205 Live
Date: February 11, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to this show and last week actually gave me a bit of hope. There are a lot of NXT stars who have nothing going on at the moment so give some more of them some time instead of these lower level prospects. I know they need ring time, but if you are going for the entertaining, get some better stars out here. Let’s get to it.

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

Ikemen Jiro vs. Trick Williams

Kushida and Carmelo Hayes are here too. Williams spins out of a wristlock to start but Jiro takes him down, meaning it’s time for some showboating. A cravate has Jiro in some more trouble and a dropkick to the back of the head makes it even worse. The crossarm choke goes on but Jiro slips through the legs and flips him over for the escape. Jiro runs him over and hits a double springboard moonsault for two but Williams drops him face first onto the top. A running neckbreaker finishes Jiro at 5:13.

Rating: C-. This was mostly a Williams squash and that is quite the surprise. Williams almost never gets in the ring and he beat a popular star here. The key word there is star, as Jiro might not be a big name, but he is a bigger deal than some of the people who are usually around here. I’ll take what I can get and somehow, Jiro is that kind of a positive right now.

Erica Yan vs. Lash Legend

The fans are split here as Yan can’t manage to take her down early. Legend powers her up and forearms Yan out to the floor instead, setting up a running splash in the corner back inside. An elbow gives Legend two (Nigel: “Really lashing out.”) and we hit the chinlock. Yan fights up and strikes away but dives into that over the back torture rack for the tap at 3:21.

Rating: D+. Another case where there wasn’t much to see here as legend is only going to be able to do a few things in the ring. That makes the short time a lot better, but Legend still has a long way to go. The problem is WWE seems to want to push her a lot sooner than that, so we could be seeing a good bit more of Legend in the time being.

Black History Month video on Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Xyon Quin vs. Joe Gacy

Harland is here with Gacy, who talks about how the idea of 205 Live is exclusionary. More change is coming, because this show is open to everyone who wants to level up. I’m glad he pointed that out three months after the change was made. The bell rings and Gacy wants a hug but gets has to settle for grabbing a headlock instead.

Quin powers out and grabs a wristlock, earning himself a right hand to the face. A suplex gives Quin one but Gacy hits a belly to back version for the same. Gacy grabs a neck crank for a bit before having to escape a Samoan drop. Some forearms to the back put Quin down and a DDT is good for two. We hit the neck crank again with Quin fighting up again, only to get distracted by Harland. Gacy’s handspring clothesline finishes at 6:00.

Rating: C. There’s another win for Gacy, who continues to stick around over and over. I can go with one of the few more over the top personalities getting somewhere, though I also could have gone with Quin winning instead. He’s more interesting and stands out a bit more, but does losing on 205 Live really matter anyway?

Overall Rating: C-. This was the right formula, with more wrestlers who need some exposure and a few wrestlers who need experience. The show is only going to get so far with thirty minutes a week and about five of those being spent on videos, but at least they’re increasing the star power around here a bit. Not their best show, but they had a better idea here.

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NXT
Date: February 1, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s time for a big tag match as NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa are teaming up against Legado del Fantasma. That is part of the way to build things up for Santos Escobar’s upcoming title shot, but for now we get what should be a good tag match. Let’s get to it.

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

Imperium vs. Diamond Mine

The fans chant WALTER during Imperium’s entrance. Gunther isn’t having any of the posing to start and kicks Roderick Strong in the head before the bell. Brutus Creed suplexes Aichner to start but Aichner manages a Regal Roll in quite the power display. It’s off to Barthel for an armbar and the WALTER chants start up again. Brutus fights up and hands it off to Julius for some knees to the ribs.

That’s broken up in a hurry as Barthel hits a middle rope elbow to the face and it’s off to Gunther to kick Julius in the head. We take a break and come back with Brutus coming back in to get suplexed onto Barthel for two. Barthel gets over for a tag to Gunther so it’s all hands on deck to slow him up. Everything breaks down though and it’s Brutus wrecking Imperium, leaving him for a showdown with Gunther. The sleeper puts Brutus in trouble and it’s a powerbomb to give Gunther the pin at 11:56.

Rating: B. The Creeds are getting better and better by the week and that was on full display here. What mattered was letting people hit each other rather hard as Imperium gets to show off what they can do, but at the end of the day, this was all about Gunther. He is the kind of force that you do not get to see very often and if they can get around the fans chanting WALTER, he should be a big deal.

LA Knight is ready for Grayson Waller but Joe Gacy and Harland interrupt, suggesting that Knight has a problem. Knight offers to get together with them in the ring and maybe he can get two new restraining orders.

Here is Toxic Attraction for a chat. They are ready to beat Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in two weeks at Vengeance Day but here is Kay Lee Ray to interrupt. She isn’t getting her title match, so she brings in her baseball bat. Mandy tells her to put the bat down and the other two will leaves. Ray agrees, but Mandy would rather talk about her own modeling and fitness accomplishments.

That’s fine with Ray, who says she was holding the NXT UK Women’s Title for over 600 days while Rose was falling at Wrestlemania and sucking face with Otis. Mandy talks about how great she is and how she is what WWE wants and all the talent in the world will never replace her. Ray says that she’ll have her title match by the end of the night and slaps Mandy in the face. The bat is enough to chase off Toxic Attraction.

Cora Jade is ready to prove herself to Raquel Gonzalez, even if it means taking a beating. Gonzalez comes in and asks if she’s ready for the match, with Jade saying she’s in (I barely recognized Gonzalez with her hair down like that).

During the break, Toxic Attraction tried to leave but stopped for an interview. They went to get in their car with Mandy getting in last…but Ray is in the driver’s seat and kidnaps them. That parking lot man.

Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Jade is a bit tentative to start and gets tossed down without much trouble. That leaves Jade in shock at the pain so Gonzalez kicks away in the corner. A spinning Side Effect gives Gonzalez two more and she grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker. Jade is sat on top but manages to knock Gonzalez away this time.

Gonzalez tries another swinging Side Effect but gets reversed into….something we can’t see as the screen goes black, likely due to issues with Gonzalez’s top. Jade drives her into the corner for two and a rope walk hurricanrana rocks Gonzalez again. There’s an enziguri but Gonzalez finally just plants her with the Chigona Bomb for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Issues with Gonzalez’s gear aside, this was designed to make Jade look tough and it did well enough. I’m sure they’ll be in the Dusty Classic together because it isn’t like there are a bunch of teams to put into the tournament in the first place. Hopefully Gonzalez can move up to the main roster soon enough though, as she seems ready.

Post match Gonzalez says “let’s go and win this”, meaning the Dusty Classic.

Sarraylor Moon is back next.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo.

Sarray vs. Kayla Inlay

Sarray walks through the back as the schoolgirl and then comes into the arena in her regular gear, sans anything schoolgirl. That’s a relief, even if WWE is still way too into this transformation stuff. Inlay won’t shake hands to start so Sarray knocks her into the corner. That’s broken up but we get breaking news about Kay Lee Ray returning, with no sign of Dolin and Jayne. Sarray fights up and hits the running dropkick against the ropes. A high collar suplex finishes Inlay at 3:20.

Rating: C. The match was almost a squash, but it was also quite the relief that Sarray isn’t going to be wrestling as a schoolgirl. That would be the latest bad WWE idea, so seeing her transform was kind of a relief. As weird as that is to say, I’ll take it over what we seemed to be getting, as this was a slightly more fired up Sarray.

Video on Duke Hudson, who gives himself a hair cut and says he makes his own luck anymore.

Bron Breakker is warming up when Tommaso Ciampa comes in. Ciampa hands him the NXT Title and suggests that Breakker doesn’t know what he is in for. As for tonight, they’ll take it to Legado del Fantasma.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready for Cameron Grimes because Hayes is always looking down on him. Cue Grimes, who notes the TO THE MOON chants. Grimes says Hayes looks like Spongebob, which makes Trick Squidward. Williams talks a lot but Grimes isn’t sure what he said. Grimes asks which one he’s fighting and Hayes says he’s waiting. As Hayes and Williams leave, Grimes says it’s going to be a one star match, and that one star is going to the moon.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe debate a team name and Enofe thinks they should ask Mandy Rose. Then Rose literally falls through the door and it’s Blade’s arms (Blade: “Thank you!”). Kay Lee Ray comes in and rips off Rose’s jacket, which has Enofe rather happy. He wants to go after them….but Blade needs a minute.

Diamond Mine is ready to face Imperium again after they win the Dusty Classic. The Grizzled Young Veterans come in to laugh at the prospects.

LA Knight vs. Joe Gacy

Harland is here with Gacy, who gets taken down by an early running neckbreaker. A spinning Rock Bottom gets Gacy out of trouble and it’s off to a neck crank. There’s a suplex to take Knight down again and it’s time to work on Knight’s knee. Knight fights up and hits a jumping neckbreaker into his powerslam, only to collide for a crash to the floor. Cue Sanga (Grayson Waller’s bodyguard) so Waller can hit his rolling Stunner. That’s enough to give Gacy a nine count so it’s the handspring clothesline to finish Knight at 4:14.

Rating: C-. So we have yet another heel with a bodyguard, who happens to be interfering in a match with a heel with a kind of bodyguard? Are they that out of ideas? Waller costing Knight a match is fine, but this was another short match that didn’t have the chance to get anywhere because it’s all about getting as many things on the show as you can in two hours.

Post match Waller yells at Knight, who lunges at him. That means a chokeslam from Sanga, with Waller saying if Knight can beat Sanga next week, maybe the restraining order is gone.

Robert Stone is very happy to have signed Von Wagner.

Wendy Choo vs. Amari Miller

Tiffany Stratton has offered Miller a shopping spree if she takes out Choo. The bell rings and Choo goes to the mat for a nap, followed by taking Miller to the mat for a nap on her leg. An elbow drop gives Choo two and then it’s time to get serious, with a pair of hard suplexes. A sleeper is broken up though and Miller gets two off a jawbreaker. Cue Tiffany Stratton to throw Miller a credit card, allowing Choo to hit Miller in the face for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. It’s still the dumbest thing going in wrestling and now they are doing the goofy stuff during the matches rather than having her be serious. The credit card thing wasn’t exactly a good idea either, as we continue to need humor/goofiness in every match. At least they kept it short, but Choo is yet another bad NXT idea that is likely to continue for a long time.

Post match Stratton yells at Miller, but Choo has made off with the credit card.

Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, with Dexter Lumis seeming to approve. Josh Briggs comes in to ask for advice on women, with Indi saying non-verbal communication is a good thing. Lumis looks at her and they’re off to the hot tub.

Video on Draco Anthony.

Nikkita Lyons talks about growing up around music as her dad was a musician and her mom was a groupie. Now she is a singer/rapper but also an NXT star. This is IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM LIKE HIT ROW! NOT AT ALL!

Sarray, once again a schoolgirl, is interrupted by Dakota Kai, who warns her about how relationships can go south.

Draco Anthony vs. Andre Chase

Bodhi Hayward is in Chase’s corner. Chase takes over with few shots to the face into a neckbreaker. Anthony is back with a powerslam and cranks on the arms, only to have Chase fight up again. A Russian legsweep drops Anthony and it’s time for the spelling stomps. Anthony is back up and steals Hayward’s flag but Hayward won’t let him stomp on it. Instead, Chase unloads in the corner and the Downward Spiral finishes Anthony at 4:26.

Rating: C-. Another not exactly great match as the latest new NXT character (just wait, as I’d bet on getting another one before the show is over) loses in his NXT debut. It’s a bit weird seeing the war veteran as a heel but NXT is quite the strange duck at times. Chase is somehow getting this dumb character over and that is quite the accomplishment.

Mandy Rose is still running from Kay Lee ray but stops for a water at the food area. Ray shows up and pours spaghetti on her, followed by a cake to the head area. Then Ray stalks her with the baseball bat.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa

The rest of Legado is here too. Ciampa headlocks Mendoza to start but Wilde tags himself in and hits a dropkick. It’s back to Mendoza, who bails to the floor, allowing Breakker to come in and run the ropes. A Gator roll sets up a delayed suplex on Wilde, with Ciampa adding one of his own to Mendoza. We take a break and come back with Breakker getting caught with some running shots in the corner. The front facelock is countered with a suplex though and it’s back to Ciampa to fire off the running clotheslines.

Ciampa tags Brakker back in, despite Breakker favoring his arm. Something like a powerslam plants Wilde but Santos Escobar gets up for a distraction. Mendoza scores with a springboard missile dropkick and a Phoenix splash gets two. A spear cuts Mendoza down but Wilde makes the save. Wilde goes up but gets shoved HARD off the top and through the announcers’ table. The gorilla press powerslam finishes Mendoza at 11:24.

Rating: C+. Breakker is one of those guys that doesn’t need a ton of explanation. He’s a bit like Goldberg in that the idea seems to be flip a switch and watch him smash stuff. That’s a perfect case of “don’t think about this too hard” and it’s working. Escobar will be a good first victim and this was a fine way of setting that up, especially with Breakker possibly having a bad arm going in.

Post match Escobar stares down Breakker but here are Kay Lee Ray and Mandy Rose again. Ray threatens her and gets her title shot next week as a result. The KLR Bomb leaves Rose laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I have almost no idea what to make of this show, but the biggest thing that comes out of it is how much is crammed in. The problem with that is the word crammed, as it feels so overstuffed. It is one character with a wacky gimmick after another and that gets tiring after a bit. So many things on here felt like it needed to be over the top or have some kind of a punchline and that gets old after a bit. Even the main event was immediately followed by Rose with cake on her clothes.

This was another way too busy show and I kept wondering what they were going to throw out there next to make me shake my head. It isn’t that these are all terrible ideas, but they keep coming one after another with little getting the time to sink in. There are stories in here that work, but then Mandy Rose is being stalked or Sarray is transforming or Blade and Enofe, who could be a good, young team, are stuck with sophomoric humor.

Overall, this show felt very, very much like a show designed by Vince McMahon or to appeal to Vince McMahon and that is rarely going to make for entertaining TV. It felt like yet another week where they were throwing anything out there and if it works, great, but if not, oh well. That’s not a great way to run a TV show and the wrestlers aren’t going to get much out of it other than a bunch of ideas that aren’t the best to put on their resumes.

Results
Imperium b. Diamond Mine – Powerbomb to Brutus
Raquel Gonzalez b. Cora Jade – Chigona Bomb
Sarray b. Kayla Inlay – High collar suplex
Joe Gacy b. LA Knight – Handspring elbow
Wendy Choo b. Amari Miller – Elbow to the face
Andre Chase b. Draco Anthony – Downward Spiral
Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa b. Legado del Fantasma – Gorilla press powerslam to Mendoza

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: January 25, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and I don’t think that is going to mean much for most of the people around here. NXT is in a different world than almost anything that happens on the main roster and in a way that’s a good thing, as they can do some positive stuff on their own. Let’s get to it.

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

MSK is next to the Dusty Cup and ready to win it again. Now they know what it takes to get back to the top of the mountain thanks to Riddle, but DON’T TOUCH THE CUP!

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Jacket Time vs. MSK

Carter and Kushida start things off with neither being able to get anywhere. It’s off to Lee, who immediately gets punched down by Jiro. Jacket Time takes him into the corner to start up the beating and it’s a double bulldog to give Kushida two. Jiro gets taken down in the corner though and it’s Carter hitting a Bronco Buster, which the fans don’t seem to like very much. Some double teaming takes Jiro down and we take a break.

Back with Jiro getting suplexed down, setting up a kick to the chest. There’s the running shooting star for two and it’s back to Lee, who gets caught in the belly to back kneeling piledriver for two. Lee fights up and brings in Carter to clean house. The push moonsault is countered into the Hoverboard Lock but Carter drives him into the corner for the Blockbuster Hart Attack and the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match where they were supposed to go about 100 miles an hour and that’s what they did for a good bit. MSK needed to win to move forward, as there is a redemption story to them making the finals, if not flat out winning the tournament. Jacket Time might not be everyone’s thing, but they are at the level they should be at: a pretty low comedy team who gets good reactions and loses.

Respect is shown post match.

Zoey Stark tells Io Shirai she needs to find a new partner because Stark’s knee isn’t ready yet. Shirai doesn’t want to, but here is Tiffany Stratton to mock both of them. Stratton is ready to beat Shirai tonight, sending Shirai into a rant.

Video on Cameron Grimes wanting to beat Tony D’Angelo and move on to get the North American Title.

Legado del Fantasma is in the ring with Santos Escobar mocking Bron Breakker. People make fun of him because of his family and his poor math skills (Ha!) but he is already billed as a star. Escobar is a real star but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker gets in Escobar’s face and tells him to callate because the champ is speaking. Just issue the challenge already because he’ll accept it. Escobar says it’s on his time and leaves, only to have his goons jump Breakker. This goes as well as you would expect and Breakker stands tall.

Video on Boa vs. Solo Sikoa.

Solo Sikoa vs. Boa

No DQ and falls count anywhere with Boa jumping him with a kendo stick to start. A bunch of weapons are thrown in but Sikoa hits a Samoan drop. Everything but a single chair is cleared out so Boa wins a tug of war and beats Sikoa down again. A butterfly suplex onto a trashcan lets Boa set up a table at ringside but the delay lets Sikoa fight up. They fight into the back with Boa sending him into a ladder, which is then rammed into Sikoa’s chest.

Another shot misses though and Boa is rammed into a steel door. Sikoa goes outside and locks the door behind him so Boa opens the damaged garage door. Sikoa is right there with a blast from a fire extinguisher and they head back into the arena. Boa is sent into some chairs in the corner and a superkick takes him down again. The Superfly Splash is broken up with a crotching though and they head outside again. A Samoan drop sends Boa onto the announcers’ table and it’s a Superfly Splash to put Boa through another table for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: B-. I don’t know how big of a win this is going to be for Sikoa as he was beating Boa, but he had a hard fought match that felt like the end of this mini feud. Sikoa has the genetics and family name to make something of himself and the brawling style should work well. Boa….yeah I don’t get it, but he lost in the big match here so at least they didn’t go too far.

Video on Imperium, who talks about how it is time to move on from the past and fear the name of Gunther. WWE certainly feared the long form of the name.

Duke Hudson vs. Guru Raaj

Hudson starts fast and hammers away, setting up a side slam. A Razor’s Edge finishes for Hudson at 1:08.

Post match here is Dante Chen to say he’s coming for Hudson, albeit respectfully. Referees break it up but Hudson chop blocks him down.

Persia Pirotta likes Duke Hudson with short hair but Indi Hartwell tells her to focus. Kay Lee Ray comes in to suggest she wants to beat up Mandy Rose with a baseball bat. Or just pin her.

Legado del Fantasma is unhappy with Bron Breakker and the challenge is on….for him to face Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. He doesn’t have any friends so it’s not worries.

Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta/Kay Lee Ray vs. Toxic Attraction

Ray wants Mandy Rose to start but Jacy Jayne tags herself in instead. That’s fine with Ray, who drives her into the corner for the tag off to Hartwell. A kick to the head rocks Jayne so Rose comes in, only to get backbreakered by Pirotta. There’s a kick to the head and it’s back to Ray, sending Rose bailing to the floor.

Ray is left alone in the ring so it’s a huge dive to the floor to take all three down at once. Back in and Dolin gets caught in the corner for a beating, only to drive Hartwell into the wrong corner. Some Kawada Kicks knock Hartwell silly but she’s back with a side slam to Rose. Jayne breaks up the tag though and Dolin takes her down for two.

We take a break and come back with Hartwell still in trouble and Jayne hitting a running neckbreaker. They chop it out and knock each other down so the tag is off to Pirotta to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Ray superkicking Rose before grabbing the bat. The bat hits the steps and the post and Ray chases her to the back. That leaves Dolin to small package Pirotta for two, only to get kicked in the face. The fireman’s carry faceplant finishes Dolin at 13:53.

Rating: C. Take the challengers and the champions, put them in the same match and give one of the challengers a win to set up a title match later. That’s classic wrestling booking and it will work fine here. Toxic Attraction feel like vulnerable champions and Hartwell/Pirotta will be fine as challengers on the big show. Ray is the serious threat to Rose and while I don’t know if she will take the title, at least they have set her up well.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade can’t believe they have made it to the semifinals of the Dusty Classics and they could go all the way. Enofe seems interested in Toxic Attraction though and somehow he loses his shirt.

Earlier today, Raquel Gonzalez was training when Cora Jade came in to ask to be her partner again. That still won’t happen because Gonzalez can’t trust her. Jade loads up a slap but it gets blocked, with Gonzalez getting serious.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward

Drake shoves Chase down to start so Chase flips him around by the wrist. The spelling stomps have Drake in more trouble and it’s time to alternate on the arm. Some Flip Flop and Fly stagger Drake again but Gibson pulls him to the floor. A spike shoulder breaker put Chase down but he’s fine enough to roll over for the tag off to Hayward. House is cleaned but it’s a double Codebreaker to finish Hayward at 5:10.

Rating: C. I like the Veterans, but I am long past the point of believing that they are going to be given a serious push, or even a major win, in NXT. At the same time you have Chase and Hayward and they have managed to get this stupid gimmick over. I absolutely would not have bet on that and well done on pulling off what should not have been possible. It might not go very far, but they have a something with it, at least for the time being.

Post match here is Von Wagner to jump Chase and Hayward. Robert Stone comes in to say Wagner is under new management.

Grayson Waller, with his bodyguard Sanga, is ready to take out LA Knight, who is still under a restraining order.

Odyssey Jones has undergone knee surgery and will be out of action until the fall.

Io Shirai vs. Tiffany Stratton

Shirai doesn’t see sure of what to think of Stratton. A wristlock has Stratton flipping away and she kicks Shirai down, leaving commentary stunned. The chinlock has Shirai in more trouble and even the fans chanting can’t bring her back up. They get to their feet with Stratton shouting a lot, only to get palm struck into the corner. A slam sets up the Moons Over Moonsault for the pin on Stratton at 4:17.

Rating: C. That’s how this kind of a match should have gone, as Stratton is still brand new and Shirai is one of the best ever around here. Stratton got in some offense before ultimately falling, though there was only ever going to be so much drama here. I’m not sure what to make of Stratton so far, but she has the athleticism to make something of herself, assuming she can get around the lame gimmick (see also most of this NXT).

Malcolm Bivens thinks Gunther is a stupid name. Bivens: “It should have been DUMBA**, in all caps!” This is a new beginning and it’s time for the team to take out Imperium, including Ivy Nile stretching him to his mother’s house.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams introduce Olliejayy for a musical performance.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for Cameron Grimes.

Tiffany Stratton is on the phone with her dad and complains about the referee. She runs into Wendy Choo, who thinks the referee had a point. Stratton slaps her cup away, sending Choo into some whining about her free refill. Someone was paid to come up with that.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Cameron Grimes

The winner gets Carmelo Hayes (on the balcony with Trick Williams) for the North American Title in the future. D’Angelo starts fast by snapping off a suplex, setting up a choke in the corner. Grimes gets planted down again and we take a break. Back with Grimes hitting him in the face but getting punched in the ribs. The waistlock goes on but Grimes fights up and hits a bunch of forearms.

D’Angelo is rocked for a change and Grimes hits his flipping powerslam for two. Back up and the threat of the Cave In sends D’Angelo outside. That’s fine with Grimes, who grabs a hat. Cue Pete Dunne with a 2×4 to hit D’Angelo in the hand, allowing Grimes to hit the Cave In for the pin at 11:35 (possibly while thanking D’Angelo at the same time).

Rating: C+. As has been the case with a lot of the matches tonight, I don’t think there was much drama here, but they got tot he point after some good action. Grimes can work well with anyone and it’s not like D’Angelo is awful in the ring. There was no reason to believe D’Angelo was winning here but they didn’t overstay their welcome, even with Dunne’s return.

Bron Breakker is leaving when Legado del Fantasma pops up in their SUV. Breakker is ready to fight but Tommaso Ciampa comes in to even the odds a bit. Breakker says the math checks out for him as Legado leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it felt like one of the old NXT’s. This show felt like it had a bunch of things to accomplish and then went through them one by one, including setting things up for later. That’s one of the reasons NXT worked so well back in the day and it was working again here. While the show has some problems, it feels like it has a direction and that is what matters more than anything else at the moment.

Results
MSK b. Jacket Time – Blockbuster Hart Attack to Kushida
Solo Sikoa b. Boa – Superfly Splash through a table
Duke Hudson b. Guru Raaj – Razor’s Edge
Kay Lee Ray/Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell b. Toxic Attraction – Fireman’s carry facebuster to Dolin
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward – Double Codebreaker to Hayward
Io Shirai b. Tiffany Stratton – Moons Over Moonsault
Cameron Grimes b. Tony D’Angelo – Cave In

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: January 18, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s a new era in NXT as we have a new monster around here. Walter is making his full time debut this week, as he is scheduled to face Roderick Strong. Other than that we have the fallout of the return of LA Knight to deal with Grayson Waller. Now if only they can avoid doing some dumb things. Let’s get to it.

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

LA Knight arrives and tells some people to watch what he does in the ring. That brings Knight to the arena and he wants to talk to us. He also wants Grayson Waller out here right now so they can finish what they started last week. With Waller not showing up, Knight recaps everything that got us here, including a few weeks ago when a good looking woman picked Knight over Waller.

Cue Waller, and he has a restraining order. Waller: “If you come within fifty feet of me, you get arrested, YEAH!”. Knight thinks this is pitiful even for Waller, but he knows someone who doesn’t have a restraining order against them. Cue Dexter Lumis, and Waller gets to pick which one he fights.

Grayson Waller vs. Dexter Lumis

Joined in progress with Lumis in control, including dropping a leg. Waller gets in a shot of his own for a breather but gets dropped again without much trouble. Lumis hits a neckbreaker to put Waller down, then hits a neckbreaker to put Waller down, followed by a neckbreaker to put Waller down.

Using WWF War Zone rules, Waller fights back and knocks Lumis outside for a running clothesline. We take a break and come back with Lumis fighting out of an armbar and taking it to the floor. Waller manages to get inside…and here is a large man to send Lumis into the barricade. Back in and Waller’s Stunner finishes at 10:03.

Rating: C-. The Waller push continues as Knight is still stuck in NXT to make him look good. On the plus side, at least Waller has some muscle to beat people up, because this company doesn’t have enough enforcer characters just yet. Waller needed the win after last week so this does make sense, even if I’d rather have Knight on Raw every week.

Malcolm Bivens is hyping up the Creed Brothers but Walter comes in to get in his face. Roderick Strong pops in to say he isn’t afraid of Walter. A match seems to be set.

Video on the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, complete with a look at the teams and the brackets:

MSK
Jacket Time

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe
Legado del Fantasma

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen
Creed Brothers

Grizzled Young Veterans
Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward

MSK is ready for the Dusty Classic but Legado del Fantasma comes in to say if MSK beats Jacket Time, they’ll be losing to Legado. MSK doesn’t seem impressed.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Creed Brothers

Brutus takes Briggs down to start but gets hit in the face so hard that his mouthpiece comes out. A double slam puts Brutus down again and it’s Jensen coming in to work on an armbar. Brutus takes Jensen into the corner though and it’s off to Julius coming in to wrestle down. A chinlock sets up a spinebuster to plant Briggs and Brutus suplexes Julius onto him for a crash. Briggs fights up and drives Julius into the corner so the hot tag can brings in Jensen. The chokeslam gets two on Brutus with Julius making the save. Everything breaks down and Jensen is fed into a torture rack slam. Julius’ sliding lariat finishes Jensen at 5:42.

Rating: C. These are two of the teams who have been established over the last few months and the better one moves on in the tournament. That’s about all you could ask for and now the Brothers are probably the favorites to win the tournament. Granted they won’t, but at least they have started moving forward.

Dante Chen (he’s still from Singapore) is back and ready. His father has passed away since we last saw him around here and it is motivating him even more.

Imperium, through subtitles, is ready to dominate.

Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj

They show some respect to start and head outside….where Duke Hudson jumps both of them for the double DQ at 58 seconds.

Hudson beats Chen up and says stay out of his way.

Joe Gacy says he and Harland could be in the tournament but Harland lost his temper. Cue Odyssey Jones, on crutches, to say that’s nonsense. Gacy thanks him for his feedback and opens the door so Jones can walk through it. Gacy wants Harland to think about things.

Bron Breakker knows everyone, including a great performer like Santos Escobar is coming for him. Elektra Lopez comes up to praise Breakker but he isn’t buying it. Escobar comes in to say Breakker isn’t ready for this level. He’s coming for the title so Breakker is ready to fight, only to have Escobar back off.

It’s time for Tony D’Angelo to present the Pete Dunne Memorial Service. Dunne needed to be taught a lesson and that was done by any means necessary. It’s a closed casket service, because no one wants to see Dunner after he took a crowbar to the face. D’Angelo is on to bigger and better things though, like the North American Title.

As luck would have it, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams pop up on the balcony, saying don’t say that. D’Angelo threatens them with members of the family, but Williams says they know all about them, like Ben & Jerry, Larry, Curly and Mo. Not that it matters, as they all look like Vic Joseph.

Violence is threatened but here is Cameron Grimes to say D’Angelo is going to have to go to the back of the line. He challenged Hayes last week, but all he got back was a call from Orlando Car Rentals. Hayes and Williams insist that it’s THEIR car and not a rental. Hayes says Grimes and D’Angelo can fight for the title shot (maybe) so D’Angelo jumps him, only to get Dunne’s portrait smashed over his head.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs say they’ll be ok but here are Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter to say they all need to go out for some drinks. Wendi Choo is on top of the lockers, saying the guys like them. Briggs starts babbling and hints that he likes Jensen more, sending the girls off on their own. Choo might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in wrestling.

Video on Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon. Feroz has a martial arts background and Feroz won weightlifting championships.

Leon and Feroz are ready to win but Dakota Kai comes in to say success ruins friendships. The team isn’t impressed and walks away.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Ivy Nile

Nile rolls her up to start and grabs a quickly broken top wristlock. Nile takes her down again and grabs a headscissors, with Ray not being able to power out. Some spinning does get her out though and it’s a gordbuster to drop Nile again. Back up and Nile wraps her leg around Ray’s head, setting up a DDT (that’s a new one). Ray fights up again but here is Mandy Rose for a distraction, allowing Nile to counter the KLR Bomb into a rollup for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. I can go for Nile getting a win but Ray losing isn’t the best sign. It’s bad enough that she is going to have to tone it way down for the sake of Mandy Rose, but she has to lose too? Ray is someone else who seems like she could be moved up to the main roster almost immediately, but it would be nice if she could do something down here first.

Post match the fight is on, with the rest of Toxic Attraction coming in to take Ray out. Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell run in for the save and take out the champs, with Ray getting up for a superkick of her own.

Harland has attacked Odyssey Jones.

Sarray talks about how her first year here wasn’t great, but now she has found a necklace her grandmother gave her. Now she is ready to return better than ever. This is the second person in an hour making a return after being inspired by something involving a family member.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Legado del Fantasma

The rest of Legado is here too. Blade takes Wilde does to start and Enofe hits a standing moonsault for two. A headlock has Wilde in trouble but Mendoza comes in off a blind tag and it’s a double spinebuster to put Enofe down. The double teaming continues but Enofe gets over for the tag to Blade. Santos Escobar grabs a leg and gets ejected, with Bron Breakker coming in to carry him off. The distraction lets Blade grab a rollup for the fluke pin at 3:14.

Rating: C-. That is your second match in a row to end with a distraction rollup as NXT continues to feel more and more like the main roster shows from a few years back. I can go for the surprise, though it wasn’t quite shocking after what Legado was saying earlier. They telegraphed this fairly badly, but at least they are giving someone else a little something.

Malcolm Bivens says Roderick Strong is ready for Walter. The mat isn’t sacred, but rather a way to make them money, so they can get the deluxe apartment in the sky. Dang it now the theme song is going to be stuck in my head.

Solo Sikoa is mad at Boa for burning him with a fireball and revenge is promised.

Dakota Kai vs. Yulisa Leon

Valentina Feroz is here with Leon. Kai knocks her into the corner and hammers on Leon, setting up the running kick to the face for one. They head outside where a Feroz distraction lets Leon take over with clotheslines and a gutwrench suplex. A tabletop suplex gets two on Kai but she’s back up with a kick to the face for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C-. Build people up, have them lose an hour later. That’s how things work in WWE and I can’t say I’m even a bit surprised these days. Kai needed to be rebuilt a bit here so at least the win makes sense, but maybe they shouldn’t have tried to turn Leon and Feroz into a thing earlier in the same show.

Post match Kai goes after Feroz but Leon makes the save.

Raquel Gonzalez is ready to move on but Cora Jade comes up to offer an alliance. Gonzalez is good though and leaves.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are fired up over their win. Bron Breakker comes in to say good job and go win that cup.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including a musical performance.

Walter vs. Roderick Strong

Feeling out process to start with Walter taking him down by the arm. Back up and Walter misses a chop, allowing Strong’s chop….to be easily blocked. Now the real chop can connect to knock Strong silly and a big boot makes it even worse. Walter grabs Bivens but gets his leg taken out, allowing Strong to hits a baseball slide through the ropes. That earns him a belly to back drop onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Walter running him over but getting caught in the ropes so Strong can hit his running shots to the face. Walter knocks him down but gets caught on top, meaning it’s a top rope superplex for two. They strike it out with Strong getting the better of things, only to get blasts with a clothesline. Walter powers out of a double underhook and hits a kind of Beach Break. The powerbomb plants Strong for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: B. I’m as shocked as you are that these two had the match of the night by a few miles. These two beat each other up until Walter got a win over one of the bigger names remaining around here. I don’t know what Walter is going to do around here and it would be nice (in theory) to see him on the main roster, but for now I’ll take him stealing the show whenever he is around.

Post match Walter declares himself the winner, drawing in Imperium for the beatdown. The Creed Brothers come in and it’s a big brawl to end the show. Sweet goodness I don’t remember the last time I saw one of those on a WWE show but well done.

Overall Rating: C. This show had to be saved by Walter, as he and Strong were the only things that you needed to see on here. The rest of the show felt like a bunch of leftover ideas from Raw and that shouldn’t be a surprise given who is now in charge. Now it’s bad booking tropes with developmental wrestlers, making this quite the weak show to watch at times. Just be glad for Walter before they screw him up too.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Dexter Lumis – Stunner
Creed Brothers b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Sliding lariat to Jensen
Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj went to a double DQ when Duke Hudson interfered
Ivy Nile b. Kay Lee Ray – Rollup
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Legado de Fantasma – Rollup to Wilde
Dakota Kai b. Yulisa Leon – Running boot to the face
Walter b. Roderick Strong – Powerbomb

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: January 11, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re officially in a new era, as Bron Breakker won the NXT Title last week at New Year’s Evil. That is the kind of change you do not see take place very often and now we get to see what happens with Breakker as the star of the show. We should be in for some good stuff, which is long overdue around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bron Breakker winning the NXT Title.

Here is Breakker to get things going. The title looks good around his waist but the fans are split on whether or not he deserves it. Breakker thanks Tommaso Ciampa for being a great champion and a respectable human being. Last week, Ciampa told him it was his time and went over to shake his father’s hand.

We don’t have any days off around here though so if anyone wants some, come get it. Just remember that if you come in to train, he’s already trained. If you’re watching film, he’s already done it, because he’s the freaking NXT Champion. Breakker goes to leave but Santos Escobar comes out for his match, giving us a quick staredown. Breakker sounded like a Steiner here and that is a good thing.

Santos Escobar vs. Xyon Quinn

Elektra Lopez is going to leave with the winner. Quinn jumps him to start as Lopez is watching from the balcony. Some shoulders in the corner keep Escobar in trouble as this is one sided so far. There’s a toss into the corner to send Escobar flying and we take a break. Back with Lopez at ringside and Escobar working on an ankle lock.

Escobar hits a running dropkick to the knee in the corner, setting up an enziguri. Quinn is right back with another toss, but Legado offers a distraction so Escobar can dump him over the top. A posting is loaded up but Lopez offers a distraction to break it up. Quinn throws Escobar back inside and cuts off a dive with a right hand. That seems to please Lopez….who kicks Quinn low. Back in and the Phantom Driver finishes for Escobar at 10:37.

Rating: C+. While I don’t like Quinn losing again, I do like that they made a definitive decision about the story. If Escobar is going for the NXT Title next, this is a good way to go. That being said, Quinn is someone I’ve liked since he debuted and unfortunately it seems to be back to the drawing board for him. That is assuming there is a drawing board to be found around here.

Tony D’Angelo is ready to break Pete Dunne with the crowbar because tonight, he is in charge.

We look at Grayson Waller interfering in AJ Styles’ match on Raw but getting beaten up anyway.

Video on Cameron Grimes.

Mandy Rose is doing a photo shoot by her pool and brags about retaining her Women’s Title. She makes the title hot and wants you to keep staring, which she knows you’ll do.

Cameron Grimes vs. Damon Kemp

Kemp is better known as Bobby Steveson. Grimes takes him down for an early two and the armbar comes on. Cue Malcolm Bivens to watch from the stage as Kemp comes back with a belly to belly. The chinlock goes on but Grimes fights up with the clotheslines. A running shot in the corner drops Kemp again and it’s the Cave In for the pin at 2:20. Kemp got a bit in here before losing.

Joe Gacy and Harland are happy to be involved in the Dusty Classic Play In match. It doesn’t matter what you look like, but Edris Enofe/Malik Blade are going to be in a safe space.

We look back at Von Wagner attacking Andre Chase and some fans last week. Wagner has been fined and suspended.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Play In: Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Harland/Joe Gacy

Gacy drives Enofe into the corner to start and of course gets a clean break. Enofe gets elbowed in the face and it’s a swinging Rock Bottom to give Gacy two. Blade comes in for a dropkick and an armdrag into an armbar. Some double teaming keeps Gacy in trouble but Enofe missed a Stinger Splash, allowing the tag to Harland. Blade is driven face first into the corner and a bunch of rams into the buckle are enough to DQ Harland at 3:15.

Rating: D+. I’m sure this is going to lead to Gacy giving some speech about understanding and that is the important part, as Blade and Enofe are likely to be little more than cannon fodder in the tournament. Gacy and Harland isn’t exactly inspiring stuff, but they seem to be here to stay. It still isn’t great to see Harland in the ring because he is such a raw rookie, but that’s kind of the point of NXT these days.

Imperium is here to teach integrity, discipline and honor. Americans will not understand that, because Imperium only cares about working harder.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Crowbar on a pole match because reasons. D’Angelo goes for the crowbar to start and gets taken down into an armbar for his efforts. A stomp to the head sets up a front facelock and another stomp to D’Angelo’s head. D’Angelo cuts off a climb attempt and snaps off a t-bone suplex. They both go to the corner, where Dunne stomps on his head but can’t get the crowbar down. Instead D’Angelo hits a Falcon Arrow and we take a break.

Back with Dunne hitting a Regal Cutter and stomping on the arm twice in a row. It’s still too early for the crowbar though as D’Angelo hits a flipping German suplex. D’Angelo gets the crowbar and misses some shots, allowing Dunne to get the crowbar and miss some shots. They fight outside with Dunn saving himself from another hand smash. An enziguri rocks D’Angelo but he’s right back with a crowbar swinging neckbreaker.

D’Angelo stomps on the hand, which wakes Dunne up enough to kick him in the head a few times. Dunne flips out of a German suplex and grabs an STF with the crowbar in the mouth. D’Angelo manages to swing it back into Dunne’s face though and it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away though and Dunne grabs the fingers. D’Angelo grabs the crowbar though and they forearm it out. Dunne is send into the corner and a crowbar to the face gives D’Angelo the pin at 13:17.

Rating: C. That was a crowbar on a pole match alright. They both went for the crowbar, one of them got it, and then one of them hit the other with it for the win. It’s still hard to fathom Dunne, who was NXT UK Champion for such a long time, losing to someone like D’Angelo, but the past has pretty much been forgotten around here. D’Angelo is completely fine in the ring, but the campy gimmick is too much to get around.

Grayson Waller is happy with his social media exploding and promises another Grayson Waller moment tonight.

Toxic Attraction video.

Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell/Wendy Choo vs. Amari Miller/Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter

Choo is in pajamas and has a pillow, while Carter and Catanzaro dance through the crowd, joining the also dancing Miller on the stage. The bell rings and Choo is already asleep in the corner. Miller kicks Indi in the ribs and dives onto Pirotta on the floor as Kayden tags herself in. She dives out onto Indi and Kacy adds a corkscrew flip dive. Back in and Carter gets kicked down, allowing the tag to Choo, who snaps off kicks and a belly to belly suplex. There’s a t-bone suplex to drop Miller as everything breaks down. Pirotta hits her sitout TKO on Miller, setting up Pretty Savage to give Hartwell the pin at 3:38. Choo is asleep again.

Rating: C-. Good action, but it’s another match that had the wacky comedy thrown in because that is required around here. Choo has a one note character and there won’t be any explanation for why she sleeps all the time. She was impressive when she was in there, but “I like to sleep” might not have the deepest roots.

MSK finds the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy and talk about some teams who could give them trouble. Dakota Kai comes in and says she wants it, and suggests that success divides friendship.

Solo Sikoa is ready for Boa.

Kay Lee Ray breaks up Toxic Attraction’s photo shoot (without Toxic Attraction being around) with her baseball bat. They can to photo shoots but not defend the title? That’s not cool.

Boa vs. Solo Sikoa

Boa kicks away to start but Sikoa is back with some strikes of his own. They head outside with Sikoa getting posted to put Boa in control. Back in and a suplex drops Sikoa to set up a chinlock, with Sikoa bleeding from the mouth. That’s broken up and they fight out to the floor, with Boa being sent into the steps. Boa sends him into the announcers’ table and it’s a double countout at 3:40.

Rating: C-. So yeah, now they’re protecting Boa, which is another deal that continues to elude me. Sikoa gets my attention and has the family connections, while Boa has been bouncing around with a few different things with none of them clicking yet. Hopefully Sikoa wins the rematch, but I wouldn’t bet on it just yet.

AJ Styles is ready to end the Grayson Waller era because he’s happy the Georgia Bulldogs won the National Title last night.

We look at Carmelo Hayes unifying the Cruiserweight and North American titles last week.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrive, telling security to keep the car here because they’ll be right back.

Boa and Sikoa are still brawling in the back, with Sikoa getting fireballed in the face again. Now Boa’s face is magically painted.

Von Wagner’s fine has been paid and his suspension has been lifted.

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes for a chat. Williams wants the fans to pay some respect to Hayes because they go together like various things that go well together. They pay a quick tribute to Roderick Strong’s Cruiserweight Title and promise nothing but first downs and touchdowns going forward. Hayes is the walking cheat code and you can call the title whatever you want. As long as it is around his waist, it is the A title. Cue AJ Styles for the main event and we get the quick staredown with Hayes. As usual, Hayes sounds pretty confident on the mic.

Post break, Hayes and Williams go to their car, but Cameron Grimes has the keys. Normally he would have taken the car, but now he would rather take the gold.

AJ Styles vs. Grayson Waller

AJ drives him into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock. With that broken up, AJ kicks away at the leg before hitting a backbreaker. The big jumping knee connects for two but Waller sends him into the middle buckle. That doesn’t seem to matter as AJ snaps off a dropkick to send Waller outside. The dive is loaded up but Waller trips AJ face first onto the apron. Waller hits a heck of a clothesline and we take a break.

Back with AJ hitting the Phenomenal Blitz to put Waller back in trouble, setting up the seated Phenomenal Forearm. The Styles Clash is broken up so Waller sends him to the floor for the slingshot forearm. Back in and Waller hits a shot to the face, setting up a middle rope elbow for two. Styles grabs the Calf Crusher but Waller is right over to the ropes. A powerbomb and the flipping Stunner give Waller two each but Styles slips out of a superplex attempt. Styles plants him with a brainbuster, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: B-. Barring some shenanigans, this was about all they could have done. You don’t have many options other than having Styles win, as Waller isn’t going to beat a former multiple time World Champion. The good thing is that there isn’t any shame in Waller losing and he can continue to be the biggest pest on the show. Good match, but were you expecting anything else with Styles involved?

Post match, Styles says Waller is good but not Phenomenal. This isn’t over yet though, and AJ wants to introduce him to one of his friends. Cue LA Knight and the big beatdown is on, with Waller being cleared out. Styles and Knight pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Much like NXT tends to be, there was a good show in here which was dragged down by some bad ideas. Most of those involve bad characters, which was the case with D’Angelo, Choo and Boa. Toxic Attraction isn’t much better, but they aren’t exactly hiding why the team is pushed to the moon. The action was mostly good, and if you can get rid of some of the terrible stuff, you have a good show. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, especially now that Bruce Prichard is in charge, but at least there are some good pieces there.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Xyon Quinn – Phantom Driver
Cameron Grimes b. Damon Kemp – Cave In
Malik Blade/Edris Enofe b. Harland/Joe Gacy via DQ when Harland attacked in the corner
Tony D’Angelo b. Pete Dunne – Crowbar to the face
Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell/Wendy Choo b. Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter/Amari Miller – Pretty Savage to Miller
Solo Sikoa vs. Boa went to a double countout
AJ Styles b. Grayson Waller – Phenomenal Forearm

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: January 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s a big night as we have New Year’s Evil featuring the main event of NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa defending against Bron Breakker. That’s big enough, but we also have a triple threat match for the Women’s Title and AJ Styles confronting Grayson Waller. Not wrestling mind you, but confronting him. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the beginning of the new year with a focus on the card. Then we get to Breakker vs. Ciampa, when the video shifts into evil.

North American Title/Cruiserweight Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong

Title for title, with Trick Williams and Diamond Mine here too. They fight over a lockup to start until Strong grabs an armbar to take over. Back up and Hayes scores with a dropkick to stagger Strong for a change. Strong tries to take him down but Hayes nips up and scores with an enziguri. With that not working, Strong chops him hard up against the ropes, so Hayes drops to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Strong gets caught in the ropes, setting up a springboard legdrop for a cool looking crash. They head to the apron with Hayes hitting a big jumping DDT to rock Strong. They go inside again and Hayes misses something off the top, setting up a heck of a Sick Kick for two. We take a break and come back with Strong fighting out of a wristlock and hitting a running clothesline.

Some backbreakers look to set up the Strong Hold but Hayes reverses into one of his own. That’s reverses as well and now the Strong Hold can go on. With that broken up as well, Strong hits a Rock Bottom backbreaker for two more. Hayes is ties in the ropes for the running forearms, setting up the Angle Slam for two.

Back up and Hayes grabs a suplex into a cutter for his own near fall and we have a shocked face. Hayes gets caught up top and Strong grabs a super X Plex…or at least I think he does as they both crash hard. Hayes is ok enough to cover for two, followed by the top rope Fameasser for the pin and the titles at 15:41.

Rating: B. I’m still not sure what the landing on that super X Plex was supposed to be, but the rest of the match was pretty awesome as they were trading one big spot after another. They weren’t going for anything more than trading bombs until one of them couldn’t get up, and that’s it for the Cruiserweight division. Good match, and one of the better things to air on NXT TV in a long time.

AJ Styles wishes Tommaso Ciampa luck. There doesn’t appear to be much tension here.

The Dusty Classics are coming back, with the men’s version in two weeks and the women’s version in February.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat. After soaking in some cheers, AJ says he never gets tired of that, and talks about how he always wanted to come here, even when he first got to WWE. The fans always have that passion but there is always someone who wants to take it away. That’s where Grayson Waller comes in….and cue Waller himself, to bring up Styles losing to Omos last night.

Waller doesn’t buy this idea that Styles would have started in NXT and is tired of everyone calling him green. Styles says he’s never had a one on one match in NXT, so let’s get a referee out here and change that. Waller says we’re on Grayson Waller time we can do this next week. It can be the biggest win of his life, but AJ thinks it will be the biggest embarrassment. The fight is on with AJ getting kicked down before clearing the ring. At least the match is set.

Pete Dunne is ready to take out Tony D’Angelo for hurting his hand last week.

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro tell Amari Miller they are ready to win the Tag Team Titles. Miller needs a partner for the Dusty Classic but Tiffany Stratton runs off at the thought. The sleeping girl wakes up, asks why people are staring at her, and introduces herself as Wendy Chu. More sleep ensues.

Riddle/MSK vs. Imperium

Nash Carter starts with Fabian Aichner and gets powered down early on. A shot to the face staggers Aichner though and it’s off to Wes Lee to kick Aichner in the ribs. Lee can’t whip him in though and Aichner BLASTS HIM with a clothesline. That’s enough from them so it’s off to Riddle vs. Walter (who looks to have dropped a good bit of weight) with Riddle striking away. That doesn’t last long as everything breaks down, with Walter pulling Lee out of the air and carrying him to the wrong corner. The running double dropkicks put Lee on the floor and it’s an Imperium pose to send us to a break.

Back with Carter in trouble and a tag attempt being cut off. Carter finally gets in a kick to Walter though and the hot tag brings in Riddle to clean house. More strikes and a t-bone suplex drop Walter, setting up the running Broton. Everything breaks down again and some stereo dives take out Aichner and Barthel.

Back in and Riddle manages a German suplex on Walter for two but Aichner and Barthel offer a distraction. That’s enough for Walter to kick Riddle down and hit the powerbomb for two. A brainbuster gets two on Riddle but he strikes his way to freedom. It’s back to Carter for the Blockbuster Hart Attack, setting up Riddle’s Floating Bro to Aichner. The RKO finishes Barthel at 13:51.

Rating: B+. This was the kind of match that has been missing around here, as it was straight action and everyone going nuts. It also helps that it had star power, with Riddle and Walter feeling like bigger stars than anyone else on the show (save for AJ). That’s what this show has been lacking and it was great to see it again.

Joe Gacy is proud of Harland for getting better and thinks the Dusty Cup would make him happy. But no, they don’t want any special treatment to get into the tournament.

Mandy Rose gets an entrance in a helicopter.

Elektra Lopez is attracted to success and next week, you will get your answers. Next week it’s Santos Escobar vs. Xyon Quin and she is leaving with the winner.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzales vs. Cora Jade

Rose is defending and gets sent outside in a hurry. That leaves Raquel to power Jade around but a headscissors puts her on the floor as well. Rose pulls Jade outside for a beating but it’s a double Samoan drop from Gonzales back inside. We take a break and come back with Jade trying a rollup but getting tossed hard to the floor instead.

That leaves Mandy alone with Gonzales so it’s time to run away, only to have Gonzales chase her down in a hurry. Mandy gets tossed to the floor but comes back with a kendo stick shot for two. Gonzales comes back with the Chingona Bomb but Jade dives off the top with a backsplash for the save. That leaves Gonzales very angry indeed so she goes after Jade, only to get shoved outside. Jade’s rollup doesn’t work though as Rose sits down on it and retains the title at 12:28.

Rating: C-. Well they tried, but this was a rather sloppy match and it was quite the train wreck. There are only so many things that you can expect from three women who are a mixture of inexperienced and not that good, which means putting them out there for twelve minutes on live TV wasn’t the greatest idea. They aren’t ready for this spot without someone to help guide them through a match and that was obvious more than once. They did try hard and that makes a difference, but it wasn’t working.

Boa runs water over his face, making the painted version of himself appear next to him in the mirror.

Riddle congratulates MSK on their win and says goodbye for now. The Creed Brothers pop up to say the tag division is more serious and they’re winning the Dusty Cup.

Here is Andre Chase, who is rather proud of his student for trying to help him last week. That has earned him a FULL SCHOLARSHIP but here is Von Wagner to interrupt. He’s the star around here and punches out Chase for daring to talk. Wagner beats up the student as well and then goes after the fans as well, with referees and security pulling him away.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

Von Wagner is being escorted out of the building, but stops to laugh at Roderick Strong.

Video on Cameron Grimes’ amazing 2021. He wants gold in 2022.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is challenging and breaks some chains and a big X on the way to the ring. Ciampa starts with some running elbows but gets caught in a delayed suplex. Breakker nips up as Ciampa rolls to the floor for an early breather. Another suplex keeps Ciampa in trouble but he gets smart by going after the knee. Breakker gets taken down with a dropkick before a running knee puts him on the floor. Ciampa even busts out a running corkscrew dive (that’s a new one for him) and that’s good for some self applause.

Back in and the chinlock goes on but Breakker is on his feet in a hurry. The running shoulder to the ribs in the corner rocks Ciampa again but he ties Breakker in the Tree of Woe. Stomping and a running dropkick get Breakker out, where he is able to block the Fairy Tale Ending. A spinebuster and standing moonsault get two on Ciampa. Breakker goes to the middle rope but pauses (in a callback to his mistake in their first match), allowing Ciampa to knock him off the top.

Breakker seems to have tweaked his knee so Ciampa (now bleeding from the eye) hits some running knees to the face. A spear cuts Ciampa in half though and they’re both down. Back up and Breakker tries the gorilla press but Ciampa reverses into a tornado DDT….which almost goes very badly wrong as they land on the ropes. Ciampa is able to jump right into position for the Willow’s Bell though and we hit a half crab on Breakker. With that broken up, Ciampa heads outside and pulls back the floor mat.

That takes too long though and Breakker hits a HARD Alabama Slam through the announcers’ table. Back in and Ciampa uses the middle rope for a low blow, setting up another knee to the head. There’s another one for a bonus as Kenny Omega has entered the match. Ciampa hits a third running knee, setting up the Fairy Tale Ending for two, meaning it’s Ciampa’s turn to be shocked. Breakker knocks Ciampa off the top and hits a top rope bulldog, setting up a Recliner for the tap and the title at 15:29.

Rating: B. This was about passing the torch and that’s the feeling it presented, as Ciampa gave it everything he had and came up short. They had to change the title here as Breakker is a beast who has already lost once. He’s looking more and more like a prodigy every day and that’s not something you get to see very often. I’m not sure what he’s going to do as champion, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him on the main roster before the end of the year.

Ciampa nods to Breakker, who celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show that felt like a mini Takeover. The thing that made this one work was how structured everything felt. It came off like the people putting this show together had a bunch of stuff planned and then went out and executed it rather well. That’s how a big show is supposed to feel and it is the exact opposite of how this show feels most of the time. Awesome show here, and the title changes felt important, so well done for this week.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Roderick Strong – Top rope Fameasser
Riddle/MSK b. Imperium – RKO to Barthel
Mandy Rose b. Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzales – Cradle to Jade
Bron Breakker b. Tommaso Ciampa – Steiner Recliner

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

It’s time for one of those things that you don’t get to see very often in WWE, as we’re getting a contract signing between Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong. Other than that, odds are we’ll be hearing a lot more from Grayson Waller, because he is on this show as much as a Steve Austin Raw in 1998. Let’s get to it.

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

They aren’t wasting time this week because here is Grayson Waller to get things going. Waller flips around a lot and talks about having a great Christmas. This included flying himself to Detroit to Monday Night Raw, where he met AJ Styles. We see a clip of their showdown last night, before Waller talks about how he is supposed to face Dexter Lumis tonight. That isn’t going to happen, so he insults Indi Hartwell too. Cue the returning Odyssey Jones and we have a replacement match.

Odyssey Jones vs. Grayson Waller

Jones throws him around to start and then steps on Waller’s back. A big side slam gives Jones two and we take a break. Back with Waller hitting a low superkick and a middle rope elbow gets two. Jones fights up but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Waller to hammer away. Waller grabs the buckle to block a powerbomb….but the buckle pad comes off so the powerbomb gets two. That means Jones can miss a charge into the buckle, allowing Waller to hit his rolling Stunner for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Jones back as he is certainly one of the more unique people on the show. Sometimes you need someone out there throwing people around with raw power and size, which he does quite well. Then you have Waller, who is still the focal point of the show. It’s good to see him get in the ring, but it’s clear that he isn’t exactly a general out there. I still don’t quite get what WWE sees in him, but he’s pretty clearly here to stay.

Post match, AJ Styles pops up to say he’ll be here next week.

Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade both want to fight Mandy Rose, but here are Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray to say they want to fight her too. Rose just happens to pop up on screen behind them and says she’ll get a tag match made for tonight, with the winning team getting to challenge her in a triple threat at New Year’s Evil.

Grayson Waller isn’t happy with AJ Styles interrupting him and runs into MSK. They can shut up.

Xyon Quin says Elektra Lopez needs to pick sides.

Here is MSK for a chat. They haven’t been here since Halloween Havoc, which wasn’t a great night. No one gets higher than them, but here is Riddle on screen to say he is with them in spirit. That’s enough for them to call out Imperium, as they had planned to do. Cue Imperium to shout in their respective languages, which does not sit well with MSK, who want subtitles.

Imperium insults them in English, so MSK issues the challenge for right here and right now. That’s too far because Walter pops up on screen, saying that he is proud of Imperium as champions. That isn’t the case for MSK, so here is Riddle to pop up on screen and ask for a six man. Walter is game and the match is set.

We look back at Harland wrecking Brian Kendrick.

Joe Gacy reminds Harland that it wasn’t his fault because Kendrick started it.

Edris Enofe is happy with his win over Von Wagner, who comes in to say Enofe got lucky. Malik Blade comes in to have Enofe’s back and a match seems to be set.

Harland vs. Brian Kendrick

Hold on though as there is no Kendrick. Cue Andre Chase to say this is a teachable moment! Gacy likes education and mentions Harland being in a university….until he was expelled. As for Chase, thank you for being Kendrick’s replacement!

Harland vs. Andre Chase

Chase gets shoved outside in a hurry and the beating continues on the floor. Back in and Chase is sent face first into the mat over and over, which is good for the stoppage at 1:00.

Post match, one of Chase’s students hits the ring to check on him but gets attacked as well. Harland then kidnaps him.

Legado del Fantasma asks Elektra Lopez where her loyalties lie. She doesn’t say but here is Solo Sikoa to accidentally run into them. They want an apology but we get a match instead.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

Both are making their NXT debuts though they have been on 205 Live. Stratton takes her down with an armbar to start and then slams Henley to cut off a comeback attempt. An awkward looking handspring elbow sets up a Downward Spiral to finish Henley off at 2:35.

Tony D’Angelo warned Pete Dunne not to mess with him and then smashed Dunne’s hand. Maybe Dunne will listen to him next time.

It’s time for the contract signing between Roderick Strong and Carmelo Hayes, who hasn’t been seen so far. Malcolm Bivens thinks it might be due to the higher gas prices, but here are Hayes and Trick Williams anyway. Williams talks trash that Strong doesn’t understand, so Bivens translates. Strong threatens Hayes, with Bivens translating again, while also pointing out that Williams and Hayes are outnumbered. Williams goes on a rant, but Bivens doesn’t get paid enough to translate all night.

Wade Barrett, running this whole thing, has no idea what anyone has said so let’s just sit down. Hayes says Strong shouldn’t play with him or he’ll get put on a t-shirt. Next week, he’s unifying the titles and becoming the true A Champion. Strong promises to walk out as a two time North American Champion after he unifies the titles.

Hayes is going to be carried out though, which does not sit well with him. Both of them sign and the match is official. They throw the contract at each other and Barrett bails. Hayes leaves but Bivens yells at Williams to draw him back in. That means the Creed Brothers can put him through a table as the Diamond Mine stands tall. Bivens’ translations and Barrett being lost were funny, but I don’t like Strong’s chances next week.

Video on the tag team division with a lot of teams wanting the Tag Team Titles.

Solo Sikoa vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar chops away to start and rolls him up for a fast two. Sikoa is getting a bit too frustrated early on and misses a stomp to make it worse. Escobar takes him back down into an armbar and then switches into an abdominal stretch. That’s reversed with a hiptoss and a running headbutt gives Sikoa two. Escobar is knocked outside, where the rest of Legado offers a distraction. That means Sikoa gets posted hard we take a break.

Back with Sikoa fighting up but getting taken right back down with a Russian legsweep. Escobar stands on his back to keep it in trouble, setting up a half crab with a knee in said back. A basement dropkick rocks Sikoa again but he’s fine enough to hit a toss gordbuster. There’s the Samoan drop but Sikoa has to deal with the rest of Legado. That means a chop block to Sikoa, setting up a super hurricanrana. Cue Xyon Quin, so Escobar takes him down with a dive and yells a lot. Escobar heads back in, where Sikoa superkicks his head off. The Superfly Splash gives Sikoa the upset pin at 13:32.

Rating: C+. This is what some of the NXT rookies need to be doing: having a match with the established names and getting some ring time. The 3-4 minute matches aren’t getting them very far but this is where they can grow and learn. Escobar isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and Sikoa gets a rather nice win under his belt. Good use of TV time here.

New Year’s Evil rundown.

Harland and Joe Gacy take Andre Chase to the roof and leave him there.

Solo Sikoa wants to know who is left but gets jumped by Boa, who gives him a Tongan Death Grip. The cameraman gets taken out too.

We look at Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker.

Von Wagner vs. Malik Blade

Wagner powers him into the corner to start but Blade hits a kick to the ribs. That earns Blade a big toss into the air for a bigger crash as the beating is on. A lariat blasts Blade but he comes back with some dropkicks. Blade’s springboard crossbody drops Wagner again but he grabs a high Angle Slam. The double underhook spinning slam finishes Blade at 4:02.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure I get it with Wagner, who is another pretty generic power guy. That’s about all he showed us here too, as he didn’t do anything that set him apart from anyone else. Blade is fitting in rather well as the jobber to the stars who can still give you a nice enough match. Now please try to find some way to make Wagner more interesting.

Post match Wagner goes after him again but Edris Enofe makes the save.

New Year’s Evil rundown.

Kay Lee Ray/Io Shirai vs. Cora Jade/Raquel Gonzalez

The winning team gets to challenge Mandy Rose for the Women’s Title next week. Shirai flapjacks Jade to start and tells her to bring it. Jade grabs a cradle for two of her own before snapping off a hurricanrana. The running knee smashes Shirai against the ropes and it’s off to Gonzalez for the power. Ray comes in to kick away at the ribs but Shirai has to come in and save her with a dropkick. Shirai’s Asai moonsault takes Gonzalez out again and we take a break.

Back with Ray stomping away on Jade but not being able to hit the KLR Bomb. The comeback bid doesn’t last long as Jade gets knocked down, but Gonzalez saves Jade from the Moon Over Moonsault. Instead Ray hits a big dive onto Gonzalez and Shirai 619s Jade. There’s a missile dropkick for two on Jade, who comes back with an enziguri to Ray.

The hot tag brings in Gonzalez to clean house, including the spinning Vader Bomb. There’s the Chingona Bomb but Jade tags herself in. The argument is on and Jade knocks Gonzalez outside, allowing Jade to roll her up. Gonzalez breaks that up…and knocks Jade onto Ray for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C. That was a mixture of good action, some sloppiness in parts and a stupid ending designed to wedge in the “these two don’t get along” theme. That’s one of WWE’s favorite tropes though and it’s no surprise to see it here again. Either team could have won here, but Jade and Gonzalez are the more logical pick.

Post match, Mandy Rose pops up to say her plan is working and she’ll see them at New Year’s Evil.

Overall Rating: C. The show took a bit of a step back this week as it was a collection of things happening without much of a main story. The women’s tag didn’t feel bigger than anything else but rather just went on last, which doesn’t make it that much better. Nothing on here was particularly good and while there was less Grayson Waller, there wasn’t much else worth seeing. Granted that very well might be a Coronavirus thing, but it wasn’t exactly a fun watch this week.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Odyssey Jones – Rolling Stunner
Harland b. Andre Chase via referee stoppage
Tiffany Stratton b. Fallon Henley – Downward Spiral
Solo Sikoa b. Santos Escobar – Superfly Splash
Von Wagner b. Malik Blade – Double underhook spinning slam
Raquel Gonzalez/Cora Jade b. Kay Lee Ray/Io Shirai – Rollup to Ray

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: December 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on the end of the year and that means New Year’s Evil is on the way soon. That means we will be seeing Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title. The match seemed to be set up last week and now we should be ready for the showdown pretty soon. Oh and AJ Styles is here too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. He knows that the title means that people are coming for you and that includes Bron Breakker. Last week he laid Breakker out and now it is time for Breakker to come out here and do something about it. Cue Breakker, but Ciampa cuts him off, saying Breakker is getting another shot when most people never get one.

At Halloween Havoc, Ciampa showed the flaws in Breakker, who is not ready to be a champion around here. He won’t be like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor or Tommaso Ciampa. All it took was one mistake for Breakker to lose, so now he knows what is coming at New Year’s Evil. Then he’ll win the title and take it home to his family, where everyone can bark about how happy they are. Ciampa slaps him in the face and gets lifted in the air, only to be sat back down. Breakker says the blood is in the water and the shark is coming for him.

Grayson Waller says he has no respect towards AJ Styles, but he’s hanging on like Johnny Gargano. Styles has been around for years and has money, so get a hair cut! His hair looks the same as Waller’s mom’s!

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai start their street fight backstage. Gonzalez doesn’t like Kai trying to jump her from behind so they throw each other into various things. Kai’s ribs are crushed with a big piece of metal grating and Gonzalez hits her with a bunch of things. An anvil case doesn’t work though and Kai gets in some trashcan shots. With Gonzalez down, Kai sets up a table but takes too much time and gets taken down by a metal cart. They fight out into the parking lot and we take a break. Back with the fight at ringside and the bell has officially rung.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai

Street fight and we start with Kai taking the top of the announcers’ table to the face. Kai gets in a shot of her own though and it’s time for a table, because we can’t go through a fight without one. They get inside, where Kai is dropped onto a chair. A charge is reversed into a powerbomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana to the floor. Kai puts Gonzalez in a trashcan and double stomps her from the apron for the big crash. Gonzalez is fine enough to hit a powerbomb onto the steps, with the fans wanting one more. Instead they head back inside with Gonzalez powerbombing her onto the trashcan for the pin at 5:44 shown.

Rating: B-. This is a tricky one as the match itself wasn’t much, but the whole thing went for the better part of fifteen minutes. They beat each other up rather well, though I’m a good bit burned out on these fights and brawls. The story calls for it well enough, but we just had a No Holds Barred match last week. Space these things out a bit.

Post match, Gonzalez calls out Mandy Rose for her title match right now.

After a break, Tony D’Angelo talks about taking Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. He’ll see Dunne tonight.

Back in the ring, Gonzalez is still calling out Rose but gets Cora Jade instead. Jade wants to face Rose too but that isn’t going to happen with the title on the line. Gonzalez is ready to take Jade out for the title match if she has to, but Rose pops up on screen. She’ll put the title on the line in a triple threat at New Year’s Evil, but for now, enjoy your beating. Cue Toxic Attraction to lay out Gonzalez and Jade, with Gonzalez being sent through the table in the corner.

Joe Gacy and Harland want to apologize for nearly killing Brian Kendrick last week. They can’t apologize though, because Kendrick triggered Harland by calling him a freak.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t scared of the Creed Brothers, no matter how many awesome training videos they post.

Persia Pirotta tells Indi Hartwell that their match has been canceled. Grayson Waller comes in to mock them and say he isn’t worried about AJ Styles being here tonight. He already got rid of Johnny Gargano.

Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gibson jumps over Julius to start and gets dropped into an armdrag. It’s off to Brutus, who gets slammed onto Gibson to keep him in trouble. Back up and Gibson is sent into the corner, where Drake breaks off the impact. That means Brutus can get caught in the wrong corner so the Veterans can take turns getting in some cheap shots to take over. Brutus gets kicked in the back and knocked outside, setting up the backbreaker/elbow to the chest combination.

Hold on though as here is Jacket Time with their own announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jacket offering Japanese commentary as Drake chinlocks Brutus. That’s broken up and Brutus gets over to Julius for the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and everyone heads outside. They try to put each other through Jacket Time’s table but a big brawl breaks out for the no contest at 10:41.

Rating: C-. They were having a match but there was too much stuff going on and it all seems to be setting up a big multi team match soon. Maybe they can even make it a ladder match, as we haven’t had one in a few weeks. Anyway, you can only do so much with a match focusing on extra commentary and then a big messy finish, which was certainly the problem here.

Post match the brawl continues, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs joining in.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for Dexter Lumis, who pops up on a screen to scare them.

Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are working on rehabbing Stark’s knee. Legado del Fantasma comes in but the women aren’t scared.

Trick Williams vs. Dexter Lumis

Carmelo Hayes is here and Roderick Strong is watching from the balcony too. Lumis isn’t playing this time and takes Williams down to hammer away at the head. The neck crank goes on but Williams fights up, only to get caught in the ring skirt. Lumis hits a superkick as Strong brawls Hayes to the back. The distraction lets Hayes get in a few slams and a chinlock to keep Lumis down. Lumis fights up and hits a Russian legsweep, setting up the jumping legdrop. Williams grabs his shoe but gets taken into the Silence to give Lumis the win at 5:37.

Rating: C-. This is a feud that just keeps going with Lumis continuing to not be the most inspiring guy in the world. Hayes and Williams haven’t been able to do much to him but Hayes is more worried about Strong anyway. Another match that wasn’t too bad, but the story isn’t interesting enough to make up for the just ok action.

Post match here is Grayson Waller to chair Lumis down but we cut to AJ Styles arriving.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Back in the ring, Grayson Waller promises to say you’re welcome when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cue AJ Styles, who isn’t all that impressed. Styles has heard about the things Waller has been doing but doesn’t think much of him. Waller thinks AJ is here because he lost his meal ticket and needs something to make up for it.

AJ laughs it off and talks about how much Waller rips him off, even down to the gloves. There is talent in NXT, but the jury is still out on Waller, who would rather look good than be a star. Waller says he has gotten a Hall of Famer down here so AJ is ready to fight. Waller has had a good few weeks, but try having a good twenty years. Waller teases fighting but walks away instead, saying Omos can beat up Styles first.

Diamond Mine issues the challenge: Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong, title for title.

We recap Riddle as MSK’s shaman.

Riddle gives MSK Randy Orton hats and wants them to challenge Imperium next week, with him in their corner. They they all get hit by cars. MSK wakes up and it was all a dream, but they still have their hats. Then Riddle gets off a bus and they’re still calling out Imperium next week.

Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe

Robert Stone comes out to watch as Wagner cleans house to start. Enofe gets punched down but comes back with a sunset flip for the upset pin at 57 seconds.

Post match Wagner destroys Enofe.

Imperium is ready for MSK.

Xyon Quin is still following Legado del Fantasma.

NXT has been doing stuff with children’s charities.

Io Shirai vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez powers her into the corner to start and gets a takedown, followed by a hard spinebuster. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Shirai fights up and kicks Lopez down. There’s a missile dropkick to send Lopez into the corner for the running knees. The moonsault is broken up to put them both down but here is Xyon Quin to go after Legado del Fantasma. He pulls out some mistletoe and gets on the apron, which gets Lopez’s attention. Santos Escobar breaks that up though, allowing Shirai to knock Lopez down and hit the moonsault for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. The Quin/Lopez deal continues and I’m not sure where it is going. That’s a good feeling to have and it is one of the few occasions where it applies around here. Shirai didn’t quite struggle here, but she isn’t quite the ace that she used to be. At least she won here though and we have something for Lopez going forward.

Carmelo Hayes is in for the title vs. title match.

Brian Kendrick says he’s coming back to the ring to face Harland next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Dunne takes him down early but misses the stomp to the arm. Back up and they run the ropes until D’Angelo grabs something like a release t-bone suplex, with Dunne landing HARD on his head. Another suplex drops Dunne again but he escapes a third one to knock D’Angelo outside.

We take a break and come back with D’Angelo stomping away even more. Dunne grabs the hand to set up a triangle but gets suplexes down again. Dunne is suplexed into the corner but manages to avoid a charge. Some running shots to the face give Dunne two and it’s time to slug it out.

A big kick to the head gives Dunne two but the X Plex is countered into a Falcon Arrow. With that not working, D’Angelo grabs his crowbar but gets pulled down into an armbar. Dunne is sent into the corner for the counter and loads up the fisherman’s neckbreaker, only to have Dunne go for the fingers. The Bitter End finishes D’Angelo at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Those suplexes are going to be the memorable part here as D’Angelo needs to work on not dropping people on their heads. They were terrifying and there is no need to have Dunne bouncing onto his head like that, and certainly not multiple times. I’m also glad that Dunne won, as the youth movement can only get you so far and D’Angelo beating Dunne would have been too much to take.

Post match D’Angelo jumps Dunne again and breaks his hand with the crowbar to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was a bit better this week and Grayson Waller wasn’t quite as all over the show as he was before. They also beefed up the New Year’s Evil card and the show is looking good. It helps a lot to have a show to build towards and New Year’s Evil fills the role. There are still a lot of bad or just dumb things around here but at least the top of the card is starting to come together. Just fix some of those problems and this show jumps up in a hurry, but I wouldn’t bet on those happening anytime soon.

Results
Raquel Gonzalez b. Dakota Kai – Powerbomb onto a trashcan
Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Creed Brothers went to a no contest when both teams brawled with Jacket Time
Dexter Lumis b. Trick Williams – Silence
Edris Enofe b. Von Wagner – Sunset flip
Io Shirai b. Elektra Lopez – Moonsault
Pete Dunne b. Tony D’Angelo – 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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AND

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

NXT
Date: December 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re done with WarGames and all signs would seem to point to Bron Breakker getting the rematch for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil. That should be the big title change, but there is still some time to fill on the way there. We’ll start with this week’s show, which will include the reveal of MSK’s Shaman. Let’s get to it.

Here is WarGames if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of WarGames.

Von Wagner vs. Kyle O’Reilly

In a cage after Wagner attacked him after their loss at WarGames. O’Reilly jumps him in the aisle to start and Wagner is in trouble in the corner early on. A running boot in the corner rocks Wagner again and O’Reilly starts working on the arm. Some forearms to the back of the head keep Wagner down and some running knees put him down again. Back up and Wagner knocks him silly with a single shot to take over.

Wagner stomps away against the cage but O’Reilly grabs the leg for a kneebar. Since that doesn’t work, Wagner is back with a running headbutt go the ribs for two. We hit the waistlock to hold O’Reilly in place as the fans get behind him anyway. O’Reilly fights up with some kicks until a clothesline takes him down again. A powerbomb against the cage is broken up with a DDT though and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly kicking away and hitting some running strikes to drive Wagner into the cage. The guillotine choke is broken up with straight power and they fight to the top with O’Reilly sending him into the cage for the knockdown. There’s the top rope knee for two on Wagner, who is back up with a low blow. The double underhook swinging slam finishes O’Reilly at 14:18.

Rating: C+. There’s a good chance that this is it for O’Reilly and I can’t say I blame him. It is pretty clear that he is not going to get to do much on his own, as he was put into this lame team as a way to get Wagner over. That isn’t exactly interesting, but if O’Reilly wants out, it’s hard to argue against him. The match itself was a good showcase for O’Reilly, even if Wagner shrugged a lot of his offense off and won anyway.

Post match Wagner ties him in the Tree of Woe, with O’Reilly’s face hanging out of the door. A few door slams onto the face should send O’Reilly off to greener pastures in AEW.

We see Johnny Gargano’s post-WarGames promo, where he promised to tell us his future this week.

Joe Gacy is working to change the name of a show that promotes exclusivity. For now though, he is ready for Harland to debut next week.

Here is Bron Breakker to talk about how 2.0 and Black & Gold went to war at WarGames. Black & Gold is tough as nails but he pinned NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. That makes them 1-1 against each other, so let’s do this one more time for the title. Cue the Diamond Mine, with Malcolm Bivens calling him LeBron Breakker.

Bivens talks about how the team was successful at WarGames and now the weight limit is gone from Roderick Strong’s title. That means he can face the top talent, including Breakker himself. Breakker is ready to fight right now but Strong is going to wait for next week. Breakker accepts because he’ll face anyone to get to Ciampa again. Putting Breakker in the ring with talented people like Strong makes perfect sense and is the smart thing to do with him.

Creed Brothers vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

The Grizzled Young Veterans are on commentary and here is Imperium as soon as the bell rings. Jensen takes Julius down to start and chops away in the corner, setting up an elbow to the back for two. Briggs gets in his own elbow but it’s off to Brutus in a hurry, with a release side slam putting him down in a hurry.

A double right hand drops Brutus again but he sends Jensen into the corner to take over. Jensen is tossed outside for a cheap shot….and the Veterans steal a tag rope. Back in and Julius grabs a stretch muffler on Jensen, who kicks his way to freedom. There’s no tag rope though and Briggs can’t tag in, which matters for all of two seconds as Jensen grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. The tag rope thing was different, though I’m not sure how much of a good thing that is. This Veterans are thieves thing is getting annoying in a hurry, if nothing else because I could go for seeing them be their usual awesome selves instead of whatever this stuff is. Jensen and Briggs getting a push works too, but just let them do their thing instead of all these shenanigans.

Von Wagner doesn’t care about Kyle O’Reilly because his WarGames are just beginning. Wagner leaves as Robert Stone arrives.

Xyon Quinn is ready for Santos Escobar.

Here is Duke Hudson, now with a blond wig. Hudson talks about how everyone was wrong about his hair cut, because he took care of things and now has a full head of hair. Cue Cameron Grimes, so Hudson immediately puts on some head gear. Hudson accuses Grimes of cheating by pulling the trunks, with Grimes talking about how they do things a little different where he’s from. The challenge is issued for one more match with no holds barred. Hudson is in but bails from the threat of a Cave In.

Jacket Time comes in to see Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs. The Grizzled Young Veterans pop up to say Briggs and Jensen only won because of them, but here are Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro, offering concert tickets. Jensen and Briggs leave with them so the Veterans and Jacket Time brawl. Referees break it up and sleepy Mei Ying pops up with a pillow and fountain drink.

Grayson Waller hits on a woman outside, but she’s already going out with LA Knight tonight. Waller swears revenge.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Dexter Lumis

Non-title. Lumis takes Hayes, with his bad ribs, into the corner to start and fires off some knees. There’s a slam to stay on the ribs but Trick Williams offers a distraction, allowing Hayes to…get punched in the face (with the broken hand that was supposed to keep Lumis out for a month).

Back in and Hayes hits a springboard clothesline before working on the bad hand. That doesn’t work so well but Lumis goes after Williams, allowing Hayes to kick him in the face to take over. Back from a break with Hayes working on the hand again, with Lumis bothering to sell it this time. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Hayes spends too much time talking, allowing Lumis to reverse a suplex. The clothesline comeback sets up the Silencer but Williams breaks it up for the DQ at 12:43.

Rating: C-. The stuff with Lumis’ hand brought this way down, as there is only so much you can do when the injury is mostly ignored. Hayes tried to work on it some but Lumis just blankly staring and then doing his usual stuff didn’t help. Lumis is likely going to get a title shot now, but firs the needs to torture Williams a bit first, as that tends to be more of Lumis’ nature.

MSK has found the Shaman and it’s…..Riddle (in a reveal that makes all the sense in the world but still caught me by surprise). They sit down in front of some candles and talk about their history, including how fast they had success. Riddle talks about the Broserweights (and pays tribute to the still alive Stallion Pete). He’s willing to be there with them on their way back to success, but now it’s time to open the bag. More on that later.

Toxic Attraction talks about how they are ready to deal with things on their own, like real women. Now stop drooling.

Persia Pirotta is glad that Indi Hartwell can have her mind back on the team. Hartwell says she is committed to the team but here is Dexter Lumis, with Hartwell jumping into his arms. Johnny Gargano pops up and is glad to have the family back together.

Toxic Attraction vs. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Non-title. Dolin beats on Leon to start and a cheap shot from the apron makes it worse. There’s a Cannonball in the corner and Jayne grabs a chinlock. That’s countered into a running Samoan drop to rock Jayne though and the hot tag brings in Feroz for two off a high crossbody, plus a lot of shouting. Back up and Jayne kicks Feroz in the face for the fast pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. They kept this short and to the point, as Toxic Attraction gets a win to regain momentum after Sunday. They’re still not exactly smooth in the ring but they have enough heat on them to keep them moving through a match. Leon and Feroz are not too bad as a low level team and their dancing entrance suits them well.

Post match Toxic Attraction throws out the challenge to anyone, so here is Cora Jade, with her arm in a sling. She talks about pinning Mandy Rose a few weeks back and wants another shot, but Toxic Attraction has the numbers advantage. Cue Raquel Gonzalez to clear the ring with a chair.

Tiffany Stratton talks about her time on the United States gymnastics team. A gold medal is nice, but the Women’s Title is better.

Tony D’Angelo is proud of getting Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. Andre Chase comes in to say D’Angelo should have followed his game plan but D’Angelo doesn’t want to hear it. The challenge is made and Chase is cut off in mid-response.

Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Fade are ready for Toxic Attraction. Cue Kay Lee Ray to say she has their backs, along with a bat.

Santos Escobar vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn chokes him down to start but stoops to look at Elektra Lopez. The distraction lets Escobar fight up, only to charge into some elbows to the throat. Quinn is dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and some more shots keep Escobar in trouble. Something from the apron is broken up by a Legado del Fantasma distraction though and Escobar gets in a cheap shot. That doesn’t work either though as Quinn knocks him away as we take a break

Back with Quinn having to fight out of a neck crank and armbar with straight power. Quinn sends him into the corner for a running shoulder but Escobar reverses and hits the running DDT. The Phantom Driver is countered though and Quinn powers him into the corner. They fight on top and Escobar hits a super hurricane for the big knockdown. In the crash, Lopez slips Quinn some brass knuckles, but he throws them to Joaquin Wilde. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. Aside from the super hurricane taking a good bit too long to set up, this was a pretty nice back and forth match. I’m not sure I would have had Escobar beat Quin, but at least there was a bit of a distraction finish and the Lopez/Quin stuff can continue. Quin is still one of the brighter spots around here and I could see WWE taking a shot with him in a hurry.

Diamond Mine runs into Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams in the back. Hayes wants Roderick Strong so Bivens issues the challenge. Hayes says Strong isn’t the A Champion and leaves, with Bivens not being happy.

Boa doesn’t like Edris Enofe so they’ll fight next week.

Here is a rather sad looking Johnny Gargano for a chat. Gargano talks about how “Heartbreak” told him he could have as long as he wants and London Has Fallen is on next anyway. Gargano: “I was always a La Femme Nikita guy myself.” He talks about how he has never had the best promos or skills but the fans have always been here for him. Back in 2015, he showed up at a tryout and was told he would never be in NXT.

William Regal saw something in him though and he got a dark match against Apollo Crews. The fans cheered him so hard that they kept bringing him back, and now here he is. The fans chant for Gargano, who talks about every single person in the back who has helped him, including listing off a bunch of coaches.

Change can be scary, but sometimes it needs to happen. Gargano isn’t sure what is next, but he’s starting a new job as a dad in February. His son is going to watch this back one day and thank you all….and here is Grayson Waller to jump him with a chair. The beatdown is on and Gargano is sent into various things, setting up a hard powerbomb through the announcers’ table. I’m guessing it’s paternity leave and then the big comeback match with Waller.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the good stuff was enough to carry the show over the weaker parts. There are still a lot of things that need to be adjusted, but you can also see a bunch of things starting to come together around here. I’m curious to see how they all go, but this show is about as week to week as you can get these days. For this one though, not bad and that’s nice to see for a change.

Results
Von Wagner b. Kyle O’Reilly – Double underhook spinning slam
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Creed Brothers – Rollup to Julius
Dexter Lumis b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Trick Williams interfered
Toxic Attraction b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Kick to Feroz
Santos Escobar b. Xyon Quinn – Phantom Driver

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.

WarGames 2021
Date: December 5, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re not at a Takeover, but we’re pretty much at a Takeover. It’s close enough to November so let’s have some WarGames matches, with the men and the women both getting a shot. Other than that, we have a hair vs. hair match, a Tag Team Title match, and a Cruiserweight Title match with only one cruiserweight. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at WarGames and now violent this is going to be.

Team Toxic Attraction vs. Team Raquel Gonzalez

Toxic Attraction: Mandy Rosa, Jacy Jayne, Gigi Dolin, Dakota Kai
Gonzalez: Raquel Gonzalez, Kay Lee Ray, Cora Jade, Io Shirai

We’re in the double cage with Kay Lee Ray and Dakota Kai starting. The first period is five minutes, the rest are three minutes, you can win by pinfall/submission once everyone is in, and Jade falls off of her skateboard on the way to the ring. Ray brings in a baseball bad so Kai brings in a bunch of kendo sticks. They stare each other down for awhile to start until Ray’s bat shot only hits rope.

The weapons are dropped and it’s Ray being knocked into the cage and then sent into said cage as well. They go into the other ring with Ray being sent into the corner but she catches Kai with an enziguri. Kai grabs the bat but Ray knocks it away and drops her onto the kendo sticks bridged across the ropes. The period ends and Cora Jade comes in, with skateboard, to make it 2-1.

It’s Kai getting beaten down and double teamed for a good while as Ray and Jade keep looking at Toxic Attraction. Kai manages to counter a double suplex into a double DDT though and it’s Dolin coming in to help take over. A bunch of kicks have Ray and Jade in trouble until they get in a trashcan for a breather. Kai is put in the trashcan and the KLR Bomb drives Dolin onto her for the big double crash. Io Shirai comes in to make it 3-2 and brings in a bunch of chairs.

The villains get in some shots of their own though and Shirai is sent into the cage. Ray starts fighting back though and faceplants Dolin before Jade hurricanranas (or something resembling one) Kai between the cages. Now it’s Jayne coming in to even it up with a table as this is really not very good so far. Ray gets a trashcan kicked into her to knock her through some tables but Jayne kicks Dolin by mistake. Shirai starts cleaning house and Jayne is laid out on a table.

Jade flip dives off the top of the cage to put Jayne through the table and seems to bang up her shoulder on the landing. Shirai has to pop Jade’s shoulder back into place as the match basically stops until Raquel Gonzalez completes her team. That means Kai’s shovel, but first it’s a fire extinguisher blast so Gonzalez can get in. Gonzalez puts Kai in the trashcan and swings it around to knock people down.

Hold on though as Gonzalez goes to check on Jade, allowing almost everyone else to get on one corner for a Tower of Doom. Shirai moonsaults onto a trashcan with Dolin inside and everyone is down until Mandy Rose comes in to complete the field. Rose comes in and goes over to Jade, grabbing her by the bad arm as she should.

That’s broken up by Shirai and we now get the required big showdown spot as the previous 25 minutes are erased (save for the arm injury). The big brawl is on with kendo stick shots making it worse. Jade is back up with some one armed kendo stick shots but Kai knocks her down. Toxic Attraction holds Jade in place for a running knee to the face from Mandy and a near fall. The rest of Team Gonzalez makes the save and it’s a Chingoa Bomb to Jayne. Everyone is down….and Jade pins Jayne at 31:25.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of the problems with NXT WarGames: the weapons dominated the match, they spent too much time in one ring, the majority of the match felt like it didn’t matter at the end, and then it just ended. This was a match that did not need to be WarGames and would have been much better suited as an elimination tag than anything else. That being said, this could have been WAY worse as it was much more just dull than actively bad. I was expecting a lot worse of a match and they absolutely had a story with Jade’s shoulder injury. Not great, but it didn’t go as far down as I was betting.

Video on Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen. I believe this originally aired a few weeks ago.

Boa says you will fear him. I certainly fear him being on the show.

Team Black & Gold is ready to go to war, though Johnny Gargano thinks this might be his last time.

Tag Team Titles: Imperium vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner

Imperium is defending and it’s Barthel and O’Reilly going to the mat to start. Aichner comes in to work on O’Reilly’s arm, setting up some chops in the corner. It’s off to Wagner for some headbutts in the corner before O’Reilly comes in to strike it out with Aichner again. Wagner comes back in to take Barthel into the corner until Barthel kicks his way to freedom. Aichner hits a Regal roll (to much approval from the crowd, likely due to the squat in the middle) on Wagner, who is right back with a clothesline to Barthel.

O’Reilly comes in and knocks Barthel outside before sending Aichner to the floor as well. Aichner is back in to slow down a tag attempt but a backdrop allows Wagner to come back in and clean house. Everything breaks down and O’Reilly knees Aichner off the apron. An Angle Slam gives Wagner two on Barthel but the champs are back up with double running dropkicks to Wagner in the corner. O’Reilly comes in with a top rope knee to Barthel’s knee but Aichner makes the save with a double springboard moonsault.

Wagner and Barthel head outside, leaving O’Reilly to guillotine Aichner. That’s powered up into a suplex, which O’Reilly reverses into a small package for two. Everything breaks down again and it’s a high/low for two on Barthel. Wagner and Barthel go outside again and O’Reilly brainbusters Aichner for two. The triangle choke has Aichner in more trouble but he powers O’Reilly up into the Imperial Bomb to retain the titles at 14:48.

Rating: B. This was a bit of a weird one as it didn’t feel like an important match but they beat the heck out of each other and worked very hard. I don’t think there is much of a future to O’Reilly/Wagner, but they put in the effort in what is probably one of their last matches together. They had me wondering on some of those near falls, but at the same time, the tag division has fallen so far that it’s just hard to care these days.

Post match O’Reilly gets the big THANK YOU chant….but Wagner charges at him, only to get kicked down by O’Reilly. Wagner gets beaten down and O’Reilly throws up the Undisputed Era pose, plus some crotch chops. Then O’Reilly just looks at him before leaving.

Legado del Fantasma is ready for Xyon Quinn.

Video on Ikemen Jiro.

We recap Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes. Hudson isn’t happy that Grimes beat him in poker and then cut part of Grimes’ hair. Now Grimes wants Hudson’s hair, so the loser is bald.

Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes

Hair vs. hair. It’s a brawl to start with Hudson throwing him over the top for the big crash onto the steps. Back in and Grimes charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner. Hudson hammers away on the mat before taking Grimes outside for a belly to belly. Back in and an abdominal stretch has Grimes in even more trouble as Hudson stays on the ribs.

There’s a backbreaker to stay on said back but Grimes fights up and sends him into the corner for a break. The flipping powerslam gives Grimes two and a sunset flip is good for the same. A poisonrana plants Hudson hard and a high crossbody gives Grimes two. Hudson loads up a Razor’s Edge but gets sent into the corner for the counter. Grimes grabs a rollup (with trunks) for the fast pin out of nowhere at 10:18.

Rating: C+. They were working while they had the chance here and it’s nice to see Grimes win another match with some stakes. Hudson is someone WWE seems to see something in so Grimes winning before he is crushed in some other way is a good way to go. I’m sure Grimes will get a huge push out of this, because things have gone so well for him in the past.

Post match Hudson tries to run but knocks Grimes out instead. Hudson teases shaving Grimes anyway but Grimes hits the Cave In (points for a good fake out) and shaves Hudson’s hair. Well at least a little bit of it before Hudson bails again.

Video on the Grizzled Young Veterans stealing a delivery driver’s food.

Video on Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter.

Video on Draco Anthony.

New Year’s Evil is on January 4.

We recap Joe Gacy vs. Roderick Strong for the Cruiserweight Title. Gacy thinks the Cruiserweight Title is about weight shaming so Strong is defending the title against someone out of the weight class.

Cruiserweight Title: Joe Gacy vs. Roderick Strong

Strong, with the rest of the Diamond Mine, is defending, though Gacy has Harland with him. Gacy gets taken down to start but comes back with a running shoulder. A clothesline to the back of the head puts Strong down again but he sends Gacy to the apron and strikes away. Gacy loses his shirt, which seems to fuel his comeback, including a suplex for two on Strong.

Back up and Strong manages a super hurricanrana to set up the Boston crab. That’s broken up so Gacy takes Strong outside but has to tell Harland not to end Ivy Nile. A gutwrench powerbomb plants Strong for two but he is right back with a jumping knee to the face. End of Heartache retains the title at 8:28.

Rating: C. So that happened. The Cruiserweight Title has felt worthless for a long time now and in a way I was hoping that Gacy could win it here so they could just drop the thing and move on to something else. I’m not sure if the title is going to get to do anything, but I can’t have my hopes go much lower.

Another Ikemen Jiro video. This time, he’s eating pizza and ice cream. Then his stomach hurts so he runs to the bathroom, where various noises are heard. I would bet at least $14 that this was written for/by Vince McMahon.

Kyle O’Reilly wants Von Wagner in a cage on Tuesday.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. It’s old vs. new for the future of NXT, with Bron Breakker feeling like the breakout star.

Team Black & Gold vs. Team 2.0

Black & Gold: Johnny Gargano, LA Knight, Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne
2.0: Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breakker, Tony D’Angelo, Grayson Waller

In the double cage, five minutes to start and then three minutes each, first fall wins once everyone is inside. Hayes starts with Gargano, who gets to come out to Rebel Heart and gets the big hero’s welcome as he is probably out of here. Gargano also seems to be wearing gear that is a huge mashup of all of his special Takeover trunks and boots for an awesome look. Feeling out process to start with Gargano trying a rather early One Final Beat.

That’s broken up so Gargano hits the slingshot spear to take him down instead. Hayes is sent into the cage over and over again, leaving Hayes down until Waller comes in to get the advantage. The double teaming is on, with Gargano’s nose being busted open somewhere in there. Trick Williams throws in a chair from the floor and hits Waller by mistake, but Gargano survives long enough for Dunne to come in and even things up. Stereo Crossfaces have 2.0 in trouble and Dunne/Gargano kick them in the face at the same time.

Hayes is back up to send Dunne into the other ring but gets knocked out of the air. D’Angelo is in to give the villains the lead again as Williams pulls out a bunch of weapons. It takes so long that Dexter Lumis has enough time to appear underneath the ring and come out to stalk Williams to the back. D’Angelo chains the door shut and the weapons have Black & Gold beaten down even more. LA Knight is in to tie it up but has to climb the cage to avoid the lock.

With that minor inconvenience out of the way, Knight climbs the cage and starts cleaning house with all kinds of weapons. Waller is put into the trashcan and beaten on with various things. Referees grab some boltcutters to get the totally effective chain off the door as the Black & Gold wait for Bron Breakker to get in. Breakker grabs the cutters and finishes breaking the chain (which took a long time), allowing him to come in and clean house. The numbers game take him down until the rest of 2.0 gets back up.

Ciampa finally comes back in and gets to even things up for good. We get the DIY reunion, complete with crutch, and the fans are certainly pleased to see it happen one more time. Gargano and Ciampa get to clean house on Breakker and D’Angelo, at least until Breakker plants Gargano onto Ciampa out of the corner. The beatdown leaves Black & Gold in the middle of the ring but they pull themselves up and charge at 2.0 to set up the big beatdown against the cage. 2.0 is sent through some tables and it’s a Tower of Doom to drop Hayes.

Knight’s bulldog driver gets two with D’Angelo making the save. Ciampa Air Raid Crashes Breakker off the middle rope and onto a trashcan for two and everyone is down again. Knight is laid on a table and Waller hits an elbow off the cage but Dunne make the save this time. Dunne destroys Hayes’ hand with a kendo stick but D’Angelo is up with a crowbar. A crowbar across the throat sets up a super swinging neckbreaker on Dunne for no cover, leaving Ciampa and Breakker to slug it out in the other ring.

Gargano saves Ciampa and there’s One Final Beat to drop Breakker as Ciampa hits Willow’s Bell on Waller. Meet In The Middle drops Breakker for two as Hayes pulls the referee. Hayes hits Gargano low but gets kneed by Ciampa, who is speared through a table by Breakker. The gorilla press powerslam finishes Ciampa at 37:32.

Rating: B-. It was a heck of a fight with some big spots, but like so many NXT WarGames matches, it went on too long and felt like it should have ended at least ten minutes earlier. Breakker winning was the right call and the DIY stuff was great, but ultimately this was a match that needed to be trimmed down. The classic WarGames matches barely broke twenty minutes as they got in their violence and then went to the big finish. This is a bunch of filler until they can do their weapons spots, which makes things feel far longer than they should. Still a positive result, but egads it was long.

Overall Rating: B. NXT is such a mixed bag these days, as you have people working very hard and good matches taking place, but at the same time you have some wrestlers who do not seem to have the brightest future. The show is far from some disaster or even that bad a lot of the time, but it is pretty hard to have been around for the great days of NXT and move on to things like Ikemen Jiro’s stomach issues and Toxic Attraction feeling like a Divas era tribute.

The talent was there and on display here, but what happens when the veterans are all gone because they don’t want to stick around and no one is left to help things? Odds are they’re losing Gargano and O’Reilly soon after this, so what’s left then? The show is still holding it together and as usual, things are better when they focus on wrestling, but the future isn’t exactly looking bright.

Results
Team Raquel Gonzalez b. Team Toxic Attraction – Rollup to Jayne
Imperium b. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner – Imperial Bomb to O’Reilly
Cameron Grimes b. Duke Hudson – Rollup with trunks
Roderick Strong b. Joe Gacy – End of Heartache
Team 2.0 b. Team Black & Gold – Gorilla press powerslam to Ciampa

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.