NXT LVL Up
Date: December 29, 2023
Host: Blake Howard

It’s the last WWE show of the year and for once I’m kind of curious to see where this is going. Last week’s show featured some bigger names as it felt like WWE was actually trying with this show for a change. I’m not sure that’s going to be the case long term, but it’s nice to have some hope around here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We have a Best Of 2023 show here so we’ll start around Wrestlemania season.

From April 7.

Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer vs. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson

Ruca and Legend start things off with Ruca working on the arm and it’s off to Palmer, who gets launched at Legend for two. Jackson comes in and gets headscissored down, only to come back with an Edge-O-Matic for two of her own. Palmer manages a rollup before flipping over for the hot tag to Ruca. Everything breaks down and the Sol Snatcher finishes Jackson at 4:49.

Rating: C. That Sol Snatcher is just awesome no matter what else happens in a match and it is going to get a reaction no matter what. The key here was that it came out of nowhere and made Ruca look like a killer. Palmer continues to have potential and Legend is still coming along now that she isn’t on TV every week and driving people crazy.

Tavion Heights is still learning around here but remembers facing Nathan Frazer.

From June 9.

Nathan Frazier vs. Tavion Heights

Heights wrestles/powers him to the mat to start but Frazier reverses into a sunset flip for two. Back up and Frazier starts flipping away, only to dive into an overhead belly to belly suplex (and a sweet one at that). Heights grabs the chinlock but Frazier reverses, only to get kicked throat first into the rope. A Dominator gives Heights two more but Frazier kicks him in the head. Frazier flips out of a German suplex, nails a superkick and finishes with the Phoenix splash at 4:40.

Rating: C+. Frazier being around instantly made the show feel more important and the fact that it was a rather nice power vs. speed match helped. This felt like Heights was told to go do all of his impressive stuff and the power/amateur mixture worked. Heights is another star who feels like he could be a big deal going forward, but he has to actually win something for that to take place.

Karmen Petrovic was nervous about facing Jacy Jayne but you’ll see more of her in 2024.

From August 18.

Jacy Jayne vs. Karmen Petrovic

They fight over a lockup to start with Jayne powering her into the corner without much trouble. Petrovic takes it to the mat in a headlock before getting some rollups for two each. Jayne is sent to the apron and scores with a knee to the face, followed by a running elbow in the corner for two. A kick to the back keeps Petrovic down and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and Petrovic gets in a kick of her own but Jayne blasts her with a discus forearm for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. There’s not much to be seen here and just like after her first match, I don’t know much about Petrovic. Commentary said she had a martial arts background but other than that, the only things I know about her is that she is in good shape and she has blond hair. Jayne is a much bigger deal and Petrovic didn’t get much in here, so she didn’t exactly gain much in defeat.

Riley Osborne talks about his pair of matches with Axiom, which really were good.

From October 13.

Axiom vs. Riley Osborne

Axiom takes him down by the arm to start as the fans seem a bit split here. Osborne takes him down with a test of strength for some near falls before they trade monkey flips. Back up and Axiom sends him outside, only to be sent into the corner back inside. Osborne grabs a chinlock back inside but Axiom fights up in a hurry and scores with a dropkick.

Osborne snaps off a running hurricanrana for two but Axiom wins a slugout. They crash out to the floor, where Osborne hits a 619 from the apron. Axiom knocks him down so Osborne has to dive back in, where Axiom is waiting with a frog splash for the pin (though Osborne’s shoulder might have been up) at 8:21.

Rating: B-. That was one of the best matches I’ve seen around here in months as this was all about two people getting to showcase themselves with a little more time than usual. Axiom has shown that he can hang with anyone but Osborne got a chance to shine here as well. Heck of a match between these two and I’m glad to see them get such a chance.

And from October 27.

Axiom vs. Riley Osborne

They fight over wrist control to start and trade some spins to escape. Axiom gets him to the mat and cranks on the arms but can’t keep the shoulders down for two. Osborne flips over but he gets knocked to the apron, only to come back with a slingshot shoulder. Back in and Axiom takes him down, setting up a half and half suplex.

A running kick to the chest gets two and Axiom powerbombs him out of the corner for two more. They go outside with Osborne bouncing off of the announcers’ table, only to run Axiom over for two back inside. Axiom catches him on top though and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Golden Ratio for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was another good match between the two as they do have chemistry and Osborne has gotten a lot of mileage out of the two match series. It wasn’t quite as good as the first one though, which might be due to the expectations. That being said, it’s something close to continuity around here and that is nice to see.

Overall Rating: C+. They seemed to be focusing on the idea of the former LVL Up regulars who have made it up to the main roster and that isn’t a bad way to go. Focusing on Axiom vs. Osborne was a good idea as they probably were the best matches of the year. This was a very quick and easy show, which tends to be the case most weeks. The show is trending in the right direction and hopefully they keep that up in 2024 so we can have a better Best Of next time.

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

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NXT
Date: December 19, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re closing in on New Year’s Evil and the two big title matches are already set. There are some other things that need to be followed up on as well though and we might find out a few of them this week. This is a taped show, which can take away some of the energy that is usually around. Let’s get to it.

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

Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton

They start fast with Henley knocking her outside to keep up the beating. Back in and Henley elbows her in the corner but gets knocked out to the floor in a big crash. Stratton gets to beat on her a bit as well but Henley rains down some right hands in the corner. A hurricanrana takes Stratton down again, only to have her come back with a spinebuster for two. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence….and Henley gets a sunset flip for the completely clean pin at 3:51.

Rating: C. I’ve been wanting Henley to get a better push for a long time now and she might just be getting that here. That’s by far the biggest win of her career and I could go for her getting to do some more in the future. It’s nice to see some fresh blood in the division and Henley is pretty much set for a long time around here anyway so the loss won’t hurt her.

Post match Stratton jumps her and drags Henley to the back. Stratton rubs a mop over her face and covers her with garbage in a rather mean moment.

Trick Williams congratulates Carmelo Hayes on his Smackdown win but they talk about who actually attacked Hayes last week. Hayes suggests they turn the New Year’s Evil match into a triple threat match but Williams doesn’t get the thinking. That doesn’t seem to be happening, though Hayes says it doesn’t matter who wins as long as they have the title. Williams: “It does matter.” Williams hopes it’s cool and Hayes seems to be ok, though some of the enthusiasm is lacking.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to talk about how he doesn’t know how he got in the middle of this Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes mess. He didn’t have that on his 2023 Bingo card, but he’ll start 2024 by defeating Williams, no matter how popular he is. Cue Ridge Holland to interrupt, saying he needs to prove himself again in NXT. Holland wants Dragunov to help him get there, perhaps by winning the NXT Title. He isn’t going to beg for a title shot so he wants to prove himself. He’ll face everyone to get to Dragunov, and then he’ll be worthy of a shot. Dragunov is tired of all this so he’ll face Holland tonight.

Lexis King knows he’s already the breakout star around here, but he’ll win the Breakout Tournament if he has to.

Trick Williams doesn’t like Ilja Dragunov giving away title shots but Dragunov says he’s the champ so get over it. Makes sense.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Dion Lennox vs. Lexis King

King wastes no time in taking him into the corner for a running clothesline. A knee to the ribs keeps Lennox in trouble but he fights back with some shots to the face. King heads outside where he grabs the contract and tries to grab the contract. That’s not going to work for Lennox, who takes King back inside, where the Coronation gives King the quick win at 2:57.

Post match Tre Bearhill chases King off.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his feud with Dijak and wants to settle it in NXT Underground.

Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

Riley Osborne is leading the cheers in the Chase U student section as Jayne takes Dame into the corner. A rollup gives Dame two as Hail is very fired up on the apron. Dame clotheslines her way out of trouble and hands it off to James for some knees to the ribs. It’s back to Dame or another clothesline but Jayne gets in her own shot, meaning it’s the hot tag off to Hail. House is quickly cleaned, including a springboard bottom rope backsplash for two. Osborne approves as Hail Kimuras James…but Dame came in off a blind tag. A big boot finishes Hail at 3:51.

Rating: C. The idea of Hail having a crush on Osborne and her excitement messing with her attention is an interesting way to go and I’m curious to see where that goes. James and Dame aren’t the greatest team but at least they have been together for a few weeks now and could be built up with some kind of a business relationship. Not exactly a great match but at least they kept it moving.

Roxanne Perez is annoyed at Kiana James and Izzi Dame and gets in a fight with Arianna Grace over them.

Andre Chase is gambling with OTM and wins a lot of money, but offers to put up the money double or nothing over a tag match between Chase U and OTM next week. Scrypts says as a bonus, if OTM wins, they get a Tag Team Title match, which they can apparently authorize. The D’Angelo Family’s associate comes in and says everything is on. Hudson doesn’t look convinced and Chase doesn’t seem to have the best idea.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against a to be determined member of the No Quarter Catch Crew, but here is Gallus to interrupt, with Joe Coffey saying he wants in on this too. Works for Lee.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Joe Coffey vs. Charlie Dempsey

Lee is defending and gets sent to the apron to start. Back in and Coffey throws Lee but misses a middle rope elbow. Dempsey gets headbutted own but Gallus’ distraction earns them an ejection. Coffey grabs a suplex on Lee and we take a break. Back with Lee grabbing a hurricanrana and knocking Dempsey into the corner. Dempsey fights up and drops Lee but has to slug it out with Coffey.

With Coffey getting the better of things, he goes up top but gets uppercutted out of the air. That leaves Dempsey to suplex Coffey, who is suplexing Lee at the same time. Back up and Lee DDTs Dempsey but gets headbutted into the corner for two more. Dempsey is knocked outside so Lee can knee Coffey in the head for two. Lee is knocked to the floor this time so Coffey hits a dive…as a smiling Joe Gacy pops out from underneath the ring. Gacy pulls Coffey under the ring, leaving Dempsey to tabletop suplex Lee for two. Lee is able to come back with Operation Dragon to retain at 12:12.

Rating: C+. The action was good and they had an exciting enough match, but I’m not a fan of just throwing someone in there to make it into a triple threat. It felt like they were just adding something for the sake of adding it to make it different. Lee getting wins is a good thing, but have him beat one of the Catch Crew and then one of Gallus in separate matches rather than changing what they announced in the first place.

Post match Gacy runs off but the No Quarter Catch Crew jump Lee. Cue the LWO for the save.

Trick Williams rants to Carmelo Hayes about Ridge Holland because if he wins, it might make New Year’s Evil a triple threat. Hayes: “Someone should have thought of that!” They need a way to take the title from Dragunov.

Cora Jade announces her return to the women’s locker room and takes over Karmen Petrovic’s locker. With Jade gone, Petrovic comes in and isn’t pleased. Gigi Dolin tells her to go after Jade.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Luca Crusifino vs. Tavion Heights

Heights, the amateur wrestler, takes Luca down without much trouble and then suplexes him for a fast two. A neckbreaker gives Luca the same and another neckbreaker gets another two. Back up and Heights grabs a powerslam, followed by a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C. These two have been on NXT LVL Up for months now and it is clear that Heights is someone WWE wants to push in a big way down the line. He’s one heck of an athlete and has the amateur wrestling background which should take him a pretty long way. At the same time you have Luca, who has an interesting gimmick with the wrestling lawyer deal, but then he doesn’t really do anything with it and that stops having any kind o an impact.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport, focusing on their paths here, with Valkyria fighting the right way and Davenport doing anything to get to the top. They meet in two weeks at New Year’s Evil.

Valkyria is ready when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she’ll deal with Tatum Paxley for Valkyria, but she wants the Women’s Title too.

The Meta Four is happy this season because Noam Dar isn’t scared of Josh Briggs.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Tatum Paxley

Lyons takes her to the floor to start and fires off the chops until Paxley sends her hand into the steps. Back in and Paxley is right back on the arm, including a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Lyons kicks her in the head, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. Something like a German suplex puts Paxley down again and a kick to the chest makes it worse. Lyons hits the splits splash for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Well that happened. Paxley did something interesting last week when she went after Lyra Valkyria but then got wrecked by Lyons here. Whatever she had last week is more or less squashed immediately, which isn’t the most thrilling development. Lyons is back and seems ready to move into the title picture, but I can’t get my head around how ridiculous her new gear looks. It’s like some genie outfit that didn’t get finished and it’s a big distraction.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready for Gallus.

Fallon Henley is livid at Tiffany Stratton, who has never had to work a day in her life. Henley swears revenge and storms off. Josh Briggs is ready for his Heritage Cup Title match but asks to do it on his own. Jensen isn’t thrilled but agrees.

Tank Ledger/Hank Walker vs. Gallus

Hank works on Mark’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Wolfgang so Walker comes in to work on the arm. Wolfgang gets sent into the corner for a splash but tags out and offers a fast distraction. Walker is knocked out to the floor and comes up holding his shoulder, meaning Wolfgang has a target. Back in and Mark gets kicked away, allowing Ledger to tag himself in, but the referee says no because he was WAY too far down the apron. Therefore no tag, meaning Mark can kick Walker in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. That’s certainly points for a creative ending, as I wouldn’t have thought of that happening in WWE, even if it is by the standard rules of wrestling. I’m really not seeing it with Ledger and Walker, as their every man deal isn’t working. Gallus isn’t exactly great, but they’re the better option here and could be put back into the title hunt sooner than later.

Joe Gacy is watching Gallus from the Chase U student section.

Dijak is in for NXT Underground against Eddy Thorpe.

Tiffany Stratton calls Fallon Henley a servant in society and swears Henley will NEVER be her. Henley will always be trash, so they can fight at New Year’s Evil. When Stratton wins, Henley can become her servant.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ridge Holland vs. Ilja Dragunov

Non-title. Dragunov’s running shoulders stagger Holland but his running shoulder puts Dragunov down. A hard clothesline drops Dragunov again but he’s back up with some hard chops in the corner. An Alabama Slam drops Dragunov, who shrugs it off and rolls some German suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Holland striking away to take over, including a clothesline to knock Dragunov out of the corner. A suplex is countered into a DDT and the H Bomb knocks Holland silly. Holland gets in another shot of his own and tries a suplex but settles for something like a DDT. Hold on though as Dragunov is badly shaken up and the referee calls in the medics, with the match being stopped at about 10:30.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match here and then they went with the rather scary ending. Having what is hopefully a storyline injury in a match is one thing, having a neck injury from the hands of Holland is quite another when he might have accidentally ended Big E.’s career in the same way. I’m really not a fan of this and while the crowd reacted very well, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.

The arena goes silent as Dragunov is taken out on a stretcher, with the title being laid on him, and he is wheeled out to end the show. Of note: this has been reported to be a storyline injury rather than a legitimate injury.

Overall Rating: C. Ignoring everything at the end, this was a rather flat episode with nothing that stood out, save for the surprise of Henley beating Stratton in a heck of an upset. Other than that though, you had a few matches featuring rookies or lower level talent, which didn’t make for the most entertaining show. Granted it was a taped show, but that didn’t exactly make for a good week. We have another of these next week and that’s not exactly compelling after this less than stellar effort.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Tiffany Stratton – Sunset flip
Lexis King b. Dion Lennox – Coronation
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail – Big boot to Hail
Dragon Lee b. Joe Coffey and Charlie Dempsey – Operation Dragon to Dempsey
Tavion Heights b. Luca Crusifino – Spinning belly to belly
Nikkita Lyons b. Tatum Paxley – Splits splash
Gallus b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Jumping kick to Walker
Ilja Dragunov vs. Ridge Holland went to a no content when Dragunov was injured

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

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

NXT
Date: December 12, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re done with Deadline and that means we have less than a month to go before New Year’s Evil. Thanks to Blair Davenport and Trick Williams winning the Iron Survivor Challenges, their title shots are set for the first show of the year. Other than that, Dragon Lee is the new North American Champion and we could be in for a hot ending to the year. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes arrive, with Williams bragging to reporters about how clutch he is. As he brags about getting ready for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil, Hayes walks inside by himself.

Long Deadline recap.

Carmelo Hayes has been attacked and is clutching his knee.

Here is Cora Jade to say that the sun finally emerged from the clouds on Saturday because she is finally bad. Everyone has been tweeting her every day and wanting her back, and even though they hated her back then, they love her now. Now she is all anyone is talking about but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt. She knows Jade hasn’t changed in recent months but things around here have.

Valkyria isn’t the woman Jade used to mess with because she is now the Women’s Champion. Cue Blair Davenport to interrupt, saying she’s the Iron Survivor and the time is ticking on Valkyria’s reign. Cue Nikkita Lyons to say she remembers what Davenport did in the parking lot and the fight is on. That sounds tag teamish for later tonight.

We recap Meta Four and Fallon Henley/Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs getting in a fight at Deadline.

Dragon Lee says the North American Title win hasn’t sunk in yet but it’s incredible. Unfortunately it came after an injury to Wes Lee so Dragon wishes him a speedy recovery. Tonight, the title is on the line and he’ll find out his challenger tonight.

Meta Four vs. Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

Jakara Jackson is here with Meta Four. The villains jump them to start and Jensen might have hurt something early on. We settle down to Henley shoving Legend and trying a choke, which is powered into the corner. Everything breaks down and the villains clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Dar grabbing a chinlock on Jensen, who fights up but gets hit in the knee, which was banged up during the break. Jensen manages to get in a clothesline and the tag brings in Henley as everything breaks down. The women crash out to the floor but here is Tiffany Stratton to go after Henley. They fight to the back as Briggs comes in to clean house, including the always stupid big boot that makes your opponent DDT his partner. A hard lariat gives Briggs the pin on Dar at 11:00.

Rating: C+. That should set up Briggs for a Heritage Cup shot, where he will likely lose because Dar must hold that thing until the end of time. Other than that, we should be in for a good fight between Stratton and Henley, who at least didn’t take the fall here to keep Legend’s build going. Nice six person tag here, as we’re getting some fresh blood moving up the ladder a bit.

Carmelo Hayes’ knee seems to be ok and he’s medically cleared to compete on Smackdown. He thinks he knows who it is and he’ll call that person out in the ring. Trick Williams is ready to be at his side but first he has to take care of Ilja Dragunov. They’ll each handle their own business and everything is cool.

We meet the Men’s Breakout Tournament entrants….and here is Lexis King to jump Trey Bearhill with a chair.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Myles Borne vs. Oba Femi

Borne tries to pick up the pace on the much stronger Femi and hits a dropkick to the back. Some stomping gives Borne two but Femi power up with a running elbow in the corner. A powerslam gives Borne two out of nowhere but Femi puts him down on the apron. Back in and a pop up powerbomb finishes for Femi at 3:36.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one but Femi had the power to make things interesting. He’s already in the final four and putting him in the finals seems like a possibility. For now though, the powerhouse with the great look gets to move forward and that should be enough to generate a bit of interest for him.

Nikkita Lyons comes in to see Lyra Valkyria before their tag match tonight and as usual, no one talks like this. Lyons opens Valkyria’s locker and finds a picture of Valkyria and Becky Lynch….with Tatum Paxley’s face taped over Becky’s. Seems to be news to Valkyria.

Tiffany Stratton is sick of Fallon Henley, who usually serves people like Stratton. Violence seems implied.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against…..Tyler Bate. They shake hands to start until Bate takes him down with a headlock. Stereo blocked kicks to the ribs and stereo dropkicks get them nowhere so it’s a double clothesline to send us to a break. Back with Bate knocking him to the floor setting up a big dive. They get back inside where Lee hits a superkick to put him outside again, meaning it’s a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and the very extended airplane spin gives Bate two, followed by the rebound lariat for the same. Lee snaps off a rebound German suplex into the top rope double stomp but the powerbomb is countered. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a sunset flip to give Lee two, followed by Destino to retain at 10:50.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to get Lee’s title reign going as Bate is someone who has enough of a reputation to give Lee a nice rub. Lee seems to be one of the next big things for WWE and it is smart to see him getting a few wins. They have a long way to go with him but at least they are off to a nice start.

Respect is shown post match.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are happy with their win but Fallon Henley wants to hurt Tiffany Stratton. Briggs thinks he’s up or the Heritage Cup but Jensen says that’s not Briggs’ style. Eh he’ll do it anyway.

Lexis King and Ava are outside Shawn Michaels’ office where they talk about how everyone in the tournament wants to hurt him. That’s cool with King, who is put into the tournament to replace Trey Bearhill. Works for him.

Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe

The brawl is on in the aisle before the bell and they send each other into different things. The fight goes inside for the opening bell….and Dijak (who is bleeding from the side of the head) sends him into the corner so hard that the turnbuckle breaks. Dijak hits him with the turnbuckle for the DQ at 53 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Dijak unloading on Thorpe’s ribs.

We go to Chase U, where it’s time to see how much money they have made. The bake sale and car wash brought in a little over $300, with Duke Hudson pointing out how much the interest on the loan is on is own. Thea Hail is excited to see an upcoming match and is off to watch in the student section. With Hail and Jacy Jayne gone, Scrypts comes in with a briefcase and a proposition for Chase, who seems interested.

Cora Jade and Blair Davenport argue over who will win the Women’s Title but they’re ready to team together tonight.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Keanu Carver vs. Riley Osborne

Osborne is part of Chase U and Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne are in the student section. Osborne takes him down to start and hits a standing moonsault for two, with Carver sending him lying. A heck of a clothesline drops Osborne and a fall away slam sends him flying. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Osborne fighting up (Hail approves)…until a Pounce drops him hard. Osborne knocks him off the top though and a shooting star press gives him the pin at 3:24.

Rating: C. Osborne is someone who has shown quite a bit of potential on NXT LVL Up and it doesn’t surprise me that he won here. Having Hail be interested in him makes things more interesting so they already have something for him. Nice enough match too, with Carver’s Pounce looking great.

Drew Gulak and company interrupt Dragon Lee in the back and since Lee is going to defend the title every week, they accept. Lee can find out which one he’ll face next week.

Thea Hail comes up to Riley Osborne and clearly has a thing for him. Jacy Jayne tries to coach her but he’s off to take a shower. Jayne isn’t sure how well she did but here are Kiana James and Izzi Dame to mock Hail’s lame efforts.

Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade/Blair Davenport

Valkyria rolls Davenport up for two and it’s off to Jade, who gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Lyons comes in and gets to power Davenport around but Jade gets away. Davenport gets in a takedown of her own and grabs the chinlock as we take a break. Back with Jade handing it off to Davenport, who gets kicked away without much trouble. Valkyria comes back in to clean house…but here is Tatum Paxley to stare at Valkyria. The distraction means a high crossbody misses before Valkyria and Jade get sent into each other. Davenport knees Valkyria down and Jade steals the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a mess and it really didn’t work that well. Jade pinning Valkyria is fine, but Jade didn’t exactly steal the show and Lyons, with her weird genie looking gear, looked completely out of place. This needed a bit more Davenport, who might not be great but is at least more polished. Not great here and the weakest thing on the show so far.

Post match Paxley shoves Lyons down and awkwardly holds Valkyria. So we have a new stalker?

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger run into Gallus and say they have more heart than Gallus put together. Walker and Ledger leave, with Joe Gacy popping up as a forklift driver to talk about heart. This, believe or not, was dumb.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows. Of note: Drew Gulak and company are dubbed the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He talks about how Deadline was a movement and he nominates the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge as the Match Of The Year. He’s ready to come through in the clutch again but here is NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov to interrupt. Dragunov praises him for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and acknowledges Williams’ momentum. Williams is ready to win the NXT Title in three weeks but Dragunov isn’t so sure about that.

Dragunov is ready to do whatever it takes to retain the title but here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says he knows who attacked Williams, because it’s the same person who attacked him earlier tonight. Dragunov goes to leave but gets a not so fast from Hayes….who says Dragunov is the attacker. Dragunov denies the allegations and Williams would like some proof too. Hayes wants to know who got more out of splitting up the team and lays out how well it has gone for Dragunov.

That earns him another denial from Dragunov, who suggests that Hayes might not have been attacked in the first place. Dragunov says Williams needs to talk to Hayes, who gets a bit more aggressive while saying Dragunov doesn’t deserve the title. Hayes goes to grab the title and winds up hitting Williams in the face. This is an interesting way to go as they’re cranking up the drama on the way to a title match which could go either way. Nice job.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a different kind of show but once again they had a focus. This time, that focus was on building things for the future and giving us something new. In this case, we have the Breakout tournament, Williams as the new big challenge for the title, Briggs and Henley getting some new pushes and Lee seemingly being set up for a weekly title match. That’s a nice way to get the ball rolling on the future, but now they need to actually make that happen, particularly at New Year’s Evil. Good show here, at least from a building for the future show.

Results
Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Meta Four – Lariat to Dar
Oba Femi b. Myles Borne – Pop up powerbomb
Dragon Lee b. Tyler Bate – Destino
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak via DQ when Dijak used the turnbuckle
Riley Osborne b. Keanu Carver – Shooting star press
Cora Jade/Blair Davenport b. Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria – Knee to Valkyria’s head

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

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NXT
Date: December 5, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means we have one spot left in both of the Iron Survivor Challenge matches. Those will likely be filled in tonight and that should make for some interesting matches to get us to Saturday. Other than that, the rest of the Deadline card could use a final push so let’s get to it.

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

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Fallon Henley vs. Kiana James

Jacy Jayne is here with Hail. Perez and James brawl to start, which continues a fight they had at the Performance Center earlier this week. With James down on the floor, the other three fight over a test of strength until James and Perez brawl outside. Henley hits a suicide dive but gets dropped by James as we take a break.

Back with the Tower Of Doom (with Hail getting the worst of things) but Perez crossbodies James down. Pop Rox is broken up so Perez knocks James to the floor again. The announcers’ table is loaded up with Perez and James crashing off the barricade and through said table. That leaves Henley to Shining Wizard Hail for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. This was more about Perez vs. James and that is not a bad thing, especially with Henley getting one of the bigger wins of her career. She hasn’t had the greatest success rate but she seems like she is capable of doing so much. That leaves Hail in the cold, but she has the whole Chase U ordeal in front of her anyway. Good opener here, as they kept the action going.

Lyra Valkyria is ready for whomever comes out of the Iron Survivor Challenge. Lola Vice comes in to tease cashing in her title shot tonight, though Tatum Paxley pops in for a threat of her own.

Here is Wes Lee, on a cane, for a chat. He was looking forward to winning the North American Title back but the fans supporting him will not bring back the feeling in his legs. He is going to need surgery and time and he isn’t sure when you will see him again. No matter what though, he will be back. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later.

Cue Dominik Mysterio to say Lee is hurt again and he’ll have to be gone for so long. Dominik says he’ll have a night off but Lee says not so fast. Rey Mysterio pops up on screen to say that Dominik will be defending the title at Deadline, with Rey there in person. Dominik will be defending against….Dragon Lee, who comes in to chase Dominik off. Well that’s awful, and hopefully Lee is back to full health sooner than later.

Kiana James is in the trainer’s room and wants to get her hands on Roxanne Perez again. Cue Perez for the brawl.

The Men’s Breakout Tournament begins next week.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They go with the grappling to start and Vice takes her down for a hip attack to the head. Paxley catapults her throat first into the ropes for two and a spinebuster out of the corner gets the same. The body scissors keeps Vice down but she pulls Paxley into a quickly broken kneebar. Vice strikes her into the corner for a hip attack and two, followed by a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. They kept it quick and to the point here with Vice picking up a win, but at least Paxley got in some offense of her own to keep it from being a squash. The point here was building Vice up on the way to her title match though and that worked well enough. If nothing else, a good kick to the head is a nice way to make a champion feel threatened.

Of note: during that match, commentary announced that Wes Lee’s recovery time from back surgery is 8-12 months.

Last week, Axiom and Nathan Frazer didn’t quite agree on Frazer’s loss and agreed to fight again. Granted they’ll be friends afterwards.

Baron Corbin isn’t worried about Ilja Dragunov tonight.

NXT Anonymous shows a video from October 17 of Trick Williams leaving Carmelo Hayes, who texted someone after he left.

Joe Gacy annoys commentary.

Alpha Academy vs. Meta Four

Dar backs Gable up to the ropes to start but gets slammed down for his efforts. Mensah comes in and gets chopped a few times, followed by an armdrag into an armbar. It’s off to Dupri for a suplex to Legend before Otis comes in to suplex Mensah and Dar. Everyone brawls on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Gable suplexing Dar and it’s back to Otis to wreck more people. Mensah gets crushed with an elbow so it’s back to Legend….who slams Otis in quite the impressive feat. Dupri comes in and suplexes Legend for two, only to have Otis catch Legend on the floor. That leaves Dupri to dive onto the pile, leaving Gable to ankle lock Dar for the tap at 11:07.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match and they kept things going the whole time. That’s all you need from a match like this, with Legend slamming Otis being a rather awesome moment. Gable beating Dar in the end should set him up for another Heritage Cup win and my goodness it is long overdue or him to win the title, as Dar has held that thing for the better part of ever.

Gallus ran into Tank Ledger and Hank Walker at the bar, where a challenge was made for next week.

Ava leaves Shawn Michaels’ office and announces that Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez is on for Deadline. To make sure it’s violent, we’ll put them inside a cage.

All five entrants in the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge (Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, Blair Davenport, Kelani Jordan, Fallon Henley) are in the ring to say why they are going to win. Stratton says she is the favorite in the match and the future because she sees four participation trophies and one winner. Jordan knows she’s an underdog but no one here has ever been in an Iron Survivor Challenge either.

Legend doesn’t like any of them but she’s been training with Noam Dar and knows about winning multiple falls. Davenport brings up the women she has injured and threatens to be even more vicious. Henley offers to beat them all up. They all argue, Byron Saxton gets annoyed that they’re arguing, and the big brawl breaks out. This was to the point and Legend continues to be one of the most annoying humans in wrestling history.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

They start fast and trade flips with neither being able to get very far. Axiom catches him with a sliding German suplex but dives into a nice superkick for two. Frazer is sent outside for the big dive but the Iron Survivor Challenge women fight to the ring and it’s a no contest at 2:06.

The brawl continues until Nikkita Lyons runs out to deck Davenport.

Andre Chase hosts a Chase U assembly to explain the situation. Chase himself put them in this position and the school is officially on academic probation. Any students who enrolled after the investigation began will no longer be eligible for financial aid. Thea Hail wants to know how much Chase owes, with Chase saying it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a loan plus interest because he went through a third party.

Chase promises to get the school out of debt and we get some suggestions to make money. Like a bake sale! A car wash! A crash course on avoiding financial crisis (a male student suggests this and Jacy Jayne has to get Thea Hail’s attention back)! Chase promises the debt will be paid. This is a story that is going to see more and more revealed week by week and that makes it more interesting. We still need to know who Chase owes and how Tony D’Angelo/Stacks tie into everything, though that might be one in the same detail.

Trick Williams wants answers from Carmelo Hayes about the footage from earlier. Hayes will answer after this.

Lexis King says the camera always finds him but he’s not going to interfere in Carmelo Hayes’ match, because he doesn’t mess with his friends’ matches.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey vs. Eddy Thorpe

Thorpe is coming in with bad ribs so Coffey goes right after them. Hayes cuts that off, leaving Bate and Coffey to slug it out. Coffey swings Bate to no avail so it’s Hayes coming back in for a springboard spinning clothesline to Thorpe. Everyone goes to the corner, with Thorpe hitting a double high crossbody. All four are down and we take a break.

Back with Thorpe stealing a cover on bate for two with Coffey making the save. Thorpe’s brainbuster gets the same on Bate with Coffey saving again. Thorpe goes to the floor to drop Bate again but charges into a spinebuster onto the steps. Back in and Hayes grabs a top rope sunset flip to Coffey to send Bate flying. A Codebreaker hits Bate for two but Coffey knocks Hayes out of the air. Bats grabs a quick Tyler Driver 97 to pin Coffey and go to Deadline at 11:10.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the earlier match in that they kept things moving and didn’t waste time with a bunch of filler. Bate is always a safe choice to put near the title picture as he can be elevated into a main event spot out of nowhere. Hayes already has Williams to worry about and Coffey vs. Thorpe could be a nice feud as well. Good stuff again here, with the right choice for the winner.

Post match Bate promises violence on Saturday, when Dijak interrupts. After kicking the still injured Thorpe down again, Dijak threatens Bate but Bron Breakker interrupts. We get the usual threats but here is Josh Briggs to say he likes being underrated. Trick Williams comes out as well and the brawl is on.

Post break, Williams asks Carmelo Hayes if he sent the text to Lexis King to take him out. Hayes again denies it and says he would never work with King. To prove it, Hayes will take King out at Deadline (again through Ava, who seems to be some new liaison to Shawn Michaels).

Here are Baron Corbin and Ilja Dragunov for a face to face chat. Corbin promises to win the title and mocks the size difference. Dragunov is ready to fight but says he’s containing himself because if he lets himself go now, there will be no title match at Deadline. Dragunov accuses Corbin of wanting the title to keep up his obsession with materialistic possessions. That sends Corbin into a nice rant about how he’s been around for eight years through ups and downs.

Corbin knows Dragunov is about to lose it because he misses his family and tells Dragunov to do something about it. He even loads up the table in the corner so Dragunov can drop him but nothing happens. Corbin calls him a coward, so Dragunov….hugs him, saying that the only person who can destroy the dragon is the dragon himself. Corbin is confused to….well almost end the show, as the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge participants brawl to ringside. Breakker spears Williams through the table to end the show.

That was a very different way to do things and I really like Dragunov turning the tables on Corbin. At the same time, there might be something in a Corbin face run down the line. That promo about always being here no matter what had a lot of potential in it and I could see people cheering him if he did more like that at some point.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ve said this many times before but this is where NXT shines. They ha a bunch of things to cover here and did every single one of them, from making me want to see where everything is going. They added to the two Iron Survivor Challenges, unfortunately had to change a title match, pushed the rest of the card and furthered some stories for after Deadline. That is one heck of a way to spend two hours and they even had a bunch of good wrestling. Very nice show this week, and hopefully Deadline can live up to the hype.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Thea Hail, Roxanne Perez and Kiana James – Shining Wizard to Hail
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning kick to the head
Alpha Academy b. Meta Four – Ankle lock to Dar
Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer went to a no contest when the Iron Survivor challenge women brawled at ringside
Tyler Bate b. Carmelo Hayes, Eddy Thorpe and Joe Coffey – Tyler Driver 97 to Coffey

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

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

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

NXT Heritage Cup: Chad Gable vs. Noam Dar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Xia Li vs. Lyra Valkyria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lyra Valkyria says the title match is still happening.

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

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

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

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

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

Iron Survivor Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Blair Davenport

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

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

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

Charlie Dempsey vs. Eddy Thorpe

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Xia Li

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT
Date: November 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and now it is time to start getting ready for Deadline. That will be the case this week, as a group of legends will begin considering the participants in the qualifying matches for the Iron Survival Challenge. Other than that, we have the Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week.

Heritage Cup: Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

Tozawa, with the rest of the Alpha Academy (to counter Dar’s Meta Four), is challenging. Round one begins with Tozawa grabbing the wrist but getting caught in a front facelock. Dar rolls Tozawa up for two and kicks away but Tozawa fires up and kicks him in the head. The Meta Four offer a distraction though and Dar hits a superplex but can’t cover in time. Round two begins with Tozawa striking away but he misses a kick. That’s enough for Dar to grab a rollup and go up 1-0 at 30 seconds of the round and 4:02 overall.

Dar gets in a cheap shot between rounds and we take a break. Back with Round three ending after the time runs out but Dar elbows him in the head a few times after the bell. Round four begins with Dar hitting a running shot to the head for two but Tozawa escapes the ankle lock.

They go outside for a bit and come back in with Tozawa grabbing the ankle lock for the tap to tie it up at 1:39 of the round and 10:18 overall. Round five starts with Tozawa hitting some Helluva Kicks and something close to an angle slam for two. Tozawa blocks a kneebar and hits a German suplex but Lash Legend pulls Dar away from the top rope backsplash. The Nova Roller retains the title at 2:22 of the round and 13:14 overall.

Rating: C+. I for one am shocked that Dar retained the Cup 2-1 as it’s not like he has ever done that before in the history of his reign. I’m incredibly tired of this whole thing as it has been done to death and even when Dar lost the Cup, he got it back due to reasons of pathetic. They’ve covered just about everything they can with this stuff and it would be nice to see them move on already.

Post match Oro Mensah goes after Tozawa but the Alpha Academy makes the save.

Shawn Michaels has allowed Mick Foley to pick some Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches. Therefore tonight it’s Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton and Dijak vs. Tyler Bate.

Lola Vice brags about her win last week but Kelani Jordan says Elektra Lopez plays a big role. Other women argue until Roxanne Perez comes in for the Spanish argument. This was the latest edition of “women who can’t act recite lines that no human would ever use”.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for her first comments as Women’s Champion. She says people will tell you to never meet your heroes but those people have never met Becky Lynch. A lot of people want the title but here is Xia Li from Raw to interrupt. She reminds Valkyria what happened to Becky last night on Raw, so Valkyria says bring it.

Tyler Bate is ready for Dijak.

Fallon Henley is ready for Tiffany Stratton and she’ll do it on her own.

The Alpha Academy will be back next week to be on Supernova Sessions when Drew Gulak and company come in. Insults are exchanged, with Otis telling Gulak to stretch this. The result is Gulak vs. Otis tonight.

A referee says Shawn Michaels has ordered him that there will be a winner between Von Wagner and Bron Breakker tonight.

Iron Survivor Challenge: Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

They fight over a lockup to start with Henley pulling her away from the ropes for a crash. A half crab sends Henley bailing to the ropes before she goes up top. Henley superplexes her right back down for two and the half crab goes on again. That’s broken up again so Henley hits her in the face as we take a break.

Back with Henley kicking her in the head for two but Stratton picks her up for a LAUNCH through the ropes. They get back in with a sitout spinebuster giving Stratton two, followed by a nasty looking leg crank. Henley gets dropped in the corner but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses. Stratton kicks her into the buckle though and a chop block sets up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. I like Henley a good bit but it wasn’t her place to win here. Stratton is a far bigger star and it makes a lot more sense to put her forward into the big Deadline match. That match is going to need a big lineup and Stratton being in it makes sense. That being said, I could go for more of Henley as she has a certain spark to her that would work quite well.

The dancing Wes Lee is back and has a list of things to accomplish, but here is Baron Corbin to interrupt. Corbin mocks Lee, who says Ilja Dragunov is going to beat Corbin up.

Bron Breakker says Von Wagner needs to be worried.

Dijak is ready for Tyler Bate.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. The fight is on fast with Wagner slugging away and kicking him down on the floor. Back in and Wagner hammers away until Breakker knocks him away. The beating is on and Breakker grabs the Recliner, only to have Wagner drive him into the corner for the escape. A big boot gives Wagner two and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Breakker is back with a low blow though and it’s time to go after Stone. Wagner makes the save but gets taken down. The spear finishes Wagner at 5:28.

Rating: C. They did the right thing here by having it be a fight instead of a match as this is a personal feud. It was also right for Breakker to go over, as not only is he a bigger star than Wagner but he’s coming in at full strength. Not much of a match, but they beat each other up, as they should have done.

Post match Stone comes in with a chair shot to Breakker and the fans know pain is coming. Wagner makes the save and powerbombs Breakker through the announcers’ table.

Carmelo Hayes looks back at Trick Williams’ return last week but once again denies being the attacker. Williams wants answers tonight and Hayes will give them to him.

The Brawling Brutes walk the streets and say they grew up here, just like OTM. They’ll fight next week.

Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice vs. Roxanne Perez/Kelani Jordan

Hold on as here is Arianna Grace to say she wishes everyone luck. Lopez takes Perez down and grabs a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Jordan comes in to dropkick Lopez but a running hip attack in the corner cuts that off fast. A crossbody gets Jordan out of trouble and it’s back to Perez to pick up the pace. The villains come in for stereo hip attacks to the head but Perez is right back up. Jordan gets to come back in and clean house with Perez hitting Pop Rox on Lopez. With Perez taking Vice out on the floor, Jordan hits the split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C. This match had a fast pace but they didn’t exactly have much of a flow going on. It was a string of people being knocked down and getting right back up to do something else. Jordan gets the win to save some face as she seems to be moving up the ladder rather quickly around here. I could go for Perez having a more important feud though, as she hasn’t been doing anything significant as of late.

Post match Grace tries to announce the winners but gets jumped from behind by Karmen Petrovic.

Joe Gacy talks about anger issues.

Ilja Dragunov talks about how hard it was to beat Carmelo Hayes last week but now he’s waiting for Baron Corbin.

Corbin is watching in the back and mocks Dragunov, plus some tag teams who don’t think much of him.

Otis vs. Drew Gulak

All of their friends are here too. Otis shakes his way out of a headlock to start and powers Gulak into the corner. A missed charge sends Otis into the post though and Gulak grabs a triangle choke back inside. The powerbomb escape lets Otis escape with a powerbomb and a hard belly to back suplex drops Gulak again. Some spinning back elbows set up the Caterpillar and a jackknife finishes Gulak at 4:25.

Rating: C. This was little more than a “hey here’s a fan favorite in a short match” match and that’s perfectly fine. Otis has gotten over with his weird antics and he beat up someone who doesn’t do much around here. There is a good chance that we’ll see more from these guys and their friends and that might not be a bad idea.

Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James don’t like Roxanne Perez or Fallon Henley but they both know who is winning Iron Survivor.

Jacy Jayne is at Chase U when some mafia looking people bring in a letter for Andre Chase. With the mafia gone, Jayne opens it and sees something shocking but Chase comes in to take it away. Duke Hudson and Thea Hail come in but Jayne and Chase don’t say anything about what just happened.

Chase dismisses class (because this happened in front of a class) and after everyone leaves, he opens the letter and looks worried. So does the Family own the school or something? Vic: “Sounds like we may have a rematch next week for the tag team gold.” 1. How did he get that out of what we saw? 2. Hudson already said they Tony D’Angelo/Stacks would get a rematch.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Tyler Bate vs. Dijak

Bate goes right after him to start but Dijak nails a right hand. Some boots to the face (as in Bate grabs his own boot and swings it into Dijak’s head) stagger Dijak and Bate sends him to the floor for the big dive. Not that it matters as Dijak swings him over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Bate hitting something like a fisherman’s superplex but walking into High Justice for two. Bate is fine enough to hit the airplane spin for two and they trade shots to the face. The rebound clothesline gives Bate two but Dijak launches him with a release suplex. Dijak goes up but gets flipped backwards…and sticks the landing, setting up the cyclone boot for two. Neither finisher can connect so Bate goes up, only to dive into Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here and that shouldn’t be a surprise. I like Dijak going over in something of a surprise, though again it wouldn’t shock me to see Bate finding a way into the match. For now though, you had Dijak’s pure power against Bate’s variety of stuff and it made for a good fight. They were laying it in near the end and that made things all the better.

The other legends who will make qualifying match picks: Lita, JBL and Jerry Lawler.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, who asks Trick Williams to come out here and talk about what is happening between them. Williams comes out and Hayes says that he understands what Williams is going through. Hayes talks about their history and says there is no him without Williams, who cuts him off. Williams says he did everything to make Hayes a star, with Hayes saying it worked.

That’s true, but Hayes was the only one winning. Where was Hayes when it was Williams’ turn to win? Williams seems to ask him about the attack but Hayes cuts him off and talks about how much he has praised Williams over the years. That sends Williams into a bit of a rant about Hayes not being there when Williams needs him. Williams didn’t see who attacked him but all he knows is he didn’t get his shot at the NXT Title.

Hayes is stuck on Williams not seeing who did it, so Williams flat out asks if Hayes did it. Hayes asks if Williams wants the truth….but here is Lexis King to interrupt. Williams and Hayes tell him to mind his own business, though King says it seems we know who did it. It might be someone else trying to make his name though, and King wants Williams to say what everyone else is thinking. Williams swings at King but hits Hayes by mistake. Vic: “He was aiming for King….wasn’t he?” Williams hugs Hayes, who doesn’t look happy to end the show. That added something, though I’m not sure how interested people are in King.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of a mixed bag, as the wrestling wasn’t the best, but they covered quite a bit of stuff. We had a title match, a grudge match and some qualifying matches, all with the big Hayes/Williams deal at the end. It might not be the most important edition, but I want to see where these things go and that is a good sign on the way to Deadline.

Results
Noam Dar b. Akira Tozawa 2-1
Tiffany Stratton b. Fallon Henley – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Roxanne Perez/Kelani Jordan b. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice – Split legged moonsault to Lopez
Otis b. Drew Gulak – Jackknife powerbomb
Dijak b. Tyler Bate – Feast Your Eyes

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

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 27, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I’ve been digging the recent changes to the show as they have been running two matches, allowing for a bit more time. That helps a good bit as the matches could use the extra quality. It also helps to have some slightly bigger names around here and hopefully that continues this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jacy Jayne vs. Izzi Dame

Thea Hail is here with Jayne, who sends her into the corner to start. Dame tries to fight back but gets pulled down by the hair, giving us a crotch chop from Jayne. Back up and Dame gets in a hot shot into a big boot for two. The neck crank goes on and the fans are already wanting Jayne to get up. They get what they want as Jayne sends her into the buckle for two but gets caught with a basement dropkick for two. Dame grabs a cravate but Jayne is right back up with a discus lariat for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. Jayne is really clicking into this new role as the still slightly bad heroine and that is something that could work well for her. She has been looking for something new since Toxic Attraction split up and maybe this is it. If nothing else, at least Chase U seems to be having some success and if Jayne’s turn is how they get there, so be it.

We look at Axiom beating Riley Osborne in a heck of a match two weeks ago.

Osborne is ready to run it back and hopes the outcome is different.

Axiom vs. Riley Osborne

They fight over wrist control to start and trade some spins to escape. Axiom gets him to the mat and cranks on the arms but can’t keep the shoulders down for two. Osbourne flips over but he gets knocked to the apron, only to come back with a slingshot shoulder. Back in and Axiom takes him down, setting up a half and half suplex.

A running kick to the chest gets two and Axiom powerbombs him out of the corner for two more. They go outside with Osborne bouncing off of the announcers’ table, only to run Axiom over for two back inside. Axiom catches him on top though and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Golden Ratio for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was another good match between the two as they do have chemistry and Osborne has gotten a lot of mileage out of the two match series. It wasn’t quite as good as the first one though, which might be due to the expectations. That being said, it’s something close to continuity around here and that is nice to see.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show better be careful or it is going to become worth something. They had a bit of continuity and the first match had a somewhat bigger name involved. That’s something I have been waiting on for well over a year now and it is great to see something, even the slightest bit of something, starting to develop around here. Nice show, and keep this kind of thing going.

Results
Jacy Jayne b. Izzi Dame – Discus lariat
Axiom b. Riley Osborne – Golden Ratio

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: October 10, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

Normally this is where I would start up the intro but I’m not sure if there is room given all of the special guest stars on the show. This very well may be the most stacked NXT in history as John Cena, Asuka, Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman are all confirmed, with a potential Undertaker visit as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. After soaking in some cheers, Rhodes talks about the Women’s Breakout Tournament. Since it has been so cool, we need to have a men’s tournament, meaning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be returning at the conclusion of the men’s tournament! He’s not done though, as Shawn Michaels has made him the guest General Manager for the night!

Cue Ilja Dragunov to welcome Cody to the show and say how much he appreciates what Cody is bringing tonight. Now it’s Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio interrupting, with Dominik saying the people are here to see him. Dragunov wants to know why Dominik is here when no one likes him. Oh and Dragunov’s father used to work in a prison, so he knows how to turn Dominik into a puppy.

Dominik issues a challenge for the title tonight, but Cody thinks that means Dominik doesn’t want the North American Title on the line. Dragunov is ready to smash Dominik so Cody makes the title match. Oh and let’s have a special guest referee. It’s not Cody, but rather LA KNIGHT!

Asuka vs. Roxanne Perez

Shotzi comes out to join commentary as Perez gets in a quick takedown but has to duck a kick to the head. Perez grabs a headlock as Shotzi announces that she and Scarlett will be hosting night one of Halloween Havoc. Asuka fights out and the fans let Perez know that she f’d up. Perez knocks her to the floor but the dive is cut off with a forearm. A missile dropkick gives Asuka two and the Kawada Kicks rock Perez again.

An armbar goes on as Shotzi is almost giddy over getting to be back for Halloween. Perez grabs a Russian legsweep and Asuka is sent outside, where a suicide dive drops her again. A middle rope crossbody gets two on Asuka but she’s right back up with a kick to the ribs. The Asuka Lock goes on but Perez flips backwards to escape. Instead Asuka kicks her in the head for the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C+. This was an example of a veteran being better than an up and coming star but it was more one sided than it needed to be. Perez got in some offense but it felt like Asuka was toying with her before finishing things off at the end. Asuka is a bigger deal and still active in WWE, but it might not have been the best idea to have Perez look terrified of her.

Post match respect is shown but Kiana James runs in to jump Perez. Shotzi makes the save.

Gallus gets fired up.

Tyler Bate and Butch get fired up. Ridge Holland comes in to fire both of them up.

Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes vs. Gallus

Pub Rules match, which appears to mean street fight. Gallus jumps them from being to start and the fight is on fast, with Booker saying it’s a fight instead of a match. Therefore, the weapons, including some pub items around ringside are rather logical. Butch stabs Joe’s finger with a dart and Holland trashcan lids Mark in the back. Holland isn’t done yet and blasts him with a fire extinguisher shot. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so Bate can roll a bowling ball at his head.

Butch has hurt his leg on the floor and Joe headbutts him into the steps. Bate makes the save but gets dropped face first onto the apron. Gallus puts Butch through a table and we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the stomp onto Wolfgang’s arm, leaving everyone to stand up for the big slugout. Butch moonsaults down onto Mark as Joe and Wolfgang get caught in stereo airplane spins.

The good guys hit the stereo forearms to the chest, followed by stereo Bop And Bangs back inside. A German suplex gets two on Mark but Butch misses a slingshot dive. Instead Wolfgang hits a running flip dive in the general vicinity of Butch and Holland. Back in and Joe loads up a piledriver on Bate but instead turns it into a kind of standing Boston crab (that’s a new one).

Holland makes the save with a pool cue and the triple submissions have Gallus in trouble. All three are broken up and the fans are all approving. An enziguri/powerslam combination gets two on Butch so of course it’s table time. Holland backdrops Mark and Wolfgang outside but Joe is back in with a spinning high crossbody. All The Best For The Belles drops Butch but a mug to the face knocks Joe silly. A triple powerbomb through the table finishes Joe at 11:48.

Rating: B-. This was exactly as advertised and it worked well as a result. Sometimes you need to have two tams beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you got here. The standing Boston crab and triple powerbomb looked good and I had a lot of fun with this one. Good stuff here and I could go for more of Bate with the Brutes.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria, focusing on their similar histories in Ireland and paths to WWE. We see clips of them training together and wrestling in the same rings for a rather nice bonus to their story. They’re set for the NXT Women’s Title match in two weeks on the first night of Halloween Havoc.

Tegan Nox interrupts Valkyria, who says Nox was so close to winning the title last night. Nox says that’s why Valkyria’s title match has to wait, which doesn’t sit well with Valkyria.

Here is John Cena for a fired up entrance as the fans are singing his theme song. Cena talks about how this place is often described as the future but look at what is going on around here. LA Knight is a referee, Cody Rhodes is in charge and we just turned the place into a pub (he’s still waiting on his pint). It is his honor to be allowed to share this space with these people tonight and he’s not unique in that case.

That’s why Cody Rhodes and LA Knight are here, but we pause or a THANK YOU CENA chant. He thanks the fans for creating an environment that the WWE stars want to visit. Yes they are Smackdown and Raw, but WE ARE NXT. Cena jumped at the chance to be here when Carmelo Hayes called because they both believe in hustle, loyalty and respect, but here is Bron Breakker to interrupt. The fans give him a BRON BREAKKER SUCKS chant and Cena (“I’ve heard this song before!

It’s so much cooler when the lyrics are changed!”) thinks this place has turned into a karaoke bar. Breakker says the people are here to see him, but Cena says everyone knows the business is in Breakker’s blood. Anyone can see that he is athletically gifted, but anyone can see that he lacks respect. Cena calls this a teachable moment because he’s excited for Breakker’s match tonight. The handshake is offered but Breakker drops Cena, only to miss the spear. The AA doesn’t work either as Breakker leaves.

Cody Rhodes runs into Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, who have a problem. They want their next challengers and suggest a tag team battle royal for the next title shot. Rhodes likes the idea and the title match can take place at Halloween Havoc. Everyone seems pleased.

Baron Corbin thinks Ilja Dragunov is ducking him and says everyone around him is all the same. LA Knight’s music cuts him off though and it’s time for a title match.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio

Only Dragunov is defending, Mysterio has Rhea Ripley in his corner and LA Knight is guest referee. Dragunov takes him down for a headlock to start but Dominik fights up and grabs one of his own. Ripley approves as Dominik slugs away, only to get chopped rather hard. That’s enough for Ripley to offer a distraction, meaning Dominik can get in a thumb to the eye to take over. We take a break and come back with Dragunov breaking up the Third Amigo.

The fans prefer the referee as Dragunov’s elbows give us a double knockdown. The 6 1 Line puts Dominik down and Dragunov grabs a waistlock to stay on the ribs. A suplex sends Dominik flying and Ripley is looking worried. Dominik manages his own chop in the corner and the fans think he has screwed up. Dragunov unloads on him in the corner but has to duck a quick 619 attempt.

A kick to the head rocks Dominik but he’s right back with the 619 (Vic: “This can’t be real.”) for two. Dragunov scores with a superplex, only to have Dominik roll out to the apron. That means a DDT can drop Dragunov onto said apron but he’s right back with the powerbomb. The H Bomb connects….and here is Finn Balor for a distraction. Knight gets rid of him so Ripley tries a belt shot to Dragunov. Trick Williams comes out to cut Ripley off, allowing Dragunov to hit Torpedo Moscow and retain at 11:58.

Rating: C+. This is a weird situation as there is very little reason to believe that Dominik can hang with Dragunov one on one. Therefore the interference was necessary, even if it made things that much more insane. That’s the right way to go here, as Dragunov needed another reason to believe that the title might be in danger. It’s good to see Dominik getting this far though and he was more than holding his own here. Knight was only around to do something in the end but the fans loved him, even if he took the focus away from the match more than once.

Post match Baron Corbin’s music hits but as he comes out, cue Dijak to kick Dragunov in the face. Dijak tells Corbin that he beat him to it.

John Cena and Carmelo Hayes share some respect in the back. Trick Williams comes in and Carmelo apologizes for not being there for him last week. Williams says it’s not the time for that because Cena is here. Cena: “You mean you can see me?” Williams and Hayes are going to get their titles back and Cena completes their catchphrase. With Hayes gone, Cena asks Williams if he’s ok, which he says he is. Williams does ask Cena when he knew it was his time. Cena: “Let’s talk.”

Earlier today, Paul Heyman tried to talk to Ava (who would be part of Roman Reigns’ family”.

Jade Cargill arrives and is greeted by Shawn Michaels.

Baron Corbin talks to Cody Rhodes in the back and requests a match with Ilja Dragunov or the title at Halloween Havoc. Instead, Cody makes it a triple threat with Corbin, Dijak and the winner of Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker. Baron isn’t happy, but Cody says booking isn’t easy.

Nathan Frazer and some others mock Dominik Mysterio for his loss. Rhea Ripley says Dominik is still champion so only his opinion matters.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Lola Vice vs. Dani Palmer

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They trade missed kicks to start and we get an early standoff. Vice takes her down into a headscissors and grinds away but Palmer fights up. Palmer tries a leapfrog but gets superkicked out of the air (that looked good). The running hip attack connects in the corner for two and the bodyscissors goes on. Palmer fights up and hits a middle rope spinning crossbody, only to miss a corkscrew moonsault (she landed on her feet). Vice pulls her into a triangle choke but Palmer flips over for two instead. Back up and Vice hits a kick to the head for the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a back and forth match as much as a chance for both of them to get in a few of the things they’ve learned to do. That being said, both of them have talent to make them stand out. They’ll need some more seasoning though and that is going to take some time. Vice winning makes sense as she seems a bit further along, but Palmer looked fine out there as well.

We go to Chase U, where Thea Hail returns. Jacy Jayne told her to come back to class and she agreed, but only if Jacy came too. Jayne, in Chase U red and black, sits down as we hear about Halloween Havoc. The women start chattering and distract Chase (who even gets the location of this year’s Wrestlemania wrong). Then a student gets caught using his phone, sending Chase into a rant. Jayne gets yelled at as well, but she reveals that Chase and Duke Hudson are in next week’s tag team battle royal. Jayne says they’ll have so much fun.

Paul Heyman pops in as Bron Breakker is warming up. We get the hype speech, but Breakker says he doesn’t care who is in his way, because he’ll break them all. Breakker leaves and a pleased Heyman calls Roman Reigns.

We get the TV watching vignette, which reveals that he is the son of Brian Pillman. He talks about how many people talk about his dad, but he has no memories of him. His dad died when he was four and he doesn’t want to be a wrestler but there is no escaping this industry. Now he has to wreck havoc on this business, under the name of the man who really raised him. That man’s name was King, and so was his. Pillman Jr. looked so much like his dad here that it was hard to believe.

Various women come up to see Asuka until Tiffany Stratton interrupts, cutting off Fallon Henley in the process. Stratton tells Asuka to let her know if she needs anything and talks down to Henley again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker

John Cena and Paul Heyman are here too. Heyman gives Breakker quite the hyped up entrance, as you kind of knew he would do. Carmelo ducks to start as the fans keep singing. Breakker is fine enough to powerslam him out of the air and it’s time for the hard shoulders in the corner. Back up and Carmelo scores with a springboard clothesline for a needed breather as we take a break.

We come back with Breakker cranking away on the ribs. Breakker misses a charge in the corner but grabs something like a top rope DDT onto the turnbuckle. A fireman’s carry gutbuster gives Breakker two more so he loads up Cena’s finishing sequence. Carmelo cuts off the Five Knuckle Shuffle with a superkick. A suplex cutter gives Carmelo two as Heyman is panicking.

Carmelo goes up but Breakker runs the corner and hits a….something like a facebuster for two more. The gorilla press powerslam gives Breakker another near fall so it’s time to go outside. Breakker grabs the steps but Cena takes them away, just as Solo Sikoa comes out to brawl with Cena. Back in and Nothing But Net finishes Breakker at 12:03.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and that was on display here. It’s a power vs. speed match and that’s going to work almost every time. They beat each other up with everything else going on around them, though Hayes winning makes more sense. Breakker still feels like he’s treading water until he leaves for the main roster, but that has felt like the case for a long time now.

Post match Breakker spears Carmelo down and says there is only one bada** in all of WWE…..and here is Undertaker (Biker Edition) to interrupt. Breakker calls him an old timer (my goodness the Steiner is strong in that voice) and Undertaker says Breakker will have a future. It’s just not today. Breakker gets chokeslammed, and Undertaker says there is always someone bigger and badder. Undertaker hugs Carmelo to end the show. Of all the people to do that to, Breakker was the only option they had?

Overall Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this show as it was more about the guest stars than anything going on with the regular cast. They set things up for next week but this was about Cena, Heyman, and everyone else who popped up as guest stars. That made for one of the more unique shows NXT has ever had, though I’m not sure if that is a good thing. The show wasn’t about what was going on but rather who was here, which made for a not exactly great show. Good enough, but only the main event was on that higher level.

Results
Asuka b. Roxanne Perez – Kick to the head
Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes b. Gallus – Triple powerbomb through a table to Joe Coffey
Ilja Dragunov b. Dominik Mysterio – Torpedo Moscow
Lola Vice b. Dani Palmer – Kick to the head
Carmelo Hayes b. Bron Breakker – Nothing But Net

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: October 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with No Mercy and that means we are on the way to the two week spectacle that is Halloween Havoc. The big story is Ilja Dragunov taking the NXT Title from Carmelo Hayes, but Dominik Mysterio also lost the North American Title to Trick Williams. The latter has a rematch tonight and Rhea Ripley is back as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

We open with a long rematch from No Mercy.

Here is Becky Lynch, arm no longer in a sling, to open things up. She’s still not medically cleared to compete, but neither if Tiffany Stratton after the beating she gave her. Now she’s thinking towards the future though, and that is the first night of Halloween Havoc. She knows she has Tegan Nox first, but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt.

Valkyria talks about Becky making her NXT debut in 2014 and it was the first episode of the show she ever saw. It made her start training and she can’t believe how far Becky has taken Irish wrestling. Valkyria would love a title shot but here is Indi Hartwell to say she never lost the title. Roxanne Perez comes out (with Becky doing a motion of “come on down”) and says she wants the title back too. Becky says we’ll just do a triple threat for the Halloween Havoc title shot.

We look at the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament brackets:

Kelani Jordan
Izzy Dame

Arianna Grace
Jakara Jackson

Karmen Petrovic
Jaida Parker

Dani Palmer
Lola Vice

Tyler Bate/Butch vs. Gallus

Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Butch takes Mark down to start but Wolfgang gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. Wolfgang comes in but Butch takes over on his arm, allowing the tag to Bate and a double arm stomp. A double arm snap puts Mark on the floor and a double Bop and Bang puts Wolfgang outside too as we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the ten forearms to Mark and then diving on Joe. Bate comes in for the airplane spin to Wolfgang as everything breaks down. Butch hits a moonsault to the floor and Bate adds a dive. Back in and double butterfly powerbomb finishes Mark at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was more or less a squash as Gallus barely got in any major offense. That being said, losing to a team like British Strong Style is hardly a terrible result and Gallus going away a bit could be nice for the time being. At the very least, Bate and Butch going forward as a regular tag team has some serious potential.

Post match Gallus runs in for the beatdown but Ridge Holland makes the save.

Here is Ilja Dragunov for a chat (but first he slips on the ropes on the way in). After the MELO MISSED chant, Dragunov praises Carmelo Hayes and talks about how hard Hayes pushed him. This championship reign will be a symbol of unparalleled passion. Cue Trick Williams to interrupt, saying he’s here because he won a title at No Mercy too. Williams says he isn’t stopping, but here is a limping Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Is he slipping or is Williams thanking Dragunov after Hayes praised him for months?

Hayes talks about his history with Williams and praises him for his title win. Defending the title is another level, which has Williams asking if Hayes thinks he can’t do it. Hayes says that’s not what he means but Dragunov asks what Hayes did mean. Dragunov says this was a champions’ conversation but Hayes says Williams needs to be focus on Dominik Mysterio.

Cue Dominik, with Williams saying he’s going to take Dominik out tonight. Dominik accuses Williams of being 6’4 and 240lbs, but he’s still in Hayes’ shadow. Hayes offers to have Williams’ back tonight but Williams says he’s going to do it himself, which Hayes seems to understand.

Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

For a title shot at Becky Lynch, on commentary, in three weeks. Indi misses a double clothesline to start and gets sent outside. That leaves Valkyria and Perez to go to the mat, with Perez rolling her up for two. Hartwell is back in and sends Valkyria outside, leaving Perez to roll her up for two as well. Perez spins around her into a headscissors to the floor but Valkyria breaks up a dive. Valkyria’s dropkick through the ropes hits Perez but Indi blocks another one. Perez dives onto Valkyria, only to get dropped by Indi as we take a break.

Back with Perez hitting a high crossbody on Indi and dropkicking Valkyria into the corner. A Russian legsweep gets two on Valkyria and hammers away on Indi but Valkyria dropkicks both of them down. Valkyria suplexes Perez for two but she’s right back with a super hurricanrana for two. Cue Kiana James to pull Perez to the floor but Lynch drops her. That leaves Valkyria to hit a top rope splash for the pin on Indi at 11:54.

Rating: B-. It has felt like Valkyria has been ready to become the new breakout star in NXT for a long time now and giving her the title shot against Lynch on the big stage will be a major step for her. I’m not sure if she wins the title, but she at least gets a chance. Perez has established herself as a player so the loss doesn’t really hurt her. I still don’t quite get the appeal of Hartwell, but she was perfectly fine here for the most part.

Post match Tegan Nox comes out to point at both of them.

Carmelo Hayes runs into Bron Breakker, who asks where Trick Williams was when Hayes lost.

Ilja Dragunov gets his side plates on the NXT Title when Baron Corbin comes in to remind Dragunov that he beat him not too long ago. He’s coming for the title.

Blair Davenport vs. Gigi Dolin

Dolin jumps her from behind during their entrances as ringside is still full of smoke. Back in and the bell rings with Dolin hammering away but Davenport cuts her off. A kick to the back gives Davenport two and they head outside again. Davenport misses a chair shot ad the referee takes it away again back inside. The distraction lets Dolin grab a rollup for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much and they were trying to cram in a bunch of stuff at once. Davenport has hit quite the wall in recent months and this was another hit for her. She’s still good as a villain, but after feeling like she should have jumped up the ranks, she’s losing to Gigi Dolin in less than four minutes. The match was mainly a way to have Davenport get more annoyed, meaning this will continue.

We look at Roxanne Perez winning the Women’s Breakout Tournament last year.

Kiana James is tired of people hearing about Perez because she was in the tournament as well. If Perez wants to fight her, she has to win a match next week. Against Asuka.

We meet the roster of the Women’s Breakout Tournament.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Izzy Dame vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan’s sunset flip attempt is blocked to start and Dame sends her throat first into the middle rope. Some shoulders in the corner keep Jordan in trouble and we hit the chinlock with the arm trapped. Dame grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker but Jordan slips out. A 619 armdrag sets up some dropkicks to put Dame down. Jordan hits a high crossbody for two but Dame boots her down for two. Back up and Jordan sends her into the corner, setting up a split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the smoothest match and while Jordan wasn’t great, she was the better of the two options. These tournaments have a tendency to be about one or two people and Jordan making a run would not be the biggest surprise. At the end of the day, the women’s division needs some fresh blood and we might be seeing it here.

Chase U runs into Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne, with Andre Chase offering to be in Hail’s corner for her tag match. Jayne: “So, like a chaperon?” Jayne thinks it’s not a bad idea and Hail goes along with it, despite some reservations.

We get another vignette of someone watching TV, this time with several second generation wrestlers included. We also see part of a reflection when the TV is turned off. This is the same vignette that aired at No Mercy, or at least close to it.

Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez

Chase U is here too. Hail mocks Vice and Lopez’s dancing entrance. Hail strikes away at Vice to start but Lopez gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Vice as Hail is up with a dragon screw legwhip. Vice breaks up the tag though and knocks Jayne down on the apron. Hail gets over for the tag to Jayne without much trouble, meaning it’s a running neckbreaker for two on Vice. Back up and Vice gets in a shot of her own, allowing the tag to Lopez. That means a missed charge sends Lopez into the post and it’s back to Hail. A quick Kimura makes Lopez tap at 4:07. Chase U didn’t play a factor here.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and Hail being all mature but still intense is an interesting hybrid. I can’t imagine this ends with anything but a big Chase U reunion (having it all be Hail’s psychology project would be hilarious), though it’s letting Hail grow a bit. She could only be the crazy student for so long and this is certainly a different way to go for her. If they can give us the big feel good ending, it should work out just fine.

Carmelo Hayes has requested a match with Bron Breakker next week. Oh, and he’ll have a special guest in his corner: John Cena.

Also next week: Cody Rhodes, with a big announcement. Hey did I mention NXT is going head to head with Dynamite next week?

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is challenging in a No Mercy rematch. Williams shoulders and dropkicks him down to start as Ripley is not pleased. We take an early break and come back with the rest of Judgment Day coming to the ring so Dominik can score with a belly to back suplex. A middle rope corkscrew Swanton gives Dominik two and he chokes Williams on the rope.

Three Amigos are broken up and Williams hits a jumping neckbreaker for a breather. Williams hits a Rock Bottom but a distraction lets Dominik hit a DDT onto the belt for two. The 619 connects but the frog splash hits raised knees. Williams hits the running knee so here is JD McDonagh. He’s kneed down as well but Dominik gets the Money in the Bank briefcase. Balor gets in a belt shot and Dominik adds the frog splash to get the title back at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The match and arguably the result aren’t important here. What matters is NXT just made Trick Williams into a star in the last four days. Not only did he beat Dominik clean(ish) to win the title at No Mercy, but it took FIVE people and a belt shot to beat him here. Dominik is right back where he started while Williams is a star who will have a story with Carmelo Hayes coming out of this. Good stuff, and they made a star out of someone with potential.

Post match Paul Heyman pops up to say that since John Cena will be in Carmelo Hayes’ corner, Roman Reigns has told Heyman to be in Breakker’s corner next week. Well sure why not.

Overall Rating: B-. While the wrestling was very focused on the women’s division tonight, this was ALL about the announcements for next week (and maybe the title change too). WWE is going full blast against Dynamite next week and that is going to make for the biggest NXT in a long time. I’m curious to see how things go, but as for tonight, we had a good show coming off NXT, but it’s all about next week and they aren’t trying to hide it.

Results
Butch/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Double butterfly powerbomb to Coffey
Lyra Valkyria b. Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez – Top rope splash to Valkyria
Gigi Dolin b. Blair Davenport – Rollup
Kelani Jordan b. Izzy Dame – Split legged moonsault
Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne b. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice – Kimura to Vice
Dominik Mysterio b. Trick Williams – Frog 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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AND

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NXT
Date: September 26, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s a big night as this is the go home show for this weekend’s No Mercy event. That means we need a new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup, with Butch and Joe Coffey facing off for the title shot. Other than that, we’ll get the final push towards everything on Saturday, which should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Global Heritage Invitational Finals: Butch vs. Joe Coffey

The winner gets a Heritage Cup Title shot at Noam Dar (watching from a box with the Meta Four) and the rest of Gallus is here with Coffey. Butch takes him to the mat with a headlock to start before starting in on the arm. The stomp to the arm sets up a Fujiwara armbar but a Wolfgang distraction lets Coffey fight back. Butch flips out of a belly to back suplex and Gallus is ejected as we take a break.

Back with Butch working on the arm but Coffey knocks him down again. A German suplex drops Butch again but he’s back with an enziguri. Coffey stays up for a discus lariat to leave them both down. Coffey’s running headbutt sends Butch into the corner and All The Best For The Bells gets two. Butch is sent outside where he avoids a charge, sending Coffey into the steps. Back in and the Bitter End finishes for Butch at 12:41.

Rating: B. Butch is the better choice here as Coffey vs. Dar isn’t exactly a marquee matchup. There is always the chance of Butch winning the title and having him lose after winning this big, elaborate tournament would be a letdown. It’s still fun to watch Butch pick someone apart too and that is exactly what we got here in a good enough tournament final.

Dominik Mysterio, with a black eye, isn’t happy with having to defend against the winner of tonight’s triple threat on Saturday. First Adam Pearce is after him and now it’s Shawn Michaels.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are at their dinner and waiting on other tag teams to show up for their dinner. Los Lotharios are here first and get checked for weapons before they get to sit down. Angel Garza isn’t sure about the foot but they’re here for the titles anyway. Other teams are on the way.

Trick Williams vs. Joe Gacy

Ava is here with Gacy. Williams shoulders him down to start and scores with a dropkick. Gacy gets in a shot of his own and unloads with forearms on the mat. The chinlock goes on but Williams is right back up. A leg lariat puts Gacy down but he slips out of a slam and hits a corner elbow. The Upside Down is broken up though and Williams hits a running knee for the clean pin at 2:27. That’s an upset, especially at that speed.

Post match Williams says he’s behind Carmelo Hayes, but Hayes already has his title. Now Williams wants his own.

Blair Davenport doesn’t like Gigi Dolin jumping her from behind. She’s coming for her.

Chase U is worried about Thea Hail when they run into Jacy Jayne. They ask about Thea, who pops in with her new outfit. She’s happy with the new her but Chase U isn’t impressed. Jayne promises more.

Josh Briggs vs. Baron Corbin

Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley are here too. They brawl to the floor to start with Briggs getting the better of things. Back in and Corbin hits a big boot to take over and hammers away. Briggs gets in a few shots but runs into End Of Days for the pin at 2:58.

Post match Corbin calls out Bron Breakker for No Mercy. Cue Breakker and the brawl is on with security breaking it up.

Trick Williams goes into Shawn Michaels’ office.

Long video on Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton, with Stratton saying she’s already sick of Lynch.

Lucien Price/Bronco Nima vs. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker

Ledger takes Nima into the corner to start and Ledger adds some running shots of his own. A slingshot splash gets two on Nima but he comes back with a heck of hook kick to the head. Price comes in for a running crotch attack on the rope but Ledger gets the tag and cleans house. Everything breaks down and the assisted Alabama Slam finishes Ledger at 2:48.

Blair Davenport jumps Gigi Dolin in her locker room.

Back to the dinner and Los Lotharios want the Tag Team Titles. The Creed Brothers come in and Brutus is already hungry. The Creeds make Mafia and Godfather references but some more people are coming.

Tyler Bate and Axiom are friends but they’re willing to fight for a title shot tonight. Trick Williams comes in to say the triple threat is now a four way. They’re cool with that.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

Strap match. They’re tied together and Dijak goes straight to the floor, with Thorpe diving onto him for the big crash. A middle rope dropkick takes Dijak down again but he knocks Thorpe into the corner to start the beating. Thorpe is sent outside for a crash and we take an early break.

Back with Thorpe slugging his way out of trouble and hitting a Cactus Clothesline. Dijak is fine enough to hit a chokeslam onto the apron and whips Thorpe into the barricade, where his family is watching. As his family is scared of what they’re seeing, Thorpe fights up and strikes away with the strap back inside, setting up a top rope elbow for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C. As a normal match this was pretty good but as a strap match, it was nothing. Other than a few whippings, the strap meant nothing here and could have been completely dropped without missing much. Thorpe winning is a good moment for him and it should end their feud. Dijak continues to lose big matches, but at least he’s getting the chance.

Post match Dijak jumps Thorpe again as I guess this isn’t over. Thorpe is tied in the Tree of Woe for a whipping.

Blair Davenport interrupts an update on Gigi Dolin and warns Dolin to think twice about messing with her.

Dani Palmer vs. Thea Hail

Hail is basically dressed like Jacy Jayne (who is here as well), so Booker T. talks about Hannah Montana. Hail takes her down for a splash to the arm and the wristlock goes on. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Palmer reverses into a rollup for two. Palmer drops her and goes up, only to miss the corkscrew moonsault. Hail grabs the Kimura for the tap at 2:10 to continue a string of short matches tonight.

Trick Williams comes up to Carmelo Hayes, who keeps texting while Williams talks about what he’s done tonight.

Barn Corbin and Bron Breakker get in another fight in the back.

Dragon Lee vs. Axiom vs. Trick Williams vs. Tyler Bate

For a North American Title shot at No Mercy. Williams gets knocked to the floor to start and Bate hits a big dive to take him out again. That leaves Lee to charge into Axiom’s elbow to the face, followed by a dropkick for a bonus. Axiom goes after the pile on the floor and Lee dives onto everyone. Back in and we get a three way submission, with only Axiom not in danger. Bate figures that out and breaks it up, leaving everyone free. Williams starts cleaning house (the fans approve), including a double flapjack to Bate and Axiom.

We take a break and come back with Axiom taking Bate down for two but Lee makes the save. Lee hits some corner dropkicks and a sitout powerbomb gets two on Bate. Williams clears out Axiom and hits a double Rock Bottom for two each on Bate and Lee. Bate is back up and airplane spins Lee and giant swings Axiom at the same time (of course he can) but Williams is back in and everyone is knocked down for a breather.

Lee knocks Axiom down again with a superkick and goes up top but Axiom catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly. The fans are VERY impressed but Williams comes back in. Lee headbutts Williams….and falls to the floor, leaving Williams to fall on Axiom for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: B. At some point you have to pull the trigger on someone new and that is what they did here with Williams. It makes things that much more interesting and I could go for seeing what he does against Mysterio. Williams has come a long, long way but at some point Lee and Axiom need to win something of their own. They’re both too good and getting such strong reactions that they almost have to try something with them. For now though, I’ll take Williams going to No Mercy.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, with Scrypts, arrive at the dinner and the champs make fun of Scrypts. Insults ensue and the four way title match is made.

Dominik Mysterio is ready for Trick Williams when Dragon Lee jumps him.

Carmelo Hayes is on his way to the ring when Trick Williams pops up. Hayes is proud of him and they’re both ready to win at No Mercy.

An unseen man is watching television, including the Cincinnati Bengals and WCW. Gee I wonder who that could be.

No Mercy rundown.

Here are Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes for the contract signing, with Dragunov almost hyperventilating over the sight for the belt. Hayes says there’s nothing left to say to each other so let’s just sign the deal. Dragunov talks about how Hayes is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, with Hayes saying it’s just like Dragunov at the Great American Bash.

Dragunov says Hayes took his best shot at the Bash and missed, which is why he needed the chair. Hayes talks about how being the champion isn’t about enduring pain but rather being undeniable and Him. He says that he’s different than everyone Dragunov has faced, like Wes Lee, Oro Mensah or….Trick Williams.

Dragunov knows Hayes just slipped up and signs the contract before saying Hayes can’t do anything at No Mercy. If Hayes wants to pus him to new limits, Hayes will find something he won’t forget for the rest of his life. Hayes signs as well and says the title is bigger than the two of them. He’s a beacon of hope for people who look like him. Dragunov can be champion, but he can’t do it better than Hayes.

One more thing: Dragon Lee will be guest referee for Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams at No Mercy.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker are still fighting in the parking lot. A car is opened and Breakker’s spear hits the open door, allowing Corbin to unload on him. Breakker shrugs off a low blow and grabs a choke as the fight heads inside. They crash through the wall of Shawn Michaels’ office and security finally breaks it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had one major job and that was to get me interested in No Mercy. With the show over, I’m a lot more interested in Saturday’s show than I was coming in and that makes this a big success. There were enough good matches here (along with some short ones) to get me interested and now if they can do well with a pretty stacked card, we should be in for a heck of a Saturday. Pretty awesome go home show here and I’m more into a show I didn’t care much about coming in.

Results
Butch b. Joe Coffey – Bitter End
Trick Williams b. Joe Gacy – Jumping knee
Baron Corbin b. Josh Briggs – End Of Days
Lucien Price/Bronco Nima b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Assisted Alabama Slam to Ledger
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak – Top rope elbow
Thea Hail b. Dani Palmer – Fujiwara armbar
Trick Williams b. Dragon Lee, Axiom and Tyler Bate – Williams fell on Axiom

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.