NXT
Date: March 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are just over two weeks away from Stand & Deliver and most of the card is already set. There is always the chance that we could be seeing something new on the show but for now we are waiting to see what happens in Philadelphia. This week will see the return to the ring for Trick Williams so let’s get to it.

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

Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley

They start fast with Perez choking on the ropes early on. A Downward Spiral plants Paxley and a Russian legsweep gives Perez two. Perez cranks back on the arm for two more but Paxley is back up with a dropkick. Some kind of flipping slam puts Perez down but she sends Paxley shoulder first into the corner. The crossface finishes for Perez at 4:03.

Rating: C. They were moving out there and this was the newly villainish Perez (complete with blue in her hair), which worked well. She’s been needing an edge of this kind for awhile now and it’s helping already. Paxley is the closest thing Lyra Valkyria has to a friend so Perez taking Paxley apart works well to set up their title match.

Post match Perez tells Ava to come out here and give her the title she never lost. Instead here is Lyra Valkyria, with her arm in a sling, to brawl with Perez. That earns her a crossface on the bad arm so Perez can hold up the title.

The Meta Four ask Lash Legend about the kiss from Trick Williams. The Alpha Academy of all people come in to ask the same, with Legend walking away.

Ava comes in to see Lyra Valkyria in the training room, with Valkyria demanding the title match against Roxanne Perez at Stand & Deliver. The match is on.

Oba Femi is scheduled to come out here for an announcement but Josh Briggs says come out here and try putting him through the ring. Cue Femi to say his results speak volumes but Briggs says he is just a little bit tougher. The fight seems imminent, only to have Dijak interrupt. Dijak says he’s got next but Briggs says cool it Shaft. Dijak: “Like Samuel L. Jackson Shaft? I don’t know if you can see this or not, but I’m white.” Femi isn’t impressed and it’s a three way brawl into a standoff.

Shawn Spears is watching and talks about the downfall of a man and his ego. Spears gets up to leave and Joe Gacy is watching him.

We look back at Trick Williams challenging Carmelo Hayes for Stand & Deliver. The match has been officially made.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

It’s Charlie Dempsey/Miles Borne for the Crew with Axiom and Dempsey fighting over arm control to start. Frazer comes in to grab a headlock but everything breaks down in a hurry. The Crew is sent outside for a pair of dives, only for Dempsey to wheelbarrow suplex Axiom back inside.

We take a break and come back with Axiom’s middle rope crossbody being countered into a tabletop suplex for two. Axiom wins a slap off though and brings in Frazer to clean house. A running shooting star press gives Frazer two but Borne is back up with a spinning powerslam. Everyone gets knocked down until Axiom takes Borne up top for a super Spanish Fly. Frazer adds the Phoenix splash for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: B-. It shouldn’t be a shock that this worked well as you had two talented teams out there with some time to get things going. Axiom and Frazer work well together and the Crew more than hung in there the whole time. Good match here with the right team going forward, and perhaps even further than that.

We look back at Lexis King beating Mr. Stone and Von Wagner having to make the save.

Stone yelled at Wagner for carrying him out like a baby. A split seems possible.

The Wolfdogs argue over who paid for dinner last night. The Alpha Academy come in to wonder why they aren’t in on the Tag Team Title shots so they get a match with the champs next week. If the Academy wins, they’re in the Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver.

Sol Ruca vs. Brinley Reece

Reece has Malik Blade and Edris Enofe with her. They trade takedowns to start until Reece is back with a headlock. An X Factor gives Reece two but Ruca is back up with a superkick. That earns her a flipping clothesline but Ruca Iconoclasms her off the top. Ruca sends her into the post and it’s the Sol Snatcher for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. As tends to be the case with Ruca, the big finish was the highlight here and it worked rather well here. Ruca is someone who could be moved up the ladder rather quickly and this was a good way to bring her back (since LVL Up doesn’t really count). That Sol Snatcher will take her a long way and she has the charisma to back it up.

Post match Blair Davenport runs in to knee Ruca in the face.

Wren Sinclair and Gigi Dolin aren’t happy with Dolin’s loss last week. Cue Arianna Grace to say it’s time to bring out the real lady in Dolin. To begin with, she gets a sash dubbing her Ms. NXT In Training.

Ridge Holland says he is going to do what everyone wants him to do.

Here is the D’Angelo Family for a chat. Tony D’Angelo talks about the power of the D’Angelo Family and introduces the new counsel: Luca Crusifino. We get a quick pledge of loyalty before Tony promises to break Ilja Dragunov at Stand & Deliver. Dragunov pops up on screen to say he’s ready but D’Angelo cuts him off, saying next week it’s Dragunov vs. Stacks. D’Angelo makes some threats to wrap it up.

The Women’s Title match is set for Stand & Deliver.

Thea Hail asks Riley Osborne if they can still be friends. That’s fine, though Osborne has to get to the ring for his match.

Lola Vice is ready to fight Karmen Petrovic.

Heritage Cup: Riley Osborne vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is defending on behalf of the No Quarter Catch Crew and the rest of the team, plus Chase U, are here. Round one begins with a technical off until Osborne gets in an armbar. That’s broken up and they fight over arm control, with Osborne striking away in the corner. Osborne knees him out of the corner and hits a shooting star press for the first fall at 2:37.

Round two begins with with Gulak bailing to the floor and getting taken down with a big dive. Back in and Osborne kicks her in the face for two before they trade rollups for two each. They run the ropes until Gulak grabs a sunset flip for the pin to tie it up at 1:26 of the round and 4:40 overall.

Gulak decks him after the bell and we take a break. Back with Gulak choking away until Osborne escapes for an enziguri. As Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx are here to mock Chase U, Gulak is fine enough to grab the Gulock but the round ends. Round four begins with another Gulock attempt being reversed and they trade rollups for two each. Osborne small packages him for two and hits a heck of a chop. They go to the corner with Osborne loading up a superplex, only to have Thea Hail chase Jayne inside. The distraction lets Nyx trip Osborne, allowing Gulak to get the pin to retain at 2:14 of the round and 10:52 overall.

Rating: B-. They were keeping up the pace here and it was nice to see someone other than Noam Dar in there for a change. Osborne is someone who doesn’t do anything new but what he does looks nice. The Catch Clause keeps things fresh as well, and it’s nice to have that much variety after so long of the same stuff around this title for the better part of ever.

Brooks Jensen storms out of the arena when Fallon Henley comes up to ask how he is. Jensen says he’s tired of things going wrong and leaves. Kelani Jordan comes in to rant about Kiana James and Izzi Dame and a tag match seems likely.

Thea Hail storms into Ava’s office and gets a match with Jazmyn Nyx. Duke Hudson is there too and is told he’s in a match next week. If he wins, he might be in the North American Title picture at Stand & Deliver. Works for him.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: OC vs. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker

We’re joined in progress with the OC being cleared out of the ring and taken down on the floor. We settle down to Anderson being sent into the corner and crushed with stereo standing splashes. Ledger kicks Anderson a few times but it’s Gallows coming in to knock Walker off the top. Back in and Walker gets big booted, allowing Anderson to send him into the corner. The chinlock goes on until Ledger fights out and hits an enziguri, allowing the tag back to Ledger. A toss belly to back suplex gets two on Anderson but Gallows makes a save. The spinebuster into the Magic Killer finishes Ledger at 7:53.

Rating: C. Ledger and Walker were trying but there was only so much they could do against an experienced team like the OC. The OC might not be what they were at their peak but they’re still bigger than most of the teams in NXT. It’s a good idea to have them in the triple threat match next week, but that might be it for them in NXT.

Trick Williams is ready for Noam Dar tonight and tells Carmelo Hayes to stay out of it.

Kiana James and Izzi Dame approve of Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx’s recent efforts. With Jayne and Nyx gone, Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan run in for the brawl.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Trick Williams vs. Noam Dar

The rest of the Meta Four is here with Dar. Williams slams him down a few times to start but has to roll out of an ankle lock. A guillotine works a bit better for Dar but it’s broken up and Williams hammers away. Dar kicks him down again for a breather and we go split screen, with a security guard telling Carmelo Hayes “it’s time”. Williams is back up and knocks Dar outside as we take a break.

Back with Williams putting him on top for a slugout until Dar grabs a triangle choke. That’s broken up as Williams powerbombs his way to freedom, followed by a jumping clothesline. Dar is able to grab the ankle lock again, complete with the grapevine, but Williams makes the rope. Williams grabs a quick Rock Bottom into a flapjack but Lash Legend gets on the apron. Her slap attempt lets Dar grab a German suplex for two but the Trickshot gives Williams the pin at 11:12.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of win that Williams needs, as he’s getting ready for the biggest match of his career. He beat someone who had been a champion for a very long time and that is the kind of win that gives him some credibility. Williams has that aura that can take him a long way, but he needs to do something like this to make him more well rounded. It’s working so far, but he doesn’t have much time before Wrestlemania.

Post match Williams calls out Carmelo Hayes so here is…someone dressed like Hayes, with the real version disguised as a member of his own security. Hayes jumps Williams and takes him out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a better mixture of wrestling and story advancement, which is what you need on the way to the biggest show of the year. NXT knows how to do weekly television and thankfully they are keeping it going on the way to Stand & Deliver. Rather good show here, with Hayes vs. Williams getting bigger and bigger each week.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Tatum Paxley – Crossface
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Phoenix splash to Borne
Sol Ruca b. Brinley Reece – Sol Snatcher
Drew Gulak b. Riley Osborne 2-1
OC b. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger – Magic Killer to Ledger
Trick Williams b. Noam Dar – Trick Shot

 

 

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Deadline and that means pretty much nothing around here. Instead, we are now in the Breakout Tournament, which is pretty much the LVL Up All Stars getting their first chance on the main NXT show. We might be getting some fresh LVL Up names as a result so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scrypts vs. Javier Bernal

Scrypts, with OTM and wrestling in a shirt, slides between Bernal’s legs to start. Bernal’s headlock doesn’t get him very far so he shrugs off an OTM distraction, only to get choked on the ropes. A kick to the head gives Scrypts two and a jumping neckbreaker gets the same. The neck crank doesn’t last long for Scrypts as Bernal sends him outside. Back in and Bernal hits an enziguri and a bulldog, followed by a spinning full nelson faceplant for two. OTM breaks up a rollup with feet on the ropes though and a rolling cutter gives Scrypts the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as they weren’t exactly working well together. Granted it doesn’t help that Bernal hasn’t been around in a good while and was a loudmouthed heel the last time he was around. Scrypts continues to be a guy there to do all kinds of flips, which doesn’t make for the best heel run. Not much to see here and a pretty weak match.

Amari Miller is back to beat Valentina Feroz and show that her knee is fine.

Valentina Feroz vs. Amari Miller

The fans are happy to have Miller back. Feroz takes her down for a quickly broken headlock so Miller is back up to work on the arm. A quick backsplash gives Miller two but Feroz goes for the knee to take over. With said knee in trouble Feroz switches to a hammerlock, complete with some armdrags. Back up and Miller strikes away, setting up a running knee. Feroz kicks her in the face though and hits a middle rope Meteora for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C. I’m a bit surprised that Feroz got such a clean win over Miller here, as Feroz hasn’t been around much lately and Miller was an up and comer when she got hurt. The match didn’t have much time to do anything, but maybe Miller needed some time to get back in the swing of things. Then again a win might help that more than anything else and we’ll have to wait on that.

Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Charlie Dempsey/Drew Gulak

Non-title and this is a big match for around here. Dempsey slams Stacks down to start and hands it off to Gulak to work on the arm. Stacks fights up and takes Gulak into the corner so D’Angelo can come in. D’Angelo drops Stacks onto Gulak for two, followed by the tag back to Dempsey. A backbreaker gets Dempsey out of trouble and the villains take over in the corner.

Stacks gets a pair of boots up in the corner though and, after slipping out of a suplex, brings D’Angelo back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a pair of suplexes gets two on D’Angelo with Stacks making the save. D’Angelo slams Dempsey off the top though and the champs hit stereo clothesline to put Dempsey/Gulak on the floor. Stacks nails a big dive, setting up Bada Bing Bada Boom to pin Gulak at 6:20.

Rating: C+. It’s amazing how much better this felt having a match with some names that mattered. The titles weren’t even on the line here but the fact that the champions and a team who could be realistic challengers at some point made this eel big for around here. With so many names on the NXT roster, I have no idea why something like this is such a rare treat.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped a lot and it was nice having Miller back, but that first match dragged things back down a bit. We’ll call it right in the middle for this week, but I like where things might be headed. We’re getting further away from the really lame formula that dominated this show for such a long time and while the show might not be great, it’s certainly a lot better than it was.

Results
Scrypts b. Javier Bernal – Rolling cutter
Valentina Feroz b. Amari Miller – Middle rope Meteora
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey – Bada Bing Bada Boom to Gulak

 

 

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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

 

 

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

We’re done with Deadline and that means we have less than a month to go before New Year’s Evil. Thanks to Blair Davenport and Trick Williams winning the Iron Survivor Challenges, their title shots are set for the first show of the year. Other than that, Dragon Lee is the new North American Champion and we could be in for a hot ending to the year. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes arrive, with Williams bragging to reporters about how clutch he is. As he brags about getting ready for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil, Hayes walks inside by himself.

Long Deadline recap.

Carmelo Hayes has been attacked and is clutching his knee.

Here is Cora Jade to say that the sun finally emerged from the clouds on Saturday because she is finally bad. Everyone has been tweeting her every day and wanting her back, and even though they hated her back then, they love her now. Now she is all anyone is talking about but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt. She knows Jade hasn’t changed in recent months but things around here have.

Valkyria isn’t the woman Jade used to mess with because she is now the Women’s Champion. Cue Blair Davenport to interrupt, saying she’s the Iron Survivor and the time is ticking on Valkyria’s reign. Cue Nikkita Lyons to say she remembers what Davenport did in the parking lot and the fight is on. That sounds tag teamish for later tonight.

We recap Meta Four and Fallon Henley/Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs getting in a fight at Deadline.

Dragon Lee says the North American Title win hasn’t sunk in yet but it’s incredible. Unfortunately it came after an injury to Wes Lee so Dragon wishes him a speedy recovery. Tonight, the title is on the line and he’ll find out his challenger tonight.

Meta Four vs. Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

Jakara Jackson is here with Meta Four. The villains jump them to start and Jensen might have hurt something early on. We settle down to Henley shoving Legend and trying a choke, which is powered into the corner. Everything breaks down and the villains clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Dar grabbing a chinlock on Jensen, who fights up but gets hit in the knee, which was banged up during the break. Jensen manages to get in a clothesline and the tag brings in Henley as everything breaks down. The women crash out to the floor but here is Tiffany Stratton to go after Henley. They fight to the back as Briggs comes in to clean house, including the always stupid big boot that makes your opponent DDT his partner. A hard lariat gives Briggs the pin on Dar at 11:00.

Rating: C+. That should set up Briggs for a Heritage Cup shot, where he will likely lose because Dar must hold that thing until the end of time. Other than that, we should be in for a good fight between Stratton and Henley, who at least didn’t take the fall here to keep Legend’s build going. Nice six person tag here, as we’re getting some fresh blood moving up the ladder a bit.

Carmelo Hayes’ knee seems to be ok and he’s medically cleared to compete on Smackdown. He thinks he knows who it is and he’ll call that person out in the ring. Trick Williams is ready to be at his side but first he has to take care of Ilja Dragunov. They’ll each handle their own business and everything is cool.

We meet the Men’s Breakout Tournament entrants….and here is Lexis King to jump Trey Bearhill with a chair.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Myles Borne vs. Oba Femi

Borne tries to pick up the pace on the much stronger Femi and hits a dropkick to the back. Some stomping gives Borne two but Femi power up with a running elbow in the corner. A powerslam gives Borne two out of nowhere but Femi puts him down on the apron. Back in and a pop up powerbomb finishes for Femi at 3:36.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one but Femi had the power to make things interesting. He’s already in the final four and putting him in the finals seems like a possibility. For now though, the powerhouse with the great look gets to move forward and that should be enough to generate a bit of interest for him.

Nikkita Lyons comes in to see Lyra Valkyria before their tag match tonight and as usual, no one talks like this. Lyons opens Valkyria’s locker and finds a picture of Valkyria and Becky Lynch….with Tatum Paxley’s face taped over Becky’s. Seems to be news to Valkyria.

Tiffany Stratton is sick of Fallon Henley, who usually serves people like Stratton. Violence seems implied.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against…..Tyler Bate. They shake hands to start until Bate takes him down with a headlock. Stereo blocked kicks to the ribs and stereo dropkicks get them nowhere so it’s a double clothesline to send us to a break. Back with Bate knocking him to the floor setting up a big dive. They get back inside where Lee hits a superkick to put him outside again, meaning it’s a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and the very extended airplane spin gives Bate two, followed by the rebound lariat for the same. Lee snaps off a rebound German suplex into the top rope double stomp but the powerbomb is countered. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a sunset flip to give Lee two, followed by Destino to retain at 10:50.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to get Lee’s title reign going as Bate is someone who has enough of a reputation to give Lee a nice rub. Lee seems to be one of the next big things for WWE and it is smart to see him getting a few wins. They have a long way to go with him but at least they are off to a nice start.

Respect is shown post match.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are happy with their win but Fallon Henley wants to hurt Tiffany Stratton. Briggs thinks he’s up or the Heritage Cup but Jensen says that’s not Briggs’ style. Eh he’ll do it anyway.

Lexis King and Ava are outside Shawn Michaels’ office where they talk about how everyone in the tournament wants to hurt him. That’s cool with King, who is put into the tournament to replace Trey Bearhill. Works for him.

Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe

The brawl is on in the aisle before the bell and they send each other into different things. The fight goes inside for the opening bell….and Dijak (who is bleeding from the side of the head) sends him into the corner so hard that the turnbuckle breaks. Dijak hits him with the turnbuckle for the DQ at 53 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Dijak unloading on Thorpe’s ribs.

We go to Chase U, where it’s time to see how much money they have made. The bake sale and car wash brought in a little over $300, with Duke Hudson pointing out how much the interest on the loan is on is own. Thea Hail is excited to see an upcoming match and is off to watch in the student section. With Hail and Jacy Jayne gone, Scrypts comes in with a briefcase and a proposition for Chase, who seems interested.

Cora Jade and Blair Davenport argue over who will win the Women’s Title but they’re ready to team together tonight.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Keanu Carver vs. Riley Osborne

Osborne is part of Chase U and Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne are in the student section. Osborne takes him down to start and hits a standing moonsault for two, with Carver sending him lying. A heck of a clothesline drops Osborne and a fall away slam sends him flying. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Osborne fighting up (Hail approves)…until a Pounce drops him hard. Osborne knocks him off the top though and a shooting star press gives him the pin at 3:24.

Rating: C. Osborne is someone who has shown quite a bit of potential on NXT LVL Up and it doesn’t surprise me that he won here. Having Hail be interested in him makes things more interesting so they already have something for him. Nice enough match too, with Carver’s Pounce looking great.

Drew Gulak and company interrupt Dragon Lee in the back and since Lee is going to defend the title every week, they accept. Lee can find out which one he’ll face next week.

Thea Hail comes up to Riley Osborne and clearly has a thing for him. Jacy Jayne tries to coach her but he’s off to take a shower. Jayne isn’t sure how well she did but here are Kiana James and Izzi Dame to mock Hail’s lame efforts.

Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade/Blair Davenport

Valkyria rolls Davenport up for two and it’s off to Jade, who gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Lyons comes in and gets to power Davenport around but Jade gets away. Davenport gets in a takedown of her own and grabs the chinlock as we take a break. Back with Jade handing it off to Davenport, who gets kicked away without much trouble. Valkyria comes back in to clean house…but here is Tatum Paxley to stare at Valkyria. The distraction means a high crossbody misses before Valkyria and Jade get sent into each other. Davenport knees Valkyria down and Jade steals the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a mess and it really didn’t work that well. Jade pinning Valkyria is fine, but Jade didn’t exactly steal the show and Lyons, with her weird genie looking gear, looked completely out of place. This needed a bit more Davenport, who might not be great but is at least more polished. Not great here and the weakest thing on the show so far.

Post match Paxley shoves Lyons down and awkwardly holds Valkyria. So we have a new stalker?

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger run into Gallus and say they have more heart than Gallus put together. Walker and Ledger leave, with Joe Gacy popping up as a forklift driver to talk about heart. This, believe or not, was dumb.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows. Of note: Drew Gulak and company are dubbed the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He talks about how Deadline was a movement and he nominates the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge as the Match Of The Year. He’s ready to come through in the clutch again but here is NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov to interrupt. Dragunov praises him for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and acknowledges Williams’ momentum. Williams is ready to win the NXT Title in three weeks but Dragunov isn’t so sure about that.

Dragunov is ready to do whatever it takes to retain the title but here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says he knows who attacked Williams, because it’s the same person who attacked him earlier tonight. Dragunov goes to leave but gets a not so fast from Hayes….who says Dragunov is the attacker. Dragunov denies the allegations and Williams would like some proof too. Hayes wants to know who got more out of splitting up the team and lays out how well it has gone for Dragunov.

That earns him another denial from Dragunov, who suggests that Hayes might not have been attacked in the first place. Dragunov says Williams needs to talk to Hayes, who gets a bit more aggressive while saying Dragunov doesn’t deserve the title. Hayes goes to grab the title and winds up hitting Williams in the face. This is an interesting way to go as they’re cranking up the drama on the way to a title match which could go either way. Nice job.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a different kind of show but once again they had a focus. This time, that focus was on building things for the future and giving us something new. In this case, we have the Breakout tournament, Williams as the new big challenge for the title, Briggs and Henley getting some new pushes and Lee seemingly being set up for a weekly title match. That’s a nice way to get the ball rolling on the future, but now they need to actually make that happen, particularly at New Year’s Evil. Good show here, at least from a building for the future show.

Results
Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Meta Four – Lariat to Dar
Oba Femi b. Myles Borne – Pop up powerbomb
Dragon Lee b. Tyler Bate – Destino
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak via DQ when Dijak used the turnbuckle
Riley Osborne b. Keanu Carver – Shooting star press
Cora Jade/Blair Davenport b. Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria – Knee to Valkyria’s head

 

 

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 1, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re back to whatever is classified as normal around here after last week’s kind of random Best Of show. It did a nice job of showing that some wrestlers who started around here do get to move up the ladder. Maybe some of the stars around here can do that as well, even if it could take some time. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Von Wagner vs. Luca Crusifino

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, throws Luca down to start and hits a running shoulder. Luca’s chop has as much effect as you would imagine and a middle rope forearm to the head drops Luca again. A quick neckbreaker does get Luca out of trouble and we hit the neck crank. That’s broken up and Wagner sends him flying with a belly to back toss. Wagner powerbombs him for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. This is how LVL Up can be made that much better. Wagner didn’t have anything going on with the regular NXT this week so throw him out here to make LVL Up feel bigger. It’s not a complicated idea and he won a quick match over a loud mouthed heel. Do more stuff like this and the show might be more interesting, or at least less boring.

Brinley Reece is a former cheerleader and fitness coach who can’t wait to start in NXT.

Brinley Reece vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez has Lola Vice in her corner. Reece’s shoulder bounces off of Lopez to start before Lopez drops her without much effort. Back up and Reece grabs the armbar for a bit before Lopez hits a clothesline. The chinlock goes on to keep Reece down, only to have her fight up with a rather basic comeback. Moonsaults knees and a TKO give Reece two but Vice offers a distraction. Lopez grabs a chokebomb for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. Another not so great match here, with Reece getting her feet wet and little more. There is only so much you can get out of a five minute match with a decent chunk of that being spent in a chinlock. What matters here is getting Reece out there though, even if it is the first step on a long road.

Tavion Heights vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak has his friends with him. Heights flips away from Gulak to start and grabs the ankle for some twisting. A slam gives Heights two but Gulak sends him outside for a cheap shot from Myles Borne. The leglock has Heights in more trouble before Gulak flips him over into a hammerlock. The chinlock doesn’t work as well for Gulak as Heights powers his way to freedom. Gulak is fine enough to hit a nice looking top rope clothesline but Heights starts the real comeback. A Sling Blade drops Gulak but his friends offer a distraction, allowing Gulak to hit a right hand (A right hand?) for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: C. It’s always weird to see a right hand (save for from some certain people) win a match but that’s what they went with here. Gulak continues to be the good hand around here and having him teaming with other amateur/technical wrestlers who cheat to win is a good way to go. Not a great match, but it seems that they’re wanting to do something with Heights.

Overall Rating: C. Well, there were bigger names but they didn’t exactly bring up the quality of the matches. This was a pretty dull show, but at the same time, I can go for changing things up a bit. We’ve seen the same LVL Up crew have the same matches for months now so even half an hour of almost squashes from bigger names was a nice switch. It might not be what we need every week, but I’ll take it for a one off.

Results
Von Wagner b. Luca Crusifino – Powerbomb
Elektra Lopez b. Brinley Reece – Chokebomb
Drew Gulak b. Tavion Heights – Right hand

 

 

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Survivor Series 2016
Date: November 20, 2016
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,143
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, David Otunga

I say this every year but it’s always hard to believe that it’s been a full year since this show. This was the first time that a Survivor Series was expanded to four hours but thankfully there’s a good chance that they could make it work, mainly due to the elimination matches. The main event though is Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg, which I’m sure will be completely uneventful. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Drew Gulak/Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese vs. Noam Dar/TJ Perkins/Rich Swann

This is a preview match for something called 205 Live, which debuts next week. I know it hasn’t gone great but the division really has evolved into a better place than when it started. Swann gets a nice reaction and then starts with Nese, who gets chopped in the corner. They do their regular flips with Swann’s jump over Nese’s feet getting a good pop (as always) before it’s off to Perkins.

Some suplexes set up an Octopus Hold but Nese reverses into a kind of gutwrench suplex. Gulak comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner with everyone working him over. We actually get a TJ PERKINS chant as he slaps on the kneebar to keep Gulak in trouble. Everything breaks down and we take a break.

Back with Daivari in trouble this time as Dar gets two off a running kick to the face. Nese offers a distraction though and a spinebuster takes Dar down. A superkick gives Daivari two and it’s back to Gulak to crank on the leg. If this sounds rather uninteresting, it’s only because that’s what it is.

Dar dropkicks his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in Swann to very little reaction. A good looking jumping hurricanrana takes Daivari off the middle rope as everything breaks down again. That means we hit the dives but the referee CUTS PERKINS OFF. Now you know that’s not working so Perkins dives over the referee to take out some villains. Back in and Swann’s standing 450 ends Daivari at 11:48.

Rating: C-. I forgot how uninteresting these earlier cruiserweight matches were. The guys barely have characters and the entire story here was “three faces vs. three heels”. It didn’t get much better for a long time but, as usual, the problem comes down to one simple thing: if the smaller guys on the main roster can be big stars and do all these dives, why should I be impressed when cruiserweights can do them too?

Kickoff Show: Luke Harper vs. Kane

Harper is part of the NEW Wyatt Family, which screwed Kane over, meaning we need a match here. Kane grabs a full nelson of all things and we’re in a chinlock fifteen seconds in. That goes nowhere so Harper grabs a headlock as the fans are oddly split here. Kane starts in on the shoulder by sending it into the buckle. Harper sends him outside though and hits that suicide shove of his (Who needs cruiserweights?).

A slingshot flip splash gives Luke two and we take a break. Back with Kane in a chinlock (well duh) but managing to superplex Harper down for a crash. The sidewalk slam gets two but Harper scores with a superkick for the same. Kane’s running DDT and Harper’s Boss Man Slam are good for two more each but it’s the chokeslam to put Harper away at 9:10.

Rating: D+. Well what were you expecting here? This was exactly the match you would have planned out for them and Kane won with his finisher. It’s about as paint by numbers of a power match as you can get and while it wasn’t terrible, it’s also a match I really didn’t need to see.

The opening video looks at Goldberg vs. Lesnar and then all the Raw vs. Smackdown matches. Well at least they got some time. I’m sure Stephanie’s voiceovers had nothing to do with it.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

Raw: Bayley, Alicia Fox, Charlotte, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks

Smackdown: Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi, Nikki Bella

Entrances alone take forever of course, which will be a theme tonight. Charlotte is Raw Women’s Champion and has Dana Brooke in her corner. Becky is Smackdown Women’s Champion but Nikki is captain. You know, because of course. Bliss gets a heck of a reaction (gee I wonder why). Actually hang on a second as there’s no Nikki. We cut to the back where she’s down after being attacked. Not to worry though, as Smackdown coach Natalya is more than willing to take the spot.

We settle down to Becky and Banks trading rollups before it’s off to Charlotte for more of the same. Becky can’t get the Disarm-Her and it’s off to Nia as things get a lot more difficult. Carmella and Bliss come in for the expected results and Naomi’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Natalya actually gets a reaction but Nia clotheslines her head off for her efforts. It’s off to Fox vs. Carmella with Alicia avoiding a Bronco Buster, setting up what looked to be a mostly missed ax kick for the elimination at 6:35. Bliss comes right in, sends Fox into the buckle and adds Twisted Bliss to tie it up at 6:48.

Charlotte and Naomi come in with the latter cleaning house, including knocking Nia outside and hitting a high crossbody to the floor. Nia posts her though and that’s a countout at 8:23. We pause for the Tye Dillinger TEN chant until Bliss takes Banks down and grinds her face into the mat. Banks sends Bliss and Natalya into each other, followed by the double knees in the corner to Alexa. Back up and Bliss saves Natalya from the Bank Statement, allowing Natalya to roll Banks up for the elimination at 10:20.

Charlotte comes in and gets suplexed, meaning we hit the SUPLEX CITY chants. You would think fans would know more chants than that. Charlotte goes up for the moonsault but, as always, Natalya powerbombs her down for two in the near fall that never ends Charlotte. The required Sharpshooter sends Charlotte crawling for the ropes but a big boot ends Natalya at 12:01.

Becky and Bliss get in an argument over who should come in, allowing Jax to suplex them both at the same time. Of course that gets a MAMA MIA from Mauro, which I miss hearing so often. Bliss gets caught in a slam but Becky makes a blind tag and missile dropkicks Bliss in the back to knock her onto Jax. The Disarm-Her actually makes Jax tap at 13:35 and it’s 2-2 with Becky/Bliss vs Charlotte/Bayley.

Jax mauls Becky, leaving Bliss to get big booted down for the elimination at 14:03. Becky fights back as fast as she can with the series of clotheslines into the leg lariat, followed by Bexplex. Bayley has to dive in for a save after a top rope legdrop before coming in for the slugout. Another Bexplex gets two but Bayley’s elbow to the back gets the same. You can tell Becky is getting tired out there so Bayley blocks the Disarm-Her and grabs the Bayley to Belly for the final pin at 17:53.

Rating: C+. The quick eliminations didn’t help things here but the ending was the right call. There was way too much talent on the Raw side to lose and I’m VERY glad it was Natalya, who can wrestle this style without having to dumb things down too much. Becky was pretty much all the blue team had for a lot of the match and she put up a valiant effort, only to be outgunned. That makes her look strong and Bayley getting a win like this is a good thing for her at this stage in her main roster career.

Charlotte takes Bayley out post match and beats her around ringside.

Smackdown mascot James Ellsworth runs into Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who weren’t funny in 2016 either. They make some bad chin puns but Raw GM Mick Foley comes in to run them off. Ellsworth talks about all the great memories he has of Foley, most of which involve him being in extreme pain. Foley thanks him anyway and suggests Ellsworth move to Raw. He appreciates the offer but politely turns it down because he’s true blue. Foley leaves and Ellsworth runs into Braun Strowman, who asks if he knows Ellsworth. James runs in a smart move.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz is defending and Sami is trying to take the title to Raw. We get the Big Match Intros and Sami gets quite the reaction for being Canadian. Sami spins out of a wristlock to start and Miz looks annoyed in the corner. Miz gets sent outside but Sami has to bail out of the flip dive. The moonsault off the barricade works though, drawing over Maryse for a distraction. Well she can be quite distracting.

This one works well with Miz taking out the knee to get his first advantage. Some hard stomps to the knees have Sami in trouble but he’s still able to clothesline Miz to the floor. A flip dive works as well, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Miz’s short DDT gets the same and it’s time for a double breather. The running corner dropkick/clothesline look to set up the ax handle but Sami reverses into the Blue Thunder Bomb.

The Helluva Kick only hits corner though and that means the Figure Four. This one stays on for a good while until Sami makes the ropes, earning himself some YES Kicks. Sami reverses one into a Figure Four of his own but Maryse rings the bell. Since Sami isn’t all that bright, he of course falls for it, only to have Miz roll him up to retain at 14:06.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match as you knew a lot of Sami’s near falls weren’t going anywhere. I can go for Miz and Maryse teaming up to steal wins though and it’s a big reason why he’s been an awesome Intercontinental Champion. This would also help play into Sami’s heel turn nearly a year later as he would get tired of losing while playing by the rules. Makes sense, especially in a long term form.

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles are bickering over being teammates tonight when Shane McMahon comes in and tells them to cool it so Smackdown doesn’t lose again.

Raw Tag Teams vs. Smackdown Tag Teams

Raw: Enzo Amore/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson, New Day, Shining Stars

Smackdown: American Alpha, Breezango, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Hype Bros, Usos

A fall eliminates both members of a team. Enzo and Cass suck up to the live crowd, as you might expect. New Day and Slater/Rhyno are the respective champions. Fandango tries to give everyone a fashion ticket to start, earning himself a Midnight Hour for the elimination at 44 seconds. New Day spends too much time celebrating though and it’s a superkick from Jimmy to pin Big E. at 1:08.

Gallows comes in to punch Jimmy in the face before handing it off to Cass for the tall power. The fast tags continue as it’s off to Epico vs. Ryder (who is rocking some old school Survivor Series logo trunks) with Mojo coming in for a clap around the ears. Rawley gets taken down into the corner for the huge group beating though as we keep trying to get everyone in. It’s back to Ryder (not Slater like the fans want) but Gallows saves Anderson from the Broski Boot. Instead it’s the Magic Killer to pin Ryder at 5:08.

Gable comes in as Graves talks about how scared he is of American Alpha. It doesn’t seem to be the most valid fear to start though as Epico takes Gable down into a chinlock. Some rolling suplexes have Gable in more trouble and Primo comes in with a springboard ax handle to the ribs. He misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Jordan for a quick Steiner Bulldog to get rid of the Stars at 8:08.

The six remaining teams (Enzo/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson vs. American Alpha, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Usos) come in at once as everything breaks down. That means Enzo gets tossed over the top onto a big pile….which was mainly Raw guys but whatever. Rhyno gets thrown over the top as well, only to have Slater add an even bigger dive. Back in and Cesaro swings Jordan but Gable makes the save with a Rolling Chaos Theory.

Gable isn’t done though as Jordan throws him over the top for a HUGE flip dive onto everyone. Sweet goodness those two were awesome together. I mean, not as awesome as Jordan on his own with Kurt Angle kind of around but still. Back in and it’s a quick Magic Killer to get rid of Jordan at 10:39 as the eliminations are still flying. A spinebuster plants Slater and he’s caught in the wrong corner.

Sheamus won’t tag Cesaro (this was before their ridiculous matching outfits) and an argument breaks out, allowing the hot tag off to Rhyno as everyone bickers. Rhyno comes in and Gores Gallows for an elimination at 12:28. Cass wastes no time with a big boot to Rhyno, followed by the Bada Boom Shaka Lacka for the pin at 12:45.

That leaves us with the Usos….who superkick Enzo down to set up the Superfly Splash and an elimination at 13:26 before I can type the Raw teams. So now we’re down to the Usos vs. Cesaro/Sheamus with the latter hitting the ten forearms (you know the chant) on Jimmy. Cesaro comes in and eats a double superkick but Sheamus Brogue kicks Jimmy with Jey making a diving save.

Super White Noise plants Jimmy again but Jey is right back with a Superfly Splash for two with Cesaro making a save of his own. The hot tag brings in Cesaro for the Uppercut Train and a 619 as the fans lose their minds over Cesaro again. A high crossbody gets two on Jey and it’s time for the Swing. Jimmy breaks up the Sharpshooter and Jey gets the Tequila Sunrise. That’s reversed right back into the Sharpshooter with Sheamus remembering he’s in the match to cut off Jimmy, leaving Jey to tap at 18:55.

Rating: B. This was during the time that I couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro (not a lot has changed in a year) but they did a lot of stuff in this match, despite the crunched timeline. Getting nine eliminations in less than nineteen minutes is a lot but you have to clear the ring out at the beginning. It’s entertaining, but hits a hard ceiling that it’s not getting past.

Stephanie and Foley decide that Sheamus and Cesaro should get a Tag Team Title shot tomorrow night. They recap the rest of the show with Stephanie getting way too serious, as usual.

Preview for TLC with Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles in a TLC match for the title.

Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick does his best Sean O’Haire impression and is ready for Kalisto. If Kalisto wins, he brings the division to Smackdown. It’s fine for a one off match but it was really hard to buy Kendrick as the best cruiserweight in the company in 2016.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick is defending and charges straight into a knee to the face. Kalisto is right back with a suicide dive, followed by a springboard corkscrew crossbody for two. Some rollups give Kalisto more near falls and a shotgun dropkick has Kendrick in even more trouble. A rollup into the corner finally gives Kendrick a breather and he crushes Kalisto between the steps and the apron for good measure.

Back in and we hit the cravate to slow things back down. Kalisto manages to fight up and get to the apron where he grabs a C4 out to the floor in the big crash of the match. A good looking suicide dive takes Kendrick down again but he reverses a super Salida Del Sol into the Captain’s Hook. Kalisto finally grabs the ropes and fires off some kicks, followed by the hurricanrana driver. The Salida Del Sol gets two with Kendrick getting to the ropes. Kalisto heads up top….and here’s Baron Corbin for the DQ at 12:21.

Rating: C-. The match was good at times but Kendrick really isn’t the kind of guy you want as a long term champion. It also didn’t help that you knew they weren’t changing up the cruiserweight division so close to 205 Live’s launch. Corbin interfering was fine enough, but it really does make the title match feel like a big waste of time.

The Kickoff Show panel recaps the show so far.

Daniel Bryan yells at Corbin, who doesn’t want little pests running around on Smackdown.

We recap the men’s Survivor Series match, which started in July at the second Brand Split. Naturally this is about the McMahons as Shane and Stephanie are the Commissioners and therefore they have to be fighting. We look at all the entrants as this is treated like the major match is should be treated as. Then Shane is added to the match and that notion kind of falls apart.

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Raw: Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins

Smackdown: AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Shane McMahon

AJ and Owens are the World Champions, Reigns is US Champion and Ellsworth is here as the mascot. This is also during the period where Orton is part of the Wyatt Family because we needed that story to get to Orton as World Champion again. Rollins gets a nice reaction and it’s far better without BURN IT DOWN or whatever the line is. AJ and Owens start things off with Styles wasting no time in hitting the drop down into the dropkick.

That’s enough of that though as it’s and they slug it out with AJ getting the better of it. The STUPID IDIOT chants mean it’s time for Jericho, who throws his shirt at AJ and hammers away. Styles dropkicks him down again as the announcers discuss Jericho insulting Undertaker on Twitter. It’s off to Ambrose vs. Rollins, which turns into far more of a wrestling match than it should.

Rollins can’t get a Pedigree so let’s go back to Jericho. Chris yells at Dean for the $15,000 jacket issue, earning himself some really bad armdrags. An enziguri cuts Dean down for two but Ambrose is right back with a bunch of right hands to the head. Shane comes in for the first time and my interest goes down. I’m still not a fan of middle aged Shane and this isn’t likely to change things.

Shane’s bad punches and an armdrag (better than Dean’s) take Jericho down until a dropkick cuts him off. The announcers debate the TV ratings as Reigns comes in and gets booed out of the building. Roman hammers him down in the corner and Seth comes in for a chinlock. That’s broken up so let’s go with Dean vs. Kevin. Owens hits a superkick but gets caught in a hurricanrana, only to have Jericho break up Dirty Deeds.

Everything breaks down and Strowman tags himself in, leaving the fans to chant for Ellsworth. The fight heads outside with Dean being left alone in the ring until Strowman catches his slingshot dive. Strowman walks him around the ring until AJ’s slingshot forearm to the floor breaks it up. Owens dives onto everyone and Strowman tosses Shane across the ring in a pretty good power display.

Some double teaming doesn’t do much to stop Strowman but they manage to knock him outside. That’s enough of Dean and Ambrose working together so they get in a fight, allowing Strowman to hit the running powerslam for the pin on Dean at 15:57. AJ was looking right at the cover and didn’t move. Shane gets to beat on Strowman for a bit but thankfully he gets hammered down as well.

The Phenomenal Forearm is pulled out of the air with AJ being tossed outside in a nasty heap. Orton gets thrown aside too but a stare from Bray stops Strowman in his tracks. Strowman grabs Jericho by the throat but decides to run Bray over instead, followed by a dropkick to put him on the floor. Braun goes outside as well but runs into an RKO onto the announcers’ table. After we pause to see what a random eight year old fan thought of it (he was applauding), Shane drops the top rope elbow to put Strowman through said table. That and Ellsworth grabbing Braun’s foot get Strowman counted out at 21:18.

Strowman catches Ellsworth running up the ramp though (How slow is this guy?) and throws him off the stage through some tables. Everyone else is mostly dead until Jericho covers Shane for two. Owens is fresh enough to drop the backsplash on Shane for two (but only after mocking the dance). There’s the Lionsault but Shane gets two of his own off a small package.

Shane takes a Codebreaker but Orton comes in before the cover, meaning Shane survives another finisher. He avoids a top rope splash though and it’s off to AJ to work on Jericho. With Owens getting in an insult to AJ’s hair (too far man), Jericho counters the Styles Clash into a failed Walls attempt. The Phenomenal Blitz rocks Jericho but Owens comes in with the List of Jericho to blast AJ. That’s a DQ at 29:23, but not before he gives AJ a Pop Up Powerbomb.

Orton gets the tag and comes in with the RKO to get rid of Jericho at 30:19. Notice Reigns blankly staring up at the ramp and not hearing the RKO RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. So it’s down to Shane/AJ/Orton/Wyatt vs. Reigns/Rollins with Orton hammering on Rollins to start. Wyatt and Orton take turns on Seth as Shane is still laid on the apron after his long time in the ring. The superplex takes Rollins down (looks great too) but it allows the hot tag to Reigns. AJ comes in as well and MY GOODNESS the fans do not like Reigns.

House is cleaned with a series of Samoan drops, followed by a great looking Razor’s Edge powerbomb for two on AJ. Seriously that was good enough to cut off the booing. A Pele cuts off a Superman Punch and it’s back to Shane for no logical reason. Shane gets in a tornado DDT to drop Reigns and a clothesline takes Rollins down. Reigns tries a spear but gets awkwardly countered into the post.

In probably the spot of the match, Shane loads up Coast to Coast but gets speared out of the air for a SICK landing. Shane actually kicks out at two but you can see that he is completely gone. Like Lesnar after the botched shooting star gone. The referee says Shane is eliminated at 37:07, presumably due to his brains looking like a pie that has been run over by a bus driven by raccoons.

We pause for a bit as doctors get Shane out of the ring until Roman blasts Bray with a clothesline. Rollins and AJ get stereo hot tags with Seth’s Blockbuster putting Styles down. There’s the slingshot knee to AJ and a suicide dive to Wyatt. With Reigns down on the floor, let’s hit that ROMAN’S SLEEPING chant! Still one of my favorites because the fans just will not give him a break no matter what. An enziguri staggers AJ on top and now it’s WAKE UP ROMAN. Reigns does in fact wake up and saves Rollins from a hanging DDT on the floor.

With Orton down, it seems as good a time as any for a DoubleBomb. Styles makes a save before it can be loaded up but here’s Ambrose to jump Styles again. The fans call Dean a STUPID IDIOT as the former Shield beats up security. NOW the TripleBomb puts AJ through the table, allowing Rollins to get the pin at 47:00. It’s down to two on two with the Wyatts vs. the Shield (not the worst idea in the world)….and here’s Luke Harper for a distraction so the Wyatts can take over.

Reigns posts Orton but Harper superkicks him down, only to have Rollins score with a flip dive to the floor. Back in and the low superkick hits Wyatt but he dives into an RKO, giving Bray the pin at 49:25. Reigns, all alone, sends both of them outside and takes Harper out as a bonus. Back in and Orton eats a spear to save Wyatt, leaving Bray to grab Sister Abigail for the pin at 52:50.

Rating: A. This is a great example of a match that benefits from all of the time it had. What I loved about this was how long it took to take someone out. Most of the people in here were former World Champions and it doesn’t make sense to have them losing in a minute or two like in the other matches. They let the match build up for a change and that’s what makes this feel important.

Above all else though, this felt like someone surviving instead of whoever was left last. Look at the women’s match. Bayley barely looked like she had been through anything at the end. Orton and Wyatt looked banged up, which is how they should after a match like this. It’s a well put together match that got the kind of time it needed, which is exactly how something like this should be. Really strong stuff here with Bray, who actually needed it, getting the win.

We recap Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was being interviewed about being in WWE2K16 and said he didn’t owe Lesnar a rematch. Lesnar challenged him though and Goldberg wanted his son to see him wrestle. The match was on and it does indeed feel like a battle of two people who could kill each other.

Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg

We get the full Goldberg entrance, complete with someone knocking on his door. Lesnar drives him into the corner to start but Goldberg shoves him right back down, scaring the heck out of Lesnar in the process. Back up and the spear connects to drop Lesnar again. There’s a second spear, followed by a Jackhammer to give Goldberg the huge upset at 1:25.

Yeah I still don’t like it. Sure it was shocking and a huge moment, but what did this set up? Goldberg eliminating Lesnar from the Rumble, Goldberg getting the most unnecessary Universal Title reign ever, and then a good sub five minute match at Wrestlemania. One of WWE’s biggest issues is giving fans something to cheer for and they give this spot to Goldberg, who they didn’t even create, for the sake of a video game (might not have been their call) and a story that could have made someone’s career. After this, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman both fell to Lesnar, but Goldberg doesn’t. I don’t buy it, nor to I like it.

Goldberg celebrates with his family to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. One of the major perks about a match running nearly an hour on a three and a half hour show is that it can REALLY bring an overall rating up. Throw in a good women’s match and nothing really bad, this is actually a strong show. It’s far from perfect (main event aside, though that was the only thing that could have closed the show) but it’s a heck of a card, which I can always go for of course. The main issue is they could have gotten this one under three hours so it’s a bit long but nothing too bad. Really solid show though and most of that is due to the mega long match.

Ratings Comparison

Rich Swann/Noam Dar/TJ Perkins vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Original: C

Redo: C-

Kane vs. Luke Harper

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Women’s Survivor Series Match

Original: C

Redo: C+

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Original: C+

Redo: C-

Tag Team Survivor Series Match

Original: D+

Redo: B

Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Original: C

Redo: C-

Men’s Survivor Series Match

Original: A-

Redo: A

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: B+

My eyebrows went up when I saw the original overall rating. The year of mellowing on the ending have helped a lot as there’s no way this is a B-. Also I really couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro back then.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/11/20/survivor-series-2016-there-are-no-words/

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 November 14, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re getting closer to Deadline and that means we have another week of Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying matches. In this case, Lita has chosen the matches which should make for some good showdowns. Other than that, Chase U is defending the Tag Team Titles against the D’Angelo Family again so let’s get to it.

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

Chase U arrives with Andre Chase acknowledging the scandal involving the school (with details we still don’t know). He is cooperating fully, but they have a title match.

Tag Team Titles: Chase U vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

Chase U, with Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail is defending but the student section isn’t happy and Chase looks a bit disheveled. Stacks works on Chase’s arm to start until Chase rolls him up for two. Stacks’ rollup is countered into a cradle to give Chase two more as commentary talks about the student section not being interested. Hudson comes in and hammers away on D’Angelo before it’s back to Chase. Everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside for a big lip dive from Stacks as we take a break.

Back with Hudson hitting the release Rock Bottom out of the corner as we see some of the student section walking out. The fans chant WALK OUT as Chase comes back in to pick up the pace. Chase suplexes Stacks into D’Angelo in the corner and a high crossbody gets two. A middle rope elbow into a German suplex gives Stacks two more as more students walk out.

Everything breaks down again and Hudson gets sent knees first into the steps. A PowerPlex hits Chase, with Hudson diving back in for the save. Chase hits the Russian legsweep into the Spelling Stomps but the fans chant WALK OUT instead. That leaves D’Angelo to come back in for Bada Bing Bada Boom to get the titles back at 13:54.

Rating: B-. The match had good action, but the focus was more on the fans than anything else. I’m not wild on seeing Chase U go from chasing the big win for the better part of ever to losing the titles back three weeks later over what feels like it could be a rather dumb angle. The fans wanted to buy into Chase U and they got over despite how ridiculous the story was, but now it’s going in a completely different direction just a few weeks into their success? It’s still early in this part of the story, but I’m not feeling this so far.

Lita has picked her Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches for tonight: Roxanne Perez vs. Lash Legend and Trick Williams vs. Joe Coffey.

Dominik Mysterio runs into Baron Corbin in the back. They seem to get along with each other and like the idea of getting rid of Wes Lee.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with the Alpha Academy as the guests and the rest of the Meta Four here as well. They talk about the Heritage Cup, with Chad Gable saying Noam Dar is lucky to still have it. Tozawa blames the loss on Meta Four but Lash Legend doesn’t want to hear it. Otis hits on Lash but Dar shuts that down as fast as possible. Dar is flustered and brags about his greatness, but Gable announces himself as the next Heritage Cup challenger.

Women’s Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Lash Legend vs. Roxanne Perez

Meta Four is here too. Legend powers her down to start and Perez slugs away, setting up an armdrag out to the floor. Meta Four offers a distraction though and that’s good for an ejection. Perez’s right hands are countered into an over the shoulder backbreaker. Legend drives it into the corner but gets sent outside for a slingshot dive. Back in and a faceplant gives Perez two but cue Jakara Jackson. The distraction lets Kiana James come in to grab Perez so Legend can hit a pump kick. A chokebomb finishes for Legend at 5:05.

Rating: C. As usual, Legend does not feel like she is ready for this level but she’s tall and loud so she gets on television a lot. While I can’t imagine she gets the title shot, it means she’s going to get to talk more and that has rarely proven to be a good thing. Perez vs. James is apparently continuing despite Perez winning at Halloween Havoc, though James qualifying for the Iron Survivor Challenge might not be a sure thing.

A bunch of tag teams argue over who should get a title shot. Stacks and Tony D’Angelo come in to say it’s a celebration next week.

Xia Li has invited Lyra Valkyria to a Warrior Tea ceremony and yes she’s in. Given that we were told about this on Raw, it’s not the biggest surprise.

We go to the tea ceremony where Valkyria has to put the title on the table. Li talks about the meaning of a deep bow and how the tea leaves will tell what is coming. Valkyria isn’t impressed so Li will have to fight next week. That’s fine with Valkyria, who says may the strongest person win next week. Valkyria bows before leaving.

Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams, again says he isn’t the attacker and it’s all behind them. Hayes will be at ringside to deal with Gallus tonight.

Kiana James comes into the women’s locker room to give this big speech about how impressive she is. This turns into Gigi Dolin getting annoyed at Arianna grace and setting up a match between the two.

Bron Breakker doesn’t feel bad about what happened to Von Wagner but Dijak comes in to say Breakker can’t break him. Breakker tells him to stay out of his way or he will be begging for retribution. Burn?

Men’s Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Joe Coffey vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes and Gallus are here too. They fight over a test of strength to start but neither can get very far. Back up and Trick jumps over him in the corner, setting up a slam to take over. A pop up uppercut sends Coffey outside and they’re right back in with Coffey grabbing an armbar. Williams fights up but gets clotheslined to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Coffey hitting a backbreaker but Williams scores with a jumping neckbreaker. They slug it out with Coffey getting the better of things and grabbing another armbar. That’s broken up as well and Williams hits a running clothesline into a Rock Bottom for two. Hayes cuts off a Gallus distraction but Williams is sent outside and taken out by a dive. Back in and Coffey gets two off a German suplex. Not that it matters as Williams is right back with a flash knee for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: B-. Coffey can be a useful mammal in a situation like this as he has enough of a reputation to put someone like Lee over. What matters here though is Williams getting a win, as he is in the middle of a big story and needs to be in an important match. For now, Williams and Hayes are ok, but I can’t imagine that lasts very long.

Wes Lee runs into Ilja Dragunov, who will be watching Lee vs. Baron Corbin tonight. Dragunov wants Lee to save him a piece, but Lee has other things on his mind besides getting the NXT Title.

Lexis King comes up to Baron Corbin, who is impressed by the attack on Trick Williams. King still won’t say how he did it, but he wishes Corbin luck.

Brawling Brutes vs. OTM

It’s a brawl to start with a quick standoff on the apron. OTM takes over on Butch and a rake to the eyes into a clothesline keeps him in trouble. Butch gets away and brings in Holland to pick up the pace. Holland’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two but it’s back to Butch, who is dropped onto Holland in a big crash. Holland is right back up to take over on Price, setting up an assisted DDT from Butch for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. That’s how the match should have gone as the Brutes are the established team. OTM got in a bit of offense here and looked good enough in defeat. I’m sure their time will come, but they have some more effort to be built up. For now though, this is the right way for this match to go and they had a pretty nice fight.

Joe Gacy is on the roof, looking or water that doesn’t exist. No one knows who it is and maybe this is where he lets go but maybe it isn’t.

Gigi Dolin vs. Arianna Grace

Dolin grabs the arm to start before a backslide and small package get two each. Grace gets in a shot of her own though and we’re in the chinlock. With that broken up, Dolin hits a clothesline but get caught in a backslide…with the referee catching Grace’s feet on the ropes. That’s enough of a distraction for Dolin to kick her in the head and grab the abdominal stretch rollup for the pin at 3:47.

Rating: C. Neither of these two are exactly doing much at the moment but Grace is firmly in the “she’s not great but she’s annoying enough to feature” mold. That is a common place in NXT (see also Joe Gacy) and Grace seems to be the latest on the list. At the same time you have Dolin, who has all kinds of charisma but needs something more important to do.

We get a narrated video of Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker.

Mr. Stone invites Wagner to his house for dinner. That’s cool Wagner, as long as there’s no asparagus.

Eddy Thorpe is back after a recharge and hopes to get a spot in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match. Charlie Dempsey and company come in, with Dempsey threatening to stretch him.

Andre Chase has no comment on the scandal and leaves with Jacy Jayne to escape a bunch of reporters.

We go over the Iron Survivor Challenge, which is a weird five way Iron Man match with a penalty box.

Wes Lee vs. Baron Corbin

Lee strikes away to start but Corbin cuts him off with one right hand. Back up and Lee scores with some kicks to the head but they head to the floor, where Deep Six puts Lee down. We take a break and come back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock as commentary talks about Lexis King.

One heck of a clothesline cuts Lee off and Corbin hammers away on the mat. Corbin misses a charge into the post though and Lee strikes away, including a dropkick out to the floor. A 619 around the post sets up a dropkick for two but they trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown. Lee sends him outside again and dives….onto Dominik Mysterio. The distraction lets Corbin hit End Of Days for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. These two had a nice power vs. speed match going and the screwy finish lets Corbin get closer to the likely NXT Title match at Deadline while keeping the returning Lee strong. That’s about all you could do here, as Lee is now pretty much an established name around here. I could see him going into the title picture himself sooner than later, but for now, it’s Corbin’s time.

Post match the beatdown is on until Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save. Corbin cuts him down with End Of Days and poses, but Dragunov issues the challenge for the title shot at Deadline.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling here wasn’t all that great but what mattered here was having Deadline getting a nice boost. We had some Iron Survivor Challenge spots taken up and the Deadline main event was set as well. The title change wasn’t quite my thing, though I’m more worried about where the story might be going. Not a great show, but an efficient enough one this week.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Chase U – Bada Bing Bada Boom to Chase
Lash Legend b. Roxanne Perez – Chokebomb
Trick Williams b. Joe Coffey – Flash knee
Brawling Brutes b. OTM – Assisted DDT to Price
Gigi Dolin b. Arianna Grace – Abdominal stretch rollup

 

 

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 LVL Up
Date: October 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the point where there isn’t much to say about this show. There is no reason to believe that much of anything of importance is going to take place around here. It’s all the more frustrating when you see WWE trying something around here and then just dropping it as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz vs. Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley

Paxley and Feroz lock up to start and neither gets the better of things, meaning it’s an early double tag. Jordan gets knocked down against the ropes so it’s Dame coming in to stomp away. A double elbow sets up Paxley’s splash for two, followed by Paxley grabbing a bodyscissors. Jordan finally kicks her way to freedom though and it’s back to Feroz for some rapid fire armdrags. Everything breaks down and Paxley grabs a Psycho Driver for the pin on Feroz at 4:33.

Rating: C-. What are you supposed to get from a match like this? It’s four women paired off with nothing to set up the match and no reason for them to be fighting. At the same time, they only had about four and a half minutes to get anything going, which doesn’t work so well for people without much experience. Matches like these make me wonder what the point of this show is supposed to be, because this didn’t do much.

Dante Chen is ready to face Drew Gulak. Tonight it’s Singapore style, though Chen doesn’t know what that means.

Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

DuPont faceplants Luca to start so it’s off to Bernal, who gets slammed down. Bernal’s headlock doesn’t do much so it’s Igwe coming in to splash Luca in the corner. Luca manages a hiptoss neckbreaker for a breather and Bernal comes in for a headscissors. That doesn’t last long and DuPont hits a backdrop. It’s back to clean house, including a superkick to Bernal. Luca makes the save and gets tossed, allowing Luca to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. You know, it is ok to let these young guys score a quick win over two “bigger” names who aren’t a regular team and are hardly top level stars in the first place. The match was mostly a squash for Igwe and DuPont but then they lost to a fluke rollup to protect Bernal and Luca? That’s quite the odd choice.

Drew Gulak vs. Dante Chen

Myles Borne, Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Gulak. Chen grabs a headlock to start and snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Chen hits a backdrop for two before dropkicking him out to the floor. Gulak comes back in and stomps away on the ropes before grabbing a neck crank. That’s broken up and Chen chops him out to the floor, setting up a big dive. Gulak’s cronies offer a distraction though and Gulak picks Chen up and hits a kind of powerslam piledriver for the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. It was better than the other matches but that doesn’t really clear a high bar. Chen continues to be little more than a person who happens to be on the show over and over again without really doing anything important. Gulak is still someone who could be used in a slightly bigger way and he only got to show so much of his skills here.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was LVL Up alright, as there was almost nothing going on and a bunch of the normal lineup having matches that didn’t change anything and won’t lead anywhere. In other words, there is no reason to watch this show again, and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get better.

Results
Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley b. Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz – Psycho Driver to Feroz
Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Rollup to Igwe
Drew Gulak b. Dante Chen – Powerslam piledriver

 

 

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

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AND

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Wes Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov

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

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

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

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

Post match Carmelo Hayes comes out for the showdown.

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

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

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

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

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

Borne celebrates with the winners and Henley is upset.

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

Lyra Valkyria vs. Dana Brooke

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

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

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

The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament is coming.

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

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

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

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Axiom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creed Brothers vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

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

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

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

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

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

No Mercy rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

Wes Lee says he’s done and leaves.

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

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

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

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

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

Lynch celebrates to end the show.

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ilja Dragunov vs. Oro Mensah

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

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

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

Dominik Mysterio is ready to be guest referee.

Nathan Frazer is never going to slow down.

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

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

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

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

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

Tyler Bate vs. Dabba-Kato

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

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

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

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

Tiffany Stratton has no comment on Becky Lynch.

Dragon Lee vs. Mustafa Ali

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

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

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

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

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

Eddy Thorpe isn’t done with Dijak.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Axiom vs. Butch

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

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

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

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

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

Von Wagner talks to a table in rather affectionate terms.

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

Gigi Dolin vs. Thea Hail

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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