NXT
Date: November 22, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re on the way to Deadline and that means we need to add some people to the card. There are five spots each for the Iron Survivor matches and all of them need to be filled. Other than that, we could use some matches of any kind and that is where we probably start tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Toxic Attraction for a chat. Mandy Rose brags about keeping the Women’s Title last week, saying another one bit the dust. Now NXT has to set up this Iron Survivor Challenge to find a new contender for her title and she’ll be watching closely. Rose brags about their success but here are Kayden Carter and Katana Chance to interrupt. Carter mocks the idea of Rose doing everything herself and suggests that Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin will bail as soon as Rose loses the title. That’s enough for the fight to be on with Toxic Attraction dominating due to the numbers advantage.

Earlier today, Wes Lee arrived when Tony D’Angelo pulled up in his car. D’Angelo suggests revenge over Lee hurting him but Lee says D’Angelo knows where to find him.

Grayson Waller comes up to Duke Hudson and says Hudson isn’t the flag waving rah rah guy. Hudson says he is, because he’s a dedicated student.

Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo

Choo takes her down by the arm to start and Jade has to beg off into the ropes. Jade sends her throat first into the ropes and hits a running elbow to the back to take over. Back up and Choo hits a running boot in the corner, only to miss the sleeping elbow. Choo avoids a springboard stomp and sends Jade outside as we take a break.

Back with Choo hitting a flipping forearm in the corner for two so Jade grade the stick. Choo takes it away so the referee takes it from her, allowing Jade to throw Choo’s drink into her eyes. A double arm DDT finishes Choo at 9:04. The referee being confused by the liquid on the mat while counting away seems a bit shenanigansy but he didn’t see anything.

Rating: C. Choo has been toned down a bit in recent months and that is a bit better. I’m not sure what is next for her but getting rid of a lot of the over the top stuff has made her a lot easier to watch. The push of Jade continues and she is starting to thrive in this role. You can tell she’s someone WWE sees something in and it is starting to work rather well.

Choo cries post match.

Apollo Crews is ready for Bron Breakker and the NXT Title at Deadline. He has had all kinds of title matches but this is the one that he wakes up thinking about. This time, his vision is holding the NXT Title.

Kiana James is ready for revenge on Ivy Nile.

Javier Bernal has a 1,347 name list of people he wants to challenge, starting with Axiom, who is still hurt. #14 is Elon Musk because Bernal isn’t paying $8 for a check mark. McKenzie Mitchell: “How many followers do you have?” Bernal: “Two thousand. Million.” Drake (the rapper, not Maverick) is on the list, plus some unnamed wrestler who is retired. If Mitchell doesn’t lighten up, she’ll be the one he fights. This is the different kind of promo that made things feel a little different, which is quite welcome.

Chase U, now with several new students, are interrupted by Pretty Deadly, They wonder when Duke Hudson is going to be his usual self and a fight breaks out. Hudson holds his own against both of them until referees break it up.

Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James

Tatum Paxley is here with Nile. James grabs a headlock to start before muscling her up for an over the shoulder backbreaker. A drop to the knees makes it even worse for Nile and a belly to back suplex gives James two. Back up and Nile cranks on the arm before firing off some kicks. A running hurricanrana drops James to the floor, where Fallon Henley pops up to prevent an escape attempt. Back in and the Diamond Chain Lock finishes James at 4:39.

Rating: C-. Not the best match here but Nile getting away from LVL Up is a good thing. She is more than good enough to hang in there with the main NXT stars and I’m not sure why she hasn’t gotten the chance. James continues to be a decent character who needs some more ring time, but she did ok enough here.

Post match the Creed Brothers come in to brag about Nile’s win before saying Indus Sher isn’t making their name off the two of them. They’re ready to fight anytime.

Isla Dawn brags about what she did to Alba Fyre last week and reveals she has been behind some of the recent tech glitches (nice little loose thread being tied up). She and Fyre will have so much fun together.

A banged up Duke Hudson comes in to see Andre Chase and says he got in a fight with Pretty Deadly. Chase: “Who?” Hudson says they were talking trash about the university and the repercussion is……a Tag Team Title match tonight (the fans are REALLY happy with that one)! The student Chase was talking to is very happy so Chase asks him what the **** is he still doing here. It’s time to prepare!

Scrypts vs. Guru Raaj

Scrypts walks around the barricade on the way to the ring and given his size and flipping ability, I would bet pretty heavily on that being Reggie/Reginald. The REGGIE chants would seem to back that up. Scrypts flips away from a charge and hammers away, setting up a Molly Go Round for the pin at 1:21. Nice job on the surprise and if Reggie has trained himself up a bit more, good for him to use that crazy athleticism again. That being said, the mask is awful and looked more goofy than anything else.

Post match Scrypts leaves a card with his name on it on Raaj’s chest.

Here is Schism for a chat, with all of them sitting in chair, albeit with the one in the middle missing. Joe Gacy says it is their duty to reinforce the idea of having something to be thankful for. Ava Raine talks about how families are torn apart by Thanksgiving. Blood relatives cannot be counted on, but Schism certainly can be.

Raine goes outside to look at the crowd as we hear about how Thanksgiving has lost its intent. Raine gets a fan out of the crowd and lets him sit in the empty chair. Gacy talks about how their table is bare so new traditions can be forged. Then they sacrifice him with a release Rock Bottom through the table. Schism continues to be a thing that exists for reasons I don’t understand.

Trick Williams says Carmelo Hayes is ready, so Wes Lee comes in to say that means Williams doesn’t need to be out there for tonight’s title match. Williams eventually agrees, even if he doesn’t seem to do it on purpose. Nice little mind game here.

Video on Bron Breakker going on a boat for some fishing, which is his happy place. He’s ready for Apollo Crews but needs to get away at times. These little personal pieces can go a long way for anyone, including Breakker.

Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark

Ruca flips around to start so Stark superkicks her down for two. Stark sends her to the floor but Ruca gets tied up in the ring skirt, setting up the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and Ruca hits a dropkick into a backdrop for two. A sunset flip gets the same and a flipping splash in the corner hits Starks as well. Ruca hits a powerslam but misses a dropkick, setting up the running knee to give Stark the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Not much to see here again, as we have a bit of a running theme this week. Ruca has the same criticisms she has had so far: she’s athletic, she’s in great shape and that’s the extent of anything that stands out about her. Stark is still just kind of there, likely setting up a showdown with Nikkita Lyons at Deadline.

Post match, Nikkita Lyons runs in to clear out Stark.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade get beaten up by Von Wagner in the parking lot.

Charlie Dempsey trains old school like Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch. Some clips of the legends are nice to see.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Chase U

Chase U, with Thea Hail, is challenging. Wilson runs Chase over to start but Chase is back up with a crawl through the legs into a cartwheel. Chase takes both champs down on his own before Hudson comes in to help him do the same. Back with Wilson keeping Chase in trouble in the corner and Hudson being lured to the floor.

Hudson accidentally runs Hail over but gets the hot tag a few seconds later. Everything breaks down and Hudson loads up the Fratliner. That doesn’t work though and it’s Hudson accidentally Kicking Chase in the face. With Hudson on the floor, Spilled Milk to Chase is enough to retain the titles at 11:49.

Rating: B-. Chase U continues to be one of the most over things in all of NXT but they still haven’t gotten that big win to give them some kind of an accomplishment. I get not wanting to give them the titles here, but Chase losing again is a bit hard to take. We’re probably heading to Hudson vs. Chase at some point in the future, but Chase winning something of note would be nice to see.

At a live event, Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez got in an argument as Elektra Lopez filmed everything.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance recruit Nikkita Lyons (who has changed clothes since chasing off Stark) to go after Toxic Attraction.

Next week: Shawn Michaels reveals everyone in both Iron Survival Challenges.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

Lee is defending (and has to jump over a rock during his entrance) and there is no Trick Williams here. They lock up to start with Hayes getting the better of things. That earns him a tackle and some right hands to the face, with Lee hammering him out to the floor. Back in and Lee misses a basement dropkick but dodges a springboard dive. Stereo kicks to the face put them both down and we take a break.

We come back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with a springboard spinning clothesline. Lee fights back and sends him into the corner for a running forearm, only to have Hayes come back with something close to La Mistica for two. Nothing But Net misses for Hayes and a running Meteora gives Lee two. Cue Williams for a distraction so Lee hits him with a running flip dive. Back in and Lee hits a backflip kick to the head Hayes again, setting up a Michinoku Driver for the pin to retain at 12:56.

Rating: B. That’s a good win for Lee, as Hayes has been around the North American Title for a long time now and beating him is something Lee had to do to be taken seriously as a champion. Lee still feels like he is in a bit over his head but he can work his way out of that with a few wins. Solid match too and having Lee take out Williams and Hayes at once makes him look that much better.

Post match Dijak (yes Dijak) is back and hits Feast Your Eyes to knock Lee silly to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that picked up near the end but the first half was only so good. They had something with the Chase U stuff throughout most of the show and the Scrypts/Dijak returns were nice surprises. The wrestling didn’t work so well in the first half but the last two matches made up for it well enough. It seems like we’re getting the start of the Deadline build next week, even if you can see a lot of the card from here. Pretty good show, which could have been a lot better if the first hour hadn’t dragged it down.

Results
Cora Jade b. Wendy Choo – Double arm DDT
Ivy Nile b. Kiana James – Diamond Chain Lock
Scrypts b. Guru Raaj – Molly Go Round
Zoey Stark b. Sol Ruca – Running knee
Pretty Deadly b. Chase U – Spilled Milk to Chase
Wes Lee b. Carmelo Hayes – Michinoku Driver

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 11, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

For once we’re actually coming off of a decent show, mainly because there were some slightly bigger stars. It also helps when the matches are laid out a bit better, as it seems like more effort is included. There is only so much time on this show so you have to take what you can get. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley vs. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson

Legend hammers on Nile to start but Nile kicks her in the head to break that up. Jackson comes in and gets suplexed down, allowing Paxley to come in for a standing twisting moonsault. Something like a reverse X Factor plants Jackson again but she takes Paxley over for the tag to Legend. The beating continues until Jackson works on a backbreaker before switching to the leg. That works so badly that Paxley slips over for the tag off to Nile so house can be cleaned. Nile sends the villains together so Paxley can dive on Legend. That leaves Nile to flip into the Diamond Chain Lock and finish Jackson at 4:46.

Rating: C. I still don’t’ get why Nile isn’t getting more of a chance on the main NXT show as she is far better than just about anyone on this show. Legend has settled into a point where she is just bad instead of being a disaster, while Jackson is just the latest person on the roster, which doesn’t exactly make her mean much so far.

Javier Bernal isn’t worried about Ikemen Jiro and promises to beat him up.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Javier Bernal

Bernal isn’t having any of this handshake stuff to start so he shoves Jiro down. That doesn’t go so well as Jiro armdrags him, only to get kicked backwards. Jiro is sent to the apron and a hard forearm knocks him down again. Back in and a slam into some elbows get two on Jiro, setting up the chinlock. Jiro fights up but gets taken down with a clothesline as this is one sided so far. A dragon screw legwhip gets Jiro out of trouble and he fires off the jacket punches. There’s the Tarantula to Jiro but the Ikemen Slash misses, allowing Bernal to roll him up (with trunks) for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. This was almost a squash until Jiro’s comeback didn’t work out so well. That isn’t a surprise either as Bernal has been featured on NXT a bit more lately, meaning he isn’t going to be losing to someone who has been around here for such a long time. Bernal is starting to figure out his heel stuff too and if that works out, good for him.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade/Odyssey Jones vs. Xyon Quinn/Lucien Price/Bronco Nima

That’s a different kind of main event around here. Price shoves Odyssey on the apron to start so Enofe headlock takeovers Price down. The rather large Price shoves him into the corner and hands it off to Nima. A dropkick cuts Nima off and it’s Blade coming in, only to get sent into the corner. Quinn comes in but Blade rolls over to Jones for the showdown.

Everything breaks down and the good guys clean house until Quinn gets in a cheap shot on Jones. That doesn’t get him very far though and it’s Nima coming in to beat up Enofe instead. Quinn splashes Enofe for two but a dive through the legs allows the hot tag off to Jones for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down (again) and Blade’s splash off of Jones’ shoulders finishes Price at 6:40.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match with the good guys working well together and having some people to beat up, albeit after breaking a sweat. What matters most here is that it felt like something different on this show after doing the same things over and over. Just mix it up a bit and see how much more fun the show can be.

Overall Rating: C. I had enough fun with this show for it to be ok and that’s all you can ask for with something like this. The main event was enough of a change of pace to make things better and after the months of the same formula, that is really nice to have for once. I have no reason to believe it is going to last, but one night of ok is better than nothing.

Results
Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley b. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson – Diamond Chain Lock to Jackson
Javier Bernal b. Ikemen Jiro – Rollup with trunks
Odyssey Jones/Malik Blade/Edris Enofe b. Xyon Quinn/Lucien Price/Bronco Nima – Splash to Price

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: November 15, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Deadline is in less than a month but we have a big night to get through first. This week will see two title matches, as the NXT Title and NXT Women’s Titles will both be defended. Those are going to make for some major matches and there is going to be some other big stuff included as well. Let’s get to it.

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

NXT Title: Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, is challenging. Stone offers an early distraction so Wagner can jump Breakker to start. Breakker’s arm is snapped over the top rope and some shoulders to the arm make it even worse. Back up and Breakker snaps off a suplex as we take an early break. We come back with Wagner fighting out of a chinlock and taking Breakker to the floor for a spinebuster onto the steps.

Breakker manages a top rope clothesline though and the comeback is on, including the powerslam. The Steiner Bulldog plants Wagner again but Wagner grabs a Fireman’s carry flipped into a neckbreaker. Breakker tries the gorilla press but his back gives out, leaving him to escape another fireman’s carry. The spear retains the title at 12:42.

Rating: C+. There was no reason to believe that the title was changing hands here but this got Breakker in the ring and let him get a win under his belt. Wagner is still a pretty generic monster but now that he is out of the way, Breakker can move on to something more important/interesting. For a one off title match, it went just fine.

Video on Alba Fyre vs. Mandy Rose.

Bron Breakker gets to the back where JD McDonagh congratulates him.

Here is Zoey Stark to say her back feels better now that she isn’t carrying Nikkita Lyons anymore. Stark came back from a nine month layoff and gets told that she’s going to be teaming with Lyons in the tournament for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Then Stark got hurt, but Lyons said that she wasn’t mad at her.

Stark didn’t get hurt doing something stupid, but rather while she was in the ring. Then they lost the Tag Team Title match and was tired of the apologies. We see Stark turning on Lyons last week and Starks is very happy with her new attitude. She blames the people and says it is now about her because she is UNDENIABLE. She is the hunter and everyone back there is the prey. As was the case last week: this would have more impact if they had five matches together as a team.

Duke Hudson comes up to see Andre Chase, who wants to know why Hudson threw in the towel last week. Hudson says it was because he values Chase’s health and if Charlie Dempsey had hurt him last week, the entire University would have been on the shelf. If people accuse him of loving the university too much, then he is guilty as charged. Thea Hail comes in and Hudson leaves rather abruptly. Hail says Hudson is growing on her.

Apollo Crews comes up to Bron Breakker and suggests he’s coming for the title.

Indus Sher vs. George Cannon/Ariel Dominguez

Sanga slams Cannon face first into the mat to start and drops him throat first across the top. Veer comes in to run Cannon over and some big slams drop the tiny Dominguez. A running big boot and corner splash rock Dominguez again, setting up a side slam/middle rope elbow to give Mahaan the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here but Sher didn’t exactly do anything to make themselves more interesting. They did a fine imitation of the Authors of Pain or the Viking Raiders as the latest power monsters and that’s about it. I’m sure they’ll be fine as they look the part, but this is far from original or any kind of a novel take on the concept of big monsters.

Post match Indus Sher says they’re ready to crush the Creed Brothers.

Diamond Mine is ready to fight but Ivy Nile tells them to cool it.

Wendy Choo calls Cora Jade a salty and petulant child who will never change. At the same time though, she said some things that Choo hasn’t heard since high school. Next week, she’ll give Jade two black eyes.

JD McDonagh vs. Apollo Crews

They stare at each other to start until Crews armdrags him into an armbar. Back up and McDonagh does the same thing back to Crews, only to get reversed into a headscissors. Crews grabs a backdrop and shoulders him out to the floor in a heap. That’s fine with Crews, who goes after him for a drop onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Crews dropping backwards onto McDonagh off the middle rope, only to get caught in a sleeper. A belly to back suplex puts Crews down but he sends McDonagh outside, setting up the apron moonsault. They get back inside with a sitout powerbomb giving Crews two, meaning it’s time to go up top. McDonagh pulls him back down in a crash but Crews gets in a hard whip into the corner.

Crews misses a charge and cashes out to the floor, where McDonagh hits a good looking Asai moonsault. Back in and Crews catches him on top, this time with a super Angle Slam for a double knockdown. They trade small packages for two each until an exchange of shots to the face staggers them both. McDonagh gets two off a sunset flip and goes up top, only to miss a moonsault. A high angle spinebuster gives Crews the pin at 13:55.

Rating: B. That’s quite the surprise ending as I would have bet on McDonagh winning again to set up another title match down the line. The interesting thing here is that Crews finally gets a win that feels like it matters after a few months of just kind of being there. He’ll probably lose to someone in his next big match, but he has to win something to maintain some credibility.

Mandy Rose is ready to beat Alba Fyre because she is a superstar.

Javier Bernal is ready to face Axiom, ignoring that he is injured. With Axiom out of action, what about Ilja Dragunov? Eh he’s out too, so maybe anyone from Gallus? Oh yeah they’re all suspended. Well find him someone then! This was actually somewhat funny so I’ll go with shocked at Bernal being moderately entertaining for a change.

Here is Booker T. to moderate the contract signing between Wes Lee and Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams. Hayes is proud to be in Booker’s Fave Five, but Booker isn’t sure about that. Lee says Hayes isn’t the A Champion anymore but Hayes says the fifteen minutes of fame end next week. Lee is ready for his first title defense because he is ready to prove himself again. They both sign and Williams talks some trash with Lee but Booker isn’t going to let violence ensue.

T-Bar is still ready to come back.

Odyssey Jones hypes up Malik Blade and Edris Enofe, but he isn’t wild on Blade’s sweater. Blade talks about how it is a tribute to his father, who wanted him to look nice.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Dyad

Fallon Henley and the rest of Schism is here too. Fowler slugs away on Jensen to start but gets taken down with a running faceplant. Briggs comes in for a flying shoulder and it’s quickly back to Jensen. Everything breaks down and Jensen gets knocked off the apron, leaving Reed to suicide dive him into the announcers’ table in a nasty crash. Briggs is right back up to clean house, including throwing Reid into the ropes on the floor, with Briggs clotheslining him out of the air. Cue Kiana James to go after Henley, earning herself a slap. Back inside and a double Codebreaker finishes Briggs at 4:10.

Rating: C. Well at least Schism didn’t talk. Pushing the Dyad as a team is a fine enough idea, though it isn’t going to matter until they actually win the titles. Kiana James as a thorn in the country boys’/Henley’s side is interesting, but she’ll need a team of her own to fight them at some point. For now though, costing them a win works well enough.

Shawn Michaels joins us for an announcement of a new match: the Iron Survivor Challenge. There will be a men’s and women’s match at Deadline with five entrants each. Two wrestlers will start and every five minutes, a new one will be added until all five are in. You win with the most falls in 25 minutes, with falls coming via pinfall, submission or DQ. If you win a fall, you get a point, but the person who loses the fall is put in a penalty match for 90 seconds. The winner is the new #1 contender, with entrants being announced in the coming weeks. So it’s a gauntlet Iron Man Penalty Box match? That’s quite a few things combined.

Indi Hartwell vs. Tatum Paxley

Ivy Nile is in Paxley’s corner. Paxley sends her into the corner to start but Hartwell does the same. A hiptoss is broken up so Hartwell knocks her down with a shot to the face. The chinlock doesn’t keep Paxley down very long as she makes the comeback, only to have Hartwell rip her mask off. Hartwell kicks her down and, after throwing the mask to Nile, hits a running forearm to the back of the had for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C. Reheating Hartwell is a good idea and I’m curious to see just how far they’ll take her. She hit rock bottom for a good while and was even a regular on LVL Up so there isn’t much further she can fall. She didn’t need to cheat to beat Paxley here so it could have been a lot worse. Paxley continues to be just kind of there, but at least she’s getting on TV.

Scrypts was here but is already gone because he is too smart and fast to be caught. You’ll see how smart he is next week so do you want to play a game? So he’s Jigsaw?

Roxanne Perez congratulates Indi Hartwell on her win but wasn’t it too far to rip off Tatum Paxley’s mask? Hartwell doesn’t care because she wants in the Iron Survivor Challenge. The heel turn continues to work.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre

Mandy is defending in a Last Woman Standing match. Fyre starts fast and knocks her outside to start. Some rams into the barricade knock Rose sillier and Fyre grabs some weapons from underneath the ring. The delay lets Fyre grab a slam on the floor but she’s right back with a half crab back inside.

We take a break and come back with Fyre hitting a dive off the top to take Rose out on the floor. Rose is back up with some ladder shots against the barricade to put Fyre in trouble but she’s back with a trashcan shot. Rose barely beats the count and they fight into the crowd, with Rose knocking her off the barricade.

Fyre fights up and knocks a diving Rose out of the air. A Gory Bomb onto the apron lets Fyre put her on the announcers’ table. Fyre goes up a ladder….and Isla Dawn pops up on the other side to send Fyre through the table. Rose beats the count at 11:56 to retain the title again.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here, even with the screwy finish. What matters is keeping the title on Rose, which I wouldn’t have bet on coming in. NXT needs someone who can take the title off of her and I’m not sure who that is at the moment. At least it wasn’t Jayne or Dolin interfering in the end here, even if Fyre has to lose in another big match.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event felt big and Crews vs. McDonagh was a good match, which is enough to carry this week. The rest of the show was pretty in the middle at best, but I’ll take two rather good matches out of six on a weekly show. Other than that, they set up things for the future, though I’m not sure how well the Iron Survivor deal will go. For now though, nice week of TV as we are on the wa to a bigger show next month.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Indus Sher b. George Cannon/Ariel Dominguez – Side slam/Middle rope elbow combination to Dominguez
Apollo Crews b. JD McDonagh – Spinebuster
Dyad b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Double Codebreaker to Briggs
Indi Hartwell b. Tatum Paxley – Running forearm to the back of the head
Mandy Rose b. Alba Fyre when Fyre didn’t answer the ten count

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

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Matt Camp

It’s a pay per view weekend and that means a grand total of very little on this show as Crown Jewel has no connection to NXT. LVL Up doesn’t have much to offer most weeks but maybe we can get in a nice match to take up some of the time. The show is usually at least decent so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile vs. Sol Ruca

The fans approve of Nile as she works on the wristlock to start. Ruca trips her down and Nile actually grins a bit, only to have it cut off by Ruca’s headlock takeover. Nile is back up with a sunset flip but a jumpless X Factor gives Ruca two. A rather muscular deadlift suplex gets two on Nile but she is back with an armbar in the corner. The arm is fine enough to hit a side slam and a flipping splash connects on Nile in the corner. Nile isn’t having that and suplexes her over, setting up the Diamond Chain Lock (dragon sleeper) for the tap at 4:55.

Rating: C. I still like Nile a god bit and it is nice to see her getting wins, but almost all of her recent LVL Up matches have felt the same. You would think she would be ready for some far better competition on the main NXT show but for some reason she is stuck down here. Ruca continues to be the same thing: very athletic with nothing that makes me care about her as a wrestler.

Myles Borne is ready for Hank Walker, who he seems to like.

Myles Borne vs. Hank Walker

Borne takes him down by the arm to start as we hear about these two knowing each other as teenagers. A Pounce (with a Monty Brown reference from commentary) sends Borne outside but he comes back in to forearm in the corner. The armbar has Walker down but he gets a boot up to stop a diving something designed to land on a raised boot. The comeback is on but Borne snaps off a northern lights suplex. Back up and Walker runs him over with a flying shoulder for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: C. Walker has grown on me a bit and he’s doing enough of a southern/country powerhouse deal to make it work. Borne has come a LONG way in a short time and is having better matches every time he’s out there. That’s what some ring time can do and while he isn’t a big deal yet, he is at least getting better.

Oro Mensah vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn powers him up against the rope to start but gets armdragged into an armbar. That works so well that Mensah does it again but Quinn hits him in the back. Mensah is fine enough to send him outside for the slingshot dive but Quinn stays on the back with some rams into the apron. A backbreaker and knee to the back give Quinn two, followed by a swinging neckbreaker for the same. The bearhug stays on the back but Mensah breaks it up and hits a springboard moonsault press. Mensah’s running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes Quinn off at 6:07.

Rating: C+. That might be a little high but it’s cool to see a complete match like this one. They had a story, Quinn worked on the back to wear Mensah down, Mensah made a comeback, and the action was fine throughout. It’s one of the better things I’ve seen around here in a good while and after some of the weaker efforts, I’ll absolutely take that.

Overall Rating: C. That’s one of the better LVL Up’s I’ve seen in a bit with the main event being a very nice surprise. There is talent here, but it helps when they had some of the more developed LVL Up stars around here. Mensah has been on the regular NXT show since coming over and Nile has been ready for a serious NXT feud for a long time now. That made for a better show and I’ll always take that kind of change.

Results
Ivy Nile b. Sol Ruca – Diamond Chain Lock
Hank Walker b. Myles Borne – Flying shoulder
Oro Mensah b. Xyon Quinn – Running spinwheel kick in the corner

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NXT
Date: October 25, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re fresh off of Halloween Havoc and that means not much has really changed. The only new champion crowned was Wes Lee, who won the vacant North American Title. In other words, pretty much everyone should be on to something new as we are coming up on Deadline in about six weeks. We do have a pair of Tag Team Title matches though, which feel like matches that they just couldn’t fit on Halloween Havoc. Let’s get to it.

Here is Halloween Havoc if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Halloween Havoc, which was good enough but not quite a classic.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Zoey Stark/Nikkita Lyons

Stark and Lyons are challenging. Carter and Lyons start, with the latter busting out some splits. Stark comes in for a chinlock which doesn’t work very well, allowing Carter to kick her away. Chance slingshots in with a flipping splash for two but a headscissors gets Stark out of trouble. Lyons comes in and works on Chance’s back until a roll to the corner allows the tag to Carter. Everything breaks down and the challengers are sent to the floor, where they’re fine enough to hit stereo slams as we take a break.

Back with Chance slingshotting in with a dropkick to Lyons, who swings her around into a Rock Bottom for two. Carter comes in with a forearms to the back of the head and a running dropkick in the corner. Chance gets backdropped into a moonsault on Lyons with Stark having to make the save. It’s back to Stark to clean house but Chance pulls her into a rollup for two. Everything breaks down and Stark reverses a big boot into a rollup on Chance for the pin and the titles at 12:27.

And hang on as Chance wasn’t legal so not so fast. The bell rings again and they slugout is on with Carter diving onto Lyons. A super Spanish Fly plants Stark for two but she’s back up with a release German suplex to drop Carter. The hot tag brings in Lyons to clean house, including the spinning kick into the splits splash for two on Carter with Chance making the save. Chance and Stark go to the floor and Carter kicks Lyons in the head a few times. Chance is back up with the 450/neckbreaker combination for the retaining pin at 2:20 after the restart.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches where the tagging didn’t mean much for a good portion but Carter and Chance retaining the titles is a good thing. They haven’t been the champions for very long and they need some wins to establish themselves as champion. The titles need to be developed more than a bit and this should help them a lot.

Video on Bron Breakker retaining the NXT Title at Halloween Havoc.

Someone who appears to be T-Bar burns a mask and says the second coming isn’t about retribution. Well that’s a good sign.

Here is new North American Champion Wes Lee for a chat. Lee thanks the fans for believing in him because he never thought he would be able to win anything, especially on his own. He is proud to be here….and here is Grayson Waller to interrupt. Waller wants a title shot but lee reminds Waller that he lost at Halloween Havoc.

Then R-Truth of all people comes out, wearing a mask, to welcome us to Halloween Havoc. Waller points out that Halloween Havoc was three days ago, but Truth thinks Waller is British. Lee says it was three days ago and gets congratulated on his title win. Oh and how did Waller do at Halloween Havoc? This turns into a discussion of drug use and Waller agrees to face Truth next week. Then Waller gets beaten up and sent outside.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are fired up for their Tag Team Title shot, with an Eminem pep talk.

Apollo Crews is done with Grayson Waller and now he wants the NXT Title.

Shotzi vs. Lash Legend

Quincy Elliott is here with Shotzi. Legend knocks her to the floor to start, where Elliott offers a distraction. Back in and Legend drives her into the corner but Shotzi grabs Never Wake Up for the pin at 3:37.

Rating: C-. Well that happened. There wasn’t much to be said about this one as it was more about Shotzi shutting Legend up (thank goodness) than anything else. NXT seems to have cooled it a lot with Legend and that is a nice thing to see, though Shotzi still has a long way to go on Smackdown.

Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp

This is a five minute match and the result of Julius Creed beating Kemp on Saturday. Hold on though as Kemp pops up on screen to say he isn’t medically cleared so we’ll do this later. Sanga and Veer pop up and jump the Creeds. Ivy Nile comes down to glare at them and then checks on the Creeds. No match.

Pretty Deadly is ready to keep their titles.

Toxic Attraction calls each other and brag about how awesome they are. Next week it’s Mandy Rose’s one year anniversary of her title reign.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Pretty Deadly is defending and get in trouble early, with a top rope elbow getting two on Wilson. A running boot to the face/clothesline combination sends Wilson outside, followed by a knee drop back inside. Wilson manages to get over to Prince, who gets punched out of the air by Enofe. Everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Blade getting the hot tag and cleaning house, including a huge flip dive over the post to the floor. A high crossbody gets two on Prince as everything breaks down. Enofe knees Wilson down but Prince pulls Enofe to the floor. Spilled Milk is broken up and a rollup gets a VERY close two on Prince. Now Spilled Milk can retain the titles at 12:30.

Rating: C+. They had me buying that near fall near the end but after the kickout, it was clear that the titles weren’t going anywhere. Pretty Deadly is a heck of a team as they seem beatable but still manage to stay looking strong enough to hold the titles for a long time. I still like Blade and Enofe quite a bit, as they are a perfectly good plucky face team.

JD McDonagh says he’s a necessary evil and will hurt people.

Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons argue over blame for the loss, but they do have a rematch.

Here is Schism to unveil their newest member. After speeches from the unmasked members, the person in the red hoodie unmasks as….Ava Raine, who says this family has made her whole. She would be better known as the Rock’s daughter. That’s uh, a choice for sure, as the worst thing in wrestling today gets a new member from a famous family.

Sol Ruca thinks she is ready for Indi Hartwell. Indi Hartwell does not think Sol Ruca is ready for Indi Hartwell.

Earlier this week, the Performance Center got a phone call and we hear a rhyming message about getting rid of sins and tearing NXT apart…..from Scrypts?

Sol Ruca vs. Indi Hartwell

Ruca flips away to start but gets dropped with a clothesline. A forearm to the back of the head finishes for Hartwell at 1:20.

Post match Elektra Lopez returns to wreck both women.

We go to Chase U where Bodie Hayward is nowhere to be seen. Duke Hudson gives Chase an apple and takes Hayward’s seat, but doesn’t take notes. Chase yells at him, so Hudson steals someone’s pen to take a few notes on Survivor Series.

Roxanne Perez isn’t sorry for what she did to Cora Jade.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are upset by their loss but then get in a truck, driven by the returning Odyssey Jones, with a bunch of women.

JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov starts fast by slamming him off the top but gets chopped in the corner. Back up and McDonagh knocks Dragunov off the apron and into the announcers’ table. That’s enough for medics to come out and check on Dragunov as we take a break. We come back with Dragunov still in trouble but managing to win a slugout. Booker: “Could this be that Shucky Ducky Quack Quack Moment?”

McDonagh gets knees up to block a top rope backsplash but Dragunov catches him on top. A top rope superplex drops McDonagh again and a fist drop on the mat knocks him half silly. Dragunov collapses though and McDonagh grabs him in a body vice with a crossface, with Dragunov passing out at 13:30.

Rating: B-. As I try to get my head around “could this be that Shucky Ducky Quack Quack Moment”, I’m trying to figure out what is so special about McDonagh. This probably sets him up for another title shot against Bron Breakker and he probably gets the title. I have no idea why McDonagh is getting this kind of a push, but someone in NXT certainly sees a lot in him.

Overall Rating: C+. This was kind of a weird show as it only somewhat capitalized on the aftermath of Halloween Havoc. Instead, it felt a lot like “the big stuff happens next week”, which will make for a good show then but only an ok one this week. Decent enough show this week, though the Schism thing has the potential to fall flat in a hurry.

Results
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Zoey Stark/Nikkita Lyons – 450/neckbreaker combination to Lyons
Shotzi b. Lash Legend – Never Wake Up
Pretty Deadly b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Spilled Milk to Blade
Indi Hartwell b. Sol Ruca – Forearm to the back of the head
JD McDonagh b. Ilja Dragunov – Crossface with a bodyscissors

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 14, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re back to this show again and as usual, it’s anyone guess what to expect. I’ve given up having any hope for a high quality show around here and that is about as good as it is going to get. The show always needs some bigger stars but if we can get a decent midcard name, it’s going to be as solid as can be expected. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ikemen Jiro/Tank Ledger vs. Duke Hudson/Bryson Montana

Hudson powers Jiro into the corner and starts in on the arm but gets tripped into a headlock. Jiro gets shoved off for the tag to Ledger, who trades some shoulders with Hudson. Some arm cranking slows Ledger down and it’s off to Montana, who charges into a hiptoss. Ledger starts in on the arm as well and the good (I think?) guys start taking turns on Montana’s arm.

Hudson draws Ledger over with a distraction though and a neckbreaker gives Montana two. Montana’s chinlock doesn’t last long and the diving tag brings in Jiro to clean house. The Jacket Punches rock set up the springboard moonsault as Hudson walks off. The Ikemen Slash finishes Montana at 6:20.

Rating: C. Hudson and Montana as a team was a little weird but throwing people together can make for some interesting moments. I’m not sure how much of a future they have together, but for a one off match, it wasn’t that bad. Jiro continues to be a fun guy and it’s smart to have him around to open up a show like this.

Myles Borne is ready to keep his wins going.

Myles Borne vs. Dante Chen

Borne wrestles him down to start but the fans seem more behind Chen. An armdrag into an armbar has Borne down but he’s back up with a standing moonsault over a charging Chen. Back up and the armbar has Borne in more trouble, with the fickle fans now behind him for a change. Chen gets up and charges into an elbow in the corner but kicks Borne right back down. The armbar goes on again, only to have Borne come back with a belly to belly. Something like an inverted Downward Spiral (which I thought was a botched inverted DDT at first) finishes Chen at 5:13.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t much to see, and I do wonder how much of that is due to Borne’s hearing issues. I’m not sure how you would exactly call a match like that but Borne has already improved a pretty good bit. It’s certainly a good story though and it should be interesting to see how far he can go.

Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend

Legend kicks her down to start and then grabs an awkward cravate to keep Nile in place. Nile is back up with some hard kicks and starts cranking on the arm. Back up and a butterfly suplex gives Legend two, allowing her to bend Nile’s arm over the middle rope. Some taunting gives Nile a chance to pull her down by the leg for two but Legend blasts her with a clothesline for the same. The armbar and then chinlock goes on Nile before Legend tries her own dragon sleeper. You don’t do that to Nile though, as she flips over and into her own dragon sleeper to make Legend tap at 6:06.

Rating: C-. Believe it or not, this was decent for a Legend match, though it was still a pretty boring one. Maybe Legend can get somewhere with a good bit more practice, but anytime she talks my interest in her goes right back down. Nile did her thing and the ending looked good with her flipping over to take Legend out. That being said, she seemed ready to break out as a big star and it just never happened for some reason. Maybe it happens later, but I don’t quite see it from here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a weaker show as the star power was almost non-existent. It was more about getting people in the ring than anything else. That works fine as a training deal, but it doesn’t make for a good television show. LVL Up can be a nicely done show, but that wasn’t the case with this one. Now awful, but boring, which is often worse.

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NXT
Date: September 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re officially into the second year of NXT 2.0 which now seems to be minus the 2.0. Things seem to be moving forward into a new era around here and that should be good for NXT as a whole. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but we do have a #1 contenders match this week between Tyler Bate and JD McDonagh. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Earlier today, Carmelo Hayes and Solo Sikoa came in to see Shawn Michaels and the results of the match last week cannot stand. Sikoa was not the sanctioned challenger and therefore cannot be the North American Champion. The title is handed over and Sikoa hands over the title, with Shawn wishing him luck anywhere he goes. Hayes is ready to have the title handed back to him but Shawn says not so fast. In six weeks at Halloween Havoc, there is a six man ladder match (gah) for the title. I like Sikoa not losing and Shawn as the kind of GM, but the ladder match….not so much.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

Match #2 in a best of three series with Axiom up 1-0. Frazer starts fast with a backslide, setting off a series of rollups for two each. Axiom goes for the ankle but Frazer escapes and that’s a standoff. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Axiom two but Frazer dropkicks him out of the air. That’s enough to send Axiom bailing to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Axiom fighting out of a front facelock and hitting a running dropkick. A high crossbody gives Axiom two but Frazer superkicks him down for the same. Axiom is back up with a super hiptoss for two of his own but he takes too long going up. Frazer runs the corner for a superplex into a spinning suplex into the Phoenix splash for the pin at 13:09.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action based match that these two were always going to have and they didn’t’ even go with anything stupid like having Axiom kicking out after that kind of a finishing sequence. Very good match here and an upgrade over their first match, which has me wanting to see the rematch. Odds are they wind up as a team, but at least they’re having a good run getting there.

Alba Fyre wants the Women’s Title.

Mandy Rose insists she isn’t worried about Fyre. She’ll take out Fallon Henley next week and then beat Fyre.

We recap Damon Kemp turning on the Diamond Mine, even showing footage of him being paid off by the D’Angelo Family (to win the Tag Team Titles, but that failed due to Santos Escobar). Then he took out Roderick Strong and knows that the Creeds are mad at him anyway. He’ll fight either of them one on one. This was a heck of an explanation and better than I was expecting.

Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for the tag match, with Nile insisting that she’s ok.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Toxic Attraction

Paxley and Dolin lock up to start and then trade some dives with neither getting anywhere. A dropkick staggers Dolin but she’s right back with a running clothesline. Jayne comes in for some kicks and a backsplash for two but Paxley fights out of an armbar. It’s back to Nile for a suplex as everything breaks down. A spinning Codebreaker sets up some stereo kicks to drop Paxley for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get anywhere and they didn’t exactly play into the idea of Nile being distracted. Paxley and Nile are still a bit of a weird team but it is a good thing to see them getting time together to make them feel like a normal pairing. Nothing match and not very good, as Toxic Attraction gets built back up again.

Here is Schism to talk about how awesome they are and how everyone should join them. Joe Gacy calls out Cameron Grimes again but here are Edris Enofe and Malik Blade for the brawl, following last week’s beating.

Dyad vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

It’s a brawl to start until Blade works on Fowler’s wrist. Some double teaming takes Fowler down but it’s quickly off to Reid, who takes Enofe into the corner. That is broken up rather quickly and Blade comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. The big flip dive to the floor drops the Dyad and we take a break.

Back with Blade in trouble through a pull of the sweater vest. We pause for the Schism hug on the floor before the beating is back on. Blade slips through the legs though and the hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house. Blade tags right back in for a spinebuster/side kick combination on Reid but Fowler makes the save. A step up Canadian Destroyer drops Enofe and Ticket To Mayhem finishes him off at 9:15.

Rating: C. This is your weekly reminder that Schism and the Dyad are absolutely horrible and not worth the time of day. The gimmick s something that has been done so much better elsewhere and I can’t believe that we are continuing their run. Enofe and Blade continue to be that team that should be something but haven’t gotten the chance yet. That might come later, but for now, it is a lot of spinning their wheels.

We look at Quincy Elliott’s debut last week.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez, with Satomura taking her out and then Cora Jade vs. Perez continuing. Perez is ready to be more violent.

Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo

Choo takes her down to start and sends Jade outside for a dive but gets taken down by the hair. Back in and Jade hammers away before grabbing a cross arm choke. Choo fights up to start the comeback but gets caught in a DDT to give Jade the fast pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. Little more than a squash here until Jade finished her off. Jade continues to find her footing as a heel but she has come a long way in a few weeks. On the other hand you have Choo, who is at least dressing a bit more seriously. It might not be much, but any step is an improvement over how bad things have been for her.

Post match Lash Legend comes in to boot Choo down.

Bron Breakker is grateful to the fans for voting him Superstar Of The Year. As for the main event, he picks Tyler Bate over JD McDonagh and would love a rematch.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes aren’t happy.

Video on Oro Mensah.

Mensah is here to face the very best, like Grayson Waller. Now he wants the North American Title.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams for a chat. Hayes insists that he is the top star around here but title or no title, he is still the A Champion. Cue Chase U, with Chase thinking this is a TEACHABLE MOMENT. Chase knocks them to the floor and let’s ring that bell.

Chase U vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

Williams comes in off a blind tag and dropkicks Chase for two as Barrett goes over courses he would offer if he was a professor. Hayward comes in to take over in the corner before Chase is right back in for the spelling stomps. It’s back to Hayward for a torture rack but Hayes comes in to break it up. A springboard spinning clothesline drops Hayward for two, only to have Hayward get over to Chase without much trouble. Hayes kicks Chase and Hayward down but another springboard is countered into a rollup to give Chase the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C. I still have no idea how but Chase has gotten this Chase U nonsense over. It is something that should have no staying power and somehow is one of the most over things in all of NXT. Putting Chase into the North American Title hunt wouldn’t be the worst thing and that seems to be where we are going. Nothing match due to time, but I could go for more Chase and company shenanigans.

Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley interrupt Gallus’ card game. Security has to come in to quell any possible violence.

Sanga vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who can’t shoulder Sanga down to start and has to punch his way out of a powerslam attempt. Back up and a sidewalk slam plants Wagner but Sanga goes after an interfering Stone. That’s enough for Wagner to post him, setting up a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:51.

Wesley wants the North American Title.

Stacks says Tony D’Angelo will be North American Champion.

Cameron Grimes is sick of Schism and promises to put them in a wood chipper next week. The fuel will take him to the moon.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Oro Mensah vs. Grayson Waller

Waller starts fast but gets armdragged down a few times. Back up and Waller yells a lot, earning himself a beating into the corner. A pop up belly to back suplex drops Mensah and Waller unloads with forearms on the mat. The hammer and anvil elbows get two on Mensah but he’s back up with a spinning kick to the head. Waller manages a neck snap across the top and loads up the running Stunner, only to get cut off by Apollo Crews (bleeding from the eye). That lets Mensah hit a dive, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C. Mensah (as Oliver Carter back in the day) was fun to watch in NXT UK and you got the same thing here. It’s also a bit of a surprise to see Waller losing, but he was protected by the Crews interference. I could go for more of Mensah, even if he won’t be getting his title shot for a long time.

The Creed Brothers want Damon Kemp, with Brutus getting the shot next week. Julius wants Kemp’s career ended.

Here is Bron Breakker with a Connor’s Cure kid. The kid seems a bit awestruck and I’d call that acceptable.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Tyler Bate

The winner gets a shot at Bron Breakker, on commentary, at some point in the future. McDonagh takes him down by the head to start but Bate slips out and reverses into an armbar. Back up and they trade several rollups/cradles for two each until a double knockdown sends us to a break.

We come back with Bate getting out of a Boston crab so McDonagh kicks him down again. The fight heads to the floor with Bate getting the better of things, setting up a t-bone suplex back inside. A running shooting star press gives Bate two and the airplane spin is good for the same.

McDonagh low bridges him to the floor, setting up a 450 for two back inside. A brainbuster gives McDonagh two more and they slug it out, with Bate getting Spanish Flied down….where he manages a left hand from his back for a unique twist. Bate gets caught on top and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Devil Inside to give McDonagh the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. They had a good, hard hitting fight here and that Bate punch from the mat was a nice spot. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have McDonagh get another shot so fast but it was less recent than Bate vs. Breakker. They didn’t get to that next level but Breakker has a new challenger and we’re probably set for the Halloween Havoc main event.

Post match Breakker gets in the ring for a staredown….and none of that matters because Ilja Dragunov is here (McDonagh: “NO!!!!!”)!. Breakker approves and holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The opener and main event were both good but the rest of the show didn’t exactly light up the world. I do like the Dragunov debut though as he feels like a top star joining the roster. Halloween Havoc is still a long way off but at least they have something to build towards. Now we get to find out how things are going to go as there is a long while before the show, which should make for a good time.

Results
Nathan Frazer b. Axiom – Phoenix splash
Toxic Attraction b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile – Stereo kicks to Paxley
Dyad b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Ticket To Mayhem to Enofe
Cora Jade b. Wendy Choo – DDT
Chase U b. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams – Rollup to Hayes
Von Wagner b. Sanga – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Oro Mensah b. Grayson Waller – Running spinwheel kick
JD McDonagh b. Tyler Bate – Devil Inside

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 16, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

I actually got a bit of hope last week as we had a slightly bigger name in the main event to make it feel a bit better. Then again there is always the chance that they are going to completely drop it and switch back to the normal way of doing things. That would be the LVL Up way so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley vs. Sloane Jacobs/Erica Yan

Paxley takes Yan down to start and she seems a bit surprised. Back up and Paxley pulls her to the mat for a hammerlock before it’s off to Nile for some more arm cranking. Yan tries to roll out and gets hammerlocked again as this is one sided so far. An escape over to the corner brings in Jacobs, who is kicked down just as fast.

Paxley flip splashes onto her but stops to glare at Yan, allowing Jacobs to grab her own armbar. A spinning middle rope crossbody gives Jacobs two and we hit the neck crank. Paxley elbows her in the face for a breather though and the hot tag brings in Nile to wreck things. Everything breaks down and Ivy Iconoclasms Paxley into a twisting splash for the pin on Jacobs at 5:19.

Rating: C. This was the kind of faster paced and above all else different match that that it needed to be. Just mixing things up a bit makes the show feel that much better and that is what they have needed to do around here for the better part of ever. I’m not sure what took so long, but I’m assuming that a lack of caring had something to do with it.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price talk about going to school together and then reuniting after losing contact. Duke Hudson comes in to mock the idea so they say get a partner. That’s not going to work for Hudson, so he’ll face Nima one on one. See what they did here? They set up a quick story and gave us a bit of a backstory for a new team. This took about two minutes and did SOMETHING that has been lacking around here for years. Do more of this, even on a small scale.

Bronco Nima vs. Duke Hudson

Lucien Price is here with Nima as they take turns powering each other into the corner. Hudson hits a knee to the ribs and grabs a headlock but Nima comes back with a grab of the hair. A Samoan drop plants Hudson but he hits Nima in the throat and stomps away. The chinlock goes on until Nima fights up and hits a corner splash. A dancing forearm takes too long though and Hudson hits a German suplex. There’s a belly to belly suplex into a big boot to finish Nima at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was close to a hoss fight and I’m glad to see Hudson get a win as I still think there is something to him. Other than that, it was weird to see someone like Nima, who seemed to be getting a bit more established, to lose like this. Granted some of that was due to taking too long to set something up so maybe he can get some experience out of this.

Indi Hartwell vs. Amari Miller

Miller goes for the arm to start and la majistral gets two on Hartwell. The headlock takeover keeps Miller in control as the fans get behind Hartwell. Back up and a slam into an elbow gets two on Miller, followed by the chinlock. Fans: “SHE’S IMPRESSIVE!” Miller fights up and grabs a rollup for two but walks into a spinebuster for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but it was nice to have the fans into someone like Hartwell, who they will at least know. Hartwell has fallen a long way since the Index thing ended and that was pretty clear again this week. Miller has all the charisma she could ask for, but she is still pretty basic in the ring and that is going to need to change.

Overall Rating: C. The main thing here is that, in the same vein as the main roster shows, it feels like there is a new energy here. This show featured some bigger NXT names (in perspective that is) and it made the show seem that much better. What we got here was a show that didn’t exactly light things up, but it was a lot more interesting than so many of the dry, dull LVL Up/205 Live shows over the last few years. Do more of the new stuff and see what you can do with this show, even if it is as low on the totem pole as you can get.

Results
Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile b. Erica Yan/Sloane Jacobs – Twisting splash to Jacobs
Duke Hudson b. Bronco Nima – Big boot
Indi Hartwell b. Amari Miller – Spinebuster

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NXT
Date: August 30, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Worlds Collide and that means we should be in for the hard push towards the show. Since we currently have a two match card, I’m expecting quite a few matches to be added to the show this week. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but it almost has to happen. Let’s get to it.

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

Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews

Crews’ intro cuts off Waller’s pre-match speech, much to Barrett’s annoyance. Crews grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about his random visions, which just aren’t going to be explained. Waller fights out but gets dropkicked down, allowing Crews to dribble an invisible basketball and dance a bit. The very delayed vertical suplex slam puts Waller back down but he seems to go to the eye to get a breather. A medic comes out to check on Crews and we take a break.

Back with Crews fighting out of a chinlock but his slingshot hilo is countered into a sleeper. Crews breaks out of that too and kicks him in the head but Waller gets in a shot of his own to slow him down. The rolling Stunner is almost countered into a spinebuster, only to have the second attempt connect to give Waller the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C. Waller’s push continues, even if it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. At the same time, Crews seems to be in NXT to put others over and that might be the best use for him. You could put him into a title hunt almost immediately or even bring him back t the main roster, but for now, this seems to be about it for him.

The Diamond Mine is ready to fight but Roderick Strong wants to talk about the security footage from a few weeks ago. Julius Creed doesn’t care, but here are Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for their tag match against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter.

Bron Breakker is in the locker room when Finn Balor pops up to say he made the NXT Title the standard. He’s also beaten people twice his size so don’t underestimate Tyler Bate.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Non-title. Nile takes Carter down for an early two and sunset flips her for the same. Chance comes in to roll Paxley up for two more, followed by a double clothesline for a double knockdown. As they’re both down, we see that Toxic Attraction has left the Toxic Lounge. Cue Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for a distraction, which draws Nile away. The 450/neckbreaker combination finishes Paxley at 4:16.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, but it does say something that NXT seems to have some teams that can be thrown out there every now and then. It wasn’t exactly a great match and was there for the sake of the Toxic Attraction run-in, but at least the champs got a win. Now just find some better challengers for the champs and start making them seem better.

Post match Chance and Carter grab the mic but Doudrop and Nikki Ash interrupt. They like the idea of a party, but they also want a title shot on Sunday. Sure.

Kiana James is in her office where she is ready for Zoey Stark tonight.

The Schism is ready for some ceremony involving Cameron Grimes.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrive but don’t want to talk about anything but Hayes’ opponent at Worlds Collide.

Here is Schism, with Joe Gacy being proud of the Dyad’s efforts. He’s so happy that they get smiley face pins to show how great they are. They are moving up the Schism’s tree, and yes there is a graphic. The Dyad is rather pleased with what they’re doing, but for now, Joe Gacy wants to talk about Cameron Grimes. He can never be happy without the Schism so here is Grimes to answer.

Cue Grimes, who says the team has been after him for a few weeks but he has realized he doesn’t need them. Gacy talks about how Grimes keeps failing and has not titles, but Grimes still isn’t interested. That makes Gacy bring up Grimes’ dead father, and that’s enough for the fight. Grimes cleans house, but walks into Gacy’s handspring…..hug? Grimes leaves and is rather confused. I’m rather confused as to why Gacy, who might be the worst thing in wrestling, is still around.

Roxanne Perez can’t believe Cora Jade turned on her and goes nuclear by blocking Jade’s number.

Tyler Bate is in the back when Finlay comes in to say there’s a call for him. Pete Dunne is on a tablet and says go unify those titles for NXT UK. Yes Dunne, not Butch.

Lash Legend/Pretty Deadly vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley

Henley goes after Legend to start but gets choked on the ropes for her efforts. Wilson comes in and gets slapped by Henley, allowing Briggs to come in for the big shoulder. It’s off to Prince, who comes off the top and lands in an atomic drop. Henley kicks Legend down and gets LAUNCHED over the top onto all three villains as we take a break.

Back with Briggs getting knocked down and pounded by Wilson, setting up some choking from the floor. The chinlock goes on but Briggs powers over and brings in Jensen to start cleaning house. Jensen and Prince knock each other down so Jensen goes for the tag, only to have Gallus come out. The women get in a fight, leaving Joe Coffey to kick Jensen into a rollup to give Prince the pin at 11:31.

Rating: C. this was all about getting Gallus out there and probably helping to set up the four way for both sets of Tag Team Titles at the pay per view. The distraction helps keep the champs looking ok and Henley vs. Legend was at least energetic. It’s still the weakest title match at the moment, but at least they seem to have a direction.

Shayna Baszler comes in to see Mandy Rose, who says she’ll be passing Baszler soon. Baszler tells her to unify the titles or nothing from the last year matters.

JD McDonagh twists the mic cube around and says people find him creepy, including Wes Lee. He doesn’t care about what people think or about things like feelings. Did you know McDonagh is weird? I don’t know if they made that clear enough.

Andre Chase vs. Charlie Dempsey

Chase U is here with Chase, as you might have guessed. They go with the grappling to start with neither being able to get very far. A test of strength results in them flipping down to the mat, with no one getting an advantage. Chase starts working on the arm to take over but Dempsey isn’t having any of that. Instead, Dempsey pulls him down into a string of holds, from a Fujiwara armbar into an STF into something like a Regal Stretch. Bodie Hayward annoys Dempsey though, causing him to let go and suplex Hayward on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction to let Chase grab a rollup pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. Not much of a match but it deserves some credit for the surprise ending. Dempsey was pushed as a killer in NXT UK but I like Chase actually getting a win. The whole Chase U act has figured out its ceiling and giving them a win like this isn’t the worst idea. There is always going to be room for someone like Dempsey and he’ll be fine, but Chase has a more unique talent and that deserves some attention.

Meiko Satomura runs into Alba Fyre (who Satomura beat to win the NXT UK Women’s Title) and they exchange respect.

Tyler Bate runs into Gunther, who tells him to bring the Bate that fought him in Cardiff to face Bron Breakker.

Kiana James vs. Zoey Stark

Stark starts fast and knocks her down, setting up a springboard corkscrew dive for two. A quick trip to the floor goes badly for James but she’s right back with an armbar inside. Stark fights up and hits a running knee for two of her own, setting up the flipping knee for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C-. Another short match that didn’t have the time to go very far, but Stark winning gives her a nice boost back up. James is someone with charisma and a different kind of character but she hasn’t actually done much yet. She shouldn’t have started doing so here either, so this was the right way to go.

Post match Nikkita Lyons runs in to chase James off.

Blair Davenport is ready to unify the women’s titles on Sunday. Rhea Ripley pops up to say she has held both titles so do the same thing she did.

Nathan Frazer and someone else are reading WWE comic books. Frazer misses NXT UK and says the guy next to him wouldn’t know what that’s like. It’s Axiom, who agrees to face Frazer in a British rounds match under Heritage Cup rules at Worlds Collide. Then they trade comic books.

Gallus vs. Diamond Mine

Brutus has to fight out of early trouble and gutwrench suplexes Mark, allowing the tag off to Kemp for a waistlock. Everything breaks down and Diamond Mine tries stereo submissions to send us to a break. Back with Julius powering Joe up for a release slam, setting up the ankle lock. Mark trips Julius on the apron though and some shots to the back keep him in trouble.

Julius fights out of Joe’s chinlock and Wolfgang’s front facelock but still can’t make the tag. A missed charge allows the tag off to Kemp to clean house, but here is Roderick Strong with his phone. Kemp throws it on the floor for a stomping but the distraction lets Joe hit All The Best For The Bells for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Much like the other six man, this was a bunch of waiting around until we got to the important stuff with the interference. You knew there was going to be someone getting involved somehow and in this case, it was Strong messing things up for his own team. Gallus are fine as the bullies and the Creeds are growing on me, so this was at least decent until the obvious ending.

Post match Pretty Deadly runs in for the brawl but the locker room clears out, with a bunch of referees getting in on it.

Bron Breakker is in the back watching when Ciampa sits down next to him. Ciampa holds the title and talks about what he helped make it mean. It’s Breakker’s world now and he has to defend the brand.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams interrupt a chat about Sunday’s show because Hayes wants an opponent.

Quincy Elliott is still coming.

Worlds Collide rundown, now with Pretty Deadly, Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Gallus and the Creed Brothers in a unification match.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to demand to know who Hayes is facing at Worlds Collide. Hayes has already unified titles so this is nothing new for him. He isn’t a secondary champion and the lack of competition means he is not going to Worlds Collide. There is no one on his level or on a level beneath him. Then the lights go out and it’s…..Ricochet. Hayes: “Look he got a microphone. I don’t know if he knows how to use it though.”

Ricochet thinks Smackdown needs to be part of Worlds Collide. While he respect Hayes and all his title defenses, he can’t actually remember any of them. That’s why Ricochet is ready to give Hayes one to remember, which has Hayes ready to fight. Williams gets kicked down and Hayes springboards into a Recoil, leaving Ricochet to pose to end the show. Ricochet is a good choice as he means something around here and he probably wasn’t on a lot of radar. Just don’t let him talk that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The guest stars gave this a lot of energy and it made the show feel more important, at least for a week. They have taken Worlds Collide from a pretty one note show and turned it into something that could be quite the interesting mess. I’m more interested in where it goes now than I was coming into this week though and that means they did something right.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Apollo Crews – Rolling Stunner
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley – 450/neckbreaker combination to Paxley
Pretty Deadly/Lash Legend b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley – Rollup to Briggs
Andre Chase b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Zoey Stark b. Kiana James – Flipping knee to the face
Gallus b. Diamond Mine – All The Best For The Bells to Julius

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 LVL Up
Date: August 19, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

The show continues its usual path of almost nothing sticking around from week to week but there is something interesting about having random matches with people popping up every so often. The problem is that a lot of the wrestlers on this show aren’t exactly grabbing me most of the time but maybe we can have some surprises. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Javier Bernal

Well at least we’re getting rid of both of them at once. They shake hands to start before a wristdrag gives us an early standoff. Chen armdrags him down but Bernal hits him in the face rather than shake his hand again. Back up and Chen hits him in the face as well before getting taken down for some shots to the head. A sliding lariat gives Bernal two but Chen sends him into the corner. Chen is taken down again and Bernal rolls to the floor, where a “fan” starts taking a lot of pictures. Cue Hank Walker to pull the fan back, with the distraction letting Chen take over again inside. The double chop gives Chen the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C. Every time I give up on the idea of any angles or stories taking place on this show, they surprise me with something like Walker. Granted it would be nice to have it be ANYONE (ok maybe not anyone) other than Walker be involved but I’ll take it over the same stuff over and over. Bernal and Chen are regulars here and I can’t picture either of them going anywhere, but at least there is a little something going on.

Axiom is ready for his test against Xyon Quinn tonight, though he wishes there was a comic book test in high school. He has an equation to deal with Quinn. I had forgotten Axiom was a thing and this made me think I made the right decision.

Ivy Nile vs. Arianna Grace

Before the match, Grace talks about her unlimited potential. She dedicates the upcoming win to the fans as a thank you for their overwhelming support, but the fans don’t seem to buy it. Grace grabs some rollups to start and grinds away with a hammerlock. That’s enough to send Grace bailing to the ropes before trying a catapult into the corner.

Nile holds onto the ropes for the save and stomps down onto the sternum, only to have Grace get in a shot to the face to take over. The arm trap chinlock keeps Nile down, at least until she fights up and strikes away. A running dropkick in the corner gets two on Grace and the dragon sleeper makes her tap at 4:25.

Rating: C-. Grace still isn’t doing anything interesting so it was nice to see Nile shut her down without much trouble. Nile continues to feel like someone who should be the next big thing but she hasn’t even been around that much in recent weeks. Granted it might be the slow game, but I could go for seeing her shrug off everything Mandy Rose throws at her and choke the title reign out.

Axiom vs. Xyon Quinn

Feeling out process to start as commentary hypes up Axiom’s intelligence, which is usually a heel characteristic. Quinn gets knocked outside so Axiom hits a quick dive, only to get dropped by a heavy shot. Back in and Axiom grabs a small package for two but gets planted by a backbreaker for the same.

Axiom seems to load up a satellite DDT but is thrown down onto his mask instead. A hard clothesline gives Quinn two more and, after shrugging off Axiom’s guillotine choke, something like a rolling Death Valley Driver gets another near fall. Axiom comes back with the rapid fire strikes into a dropkick and the Golden Ratio (jumping basement superkick) finishes Quinn at 6:10.

Rating: C. Axiom seems like a great example of something that sounded good on paper but isn’t exactly working in reality. Having a superhero style character works, but a math based superhero character feels like something that you would see in a bad fourth grade class. A-Kid is a good star in his own right, but this isn’t exactly working, which is why he’s on LVL UP and not regular NXT. Quinn…my goodness that is an impressive miss, as his look alone seemed to be enough for a bodyguard spot on the main roster at worst.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what it was but there was a bit more energy to this show. The action wasn’t exactly great, but having Axiom as some fresh blood, Grace talking before her match and what might be the start of a small angle in the opener made this feel like a better show than most. I have no reason to believe that it is going to continue, but at least they did a little something different for a change around here.

Results
Dante Chen b. Javier Bernal – Double chop
Ivy Nile b. Arianna Grace – Dragon sleeper
Axiom b. Xyon Quinn – Golden Ratio

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.