NXT
Date: March 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is the Roadblock special, because we need a special event less than a month before what is probably the biggest NXT event of the year. Since the NXT Champion is in a six man tag, the real main event is probably Shawn Michaels appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect. NXT has teased Michaels fighting Waller, so odds are we see who is doing it in Michaels’ place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Tiffany’s Epiphanies, as Tiffany Stratton runs down the card and talks about how we got here. In her own style of course.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dijak

This is the Jailhouse Street Fight, meaning a casket match with a jail cell (weird choice of name). Dijak tries a nightstick to start but gets clotheslined to the floor instead. It’s way too early to send Dijak into the cell but D’Angelo fights his way out of it too. After Stacks gets knocked down, they head back inside where Dijak hits High Justice onto a chair. Dijak throws in a bunch of chairs as commentary makes Big Boss Man references.

A bunch of chair shots put D’Angelo down but he catches Dijak on top with a chair shot. The flipping belly to back superplex sends Dijak crashing (that looked good) and we take a break. Back with Dijak hitting a springboard elbow to put D’Angelo through a table on the floor (that looked good). D’Angelo is back up with the belly to back Rock Bottom on the floor and they’re both down.

Dijak is sent into the cell but brings Stacks with him for the save. A discus boot to the face puts Stacks over the barricade so D’Angelo throws Dijak down. D’Angelo explodes with chair shots but a low blow gets Dijak out of trouble. Stacks dives into the cell to keep the door from closing, allowing D’Angelo to come back with a bunch of crowbar shots. The door is slammed onto Dijak’s head and D’Angelo locks him in for the win at 11:22.

Rating: C+. The elbow alone gets this a boost but otherwise, I have no idea why this needed to have the jail cell deal. It didn’t add much of anything and Dijak getting knocked cold in the cell isn’t much better than having him get pinned. This was a weird way to go, but a face D’Angelo could be….I’m not sure what actually.

Roxanne Perez is nervous about facing Meiko Satomura tonight and she has pushed herself harder than ever. She’s ready.

Josh Briggs comes in to Kiana James’ office to talk about Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley. Briggs points out the flowers that someone (who he assumes to be Jensen) sent her and says his friends’ happiness is his own happiness. After pulling away the name card and hiding it under her planner, James seems concerned and agrees to call Jensen tonight.

Here is Gallus for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Pretty Deadly, who pop up on the platform. Gallus wants them down here face to face and ask what it is going to take to make that happen. Gallus lays the titles down and say come take them, so here is Pretty Deadly. The beating doesn’t take long and Pretty Deadly runs off without much of a fight. The eventual match should be interesting.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t pleased with Stevie Turner because she is here for a fight. Valkyria wants the Women’s Title too.

New signing Dragon Lee is here.

Indus Sher vs. Bron Breakker/Creed Brothers

It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Indus Sher taking over. We start with Veer and Breakker hammering on each other until Julius comes in to take over. Brutus slams Julius onto Veer for two before it’s off to Mahal. A suplex drops Mahal in a hurry and it’s off to Breakker to slug it out with Sanga. Everything breaks down and the good guys send them outside for the big flip dive, allowing them to pose as we take a break.

Back with Mahal kneeing Julius in the face for two but Julius flips out of a belly to back suplex. Sanga comes in to run Julius over but something like an Angle Slam gets Sanga out of it. Breakker gets the tag and scores with a moonsault before Julius hits a heck of a 450 for two. A Doomsday Deice is broken up though and Sanga runs Julius over. A side slam/middle rope elbow drop gets two and everything breaks down again. Everything breaks down and Breakker spears Sanga and Mahal. Julius slams Veer down, setting up a Doomsday Brutus Ball for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C+. That should be the end of the Creeds vs. Indus Sher unless they run back the regular tag match one more time. Other than that, this was Breakker smashing people and the Creeds holding their own against the monsters. Mahal continues to add nothing, but that hasn’t stopped them for a long time now.

Long video on Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect. We waste no time in having Shawn Michaels come out as the guest, with Waller saying he would have freaked out if he was here at 12 years old. Waller brings up being a Bret Hart guy though, and Shawn says “we’re going there”? As the fans chant HB Shizzle (that will never get old), Shawn talks about how they used to be cool and wants to know what changed.

Waller talks about how he won the Iron Survivor Challenge, he was taking over. For some reason though, Shawn treats Waller the same as people used to treat Shawn in his day. Shawn was told he was too small and not a draw but look what happened. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says Waller cashed in his title shot and lost. To see the problem, Waller needs to look in the mirror.

Waller says Shawn is only in the Gorilla Position every week because HHH had a heart attack. Shawn can give him that one, but Waller needs to understand something: HBK is directing this ship. Waller accuses Shawn of trying to get rid of him, maybe even cutting him after Wrestlemania, because they don’t want a star. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says NXT has always been about the collective.

We hear a list of names who helped build the place (including the Undisputed Era) and the current stars, which includes Waller. The thing is, Waller is just a part of it. Waller: “I’m a part of it! I’m a part of it!” Waller doesn’t buy this team player stuff from SHAWN MICHAELS, but Shawn says that isn’t true of him now.

That sends Waller out of his chair, because Shawn doesn’t see what is right in front of him. Shawn: “ENOUGH!” People a lot bigger than Waller have been running him down for 40 years, but do not ever run NXT into the ground. Waller: “Then do something about it.” Waller issues the challenge for Stand & Deliver for Shawn to put on the HBK had one last time.

Shawn takes off his jacket and says that for over a decade, he has had people challenging him to a Wrestlemania dream match. People have been asking for dream matches for so long that they have backed the Brinks truck to his door. Heck the drivers know his address! Waller is just a guy and he’ll come and go. Everyone wants to fight Shawn, and nothing would make him happier than to beat Waller up at Stand & Deliver.

The reality is there is someone who wants to take Waller out even more, and that man is…..Johnny Gargano. The brawl is on and Waller bails in a hurry. Ok they needed someone big if Shawn wasn’t going to do it and Gargano fits. And remember: Waller interrupted Gargano’s NXT farewell and it was never followed up on, so well done for some continuity.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Dolin (who didn’t get an entrance) takes her to the floor to start and the brawl is on. Back in and Dolin cranks the arm and yells a lot before going right back to the floor. Dolin knocks her down again and we take a break. Back with Dolin fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped with a clothesline for two. Dolin fires off kicks to the chest but Jayne grabs a neckbreaker. Dolin is right back with an abdominal stretch, which she swings back like a crucifix bomb….for the pin at 7:58. Well ok then.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what happened here but it wasn’t an interesting or even important feeling match. The ending came out of nowhere and felt more like Dolin caught Jayne rather than beating her. This match showed one major problem: outside of having different hair color, there isn’t much to make these two stand out from each other. Save for a few moments here and there, they have never done anything other than stand behind Mandy Rose and be a team. That doesn’t work well when you need to make a new star and it wasn’t working here.

Post match Jayne shrugs off the impact of the abdominal stretch bomb and loads up a Pillmanization but referees break it up. So this is going to continue?

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Fallon Henley about the Kiana James stuff. Josh Briggs comes in to compliment him on the roses idea, but Jensen seems a bit confused. Anyway, James calls him (Jensen: “Hey girl.”) and they seem to have a date, with Henley being astounded by how he was talking. Henley and Briggs pick up on the roses deal and have an idea.

Here is Bron Breakker to say it’s time to set up the biggest match on the biggest stage. At Stand & Deliver, he wants Carmelo Hayes, and calls him out right now. Cue Hayes to say that yes, it is time for these two to go at it. Breakker says he has been going through challenger after challenger but he kept wanting it to be Hayes. They’re both ready to fight and they’ll do it at Stand & Deliver. This felt like they were building up a battle of titans rather than a personal feud and that is a good way to go.

Thea Hail is meditating with Tyler Bate when Chase U comes up. Hail is making progress in her recovery and she’s ready to be out there for now. Duke Hudson doesn’t buy Bate’s “snake oil” for a second.

Joe Gacy vs. Andre Chase

Joined in progress with Chase hitting a running clothesline and hammering away as Chase U is rather happy on the floor (Schism on the other hand is unhappy). Gacy knees him in the face and gets two off a brainbuster. Chase comes right back with the spelling stomps but gets caught on top. A sunset bomb gives Chase two but Thea Hail goes after Ava on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I’m out of ways to get upset at Chase losing and Gacy winning over and over. For the life of me I don’t get what NXT sees in Gacy and Schism but there is a chance that it involves the father of one of the team’s members. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and involved far too healthy of a dose of Gacy to be very good.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are in the woods under the full moon and get rather spooky.

Post match Andre Chase tells Thea Hail he’s proud of her but Duke Hudson reminds Chase that he lost. Hudson says Chase U is a bunch of loses and a bloody joke before walking off.

Wes Lee issues another open challenge for next week. Cue Axiom to say he’s getting the shot, though Lee says get to the ring first. Seems cool with Axiom.

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Satomura is challenging. Bell, handshake, break nine seconds in. Back with Satomura taking her down with a test of strength but Perez pulls her into a chinlock. That’s reversed into an ankle crank before Satomura starts striking away at the face. A running forearm just wakes Perez up and she dragon screw legwhips Satomura down. Perez knocks her outside for the dive but a super Russian legsweep is blocked.

Satomura kicks away but Perez sticks the landing on a Death Valley Driver. Another attempt works and Satomura hits the cartwheel knees to the back. They head outside with Pop Rox not exactly working so Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for two, with the foot on the rope saving the title. Perez is fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was the best match of the night and it was hyped up more than any other match, but it didn’t exactly feel epic. Part of that is due to Satomura being explained to us rather than shown to us. She is absolutely a legend and by far the best in-ring star in the division, but her only time under the WWE banner was in NXT UK. No one saw her there, so what is there for fans who haven’t seen her to go off? She’s clearly great if you just watch her in the ring, but you need more than that to make this feel like some huge accomplishment for Perez.

Post match respect is shown…and Perez collapses. Referees and medics come out, with Booker T. getting in the ring to check on her as well. Perez is taken to the back on a stretcher and into the ambulance to end the show. This feels like it is tying into the “I’ve never trained harder” promo from earlier.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be a special. There were some matches that felt bigger than normal, but giving the show a name and talking about it like it was something important didn’t really work. Having so much Stand & Deliver talk didn’t help either, as that show felt so much bigger than anything else that was going on here. What we got was good, but this certainly didn’t feel like a must see show, no matter what catchy name it had.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Dijak – Dijak was locked in the cell
Creed Brothers/Bron Breakker b. Indus Sher – Doomsday Brutus Ball to Veer
Gigi Dolin b. Jacy Jayne – Abdominal stretch bomb
Joe Gacy b. Andre Chase – Handspring lariat
Roxanne Perez b. Meiko Satomura – 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
Date: February 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are about a month away from Stand & Deliver and the card is starting to take shape. While nothing has happened yet and Roadblock is next week, you can probably figure out a lot of what is coming. One thing that is not entirely clear is what will be going on with Shawn Michaels and Grayson Waller, but maybe we can find out some more tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a huge brawl of people trying to get to the ring to answer Wes Lee’s open challenge for a North American Title shot. Dabba-Kato almost makes it in but Apollo Crews jumps him. Nathan Frazer returns and gets inside for the title shot.

North American Title: Nathan Frazer vs. Wes Lee

Lee is defending. Frazer headlocks him down to start and holds him there for a good bit. That’s broken up and Lee nips to his feet for a standoff. Lee takes Frazer down but they’re right back up with lee being sent outside. Frazer’s big dive is cut off by a kick to the head and we take a break.

Back with Frazer missing the Phoenix splash but a double crossbody leaves them both down. Frazer hits an AJ Styles moonsault into a (lifting) DDT for two and superplexes him into a spinning neckbreaker for two more. Lee is sent outside but Frazer’s big dive only hits the announcers’ table. Lee busts out a big flip dive to drop Frazer again and the Cardiac Kick retains the title at 13:33.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of fast paced, all energy opener that makes great sense as a choice to start the show. Lee gets another win on his long list as champion and there is a good chance the list could keep going for a good while to come. Frazer returning was a surprise too so this worked in multiple ways.

Respect is shown post match.

JD McDonagh talks about having a torn retina repaired. He loves inflicting pain and is ready to damage Ilja Dragunov.

Josh Briggs tries to perk Brooks Jensen up over his problems with Kiana James. Briggs says all men are stupid with women and he’s proud of Jensen for getting so far. Things seem to be a bit better.

Video on Tyler Bate.

Hank Walker and Axiom get into it over Walker hitting him to try to get to the North American Title match. Shoving ensues and a match seems likely for later.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Indus Sher

Jinder Mahal is here with Indus Sher. Sangs powers Jensen around to start but Jensen manages a spinning faceplant. Briggs comes in for a front facelock but Jensen isn’t there for the tag. Instead Jensen comes in and gets knocked down by Sanga as the beating is on. Veer holds Jensen up for a kick to the ribs and we hit the cobra clutch. Jensen finally avoids an elbow and it’s Briggs coming in to clean house. Another double team doesn’t work as Jensen’s head isn’t in it, meaning it’s a chokeslam and Million Dollar Arm to finish Jensen at 3:27.

Rating: C. This was more about Briggs and Jensen’s issues than Indus Sher winning. Jensen and Briggs having issues with Fallon Henley and Kiana James is causing problems for the team and that isn’t good for their future. It still feels like there is a big reveal coming in that story and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it happen in the next few weeks.

Post match Mahal issues a challenge to the Creed Brothers for a six man tag next week.

Wendy Choo was attacked in the parking lot during the break and seems to have an injured elbow.

Here is Gigi Dolin for a chat. She says this is the last time that you’ll hear the Toxic Attraction theme song. Dolin is going to go fast because she isn’t Jacy Jayne, who loves to hear her own voice. She can live with the physical pain from Jayne jumping her because it told Dolin about herself. Dolin knows how to survive because her own mother used her as her own personal punching bag for years. Jayne calls herself the last woman standing but Dolin keeps getting back up. They’re fighting next week at Roadblock and Dolin is bringing everything she has. Dolin was trying here, but Jayne feels like a much bigger star.

We go to Chase U, where Duke Hudson tries to apologize to Thea Hail. She seems to accept it, but here is Andre Chase to talk about factions in WWE history. Schism hacks the classroom’s feed and talks about how fake Chase U is at everything. Chase is ready to fight next week. If it involves getting rid of cults in wrestling, I’m all for it.

Meiko Satomura vs. Zoey Stark

Roxanne Perez is on commentary as they grapple around to start. Stark slips out of a front facelock but Satomura grabs a headlock and grinds away. Back up and Stark sends her into the corner so Satomura needs a breather on the floor. That’s fine with Satomura, who kicks Stark down as we take a break.

Back with Satomura being sent into the corner again but being fine enough to kick a springboarding Stark out of the air. Stark comes up favoring her knee so Satomura kicks her down again and drops a top rope splash for two. Satomura’s cartwheel kick to the back misses though and Stark’s slingshot splash gets two. More kicks give Stark two but she misses a 450. The Death Valley Driver drops Stark and Scorpio Rising gives Satomura the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting match that was all about giving Satomura momentum going into next week’s title shot against Perez. Satomura is going to be able to have a good match with anyone and Stark can carry her own as well. This did what it needed to do but they were working hard enough to make it a bit better.

Post match Perez gets in for the respectful staredown.

We look back at Grayson Waller hijacking the production truck and calling out Shawn Michaels to end last week’s show.

Shawn Michaels has accepted the invitation for the Grayson Waller Effect next week at Roadblock.

There is no word on how injured Wendy Choo may be but Tiffany Stratton isn’t interested. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance think there Stratton is up to something, but she asks where they were when Nikkita Lyons was attacked. Hair flipping ensues.

We get the Montez Ford/Bianca Belair Titanic trailer.

The Creed Brothers need a partner against Indus Sher. They run into Damon Kemp and even though they don’t like him, he’s what they need next week. Kemp smirks a lot and turns them down. Bron Breakker comes up though and says he’s in. Julius asks if Breakker could have been here a minute earlier to avoid having to humiliate himself with Kemp but he’ll take the champ next week.

Sol Ruca vs. Elektra Lopez

Valentina Feroz is here with Lopez. Ruca has to flip out of a wristlock to start but gets sent to the apron. Lopez knocks her off the top and out to the floor in a heap. Back in and Ruca fights out of the neck crank before firing off the running shoulders. A butterfly suplex drops Lopez but she avoids a flipping clothesline in the corner. Lopez goes for her brass knuckles in the turnbuckle but Feroz has taken them away. The Sol Snatcher finishes Lopez at 4:56.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how much interest there is in this Feroz/Lopez stuff, but as usual this was more about making Ruca look good. The Sol Snatcher is going to get a reaction every time and Ruca is making it look a lot more natural. Ruca has all hf the tools to go somewhere and this was another step in the right direction.

Post match Lopez yells at Feroz, who lays her out with the brass knuckles.

Gallus is shooting pool and Mark Coffey is a bit worried about Pretty Deadly. A guy accidentally runs into Wolfgang and violence ensues.

Pretty Deadly is ready to talk to Gallus next week, despite a tweet from Drew McIntyre talking about how much trouble they’re in.

Katana Chance vs. Tiffany Stratton

Kayden Carter is at ringside. Chance hits a dropkick to start but gets sent to the apron, where she grabs a slingshot headscissors. Stratton takes her down and sets up a double arm crank to slow the pace a bit. Back up and Chance grabs a headscissors but cue Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. The distraction lets Stratton pull Chance out of the air and plant her down. The moonsault (to Chance’s shins) is enough for the pin at 3:36.

Rating: C. Chance and Carter’s downhill spiral continues as Stratton still seems like the next big villain in the women’s division. That means giving her wins like this, though she might want to work on that moonsault. Stratton would be perfect as the villain who brags about being the champion, and the push towards the title is likely to happen sooner than later.

Post match Stratton says she wants the Women’s Title. So, sooner.

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Josh Briggs about what happened but Briggs tells him to get his girl back. Briggs will talk to Kiana James though.

Axiom vs. Hank Walker

Axiom goes straight for a choke to start but gets driven into the corner. A shot to the face annoys Walker, who knocks Axiom down hard. Walker spins him into a faceplant but Axiom is back with a running kick in the corner. Axiom’s high crossbody and some strikes just seem to fire Walker up but he blasts Axiom with a clothesline. A kick to the face staggers Walker though and the Golden Ratio gives Axiom the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C-. Axiom seems to be getting the feel of what he is doing more and more every week. He is turning into a heck of a high flier who can hang with anyone and that Golden Ratio is getting better and better. Walker is someone who has some tools but needs experience to put some things together. That might happen down the line, but it isn’t there yet.

Grayson Waller responds to Shawn Michaels. He knows to never say never, so don’t make him put Shawn in a place Shawn said he would never be in again.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Tyler Bate

Trick Williams is here with Hayes, who grabs a wristlock to start. Bate slips out of that but gets sent outside, where he comes back in quickly. They trade rollups for two each before Bate blocks what looks to be a Codebreaker. Some European uppercuts against the ropes stagger Hayes again and there’s a spinning headscissors to stagger him again. Bate dropkicks him to the floor and hits the big dive as we take a break.

Back with Bate having to deck Williams before airplane spinning Hayes for two. The rebound lariat gives Bate two more but Hayes plants him down hard. Bate is fine enough to catch Hayes on top with a superplex but Williams offers a distraction. Spiral tap misses for Bate and Williams grabs the Codebreaker into Nothing But Net for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: B-. These two are both reliable hands in the ring so it isn’t surprising that they would do well in the main event here. That being said, this didn’t quite hit a high level and it was more about Hayes getting another win to bolster his resume before Stand & Deliver. Hayes is ready to challenge for the title now, and beating Bate just got him a step closer.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about building up Roadblock and that went well enough, even if it is a bit weird to have a big show three weeks before the biggest show of the year. What matters is Roadblock is being set up and then we can get ready for the real show. Another efficient show here though and that’s where NXT tends to shine.

Results
Wes Lee b. Nathan Frazer – Cardiac Kick
Indus Sher b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Million Dollar Arm to Jensen
Meiko Satomura b. Zoey Stark – Scorpio Rising
Sol Ruca b. Elektra Lopez – Sol Snatcher
Tiffany Stratton b. Katana Chance – Moonsault
Axiom b. Hank Walker – Golden Ratio
Carmelo Hayes b. Tyler Bate – Nothing But Net

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: February 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are on our way to Roadblock and then Stand & Deliver, which means we should be in for some big stuff over the next few weeks. That includes this week, as Bron Breakker defends the NXT Title against Jinder Mahal. Ok so not everything can be the biggest deal in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov

Before the match, Williams says that if pain makes Dragunov feel alive, he’ll be on cloud nine tonight. Williams hits him in the face before the bell so Dragunov starts angry. That means an angry headlock on the mat, with Williams having to bail to the ropes. Back up and Dragunov hits a running knee in the corner for two, followed by another such knee to keep Williams down. Dragunov goes up but gets kicked in the leg, allowing Williams to knock him to the floor. Cue JD McDonagh to watch as we take a break.

Back with Dragunov fighting out of a cravate and hitting a 61Line for the double knockdown. With McDonagh on commentary, Dragunov knocks Williams down again and drops a middle rope knee. An enziguri staggers Dragunov, who is fine enough to hit a powerbomb for two more. The Torpedo finishes for Dragunov at 13:09.

Rating: C+. Dragunov is probably going to become a pretty big deal around here as he has the talent and bizarre charisma that makes fans care about him. At the same time, Williams continues to be one of the biggest unsung heroes of NXT. He’s smooth in the ring and knows how to talk. It’s a great combination and compliments Carmelo Hayes while also being his own thing. Williams deserves some more attention, as well as praise.

Jinder Mahal brings up Bron Breakker getting shaken up by the fans booing him. Tonight, he’ll win the NXT Title.

Fallon Henley tries to get in touch with Brooks Jensen after last week. Josh Briggs says Jensen needs time and Henley was wrong about the whole thing. She needs to go apologize to Kiana James, which she reluctantly agrees to do.

Earlier today, Meiko Satomura held a training session in the Performance Center, with Roxanne Perez joining in. Perez was the only one to make it to the end…..of the warmup, which seems to have her quite shaken.

Here is Tyler Bate for a chat. He wasn’t sure about coming to the United States but the love he had received from most of the fans tell him that he made the right decision. Bate has faced some very tough challengers, and now it is time to join a mystical journey. Cue Schism to interrupt, with Joe Gacy seeming to offer him a spot on the team. Bate is going to turn that down but Gacy threatens m him with gang violence. Cue Chase U to chase Schism off.

Chase U vs. Dyad

We’re joined in progress with Hudson coming in to drop an elbow on Reid. Chase gets driven into the wrong corner though as Booker has flashbacks about Boogeyman abducting his wife. A hard clothesline gets two on Chase and we hit the chinlock. Reid’s shoulder breaker gets two on Chase and we’re right back to the chinlock. Chase fights up and Hudson comes in to clean house. It’s back to Chase as everything breaks down, with Reid hitting a suicide dive on Hudson as we take a break.

Back with Chase getting the hot tag and cleaning house, including taking down Reid and Fowler at the same time. Chase dives onto Fowler on the floor and hits a high crossbody for two on Reid. The Russian legsweep sets up the Spelling Stomps but we stop for Chase to get between Thea Hail and Ava. The distraction lets Hudson get caught with the double Codebreaker for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Just let them win something already! NXT was handed a crazy over act with Chase U and they lose over and over and over. Save for a one off Tag Team Title shot in a four way this month, I can’t remember the last time they won anything of note. Now they go down again, and to freaking Schism of all people. Pretty decent match, but the frustration continues.

Post break Hudson blames Hail for the loss. Hudson: “Is this a university or a charity?” Great, as we’re getting to the split.

Earlier today, Mr. Stone tried to fire up Von Wagner when Tony D’Angelo and Stacks came in to yell about him costing them last week. The result is a match between Wagner and D’Angelo, much against Stone’s wishes.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey don’t think much of Hank Walker. Gulak wants someone willing to hurt people, like Dempsey.

Sol Ruca talks about loving to try new things, often involving surfing or a skateboard.

Jacy Jayne vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell misses a clothesline to start and gets caught with a neckbreaker for two. Some low kicks give Jayne two and we hit the chinlock. Hartwell fights up but gets sent shoulder first into the post. With Hartwell in trouble, cue Gigi Dolin to jump Jayne for the DQ at 5:08.

Rating: C. That was a bit sudden for a Dolin comeback but this is likely headed to a showdown at Roadblock, Stand & Deliver, or both. It wouldn’t surprise me to see these two have some kind of a big street fight or something like that, which should let them beat the fire out of each other. That might be a lot better than trying to have them do a regular, long form match. Then you have Hartwell and she….well she certainly exists.

Back to the Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez training session, with Perez trying but running out of energy. Satomura approves of the effort though, saying that the win comes from the heart, not muscles. Their title match is in two weeks.

Zoey Stark isn’t happy with Meiko Satomura being handed a title shot or everyone accusing her of attacking Nikkita Lyons.

Gallus vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Non-title. Blade and Coffey take turns powering each other up against the ropes to start. Wolfgang comes in for the running uppercut but cue some guys in costumes, with a cake. Blade and Enofe hit something like a suplex into a Backstabber for two on Coffey. Wolfgang is back up with the running forearm into a powerslam for the pin on Enofe at 3:49.

Rating: C-. I still like Blade and Enofe but it doesn’t seem that WWE thinks very highly of them, as they were little more than cannon fodder here. Gallus aren’t the most inspiring champions but they can do the power stuff. Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus worked well enough in the UK so maybe they can make it work again here.

Post match the guys in costumes present the cake, which makes the two year anniversary of Pretty Deadly beating Gallus for the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. Gallus cleans house but the real Pretty Deadly comes in from behind to beat up Gallus with chairs. That’s a more aggressive side from Pretty Deadly and I think I like it.

Dabba-Kato says that while Apollo Crews has been looking to the future, he has forgotten his past. He is here to hurt Crews.

Stevie Turner interrupts the announcers and uses a randomizer to pick who she should talk about. It’s Lyra Valkyria, who has those weird feathers. The stream ends just as Vic Joseph is ready to ask his own question.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Von Wagner

Stacks and Mr. Stone are here too. Wagner powers him around to start, followed by a big boot to drop D’Angelo again. A clothesline cuts off D’Angelo’s comeback but Wagner misses a charge into the corner. D’Angelo hits a belly to belly and spinebuster, followed by a belly to back slam for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This Wagner story needs to wrap up already, as he continues to be one of the driest stars that is regularly presented anywhere on wrestling TV. Other than an oddly shaped head, there is nothing about him that makes him stand out in the slightest. Let it go already and get someone with a brighter future in there instead.

Post match D’Angelo says he’s sick of Dijak and wants a Jailhouse Street Fight at Roadblock.

Nikkita Lyons has undergone successful surgery but doesn’t know what happened when she was attacked. Tiffany Stratton pops in to say she’s tired of Lyons’ whining, but Lyons thinks that sounds suspicious. Stratton’s solution: leave for a year and get better.

Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile agree they’re still a team, despite what Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre said. Paxley doesn’t seem so sure.

Carmelo Hayes praises Trick Williams for his efforts earlier when Tyler Bate interrupts. Bate talks about how there are going to be issues at times and Williams seems to improve. Hayes is glad that Bate’s journey has nothing to do with the NXT Title. Bate smiles a bit as Hayes and Williams leave.

Alba Fyre vs. Ivy Nile

Isla Dawn and Tatum Paxley are here too. Nile throws Fyre into the corner to start and hammers away for an early two. The comeback is on with Nile grabbing the Diamond Chain Lock, drawing Dawn to the apron. Paxley gets up as well, only to have Nile driven into her. The superkick and Alba Bomb finish Nile at 2:58.

Video on Bron Breakker.

Fallon Henley apologizes to Kiana James over the allegations of cheating. James didn’t tell her the truth because he wanted Henley to trust her. The apology is accepted, but James accuses Henley of being jealous of her relationship with Brooks Jensen. Either way, they’re good for now.

Wes Lee loved the open challenge so much last week that he’s going to do it again next week. It’s just who he is.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Jinder Mahal

Mahal, with Indus Sher, is challenging and takes Breakker down to start. Breakker is back up with a shoulder and spinebuster but it is too early for the Steiner Recliner. With Mahal on the floor, Breakker busts out the big running flip dive to take out the villains. Indus Sher teases getting involved so here are the Creed Brothers to get rid of them.

We take a break and come back with Breakker being sent outside. A whip into the steps has Breakker in more trouble but he’s fine enough to hit a spinebuster back inside. Mahal bails to the floor before the spear can launch, allowing Mahal to hit a superkick into a suplex for two. Breakker is back with a spear and release suplex for two of his own, The Khallas is countered and another spear retains the title at 10:47.

Rating: D+. Yeah I’m not a bit surprised that this didn’t work. Mahal has never been a ring general and Breakker hasn’t even been wrestling for two years now. There was no one to lead here and the interest in any Mahal match is going to be limited at best most of the time. Pretty bad main event event here and Breakker needs to move on to anything else.

Carmelo Hayes pops up on stage for the showdown…..but Grayson Waller takes over the feed and says he’s the new Main Event, Showstopper and Mr. Stand & Deliver. No one can stop him, including Shawn Michaels, so maybe Shawn can meet him on the Grayson Waller Effect in two weeks. Again: I don’t know what they’re doing with Shawn vs. Waller, but unless they have a heck of a surprise to fight for Shawn, it’s going to feel like a letdown if he doesn’t fight Waller himself. That’s certainly what they have been teasing.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was up and down (with the main event being rather down) but what matters is they moved things forward towards both Roadblock and Stand & Deliver. This show has me wondering what they have planned for those events as NXT is doing a good job of setting things up for later. Pretty nice show this week, which saw more seeds being planted or getting to grow a bit on the way to the important stuff.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Trick Williams – Torpedo
Dyad b. Chase U – Double Codebreaker to Hudson
Jacy Jayne b. Indi Hartwell via DQ when Gigi Dolin interfered
Gallus b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Running forearm/powerslam combination to Enofe
Tony D’Angelo b. Von Wagner – Belly to back slam
Alba Fyre b. Ivy Nile – Alba Bomb
Bron Breakker b. Jinder Mahal – Spear

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

It’s Valentine’s Day and that is not likely to mean much of anything here. We are about a month and a half away from Stand & Deliver and Carmelo Hayes is looking like a strong option to go after Bron Breakker’s NXT Title. Other than that, NXT has some work to do so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jerry Jarrett.

Grayson Waller vs. Tyler Bate

Waller takes him to the rope to start the choking, while shouting that Shawn Michaels bet on the wrong horse. Bate grabs his own foot and swings it into Waller’s face, followed by a dropkick for two. A quick shot lets Waller grab a cravate with the knee to the face getting two more.

The back and forth continues as Bate runs him over and hits a standing shooting star press for his own near fall. They go outside with Booker going on his latest long winded rant about how attitude will get you to Wrestlemania. Waller slides back in and then back outside for a hard clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Bate avoiding the rolling Stunner and hitting the rebound lariat for two more. A middle rope uppercut sets up the airplane spin for two on Waller and frustration is setting in. Waller is back with a leg lariat into an Unprettier for two of his own and more frustration sets in. With nothing else working, Waller Tunes Up The Band but Bate cuts him off with Bop And Bang. A superkick gives Bate two more with Waller having to grab the rope. Bate tries the sunset flip but Waller grabs the rope for two, only to have Bate break the grip and get the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B-. The Shawn stuff is interesting as I can’t imagine he’ll get back in the ring at an NXT show, but that is where they seem to be building towards. Unless Shawn has someone to fight for him, I’m not sure where that is going. Bate winning is a good thing as he needs to be rebuilt (again) and beating the most recent #1 contender is a good place to start.

Earlier today, Brooks Jensen was worried about Valentine’s Day with Kiana James, revealing that he has never kissed a woman before. Josh Briggs gives him an explanation (math is involved) and even starts to demonstrate when Fallon Henley comes in. Briggs explains what is going on and Henley says keep it simple: when Jensen drops off James at her door, if James plays with her keys, go for it. Jensen seems to feel better.

Jacy Jayne is coming to the ring but we can see Grayson Waller yelling at Shawn Michaels. Matt Bloom breaks it up and a furious Shawn says cut to the break.

Apollo Crews is up set at Dabba-Kato for returning and attacking him at Vengeance Day.

Here is Jacy Jayne for an explanation about turning on Gigi Dolin last week. Jayne says last week was the beginning of her story and now it is about her. She has been the talk of NXT for the last week and her name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Jayne has already watched the footage back 1000 times, so let’s make it 1001.

After that produced video rather than just the regular footage, Jayne calls Dolin Jannetty and says the days of Chuckie are over. Everyone needs to listen to her carefully: screw you. She is tired of being the third wheel in the most dominant faction in WWE history. But now, look who is the last woman standing. This wasn’t exactly original (the amount of “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME” promos over the years is astounding) but Jayne did deliver it well.

Chase U tells Thea Hail that she can talk to them about what Schism did anytime they want. She’s ready to go tonight though, and is going to say “Hi fear, I’m Thea.”

Video on Sol Ruca.

Thea Hail vs. Tiffany Stratton

The rest of Chase U is here too. Hail armdrags her down to start and hits a running dropkick for a bonus. Cue Schism (in different parts of the arena) to scare Hail though, allowing Stratton to knock her off the apron. Back in and Hail knocks her to the floor again, setting up the suicide dive. Ava Raine pops up for another distraction, allowing Stratton to plant Hail. The moonsault finishes for Stratton at 3:29.

Rating: C. This was all about keeping Hail vs. Schism going and that feels like it is going to last for a long time. Getting inside Hail’s mind is a good way to go, but at the same time, but Schism has a tendency to drag down almost anyone they work with. Hopefully that isn’t the case here, as Chase U has taken enough damage already. Stratton gets a win as her comeback continues and that is about as good as she can do right now.

Javier Bernal comes up to Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile in the back and offers to let both of them be his Javytine. Paxley is taken but Nile actually says yes. Then she chokes Bernal out. Isla Dawn’s voice pops up to threaten Paxley and Nile, who don’t seem pleased.

Axiom vs. Damon Kemp

Fallout from Kemp attacking him a few weeks back. Axiom goes right for him to start as Booker talks about the Matrix. The big kick to the head misses so Kemp heads outside, with Axiom hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Kemp snaps off a wheelbarrow suplex and Axiom is in trouble in a hurry. A release German suplex does it again and Axiom gets knocked out to the floor. Axiom strikes away back inside but his high crossbody is rolled through for two. Another German suplex gives Kemp two more but Axiom hits him in the face. The Golden Ratio finishes Kemp at 3:31.

Rating: C+. Axiom is falling into his groove as a rather good midcard star as they have gotten rid of some of the bad things that he had been doing. The superhero deal works well for him and he can back it up in the ring. I’m still not sure what is going on with Kemp, who could be a decent star, but that Diamond Mine feud seemed to ruin him for some reason.

We see some Instagram posts about Brooks Jensen and Kiana James’ Valentine’s Day date.

Fallon Henley has to tell Brooks Jensen what is going on.

Grayson Waller has been thrown out and rants about Shawn Michaels, saying there is no more Heartbreak Kid and he runs this place.

Here is Bron Breakker for a chat. Breakker says it doesn’t feel right around here because the next challenge feels bigger. The match everyone wants to see is Breakker vs. him (not named) but here are Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher to interrupt. Breakker wasn’t expecting them, but Mahal says you have to expect the unexpected. The villains get inside, with Mahal talking about the stress that Breakker has been under for nearly a year now.

Mahal asks if this is what Breakker expected as champion, and yeah it is. Breakker must be deaf if he doesn’t hear the small pocket of fans who are booing him. Mahal says you either die a hero or you become the villain. Breakker says the fans can think whatever they want, which Mahal refers to as arrogance. The tides are changing and Mahal issues the challenge for next week. The champ is in and says Mahal doesn’t need to waste time with the new 3 Man Band. Breakker: “Which one of you plays the guitar?” Mahal says he’ll still like Breakker after taking his title.

This was a good example of the problem being the messenger instead of the message. Jinder Mahal is someone fans are not going to take seriously and the 3MB joke didn’t help things. As a one off win it’s fine, but Mahal as generic villain isn’t helping him. Just have Breakker smash him and move on (which is probably what is going to happen).

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter confirm that they are down to face Roxanne Perez and Meiko Satomura. Perez and Satomura respect each other.

It’s time for an open challenge for the North American Title. Tony D’Angelo comes out to accept but Dijak jump him, with Stacks going to help. We have another challenger sneaking up on Lee though.

North American Title: Von Wagner vs. Wes Lee

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, is challenging. Lee fights back and tries to flip away in the corner, only to get dropped face first onto the apron. Stone reminds Wagner that he has to win back inside so it’s a clothesline for two on Lee. Back up and Lee ducks a big boot, setting up the standing moonsault to stagger Wagner. Lee’s tornado DDT is pulled out of the air and Wagner faceplants him for two. Lee slips out of a gorilla press, hits four straight superkicks, and finishes with the Cardiac Kick at 4:43.

Rating: C. This was power vs. speed 101 and as usual, it worked just fine. Lee is getting built up as someone who can over come the odds, which is going to make whoever beats him that much bigger of a deal. Then you have Wagner and I still don’t get it. He’s as generic of a monster as you can get and it still isn’t interesting no matter what.

Hank Walker has a new singlet but his old boots. Drew Gulak gives him some silver boots of his own.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Hank Walker

Drew Gulak is here with Walker, who shrugs off some forearms to the face to start. A collision goes to Walker but they trade big boots for a double knockdown. Walker tries a Fujiwara armbar but Dempsey reverses into his head and leg stretch for the tap at 1:41.

Post match Dempsey puts the hold back on but Gulak just stands there. Then Gulak and Dempsey leave together. Fair enough as Walker is kind of a loser.

Von Wagner is furious about his loss and Mr. Stone blames Wagner not having a connection to anyone. Wagner needs to break his walls down and Stone has time for the guy inside him.

Gallus is in the pool hall when Pretty Deadly comes in. A pool game breaks out and Pretty Deadly does well….albeit on the wrong balls. Gallus wins easily but Pretty Deadly wants a rematch. The deal is if Pretty Deadly keeps buying them drinks, they can keep playing, with Pretty Deadly getting a Tag Team Title shot if they win. Pretty Deadly loses at least seven games in a row and then get stuck with the (very long) bill. Gallus gives them the title shot anyway.

Ilja Dragunov talks about how pain makes you feel alive and he promises to hurt JD McDonagh. We cut to the arena, where Trick Williams calls out Dragunov. That works for Dragunov, who comes to the ring as Williams promises to drop Dragunov like a mix tape. Cue Dragunov to say Williams is an entertaining life of the party. Williams is dropped but here is JD McDonagh (with tape over his eye) to threaten Dragunov, allowing Williams to get in a cheap shot.

Post break, Trick Williams comes up to Carmelo Hayes and brags about what he just did.

We see Brooks Jensen taking Kiana James to her front door after their date. Jensen gives her astronomy trivia (which he gets wrong) and then goes to kiss her (following the key playing). Then Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs show up (How long have they been following them?) with Henley bringing up the phone call with an “I love you Zack” from a few weeks ago. It turns out Zack is James’ brother and he pops up at the door. James storms inside and Jensen leaves in heartbreak.

Here’s what is coming next week.

Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter shoulders Perez down to start and hands it off to Chance, who trips Perez down. A sliding kick and slingshot hilo get two on Perez and we hit the armbar. Back up and Perez flips out of a hurricanrana but gets taken right back into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Satomura for the first time, including a handshake with Carter.

Everything breaks down with Perez and Satomura cleaning house with uppercuts. Perez dives through the ropes onto Chance and Satomura hits one on Carter as we take a break. Back with Perez fighting out of Chance’s abdominal stretch but getting dropkicked down. Perez jawbreaks her way to freedom though and it’s Satomura coming back in to strike away. Some kicks to the head get two on Carter and Perez adds a backflip moonsault for two more.

Carter grabs something like an STO to plant Perez but she Russian legsweeps her way out of trouble. It’s back to Satomura, who gets knocked into the wrong corner for a change. Everything breaks down and Perez is knocked to the floor. Satomura is right back with the moonsault knees to Chance, followed by a Pele to Carter. Perez comes back in for Pop Rox and the pin on Carter at 10:29.

Rating: B-. This was a “hey, look who’s here” match as Satomura being around is a cool thing to see. Carter and Chance still have some value as a team so Perez and Satomura beating them means a little something. You might as well make Satomura vs. Perez for the title now though, as it isn’t like Perez has another challenger at the moment.

Post match Satomura issues the challenge for the title match and it would be Perez’s honor.

Overall Rating: B. This is a great example of a show where the overall rating is greater than its individual parts. All kinds of things were advanced here and you even got some turning points in a few stories. It came off like they had a big checklist for the show and covered every single item. The show felt organized and well put together, as you can see a lot of Stand & Deliver coming from here. Heck of an episode this week and I could go for a lot more like this one.

Results
Tyler Bate b. Grayson Waller – Sunset flip
Tiffany Stratton b. Thea Hail – Moonsault
Axiom b. Damon Kemp – Golden Ratio
Wes Lee b. Von Wagner – Cardiac Kick
Charlie Dempsey b. Hank Walker – Head and leg stretch
Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Pop Rox to Carter

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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Vengeance Day 2023
Date: February 4, 2023
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

NXT is back on the road for the first time since Stand & Deliver all the way back in the spring. That is something that could do a lot of good for NXT and the card is pretty stacked as well. We have a bunch of title matches here, capped off by Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Grayson Waller inside a cage. Let’s get to it.

Charlotte hosts the opening video, which features all of the wrestlers coming into what looks like a mini arena (probably at the Performance Center) and staring each other down. That’s certainly different.

Commentary says they are on the road for the first time since they took over Portland over 1,000 days ago. So I dreamed going to Stand & Deliver in Dallas last year?

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Dijak

Lee is defending and suckers Dijak into the corner to start. A missed charge lets Lee hit a slingshot hurricanrana (nearly taking out the referee in the process) to send Dijak outside. Back in and Dijak throws him around to take over, including a heck of a toss suplex for two. Dijak tosses him over the top for a big crash and then sends him into the barricade for a bonus. Lee ducks a charge though and sends Dijak crashing to the floor.

Back up and Lee sends him into the corner for a superkick to the back of the head. A bridging German suplex plants Dijak and Lee knocks him to the floor again. There’s the big twisting dive and a poisonrana plants Dijak back inside. A fisherman’s driver gets two more but Dijak counters a flip into High Justice for two.

Dijak goes to a crossface chickenwing and grabs the bodyscissors but Lee makes the rope. Another High Justice is reversed and Lee hits a running knee to the face. Dijak kicks him in the face for two and takes it to the corner, only to have a superbomb reversed into a super hurricanrana. The Spiral Tap gives Lee a very close two and Dijak bails to the floor.

The suicide dive only hits barricade though and it’s time for Dijak to grab a chair. Dijak uses a broom to secure Lee in the chair and goes up for a moonsault, which hits…..Tony D’Angelo and Stacks? With the two of them down, Lee superkicks Dijak out of the air and hits the Pele to retain at 16:56.

Rating: B+. This felt like an old school Takeover opener where you were expecting a pretty good match but got a very good one instead. That is the kind of surprise that is always nice to have and they delivered it very well here. Lee gets the kind of win that he has been needing and Dijak had enough of a distraction to keep his loss from hurting him that much. D’Angelo probably comes out of this as champion, but this was a heck of a step on the way there.

Dijak seems to have really messed up his finger.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance only care about retaining their Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kiana James/Fallon Henley vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

James/Henley, with Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs, are challenging. James takes over on Carter to start but gets taken down, allowing Chance to come in with a slingshot hilo. Hold on though as Henley doesn’t like James using the hair to cheat. The champs hit a standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two on Henley but it’s right back to James for a side slam.

Henley grabs a chinlock but Chance flips her away and it’s back to Carter to clean house. James spinebusters Carter for two and everything breaks down again. Henley gets taken up top for a super hurricanrana from Chance but James breaks up the neckbreaker/450 combination. Henley grabs a rollup for the pin and the titles out of nowhere at 9:15, not noticing James holding the leg down.

Rating: C. This match was in a weird place, as they had very little story coming in and the titles haven’t felt important in a long time. The fact that Chance and Carter had held the belts for six months was almost staggering as they haven’t done anything with them. NXT has enough women for a tag division, but if the titles are forgotten so often, it isn’t going to make much of a difference. Completely watchable match, but it pretty much came and went.

There is an NXT watch party at the Performance Center. Drew Gulak is impressed with the opening match but needs Hank Walker to get some proper gear.

We recap Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes. Crews is an athletic marvel who is here to prove himself in NXT. Hayes is the new phenom and says he’s the next big thing. Tonight it’s 2/3 falls.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Apollo Crews

2/3 falls and Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far on their feel or on the mat. Crews starts in on the leg so Hayes flips up and hits him in the face for a breaker. Hayes goes up but gets pulled down into the Tree Of Woe to bang up his ribs.

That’s enough of a target for Crews, who knees him in the ribs but gets elbowed in the face. Crews sends him outside for a moonsault to the floor, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside. Back up and Hayes backdrops him over the ropes and catches a cutter to drop Crews across the top. Hayes starts cranking on the neck but Crews is back up and sends him to the apron.

The apron super gives Crews two but Hayes faceplants him down hard. We hit the Crossface on Crews, who finally tapes for the first fall at 15:48. Crews is banged up to start the second fall and Hayes goes after the shoulder to keep him in trouble. The Fade Away gives Hayes a fast two but Crews is back up with a running Blockbuster (almost a flipping DDT) for two.

They both go to the apron and a double ram into the buckle puts them on the floor. Back in and Crews hits a jumping knee to the face but Williams’ distraction doesn’t work. Crews knocks Hayes to the floor and it’s Dabba Kato (formerly Commander Azeez) to take Williams down. Hayes takes Crews down as well though and it’s Nothing But Net to finish Crews 2-0 at 23:24.

Rating: B. The Kato return isn’t exactly inspiring but this was a rather well done back and forth match with Hayes getting a very strong rub. Hayes has been built up as a big star in NXT and this should be enough to catapult him into the #1 contendership. It is the big prize that he has not won around here so it was either get in the title hunt or head to the main roster. They got a lot of time here and the match was good, so it’s hard to find much to complain about with the entire package.

Post match Kato hugs Crews and then takes him out with a chokebomb.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs/Kiana James/Fallon Henley can’t believe they won the titles. Now, they drink.

Hometown boy Andre Chase is ready to win the Tag Team Titles in his hometown. The fact that they are freezing outside is just a detail.

Tag Team Titles: Chase U vs. New Day vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly

New Day is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Kofi and Prince start things off but it’s quickly off to Woods. Prince winds up on Wilson’s shoulders on the floor, with a baseball slide breaking it up. Thea Hail uses the megaphone to scare Pretty Deadly but Hudson tags himself in to take over on Prince.

Wilson comes in and gets beaten up by Gallus, who take turns on his arm. Woods takes Wilson’s place and is pulled into the corner to start up the beating. Pretty Deadly takes over on Woods, with Wilson cranking on the wrist. Woods gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house.

The Boom Drop into the SOS gets two on Prince but everything breaks down. The parade of knockdowns sets up an assisted gutbuster for two on Kingston but he’s right back up with the Midnight Hour. Everyone dives in for the save and the pile heads to the floor. Chase throws Kingston onto them all, then superplexes Wilson onto them for an even bigger crash. The announcers’ table is cleared off but Pretty Deadly throws Hudson back in rather than using it.

Hudson runs both of them over but Mark Coffey takes Hudson down. Everyone heads back outside, with Gallus sending Hudson through the announcers’ table. Back in and Chase sends Wolfgang outside, setting up the high crossbody for two on Coffey. We hit the Figure Four on Coffey but Wolfgang makes the save with the Howling.

The enziguri/powerslam combination gets two on Chase but Kofi is back in to break up a second attempt. Kofi’s Trust Fall is pulled out of the air though and Pretty Deadly hits Spilled Milk on the floor. Woods forearms Coffey down back inside but dives into an assisted powerslam to give Gallus the pin and the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B-. I couldn’t decide on picking Gallus or New Day to leave with the titles here so they didn’t go out of left field. Gallus feels like a team who could be rather dominant if they are build up properly and it isn’t like a loss is going to hut New Day. At the same time, Pretty Deadly have held the titles for a good while already and Chase U….well they never win anything. The good thing here though is Chase U was actually in the title match, which is more than they can say most of the time. Throw in them not taking the fall and this was a pretty nice result all things considered.

We look at the who did it video on the Nikkita Lyons attack.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with Roxanne Perez defending against Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin. The challengers both won a battle royal and are both coming for the title. They teased splitting up, only to get back together and fight Perez at the same time. Perez is trying to prove she is a real champion by fighting both of them at once.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Perez is defending and has to start slugging away at both of them at once. Dolin and Jayne collide by mistake though and have to pause to make sure everything is cool. Back up and Perez sends both of them outside but Jayne neckbreakers Perez down. Another near mistake leaves Dolin and Jayne apologizing on the floor, only to have Dolin pull Jayne into the way of a baseball slide.

Back in and Jayne breaks up Dolin’s cover, meaning the fight is on between the challengers. Perez is back in with a DDT for two on Jayne and Dolin is left down in the corner. Jayne sends Perez into the corner for the Cannonball, followed by a running knee for two on Perez. Back up and Jayne drops Dolin but Pop Rox is broken up.

Dolin suplexes Perez for two with Jayne making a save. Everyone needs a breather until Perez gets knocked down for a double near fall. It’s time to bring out a table but Perez fights up again. Perez sends Jayne into the apron and drops Dolin, setting up the super Pop Rox to retain the title at 13:43.

Rating: C. I couldn’t get into this one as it felt like a bunch of the same idea over and over. Toxic Attraction gets along, then they fight, then they fight again, all while Perez is able to split the difference and get in some shots of their own. That’s about what you would expect to happen in a match like this, as it is the tried and true formula. Perez gets a nice win, but it wasn’t exactly a great match on the way there.

We recap the NXT Title match as Bron Breakker defends against Grayson Waller in a cage. Waller keeps trying to get inside Breakker’s notably easy to mess with head. Breakker is ready to kill him but Waller seems rather confident.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Grayson Waller

Breakker is defending inside a cage but Waller (who has a woman bring his golden shoe to the ring) dropkicks the door into Breakker’s face on the floor before he can get in. That doesn’t last long as Breakker fights back and takes it inside for the opening bell. Waller grabs a cravate and fires off some knees to the face.

Breakker reverses that into a suplex but gets caught in a tornado DDT for two. A belly to belly puts Waller down again and the Steiner Bulldog, only for Breakker to miss a charge into the cage. Waller heads up top, only to get Frankensteinered back down. A jumping knee knocks Breakker out of the air for two and Breakker gets tied in the ropes. Waller hits a spear but Breakker powers out of the ropes, leaving Waller a bit petrified.

The rams into the cage keep Waller rocked until he low blows his way out of trouble. The fans are split on Waller, who goes all the way to the top of the cage. Rather than climb down, Waller waits for Breakker to get up and catch him on top. A superplex off the top of the cage rocks Waller’s inner Big Boss Man and there’s the spear to cut him in half. That’s not enough for Breakker to cover though as he yells at Waller instead. Waller shoves him in the face…..so Breakker hits a second spear to retain at 14:22.

Rating: C+. Another kind of weird match here as Waller more or less hung with Breakker until the ending and then tried his mind games, only to get speared down again to lose. The match wasn’t bad by any means, but it also didn’t feel like something epic. Then again this feud hasn’t felt like a big deal since it started, but Carmelo Hayes seems to be the next big bad for Breakker and that should work well.

Breakker seems to be favoring his arm a bit but poses on top of the cage anyway. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come out to stare at Breakker to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. While it was nowhere near a Takeover, this was a good enough show and felt like a big one by NXT standards. At the end of the day, NXT needed to get out of the Performance Center and have a show that felt more important. They did it here and get to do it again in Los Angeles in April, so things are looking up a bit. Other than that, this was a collection of mostly good matches, with the opener blowing away just about everything else. They also set up the next title program, so the show did a few positive things. You don’t need to see it, but there are worse things to watch, which makes it a win.

Results
Wes Lee b. Dijak – Pele
Kiana James/Fallon Henley b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Rollup to Carter with James holding the foot
Carmelo Hayes b. Apollo Crews 2-0
Gallus b. New Day, Pretty Deadly and Chase U – Assisted powerslam to Woods
Roxanne Perez b. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne – Super Pop Rox to Jayne
Bron Breakker b. Grayson Waller – Spear

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Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time NXT has left Orlando for a televised event since Stand & Deliver over Wrestlemania weekend. At some point they just need to get out of Florida and heading to Charlotte is as good of a way as any. The card actually has me interested this time, though the television show from this week wasn’t so great. Maybe they can overcome that with a good one here so let’s get to it.

North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Dijak

We’ll start off with one that can go either way as Dijak is a monster who can run through a lot of people and Lee is someone who could be champion for a nice run. This has been built up for a few weeks with Dijak speaking more and more like an 80s movie villain. Lee has turned into a much better star than I would have expected him to be and this is a tossup so far.

I’ll go with Lee here, as it would not surprise me to see Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come in to cost Dijak the match. Dijak is someone who needs to be protected in a loss but I don’t think it’s early enough for Lee to drop the belt either. The title is all Lee has done in WWE on his own and he isn’t ready to move up to the next level yet. Instead, let him do his underdog thing here, as the power vs. speed dynamic should work well here.

Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Chase U

We have another interesting one here as it could go in multiple ways. First up you have the champs, who are pretty easily the biggest stars in NXT. Then you have Gallus, who have returned and could use the boost. Pretty Deadly are already two time champions but they are owed a win back from New Day. Finally you have Chase U, who will be the crowd favorites, even over New Day.

As much as I’d like this to be Chase U, just so they can FINALLY win something, I think I’m going to take New Day to retain. It’s a coin flip between them and Gallus, as Pretty Deadly has held the titles enough already. Chase U…..I’d love to see them win something in a surprise and they might one day, but it’s not going to be here. I’ll stick with New Day, who can drop them soon enough.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Katana Chance/Kayden Carter(c) vs. Fallon Henley/Kiana James

Then there’s this one, and the more I hear from Chance and Carter, the less I want to see them on any show. I get that they are told everything to say and all that jazz, but it is cringe inducing to hear them speak in any way about any thing. They’re supposed to be some great champions or something and maybe it’s that the titles have barely been around for less than two years but I’m not seeing it.

I’ll take Henley and James to win the titles here, as the wacky partners idea would fit in perfectly for this story. I don’t like that booking trope at all, but it makes sense as a reason for the two of them to have to work together. Chance and Carter are a good enough team in the ring, but there is nothing for them to do at the moment and that is rather clear every week.

Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes

This one is all about the future, as Hayes needs to either be the next NXT Champion or on his way to the main roster. There is nothing left for him to do outside of moving up somehow and I think NXT is starting to realize that. On the other hand you have Crews, who has put in some of his most memorable work in NXT and already has the main roster credentials.

Give me Hayes for the win here, as there is pretty much no reason for Crews to win. Crews is someone who has already gotten a lot of the accolades that he needs, so there is little reason for him to pick up the win here. Hayes feels like a top prospect and giving him a win over a former Intercontinental and United States Champion would be a great thing to see going forward.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez(c) vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Gigi Dolin

I’m still not sure I get the thinking behind Toxic Attraction’s plan to mess with Perez. So they were just suddenly going to pretend to have problems and then reveal the ruse a week and a half before the title match. What is the logic in giving it away so early. I don’t think I can see it having much of an impact either, and that brings us to the important part of the whole match.

Since I can’t imagine a title change so soon into Perez’s reign, I’ll expect her to get beaten down, only to have Toxic Attraction start fighting each other so the champ can retain. Perez has felt like the next big thing in the women’s division for a long time and that means she isn’t losing the title to former flunkies who can’t get out of their own way yet. Toxic Attraction is good, but they’re not taking the title here.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Grayson Waller

In a cage and that means we are going to be playing the power vs. intelligence game. Granted that is all of the teasing that we have gotten for the match. Waller has been trying to get under Breakker’s skin to cost him for a long time now and it would not surprise me to see him finally pull it off and escape with the title. That seems to be what they have been teasing but can they pull it off?

I don’t see any reason for Breakker to retain the title here (unless Hayes it taking it from him in Los Angeles over Wrestlemania weekend. Waller seems like someone who could be great in a Miz style role and that is close to how he has been presented. The main thing would involve him winning a title he doesn’t deserve (in a way) and then brag about it. That has to start somewhere and it should be this week as he wins the NXT Title.

Overall Thoughts

Outside of a pretty weak Women’s Tag Team Title match, this is a show that looks pretty awesome on paper. It would be cool to see them stick the landing when they go on the road again and hopefully they make it work here. This feels a lot more like an old NXT show and if they can get close to that, we should be in for a heck of a show. NXT usually lives up to the hype too so maybe they can pull it off again here.

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NXT
Date: January 31, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Vengeance Day and that means it is time for the hard sell, which is one of the things NXT tends to do best. In addition to the build towards the show, we also have the long awaited Creed Brothers vs. Indus Sher match, which has been postponed at least once before. Let’s get to it.

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

Indus Sher vs. Creed Brothers

Jinder Mahal and Ivy Nile are here too. Julius and Veer slug it out to start with neither getting anywhere. Brutus comes in to slug away at Sanga in the corner but Sanga takes over with the power. It’s back to Julius, who gets dropped throat first onto the top rope to put him in trouble as well. A reverse Beverly Bomb crushes Julius again and we hit the chinlock.

Julius fights up and manages to get over to Brutus for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Julius (eventually) muscles Veer up for a powerbomb. The sliding lariat is broken up by Mahal though, sending Nile after him. Julius accidentally knocks Nile off the apron, allowing Sanga to grab a chokeslam for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If they can get some better gear, the Creeds feel like they are ready to become stars. They work well together, they have already had some success and Julius feels like he could be a top guy one day. On the other hand you have Indus Sher, who are your latest monster foreigners team. Unfortunately that comes with a heavy dose of Mahal, so their ceiling is pretty low.

Tyler Bate and Axiom watch bate facing someone named A-Kid in NXT UK, with Bate saying A-Kid reminds him of Axiom. There’s nothing to that of course, but they’ll face each other tonight.

Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell

This is over Hartwell accusing Stark of attacking Nikkita Lyons last week and Stark saying Hartwell didn’t do well in the Royal Rumble. Stark starts fast and hammers away, with a sliding lariat connecting for two. We’re off to an armbar but Hartwell fights up and slugs away to start the comeback. Some standing clotheslines set up the spinebuster for two on Stark, who is right back with a German suplex. Hartwell’s springboard is broken up and the flipping knee to the face gives Stark the pin at 6:14.

Rating: C-. Hartwell continues to exist and there just isn’t anything to her at the moment. She’s ok enough in the ring but I don’t remember the last time she showed any fire or anything resembling energy (save for Dexter Lumis’ cameo). On the other hand you have Stark, who feels like she should be a bigger deal but every promo she has brings her back down.

Schism is ready to win the Tag Team Titles at Vengeance Day, but first they have to qualify for the title match tonight.

Apollo Crews came to Charlotte early to feel the energy. He sees himself taking out Carmelo Hayes 2/3 falls and if Trick Williams gets involved, so be it.

Here is Wes Lee for a chat. He is ready to go back on the road in four days, where he has one of his biggest tests to date. That would be Dijak, who is going to give him a beating but then Lee will rise as North American Champion. Cue Dijak to say that Lee had the chance to hand the title over but wouldn’t do it. Lee promises to rise up and retain the title, but here are Mr. Stone and Von Wagner to interrupt. Stone thinks Wagner should be #1 contender and Dijak doesn’t approve. Lee wants them to fight now and that is just what happens.

Von Wagner vs. Dijak

The brawl is on fast and we take a break thirty seconds in. Back with Wes Lee on commentary and Dijak striking away. Dijak’s discus lariat is cut off with a boot to the face but Dijak flips out of a chokeslam. High Justice gets two on Wagner but he’s able to go up top. Dijak catches him, only to get caught in a swinging double underhook slam. Back up and Dijak grabs a crossface chickenwing of all things, followed by Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C. My goodness can we please stop with the “ring the bell, wrestle for thirty seconds, take a break” nonsense? Just have the match start after the break. Other than that, this was a good enough power match as Dijak gets some momentum going into his title shot. Granted I’m not sure how much value there is in beating Wagner, who is one of the most worthless people around here.

Dijak and Lee stare each other down.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are ready for something next week, with Stacks saying he took care of it. Now they’re off to take care of something else.

Nikkita Lyons has undergone surgery and is on the way to recovery.

We see a video on Nikkita Lyons being attacked in the parking lot, with about ten different women being seen in the parking lot at the same time. This was shot more like an investigation piece and that’s an interesting way to go.

Video on Grayson Waller vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title at Vengeance Day. Waller is inside Breakker’s head as Breakker continues to need to try to control his emotions. The build for this has worked but it feels like we’re just waiting to see what wacky idea Waller has to cheat Breakker out of the title.

Tyler Bate vs. Axiom

Bate takes him down by the arm to start but Axiom uses the referee to flip his way to freedom. Axiom sends Bate crashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Bate hitting his airplane spin but Axiom kicks him in the face for two. A superkick hits Bate, who is fine enough to cradle Axiom for two more. Bop and Bang sets up the rebound lariat but the Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a backdrop. Bate powers up anyway but a hurricanrana gives Axiom two. The third attempt at the Tyler Driver 97 finally connects to finish Axiom at 10:03.

Rating: C+. Best match on the show so far by a wide margin as you have two people who can go rather well in the ring. Bate continues to look good when he’s in the ring but it happens so infrequently that it’s hard to get behind him. Axiom is still a very good hand, but how far can you get with such a ridiculous gimmick?

Post match Bate leaves and Damon Kemp runs in to jump Axiom. Bate makes the save.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre seem to have joined forces.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready to beat Apollo Crews at Vengeance Day.

We get a sitdown interview between Roxanne Perez and Toxic Attraction. Perez is happy that she did well in the Royal Rumble but Toxic Attraction is sure that they’re going to beat her at Vengeance Day. Toxic Attraction says it’s 2-1 on Saturday and Perez walks out. Jayne and Dolin say they’re on the same page. Perez storms into their room and the big fight is on, with agents having to break it up. This went way longer than it needed to and makes last week’s fake Toxic Attraction split feel like a waste of time.

Dani Palmer vs. Stevie Turner

Palmer flips out of a wristlock to start but Turner shrugs it off and hits a neckbreaker. The chinlock goes on but Palmer fights up and hammers away. Back up and Turner hits a pump kick into a swinging DDT. A Side Effect finishes Palmer at 2:55.

Kiana James is on the phone and says she’ll see someone later. Fallon Henley comes in to accuse her of messing with Brooks Jensen. They argue until Katana Chance and Kayden Carter come in to accuse them of not focusing on the title match. This has been your NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS segment of the week.

Drew Gulak vs. Charlie Dempsey

Hank Walker is here with Gulak. Feeling out process to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Dempsey cranking on both arms before switching to a Fujiwara armbar. Dempsey switches to a German suplex for two and cranks on the leg, only to have Gulak reverse into an armbar of his own. Dempsey switches into a crossface chickenwing but Gulak dives for the ropes, sending Dempsey into Walker by mistake. The distraction lets Gulak grab a rollup for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that is always going to have a place on the card and they did it well. Sometimes you need to just have a wrestling match and the screwy finish gave Gulak an out. Both of these two can do the technical stuff very well and it was a nice change of pace from the usual stuff around here most of the time.

Von Wagner is livid but Mr. Stone says this isn’t working. Stone says he knows nothing about him other than he is big and strong. If Wagner wants to move up in the wrestling business, show who he is inside. Stone: “HELP ME HELP YOU!”

Vengeance Day rundown. The show does look good.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Schism vs. Chase U

The winner goes to the Tag Team Title match at Vengeance Day. Blade and Chase start things off but Reid grabs Chase from the apron to take over. A spike shoulder breaker on the floor plants Chase and Fowler comes in for a belly to back slam. Chase fights up but Schism takes out Hudson, meaning there is no one for him to take.

A powerbomb into a Backstabber gets two on Chase but he gets over for the tag to Hudson to clean house. Blade tags himself in and gets to clean house with Enofe. The G9 gets two on Reid with a bunch of people making the save. Blade and Enofe hit the stereo flip dives but Chase tags himself in for a Tower of Doom. The spelling stomps hit Reid and the Fratliner sends Chase U to Vengeance Day at 10:35.

Rating: B-. Now that made sense! Chase U almost never wins any kind of a match of consequence so putting them over here makes them feel like a bigger deal. No they aren’t going to win the titles, but putting them in a four way match where they don’t have to be involved in the finish is a smart move. Let them feel important for once, as the crowd is already way into them.

Post match all of the teams in the Tag Team Title match pop up, with New Day being rather excited about Chase U winning.

A long Vengeance Day hype video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. This show had some quality to it but my goodness it felt long. It felt like Vengeance Day was ready to go last week and then they had to fill in another week of building towards it. There wasn’t enough to make two hours interesting here and it hurt a lot. At the same time, NXT still needs to work on its character development segments, as a lot of the talking is cringe worthy. Not a horrible show, but they really need Vengeance Day to be a hit.

Results
Indus Sher b. Creed Brothers – Chokeslam to Julius
Zoey Stark b. Indi Hartwell – Flipping knee to the face
Dijak b. Von Wagner – Feast Your Eyes
Tyler Bate b. Axiom – Tyler Driver 97
Stevie Turner b. Dani Palmer – Side Effect
Drew Gulak b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Chase U b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe and Schism – Fratliner to Reid

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NXT
Date: January 17, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re done with New Year’s Evil and now all roads lead to Vengeance Day in about two and a half weeks. The show will feature Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Grayson Waller in a cage match but we’re going to need more than that. There is a lot of potential for the rest of the show though and we should hear more this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, featuring all of the returns and surprises.

Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes vs. Axiom/Apollo Crews

Williams works on Axiom’s arm to start and then runs him over for a bonus. A pop up right hand puts Axiom down again and it’s off to Hayes. An enziguri gets Axiom out of trouble though and it’s Crews coming in to clean house. Hayes gets knocked to the floor so Crews tosses Axiom onto both villains as we take a break.

Back with Axiom and Hayes clotheslining each other but it’ snot enough to get back over to Crews. Axiom get sent into the corner for the alternating beatdown before Hayes grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Axiom gets over for the corner, meaning Crews gets to clean house. The gorilla press into the standing moonsault gets two with Hayes making the save. Axiom and Williams go to the floor so Hayes goes up top. Nothing But Net doesn’t quite connect and it’s Crews with a cradle for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C. Nice, fast paced match to open the show as Crews gets a win to build up some momentum. I’m surprised to see Hayes take the fall but you can only beat Williams so many times before it stops meaning anything. Hayes almost has to get into the title picture or move up to the main roster sooner than later, and I’m not sure which way he’ll be going.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks go to the bridge where D’Angelo killed Two Dimes. D’Angelo isn’t happy with Stacks lying about the Dijak situation, so Stacks says do what you have to do. Instead of killing him, D’Angelo promotes him and makes him part of the family. He even gets a new jacket.

Tiffany Stratton isn’t happy and we see a clip from earlier in the day with Stratton not being able to get into her locker room. Indi Hartwell answered and said that it was really the women’s locker room, because she’s not better than anyone. Hartwell throws Stratton’s stuff out and tells her to dress somewhere else.

Here is Toxic Attraction to brag about their win in the battle royal last week. They had the fans in the palm of their hands and even if Jayne tried to eliminate Dolin last week, it’s all fine. The Toxic Attraction train is on the way to Vengeance Day where they will make Roxanne Perez regret ever winning the Women’s Title. Cue Lyra Valkyria, who says she is tired of all of this bragging. Jayne and Dolin tell her to get lost, but Valkyria says she isn’t here alone. Cue Roxanne Perez to help clear the ring.

The Creed Brothers are training when Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley come in. Nile yells at the Creeds for not being what they used to be, including last week against Jinder Mahal and Sanga. GET IT TOGETHER! The women leave and the Creeds think they might be on to something.

Stevie Turner narrates a video about the battle royal. Of course she would have won if she was there.

Sol Ruca vs. Alba Fyre

Ruca manages to take her down fast to start and flips away to avoid the comeback. Fyre isn’t having that though and knocks Ruca down without much effort. Some kicks to the chest have Ruca in more trouble but she slips out of the Fyre Bomb. Sol tries a Razor’s Edge but gets caught with a superkick instead. Fyre is back up but cue Isla Dawn on the platform for a distraction. That’s enough for Ruca to get the Sol Snatcher (middle rope inverted backflip cutter, which looks amazing) for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. This was all about getting the cool finisher on television and that is not a bad thing. If Ruca has anything in the ring to back up that finisher, she could be quite the star. Fyre losing again isn’t great to see but at least there was a distraction. I would have thought Fyre vs. Dawn was done but apparently there is more to it, for whatever reason.

Dijak is ready to win the North American Title at Vengeance Day. He would just let Wes Lee hand him the title, but Lee is too stupid to take the offer. Lee is first to receive high justice and it means Dijak leaves as champion.

We get a sitdown interview with Grayson Waller. Last week, he faced the Bron Breakker he knew he was getting. Breakker is just as big, strong and stupid as Waller knew he would be. Waller had him beaten but someone on the ring crew couldn’t do his job and fix the rope. Waller knew he won so he even has his own title with him. Now it’s time for a rematch inside a cage and Waller will leave as champion.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen both say they’re ready.

Alba Fyre chokes a referee with the baseball bat until Kayden Carter/Katana Chance calms her down. They say be patience but Fyre says she’ll come for the Women’s Tag Team Titles herself.

Tyler Bate talks about how he had to find his new self. Now he’s back and not leaving.

Gallus vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

Fallon Henley is here with Jensen/Briggs and it’s a big brawl to start. We settle down to Jensen vs. Mark to officially get things going but Briggs comes in for the double clothesline. Jensen gets taken into the wrong corner though and it’s Wolfgang coming in to hammer away. A leapfrog (or most of one at least) allows the tag off to Briggs. House is cleaned but a blind tag lets Coffey pull Briggs to the floor. The floor mats are pulled back but Briggs grabs the suplex on the exposed concrete instead.

We take a break and come back with Jensen getting cut off due to his banged up back, meaning the double beatdown can continue. Some shots to the back set up the front facelock, meaning Jensen has to fight up again. After a failed attempt, Jensen gets over to Briggs so house can be cleaned for a second time.

Everything breaks down and Jensen gets backdropped on the exposed concrete. The trainers check on Jensen as Briggs splashes Coffey for two. Kiana James comes out to check on Jensen, much to Henley’s dismay. The numbers game gets the better of Briggs though and it’s the enziguri/powerslam combination for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: C+. This got some more time to make it a bit better and they told a bit of a story in there too. Jensen and Briggs are the kind of team who can take more than a few losses as they are able to bounce back rather quickly. They have a little something with the Kiana James stuff, as it isn’t so much about wondering when she is going to mess things up but why and how. Gallus seems primed for a Tag Team Title shot so giving them a win here was necessary.

Thea Hail is getting ready for her first win on NXT when Andre Chase comes in to yell at Duke Hudson. We see a clip of Hudson talking about how Hail has to win and seemingly knocking Chase’s teaching. Chase says if Hudson has something to say, say it to his face. Hudson says it was taken out of context and wants to see Hail win.

Brooks Jensen is in the trainer’s room when Fallon Henley comes in to yell at him about Kiana James. Jensen insists they like each other and what could she be after? Henley already has the bar back, so there is nothing left. Henley has to get used to this.

Thea Hail vs. Valentina Feroz

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who starts fast but gets taken down in a hurry. The armbar keeps Hail down as Elektra Lopez comes out to watch. Hail fights up and gets a fast two, only to get rolled up for the same. Hudson glares Lopez away, but she slips Feroz some brass knuckles. Feroz doesn’t want them and throws them away, allowing Hail to hit a faceplant for the pin at 3:25.

Rating: C. Hail winning is a good thing as she has so much charisma that there has to be something for her to do. Even a win over someone as low on the totem pole as Feroz matters as Hail has to start somewhere. They even threw in a bit of a story for Feroz and Lopez, which could go somewhere interesting.

Apollo Crews mocks Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes over the loss. Hayes calls it cheap but Crews thinks it’s time to celebrate.

Commentary announces the death of Jay Briscoe. That is a shock and seems to have been due to a car crash, which is a horrible way to go. Classy move by WWE to acknowledge it, but that’s far from what matters here.

Elektra Lopez asks Valentina Feroz why she didn’t take her help. Feroz wants to win on her own, but Lopez tells her to stop sulking about Sanga. Next week, Lopez is facing Wendy Choo and tells Feroz to pay attention.

Here is New Day for a chat. They are happy to be done with Pretty Deadly and now they are on to the winners of the gauntlet match: Gallus. Cue Pretty Deadly to say they have jumped through all of those hoops to get a title shot and now they want one. Cue Gallus, who says they won and the title match is theirs. Xavier Woods marks Gallus’ accents but New Day is ready for them. Pretty Deadly isn’t having this and the fight is on, with referees breaking it up. The triple threat seems imminent.

Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez are sure they’ll be ok as a team because they have common enemies. Last week it was Cora Jade and now it is Toxic Attraction. They’ll be ready to fight but here is Javier Bernal with his guitar. Bernal is ready for their requests but both of them give him a cold shoulder.

We get a sitdown interview with Bron Breakker, who isn’t happy with how he beat Grayson Waller last week. The knee to the face caught him and he was seeing stars for a few seconds. Now they’re going to a cage and Breakker loves the idea, because there is nowhere to run and hide. Waller is the best trash talker around but can’t back it up in the ring. Violence is coming at Vengeance Day.

Here is Javier Bernal for a concert but someone cuts him off and wants a match.

Tyler Bate vs. Javier Bernal

Bate rolls him up or a fast two and they trade headlocks. Bernal takes him down and hammers away, with the fans not being pleased. Bate fights up and hits Bernal in the face, setting up Bop And Bang. He does it again, setting up the handspring lariat. The Tyler Driver doesn’t work so bate tried it again and drops Bernal on his head for the pin at 3:26.

Rating: C-. That ending really didn’t look good and pulled a lot of energy away from Bate’s big return. Bate is someone who has all of the tools but seems to slip up a few times too many. I’m not sure what doesn’t click for him, but he could use a long stretch of time without anything holding him back (even if it wasn’t his fault, like the visa situation).

Chase U celebrates Thea Hail’s win.

Fallon Henley comes up to Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs and says that because she cares about Jensen, she’s going to try to get along with James. She has even gotten a tag match next week, with James as her partner. Jensen is happy and all three are off to drink.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Lyra Valkyria/Roxanne Perez vs. Toxic Attraction

It’s a brawl to start with Toxic Attraction being sent outside. Perez dives onto Jayne and Valkyria dropkicks Dolin through the ropes. Back in and it’s time to work on Dolin’s arm, with Valkyria coming in with a top rope ax handle. Perez hits a running elbow but a blind tag lets Jayne come in to hammer away.

The forearms to the back keep Perez down and a clothesline gets two. Perez fights up with a swinging faceplant and Valkyria comes in to strike away. There’s a suplex to Jayne but here is Cora Jade to shove Valkyria off the top. Valkyria is right back up to hand it off to Perez before going after Jade, leaving Perez 2-1. Jayne kicks Dolin in the face by mistake allowing Perez to grab Pop Rox for the pin at 6:46.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have a lot of time here but it’s a bit weird to have Perez beat Toxic Attraction 2-1 here when that is the entire focal point of the upcoming title match. Jade vs. Valkyria should be a nice feud for both of them as Valkyria is certainly being thrown straight into a pretty decent sized spot on the card.

Overall Rating: C. After last week’s big show, this certainly felt like a bit of a breather, as there are only two more shows before the big one next month. There was nothing overly terrible here, but it definitely felt like a show that was more skippable than most around here. We do have more set up for Vengeance Day, but they could have used a better TV show to get there.

Results
Axiom/Apollo Crews b. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes – Rollup to Hayes
Sol Ruca b. Alba Fyre – Sol Snatcher
Gallus b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Enziguri/powerslam combination to Briggs
Thea Hail b. Valentina Feroz – Bulldog driver

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NXT
Date: September 27, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

Things got shaken up in a big way last week as Ilja Dragunov debuted to add quite the wild card. JD McDonagh is the new #1 contender to Bron Breakker’s NXT Title but Dragunov is going to be put into a top spot rather quickly. This should be interesting on top of everything else around here so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Ilja Dragunov to get things going. He has beaten a monster to win gold before and now he is ready to do it again. This time it isn’t Gunther though, but rather Bron Breakker. Cue JD McDonagh to call Dragunov a sneaky, dirty little rat and to say that he hopes Dragunov’s ankle is healed.

McDonagh offers to end Dragunov’s career but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker says the title isn’t going anywhere but McDonagh has an idea: Dragunov vs. Breakker with McDonagh being there for to face the winner. That doesn’t work for Breakker, who says if his math is correct, McDonagh has a 33 1/3 chance of winning (BIG pop for that). Breakker will see them at Halloween Havoc.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are in a fight in the back.

Mandy Rose hopes Alba Fyre is watching.

The Schism is ready to hurt Cameron Grimes.

Fallon Henley vs. Mandy Rose

Non-title and the rest of Toxic Attraction is here too. Rose knocks her into the corner to start and grabs an abdominal stretch before grabbing an abdominal stretch. Henley hiptosses her way out of it and hits a swinging faceplant for two. Back up and Rose shoves her off, setting up the running knee for the pin at 5:35. Barrett: “Rose keeps knocking them out with those American thighs.”

Rating: C-. This was kind of a dry one as Rose spent a good chunk of time on the abdominal stretch. Henley is still one of the most energetic and charismatic women on the roster but she isn’t in the title hunt and shouldn’t have been any kind of a threat to Rose. There are bigger challengers for Rose out there and this was a way to keep her looking strong before she gets to them.

Post match Rose says this is Alba Fyre’s last warning. Fyre pops up on screen to say she’s more of a visual person, and then lights the words AND NEW on fire. Good thing she had that ready.

Apollo Crews has a vision of Grayson Waller with terrified eyes.

Ilja Dragunov runs into Xyon Quinn, who says Dragunov has a lot of hype. Quinn wants a chance to run with the ball but Dragunov doesn’t think he’s that bright. A match seems likely for later tonight.

North American Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks is here with D’Angelo. Feeling out process to start with D’Angelo getting the better of things. Lee knocks him to the floor though, where Stacks says give him some time to cut off Lee’s dive. That earns Stacks a dive instead so he gets inside, where the referee ejects him as we take a break. Back with D’Angelo grinding away on a chinlock but Lee fights up and sends him into the corner…..and D’Angelo is hurt. The referee calls the match at 8:42 with Lee winning via stoppage.

Rating: C. That’s never something you want to see and hopefully D’Angelo is back to full health very soon. The match leading up to the injury wasn’t all that great and the result means very little, as I can’t imagine either of these two being a major threat to winning the title. Kind of a run of the mill match here until the ending took everything they had away.

It isn’t clear what happened to D’Angelo but commentary thinks it is a knee injury.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams don’t care about Wes Lee but here is Oro Mensah to interrupt. Hayes thinks they can do good things for Mensah but at Halloween Havoc, it is every man for themselves. Works for Mensah.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

And now, a day in the life of Pretty Deadly. They wake up at 10am and have breakfast in bed, then choose their wardrobe at 11am. Then at 2pm it’s time to spend an hour working on their hair. After some tea, they go to the gym (wearing their titles of course) where they keep working out. Then they sleep next to each other. For you old OVW fans, I had no idea that the Heartbreakers were still a thing.

Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is a rather athletic surfer. Miller takes her down by the arm to start but Ruca is back up with a headscissors. A sunset flip gives Ruca one and a dropkick gets two as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled here. Miller takes her back down and grabs a cross arm choke but Ruca is back up. A knockdown out of the corner sets up a flipping legdrop to the back to give Ruca the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. Ruca is a very athletic woman and has a good look. That is the extent of what could be said about her based on this and that isn’t enough to get much from yet. So far, the only thing I know about Ruca is she surfs and is athletic. One of those things makes her stand out and she is going to need something else to make me interested in her.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are still fighting.

Cameron Grimes vs. Joe Gacy

The Dyad is here with Gacy. Grimes kicks away at the ribs to start so Gacy heads outside, where he rams Grimes into the apron. That’s enough for Grimes, who fights up and hits a flip dive to take the Dyad down. Back in and Gacy grabs a swinging Rock Bottom for two on Grimes but he slips out of a second one. The superkick drops Gacy but the Dyad offers another distraction. That’s enough for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here, other than Gacy getting another win because of course he does. For the life of me I do not get what WWE sees in him but we are going to be seeing him for a long time to come. I would hope that this doesn’t lead to Grimes joining the team, but maybe he can find a friend to help deal with the numbers game.

Grayson Waller is frustrated with Apollo Crews, including what was wrong with his eyes in that vision. So Crews’ visions are now able to be seen by everyone? Doesn’t that mean it isn’t his vision? Anyway, Waller is going to have extra security for his talk show next week because that isn’t going to happen.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayden Carter

Zoey Stark and Katana Chance are here too. Feeling out process to start with Carter taking her down and shaking a bit. Back up and Lyons knocks her into the corner, setting up the running headscissors out of the corner. Something like a Michinoku Driver gives Lyons two but Carter knocks her down. The running kick to the face in the ropes gets two on Lyons but she is right back with a spinning kick to the head. The splits splash finishes for Lyons at 4:14.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark are likely to get the next Women’s Tag Team Title shot and that means one of them needs to pin one of the champs on the way there. It would not surprise me to see Lyons move up to a much higher level on her own one day, but the Tag Team Titles makes enough sense. Keeping Lyons matches short is a good idea as she gets to be flashy and get out, which works well for her.

We look back at Chase U beating Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams last week.

This week at a pep rally, Chase told his students that he has a North American Title qualifying match next week against Von Wagner. He’s ready to move on to win the title and opens the floor for questions. Someone named Dave (ahuh) asks why we should believe that Chase can beat Wagner. Chase: “YOU THINK THAT’S A FIVE STAR QUESTION???” Chase promises to win. So there is WWE’s take on the AEW media scrums.

Nathan Frazer talks about being tied up with Axiom and compares it to his soccer career.

Xyon Quinn vs. Ilja Dragunov

They fight over a headlock to start with Dragunov getting the better of things with a headlock takeover. The abdominal stretch goes on but Quinn slips out and sends him into the corner for a running shot to the face. There’s a backbreaker to Dragunov and a splash gets two. Dragunov hits a jumping enziguri and muscles him over with a suplex, setting up a hard right hand on the mat. The Torpedo Undisclosed Location finishes Quinn at 4:54.

Rating: C+. What matters here is getting Dragunov in the ring and giving him a win to establish him. The fans knew who he was but he needed to beat someone to get his feet wet around here. Dragunov is such a ball of energy in the ring and he’ll get over through pure energy, while Quinn….dang he seemed like a solid prospect and then just fell apart.

Wendy Choo doesn’t like Lash Legend’s voice and won’t apologize for standing up for herself. Legend doesn’t like her either so next week they’ll try to shut each other up.

Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp

Brutus starts the brawl in the aisle and they head inside for the opening bell. They fight over some grappling to start with Kemp grabbing a cravate. Creed fights up and gets two off a cradle, which is enough for Kemp to grab a chair and unload for the DQ at 3:03.

Rating: C. This was more about moving a story forward as Kemp is getting ready for the big showdown with Julius Creed. That being said, the more I see of Kemp, the more I like him. He has the amateur style and is becoming a rather nasty heel so this was a nice beatdown for the ending. Brutus got beaten up, but there are bigger deals for Kemp coming down the line.

Kemp wants Julius Creed too. Where is Julius for the save anyway?

Quincy Elliott gives Sanga a pep talk in the back, which Sanga appreciates. With Sanga gone, Xyon Quinn comes in but Elliott doesn’t see the X Factor in him. Then Quincy leaves.

Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles but Toxic Attraction comes in to laugh at them. A fight is teased and here is Alba Fyre to even things up (and start a fire). Toxic Attraction bails.

Gallus vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

Pub Rules match, meaning street fight, with Joe Coffey banned from ringside. It’s a brawl to start with a fight on the floor and another inside. Gallus feels the need to bring out a table as I feel the need to praise Jensen’s Badstreet USA shirt. Jensen grabs his own table but instead it’s time for s a bunch of chair shots to drop Gallus as we take a break. Back with Gallus in control and a bunch of weapons in the ring.

Some belts are brought out to whip Jensen and Briggs, with a few fans being rather terrified. Jensen and Briggs fight up and get in their own whipping but since it’s pub rules, some glasses are broken over Gallus as well. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so here is Joe Coffey, who gets booted off the apron and through a table. Wolfgang goes through a table as well and it’s a High/Low to Mark (still in the trashcan) for the win at 11:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a low level house show main event where they had a street fight for the sake of saying they had a street fight. There was nothing here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere and Gallus got beaten up pretty easily. I don’t know what kind of a future Briggs and Jensen have, but it’s better than whatever Gallus has to look forward to. Dull match and really not worthy of a main event spot.

Gallus is held back by security and punches a referee. Cops come in to arrest the trio to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a very up and down show and I wasn’t getting into a lot of it. There was nothing on here that was particularly good or worth seeing, but it did move a lot of things forward. That is one of the places where NXT shines: it feels like they know where they want to go and how they want to get there, which is a lot more than some shows can say. Halloween Havoc is over a month away and you can see a lot of the matches from here. If they can find a better way to set things up then great, but for now, they are at least doing something right in the areas of structure. Not a great show, but it was well put together.

Results
Mandy Rose b. Fallon Henley – Running knee
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo via referee stoppage
Sol Ruca b. Amari Miller – Flipping legdrop
Joe Gacy b. Cameron Grimes – Handspring clothesline
Nikkita Lyons b. Kayden Carter – Splits splash
Ilja Dragunov b. Xyon Quinn – Torpedo
Brutus Creed b. Damon Kemp via DQ when Kemp used a chair
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Gallus – High/low to Coffey

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NXT
Date: September 6, 2022
Location: capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re done with Worlds Collide and that means it is time to start the build towards whatever is next around here. Odds are that is going to be a big weekly show in a month or so, continuing a schedule that has severed NXT well. NXT has a fresh batch of stars from the UK here and now we get to see them full time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds Collide if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Worlds Collide.

Here is Tyler Bate for a chat. He thanks the fans for having NXT UK’s back since the beginning, along with Bron Breaker for having such a great match. Cue Gallus to accuse Bate of letting the UK down and not being the Big Strong Boy anymore. The brawl doesn’t take long but Breakker runs in for the save. I think we have a tag match.

Pretty Deadly brags about winning more Tag Team Titles when Lash Legend comes in to brag about them.

Back on Sunday, Cora Jade interrupted Meiko Satomura and mocked her before setting up a match between them. Well not quite actually as Satomura already has a match with Roxanne Perez.

Doudrop/Nikki Ash vs. Toxic Attraction

Ash sends Dolin into the corner to start and hands it off to Doudrop for some heavy shoulders. It’s back to Ash, who is driven into the wrong corner so Jayne can pose a lot. Ash comes back with a chinlock to keep Jayne in trouble, setting up a swinging neckbreaker. Back up and Nikki gets knocked off the apron with Doudrop following in a bigger crash as we take a break.

We come back with Jayne grabbing a front facelock before taking Ash down with a neckbreaker. Ash fights up and gets over to Doudrop so house can be cleaned, including a double backsplash. Jayne has to save Dolin after a Cannonball so Ash ties her in the ring skirt for the hard forearms. Dolin goes up so Doudrop pulls her out of the air for a Michinoku Driver. The basement crossbody finishes Dolin at 10:40.

Rating: C. It says a lot when I was so sued to calling Toxic Attraction the champions that I almost did it again here. Doudrop and Ash might be sticking around long term and that isn’t a bad thing for them. Giving them a few wins at least reheats them a bit, though it may be too late for them to be brought back to any value.

Apollo Crews talks about Grayson Waller going for his eyes. Payback is coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Wes Lee

McDonagh headlocks him down to start as we talk about the return of Braun Strowman to Raw. Back up and Lee kicks him away, only to get his neck snapped across the top rope. We take a break and come back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock. The rapid fire kicks to the chest and a double stomp to the back have McDonagh on the floor. Lee knocks him over the announcers’ table and takes him back inside for a Meteora. A hard knee rocks McDonagh again but he pulls Lee into a suplex. Another attempt is countered into a sunset flip but McDonagh kicks him in the face. The Devil Inside finishes Lee at 9:34.

Rating: B. Lee was bringing it here and McDonagh was right there with him the whole way, making for another good match. These guys were working hard and keeping the pace fast, which is more than you see most of the time in a match on this level. I’m still not sure what Lee is going to do and McDonagh’s oddness makes him hard to pin down as well. For now though, I’ll settle for something like this.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are having coffee when Pretty Deadly comes in to join them. D’Angelo asks them how much it cost to get Damon Kemp to screw over Diamond Mine. Prince burns his mouth on the coffee before saying they did everything themselves.

Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is looking rather nervous here and Satomura takes over on her arm to start. Back up and Perez sends her into the corner, setting up a headscissors into a rollup for two. Satomura pulls Perez down into a choke but vets reversed into an STF, causing Satomura to elbow her way to freedom. Perez sends is outside for a heck of a suicide dive and we take a break.

Back with Satomura pulling on both arms but Perez fights up and grabs a Russian legsweep. A Koji Clutch is broken up and Satomura hits a running spinwheel kick. Perez catches her up top with a super hurricanrana for two, giving us the shocked kickout face. Satomura has had it with her and comes back with a Pele kick into Scorpio Rising for the pin at 11:22.

Rating: B-. More goodness here and a very nice rub for Perez. You can see so much natural talent and star power in her matches and giving her a match with Satomura is a great way to go. Satomura sticking around is a good thing as she adds value to anyone doing anything, including as she did with Perez here.

Respect is shown post match but Cora Jade runs in to stick Perez down.

Tyler Bate and Bron Breakker are ready to take out Gallus.

Damon Kemp explains how he tore Diamond Mine apart from the inside because he didn’t like being left as the bench as a backup. He knew Roderick Strong and Julius Creed were going to explode and he stirred the pot. Then he took Strong out in the parking lot and cost the Creeds the Tag Team Titles. More on this next time. I’ve heard far worse explanations.

Dyad tries to recruit Kiana James, who gives them a polite brush out. Then James runs into Arianna Grace, who seems to be what James was looking for. Someone hugged the Dyad as the women were talking.

Trick Williams vs. Ricochet

Carmelo Hayes is on commentary. Ricochet kicks him to the floor and Hayes isn’t sure what to do early on. Back in and Ricochet starts cranking on the arm but Williams manages a pop up uppercut for two. Williams takes him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table, setting up a running neckbreaker for two more back inside. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody into the Recoil into the shooting star press (with a stare at Hayes) for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C+. They kept this one quick and Ricochet was his usual high flying self. Williams continues to be someone that is fun to watch but that you also want to see get hit in the face, which is an impressive combination. I’m not sure if Ricochet is sticking around full time, but another match with Hayes would not be the biggest shock.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are still having coffee when Cameron Grimes walks past. Grimes says they’re just like Joe Gacy and he still doesn’t need anyone. D’Angelo throws an insult so Grimes throws the coffee, earning himself a Rock Bottom through the table.

Sol Ruca, a surfer, is coming.

Diamond Mine is ready to wreck Damon Kemp, plus Pretty Deadly next week. Pretty Deadly comes up to say not so fast, because the people can vote on the stipulation so Pretty Deadly can prove everyone wrong.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

First match in a best of three series. They trade wrist control to start before Frazer reverses into a headlock, allowing them to flip up to their feet. Frazer dropkicks him to the floor for a dive and we take a break. We come back with Axiom sending him to the floor for a suicide dive before starting in on the arm back inside.

Frazer fights up again and hits something like AJ Styles’ moonsault into a reverse DDT for two, followed by a Sling Blade. The running shooting star hits knees though and Axiom pulls him into a triangle choke. Frazer makes the rope and pulls Axiom into a half crab, followed by something like the old Haas of Pain to send Axiom to the ropes as well. Back up and Axiom hits a heck of a jumping kick to the face for the pin at 11:42.

Rating: B-. This was more of the modern style match with both guys hitting their stuff and trying to wear the other one down until the big finish could give them the win. I don’t know if I need to see them do this two more times, but it is good to get them both on television a bit more often. They have the in-ring abilities but are still needing something to do, so this is better than nothing.

Javier Bernal annoys Hank Walker (security guard) and a fight nearly breaks out until Walker goes to escort Gallus to the ring.

Quincy Elliott is here next week.

Here’s what else is coming next week.

Gallus vs. Tyler Bate/Bron Breakker

Mark Coffey is here with Gallus. Breakker headlocks Joe Coffey to start and takes him down in the corner before handing it off to Bate. Joe gets over for the tag off to Mark so it’s a double suplex to drop Gallus. We even get an old school Steiner pose we we take a break. Back with Bate hitting a big dive to the floor but a Wolfgang distraction lets post Breakker to take over again.

Back in and the rib work begins, including some forearms to the ribs and a chinlock. Mark grabs a bearhug but Bate slips out and goes through the legs to set up the hot tag. Breakker comes in for the spinebusters and a Steiner Bulldog gets two. All The Best For The Bells is cut off with a spear and the Tyler Driver 97 finishes Mark at 10:51.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on Gallus losing again but at least they lost to a pair of big singles stars. Bate getting the main event pin should help him a bit and they had another hard hitting match on the way there. Gallus could use a win of its own and soon, but it’s far too early to write anyone off.

Post match the winners celebrate but JD McDonagh runs in to take them both down, including a big beating to Bate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with nothing close to bad and a bunch of good to very good matches. Throw in some angle advancement and that is a heck of a good use of two hours. NXT might not what it once was but it is still a very nice show a lot of the time. This is one of their best in recent memory and it comes off a pretty good Worlds Collide, so they might even be on a roll.

Results
Nikki Ash/Doudrop b. Toxic Attraction – Basement crossbody to Dolin
JD McDonagh b. Wes Lee – Devil Inside
Meiko Satomura b. Roxanne Perez – Scorpio Rising
Ricochet b. Trick Williams – Shooting star press
Axiom b. Nathan Frazer – Running kick to the face
Bron Breakker/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Tyler Driver 97 to Mark

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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