NXT LVL Up
Date: July 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re continuing this show and since I’m so far behind here, it isn’t like there is much to say about it. Granted this is LVL Up so there is nothing going on from week to week in the first place. That is what you have to expect around here and unfortunately that is all there is to say about this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson vs. Kendal Grey

Lash Legend and Carlee Bright are here too. Grey starts fast with an armdrag into an armbar but Jackson powers her into the corner without much effort. That earns her a middle rope crossbody into another armbar but Jackson is back up with a side slam. Jackson grabs a cravate to keep her down and grinds away before nailing a Regal Cutter. Grey fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, only to get hit in the ribs and caught with the Sugar Rush to give Jackson the pin at 4:49.

Rating: C. You don’t see Jackson getting much of her own shine and it was nice to have her be something other than Lash Legend’s friend. The match wasn’t much, but Grey got in a bit of offense before her latest loss. That is going to have to turn around at some point soon, but she’s still ok enough for now.

Dion Lennox talks to Uriah Connors about their loss last week. Yelling ensued but Tank Ledger and Hank Walker cut them off. That’s some actual continuity from week to week and I’ll certainly take that.

Adriana Rizzo vs. Lainey Reid

Reid is “the modern southern belle” and takes her down by the arm. The reversal is reversed as well and we get a standoff. Back up and Riz trips her down before taking Reid into the corner. That earns Riz a kick to the head for two before Reid chokes away in the corner. A neckbreaker sets up a quickly broken crossarm choke on Riz, who fights up with some left hands. Riz drops her again and hits a running flipping seated senton for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Reid got to showcase herself a bit here and it was fine for one of her earlier appearances. Riz has kind of disappeared from the ring in recent months so it’s nice to have her back. Neither was exactly looking like a star but I can go for some fresh blood out there most of the time.

Kendal Grey is annoyed by her loss and she’s sick of losing so often. Carlee Bright tells her to bring back her killer instinct and offers to train with her. This was short and to the point but gave us more insight into Grey than we’ve gotten since she’s been here. See how easy it can be?

Eddy Thorpe vs. Shiloh Hill

Hold on though as Lexis King joins us as this show is actually advancing some things. Hill grabs a front facelock to start as King talks about Thorpe’s love of “evil” EDM. A running shoulder drops Thorpe, who is right back with a crossbody. Hill clotheslines him down again and gets two off a side slam. We hit the seated abdominal stretch for a bit but Thorpe fights up rather easily. The jumping elbow into the implant DDT finishes King off at 5:03.

Rating: C. It was nice to see Hill getting some more shine as there is something to him that could work out. At the same time, this was much more about King and Thorpe continuing their issue. Yes it’s a minor story, but I’ll absolutely take a minor feud getting time over another random match that leads nowhere.

King and Thorpe glare at each other to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. YES! This show has been around for about two and a half years and they are FINALLY doing something with it. They had some actual storylines and continuity from week to week. I have no idea what took them so long to start doing this as it’s the kind of show that anyone could write in about fifteen minutes. Let someone see what they can do here and if you happen to get something out of it, cool. I was very pleasantly surprised here and hopefully it continues this way because it is far better than the alternative.

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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 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

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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 26, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the show and I have no idea what that is going to mean. Well other than the usual matches from the same people with almost nothing changing from week to week. For the life of me I still do not get why we are not seeing more in the way of building up some kind of story, but that just isn’t the LVL Up way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson vs. Arianna Grace

The rest of the Meta Four are here with Jackson and this is already way more star power than you usually get around here. Jackson takes her down with an armbar to start but Grace reverses into something like a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Lash Legend offers a distraction, allowing Jackson to send Grace into the buckle. Jackson grabs the cravate but Grace fights up and hits a running knee for two. Another Legend distraction works rather well though and it’s a jumping Fameasser to finish Grace at 5:48.

Rating: C. The match was nothing out of the ordinary, but again, it’s amazing how much more important the show feels when there are some bigger names around here. It was also a bit weird to have a mostly heel vs. heel match here, with Meta Four being popular but still cheating enough to win.

Dion Lennox and Dante Chen are ready for Malik Blade and Edris Enofe. They’re off to a film study.

Carlee Bright vs. Jaida Parker

Bright grabs a headlock to start but Parker fights up. That earns her a dropkick but Parker powers Bright into the corner and sits on her ribs for two. Parker works on the arm for a change but Bright makes the comeback and snaps off a running headscissors. That’s shrugged off for a running neckbreaker, setting up a hip attack to finish Bright at 4:53.

Rating: C. Parker continues to feel like she could be something if she is given the chance and that chance seems to be starting. There is only so much that she can do on LVL Up, but getting in the ring should do her some good. At the same time, Bright continues to feel like the same, run of the mill athletic woman who hasn’t figured herself out yet. That’s not a bad thing as she hasn’t been around long, but so far there is nothing that makes her stand out.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Dion Lennox/Dante Chen

Brinley Reece is here with Enofe and Blade. Lennox shoulders Blade down a few times to start so it’s off to Enofe for a slam. Back up and Lennox powers him into the corner, allowing Chen to come in. Since it’s Chen, he’s quickly taken into the wrong corner for the tag back to Blade. Chen is able to get back over for the tag to Lennox, who runs Enofe over with a clothesline. Chen’s chinlock goes on but Enofe fights up as everything breaks down. Lennox is sent to the apron but Chen comes back with the double chop…to knock Enofe into Lennox for a crash. A TKO finishes Chen at 5:22.

Rating: C+. My goodness Chen continues to find new ways to not be very good, though they are almost leaning into it at this point. Having him knock his partner out at the end was oddly on point for him and it led to the regular team winning. Lennox could go somewhere down the line, but there is still quite a bit of developing that needs to take place first.

Overall Rating: C+. While the show might not have been better than the regular show around here, it was far more engaging. It’s a lot easier to care about the bigger names and the stars featured here were that much more interesting. While not a great show or anything you need to watch, I’ll definitely take a show featuring some unused NXT lower card stars than what we usually get around here.

Results
Jakara Jackson b. Arianna Grace – Jumping Fameasser
Jaida Parker b. Carlee Bright – Hip attack
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Dion Lennox/Dante Chen – TKO to Chen

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

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and that means it is time to change pretty much nothing around here. Last week’s show saw something of a grudge match between Je’Von Evans and Scrypts, albeit with some partners. Somehow that was only the second ever six man tag in the history of LVL Up, so maybe we can get another treat here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tavion Heights vs. Uriah Connors

The bigger Heights lips him into the corner to start and wrestles to the mat without much effort. Some shots to the face stagger Heights and Connors sends him outside for a crash. Back in and Connors stomps away, setting up an arm crank. Connors grabs a choke over the ropes, only to have Heights power up into an electric chair for the break. Back up and the spinning belly to belly gives Heights the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. NXT needs to bring up some new people and Heights might as well be one of them. He has separated himself from the pack around here a little big and that suplex is a good finisher. Connors got in some offense of his own but this was more about Heights, which should be the case at the moment.

Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are ready to try their best against Blair Davenport and Stevie Turner.

Stevie Turner/Blair Davenport vs. Kendal Grey/Carlee Bright

Turner snapmares Bright down to start but Bright is right back up with a wristlock. Grey comes in to work on Davenport’s arm but she gets taken into the villains’ corner. Bright manages to flip over Davenport though and it’s Grey coming in for an assisted top rope splash. That doesn’t work for Davenport, who brings Grey into the corner for a Backstabber from Turner.

Davenport’s backbreaker gets two on Grey and some forearms to the back make it even worse. Grey quickly powers out of a half crab though and the tag brings Bright back in to clean house. Bright headscissors Davenport into a splash, only to have Davenport come right back with the Falcon Arrow for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: C. The biggest thing here was finding out that Turner was still employed. She has barely done anything in months and I’m not sure why. Her futuristic deal isn’t that bad and she can hang in the ring, but it has never come close to clicking for her. Maybe that changes, but for now she was just Davenport’s partner.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dion Lennox

They fight over wrist control to start (as is so often the case) before an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere. Lennox’s dropkick lets him grab a headlock but Thorpe isn’t having that. Back up and Thorpe hammers away before putting on an abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Lennox hammers away and hits a clothesline but Thorpe punches him in the face. The impaler DDT finishes for Thorpe at 5:11.

Rating: C. Thorpe didn’t do much here until the end when he just grabbed his finisher for the win. That’ snot much of a match but it did make Lennox look good enough in defeat. At some point you have to try something new with someone and that’s more or less what happened here. Lennox is going to need more than “he wears glasses to the ring” to stand out though and we seem pretty far off from that.

Overall Rating: C. Not their best effort here, with the women’s tag probably standing out the most. This was a show where it didn’t feel like they were trying and it made the show that much less interesting as a result. Like I’ve said far too many times, you can just tell when the effort isn’t there from WWE (as opposed to the wrestlers, who were trying) and it showed again this week with a pretty lackluster show.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Uriah Connors – Belly to belly suplex
Stevie Turner/Blair Davenport b. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey – Falcon Arrow to Bright
Eddy Thorpe b. Dion Lennox – Implant DDT

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 8, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

My confusion with these shows continues as I had a better time with last week’s show after weeks of almost nothing. That could make for something good this time around here, assuming there is anything involving continuity. Granted There is no reason to believe that will be the case but oh well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scrypts vs. Dion Lennox

OTM is here with Scrypts, who is sent hard into the corner to start. Lennox wrestles him to the mat but Scrypts flips away from the threat of a right hand. That’s fine with Lennox, who grabs a bridging northern lights suplex for two but Scrypts starts working on the arm. A middle rope crossbody gives Scrypts two and it’s back to the arm. Lennox fights up and makes the one armed comeback but the arm gives out again. Scrypts sends said arm into the corner and it’s a rolling cutter to give Scrypts the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. Scrypts continues to be someone I tend to forget is around most of the time and that was the case coming into this as well. He’s still an amazing acrobat and can do some impressive things, but that doesn’t make him someone who is the brightest star around here. Lennox isn’t someone who should be beating Scrypts, making this less than ideal.

Karmen Petrovic is ready for Izzi Dame, even if Kiana James is in Dame’s corner.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Izzi Dame

Kiana James is here with Dame. Petrovic’s headlock doesn’t last long as Dame reverses into an armbar. A big boot puts Petrovic down and there’s a full nelson slam to make it worse. Some backbreakers give Dame two and she grabs the torture rack. With that broken up, Petrovic goes up for a middle rope crossbody but Dame is back with the Z Quill for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. Pretty to the point match here with neither of them getting to stand out. Dame and James are still the same middle of the road team they have been since they got together and that isn’t exactly great. Petrovic isn’t doing much either, though her martial arts stuff looks good when she gets to use them.

Dante Chen vs. Tavion Heights

They go to the mat to start and that goes a grand total of nowhere. Heights grinds away on a headlock but Chen is back with an armbar. More grappling doesn’t get either anywhere as commentary talks about what Stand & Deliver means to the wrestlers around here. Ignore that neither of these two are anywhere close to that level as Heights hits a hard clothesline.

Heights pulls him down out of the corner and grabs an armbar to keep things slow. Chen is right back with a neckbreaker but Heights suplexes his way out of a headlock. Another suplex has Chen in more trouble and a doctor bomb gives Heights two. Back up and Chen hits something like a Side Effect for two, meaning frustration is setting in. The double chop misses though and Heights grabs a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. This got better in the end and it was nice to not have Chen pick up another win over someone who needed the momentum. Thankfully WWE seems to have calmed down with keeping Chen so strong as I never got the point. Heights is someone who could have some potential and losing to Chen would have knocked that all the way back down.

Overall Rating: D+. Not one of their finer offerings here with little in the way of interest and the best match being fairly dull. It was a case where there was barely anything in the way of star power and the action wasn’t exactly good either. This really didn’t work and there wasn’t much in the way of positives on the whole thing.

Results
Scrypts b. Dion Lennox – Rolling cutter
Izzi Dame b. Karmen Petrovic – Z Quill
Tavion Heights b. Dante Chen – Spinning belly to belly

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NXT LVL Up
Date: January 5, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re in a new year and that means it is time to start finding out what this show is going to be in the coming weeks. LVL Up has been all over the place and I’m really not sure what that is going to mean going forward. The good thing is that things have been trending up in recent months. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brooks Jensen vs. Luca Crusifino

They go to the mat to start as the fans are oddly split here. Crusifino can’t get very far with the front facelock so Jensen monkey flips him down. A flying headscissors puts Crusifino down again but he’s right back with a neckbreaker to take over. The stomping is on, with a jumping legdrop giving Crusifino two. Another neckbreaker gets another two and we hit the chinlock. Jensen fights up and hits a dropkick into a powerslam for two of his own. A top rope knee finishes Crusifino at 6:25.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much of a match, but they were presenting the idea of Jensen being more of a throwback to a technician ala Brad Armstrong or Bobby Eaton. That’s not the worst idea and certainly not something you see very often, but I’m not sure if Jensen has the technique to back it up. I can certainly go with this over the country boy thing, but at least he has something different.

Dion Lennox is a former football player and wants to chase his dream. He’s rather polite, but things change when the bell rings. He thanks the interviewer for her time and hopes she has a great day. I think I like this guy.

Brinley Reece/Kiyah Saint vs. Izzi Dame/Kiana James

Reece and James start things off with Reece flipping forward for a clothesline. Saint comes in to work on the arm, which has James straight over to the rope. Dame’s choking on the ropes doesn’t do much but a pull of the hair sets up a backbreaker for two. James grabs a front facelock before firing off some shoulders in the corner. Dame puts Reece in a torture rack (not quite Lex Luger’s form) but she slips out and hands it back to Saint so the pace can pick way up. Not that it matters as James grabs the Dealbreaker for the fast pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. James and Dame are fine as a midcard heel team but there is only so much that you can do for a team that will have a grand total of no chance at getting the Women’s Tag Team Titles. This was little more than a way to put them on the show and there is nothing wrong with that. Reece and Saint are just kind of there, so hopefully they got something out of their time in the ring.

Oro Mensah vs. Dion Lennox

Mensah has Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson with him. Mensah sends him into the corner to start and stops to pose like a villain should. Lennox is right back with a takedown into a chinlock, followed by a headlock takeover. Back up and a Stinger Splash into a northern lights suplex sends Mensah flying again and there’s a whip over the top. Mensah scores with a superkick on the way back in and Lennox gets sent flying back a suplex. Lennox gets in a boot to the face and a spinebuster but Mensah hits him in the back. The running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes Lennox at 5:36.

Rating: C. I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea that Lennox’s entire deal is “he’s polite”. It’s almost impressive to go that basic with something but it’s oddly kind of working. Now that being said, he’s still brand new and has a long way tog o, but at least they’re giving him something and a chance to stand out, even in the slightest.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was straight out of the old LVL Up playbook, with little in the way of interest and matches that didn’t really make me want to see more. There were some slightly important names on the show, but it felt more about introducing Lennox and Jensen’s new characters than anything else. That being said, that’s kind of the point of this show, so while it’s doing what it’s supposed to, it’s not that interesting.

Results
Brooks Jensen b. Luca Crusifino – Top rope knee
Izzi Dame/Kiana James b. Brinley Reece/Kiyah Saint – Dealbreaker to Saint
Oro Mensah b. Dion Lennox – Running spinwheel kick in the corner

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 19, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re closing in on New Year’s Evil and the two big title matches are already set. There are some other things that need to be followed up on as well though and we might find out a few of them this week. This is a taped show, which can take away some of the energy that is usually around. Let’s get to it.

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

Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton

They start fast with Henley knocking her outside to keep up the beating. Back in and Henley elbows her in the corner but gets knocked out to the floor in a big crash. Stratton gets to beat on her a bit as well but Henley rains down some right hands in the corner. A hurricanrana takes Stratton down again, only to have her come back with a spinebuster for two. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence….and Henley gets a sunset flip for the completely clean pin at 3:51.

Rating: C. I’ve been wanting Henley to get a better push for a long time now and she might just be getting that here. That’s by far the biggest win of her career and I could go for her getting to do some more in the future. It’s nice to see some fresh blood in the division and Henley is pretty much set for a long time around here anyway so the loss won’t hurt her.

Post match Stratton jumps her and drags Henley to the back. Stratton rubs a mop over her face and covers her with garbage in a rather mean moment.

Trick Williams congratulates Carmelo Hayes on his Smackdown win but they talk about who actually attacked Hayes last week. Hayes suggests they turn the New Year’s Evil match into a triple threat match but Williams doesn’t get the thinking. That doesn’t seem to be happening, though Hayes says it doesn’t matter who wins as long as they have the title. Williams: “It does matter.” Williams hopes it’s cool and Hayes seems to be ok, though some of the enthusiasm is lacking.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to talk about how he doesn’t know how he got in the middle of this Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes mess. He didn’t have that on his 2023 Bingo card, but he’ll start 2024 by defeating Williams, no matter how popular he is. Cue Ridge Holland to interrupt, saying he needs to prove himself again in NXT. Holland wants Dragunov to help him get there, perhaps by winning the NXT Title. He isn’t going to beg for a title shot so he wants to prove himself. He’ll face everyone to get to Dragunov, and then he’ll be worthy of a shot. Dragunov is tired of all this so he’ll face Holland tonight.

Lexis King knows he’s already the breakout star around here, but he’ll win the Breakout Tournament if he has to.

Trick Williams doesn’t like Ilja Dragunov giving away title shots but Dragunov says he’s the champ so get over it. Makes sense.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Dion Lennox vs. Lexis King

King wastes no time in taking him into the corner for a running clothesline. A knee to the ribs keeps Lennox in trouble but he fights back with some shots to the face. King heads outside where he grabs the contract and tries to grab the contract. That’s not going to work for Lennox, who takes King back inside, where the Coronation gives King the quick win at 2:57.

Post match Tre Bearhill chases King off.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his feud with Dijak and wants to settle it in NXT Underground.

Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

Riley Osborne is leading the cheers in the Chase U student section as Jayne takes Dame into the corner. A rollup gives Dame two as Hail is very fired up on the apron. Dame clotheslines her way out of trouble and hands it off to James for some knees to the ribs. It’s back to Dame or another clothesline but Jayne gets in her own shot, meaning it’s the hot tag off to Hail. House is quickly cleaned, including a springboard bottom rope backsplash for two. Osborne approves as Hail Kimuras James…but Dame came in off a blind tag. A big boot finishes Hail at 3:51.

Rating: C. The idea of Hail having a crush on Osborne and her excitement messing with her attention is an interesting way to go and I’m curious to see where that goes. James and Dame aren’t the greatest team but at least they have been together for a few weeks now and could be built up with some kind of a business relationship. Not exactly a great match but at least they kept it moving.

Roxanne Perez is annoyed at Kiana James and Izzi Dame and gets in a fight with Arianna Grace over them.

Andre Chase is gambling with OTM and wins a lot of money, but offers to put up the money double or nothing over a tag match between Chase U and OTM next week. Scrypts says as a bonus, if OTM wins, they get a Tag Team Title match, which they can apparently authorize. The D’Angelo Family’s associate comes in and says everything is on. Hudson doesn’t look convinced and Chase doesn’t seem to have the best idea.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against a to be determined member of the No Quarter Catch Crew, but here is Gallus to interrupt, with Joe Coffey saying he wants in on this too. Works for Lee.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Joe Coffey vs. Charlie Dempsey

Lee is defending and gets sent to the apron to start. Back in and Coffey throws Lee but misses a middle rope elbow. Dempsey gets headbutted own but Gallus’ distraction earns them an ejection. Coffey grabs a suplex on Lee and we take a break. Back with Lee grabbing a hurricanrana and knocking Dempsey into the corner. Dempsey fights up and drops Lee but has to slug it out with Coffey.

With Coffey getting the better of things, he goes up top but gets uppercutted out of the air. That leaves Dempsey to suplex Coffey, who is suplexing Lee at the same time. Back up and Lee DDTs Dempsey but gets headbutted into the corner for two more. Dempsey is knocked outside so Lee can knee Coffey in the head for two. Lee is knocked to the floor this time so Coffey hits a dive…as a smiling Joe Gacy pops out from underneath the ring. Gacy pulls Coffey under the ring, leaving Dempsey to tabletop suplex Lee for two. Lee is able to come back with Operation Dragon to retain at 12:12.

Rating: C+. The action was good and they had an exciting enough match, but I’m not a fan of just throwing someone in there to make it into a triple threat. It felt like they were just adding something for the sake of adding it to make it different. Lee getting wins is a good thing, but have him beat one of the Catch Crew and then one of Gallus in separate matches rather than changing what they announced in the first place.

Post match Gacy runs off but the No Quarter Catch Crew jump Lee. Cue the LWO for the save.

Trick Williams rants to Carmelo Hayes about Ridge Holland because if he wins, it might make New Year’s Evil a triple threat. Hayes: “Someone should have thought of that!” They need a way to take the title from Dragunov.

Cora Jade announces her return to the women’s locker room and takes over Karmen Petrovic’s locker. With Jade gone, Petrovic comes in and isn’t pleased. Gigi Dolin tells her to go after Jade.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Luca Crusifino vs. Tavion Heights

Heights, the amateur wrestler, takes Luca down without much trouble and then suplexes him for a fast two. A neckbreaker gives Luca the same and another neckbreaker gets another two. Back up and Heights grabs a powerslam, followed by a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C. These two have been on NXT LVL Up for months now and it is clear that Heights is someone WWE wants to push in a big way down the line. He’s one heck of an athlete and has the amateur wrestling background which should take him a pretty long way. At the same time you have Luca, who has an interesting gimmick with the wrestling lawyer deal, but then he doesn’t really do anything with it and that stops having any kind o an impact.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport, focusing on their paths here, with Valkyria fighting the right way and Davenport doing anything to get to the top. They meet in two weeks at New Year’s Evil.

Valkyria is ready when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she’ll deal with Tatum Paxley for Valkyria, but she wants the Women’s Title too.

The Meta Four is happy this season because Noam Dar isn’t scared of Josh Briggs.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Tatum Paxley

Lyons takes her to the floor to start and fires off the chops until Paxley sends her hand into the steps. Back in and Paxley is right back on the arm, including a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Lyons kicks her in the head, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. Something like a German suplex puts Paxley down again and a kick to the chest makes it worse. Lyons hits the splits splash for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Well that happened. Paxley did something interesting last week when she went after Lyra Valkyria but then got wrecked by Lyons here. Whatever she had last week is more or less squashed immediately, which isn’t the most thrilling development. Lyons is back and seems ready to move into the title picture, but I can’t get my head around how ridiculous her new gear looks. It’s like some genie outfit that didn’t get finished and it’s a big distraction.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready for Gallus.

Fallon Henley is livid at Tiffany Stratton, who has never had to work a day in her life. Henley swears revenge and storms off. Josh Briggs is ready for his Heritage Cup Title match but asks to do it on his own. Jensen isn’t thrilled but agrees.

Tank Ledger/Hank Walker vs. Gallus

Hank works on Mark’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Wolfgang so Walker comes in to work on the arm. Wolfgang gets sent into the corner for a splash but tags out and offers a fast distraction. Walker is knocked out to the floor and comes up holding his shoulder, meaning Wolfgang has a target. Back in and Mark gets kicked away, allowing Ledger to tag himself in, but the referee says no because he was WAY too far down the apron. Therefore no tag, meaning Mark can kick Walker in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. That’s certainly points for a creative ending, as I wouldn’t have thought of that happening in WWE, even if it is by the standard rules of wrestling. I’m really not seeing it with Ledger and Walker, as their every man deal isn’t working. Gallus isn’t exactly great, but they’re the better option here and could be put back into the title hunt sooner than later.

Joe Gacy is watching Gallus from the Chase U student section.

Dijak is in for NXT Underground against Eddy Thorpe.

Tiffany Stratton calls Fallon Henley a servant in society and swears Henley will NEVER be her. Henley will always be trash, so they can fight at New Year’s Evil. When Stratton wins, Henley can become her servant.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ridge Holland vs. Ilja Dragunov

Non-title. Dragunov’s running shoulders stagger Holland but his running shoulder puts Dragunov down. A hard clothesline drops Dragunov again but he’s back up with some hard chops in the corner. An Alabama Slam drops Dragunov, who shrugs it off and rolls some German suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Holland striking away to take over, including a clothesline to knock Dragunov out of the corner. A suplex is countered into a DDT and the H Bomb knocks Holland silly. Holland gets in another shot of his own and tries a suplex but settles for something like a DDT. Hold on though as Dragunov is badly shaken up and the referee calls in the medics, with the match being stopped at about 10:30.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match here and then they went with the rather scary ending. Having what is hopefully a storyline injury in a match is one thing, having a neck injury from the hands of Holland is quite another when he might have accidentally ended Big E.’s career in the same way. I’m really not a fan of this and while the crowd reacted very well, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.

The arena goes silent as Dragunov is taken out on a stretcher, with the title being laid on him, and he is wheeled out to end the show. Of note: this has been reported to be a storyline injury rather than a legitimate injury.

Overall Rating: C. Ignoring everything at the end, this was a rather flat episode with nothing that stood out, save for the surprise of Henley beating Stratton in a heck of an upset. Other than that though, you had a few matches featuring rookies or lower level talent, which didn’t make for the most entertaining show. Granted it was a taped show, but that didn’t exactly make for a good week. We have another of these next week and that’s not exactly compelling after this less than stellar effort.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Tiffany Stratton – Sunset flip
Lexis King b. Dion Lennox – Coronation
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail – Big boot to Hail
Dragon Lee b. Joe Coffey and Charlie Dempsey – Operation Dragon to Dempsey
Tavion Heights b. Luca Crusifino – Spinning belly to belly
Nikkita Lyons b. Tatum Paxley – Splits splash
Gallus b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Jumping kick to Walker
Ilja Dragunov vs. Ridge Holland went to a no content when Dragunov was injured

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 LVL Up
Date: December 8, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

I’ve all but given up on trying to figure out what to expect from these shows as some of them can be rather boring while others can be a good bit of fun. You can have a decent idea of what to expect from here most of the time, but it might be one or two different styles. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brooks Jensen vs. Dion Lennox

This is the debut for Lennox, who comes to the ring wearing eyeglasses for a change. They fight over a top wristlock to start until Lennox grabs a headlock. Some dropkicks stagger Jensen, who is right back with a neckbreaker for two. Lennox fights out of a front facelock though and grabs an AA for two of his own. A DDT gets Jensen out of trouble though and a top rope knee gives him the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C+. Lennox didn’t get to show off much here but he did look good in the limited time he was out there. As usual though, there is only so much that you can get out of such a relatively short debut. Jensen wrestling a singles match is a bit strange as well, but at least he helped Lennox look good in the process.

Respect is shown post match.

Jaida Parker is rather confident and promises to bring PRESSURE to the women’s division.

Jaida Parker vs. Gigi Dolin

Dolin takes her down without much trouble to start and ties her in the ropes for a dropkick to the back. Back up and Parker kicks her into the corner, including a shot to the ribs for two. Something like a German suplex slam gives Parker the same and we hit the reverse chinlock with a knee in Dolin’s back. Dolin shrugs it of and fights up before grabbing the Gigi Driver for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C. This was another short one that didn’t exactly showcase either of them. Parker has the athleticism to make something happen down the line but she is pretty clearly another work in progress. Dolin is someone who looks like she should be a star, though there is only so much that she is doing in the ring to back it up. It wasn’t a bad match, but I don’t really need to see either of them for a little while.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey

The villains have Damon Kemp and Myles Borne with them. Blade and Dempsey start things off with Blade monkey flipping him over. Dempsey breaks up a headlock without much trouble and hands it off to Gulak. Blade brings Enofe in though and some elbows have Gulak down rather quickly.

Dempsey offers a distraction to bring Blade outside though and a backbreaker takes over back inside. A butterfly suplex gets the same but Blade clotheslines his way out of trouble. Enofe comes in to clean house, including a fisherman’s suplex for two on Gulak. Everything breaks down and an assisted powerslam gets two on Gulak with Dempsey making the save. Gulak and Dempsey’s friends get involved for a distraction though and it’s an assisted double slam to finish Enofe at 7:07.

Rating: C+. Best match of the night here with the talent involved helping a lot. Enofe and Blade losing again is a bit disappointing but I’ve learned to live with it by now. At the same time, the villains continue their roll and it wouldn’t shock me to see them move into something a little bit bigger in the near future.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case around here in recent…well ever really, the best way to make this show feel important is to have bigger names involved. That was on display here, with some good talent who don’t get to be in the ring very often anymore. It was a nice enough way to spend about half an hour and I can certainly take that on any given Friday.

Results
Brooks Jensen b. Dion Lennox – Top rope knee
Gigi Dolin b. Jaida Parker – Gigi Driver
Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Double lifting slam to Enofe

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.