Smackdown
Date: June 16, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Now stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but it’s time for Jey Uso to make a choice. This time around, Roman Reigns is in the house and wants Jey to decide if he’s with the Bloodline or if he’s with his brother Jimmy. Other than that, we have some Money in the Bank momentum building to do so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck on the right side of the stage.

We open with a recap of last week, with Jey Uso being left conflicted over which side to choose. More on this later.

The Bloodline arrives and no one will talk about Jey Uso.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot in two weeks. The Street Profits are in at #1 and the Brawling Brutes are in at #2 to get things going. Ford dropkicks Sheamus down to start as Pretty Deadly is not impressed on the floor. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Ford in trouble for a change and it’s off to Holland for a swinging front facelock (ow). Back up and a jumping enziguri drops Holland and a diving tag brings Dawkins back in (despite a dive not being necessary). A blind tag brings Sheamus back in though and it’s a Brogue Kick to finish Dawkins at 2:32.

The OC are in at #3 and the reverse 3D gets two on Sheamus as we take a break. Back with Sheamus still in trouble as Anderson elbows him in the head. Gallows grabs a chinlock but Sheamus fights up, only to have Anderson come in and knock Holland off the apron. That just earns him a Brogue Kick for the pin at 9:06 total and it’s the LWO in at #4.

They don’t waste time in hitting stereo flip dives onto the Brutes, followed by a good looking moonsault to give Del Toro two on Sheamus. An enziguri knocks Sheamus into the corner and it’s Holland starting the comeback. A Dominator spun into a DDT finishes Del Toro at 10:59. Hit Row is in at #5 and the Brogue Kick finishes Dolla at 11:14. That leaves Pretty Deadly in at #6 (last team) and we take a break.

Back with Holland in trouble and Prince hammering away at his face. Wilson grabs the chinlock but Holland fights up and knocks him away without much effort. Sheamus comes back in and cleans house with Irish Curses but the Brogue Kick misses. Instead it’s an Alabama Slam, with Prince making the save. Everything breaks down and Pretty Deadly winds up on the apron, with Prince taking ten forearms to the chest and Wilson taking about twenty more. The Celtic Cross is loaded up but Prince tags himself and hits a top rope legdrop to steal the pin on Sheamus at 21:40.

Rating: B-. This got some time but thankfully didn’t go insane like some gauntlet matches have done before. Pretty Deadly kind of stole the win by coming in at the end but it was a perfectly legal way to get a fall on Sheamus. The Brutes continue to look good in defeat, though Hit Row might want to avoid answering their phones anytime soon, as it’s clear that the team does not have anything going for it at the moment, which isn’t likely to get better.

Post break, Pretty Deadly is still in the ring and here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to interrupt. Sami says the match ended five minutes ago and Pretty Deadly is still in the ring, so they have overstayed their welcome by about five minutes. Pretty Deadly doesn’t like the disrespect towards…..the Dandy Highwaymen and the Two Tastiest Snacks (among other names). They’ll win the titles in two weeks and then they’ll celebrate even longer and then they’ll do it even longer, and just when you think they’re done, they’ll do it EVEN LONGER.

Owens isn’t impressed and goes on a rant about how he wants to go in there and punch them in their stupid faces. Sami: “I think we should do it.” Owens: “Yeah???” Sami: “YEAH!” The champs chase Pretty Deadly off and glare at them (Sami and Kevin would go on to beat the daylights out of Pretty Deadly in a post show street fight).

Paul Heyman is rather nervous as he asks Roman Reigns if he has spoken to Jey Uso. Of course Reigns hasn’t, because he’s the Tribal Chief and Jey should be reaching out to him. Reigns orders Heyman to go talk to Jey NOW and doesn’t seem happy at all.

Iyo Sky vs. Zelina Vega

Bayley is here with Sky and Vega hands a flip flop to a fan on the way to the ring. Sky shoves her in the face and gets hammered in the head for her efforts. A headscissors doesn’t do much to Sky, who sticks the landing and scores with a dropkick to take over. Sky starts cranking on a hammerlock but Vega rolls over or a kick to the head. Bayley gets on the apron or a distraction but Sky avoids the contact. Instead Sky rolls Vega up but the referee is yelling at Bayley. The ensuing argument lets Vega hit a 619 for the pin on Sky at 2:25. Short and to the point here, as Damage CTRL is in trouble.

We recap Charlotte returning last week to throw her hat into the Women’s Title picture, which doesn’t sit well with previous #1 contender Bianca Belair.

Belair comes up to Adam Pearce in the back and asks about her rematch. Pearce says it’s being talked about, but he can’t give her an answer tonight. Belair says she got the title match the right way (Pearce agrees) so now she’s going to do this her way.

Iyo Sky yells at Bayley over the loss when Shotzi comes in. Shotzi talks about how Bayley cost her a spot in Money in the Bank but Bayley doesn’t care. If that’s the case, then Bayley can put up her own spot against Shotzi. Sky accepts for Bayley so Shotzi is off to make it official. Sky: “I’m just trying to help.”

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with special guest Charlotte, whose outfit is….uh….well the best description (unfortunately not mine) is that it looks like a bad couch from the 70s (the matching gloves sleeves are a great touch). Waller gets to the point by asking about Charlotte’s upcoming title shot in two weeks. The idea of Charlotte vs. Asuka makes her think of big matches, like the time where she ended Asuka’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.

Charlotte asks for a question, and says that it’s not about the number of title reigns, but the fact that she has Asuka’s number (good line). Cue Bianca Belair to interrupt (Cole says that Belair is in an awful mood as she skips down to the ring), saying that she has her own accolades and wonders why Charlotte is getting the shot. Charlotte says she isn’t apologizing because the line starts and ends with her. Belair says she got defeated and stayed (ouch) so she’s not understanding what’s going on here.

Charlotte talks about how she has picked herself up fourteen times and is a champion without the title. Belair bring sup being the longest reigning women’s champion of this era so put some respect on her name (yep). The past is the past but the future is that she’ll be ringside for Charlotte’s title shot. No matter who wins, she’s coming for the title. Belair was bringing the fire here and she’s absolutely right with pretty much everything she said.

Paul Heyman comes up to Jey Uso and says he’s sorry that Jimmy Uso kicked him in the face last week to cost him the US Title. Of course that was intentional because Jimmy has the most accurate kick of anyone but Jey himself. Jey deserves better than that and Heyman is sorry. Jey says he’s sorry too, but if he’s in, Heyman is still out.

AJ Styles/Michin vs. Karrion Kross/Scarlett

Styles wastes no time in striking away at Kross and it’s quickly off to the women, with Michin firing off strikes of her own. A spinning kick to the face sets up a release German suplex and it’s back to Kross. That’s fine with Styles, who hits the Styles Clash but Scarlett breaks it up and hits on him. Styles points out his wedding ring and says “I’m married” and what sounded like “b****” but might have been “witch”. Kross uses the distraction to grab the Krossjacket and hits a pumphandle powerslam swung into a kind of F5 (that’s different) for the pin at 2:20. That was quick.

Paul Heyman comes back to Roman Reigns, who does not seem thrilled at the lack of progress. Solo Sikoa scares Heyman off and Sikoa asks if Reigns wants him to handle this. Reigns says they have plenty of time.

Baron Corbin jumps Cameron Grimes in the back.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. He talks about how happy he is to reform the LWO and is happy to bring out the next Mr. Money in the Bank: Santos Escobar. Cue Escobar, who thanks Rey for believing in him and could go a long way with the briefcase. Cue LA Knight, who shoves Rey down and the fight is on before the scheduled Knight vs. Escobar match.

LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Joined in progress with Escobar fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some running forearms. Knight hits a powerslam though and the jumping elbow gets two (and a heck of a reaction). Back up and Escobar tries a victory roll but Knight sits down on it and grabs the ropes for two, as Escobar rolls him up again for the pin at 2:18 shown.

Post match Knight jumps Escobar but Rey Mysterio runs back in for the save. Knight was getting some incredible reactions here and my goodness the push could be ready to go anytime now.

Jey Uso runs into Sami Zayn, who just looks at him, nods, and walks away.

Here is the Bloodline, or what’s left of it, to get Jey’s answer. After a break, Reigns tells Lexington, Kentucky (not the University of Kentucky, no matter what WWE keeps saying) to acknowledge him. And then Jey Uso interrupts (Reigns tells Solo Sikoa to keep calm) as we’re getting to the point fast. Reigns says the people want answers so Jey says it’s either him or Paul Heyman.

That doesn’t work for Reigns, who says that when Jey is Tribal Chief, he can pick his own wise man. Reigns talks about how he got them to the promised land but Jey is here to keep them there. They have been grooming him for years now and the only problem is Jimmy Uso….who comes out to interrupt. Jimmy tells Jey that Reigns is just using him, but Reigns says it took ten years just to get the Usos to Wrestlemania and NOW THEY MAIN EVENTED IT!

Reigns calls Jimmy an anchor while Reigns himself is the wings. Jey can’t be a Tribal Chief and a twin at the same time, but remember one thing: the only person who had a problem with Jey becoming the Right Hand Man was Jimmy himself. That sends Jey into a rant against Jimmy not believing him and how he has always told to be like his big brother, with Jey even saying his own first name (Joshua). Jey: “So guess what? You out! AND I’M OUT TOO!”

Jey superkicks Reigns’ head off and the Usos superkick Sikoa to the floor as the roof comes off the place (this was a genuine standing ovation and by far the loudest reaction all night). Reigns is livid and gets up but a double superkick puts him down again to end the show as Heyman is in tears.

That is the kind of major move that the story has been needing, as there is not likely to be any coming back from this. The Usos are out of the Bloodline, which is now down to Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. You can all but pencil in the Money in the Bank main event tag match from here, and that is a big deal in its own right. This was a moment and my goodness did the fans eat it up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird show as the ONLY thing that really matters is the big closing segment (the gauntlet match was good, but it’s 20+ minutes to get to the comedy team winning in the end). That being said, my goodness did that segment deliver as the best story WWE has told in a VERY long time gets cranked up and sent in a new direction. Money In The Bank is going to be a huge show and now you can see most of what is coming on the card. Throw in LA Knight getting some monster reactions and a good women’s segment and this could be one heck of a summer for WWE.

Results
Pretty Deadly won a tag team gauntlet match last eliminating the Brawling Brutes
Zelina Vega b. Iyo Sky – 619
Karrion Kross/Scarlett b. AJ Styles/Michin – Swinging faceplant to Styles
Santos Escobar b. LA Knight – 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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AND

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Smackdown
Date: June 2, 2023
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Night Of Champions and while there wasn’t a big Smackdown title change, the major story came at the end, as Jimmy Uso superkicked Roman Reigns to seemingly remove himself from the Bloodline. Tonight just so happens to be the 1000 day celebration for Reigns’ Universal Title reign so we should be in for some fireworks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

Barrett and Cole welcome us to the show and throw us to a rather cool video on Roman Reigns, looking at his entire reign. The video includes a timeline as he rises up the ranks and passes various people and looks at some milestones. If there is one thing WWE knows how to do, it is look back at its own history.

Austin Theory is in the ring…and we look at Reigns retaining at Wrestlemania XXXVII, which was already looked at in the video.

Theory says this is the celebration of Reigns reaching 1000 days as Universal Champion. What is even more impressive than that though is if you combined his title reign with Reigns’ it would be 1,209 days. He’ll probably have his own 4000 day reign or so, especially if he is given challengers like Sheamus. For now though, he’ll introduce his partners for tonight, so here is Pretty Deadly to be rather happy about Theory.

Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly/Austin Theory

Holland jumps Prince to start and it’s quickly off to Wilson. Butch comes in as well but gets taken down into a chinlock. That doesn’t work for Butch who stomps on the fingers. The big kick misses though and it’s Theory coming in and wanting Sheamus (the fans agree). We take a break and come back with Butch in trouble and Theory getting to pose.

Butch DDTs his way out of trouble and it’s Sheamus coming in to clean house. A triple White Noise sets up the Brogue to Theory but Prince pulls him outside. Back to back drives drop the villains and we take another break. Back again with Sheamus hitting a top rope knee to the chest for two on Prince and everything breaks down.

We get a parade of strikes to the face until Butch is backdropped to the floor. Sheamus knees Theory in the face for two and Holland powers Pretty Deadly over. The triple forearms to the chest have the Brutes in even more control but Wilson and Prince switch places, setting up Spilled Milk to Holland. Theory gets the pin at 17:35.

Rating: B-. This got a good bit of time (maybe too much) and seems to wrap up Theory vs. Sheamus. Theory has already beaten Sheamus in a singles match and now he has beaten his team in a six man. Exactly what else is there for them to do at the moment? Pretty Deadly continues to be their goofy selves, but the Brutes could use a win sooner than later as the bad run continues.

We look back at Jimmy Uso turning on Roman Reigns and leaving the Bloodline at Night Of Champions.

Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that he’s going to make sure the Usos aren’t here tonight.

We look at Seth Rollins beating AJ Styles to win the World Heavyweight Title at Night Of Champions.

AJ Styles (the birthday boy) is here and wants the OC to take out Hit Row.

Roman Reigns beat Brock Lesnar to retain at Summerslam 2022.

Hit Row vs. OC

All of their associates are here and apparently this is over a Hit Row rap about the OC. Hit Row jumps them to start and it’s Adonis taking over on Anderson with a chinlock. AJ/Michin argue with B Fab on the floor, followed by Anderson hitting a spinebuster to get a breather. Gallows comes in to clean house, including a suplex to Adonis. The Magic Killer gives Anderson the pin at 2:58.

Post match Top Dolla goes after the OC, earning himself a Phenomenal Forearm.

Paul Heyman comes in to see Adam Pearce, who says the Usos’ travel has been canceled and there is double security. Heyman calls Reigns, whose locker room he was in about five minutes ago.

Breaking News: Seth Rollins defends against Damian Priest on Raw.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with new Raw Women’s Champion Asuka as the special guest. We look at Asuka defeating Bianca Belair to win the title at Night Of Champion, allowing Asuka to do her celebratory dance. Waller says he couldn’t have said it better himself and points to the Money in the Bank briefcases. Asuka has to know that Belair is coming for her, but here is Iyo Sky to yell at Asuka.

Cue Bayley (Cole: “There go the ratings.”) to says she’s won before so she’ll win again. Then it’s Shotzi, Lacey Evans (looking like Sgt. Slaughter mixed with Rhea Ripley) and Zelina Vega interrupting and promising to win. The arguing is on, with Waller declaring it the best day of his life, but Asuka slips away. Cue Belair for the brawl to end this really, really bad segment. It was a bunch of people coming out to say “I’ll win!/No I’ll win!/NO I’LL WIN!” until they ran out of women.

We look at Baron Corbin going after the NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes on NXT.

Cameron Grimes will be waiting whenever Corbin gets back.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Lacey Evans

Evans punched her during the break so Vega is rocked. An early slingshot Bronco Buster hits Vega and the chinlock is on. Evans even swings her around to make it worse before going with the normal thing. Vega fights up and sends her into the corner, setting up Code Red to finish Evans at 2:48. This was nothing.

Roman Reigns beat Sami Zayn this year at Elimination Chamber.

Legado del Fantasma praises Zelina Vega for winning her match. Escobar will do it next time and Rey Mysterio pops up to say they’ll win the briefcases.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Montez Ford

They trade arm control to start and Knight doesn’t seem pleased. A shove off goes to Ford so Knight sends him to the apron for a hard forearm to the floor. Back from a break with Ford hitting a belly to back suplex but Knight knocks him down again. A springboard moonsault of all things misses for Knight and they clothesline each other down. Ford shoves him off the top but misses the Cash Out. Instead they trade rollups, with Knight grabbing the ropes for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. Knight continues his singles winning streak and that should be a good sign for his future. At the end of the day, a win over Ford and a spot in the ladder match only gets you so far, but Knight has at least shaken off a lot of his loser persona. That is a big first step and if he does win the briefcase, it won’t feel like it comes so out of nowhere.

Video on Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who speak a bunch of Latin and promise doom. They’re leaning way into the magic stuff here.

Roman Reigns retained at Wrestlemania XXXIX as well.

Here is HHH to introduce Roman Reigns for his 1000 day celebration. After comparing him to Michael Jordan, HHH brings out Reigns, with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. With Reigns in the ring, HHH unveils a new title belt, which is again the big WWE logo but with a gold background and mainly black around the strap. Reigns is about to tell Pennsylvania to acknowledge him but switches it to the entire WWE Universe. Cue the Usos to interrupt though, making that Adam Pearce segment from earlier rather worthless.

We take a break and come back with Jimmy Uso and Reigns staring each other down. Reigns to Jey Uso: “Kick him in the face.” Reigns tells him to do it right now like Jimmy did to him at Night Of Champions. He tells Jey to fix this, but Jimmy says Reigns is what needs fixing. Jimmy did what he did because he was being a brother. Jimmy talks to Sikoa and says Reigns will turn on him, drawing an USO chant.

Reigns says that’s because of him so let’s ask what Sikoa thinks. Sikoa acknowledges Reigns….but the Usos are his brothers. Sikoa goes to stand next to the Usos (the place goes NUTS for that) and Reigns/Heyman look scared. Jimmy says the Island of Relevancy is going to be lonely so Reigns goes for him, earning a shove in the face. Jey isn’t happy with what and we have to shut down the audio for the HOLY S*** chant.

Jey says he needs both of them and they can’t fight like this. Jimmy: “He’s right.” They’re all brothers and let’s do this together with respect like they’ve been doing. Reigns is thinking about it as Jimmy asks if they’re still the ones. Jimmy and Reigns have the big emotional hug and Jey looks incredibly relieved. As the hug continues, Reigns says no, and Solo Spikes Jimmy. Jey checks on Jimmy and Sikoa leaves with Reigns/Heyman. As they leave, Heyman asks Reigns about Jey. Reigns: “Jey’s gonna do what he always does: fall in line. He’ll fall in line.”

This was another emotional roller coaster and it absolutely worked, as this always tends to do. At the end of the day, this has turned into a battle for Jey Uso and that could make for some very interesting different paths as we go forward. You can probably pencil in the tag match for Money In The Bank, but after that, it seems like it’s a wide open slate of options.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of those shows that was divided in two. You had everything else, and then the Bloodline segment. At the end of the day, the Bloodline is the biggest story in WWE at the moment and this was the next step in that story. Things are entering into a meltdown stage and that should be very interesting. Other than that, you have some Money in the Bank qualifying matches and that six man. This wasn’t a very good show, but egads the final segment had the audience eating out of its hand for good reason.

Results
Pretty Deadly/Austin Theory b. Brawling Brutes – Spilled Milk to Holland
OC b. Hit Row – Magic Killer to Adonis
Zelina Vega b. Lacey Evans – Code Red
LA Knight b. Montez Ford – Rollup while grabbing the rope

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: May 26, 2023
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than twenty four hours away from Night Of Champions and that means this week’s show is taped in advance. Tomorrow’s show is all but set and that should make for a card built around getting everything finalized. I’m sure there will be some extra stuff pushed as well so let’s get to it.

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

US Title: Sheamus vs. Austin Theory

Sheamus, with the Brawling Brutes, is challenging. The power game drops Theory early but Theory goes to the leg to take over. Theory tries his own forearms to the chest and gets cut out almost immediately. Sheamus gets posted hard and dropped onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Theory elbowing him in the face for one, followed by the chinlock.

Sheamus is right back up with a running corner clothesline and the Irish Curse gets two. A torture rack powerbomb puts Sheamus back down but a rolling something is cut off by Sheamus’ knee. The ten (and more) forearms to the chest rock Theory and the Brogue Kick is loaded up. Cue Pretty Deadly to go after the Brutes though and Theory rolls Sheamus up to retain at 12:18.

Rating: C+. Not a bad title defense for Theory and a six man isn’t out of the question as a result. Sheamus might not have felt like the biggest threat to take the title, but he’s still a former World Champion so it wasn’t completely out of the question. What matters is Theory gets another win over a big name to add to his rapidly growing resume in a completely watchable match.

Post match Sheamus chases Pretty Deadly off.

We look at the Bloodline’s recent issues.

The Bloodline is in the back, where Paul Heyman says the Usos won’t be at Night Of Champions but they can join Roman Reigns for the 1,000 day title celebration next week. Jimmy Uso doesn’t know what Reigns’ problem is and goes to leave but Reigns tells him to sit down.

Jimmy doesn’t sit, so Reigns gets up in front of him and asks if Jimmy is standing up to him. Reigns tells him to let it out and reminds him of the whippings he gave Jimmy back in the day. He can give Jimmy another one now but Jey gets up and says he and Jimmy will see Reigns next week as the Usos leave. This is the kind of thing that actually feels like we’re getting somewhere, but the big stuff is tomorrow and next week.

Shotzi/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage Ctrl

Rodriguez powers Bayley around to start before it’s off to Sky. A chokeslam is broken up as Bayley comes in off a blind tag and a dropkick gives Sky two. We take a break and come back with Rodriguez fighting out of the corner and handing it back to Shotzi for the house cleaning. Shotzi dropkicks Bayley for two but Sky’s distraction lets Bayley rake the eyes. Stereo kicks to the head knock Shotzi silly with Rodriguez having to make a save of her own.

A tiger suplex gives Shotzi two and it’s back to Rodriguez, who is sent face first into the middle buckle. Rodriguez powers Sky into the corner where Bayley tags herself in. Bayley tries a middle rope sunset flip but Sky comes in off the top with a dropkick to Shotzi/backsplash that…lands on Rodriguez’s back as she was sitting on Bayley. Rodriguez stays on Bayley and gets the pin at 9:07. It was described as “miscommunication” so we’ll go with that.

Rating: C. That ending was kind of a mess but the result was the right way to go. Somehow Sky cost Bayley the pin and that is another step towards Damage Ctrl’s split. The team isn’t doing well right now and there is a good chance that they won’t be around that much longer. Shotzi is Rodriguez’s latest short term partner and I can’t imagine they’ll be a team long term anyway.

We see part of the Seth Rollins interview where he talks about what the World Title means to him.

Video on AJ Styles’ WWE career.

Video on Grayson Waller.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ashante Thee Adonis

The rest of Hit Row is here with Adonis. Grimes drops him to start and hits a running shooting star press for an early two. A Top Dolla distraction lets Adonis hammer away with some knees to the back. Grimes flips out of a suplex and hits some running forearms into a hurricanrana. The Cave In finishes Adonis at 2:10. Short and Grimes won so no complaints here.

Post match Baron Corbin jumps Cameron Grimes and lays him out.

Video on Asuka vs. Bianca Belair.

Here is Bianca Belair to talk about Asuka. She doesn’t like what Asuka has been doing and it isn’t the same Asuka from Wrestlemania. If Asuka wants to fight she can come do it, so cue Asuka….from behind, to jump Belair. Asuka gets a cross armbreaker but referees and agents break it up. Belair tries a KOD but the agents catch Asuka, who slips away. It’s better than their Wrestlemania build at least.

Rick Boogs vs. LA Knight

The Street Profits join commentary as Boogs throws Knight outside to start. Boogs drops him onto the announcers’ table but takes too long to get back inside, allowing Knight to hammer away. The running knee connects in the corner and Knight slams the back of Boogs’ head into the mat. Boogs powers him away again and hits a backdrop. The Boogs Cruise is broken up though and Blunt Force Trauma finishes for Knight at 3:17.

Rating: C. Much like Grimes, what matters here is that the result went the right way. Beating Boogs might not be the biggest victory in the world, but it is a lot better than Knight taking another loss. The fans are into Knight and seeing him get any kind of momentum is a good thing. He could use more, but I’ll take what I can get.

Post match Knight promises to smoke the Street Profits.

Karrion Kross is ready to hurt AJ Styles.

Video on Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre.

Karrion Kross vs. AJ Styles

Scarlett is here with Kross. Styles gets powered into the corner to start but comes back with a kick to the face. Scarlett breaks up a springboard though and Kross superkicks Styles off the apron. Cue Michin to chase Scarlett off and we take a break. Back with Kross elbowing him in the face and grabbing a chinlock. Styles fights up with the Pele into a basement forearm, followed by the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Kross misses his running forearm to the back of the head and gets knocked backwards, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here as Styles needed a win to get some momentum heading into Night Of Champions. Styles is a legend in his own right but he has been out of action for a long time and has more or less been the other guy as Rollins marches to his title. Kross continues to just be kind of there, and I’m not sure what can be done to fix that.

Post break Styles says he’s ready to win the title.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Video on Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes.

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the KO Show. They want Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa out here right now but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman says Reigns will be here when he wants to be but here are the Usos to interrupt (Heyman isn’t sure about this). The Usos get in Owens/Zayn’s face but Owens points out that Zayn has been right about Reigns the entire time.

Owens says Reigns can call himself the head of the table, but the Usos are the heart of the table. The reality is that Reigns treats them more like the appendix. They went from being the best team ever to Reigns’ errand boy. Jimmy says that when it comes to the Usos, he is the Tribal Chief….and Heyman knows Jimmy just screwed everything up.

Cue Reigns and Owens can’t help but smile. Zayn: “Roman, you know it’s over right? The Bloodline is collapsing and it’s all your fault.” Reigns goes after Zayn but walks into a Stunner, meaning the fight is on. Solo Sikoa is here with the Spikes though and Reigns is back up to break a bunch of stuff. Zayn gets speared and Jey hands Sikoa some Tag Team Titles.

Jimmy won’t hand the others to Reigns but Jey takes them from him and hands them over. Reigns holds up all four titles as Jimmy walks around in the back (Jey does the pose) to end the show. That was another pretty big storytelling moment and the split is getting closer. Usos vs. Reigns/Sikoa down the line sounds like a pretty good main event.

Overall Rating: B-. There wasn’t any really great match on the show, but it hyped up Night Of Champions and gave us more of the Bloodline drama. The Night Of Champions Tag Team Title match and next week’s celebration are going to be interesting and we could be in for something big no matter what happens on Saturday. The rest of the show advanced enough stuff to stay interesting and while it wasn’t must see, it was good enough for a watch.

Results
Austin Theory b. Sheamus – Rollup
Raquel Rodriguez/Shotzi b. Damage Ctrl – Rollup to Bayley
Cameron Grimes b. Ashante Thee Adonis – Cave In
LA Knight b. Rock Boogs – Blunt Force Trauma
AJ Styles b. Karrion Kross – Phenomenal Forearm

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: May 19, 2023
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the last live Smackdown before Night Of Champions and the pay per view could use some extra build. Last week we got the big surprise of Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa getting to challenge for the Tag Team Titles, which shouldn’t exactly go well with the Usos. Other than that, AJ Styles needs to look sharp heading into the World Heavyweight Championship match and gets to be on the debut of the Grayson Waller Effect. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline (minus the Usos) to get things going. After we look at the announcement of the Tag Team Title match at Night Of Champions, Roman Reigns tells us to acknowledge him. Instead, cue Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, with Reigns telling them to acknowledge him, leave the titles there, and see themselves out. Owens seems ready to fight instead, which doesn’t surprise Reigns. Instead, Reigns talks about having a lot of success in life but only one regret: spending so much of his life on Zayn.

That makes Zayn laugh, because the only thing he regrets is not hitting Reigns in the back with that chair a lot sooner. Zayn says Reigns isn’t getting the titles because he and Sikoa aren’t as good as Zayn and Owens….or the Usos for that matter. Cue the Usos to jump Zayn and Owens, which doesn’t have Reigns happy. Reigns yells at them and accidentally bumps into Sikoa (barely grazing him)….which seems to have Reigns a little nervous as he leaves on his own. They’re making Sikoa into the boogeyman monster of the team and it’s really starting to work.

Post break, Reigns is still yelling at the Usos and asks who is the quarterback of the Bloodline. He had something to say to Sami Zayn but he didn’t get to because the Usos had to do their own thing instead of what has worked this far. Reigns is the guy and he makes these choices, NOW GET OUT.

Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly

Before the match, Pretty Deadly are in chef’s hats and go over the ingredients for success (including charisma and a dash of both of them). Wilson and Butch start with Prince coming in fast to stomp on Butch’s fingers. You don’t do that to him though as it’s Butch stomping on both of their hands to take over. It’s off to Holland for the power, but a quick cheap shot lets Pretty Deadly pose as we take a break.

Back with Holland still in trouble but finally managing a shot to the ribs to send Prince flying. Holland shrugs off Wilson and hands it back to butch to clean house. A double fireman’s carry drop lets Holland show off his rather insane power, setting up stereo forearms to the Pretty Deadly chests. Pretty Deadly gets out and sends Holland into Butch, allowing Spilled Milk to finish Holland at 8:09.

Rating: C+. Pretty Deadly is the definition of a team that needs time to grow on you and starting them off with an upset win is a good way to go. The Brutes seemed to get a bit cocky here, which is the point of Pretty Deadly being a team that everyone underestimates. They’re off to a good start here and hopefully that can continue, as they could be quite the entertaining team.

Video on Superstar Billy Graham. That’s one of the bigger ones and you really can see the influence years later, along with how far ahead of his time he really was.

Zelina Vega promises that after her match at Backlash, she is ready for Asuka.

Asuka vs. Zelina Vega

Zelina starts fast and they fight straight to the floor. That’s fine with Asuka, who drops her onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Vega hitting a running dropkick out of the corner, followed by a 619. The Meteora gives Vega two and she tries a rollup, only to get pulled into the Asuka Lock. Vega flips back but Asuka pulls her into the double arm crank for the tap at 6:08. Not enough shown to rate but Vega was trying hard.

Post match Asuka stays on Vega but Bianca Belair runs in for the save. Asuka tries to mist Belair but only grazes her with it this time.

We look at the World Heavyweight Championship match being set up.

Here is Grayson Waller with his Grayson Waller Effect talk show. For his first guest on Smackdown, we go big with AJ Styles. Waller asks what winning the World Heavyweight Title would mean to Styles, who talks about being out of action with his broken ankle. Now that he’s back, he’s going as hard as he can, and now he is getting his chance. He’s sure that he’s going to win, and Waller seems to believe him. Or not as he picks Seth Rollins to win, leaving us with a staredown.

The LWO is ready for the Usos tonight.

Street Profits vs. LA Knight/Rick Boogs

Before the match, Knight says he’s after titles, including the Tag Team Titles. That’s why he’s going to lead this team to victory. Boogs starts fast by gorilla pressing Ford (with reps) so Dawkins wants to try instead. Some pumphandle lifts (egads this guy is strong) has Dawkins in more trouble and Knight drops an elbow.

Dawkins slips out of a double belly to back though and the hot tag brings in Ford. A high crossbody takes Knight and Boogs down and Ford kicks them both in the head. Boogs is rammed into Knight and Ford clotheslines Boogs to the floor. Ford hits the big flip dive to take them out again, setting up the Cash Out to finish Boogs at 3:57.

Rating: C+. I don’t think anyone was expecting this to be any kind of a big time team with Boogs and Knight, so getting the mess up and likely split out of the way makes sense. At the same time, Boogs continues to look like a force out there and that could be useful down the line. Knight didn’t take the fall though, which gives me a bit of hope for his future.

Post match, Knight lays out Boogs.

Cameron Grimes is rather happy with his win last week and now he’s living the dream here on Smackdown. He’s ready to go TO THE MOON.

Karrion Kross is coming for AJ Styles.

Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon vs. Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn

Non-title. Leon gets taken down by Fyre rather quickly. Dawn comes in and knees her in the face before handing it off to Feroz. The Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination finishes Feroz at 1:01. That was a nifty squash.

Liv Morgan is injured rather seriously and the Women’s Tag Team Titles have to be vacated. There will be a four way for the titles in two weeks on Raw to crown new champions.

Raquel Rodriguez, who will be in the four way with a partner to be named, says Morgan isn’t replaceable….and here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. They’re not happy that Dakota Kai was injured last week to, but they’ll fight Rodriguez and anyone she can find next week (Iyo Sky still doesn’t look pleased with Bayley’s decision).

Here is Austin Theory for a chat. He isn’t happy because he was double teamed last week by Bobby Lashley and Sheamus, who knew he would go on to be the World Heavyweight Champion. Lashley has an obsession with it, but Theory doesn’t get it with Sheamus. They’re both tough and strong and they’ve both beat John Cena….though Sheamus did it when Theory was 12. Cue Sheamus to Brogue Kick theory and then walk out again.

Paul Heyman tells the Usos that Roman Reigns has forgiven him….but Reigns won’t be out there with them tonight. Heyman tries to explain why Reigns has so much to do before going with “come on, it’s the LWO!”. The Usos leave but they don’t seem happy. Heyman gets his phone out as they leave.

Usos vs. Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar

Jimmy takes over on Rey to start but it’s quickly off to Escobar, who sends the Usos outside. Rey jumps onto Escobar’s shoulders to pose as we take an early break. Back with Escobar in trouble but managing to knock Jimmy down for a breather. Jey breaks up the tag attempt though and the running Umaga Attack connects. Escobar knees his way out of trouble, which this time is enough for the hot tag to Rey.

Everything breaks down and a headscissors gives Rey two, only to have Jey grab a pop up belly to back neckbreaker for the same. Rey knees his way out of a double suplex and hands it back to Escobar for the running knee in the corner. A super hurricanrana gets two on Jimmy and Rey adds a legdrop for the same. The 619 is cut off by a superkick though and the frog splash gives Jey two. The double Superfly Splash is loaded up but here is Kevin Owens for a distraction. Sami Zayn breaks up the splash, allowing Escobar to drop a frog splash for the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and the Usos’ downfall continues, as they no longer have the unbeatable mojo to carry them through their problems. That is the kind of thing that can take a long time to recover from and it should be interesting to see where it goes. At the same time, it was nice to see Escobar get a win, as it feels like something rather rare for him. Rather good main event here, as Rey can still bring it with the best of them.

In the back, Roman Reigns is mad but tells Solo Sikoa to stay and doesn’t look pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty nice effort this week with a good main event and what feels like the next step in the Bloodline’s downfall. That could make for a very interesting future, as Night Of Champions and beyond are looking a lot more intriguing. Other than that we had some new stars getting their chance to establish themselves and LA Knight didn’t lose, so we’ll call this a win.

Results
Pretty Deadly b. Brawling Brutes – Spilled Milk to Holland
Asuka b. Zelina Vega – Double armbar
Street Profits b. Rick Boogs/LA Knight – Cash Out to Boogs
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon – Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination to Feroz
Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar b. Usos – Frog splash to Jimmy

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Smackdown
Date: May 12, 2023
Location: Thompson-Bowling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s tournament week again as we have the Smackdown half of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament. That means two more triple threat matches with the winners having a singles match, with the winner of that facing Seth Rollins at Night Of Champions for the title. Other than that, Roman Reigns is back so let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

World Heavyweight Championship Tournament First Round: Rey Mysterio vs. Edge vs. AJ Styles

Only Edge gets an entrance and they start with Edge’s sunset flip to Styles sending Rey flying. After that fairly complicated start, a more simplistic Edge-O-Matic gets two on Styles. Back up and Styles hits the sliding forearm on Edge, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two on Rey. Barrett points out that these three have NINETY YEARS of experience between them and now I just feel old. Rey gets in a few kicks of his own, only to get fall away slammed by Edge.

The spear is broken up by a double kick to the face before Rey hurricanranas Styles into the corner. A Code Red gets two on Edge but AJ sends Rey to the floor. Edge catches Rey in a hanging DDT, with AJ hitting a dropkick to drive them both down as we take a break. Back with Edge hitting a double spear through the ropes and to the floor for the crash. With Edge down, Styles grabs the Calf Crusher on Rey but Edge adds a Crossface at the same time. Edge and Styles headbutt each other to break it up and the non-Mysterio guys slug it out.

Mysterio tries a 619 but gets caught with a double dropkick to leave everyone down again. Back up and they go to the corner for the sunset bomb into the Tower of Doom and a big crash. Edge is up first and Edgecates Mysterio before switching it over to Styles. The rope is reached (means nothing in a triple threat) so Rey hits a 619 to Edge. Rey goes up and gets….kind of speared out of the air (Edge wasn’t ready so it looked like Rey tried a top rope DDT and Edge didn’t go down instead of a spear). Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm to finish Edge at 16:12.

Rating: B. I was getting into this one by the end and it felt like a major match. That is no surprise given who was in the match as you have three people with this kind of talent and success over the years. Styles going forward is a bit of a surprise as I would have bet on Edge, but there was no bad option here.

We recap the Usos’ recent losses, though they did win at Backlash, albeit with Solo Sikoa on the team as well.

World Heavyweight Championship Tournament First Round: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Sheamus

Non-title and Theory rolls outside to start, only for the other two to send him back inside. Back in and Theory gets clotheslined to the floor again, allowing Lashley to knock Sheamus into the corner for a running shoulder to the ribs. Sheamus is fine enough to knock Lashley to the apron for the forearms to the chest, followed by even more to Theory.

We take a break and come back with Lashley sending Theory into the post. Back in and Lashley drops Sheamus with a clothesline but runs into a raised boot in the corner. Lashley is right back with a belly to belly suplex but Theory comes back in to clean house. Sheamus shrugs that off and runs Theory over, setting up a super White Noise for two.

Back in and a bleeding Lashley spears Sheamus but gets sent into the post so Theory can get two. Theory elbows Lashley in the head but A Town Down is countered into a spinebuster. The Hurt Lock goes on until Sheamus Brogue Kicks Theory. Lashley sends Sheamus outside and pins Theory at 12:58.

Rating: B-. Not quite as good as the opener but Styles vs. Lashley should make a heck of a showdown later tonight. Sheamus vs. Lashley worked with the power and Theory was there to be a bit more than a pest, who was trying to steal the win where he could. I would have thought Sheamus was there to take the pin but why do that when you can have a champion who is starting to put it together do it instead?

Grayson Waller comes up to Adam Pearce and asks to have the winner of Styles vs. Lashley on the Grayson Waller Effect (talk show) next week. Sure.

Baron Corbin vs. Cameron Grimes

Before the match Corbin says in about two minutes, Grimes is going to want to go back to NXT. The Cave In (standing double stomp) finishes Corbin at 6 seconds. Well that worked.

Here is the Bloodline in full force to open things up. Reigns is rather happy here and says the people in this ring main evented both nights of Wrestlemania, which will never be done again. He’s also very pleased with Solo Sikoa for stepping up at Backlash. There was some worry about bringing Sikoa up to the main roster so fast because you can sink or swim. Sikoa swims like a shark though, because he deals with problems. Look at the Riddle problem! Sikoa mentions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, which has Reigns pleased because Sikoa is still thinking ahead.

We pause for the SAMI chant but Reigns says Sami and Owens aren’t a problem anymore. There is a problem though, and that is Sikoa’s brothers. Reigns wants to know what they thought was going to happen. Were they just going to lose in the main event of Wrestlemania and then lose the rematch (dedicated to Reigns) and not talk about it? Why are they dedicating a tag match to a singles wrestler? There are Hall of Fame tag teams in their family but they dedicated it to him?

Reigns doesn’t want to hear anything from them but an apology, though the fans aren’t sure about that. If Reigns was the Usos, he would just apologize, though Jimmy starts to laugh. Reigns shoves him in the face and Paul Heyman gets (halfway) out of the ring. The fans chant something that has to be censored but Jey gets between Reigns and Jimmy. Jey apologizes for the team and says they’ll bring the titles back with one more shot.

Reigns likes the idea and has Heyman fill the Usos in: at Night Of Champions, it’s Reigns/Sikoa vs. Zayn/Owens for the Tag Team Titles (Jey spinning around at the announcement is great). Reigns dedicates the victory and the title reign to the greatest team of all time: the Wild Samoans (his uncle and father). Cool surprise, though undermining the Draft less than two weeks in is something even for WWE.

Damage Ctrl is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles, though Iyo Sky is not thrilled at first.

The Usos don’t like the Latino World Order laughing at them so Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar come up to laugh even more. Jey has to walk away while hitting things.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan and Rodriguez are defending and Rodriguez powers Kai into the corner to start. Morgan comes in for a running shot in the corner, followed by the same from Rodriguez. We see Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre watching in the back as Bayley comes in with a clothesline for two. We take a break and come back with Rodriguez fighting out of trouble and bringing Morgan back in.

Rodriguez uses Morgan as a battering ram (with Morgan waving at the fans) but Kai manages to come off the top with a Meteora/powerbomb from Bayley combination to plant Morgan for a rather delayed two. Rodriguez cuts off Sky bringing in a belt, allowing Morgan to roll Kai up to retain at 8:47.

Rating: C. The match went fine as Damage Ctrl’s issues continue. That could lead to something interesting and I’m curious to see where it does go. At the same time, the tease of the two Women’s Tag Team Champions facing off and hopefully unifying their titles is a nice possibility and something that needs to happen. If nothing else, it would be nice to have a fresh match for the bigger stage.

Sheamus is upset at his loss when Pretty Deadly comes in. Pretty Deadly introduces themselves but are filling out forms to figure out who everyone is. The rest of the Brawling Brutes aren’t pleased with various insults to their intelligence, so a match seems imminent.

Here is Bianca Belair for a rather orange and white (University of Tennessee colors) championship celebration. Before she can say anything though, here is Asuka to mist her, because the Wrestlemania loss meant nothing. A trainer comes out to check on Belair.

Post break, Belair is still being checked on.

World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinals: AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley

The winner gets Seth Rollins for the title at Night Of Champions. Lashley, with a big bump on his head, tries to back Styles into the corner but Styles bobs and weaves away. Styles finally gets caught in the corner for some elbows to the neck as Lashley takes over. They head outside with Lashley posting him as we take a break.

Back with Styles grabbing the Calf Crusher before switching to a DDT for two. Lashley muscles him up with a lifting Downward Spiral for two but his knee might have given out. Styles hits the sliding forearm but misses a charge and gets Hurt Locked. The rope breaks that up as Lashley is busted open again. Styles is able to post Lashley for a change and knocks him into it again for a bonus. The Phenomenal Forearm is cut off back inside and Lashley’s running powerslam gets two more. The spear only hits post though and now the Phenomenal Forearm can send Styles to Night Of Champions at 12:01.

Rating: B. Another good back and forth match here and we should be in for a heck of a showdown between Styles and Rollins at Night Of Champions. Styles is someone you can slot into any title match and have it work out well and that was the case here. Beating Lashley still means a lot and it felt like a big time main event to set up the even bigger title match.

We run down the Night Of Champions card.

The OC comes out to celebrate with Styles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Much like Raw and NXT, this show was about the tournaments with the new stars being slipped in where they could. That worked rather well here with three rather good TV matches and a fun debut for Grimes. At the same time, Pretty Deadly and Fyre/Dawn seem to have something ready to go, making this another efficient show. They won’t be able to do something like this every week, but I’ll certainly take it as a very good one off.

Results
AJ Styles b. Edge and Rey Mysterio – Phenomenal Forearm to Edge
Bobby Lashley b. Austin Theory and Sheamus – Brogue Kick to Theory
Cameron Grimes b. Baron Corbin – Cave In
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Damage Ctrl – Rollup to Kai
AJ Styles b. Bobby Lashley – Phenomenal Forearm

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: April 25, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for another special show with Spring Breakin, which features a pair of title matches. This time around we’ll see Indi Hartwell defend the Women’s Title against Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton, plus Carmelo Hayes’ first NXT Title defense against Grayson Waller. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the Spring Breakin picnic and yes, everyone is talking about tonight’s card instead of anything else. A good chunk of the roster is here doing picnicky things, including Javier Bernal acting like quite the moron.

Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Pretty Deadly

Trunk match, meaning a casket match but with a car trunk, hence the name you see. The brawl starts on the floor with Pretty Deadly going for the weapons, as they probably should. They get inside where some knees to the face have Pretty Deadly in trouble, even going right back to the floor. The weapons don’t suit Pretty Deadly, who take the table to the back to get rid of it. The breather lets Stacks send them into a ball pit (because there’s a ball pit) as we take a break.

Back with the balls from said pit all over the floor and a football being kicked between Stacks’ legs. They get back inside with a roll of coins dropping Stacks and a chair hits D’Angelo in the back. Stacks gets dropped with Spilled Milk on the floor and taken to the back. With Stacks in the trunk, the other two go after D’Angelo, allowing Stacks to find a fire extinguisher for the big saving spray. A double slam through a table is enough for D’Angelo and Stacks to get the win at 12:40.

Rating: C+. Nice enough weapons match here and thankfully Pretty Deadly didn’t take another pin. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was it for them in NXT as they have nothing left to accomplish and the main roster could use a new team. Oh and the match had a ball pit, making it even better.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to win the Women’s Title.

Duke Hudson fires up Andre Chase to face Bron Breakker.

Andre Chase vs. Bron Breakker

Duke Hudson is here with Chase, who has to slip out of the gorilla press to start. That’s fine with Breakker, who sends him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Breakker misses a charge into the post though and Chase gets in a few spelling stomps. The clothesline cuts Chase off rather quickly and the Recliner makes him tap at 2:18. Less of a squash than I was expecting but it did what it needed to do.

Video on Carmelo Hayes.

Dijak beats up Ilja Dragunov in the back, including crushing his ribs with a garage door.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade

Valkyria takes her into the corner to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Jade cranking on both arms but Valkyria fights up with some kicks to the face. A suplex drops Jade and Valkyria kicks her out to the floor. Jade snaps her throat across the top and grabs the stick. The referee takes that away, only to have Jade get in a cheap shot. The DDT finishes Valkyria at 8:20.

Rating: C. This was the weekly “a lot of the match was in the break” match and it’s still very annoying. They had about four and a half minutes and a screwy finish, meaning their backs were quite against the wall to start. The action was good enough and Jade feels like she could be one of the next big things in the division, but she needs a better showcase than this.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks drive Pretty Deadly….somewhere.

NXT Title: Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They trade rollups to start, with Hayes’ Crossface attempt sending Waller over to the rope. An early Fade Away attempt misses so Hayes tries another crossface, sending Waller to the ropes again. Waller gets in a chair shot to Williams on the floor though, with the distraction allowing him to drop Hayes.

We take a break and come back with Williams gone and Hayes having to escape a half crab. With that broken up, Hayes is able to hit the Fade Away but Waller knocks him down again. A double knockdown gives Waller two but Hayes is right back on Waller’s knee for a change. The springboard DDT gives Hayes two, though Waller bails to the corner to avoid Nothing But Net.

Back up and Waller blocks the Codebreaker, setting up a fireman’s carry sitout powerbomb for two. Waller Stuns him out of the air but Hayes rolls away before the cover. Instead, Waller takes him outside and puts him on the announcers’ table for a big drop through it and a near fall back inside. Back in and Hayes manages a quick Codebreaker, with Waller favoring his knee. A low superkick and Nothing But Net retains the title at 11:53.

Rating: B-. This was about what should have been expected, as Waller gave Hayes some trouble but Hayes picks up his first successful title defense. Waller is someone who has long since established himself as being able to bounce back from a loss without much trouble so he’ll be fine. Hayes has to be getting ready for the Breakker rematch though and this will boost him up for another match against the new big bad.

Post match Hayes grabs the mic and issues the challenge for the rematch with Bron Breakker at Battleground. Cue Breakker from behind to spear Hayes down. The returning Williams gets Reclined for a bonus. Another spear sends Hayes through part of the set, meaning a stretcher is needed.

Roxanne Perez has wanted to be a wrestler since she was a child so tonight, she wants the Women’s Title back. She’s doing this for every little girl who wants to feel safe.

We recap Brooks Jensen/Kiana James vs. Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs in the soap opera feud. This got a lot of time and was the majority of the feud.

Schism comes up to Joe Coffey to get the Dyad a Tag Team Title match. Joe Gacy will fight Coffey next week, with the title shot on the line.

Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley vs. Brooks Jensen/Kiana James,

Jensen doesn’t like Briggs powering him around to start and gets sent to the apron for his efforts. The fans want Fallon and that is who they get as James tags herself in. Henley hits a running clothesline but has to take out an interfering Jensen. James has to be saved by Jensen, who gets dropped by Briggs as we take a break.

Back with the guys forearming it out as Booker talks about pheromones. The women come back in with James running Henley over. It’s right back to Jensen, who can’t hit Henley, allowing Briggs to make a save. Briggs beats up Jensen until a spinwheel kick gets him out of trouble. A hard lariat to the back of Briggs’ head sets up a brainbuster for two so it’s time for the loaded bag. Jensen doesn’t want to use it and accidentally knocks James down, allowing Briggs to hit a lariat for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C. I really could go for this being the end of the story as it doesn’t seem likely to have some big game changing ending. At the same time, the idea of Briggs vs. Jensen isn’t exactly thrilling so hopefully they just make up already. Henley falling for one of them wouldn’t be the biggest shock either, but for now they need to get on to something else.

Post match James walks out on Jensen, who puts his head on Briggs’ chest for quite the development.

Dragon Lee wants Noam Dar’s Heritage Cup.

Scrypts is ready to go after Axiom next week.

Oba Femi can throw things.

Video on Indi Hartwell, who is ready to show that she isn’t just a fluke.

Sol Ruca has been attacked by an unidentified assailant.

Oba Femi vs. Oro Mensah

Femi powers him into the corner to start and then throws him right back out. A right hand knocks Mensah off the top but he strikes away back inside. The springboard kick to the chest drops Femi for two and he blasts Mensah with a clothesline. A pop up powerbomb finishes Mensah at 3:37.

Rating: C. Rather effective debut here from Femi, who is going to be all about the power and it was on display. Femi is a big monster who can throw people around with relative each so putting him in there with a smaller guy like Mensah was the right way to go. I had fun with this and Femi could be treated as a force rather quickly if that’s what they want to try.

Gigi Dolin pops in on commentary and demands a match with Jacy Jayne. They can start it up again next week.

Drew Gulak is impressed with Wes Lee but is ready to take the North American Title from him next week.

Post break Tyler Bate offers to be in Wes Lee’s corner next week. Meditation is promised.

Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell is defending. Stratton gets forearmed back and forth to start and we take a break about thirty seconds in (and yes, it’s still annoying). Back with Perez working on Stratton’s arm but having to kick Hartwell outside. Stratton escapes a headscissors without much trouble but gets slammed by Hartwell. Perez tries a springboard double wristdrag and….oh it goes badly, as Hartwell seems to forget to fall and Stratton kind of rolls over (it was like the other two forgot what they were doing, which should have just been a simple tumble).

They’re sent outside with Perez taking them down again, setting up a high crossbody for two on Hartwell back inside. Hartwell clotheslines Perez a few times but Stratton comes back in for the near fall. Stratton knocks them both outside for a Swanton onto the pair. We pause for Hartwell’s ankle to get checked so Stratton sends Perez into the corner. Stratton rolls through Perez’s high crossbody for two but Perez grabs a super hurricanrana for two of her own.

They slug it out until Perez grabs a Russian legsweep, only to have Hartwell come back in to drop both of them for two each. A spinebuster hits Stratton with Perez having to make the save. Stratton sends Hartwell outside and moonsaults Perez for two, with Hartwell making the save. Hartwell goes back in to hit the sliding forearm for the pin to retain at 15:18.

Rating: C. They were trying here but this was rough in spots, with Stratton and Perez having to work out something with Hartwell down and some not so smooth spots. Hartwell needed the win if she is going to be a longer term champion and pinning Perez is something that she had to do. Stratton and Perez will likely get the title back (assuming they don’t go to the main roster first) so boosting Hartwell now is fine enough.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks…seem to murder Pretty Deadly by throwing them in a river. They want the Tag Team Titles to end the show. Well that’s depressing. The murder, not the title desires.

Overall Rating: C+. This was pretty all over the place but you can see a pretty firm divide between the levels of talent. People like Hayes, Breakker and Pretty Deadly (maybe one or two others) just felt more polished than the rest of the wrestlers here and there isn’t much of a way around that. The title match was good and the trunk match worked well enough, though the rest of the card was a bit weak. Nice enough show, but nothing you need to see.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Pretty Deadly – Pretty Deadly was thrown into the car trunk
Bron Breakker b. Andre Chase – Recliner
Carmelo Hayes b. Grayson Waller – Nothing But Net
Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley b. Brooks Jensen/Kiana James – Lariat to Jensen
Oba Femi b. Oro Mensah – Pop up powerbomb
Indi Hartwell b. Tiffany Stratton and Roxanne Perez – Sliding forearm to Perez

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NXT
Date: April 18, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Things got a little more interesting last week as Grayson Waller became the new #1 contender to the NXT Title and Bron Breakker seemed to target Chase U. Those are both new directions and I’m curious to see where they go from here. Other than that, the Women’s Title situation could get more complicated so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap….is broken up by a three way brawl between the Dyad, the Creeds and Gallus, who are scheduled to face off for the Tag Team Titles. That’s a new one and I got a bit confused by what they were doing (in a good way).

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Dyad vs. Creed Brothers

Gallus is defending, the rest of the groups are here too and it’s a brawl to start with the Dyad taking over. That doesn’t last long as Gallus is right back, only to have Julius snap off some suplex. Julius moonsaults onto Reid and manages a heck of a powerbomb but a string of shots to the face gives Reid two. Mark sends Julius flying for two and we take a break.

Back with a three way knockdown and a triple tag bringing in Brutus, Fowler and Wolfgang, with Brutus getting to clean house. The Dyad breaks up a double team from Gallus and we get a Dyad vs. Creed showdown. Something like Aussie Open’s Coriolis hits Brutus but Ava offers a distraction. Reid is knocked off the top into Ivy Nile as the Brutus Bomb hits Fowler. With that broken up, Gallus’ running boot/flapjack combination retains the titles at 13:09.

Rating: B-. It was a hot start to the show and that is the right way to go. I liked the whole interrupting the normal video to start, just to add in some rarely used flavor. Other than that, the match was pretty much nonstop action and that is how you get a show going. Gallus is running through the division though and I’m not sure who is supposed to take the belts from them at the moment.

Dijak is mad about Ilja Dragunov and runs into Apollo Crews, setting up a match tonight.

Nathan Frazer has a new talk show segment called Hard Hitting Home Truths, where he talks about how talented the roster is around here. Frazer talks about how he is going to keep going fast to keep from getting down because unhappiness can’t catch you. This was an odd choice but sure why not.

Myles Borne vs. Noam Dar

Dar’s Heritage Cup isn’t on the line. Dar kicks the leg out to start but Borne drives him into the corner to hammer away. Borne gets hung over the ropes and kicked in the face but he fights up with some dropkicks. Dar hits a spinning elbow to the face though and the Nova Roller (running kick to the face) finishes Borne at 2:45.

Roxanne Perez is ready to go through Zoey Stark tonight on her way back to the Women’s Title.

Kiana James isn’t willing to help Josh Briggs after everything that has happened. Briggs still wants help talking to Brooks Jensen, who comes in, looking like he’s auditioning for Pretty Deadly. He doesn’t want to talk to Briggs because Jensen is a man instead of a boy. Jensen tells him to leave.

Odyssey Jones comes out for a match but gets jumped by Bron Breakker. After getting rid of Jones, Breakker talks about how he had to take out Chase U last week but here is Duke Hudson to say not so fast. Breakker isn’t going to badmouth Chase U and get away with it so they can fight at Spring Breakin. Hudson cuts him off to say Breakker is going to face the beating heart of Chase U. Breakker promises to wreck all of Chase U.

Cora Jade gets cut off by Gigi Dolin, who thinks Jade is channeling her anger. A match is made for later.

Pretty Deadly is happy with attacking Tony D’Angelo and Stacks and an anything goes match seems likely for next week.

Roxanne Perez vs. Zoey Stark

Stark works on the arm to start but Perez slips out and we have a standoff. Perez takes her into an armbar and cranks away, setting up a headlock for a change of pace. A headlock takeover out of the corner has Stark even more annoyed but she slips out and kicks Perez in the ribs. Back up and Perez is sent outside, where she cuts off a dive and drops Perez on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Perez being catapulted into the corner, setting up the cravate. Another catapult is countered into a middle rope Thesz press but Stark rolls through a high crossbody for two. Pop Rox is blocked and a half and half suplex drops Perez for two more. The Z360 is countered though and Pop Rox out of the corner gives Perez the pin at 11:08.

Rating: C+. This is where Perez shines, as she fought from behind and came back to win in a nice match. Perez is small enough to be the plucky underdog and she pulled it off well here. On the other hand you have Stark, who is great as a villain to be slayed and it worked out for both of them as a result. Good match here, with Perez getting closer to her title rematch.

Post match here is Indi Hartwell to say she’s a fighting champion so next week, Perez can have her title shot. Perez is of course game but here is Tiffany Stratton to be all annoyed. Stratton says another beatable opponent is getting a title shot but Perez brings up beating her in the Breakout Tournament. Hartwell is up for a triple threat.

Grayson Waller says he’s here because the Johnny Gargano match was unsanctioned and didn’t count. Now for the NXT Title!

Von Wagner convinces Mr. Stone to stick around because he’s the son of a Beverly Brother and ready to go. Why does WWE insist on trying over and over with Wagner? Am I missing something?

Dani Palmer will be here soon.

Cora Jade vs. Gigi Dolin

Cora works on a wristlock to start but gets kicked in the arm to cut her off. A running hip attack drops Dolin for two but she knees Jade in the face. Jade’s running knee is cut off but here is Jacy Jayne for a distraction. Dolin isn’t having that and sends Jayne into the steps, as well as Booker T., with the distraction letting Jade hit a DDT for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was more about Jayne vs. Dolin than anything else. The feud is likely continuing and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch in the next week or two. Dolin feels like someone who NXT wants to push but won’t pull the trigger on, though that might have been more due to Jayne’s injury.

Post match Lyra Valkyria comes out to say she’s facing Jade next week.

Eddy Thorpe is ready to succeed and overcome the Native American stereotypes. Damon Kemp comes in and doesn’t seem impressed.

Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs aren’t cool with Kiana James and Brooks Jensen, who come in to interrupt. Briggs wants to make amends but the challenge for a mixed tag is thrown out. Henley is absolutely in.

Dijak vs. Apollo Crews

Dijak grabs a headlock to start as Booker says time is running out on Crews’ chances. Crews’ headlock goes on before he picks up the pace, setting up a nice dropkick. Dijak manages to send him to the apron though and a hard shot knocks Crews into the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Crews hitting a top rope shot to the head but the discus boot gives Dijak two. Crews kicks him down but the standing moonsault is countered into Hard Justice for….two in a nice finish. Feast Your Eyes finishes Crews at 9:52.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Dijak getting a nice win as he is starting to feel a bit more like his old self. Dijak felt like someone who should have been a bigger deal in the new NXT but hasn’t quite hit that same level, or really even approached it. Maybe this is a nice step forward, but the lack of consistency gives me pause.

Post match Dijak goes after Crews again but Ilja Dragunov makes the save. The two have to be held apart.

Jacy Jayne can’t stand Gigi Dolin and talks about how Dolin left her seven year old brother to deal with their abusive mother.

North American Title: Charlie Dempsey vs. Wes Lee

Dempsey, with Drew Gulak, is defending and Gulak gets in a cheap shot before the bell. Dempsey gets in a fast two and rolls Lee up for two more. Lee is fine enough to send him outside for the big flip dive and we take a break. Back with Dempsey working on an armbar but Lee gets up for the slugout.

A dropkick to the back of the head sends Dempsey into the corner but he comes out with a dragon screw legwhip. Dempsey’s bridging German suplex gets two, only to have Lee kick his way out of trouble. After kicking Gulak off the apron, Lee hits the Cardiac Kick to retain at 8:35.

Rating: C+. The break didn’t do this any favors but I can go with more of Dempsey getting to torture someone. That is something that works no matter what era of wrestling you’re in and that was true again here. At the same time you have Lee, who is on the roll of a career at this point and we could be in for even more awesome title defenses going forward.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are ready for Pretty Deadly and they’ll make it a trunk match.

Oba Femi is coming and can throw stuff, like furniture.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Bron Breakker vs. Andre Chase instead of Duke Hudson.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect with Waller promising to win the NXT Title next week. That brings him to his guests: NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams. Waller talks about what a star he has been without a title, so imagine what he’ll be with one. We get a viewer question asking what the “him” thing means for Hayes. Williams doesn’t like it but Hayes says they keep chanting his name, so what does that tell you?

Waller suggests that Hayes is nothing without Williams but Hayes isn’t going to fall for it. They insult each other for how horrible they would be on the main roster until Waller promises to win the title. The staredown ends the show. This wasn’t great, but it isn’t meant to be some kind of major title showdown. Instead, it’s about Hayes getting his first title defense out of the way and Waller is just dangerous enough to feel like a threat.

Overall Rating: B-. Another solid show from NXT and the best thing is that they have been building up towards the important show next week. Granted a lot of the card was built up in the span of one night, but at least they did get it together. Spring Breakin is not going to be the biggest card ever, but it is going to feel bigger than a regular show. For now though, they’re coming in to the show on something of a roll so there is a lot of potential next week.

Results
Gallus b. Dyad and Creed Brothers – Running boot/flapjack combination to Brutus
Noam Dar b. Myles Borne – Nova Roller
Roxanne Perez b. Zoey Stark – Pop Rox
Cora Jade b. Gigi Dolin – DDT
Wes Lee b. Charlie Dempsey – Cardiac Kick

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NXT
Date: April 11, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

With no major special events in sight, it is time to start getting ready for the next big TV show. That would be two weeks away with Spring Breakin, which is going to need a main event. This week will see a four way match for the #1 contendership, with participants to be announced. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to get things going. Hayes wants to talk about Bron Breakker turning on him last week. There was no passing of the torch because Hayes took it. Hayes and Breakker are going to be facing off for a long time and Stand & Deliver was just a chapter in a long story. Tonight, Hayes is flexing his championship muscle and inviting Breakker into the four way #1 contenders match. That means he’s telling, not asking.

Cue Dragon Lee to interrupt, saying that Hayes is talented but he’s coming for the title. Hayes welcomes him to NXT and says never interrupt the champ. Lee gets a pass because he’s new around here, but here is JD McDonagh to interrupt. McDonagh promises to win the match and the title, but Hayes makes a leprechaun joke. Now it’s Grayson Waller, who says there are some stupid people here. Hayes says there are a lot of them’s but one him. This was your “hi, I want a title match” opening segment.

Kiana James and Fallon Henley argue again. Brooks Jensen is nowhere to be found.

Sol Ruca and Dani Palmer were making a TikTok video in the parking lot when Tiffany Stratton interrupted. Tiffany was NOT happy about them being in her space but left in a huff.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Fallon Henley/Kiana James

Henley/James, with Josh Briggs, are challenging. James jumps Dawn to start and the fight is on fast. It’s off to Henley, who gets tripped down and forearmed by Fyre. We see Brooks Jensen arriving as Henley jawbreaks her way to freedom and brings James back in. The champs are cleared out and we take a break.

Back with James in trouble but managing a belly to back suplex to Fyre. Henley gets the tag and trades kicks with Dawn for a double knockdown. Cue Jensen to try to bring in the loaded purse but the referee ejects him as Henley tells him to get out. Jensen shoves Briggs down and carries James off, leaving Dawn to get Backstabbered and Swantoned to retained the titles at 10:05

Rating: C. Henley and James have been bickering for months now and they are still doing just that. There is only so much that you can get out of that idea and we might be reaching that point. At the same time, Dawn and Fyre are looking like fairly good champions, even if there isn’t much to compare them to. Just get on with the Henley/James stuff already so everyone can move on to something else.

Video on Noam Dar and the Heritage Cup.

It’s time to present the Chase University MVP Award to Duke Hudson. After a speech from Andre Chase about Hudson saving the day, Hudson seems mostly grateful and does his own spelling chant. Cue Bron Breakker to interrupt, saying everyone wants to hear from him. Breakker doesn’t care that he is being rude, but he has realized that the title is a curse.

He doesn’t need the approval of these scumbags any longer, but for tonight, Hudson should be in the #1 contenders match. Breakker goes to leave, only to turn around and spear Chase in half. The Chase U flag is ripped in half. This didn’t feel like the start of a feud and it shouldn’t be.

Gigi Dolin is at her childhood home, which looks less than inviting. She talks about how she wanted to be loved and escape from this place. Jacy Jayne knew that and then attacked her anyway, but she will never break Dolin’s spirit.

Earlier this week, as shown by NXT Anonymous, Tony D’Angelo and Stacks attacked Pretty Deadly.

Javier Bernal vs. Eddy Thorpe

They go to the mat to start with Thorpe getting the better of things and hitting a crossbody. Cue Damon Kemp to watch as Bernal sends Thorpe outside. Back in and a suplex sets up a Boston crab on Thorpe, who slips out rather quickly. Thorpe’s double underhook swinging suplex finishes Bernal at 3:36.

Rating: C. This was little more than a way to get Thorpe some more exposure as he continues his start. Beating up a goon like Bernal is a fine way to go as the fans will react to it enough and Thorpe can get something out of it. Thorpe has potential, but he has to get some wins before that potential can start to be realized. These matches might not be great, but they’ll be helpful for him on the way up.

Gallus interrupted Tank Ledger’s photo shoot but as interrupted by Schism. The Dyad want a Tag Team Title shot.

Scrypts is ready to expose Axiom.

Sol Ruca vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton takes her down by the wrist to start before they take turns flipping over each other. Ruca actually falls for a handshake and is quickly taken down for a standing moonsault. The armbar keeps Ruca down but she fights up with some running shoulders. A flipping corner clothesline and a powerslam give Ruca two, with Stratton bailing to the floor. Ruca’s dive is cut off with a kick to the arm, setting up a Regal Roll. The moonsault gives Stratton the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C+. The athleticism was on display here but Ruca didn’t get to show nearly what she can do. That’s the right play in a match like this though, as this was about making Stratton look like a star. The flips looked great with that moonsault to finish being a thing of beauty. Stratton very well could be the next breakout star in the division so there is no reason to have her lose here.

Duke Hudson is fired up about bringing gold to Chase U.

The Creed Brothers want Gallus for the Tag Team Titles next week. With them gone, Tiffany Stratton comes in to say Indi Hartwell is scared.

Here is Cora Jade for a chat. Jade talks about how it is time to start humbling some people. Zoey Stark can do a lot of impressive things in the ring, but she’ll never be champion. Roxanne Perez is only famous for Jade turning on her and how long is she using what happened to her as a crutch? Gigi Dolin was close to winning the title but that title says Cora Jade.

Then there’s Tiffany Stratton, who has the tools but Jade runs this place. Lyra Valkyria is fearless but she should fear Jade. Finally there is Indi Hartwell, who isn’t in a fairy tale but rather Jade’s NXT. Cue Valkyria to interrupt and accuse Jade of being jealous. The fight is on and Jade bails fast. This was a weird mixture of compliments and insults but Jade seems to have a next opponent lined up.

Wes Lee is interrupted by Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak, who wonder how he would handle being tied up on the mat. Lee more or less says bring it and leaves.

Von Wagner vs. Ilja Dragunov

If Wagner loses, Mr. Stone (ringside) is done with him. Wagner jumps him to start as Booker compares Wagner to Shaquille O’Neal. Dragunov is back up with the Constantine Special and a suplex to drop Wagner again. Wagner gets in a slam off the top but Dragunov kicks him in the head to take over again. The Torpedo finishes for Dragunov at 3:23.

Rating: C+. That’s exactly what it needed to be, as there was no reason to believe that Wagner was going to be a threat to Dragunov. After months of Wagner losing every big match he had, he wasn’t going to beat a star like Dragunov for the sake of keeping his manager. This was more a matter of necessity to split up Wagner and Stone and if I get to watch Dragunov wreck someone, so be it.

Stone walks away from Wagner. Cue Dijak to stare Dragunov down and threaten violence.

Hank Walker gives Tank Ledger a pep talk.

Tank Ledger vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is here too. Ledger shoves him down to start but Coffey is right back in with an armbar. That’s broken up and Ledger hits a splash but what looks to be an Alabama Slam is broken up. They head outside with Coffey sending him into the steps, followed by All The Best For The Bells back inside. A second one finishes Ledger off at 4:25.

Rating: C. Much like Dragunov vs. Wagner, this wasn’t about drama as Ledger wasn’t going to win here, save for a very surprising upset. Coffey hasn’t been around for a good while and needed a win, but this wasn’t entirely dominant. Ledger got in a few shots here and showed some potential, but it isn’t close to his time yet.

Post match the Creed Brothers and Schism comes in to fight.

Roxanne Perez comes up to Tony D’Angelo and Stacks to say they’ll all win titles. Then Zoey Stark comes in to mock Perez, resulting in a match for next week. With Perez gone, Pretty Deadly jumps D’Angelo and Stacks.

Grayson Waller vs. Duke Hudson vs. JD McDonagh vs. Dragon Lee

The winner gets a title shot in two weeks. Hudson gets knocked to the floor to start, leaving Waller to take over inside. Back in and Hudson suplexes McDonagh and Waller at the same time but Lee low bridges him to the floor. The big flip dive drops Hudson again and McDonagh Asai moonsaults onto Lee. Waller’s rolling Stunner hits Hudson but he gets dropped as well. Everyone is down as we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a bunch of dropkicks in the corner but Waller cuts him off. Hudson is back up to clean house, including a bionic elbow on Waller. A slingshot German suplex gets two on Lee but McDonagh hits Hudson with a poisonrana. Lee makes the save with a top rope double stomp, followed by another to bring McDonagh out of the corner. There’s the suicide dive onto Hudson and a running shot to McDonagh’s face for two. Lee powerbombs Hudson but Waller hits the rolling Stunner to steal the pin and the title shot at 12:45.

Rating: B. This was the all action match that you would expect here with a bit of a surprise result. Waller winning is an interesting way to go as he is the most established of the four stars but he just lost a huge match at Stand & Deliver. He’ll do for a first challenger for Hayes though and it came after a pretty great match. The four of them kept moving almost entirely throughout and Waller stealing the win suits him perfectly. Very good main event and the best thing on the show.

Waller drinks from a shoe and gets stared down by Carmelo Hayes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Solid show here with matches that kept stories moving and got some people into new spots. What matters here is setting up a bigger show with Spring Breakin and they got the main event ready here. The rest of the card can be set up next week, but for now we had some stuff going on and a good main event. That’s a nice use of two hours, as tends to be the case for NXT.

Results
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Fallon Henley/Kiana James – Swanton to Henley
Eddy Thorpe b. Javier Bernal – Swinging double underhook suplex
Tiffany Stratton b. Sol Ruca – Moonsault
Ilja Dragunov b. Von Wagner – Torpedo
Joe Coffey b. Tank Ledger – All The Best For The Bells
Grayson Waller b. Dragon Lee, Duke Hudson and JD McDonagh – Powerbomb to Hudson

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Stand & Deliver 2023
Date: April 1, 2023
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s probably the biggest NXT show of the year as they get to set the table for tonight’s Wrestlemania. This show is solid enough on its own though with multiple title matches, including the closest thing the modern NXT has to a dream match. The main event will see Carmelo Hayes finally challenging Bron Breakker for the NXT Title so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Chase U vs. Schism

The winners control Chase University. Chase starts with Fowler and hammers him into the corner so it’s off to Reid instead. Hudson tags himself in, which doesn’t sit so well. Hail comes in and gets to face the debuting Ava. Or maybe not as Ava hands it off to Gacy, which brings Chase in for the fight. Gacy knocks him down and tries his own spelling stomps, which is going too far for Chase.

With Chase in control, Hail comes back in, meaning Ava has to join her. Ava powers her down but Hail gets in a knockdown. A springboard backsplash connects so Fowler makes the save and comes in to face Bate. Some interference helps put Bate in trouble so he muscles Fowler up into a suplex and dives over for the tag to Chase.

Everything breaks down and Bate is sent to the floor as Hudson FINALLY comes in for the save. Bate hits Bop and Bang on Gacy but Hudson big boots Bate down by mistake. The handspring lariat connects but Gacy Chase makes the save. Schism takes everyone but Hudson down and Gacy offers him a shirt.

The Chase U shirt comes off (that gets the fans’ attention) and the Schism shirt goes on, but the rest of Chase U stands up to fight anyway (that was good). Then Hudson rips off the shirt and the real fight is on, with quadruple Bop and Bangs into quadruple spelling stomps. Bate and Hail hit dives to the floor, setting up the Fratliner to finish Fowler and save the school at 11:16.

Rating: C+. The crowd reaction here was a good sign as the fans have long since wanted to see Chase U get the big win. Hudson changing shirts twice was a heck of a roller coaster sequence and that is what they were trying to have. This should finish off the Schism feud for good and that is not a second too soon. Now get them on to some kind of title feud already, as it is LONG overdue.

The opening video looks at the major matches, with Pretty Deadly throwing in some comments about what we’re going to see and how important it is.

Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell

Perez is defending in a ladder match. The fight is on to start with Perez headscissoring Stark into Stratton in the corner. Perez hammers Valkyria down and low bridges Stark to the floor, setting up the dive on Hartwell. The ladder is picked up but a baseball slide drives it into Perez instead. Dolin tries her own ladder, which is baseball slidden into her as well. Perez and Valkyria get back in and fight over control of a ladder until Perez gets crushed into the corner.

Back up and Valkyria kicks Dolin in the head before suplexing her into the corner. Valkyria starts to go up but gets broken up, with Hartwell getting to kick Stark in the face a few times. Perez cuts off Hartwell from going up and slugs it out with Stratton on the ladder until Hartwell shoves it over. Dolin is back in with the ladder around the head helicopter spot before sending Valkyria onto a ladder laid up in the corner.

The big ladder is brought in and Perez, after avoiding a ladder being thrown at her, goes up. Stratton is there to cut her off though and both of them get knocked down. Hartwell is back in with a spinebuster to put Stratton on the ladder but gets knocked down by Stark. A ladder is bridged between the big ladder and the corner and Perez gets to make a save. Perez hurricanranas Stratton to the floor and goes up but Dolin makes the save.

Dolin swings her into the standing ladder, setting up the abdominal stretch bomb. Valkyria gets tied in the standing ladder so Dolin can go up, only for Valkyria can pull herself up. Dolin sends Valkyria crashing down but….Jacy Jayne pops up to knock Dolin down onto the bridged ladder. Referees get rid of Jayne so Stratton pops up the ladder, which is pushed over by Hartwell, leaving Stratton to basically Swanton the floor as she lands near some other people. Back inside and Hartwell can’t bring herself to climb….but here is Dexter Lumis to help her up and win the title at 17:01.

Rating: B. Are you kidding? After months of Hartwell’s “oh well, guess I’m wrestling today, doesn’t matter if I do though”, she gets the title for the sake of an InDex reunion? I can’t imagine Hartwell keeping the title for very long, but after all of the interest that I’ve lost in her over the last several months, this is really hard to care about.

The rest of the match was your usual multi person ladder match with people crashing all over the place, but thankfully they didn’t do anything too crazy. These matches have been done to death but they did things well enough to be a high energy opener that didn’t do a lot of the bad things that happens in these things.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Creed Brothers vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

Gallus is defending and agree to not drink to be ready. Julius, D’Angelo and Coffey start things off with Julius starting fast. It’s quickly off to Stacks, who gets small packaged and slammed down. Everything breaks down and the Creeds take over on the floor as UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier approves from the crowd.

Back in and Mark knees Brutus and decks D’Angelo, allowing Wolfgang to get the tag. Wolfgang and D’Angelo slug it out until Brutus hands it back to Julius for a bunch of suplexes into nipups (cool sequence). Stacks comes back in to run some people over until he gets sent to the apron.

Mark picks Stacks up on his shoulders….so Julius lifts BOTH of them onto his shoulders for a double electric chair (albeit as they hold the ropes but still). Brutus comes off the top and completely misses the Brutus Ball (the fans could tell too) and everyone crashes down before they go back inside. D’Angelo clotheslines Wolfgang to the floor and a double spinebuster drops Mark to give Stacks two…..as Joe Coffey returns to make the save. Gallus’ fireman’s carry flapjack/big boot combination finishes Stacks at 8:15 to retain.

Rating: C+. This was a step down from the opener and the ending was all about the big Joe Coffey return. Aside from that (and the not so great, yet still impressive) electric chair spot, it was pretty much your run of the middle triple threat match. There isn’t much you can do with that standard formula and while it was a fine way to get the teams on the show, it wasn’t exactly great.

Pretty Deadly wants to interview Bron Breakker…..but decide to give him his space instead.

We recap the North American Title match. Champion Wes Lee wants the best so he has requested four challengers (cut down from ten), meaning Wes got to pick his opponents to get us here.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom vs. Ilja Dragunov

Wes is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. McDonagh and Dragunov go outside to start with Wes sending Dragon out there soon after. Wes takes Axiom down but McDonagh and Dragunov are back in for the rapid fire chops. Dragon breaks that up and takes them both down into the corners for the running dropkicks.

We settle down (kind of) to Dragon vs. Axiom with Dragon knocking him outside for the big running flip dive. Wes is back in to strike away at Dragon, setting up a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Dragunov comes in to go after Wes, who sends him straight into the corner. McDonagh comes back in and takes over until Wes knocks him to the apron. That just means a moonsault onto Dragunov and Axiom on the floor.

Back in and the Devil Inside hits Wes but Dragunov grabs the referee’s arm at two. Everyone but Wes goes after McDonagh to take him out, leaving all five down. Most of them get back up and it’s Dragunov getting to clean house, including the Constantine Special (619 into a clothesline) to Axiom. Dragunov (bleeding a bit from the forehead) clotheslines Wes and then Death Valley Drivers him into Dragon in the corner.

Axiom is back up and sends Dragunov outside for the moonsault onto Dragunov and McDonagh. Dragon ties Wes’ knee up in the ropes and hits a big top rope double stomp to take him out. Back in and Axiom beats up Dragunov and McDonagh but Dragon makes the save. Dragunov powerbombs Axiom onto the other two and covers all three, with Wes diving in for the save. Axiom kicks Wes out of the air and Dragunov blasts Dragon with a knee.

Wes makes the save and moonsaults onto Dragunov for two of his own. McDonagh is back up to Rock Bottom Axiom onto Dragon for two but Axiom manages the springboard moonsault DDT to drop McDonagh for two more. With McDonagh on the apron, Axiom hurricanranas him onto Wes but Dragunov superplexes Axiom from the apron to the ring for two, with the Lees making the save. Dragunov gets caught between Dragon and Wes but manages to kick his way out of trouble. The Torpedo hits Dragon, only to have Wes hit the Cardiac Kick on Dragunov at the same time for the retaining pin at 19:19.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action and drama packed match that you would have expected, as it was all about people coming in and making saved and going for a bunch of falls. The good thing is that multiple people were real options to take the title but Wes gets to retain to look even better. What felt like it could have been a nothing reign coming in has turned into one of the best the title has had and has elevated Wes to a much higher level. Pretty sweet match here and it didn’t need all of the shenanigans or violence.

Pretty Deadly (in different clothes) want to talk to Carmelo Hayes but can’t decide which knock to use. Trick Williams pops up to say leave them alone. Hayes is ready to win the title though.

We recap Grayson Waller vs. Johnny Gargano. Waller is a disrespectful jerk and wanted to face Shawn Michaels. Instead, Michaels brought back Gargano to fight for NXT. Then Waller made it personal, so this is unsanctioned.

Video on Gargano, in case you forgot/have never seen him around here.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

Unsanctioned and Gargano jumps him before the bell to send it outside. Waller twists the knee around so Waller can go yell at Vic Joseph. Back up and Gargano unloads with trashcan shots to the back, with a big one sending Waller to the floor. The big dive is cut off by the trashcan lid though and Waller sets up a bunch of chairs at ringside. They’ll be for later though as Waller takes him inside for a buckle bomb.

Gargano is back up and suplexes Waller over the top and onto the chairs for the nasty crash. It’s time to set up a table, allowing Waller to get in his own shot. Sweet Chin Music is loaded up but Gargano knocks him to the floor. Waller drives him hard into the apron to take over but can’t follow up after the crash. Gargano takes too long going after the table, allowing Waller to hit his rolling Stunner.

They slug it out back inside with Waller taking over, including some kendo stick shots. Waller goes over to Candice LeRae and Gargano’s son, which is too far for Gargano. With the baby handed off, Gargano fights back and Candice jumps the barricade to beat on Waller with the stick.

Back in and One Final Beat gets two and Waller fights back again. A Van Terminator into a trashcan (there’s one of your big spots) gets two on Gargano and Waller isn’t happy. They go back to the floor where Waller puts him on the announcers’ table, only to take FOREVER to go up top. That lets Gargano pelt a chair at him and start hammering away again. Waller manages a quick rolling Stunner for two and yells a lot, only to get hit low. Gargano unloads with a chair over and over until the Gargano Escape finishes Waller at 18:19.

Rating: B-. This is what it should have been, as Waller is more about the hype and talk than what he can do in the ring (where he’s good enough). On the other hand you have Gargano, who is one of if not the most successful NXT star ever. Gargano stood up for NXT and beat down the loudmouth who kept running the place down. Waller is going to be fine after the loss and can talk his way right back to where he was. For now though, Gargano gets another nice moment, which is what he has been needing in recent months.

Post match InDex comes out for the big Way reunion.

Stacks is upset about losing but Tony D’Angelo says it’s ok. Pretty Deadly comes in to mock them and a big fight breaks out.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Fallon Henley/Kiana James vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Henley and James, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs, are defending. It’s a brawl on the floor to start before they head inside. Fyre trips Finlay from the floor so the villains can take over, with Fyre’s superkick getting two. Henley manages a knockdown though and it’s James coming in to clean house.

A belly to back gets two on Fyre and it’s back to Henley, who gets choked by Dawn in the corner. James trying to break it up only makes things worse but Henley fights out anyway. A middle rope Blockbuster gives Henley two and everything breaks down. James is sent outside but pulls Dawn out with her.

Back in and a powerbomb/missile dropkick combination gets two on Fyre with Dawn making the save. Fyre gordbusters James and Dawn comes in for a double superkick and a near fall. Everyone is down and James tells Jensen to give her the purse. Briggs says no and the distraction lets Dawn and Fyre take the champs down. A Backstabber/Swanton combination to James gives us new champions at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as they brought the energy throughout. They also got the ending right, as changing the titles was the only way to go here. Henley vs. James in a showdown is all but guaranteed and now they have cleared away the big thing that was holding it back. Solid stuff here, as Fyre FINALLY wins something in NXT (not UK).

We recap Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title. Breakker is unstoppable but Hayes has been successful against everyone else. This is treated as a dream match and I can actually see that for once.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes

Trick Williams handles Carmelo’s entrance, saying he needs the fans to stand so Hayes can deliver. Hayes makes sure he is completely beloved here by having a Lakers themed entrance. After the Big Match Intros we’re ready to go, with Hayes not being able to get anywhere with a power attempt. With that not working, Hayes tries to pick up the pace but his springboard is knocked out of the air.

Breakker grabs a front facelock and lifts Hayes up in quite the power display. Hayes sends him into the corner for the break and stomps away, setting up a springboard clothesline for two. The Fujiwara armbar goes on to keep Breakker down until the power helps him get back up. A shoulder gives Breakker two and he tries a torture rack, only to have Trick pull Hayes to the ropes.

That’s enough for an ejection and Breakker uses the distraction to flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Hayes hits a pump kick into a pretty sweet springboard suplex (Breakker was standing on the bottom rope and Hayes bounced off the middle rope to pull him in. Hayes goes up so Breakker jumps to the top and Frankensteiners him down. They pull themselves up and slug it out in the middle with Breakker getting the better of things.

The Steiner Recliner is blocked though and Hayes pulls him into a Crossface. That doesn’t last long either so Breakker hits the spear….right into the referee. Now the Recliner goes on to make Hayes tap but there’s no referee. Trick is back with a belt shot to Breakker for a rather close two. Breakker tries the gorilla press but Hayes switches into a Codebreaker. Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin and the title at 16:15.

Rating: B+. I liked this one a lot as it felt like a main event level match between two guys who were working well beyond their experience level. Hayes even won close to clean, as Breakker kicked out of the belt shot and Hayes beat him on his own after that. Hayes has been ready to be the guy around here and there is a long list of people who could defend against right off the bat. Heck of a match and a worthy main event

Post match Breakker glares at Trick and then hands Hayes the title in a show of respect. That feels quite a bit like a goodbye from Breakker and it’s not like he has anything else to do around here anyway.

Overall Rating: B+. This was getting into the same feeling of a Takeover (it’s not THAT good but it’s getting there) with nothing bad, wrestlers doing better than you might have expected, and the very good matches in different parts of the card. I had a rather good time with this and it’s probably the best NXT show since the original was blown up. They certainly, ahem, delivered here.

Results
Chase U b. Schism – Fratliner to Reid
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Stark, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria and Gigi Dolin – Hartwell pulled down the title
Gallus b. Creed Brothers and Tony D’Angelo/Stacks – Fireman’s carry flapjack/big boot combination to Stacks
Wes Lee b. Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Axiom and Ilja Dragunov – Cardiac Kick to Dragunov
Johnny Gargano b. Grayson Waller – Gargano Escape
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Fallon Henley/Kiana James – Swanton/Codebreaker combination to James
Carmelo Hayes b. Bron Breakker – 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:

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NXT has come a long way in the last few months, having gotten away from the 2.0 stuff and trying to get back to where it was before everything went coconuts. A good portion of that is getting on the road again and that is what they are doing here with the biggest show of the year. As was the case last year, this is a glorified warmup to Wrestlemania, but it is also a heck of a card on its own with a major showdown in the main event. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kiana James/Fallon Henley(c) vs. Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn

This is one of your classic tropes of partners, or even champions in this case, who can’t stand each other but have to work together. Henley and James don’t like each other over what James might be doing to Henley’s friend Brooks Jensen and James isn’t exactly being open about things. Now they have to fight these monsters and that could be quite the problem for them.

I’ll go with new champions here, as James and Henley don’t feel like they are supposed to be long form champs. Fyre needs to win SOMETHING in NXT and this is about as good as it is probably going to get or her. That being said, it would not shock me a bit to see the angle drawn out even more, as there is a love of dragging out stories that could be over in about five minutes if someone would watch the TV show. But yeah, Dawn and Fyre win.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus(c) vs. Creed Brothers vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

This is a match that has been set up over a few weeks, mainly due to drinking and shooting pool at a local bar. Gallus are the big brawlers, the Creeds are the big wrestlers and D’Angelo and Stacks have mob ties so they can get whatever shot they want. Oddly, D’Angelo and Stacks have been leaning more towards the good side of late and it’s strangely working for them. I’m not sure that’s enough to win the titles though.

I’ll take Gallus to retain here, as they haven’t really done much with the belts so far. Their look alone is enough to get them a chance, but they can back it up well enough. The Creeds have already had their title reign and don’t need another so soon, but D’Angelo and Stacks winning would make some sense too. For now though, I’ll go with Gallus retaining, as they can lose them in a big regular tag match later.

Chase U/Tyler Bate vs. Schism

Here we have a match that should go one way but very well may go in the stupid way instead. Schism continues to be one of the least interesting, most annoying and useless things I have seen in wrestling in a very long time and they have already dragged Chase U down with them over the last few weeks. The winner of this gets control of Chase U and Duke Hudson isn’t exactly happy with what he has been doing lately. This doesn’t instill me with hope.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll go with Chase U, as I absolutely cannot take Schism getting another featured role. Schism talking as much as they do now is annoying as all goodness and it would be hard to fathom them getting to talk even more. Chase U really needs a win too and it would be great to see them FINALLY get to shut these pests up. I’m completely unsure if they will, but for the love of all things good and holy do the smart thing here.

North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Axiom

For once this isn’t a ladder match and that was quite the relief to see. Instead it’s a scramble, with Wes wanting to face ten challengers at once but only getting four. In this case I could see a bunch of people walking away as champion, with Wes being right in the middle after having a rather strong reign with the title. It’s nice to have something this wide open as it leaves you with a bunch of options.

I’ll go with…..I think I’ll go with McDonagh winning, as he has been teased to win something big for a long time now and they might as well let him steal the pin here. Wes has held the title long enough that he doesn’t need to hold it much longer and a bunch of people could chase McDonagh very quickly. This is wide open and that makes for a fun match, which at least doesn’t involve a ladder.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

This is the personal match of the show as Waller is the huge pain and Gargano is standing up to fight for NXT. The match seems to be unsanctioned, even though Waller didn’t seem to sign the contract to make it official this week. What matters is getting Gargano back to his roots as it doesn’t seem to be working so well on the main roster. At least he is getting a chance here and it should be good.

I’ll take Gargano here in the big feel good moment as Waller has shown he can find a way to get back on top just by complaining enough. He is one of those people who will never shut up and he can do that all over again after Gargano wins. If nothing else, this ends the Gargano/Shawn Michaels issues with Waller and we can move on, as I’m sure Waller can find another target quickly enough.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez(c) vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Indi Hartwell

NOW we get to the ladder match and Perez is back to defend her title after missing a few weeks. As usual, you can eliminate some names right off the bat from this, as I can’t imagine Stark or Hartwell getting the title. At the same time, Dolin is shaky at best but could be an X factor. That leaves a few names as possible winners and that makes things more interesting.

I’ll go with Stratton winning here, as her winning the title and bragging about it would be perfect for her. You can then have Perez chase the title that she was never pinned for while also playing into her recent medical issues. Dolin or Valkyria winning isn’t out of the question, but this feels like it should be Stratton or Perez. I’ll take the former, in another match that could be wide open.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Carmelo Hayes

This is the match that has been set up for months now because there is no one left for Breakker to face. Hayes has felt like the next big thing around here and can back it up as well as anyone else. He has the athleticism, the talking and the resume to make him feel like a star, but Breakker is another kind of force. This is a toss up match and I have a feeling that the loser is going to be making it up to the main roster.

I’ll go with….Hayes to win here, as there is just no reason to keep the title on Breakker much longer. While Hayes would be fine on the main roster at the moment, putting him on top of NXT for a bit feels like something he has earned. There is no bad ending here though and that is a great thing to see. This feels like a special match and I want to see how well they can make it work.

Overall Thoughts

The potential is here for a major show and that is great to see. What matters here is having the top talent around and the main event feels like a huge showdown. Going on the road makes the show feel that much bigger as this show is just a few hours before Wrestlemania. NXT has come a long way and they are looking like they deserve everything they are getting here. Now just make it work.

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

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AND

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