NXT
Date: April 30, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The Draft is done and now it is time to wrap up Spring Breakkin. Last week’s card was absolutely stacked while this week’s show isn’t quite as big. The main even seems to be Natalya vs. Lola Vice in NXT Underground. Other than that, we might find out what is next for new NXT Champion Trick Williams. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Trick Williams winning the NXT Title last week.

Here is Williams for his big celebration as champion. He likes the sound of hearing his name as champion but he wants to thank Ilja Dragunov. Raw is getting a good one, but this is officially the Whoop That Era. Cue Lash Legend to praise Williams, who thinks something is going on.

The last time they were in the same ring, she hit him in the face, but now he has some gold and now she wants him to be her Reese’s Cup: take the gold off and get to the chocolate inside. Legend is more into Kit Kats but she has an envelope, which means the end of his title reign. We don’t see what is in said envelope and Legend leaves. These two are funny together.

Gigi Dolin and Arianna Grace are at a fancy dinner so Dolin can learn dining etiquette. This turns into a preview for the show.

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Ivar

Ivar is challenging. They slug it out to start with Ivar getting the better of things by clotheslining him to the floor for a dive off the apron. Back in and the spinning powerslam gives Ivar one but Femi is back with an Irish Curse. They’re already back on the floor, where Femi is sent into the steps, setting up a big crash against the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Ivar knocking him off the top again and hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and Femi runs him over with a hard forearm for two but Ivar knocks him back down for the same. It’s too early for the Doomsault though and Femi pulls Ivar into a torture rack drop for two. Ivar is back up with another knockdown and now the Doomsault connects but Femi makes the ropes. Another Doomsault is loaded up but Femi cuts it off with an electric chair drop. The pop up powerbomb retains the title at 11:04.

Rating: B. I do appreciate a match that is exactly as advertised. This was always going to be two big, strong guys beating the fire out of each other and that’s exactly what it was. Ivar wasn’t likely to win the title here but he makes a nice addition to Femi’s resume. Good stuff here, with Femi’s star continuing to rise at an amazing rate.

Post match Wes Lee returns after several months away and the fans approve.

Thea Hail talks Fallon Henley into coming with her to ringside.

Thea Hail vs. Jacy Jayne

The rest of Chase U, Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx are all here too. They slap each other in the face to start and go to the floor with Jayne taking over. We take an early break and come back with Hail springboarding into a neckbreaker for two. Jayne misses a Cannonball though and they’re both down. Hail is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two but Jayne kicks her outside. Henley shoves Hail out of the way from a kick from Nyx, allowing Hail to Kimura Jayne for the tap at 7:59.

Rating: C. This was the grudge match win that Hail needed to, at least in theory, wrap up the feud. There isn’t much left for them to do or say to each other, though Henley taking the bullet for Hail is interesting. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do and wrapped up the feud with Hail getting the win.

Post match Henley decks Hail to turn on her and leaves on her own.

Tyson DuPont and Tyriek Igwe are coming to NXT tonight. They’re strong and smart.

Natalya and Karmen Petrovic are warming up.

OC vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Igwe powers Anderson into the corner to start, setting up the hard shoulders to the ribs. The bigger DuPont hits a splash for two but Anderson drives Igwe into the corner for the tag to Gallows. Some forearms to the chest set up the chinlock, with Igwe having to power up into a fireman’s carry. DuPont comes back in with a side slam to Anderson and everything breaks down. Anderson grabs a spinebuster and the Magic Killer finishes Igwe at 4:17.

Rating: C+. They had me thinking we might see a big upset here as the OC was getting beaten up for a good chunk of the match. At the same time, I do get the idea of not wanting to put a rocket on a team just yet, as they certainly started well enough. Hopefully they get a win next time though, as you don’t want them being branded as losers right out of the gate.

We look at NXT stars being Drafted. A bunch of the coaches talk about what it means to them too, which is a rather nice touch.

Here is Ava for a big announcement. We are indeed going to have a Women’s North American Champion, as crowned in….a ladder match at Battleground, with twelve wrestlers competing in qualifying matches. Oh joy. Cue Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, Arianna Grace, Michin and a bunch of other women to say they should be champion. A huge brawl breaks out.

The Street Profits wish Axiom and Nathan Frazer luck against the AOP tonight. Never slow down.

Lola Vice and Shayna Baszler train for NXT Underground.

Shawn Spears vs. Ridge Holland

Spears sticks and moves to start before bailing to the floor for an early break. Back with Spears getting two off a neckbreaker and putting on a reverse chinlock. A front facelock is broken up with pure power and Holland drives some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. The mysterious QR code pops up on the screen as Holland hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner. A lifting DDT (Paige’s old Rampaige) finishes Spears at 7:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t great but it gave Holland a win after a rather weird period. Odds are that isn’t over, but you can’t have him lose a bunch and then try to do something with him. Spears is interesting in an agent of chaos way and there is a good chance we’ll see him do more of the same going forward.

Roxanne Perez yells at Ava about not getting Drafted, even though champions were protected.

Josh Briggs mocks Ivar for losing to Oba Femi. Wes Lee comes in to say he’s coming for the title, but Briggs seems to be standing in his way.

The Final Testament is ominous. At least Paul Ellering gets to talk for a bit here.

The D’Angelo Family wants the Heritage Cup and it’s going to be a group effort.

Tag Team Titles: AOP vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

The AOP, with the Final Testament, are challenging. The fight is on before the bell with the champs superkicking AOP outside. Some dives connect as well and we ring the bell, with Akam throwing Frazer down. Frazer gets caught in the wrong corner and AOP fires off the hard knees to the ribs. Rezar’s neck crank doesn’t last long and it’s back to Akam for a hard German suplex.

We take a break and come back with Rezar missing a running boot but Akam comes in and gets Frazer into the corner. Frazer DDTs his way to freedom but Rezar sends Frazer into a knee to the face for two. The Last Chapter is broken up and Akam is taken up top, only to have Scarlett grab Axiom’s foot. Massive ejections ensue but here is the New Catch Republic for a distraction, allowing Frazer to superkick Akam into a rollup for the pin to retain at 9:34.

Rating: B-. Another match with a simple formula which worked out rather well. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with teams like these two and they did rather well. The Republic interfering ties things into what they have been doing on the main roster so everything makes sense without making the champs look weak.

Ridge Holland of all people checks on Thea Hail, who is crushed by Fallon Henley’s betrayal.

Meta Four will reveal Lash Legend’s envelope next week.

Fallon Henley tells Kelani Jordan that she’s going to start putting herself first.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are worried about breaking a mirror last week but Brinley Reece has the solution: black cats!

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Natalya vs. Lola Vice

NXT Underground, meaning the ropes are gone and the ring is surrounded by wrestlers, with knockout/TKO/submission to win and Karmen Petrovic and Shayna Baszler are the respective seconds. Vice strikes away to start and they fight out to the floor before going with the grappling back inside. Natalya grabs a kneebar but Vice kicks her way out. A hip attack sends Natalya outside and we take a break.

Back with the fight heading to the floor again with Natalya sending her into the apron. A snap suplex on the floor has Vice in trouble but she trips Natalya on the announcers’ table. Back in and Vice grabs a triangle choke with some elbows to the head but Natalya slips out anyway. Natalya can’t power out of a guillotine so she drops it to the floor for the break in a smart move.

The Hartbreaker around the post has Vice in more trouble but Petrovic has to jump an invading Baszler. Back in and Baszler breaks up a Sharpshooter attempt, only to have the second attempt go on. Baszler Kirifuda Clutches Petrovic so Natalya breaks the hold like a moron, allowing Vice to get up and hit a spinning backfist for the knockout at 11:53.

Rating: B-. This is something that is only going to work with the right people and these two did rather well with it. Vice gets a pretty big time win to boost herself up and now we get to see where she can go from here. Natalya is at her best when she is helping make someone look better and that is exactly what she did here.

Ava announces that Roxanne Perez is defending the Women’s Title against Chelsea Green. Perez is livid but Green thinks she’ll like it here.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that didn’t seem like much on paper, this went rather well, with a bunch of stuff happening and some surprise cameos for a special touch. What matters here is they made me want to see where these stories are coming, which is a very important part of any show. Surprisingly awesome show here as NXT is already back up after the Draft gutted a lot of its bigger names.

Results
Obi Femi b. Ivar – Pop up powerbomb
Thea Hail b. Jacy Jayne – Kimura
OC b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Magic Killer to Igwe
Ridge Holland b. Shawn Spears – Lifting DDT
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. AOP – Rollup to Akam
Lola Vice b. Natalya – Spinning backfist

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

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NXT
Date: April 23, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back with the first half of another special show this week with Spring Breakin Part One. That means the main event this week will see the NXT Title on the line as Ilja Dragunov defends against Trick Williams. It’s also the last NXT before the Draft so we might be saying goodbye to some people. Let’s get to it.

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

The three General Managers are in the back (Nick Aldis on a screen) to talk about potentially stealing wrestlers.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tatum Paxley

Perez is defending and Valkyria goes right after Paxley to start. Valkyria gets sent outside by Perez, who looks scared by Paxley. Everyone winds up on the floor with Valkyria taking over, including a northern lights suplex for two on Paxley with Perez making the save. With Valkyria out on the floor again, Paxley knocks Perez down for two and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria powerbombing both of them out of the corner to leave everyone down. They chop it out from their knees until Valkyria grabs a fisherman’s buster for two on Paxley. Perez crossfaces Valkyria’s (and her bad arm) but Paxley grabs the same thing on Perez for the save. Paxley sends Perez outside and grabs something like a Paige Turner on Valkyria. The 450 connects (the fans REALLY approve)…but Perez runs in and rolls Paxley up for the pin to retain at 12:00.

Rating: B-. They were rolling by the end of this and the fans were entirely behind them. That made for a very fun ending sequence and there was a moment where I thought Paxley might win. Perez feels like she escaped a really bad scare here and that’s what you need in a match like this. Heck of a start and better than I was expecting.

Various stars and fans make main event predictions.

Thea Hail is ready to take out Jacy Jayne next week but Jaida Parker is sick of Fallon Henley. Arguing and a match setup seem to ensue.

Tyson DuPont and Tyriek Igwe, a powerhouse team from NXT LVL Up, are debuting next week.

The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile are back to see the main event but they’re not sure who is winning either.

D’Angelo Family vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

The brawl is on before the bell with Dempsey grabbing a triangle choke on D’Angelo. That’s broken up with a powerbomb so it’s Kemp coming in. D’Angelo powers him into the corner for the tag to Stacks as the fast start continues. Everything breaks down and almost everyone winds up on the floor, allowing Kemp to hit a flip dive onto the pile as we take a break.

Back with Dempsey grabbing a chinlock on Stacks, who is right back up for a crossbody. A German suplex/dropkick combination gets two on Dempsey but he’s right back with a fisherman’s suplex (Vic: “A plex that wasn’t perfect.”) for two. Dempsey grabs the half crab but Stacks fights up and enziguris his way to freedom. D’Angelo comes ins and gets to slug away on Kemp, followed by a spinebuster for two on Dempsey. Kemp is up with an Angle Slam into a neckbreaker for two as everything breaks down. D’Angelo plants Dempsey with a spinebuster for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B-. This was pretty high energy from the beginning and that made for a good match. D’Angelo getting the pin likely sets him up for a Heritage Cup shot, with the Crew’s rules giving them all kinds of different options. It’s a smart way to go and D’Angelo can get something going after his loss at Stand & Deliver.

Barron Corbin was doing a photo shoot earlier when Lexis King came in with a farewell package for him. Corbin isn’t going anywhere, but King thinks he’ll attach himself onto someone younger and better looking. King: “I accept.” A match seems likely for later.

Jaida Parker vs. Fallon Henley

The rest of OTM is here with Parker and we’re joined in progress with Parker sending her into the corner. Parker sits on her back and drives a knee into the ribs for two. The waistlock goes on but Henley fights up with a running faceplant for two of her own. Parker sends her throat first into the ropes though and hits a hip check for the pin at 4:28 shown.

Rating: C. Parker’s rise continues as she feels like someone who could be a big deal if she is given the chance. At the same time, Henley’s rise seems to have come to an end as she is losing here after doing the same thing at Stand & Deliver. It would be nice to see her doing something else but that might not be the case for a good while.

Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx aren’t happy with Thea Hail for the lack of gratefulness. Jayne will end Hail next week.

Lola Vice is ready to end Natalya.

JD McDonagh picks Ilja Dragunov. New Catch Republic comes in and go with a split pick.

Here is Ava for the contract signing between Natalya (with Karmen Petrovic) and Lola Vice (with no one). Natalya signs and Vice promises to break her next week. Natalya promises to tap her out next week but Vice has a surprise training partner: Shayna Baszler. After some threats, the brawl is on and broken up in a hurry.

Shawn Spears pushes Ridge Holland towards violence but Holland resists.

The Final Testament promise violence and the Tag Team Titles.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are ready. The other teams don’t like them either, with the Good Brothers coming in to say they don’t like teams coming in to try and take the titles. Edris Enofe breaks a mirror.

Sol Ruca vs. Blair Davenport

It’s a Beach Brawl, meaning we have themed weapons available. Ruca ties her up with an inner tube so Davenport bails out to the floor. Davenport sends her into a picnic bench and a hard posting puts Ruca down again. Ruca blocks a chair shot and hits an X Factor into a ball pit as we take a break.

Back with Ruca hammering away with a boogie board and hitting a standing moonsault for two. An exchange of superkicks lets Ruca hit a spinning powerbomb for two more. Davenport’s German suplex gets the same and they go outside again. This time Ruca’s cartwheel DDT is shoved over the barricade, allowing her to drive Davenport through a picnic table. Back in and Ruca hits the Sol Snatcher (in the middle of the ropes instead of the corner, with Booker losing his mind) for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. They went a bit too far with the silly stuff here as it didn’t come off like Ruca wanting to get revenge on Davenport. You can only get so far when a ball pit is involved and they hit that limit rather hard. At the same time, the new version of the Sol Snatcher is outstanding and that is going to boost up any match where Ruca gets to hit it.

Trick Williams is on the phone with his mom, who seems to be going through some medical issues. Johnny Gargano comes in to give him a pep talk.

Meta Four took a road trip to a recent NXT live event.

Baron Corbin vs. Lexis King

Corbin goes with the power to start and runs him over with a shoulder. King comes back with a dropkick as Vic is just done with Booker’s hyper commentary. King slowly hammers away but Corbin fights up with a clothesline. A suplex cutter gives Corbin two so King grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the same. The referee almost gets bumped and the distraction lets King get in a low blow, setting up the Coronation for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. That should be it for Corbin in NXT and that’s fine. He’s done rather well around here and the important thing is WWE has figured out how to use him. King on the other hand…I’m just not sure I get it. He does his thing and is starting to get the character but there is something that isn’t connecting. If that doesn’t change, I’m not sure I can see him getting much better anytime soon.

A bunch of main roster stars come in to watch the main event.

Video on Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ilja Dragunov is ready and runs into Damian Priest, who wishes him luck. Priest also hits on the interviewer.

Trick Williams is going to fight no matter what.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams

Williams is challenging and will leave NXT if he loses. We get the Big Match Intros before Dragunov wrestles him to the mat with a waistlock. Back up and they trade kicks to the face until Dragunov grabs a running DDT. The Constantine Special gets two, followed by a powerbomb. Williams kicks him in the head from the mat and the slugout is on, with Dragunov getting the better of things as we take a break.

Back with Dragunov hitting a Coast To Coast for two but Williams plants him with a powerbomb. Williams hits an H Bomb and Torpedo Moscow for two of his own to mix it up a bit. Dragunov kicks him in the head and hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner before loading up the announcers’ table. Williams fights back and Rock Bottoms him through the table. Dragunov drops him again back inside though and the middle rope H Bomb….gets two. A German suplex hits Williams but he pops up with a running knee to the back of the head. The Trick Shot gives Williams the pin and the title at 11:50.

Rating: B. This wasn’t a match where the result was in any serious doubt and in this case there is nothing wrong with that. Williams is not the most polished wrestler, but he is someone the fans are going to respond to. You cannot fake that kind of a connection with the crowd and NXT is cashing in on it, as they should have.

Post match respect is shown and Williams gets to celebrate with the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and six man were both good and the main event delivered with the big moment. They were shooting for a big show this week and throwing in all of the guest stars made it feel even more important. That isn’t something you get very often, though I’m not sure what next week is going to look like. Unless they have a bunch of new names coming in, the card isn’t looking nearly as strong. I’ll take a rather good first week though and that is what we got here.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley – Rollup to Paxley
D’Angelo Family b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Spinebuster to Dempsey
Jaida Parker b. Fallon Henley – Hip check
Sol Ruca b. Blair Davenport – Sol Snatcher
Lexis King b. Baron Corbin – Coronation
Trick Williams b. Ilja Dragunov – Trick Shot

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

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NXT
Date: April 16, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We have a big main event this week as it’s a Stand & Deliver rematch between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes. This time it’s in a cage, though there is also the chance that NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov will get involved. In addition, we have Spring Breakin starting next week and we need a card. Let’s get to it.

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

Noam Dar vs. Dijak

Dar, with the rest of Meta Four, kicks away to start before putting Dijak down with a running forearm. They go to the floor where Meta Four’s distraction doesn’t work, allowing Dijak to score with a springboard clothesline for two. A guillotine doesn’t work for Dar as Dijak launches him out to the floor in a heap.

We take a break and come back with Dijak elbowing him in the face a few times, setting up another clothesline. Dar goes flying off the toss suplex but Dar is right back with the guillotine. This one is broken up with High Justice for two and Dijak is stunned. Back up and Dar kicks away at the leg, setting up a fisherman’s buster for two.

Dijak is out of the cross armbreaker without much trouble and boots Dar in the face. Dar hits a spinning elbow to the face but the cyclone boot cuts him off again. Feast Your Eyes is loaded up but Meta Four offers a distraction, allowing the Nova Roller to finally finish Dijak off at 12:10.

Rating: B. This was the good guy version of Dar as he was fighting to avenge his friends against Dijak. I’m not big on Dar but that kind of charisma was only going to keep him a heel for so long. While this was far from a full on turn, it was definitely the biggest step Dar has taken in that direction and that could make for some interesting circumstances for the entire team.

Ilja Dragunov comes in to see Ava, who lets him pick his opponent tonight. The open challenge is on.

Tatum Paxley wanted to be good but no one wants to play with a girl like that. She wanted to be like everyone else and Lyra Valkyria let her in. Then Valkyria lost the NXT Women’s Title, which is what mattered to Paxley the most. Valkyria is nothing without the title and now she’s in Paxley’s way.

Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice

Ruca takes her down by the arm to start but Vice kicks her way to freedom. Some kicks into the corner set up the running hip attack for two but a second only hits buckle. Ruca strikes away but it’s too early for the Sol Snatcher. With that broken up, Ruca kicks away until Blair Davenport pops up for a distraction. Vice scores with a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. This Ruca vs. Davenport feud needs to wrap up already as it’s holding Ruca back. It feels like they have been feuding for months now and that isn’t the most interesting thing when Davenport is barely ever around. Not much of a match here, though it should help set up what is hopefully the final Ruca vs. Davenport match.

Post match Natalya pops up to challenge Vice to NXT Underground in two weeks.

NXT Anonymous shows Ridge Holland choking Joaquin Wilde until Ava yells at him to break it up.

Earlier today, Arianna Grace took Gigi Dolin dress shopping. Dolin hates it but she wants to get this over with as fast as possible.

Joaquin Wilde vs. Ridge Holland

Wilde starts fast but they quickly head outside, where Holland punches the post. Back in and Holland grabs an armbar, which doesn’t get him very far. An overhead belly to belly suplex works a bit better and Holland runs him over, only to pull Wilde up at two. Wilde DDTs his way out of trouble as Shawn Spears is here to watch. Holland is knocked to the floor where a dive is powerslammed out of the air. A lifting DDT finishes for Holland at 3:52.

Rating: C. Holland’s story is starting to take some more shape as he is beginning to embrace more of the violence. That would seem to be his destiny in the whole thing and it could make for a more logical path for him. Holland isn’t likely to become a star, but having him be all violent and evil is a better way to go for him than anything else he could be doing.

Josh Briggs has bad ribs but he’s ready to face Oba Femi. Ivar comes in to say Briggs can rest up and get the first shot at the North American Title after Ivar wins it. Not happening, so they can fight tonight instead.

Brinley Reece is rather perky while working out with Edris Enofe and Malik Blade.

Andre Chase sits down with Thea Hail and explains how he lost everything betting on her but then cost her the match by throwing in the towel. Hail asks why he never told her because she was so mean to him but Chase says he believed in her. Everything seems cool.

Here is the D’Angelo Family for a chat. Tony D’Angelo talks about how things needed to change for the family and yeah he lost at Stand & Deliver. It’s about going one more round though…and here is the No Quarter Catch Crew to interrupt. We get an implication that the Family was paid to take care of Drew Gulak but we aren’t allowed to use specifics.

Payment is implied, but Charlie Dempsey has to ask if there is anything else D’Angelo wants to say. That makes D’Angelo bring up the Heritage Cup, with Dempsey telling him that’s off limits. The brawl is on and we go to break in a hurry. This covered both the informative (the Family got rid of Gulak on the Crew’s request) and the funny (D’Angelo seemingly forgetting his line).

Ilja Dragunov vs. ???

Non-title and a bunch of people try to get in the ring, only to have Je’Von Evans dive over the announcers’ table to get inside instead. The slug out goes to Dragunov but Evans is back up with a superkick for the knockdown. Evans is back up with a bouncing kick to the face but Dragunov hits a hard powerslam.

One heck of a clothesline gives Dragunov two, only to have the Constantine Special countered into a rollup for two more. Dragunov’s running knee gets two but he gets caught with a hard DDT. That sends Dragunov out to the floor so there’s the big dive to take him down again. Back in and Dragunov Death Valley Drivers him into the corner, setting up Torpedo Moscow for the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C+. While it’s not quite the same thing, they were going for the John Cena vs. Kurt Angle moment here and it did quite the big of good for Evans. He felt like someone who was stepping up and the fans were WAY into him, which is about all you could ask for here. Nice stuff, and it’s clear that NXT sees a lot in Evans, which might be validated.

Karmen Petrovic is ready to help Natalya train for NXT Underground but Lola Vice comes in. Vice teases a training partner of her own and we have a contract signing next week.

Sol Ruca wants Blair Davenport next week, No DQ. Ava seems interested.

Thea Hail vs. Tatum Paxley

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who gets scared by Paxley crawling around to start. Paxley sends her into the corner before grabbing an upside down surfboard (Paxley was laying on her back and had Hail’s limbs tied up, with Hail looking down at her). That’s broken up and Hail hits the World’s Smallest Slam but here is Jazmyn Nyx for a distraction. Jacy Jayne comes in for another distraction and Paxley grabs a crucifix for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C. As much as I could go for Hail winning something, Paxley vs. Valkyria seems to be the next big match so they had to give Paxley something here. Paxley revealing that she only cared about the title instead of Valkyria is an interesting way to go and now we could be getting ready for an interesting story involving the title depending on how it falls out. For now though, Paxley gets a much needed boost.

Post match Lyra Valkyria runs in to brawl with Paxley.

Roxanne Perez laughs off the whole thing and says she’ll defend the title at Spring Breakin. Ava comes in to say we’ll make it a triple threat title defense with Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley as the challenges. Perez does not approve.

AOP vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

Blade gets knocked into the corner to start and the beating is on quickly. Akam gets in some clubbering and Rezar comes in to do the same. A missed charge allows the desperate tag to Blade, who tries to pick up the pace. Blade tries a dive to the floor but gets pulled out of the air. The Super Collider finishes for AOP at 3:08.

Rating: C. Another squash here and unfortunately against a team I want to see go further. That being said, giving the AOP a dominant win is why Enofe and Blade were out there in the first place and they did make the monsters look good. There are worse ideas than putting the AOP back in NXT as the big bad team, especially with the Wolfdogs gone.

Post match Nathan Frazer and Axiom come out for the staredown with the AOP.

Back to dress shopping and Gigi Dolin hates a green dress that Arianna Grace recommends. Dolin offers to try it on, though she uses some scissors to make it her own. Grace is aghast but has to pay anyway.

Josh Briggs vs. Ivar

Briggs has bad ribs coming in and kicks Ivar in the face at the bell. Ivar cartwheels over him and plants him down as Oba Femi is watching in the back. Back up and Briggs hits another big boot, setting up a splash, which only hurts his own ribs. Ivar goes back to the ribs, including the spinning powerslam to crush Briggs again. A tiger driver gives Ivar two but Briggs is back with a not very good Boss Man Slam for two of his own. They go outside with Briggs getting in a hard shot, only to get kicked in the head. Back in and the Doomsault finishes for Ivar at 4:11.

Rating: B-. Take two big guys and have them beat each other up for a bit before one of them gets the pin. It’s an idea that has worked for years in wrestling and it worked here too. Briggs has an out with the bad ribs as Ivar moves up for a match to make Oba Femi look like that much more of a monster.

Oba Femi is impressed. Then he leaves and knocks Oro Mensah down again, just like at Stand & Deliver.

Here’s what’s coming at Spring Breakin.

Video on Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes.

Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes

In a cage (pin/submission only) and Hayes says he’s ready to finish this. They start slowly with Williams grabbing a slam but Hayes flips over him. Hayes sends him into the cage and a security guard slips in a billy club. Some shots to the back have Williams down and we take an early break.

Back with Hayes hitting a Codebreaker on the arm for two before cranking on said arm. Williams fights up and is sent into the cage, only to avoid a charge to send Hayes into the steel instead. A super Rock Bottom plants Hayes again and the fans are getting behind Williams. Some kicks to the face into a flapjack set up a reverse suplex to drop Hayes again. Hayes is sent into the cage over and over, with a neckbreaker giving Williams two.

Another shot to the arm slows Williams down but he’s fine enough to grab another Rock Bottom for another near fall. A knee to the face connects and they’re both down for a double breather. They go up in the corner until Hayes tries a super bulldog, with Williams managing a block. Cue the security to distract Williams, who beats them up without much effort. Hayes grabs a chair but the Trick Shot sends the chair into his face to give Williams the pin at 12:20.

Rating: B. I liked this a bit better than the Stand & Deliver match, but it was still only so good. Maybe these two have too much pressure on them or something but they didn’t get to a high level in their first match and they didn’t do it again here either. Granted the short time didn’t help, though Williams seems primed for a real shot at the NXT Title at Spring Breakin. Good main event, though certainly not great.

Ilja Dragunov comes out for the staredown with Williams to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The opener and main event were both good as this is a rare strong show before we get to the big stuff. The thing that impresses me the most about this one is how much stuff they got into it. With eight matches over about two hours and ten minutes, they crammed in quite a bit without feeling like they were cramming it in. That’s not bad and they had a heck of a show as a result. Now just keep this up with the big shows over the next two weeks.

Results
Noam Dar b. Dijak – Nova Roller
Lola Vice b. Sol Ruca – Spinning kick to the face
Ridge Holland b. Joaquin Wilde – Lifting DDT
Ilja Dragunov b. Je’Von Evans – Torpedo Moscow
Tatum Paxley b. Thea Hail – Crucifix
AOP b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Super Collider
Ivar b. Josh Briggs – Doomsault
Trick Williams b. Carmelo Hayes – Trick Shot into a chair

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: April 9, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and it was certainly an eventful show. Trick Williams defeated Carmelo Hayes to win the main event and show that he’s ready to be one of the top stars around here. Roxanne Perez got the Women’s Title back by defeating Lyra Valkyria and Oba Femi continues to show that he is a dominant force in the making. Tonight we start getting ready for whatever is next so let’s get to it.

Here is Stand & Deliver if you need a recap.

We open with a long Stand & Deliver recap.

Here is Roxanne Perez to get things going. Perez can’t believe anyone is surprised because what happened on Saturday was justice being served. She saw Lyra Valkyria’s arm being banged up and took advantage of it. Valkyria said she was honorable but Perez found it stupid. No one can take the title from her because the next time she loses the title is when she gives it up to go to Raw or Smackdown.

Cue Valkyria, with her arm in a sling, saying she wants her rematch tonight. Perez rolls her eyes but Tatum Paxley pops up to say she’s ready. Then Paxley sends Valkyria into the steps and walks off. Perez says we won’t be seeing a title match tonight but here is Natalya (who told Perez she was going to see her tonight) to say she’ll face Perez tonight. That’s a no, but here is Ava to say yes. Natalya getting a title shot just because? I thought this was a new era.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are getting their last Tag Team Title shot tonight. If they don’t win here, they’re done as a team.

Andre Chase gives Kelani Jordan and Fallon Henley honorary degrees for their win at Stand & Deliver. Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx come in with Jayne revealing why Chase U was in debt in the first place: Chase had put a big bet on Thea Hail to win the Women’s Title at the Great American Bash (where Chase threw in the towel to save Hail) but cared more about her than the school. If Hail hadn’t been such a loser, the school wouldn’t have been in trouble. Chase says it’s true and Hail storms off.

Fallon Henley/Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

The villains jump them to start but Jordan grabs a headscissors out of the corner to drop James. Dame comes in and gets sleepered for her quick efforts. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Jordan hitting a big slingshot dive. Back in and Dame takes over on Jordan, with James getting in some shots of her own.

Dame’s running elbow gets two and a flapjack gets the same. An abdominal stretch doesn’t last long and Jordan rolls over for the tag off to Henley. The pace picks way up and the spinning superplex puts James down. Henley has to save Jordan from a cheap shot but walks into the 401K to give James the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C+. Henley and Jordan work together fairly well and have gotten to showcase themselves over the last few shows. In this case, it makes sense to have the villains get a win to even things up a bit after losing on Saturday. The match was fairly high energy and it worked well enough here for not having much time in the ring.

Je’Von Evans is ready to go. This is the same video we saw at Stand & Deliver.

OTM is ready to deal with Evans.

The No Quarter Catch Crew (no Drew Gulak in sight) talk about Bloodsport (an independent event over Wrestlemania Weekend where some WWE stars got to compete) but the D’Angelo Family comes in. Insults are exchanged and a match is made.

Je’Von Evans vs. Scrypts

Evans is a 19 year old who has done rather well on NXT LVL Up and the rest of OTM is here with Scrypts. They flip around to start with Evans getting two off a rollup but missing some right hands. Scrypts trips him off the middle rope though and a standing shooting star press gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Evans is back up with a springboard kick to the face. A Cody Cutter gives Evans two so Scrypts bails outside, where Evans hits a big dive. Back in and Evans kicks him down, setting up a springboard spinning splash for the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C+. Evans isn’t someone who is doing something new but he looked good doing what he was doing out there. NXT needs to bring in some fresh names at some point and that is what they are doing here. Yeah it’s just a win over Scrypts but it’s a place to start and that is more than some people get.

We look at Ridge Holland, on the broadcasting team, attacking Joe Gacy on the Stand & Deliver Kickoff Show.

Holland says he lost it but Gacy pops in to mock Holland for his career falling apart. The LWO comes in to say they don’t buy the apology tour. Holland walks by Joaquin Wilde and slams a door on his arm.

Women’s Title: Natalya vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is defending and gets taken to the mat to start. They head outside with Natalya hitting a clothesline as we take an early break. Back with Natalya fighting out of an abdominal stretch and grabbing a surfboard. The fight heads outside again, this time with Natalya being sent into the steps.

A bodyscissors keeps Natalya in trouble but she’s right back out with a German suplex for two. The Sharpshooter is broken up and they trade rollups for two each. The crossface doesn’t work for Perez either and Natalya blocks Pop Rox, setting up the Sharpshooter. Perez makes it over to the rope and cue Lola Vice for a cheap shot, allowing Pop Rox to retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. The ending likely sets up something for Natalya and Vice in the future, which should be fine enough. The more important thing here though is Perez getting a win to start off her new title reign. Perez is starting to to feel the heel stuff and if she can turn that into a more long term thing, she’ll be a star for a very long time.

The Wolfdogs still can’t agree if they’re a good team but they know it’s working.

Lola Vice says she’s tired of waiting for her chance so she made it herself. Natalya jumps her from behind and it’s broken up.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. D’Angelo Family

Kemp takes Crusifino down without much trouble to start and hands it off to Borne. That means Stacks can come in to fire off some knees in the corner as everything breaks down. Charlie Dempsey pulls Borne out of the way of a charge though and Kemp comes back in with a suplex to take over. Stacks rolls away though and it’s back to Crusifino, who sends the Crew into each other. Dempsey is brought back inside for a distraction, meaning it’s a Shatter Machine to finish Kemp at 4:02.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a wild match which didn’t have much time to go anywhere. What matters is the Family getting a win back after Tony D’Angelo lost his big title shot at Stand & Deliver. I doubt this is going to lead anywhere bit for them but it’s better than losing again, with the interference making it a bit more impressive.

Here is Oba Femi to say that while Dijak and Josh Briggs are tough, his dominance was inevitable. Cue Ivar of all people who said he loved seeing those three monsters beating each other up for that title, which is exactly the type of fight that he is looking form. He wanted in the fight because he knows he can chop Femi down and take the title. Femi seems game and the fight is on with Ivar knocking him down and holding up the title.

Meta Four brags about their hosting prowess but Dijak interrupts to complain about their recent skit. This is their one warning.

Jaida Parker vs. Brinley Reece

The rest of OTM and Edris Enofe/Malik Blade are here too. Parker powers her into the corner to start and knocks Reece down as we take an early break. Back with Reece not being able to fight out of an armbar. Parker lets her go and hits a middle rope Blockbuster for two. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Reece in trouble but she comes back up with some shoulders. A running clothesline gets two on Parker, followed by a spinebuster for the same. Back up and Parker hits a running hip to the face out of nowhere for the fast pin at 7:53.

Rating: C. Parker continues to feel like someone who could be a star if given the chance and getting a win here should help her move forward. She has a long way to go but every step helps. At the same time you have Reece, who is doing well with being all positive, but she needs to actually beat someone.

Arianna Grace tells Sol Ruca that she’s almost ready to unveil Gigi Dolin but Lola vice comes in to rant. Ruca doesn’t think much of it and sneering ensues.

Tag Team Titles: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Wolfdogs

The Wolfdogs are defending. Breakker works on Axiom’s arm to start but Axiom scores with a quick dropkick. Back up and Breakker hits a heck of a running shoulder so it’s off to Corbin for a choke throw to Frazer. Frazer fights up and the champs are cleared out, with Axiom hitting a big moonsault out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting a powerslam for two on Axiom. Some kicks get Axiom out of trouble and it’s back to Frazer, who reverses Breakker’s gorilla press into a DDT for two. The springboard 450 gets two more but Breakker isn’t having this. The gorilla pres powerslam gets two on Axiom, who gets back over for the tag to Frazer. Everything breaks down and the Steiner Bulldog gets two on Frazer, with Axiom having to make the save.

Frazer’s dive to the floor is cut off and he gets sent hard into the steps, leaving Axiom to Golden Ratio Breakker. That doesn’t keep him down for very long but Breakker’s spear almost hits Corbin. Axiom kicks them together though, meaning it’s a Golden Ratio to Corbin, setting up the 450 to give Frazer the pin and the titles at 11:34.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite as good as the match at Stand & Deliver but it still felt like a big deal, especially with the title change. I’m not usually big on the idea of doing a rematch so soon after the pay per view but maybe this was a way to give Breakker a win on the big stage while avoiding the likelihood that he got a big post-Wrestlemania Raw appearance. What matters is Breakker is freed from the Wolfdogs and can go on to become an even bigger star on Smackdown, as he should be.

Post match the new champs celebrate….and the Final Testament is here to jump them.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Trick Williams after his win over Carmelo Hayes at Stand & Deliver. Williams is happy for his win but there is no Hayes here this week. He might not agree with Hayes, but Hayes is Him. That’s why he had to show Hayes who Williams really is, but now we need to know what is next for him. That would be winning the NXT Title by defeating Ilja Dragunov.

Cue Dragunov to praise Williams for his success and charisma. He’s exactly what NXT needs, but Williams says we need these two for the title one more time. That’s going to be a no, because Williams has already had his shot. Williams can go with that and asks who he has to beat next. Dragunov is willing to give him his title shot in two weeks, but if Williams loses, he leaves NXT.

Williams is in so Dragunov goes to leave, but here is Carmelo Hayes to jump Williams from behind, knocking him into Dragunov. Hayes stomps away and says it’s a cage match with Williams next week. He holds up the title to end the show. Williams almost has to win the title given those stipulations, but dang they are moving through that rather quickly.

Overall Rating: B-. It was a fast moving show and it went well, with a quick recap from Saturday and things being set up for the next few weeks. The title change felt like a big deal and there are enough things coming to keep things interesting. The wrestling worked well too and it made for a better show than I would have expected. It’s nice to have what feels like a regular show rather than another big recap with a little bit happening, though I’m not surprised as NXT made it work.

Results
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Fallon Henley/Kelani Jordan – 401K to Henley
Je’Von Evans b. Scrypts – Springboard spinning splash
Roxanne Perez b. Natalya – Pop Rox
D’Angelo Family b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Shatter Machine to Kemp
Jaida Parker b. Brinley Reece – Running hip attack
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. Wolfdogs – 450 to Corbin

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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Stand & Deliver 2024
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Wade Barrett

It’s the biggest NXT show of the year and the main event is one of the things that NXT does best: a grudge match between two former best friends as Trick Williams faces Carmelo Hayes. That alone should be enough to make this work but we also have Tony D’Angelo challenging Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and looking straight at the Titantron.

Kickoff Show: Joe Gacy vs. Shawn Spears

Hold on though as Ridge Holland (who was making his debut as part of the broadcast team) hits Gacy in the back with a chair during his entrance. Gacy is willing to fight anyway and sends a charging Spears outside as the bell rings. Spears is back in and tosses Gacy off the top to take over and a backbreaker gets two.

Back up and they trade running chops until Spears pulls him into a Boston crab. The rope gets Gacy out of trouble and he’s right back with a belly to back suplex. Gacy strikes away and grabs a German suplex, setting up a Lionsault for two. A dive is cut off though and Spears drops him onto the apron. Spears’ top rope hanging DDT gets two more but the C4 is countered. Gacy’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two and a backsplash on the apron hits Spears again. The Upside Down and the C4 are both broken up before Gacy hits the Upside Down for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. This was a good use of a Kickoff Show match as it didn’t overstay its welcome, it gave both of them something to do and it set up Gacy and Holland for the future. That’s not a bad way to go, as Spears is already finding his spot as someone there to help others look decent. Gacy continues to get more tolerable, and again that seems to have a lot to do with him not talking.

Here is Meta Four, your hosts for the afternoon, to get things going, which involves them dressing up as various people on the show/in NXT (the Chase U stuff was funny) and talking about the card.

Tag Team Titles: Wolfdogs vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

Axiom and Frazer are challenging and start fast with the dives to the floor. We get the opening bell so Frazier DDT’s Corbin for two. Corbin’s kick to the head lets Axiom come in with a kick of his own for a two of his own. Corbin runs Axiom down to take over though and it’s Breakker coming in to blast Axiom as well. Axiom fights up and grabs the Spanish Fly, which is enough to bring Frazier back in.

House is quickly cleaned, including a running shooting star press for two on Corbin. Back up and Corbin runs Frazier over, setting up a heck of a powerbomb. Axiom is right back up with the Golden Ratio for two on Breakker so Axiom heads to the top. That’s fine with Breakker, who snaps off a super Frankensteiner to send Axiom into something close to a powerbomb from Corbin.

Frazier makes the save though and everyone is down. Breakker heads up top but gets caught with Axiom’s super Spanish Fly. Frazier’s 450 gets two but Corbin is back up to take him out. Breakker takes Frazier up top for a belly to back superplex, with Frazier being flipped onto his face and possibly pulled into a cutter (either way it looked good).

In something that seems likely to be a bad idea, Corbin goes up top but scores with a top rope splash for two more. Breakker heads outside but misses a spear into the steps to knock him silly. That leaves Corbin to get double teamed, setting up a Phoenix splash for two, with Breakker diving in for a last second save. That’s enough for Breakker, who spears Frazier in half to retain at 11:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked rather well as it was a power vs. speed match with the rather fast challengers doing everything they could to hang in there against the monsters. They even got close with some of those near falls but dang there is something to Breakker going all force of nature. Awesome opener here and I was getting way into those near falls.

Meta Four, in Dallas Cowboys gear (I like these people), try to interview Oba Femi but don’t get very far.

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak

Femi is defending and this is a three way hoss fight. The challengers start with some double teaming, which is quickly broken up with straight power. Some running shoulders put Femi on the floor but he catches a diving Dijak and rams Briggs down. Dijak is back up and superkicks Femi into a chair, with Briggs throwing Dijak into him for another hue crash. Back in and a double chokeslam gets a double two on Femi, who slams them both down at once with some scary power.

Briggs goes to the apron where he belly to backs Femi down before kicking a diving Dijak out of the air. We hit the parade of hard shots to the face with Femi being knocked outside, leaving Dijak to kick Briggs down for two. High Justice gives Dijak one and a Canadian Destroyer of all things gets a near fall. Dijak loads up a fireman’s carry and goes up…but Femi electric chairs them BOTH AT ONCE and drops them back, with Briggs rolling out to the floor. Well that was insane.

Feast Your Eyes gets two on Femi and Dijak avoids Briggs’ save. Another Feast Your Eyes gets two as Briggs pulls the referee out. The fans are NOT pleased so Dijak takes Briggs down again. Feast Your Eyes hits Briggs on the floor and Dijak throws him back inside for another one but Femi grabs Dijak by the throat. A powerbomb onto Briggs is enough for Femi to retain at 14:59.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah this was awesome as they beat the living daylights out of each other with Femi showing off his other planet levels of power. Briggs was working very hard in there too and got to show off a lot. I was impressed watching this live and it was even better watching it back. Heck of a fight here, with all three looking like monsters.

Meta Four asks Thea Hail why she believed Kiana James was her friend. Hail has to be held back.

Jacy Jayne/Kiana James/Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail/Fallon Henley/Kelani Jordan

Jazmyn Nyx is with the villains and Chase U is here with the other team. James and company jump them before the bell and it’s Dame beating on Henley in the corner to start. That doesn’t last long as Hail comes in with a high crossbody, followed by a springboard dive to the floor…which only hits Riley Osborne. That’s enough for Hail to get sent into the wrong corner so the beating can be on again.

Hail manages to roll over for the tag off to Jordan, who picks the pace right back up. Jayne gets in a shot of her own though and it’s Dame coming back in to send Jordan face first into the mat. James’ shots to the ribs keep Jordan in trouble as Vic Joseph is getting annoyed with Booker T. on commentary. It’s back to Dame, who pulls Jordan out of the air, only to have her slip out and bring Henley in to clean house.

A spinning suplex gets two on James with Dame making the save. James catches Henley on top with a super Spanish Fly for two of her own and it’s back to Jayne. Hail comes in and goes after Jayne but gets tossed outside, with Duke Hudson catching her. Nyx gets in a cheap shot but Hail is back in for the staredown with Jayne. The brawl is on until Jayne manages a pump kick. Hail Thesz presses her down but James gets in a cheap shot. Dame comes back in and is quickly Kimuraed for the tap at 11:41.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here and it was a fast paced match, as it needed to be. It was mainly a way to get multiple women on the card, which worked out fairly well. The Hail vs. Jayne showdown can come later, though Hail needed this kind of a win to boost her back up to a higher level.

Ava announces the introduction of the NXT Women’s North American Champion.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with a now evil Roxanne Perez challenging Lyra Valkyria. Perez says she hasn’t had success by being good and now she wants back the title that she never lost. Valkyria is fighting for the forces of good. And the title of course.

Former Stardom World Champion Giulia is here, with William Regal. That’s a big one.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is challenging. They go right at it to start with Perez going after Valkyria’s bad arm. An early Nightwing attempt is broken up but Valkyria cartwheels out of a headscissors. Perez is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes but comes right back with a shot to the arm to take over. The arm is cranked again, setting up a hammerlock northern lights suplex for two. Perez goes simple by just pulling at the arm but she misses a middle rope drop onto the arm.

Valkyria manages a middle rope crossbody but Perez rolls through, setting up a collision to leave both of them down. Back up and Valkyria kicks away, with her own northern lights suplexes getting two. A release fisherman’s suplex gets two and they go up top for a slap off. Valkyria grabs a Liger Bomb for two but her dive is cut off with a forearm to the face. Perez’s sliding tornado DDT sets up Pop Rox for two and it’s time to look stunned.

The bad arm is sent into the post twice in a row…so here is Tatum Paxley to check on Valkyria. Perez takes her out without any trouble and Valkyria’s arm is posted again. Back in and Valkyria manages a spinning kick to the head for two but misses a top rope splash. Perez can’t get Pop Rox so they trade rollups for two until Valkyria grabs a German suplex. That’s enough for Perez, who grabs a poisonrana into Pop Rox into a crossface to get the title back at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was another slugout with Valkyria trying to fight from underneath but the newly vicious Perez stayed on the arm throughout and finally won after Valkyria just couldn’t survive. It told a good story and gives Perez the win she needed. Valkyria is going to be perfectly fine as she has become a much bigger star thanks to this title reign. Good stuff here as the show is rolling.

We recap Ilja Dragunov defending the NXT Title against Tony D’Angelo. This is billed as a battle for power, with D’Angelo wanting the title to become the most powerful person in NXT, but Dragunov isn’t letting that happen.

NXT Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov is defending and the D’Angelo Family is here too. Dragunov tries to slug away to start but his bad hand slows him down, leaving him to go with a waistlock instead. Since the grip isn’t at full strength, D’Angelo punches him down to take over. Back up and Dragunov tries the Constantine Special but the hand gives out and he falls to the mat. They head outside, where Dragunov’s chop hits post to put him in even more trouble.

The hand is good enough for Dragunov to hit a Death Valley Driver against the barricade and they head back inside. Dragunov rolls some German suplexes and a powerbomb out of the corner drops D’Angelo again. The H Bomb misses though and Stacks hands D’Angelo brass knuckles….which he throws away. Dragunov stomps away in the corner and gets two off a DDT. With D’Angelo down in the corner, Dragunov hammers away with forearms and shouts that D’Angelo is not in control.

Back up and Dragunov kisses him on the cheeks but gets headbutted down, followed by a belly to belly. One heck of a clothesline puts Dragunov down for two and they go up top. An overhead belly to belly superplex sends Dragunov flying before rolling outside. They both load up the announcers’ table before Dragunov wins a slugout. The H Bomb connects on the floor and another sends D’Angelo through the table. Back in and the top rope backsplash gives Dragunov two but D’Angelo goes back to the hand. Dragunov is right back with Torpedo Moscow and the super H Bomb retains at 17:06.

Rating: B-. This was good but it never hit a level where I believed D’Angelo was going to win the title. At the end of the day, D’Angelo just did not feel like a major threat to beat Dragunov, which is what happens when you have a longer term champion. Dragunov feels almost unbeatable despite selling like few others and that was the case again here. I’m not sure who takes the title from him, but D’Angelo could only be so convincing of a threat in a still good match.

Lyra Valkyria DOES NOT want to talk to Tatum Paxley.

Je’Von Evans is coming on Tuesday.

Here is Meta Four to announce a new NXT attendance record: 16,545.

We recap Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams. They used to be friends but Hayes, the first to become a star, accused Williams of trying to become his own thing. Hayes then turned on Williams and attacked him, so now Williams is out for revenge and to prove he can do this himself.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams

This has some slightly relaxed rules. Hayes takes him down to start and doesn’t seem overly impressed with Williams. That earns Hayes some shots to the face and they head outside, with Hayes being sent into the steps. They fight into the crowd with Hayes staggering away until he sends Williams into a wall. Hayes knocks a hat off a member of Williams’ family, earning him a shot to send him back to ringside.

There is something interesting about Williams opting to just hit Hayes in the face over and over. Williams hits a splash in the corner but Hayes knocks him off the top for a crash back to the floor. We seem to have a ribs injury so Hayes stomps away in the corner while managing to chew gum at the same time.

Williams gets in a shot of his own and they slug it out from their knees. The jumping neckbreaker and spinning boot to the face give Williams two and they head back outside. Hayes manages a springboard dive onto…what used to be the Spanish announcers’ table. Back in and Williams charges into a Codebreaker for two but the referee gets bumped.

Hayes grabs a chair but Williams takes it away for five shots. The referee grabs the chair and Hayes is IMMEDIATELY up (that was bad) with a low blow for two. Another referee bump (Barrett: “This is the unluckiest referee ever.”) sets up Nothing But Net for two from a second referee. The new referee takes the chair away from Hayes and the Trick Knee finishes for Williams at 14:48.

Rating: B. This was good but I was a bit disappointed at how short it was. They never had some big emotional moment and instead just started with the chair stuff to go to the finish. This was a match that needed to get violent and personal and instead it was a pretty standard brawl. Hayes is smooth enough to make anything work and he did well here, but less than fifteen minutes for what was supposed to be the biggest NXT match ever feels like a letdown.

Williams celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. For a show that didn’t seem all that great in person, it was a completely different watch on the broadcast. There was nothing close to bad here with a string of rather awesome matches up and down the show. I had a great time with it and while there wasn’t that one match that got it over the top (though the triple threat came close), it was still an awesome show with NXT really finding itself again now that Shawn Michaels is getting into a groove.

Results
Joe Gacy b. Shawn Spears – Upside Down
Wolfdogs b. Axiom/Nathan Frazier – Spear to Frazier
Oba Femi b. Josh Briggs and Dijak – Femi pinned Briggs after powerbombing Dijak onto him
Thea Hail/Kelani Jordan/Fallon Henley b. Jacy Jayne/Izzi Dame/Kiana James – Kimura to Dame
Roxanne Perez b. Lyra Valkyria – Crossface
Ilja Dragunov b. Tony D’Angelo – Super H Bomb
Trick Williams b. Carmelo Hayes – Trick Knee

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: April 2, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Stand & Deliver and the only thing left to do is figure out the Tag Team Title situation. The champs need their last challengers and we’ll figure that out this week. Other than that, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are in the house before their Stand & Deliver main event. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles #1 Contender Tournament Finals: Axiom/Nathan Frazier vs. LWO vs. OC

For the Stand & Deliver Tag Team Title shot. The OC gets jumped to start fast until Gallows hits Axiom in the mask to take over. Wilde takes Anderson down but Axiom grabs a standing Spanish Fly on Wilde to even things up. Wilde’s umping neckbreaker gets two on Frazier but the OC pulls Axiom and Frazier out of the corner. That leaves the LWO to hit stereo missile dropkicks on Gallows.

We take a break and come back with Wilde hitting a springboard DDT for two on Gallows with a bunch of people making a save. Frazier goes up and dives onto Gallows and Frazier on the floor but Axiom’s dive is shoved away by Anderson. Del Toro hits a dive onto the pile but a Magic Killer puts him own inside. The OC is taken out though and Frazier hits a 450 to pin Del Toro at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Well at least it wasn’t the OC. Axiom and Frazer have been built up as a team for a good while now and it is nice to see them getting a shot after a long time. I’m not sure if they’re going to win the titles, but at least they’re on the big show and in a prominent spot. It’s hard to imagine the Wolfdogs keep the titles much longer so Axiom and Frazier could be in a nice spot if the reign is already coming to an end.

Axiom and Frazier promise to win the Tag Team Titles.

Lexis King isn’t worried about Mr. Stone or Von Wagner because Wagner can’t do anything without Stone, who isn’t here this week.

Ilja Dragunov finds a boot on his car and has to accept a ride to dinner from some D’Angelo Family associates.

Fallon Henley vs. Jacy Jayne

Henley has Thea Hail and Kelani Jordan while Jayne has Izzy Dame, Kiana James and Izzi Dame. They go to the mat with a lockup to start and Booker goes into a ridiculous long rant about…something. Henley gets knocked outside and gets dropkicked in the face to make it worse. Back in and Henley is sent into the buckles a few times for two and we hit the chinlock. Henley fights up so James offers a distraction, meaning the brawl starts up outside. That’s enough to distract Henley so Jayne can knee her in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. This still feels like the preview for a Kickoff Show six woman tag and that wouldn’t be a bad way to start. Henley was protected here as it took all of Jayne’s friends to distract her enough for the pin. Jayne is still firmly in the midcard, but putting her over a group of women is not the worst idea.

Post match Jayne and company go to the back with Jayne yelling about how she was never Thea Hail’s friend but now she’s back to where she should be. Ava, at the production desk, gets rid of them but hail and company come in. The six woman tag is set for Stand & Deliver. Ah there it is.

Video on Josh Briggs.

Lexis King vs. Von Wagner

Wagner charges in and starts fast with King being sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Briggs misses a charge into the corner, allowing King to drop some elbows for two. King’s right hands annoy Wagner but King pulls him down into a chinlock. Wagner fights up and hits a powerslam, followed by a big boot as the comeback is on. They go outside with Wagner setting up the announcers’ table but King reverses a powerbomb into a DDT. Back in and the Coronation finishes for King at 5:53.

Rating: C. This was nothing special as it was more about King getting a win over someone with some status. Granted Wagner’s status isn’t all that high but it means more than beating Mr. Stone. Wagner continues to be in a weird spot as it feels like he is ready for a big push and then something like this happens. Maybe it happens down the road but it’s not working yet.

Ava tells Carmelo Hayes that his match with Trick Williams will have slightly relaxed rules. Works for Hayes.

Natalya coaches up Karmen Petrovic before she faces Lola Vice. Roxanne Perez comes in to say there was a time when she would have listened to Natalya too.

Arianna Grace is ready to make Gigi Dolin over but Wren Sinclair says that might not be a good idea. Grace wants a match as a result.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Lola Vice

Natalya is here with Petrovic. Some kicks miss for Petrovic but she takes over on the mat instead. Back up and Vice takes her down by the leg but can’t get an ankle lock. Vice kicks her down again and we hit the chinlock. Petrovic fights up and fires off more kicks, including a spinning kick to the back for two. Back up and Vice strikes away again, setting up a Sharpshooter (with a glare at Natalya) for the tap at 3:48.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much the addition of Natalya brings down the interest in a match. That was the case here, as we seem to be coming up on a Natalya vs. Vice match and while that should help Vice, it’s not the most interesting thing in the world. Petrovic has some pieces that could work out well, but it’s not quite coming together just yet.

Ilja Dragunov arrives at a rather scary looking warehouse for dinner. Tony D’Angelo and the D’Angelo Family arrive, with Tony sitting down but no one says anything.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez as the guests. Perez doesn’t like Valkyria, who says Perez isn’t Women’s Champion because Indi Hartwell can climb a ladder faster than her. Then Lola Vice cost her the title at Vengeance Day by cashing in her briefcase. It’s NEVER Perez’s fault but Perez promises to watch Valkyria fall off her high horse and take the title.

Perez has that in her now and no she isn’t broken. Losing the title only made her more dangerous but Valkyria is already ready for the excuses. Valkyria says Perez will have a lot to b**** about after Stand & Deliver but Perez promises to have a year’s worth of rage ready to go. Then Valkyria puts her through the table and holds up the title.

Video on Dijak.

Oba Femi is ready to crush Josh Briggs and Dijak.

Oba Femi vs. Joe Gacy

Non-title. Hold on though as Shawn Spears jumps Gacy from behind with a chair and tells him to laugh. Gacy wants to fight anyway so the bell rings, with Femi slugging him down and stomping away. Some elbows give Femi two and there’s a running elbow to send Gacy outside. With Gacy up on the apron, Femi hits a clothesline from the floor but Gacy manages a suplex back inside. Femi shrugs it off and hits Snake Eyes before throwing Gacy down with ease…and the referee stops the match at 3:47.

Rating: C. I could go for a monster like Femi who gets one win after another by just wrecking people. It worked well here and doing it again and again could develop quite the reputation. Femi already feels like a monster and beating up Gacy is something that will push him even higher up the ladder.

Tatum Paxley asks Lyra Valkyria what that was about, with Valkyria saying she’ll do anything to keep the title, even if it means not being herself.

Wren Sinclair vs. Arianna Grace

Sinclair rolls out of a wristlock to start and hits a sliding faceplant for two. Grace fights out of the corner but Sinclair goes old school with an atomic drop of all things. Back up and Grace knocks her into the corner, setting up a Boston crab to keep Sinclair in trouble. With that broken up, another Boston crab attempt is blocked, allowing Sinclair to hit a running clothesline. Sinclair misses a charge though and Grace rolls her up, with a grab of the ropes, for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C. Another short and to the point match here with Grace cheating to win like a good villain should. Grace’s heel push is starting to come together and it’s going to go a lot better when the Gigi Dolin stuff is added. For now, not much of a match, which is the norm for Sinclair, who loses every time she’s out there but does well in defeat.

We run through the Wrestlemania Week schedule.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

We go back to the dinner, where Tony D’Angelo says he fixed Ilja Dragunov’s parking situation. Dragunov thinks D’Angelo will go a long way to make things happen and D’Angelo promises to make this look like nothing at Stand & Deliver. Dragunov says D’Angelo is the Don but he is Ilja Dragunov, the NXT Champion (that was a hero line if I’ve ever heard one). D’Angelo grabs Dragunov’s injured hand and leaves him alone. Enjoy the last supper.

Sol Ruca vs. Blair Davenport

Davenport jumps her to start but Ruca fights back with a rather devastating….uh, armbar. That’s the hold of revenge you see. Davenport fights up but gets caught in a fireman’s carry drop for her efforts. A clothesline puts Davenport on the floor, where she sends Ruca knee first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Ruca hitting a dropkick but favoring her bad knee. Davenport goes after the knee, only to get suplexed over the top for a double crash out to the floor. Back in and a one legged springboard splash gets two on Davenport, followed by a top rope cartwheel DDT for two. Davenport is back up with the Falcon Arrow and tries the big knee, only to get rolled up to give Ruca the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see a match get some time for a change on this show as there is only so much you can get out of another short one. Ruca gets her revenge on Davenport for putting her out of action for so long, though I was expecting something more than just a rollup pin. It should do for now though as Ruca can get away from Davenport and move on to something else.

Dijak and Josh Briggs argue over who will be North American Champion. Oba Femi comes in to say he’ll still be champion after Stand & Deliver.

Ava is proud of the Stand & Deliver card when Joe Gacy, barely able to move, pops up to say he’s fine. She gives him Shawn Spears at Stand & Deliver.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, surrounded by a bunch of security, for a chat. They are the first two black men to main event a Wrestlemania Weekend show ever but Williams doesn’t like that he is going to war with his brother. Hayes says they have come a long way from their Smackdown dark match in Virginia. They argue over whose fault their split was, with Hayes going into an analogy comparing the titles to their girlfriends. Williams lost his title and went after Hayes’ title instead.

Hayes thinks Williams believed the hype and tried to take Hayes’ spot. Williams says his days of taking a backseat are over but Hayes says Williams has been around for six months. Hayes has been around for three years and the people are going to turn on Williams fast. At Stand & Deliver, Hayes will show Williams how it works around here. The fight is on with security being cleared out, leaving the brawl to continue. The locker room breaks it up to end the show. This was pretty by the book as a way to wrap up a go home show but it’s a hot enough feud to overcome most of its problems.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was in a tough spot as Stand & Deliver, or at least the important parts, have been set for weeks. The six woman tag and Spears vs. Gacy are hardly major stories but we got a nice focus on the Women’s Title and the main event. Those matches alone should be enough to carry the show, and now we have the Tag Team Title match set as well. The action tonight was mainly filler and that is going to happen on a show like this. At the same time, they didn’t do anything too bad and enough was advanced so we’ll call this an acceptable show before the big day this weekend.

Results
Axiom/Nathan Frazier b. OC and LWO – 450 to Del Toro
Jacy Jayne b. Fallon Henley – Running knee
Lexis King b. Von Wagner – Coronation
Lola Vice b. Karmen Petrovic – Sharpshooter
Oba Femi b. Joe Gacy via referee stoppage
Arianna Grace b. Wren Sinclair – Rollup while holding the ropes
Sol Ruca b. Blair Davenport – Rollup

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

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NXT
Date: March 26, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re getting pretty close to Stand & Deliver and the card seems mostly ready to go. The two glaring spots left are the Tag Team Title and North American Title shots, which we should hear about rather soon. Other than that we are likely going to have more build towards the two main events. Let’s get to it.

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

Dijak vs. Shawn Spears

Dijak starts fast and they fight to the floor, only to have Spears come back with a slingshot splash. Spears sends him back inside but Dijak is right back with a running flip dive to the floor. They get back inside with Dijak unloading in the corner but Spears grabs a swinging neckbreaker. A headbutt cuts off the comeback so Dijak goes up, only to get caught with a release German superplex. They head outside again…where Joe Gacy slips out from underneath the ring to grab Spears’ chair (neither of them saw him).

We take a break and come back with the two of them holding arms and slugging it out until Dijak gets the better of things. The toss suplex drops Spears as the fans are WAY behind Dijak here. The cyclone boot gives Dijak two but he misses a springboard elbow. Spears can’t find his chair so he goes up, only to dive into High Justice for two more. Spears blocks a kick but can’t block the second, setting up Feast Your Eyes to give Dijak the pin at 13:22.

Rating: C+. I’m a little surprised that Spears lost so soon into his comeback but at the same time Dijak is a bigger star and seems on his way to a title shot. The idea of a Gacy vs. Spears feud is…something, and at least it is something for both of them to do. Gacy is already more tolerable since he isn’t talking, though a feud with Spears could be a tall task to pull off.

Roxanne Perez looks at old footage of herself in NXT and is disgusted by what she used to be. Now she’s all about herself and is ready to take the Women’s Title from Lyra Valkyria at Stand & Deliver. She doesn’t dislike Valkyria, but it’s all about the title.

Various tag teams are trying to host Stand & Deliver. We really need hosts for that show?

Thea Hail vs. Jazmyn Nyx

Chase U and Jacy Jayne are here too. Hail jumps her fast to start and grabs a t-bone suplex. Jayne offers a quick distraction and sweeps the leg to take over, setting up an elbow for two. We hit the chinlock and Jayne tries to throw in the towel, with Riley Osborne keeping it from hitting the mat. Apparently that means it doesn’t count but Chase U is ejected anyway. Hail fights up so Jayne slaps her, allowing Nyx to grab a rollup for two. Before they can get back up, Hail grabs the Kimura for the tap at 3:39.

Rating: C. We should be in for a big showdown between Jayne and Hail (sounds like a good Kickoff Show match) and that could make for Hail’s big win now that she’s back as part of Chase U. Hail is still a ball of energy and someone who can do more than enough in the ring to get by, but she needs to win something at some point. We might be seeing that soon.

Hail snaps the arm so Jayne comes in for the brawl. Kiana James and Izzi Dame come in for the beatdown but Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan make the save. Ah, that’s probably the Stand & Deliver match.

We get a long history package on Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes. They came in together as best friends but Trick Williams started to become a star and Hayes couldn’t handle it. Hayes says he brought Trick to the water and let him drink, but Williams thought too much of himself. Williams was nothing but a hype man and his fifteen minutes are up. Even Randy Orton and CM Punk comment on this to make it that much bigger. More on this later.

Alpha Academy is ready to get into the Stand & Deliver Tag Team Title match tonight.

Lola Vice vs. ???

Open challenge and it’s answered by….Natalya. Well of course it is. Naturally she has to talk, saying she sees something in Vice but wants to give her a beating. They start fast with Natalya hammering away in the corner and Vice trying to bail to the floor. That goes nowhere as Natalya throws her back inside, allowing commentary to talk about Natalya’s world records. Back in and Vice kicks her down as we take a break.

We come back with Natalya fighting out of an abdominal stretch and getting two off the basement dropkick. The Sharpshooter attempt is broken up and Vice gets the ankle lock, sending Natalya over to the rope. Back up and Vice hits a spinning backfist for two as Karmen Petrovic comes down to watch. Natalya hits her discus lariat but the Sharpshooter is blocked again. The Sharpshooter is blocked so Natalya settles for a rollup and the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. The technical stuff was fine and Natalya can have a fine match with anyone. As usual, the problem is that there is only so much interest to be found in her and hearing that music play was a bit of a downer. Vice losing mostly clean isn’t exactly helpful either, though she should be getting ready for her match with Petrovic sooner than later.

Shawn Spears is leaving and isn’t happy with Joe Gacy, who throws the chair off the roof. Oba Femi steps on the chair and Gacy shouts down at him too.

Sol Ruca talks about starting fast but then Blair Davenport took her out like a crashing wave. She’s back and mad, so next week she’s getting her revenge on Davenport.

Blair Davenport compares Sol Ruca to sand: annoying and she can’t get rid of it. Next week, the torn ACL will sound like a nice memory.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Stacks

Non-title and Riz is here with Stacks. Dragunov takes him down to start but gets dropkicked down for his efforts. They strike it out until Stacks hits a running elbow but Dragunov tosses him out of the corner. The H Bomb is cut off though and Stacks steps on the finger. A tornado DDT gets two on Dragunov as the rest of the D’Angelo Family is watching in the back. Cement Shoes hits the bad hand but Dragunov is fine enough to hit a snap dragon suplex. A powerbomb sets up Torpedo Moscow to finish Stacks at 6:04.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here and did everything they needed to in a short amount of time. Stacks did some work on Dragunov’s hand, which could cause him some trouble at Stand & Deliver. There was no need for Dragunov to run through Stacks but he beat him soundly enough to not go too far.

The D’Angelo Family is going to invite Ilja Dragunov to the restaurant for a special moment.

We get part two of the Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams video, with Williams talking about living in Philadelphia. His family will be at Stand & Deliver, meaning his real family and not Hayes, who he thought was family. We see Williams training harder than ever because this is the biggest match of his career. He’s coming for Hayes.

The Wolfdogs argue over tanning beds when the OC comes in to say they want a regular Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. They’ll both work hard to make that happen.

Here is Ridge Holland who has to make an announcement. He thanks everyone who helped him get here and says he can’t risk hurting himself or someone else again. Holland knows what people have been saying about him and he is tired of taking his work home from him. He refuses to let this job take away from being the best dad and husband he can do.

In the last few days, he’s had some difficult conversations and he has come to a decision: he is stepping away from in-ring competition indefinitely. Being in this company is a privilege and he’s sorry that his one last shot at redemption hasn’t worked out. The fans give him a THANK YOU RIDGE chant and he walks off. That’s an emotional way to write him off for now, but him coming back for some reason could make for a nice moment.

Lyra Valkyria talks about how great rivalries come together. She worked hard to get here but now she has to deal with Roxanne Perez, who can’t handle her emotions. The title deserves better than Perez and in another life, they could have been friends. Perez let the title break her and Valkyria will do anything to keep Perez away from getting it back. Making Perez feel like the threat to take the title is a good thing and it makes Valkyria sound like the hero trying to defend the title from evil.

Duke Hudson vs. Josh Briggs

Dijak is on commentary. Briggs powers him into the corner to start but charges into a release Rock Bottom. A running hurricanrana puts Briggs down and a side slam gets two. Hudson sends him outside but gets driven hard into the steps as we take a break. Back with Briggs hitting a splash for two but Hudson fights up for a boot to the face.

The snap jabs set up a backsplash for two on Briggs and a Boss Man Slam gets the same. Briggs hits a belly to back suplex and goes up but gets powerbombed back down. Back up and Briggs hits a hard clothesline to put Hudson down again, followed by a lariat for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: C+. Something about big meaty men doing meaty things. That’s pretty much exactly what they billed this as and then it’s what they delivered. Briggs has been pushing towards the NXT Title shot and it wouldn’t shock me to see he and Dijak either fighting for the title match or getting it at the same time. Chase U losing again is hardly a surprise, but it would be nice for something else to happen more often.

Post match Oba Femi pops up to announce the triple threat title match with Dijak and Josh Briggs getting the shots at Stand & Deliver. Well at least they didn’t waste time.

We get the final part of the Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes video, with Williams coming back for revenge on Hayes for taking him out. Cody Rhodes picks Trick for the win to really add some star power to the hype. Hayes hears what Williams is saying but what does Williams know about carrying a brand for two years? Williams believes he can be the best and it’s time to go to war.

As usual, these things are WWE’s strong suit as they know how to turn a feud into the most epic story possible. Williams and Hayes have been around for a long time now and having the get together for a showdown, likely in the main event of Stand & Deliver, is going to be a big moment. WWE made this feel important and that is a tricky thing to pull off, though they tend to do it every time.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Meta Four has taken over the production truck because they are officially hosting Stand & Deliver.

Arianna Grace has found the perfect dress for Gigi Dolin.

The injured Ilja Dragunov is invited to a pre-Stand & Deliver dinner, but it won’t be at the restaurant. Luca Crusifino gives him an envelope, presumably with the location, and Dragunov seems confused.

Wolfdogs vs. Alpha Academy

Non-title and if the Academy, with Maxxine Dupri, wins, they’re in the Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. Corbin throws Tozawa into the corner to start but Tozawa hurricanranas his way out of trouble. Otis comes in for the headlock on Breakker but it’s right back to Tozawa to hurricanrana Corbin again. The Academy clears the ring as we take an early break.

Back with Breakker running Tozawa over and handing it off to Corbin for a pop up World’s Strongest Slam. Tozawa kicks his way out of trouble and it’s Otis coming back in to clean house. A double backdrop puts the champs down and there’s the Caterpillar for two on Corbin. Everything breaks down and the Academy loads up a Doomsday Device, only to have Breakker powerslam Tozawa out of the air (geez). A double powerbomb off the apron sends Otis through the announcers’ table, leaving Tozawa to get powerbombed into the spear for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. It might not have been a great match and it didn’t exactly change anything, but it did give the champs a win over a main roster team. Tozawa was working hard here but Breakker’s stuff was more than enough to make it feel like he was on another level. Pretty entertaining match here, with the Wolfdogs getting better together every time.

Post match the LWO, the OC and Axiom/Nathan Frazer come in for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. With less than two weeks before Stand & Deliver, NXT needed to have the big hard sell show to get things ready. While there is still next week, this show has me wanting to see the show a lot more than I did coming into this week. The Hayes vs. Williams stuff was the highlight of the show and made the show that much better. Good stuff here, and it served an important purpose, which is all the better.

Results
Dijak b. Shawn Spears – Feast Your Eyes
Thea Hail b. Jazmyn Nyx – Kimura
Natalya b. Lola Vice – Rollup
Ilja Dragunov b. Stacks – Torpedo Moscow
Josh Briggs b. Duke Hudson – Lariat
Wolfdogs b. Alpha Academy – Spear to Tozawa

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

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NXT
Date: February 27, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

The road to Stand & deliver continues as we have just over a month away from the biggest show of the year. We are also on the way to Roadblock and NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov wants Carmelo Hayes on the way there. At the same time, Trick Williams is probably on his way back so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov to call out Carmelo Hayes. Cue Hayes, complete with security, to say he isn’t getting in the ring with Dragunov without a contract for a title match. Dragunov can have until the end of the night.

Gigi Dolin asks Ava to talk about her future but runs into Jaida Parker, who wants her own version. Ava makes a match between them for later tonight.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James

Izzi Dame is here with James. Jordan wastes no time in taking her out to the floor to start but Dame offers a distraction. That’s fine with Jordan, who moonsaults onto both of them at once. We take a break and come back with both of them hitting crossbodies to leave them both down. Jordan makes the clothesline comeback and hits an elbow to the face for two. A Downward Spiral gives Jordan two but Dame gets in a cheap shot. The Dealbreaker finishes for 8:12.

Rating: C. James and Jordan continue to do nothing for me as a team and that was certainly the case again here. They’re just generic heels who don’t have much else going on and win random matches. Jordan is someone who feels like she could become something down the line and she is already off to a nice start.

Roxanne Perez is mad at not getting the Women’s Title shot last week. Jakara Jackson comes in to mock her and the brawl is on.

OC vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

Blade gets knocked into the corner to start but comes back with a dropkick to Anderson. Enofe comes in with a headscissors as Booker goes on such a rambling rant that Joseph says he has no idea what Booker is going to say next. Gallows comes in to choke Blade down in the corner and we hit the chinlock. It’s back to Anderson for a chinlock of his own but Blade fights up and hands it back to Enofe to pick up the pace. Blade dives into a spinebuster though and it’s the Magic Killer for the win at 5:24.

Rating: C. I don’t think the OC winning their first match back in NXT over the resident jobbing tam is a surprise and thankfully they didn’t take long in doing so. The OC continues to be a strange team as they have a great resume but they are almost never featured on the main roster. Maybe they can do something here, because it isn’t like they have much further to fall.

Post match Chase U and Axiom/Nathan Frazier pop up to argue over who gets to beat up the OC first. Cue the LWO to dropkick the OC down as Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker look on.

Oba Femi wants competition and runs into Ilja Dragunov. After a quick staredown, Dragunov says he needs to talk to Ava.

Jakara Jackson vs. Roxanne Perez

Lash Legend is here with Jackson and offers an early distraction to cut Perez off. Perez isn’t having that and knocks Jackson down, setting up a springboard moonsault for two. Pop Rox is broken up too so Jackson ties up the legs and pulls on the arm at the same time. That’s broken up and Perez slugs away, setting up the crossface for the tap at 4:11.

Rating: C. They still didn’t have much time to do anything here but it gets Perez back on track after some frustrations last week. Perez is still leaning more in the heel direction but beating a fellow heel in Jackson doesn’t quite continue her on that path. The crossface is a better finisher for her though, as Pop Rox doesn’t feel overly devastating.

Thea Hail is disappointed over her date with Riley Osborne not going well but Jacy Jayne tells her to ignore Fallon Henley. Cue Kiana James and Izzi Dame to congratulate them on the calendar, leaving Hail alone.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker run into the OC and bicker a bit, with a Tag Team Title match seeming likely.

Luca Crusifino vs. Dijak

Luca strikes away to start and they go outside, with Luca knocking him over the announcers’ table. Back in and Dijak slugs away but a chop wakes Luca up. Dijak hits a superkick but Luca strikes him down again and hits some clotheslines. The cyclone boot sets up Feast Your Eyes to finish Luca at 3:28.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen Luca since he showed up on LVL Up and I’ve never seen him show that kind of aggression. Luca’s biggest issue has long since been that he doesn’t really do anything to make him stand out and now he has this kind of a showing. Rather surprising match here and I liked it more than I would have expected.

Post match Joe Gacy, in a torn straitjacket, comes in to brawl with Dijak.

Tony D’Angelo tells Stacks to get him, but not right now.

Noam Dar is warming up for his title defense in the main event but he doesn’t care about the Catch Clause.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for a chat. She wishes Shotzi a speedy recovery and promises Shotzi a title match when she gets back. Valkyria praises Lash Legend for stepping up but now she wants Tatum Paxley out here for a special gift. Paxley says she has proven her loyalty to Valkyria, who says that they’re getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot against the Kabuki Warriors last week.

Cue Ridge Holland of all people to say he has something to say so they can leave if they’re done. Holland talks about how he isn’t a violent man most of the time…..but here is the man with the weird fear vignettes to beat him down. It’s Shawn Spears (called that, rather than Tye Dillinger) to beat Holland down. Points for an actual surprise there as I don’t think he was on many guess lists.

Brooks Jensen challenges Oba Femi and gets an acceptance.

Carmelo Hayes isn’t coming to the ring without a contract for a title match.

Lexis King vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. King’s chops don’t have much effect to start so Wagner strikes away for a change. Wagner’s big boot misses though and King strikes away at the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Back in and Wagner hits a big boot anyway and they go outside again, where Stone gets crushed. They get back inside where King is right back to the leg. A running knee to the back of the head gives King two but Stone offers a distraction. Wagner grabs a rollup for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C+. The ending wasn’t the best as Stone offering a distraction doesn’t exactly make him look like a hero. Wagner is in the middle of a weird cycle as he’s kind of all over the place without getting anywhere. King on the other hand feels like he is mainly an agent of chaos, though he didn’t really show that off here, as he was just kind of a person facing Wagner.

Post match King takes out Stone before leaving.

Video on the Kabuki Warriors.

Jaida Parker mocks Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley but Arianna Grace wants peace. Valkyria points out that fighting is kind of what they do.

Joe Gacy jumps Dijak and a cameraman is taken out.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jaida Parker

They go to the mat to start with Dolin grabbing a rollup for a fast two. Parker is back up to stomp her down in the corner, including a running sit onto the ribs for two of her own. A running Blockbuster gives Parker two and we hit the neck rank. Dolin fights up but here is Arianna Grace for a distraction. That’s enough for Parker to hit a running forearm for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: C. They’re keeping up the trend of mediocre matches here but Parker continues to look like a star. She has a great look and that forearm looked solid, so giving her a win is a nice step forward. At the same time, Dolin’s fall continues as she is little more than a jobber to the stars these days.

Someone has written SEE YOU SOON on a beach and the Roadblock logo appears. Sol Ruca I’d assume?

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. ???

Dar is defending against….Charlie Dempsey, with Jakara Jackson and the rest of the No Quarter Catch Crew here too. Round one begins with a feeling out process and neither being able to get very far. An exchange of arm control doesn’t work either but Dempsey grabs a backslide and flips forward for the pin at 1:48. Damon Kemp gets in a cheap shot to Dar as the round ends. Round two begins and we take an early break. Back with Dempsey hitting a suplex to end the round without much happening.

Round Three begins with neither being able to get very far with a hold, including Dar escaping an ankle lock. Dar wins a battle over the armbars before hitting a discus elbow as the round ends. Round four begins with Dar hitting a series of running shots to the face. The discus elbow sets up the Nova Roller for the tie at 22 seconds of the round and 9:50 overall.

Round five begins with Dar hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the head for an early two. The seconds get into it on the floor though and Dar misses a corner dropkick, allowing Dempsey to grab a dragon suplex for the upset pin and the cup at 52 seconds of the round and 11:10 overall.

Rating: B-. I believe the term “it’s about time” is appropriate here, as Dar has held the Cup for so long that he had to lose the thing sooner or later. Dempsey getting the win is a nice surprise as well as he hasn’t done much so far in NXT. The Crew is kind of perfect to get the Cup as it is more or less their thing personified, and now Dar can move on to anything else for the time being.

Shawn Spears is back to mess things up.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, flanked by security, to sign the contract with Ilja Dragunov. Hayes apologizes for the security but he can’t have Dragunov getting hurt, which has Dragunov smirking. Cue Tony D’Angelo to say he’s tired of hearing Hayes wants a title shot. He respects Dragunov and is ready to earn a title match.

Dragunov is intrigued and D’Angelo proposes a #1 contenders match against Hayes next week, with Ava agreeing. Hayes gets up and the fight is on, with D’Angelo accidentally knocking Dragunov down. D’Angelo is put through the table to end the show. Again points for a surprise here, and that’s before Trick Williams is involved too.

Overall Rating: C+. This was about a few major moments, with the title change, Spears returning and D’Angelo being thrown into the title picture. I’m curious to see where some of those things go and that is a good sign. At the same time, the wrestling was not the best here as there was no match that stood out, though there is a good chance those come next week.

Results
Kiana James b. Kelani Jordan – Dealbreaker
OC b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Magic Killer to Blade
Roxanne Perez b. Jakara Jackson – Crossface
Dijak b. Luca Crusifino – Feast Your Eyes
Von Wagner b. Lexis King – Rollup
Jaida Parker b. Gigi Dolin – Running forearm
Charlie Dempsey b. Noam Dar 2-1

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NXT
Date: February 20, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Vic Joseph

We’re taped this week and there is a guest star in the main event, with Smackdown’s Shotzi challenging Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Title. Other than that, we have new Tag Team Champions in Baron Corbin and Smackdown’s Bron Breakker and they are going to need some challengers. Let’s get to it.

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

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Lexis King

Femi is defending and we’re starting fast with both of them in the ring without entrances. King avoids a charge in the corner and hits an elbow to the face, followed by some kicks to the chest. That just earns him a choke shove to the floor, where Femi misses a charge into the post. Back in and King cranks away on the arm as we see Mr. Stone leaving Von Wagner because he wants to watch in person. King stays on the arm until Stone comes to ringside, earning himself a hard shove. The distraction lets Femi get in a heck of a backdrop, setting up the pop up powerbomb to retain at 3:59.

Rating: C. They kept this short and to the point, which is what you should be doing with someone as inexperienced as Femi. He has pretty much no experience at this point so letting him do his basics and stay down while King works on his arm is a good move. The ending keeps King vs. Wagner/Stone going while giving Femi another win, which isn’t bad for a match that didn’t even last four minutes.

Thea Hail hasn’t heard from Riley Osborne since their Valentine’s Day date but Arianna Grace comes in to mock her for not letting Osborne do everything for her. Jacy Jayne doesn’t want to hear this and tells Grace to stay out of this.

Lyra Valkyria checks on Tatum Paxley, who offers to thank her for last week. She’ll even attack Shotzi with a baseball bat! Valkyria wants her to just stay here instead, with Paxley saying she can do that.

Here are Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker for their big celebration. Breakker can’t believe how far they’ve come since No Mercy, with Corbin bringing up beating Breakker back then. They seem to like the team name of Spear Of Days but here is Chase U (complete with Andre Chase having gotten a haircut) to interrupt. They want the titles back because this is a TEACHABLE MOMENT.

Chase U were promised a title shot from the previous champs but here are Nathan Frazer and Axiom to interrupt. Frazer says the previous agreement is gone but Duke Hudson doesn’t want to hear it. Corbin and Breakker tell the two teams to figure this out, which brings out Ava to make the #1 contenders match for later tonight. They kept this short and that is the right way to go.

Roxanne Perez is ready to beat up Wren Sinclair, who shouldn’t just be happy to be here. Perez continues to lean towards the evil side.

We get another weird vignette talking about how the person will be a mirror to truth.

Roxanne Perez vs. Wren Sinclair

Perez takes her up against the ropes to start and they fall out to the floor with Perez hammering away. Back in and Sinclair grabs a spinning belly to back suplex for two, only to get knocked outside again. Perez starts in on the arm and wrenches away back inside. The chinlock goes on until Sinclair rolls her way out and makes the clothesline comeback. Another arm crank cuts her off though and Pop Rox sets up a crossface to make Sinclair tap at 4:19.

Rating: C. Sinclair has been dropped into NXT and is already fitting in rather well. She is doing well enough in the ring and already seems to be involved in some stories. That is better than most newcomers do this quickly so she is off to a nice start. On the other hand you have Perez leaning towards being a heel and that is already doing well, which is kind of surprising given her smaller stature.

Meta Four is ready for tonight when the No Quarter Catch Crew interrupts. Noam Dar is willing to give them a title shot but wants to know who it is. That isn’t happening though because the Catch Clause says the challenger is announced in the ring next week.

Josh Briggs vs. Brooks Jensen

They trade shoulders to start until Briggs sends him into the corner to take over. Jensen is right back with clotheslines and chops in the corner but Briggs sends him outside. That’s fine with Jensen, who slugs away and takes it back inside for a running faceplant. They go back to the floor with Jensen sending him into the barricade and stomping away with quite the aggression.

We take a break and come back with Briggs hammering him down in the corner Briggs says he’s doing this for Jensen, who hits him in the face for a breather. Jensen scores with a superkick and a missile dropkick gets two. Back up and Briggs kicks him in the face, setting up a chokeslam for two of his own. They slug it out from their knees until Jensen hits a spinning heel kick to the face. Briggs has had it with this and hits a pair of hard running clotheslines for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that worked well because of the story behind it. They were having a hard hitting match, but the important factor is there is a reason to care about them fighting. You don’t get that very often and it made things that much more interesting. Nice fight here and Briggs gets a hard fought win.

Post match Briggs says he did this for Jensen and he loves him.

Dijak comes to see Joe Gacy, who is in a straitjacket. Gacy says Dijak can’t stop him so Dijak offers some threats. Luca Crusifino comes in to say this is illegal but Dijak doesn’t care.

Carmelo Hayes goes to the barber shop and talks about how this is where it all started with Trick Williams. He didn’t get too big for his own boots and he wanted Williams to experience everything he could. But then Williams tried to become the #1 guy in NXT. Williams could have been #3, #5 or even #2 behind Hayes but then he went too far. Hayes knew it was coming so he attacked him first. So wherever Williams is, he should stay there, because he has nothing to talk about when it comes to the NXT Title. This heel turn continues to be as logical of a story as there is in wrestling right now.

Arianna Grace vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne has Jazmyn Nyx and Thea Hail with her. They fight over arm control to start until Grace runs her over with a shoulder. Grace gets knocked to the floor for her efforts and Jayne hits a hard clothesline back inside. A backsplash gives Jayne two but Grace is back with a slam and elbow for two. The armbar goes on but Jayne is right back up to send Grace outside again. Nyx gets in a cheap shot and Jayne hits the big forearm for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. This was about getting Nyx involved as Jayne is still evil compared to Hail, who is still rather wholesome. That could lead to an interesting predicament for Hail, which very well could lead to her going back to the full Chase U style. Grace continues to be a pest, but at least she isn’t winning a bunch of matches.

Tony D’Angelo says the Family is going in a new direction and it’s time for him to really be the Don. That means the Tag Team Titles aren’t the focus right now.

We get a sitdown interview with Ridge Holland, who isn’t done with Gallus. Next week, he’ll be apologizing for what he did with a chair last week. Holland walks off.

Chase U vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

For the #1 contendership and the women of Chase U run into the men on the way in. Jacy Jayne doesn’t seem happy with Andre Chase and Riley Osborne gives Thea Hail a bit of a weird look. Chase and Axiom fight over arm control to start before grappling down to the mat. Stereo dropkick attempts give us a stalemate so it’s off to Hudson to work on Frazer’s arm. A hard shoulder drops Frazer again and it’s back to Axiom vs. Chase. Everything breaks down and Chase U is sent outside for the big dives as we take a break.

Back with Chase still in trouble until he catches Frazer with a Side Effect. Hudson comes in to clean house but his Razor’s Edge is broken up. Frazer hits a missile dropkick and Axiom’s top rope Spanish Fly gets two. Hudson is back up to clean house and Chase comes back in to get a rollup pin on Frazer at 11:27.

Rating: B-. I could go for Chase U being treated as something more serious and hopefully we are getting away from the rather insane gambling ordeal. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting the Tag Team Titles back but getting a clean win is a nice way to start. Axiom and Frazer are still capable of working well with just about anyone and that is a great thing to have.

Post match the OC of all people come in to wreck both teams. Well it’s better than yelling at AJ Styles about the old days. I think.

Ilja Dragunov is willing to give Carmelo Hayes an NXT Title shot at Roadblock, as long as Hayes will meet him face to face next week. Dragunov is coming for Hayes’ soul.

Thea Hail and Fallon Henley talk about how bad everything is going for them lately. Hail’s Valentine’s Day was awful and Henley talks about how bad hers was last year. They’re off for a chat.

Lash Legend vs. Kelani Jordan

Jakara Jackson is here too. Legend powers her up to start but gets cradled for a fast two. A kick to the chest knocks Jordan out of the air and a backbreaker makes things even worse. Something like a torture rack over the back has Jordan in more trouble but she gets the knees up to block a splash. Jordan flips out of a powerbomb attempt and there’s a dropkick to put Legend into the corner. Jackson offers a distraction though and Legend gets in a chokeslam for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. Legend has come a long, long way in recent months and a lot of that is due to the change in gear. She didn’t exactly have the best reputation for a long time so in addition to changing her style, she has a new look, which shakes away a lot of the bad memories. It’s one of those minor changes that makes a big difference, and Legend has gotten a lot better.

Post match Kiana James and Izzi Dame come out for the beatdown but Jordan escapes.

The OC are here to show that they’re different than anyone else. They’ll take the NXT Tag Team Titles too.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Shotzi

Shotzi is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. Valkyria fights out of a front facelock to start and takes Shotzi down with a headlock. An exchange of rollups gets two each before Shotzi drops her with a shoulder. A rope walk wristdrag has Valkyria in more trouble and Shotzi DDTs her onto the apron. We comes back and….the match has been stopped as Shotzi has blown out her knee. Cue Ava to announce that we have an open challenger for a title shot against Valkyria. I won’t rate the match we got as it was barely long enough to rate and then ended with the injury but it was going well enough.

NXT Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Lash Legend

Valykria is defending and gets dropped with an early right hand. Legend’s chinlock doesn’t last long so she grabs a swinging backbreaker for two instead. A whip into the corner gives Valkyria two and we hit an over the shoulder backbreaker. Valkyria fights out as we see Roxanne Perez being furious over not getting the title shot. Legend’s chokeslam gets two and Valkyria’s high crossbody connects for the same. A pump kick gives Legend two more but Valkyria knocks her off the top and hits a splash to retain at 5:49.

Rating: C+. This is on a very lightened up scale as the match was barely anything but Legend was literally sent out there with no notice to have an impromptu title match. it might not have been great, but they did what they could under the circumstances. Good enough match here and nice touch by having Perez be made about not getting out there, but was she just not paying attention to a match for the title she wants more than anything?

Overall Rating: B-. This was absolutely feeling like a taped show to get us to the big shows down the line, but what matters is NXT continues to treat these things like they matter. Even if these were the lower level stories, they were treated as important and that is a very hard trick most of the time. It wasn’t the biggest NXT show, but it moved things forward and set some things up for later with completely good enough action. The big stuff can come later, but for now they’re doing well with the small stuff and that’s important as well.

Results
Oba Femi b. Lexis King – Pop up powerbomb
Roxanne Perez b. Wren Sinclair – Crossface
Josh Briggs b. Brooks Jensen – Clothesline
Jacy Jayne b. Arianna Grace – Forearm
Chase U b. Nathan Frazer/Axiom – Rollup to Frazer
Lash Legend b. Kelani Jordan – Chokeslam
Lyra Valkyria vs. Shotzi went to a no contest when Shotzi was injured
Lyra Valkyria b. Lash Legend – Top rope splash

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

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NXT
Date: February 6, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Vengeance Day and that means the only thing standing between here and Stand & Deliver is next month’s Roadblock. The big story coming out of Vengeance Day is Trick Williams losing his shot at the NXT Title and then being attacked by longtime friend Carmelo Hayes. That is going to be a big deal so let’s get to it.

Here is Vengeance Day if you need a recap.

Here is Carmelo Hayes to get things going and he’s carrying a chair. Hayes sits in the chair, doesn’t like the chants from the crowd, stands up, says “not yet”, and leaves.

Vengeance Day recap.

Here are Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker to celebrate winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, though Corbin can’t believe they were called the Wolf Dogs. Anyway, they want the Tag Team Titles.

Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker are on commentary. Axiom rolls out of Enofe’s wristlock to start so Enofe snaps off a dropkick. Axiom’s dropkick connects as well but he gets sent outside for a dive. Back in and Blade runs Frazer over as we take a break. We come back with Axiom taking over on Enofe and grabbing a chinlock.

Frazer’s neckbreaker gets two and we hit another chinlock. The running shooting star press gives Frazer two more but Enofe knees him in the face. Blade comes in and powerbombs Axiom as the pace picks up quite a bit. Axiom drops Blade again though and Frazer hits the phoenix splash, with Enofe knocking Axiom into the cover for the save.

We take another break and come back again with Frazer running up the corner for a superplex. Frazer raises Blade into a brainbuster, with Axiom adding a superkick as Frazer drops him. Enofe makes the save but get sent outside, leaving Blade to get Phoenix splashed into the Golden Ratio for the pin at 16:42.

Rating: B. This was in the same vein as the old Nitro openers with the cruiserweight matches: let people go out there and fly around with some good action and a very fast pace. It worked back then and it still works today, which was certainly the case here. Axiom and Frazer work well together and it wouldn’t stun me to see them as some of the next challengers after the Corbin/Breakker vs. D’Angelo Family match.

Post match Breakker and Corbin jump Frazer and Axiom. The D’Angelo Family comes out and the challenge is issued for next week.

Ilja Dragunov wants answers from Carmelo Hayes.

Post break, here is Dragunov for a chat. Dragunov talks about going to war with Trick Williams and how Williams would have been a worthy champion. Now though, it is his duty to call out Carmelo Hayes. He has been attacking Dragunov with accusations for months and now he wants to go beyond breaking Hayes, who is a traitorous son of a b****. Cue Dijak to say he and Dragunov both won at Vengeance Day but Dragunov doesn’t want to hear it. Dijak talks about how he knows what it takes to break Joe Gacy but Dragunov tells him to get out of his way. The fight is on and quickly broken up.

Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne are really happy with the success of the Women Of Chase U calendar. Other than that though, Jayne wants Hail to play hard to get with Riley Osborne. Hail can do that.

Von Wagner is mad with losing to Noam Dar but Mr. Stone’s kids come in to talk them into a tag match against Meta Four.

Lexis King vs. Riley Osborne

The rest of Chase U is here but Thea Hail is missing from the student section. King takes him up against the ropes to start but gets dropkicked to the floor. That means a big flip dive from Osborne, who is knocked off the apron and into the announcers’ table. Back in and a slingshot double stomp to the ribs gives King two and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Osborne gets two off a leg lariat but the lack of Thea distracts Osborne on top. The hanging Coronation finishes for King at 4:04.

Rating: C. This was more about the absence of Hail than an important result, but King is slowly building himself back up. Granted he wasn’t exactly high up to begin with but winning is better than losing over and over. I’m not sure how well it’s going to work for him in the long run, though at least he’s building some momentum. As for Osborne, the issues with Hail seem to be the next step in the Chase U saga, which is at least continuing.

Video on Kelani Jordan.

Kiana James and Izzi Dame complain about the locker room and take a drink from the overly excited Brinley Reece. Then they pour the drink out.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, again sitting in the chair, and this time he says the villain is always the villain when the hero is telling the story. He allowed Trick Williams to succeed and wanted Williams to make his parents proud. Then he had to take it all away, because he wanted Williams to know where he was. They had an agreement: Hayes gets the NXT Title and Williams gets the North American Title.

Then Williams tried to act like they were on the same level and no way. So did he attack Williams months ago? Of course he did and he would do it again. Cue Williams……..’music, as Hayes laughs because Williams isn’t here. Williams got so caught up in the headlines that he pushed his friend to the sidelines. He wanted to be like Hayes so much but it was all just a trick. Williams was just a hype man and that’s all it was ever going to be. That was a pretty simple explanation and it worked just fine.

We get the Three Faces vignette from No Surrender.

Video on Oba Femi.

Riley Osborne is disappointed that Thea Hail wasn’t out there but they’re on for Valentine’s Day. With Osborne gone, Jacy Jayne says she’ll work with Hail for next week.

Lola Vice vs. Roxanne Perez

Vice interrupted Perez’s Vengeance Day title shot and they fought after the match. Perez chases her to the floor to start and hits a dive, only to have Vice take over back inside. The hip attack connects but Perez gets a boot up in the corner. That’s fine with Vice, who kicks her out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Vice holding a chinlock before firing off some running knees to the ribs. Perez kicks her down and hits the double springboard moonsault for two but Vice is back with a choke. Pop Rox is broken up and Vice elbows her in the face for two more. Cue Tatum Paxley for a distraction so Vice kicks her down, only to walk into Pop Rox for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Vice might be limited in the ring but she has the charisma to make a lot of this work. That’s what matters more than a lot of what she is going to do in the ring and it went well enough here. Perez can move back into the title hunt as she wasn’t pinned on Sunday as Vice can deal with Paxley. That’s a nice way to send things into different directions and it went well enough as a match too.

Meta Four isn’t worried about either of their upcoming tag matches. The No Quarter Catch Crew comes in to say they want a Heritage Cup title shot but Noam Dar bails.

Fallon Henley/Wren Sinclair vs. Meta Four

Noam Dar and Oro Mensah are here too. Legend slaps Henley to start so it’s Sinclair coming in for a crossbody, with Henley adding a dropkick to the back. Jackson comes in and shrugs off a headlock, allowing Legend to crash onto Sinclair’s back. The villains take turns stomping away in the corner for two before Sinclair has to fight out of a double arm crank. The tag brings Henley back in to pick up the pace but Legend helps Jackson pull Henley’s throat into the ropes. Sinclair comes back in and is promptly powerbombed for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. It’s almost hard to fathom but Legend and Jackson feel like much bigger stars here. Granted Henley is mainly known for her friendship with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen and Sinclair has barely been around, but it’s still odd to see Legend and Jackson being so dominant. Not much of a match, though Legend looked good as a monster.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen have a brief reunion, with Jensen saying he needs his friends. Briggs isn’t having this and tells him to grow up before someone takes his spot. Fair enough as Jensen has felt pathetic since the split.

Ava gives Jaida Parker a match with Riz next week, one on one. With Parker gone, Ridge Holland comes in to say he wants a match with Gallus, three on one. That can’t happen, but Holland can fight the one at a time. Works for him.

We look back at Carmelo Hayes’ comments.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak

Non-title. They go straight to the fight to start with Dijak going after the nose that he broke before. Said nose is sent into the turnbuckle but Dragunov chops his way out of trouble. Dijak manages a kick to knock Dragunov out to the floor but stops to look under the ring. With nothing found, Dijak decks him again and we take a break.

Back with Dragunov fighting out of a chinlock but having to block Feast Your Eyes. Dijak kicks him into the ropes but is quickly pulled into a Death Valley Driver into the corner. The top rope backsplash gives Dragunov two and he hits a running boot in the corner to rock Dijak again. A quick High Justice gives Dijak two of his own and a clothesline cuts off the Constantine Special. Dijak’s elbow, which was banged up at Vengeance Day, flares up again though and cue Joe Gacy to hit Dijak with….something. Dragunov uses the distraction (which he didn’t see) to hit the H Bomb for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B-. This was something of reheating a feud that they had a few months ago for one night only and it went well enough for a main event. Gacy distracting Dijak to cost him the match keeps their feud going and now we get to see where Dragunov goes next. This was more about continuing Gacy vs. Dijak and if it gives Dragunov a win in the process, so be it.

Post match Carmelo Hayes comes in to jump Dragunov and holds up the NXT Title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The action was good enough here, with the opener and main event being the best parts, but this was about Carmelo Hayes as the new top heel. It seems like we could be seeing Hayes challenging Dragunov in the near future, perhaps even at Roadblock, and that likely gets us to the main event of Stand & Deliver in one way or another. That’s by far the biggest thing in NXT at the moment and giving it so much time on this show was the right way to go.

Results
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Golden Ratio to Blade
Lexis King b. Riley Osborne – Hanging Coronation
Roxanne Perez b. Lola Vice – Pop Rox
Meta Four b. Fallon Henley/Wren Sinclair – Powerbomb to Sinclair
Ilja Dragunov b. Dijak – H Bomb

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

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AND

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