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

The big story around here seems to be a still unspecified scandal at Chase U, which played a role in the team losing the Tag Team Titles last week. Other than that, we’re about two and a half weeks away from Deadline and two sets of Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches are still on the docket. Two of them go down tonight so let’s get to it.

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

NXT Heritage Cup: Chad Gable vs. Noam Dar

Dar is defending and all of the expected friends are here too. Round one begins with a feeling out process until Gable grabs the wristlock. They go to the mat with Gable grinding away on the arm before switching into a front facelock. A takedown gives Gable two and the ankle lock goes on. Dar grabs the rope and blocks a German suplex as the round ends.

Round two begins with Gable running him over and not liking Dar slapping him in the face. An annoyed Gable chops away and gets two off a release German suplex. An armbar over the ropes looks to set up rolling Chaos Theory but Oro Mensah gets in a cheap shot. The Nova Roller gives Dar the pin at 2:22 of the round and 5:57 overall.

Round three begins during a break and we come back with Gable catching him on top. A top rope superplex gives Gable two as the round ends. Round four begins with a strike off until Gable takes him down. A top rope headbutt (and a long one at that) gives Gable two but Dar kicks him down on the apron. Back in and a spinning elbow gives Dar two but he can’t get anywhere with a rear naked choke. They slug it out from their knees until the round ends.

Round five begins with Gable hitting a rolling Liger kick to the head, followed by rolling Chaos Theory to tie it up at 17 seconds of the round and 14:51. Round six (final round) begins…after a cheap shot from Dar between the rounds so Dar can hit a running elbow in the corner at the bell. Dar slugs away but the Nova Roller is countered into an ankle lock. That’s reversed into a rollup with tights for two so Gable is back with a DDT for two of his own. The ankle lock, with grapevine, goes on but time runs out for the draw at 18:30 total.

Rating: B-. Are you surprised Dar didn’t lose? You really shouldn’t be, as this is what happens in these matches. Dar gets in trouble, cheats, and escapes with the Cup. The Cup has had six holders over about three years and Dar has held it for well over half of that time. Heck he didn’t even lose the fall the last time he lost the Cup. Dar can be funny with his stuff and such but my goodness it’s ok to let something change for a bit.

Dar taps immediately after the bell but it’s still a draw. Otis beats up Oro Mensah and hits on Lash Legend, who looks close to being sick.

JBL picks his Iron Survivor Challenge matches: Carmelo Hayes vs. Josh Briggs and Blair Davenport vs. Thea Hail.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks go to dinner, with Stacks asking how bad it is for Chase U. D’Angelo doesn’t want to talk about it but the rest of the Family is there for a title celebration.

Trick Williams checks on Carmelo Hayes before his qualifying match. Hayes is ready and Williams will be in his corner, but Hayes asks to do this by himself. Cool with Williams as everything seems fine.

Women’s Title: Xia Li vs. Lyra Valkyria

Li is challenging…and jumps Valkyria in the entrance. No match.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza

This was scheduled for later but was moved up due to the Li attack. Carrillo takes Enofe down to start but Blade comes in with a good looking dropkick. Garza gets knocked off the apron but Blade gets sent outside. A hard shot to the chest has Blade in trouble as Booker goes on a rant about getting titles.

The Gory Bomb/flipping cutter combination gets two on Blade, who comes back with some shots to the face. A DDT gets Blade out of trouble and there’s the tag off to Enofe as the fans don’t seem to care. Everything breaks down and Enofe misses a 450, allowing Carrillo to hit a powerbomb. A pop up kick to the ribs finishes Enofe at 5:32.

Rating: C+. The match had its moments with Enofe and Blade getting to show off their athleticism, plus Carrillo and Garza’s snappy double teaming. I can go for Garza and Carrillo getting into the title hunt as they’re a rather awesome team, but they need to string some wins together first. This was a good start, though I’m not sure how much value there is in beating Blade and Enofe.

Fallon Henley and Brooks Jensen fire up Josh Briggs but he’s ready to take this opportunity on his own.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs tries to go with the power to start but gets dropkicked out to the floor. That works a bit better for Briggs, who hits a big boot but Hayes is right back with the Fade Away. The fans seem pleased with Hayes, only to have Briggs drop him with a right hand. Back in and Briggs works on the arm but Hayes low bridges him to the floor. Briggs sends him over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Briggs taking over again and hammering away before grabbing a chinlock. Hayes fights up and hits a springboard shot to the face but one heck of a chokeslam puts Hayes down. Commentary keeps playing up the idea of Briggs not being an experienced singles star as Hayes comes back. Cue Lexis King for a distraction though, allowing Briggs to drop Hayes again. A moonsault gives Briggs the big upset pin at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t a great match but it told a nice story of Hayes being the more experienced singles star and Briggs using the straight power because he didn’t have the experience in singles matches. The King interference plays into the Hayes/Trick Williams deal as we have to be coming up on a twist. Odds are we get Hayes vs. King at Deadline, which should be a big step forward in whatever they’re doing, but for now we have a nice surprise win for Briggs.

Lyra Valkyria says the title match is still happening.

Von Wagner shows up at Mr. Stone’s house for dinner with some partially eaten brownies. They eat with Stone’s wife and kids, who eat rather quickly like Wagner. The sons look at Wagner’s scar, but it’s cool with him. We hear about bullies at their school and Wagner wants violence but Stone says we don’t do that. With the parents away, Wagner says write the bullies’ names down because Wagner has them. This was wacky shenanigans.

Here is Wes Lee for a chat. The people know who he is so he gets to the point: he wants one more shot at Dominik Mysterio and the North American Title at Deadline. Cue Mysterio (no Rhea Ripley) to list off Lee’s losses, which mean he shouldn’t get a title shot. Lee points out how many times Judgment Day has had to save Mysterio and says he’s willing to do anything to get the title back. Mysterio is interested, but Lee has to beat some former North American Champions. Lee is in, but Deadline is his last shot, assuming he gets there.

We recap the Chase U scandal, with Andre Chase breaking his silence next week.

Thea Hail is panicking because Andre Chase and Duke Hudson aren’t here. Jacy Jayne says she always has Hail’s back.

Josh Briggs is happy with his win when Tiffany Stratton comes in to congratulate him. With her gone, Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley come in, with Henley not being happy over Stratton being there.

Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Blair Davenport

Jacy Jayne is here with Hail as Davenport goes after the arm to start. Davenport runs her over for two and we’re off to the armbar. Hail fights up and strikes away but gets pulled into a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Jayne offers a distraction, allowing Hail to hit a fall away slam on the floor. Back in and Hail is distracted by the lack of support from the student section, which lets Davenport block a backsplash. A knee to the face finishes Hail at 4:08.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point as the Chase U ordeal continues to cause the team trouble. I’m almost scared of where this is going but Jayne and Hail seem like they could split off from Chase U without much trouble. Davenport going forward is fine, but at some point Hail needs to get a bigger win before she loses the steam that she has.

We get a video on Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov, highlighting their differences in training, style and philosophy on their way to the Deadline title match. Dragunov is alone in America as his family is in Russia, while Corbin has everything he could want. Playing up the contract is always a good angle to take and they’re doing a nice job setting this up.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Eddy Thorpe

Dempsey’s friends are here too. Dempsey takes him down without too much trouble and cockily stomps away. Thorpe’s comeback is cut off in short order and we hit the abdominal stretch to work on Thorpe’s ribs. With that broken up, Thorpe hits a running boot in the corner and Dempsey cranks on the arm…until Thorpe reverses into a cradle for the surprise pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here until the fluke ending, which is a good thing as Thorpe has been needing a boost after some recent setbacks. Dempsey and company continue to be a fine midcard heel stable, but they aren’t going to matter much if they don’t win a bit here and there. For now though, Thorpe winning is a good way to go and maybe he can start going somewhere. As for Dempsey, at least commentary is making “Regal” references during his matches.

Post match Dempsey’s friends get in the ring to beat Thorpe down so posing can ensue.

Back at the dinner, Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are given envelopes of money, some of which are more successful than others. They go to leave, where Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza jump them and speed off.

Arianna Grace isn’t happy with Karmen Petrovic attacking her and hopes Petrovic can get some help.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Xia Li

Valkyria is defending and is banged up after the attack earlier tonight. The fired up Valkyria goes right after Li to start but gets knocked into the corner for some choking. A running dropkick gets Valkyria out of trouble and Li is knocked outside. Back in and another kick drops Valkyria as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria fighting out of a cravate but getting caught with a swinging neckbreaker for two. Li grabs a facelock but Valkyria fights up again to strike away. The spinning torture rack drop cuts Valkyria off for two more but she blocks a kick. A German suplex puts both of them down and we get a breather. Back up and Li’s spinning kick misses, allowing Valkyria to hit one of her own. A Samoan driver finishes for Valkyria at 9:40.

Rating: B-. It was a nice fight, but there was only so much you could do after Li had a heck of a match with Becky Lynch last night. They stacked the deck against Valkyria a bit here and it made things more interesting, but it was hard to buy Li as a real threat. The idea here seemed to be giving Valkyria a nice win and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t overly interested in this show as it felt more like the show where things were set up for later rather than anything really happening here. It’s not a bad show and the action was fine, but this was definitely a week where you would be better off reading a recap than watching it live. Deadline is shaping up well enough, though they’ll need some more interesting shows on the way there.

Results
Noam Dar vs. Chad Gable went to a draw
Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Pop up kick to Blade’s ribs
Josh Briggs b. Carmelo Hayes – Moonsault
Blair Davenport b. Thea Hail – Knee to the face
Eddy Thorpe b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Lyra Valkyria b. Xia Li – Samoan driver

 

 

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NXT UK
Date: December 10, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepard, Nigel McGuinness

A lot of wrestling shows have been going all over the place as of late so it would be nice to have one that is more a case of giving you what you probably expect. That is where NXT UK shines and I could go for seeing something like that after all of the ups and downs of this week. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin is in the ring and issues an open challenge for the Cruiserweight Title. We cut to the back where Ashton Smith tells Oliver Carter to go get the title. And here we go.

Cruiserweight Title: Oliver Carter vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is defending and wastes no time in pounding Carter down. Carter snaps off an armdrag into a sunset flip but Carter flips him by the leg. That sends Carter legs first into the ropes and he lands on his head, meaning the referee needs to check on Carter. The clearance is given so Devlin elbows him in the head and chokes with the boot because Devlin is kind of ruthless.

The logical neck crank goes on but Carter comes back with a leg trip and a dropkick. An elbow to the face sends Devlin outside for a heck of a suicide dive and a forearm to the back of the head gives Carter two. Carter plants him with a Rock Bottom but the neck is too banged up to cover. Devlin is right back with a poison rana and the Devlin Side retains the title at 6:30.

Rating: C. If this is a way to get Devlin in the ring more often, I’m all for everything about the whole idea. Devlin has cranked it way up this year and it’s a shame that he didn’t get to spend this summer showcasing everything that he can do. I could go for a lot more of everything Devlin is doing and sending out one opponent after another is a great idea.

Earlier this week, Jinny promised to get Piper Niven when she doesn’t see it coming.

Video on the NXT roster going around England.

And now, in case we weren’t infested with them enough yet, it’s time for the new talk show with Supernova Sessions, hosted by Noam Dar. After the usual introductions, Dar brings out Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid as his first guest. Dar talks about how he mentored A-Kid during his early career and now it is time to return the favor. He will even dub him A-Man! A-Kid says not so fast because the one person who mentored him is Tyler Bate. Cue Bate for the first time to suggest he would have won the title had he been in the tournament. Dar says the match should be on for tonight and he’ll even talk to management. Match on.

The Hunt and Eddie Dennis barge into Sid Scala’s office and might threaten their way into a Tag Team Title shot.

Xia Brookside vs. Isla Dawn

Brookside flips out of a wristlock to start and takes Dawn to the mat for a hammerlock. That’s reversed into the same thing on Brookside, followed by a knee to the face to take her down again. We hit the quickly broken chinlock so Dawn knees her in the ribs again. A northern lights suplex gets two but Brookside fights her way out of another armbar. The Broken Wings connect in the corner to send Dawn outside, with the suicide dive connecting. Hold on though as we have some suitcases. Jinny pops up on screen to say Brookside can only carry her bags, allowing Dawn to hit a Saito suplex for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere but the point here was to have Jinny cost Brookside the win. If they put the title on Jinny, it could make a heck of a story with Brookside chasing her until the big win. Brookside is going to get the big moment sooner or later, so set her up well over time for a change.

Saxon Huxley has attacked Jack Starz and Levi Muir.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. A-Kid

Kid is defending and it’s under the Heritage Cup rules. After the Big Match Intros, the feeling out process is on with Kid taking him down with a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar which is reversed with a headscissors for a standoff. They fight over some wristlocks until the first round ends. The second round begins with Bate getting spun into a straitjacket choke, only to reverse into one of his own. Kid reverses the reversal into one of his own before it’s time to grapple on the mat a bit. Neither can get anywhere of note and Bate’s ankle crank doesn’t go anywhere as the round ends.

Round three begins with Bate working on the arm again as they’re still in second gear at most. Back up and they run the ropes with Kid slipping out of the airplane spin. Bate blocks a German suplex and sits down on a rollup for the pin at 1:47 of the round (8:47 total).

Round four begins with another slow start with neither being able to go anywhere until Kid kicks him in the head to make things personal. Bate goes all serious and hammers away, with Kid pulling him into a choke as a result. The sleeper goes on but Bate drives him into the corner for the break. Kid slaps it right back on and then switches into a triangle choke. Bate has to powerbomb his way to freedom for the break.

The fifth round begins with a test of strength taking Bate to the mat, where Kid can’t break his bridge. Back up and Kid hits a springboard moonsault DDT to plant Bate for the pin to tie it up at 1:00 of the fifth round (14:07 total). Round six starts with Bate circling around a bit before winning a slugout. The Liger Kick sends Kid outside but he’s right back in with a jumping enziguri. Kid can’t get the Rings of Saturn but he can get a sunset flip to retain the title at 2:04 (16:55).

Rating: B-. This took a little time to get going but the technical stuff worked out well. I’m not sure how well versed Bate is in this style but he did well enough. If nothing else, I’m glad to see Bate back in the ring after such a long absence. He really is one of the best young talents anywhere and it’s good to have him back. Then you have Kid, who already won the tournament and now has a big win to make him look like an even bigger star.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a nice and balanced show here with three matches looking at three different parts of the roster. Throw in that they built up some things for later on and it was a good show overall. Again: not a great show, but you know what you’re getting and it worked out rather well. Nice effort here and the main event worked well.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Oliver Carter – Devlin Side

Isla Dawn b. Xia Brookside – Saito suplex

A-Kid b. Tyler Bate 2-1

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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NXT UK
Date: October 8, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

The comeback continues as we are now into the second week of the Heritage Cup tournament. I’m still not sure what to think of last week’s first match but I certainly didn’t hate it. Hopefully we get another good one this week, though it takes the right kind of match under these rules. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside/Dani Luna vs. Amale/Nina Samuels

Luna and Samuels start things off with Samuels working on the arm. That’s reversed into Luna’s wristlock and Brookside comes in for a headlock takeover. A double chop puts Samuels down again but it’s off to Amale to take over on Brookside. The running kick to Luna’s chest gets two but she’s back with her own double clothesline. Brookside comes back in and charges straight into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to put her in trouble for a change.

Samuels gets two off a reverse suplex but doesn’t like it when Amale comes back in. Brookside rolls away from Amale and makes the hot tag to Luna so the pace can pick up. The beating is on but Samuels doesn’t seem to care from the apron. Samuels offers a rather weak tag and then drops down as Amale gets closer. So it’s down to a handicap match with Luna suplexing Amale and handing it off to Brookside for a Brookside Bomb into a powerbomb for the bridging pin at 7:12.

Rating: C-. I’ve liked Brookside for a long time now so it’s nice to see her getting a win, but at the same time history has shown that pushing Samuels only works to a certain extent. This was a little bit of a strange choice overall, but the women’s division needs new stars so this works as well as anything else. Amale and Luna looked fine too so maybe they have several new ideas in mind.

Ilja Dragunov doesn’t have time for questions so he goes up to Sid Scala, with Pete Dunne there as well. Dragunov wants Walter or Alexander Wolfe so the tag match is made for next week.

Piper Niven isn’t all that impressed by Kay Lee Ray giving us a state of the women’s division tonight but she’ll be there.

Saxon Huxley vs. Jack Starz

Huxley throws him into the corner to start and knees Starz in the ribs to break up a wristlock. Some arm cranking keeps Starz in trouble but Starz climbs over his shoulders to set up a dropkick. Huxley unloads in the corner though and sends him flying again. A torture rack doesn’t last long for Huxley so Starz dropkicks the knee out for two. That’s about it for the comeback as Starz hits a running knee to the ribs and an over the shoulder powerbomb drop (basically the Big Ending with Starz facing up) for the pin at 5:18.

Rating: D+. There is only so much you’re going to get out of these two. They aren’t the most interesting people in the world and Starz is little more than the show’s designated jobber to the stars. Huxley has never done anything for me since he debuted and this newer version of him isn’t exactly changing my expectations.

Video on Gallus.

Pretty Deadly thinks they were impressive against the Hunt but won’t talk about Eddie Dennis.

Xia Brookside and Dani Luna are looking forward to Ray’s address.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules.

Heritage Cup First Round: A Kid vs. Flash Morgan Webster

Kid takes him down by the head to start and armbars Webster down for trying to escape. The grappling continues but we wind up at a standoff on their feet, as tends to be the case. Morgan sends him to the apron for a springboard dropkick as the first round ends. We start the second round with Kid grabbing another headlock on the mat before switching over into a bow and arrow. Webster gets out again and works on Kid’s arm, which barely gets him anywhere. They go back to the mat for a pinfall reversal sequence with Webster stacking him up for the pin at 2:00 of the second round (5:23 overall).

The third round begins with Kid driving him into the corner for little avail. Kid’s arm cranking is on again but this time Webster reverses into a double arm choke. With that broken up, Webster is back up with the Rude Boy Block for two and a reverse hurricanrana connects as time expires. Round four begins with Webster hitting a nasty running knee to the face for two and going up top. Kid is right there with a super Spanish Fly and a hard superkick for the pin at 48 seconds of the round (9:56 total).

We’re tied up going into the fifth round and Kid smacks him in the face early on. They trade loud strikes until Webster gets two off a Falcon Arrow. Kid is back up with another kick to the head but Webster headbutts him down. Webster sends Kid outside for a suicide dive but it’s something like the Rings of Saturn to make Webster tap at 2:57 (13:11 total).

Rating: C+. I’m starting to get the hang of this idea and that’s going to make things easier. It’s such a different concept but when you ignore the 2/3 falls stuff, it’s basically a longer match with some breaks in the middle and that’s fine. I liked this one well enough and Kid continues to look like a rather nice project in the making. Webster losing isn’t the biggest surprise, but he hung in there after a bit of a weak start. Good match and the rules are starting to feel more natural.

Webster doesn’t look happy but he does shake hands.

Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov for the UK Title in three weeks.

Video on Dragunov’s path to the title shot. Walter talks about making Dragunov but this is his profession and he isn’t losing the title. We see some clips of their WXW matches with Dragunov shouting that Walter will not break him.

Flash Morgan Webster has been attacked and Mark Andrews runs up to check on him.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray to talk about how awesome her title reign has been. Cue the four women from tonight’s tag match, plus Piper Niven. A big brawl breaks out with extra women joining in. Ray tries to leave but Jinny catches her near the entrance. Jinny knocks Ray back to ringside and Niven cannonballs onto a bunch of people. Aoife Valkyrie hits a big dive of her own and Ray leaves to end the show. Kind of a weird segment but it did get some people on camera.

Overall Rating: C. This was more like the normal version of the show and I’m getting into the Heritage Cup. They are starting to showcase more of the roster in a good way and now that we have the big title match set, there is a point to a lot more of this. For a show that was mainly focused on the midcarders, this worked out rather well as NXT UK is starting to feel like its old self in a hurry.

Results

Xia Brookside/Dani Luna b. Amale/Nina Samuels – Brookside Bomb into a powerbomb to Amele

Saxon Huxley b. Jack Starz – Over the shoulder powerbomb drop

A Kid b. Flash Morgan Webster 2-1

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

NXT UK
Date: October 1, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we are starting up the Heritage Cup. This is a special one as we are going to be seeing a tribute to the old British rounds system. That could go multiple ways and we’re going to have Pete Dunne as a special guest referee. Other than that, we are continuing to build up the United Kingdom Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup Qualifying Match: Kenny Williams vs. Ashton Smith vs. Amir Jordan

The winner gets the Wild Card spot. Williams and Jordan seem surprised to see each other. Smith misses a double clothesline and the regular partners dropkick him down. That leaves Jordan and Williams to shake hands and then go to the grappling, with Jordan popping up for a pose. It doesn’t work out that well though as Smith comes back in with a double clothesline to take them both down.

They trade rollups for two each before it’s time to double team Smith again. That doesn’t work overly well as Smith suplexes Jordan down but Williams dropkicks Smith to the floor. Smith pulls his dive out of the air so Jordan hits his own dive to take Smith down. Back in and Smith can’t hit a superplex on Jordan, allowing him to try a sunset bomb. Jordan can’t get him down, so Williams comes in off the top with a back elbow to finally put Smith down.

Smith is back up again to slug away at both before ducking a clothesline so that Jordan hits Williams. Jordan knocks Smith out to the floor and grabs a rolling Downward Spiral on Williams for another near fall. With Smith down, Williams and Jordan slug it out until Jordan is knocked outside. A hurricanrana drops Smith for two and Jordan adds a Swanton for the same. Smith gets knocked down and it’s Williams running in for a tornado DDT to pin Smith at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They did something interesting here by not having the monster Smith winning here and going with half of the tag team instead. I liked what we got here too as Smith and Williams looked very good while Jordan’s dancing was kept to a minimum. It was a rather nice match and Williams gets a push, as he probably should have a good while ago.

Video on Jinny.

Eddie Dennis is ready to be our teacher.

We look at Mark Andrews being attacked.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready for Webster to win the Heritage Cup. Andrews doesn’t get to say much.

Jinny vs. Xia Brookside

Jinny grabs a headlock to start and gets taken down into an armbar. Back up and Jinny grabs a wristlock so Brookside does her rope grab flip. That earns her a hard toss into the corner but Xia comes out with a hurricanrana and La Majistral gets two. Brookside grabs a leglock but Jinny breaks it up and palm strikes away. That earns her a hurricanrana and Xia puts her on the top, only to have Jinny snap her throat across the top. Jinny grabs a cross between an STF and a crossface chickenwing for the tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on the fashionista deal but Jinny is growing on me. There is something about her that makes her seem evil and that’s not something every heel has. Brookside might be the most adorable person in WWE today and it’s hard not to like her. Now move one of them closer to the title picture and we might get somewhere.

Post match Jinny says no one has seen her best side yet. Just wait to see how ruthless she can be.

Video on A Kid.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules:

• Six three minute rounds
• 20 seconds break between rounds
• Each match is 2/3 falls
• You can win a fall by pinfall, submission or countout
• The round ends on a fall
• DQ/Knockout ends the match
• Whoever leads after six rounds wins

Heritage Cup First Round: Alexander Wolfe vs. Noam Dar

Pete Dunne is guest referee and Wolfe has a modified version of the Imperium theme. They go to the mat to start with Wolfe scaring him into the corner. The grappling goes to Dar as he takes Wolfe down by the arm. Back up and it’s Wolfe grabbing his own armbar while pulling at Dar’s face at the same time. They get up again and Dar bails into the corner as the first round ends.

The second round begins with Dar trying for something like a Crossface to no avail. Wolfe tries a test of strength to keep Dar’s shoulders down but he’s right back up. That earns him a headlock takeover before Dark grabs a very spinning backslide for two more. With that broken up, Dar grabs a rollup and lays on Wolfe’s legs to win the round at 2:49 (8:13 total, counting breaks.

Round three begins with Wolfe taking him straight down but Dar starts pulling at the leg. Wolfe reverses into some kicks to the face and suplexes him down for another two. Dar cranks on both arms at once before it’s time to slug it out. Neither gives an inch as the round ends, though Wolfe does get in a cheap shot to knock Dar down between rounds.

Dar is still getting up as round four begins but manages a kick to the face and a running clothesline to the back of the head. The Nova Roller misses though and Wolfe kicks him in the face, setting up a bridging German suplex to tie it up at 58 seconds of the fourth round (10:59 total).

Round five begins with Dar trying a rollup but Wolfe knocks him down again. Some more kicks to the head from the mat rock Wolfe though and Dar pulls on a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well and they strike it out until Dar gets another armbar. Wolfe fights up again and grabs a kneebar until Dar snaps the finger. Dunne is checking on Wolfe and Dar hits the Nova Roller for the winning pin at 2:56 of round five (14:20 total).

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this as it’s so different than what you are used to seeing. They did something interesting here and it was a big change of pace, mainly in a good way….I think. It was not boring and the system was easy enough to understand. I had to look back at the rules a few times to make sure I was understanding everything but nothing was too complicated. It’s just a system I’m going to need to see more of to get used to, but I do want to see more of it so they’re off to a nice enough start.

Post match Wolfe blames Dunne for the loss and gets destroyed. Cue Walter before the Bitter End can hit though and you know Dunne is down for that. Wolfe sneaks in for the cheap shot and feeds Dunne to Walter for the powerbomb. Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save before Dunne gets planted though and Imperium bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a good enough show overall and the Heritage Cup is off to a nice start. Again though, this whole show changes when Walter comes out there. He was in workout gear here and even then you could feel things getting bigger. They’re setting things up well enough here and I want to see more of the tournament style matches. It was a really fast watch here too so they’re doing something right.

Results

Kenny Williams b. Ashton Smith and Amir Jordan – Tornado DDT to Smith

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Crossface chickenwing with a leg trap

Noam Dar b. Alexander Wolfe 2 – 1

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