NXT LVL Up
Date: July 12, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s another one of these shows and I’ve again given up trying to figure out what to expect on here. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of the same stuff from most of the same people, but there is still the chance of getting a new face in there somewhere. That at least opens up some doors, though I’m not sure I’ll get my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Malik Blade vs. Cutler James

Brinley Reece and Edris Enofe are here with Blade, whose early drop toehold attempt is blocked. A monkey flip is blocked as well and James hits a rather nice backdrop. Back up and Blade’s rollup is countered into a faceplant as he can’t get anything going here. An elbow in the corner sets up a clothesline to put James down though and a middle rope Blockbuster does it again. A frog splash finishes James off at 3:45.

Rating: C-. This was actually a bit disappointing as they were setting up something with James cutting him off over and over but then it just went nowhere as Blade won. I was thinking they might be trying something new here but never mind instead. It’s still weird to see Blade on his own, though it’s not like the team is going anywhere.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger use football talk to prep for their tag match.

Layla Diggs vs. Tatum Paxley

This is Diggs’ singles debut and she takes Paxley down into an early armbar. Paxley can’t nip up her way to freedom as Diggs keeps taking her back down into the armbar. Back up and a Code Red out of the corner gets two but Paxley starts in on the leg to take over. A running crossbody in the corner gives Paxley two and she grabs something like a Stump Puller, albeit with all four limbs tied up (it’s a weird one). Diggs fights up but her knee is hurt…so badly that she cartwheels into a moonsault for two. Possibly offended by the lack of selling, Paxley is back up with the Psycho Trap for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. Diggs showed some promise but there are all kinds of women around here with some kind of gymnastics background who are in great shape. That is only going to get her so far and you’re only going to get so much out of that in a four minute match. Paxley is starting to get some more ring time too and if she gets elevated a bit as a result, cool.

Dion Lennox and Uriah Connors are ready for the main event, even against better competition. You usually only get one of the main event’s participants commenting so this is a nice change of pace.

Uriah Connors/Dion Lennox vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Walker and Lennox start things off with the former hitting a running shoulder and grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. Back up and Lennox shoulders him down, setting up a backsplash from Connors. Ledger comes in to run Connors over for two and a double running body block crushes him again.

Lennox knocks Walker outside to take over, setting up a belly to back suplex for two back inside. Connors stomps away before Walker hits Lennox, which just annoys him. Walker fights out of the corner though and hands it back to Ledger to pick up the pace. A spinebuster gives Lennox two but Walker and Ledger are right back with the Collision Course for the pin on Lennox at 7:27.

Rating: C+. Lennox and Connors got more in here than I would have expected and that was nice to see. This could have been little more than a squash but they put in some more effort to make it better. Walker and Ledger are treated as a much bigger deal than most acts around here so having them in the main event made the show feel better.

Overall Rating: C. This was as all over the place as LVL Up is going to be as you had a lame opener, a mediocre middle match and a good enough main event. You can only break a show like this down so much as it isn’t like there is anything worth seeing most of the time. I could go for more development of personalities and talking segments though, with the second interview being nice to see.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 21, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We are still on the way towards Heatwave and in this case that means very little. Things can go in a variety of ways around here but there are only so many of them that are very interesting. Hopefully they come up with something to make this show better, but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Cutler James/Dion Lennox

Igwe grabs Lenox’s arm to start and works on an armbar before handing it off to DuPont. Lennox manages to get up and bring James in for some arm cranking of his own, this time on Igwe. The alternating armbars continue as they certainly have that idea down. A hammerlock slam gives Lennox two and the armbar goes on again. Igwe fights up and hands it back to DuPont to pick up the pace. The Heartstopper finishes James at 5:19.

Rating: C. Igwe and DuPont are getting better in the ring with the power stuff and that isn’t a bad place to be. There is always going to be a team with that kind of strength and a good look and they might as well fill that spot in for NXT. They have a long way to go but at least it’s coming together.

Shiloh Hill is ready for his singles debut and he’s ready to be tested. He graduated college with a 4.0 though so he knows about being tested.

Shiloh Hill vs. Uriah Connors

Hill shoves him down to start and then does it again to really prove his point. An atomic drop into a slam gets two on Connors, who takes him down for a step up backsplash. Connors hits a hard chop to the back and twists the neck for two, setting up the chinlock. Hill fights up and hits a running kick to the chest but gets sent to the floor. Connors’ dive is pulled out of the air and a spinning Samoan Drop (Hunico’s old finisher) finishes for Hill at 5:04.

Rating: C. Hill is another case where he might be something someday but for now, he’s just the latest guy who has a nice look and some potential. Connors might be something as a bit of weasely heel due to his size, though he hasn’t really gotten the chance to showcase himself either. This was more a pair of people putting their toes in the water and that has to happen to everyone.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Wren Sinclair

The threat of some kicks have Sinclair bailing up against the ropes so Petrovic grabs a headlock. Back up and they both tease throwing a right hand but pull back out of sportsmanship. Petrovic hits a spinning crossbody for two before working on wristlock. Sinclair avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a snap suplex for two.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Petrovic is back up with a kick to the face. Sinclair pulls her right back down into another chinlock though before switching into a full nelson of all things. Petrovic isn’t having that and grabs a faceplant out of the corner. The spinning kick to the back finishes for Petrovic at 7:11.

Rating: C+. Match of the night here, which isn’t a surprise as Petrovic is the biggest name on the card. Sinclair is still a perfectly good hand but that’s about all so far. The good thing is she is still protected and could be turned into something later on, but for now she’s just the person putting everyone else over.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Pretty lame show this week with no star power and a bunch of people who are still getting themselves known around here. That’s kind of the point of the show, but it doesn’t make for the best show. It’s almost like this show doesn’t accomplish much and never has, but it’s not like it’s going to change. Ever. Well mostly ever.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 31, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re still on the road to Battleground and in this case we’re back to the full length version of the show. In this case that only means about half an hour with three matches, though the level of quality may vary. That’s the story of LVL Up and has been for a long time now. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Uriah Connors vs. Cutler James

James throws him away to start and then grabs a headlock to keep Connors closer. A few slams set up a gorilla press drop to put Connors down but he avoids a charge into the post. Connors works on the arm with an it bar but Connors fights back up. The running shoulders in the corner have Connors down and a torture rack drop gives James two. Connors is back up with a rollup through the ropes (cool) into a suicide dive, followed by a top rope elbow for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t expecting this to work, if nothing else just because I barely remember either of these two showing up around here. James is a big guy with some energy to him but he is going to need some more seasoning. At the same time Connors is going to probably get a chance due to his heritage, but a name change won’t hurt him.

Tyson DuPont and Tyriek Igwe are ready to keep things going against the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Kendal Grey vs. Stevie Turner

Turner grabs the hair to escape a waistlock to start but gets taken down into an armbar. Grey switches to a headlock and cranks away but Turner grabs a neckbreaker for two instead. The seated cobra clutch doesn’t last long as Grey fights up and hits some running forearms. A middle rope crossbody misses though and Turner hits a Stroke for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: C. This was the match to get Turner back in the ring before she likely gets wrecked by Jordynne Grace next week on regular NXT. Turner is still someone who feels like she should have gotten a lot further so far but it just never came together. Other than that, Grey is quite the athlete who is still getting her feet wet around here, so there is only so much she is going to be able to do.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Charlie Dempsey and Myles Borne for the Crew (Damon Kemp on the floor) with the latter starting against Igwe. The fight over a lockup doesn’t go well for Borne, who is sent into the corner for the tag to Dempsey. That’s fine with Igwe, who slams him down and hands it off to DuPont for the heavy shoulder. DuPont grabs a waistlock on Borne, followed by a kick to the head for two. Dempsey makes a blind tag though and Borne takes DuPont down so the villains can start taking turns on him.

Dempsey’s top rope stomp to the knee sets up a half crab, followed by Borne’s cranking on the leg. The alternating ankle cranking continues until Dempsey gets kicked away, allowing the diving tag back to Igwe. Everything breaks down and a shoulderbreaker into a splash gets two on Dempsey with Borne making the save. Kemp grabs Igwe’s foot though, allowing Dempsey to grab a bridging German suplex for the pin at 7:30.

Rating: C+. Igwe and DuPont seemed like they were starting to put something together on the main NXT but here they are, losing on the minor league minor league show. The Crew seems to be getting somewhere as well, but this is just a warmup for their likely next run at the Heritage Cup. This was a bigger match around here though, and I’ll take that over more rookies who haven’t done much of anything else.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing I can say about this show is that it didn’t feel like the same things we’ve seen over and over. There is only so much that you can get out of this kind of a show but I’ll take Connors and Grey getting some needed reps. Switching back to the three match version didn’t make a ton of difference, but it isn’t like much around here changes anything most of the time.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 10, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Vic Joseph

We’re back in Orlando and things have been at least a bit more interesting around here as of late. I’m not sure if that is going to continue but it has at least been nice to have something going on for a change. Hopefully there is at least a little something to keep the interest up this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Wendy Choo vs. Wren Sinclair

This is Choo’s first match in almost a year. They fight over a lockup to start with Choo sending her down and striking a pose on the mat. Sinclair pulls her into an armbar, which is broken up rather quickly. Choo hits a dropkick but her knee (which put her on the shelf for so long) is slowing her down, allowing Sinclair to grab a suplex. Something like a running seated X Factor gives Sinclair two and we hit the cross arm choke. Choo fights out and makes the clothesline comeback, setting up a middle rope crossbody. The Snooze Button finishes for Choo at 4:47.

Rating: C. Choo is not exactly everyone’s taste, though she wasn’t doing her sleepy/weird stuff here for the most part. I’m still not sure I get what she is supposed to be, but it’s good to have her back after such a long time off. Sinclair continues to lose every match and I’m not sure how much beating her is going to matter if that continues much longer.

Post match, respect is shown.

The rather tall Cutler James is seen as a friendly guy and is ready to make his debut against Josh Briggs. This was quite recited.

Josh Briggs vs. Cutler James

Briggs wastes no time in powering him into the corner, setting up a splash for an early two. Back up and James wrestles him to the mat, earning a rather hard shoulder knockdown. Briggs shouts that this isn’t a reality show and then drops James for two more. The chinlock goes on to keep James down but he fights up for the comeback. Said comeback lasts all of four seconds before Briggs nails the lariat for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. This was the traditional “getting your feet wet” match for James and that is only going to get him so far. Briggs being in there with someone his size can often make for some interesting visuals but that was about the limit of the appeal here. James showed off some of his amateur background before getting beaten, which didn’t make for the most exciting match. His size and amateur abilities will give him a solid foot in the door though.

D’Angelo Family vs. Dante Chen/Dion Lennox

Riz is here with the Family. Lennox armdrags Crusifino into an armbar to start and it’s right off to Chen for an armbar of his own. Crusifino fights up and hands it off to Stacks, with Chen being low bridged out to the floor. The chinlock keeps Lennox down for a bit, only to have Chen come back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Chen stays on the back and kicks Stacks in the chest for two. Lennox’s northern lights suplex and spinebuster get two each and he grabs an abdominal stretch. Stacks slips away though and brings Crusifino in to clean house. This includes tossing Lennox into a Codebreaker to finish at 5:46.

Rating: C+. It still takes a bit of mental stretching to remember that the mafia guys are the heroes, especially since Lennox is a rather likable guy. Chen is the same thing he has always been, meaning there was no way he was taking the loss here. The energy was up here and having the Family involved helped, even if I have to remember I’m supposed to like them.

Overall Rating: C. I know how much of a broken record I sound like with this stuff but the bigger names being around helps quite a bit. This show had Choo’s return and Briggs/the Family for some star power. That’s a lot for around here, which helped make up for the fact that the matches were only decent at best. Nothing really to see here, but as usual, you can’t get that annoyed at a show that isn’t even breaking thirty minutes.

Results
Wendy Choo b. Wren Sinclair – Snooze Button
Josh Briggs b. Cutler James – Lariat
D’Angelo Family b. Dante Chen/Dion Lennox – Toss Codebreaker to Lennox

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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