NXT
Date: September 28, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

It’s time to focus on the women’s division as we have several women’s matches taking place this week. This includes a pair of title matches, plus a grudge match. That’s the easy part though. The fun part is finding out how many new people can be brought in with little to no explanation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Hit Row to get things going. They run down tonight’s focus on the women’s matches and wonder why no one is coming after Isaiah Scott’s North American Title? B Fab is ready to take out Elektra Lopez, so here is Legado del Fantasma to make things serious.

B Fab vs. Elektra Lopez

No DQ and the brawl starts on the floor before the bell. B Fab kicks Lopez in the head and they’re outside in a hurry, with the guys getting in a big brawl of their own as we take a break. Back with a fight over a table, with Lopez driving it into B Fab’s ribs. They get back in with a bunch of weapons joining them. B Fab grabs some kendo sticks to swing away but Lopez crossbodies her through an open chair. Lopez drops her ribs first across the top of the open chair, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to put B Fab away at 10:05.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting match here and it worked well given how little experience both of them have around here. Again, I’m still not sure why the regular television shows are going more extreme than most of the Extreme Rules pay per view, but at least we are getting some better stuff this week.

We go to InDex’s honeymoon, with the two of them walking on the beach. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are watching from the balcony of a hotel room and LeRae suggests that more things are going to happen. Dexter seems to like how Indi looks coming out of the water and Gargano panics. Then a shark starts coming up from the water and…..yeah it’s Gargano with a shark fin on his head.

Here is Joe Gacy, to say that the ring is still a safe space and he has not been canceled. He has made a bigger impact than stars like Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker, because he didn’t throw a punch. Gacy speaks for a generation while the rest of them lives in a dark world. Then last week he was shunned, but now he is here to usher the world into a new normal. Woke, as written by WWE.

Xyon Quin vs. Oney Lorcan

It’s a 205 Live rematch and Quin knocks Lorcan outside to start. Back in and Lorcan runs him over, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Quin fights up with a Samoan drop and finishes with a running forearm at 2:58. They might have something with Quin, just based on his look.

Grayson Waller talks about being a thrill junkie who loves to take chances. Now he’s taking a chance by going after the Cruiserweight Title. Why are we getting these (good and useful) vignettes explaining people AFTER we’ve been confused by their debuts?

Here is MSK for a chat. They have been champions for awhile now and they are going to keep smoking the division. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans, who say that they want their two on two title shot but here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says they are going to be champions because he has the golden ticket. MSK is good with that but Zack Gibson wants to know why everyone is talking in riddles. Cue Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, who want in on this too. The brawl is on among the challengers and MSK hold up the titles. MSK really need challengers so this was a messy but necessary segment.

Raquel Gonzalez is ready for Frankie Monet but Toxic Attraction comes in, with Mandy Rose saying the title will look better on her.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Toxic Attraction vs. Io Shirai/Zoey Stark

Shirai and Stark are defending and Mandy Rose is here with the challengers. Shirai flips away from Dolin to start, though she can’t quite get the nip up right. The second takedown sets up a more successful nip up and it’s off to Jayne, who gets taken down in the corner. Stark comes in for some rapid fire rollups as commentary talks about how the champs never defend their titles. That’s because they don’t have much need to exist, but that has never stopped WWE before.

Stark chops her down and hits a slingshot Swanton for two. Dolin comes in off a blind tag and kicks Stark down but the champs are back up with some springboard dropkicks. Some dives to the floor have Attraction in trouble and we take a break. Back with Jayne hitting a running knee to Shirai’s face. Shirai is back with a kick to the face though and the tag brings in Stark to hit people in the face.

Stark gets knocked into the corner though and it’s back to Shirai to clean house again. A 619 sets up a springboard missile dropkick for two on Dolin as Rose is panicking on the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s Stark hitting her GTS on Jayne…and tagging out instead of covering for no apparent reason. Stark dives onto Dolin but stops to glare at Rose. Shirai hits the Moon Over Moonsault to retain at 12:43.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here, but that would mean a regular team holding the titles instead of a wacky tag team with nothing in common and that’s not how WWE rolls. Toxic Attraction is a fine enough idea and they can work well in the ring, though it seems like they’re only around as lackeys for Rose more than anything else.

Video on Bron Breakker, who still feels like Scott Steiner and wants to be NXT Champion.

Tommaso Ciampa joins us via Facetime to say that Breakker is talented but let’s hold off on the Hall of Fame induction for now. Breakker is a stud but it took Ciampa over 900 days to get back the title that he never lost. They’ll face each other one day and Breakker will drown in an ocean of inexperience.

Andre Chase vs. Boa

Chase doesn’t think much of Tian Sha and grabs an armbar to start. A suplex sends Boa flying and it’s time to stomp away. Chase puts on a chinlock and shouts that Boa has a lot to learn, but Boa is back up with some kicks to send Chase outside. Chase shouts a lot and then goes over to Mei Ying, who mists him in the face. Boa’s layout reverse DDT finishes at 3:09.

Rating: D+. Boa still isn’t great in the ring but at least they are pushing someone new. That’s the point of something like this, though you can expect Chase to keep getting the TV time despite him losing over and over. Chase’s gimmick isn’t the worst thing, but egads it’s another one where they beat you over the head with everything and that can get tiring.

Back to the honeymoon, with Johnny Gargano worrying about what could happen when InDex goes to their room. Gargano lies his way into the hotel room (Gargano: “Security around here sucks.”) and finds a bunch of condoms in Lumis’ bag. InDex comes back and Gargano hides in the closet as a pillow fight breaks out, complete with various statements that sound like….I think you get the idea. InDex takes a nap and Gargano leaves, with Lumis holding up the condoms and giving him a thumbs up.

Cruiserweight Title: Grayson Waller vs. Roderick Strong

Waller is challenging and comes through the crowd to jump Strong before the bell. A heck of a suicide dive takes Strong down and we take a break. We come back joined in progress with Waller hammering away until Strong dumps him outside for a breather. The abdominal stretch goes on to keep Waller in trouble but he fights out into pinfall reversal sequence.

Strong goes with his basics by hitting a backbreaker and the camel clutch goes on. With that broken up, Waller gets suplexed for two but manages to block a superplex attempt. Waller hits a top rope missile dropkick and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and Waller grabs a Stunner for two of his own, only to walk into a jumping knee to the face to retain Strong’s title at 6:19.

Rating: C+. This was a good showing from both of them, even though I’m not sure what the point was in having Waller go from a heel on 205 Live to a face here. That being said, at least he’s doing something and I’ll take what I can get. It’s nice to have the title being defended a little more regularly and Strong is going to be good at anything he does.

LA Knight doesn’t like Odyssey Jones coming in here and talking about the uncrowned NXT Champion. Cue Jones to scare Knight and say that Knight has never seen anything like him. Andre Chase walks by to complain about the lack of a DQ, allowing Knight to jump Jones.

Dante Chen is from Singapore. This is the extent of his character.

Cora Jade and Trey Baxter are excited for her match next week. She’s only twenty years old and is ready for the future. They seem rather happy together.

Moving on from happy to unhappy, we have the debut of Lashing Out With Lash Legend, who is on a stage with an audience. She goes over various topics in NXT, such as the Draft (allowing her to talk about her WNBA career), Trey Baxter/Cora Jade and her Lash Out of the Week, which is Andre Chase. We’re done in a hurry, which is probably a good thing. I’m assuming this is a parody of a daytime talk show and it was every bit as bad.

Ridge Holland vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly jumps Holland before the bell and we take a break (again). We’re joined in progress with Holland working on the ribs and hitting a backbreaker to keep O’Reilly in trouble. The bearhug goes on but O’Reilly fights out in a hurry and starts striking away. Holland plants him face first though and grabs a powerbomb for two. O’Reilly knocks him down again and goes up but Pete Dunne offers a distraction. Not that it matters as O’Reilly grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. What we got was pretty good, but the same match setup as the Cruiserweight Title match isn’t exactly a positive sign. O’Reilly as someone who fights from underneath and survives against a monster is smart, though not so much with Holland losing twice in a row. Then again, he’s kind of perfect for the main roster so a promotion wouldn’t shock me.

Post match the beatdown is on but Von Wagner makes the save.

Tony D’Angelo is still on the docks, is still in the mob and is still talking about his family. The difference this time: he debuts next week.

Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Frankie Monet

Monet, with the rest of the Robert Stone Brand, is challenging. Gonzalez gets headlocked down to start and then powers her off without much trouble. Another hard toss has Monet in trouble so it’s out to the floor, where Gonzalez gets pulled off the steps for a crash. Back in and some running knees to the back have Gonzalez in more trouble and a suplex gives Monet two.

Monet cranks on part of a surfboard and then kicks her down for…well no count actually as Gonzalez’s shoulders aren’t down. Back up and Gonzalez drops Monet for a change, setting up the spinning Vader Bomb for two. Gonzalez’s back gives out though and Monet double stomps her for two of her own. Not that it matters as Gonzalez is back up with the Chingona Bomb for the retaining pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here but the segment with Toxic Attraction earlier was kind of a giveaway. Monet losing like this is a little weird, but it would not surprise me at all to see her going straight to the main roster. She’s one of the stars who absolutely does not need NXT so it isn’t the worst idea.

Post match Monet and company go to leave but here is Toxic Attraction to jump them from behind. With Monet dispatched, Toxic surrounds Gonzalez and beats her down, allowing Mandy to hold up the title to end the show. Assuming you ignore them losing earlier this show, this was an effective segment.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this a good bit better than last week’s show, if nothing else because they slowed WAY down with the whole thing. There weren’t a bunch of people being tossed out there and it felt like we were seeing wrestlers who had debuted being put into place. The Gargano/InDex stuff is going to be hit or miss, though I’m sure there are people who find it funny. Overall, the show felt much more structured this week and while it is still a bunch of newer people who aren’t quite ready for these spots, it felt WAY more like NXT than whatever the last two weeks have been.

Results
Elektra Lopez b. B Fab – Blue Thunder Bomb
Xyon Quin b. Oney Lorcan – Running forearm
Io Shirai/Zoey Stark b. Toxic Attraction – Moon Over Moonsault to Jayne
Boa b. Andre Chase – Reverse layout DDT
Roderick Strong b. Grayson Waller – Jumping knee to the face
Kyle O’Reilly b. Ridge Holland – Rollup
Raquel Gonzalez b. Frankie Monet – Chingona Bomb

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205 Live
Date: September 10, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

This is going to be the last show in the old school Capitol Wrestling Center as things will be upgraded next week due to NXT, assuming the taping schedule isn’t that far behind. 205 Live has been undergoing some changes as of late and we might even be in for some more non-crusierweight action. Let’s get to it.

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

Valentina Feroz vs. Katrina Cortez

They go with the grappling to start and throw each other down for an early standoff. Feroz grabs a headlock takeover as we hear about her loss against Kay Lee Ray. A rope walk headlock takeover keeps Cortez in trouble and it’s off to an armbar to change things up a bit. That’s broken up though and Cortez sends her to the apron for a kick to the back. A double arm crank goes on but Feroz is right back up with some judo throws. Cortez manages to grab a quick Boston crab but that’s broken up as well, with Feroz hitting another throw. A DDT finishes Cortez at 5:33.

Rating: C-. This was a shorter match than usual but it’s the kind of thing that 205 Live can be better served as in a big way. These are two potential upcoming stars on NXT so let them be on this show and get some exposure and experience. That isn’t a hard concept to understand but for some reason it took this long to make it happen.

Joe Gacy/Josh Briggs vs. Odyssey Jones/Trey Baxter

Baxter tries to go fast to start with Gacy and a dropkick sends Gacy into the corner. Briggs comes in to toss Baxter around but he brings in Jones for the battle of different sizes. A running shoulder drops Briggs and Jones grabs a bearhug. That’s broken up so Gacy comes in to try a double suplex, which just isn’t happening. The villains are sent outside with Baxter diving onto Gacy but getting kicked in the face by Briggs.

Back in and Briggs suplexes Baxter for two and Gacy grabs a chinlock. Baxter fights up and somehow manages a half nelson suplex but Gacy isn’t having any of this hot tag nonsense. Briggs sends him hard into the corner and we hit another rough chinlock. Gacy puts on a camel clutch but Baxter gets a leg out and jawbreaks his way to freedom. A roll over to the corner allows the hot tag to Jones to clean house. Jones gutbusters Briggs to the floor and there’s a double splash to Gacy. Briggs comes back in and gets caught by Jones’ kind of spinebuster for the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C. I was a bit surprised that Briggs and Gacy took the loss here as they have been pushed on 205 Live, but Jones (and maybe Baxter) are the future NXT stars so this makes sense. While I’m not much of a fan of the big/small wacky team deal, this feels like a one off idea instead of anything permanent. The star power was stronger here too so nice job.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable show, with the cruiserweights being a detail instead of the focal point. That’s what this show has needed to be for years now and it is very nice to see the change that should have taken place. The show itself was fine, but above all else it gave me some hope for some minor interest around here for a change.

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205 Live
Date: September 3, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

I’ve all but given up trying to figure out what to expect from this show, but this time around we actually know what is coming. This week’s show was taped last week and WWE actually gave us a preview last week. No it doesn’t mean anything, but it is kind of nice to have for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

Cora Jade vs. Amari Miller

You don’t see women in action very often around here. Jade sits down on a skateboard and rides down to the ring for a unique entrance. Miller grabs a wristlock to start but gets headlocked over as they start technical. Back up and they fight over a test of strength until Miller flips her over with a judo toss. Jade misses a running knee in the corner and gets caught with a Backstabber.

A kick to the face gives Miller two and it’s off to an armbar with a knee in the ribs. That’s broken up and they trade forearms with Jade getting the better of things to take over. A Gory Stretch spun into a knee to the face sets up a running knee to Miller’s face for two. Miller isn’t having this though and grabs a cravate so she can drive Jade’s face into the knee for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C-. It was completely fine, but again the important thing here is mixing things up. You can get a lot out of mixing things up like this and it was nice to have something fresh. 205 Live can get so stale so bringing in some of the women (or just unused NXT wrestlers) can mix things up a bit. Both of them worked well enough and I liked it fairly well.

Josh Briggs vs. Joe Gacy

Rematch from a few weeks back where Briggs beat Gacy. They shove each other around to start with neither getting much of an advantage. Gacy drives him into the corner and hammers away but Briggs is right back with an elbow to the face. A side slam into a splash gives Briggs two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Gacy headbutts his way out of trouble but gets knocked hard outside. Gacy gets tossed back in and this time he runs Briggs over with a shoulder. Some hard clotheslines against the ropes set up a Crossface to put Briggs in real trouble for a change. That’s broken up though and Briggs nails a running big boot for two. Back up and Gacy hits the handspring lariat for the fast pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. This was more like it as you had two hosses beating each other up for a good while. Briggs has been around a few times as of late and it has been nice to see him getting to beat people up. Gacy can do his thing as well and it makes sense to have him even the series. This is likely setting up a rubber match, which should work out well.

Xyon Quinn vs. Andre Chase

I guess this is the extended edition. Quinn recently upset Boa on NXT so he has some momentum. Chase has to spin out of a wristlock to start but gets run over with a big shoulder. The rag dolling is on and Chase’s armdrag is blocked with ease. Quinn misses a charge into the corner though and Chase grabs a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Chase goes with a Hennig necksnap for two instead. We hit the neck cranking for a bit until Quinn fights up and snaps off a Samoan drop. A torture rack neckbreaker finishes Chase at 4:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash but it was never in doubt. Quinn is pretty close to a beast and I could go for seeing more of him in the future. It’s a good sign that his win over Boa wasn’t treated as just a fluke, so hopefully he gets to do something else. I’m sure Vince will approve of someone with that kind of a look so we might be seeing him again sooner rather than later.

Overall Rating: C+. This is what I’ve been wanting to see from 205 Live, as it felt like an NXT showcase rather than just putting a bunch of people out there because they’re on the roster. 205 Live has needed to be more like this for a long time as this is a lot more useful than just running two cruiserweight matches. The cruiserweights can be on the show, but there is no need to have it be entirely built around them. This was better, and it gives me some hope. Throw in the 29 minute run time and it’s even better.

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205 Live
Date: August 20, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

I think we can officially that we are now in the new 205 Live, which has nothing to do with weighing 205lbs and isn’t live. That could mean a few things and most of them seem to be positive. What matters here is putting on a show that is entertaining while not overstaying its welcome, which may or may not work. Let’s get to it.

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

The show is in such a state of flux that it has lost its opening sequence.

Andre Chase vs. Ikemen Jiro

Chase sends him down to start and wants Jiro to bring it. That earns Jiro a hiptoss but he snaps off an armdrag to even things up a bit. Another hiptoss is countered into another armdrag (Jiro is learning) to send Chase outside but he ties Jiro into the ring skirt to set up the beating. Back in and a neckbreaker gives Chase two and he pulls Jiro off the middle rope to cut off the comeback.

The crossface chickenwing keeps Jiro down for a bit but he’s back up with a running flip clothesline. A kick to the head sets up the slingshot springboard moonsault for two but Chase pulls him into the STF (how he predicted to win). Chase switches into a Crossface attempt but Jiro sends him outside to escape without much effort. Back in and Jiro hits a Swanton for two but Chase’s tiger driver gets the same. A splash misses in the corner though and the Ikemen Slash finishes Jiro at 9:56.

Rating: C. I’m running out of ways to say that 205 Live matches are completely competent and little more than that. Jiro is getting a little somewhere around here, but that is only going to get him so far when he is losing in squash matches on NXT. Chase is fine for a low level heel and I’m not sure how much further he is going than that.

Joe Gacy vs. Grayson Waller

Waller tries some grappling to start but gets shoved away without much trouble. A headlock slows Gacy down for a bit but he’s back up with a hiptoss into some slams. Gacy’s headlock sends Waller outside for a breather but he comes back in to get ripped apart with some chops.

Waller changes things up by kicking him in the face and slapping on a front facelock. Commentary starts talking about NXT UK as Waller sends him into the corner to drop Gacy again. The bodyscissors goes on but Gacy blocks a sleeper. Back up and Gacy hits a swinging slam for two. A pump kick sets up a handspring lariat to finish Waller at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Gacy might not be great in almost any way, but he stands out so much on this show just because he’s different. That’s what you need on a show like this after so much time being spent on the same nothing matches. What we got here was a nice change of pace and it was actually pretty good even without the size differences.

Overall Rating: C. The match wasn’t much but it was the kind of show that gives me some hope as we move forward around here. Again, just the idea of dropping the weight limit and letting the show be more of NXT’s version of Main Event makes a lot more sense and that is what it felt like here. The switch isn’t complete or anything yet, but it seems that we are heading in a rather welcome direction.

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205 Live
Date: August 13, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

This week is going to be our first look at the new (or newer) 205 Live after the latest roster purge. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing this week and that is kind of interesting in a way. For the life of me I do not get why this is still a cruiserweight show when there are barely any cruiserweights, but that’s WWE logic for you. Let’s get to it.

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

Ikemen Jiro vs. Grayson Waller

Waller tosses Jiro (and the coat) around to start and it’s off to an exchange of headlocks. Jiro gets the better of things and trips Waller down, followed by an enziguri to make it worse. The Tarantula is broken up though and Waller gets in a shot to the face. A snap suplex drops Jiro again and the cravate goes on, complete with knees to the head.

The chinlock with an arm trap has Jiro in trouble and Waller rolls him up, with trunks, for two. Waller stops to yell at the referee though, allowing Jiro to hit a springboard missile dropkick to the floor. A big flip dive drops Waller again but the Ikemen Slash misses. The running Stunner gives Waller two but Jiro grabs a Kimura of all things. A powerslam gives Jiro two, only to have Waller slip out and hit the running stomp for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. More 205 Live goodness here with two of the few remaining roster members. Waller is still one of my favorite guys around here and Jiro is popular enough with the fans to get somewhere. I’m not sure if that is actually going to happen, but Kushida actually appearing here last week might give them a bit of hope.

Josh Briggs is angry and back around here. He doesn’t care about the weight limit so he wants Joe Gacy.

Josh Briggs vs. Joe Gacy

The cruiserweight limit is thrown out for this one, as it should be. They fight over the power lockup to start and it’s time for the exchange of heavy forearms. The bigger Briggs hits a running big boot to drop Gacy and it’s time for some heavy elbows for two. Back up and Briggs misses a charge into the corner, only to run Gacy over for another near fall. We hit an arm/neck crank until Gacy fights up with the chops. That doesn’t really bother Briggs, who runs him over with a shoulder.

The cranking ensues again but this time Gacy is up with right hands and a headbutt. A swinging Rock Bottom out of the corner plants Briggs but Gacy can’t follow up. Another suplex sends Briggs flying and the standing clotheslines against the ropes keep him in trouble. Back up and Gacy hammers away with forearms, only to get blasted with a lariat to give Briggs the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. This was fun in a completely different way as it is nice to see some people doing something different around here. It might not be going with the spirit of the show, but it isn’t like having a show based around cruiserweights has meant anything in a long time. They had a good hoss fight here and I could go for seeing more of both of them in the future, perhaps around here.

Overall Rating: C+. Above all else, this show gave me some hope. For the life of me I do not get why this show is still based around the cruiserweight division and hopefully this is more about shifting towards an NXT supplemental show. Go with something more like this in the future, as it would be a very welcome change of pace. I have no reason to believe it stays that way, but you can always use some hope.

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NXT
Date: August 3, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix.

We are less than three weeks away from Takeover and after last week, we have a new main event for the show as Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Granted Kross might not mean as much after how things have gone on Monday Night Raw, I’m not sure how much that is going to be worth. Other than that, more things will be happening. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row

Santos Escobar and the rest of Hit Row is at ringside. It’s a brawl to start with Legado being knocked outside until Mendoza and Adonis slug it out inside. A whip into the corner takes Mendoza down and a neckbreaker makes it worse. Top Dolla comes in to throw people around, including running both of them over. Hold on though as Escobar gets up for a distraction, allowing Mendoza to low bridge Adonis to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Adonis getting planted with a double spinebuster into a chinlock. Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner set up a moonsault for two. Mendoza’s chinlock doesn’t last long either as Adonis gets up for a dropkick. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Dolla to clean house. Legado is rocked but Escobar hits Dolla in the back with a chair for the DQ at 10:52.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but they were smart to not have a definitive ending here. This is all but guaranteed to have some kind of a big match at Takeover (or maybe even two of them) so there was zero reason to have a clean fall here. Hit Row shouldn’t be losing, but you also don’t want Legado taking another loss until it’s on a big stage. The ending might be annoying, but it was the right call.

Post match the beatdown is on with Escobar stealing Swerve’s grill. The Pillmanizing of the neck is broken up though and Dolla sends Legado running. Escobar still has the grill.

William Regal tells Samoa Joe to not get physical until Takeover.

We look back at the return of Ridge Holland last week to wreck Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher.

Dexter Lumis is drawing INDEX over and over.

Ridge Holland vs. Ikemen Jiro

Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan are here too. An uppercut drops Jiro in a hurry and we’re already off to a chinlock. Jiro fights up but gets knocked outside in a hurry. The big tackle sends Jiro hard into the barricade, allowing Holland to take off the jacket, which is high treason against Jiro. A headbutt into Northern Grit finishes Jiro at 3:12.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be as Holland destroyed someone with a minor name. Holland is going to need ring time after being gone for so long (and not being around that long before he was put on the shelf). Holland is a monster who can wreck people for a good while while he develops and that should work fine for the time being.

Post match Pete Dunne says they’re ready to destroy Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa, because Holland is a real man.

Frankie Monet blames Robert Stone for her loss last week. The Robert Stone Brand is used to losing but that is not what she does. Stone seems to accept responsibility as Monet and Jessi Kamea leave.

Video on Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish.

Video on Trey Baxter, who is All Heart.

Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish

The rest of the Diamond Mine is here too. They go technical to start with Fish grabbing a headlock into a suplex to take Strong down. The grappling on the mat goes to Strong until he lands a kick to the chest. Fish is fine enough to take him into the corner as Malcolm Bivens is looking worried on the floor. Strong gets knocked to the apron and we take a break.

Back with Strong taking him down for another chinlock but Fish fights up again. A fish hook gives Fish a breather and it’s time to strike away at Strong. Some chops stagger Fish and a belly to back faceplant puts him down again. Fish is back with a rollup for two but Strong knees him in the face. End of Heartache finishes Fish at 12:45.

Rating: C+. Only way this one could have gone as Fish isn’t going to win any important match right now. Strong seems to be on the rise and a Cruiserweight Title match against Kushida at Takeover would make sense. You almost have to get the Fish match out of the way though and it gives Strong a nice win on the way there.

Cameron Grimes is ready for the tag match tonight but LA Knight wants him to be more serious. Grimes promises to be there for him and Knight will have his back too. For now though, Grimes has a boot to polish.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Cameron Grimes/LA Knight

Grimes is still in his tuxedo. Before the match, the Veterans say they don’t like Grimes and Knight and want them out of their way. Grimes and Gibson start things off but it’s quickly off to Knight, who gets caught with a clothesline. Drake comes in to forearm away but a neckbreaker gets Knight out of trouble. It’s back to Grimes, who gets distracted by Knight and taken into the wrong corner.

Grimes manages to backdrop his way out of trouble but Knight walks off, saying Grimes can do this on his own. That’s fine with Grimes, who takes off the gloves and sends the Veterans into each other. A double hurricanrana puts the Veterans on the floor and Grimes snaps off the flipping powerslam for two on Drake. Gibson comes back in though and it’s the Ticket To Mayhem for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C. This was angle advancement and that’s fine. The big blowoff match is coming at Takeover and that is the right way to go for Grimes and Knight. Grimes needs to get the big win and probably will, which will be even better now that they have put in the effort like this. The Veterans even got to win something for a bonus too!

Post match Ted DiBiase comes out to say that Grimes is a man of his word, but he needs to find a way out of this.

Video on Samoa Joe.

We look back at Dakota Kai turning on Raquel Gonzalez last week.

Dakota Kai talks about how she found Raquel Gonzalez and helped bring her up. They were friends and partners, but it was all Kai’s doing. Then Io Shirai gave Gonzalez the Women’s Title shot at Takeover: Stand & Deliver and won the title. That should have been Kai’s, because she plucked Gonzalez out of security. Kai is more than Gonzalez’s sidekick and the only opportunity should be hers. How does it feel knowing that the person standing next to you is about to kick your head off? Kai brought her into this world and now she is going to take her out of it by winning the Women’s Title. Logical explanation.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are sick of Dexter Lumis messing with the Way. Tonight, Gargano is ending InDex for good.

Joe Gacy won’t be controlled until he wins the Breakout Tournament. After that, sure why not.

Adam Cole has a neck injury after last week’s attack at the hands of Kyle O’Reilly. We look at the attack again.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Trey Baxter vs. Joe Gacy

The smaller Baxter tries a waistlock to start but gets thrown into the corner for his efforts. A dropkick puts Gacy on the floor but he catches a dive by sending Baxter into the ropes. That lets Gacy knock Baxter silly again and we hit the neck crank back inside. Baxter reverses into a quickly broken choke and Gacy suplexes him down for two. The neck crank is on again but Baxter escapes just as quickly.

A missile dropkick sends Gacy outside and this time the suicide dive works. Back in and a slingshot splash gets two but Gacy sends him into the corner for a Cannonball. Gacy takes him up but Baxter slips off and sends him into the ropes. Baxter hits a quick middle rope 450 stomp (or maybe he just didn’t rotate properly) for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. I liked what we got here but Baxter needs to either pick a 450 or a stomp because it was messy enough that I couldn’t really tell what he was trying. At the same time, Gacy winning would have been nice as the roster could use someone built like him rather than another cruiserweight style guy. Baxter was good though and will be fine as an appetizer for Odyssey Jones in the semifinals.

Zoey Stark and Io Shirai get sushi and Stark is rather confused/disgusted. Food is thrown away when Shirai isn’t looking and Stark gets stuck with the bill. Shirai hugs the waitress, who says they don’t know each other but speak the same language. The two of them leave and Stark is somewhere between annoyed and disgusted by the food.

Indi Hartwell wishes the Way would give Dexter Lumis a chance because he isn’t a bad guy. Tonight, we’ll see how much he cares.

Commentary talks about Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis but Karrion Kross interrupts to stand on the announcers’ table and call out Samoa Joe. Cue Joe, who fights through security and chokes one of them out but Kross has escaped. Joe shouts a lot.

We get the Prime Target video on Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter II. They beat each other so horribly in the first match and everyone is talking about it. Dragunov talks about how angry and aggressive he has been since the first match because he knows something was missing. The rematch will take place at Takeover, and Walter says he is unbeatable on his best day. Dragunov says he has the stamina and mental toughness, which is why he can take the title. We see clips from the press conference with Dragunov getting in Walter’s head as he’s smarter this time around. This is going to be awesome.

Kushida says of course Roderick Strong can have a Cruiserweight Title shot.

Dexter Lumis vs. Johnny Gargano

Love Her Or Leave Her, which technically means the winner gets Indi Hartwell. Gargano shouts about how Lumis has to go through him to get her and starts in on the arm. Lumis is back up with a dropkick but gets sent outside as Hartwell comes out. The distraction lets Lumis get in a Thesz press back inside to hammer away and slowly stalk Gargano in the corner. Gargano is back up to knock Lumis outside, with Lumis going under the ring. Hartwell goes after him so here is Candice LeRae to help pull her out….with her hands interlocked with Lumis’.

We take a break and come back with Gargano winning a slugout but getting caught in a spinebuster. The Silence is broken up with Lumis being elbowed to the floor. Gargano hits his suicide dive and yells at Beth Phoenix, with the distraction allowing Lumis to block the slingshot spear. A slingshot Falcon Arrow gives Lumis two but Gargano’s superkick gets the same. Lumis runs him over again but misses the springboard elbow. The Gargano Escape goes on until Lumis reaches out to Hartwell/the rope for the break. Lumis’ rollup gets two and the kickout sends him into Hartwell. One Final Beat finishes Lumis at 12:53.

Rating: C. I was getting into the love conquers all story and you know this isn’t going to be the end of the thing. It’s a fine enough story, but Lumis is still not doing anything for me for the most part. This isn’t exactly the most thrilling stuff, but Beth being so into the romance thing and Hartwell in general are making it work well enough. Just…please find something to make Lumis more interesting somehow.

Post match Hartwell goes to leave with the Way but then runs back and dives on Lumis for the big kiss as Beth Phoenix screams about InDex to end the show. Makes enough sense (while not doing much for the stipulation), as Hartwell never said she was leaving anyone.

Overall Rating: C+. Nothing really jumped off the page here but it was an easy to swallow use of two hours. The good thing is you can see almost all of (if not all of) Takeover from here. NXT knows how to set up a card and then make it come into reality. That’s what they did a lot of here, making it more efficient/important than good.

It’s also nice to see how logical things are around here. There might be some things that don’t make a ton of sense at first, but NXT knows how to tie them together. It is such a jarring change of pace from Raw, where things seem like they are happening at random and if they can be made somewhat coherent later, so be it then. NXT feels like they have this planned out and that can make all kinds of difference.

Results
Hit Row b. Legado del Fantasma via DQ when Santos Escobar interfered
Ridge Holland b. Ikemen Jiro – Northern Grit
Roderick Strong b. Bobby Fish – End of Heartache
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Cameron Grimes/LA Knight – Ticket to Mayhem to Grimes
Trey Baxter b. Joe Gacy – Middle rope 450 stomp
Johnny Gargano b. Dexter Lumis – One Final Beat

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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205 Live
Date: July 2, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Welcome to the all new 205 Live, as the roster was completely gutted by all of the releases earlier this week. That means we could be in for a lot of fresh blood, which could be a good thing. Then again, it isn’t going to matter if the overall structure of the show isn’t changed as well. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the NXT Breakout Tournament, with qualifying matches beginning tonight. So there is the way around doing anything new this week.

Breakout Tournament Qualifying Match: Guru Raaj vs. Andre Chase

Chase is better known as Harlem Bravado. They fight over the wristlock to start and Raaj takes him down for the meaningless early control. A hiptoss into a headlock takeover works a bit better for Raaj and he grinds away to keep Chase down. Back up and Raaj chops him into the corner, setting up a monkey flip for two. Chase gets smart by sending Raaj throat first into the top rope and a Russian legsweep gives Chase two of his own.

A running elbow gets the same and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Raaj fights up to start the comeback. A bulldog into a basement dropkick gives Raaj two but Chase elbows him in the face again. Chase’s slingshot flipping Stunner sets up something like a t-bone brainbuster for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: C. Pretty basic match here and there was nothing that made either of them stand out. Chase has a bit of an odd way about him which works for some reason though and that’s often enough to keep you around. I’m not sure how far I can imagine either of them going, but you have to try someone new at some point and that is what they are doing here.

Breakout Tournament Qualifying Match: Desmond Troy vs. Joe Gacy

Gacy has been around the independent scene for a long time. They’re ignoring the weight limits around here too as both guys have a bit of size to them. Gacy powers him into the corner to start but Troy shoves him down to yell a bit. Troy grabs an armbar, setting up a quick crossbody for two. Another armbar takes Gacy down but he’s back up with a suplex for his own near fall.

Now it’s Gacy working on the armbar, followed by a bunch of clotheslines in the corner. The armbar goes on again, though at least this time Gacy switches into a chinlock. That’s broken up as well and Troy hits a flying clothesline into a northern lights suplex for two. Three straight gutwrench faceplants give Troy two but Gacy hits a release Rock Bottom. A handspring clothesline finishes Troy at 8:33.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as they didn’t exactly do much to keep my attention. It was a bunch of clotheslines and armbars from Gacy, who was presented as a bigger star. He’s a bigger name in wrestling but he didn’t feel like a force here. This was just a match for the most part and not much of a showcase.

Overall Rating: C-. This was nothing like a regular edition of 205 Live and it was kind of a downgrade as a result. These matches weren’t quite interesting and I wasn’t overly interested in either of them. Hopefully the rest of the tournament is a bit better, because these matches pretty much came and went without making me want to see the people involved again.

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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