner for the running Umaga attack and scores with a kick to the head. The Superfly Splash finishes Rama at 1:29.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen cook steak, play cornhole and pitch horseshoes while talking about loving to fight and compete.

Boa vs. Grayson Waller

LA Knight is on commentary. Waller drives Boa into the corner to start but gets taken down into a crossarm choke. Back up and Waller fires off some clotheslines into a cravate with knees to the head. Knight offers a distraction though and Waller gets kicked off the ropes. Boa scores with a kick to the head to finish Waller at 2:28.

Back to the Poker Room where Cameron Grimes beats Duke Hudson on a big bluff. Grimes hat 2’s, because he’s going TO THE MOON. So a poker game gets three segments, a good fifteen or more years after the poker boom hit its peak. That’s very WWE of them.

Kay Lee Ray is back in a rage next week.

Boa can’t find Mei Ying. I’d call that a positive.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. Ciampa talks about how last week was a changing of the guard in NXT and lists off the new champions. Bron Breakker was supposed to be the next NXT Champion but no one told Ciampa about that. With this title comes a target, but he knows that this is usually the time when someone interrupts. Cue Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, with the former saying he is that guy. Hayes says he is the A Champion in NXT, but Ciampa can’t hear him over the CIAMPA’S GONNA KILL YOU chants. The brawl is teased and Williams gets dropped, making Hayes think twice as Ciampa leaves.

The Way vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

Ciampa is still in the aisle as Johnny Gargano comes out for a tease of the good old days. Lumis and Williams start things off, with a single glare sending Williams over for the tag to Hayes. That’s fine with Lumis, who crawls over to scare Hayes, meaning Williams comes back in to hammer away. Lumis scores with a Thesz press and right hands before it’s off to Gargano to work on the arm.

That should mean a top rope ax handle, but instead Lumis lands on his feet and uppercuts Williams in the face. Hayes comes back in and gets his kick to the ribs caught, meaning Gargano can come back in for some more traditional wrestling. Gargano nails the slingshot spear to cut Hayes down, allowing the Way to clear the ring as we take a break. Back with Hayes cutting off Gargano’s tag attempt and hitting an assisted springboard legdrop for two. Gargano gets over for the tag to Lumis a few moments later though and it’s time to clean some house.

An assisted superplex gets two on Hayes and Gargano superkicks Williams. Gargano loads up his own glove for stereo shots to the face, followed by stereo superkicks. Lumis adds a top rope elbow for two on Williams with Hayes making the save. We settle down to Hayes and Gargano chopping it out until Hayes goes to the throat. A discus lariat turns Hayes inside out and there’s the Silencer to keep Hayes in trouble. The referee gets Gargano out though, allowing Williams to hit Lumis with a shoe. That’s enough to set up the top rope ax kick to give Hayes the pin at 13:32.

Rating: C+. Another perfectly decent if not fairly good match, as Gargano and Lumis have a weird chemistry, but are also an established team. What matters here is they made Hayes and Williams look pretty good, which is exactly the point of something like this. Hayes looks like a possible NXT Title challenger, so it isn’t like he was going to lose here. I’m not sure what is next for the Way, but this father-in-law/son deal could be funny.

Overall Rating: C-. The two longer matched helped this show a lot but my goodness this felt like a circus. There are so many characters and so many gimmicks running around that it felt like a high school improv exercise where you pulled your character out of a hat and figure it out in ten minutes. That’s fine for some low level place that needs something for people to do, but this is national television and I’d expect a bit better.

There are a lot of problems on this show, but there are certainly good parts too. I want to see where some of the new characters go, including Sikoa, Quinn, Breakker and Hayes, which shows that NXT does know how to do some things right. At the same time though, there are a bunch of things that are a bit less than thrilling, including Toxic Attraction, Duke Hudson’s Poker Room, Tony D’Angelo and Lash Legend (egads). Those things are bringing the show down, because they do not exactly offer the greatest hope.

Overall, this show was a microcosm of what NXT is at the moment: a bunch of things happening, with some interesting prospects but a lot of people who are bordering on disaster because it isn’t 1994. Why would I want to see a mobster on a talk show with a loud host when I could see more of the talented athletes getting to do their thing? This was a rough sit, but it did have some bright spots to keep some hope alive.

Results
Dakota Kai b. Cora Jade – Running kick in the corner
Xyon Quinn b. Robert Stone – Jackhammer
Legado del Fantasma b. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner – Rollup to Wagner
Bron Breakker b. Andre Chase – Gorilla press powerslam
Solo Sikoa b. Jeet Rama – Superfly Splash
Boa b. Grayson Waller – Kick to the head
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. The Way – Top rope ax kick to Lumis

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.

205 Live
Date: October 15, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

I’ve started liking this show a good bit more as it feels like NXT without the color scheme making my head hurt. NXT has needed a show like this for a good while now and it could do a good job in building up some people who do not get the chance otherwise. Hopefully they can do that again this week so let’s get to it.

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

Jeet Rama vs. Boa

Mei Ying is here with Boa. Rama works on the wrist to start but Boa is back with some kicks to the leg. That doesn’t work either so Rama takes him down for the quickly broken armbar. Back up and Boa works on Rama’s arm for a change, including bending it around the top rope. Some kicks drop Rama and there’s a knee to the arm. The armbar sets up a cobra clutch but Rama throws some suplexes. Boa goes right back to the arm though and kicks Rama in the head for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: D+. I sighed a bit when I saw Boa was in the match and then it got worse when he was actually in the ring. Boa has not been interesting since he debuted and it isn’t getting better. What he does in the ring is decent enough, but he is just so dull an uninteresting that it isn’t worth the time more often than not.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Keagan Scott/Taylor Garland

Jensen punches Scott in the face to start and snaps off a powerslam. Briggs comes in to talk some trash and release side slams Garland, setting up a splash. An assisted sitout powerbomb finishes Garland at 1:50. I’m not sure about these guys seemingly wrestling as faces, but that was an effective squash.

Roderick Strong vs. Odyssey Jones

Non-title, as the Cruiserweight Champion is on the show for the first time in months against a guy who weighs over 400lbs. The rest of the Diamond Mine is here too. Strong makes the mistake of going for an armdrag and is shoved away with ease. That means we need a bit of a breather, before Jones swats a flying shoulder out of the air. Jones pulls him back over the ropes and the confidence is rather high. Back up and Jones sends him head first into the corner over and over but Hachiman offers a distraction, allowing Strong to twist the knee around the rope.

A seated abdominal stretch goes on to put Jones in trouble and a kick to the face drops him again. The crossarm choke has Jones panicking but he powers to his feet, despite Strong telling him to stay down. Jones runs him over and hits a rolling senton and Strong’s jumping knee is blocked. Strong slips out though and the jumping knee finally knocks Jones out for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C. Not a great match or anything, but it was cool seeing some of the bigger names on here where there might have been a tiny bit of doubt about who was winning. You almost never have that on this show these days and it helps a lot to change things up a bit. Strong winning is the right move, but it was nice to have someone who could give him a run for his money for a change.

Overall Rating: C. This show is starting to round into form and I’m rather pleased by some of the things that I’m seeing. There is certainly more of a structure around here and it is showing you just how worthless 205 Live was for so long. That’s very nice to see and I’m glad that it is finally worth something. Now just find a name that actually makes sense and we could be on to something here.

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NXT
Date: September 28, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

It’s time to focus on the women’s division as we have several women’s matches taking place this week. This includes a pair of title matches, plus a grudge match. That’s the easy part though. The fun part is finding out how many new people can be brought in with little to no explanation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Hit Row to get things going. They run down tonight’s focus on the women’s matches and wonder why no one is coming after Isaiah Scott’s North American Title? B Fab is ready to take out Elektra Lopez, so here is Legado del Fantasma to make things serious.

B Fab vs. Elektra Lopez

No DQ and the brawl starts on the floor before the bell. B Fab kicks Lopez in the head and they’re outside in a hurry, with the guys getting in a big brawl of their own as we take a break. Back with a fight over a table, with Lopez driving it into B Fab’s ribs. They get back in with a bunch of weapons joining them. B Fab grabs some kendo sticks to swing away but Lopez crossbodies her through an open chair. Lopez drops her ribs first across the top of the open chair, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to put B Fab away at 10:05.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting match here and it worked well given how little experience both of them have around here. Again, I’m still not sure why the regular television shows are going more extreme than most of the Extreme Rules pay per view, but at least we are getting some better stuff this week.

We go to InDex’s honeymoon, with the two of them walking on the beach. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are watching from the balcony of a hotel room and LeRae suggests that more things are going to happen. Dexter seems to like how Indi looks coming out of the water and Gargano panics. Then a shark starts coming up from the water and…..yeah it’s Gargano with a shark fin on his head.

Here is Joe Gacy, to say that the ring is still a safe space and he has not been canceled. He has made a bigger impact than stars like Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker, because he didn’t throw a punch. Gacy speaks for a generation while the rest of them lives in a dark world. Then last week he was shunned, but now he is here to usher the world into a new normal. Woke, as written by WWE.

Xyon Quin vs. Oney Lorcan

It’s a 205 Live rematch and Quin knocks Lorcan outside to start. Back in and Lorcan runs him over, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Quin fights up with a Samoan drop and finishes with a running forearm at 2:58. They might have something with Quin, just based on his look.

Grayson Waller talks about being a thrill junkie who loves to take chances. Now he’s taking a chance by going after the Cruiserweight Title. Why are we getting these (good and useful) vignettes explaining people AFTER we’ve been confused by their debuts?

Here is MSK for a chat. They have been champions for awhile now and they are going to keep smoking the division. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans, who say that they want their two on two title shot but here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says they are going to be champions because he has the golden ticket. MSK is good with that but Zack Gibson wants to know why everyone is talking in riddles. Cue Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, who want in on this too. The brawl is on among the challengers and MSK hold up the titles. MSK really need challengers so this was a messy but necessary segment.

Raquel Gonzalez is ready for Frankie Monet but Toxic Attraction comes in, with Mandy Rose saying the title will look better on her.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Toxic Attraction vs. Io Shirai/Zoey Stark

Shirai and Stark are defending and Mandy Rose is here with the challengers. Shirai flips away from Dolin to start, though she can’t quite get the nip up right. The second takedown sets up a more successful nip up and it’s off to Jayne, who gets taken down in the corner. Stark comes in for some rapid fire rollups as commentary talks about how the champs never defend their titles. That’s because they don’t have much need to exist, but that has never stopped WWE before.

Stark chops her down and hits a slingshot Swanton for two. Dolin comes in off a blind tag and kicks Stark down but the champs are back up with some springboard dropkicks. Some dives to the floor have Attraction in trouble and we take a break. Back with Jayne hitting a running knee to Shirai’s face. Shirai is back with a kick to the face though and the tag brings in Stark to hit people in the face.

Stark gets knocked into the corner though and it’s back to Shirai to clean house again. A 619 sets up a springboard missile dropkick for two on Dolin as Rose is panicking on the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s Stark hitting her GTS on Jayne…and tagging out instead of covering for no apparent reason. Stark dives onto Dolin but stops to glare at Rose. Shirai hits the Moon Over Moonsault to retain at 12:43.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here, but that would mean a regular team holding the titles instead of a wacky tag team with nothing in common and that’s not how WWE rolls. Toxic Attraction is a fine enough idea and they can work well in the ring, though it seems like they’re only around as lackeys for Rose more than anything else.

Video on Bron Breakker, who still feels like Scott Steiner and wants to be NXT Champion.

Tommaso Ciampa joins us via Facetime to say that Breakker is talented but let’s hold off on the Hall of Fame induction for now. Breakker is a stud but it took Ciampa over 900 days to get back the title that he never lost. They’ll face each other one day and Breakker will drown in an ocean of inexperience.

Andre Chase vs. Boa

Chase doesn’t think much of Tian Sha and grabs an armbar to start. A suplex sends Boa flying and it’s time to stomp away. Chase puts on a chinlock and shouts that Boa has a lot to learn, but Boa is back up with some kicks to send Chase outside. Chase shouts a lot and then goes over to Mei Ying, who mists him in the face. Boa’s layout reverse DDT finishes at 3:09.

Rating: D+. Boa still isn’t great in the ring but at least they are pushing someone new. That’s the point of something like this, though you can expect Chase to keep getting the TV time despite him losing over and over. Chase’s gimmick isn’t the worst thing, but egads it’s another one where they beat you over the head with everything and that can get tiring.

Back to the honeymoon, with Johnny Gargano worrying about what could happen when InDex goes to their room. Gargano lies his way into the hotel room (Gargano: “Security around here sucks.”) and finds a bunch of condoms in Lumis’ bag. InDex comes back and Gargano hides in the closet as a pillow fight breaks out, complete with various statements that sound like….I think you get the idea. InDex takes a nap and Gargano leaves, with Lumis holding up the condoms and giving him a thumbs up.

Cruiserweight Title: Grayson Waller vs. Roderick Strong

Waller is challenging and comes through the crowd to jump Strong before the bell. A heck of a suicide dive takes Strong down and we take a break. We come back joined in progress with Waller hammering away until Strong dumps him outside for a breather. The abdominal stretch goes on to keep Waller in trouble but he fights out into pinfall reversal sequence.

Strong goes with his basics by hitting a backbreaker and the camel clutch goes on. With that broken up, Waller gets suplexed for two but manages to block a superplex attempt. Waller hits a top rope missile dropkick and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and Waller grabs a Stunner for two of his own, only to walk into a jumping knee to the face to retain Strong’s title at 6:19.

Rating: C+. This was a good showing from both of them, even though I’m not sure what the point was in having Waller go from a heel on 205 Live to a face here. That being said, at least he’s doing something and I’ll take what I can get. It’s nice to have the title being defended a little more regularly and Strong is going to be good at anything he does.

LA Knight doesn’t like Odyssey Jones coming in here and talking about the uncrowned NXT Champion. Cue Jones to scare Knight and say that Knight has never seen anything like him. Andre Chase walks by to complain about the lack of a DQ, allowing Knight to jump Jones.

Dante Chen is from Singapore. This is the extent of his character.

Cora Jade and Trey Baxter are excited for her match next week. She’s only twenty years old and is ready for the future. They seem rather happy together.

Moving on from happy to unhappy, we have the debut of Lashing Out With Lash Legend, who is on a stage with an audience. She goes over various topics in NXT, such as the Draft (allowing her to talk about her WNBA career), Trey Baxter/Cora Jade and her Lash Out of the Week, which is Andre Chase. We’re done in a hurry, which is probably a good thing. I’m assuming this is a parody of a daytime talk show and it was every bit as bad.

Ridge Holland vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly jumps Holland before the bell and we take a break (again). We’re joined in progress with Holland working on the ribs and hitting a backbreaker to keep O’Reilly in trouble. The bearhug goes on but O’Reilly fights out in a hurry and starts striking away. Holland plants him face first though and grabs a powerbomb for two. O’Reilly knocks him down again and goes up but Pete Dunne offers a distraction. Not that it matters as O’Reilly grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. What we got was pretty good, but the same match setup as the Cruiserweight Title match isn’t exactly a positive sign. O’Reilly as someone who fights from underneath and survives against a monster is smart, though not so much with Holland losing twice in a row. Then again, he’s kind of perfect for the main roster so a promotion wouldn’t shock me.

Post match the beatdown is on but Von Wagner makes the save.

Tony D’Angelo is still on the docks, is still in the mob and is still talking about his family. The difference this time: he debuts next week.

Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Frankie Monet

Monet, with the rest of the Robert Stone Brand, is challenging. Gonzalez gets headlocked down to start and then powers her off without much trouble. Another hard toss has Monet in trouble so it’s out to the floor, where Gonzalez gets pulled off the steps for a crash. Back in and some running knees to the back have Gonzalez in more trouble and a suplex gives Monet two.

Monet cranks on part of a surfboard and then kicks her down for…well no count actually as Gonzalez’s shoulders aren’t down. Back up and Gonzalez drops Monet for a change, setting up the spinning Vader Bomb for two. Gonzalez’s back gives out though and Monet double stomps her for two of her own. Not that it matters as Gonzalez is back up with the Chingona Bomb for the retaining pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here but the segment with Toxic Attraction earlier was kind of a giveaway. Monet losing like this is a little weird, but it would not surprise me at all to see her going straight to the main roster. She’s one of the stars who absolutely does not need NXT so it isn’t the worst idea.

Post match Monet and company go to leave but here is Toxic Attraction to jump them from behind. With Monet dispatched, Toxic surrounds Gonzalez and beats her down, allowing Mandy to hold up the title to end the show. Assuming you ignore them losing earlier this show, this was an effective segment.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this a good bit better than last week’s show, if nothing else because they slowed WAY down with the whole thing. There weren’t a bunch of people being tossed out there and it felt like we were seeing wrestlers who had debuted being put into place. The Gargano/InDex stuff is going to be hit or miss, though I’m sure there are people who find it funny. Overall, the show felt much more structured this week and while it is still a bunch of newer people who aren’t quite ready for these spots, it felt WAY more like NXT than whatever the last two weeks have been.

Results
Elektra Lopez b. B Fab – Blue Thunder Bomb
Xyon Quin b. Oney Lorcan – Running forearm
Io Shirai/Zoey Stark b. Toxic Attraction – Moon Over Moonsault to Jayne
Boa b. Andre Chase – Reverse layout DDT
Roderick Strong b. Grayson Waller – Jumping knee to the face
Kyle O’Reilly b. Ridge Holland – Rollup
Raquel Gonzalez b. Frankie Monet – Chingona Bomb

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205 Live
Date: September 17, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s time for the brand new look to the show and that might be a good thing. At the same time, what matters more is the fact that this show is morphing into the NXT supplemental show that it has needed to be for a long time now. I’m not sure what to expect from this show, and that’s a nice feeling after all these years. Let’s get to it.

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

Valentina Feroz vs. Amari Miller

Feroz grabs the armbar to start and Miller can’t quite forearm her way to freedom. Instead, Miller grabs her own armbar but Feroz flips her way to freedom. A kick to the head drops Feroz though and some knees to the face from the apron rock Feroz again. The chinlock doesn’t last long but a knee to the ribs cuts off a comeback attempt. Some wristdrags have Miller in trouble but she grabs a spinebuster. That’s fine with Feroz, who grabs a cross armbreaker from the mat for the tap at 5:56.

Rating: C. Feroz got my attention here as that finish came out of nowhere. That’s the kind of move that could get her somewhere and while I don’t know if that is a likelihood, at least she did something cool once. Miller seems like a developmental project but she was smooth enough in the ring to start.

Malik Blade vs. Boa

Blake is the nephew of NBA legend Daryl Dawkins and was trained by D-Von Dudley. Boa kicks him down to start but Blade is back up with some dropkicks. Some arm snaps across the ropes put Blade back in trouble though and Boa kicks away. Blade is back with forearms and a running corner clothesline into a high crossbody for two. Not that it matters as Boa grabs a layout reverse DDT for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. Blade got in some offense so it wasn’t a full on squash. That being said, Boa still isn’t all that interesting and there isn’t much else to say about him. He does his stuff in the ring and looks passable enough, but I have yet to see anything actually interesting from him at any point.

Andre Chase vs. Trey Baxter

Chase takes him down and strikes his pose (it’s making an A with his fingers) before taking Baxter down into an armbar. The crucifix gives Chase two but Baxter is back up with a headscissors. Some kicks from the apron rock Chase, who drops Baxter ribs first across the top for two. Baxter runs into a boot in the corner to make it worse and a belly to back suplex sets up the waistlock. With that not working, Chase switches to a chinlock but Baxter fights up and drops him with a shot to the face.

A Lionsault gives Baxter two but Chase is back with a half crab. Make that an STF in the middle of the ring, sending Baxter crawling over to the rope for the break. Baxter sends him outside for the suicide dive but gets caught with a tiger driver for two back inside. Chase takes him up top but looks a little shaky, allowing Baxter to pull him down. A kick to the head sets up the 450 double stomp for the pin on Chase at 8:33.

Rating: C. This is the kind of stuff that doesn’t give me the most interest in 205 Live. Both guys are fine enough at what they do but it was just two guys having a match and little more. It got some extra time and was far from bad, but it’s the kind of match that is fine enough to open a show and little more. Totally watchable, and nothing I’ll remember in about five minutes.

Overall Rating: C-. I like the idea of an NXT supplemental show, but these people aren’t on NXT very often for a reason. The women’s match worked out well enough and the main event was fine, with Boa’s near squash in the middle. Just another forgettable show, which tends to be the case a lot more often than not around here.

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NXT
Date: August 24, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Takeover has come and gone and I have no idea what to expect next. Everything is about to be turned upside down around here and there is a good chance that we are going to be seeing something completely different going forward. That might be a good thing, but it is certainly going to be an eventful thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Takeover if you need a recap.

Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes arrive and we follow them into the ring. DiBiase talks about how people have wanted to see what he wanted around here. He is here because he saw something in Grimes, who kept getting back up. That is why he is now the Million Dollar Champion, which the fans seem to like. Grimes talks about how DiBiase drove him nuts when he got here, which DiBiase says was a test.

Instead of learning, Grimes got distracted by the money and the stuff, and now he has the accomplishment to back it up. At Takeover, the two of them took care of LA Knight and now he has the title to prove it. Now though, it is time to go TO THE MOON, and Cameron Grimes Bucks are launched at the crowd. Beth to Barrett: “You can buy a new gavel!”

We get the long Takeover recap video.

Ridge Holland vs. Timothy Thatcher

Pete Dunne and Tommaso Ciampa are here too. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t get them anywhere so Holland goes with the slam to send Thatcher’s legs into the ropes. Back up and a running elbow gives Holland two but a belly to belly gives Thatcher a breather. A knee to the ribs cuts Holland down again and it’s time to work on the arm.

Holland grabs Thatcher’s arm and grabs a clothesline though and we take a break with Thatcher on the floor. Back with Thatcher winning a slugout and hitting his own slam to send the legs into the ropes. The half crab goes on but a rope is grabbed in a hurry. Holland knocks a jumping enziguri out of the air and Northern Grit finishes Thatcher at 10:36.

Rating: C+. I can go for watching these two beat each other up as they know how to make things look physical. Holland is a good power guy and Thatcher is someone who can work well with anyone. You could mix these things up into various combinations and that is the way to keep a story moving for a long time to come.

Post match Ciampa comes in to save Thatcher but Oney Lorcan and the returning Danny Burch runs in for the big beatdown. Holland hits Thatcher in the arm with his club and gets in a shot to the throat as well. This is feeling like the groundwork to WarGames.

Carmelo Hayes is used to facing bigger people but he dubs himself the overdog instead of the underdog. This is a long time coming and he has put in the work to get here. If he wins tonight, it is still one match at a time and he will wind up with gold. Hayes sounds confident on the mic and if he can back it up in the ring with some personality, he should be fine.

Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis are ready to get married and have been making sandcastles on the beach. Lumis pulls out a wedding invitation with the wedding set for September 14. Beth: “WE HAVE A DATE!”

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Jacy Jayne/Gigi Dolin

Dolin rolls Carter up for two start but gets kicked in the head. Catanzaro and Carter tease double dives to the floor but bounce back in for some dancing. Dolin takes Catanzaro into the corner though and the beatdown is on, with Jayne calling her a little girl. Another shot to the face gets two on Catanzaro but she manages to get over to Carter for the hot tag. House is cleaned for a bit until Carter takes Jayne over to the corner for the neckbreaker/450 combination for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C-. This was another fine win for Catanzaro and Carter, though calling them the Tik Tok Tag Team and showing their Tik Tok videos before the match doesn’t give me the most hope. They have turned into a pretty nice team over the last few months though and I’m curious to see how their eventual Tag Team Title shot goes.

Raquel Gonzalez knows it isn’t over with Dakota Kai because Kai is that tough. She has been waiting for Kay Lee Ray too and she can bring it. Cue Frankie Monet and company to say she doesn’t wait in line. She’s coming for the shine and the title.

Video on Kay Lee Ray.

We get a sitdown interview with Odyssey Jones, who knew he would get here one day. He just didn’t know how well it would go once he got here. Taking off the football helmet is a big change and his name comes from his energy. He isn’t thinking beyond tonight’s title match because he can’t look beyond Hayes.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Valentina Feroz

Ray goes after the arm to start and lifts Feroz off the mat with the arm cranking. Some forearms have no effect and it’s a gordbuster to drop Feroz again. Ray beats on her in the corner and Feroz’s feathers are falling off. A dropkick slows Ray down but she is right back with a superkick. The Gory Bomb finishes for Ray at 2:53. As it should have been.

Mandy Rose offers Gigi Dolin and Jayce Jane some advance. They shrug and follow her.

Here is new NXT Champion Samoa Joe for a chat. Joe talks about facing the most dominant NXT Champion of all time and taking him down at Takeover. Now he is the first ever three time NXT Champion but he is here to fight instead of celebrating. Someone needs to come out here and face him, so here is Pete Dunne to say he wants the next title match. Go get William Regal and have the match made.

Cue LA Knight to say Joe is running from the only megatstar in NXT and it would have taken him 43 seconds to dust Karrion Kross. He wants to be the first challenger and that means he will be the last challenger. Dunne to Knight: “Take one more step and I swear I’ll break every one of your fingers.”

Now it’s Kyle O’Reilly to say that Samoa Joseph, Peter Dunne and La (pronounced as one word, not two letters) Knight aren’t here to get a title shot. He mentions winning the Undisputed Finale but here is Ridge Holland to jump him from behind. Dunne and Joe are about to fight but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to go after Dunne, though Joe grabs the belt first. Holland comes in to headbutt Ciampa and Joe takes out Knight. I could go for a lot of this.

Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase are leaving when Grimes tries to give him the title back. DiBiase says it belongs to Grimes and hands it back…..but he switched it out for a replica and is keeping the real thing as he drives off. Grimes, with a smile: “That Ted DiBiase.” That’s a pretty perfect ending and hopefully they don’t keep the title around now that Grimes has gotten everything he needs out of it.

Duke Hudson jumps Kyle O’Reilly in the back but O’Reilly fights back and they have to be separated.

Breakout Tournament Finals: Carmelo Hayes vs. Odyssey Jones

William Regal is at ringside. The much smaller Hayes gets driven into the corner and sat on top for a bat on the chest. Hayes tries running the ropes but stops when he realizes what is waiting on him. Jones powers him into the corner again and a big toss sends him flying and then rolling out to the floor. Back in and Hayes scores with an enziguri but his springboard is knocked out of the air.

We take a break and come back with Hayes working on the leg in the corner. Jones misses a charge and gets caught in a sleeper to slow the big guy down. The fans are split as Hayes scores with a pump kick and a springboard clothesline but can’t put the big man down. An ax kick gets two on Jones but he is right back with a shoulder breaker. Jones misses a charge into the post though and a top rope ax kick puts him down again. Hayes can’t hit it twice in a row and gets crushed with the splash. That’s not quite enough though as Hayes grabs a crucifix for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B-. Good showing here from Hayes, who looks very polished every time he is in there. Jones is going to be fine as he can go be an enforcer for just about anyone and make them look better. There wasn’t a bad choice here and both of them will likely be around for a good while to come. NXT needs some fresh talent too so this is something they should be doing.

Post match Regal hands Hayes his contract for a future title shot. Hayes says Jones is no joke but he isn’t sure who he is going to face first. He called his shot here and when he calls his shot, he doesn’t miss.

Pete Dunne, Ridge Holland, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch are ready to hurt Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa.

Boa vs. Xyon Quinn

Boa kicks away in the corner to start but stops to look up at Mei Ying. The distraction lets Quinn hit a forearm for the upset pin at 1:13.

Quinn is smart enough to leave through the crowd instead of walking near Ying.

Johnny Gargano is in William Regal’s office and asks for a favor: stop the Dexter Lumis/Indi Hartwell wedding. They get in an argument over Gargano going nuts and how to pronounce bananas. LA Knight comes in to yell a lot and Regal throws both of them out. Regal: “Buffoons.”

Malcolm Bivens is overseeing a training session with Diamond Mine and the Creed Brothers. Next week, Roderick Strong is issuing another open challenge and he hopes Kushida is watching.

Hit Row vs. Legado del Fantasma

Legado starts the brawl before the bell and Top Dolla is triple teamed until B Fab makes a save. Ashante Adonis and Swerve pull Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde outside and the brawl is on. We settle down to Adonis hitting back to back monkey flips with Mendoza and Wilde being sent outside. A dropkick (which seems to miss) sends Wilde outside and it’s a flapjack on the floor to make it worse.

Legado needs a breather on the floor and we take a break. Back with Swerve caught in the Legado corner for a series of running clotheslines. A suplex drops Scott again and something like the old McGillicutter gets two. Scott counters a sunset flip and gets in a stomp to the chest, allowing the hot tag off to Dolla. Everything breaks down and Dolla carries ALL THREE members of Legado around at the same time (e pluribus gads), setting up a World’s Strongest Wasteland.

Adonis comes back in and gets caught with a double basement dropkick for two. Swerve and Escobar drawl in the ring as Dolla flip dives onto the rest of Legado. That leaves Swerve to 450 Escobar for two but Legado is sent outside. B Fab gets in a slap but here is Electra Lopez to hit B Fab with a pipe. Lopez throws the pipe to Swerve, but it’s a swerve so Escobar can roll him up with tights for the pin at 13:57.

Rating: B. Some of that is for Top Dolla carrying around three grown men at the same time. The action was good throughout and they evened the numbers in the end too. These teams are getting a nice feud going and they could be in for a pretty major match down the line. Keep this thing going, probably including the eventual title showdown with Escobar vs. Swerve.

Overall Rating: B-. This was still the traditional NXT, but there are some new faces showing up. That isn’t a bad thing as NXT has really been needing a freshening up, but they need to get the transitional period down. Overall, a rather fun show with a mixture of stuff to make the two hours and change go by pretty quickly. They have the talent to make this work, but they are going to need to execute it really well over the next few weeks.

Results
Ridge Holland b. Timothy Thatcher – Northern Grit
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Gigi Dolin/Jacy Jayne – 450/neckbreaker combination to Jayne
Kay Lee Ray b. Valentina Feroz – Gory Bomb
Carmelo Hayes b. Odyssey Jones – Crucifix
Xyon Quinn b. Boa – Forearm
Legado del Fantasma b. Hit Row – Rollup with tights to Scott

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: August 10, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

NXT has been the hot topic in wrestling as of late and that very well may be the case again tonight. There are several major changes rumored, but I don’t think we’re going to be seeing them right away. There is a chance something could be shaken up, but I would bet on it being either more gradual or at least after Takeover. Let’s get to it.

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

Ember Moon has not been medically cleared tonight so we have a replacement for her scheduled match against Sarray.

Sarray vs. Dakota Kai

Kai promises to make an example out of Sarray on her way to Takeover. They trade arm cranks to start with Sarray getting the better of things. Kai gets taken to the mat for a quickly broken Muta Lock so she fires off some kicks to Sarray’s back to take over. A suplex gives Kai two but she gets pulled into some kind of really cranked half crab. The slow crawl to the rope gets Kai out of trouble so Sarray grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two.

We take a break and come back with Sarray snapping off a German suplex for two more. Another bridging German suplex gets two more and it’s time to scream a lot on the kickout. Kai avoids a charge and hits a running boot in the corner for two. Joseph: “Kai starting to lose her composure.” The composure she had from being on offense for eight seconds?

Kai hits a Scorpion kick but Sarray is right back with the dropkick. The decapitating dropkick in the ropes rocks Kai again but she avoids a second edition. We see Raquel Gonzalez arriving as Sarray gets some rollups for two each. Kai has had enough of this and hits the running kick to the face finishes Sarray at 11:08.

Rating: B-. Good match, though Sarray continues to just exist on the roster. It is way too early to make a determination on her yet, but until she has a feud of some kind, we aren’t going to know what she can do yet. Kai winning makes sense for the title shot though and I’m curious to see how the Takeover match goes.

Post match Kai loads up another kick but Raquel Gonzalez sprints in to chase her off. Gonzalez grabs the mic to say if Kai wanted a shot, all she had to do is ask. She’ll get the shot at Takeover but Gonzalez is going to tear her apart. That was to the point and it worked.

We look back at Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell finally getting together last week.

We go to House Gargano, where Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are not happy. They have done everything for the Way, even buying this house so they could have their own rooms. The doorbell rings and here is Dexter, with flowers, and without saying a word. As Indi keeps putting on her makeup, Gargano orders Lumis to take her to a nice restaurant and have her back by 10pm. Indi and Dexter leave, with Gargano and LeRae following. Hijinks to follow.

Hit Row isn’t happy with Legado del Fantasma and burn a mask to prove their point.

Here is Ilja Dragunov for the first time in NXT. He talks about putting his rage into everything he has, including his fists. At Takeover, he will make the impossible happen and you will see violence and rage. An unbeatable kingdom will fall and Walter will be defeated for the United Kingdom Champion. Cue Pete Dunne to interrupt and talk about how he carried the UK wrestling scene on his back. He is the real star, but Dragunov says Dunne never could beat Walter. Dragunov will do that at Takeover, but that’s in twelve days. How about tonight, he show Dunne what this is all about? Dunne says Dragunov isn’t making Takeover.

LA Knight doesn’t want to hear about the butler getting attention because Knight is the real star around here. Now put the title on his shoulder already. Cameron Grimes’ spirit dies just a bit more.

LA Knight vs. Andre Chase

Blunt Force Trauma (headlock driver) finishes Chase at 30 seconds.

Post match, Grimes has to wipe Knight down but here is Ted DiBiase to interrupt. DiBiase says that Grimes can do all kinds of things better than being a butler. He believes in Grimes, just like all of these people here. Knight asks what the point here is, but DiBiase thinks Knight needs to put the title on the line one more time. That doesn’t sound good for Knight, but he’ll finally put it on the line, with one condition: if Knight wins, DiBiase is his new butler. Despite Grimes saying no way, DiBiase says that he has a lot of money, and he’s putting it on Grimes.

Gigi Dolin is ready to destroy Io Shirai and drops a rose.

Gigi Dolin vs. Amari Miller

Jacee Jane is here with Dolin, who takes Amari straight into the ropes. A few forearms set up an abdominal stretch….which Dolin snaps down into something like a crucifix bomb for the pin at 2:12. That was a new one.

Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell are at the restaurant, where Indi orders half of the menu for appetizers. Then she overhears Candice LeRae on a walkie talkie and throws out LeRae and Johnny Gargano.

Here is William Regal for the face to face between Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole (the Undisputed Finale). O’Reilly and Cole come out with security (including Parker Boudreaux) standing guard. Regal says the match is going to be 2/3 falls and they both get to pick a stipulation each.

O’Reilly picks one fall to a finish with only pin or submission, because losing that way would hurt Cole more than anything. Cole picks a street fight, because he needs to hurt O’Reilly. They don’t need to know the third fall because we aren’t getting there. O’Reilly talks about how he learned to go after people from Cole, who doesn’t think O’Reilly has the killer instinct. The brawl is on and Regal says he knew this would happen, so the third fall will be inside a steel cage. As usual with Cole, this took WAY longer than it needed, just like the match will.

Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher don’t like Oney Lorcan and Ridge Holland trying to be them. Holland and Lorcan aren’t the two of them but they’ll learn a lesson. School is in session.

MSK interrupts Imperium and mocks their serious style. If Imperium wants the Tag Team Titles, come get them.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Odyssey Jones vs. Trey Baxter

The fans are behind Jones here as he throws the smaller Baxter around to start. Baxter gets a foot up in the air but Jones throws him off the top hard. A choke gets Baxter out of trouble for a bit and he nails a spinning kick to the face. Jones avoids a dive off the top though and hits a corner splash. Jones picks him up and spins him into a slam for the pin at 2:53. They kept this quick and more effective here.

Post match, Jones is fired up about his win.

Boa is ready to hurt someone.

William Regal announces some title matches next week: MSK defends the Tag Team Titles against Imperium and Roderick Strong challenges Kushida for the Cruiserweight Title.

Boa vs. Drake Maverick

Mei Ying rises up out of the stage. Boa strikes away to start but Maverick manages a quick hurricanrana in the corner. Back up and Maverick hits a running basement dropkick while seeming to favor his left arm. A big flip dive to the floor drops Boa again but Ying mists Maverick behind the referee’s back. Boa kicks Maverick in the head for the pin at 2:59.

Back to the restaurant, where Dexter has Indi laughing and now it’s time for dessert. Cue Gargano as a waiter in a wig and mustache (Indi doesn’t buy it) to insist that Dexter pay for dinner. The cake goes into Dexter’s face by mistake and Gargano (“See you at home!”) bails. Hartwell eats some icing off of Dexter’s face and covers the camera before the kiss.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. Karrion Kross. Joe wants to end the chaos, which Kross says is Joe wanting to control everything. Kross talks about Joe getting his second chance, but he is ending NXT’s past. Everyone pays the toll. Tick tock.

Pete Dunne vs. Ilja Dragunov

Feeling out process to start with Dragunov going for the grappling but getting his fingers bent back. Dragunov kicks him down and hits a top roe knee for two but Dunne gets in a shot on top. We take a break and come back with Dunne working on the arm. Dunne kicks said arm away but Dragunov strikes away. A suplex is countered into an armbar but Dragunov elbows him in the head, setting up a suplex for two. Dragunov hits a backsplash, followed by more elbows to the head.

Dunne pulls him into a triangle, which is countered into a powerbomb for two. Back up and Dragunov spins out of the finger splitting but the 61Line fails because of the hand. Another suplex is countered into Dunne’s cross armbreaker, which is countered into a bridging suplex for two. The top rope backsplash connects….and here’s Walter. Dunne can’t get the Bitter End but he can counter Torpedo Moscow. Now the Bitter End can finish Dragunov at 14:30.

Rating: B. Oh like this wasn’t going to be good. These guys could have a hard hitting match int heir sleep and be more entertaining than almost anyone else in WWE today and that’s more or less what happened here. The ending was a bit odd as you would have expected Dragunov to get the win but at least it wasn’t a clean loss or something insane like that on the way to a title match, because that would just be stupid.

Post match Walter goes after Dragunov but gets caught with Torpedo Moscow to send him outside. Dragunov holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like an old school NXT and I certainly approve. What mattered here was keeping things moving, which is not something you get to see most of the time around here. The important things, or at least the things in the right spots, got some extra time but a lot of this show was about getting in and out while doing what needed to be done. Very good show this week, but it’s more or less a holding pattern until after Takeover.

Results
Dakota Kai b. Sarray – Running kick in the corner
LA Knight b. Andre Chase – Blunt Force Trauma
Gigi Dolin b. Amari Miller – Abdominal stretch bomb
Odyssey Jones b. Trey Baxter – Spinning slam
Boa b. Drake Maverick – Kick to the head
Pete Dunne b. Ilja Dragunov – Bitter End

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IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: July 10, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

With about a month to go before Takeover: Toronto, it’s time to start getting things set up for the big show. In this case, that includes more instances of Adam Cole being a jerk about pizzas as we wait for Johnny Gargano to show up again and deal with him. As for tonight though, we have Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch getting a shot at the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Io Shirai, clad in all black with a new darker entrance, to explain her actions. She says she doesn’t need any friends or any of us and that’s it.

Velveteen Dream is having a press conference, where he doesn’t approve of a question about his next challenger. Another question about Roderick Strong getting a title shot but Strong isn’t ready to experience him one on one. No more questions.

Damien Priest vs. Blanco Loco

Blanco is from Mexico, New York, which is a real town. Priest kicks him in the face and hits a toss Falcon Arrow for a big crash. A big clothesline has the squash going in full force and another one makes it even worse. Priest kicks him in the head and hits the Reckoning (Roll the Dice) for the pin at 1:38.

Killian Dain watches film, but this time he talks about being able to tell us stories. His house was set on fire with his family still in it. There were tanks and soldiers on every street corner and he can’t hear out of one ear because of a car bomb. He’s the only surviving male member of his high school class. The difference is that he hasn’t forgotten. He wants us to know who he is and why he’s doing what he does. He’s going to breathe on our face because everything he had was taken from him. Now he’s taking what he wants. Awesome promo, and Dain has the work ability to back it up.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Boa vs. Jordan Myles

Boa is a Chinese wrestler who has never wrestled on NXT TV and Myles is ACH. They shake hands to start and it’s Boa taking him down with a headlock. Myles spins out of an armbar and flips a lot before dropkicking Boa down. The armbar goes on for a bit, followed by a rollup with a camera cut that might have been an edit. Boa is right back with a kick to the chest and an ax kick to the same chest makes it even worse.

Another kick sends Myles into the corner and a butterfly suplex gets two. Boa squeezes the chest (how constricting) but tries to switch into a cross armbreaker, which is quickly reversed into a rollup. Myles tells him to come on and fires off some kicks with don’t seem to really come close to hitting Boa. A basement dropkick to the side of the head sets up the Midnight Star (450) for the pin on Boa at 8:21.

Rating: C-. I’ve never been a big fan of ACH and this didn’t do much to change my mind. It always seems that he’s putting on a performance instead of having a match and is much more about the flashiness than trying to make this seem real and it doesn’t work well for me. He’s crazy athletic and his high flying looks very good, but the overall package misses for me. Boa has a good look and seems aggressive, but he’s going to need to show a bit more fire.

Shayna Baszler has heard Mia Yim’s story over and over and that’s not enough to impress her. Besides, the story always ends the same against her: tap, nap or snap.

Video on Keith Lee and his journey through NXT so far. The company has been put on his back but he always winds up on top. He’s entering his second year and he has to reach the peak. Limitless isn’t enough anymore so he will become infinite.

William Regal announces that Apollo Crews will be back next week to face Kushida.

Also next week: Adam Cole defends the NXT Title.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

The Profits are defending. Ford and Lorcan start things off with Ford having to spin out of a wristlock into an armbar. Dawkins comes in and puts on a front facelock, which he describes as being out here rolling. Everything breaks down early on and the Profits stack them up on the ropes so Ford can dive over Dawkins onto both of their backs. Things settle back down for a second before a double suplex to Dawkins sets up a Crossface from Burch. Ford comes in for a quick save so Burch goes with a bunch of right hands to Dawkins’ face. Burch misses a charge though and it’s a double tag to Ford and Lorcan.

Ford gets to clean house and an assisted Sliced Bread #2 has Lorcan in trouble. Burch makes a save and comes in to take over. A half and half suplex gets two on Ford and a German suplex sends him right into the corner for the tag to Dawkins. House is cleaned and it’s a big knockdown so we can get a breather. Lorcan and Ford are up for the slugout until Ford hits a great looking flip dive onto Burch on the floor. Lorcan’s dive is cut off and the spinebuster into the frog splash finishes Burch to retain the titles at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The Profits aren’t the best team in the world but you can feel the energy when they’re out there that no one else can offer. That alone is more than enough to keep the titles on them for the time being and make for quite the entertaining matches. This was rather fun and hard hitting as Burch and Lorcan continue to be good for some of the better tag matches on the show no matter what.

Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly come out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their best effort, though it’s still a perfectly watchable show. The tournament is up and down at best and the opening squash was just fine. They need to get to the build to Takeover, though you can see most of the card from here. I’m sure it’s going to get better as we get back to the regular build, but the summer has been lacking a little bit.

Results

Damien Priest b. Blanco Loco – The Reckoning

Jordan Myles b. Boa – Midnight Star

Street Profits b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – Frog splash to Burch

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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