Impact Wrestling
Date: January 18, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a regular show for the first time in a good while and in this case that means it’s the first weekly show back under the TNA name. We have some new champions, with Moose as the new World Champion and Jordynne Grace as the new Knockouts Champion. That should be more than enough to carry things for a few weeks, but we also have Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay II. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

We open with a long Hard To Kill recap, capped off by the debut of Nic Nemeth.

Kushida vs. Jake Something vs. Trey Miguel vs. Laredo Kid vs. Mike Bailey vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

One fall to a finish. Kushida gets the idea of a bunch of people going after Something but Miguel gets tossed instead. Triple dives take down the villains on the floor before Miguel hits the Lightning Spiral on Kushida. Something is back in to shrug off chops from Vikingo, who is powerbombed over the top onto a bunch of people. Kushida cartwheels into a basement dropkick to Miguel but Vikingo is back in to break up the Hoverboard Lock. Not that it matters as Something comes back in with Into The Void to finish Kid at 5:34.

Rating: C+. This would have been better off as a four way or a triple threat for the sake of giving the match some more space to breathe. They were going for the idea of “total nonstop action” here and that’s a fun way to start. It’s something Impact had been doing for months now and it worked here too. Something continues to look and feel like a force, but having him win something that matters would be nice.

Will Ospreay is ready to beat Josh Alexander again and talks about how TNA made him a wrestler. This was a talk into the camera promo and Ospreay had some fire.

Video on Ash By Elegance, which looks like a perfume commercial.

We look at Gisele Shaw winning Ultimate X at Hard To Kill.

Shaw did what she said she would do and now Jordynne Grace needs to keep her eyes open. Gail Kim comes in to say this is what Shaw can do on her own, but Shaw walks away.

Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside rolls out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a hurricanrana. Steelz is back up with a poke to the eye and a headbutt for two. The chinlock goes on before Steelz grabs Three Amigos, which thankfully doesn’t include an Eddie dance. Brookside is back up with a headscissors and a running neckbreaker for one. Steelz’s Codebreaker gets two but Brookside catches her on top with an Iconoclasm into a bridging pin (the Brooksie Bomb) at 5:06.

Rating: C. Nothing exactly great here but it was a way to get Brookside a win to establish herself a little bit here. Brookside is someone who did well during her time in NXT UK but that doesn’t exactly make her a household name. Let her get her feet wet here and she should be off to a nice start.

We look at Joe Hendry’s music video about AJ Francis, which earned him a beating thanks to a laptop shot to the back from DJ Who Kid.

Hendry isn’t happy with the beatdown but again brings up Francis being the Cheez-It Champion, which is the point of the music video. We’ll call it all even, as he even has a new laptop….and has apparently taken out Who Kid.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Frankie Kazarian/Eric Young

Young goes right after Gibson to start but Drake comes in to work on his arm instead. Kazarian comes in and gets pulled to the floor, where a dive takes him out. We take a break and come back with Kazarian getting pulled back into the corner to cut off a tag attempt. Kazarian suplexes his way out of trouble but Drake pulls Young off the apron in a smart move. Some running shots in the corner rock Kazarian but he ducks an elbow and gets over to Young for the fast tag. Everything breaks down and Grit Your Teeth (double Codebreaker) finishes Young at 9:44.

Rating: C. Much like Brookside, this was a nice way to have the newcomers get a win over some established names. The Veterans are a good team but they’re brand new around here and need to show what they can do. Beating some former World Champions, even if they’re not a regular team, should accomplish that just fine.

Post match a frustrated Kazarian turns on Young, ending their partnership after…five days. Kazarian yells at him a good bit, saying this was supposed to be Kazarian’s year and nailing a Fade To Black.

The System celebrated Moose’s World Title win in Las Vegas. It’s a new beginning for all of them and Moose is only going to be known as World Champion.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. Hard To Kill was a special moment and TNA is back. After the required chant (Nemeth: “I love that.”), Nemeth talks about how he’s intimidated, scared and excited. He picked his time and place and wound up face to face with the TNA World Champion.

Now he’s going to win the TNA World Title and celebrate with everyone in this crowd. He’s gotten to the top before and now he’s going to do it again st Nic Nemeth. Cue Steve Maclin to interrupt, saying it’s his turn to talk. This is his area of operations and all people are going to ask is what happened to Dolph Ziggler. The fight is on and Nemeth drops him in a hurry. That sets up his first big match and gave him a nice intro promo.

Jordynne Grace is happy with her win over Trinity, who interrupts her. Trinity is taking her rematch next week.

Here is Jai Vidal to say he hates this place and no one here can beat him up.

PCO vs. Jai Vidal

PCO knocks him into the corner to start, followed by the chokeslam and PCOsault for the pin at 1:25.

The Motor City Machine Guns talk about knowing Kazuchika Okada, who they want to face the System next week. Okada pops in to say he’s back.

Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay flips out of a wristlock to start and takes him down, which is good for an early standoff. Alexander’s running shoulder just makes Ospreay nip up, where he can chop Alexander down and hit a standing shooting star press for two. A backbreaker gives Ospreay two but Alexander breaks up a springboard. The running crossbody on the apron sends Ospreay out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Alexander winning a fight over a suplex and hitting a powerbomb onto the knee for two. A regular backbreaker sends Ospreay to the apron, meaning it’s time to fight over a drive through the table (because there’s a table at ringside). Ospreay hits a tiger driver through said table and we pause for the medics to check on both of them. The referee says we’re continuing but Alexander has to beat the count….where Ospreay hits a springboard missile dropkick to the ribs.

The Oscutter gets two but the Hidden Blade misses. We take another break and come back with Alexander hitting a Tombstone on the ramp. They get back in with Alexander getting two off a super Regal Roll, setting up the ankle lock. Ospreay rolls it into the corner, setting up the Cheeky Nandos Kick.

A super poisonrana sets up the Hidden Blade to give Ospreay two and they both need a breather. Another Hidden Blade sets up the Storm Driver 93 for two more and another breather. A third Hidden Blade is cut off and Alexander runs through him with a clothesline. The C4 Spike is countered but so is Ospreay’s Styles Clash, with Alexander hitting one of his own for two. Now the C4 Spike can finish Ospreay at 22:45.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a match and it gave Alexander the big win that he has been needing. Ospreay is one of the best in the world at the moment and it means a lot for someone to get that kind of a win over him. Alexander hung in there with him the entire way and then dropped Ospreay on his head for the pin. Great match here and worth a look.

Post match Scott D’Amore comes out and talks about his love for wrestling and how this place was declared dead. Now there is blood pumping through its veins and it has inspired people like Will Ospreay and Trey Miguel and Tasha Steelz. TNA is back and it’s never going away. The old Cross The Line theme plays us out.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the main event is going to be the big focal point and not much else is going to matter. The main event more than stole the show and I had a good enough time with the rest of the night. It was a good follow up to Hard To Kill as they were pushing the idea that TNA is back, but it really just felt like the same Impact with a different color scheme. If they can keep that going then they’ll be in a good place, and it started with this show being pretty awesome.

Results
Jake Something b. Kushida, Trey Miguel, Laredo Kid, Mike Bailey and El Hijo del Vikingo – Into The Void to Kid
Xia Brookside b. Tasha Steelz – Brooksie Bomb
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian – Grit Your Teeth to Young
PCO b. Jai Vidal – PCOsault
Josh Alexander b. Will Ospreay – C4 Spike

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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Hard To Kill 2024
Date: January 13, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Somehow, the big story here is the name of the promotion, as Impact Wrestling is gone and TNA Wrestling is back. Other than that, we have a pretty stacked card with a variety of title matches, plus the promise of a major name debuting. That could be multiple people, which opens up some interesting doors. Let’s get to it.

There is a new set, with the old school tunnel entrances coming diagonally down to the ramp.

Pre-Show: Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin

Feeling out process to start and Swann, in what looks to be Flash Funk tribute gear, shakes his knees. Swann sends him to the floor for an early dive, followed by a middle rope crossbody for two back inside. Maclin gets in a hard forearm though and a backbreaker makes it worse.

Back up and Swann charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner for two more. Swann manages to strike away and kicks him in the head for two. Maclin is able to catch him in the corner though and something close to a Twist of Fate gets two more. That doesn’t slow Swann down as he’s right back with a kick of his own, setting up the 450 for another near fall.

Maclin is right back up to knock him off the top and it’s a top rope headbutt for two. There’s another backbreaker to plant Swann and we hit the Boston crab. The rope is grabbed for the break so Swann comes back with a Lethal Injection into a Trouble In Paradise for a rather near fall. The Phoenix splash misses though and Maclin grabs the KIA for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. I can always go for a match that might not reinvent the wheel but is done well. That’s what we had here with two talented wrestlers who got the chance to do a few things and showcase their abilities. Maclin getting reheated isn’t a bad idea and we might be seeing just that in the new TNA.

Here is DJ Who Kid to bring out AJ Francis (formerly known as Top Dolla in WWE). He insults some fans for being broke and then introduces his new music video…which is interrupted by Joe Hendry. We get some introductions but Hendry has a video for Francis! The video focuses on Francis losing quite a bit, falling over the top rope, and absolutely loving Cheez-Its. Back in the arena and Who hits Hendry with a laptop, meaning the double teaming is on. This show hasn’t been the friendliest to the good guys so far.

Pre-Show: The System vs. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian

The System would be Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards with Alisha Edwards (their stable mates Moose and DeAngelo Williams (former NFL player) aren’t here). Kazarian and Myers start things off but it’s almost immediately off to Young. They grapple into the corner before we get another Kazarian vs. Edwards slugout. Everything breaks down and the System is sent outside but Myers grabs Young’s boot from the floor so the beating can be on back inside.

Young fights out of the backpack Stunner and a double knockdown allow the double tag. Kazarian gets to clean house, including a Backstabber to Edwards and a slingshot cutter to Myers. Edwards is back up with the backpack Stunner into a running elbow for two as everything breaks down. An Unprettier hits Myers and Young adds a top rope elbow for two. Young gets backdropped to the floor, meaning it’s the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party for the pin on Young at 8:05.

Rating: C+. The match was ok but having the heel stable just suddenly being a thing is kind of weird. It felt like I missed the team being formed and that makes for kind of a strange situation. At the same time, the people involved are more than talented enough to make this work and what we got went well. Young and Kazarian are more than fine enough to slot in here as a makeshift team to get the System over, but I’m going to need more of an introduction.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer is defending in a No DQ match. Steve punches him in the face but Dreamer is back with a clothesline out of the corner. A running knee sends Steve outside and there’s a suplex on the floor. Dreamer chokes with a towel and it’s time for some chairs inside. Steve gets in a chair shot to the back and then does it again for good measure. Some choking with the chair ensues and we hit the neck crank.

It’s time for the fork but Dreamer blocks the stabbing and slugs away. That doesn’t last long as Steve cutters him into a chair to take over again. Dreamer is back with a non-chair cutter of his own and some kind of a reverse suplex gets two. That’s not going to work for Steve though as he sends Dreamer face first into a trashcan in the corner. With Dreamer down, Steve tapes his hands together and whips out another fork…..and then a bunch of forks, which he puts under Dreamer’s shirt. The Cannonball crushes Dreamer again and Belladonna’s Kiss gives Steve the title at 11:10.

Rating: C+. The only thing that mattered here was getting the title off of Dreamer and onto Steve. He’s been ready to win something for months now and they pulled the trigger here. Dreamer never once felt like a long term champion and they didn’t bother doing anything crazy. Not exactly a great match, but it got the result they needed and that’s what mattered.

The show proper looks at the rebirth of TNA, with Eric Young narrating a walk through Las Vegas. Young comes into the arena and says this means everything to us, which is why they’re risking it all. With the roster gathered on the stage, he says WE ARE TNA WRESTLING and they are HARD TO KILL.

Tasha Steelz vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat vs. Xia Brookside

Ultimate X or a future Knockouts Title shot and Brookside is a surprise entrant. Some people go for the corner to start and are quickly cut off by everyone else, as tends to be the case in these matches. Brookside, Threat and Luna are left in the ring but Steelz is back in to take over. Brookside fires off some clotheslines but Shaw kicks her in the face as it’s still way too early for anyone to get much momentum.

Threat beats up Edwards and Luna at the same time until the latter is back with a fall away slam. More suplexes abound and there’s a dive to take out Shaw on the floor. Threat climbs the structure and dives onto a bunch of people before going up again….this time with Alisha on her back. Alisha falls off and Threat does as well, leaving everyone to get a breather.

Back in and Luna and Threat hit some powerbombs to bring people down again. Brookside gets to the wires but gets pulled down in a crash, leaving Alisha to get in a crawl of her own. That’s broken up so Alisha grabs a DDT for a breather. Alisha whips out a kendo stick to start beating on people but Threat plants Brookside and Alisha at the same time. That’s enough for Threat to go up, only to have Shaw jump off of Luna for a spear and the big knockout. Luna Steelz and Shaw all go up at once, with Shaw knocking the other two down and winning at 12:01.

Rating: B-. These matches are basically TNA’s version of the ladder match, meaning there is very little in the way of telling a story or anything more than people going nuts with spots until someone wins. Shaw going over makes sense, as she has been around the title picture for a long time now. At some point she needs to win the thing though, and that might be where we are heading now.

We run down the rest of the card.

We look at the Joe Hendry/AJ Francis/DJ Who Kid segment from the pre-show.

Francis and DJ Who Kid are happy with what they did.

PCO vs. Dirty Dango

Dango has Oleg Prudius and Alpha Bravo with him. After Dango says he hates TNA Wrestling, some orderlies wheel PCO into the arena and electrify him back to life. As you do. Dango hammers away to start but PCO sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and the PCOsault is loaded up but Bravo comes in for the DQ at 1:26.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rhino comes in for the save. Cue Santino Marella (because they had to keep HIM) to make it a six man tag with one more addition.

PCO/Rhino/Jake Something vs. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/Oleg Prudius

The brawl is on to start and the ring is quickly cleared, with PCO moonsaulting onto a bunch of people. The DeAnimator hits Dango and we settle down to Something coming in to beat up Dango even further. A hard clothesline puts Dango down again and it’s Rhino coming in to a nice reaction. Prudius gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Bravo gets to come in and choke away.

The villains start taking turns on Rhino in the corner, which doesn’t last long as he gets back up and makes it over to Something. House is quickly cleaned and PCO is back in for the middle rope legdrop. Rhino and Prudius slug it out but Dango breaks up the Gore attempt. Bravo gets Gores anyway and Something powerbombs Dango onto him to make it worse. PCOsault finishes Bravo at 7:25.

Rating: C. This felt like an Impact match and not much more, but in theory this is relaunch for the brand so it’s time to get as many people on the show as possible. On the good hand, one of them is Something but on the other hand, Santino is still there. Not a bad match at all, and I could always go for more PCO insanity.

Earlier today, an unseen woman arrived.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: MK Ultra vs. Decay

This is a bonus match with the returning Decay challenging. Havok sends Slamovich into the corner to start and Rosemary comes in with a clothesline. Rosemary’s German suplex gets two but Slamovich manages a knockdown of her own. Slamovich slams Kelly onto Rosemary for two and a PK gets the same.

A kick to the face lets Kelly crawl onto Rosemary, who snaps and hammers away on her instead. Havok gets to come back in and clean house but gets caught with a kick to the head. The Snow Plow gives Slamovich one and she can’t believe the kickout. Havok hits a double chokeslam and it’s a chokebomb/running hair plant to pin Kelly for the titles at 6:18.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough, but it runs into the same problem that these titles have always had: there is little story here, as the titles are so often just thrown into random matches like this one. Why are Rosemary and Havok back to their old selves? Eh who cares, but they’re the champs again. That’s the problem with these titles most of the time and that was on display again here.

TNA is working with the NFL Alumni Association for a health program.

We look at Steve Maclin beating Rich Swann on the pre-show.

Maclin says that was the first of many.

Here are TNA executive Scott D’Amore and AAA President Dorian Roldan. The two companies are going to be working together and they’re both rather happy. A highlight reel ensues and they sign the deal.

X-Division Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kushida vs. Chris Sabin

Sabin (and only Sabin) is defending. The triple lockup doesn’t go anywhere to start so they snap of armdrags instead, leaving us with a standoff. Kushida sends them both down and then out to the floor, setting up a dive to take out Sabin. Back in and Vikingo hits a springboard hurricanrana, followed by the top rope inverted hurricanrana to take Kushida out of the corner.

Sabin is back up with some German suplexes and we get the triple submission, with Sabin letting go to kick Kushida down. Back up and Kushida ties up Vikingo’s arm and suplexes Sabin at the same time. That’s all broken up and Vikingo gets to clear the ring, setting up a moonsault out to the floor to take both of them down.

Back in and a triple clothesline leaves everyone down, with Vikingo getting up first. He stomps down onto Sabin’s ribs but Kushida is back in with the Hoverboard Lock. That’s broken up but Vikingo has to break up one to Sabin as well. Sabin and Vikingo slug it out until Vikingo is sent to the ramp for a springboard Canadian Destroyer. Back in and Sabin German superplexes Kushida down and grabs Cradle Shock to retain at 13:04.

Rating: B+. This was all action as they went nuts for about thirteen minutes straight. There were some very fun spots in there with people flying all over the place until Sabin retained. Kushida being a regular around here made a title change feel possible and that made things more interesting. Best match of the night by far here and rather good stuff.

Newcomer Alex Hammerstone has issued an open challenge and Josh Alexander has accepted.

Josh Alexander vs. Alex Hammerstone

Alexander goes after the powerhouse Hammerstone’s leg to start but the ankle lock is kicked out to the floor. That means Hammerstone can take Alexander out with a slingshot dive but Alexander is right back with another shot to the leg. A dragon screw legwhip takes Hammerstone down but the ankle lock is broken up again. Some chops in the corner make Hammerstone mad and he sends Alexander flying. He right back with a Regal Roll into a middle rope knee to the back of the head, but the ankle lock is broken up again.

Some boots to the face just annoy Hammerstone and he gorilla presses Alexander into a swinging release Rock Bottom. The tweaked knee is still fine enough to powerslam Alexander but he snaps on the ankle lock again. This time a grapevine goes on as well but Hammerstone gets to the rope. Alexander is back up with a quick Nightmare Pendulum (a suplex dropped forward into a Rock Bottom, his usual finisher) for two.

Alexander is smart enough to get over to the rope to avoid the cover so Hammerstone Death Valley Drivers him on the apron. A missile dropkick gives Hammerstone two as the fans certainly approve. Alexander’s discus forearm is shrugged off and Hammerstone powerbombs him for two. Alexander is back with a small package into the C4 Spike for the quick pin at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting fight that you might have expected if you’re familiar with Hammerstone. On the other hand, those who aren’t so familiar with him got a heck of an introduction, as he took one of TNA’s best to a great fight. This was the showcase match for Alexander and it worked very well. Good stuff here and Hammerstone looked like a star.

Video on the four way for the Tag Team Titles, with a new team getting a shot.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey

ABC is defending and Kid is replacing Trent Seven who had travel issues. Austin and Gibson start things off with neither being able to get very far. Drake comes in and gets double armdragged by the champs, with Bailey and Kid coming in to take over on Miguel. Everything breaks down and all our get in for the major staredown.

We settle down to Bailey’s bouncing kicks having Gibson in trouble but Drake’s cheap shot lets the Veterans take over. Bailey gets elbowed in the face for two and we hit the chinlock. The Rascalz and the Veterans get in an argument, allowing Bailey to kick his way to freedom. Kid comes back in and gets to clean house, including a super Michinoku Driver for two on Wentz.

ABC gets to come in and fire off a series of kicks, including a kick to the head/torture rack neckbreaker for two on Wentz. The Veterans are back in with a double kick for two more on Wentz, followed by a Doomsday Device. The cover is broken up as commentary says they can’t remember who is legal. Bailey is back in with a super poisonrana to Drake and the Ultimate Weapon connects, with the Rascalz making the save. A superkick/double stomp combination gives Wentz two and we get the ABC vs. Rascalz slugout. The 1-2-Sweet finishes Miguel to retain the titles at 14:16.

Rating: B-. They had another almost all action match here but this time there were so many people out there that it was hard to keep track of everything. At the end of the day, this was all about the Rascalz vs. ABC and that’s how it wound up, but that didn’t make the other teams seem that important. I’ll take more of the ABC as the champions though, as they really are one of the best teams going today.

We recap the Knockouts Title match, with Trinity defending against Call Your Shot winner Jordynne Grace. That’s pretty much the whole story.

Ash By Excellence (Dana Brooke) is in the front row as the mystery woman from earlier.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Trinity

Trinity is defending and they shake hands to start. Grace easily powers her up against the ropes to start but the threat of a kick Grace backing up. For some reason Trinity tries a test of strength but she does show some intelligence with a mule kick. Grace picks her up and plants her back down for two, followed by a World’s Strongest Slam for the same. It’s too early for the Juggernaut Driver so Trinity is back with a crossbody.

Grace knees her in the face and hits an Alley Oop for two more. Trinity needs a breather but Grace runs her over with a suicide dive into a Jackhammer on the floor for a nasty crash. Trinity manages a shot of her own and they head back inside for a strike off. Grace gets dropped so Trinity hits a split legged moonsault for two more. A full nelson puts Trinity back down but she makes the rope for the break.

With the holds not working, Grace grabs a MuscleBuster for two more. The Rear View puts Grace down for two and they head to the apron for something like a Heatseeker Pedigree from Trinity. A sitout powerbomb into Starstruck has Grace in more trouble…until she muscles Trinity up into a German suplex. The Juggernaut Driver gives Grace the title at 14:34.

Rating: B-. Grace getting the title back is a nice moment and the good thing is she has all kinds of challengers waiting for her. I know Grace has held the title before, but she feels like she has come more than a few feet since her most recent title reign. Trinity has held the title for a good while now and has only been so interesting. There is a good chance that she is back in WWE sooner than later and at least she had a decent one to go out on.

We recap Moose challenging Alex Shelley for the World Title. Much like the previous match, this is a Call Your Show cash in so there is only so much of a story.

TNA World Title: Alex Shelley vs. Moose

Shelley is defending. Moose’s offer of a handshake goes nowhere so Shelley sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose into the post and we hit the logical armbar. Moose isn’t having that and hits a hard dropkick out to the floor to take over. Shelley gets rammed into the barricade and chopped against the ropes but he strikes away anyway. Moose’s arm gets stomped on the apron and the bad arm gets snapped back inside.

The good arm is enough to knock Shelley down though and Moose starts in on Shelley’s arm for a change. Some hard chops connect, with Shelley telling Moose to do it harder. Moose’s powerbomb is countered into a DDT and a dropkick sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose outside and there’s a baseball slide into the barricade. Sliced Bread on the floor doesn’t work but Moose gets rammed into the post. Shelley drops him again with Shell Shock but can’t follow up, meaning we get a nine count.

Back in and Shelley forearms away, setting up a quickly broken Border City Stretch. The arm is good enough for Moose to hit a powerbomb for two and a needed breather. A quick Sliced Bread gives Shelley two and here is the System to interrupt. Chris Sabin and Kushida make the save but DeAngelo Williams stays at ringside.

They fight to the ramp where Shelley plants Moose down by the arm, meaning it’s time to go back inside and stay on the arm even longer. Moose’s headbutt doesn’t get him very far as Shelley blasts him with a clothesline. Shell Shock is loaded up but Moose shoves him off and hits the spear for the pin and the title at 21:29.

Rating: B. There is something classic about power vs. speed and in this case we had the bonus of Shelley wisely picking at the arm throughout. It’s a classic story that worked well again here, with a title change to cap off the show. Moose can be a heck of a juggernaut when he is given the chance and that is more or less what he did here. It might not be a classic, but it felt like a big deal and that is the most important part.

Post match Nic Nemeth sneaks in and superkicks Moose, setting up what used to be called the Zig Zag. Nemeth rips off his shirt to reveal a TNA shirt as the crowd approves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about the rebirth of TNA and for the most part, it went pretty well. I would assume they were treating this as a jump on point for fans, hence having so many people on the show. That worked in that there was some very good action, but there was a good bit that could have been cut to make the show flow a bit better.

Other than that, you have quite a few title changes to go with the solid wrestling, which made the show an entertaining effort. Things will be interesting on Thursday, but for now at least, TNA is starting well with everything they have going on. The good thing is they aren’t starting from scratch and Impact was doing well, but it’s still pretty new for almost everything going on. That’s a weird setup, though they’re off to a good start.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Rich Swann – KIA
The System b. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian – Boston Knee Party to Young
Crazzy Steve b. Tommy Dreamer – Belladonna’s Kiss
Gisele Shaw won Ultimate X
PCO b. Dirty Dango via DQ when Alpha Bravo interfered
PCO/Rhino/Jake Something b. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/
Decay b. MK Ultra – Sitout chokebomb/running hair plant combination to Kelly
Chris Sabin b. Kushida and El Hijo del Vikingo – Cradle Shock to Sabin
Josh Alexander b. Alex Hammerstone – C4 Spike
ABC b. Rascalz, Grizzled Young Veterans and Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey – 1-2-Sweet to Miguel
Jordynne Grace b. Trinity – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Alex Shelley – Spear

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: March 22, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

Stand & Deliver is coming up soon and now we have the main event set, as Bron Breakker will get his rematch against Dolph Ziggler for the NXT Title. Other than that, we have some qualifying matches for the North American Title ladder match and the finals of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Let’s get to it.

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

Trick Williams and North American Champion Carmelo Hayes arrive and don’t care about who make it into the ladder match.

North American Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Roderick Strong vs. Solo Sikoa

Malcolm Bivens is at ringside. Strong grabs a choke to start as Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams join commentary. Sikoa fights out and the strike off is on, with Strong getting knocked down against the ropes. Back up and Strong knocks him down again to take over, setting up the reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Strong chops up against the ropes with a knee to the ribs getting two.

A powerslam gives Strong two more and here is Santos Escobar sauntering down to ringside. Sikoa tosses his way out of the corner to start the comeback though and some right hands set up a headbutt to put Strong down again. The Samoan drop gets two and Malcolm Bivens is starting to panic. Sikoa gets crotched on top but Strong’s superplex is broken up. The Superfly Splash sends Sikoa to Stand & Deliver at 9:18.

Rating: C. This was pretty simple and to the point and the right person won. Strong might not be the most interesting star in the world but he is going to give you at least a decent match every time. That is the kind of guy you can use on a show full of inexperienced guys and he was doing hit thing again here.

Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell bickered about men earlier today, setting up Pirotta and Duke Hudson being at ringside for Dexter Lumis’ match tonight.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dexter Lumis

Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta and Duke Hudson are here too. Dexter scares him into the ropes to start but the early Silencer is broken up. D’Angelo hammers away until a fall away slam sends D’Angelo flying. A slam into the jumping legdrop gets two and we hit the chinlock until D’Angelo jawbreaks his way to freedom.

They fight outside with D’Angelo sending him into the steps and doing Tommaso Ciampa’s pat on the back as we take a break. Back with Lumis hammering away, setting up a bulldog and a belly to back suplex. A double clothesline puts both of them down so D’Angelo goes over to his crowbar. Pirotta tries to take it away from him but the crowbar gets swung into Lumis’ face. The swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Lumis at 10:32.

Rating: C. The stuff with the woman continues to be one of the dumbest things going on around here and this didn’t help things. D’Angelo’s gimmick is still as over the top as it gets in NXT, but he can have a pretty good match and is certainly dedicated to what he is doing. He also needs the boost on the way to Stand & Deliver so they had the right idea here.

Post match D’Angelo talks about how Tommaso Ciampa knew he was done last week and the new Don of NXT arrives at Stand & Deliver. Cue Ciampa through the crowd with the Fairy Tale Ending to lay D’Angelo out. Stand & Deliver might be Ciampa’s final chapter in NXT and he’s writing his own fair tale ending.

Robert Roode isn’t happy that people have forgotten what he has done around here. Dolph Ziggler wants Roode to take out Bron Breakker tonight before Stand & Deliver.

Grayson Waller is ready to go to Stand & Deliver and will take out A-Kid to get there.

Elektra Lopez vs. Fallon Henley

Legado del Fantasma, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are all here. Lopez jumps her to start and stomps away against the ropes. A toss by the throat sends Henley flying and we hit the double arm crank with feet in Henley’s back. Hold on though as the guys brawl on the floor, allowing Henley to get in an elbow for two. Lopez isn’t having that though and it’s a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Lopez the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C-. The lack of Briggs and Jensen talking made this that much better, as Henley continues to be worth a look and Lopez is getting the near monster vibe down. You can pencil in the six person tag pretty soon and that is not a bad use for everyone involved in this whole thing. The match wasn’t great, but Lopez threw Henley around well enough to make it work.

Draco Anthony is in the back when Xyon Quinn comes in. Anthony gets a call from Joe Gacy, who basically invites him to join the cult. Quinn says Anthony knows what he has to do.

Wendy Choo has had a lot of orange soda and is ready to win the Dusty Classic. Dakota Kai wasn’t sure about the team but now she knows it was the right thing to do.

Robert Roode vs. Bron Breakker

Dolph Ziggler joins commentary as Roode runs Breakker over to start. Breakker shows him how to shoulder someone down and then it’s a powerslam to drop Roode again. They go to the floor for more brawling until a Ziggler distraction lets Roode stomp away back inside. A suplex drops Breakker but he’s right back up with a certainly not Steiner Line. Breakker misses a charge into the post thanks to Ziggler, which is enough for an ejection.

We take a break and come back with Roode hitting a Scott Steiner style elbow drop into the pushups. This means it’s time for commentary to say they know who that’s referencing without actually saying it. Breakker fights up and takes him into the corner for a top rope Frankensteiner, only for Roode to come back with a spinebuster for two.

The Glorious DDT is broken up but a spear is cut off with a knee. The second attempt at the spear cuts Roode down for two. Breakker’s gorilla press doesn’t work and the Glorious DDT gives Roode two. Back up and Roode heads to the middle rope, only to dive into Breakker’s powerslam for the pin at 15:10.

Rating: C+. Again, putting someone as new as Breakker into a match like this with someone as talented as Roode is a good idea. Let people like Roode and Ziggler walk Breakker through the match to help with the inexperience, which you can still see at times. There are points where Breakker doesn’t seem to know what to do so having a veteran out there can help bring him back on track. It’s a good idea and he made it through a fifteen minute match as a result.

Post match Ziggler superkicks Breakker and says the title stays with him until he gives it away.

Indi Hartwell is checking on Dexter Lumis when Persia Pirotta and Duke Hudson come up. Pirotta says Hudson can beat anyone so Dexter….goes over to his sketch pad, where somehow he draws a picture of Gunther (in two colors despite using one marker).

We go back to Chase U where Bodie Hayward gives a speech on fortitude about Von Wagner attacking him. A student raises his hand, earning himself a profanity laden rant. Chase asks where Hayward learned to talk like that, with Hayward saying it was from Chase himself. After a second of thought, Chase says that’s one of the most beautiful things he’s ever heard and yells at the student too. This continues to be one of the funniest things going in NXT.

North American Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Grayson Waller vs. A-Kid

A-Kid starts fast with a springboard hurricanrana and an armdrag into a dropkick. Waller takes him down, only to get hurricanranaed again. There’s a dropkick to send him outside so Waller tries the rolling Stunner, only to get reversed into a choke. That’s reversed into a suplex and now the rolling Stunner connects for the pin on A-Kid at 2:48. Well it was nice while it lasted with him.

Post match Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams pops up to say the three losers in the qualifying matches can have a triple threat for the final spot. That means it’s A-Kid vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Roderick Strong. Williams suggests he’ll be with A-Kid’s mom tonight so A-Kid kicks him in the head.

Robert Stone and Von Wagner are ready for next week when the attractive woman who has been around Stone in recent weeks comes up, saying they need to talk business.

Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

The Veterans talk about jumping the Creeds before the match and then do just that. Brutus says ring the bell and then suplexes Drake around without much trouble. The Veterans get Brutus into the corner to start hammering away but it’s off to Julius without much effort. A Stretch Muffler sends Gibson straight to the ropes so Drake can come back in.

Brutus gets knocked off the apron but Julius slugs away at both of them. Gibson grabs the leg though and Drake takes over again, meaning Julius can get forearmed down. What looks to be a Doomsday Device is loaded up but Julius slips out and Drake tweaks his knee. A shot to the knee sets up Brutus’ sliding lariat for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C. They have something with the Creeds but like so many others around here, the team needs some more polish (and some better looking gear). The good thing is they have time to fix things up, even though it seems likely that the Creeds get the Tag Team Titles in the near future. As for the Veterans…dang they could have been a heck of a team around here but it isn’t likely to ever happen.

Post match a camera pops up in Diamond Mine’s locker room, showing two people trashing it. Texts appear on screen, saying the Creed Brothers can’t find them, so enjoy the view.

Gunther vs. Duke Hudson

The rest of Imperium and Persia Pirotta are here. Gunther grabs a headlock to start but Hudson slips out and fires off some right hands. Hudson’s elbow cuts off a charge as the camera cuts are on in rapid fire. Some chops cut Hudson down and Gunther cranks on the neck. There’s the big chop to rip Hudson’s skin off (that thing echoed) and the fans are VERY impressed. The sleeper is broken up and Hudson hits a big boot. A slingshot German suplex (that’s a new one) gets two and Gunther isn’t having any more of this. He unloads on Hudson in the corner and it’s a big boot into a powerbomb to finish Hudson at 3:52.

Rating: C+. That chop alone is worth the bonus points here as Gunther basically mauled Hudson. That’s a lot better than focusing on Hartwell vs. Pirotta again and it’s always nice to see Gunther getting to smash someone. Hudson is someone worth a look most of the time, but he had no business hanging in there with Gunther any longer than he did here.

Post match Gunther says he’s the toughest competitor around here and doesn’t like someone like LA Knight….and that’s enough for Knight to come to the ring. Gunther cuts off the catchphrase and says Knight needs to listen. Knight threatens to knock Gunther’s block head off his dad body before suggesting a match at Stand & Deliver. Instead of issuing the challenge though, Knight hits him in the face so the beatdown is on, with MSK running in for the save. Imperium is cleared out in a hurry.

Video on Cameron Grimes being disappointed in himself. His dad passed away just after Grimes signed to NXT and now it is time for the most important match of his career. Carmelo Hayes made the announcement of the triple threat match fifteen minutes ago and Grimes had time to get a video made, complete with clips of his dad edited in?

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Wendy Choo/Dakota Kai vs. Io Shirai/Kay Lee Ray

Toxic Attraction is at ringside. Ray and Choo exchange chops to start until Choo gets a near fall off a rollup. Kai comes in to kick Ray in the face for two but it’s off to Shirai to take over. The 619 is loaded up but only hits Choo’s raised pillow. Kai is sent outside anyway and Ray dives onto Choo. Shirai does the same to Kai and we take a break.

Back with Ray in trouble and getting taken off the top in a big crash. Shirai comes in for the save and everything breaks down, with Ray hitting a top rope flip dive. Kai kicks Ray down though and Choo hits the top rope Vader Bomb. Shirai dropkicks Kai into the cover for the save and then butterfly backbreakers Kai down. The KLR Bomb sets up the Moons Over Moonsault for the pin on Choo at 10:18 to give Ray and Shirai the tournament.

Rating: C+. They went with the right choice here as it was the better and more talented team winning over the underdogs. That’s how you have to go to make the tournament sound more legitimate, even if the whole thing felt like some thrown together requirement. Choo was more tolerable here as she wasn’t doing as much shtick (pillow spot aside) and got to show how good she can be in the ring when you ignore the ridiculous gimmick. I can go with that, and maybe now they can find something else for her.

Post match confetti falls but Toxic Attraction gets in the ring, with Mandy Rose saying Ray and Shirai won’t be winning the Tag Team Titles. Ray and Shirai say they’re ready to take out Toxic Attraction, but instead of going after the Tag Team Titles, they’ll use their title shot to make the Women’s Title match a fatal four way (because that’s a thing that can be done apparently). The brawl is on with Cora Jade running in to help clear out Toxic Attraction to end the show. It’s a weird way to get there but I’ll take the four way over the worthless Tag Team Titles.

Overall Rating: C+. The show had more bad than good, but the bad continues to be some really dreadful stuff. The good thing is we have Stand & Deliver all but set and that is going to make the next few weeks a lot better. They moved a lot of stuff forward this week and helped set up the big show’s card so it was certainly a productive week, which is more than you get around here sometimes. Good enough show and the better stuff seems ready to come.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Roderick Strong – Superfly Splash
Tony D’Angelo b. Dexter Lumis – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Elektra Lopez b. Fallon Henley – Blue Thunder Bomb
Grayson Waller b. A-Kid – Rolling Stunner
Creed Brothers b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Sliding lariat to Drake
Gunther b. Duke Hudson – Powerbomb
Kay Lee Ray/Io Shirai b. Wendy Choo/Dakota Kai – Moons Over Moonsault to Choo

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LVL Up
Date: March 11, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in a new NXT era as Dolph Ziggler won the NXT Title. That was a bit of a surprise when it took place but now it seems like all roads lead to Bron Breakker getting his title rematch at Stand & Deliver next month. With a few weeks to go, it is now time to see how this NXT show has nothing to do with any of that. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Trick Williams vs. Guru Raaj

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams and sits in on commentary. Williams grabs a headlock to start as Hayes talks about how he is a bigger star than the NXT Champion (who he doesn’t mention here, as this was filmed before NXT). Raaj sends him into the corner but comes back with a kick to the face. A running corner clothesline connects and it’s time for something like a standing Disarm-Her. Raaj fights out and hits some running forearms, setting up the COME ON to the crowd. Williams is back with a spinning kick to the head and a running neckbreaker finishes Raaj at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Pretty dull squash here, but what mattered was Hayes on commentary, making this match feel like a much bigger deal than it had any right to be. Hayes is one of the best people on the NXT roster today as his matches are smooth and he sounds good when he talks. Williams is fine for a bodyguard/lackey/partner, but Hayes doesn’t need anyone to talk for him.

Ivy Nile vs. Brooklyn Barlow

Malcolm Bivens is here with Nile and the debuting Barlow looks a bit like Tiffany Stratton. Nile wastes no time in hitting a spinebuster but Barlow wristlocks her down into an armbar. A sunset flip out of the corner gives Barlow two so Nile hits her in the face. A standing reverse cravate has Barlow in more trouble but she makes the clothesline comeback. An Oklahoma roll gives Barlow two so Nile Dragon sleepers her for the win at 3:53.

Rating: C. Nile continues to look like a monster and someone who could become a major title threat in the short or long term. There is always room for someone with the submission work like her and that was on display here. As for Barlow, she is another blonde who is going to need to find something to make her stand out. Being in the ring for about four minutes is no way to determine what she can do, but at least she got her toes wet.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

A rather fetching woman stares at Jensen during his entrance and he certainly notices her. Gibson gets double shouldered down to start but Briggs gets dragged into the corner for a shot from Drake. Briggs shrugs that off and knocks him into the corner, allowing Jensen to come back in for the snap jabs. Some double teaming takes Jensen down though and Drake grabs a chinlock. Jensen belly to back suplexes his way to freedom as Nigel keeps making Freebirds references.

The hot tag brings in Briggs to clean house and everything breaks down. A missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Briggs as Jensen is still down on the floor. Drake misses a running corner dropkick and it’s Jensen coming back in to take over. Hold on though as the woman in the crowd distracts Jensen, allowing Drake to counter a suplex and fall on top of him as Gibson holds the foot (ala Bobby Heenan) for the pin at 7:06.

Rating: C. Again, it makes all the difference in the world when you have some names you might care about on the show. Briggs and Jensen are one of the easiest gimmicks to book and they looked decent here. The Veterans should have been a breakout team a long time ago but for now, this is about all they’re going to be good for, as sad as it might be.

Post match Fallon Henley comes out to yell at the Veterans and Briggs/Jensen take out Drake to end the show. Hokey smoke was that an angle on this show?

Overall Rating: C+. This is the definition of false hope but I’ll take what I can get with the angle at the end of the show. Yes it’s just a quick thing with some teams who aren’t going to matter but if it actually goes somewhere, it is an improvement over what this show has been doing so far. The star power was better this week too and it was a completely easy show to watch. Nice job, and hopefully they do it again.

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NXT
Date: February 8, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We are a week away from Vengeance Day but there is another title match to get through first. This week will see Mandy Rose defending the Women’s Title against Kay Lee Ray in a match that seems likely to have some shenanigans. Other than that, we continue the men’s Dusty Classic while trying to find a field for the women’s version. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video features Mandy Rose talking about all of her success and demands to be taken serious.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Grizzled Young veterans vs. Creed Brothers

The Creeds break up the Veterans’ trash talking entrance and start the fight fast. That means Gibson gets beaten down inside as the brothers get to take turns on him. Brutus suplexes Julius onto Gibson but a cheap shot allows the tag to Drake. Julius runs Drake over without much trouble and isn’t fooled as Gibson comes in off a blind tag. Some alternating Creed knees to Gibson’s ribs set up a gutwrench suplex so Drake tags himself back in.

The Veterans get in a double team on Brutus on the floor though and it’s a catapult to send him throat first into the ring structure. Back in and the chinlock stays on the throat but Brutus manages to muscle Gibson up for a suplex. Drake cuts off the hot tag attempt with a sleeper though and Brutus is cut off again. That’s broken up though and the hot tag brings in Julius to power Drake around.

A suplex gets him out of a front facelock and everything breaks down. Drake hits a heck of a suicide dive to take out Julius on the floor, setting up a Doomsday Device for two back inside. It’s back to Brutus to clean house with the power but more double teaming takes him down. What looks like a 450 is loaded up but Julius runs in to run the ropes and superplex Drake for a huge crash. The basement lariat finishes Gibson at 12:03.

Rating: B. There was a story here with the Veterans having experience but being taken down by the power and ability. The fans were WAY into the Creeds and that is something that has been lacking from this version of NXT. This was a high intensity match though and the Creeds finally getting their shot at Imperium (assuming we don’t get a surprise) sounds good.

We look at Raquel Gonzalez beating Cora Jade and Gonzalez agreeing to team with her.

Jade is happy but Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz come in to mock her in Spanish. Gonzalez pops in to out-insult them. Leon and Feroz leave, with Gonzalez saying only she can call Jade that. Jade: “Wait, what did they call me?”

Last week, Wendy Choo and Amari Miller stole Tiffany Stratton’s credit card.

This week, Choo and Miller celebrate credit card fraud/theft/whatever illegal activity that was.

Wendy Choo vs. Tiffany Stratton

Choo works on the arm to start and frustrates Stratton by dodging some kicks. A one footed dropkick sends Stratton into the corner, setting up a running elbow (with Choo putting her hands under her head like she’s asleep). Now it’s a chinlock with a similar motion but Stratton (who seems to have broken a nail) fights up. Choo gets knocked into the corner and kicked down, setting up a corkscrew Vader Bomb to finish Choo at 3:01.

Rating: C-. There might be some hope here, as while Stratton isn’t much of an original idea, she’s a lot better than Oops I Feel Asleep. The credit card story is stupid but this should be the end of it, at least for now. They need some new stars in the women’s division and Stratton could be a little something if she is given the chance.

Draco Anthony is disappointed with his lost but Joe Gacy and Harland come in for a pep talk.

Pete Dunne is ready to crush Tony D’Angelo in a cage next week. Anthony comes in to offer him good luck before their match tonight but Dunne would rather snap his fingers.

Draco Anthony vs. Pete Dunne

Joined in progress with Anthony hitting a suplex but Dunne goes for the singers to cut that off. More finger twisting ensues, followed by a Kimura that is broken up pretty quickly. A suplex sends Dunne outside, where he has to deal with an interfering Tony D’Angelo. Back in and the Bitter End finishes Anthony at 4:42.

Rating: C. Anthony got to do some stuff here before falling to Dunne, as he should have. What surprised me here was the fact that Dunne had to deal with the interference but didn’t lose as a result. It was nice to see a change from the expected result, as WWE has a bad tendency to stick with the same tired formulas.

Post match Dunne goes after D’Angelo and busts out a bunch of weapons. D’Angelo declares the guy “Looney Tunes” and Dunne says let’s take all of these weapons and attach them to the cage. Sure why not.

Zoey Stark says Io Shirai needs a new partner for the Dusty Classic. She needs to be someone hard hitting and just as crazy as Shirai, so Shirai says she’s in.

Dakota Kai finds Wendy Choo’s shopping bags (which she and Amari Miller just left there) and says they won’t make her happy.

LA Knight vs. Sanga

Grayson Waller is here with Sanga. Knight comes to the ring and instantly feels like a star. He looks like he has been there before and has charisma instead of being the same assembly line style person with some gimmick that defines him. It’s such a notable difference. Knight slugs away at Sanga (with the amazing mustache) to start but gets knocked outside with a single shot.

Sanga gets posted (that sounded hard) but is still able to block BFT. Knight is right back up with a springboard dropkick for two, with Sanga kicking him off. Waller takes off a turnbuckle pad, but the distracted referee misses Knight raking Sanga’s eyes. Sanga misses a charge into the exposed buckle though and it’s a jumping neckbreaker to give Knight the pin at 3:11.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t exactly good but I’ll take this over building Sanga up as the next monster with little chance of becoming a star. Knight vs. Waller isn’t quite a mega feud but it’s something for Knight to do before he (presumably) gets called up to the main roster. Sanga looks intimidating but he wasn’t exactly looking great here, which probably won’t stop him around here.

Post match Knight jumps Waller and beats him down but has to bail from Sanga.

Duke Hudson isn’t worried about Dante Chen….and he wants Indi Hartwell to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

It’s time for a Championship Summit between Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar. Breakker is ready to fight and says let’s just flip the table over right now. Escobar calls him naive and says he is pulling all the strings. Breakker still wants to fight….and here is Dolph Ziggler, who has been arguing with Breakker on Youtube and Twitter. Ziggler has a seat at the table and puts his feet up before saying Breakker is doing well enough on Twitter, but who is he? Breakker: “I’M THE NEXT CHAMPION PAL!” He offers Ziggler the next shot after Escobar, but Ziggler calls that a rookie mistake.

Ziggler lists off his accomplishments and says that even though he has lost 99/100 matches or so, Breakker knows what he can do. Cue Tommaso Ciampa to cut Ziggler off (while calling him kid) and say he likes the idea of getting the title back. Escobar cuts them both off and says he’s going to win the title and then deal with Ziggler and Ciampa. That’s not cool with Ciampa, who says he’s next in line, if that’s ok with Kid.

Ziggler laughs off the idea of Ciampa fighting in the same place in front of the same people and wants to know when the gloves come off. Ciampa kicks him in the face and they fight tot he floor, leaving Legado del Fantasma to jump Breakker from behind. Breakker fights back but gets put through the table to leave him laying.

This was a nice surprise as Ziggler is the kind of person who could do a lot of good around here. We get one of his best promos in a LONG time as he was getting to do something different than the same stuff he has been doing for about ten years now on the main roster. Ziggler vs. Ciampa to set up Ziggler vs. Breakker works, as NXT gets some star power from someone who could be useful around here. Good stuff and better thinking.

Kay Lee Ray breaks a bunch of stuff with her bat.

Grayson Waller says LA Knight just broke his restraining order and next week, he’s going to jail.

Dakota Kai vs. Sarray

Joined in progress with Sarray missing the Sunray dropkick and getting caught with some running kicks to the face in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Sarray two but Kai hits a Scorpion kick (on the second try) for two of her own. Back up and Kai misses her kick in the corner, setting up a kick from Sarray. The Sunray dropkick sets up the high collar suplex for the pin on Kai at 4:11.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what is going on with Kai but she has gone from someone who felt ready to break into the main event scene to cannon fodder for the Sarray rebuilding project. This was a competitive match but it was over in four minutes with Sarray hitting her scary finisher for the win. Kai seems in a downward spiral and that’s kind of weird given how much more she has been appearing with her new persona.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are at the barber shop and convince everyone that Hayes is the favorite against Cameron Grimes next week. As usual, Hayes is one of the best things about this show as he feels like he’s being an amped up version of himself rather than a character.

Toxic Attraction and Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta talk trash about their Tag Team Title match. A photo of Hartwell/Duke Hudson is pulled out though and the fight is on.

WWE celebrates Black History Month with a look at Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Nikkita Lyons knows how to sing and how to fight.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs try to ask out Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro for Valentine’s Day but it winds up being more of a group thing. Jensen even offers to pay Briggs to take one of them away at a movie but doesn’t have much money.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: MSK vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

MSK takes over on Blade to start and a Bronco Buster gets an early one. Enofe comes in and gets kicked down as well, meaning it’s back to Blade, who gets kicked down again. We take a break with MSK in full control and come back with Enofe getting suplexed down. Blade comes back in for a rollup on Lee and a gordbuster/cutter combination gets two. Carter comes back in for a save though and Blade is sent to the floor. A corner dropkick sets up the Doomsday Blockbuster to send MSK to the finals at 9:30.

Rating: C+. They had a tricky path to walk here as MSK felt like major favorites who then had to make you believe that Blade and Enofe had a chance. That didn’t really happen, but I like Blade and Enofe together. At the same time though, MSK needed to win here as the Creeds beating Blade and Enofe wasn’t going to mean a thing.

Cameron Grimes is in Cameron, North Carolina and talks about his humble beginnings. Now he is a self made man and has everything he wants…except some gold.

Wendy Choo mocks Dakota Kai for losing her match and leaves in a huff.

Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta jump Toxic Attraction on the way to the ring but Mandy Rose, who wasn’t really hurt, has to defend the title anyway.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Kay Lee Ray

Rose is defending and gets chopped so hard that her choker is knocked off. Rose gets in a few shots of her own but is quickly knocked outside, setting up the dive from Ray. Back in and Rose sends her head first into the middle buckle and then does it over and over for a bonus. The bodyscissors goes on and we get an audio update on Toxic Attraction and Hartwell/Pirotta being escorted from the building.

Ray gets her face slammed into the mat and it’s off to an abdominal stretch with an elbow in the ribs. That’s broken up and Ray pulls her into a Koji Clutch but Rose is out pretty fast. The KLR Bomb is countered into a sunset flip to give Rose two but Ray superkicks her down. Ray goes up….and Toxic Attraction is here anyway to distract the referee/shove Ray off the top. Rose’s running knee retains the title at 8:02.

Rating: C-. After having watched Ray for a long time in NXT UK, it is sad to see her being toned down like this so Rose can keep up. I don’t think it’s any secret that Rose isn’t the best in the ring, but she is wrestling/acting EXACTLY as she should be. It wouldn’t make sense for Rose to be out there tearing the house down when she openly brags about how her looks get her everywhere. She wrestles a safe, basic style that gets her where she needs to go and I’ll take that over a lot of the other people you see doing the same match over and over. That being said, the ending sucked the life out of this and that’s never good.

Post match Toxic Attraction loads up the bat but Io Shirai runs in for the save. Toxic Attraction is cleared out and we have another Dusty Classic team to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I almost never have any idea what to make of this show anymore and that was the case again here. It’s a bunch of stuff happening and while there are good parts, there are also a lot of things that are just flat out dumb. They try to rush through too many things and it leaves you with a lot of “get this over with” feelings. The good stuff does work and there was a lot of it tonight, but then you see one of WWE’s bad ideas and you know it’s only going to get worse.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Basement lariat to Gibson
Tiffany Stratton b. Wendy Choo – Twisting Vader Bomb
Pete Dunne b. Draco Anthony – Bitter End
LA Knight b. Sanga – Jumping neckbreaker
Sarray b. Dakota Kai – Sunray dropkick
MSK b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Doomsday Blockbuster to Enofe
Mandy Rose b. Kay Lee Ray – Running knee

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NXT
Date: January 25, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and I don’t think that is going to mean much for most of the people around here. NXT is in a different world than almost anything that happens on the main roster and in a way that’s a good thing, as they can do some positive stuff on their own. Let’s get to it.

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

MSK is next to the Dusty Cup and ready to win it again. Now they know what it takes to get back to the top of the mountain thanks to Riddle, but DON’T TOUCH THE CUP!

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Jacket Time vs. MSK

Carter and Kushida start things off with neither being able to get anywhere. It’s off to Lee, who immediately gets punched down by Jiro. Jacket Time takes him into the corner to start up the beating and it’s a double bulldog to give Kushida two. Jiro gets taken down in the corner though and it’s Carter hitting a Bronco Buster, which the fans don’t seem to like very much. Some double teaming takes Jiro down and we take a break.

Back with Jiro getting suplexed down, setting up a kick to the chest. There’s the running shooting star for two and it’s back to Lee, who gets caught in the belly to back kneeling piledriver for two. Lee fights up and brings in Carter to clean house. The push moonsault is countered into the Hoverboard Lock but Carter drives him into the corner for the Blockbuster Hart Attack and the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match where they were supposed to go about 100 miles an hour and that’s what they did for a good bit. MSK needed to win to move forward, as there is a redemption story to them making the finals, if not flat out winning the tournament. Jacket Time might not be everyone’s thing, but they are at the level they should be at: a pretty low comedy team who gets good reactions and loses.

Respect is shown post match.

Zoey Stark tells Io Shirai she needs to find a new partner because Stark’s knee isn’t ready yet. Shirai doesn’t want to, but here is Tiffany Stratton to mock both of them. Stratton is ready to beat Shirai tonight, sending Shirai into a rant.

Video on Cameron Grimes wanting to beat Tony D’Angelo and move on to get the North American Title.

Legado del Fantasma is in the ring with Santos Escobar mocking Bron Breakker. People make fun of him because of his family and his poor math skills (Ha!) but he is already billed as a star. Escobar is a real star but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker gets in Escobar’s face and tells him to callate because the champ is speaking. Just issue the challenge already because he’ll accept it. Escobar says it’s on his time and leaves, only to have his goons jump Breakker. This goes as well as you would expect and Breakker stands tall.

Video on Boa vs. Solo Sikoa.

Solo Sikoa vs. Boa

No DQ and falls count anywhere with Boa jumping him with a kendo stick to start. A bunch of weapons are thrown in but Sikoa hits a Samoan drop. Everything but a single chair is cleared out so Boa wins a tug of war and beats Sikoa down again. A butterfly suplex onto a trashcan lets Boa set up a table at ringside but the delay lets Sikoa fight up. They fight into the back with Boa sending him into a ladder, which is then rammed into Sikoa’s chest.

Another shot misses though and Boa is rammed into a steel door. Sikoa goes outside and locks the door behind him so Boa opens the damaged garage door. Sikoa is right there with a blast from a fire extinguisher and they head back into the arena. Boa is sent into some chairs in the corner and a superkick takes him down again. The Superfly Splash is broken up with a crotching though and they head outside again. A Samoan drop sends Boa onto the announcers’ table and it’s a Superfly Splash to put Boa through another table for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: B-. I don’t know how big of a win this is going to be for Sikoa as he was beating Boa, but he had a hard fought match that felt like the end of this mini feud. Sikoa has the genetics and family name to make something of himself and the brawling style should work well. Boa….yeah I don’t get it, but he lost in the big match here so at least they didn’t go too far.

Video on Imperium, who talks about how it is time to move on from the past and fear the name of Gunther. WWE certainly feared the long form of the name.

Duke Hudson vs. Guru Raaj

Hudson starts fast and hammers away, setting up a side slam. A Razor’s Edge finishes for Hudson at 1:08.

Post match here is Dante Chen to say he’s coming for Hudson, albeit respectfully. Referees break it up but Hudson chop blocks him down.

Persia Pirotta likes Duke Hudson with short hair but Indi Hartwell tells her to focus. Kay Lee Ray comes in to suggest she wants to beat up Mandy Rose with a baseball bat. Or just pin her.

Legado del Fantasma is unhappy with Bron Breakker and the challenge is on….for him to face Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. He doesn’t have any friends so it’s not worries.

Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta/Kay Lee Ray vs. Toxic Attraction

Ray wants Mandy Rose to start but Jacy Jayne tags herself in instead. That’s fine with Ray, who drives her into the corner for the tag off to Hartwell. A kick to the head rocks Jayne so Rose comes in, only to get backbreakered by Pirotta. There’s a kick to the head and it’s back to Ray, sending Rose bailing to the floor.

Ray is left alone in the ring so it’s a huge dive to the floor to take all three down at once. Back in and Dolin gets caught in the corner for a beating, only to drive Hartwell into the wrong corner. Some Kawada Kicks knock Hartwell silly but she’s back with a side slam to Rose. Jayne breaks up the tag though and Dolin takes her down for two.

We take a break and come back with Hartwell still in trouble and Jayne hitting a running neckbreaker. They chop it out and knock each other down so the tag is off to Pirotta to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Ray superkicking Rose before grabbing the bat. The bat hits the steps and the post and Ray chases her to the back. That leaves Dolin to small package Pirotta for two, only to get kicked in the face. The fireman’s carry faceplant finishes Dolin at 13:53.

Rating: C. Take the challengers and the champions, put them in the same match and give one of the challengers a win to set up a title match later. That’s classic wrestling booking and it will work fine here. Toxic Attraction feel like vulnerable champions and Hartwell/Pirotta will be fine as challengers on the big show. Ray is the serious threat to Rose and while I don’t know if she will take the title, at least they have set her up well.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade can’t believe they have made it to the semifinals of the Dusty Classics and they could go all the way. Enofe seems interested in Toxic Attraction though and somehow he loses his shirt.

Earlier today, Raquel Gonzalez was training when Cora Jade came in to ask to be her partner again. That still won’t happen because Gonzalez can’t trust her. Jade loads up a slap but it gets blocked, with Gonzalez getting serious.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward

Drake shoves Chase down to start so Chase flips him around by the wrist. The spelling stomps have Drake in more trouble and it’s time to alternate on the arm. Some Flip Flop and Fly stagger Drake again but Gibson pulls him to the floor. A spike shoulder breaker put Chase down but he’s fine enough to roll over for the tag off to Hayward. House is cleaned but it’s a double Codebreaker to finish Hayward at 5:10.

Rating: C. I like the Veterans, but I am long past the point of believing that they are going to be given a serious push, or even a major win, in NXT. At the same time you have Chase and Hayward and they have managed to get this stupid gimmick over. I absolutely would not have bet on that and well done on pulling off what should not have been possible. It might not go very far, but they have a something with it, at least for the time being.

Post match here is Von Wagner to jump Chase and Hayward. Robert Stone comes in to say Wagner is under new management.

Grayson Waller, with his bodyguard Sanga, is ready to take out LA Knight, who is still under a restraining order.

Odyssey Jones has undergone knee surgery and will be out of action until the fall.

Io Shirai vs. Tiffany Stratton

Shirai doesn’t see sure of what to think of Stratton. A wristlock has Stratton flipping away and she kicks Shirai down, leaving commentary stunned. The chinlock has Shirai in more trouble and even the fans chanting can’t bring her back up. They get to their feet with Stratton shouting a lot, only to get palm struck into the corner. A slam sets up the Moons Over Moonsault for the pin on Stratton at 4:17.

Rating: C. That’s how this kind of a match should have gone, as Stratton is still brand new and Shirai is one of the best ever around here. Stratton got in some offense before ultimately falling, though there was only ever going to be so much drama here. I’m not sure what to make of Stratton so far, but she has the athleticism to make something of herself, assuming she can get around the lame gimmick (see also most of this NXT).

Malcolm Bivens thinks Gunther is a stupid name. Bivens: “It should have been DUMBA**, in all caps!” This is a new beginning and it’s time for the team to take out Imperium, including Ivy Nile stretching him to his mother’s house.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams introduce Olliejayy for a musical performance.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for Cameron Grimes.

Tiffany Stratton is on the phone with her dad and complains about the referee. She runs into Wendy Choo, who thinks the referee had a point. Stratton slaps her cup away, sending Choo into some whining about her free refill. Someone was paid to come up with that.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Cameron Grimes

The winner gets Carmelo Hayes (on the balcony with Trick Williams) for the North American Title in the future. D’Angelo starts fast by snapping off a suplex, setting up a choke in the corner. Grimes gets planted down again and we take a break. Back with Grimes hitting him in the face but getting punched in the ribs. The waistlock goes on but Grimes fights up and hits a bunch of forearms.

D’Angelo is rocked for a change and Grimes hits his flipping powerslam for two. Back up and the threat of the Cave In sends D’Angelo outside. That’s fine with Grimes, who grabs a hat. Cue Pete Dunne with a 2×4 to hit D’Angelo in the hand, allowing Grimes to hit the Cave In for the pin at 11:35 (possibly while thanking D’Angelo at the same time).

Rating: C+. As has been the case with a lot of the matches tonight, I don’t think there was much drama here, but they got tot he point after some good action. Grimes can work well with anyone and it’s not like D’Angelo is awful in the ring. There was no reason to believe D’Angelo was winning here but they didn’t overstay their welcome, even with Dunne’s return.

Bron Breakker is leaving when Legado del Fantasma pops up in their SUV. Breakker is ready to fight but Tommaso Ciampa comes in to even the odds a bit. Breakker says the math checks out for him as Legado leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it felt like one of the old NXT’s. This show felt like it had a bunch of things to accomplish and then went through them one by one, including setting things up for later. That’s one of the reasons NXT worked so well back in the day and it was working again here. While the show has some problems, it feels like it has a direction and that is what matters more than anything else at the moment.

Results
MSK b. Jacket Time – Blockbuster Hart Attack to Kushida
Solo Sikoa b. Boa – Superfly Splash through a table
Duke Hudson b. Guru Raaj – Razor’s Edge
Kay Lee Ray/Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell b. Toxic Attraction – Fireman’s carry facebuster to Dolin
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward – Double Codebreaker to Hayward
Io Shirai b. Tiffany Stratton – Moons Over Moonsault
Cameron Grimes b. Tony D’Angelo – Cave In

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: December 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on the end of the year and that means New Year’s Evil is on the way soon. That means we will be seeing Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title. The match seemed to be set up last week and now we should be ready for the showdown pretty soon. Oh and AJ Styles is here too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. He knows that the title means that people are coming for you and that includes Bron Breakker. Last week he laid Breakker out and now it is time for Breakker to come out here and do something about it. Cue Breakker, but Ciampa cuts him off, saying Breakker is getting another shot when most people never get one.

At Halloween Havoc, Ciampa showed the flaws in Breakker, who is not ready to be a champion around here. He won’t be like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor or Tommaso Ciampa. All it took was one mistake for Breakker to lose, so now he knows what is coming at New Year’s Evil. Then he’ll win the title and take it home to his family, where everyone can bark about how happy they are. Ciampa slaps him in the face and gets lifted in the air, only to be sat back down. Breakker says the blood is in the water and the shark is coming for him.

Grayson Waller says he has no respect towards AJ Styles, but he’s hanging on like Johnny Gargano. Styles has been around for years and has money, so get a hair cut! His hair looks the same as Waller’s mom’s!

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai start their street fight backstage. Gonzalez doesn’t like Kai trying to jump her from behind so they throw each other into various things. Kai’s ribs are crushed with a big piece of metal grating and Gonzalez hits her with a bunch of things. An anvil case doesn’t work though and Kai gets in some trashcan shots. With Gonzalez down, Kai sets up a table but takes too much time and gets taken down by a metal cart. They fight out into the parking lot and we take a break. Back with the fight at ringside and the bell has officially rung.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai

Street fight and we start with Kai taking the top of the announcers’ table to the face. Kai gets in a shot of her own though and it’s time for a table, because we can’t go through a fight without one. They get inside, where Kai is dropped onto a chair. A charge is reversed into a powerbomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana to the floor. Kai puts Gonzalez in a trashcan and double stomps her from the apron for the big crash. Gonzalez is fine enough to hit a powerbomb onto the steps, with the fans wanting one more. Instead they head back inside with Gonzalez powerbombing her onto the trashcan for the pin at 5:44 shown.

Rating: B-. This is a tricky one as the match itself wasn’t much, but the whole thing went for the better part of fifteen minutes. They beat each other up rather well, though I’m a good bit burned out on these fights and brawls. The story calls for it well enough, but we just had a No Holds Barred match last week. Space these things out a bit.

Post match, Gonzalez calls out Mandy Rose for her title match right now.

After a break, Tony D’Angelo talks about taking Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. He’ll see Dunne tonight.

Back in the ring, Gonzalez is still calling out Rose but gets Cora Jade instead. Jade wants to face Rose too but that isn’t going to happen with the title on the line. Gonzalez is ready to take Jade out for the title match if she has to, but Rose pops up on screen. She’ll put the title on the line in a triple threat at New Year’s Evil, but for now, enjoy your beating. Cue Toxic Attraction to lay out Gonzalez and Jade, with Gonzalez being sent through the table in the corner.

Joe Gacy and Harland want to apologize for nearly killing Brian Kendrick last week. They can’t apologize though, because Kendrick triggered Harland by calling him a freak.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t scared of the Creed Brothers, no matter how many awesome training videos they post.

Persia Pirotta tells Indi Hartwell that their match has been canceled. Grayson Waller comes in to mock them and say he isn’t worried about AJ Styles being here tonight. He already got rid of Johnny Gargano.

Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gibson jumps over Julius to start and gets dropped into an armdrag. It’s off to Brutus, who gets slammed onto Gibson to keep him in trouble. Back up and Gibson is sent into the corner, where Drake breaks off the impact. That means Brutus can get caught in the wrong corner so the Veterans can take turns getting in some cheap shots to take over. Brutus gets kicked in the back and knocked outside, setting up the backbreaker/elbow to the chest combination.

Hold on though as here is Jacket Time with their own announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jacket offering Japanese commentary as Drake chinlocks Brutus. That’s broken up and Brutus gets over to Julius for the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and everyone heads outside. They try to put each other through Jacket Time’s table but a big brawl breaks out for the no contest at 10:41.

Rating: C-. They were having a match but there was too much stuff going on and it all seems to be setting up a big multi team match soon. Maybe they can even make it a ladder match, as we haven’t had one in a few weeks. Anyway, you can only do so much with a match focusing on extra commentary and then a big messy finish, which was certainly the problem here.

Post match the brawl continues, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs joining in.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for Dexter Lumis, who pops up on a screen to scare them.

Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are working on rehabbing Stark’s knee. Legado del Fantasma comes in but the women aren’t scared.

Trick Williams vs. Dexter Lumis

Carmelo Hayes is here and Roderick Strong is watching from the balcony too. Lumis isn’t playing this time and takes Williams down to hammer away at the head. The neck crank goes on but Williams fights up, only to get caught in the ring skirt. Lumis hits a superkick as Strong brawls Hayes to the back. The distraction lets Hayes get in a few slams and a chinlock to keep Lumis down. Lumis fights up and hits a Russian legsweep, setting up the jumping legdrop. Williams grabs his shoe but gets taken into the Silence to give Lumis the win at 5:37.

Rating: C-. This is a feud that just keeps going with Lumis continuing to not be the most inspiring guy in the world. Hayes and Williams haven’t been able to do much to him but Hayes is more worried about Strong anyway. Another match that wasn’t too bad, but the story isn’t interesting enough to make up for the just ok action.

Post match here is Grayson Waller to chair Lumis down but we cut to AJ Styles arriving.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Back in the ring, Grayson Waller promises to say you’re welcome when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cue AJ Styles, who isn’t all that impressed. Styles has heard about the things Waller has been doing but doesn’t think much of him. Waller thinks AJ is here because he lost his meal ticket and needs something to make up for it.

AJ laughs it off and talks about how much Waller rips him off, even down to the gloves. There is talent in NXT, but the jury is still out on Waller, who would rather look good than be a star. Waller says he has gotten a Hall of Famer down here so AJ is ready to fight. Waller has had a good few weeks, but try having a good twenty years. Waller teases fighting but walks away instead, saying Omos can beat up Styles first.

Diamond Mine issues the challenge: Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong, title for title.

We recap Riddle as MSK’s shaman.

Riddle gives MSK Randy Orton hats and wants them to challenge Imperium next week, with him in their corner. They they all get hit by cars. MSK wakes up and it was all a dream, but they still have their hats. Then Riddle gets off a bus and they’re still calling out Imperium next week.

Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe

Robert Stone comes out to watch as Wagner cleans house to start. Enofe gets punched down but comes back with a sunset flip for the upset pin at 57 seconds.

Post match Wagner destroys Enofe.

Imperium is ready for MSK.

Xyon Quin is still following Legado del Fantasma.

NXT has been doing stuff with children’s charities.

Io Shirai vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez powers her into the corner to start and gets a takedown, followed by a hard spinebuster. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Shirai fights up and kicks Lopez down. There’s a missile dropkick to send Lopez into the corner for the running knees. The moonsault is broken up to put them both down but here is Xyon Quin to go after Legado del Fantasma. He pulls out some mistletoe and gets on the apron, which gets Lopez’s attention. Santos Escobar breaks that up though, allowing Shirai to knock Lopez down and hit the moonsault for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. The Quin/Lopez deal continues and I’m not sure where it is going. That’s a good feeling to have and it is one of the few occasions where it applies around here. Shirai didn’t quite struggle here, but she isn’t quite the ace that she used to be. At least she won here though and we have something for Lopez going forward.

Carmelo Hayes is in for the title vs. title match.

Brian Kendrick says he’s coming back to the ring to face Harland next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Dunne takes him down early but misses the stomp to the arm. Back up and they run the ropes until D’Angelo grabs something like a release t-bone suplex, with Dunne landing HARD on his head. Another suplex drops Dunne again but he escapes a third one to knock D’Angelo outside.

We take a break and come back with D’Angelo stomping away even more. Dunne grabs the hand to set up a triangle but gets suplexes down again. Dunne is suplexed into the corner but manages to avoid a charge. Some running shots to the face give Dunne two and it’s time to slug it out.

A big kick to the head gives Dunne two but the X Plex is countered into a Falcon Arrow. With that not working, D’Angelo grabs his crowbar but gets pulled down into an armbar. Dunne is sent into the corner for the counter and loads up the fisherman’s neckbreaker, only to have Dunne go for the fingers. The Bitter End finishes D’Angelo at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Those suplexes are going to be the memorable part here as D’Angelo needs to work on not dropping people on their heads. They were terrifying and there is no need to have Dunne bouncing onto his head like that, and certainly not multiple times. I’m also glad that Dunne won, as the youth movement can only get you so far and D’Angelo beating Dunne would have been too much to take.

Post match D’Angelo jumps Dunne again and breaks his hand with the crowbar to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was a bit better this week and Grayson Waller wasn’t quite as all over the show as he was before. They also beefed up the New Year’s Evil card and the show is looking good. It helps a lot to have a show to build towards and New Year’s Evil fills the role. There are still a lot of bad or just dumb things around here but at least the top of the card is starting to come together. Just fix some of those problems and this show jumps up in a hurry, but I wouldn’t bet on those happening anytime soon.

Results
Raquel Gonzalez b. Dakota Kai – Powerbomb onto a trashcan
Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Creed Brothers went to a no contest when both teams brawled with Jacket Time
Dexter Lumis b. Trick Williams – Silence
Edris Enofe b. Von Wagner – Sunset flip
Io Shirai b. Elektra Lopez – Moonsault
Pete Dunne b. Tony D’Angelo – Bitter End

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: December 14, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s another new era as Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly are both gone, at least for the time being. That means we might be in for some new names, but ultimately that might not be the best thing. Some of the new generation has done well, but there are more than a few who haven’t been the most thrilling. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Grayson Waller attacking Johnny Gargano to end last week’s show.

Waller arrives and gets booed by a bunch of fans, so he films a bit of the reaction.

We recap Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson. Grimes has beaten Hudson in poker and a match, including cutting off some of Hudson’s hair. Tonight is the final fight, no holds barred.

Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes

No holds barred so Grimes busts out the weapons before the bell. Hudson still has the blond wig, as held down by the headgear. The brawl starts on the floor, with Grimes getting in a few shots early on. Hudson has to fix the hair while fighting back, but Grimes slips out of a Razor’s Edge attempt on the floor. Back in and a chair is set up, with Hudson managing a Rock Bottom onto the edge (that was nasty) for two.

We take a break and come back with Grimes diving over a poker table to hit a high crossbody for another near fall. Hudson catches him on top though and counters the Cave In into a powerbomb through the poker table. The cover takes awhile because the shoulders aren’t on the mat though and Grimes is up at two. The frustrated Hudson goes outside to grab the electric hair clippers but gets kicked in the face. Grimes hits the Cave In through a chair for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C+. I’m glad they got to the point with this as the feud was more or less done once Grimes cut Hudson’s hair. Grimes has done everything he can to Hudson at this point so let them both move on. It’s good to see Grimes pick up another feud and hopefully he gets to move on to a higher level.

Post match, Grimes de-wigs Hudson to reveal the bald head.

Cora Jade is medically cleared but here is Dakota Kai to say that this is what “she” does. Maybe “they” can get together and win the Dusty Cup! Jade is ready to beat Kai tonight instead. I’m not sure who Kai meant but it almost sounded like the interviewer.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are getting to go to a country concert with Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. The band isn’t actually mentioned, but the culture clash seems to be a bit of an issue. Carter and Catanzaro wind up dancing with each other.

Here is Grayson Waller for his big talk after attacking Johnny Gargano. Waller is very proud of what happened last week and we see some footage from his own phone of the chaos, including Vic Joseph looking rather annoyed. After he took out Gargano, he spent some time partying with the biggest celebrities in the world. What did the people here do? Spend the weekend yelling about him online!

We see some tweets, including from Wade Barrett, who calls Waller a “POS”, but Barrett might like him anyway. Waller doesn’t care what Barrett thinks because it isn’t 2010. He does find it interesting that Vic Joseph got so mad but didn’t do anything, which has Joseph looking mad. Waller says the only thing he needs to bet on is himself to wrap it up. This was pretty generic at best and I’m not sure if Waller has the level of heat NXT thinks/hopes he does.

We recap Riddle being revealed as MSK’s Shaman.

It’s time for Lashing Out with Lash Legend, with Jacket Time as this week’s guests. We pause for Mei Ying to walk by with her pillow until Legend can talk about how nice the two of them dress. Legend asks about the Grizzled Young Veterans so Ikemen Jiro goes into a rant about the Veterans, albeit with subtitles. That’s all the time we have, making this the least annoying edition yet, mainly because Legend barely talked. As usual though, these segments feel more like the comic relief stuff (especially Ying) and they are such a detour from everything else.

Amari Miller vs. Ivy Nile

Nile throws her down to start and then chokes away in the corner. Miller comes back with some rollups for two each and hits a dropkick. A spinwheel kick misses though and Nile spinebusters her down. The neck crank finishes Miller at 3:40.

Rating: C-. Miller continues to be someone they see something in and that is not a bad thing. She has a great smile and a lot of charisma so if she can back it up with the rest, she’ll be fine. Nile seems like she has all of the basic tools, but she is going to need to show she can do things in some longer matches.

Xyon Quinn knows how Elektra Lopez plays now so the game is continuing. Quinn leaves so here is Robert Stone to say it’s time for him to be taken seriously. Now it’s Von Wagner coming in to say if people has a problem, come say it to his face. Who knew he was an Alex Riley fan?

Riddle has a magic sack and pulls out presents for MSK: a baseball bat, a traffic cone and the John Cena spinner US Title belt. Riddle says these things are holding them down, so it’s time to learn to let it go and become the best again. Then Riddle pulls out a scooter, which is the key to clearing your mind.

Harland vs. Guru Raaj

Joe Gacy (with a peppier song about being yours) is here with Harland. Raaj is sent face first into the mat to start and some elbows to the face keep him in trouble. A belly to back slam finishes Raaj at 1:06.

Post match, Harland beats Raaj up again but Gacy calms him down so they can leave.

LA Knight arrives in his nice car and says he doesn’t want to hear about Grayson Waller after he hit one cool move (with help) at WarGames. It’s not Knight’s fault that some fine woman was feeling him last week and he’ll smack Waller around when he sees him.

Security is trying to get rid of Harland, so he throws Brian Kendrick (an agent) down the steps.

Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade

Mandy Rose is on commentary. They fight the corner to start, with Jade’s bad shoulder being sent into the buckle. Kai works on the armbar but misses the running boot in the corner, as Rose tries to figure out why Jade rides a skateboard (Rose: “This isn’t a park.”). A Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Kai two, followed by a swinging reverse DDT for the same. Back up and Jade grabs a very quick rollup for the pin at 6:28, leaving Rose stunned at the luck.

Rating: C-. This was mainly a squash until Jade survived in the end, which is rarely a good way to go. I’m not sure how far Jade is going to go around here but she does have some charisma to back it up. That being said, she might need more than being able to hold her shoulder to make something like this work long term.

Post match Kai lays Jade out again but Raquel Gonzalez runs in for the save. Cue Toxic Attraction for the distraction though, allowing Mandy to take Jade down by the arm again.

Tiffany Stratton tells Grayson Waller her daddy thinks he’s a bad person. Io Shirai comes up and yells at Waller a lot. Waller thinks Shirai likes him.

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are fighting in the back.

Andre Chase vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo drives him into the corner to start and sends Chase face first into the corner. Chase might go to the eyes to escape and swears by his student section that he didn’t cheat. A neckbreaker gets two on D’Angelo and a Russian legsweep gets the same. We hit the chinlock, but D’Angelo fights up and sends him into the corner for the break. Chase’s sweater is pulled over his head for some shots to the ribs, setting up the fisherman’s neckbreaker to give D’Angelo the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. These are two of the gimmickiest wrestlers on the show right now and it felt like something out of a low level indy promotion. D’Angelo is still as over the top as you can get and Chase is….I’m really not sure what he is actually. He has some talent, but where is he supposed to go with this beyond the NXT midcard?

Post match, D’Angelo declares himself as the head of the class but here is Pete Dunne to interrupt. D’Angelo doesn’t think much of Dunne and goes after him, only to get his fingers snapped.

Grayson Waller comes into the locker room, where Bron Breakker tells him to get out. Others agree, so Waller says real stars have their own locker room anyway.

Brian Kendrick is being checked on and is in a neck brace.

Boa vs. Edris Enofe

Boa knocks him down to start and grabs a quick cobra clutch to keep Enofe in trouble. Some knees to the ribs set up a butterfly suplex for two. Boa grabs the chinlock but Enofe fights up and hits a dropkick. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Boa but he grabs the Tongan Death Grip. Enofe is stunned and it’s a spinning kick to the head to give Boa the pin at 3:03.

Rating: D+. I’m still not sure what they see in Boa, but I don’t think it’s the greatest idea to have him beat a bunch of people with interesting vignettes (like he did to Draco Anthony a few weeks ago on 205 Live). The matches aren’t even that good (save for that awesome kick to the head) but the Boa train continues for some reason. At least stop having him beat people before they get the chance to establish themselves.

Raquel Gonzalez has to finish this with Dakota Kai and wants a street fight.

Grayson Waller steals LA Knight’s car, having taken Knight out. There was someone in the car with him but it wasn’t clear who.

Jacket Time vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Kushida takes Drake down to start so Gibson is right there for a pep talk. The advice doesn’t work as Kushida takes him down and twist the arm around. Kushida finally gets knocked down so the double teaming can begin. That lasts all of a few seconds until Kushida strikes his way to freedom and brings in Jiro.

House is cleaned as everything breaks down, including the Hoverboard Lock to Gibson. That’s reversed into a suplex for two but Kushida fights out of Ticket To Ride. Cue the Creed Brothers, whose distraction allows Jacket Time to hit stereo dives. A Swanton/reverse DDT combination finishes Drake at 6:24.

Rating: C. This was much more of a formula tag match and that is a good idea for both of them. That being said, the tag division is pretty terrible right now and I’m not sure I can see it getting that much better. Above all else, the Veterans have gone from a team who could have been a big deal to whatever they are now, while Jacket Time feels like a gimmick that probably doesn’t have much of a shelf life as anything more than comedy.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes run into Roderick Strong and don’t think much of him. Then they find a scary drawing from Dexter Lumis and panic a bit.

Cora Jade and Brian Kendrick have both been injured and could be out for awhile.

Bron Breakker vs. Roderick Strong

Non-title. Strong takes him down to start as Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are watching from the balcony. Breakker muscles Strong up to start into a suplex, setting up a nip up to show off. They head outside with Strong dropping him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Breakker fighting out of a front facelock but getting caught with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Breakker isn’t having that and comes back with a powerslam, followed by the big running shoulders. Strong knocks him against the ropes though and hits the running forearms. The Angle Slam gets two and it’s a top rope superplex into a tiger bomb for two more on Breakker. That’s too far for Breakker, who counters a charge into something like a powerbomb. The gorilla press powerslam finishes for Breakker at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing they should be doing with Breakker: putting him in the ring with a talented veteran who can show him a lot more of the ropes. Breakker has all of the star potential in the world, but he is desperately in need of experience. Having him out there for ten minutes with someone like Strong, who can walk him through a match, is a good idea and the kind of thing he should be doing three nights a week on the house show circuit. Strong’s Cruiserweight Title continues to mean nothing, but it’s not like it has had any value in the better part of ever.

Post match, Tommaso Ciampa comes in and gives Breakker the Willow’s Bell to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a weird show as it had some up and down action, but also some all over the place character stuff. The wrestling was better than not for most of the show, but some of the matches felt like they should have been held in front of coaches at the Performance Center rather than on national TV. It doesn’t help when a lot of these people are flat out not ready for this level but are here anyway because NXT can’t have house shows anymore. There are good wrestlers here, but some of them are glorified coaches/on the job trainers and it shows badly.

Then there is the character stuff, which is the Grayson Waller portion of the show. Waller was ALL OVER this show and I’m not sure what to think of that. On one hand, it is really nice to have an overarching story rather than a bunch of things that just happen. Almost everyone had some kind of an opinion on Waller and it made things more interesting as a result. That being said, it’s still Grayson Waller, who is about as generic of a cocky heel as you can get right now. I’ll take what I can get, but not by much.

Overall, the show feels like it is going in a bunch of directions at once, with a lot of people being shoved into spots they aren’t ready to be in yet. You can tell which wrestlers are veterans and which are long term projects, but it doesn’t make a difference when they’re on the same show. This is what happens when you completely gut your roster, because there is not enough talent on this show to fill two hours of prime time. It’s really jarring to go from a full roster to this in such a hurry, but that’s what NXT is now, and I guess it’s what WWE wants. I don’t know why, but it’s going to be a long road from here on out.

Results
Cameron Grimes b. Duke Hudson – Cave In through a chair
Ivy Nile b. Amari Miller – Neck crank
Harland b. Guru Raaj – Belly to back slam
Cora Jade b. Dakota Kai – Rollup
Tony D’Angelo b. Andre Chase – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Boa b. Edris Enofe – Spinning kick to the head
Jacket Time b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Swanton Bomb/reverse DDT combination to Drake
Bron Breakker b. Roderick Strong – Gorilla press powerslam

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: December 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re done with WarGames and all signs would seem to point to Bron Breakker getting the rematch for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil. That should be the big title change, but there is still some time to fill on the way there. We’ll start with this week’s show, which will include the reveal of MSK’s Shaman. Let’s get to it.

Here is WarGames if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of WarGames.

Von Wagner vs. Kyle O’Reilly

In a cage after Wagner attacked him after their loss at WarGames. O’Reilly jumps him in the aisle to start and Wagner is in trouble in the corner early on. A running boot in the corner rocks Wagner again and O’Reilly starts working on the arm. Some forearms to the back of the head keep Wagner down and some running knees put him down again. Back up and Wagner knocks him silly with a single shot to take over.

Wagner stomps away against the cage but O’Reilly grabs the leg for a kneebar. Since that doesn’t work, Wagner is back with a running headbutt go the ribs for two. We hit the waistlock to hold O’Reilly in place as the fans get behind him anyway. O’Reilly fights up with some kicks until a clothesline takes him down again. A powerbomb against the cage is broken up with a DDT though and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly kicking away and hitting some running strikes to drive Wagner into the cage. The guillotine choke is broken up with straight power and they fight to the top with O’Reilly sending him into the cage for the knockdown. There’s the top rope knee for two on Wagner, who is back up with a low blow. The double underhook swinging slam finishes O’Reilly at 14:18.

Rating: C+. There’s a good chance that this is it for O’Reilly and I can’t say I blame him. It is pretty clear that he is not going to get to do much on his own, as he was put into this lame team as a way to get Wagner over. That isn’t exactly interesting, but if O’Reilly wants out, it’s hard to argue against him. The match itself was a good showcase for O’Reilly, even if Wagner shrugged a lot of his offense off and won anyway.

Post match Wagner ties him in the Tree of Woe, with O’Reilly’s face hanging out of the door. A few door slams onto the face should send O’Reilly off to greener pastures in AEW.

We see Johnny Gargano’s post-WarGames promo, where he promised to tell us his future this week.

Joe Gacy is working to change the name of a show that promotes exclusivity. For now though, he is ready for Harland to debut next week.

Here is Bron Breakker to talk about how 2.0 and Black & Gold went to war at WarGames. Black & Gold is tough as nails but he pinned NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. That makes them 1-1 against each other, so let’s do this one more time for the title. Cue the Diamond Mine, with Malcolm Bivens calling him LeBron Breakker.

Bivens talks about how the team was successful at WarGames and now the weight limit is gone from Roderick Strong’s title. That means he can face the top talent, including Breakker himself. Breakker is ready to fight right now but Strong is going to wait for next week. Breakker accepts because he’ll face anyone to get to Ciampa again. Putting Breakker in the ring with talented people like Strong makes perfect sense and is the smart thing to do with him.

Creed Brothers vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

The Grizzled Young Veterans are on commentary and here is Imperium as soon as the bell rings. Jensen takes Julius down to start and chops away in the corner, setting up an elbow to the back for two. Briggs gets in his own elbow but it’s off to Brutus in a hurry, with a release side slam putting him down in a hurry.

A double right hand drops Brutus again but he sends Jensen into the corner to take over. Jensen is tossed outside for a cheap shot….and the Veterans steal a tag rope. Back in and Julius grabs a stretch muffler on Jensen, who kicks his way to freedom. There’s no tag rope though and Briggs can’t tag in, which matters for all of two seconds as Jensen grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. The tag rope thing was different, though I’m not sure how much of a good thing that is. This Veterans are thieves thing is getting annoying in a hurry, if nothing else because I could go for seeing them be their usual awesome selves instead of whatever this stuff is. Jensen and Briggs getting a push works too, but just let them do their thing instead of all these shenanigans.

Von Wagner doesn’t care about Kyle O’Reilly because his WarGames are just beginning. Wagner leaves as Robert Stone arrives.

Xyon Quinn is ready for Santos Escobar.

Here is Duke Hudson, now with a blond wig. Hudson talks about how everyone was wrong about his hair cut, because he took care of things and now has a full head of hair. Cue Cameron Grimes, so Hudson immediately puts on some head gear. Hudson accuses Grimes of cheating by pulling the trunks, with Grimes talking about how they do things a little different where he’s from. The challenge is issued for one more match with no holds barred. Hudson is in but bails from the threat of a Cave In.

Jacket Time comes in to see Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs. The Grizzled Young Veterans pop up to say Briggs and Jensen only won because of them, but here are Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro, offering concert tickets. Jensen and Briggs leave with them so the Veterans and Jacket Time brawl. Referees break it up and sleepy Mei Ying pops up with a pillow and fountain drink.

Grayson Waller hits on a woman outside, but she’s already going out with LA Knight tonight. Waller swears revenge.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Dexter Lumis

Non-title. Lumis takes Hayes, with his bad ribs, into the corner to start and fires off some knees. There’s a slam to stay on the ribs but Trick Williams offers a distraction, allowing Hayes to…get punched in the face (with the broken hand that was supposed to keep Lumis out for a month).

Back in and Hayes hits a springboard clothesline before working on the bad hand. That doesn’t work so well but Lumis goes after Williams, allowing Hayes to kick him in the face to take over. Back from a break with Hayes working on the hand again, with Lumis bothering to sell it this time. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Hayes spends too much time talking, allowing Lumis to reverse a suplex. The clothesline comeback sets up the Silencer but Williams breaks it up for the DQ at 12:43.

Rating: C-. The stuff with Lumis’ hand brought this way down, as there is only so much you can do when the injury is mostly ignored. Hayes tried to work on it some but Lumis just blankly staring and then doing his usual stuff didn’t help. Lumis is likely going to get a title shot now, but firs the needs to torture Williams a bit first, as that tends to be more of Lumis’ nature.

MSK has found the Shaman and it’s…..Riddle (in a reveal that makes all the sense in the world but still caught me by surprise). They sit down in front of some candles and talk about their history, including how fast they had success. Riddle talks about the Broserweights (and pays tribute to the still alive Stallion Pete). He’s willing to be there with them on their way back to success, but now it’s time to open the bag. More on that later.

Toxic Attraction talks about how they are ready to deal with things on their own, like real women. Now stop drooling.

Persia Pirotta is glad that Indi Hartwell can have her mind back on the team. Hartwell says she is committed to the team but here is Dexter Lumis, with Hartwell jumping into his arms. Johnny Gargano pops up and is glad to have the family back together.

Toxic Attraction vs. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Non-title. Dolin beats on Leon to start and a cheap shot from the apron makes it worse. There’s a Cannonball in the corner and Jayne grabs a chinlock. That’s countered into a running Samoan drop to rock Jayne though and the hot tag brings in Feroz for two off a high crossbody, plus a lot of shouting. Back up and Jayne kicks Feroz in the face for the fast pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. They kept this short and to the point, as Toxic Attraction gets a win to regain momentum after Sunday. They’re still not exactly smooth in the ring but they have enough heat on them to keep them moving through a match. Leon and Feroz are not too bad as a low level team and their dancing entrance suits them well.

Post match Toxic Attraction throws out the challenge to anyone, so here is Cora Jade, with her arm in a sling. She talks about pinning Mandy Rose a few weeks back and wants another shot, but Toxic Attraction has the numbers advantage. Cue Raquel Gonzalez to clear the ring with a chair.

Tiffany Stratton talks about her time on the United States gymnastics team. A gold medal is nice, but the Women’s Title is better.

Tony D’Angelo is proud of getting Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. Andre Chase comes in to say D’Angelo should have followed his game plan but D’Angelo doesn’t want to hear it. The challenge is made and Chase is cut off in mid-response.

Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Fade are ready for Toxic Attraction. Cue Kay Lee Ray to say she has their backs, along with a bat.

Santos Escobar vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn chokes him down to start but stoops to look at Elektra Lopez. The distraction lets Escobar fight up, only to charge into some elbows to the throat. Quinn is dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and some more shots keep Escobar in trouble. Something from the apron is broken up by a Legado del Fantasma distraction though and Escobar gets in a cheap shot. That doesn’t work either though as Quinn knocks him away as we take a break

Back with Quinn having to fight out of a neck crank and armbar with straight power. Quinn sends him into the corner for a running shoulder but Escobar reverses and hits the running DDT. The Phantom Driver is countered though and Quinn powers him into the corner. They fight on top and Escobar hits a super hurricane for the big knockdown. In the crash, Lopez slips Quinn some brass knuckles, but he throws them to Joaquin Wilde. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. Aside from the super hurricane taking a good bit too long to set up, this was a pretty nice back and forth match. I’m not sure I would have had Escobar beat Quin, but at least there was a bit of a distraction finish and the Lopez/Quin stuff can continue. Quin is still one of the brighter spots around here and I could see WWE taking a shot with him in a hurry.

Diamond Mine runs into Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams in the back. Hayes wants Roderick Strong so Bivens issues the challenge. Hayes says Strong isn’t the A Champion and leaves, with Bivens not being happy.

Boa doesn’t like Edris Enofe so they’ll fight next week.

Here is a rather sad looking Johnny Gargano for a chat. Gargano talks about how “Heartbreak” told him he could have as long as he wants and London Has Fallen is on next anyway. Gargano: “I was always a La Femme Nikita guy myself.” He talks about how he has never had the best promos or skills but the fans have always been here for him. Back in 2015, he showed up at a tryout and was told he would never be in NXT.

William Regal saw something in him though and he got a dark match against Apollo Crews. The fans cheered him so hard that they kept bringing him back, and now here he is. The fans chant for Gargano, who talks about every single person in the back who has helped him, including listing off a bunch of coaches.

Change can be scary, but sometimes it needs to happen. Gargano isn’t sure what is next, but he’s starting a new job as a dad in February. His son is going to watch this back one day and thank you all….and here is Grayson Waller to jump him with a chair. The beatdown is on and Gargano is sent into various things, setting up a hard powerbomb through the announcers’ table. I’m guessing it’s paternity leave and then the big comeback match with Waller.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the good stuff was enough to carry the show over the weaker parts. There are still a lot of things that need to be adjusted, but you can also see a bunch of things starting to come together around here. I’m curious to see how they all go, but this show is about as week to week as you can get these days. For this one though, not bad and that’s nice to see for a change.

Results
Von Wagner b. Kyle O’Reilly – Double underhook spinning slam
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Creed Brothers – Rollup to Julius
Dexter Lumis b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Trick Williams interfered
Toxic Attraction b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Kick to Feroz
Santos Escobar b. Xyon Quinn – Phantom Driver

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: November 23, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s title time as we have a pretty big main event with North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defending against Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne. NXT has a good history of setting up these title matches and then making them work, so hopefully they remember how to make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Grayson Waller in the ring, talking about how great of an NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa really is. Waller goes on about the fans booing everyone, including John Cena and Roman Reigns, but those two are at the top of the game. It’s like people with 80,000 tweets and 3 followers don’t matter! Cue Ciampa to cut Waller off and we’re ready to go.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Grayson Waller

Non-title. Ciampa isn’t having this and stomps away in the corner. A running knee puts Waller on the floor but he comes back in with a jumping neckbreaker. Now it’s Waller stomping away in the corner until Ciampa is back up with a boot out of the corner. Waller grabs a spinebuster into a modified People’s Elbow, which only hits mat. A clothesline puts Waller on the floor and there’s the throw over the announcers’ table so Ciampa can applaud himself.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa kneeing Waller out of the air, followed by a DDT for two. Waller grabs a spinebuster for two but Ciampa catches him on top. A super Air Raid Crash gets two but Waller catches him with a spinebuster for two. Ciampa is sent outside for the big flip dive but he catches Waller with the Willow’s Bell on the way back in. The Fairy Tale Ending finishes Waller at 13:37.

Rating: C+. This was a good showing from both guys and Ciampa still feels like he’s a few miles ahead of just about everyone else in NXT. He comes off as polished and knowing what he’s doing, while so many others seem to be figuring it out as they go. Speaking of figuring it out, it would be nice if NXT could figure out what Waller is supposed to be and stick with it for more than two weeks at a time.

LA Knight doesn’t think much of Grayson Waller, because the fans were chanting WALLER SUCKS. That’s not an insult, but just a fact of life. Joe Gacy comes in to talk about how bad that is so they agree to meet in the safe space. Knight: “You make it sound like such a perverted thing, you freak.” The match is on for later.

We recap last week’s poker showdown.

Toxic Attraction isn’t looking forward to having to face Cora Jade. Dakota Kai comes up next to them and seems to be a bit crazy. Mandy Rose: “At least she’s on our team.” They find a bunch of destroyed stuff but keep walking, with Kai breaking another glass. Kay Lee Ray pops up with a baseball bat, apparently having smashed everything.

Here is a depressed Cameron Grimes, still with the shorter hair. Grimes talks about growing up in a very small town in North Carolina. Every day, he would have people push him down and tell him he wasn’t good enough. Grimes kept fighting and coming up because he would never quit and now he has made it. The entire time, he kept his hair and beard to remind himself of what he went through. Duke Hudson took all of that away last week and embarrassed him.

Hudson messed up though because he made Grimes angry. He wants Hudson down here right now because the talking is done. Hudson, in a barber’s chair, pops up on screen to ask why Grimes should be mad at him. Last week, Grimes took a lot of money from him and got a free haircut. All Hudson is trying to do is make Grimes a decent human being, so Grimes says come down here and let’s finish this. That’s not happening, so Grimes makes a better offer: let’s go all in, with hair vs. hair at WarGames. Hudson is in, and holds up Grimes’ hair in a bag.

This was a wrestling promo and a classic wrestling setup. Ignoring the poker nonsense, this was someone who has been wronged giving a serious speech about wanting revenge and setting up a big match with some high stakes. That’s how this stuff can work and this was good stuff.

Pete Dunne is ready to win the North American Title tonight.

Indi Hartwell says Dexter Lumis has a broken hand and is out for a month. He can’t even draw, but she’s still ready to have her tag match tonight. This one is for Dexter, but Persia Pirotta pulls her to the ring.

Tiffany Stratton, a rich blonde girl who plays tennis, is coming. I saw her on 205 Live and that’s not a great thing.

Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell vs. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro

Carter and Catanzaro come through the crowd for their energized entrance. Persia shrugs Carter off to start and hands it off to Hartwell, who seems a little distracted. Hartwell shoves her way out of the corner but gets taken down by Carter in a hurry. Catanzaro comes in off a blind tag and is suplexed into a moonsault for two on Hartwell.

It’s back to Pirotta to drop Catanzaro face first on the top, setting up a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Hartwell stops to look at her ring finger before hitting Carter with a side slam. That means another look at the ring finger, allowing Carter to grab a crucifix for two of her own. Carter splashes the distracted Hartwell for the fast pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. Hartwell being distracted because of Dexter is a way to go for her, as the team with Pirotta seems ready to split. To be fair, they have been a team for all of a few months now and that is a long shelf life around here. Carter and Catanzaro seem primed for a Women’s Tag Team Title match and that should be a good thing whenever we get there.

Andre Chase gives his students a tour of Chase University facilities when they run into Cameron Grimes. Chase calls him a teachable moment and Grimes doesn’t seem pleased.

Malik Blade vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar takes him to the mat to start but Blade slips out of a suplex. Blade grabs a sunset flip for two, earning himself a forearm to the face. Back up and Escobar sends him into the corner, setting up the Phantom Driver for the pin at 2:27.

Post match Legado del Fantasma gets in the ring, where Elektra Lopez says Xyon Quinn turned them down. They never needed him anyway, but here are Von Wagner and Kyle O’Reilly to interrupt. They’re here for the same reason: they want the Tag Team Titles (which Legado never mentioned) and Wagner’s foot was on the rope in their match. Imperium pops up to shout about how the little children are fighting among themselves. Imperium announces a #1 contenders match and the winners can get a shot at WarGames.

Raquel Gonzalez barges into the women’s locker room and nearly gets in a fight. Cora Jade tells them to get it together for WarGames, but they need a fourth to go along with Io Shirai. They can figure that out while she goes to fight Mandy Rose.

Tony D’Angelo’s money is on Carmelo Hayes tonight and suggests putting some bets on the match.

Mandy Rose vs. Cora Jade

Non-title. They fight over a lockup to start with Jade grabbing a quick rollup for two. A running knee in the corner is countered into a spinebuster to give Rose her own two though and she plants Jade again for a bonus. Back up and Jade snaps off a running hurricanrana for two, only to miss a middle rope dropkick. Cue Kay Lee Ray with her baseball bat, which is smashed into a variety of things. The distraction lets Jade grab a rollup for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: D+. As soon as Rose told Toxic Attraction to stay in the back and this was non-title, Rose was in big trouble. Those are some nearly guaranteed signs that the champ is in trouble, though what might be a bigger problem is how obvious those signs were. Work on those things a bit, because it makes your booking pretty easy to guess.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready for the triple threat. Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne are chasing him and he won’t miss.

Joe Gacy is ready to make the ring a safe space. Harland puts his hand on Gacy’s shoulder.

Kay Lee Ray comes up to Cora Jade, Raquel Gonzalez and Io Shirai. Ray will be their fourth member at WarGames, and she’ll be in the advantage ladder match next week too. It has been a full month since a ladder match so at least they’re not wasting any more time.

Joe Gacy vs. LA Knight

Cue Grayson Waller to jump Knight from behind and they fight to the back. No match.

Gacy talks about anger management but here is the Diamond Mine to interrupt. That sends Gacy into a rant about weight shaming with the Cruiserweight Title but Roderick Strong says he’ll face Gacy anyway. Malcolm Bivens says the match will be made, but here is Harland to scare Diamond Mine off. Well at least….actually no, as I can’t think of anything positive in this segment.

MSK continues on their quest but get pulled over for driving seven miles an hour. They’re worried about the contents of their bag but are allowed to go.

Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon

Nile takes her down and does pushups on Leon’s back. Leon fights up and works on the arm but Nile is back with a heck of a clothesline. A triangle choke is eventually broken up so Leon tries a rollup, only to get reversed into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 2:44.

Solo Sikoa talks about everything he has done to get here and he has done it on his own.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are planning something but get broken up by an LA Knight/Grayson Waller brawl.

Boa can’t control his evil but once he does, you will fear him.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Drake gets sent throat first into the middle rope for a pair of right hands to start. There’s a big left hand to put him down again but Zack Gibson asks for some time before a right hand. A blind tag brings in Gibson to jump Jensen from behind and we hit the chinlock. We cut to LA Knight and Grayson Waller STILL fighting in the back as Gibson cuts off Jensen’s tag attempt.

That lasts all of a few seconds as it’s off to Briggs to clean house in a hurry. Drake gets backdropped and claims a knee injury but Briggs has to go after Gibson. Drake’s knee is fine enough to try a kick to the ribs, which is easily caught. Briggs and Jensen go high/low to finish Drake at 4:26.

Rating: C. Briggs and Jensen get to pick up a win and that’s a good thing for them. They have the potential to be a nice tag team but you’re only going to get so far without ever beating anyone. Granted you could say the same thing about the Veterans and in a much bigger way, but the solution for them is to be goofy con artists for some reason.

WarGames rundown.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is defending. Dunne gets dropkicked to the floor start, leaving Gargano to dropkicks Hayes. Back in and Dunne runs Hayes over, with Gargano taking Dunne’s place. Everyone is back inside so Dunne can half crab them both. That’s broken up as well so Hayes springboard body blocks Dunne for two before hammering on Gargano. Johnny fights out of the corner and this a bulldog/running clothesline combination to take both of them down. Gargano hits a dive each onto Dunne and Hayes, setting up a running hurricane to Dunne.

We take a break and come back with a circle slugout until Hayes gets knocked into the corner. Hayes gets the better of things and sends Gargano to the apron, where scores with the slingshot spear. The Patter End is countered into a DDT for two on Dunne. Stereo kicks to the head rock Hayes but he’s back up to suplex Dunne onto Gargano. Back up and Gargano runs both of them over, setting up the Lawn Dart to Hayes. Dunne comes back in and hits the Bitter End, but here Tony D’Angelo to break up the cover. D’Angelo sends Dunne into the steps and the top rope ax kick gives Hayes the retaining pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. They had me wondering who was leaving with the title here and Hayes continues to look like a star, so they’re certainly doing something well. Hayes is one of the brighter young stars around and the other two have been made men for a longtime. I liked the match and the ending probably sets up something for WarGames, so they took care of a few things at once.

Post match the big beatdown is on with LA Knight and Grayson Waller joining in. The villains get the better of things and Gargano’s hand is loaded up for the Pillmanization. Cue Tommaso Ciampa with the chair to break everything up. The fans want the DIY reunion and the fans chant for WarGames….but here is Bron Breakker to join the villains. Breakker: “WARGAMES!!!” The brawl is on again as the sirens go off to end the show. I’m really not sure if this should be a WarGames match, but the more appropriate Survivor Series has already passed so this is as good as we’re getting.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t great here, but this felt like a show where they had a plan and were starting to execute it. A lot of the random, throwing stuff at the wall feeling was gone and a lot of that probably has to do with having a shot to build towards. This was a glimmer of hope and if NXT is more like this going forward, they have a chance. There is still a lot of fine tuning to go, but at least they got it a lot closer to right this week.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Grayson Waller – Fairy Tale Ending
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta – Splash to Hartwell
Santos Escobar b. Malik Blade – Phantom Driver
Cora Jade b. Mandy Rose – Rollup
Ivy Nile b. Yulisa Leon – Dragon sleeper
Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Grizzled Young Veterans – High/Low to Drake
Carmelo Hayes b. Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano – Top rope ax kick to Dunne

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