NXT
Date: March 1, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We are about a month away from Stand & Deliver, which could stand to deliver some of its card this week. You can all but guarantee Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Dolph Ziggler, but they are going to need something a little bit better than that. Those two are in a tag match this week so let’s get to it.

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

Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Ciampa is in a Breakker style singlet here, which commentary calls Steiner-esque. Roode throws in a big bonus with the GLORIOUS theme It’s a brawl in the aisle to start with Ciampa hitting a big slingshot corkscrew dive to take out both of them in the floor. We settle down for the opening bell with Ciampa working on Ziggler and handing it off to Breakker, who gets dropped by Roode’s neckbreaker.

Ziggler grabs a chinlock but Breakker fights up and hands it off to Ciampa to clean house. A double clothesline looks to set up the Fairy Tale Ending but Roode drives him into the corner to escape. Roode’s spinebuster gets two and we take a break. Back with Ciampa getting caught in the wrong corner, setting up a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two.

Ciampa fights out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Breakker to wreck both of them with suplexes. The Steiner efforts continue with Ciampa playing Rick in a Steiner Bulldog for two on Ziggler with Roode having to make the save. Ziggler’s rollup gets two but the Fairy Tale Ending gives Ciampa the pin at 15:03.

Rating: B-. Anything involving more of the Steiners is a good thing and that was the case here. Ciampa might not be Rick, but they had a good match here, especially with Breakker getting to wreck things. I’m not sure why Ziggler took the fall here with the title shot coming up, but Ciampa getting a win is a nice thing, as he could be in for a big Stand & Deliver match of his own.

LA Knight wants us to call someone and tell us to watch him call out Grayson Waller. I called a local beekeeper and told him to watch. He didn’t know who LA Knight or Grayson Waller were and yelled at me for disturbing him and his bees. Then he screamed because the bees were annoyed and stung him. But I did call like Knight told me to.

Gunther is ready for Solo Sikoa.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He goes over his history with Grayson Waller, including some still photos. Cue Waller with Sanga on the platform, with Waller saying everyone sucks and goodbye. Knight shows us a shot of Knight standing over him last week. That was 2-0 for Knight, which is enough for Waller to agree to one more match next week: Last Man Standing. Works for Knight.

Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell make sure they are both focused, though Pirotta sneaks off to text someone.

We look back at the first matches of this year’s women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta vs. Dakota Kai/Wendy Choo

Toxic Attraction is watching from the balcony. Choo tries a drop toehold on Pirotta but stops to play peek-a-boo. Pirotta isn’t impressed and takes him into the corner, allowing the tag off to Hartwell. Choo isn’t having that and brings in Kai, for a double whip into the corner. A double faceplant gives Choo two but Hartwell elbows her down.

Hartwell grabs a top wristlock but Choo small packages her and rolls over to Kai for the hot tag. The running kick in the corner rocks Hartwell, who is over for the tag to Pirotta without much trouble. The fireman’s carry faceplant gets two on Kai, who is right back with a pump kick before knocking Pirotta to the floor. Choo, in slippers, goes up for a top rope Vader Bomb, setting up Kai’s top rope double stomp for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. The thrown together wacky team going over the established team? In this tournament? I’m as shocked as you are. The good part about this match is the fact that Persia and Indi are ready to move towards a split, which could make for an interesting story. The match wasn’t anything special, but what are you expecting from a short match with a team thrown together like this?

Video on the Creed Brothers vs. Imperium, who meet for the Tag Team Titles next week.

Lash Legend vs. Amari Miller

This is fallout from Legend blaming Miller for her debut NXT loss. Legend kicks her in the face to start and then bends Miller’s back over her knee. Miller slips out and crawls over to the ropes, allowing her to hit some running kicks of her own. A low superkick sets up a step up moonsault for two on Legend, who pops back to her feet. That means a fireman’s carry slam is enough to finish Miller at 2:56. Miller is getting there but Legend continues to look like she’s in over her head in the ring.

Post match Legend says she’s ready for Nikkita Lyons. Oh boy.

Solo Sikoa wants Gunther to respect him and it’s going to be a fight.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen want to ride something all night. Elektra Lopez comes in and doesn’t like it, but they mean a truck instead of a woman, as she seems to think. Lopez says they wouldn’t know how to handle a real woman, but Jensen says he’s never been with a real woman. Jensen: “BOOM! IN YOUR FACE!” Briggs looks stunned as Lopez walks away.

Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa

Gunther looks like he has slimmed down a lot. Sikoa gets elbowed in the face to start and a slam puts him down again. Some shots to the face stagger Gunther but he knocks Sikoa silly with a boot to the face. Sikoa’s fireman’s carry is broken up and Gunther blasts him with a clothesline.

The Boston crab goes on for a bit, with Sikoa getting out and slowly striking away. This time the Samoan drop connects to send Gunther outside, setting up a splash from the apron. Back in and Sikoa hits a superkick but the Superfly Splash misses. Gunther’s sleeper is broken up with a jawbreaker but he grabs it again and Sikoa…is planted with a powerbomb. Another powerbomb finishes Sikoa at 7:38.

Rating: C+. This was good but it didn’t hit that next level. Maybe it was the lack of believing that Sikoa had a chance, as Gunther seems like he should be a major player around here almost immediately. I was expecting more from Sikoa though, as he was almost squashed here save for a quick run at the end. Still though, Gunther winning is the right call and that is what matters.

Dolph Ziggler is annoyed at his loss but he’s still #1 contender. Tommaso Ciampa comes in to say he beat Ziggler so he should be getting that shot. Cue Bron Breakker, who says he’s ready for anyone at Stand & Deliver. Ciampa says he’s beaten Breakker so Breakker says he’ll beat them both. Ziggler is ready for his title shot next week as Breakker and Ciampa stare at each other.

Joe Gacy is ready to let Harland beat up Draco Anthony, but Anthony isn’t the cause of Harland’s anger.

Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta are annoyed at their loss but Duke Hudson comes in to console Pirotta. Hartwell can’t get Dexter Lumis to text her back. Shouldn’t he be here? Like he was last week?

Next week: Bron Breakker defends against Tommaso Ciampa and Dolph Ziggler.

Harland vs. Draco Anthony

Anthony snaps his arm across the top rope to start but gets splashed in the corner for his efforts. Another splash to the back crushes Anthony again but he’s back up with a flying shoulder. Harland slams him face first into the mat to cut Anthony off, setting up the belly to back slam for the pin at 2:29. Harland continues to be rather limited.

Post match Harland hugs the unconscious Anthony.

Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams, is ready for Pete Dunne.

Ivy Nile is training and tells Tatum Paxley to be serious if she wants to be part of the Diamond Mine.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Cora Jade/Raquel Gonzalez vs. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Leon works on Jade’s arm to start so it’s quickly off to Gonzalez. That’s fine with Leon, who brings in Feroz to work on Gonzalez’s arm as well. A sunset bomb does not work for Feroz though, as she gets tossed into the corner. Everything breaks down and Feroz LAUNCHES Leon over the top (the camera angle made that look incredible) onto Gonzalez, with Feroz adding her own dive. Back in and Feroz powerslams Jade for two but Jade gets over for the tag to Gonzalez. The Chingona Bomb plants Feroz and Gonzalez plants Jade on top of her for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. That’s how the match should have gone as Jade and Gonzalez have spent weeks being set up. Yes they’re another wacky team, but at least they’re a team with a monster who can run over most of the people she faces. It can be fun to watch Gonzalez wreck people and that is what she did here, even though Feroz and Leon’s big dives looked great.

Sarray shows her sun necklace to a bunch of the women when Tiffany Stratton comes in to call it tacky. Stratton offers one her necklaces but Sarray turns it down, earning herself a beating.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for Stand & Deliver.

Von Wagner vs. Andre Chase

Robert Stone and Bodhi Hayward are here too. Wagner starts fast and knocks him into the corner, setting up the big toss back out of the corner. Chase avoids a shot though and comes back with a knockdown of his own. The CHASE U stomp has Wagner in trouble but Hayward and Stone get into it on the floor. Wagner breaks it up with a punch to Hayward’s eye but Hayward tells Chase to get back in there. That’s what Chase does, and a fireman’s carry neckbreaker (Robert Roode’s Roode Bomb) finishes Chase at 4:05.

Rating: C-. I cannot get into Wagner no matter what he does and this was another good example. He doesn’t do anything outside of the ordinary and a lot of his stuff is just standard power offense. It seems that NXT wants to turn him into something but he feels as midcard heelish as you can get.

Nikkita Lyons is ready to face Lash Legend, perhaps on Lashing Out. That was one of the most awkward sounding promos I have heard in a long time. I don’t know if she was scared or something, but if that is normal for her, she shouldn’t be talking.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Pete Dunne

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They run the ropes to start with neither getting anywhere, so instead it’s an exchange of hard shots to the face until they both go down. Something like the X Plex drops Hayes and we take an early break. Back with Hayes knocking Dunne does again and grabbing a neck crank.

A right hand to the face drops Dunne again but he punches a springboard out of the air. Hayes is fine enough to counter a suplex into a Backstabber for two but Dunne manages a quick Bitter End. The cover takes too long though and Hayes rolls away before Dunne can get on him.

Dunne goes for the fingers but Hayes reverses into the Crossface. Another Bitter end is countered into a suplex into a cutter to put Dunne down again. The top rope ax kick is broken up so Williams tries for a save, only to get his fingers snapped. Hayes shoves Dunne off the top though and finishes with the top rope ax kick to retain at 12:28.

Rating: B. As weird as it still feels to see Dunne taking a fall (even if it wasn’t an entirely clean ending), it’s nice to see Hayes continuing to add to his resume. Hayes has turned into one of the most consistent names in NXT and I’m starting to look forward to his matches. He has solid matches and he’s a good promo. That’s the kind of person NXT should be pushing and that is what they are doing here.

Post match Hayes and Williams brag about the win, with Hayes saying he’s on to Stand & Deliver, where the title will be defended in a ladder match. How long has it been since their last one? A month or so?

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but NXT has gotten downright watchable over the last little while. The characters are starting to get established and they aren’t introducing a bunch of new people every week. This show had a lot of matches and some of them were rather quality, with the main event being a good showcase for both of them. Stand & Deliver could be a heck of a show, but it would be nice to actually announce something for the thing.

Results
Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa b. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode – Fairy Tale Ending to Ziggler
Wendy Choo/Dakota Kai b. Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta – Top rope double stomp to Hartwell
Lash Legend b. Amari Miller – Fireman’s carry slam
Gunther b. Solo Sikoa – Powerbomb
Harland b. Draco Anthony – Belly to back slam
Cora Jade/Raquel Gonzalez b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Splash to Feroz
Von Wagner b. Andre chase – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Carmelo Hayes b. Pete Dunne – Top rope ax kick

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: February 22, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We are done with Vengeance Day and that means it is time to head on to whatever the next special show is going to be. The show is going to need a main event and odds are we will find out what that is tonight as Tommaso Ciampa and Raw’s Dolph Ziggler meet in a #1 contenders match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Vengeance Day recap.

Here is NXT Champion Bron Breakker for a chat. He talks about Santos Escobar being a tough opponent last week but now it is time for a new opponent. That could be as soon as Stand & Deliver, which will take place over Wrestlemania weekend. Cue Dolph Ziggler, who says he’ll be NXT Champion sooner than later, but the question is whether Breakker will make it to Stand & Deliver as champion.

Tonight, Ziggler is going to take out Tommaso Ciampa and get his title shot, but Breakker wants to fight over Ziggler superkicking him last week. Ziggler says Breakker has the night off this week, meaning he can watch Ziggler do what he does best. These two could make for a good title match and it’s a smart way to use Ziggler to help get Breakker over.

LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller

Sanga is here with Waller, who runs away to start, then does it again for a bonus. Back in and Waller gets in a cheap shot, only to get crotched on top. We take a break and come back with Knight yelling at Sanga and getting sent into the steps as a result. A top rope elbow gives Waller two but he spends way too much time setting up his rolling Stunner (from the floor), allowing Knight to counter it with a belly to back suplex. Knight hits his running clothesline into a backdrop but a Sanga distraction blocks the BFT. Waller grabs a rollup with trunks for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C. The ending suggests that this is going to keep going and that is not the worst idea. It would make sense for Knight to continue going after Waller, perhaps on his way to the main roster just after Stand & Deliver. I’m not sure if they can stretch it out that far, but Waller getting wins is the right thing if they want him to be such a big deal.

Post match Knight beats on Waller again and drops Sanga with the BFT. Waller gets one as well.

Dakota Kai finds Wendy Choo, who is her partner in the Dusty Cup. Didn’t Kai make it clear last week that they WEREN’T going to team together? Anyway, Kai is upset that Choo is asleep and is worried about having a partner. Choo says Kai has never had her as a partner and leaves. Kai laments to her imaginary/invisible friend.

Cora Jade took Raquel Gonzalez to an adventure park to train and it turns out that Gonzalez is scared of heights. Jade: “You are the height!” They climb on various things and Gonzalez does not take it well, especially the ziplining finale. She finally goes through and her fear is conquered. Now, to conquer the Dusty Cup. This has been your latest example of NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS!

Toxic Attraction is on the platform in the Toxic Lounge and mock Jade and Gonzalez.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Kay Lee Ray/Io Shirai vs. Lash Legend/Amari Miller

Legend shoulders Shirai down to start but Shirai gets over to the apron. She seems to slip off a springboard but a regular dropkick frustrates Legend instead. Miller tags herself in and misses an elbow, allowing Shirai to hit a flapjack. Ray comes in and takes over on Miller, including some hard chops. It’s back to Legend, who gets caught in the KLR Bomb. Shirai’s Moons Over Moonsault finishes Legend off at 2:42. Basically a squash, as it should have been.

Dante Chen is ready to take out Duke Hudson and get his revenge.

Josh Briggs films Brooks Jensen for a dating service, but Jensen can’t even remember his name.

Dante Chen vs. Duke Hudson

Chen jumps Hudson from behind in the aisle and we start fast with Hudson in trouble. They get inside where Chen grabs a DDT for two before hammering away in the corner. Hudson is back with a kick to the face and a Razor’s Edge finishes Chen at 2:17. Hudson has talent and thankfully didn’t have much trouble with someone as low on the ladder as Chen.

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to brag about Hayes retaining the North American Title over Cameron Grimes last week. Hayes doesn’t care who he is facing or where he is doing it, because he’s what people will be talking about. Cue Pete Dunne to interrupt and the challenge is on for next week. Williams doesn’t seem interested but Hayes says he’s on, only to get jumped from behind by Cameron Grimes.

Cameron Grimes vs. Trick Williams

Joined in progress with Grimes running Williams over and taking him down with a clothesline. Williams manages a kick to the chest and a jumping clothesline of his own, meaning the stomping can ensue. The chinlock goes on as Barrett sings the Applebees jingle. Williams shrugs off a comeback attempt by knocking him down again and grabbing something close to a cobra clutch.

Grimes fights back up and hits a powerslam swung into a Side Effect. They head outside with Grimes missing a Cave In off the steps but hitting a superkick instead. Back in and Grimes comes off the top with a high crossbody, which mostly hits Williams in the face. The Cave In finishes Williams at 5:58.

Rating: C. There were some sloppy parts in here and it’s weird seeing Grimes have a match that is so off. At least Grimes is winning again as it makes a lot of sense to give him a nice win to get him on track after last week. Not a great match due to some less than sharp work, but it’s how things should have gone.

Brooks Jensen still can’t get the dating video right. He doesn’t know what Transformers are and is still rather hung up on Kayden Carter.

Bron Breakker comes in to see Tommaso Ciampa as he is warming up. Breakker leaves him in the zone but Ciampa says they’re 1-1 and he needs to know who is the better man.

Nikkita Lyons says she is a whole lot of woman who is ready to do a whole lot of whipping.

We go to Chase University for a lesson on intestinal fortitude. Andre Chase does not think Von Wagner has much fortitude left now that he has aligned himself with Robert Stone and freaks out over the idea of someone asking what he’ll do in the ring with Wagner. That was a teachable moment, as Chase continues to nail this stuff.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayla Inlay

This is Lyons’ debut and she doesn’t think much of Inlay trying a wristlock. An armbar keeps Inlay in trouble and a hiptoss makes it worse. Inlay blocks a German suplex though and chokes on the ropes, setting up some knees to the ribs. Lyons punches her in the ribs for trying a comeback. Another German suplex is blocked with a stomp to the floor but a third attempt sends Inlay flying. A splits sitdown splash finishes Inlay at 4:02.

Rating: C-. Lyons certainly has a unique look and is a giant compared to a lot of the division, but this needed to be much more one sided. Inlay got in a lot here for someone who is lucky to make it to LVL Up and her blocking the German suplex over and over didn’t work. Lyons will probably be fine, but this wasn’t a good start.

Persia Pirotta says Duke Hudson looked good out there and Hudson kisses her. Indi Hartwell comes in to say gross so Persia leaves. Hudson says Hartwell used to enjoy it but Hartwell says that was a long time ago. Hudson says it doesn’t have to be and Dexter Lumis just happens to be standing by. Lumis leaves with Indi going after him and saying she despises Hudson. NXT’s co-ed locker rooms continue to be odd.

Robert Stone and Von Wagner are ready for Andre Chase.

Here are the Creed Brothers with Malcolm Bivens to celebrate winning the Dusty Classic. Imperium doesn’t have their amateur wrestling background and haven’t defended their titles in weeks. The Creed Brothers are the real deal and Imperium are a bunch of coleslaw and sauerkraut eating….and here is Imperium to interrupt. Gunther doesn’t like what he is hearing and the brawl is on, with Gunther grabbing Bivens by the throat. Cue Solo Sikoa to superkick Gunther down, much to Bivens’ surprise/thankfulness. Bivens offers a very shaky thumbs up but doesn’t seem to know what is going on.

The dating video still doesn’t work but Fallon Henley comes in to say Brooks Jensen can just take a picture, which she does, and set up his profile, which he’ll do. Jensen yells at Josh Briggs for wasting so much time on a video. Henley did something amazing here: she talked like a human being.

Joe Gacy and Harland show us a clip of the two of them going after Draco Anthony in the gym. Gacy sees Anthony as someone he can mold and that will starts next week.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro

Catanzaro rolls Paxley up for two t start and tries a headscissors, only to get punched in the face by Nile. A kick to the throat drops Catanzaro again but she slips over and brings in Carter to pick up the pace. An assisted spinning side slam drops Carter and Paxley adds a standing twisting moonsault. Catanzaro makes the save though and sends Nile outside, leaving Paxley to get caught with the neckbreaker/450 combination for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C+. Carter and Catanzaro continue to be one of the better women’s teams around here and that could be a good thing for the rest of the tournament. Odds are the tournament has a decent final four, though it does make you wonder why they needed to have eight teams in the first place. I know four is kind of a lousy number, but why stretch it out for the sake of stretching it out?

Post match, Nile chokes Paxley out.

Solo Sikoa is ready to take out Gunther next week. Malcolm Bivens comes in to say that he had Gunther where he wanted him, but good luck next week. Sikoa says he did that for himself.

LA Knight wants another shot at Grayson Waller.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dolph Ziggler

For a future shot at Bron Breakker’s NXT Title. They go to the mat to start with Ciampa hitting him in the face to start the frustration. It’s too early for the Fairy Tale Ending and Ciampa misses a running knee to the face as well. A headbutt takes Ciampa down for two and we’re already on the chinlock. Ciampa fights up and makes the clothesline comeback but has to block the Zig Zag. A knee to the face puts Ziggler down and we take a break as Ciampa applauds himself.

Back with Ciampa fighting out of another chinlock and hitting a hard running clothesline for two. They slug it out until Ziggler scores with a dropkick into the Fameasser for two of his own. The superkick is cut off with another knee and Project Ciampa gets two. Ciampa lowers the knee pad and hits another running knee (following the Kenny Omega formula) for two more, with Ziggler getting a foot on the ropes.

They fall out to the floor for a bit before Ziggler grabs a sleeper with a bodyscissors back inside. That’s broken up as Ciampa gets to his feet and then drops backwards for the break and a near fall. They head to the apron for a slugout and an Air Raid Crash onto said apron (with about four camera cuts in five seconds) knocks Ziggler silly. Hold on though as a cameraman decks Ciampa with his camera, leaving Ziggler to hit the superkick for the pin at 15:35.

Rating: B. This felt like a heavyweight slugfest, meaning a match between two main event stars who were beating each other until one of them was left standing. The cheating was a good way to protect Ciampa, who didn’t need to take a clean loss. It was the best match on the show by far and felt like it belonged in this spot.

The cameraman is….Robert Roode. The beatdown is on but here is Bron Breakker for the save. Breakker makes the challenge for the tag match for next week. Ziggler and Roode charge back in and get beaten down again in a huge brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event carried this a lot higher as it got time and was high quality, but the rest of the show was only so good. The Dusty Classic matches could have been a lot worse, mainly because they didn’t include the segments of the teams being put together. Some of the other stuff, such as Knight, Grimes and Hudson worked as well, making this a pretty good show. Maybe things are starting to come together around here, which would be nice after some dry months.

Results
Grayson Waller b. LA Knight – Rollup with trunks
Kay Lee Ray/Io Shirai b. Lash Legend/Amari Miller – Moons Over Moonsault to Legend
Duke Hudson b. Dante Chen – Razor’s Edge
Cameron Grimes b. Trick Williams – Cave In
Nikkita Lyons b. Kayla Inlay – Splits sitdown splash
Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile – Neckbreaker/450 combination to Paxley
Dolph Ziggler b. Tommaso Ciampa – Superkick

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: February 15, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big show this week with Vengeance Day. That means the card is stacked, including the finals of the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and a main event of Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Santos Escobar. Other than that, maybe we get a surprise or two as well to go with the huge lineup. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video features Toxic Attraction texting each other about tonight’s show. I’m sure one of them being around a pool, one of them being in lingerie and one of them looking at herself in a mirror is just a coincidence.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

In a weaponized steel cage, because a cage just isn’t good enough around here. D’Angelo comes out in a rather expensive car. It’s a brawl to start with D’Angelo being sent into the cage but coming back with a hard slam for a breather. D’Angelo goes for a tool box but Dunne slams the lid onto it instead. Dunne uses a wrench to bend the fingers back, though the fingers are fine enough to blast Dunne with a fire extinguisher.

A superplex brings Dunne off the top and D’Angelo zip ties Dunne’s wrists behind his back. Dunne is fine enough to pull D’Angelo into a guillotine choke, meaning D’Angelo has to pull out some cutters to free himself (and Dunne). Back up and Dunne hits the Bitter End for two, followed by D’Angelo hitting him low. Forget About It gets two more and they’re both down. Dunne hits him in the back of the head though and it’s the Bitter End onto a bunch of weapons for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a lot of time here and having weapons in a cage seems a bit redundant, but the effort was there and carried this to a good match. D’Angelo has gotten a lot better in recent months and Dunne is probably an important part of that improvement. Working with the talented veterans is a good thing and it seems to have worked for him here.

Raquel Gonzalez calls Cora Jade at 5:00am because it’s time for training. They go to the Performance Center and we get a training montage, with Gonzalez not exactly convinced that Jade wants it this much.

The Creed Brothers say they’ll win because they’re better.

MSK says they’ll win because they’re ready.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Toxic Attraction vs. Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell

Toxic Attraction, with Mandy Rose, is defending and jump the challengers from behind to start fast. Hartwell and Pirotta are sent outside for some flip dives before the bell before they head back inside for the official start. Pirotta fall away slams Jayne and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, setting up a clothesline from Hartwell. A Rose distraction lets Jayne get in a kick to the face though, meaning Rose is ejected.

We take a break and come back with Hartwell hitting a faceplant on Jayne. Pirotta comes in to clean house and hits a double Samoan drop on the champs. Everything breaks down and Pirotta heads outside, where she is sent into the steps. Some Jayne interference allows Dolin to plant Hartwell, setting up a high/low to retain the titles at 7:49.

Rating: C-. This was the usual messy match from these four and that is not remotely surprising. The women’s tag team division barely exists and that makes the upcoming tournament sound even worse. It’s the kind of thing that should be let go already, but I can’t imagine that actually happening anytime soon.

Wendi Choo asks Amari Miller to be her partner in the Dusty Classic but Hartwell already has a partner. Choo asks Dakota Kai, who ignores her by talking to…someone who is not there.

Grayson Waller brings cops to arrest LA Knight, but has Sanga stay by the car. I see no future issues with this plan whatsoever.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are at a bar, where Briggs wants to know about how his date with Kayden Carter went. They had dinner, talked about the Dusty Classic, and it was nice. Then Carter said he was like a brother to her, which Briggs doesn’t like. They ask the bartender, who happens to be NXT’s Fallon Henley, what that means. Jensen will have a friend for life, which is enough to make reality set in. Henley and Briggs say he’s in “the Zone”. I’d be more worried about having Jensen, who is twenty, at a bar. That place’s license is going to be in trouble.

Here is LA Knight, with Grayson Waller immediately coming to the ring with police. He says that he can’t sleep since this stuff with Knight started, but Knight has some footage of his own. Knight shows us a clip of Waller attacking him recently, which just happens to go against the restraining order. That means the whole thing is invalid, which is news to Waller. Knight clears the ring and the match is set for next week.

Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta are unhappy with their loss but Dexter Lumis comes in. Indi leaves with him, so here is Duke Hudson to leave with Pirotta.

Tommaso Ciampa is sick of people acting like NXT is a minor league. He still wants the NXT Title back and if he has to go through Dolph Ziggler, so be it. This was a very intense promo from Ciampa and he sold the heck out of the thing.

North American Title: Cameron Grimes vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is defending and has Trick Williams with him. Grimes takes him down by the arm to start and the trade wrist control for a bit. Hayes works on a wristlock but Grimes is back up with a backdrop for a breather. They go outside where Grimes gets his leg swept out on the apron, setting up a kick to the back of the head back inside. A springboard legdrop knocks Grimes out of the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Hayes still working on the arm but Grimes manages his backflip powerslam to put them both down. Grimes avoids some Williams interference and knocks Hayes into the corner. A very spinning Side Effect gives Grimes two but Hayes is back with a springboard spinning forearm to the face.

Grimes superkicks him for two and is stunned at the kickout, even though he should know better than to think a non-finisher is going to end a match. A nice high crossbody gets two on Hayes but he rolls outside. That means Grimes can dive off the apron to take out Williams, only to be sent face first into the barricade. Back in and Hayes hits a spinning faceplant for two, setting up a crossface. That’s countered into a rollup for two so Hayes goes up top for the ax kick to retain at 15:55.

Rating: B. Best thing on the show so far by a mile as you had two talented people getting to do their thing for a long time. Grimes can work well with anyone and Hayes is one of the smoothest workers on the roster. It was too early for Hayes to win the title, though I’m not sure what is next for Grimes either. Both guys would be fine on the main roster, but I’m almost scared to know how bad NXT would be without them.

Video on the Dusty Classic.

Kay Lee Ray breaks stuff with her baseball bat because she wants Io Shirai to get fired up. Shirai gets into the breaking things too. Zoey Stark comes in and can’t believe Shirai destroyed a bunch of things so Shirai breaks more.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: MSK vs. Creed Brothers

Brutus takes Carter down to start but Julius’ waistlock doesn’t get him very far. Some kicks drop Julius and a double stomp puts him down as well. Lee hits a big flip dive over the top to take Brutus down but a heck of a running shoulder knocks Lee off the apron and into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Carter in trouble but managing to get over get over to Lee for the hot tag. The Final Flash gets two on Brutus with Julius making the save. Lee and Brutus are sent outside, leaving Julius to hit the sliding lariat to Carter for the pin and the tournament at 9:36.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t exactly a ton of drama here but the action was good enough to make it work. The Creeds are absolutely the right call here as they have gotten a lot better in the last few weeks. MSK on the other hand are starting to feel like they are just kind of there and that is never a good place to be.

Nikkita Lyons says her dad taught her that she was here to bring people together. Then we seem to see one of her music videos. She debuts next week and wants us to watch out for this lion’s roar.

Here is Imperium, with the fans chanting WALTER. Gunther: “IT’S PRONOUNCED GUNTHER!!!” They congratulate the Creed Brothers on their win and promise to crush them in their title match. As for Gunther, he wants some gold of his own so he will be watching the main event rather closely. Cue Solo Sikoa, who doesn’t care about the mat but wants to smack the taste out of Gunther’s mouth. A fight is teased.

Dolph Ziggler is ready to take out Tommaso Ciampa and show him what a star does. They meet next week.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are happy to have retained the title but Pete Dunne interrupts. He seems to have eyes for the title.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Santos Escobar

Bron is defending and walks away from a burning Vengeance Day logo in the back. Breakker grabs a headlock to start and then runs Escobar over with a shoulder. Back up and Escobar hits a dropkick to the face so Breakker glares at him. Another hard shoulder knocks Escobar silly and there’s a backbreaker to make it worse.

A Raul Mendoza distraction lets Escobar knock Breakker outside though and there’s the big suicide dive. Escobar neckbreakers him over the middle rope as the fans are split again. Escobar crushes Breakker’s face against the post and talks trash, which is enough to fire Breakker up.

House is cleaned, including taking out the rest of Legado. Cue Dolph Ziggler for a superkick though and Escobar gets a close two. Tommaso Ciampa comes in to take out Ziggler but Escobar hits a tornado DDT. A frog splash doesn’t work though and it’s a spear from Breakker, setting up the gorilla press powerslam to retain the title at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Breakker continues to wrestle beyond his means, having matches he should not be able to pull off. There was a lot going on here but it made a lot of sense to put him in there with a veteran like Escobar. The match was good enough and felt like a big show’s main event, though there wasn’t exactly a ton of doubt.

Overall Rating: B. This show was presented as a big deal and that is what we got here. What matters is having a series of good matches with nothing bad, at least in the ring. There are also some things set up for the next few weeks and that is always a tricky task to pull off. As usual though, the problems come from the talking/backstage segments, which range from bad to horrible, as these characters aren’t good in the first place and the performances are even worse. The show was much more positive than negative, but those negatives are pretty hard to get through.

Results
Pete Dunne b. Tony D’Angelo – Bitter End onto a pile of weapons
Toxic Attraction b. Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta – High/low to Hartwell
Carmelo Hayes b. Cameron Grimes – Top rope ax kick
Creed Brothers b. MSK – Sliding lariat to Carter
Bron Breakker b. Santos Escobar – Gorilla press powerslam

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205 Live
Date: February 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

It isn’t saying much when the biggest moment on a show is the introduction of a new announcer but that is about all we got last week. So far it seems that the idea of dropping the 205 Live name is already over, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Odds are most important people in WWE have not thought of this show in a long time, so let’s get to it.

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

Bodhi Hayward vs. Brooks Jensen

Andre Chase and Josh Briggs are here too. Feeling out process to start with the fans very behind Bodhi. A wristlock doesn’t get Jensen very far so he takes Hayward down and puts a knee on his head. Back up and Bodhi grabs a hiptoss, setting up the up/down splashes. Jensen goes right back to the arm and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up (twice) and Nigel is way behind Bodhi. Some three point charges take Jensen down again but a third is cut off by a knee to the face to give Jensen the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C-. Every time I see Chase and Hayward, I am more and more amazed by the fact that they are making this work. It’s a goofy gimmick with little future but they put everything into it to make the thing work. Briggs and Jensen have fallen a decent way and that’s not good for their future, but there is always a place for some big cowboys on a WWE show.

Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter vs. Fallon Henley/Lash Legend

Brooks and Jensen are here to watch Catanzaro and Carter. Legend is the only one here who doesn’t like to dance. Carter takes Henley down to start and walks over her back, much to the fans’ delight. It’s off to Catanzaro, who gets launched for a seated senton on Henley for an early near fall. Legend comes in and throws Catanzaro down, which leaves Catanzaro smiling a bit.

A gorilla press doesn’t work so it’s Carter coming in to help with some double teaming. That doesn’t work either as Legend sends Carter into the corner for a hard chop and a tag to Henley. For some reason Legend is right back in for a powerslam before Henley adds an X Factor for two. Carter gets over to the corner without much trouble and the hot tag brings Catanzaro back in. Everything breaks down and the 450/neckbreaker combination finishes Legend at 6:13.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much easier Legend is to watch without her doing the most annoying talk show in recorded history. She has the size and athleticism to be something around here, but this is the highest level she should be at right now. Henley could have something, but putting her in a team where Legend is going to overshadow her isn’t the best way to see what she can do.

Kushida vs. Damon Kemp

Kemp wrestles him down with no trouble to start and mocks Kushida’s time obsession. Kushida dropkicks the arm but the much bigger Kemp shoves him away without much trouble. An overhead belly to belly sends Kushida flying (Shah: “There you see that Pedigree.”) but Kushida scores with the handspring elbow. Kemp shrugs him off and tries a fireman’s carry, only to get reversed into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 3:50.

Rating: C. You can absolutely see that they want Kemp to be something and he seems to have the skills to do so. The amateur abilities will always work and this felt like he got caught instead of defeated. Kushida gave him about as much as he could in a less than four minute loss and it felt like the biggest thing on the show by a few miles.

Overall Rating: C. This was a better showing than most weeks around here as the main event was good and the other two matches showcased some people well enough. The show still has very little reason to exist other than to warm up the NXT crowd, but I still wonder how much WWE expects these wrestlers to get out of a match that lasts around five minutes. Either way, the main event wasn’t too bad and I’ll take that over most weeks.

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NXT
Date: February 8, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We are a week away from Vengeance Day but there is another title match to get through first. This week will see Mandy Rose defending the Women’s Title against Kay Lee Ray in a match that seems likely to have some shenanigans. Other than that, we continue the men’s Dusty Classic while trying to find a field for the women’s version. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video features Mandy Rose talking about all of her success and demands to be taken serious.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Grizzled Young veterans vs. Creed Brothers

The Creeds break up the Veterans’ trash talking entrance and start the fight fast. That means Gibson gets beaten down inside as the brothers get to take turns on him. Brutus suplexes Julius onto Gibson but a cheap shot allows the tag to Drake. Julius runs Drake over without much trouble and isn’t fooled as Gibson comes in off a blind tag. Some alternating Creed knees to Gibson’s ribs set up a gutwrench suplex so Drake tags himself back in.

The Veterans get in a double team on Brutus on the floor though and it’s a catapult to send him throat first into the ring structure. Back in and the chinlock stays on the throat but Brutus manages to muscle Gibson up for a suplex. Drake cuts off the hot tag attempt with a sleeper though and Brutus is cut off again. That’s broken up though and the hot tag brings in Julius to power Drake around.

A suplex gets him out of a front facelock and everything breaks down. Drake hits a heck of a suicide dive to take out Julius on the floor, setting up a Doomsday Device for two back inside. It’s back to Brutus to clean house with the power but more double teaming takes him down. What looks like a 450 is loaded up but Julius runs in to run the ropes and superplex Drake for a huge crash. The basement lariat finishes Gibson at 12:03.

Rating: B. There was a story here with the Veterans having experience but being taken down by the power and ability. The fans were WAY into the Creeds and that is something that has been lacking from this version of NXT. This was a high intensity match though and the Creeds finally getting their shot at Imperium (assuming we don’t get a surprise) sounds good.

We look at Raquel Gonzalez beating Cora Jade and Gonzalez agreeing to team with her.

Jade is happy but Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz come in to mock her in Spanish. Gonzalez pops in to out-insult them. Leon and Feroz leave, with Gonzalez saying only she can call Jade that. Jade: “Wait, what did they call me?”

Last week, Wendy Choo and Amari Miller stole Tiffany Stratton’s credit card.

This week, Choo and Miller celebrate credit card fraud/theft/whatever illegal activity that was.

Wendy Choo vs. Tiffany Stratton

Choo works on the arm to start and frustrates Stratton by dodging some kicks. A one footed dropkick sends Stratton into the corner, setting up a running elbow (with Choo putting her hands under her head like she’s asleep). Now it’s a chinlock with a similar motion but Stratton (who seems to have broken a nail) fights up. Choo gets knocked into the corner and kicked down, setting up a corkscrew Vader Bomb to finish Choo at 3:01.

Rating: C-. There might be some hope here, as while Stratton isn’t much of an original idea, she’s a lot better than Oops I Feel Asleep. The credit card story is stupid but this should be the end of it, at least for now. They need some new stars in the women’s division and Stratton could be a little something if she is given the chance.

Draco Anthony is disappointed with his lost but Joe Gacy and Harland come in for a pep talk.

Pete Dunne is ready to crush Tony D’Angelo in a cage next week. Anthony comes in to offer him good luck before their match tonight but Dunne would rather snap his fingers.

Draco Anthony vs. Pete Dunne

Joined in progress with Anthony hitting a suplex but Dunne goes for the singers to cut that off. More finger twisting ensues, followed by a Kimura that is broken up pretty quickly. A suplex sends Dunne outside, where he has to deal with an interfering Tony D’Angelo. Back in and the Bitter End finishes Anthony at 4:42.

Rating: C. Anthony got to do some stuff here before falling to Dunne, as he should have. What surprised me here was the fact that Dunne had to deal with the interference but didn’t lose as a result. It was nice to see a change from the expected result, as WWE has a bad tendency to stick with the same tired formulas.

Post match Dunne goes after D’Angelo and busts out a bunch of weapons. D’Angelo declares the guy “Looney Tunes” and Dunne says let’s take all of these weapons and attach them to the cage. Sure why not.

Zoey Stark says Io Shirai needs a new partner for the Dusty Classic. She needs to be someone hard hitting and just as crazy as Shirai, so Shirai says she’s in.

Dakota Kai finds Wendy Choo’s shopping bags (which she and Amari Miller just left there) and says they won’t make her happy.

LA Knight vs. Sanga

Grayson Waller is here with Sanga. Knight comes to the ring and instantly feels like a star. He looks like he has been there before and has charisma instead of being the same assembly line style person with some gimmick that defines him. It’s such a notable difference. Knight slugs away at Sanga (with the amazing mustache) to start but gets knocked outside with a single shot.

Sanga gets posted (that sounded hard) but is still able to block BFT. Knight is right back up with a springboard dropkick for two, with Sanga kicking him off. Waller takes off a turnbuckle pad, but the distracted referee misses Knight raking Sanga’s eyes. Sanga misses a charge into the exposed buckle though and it’s a jumping neckbreaker to give Knight the pin at 3:11.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t exactly good but I’ll take this over building Sanga up as the next monster with little chance of becoming a star. Knight vs. Waller isn’t quite a mega feud but it’s something for Knight to do before he (presumably) gets called up to the main roster. Sanga looks intimidating but he wasn’t exactly looking great here, which probably won’t stop him around here.

Post match Knight jumps Waller and beats him down but has to bail from Sanga.

Duke Hudson isn’t worried about Dante Chen….and he wants Indi Hartwell to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

It’s time for a Championship Summit between Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar. Breakker is ready to fight and says let’s just flip the table over right now. Escobar calls him naive and says he is pulling all the strings. Breakker still wants to fight….and here is Dolph Ziggler, who has been arguing with Breakker on Youtube and Twitter. Ziggler has a seat at the table and puts his feet up before saying Breakker is doing well enough on Twitter, but who is he? Breakker: “I’M THE NEXT CHAMPION PAL!” He offers Ziggler the next shot after Escobar, but Ziggler calls that a rookie mistake.

Ziggler lists off his accomplishments and says that even though he has lost 99/100 matches or so, Breakker knows what he can do. Cue Tommaso Ciampa to cut Ziggler off (while calling him kid) and say he likes the idea of getting the title back. Escobar cuts them both off and says he’s going to win the title and then deal with Ziggler and Ciampa. That’s not cool with Ciampa, who says he’s next in line, if that’s ok with Kid.

Ziggler laughs off the idea of Ciampa fighting in the same place in front of the same people and wants to know when the gloves come off. Ciampa kicks him in the face and they fight tot he floor, leaving Legado del Fantasma to jump Breakker from behind. Breakker fights back but gets put through the table to leave him laying.

This was a nice surprise as Ziggler is the kind of person who could do a lot of good around here. We get one of his best promos in a LONG time as he was getting to do something different than the same stuff he has been doing for about ten years now on the main roster. Ziggler vs. Ciampa to set up Ziggler vs. Breakker works, as NXT gets some star power from someone who could be useful around here. Good stuff and better thinking.

Kay Lee Ray breaks a bunch of stuff with her bat.

Grayson Waller says LA Knight just broke his restraining order and next week, he’s going to jail.

Dakota Kai vs. Sarray

Joined in progress with Sarray missing the Sunray dropkick and getting caught with some running kicks to the face in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Sarray two but Kai hits a Scorpion kick (on the second try) for two of her own. Back up and Kai misses her kick in the corner, setting up a kick from Sarray. The Sunray dropkick sets up the high collar suplex for the pin on Kai at 4:11.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what is going on with Kai but she has gone from someone who felt ready to break into the main event scene to cannon fodder for the Sarray rebuilding project. This was a competitive match but it was over in four minutes with Sarray hitting her scary finisher for the win. Kai seems in a downward spiral and that’s kind of weird given how much more she has been appearing with her new persona.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are at the barber shop and convince everyone that Hayes is the favorite against Cameron Grimes next week. As usual, Hayes is one of the best things about this show as he feels like he’s being an amped up version of himself rather than a character.

Toxic Attraction and Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta talk trash about their Tag Team Title match. A photo of Hartwell/Duke Hudson is pulled out though and the fight is on.

WWE celebrates Black History Month with a look at Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Nikkita Lyons knows how to sing and how to fight.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs try to ask out Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro for Valentine’s Day but it winds up being more of a group thing. Jensen even offers to pay Briggs to take one of them away at a movie but doesn’t have much money.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: MSK vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

MSK takes over on Blade to start and a Bronco Buster gets an early one. Enofe comes in and gets kicked down as well, meaning it’s back to Blade, who gets kicked down again. We take a break with MSK in full control and come back with Enofe getting suplexed down. Blade comes back in for a rollup on Lee and a gordbuster/cutter combination gets two. Carter comes back in for a save though and Blade is sent to the floor. A corner dropkick sets up the Doomsday Blockbuster to send MSK to the finals at 9:30.

Rating: C+. They had a tricky path to walk here as MSK felt like major favorites who then had to make you believe that Blade and Enofe had a chance. That didn’t really happen, but I like Blade and Enofe together. At the same time though, MSK needed to win here as the Creeds beating Blade and Enofe wasn’t going to mean a thing.

Cameron Grimes is in Cameron, North Carolina and talks about his humble beginnings. Now he is a self made man and has everything he wants…except some gold.

Wendy Choo mocks Dakota Kai for losing her match and leaves in a huff.

Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta jump Toxic Attraction on the way to the ring but Mandy Rose, who wasn’t really hurt, has to defend the title anyway.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Kay Lee Ray

Rose is defending and gets chopped so hard that her choker is knocked off. Rose gets in a few shots of her own but is quickly knocked outside, setting up the dive from Ray. Back in and Rose sends her head first into the middle buckle and then does it over and over for a bonus. The bodyscissors goes on and we get an audio update on Toxic Attraction and Hartwell/Pirotta being escorted from the building.

Ray gets her face slammed into the mat and it’s off to an abdominal stretch with an elbow in the ribs. That’s broken up and Ray pulls her into a Koji Clutch but Rose is out pretty fast. The KLR Bomb is countered into a sunset flip to give Rose two but Ray superkicks her down. Ray goes up….and Toxic Attraction is here anyway to distract the referee/shove Ray off the top. Rose’s running knee retains the title at 8:02.

Rating: C-. After having watched Ray for a long time in NXT UK, it is sad to see her being toned down like this so Rose can keep up. I don’t think it’s any secret that Rose isn’t the best in the ring, but she is wrestling/acting EXACTLY as she should be. It wouldn’t make sense for Rose to be out there tearing the house down when she openly brags about how her looks get her everywhere. She wrestles a safe, basic style that gets her where she needs to go and I’ll take that over a lot of the other people you see doing the same match over and over. That being said, the ending sucked the life out of this and that’s never good.

Post match Toxic Attraction loads up the bat but Io Shirai runs in for the save. Toxic Attraction is cleared out and we have another Dusty Classic team to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I almost never have any idea what to make of this show anymore and that was the case again here. It’s a bunch of stuff happening and while there are good parts, there are also a lot of things that are just flat out dumb. They try to rush through too many things and it leaves you with a lot of “get this over with” feelings. The good stuff does work and there was a lot of it tonight, but then you see one of WWE’s bad ideas and you know it’s only going to get worse.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Basement lariat to Gibson
Tiffany Stratton b. Wendy Choo – Twisting Vader Bomb
Pete Dunne b. Draco Anthony – Bitter End
LA Knight b. Sanga – Jumping neckbreaker
Sarray b. Dakota Kai – Sunray dropkick
MSK b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Doomsday Blockbuster to Enofe
Mandy Rose b. Kay Lee Ray – Running knee

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: January 28, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re coming up on the Royal Rumble and that means absolutely nothing around here, as none of these people are going to be anywhere near a match that big for a long time. At this point, all that matters is having a show without any kind of a disaster, which may or may not be the case here. Let’s get to it.

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

Josh Briggs vs. Damon Kemp

Brooks Jensen is here with Briggs. Kemp drives Briggs up against the ropes to no avail to start so he does it again for about the same result. Back up and Briggs’ running shoulder has no effect so he kicks Kemp down instead. The fans want to see it again but have to settle for a running elbow in the corner.

Kemp uppercuts his way out of trouble as commentary talks about the Royal Rumble. A Big Boss Man sliding underneath the ropes uppercut gives Briggs two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Kemp fights up and hits some shoulders. A Regal Roll gets two but Briggs blasts him with a lariat for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. Kemp was showing some fire here but Briggs is the bigger star and actually needed the win at this point. The country boys are a good midcard team, but it isn’t like they are going to go very far at the moment. Not bad for a 205 Live match though and I could go for more of Kemp.

Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon vs. Amari Miller/Lash Legend

Legend doesn’t seem to think much of Miller’s perkiness. Feroz gets tossed into the corner to start and Legend mocks the team’s dancing. With the direct attack not working, Feroz tries to pick up the speed a bit and strikes away before handing it off to Leon. Legend runs her over too and brings in Miller, who gets armdragged down.

Leon flips Feroz onto Miller for two but Legend tags herself in for a slam. There’s a big toss to send Feroz into the corner and it’s a kick from Miller into an elbow from Leon for two. Miller’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Leon for her own elbow. Legend comes back in and gets caught with a dropkick so Miller tags herself in. The argument is on and Feroz grabs a small package for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one as it was more about Miller/Legend than the team that was already put together. It’s good to see Feroz and Leon win as they’re one of the few teams who might actually be worthy of a spot in the Dusty Classic, assuming the thing can get enough teams together in the first place. Legend and Miller seem more likely to feud than team together though, and that could make for a bad future.

Joe Gacy vs. Draco Anthony

Harland is here with Gacy. A headlock doesn’t do anything for Gacy but neither does Anthony’s shoulder. Anthony grabs a headlock of his own but a Harland distraction lets Gacy hit a belly to back suplex. We’re off to the chinlock and it’s time to talk about the Rumble again. Back up and Anthony makes the clothesline comeback, setting up an overhead suplex. That’s enough for Gacy, who shoves him away and this the handspring clothesline for the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. Pretty fine match here, even if Anthony wasn’t going to beat a midcard star like Gacy. This is more like the main event that this show has been needing for a bit and that is nice to see after a long time. Gacy winning wasn’t in doubt, but at least they gave it a bit of time on the way there.

Overall Rating: C. It was nice to have this show see some star power (or as close as you’re going to get to it around here) and that made the show fly by. Granted it’s hard not to have it fly by when it’s just over thirty minutes, but this was a bit of an improvement. At least they had a slightly better show this time around and that’s always nice to see.

NXT
Date: January 18, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s a new era in NXT as we have a new monster around here. Walter is making his full time debut this week, as he is scheduled to face Roderick Strong. Other than that we have the fallout of the return of LA Knight to deal with Grayson Waller. Now if only they can avoid doing some dumb things. Let’s get to it.

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

LA Knight arrives and tells some people to watch what he does in the ring. That brings Knight to the arena and he wants to talk to us. He also wants Grayson Waller out here right now so they can finish what they started last week. With Waller not showing up, Knight recaps everything that got us here, including a few weeks ago when a good looking woman picked Knight over Waller.

Cue Waller, and he has a restraining order. Waller: “If you come within fifty feet of me, you get arrested, YEAH!”. Knight thinks this is pitiful even for Waller, but he knows someone who doesn’t have a restraining order against them. Cue Dexter Lumis, and Waller gets to pick which one he fights.

Grayson Waller vs. Dexter Lumis

Joined in progress with Lumis in control, including dropping a leg. Waller gets in a shot of his own for a breather but gets dropped again without much trouble. Lumis hits a neckbreaker to put Waller down, then hits a neckbreaker to put Waller down, followed by a neckbreaker to put Waller down.

Using WWF War Zone rules, Waller fights back and knocks Lumis outside for a running clothesline. We take a break and come back with Lumis fighting out of an armbar and taking it to the floor. Waller manages to get inside…and here is a large man to send Lumis into the barricade. Back in and Waller’s Stunner finishes at 10:03.

Rating: C-. The Waller push continues as Knight is still stuck in NXT to make him look good. On the plus side, at least Waller has some muscle to beat people up, because this company doesn’t have enough enforcer characters just yet. Waller needed the win after last week so this does make sense, even if I’d rather have Knight on Raw every week.

Malcolm Bivens is hyping up the Creed Brothers but Walter comes in to get in his face. Roderick Strong pops in to say he isn’t afraid of Walter. A match seems to be set.

Video on the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, complete with a look at the teams and the brackets:

MSK
Jacket Time

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe
Legado del Fantasma

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen
Creed Brothers

Grizzled Young Veterans
Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward

MSK is ready for the Dusty Classic but Legado del Fantasma comes in to say if MSK beats Jacket Time, they’ll be losing to Legado. MSK doesn’t seem impressed.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Creed Brothers

Brutus takes Briggs down to start but gets hit in the face so hard that his mouthpiece comes out. A double slam puts Brutus down again and it’s Jensen coming in to work on an armbar. Brutus takes Jensen into the corner though and it’s off to Julius coming in to wrestle down. A chinlock sets up a spinebuster to plant Briggs and Brutus suplexes Julius onto him for a crash. Briggs fights up and drives Julius into the corner so the hot tag can brings in Jensen. The chokeslam gets two on Brutus with Julius making the save. Everything breaks down and Jensen is fed into a torture rack slam. Julius’ sliding lariat finishes Jensen at 5:42.

Rating: C. These are two of the teams who have been established over the last few months and the better one moves on in the tournament. That’s about all you could ask for and now the Brothers are probably the favorites to win the tournament. Granted they won’t, but at least they have started moving forward.

Dante Chen (he’s still from Singapore) is back and ready. His father has passed away since we last saw him around here and it is motivating him even more.

Imperium, through subtitles, is ready to dominate.

Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj

They show some respect to start and head outside….where Duke Hudson jumps both of them for the double DQ at 58 seconds.

Hudson beats Chen up and says stay out of his way.

Joe Gacy says he and Harland could be in the tournament but Harland lost his temper. Cue Odyssey Jones, on crutches, to say that’s nonsense. Gacy thanks him for his feedback and opens the door so Jones can walk through it. Gacy wants Harland to think about things.

Bron Breakker knows everyone, including a great performer like Santos Escobar is coming for him. Elektra Lopez comes up to praise Breakker but he isn’t buying it. Escobar comes in to say Breakker isn’t ready for this level. He’s coming for the title so Breakker is ready to fight, only to have Escobar back off.

It’s time for Tony D’Angelo to present the Pete Dunne Memorial Service. Dunne needed to be taught a lesson and that was done by any means necessary. It’s a closed casket service, because no one wants to see Dunner after he took a crowbar to the face. D’Angelo is on to bigger and better things though, like the North American Title.

As luck would have it, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams pop up on the balcony, saying don’t say that. D’Angelo threatens them with members of the family, but Williams says they know all about them, like Ben & Jerry, Larry, Curly and Mo. Not that it matters, as they all look like Vic Joseph.

Violence is threatened but here is Cameron Grimes to say D’Angelo is going to have to go to the back of the line. He challenged Hayes last week, but all he got back was a call from Orlando Car Rentals. Hayes and Williams insist that it’s THEIR car and not a rental. Hayes says Grimes and D’Angelo can fight for the title shot (maybe) so D’Angelo jumps him, only to get Dunne’s portrait smashed over his head.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs say they’ll be ok but here are Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter to say they all need to go out for some drinks. Wendi Choo is on top of the lockers, saying the guys like them. Briggs starts babbling and hints that he likes Jensen more, sending the girls off on their own. Choo might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in wrestling.

Video on Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon. Feroz has a martial arts background and Feroz won weightlifting championships.

Leon and Feroz are ready to win but Dakota Kai comes in to say success ruins friendships. The team isn’t impressed and walks away.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Ivy Nile

Nile rolls her up to start and grabs a quickly broken top wristlock. Nile takes her down again and grabs a headscissors, with Ray not being able to power out. Some spinning does get her out though and it’s a gordbuster to drop Nile again. Back up and Nile wraps her leg around Ray’s head, setting up a DDT (that’s a new one). Ray fights up again but here is Mandy Rose for a distraction, allowing Nile to counter the KLR Bomb into a rollup for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. I can go for Nile getting a win but Ray losing isn’t the best sign. It’s bad enough that she is going to have to tone it way down for the sake of Mandy Rose, but she has to lose too? Ray is someone else who seems like she could be moved up to the main roster almost immediately, but it would be nice if she could do something down here first.

Post match the fight is on, with the rest of Toxic Attraction coming in to take Ray out. Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell run in for the save and take out the champs, with Ray getting up for a superkick of her own.

Harland has attacked Odyssey Jones.

Sarray talks about how her first year here wasn’t great, but now she has found a necklace her grandmother gave her. Now she is ready to return better than ever. This is the second person in an hour making a return after being inspired by something involving a family member.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Legado del Fantasma

The rest of Legado is here too. Blade takes Wilde does to start and Enofe hits a standing moonsault for two. A headlock has Wilde in trouble but Mendoza comes in off a blind tag and it’s a double spinebuster to put Enofe down. The double teaming continues but Enofe gets over for the tag to Blade. Santos Escobar grabs a leg and gets ejected, with Bron Breakker coming in to carry him off. The distraction lets Blade grab a rollup for the fluke pin at 3:14.

Rating: C-. That is your second match in a row to end with a distraction rollup as NXT continues to feel more and more like the main roster shows from a few years back. I can go for the surprise, though it wasn’t quite shocking after what Legado was saying earlier. They telegraphed this fairly badly, but at least they are giving someone else a little something.

Malcolm Bivens says Roderick Strong is ready for Walter. The mat isn’t sacred, but rather a way to make them money, so they can get the deluxe apartment in the sky. Dang it now the theme song is going to be stuck in my head.

Solo Sikoa is mad at Boa for burning him with a fireball and revenge is promised.

Dakota Kai vs. Yulisa Leon

Valentina Feroz is here with Leon. Kai knocks her into the corner and hammers on Leon, setting up the running kick to the face for one. They head outside where a Feroz distraction lets Leon take over with clotheslines and a gutwrench suplex. A tabletop suplex gets two on Kai but she’s back up with a kick to the face for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C-. Build people up, have them lose an hour later. That’s how things work in WWE and I can’t say I’m even a bit surprised these days. Kai needed to be rebuilt a bit here so at least the win makes sense, but maybe they shouldn’t have tried to turn Leon and Feroz into a thing earlier in the same show.

Post match Kai goes after Feroz but Leon makes the save.

Raquel Gonzalez is ready to move on but Cora Jade comes up to offer an alliance. Gonzalez is good though and leaves.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe are fired up over their win. Bron Breakker comes in to say good job and go win that cup.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including a musical performance.

Walter vs. Roderick Strong

Feeling out process to start with Walter taking him down by the arm. Back up and Walter misses a chop, allowing Strong’s chop….to be easily blocked. Now the real chop can connect to knock Strong silly and a big boot makes it even worse. Walter grabs Bivens but gets his leg taken out, allowing Strong to hits a baseball slide through the ropes. That earns him a belly to back drop onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Walter running him over but getting caught in the ropes so Strong can hit his running shots to the face. Walter knocks him down but gets caught on top, meaning it’s a top rope superplex for two. They strike it out with Strong getting the better of things, only to get blasts with a clothesline. Walter powers out of a double underhook and hits a kind of Beach Break. The powerbomb plants Strong for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: B. I’m as shocked as you are that these two had the match of the night by a few miles. These two beat each other up until Walter got a win over one of the bigger names remaining around here. I don’t know what Walter is going to do around here and it would be nice (in theory) to see him on the main roster, but for now I’ll take him stealing the show whenever he is around.

Post match Walter declares himself the winner, drawing in Imperium for the beatdown. The Creed Brothers come in and it’s a big brawl to end the show. Sweet goodness I don’t remember the last time I saw one of those on a WWE show but well done.

Overall Rating: C. This show had to be saved by Walter, as he and Strong were the only things that you needed to see on here. The rest of the show felt like a bunch of leftover ideas from Raw and that shouldn’t be a surprise given who is now in charge. Now it’s bad booking tropes with developmental wrestlers, making this quite the weak show to watch at times. Just be glad for Walter before they screw him up too.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Dexter Lumis – Stunner
Creed Brothers b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Sliding lariat to Jensen
Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj went to a double DQ when Duke Hudson interfered
Ivy Nile b. Kay Lee Ray – Rollup
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Legado de Fantasma – Rollup to Wilde
Dakota Kai b. Yulisa Leon – Running boot to the face
Walter b. Roderick Strong – Powerbomb

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: December 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re done with WarGames and all signs would seem to point to Bron Breakker getting the rematch for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil. That should be the big title change, but there is still some time to fill on the way there. We’ll start with this week’s show, which will include the reveal of MSK’s Shaman. Let’s get to it.

Here is WarGames if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of WarGames.

Von Wagner vs. Kyle O’Reilly

In a cage after Wagner attacked him after their loss at WarGames. O’Reilly jumps him in the aisle to start and Wagner is in trouble in the corner early on. A running boot in the corner rocks Wagner again and O’Reilly starts working on the arm. Some forearms to the back of the head keep Wagner down and some running knees put him down again. Back up and Wagner knocks him silly with a single shot to take over.

Wagner stomps away against the cage but O’Reilly grabs the leg for a kneebar. Since that doesn’t work, Wagner is back with a running headbutt go the ribs for two. We hit the waistlock to hold O’Reilly in place as the fans get behind him anyway. O’Reilly fights up with some kicks until a clothesline takes him down again. A powerbomb against the cage is broken up with a DDT though and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly kicking away and hitting some running strikes to drive Wagner into the cage. The guillotine choke is broken up with straight power and they fight to the top with O’Reilly sending him into the cage for the knockdown. There’s the top rope knee for two on Wagner, who is back up with a low blow. The double underhook swinging slam finishes O’Reilly at 14:18.

Rating: C+. There’s a good chance that this is it for O’Reilly and I can’t say I blame him. It is pretty clear that he is not going to get to do much on his own, as he was put into this lame team as a way to get Wagner over. That isn’t exactly interesting, but if O’Reilly wants out, it’s hard to argue against him. The match itself was a good showcase for O’Reilly, even if Wagner shrugged a lot of his offense off and won anyway.

Post match Wagner ties him in the Tree of Woe, with O’Reilly’s face hanging out of the door. A few door slams onto the face should send O’Reilly off to greener pastures in AEW.

We see Johnny Gargano’s post-WarGames promo, where he promised to tell us his future this week.

Joe Gacy is working to change the name of a show that promotes exclusivity. For now though, he is ready for Harland to debut next week.

Here is Bron Breakker to talk about how 2.0 and Black & Gold went to war at WarGames. Black & Gold is tough as nails but he pinned NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. That makes them 1-1 against each other, so let’s do this one more time for the title. Cue the Diamond Mine, with Malcolm Bivens calling him LeBron Breakker.

Bivens talks about how the team was successful at WarGames and now the weight limit is gone from Roderick Strong’s title. That means he can face the top talent, including Breakker himself. Breakker is ready to fight right now but Strong is going to wait for next week. Breakker accepts because he’ll face anyone to get to Ciampa again. Putting Breakker in the ring with talented people like Strong makes perfect sense and is the smart thing to do with him.

Creed Brothers vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

The Grizzled Young Veterans are on commentary and here is Imperium as soon as the bell rings. Jensen takes Julius down to start and chops away in the corner, setting up an elbow to the back for two. Briggs gets in his own elbow but it’s off to Brutus in a hurry, with a release side slam putting him down in a hurry.

A double right hand drops Brutus again but he sends Jensen into the corner to take over. Jensen is tossed outside for a cheap shot….and the Veterans steal a tag rope. Back in and Julius grabs a stretch muffler on Jensen, who kicks his way to freedom. There’s no tag rope though and Briggs can’t tag in, which matters for all of two seconds as Jensen grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. The tag rope thing was different, though I’m not sure how much of a good thing that is. This Veterans are thieves thing is getting annoying in a hurry, if nothing else because I could go for seeing them be their usual awesome selves instead of whatever this stuff is. Jensen and Briggs getting a push works too, but just let them do their thing instead of all these shenanigans.

Von Wagner doesn’t care about Kyle O’Reilly because his WarGames are just beginning. Wagner leaves as Robert Stone arrives.

Xyon Quinn is ready for Santos Escobar.

Here is Duke Hudson, now with a blond wig. Hudson talks about how everyone was wrong about his hair cut, because he took care of things and now has a full head of hair. Cue Cameron Grimes, so Hudson immediately puts on some head gear. Hudson accuses Grimes of cheating by pulling the trunks, with Grimes talking about how they do things a little different where he’s from. The challenge is issued for one more match with no holds barred. Hudson is in but bails from the threat of a Cave In.

Jacket Time comes in to see Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs. The Grizzled Young Veterans pop up to say Briggs and Jensen only won because of them, but here are Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro, offering concert tickets. Jensen and Briggs leave with them so the Veterans and Jacket Time brawl. Referees break it up and sleepy Mei Ying pops up with a pillow and fountain drink.

Grayson Waller hits on a woman outside, but she’s already going out with LA Knight tonight. Waller swears revenge.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Dexter Lumis

Non-title. Lumis takes Hayes, with his bad ribs, into the corner to start and fires off some knees. There’s a slam to stay on the ribs but Trick Williams offers a distraction, allowing Hayes to…get punched in the face (with the broken hand that was supposed to keep Lumis out for a month).

Back in and Hayes hits a springboard clothesline before working on the bad hand. That doesn’t work so well but Lumis goes after Williams, allowing Hayes to kick him in the face to take over. Back from a break with Hayes working on the hand again, with Lumis bothering to sell it this time. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Hayes spends too much time talking, allowing Lumis to reverse a suplex. The clothesline comeback sets up the Silencer but Williams breaks it up for the DQ at 12:43.

Rating: C-. The stuff with Lumis’ hand brought this way down, as there is only so much you can do when the injury is mostly ignored. Hayes tried to work on it some but Lumis just blankly staring and then doing his usual stuff didn’t help. Lumis is likely going to get a title shot now, but firs the needs to torture Williams a bit first, as that tends to be more of Lumis’ nature.

MSK has found the Shaman and it’s…..Riddle (in a reveal that makes all the sense in the world but still caught me by surprise). They sit down in front of some candles and talk about their history, including how fast they had success. Riddle talks about the Broserweights (and pays tribute to the still alive Stallion Pete). He’s willing to be there with them on their way back to success, but now it’s time to open the bag. More on that later.

Toxic Attraction talks about how they are ready to deal with things on their own, like real women. Now stop drooling.

Persia Pirotta is glad that Indi Hartwell can have her mind back on the team. Hartwell says she is committed to the team but here is Dexter Lumis, with Hartwell jumping into his arms. Johnny Gargano pops up and is glad to have the family back together.

Toxic Attraction vs. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Non-title. Dolin beats on Leon to start and a cheap shot from the apron makes it worse. There’s a Cannonball in the corner and Jayne grabs a chinlock. That’s countered into a running Samoan drop to rock Jayne though and the hot tag brings in Feroz for two off a high crossbody, plus a lot of shouting. Back up and Jayne kicks Feroz in the face for the fast pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. They kept this short and to the point, as Toxic Attraction gets a win to regain momentum after Sunday. They’re still not exactly smooth in the ring but they have enough heat on them to keep them moving through a match. Leon and Feroz are not too bad as a low level team and their dancing entrance suits them well.

Post match Toxic Attraction throws out the challenge to anyone, so here is Cora Jade, with her arm in a sling. She talks about pinning Mandy Rose a few weeks back and wants another shot, but Toxic Attraction has the numbers advantage. Cue Raquel Gonzalez to clear the ring with a chair.

Tiffany Stratton talks about her time on the United States gymnastics team. A gold medal is nice, but the Women’s Title is better.

Tony D’Angelo is proud of getting Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. Andre Chase comes in to say D’Angelo should have followed his game plan but D’Angelo doesn’t want to hear it. The challenge is made and Chase is cut off in mid-response.

Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Fade are ready for Toxic Attraction. Cue Kay Lee Ray to say she has their backs, along with a bat.

Santos Escobar vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn chokes him down to start but stoops to look at Elektra Lopez. The distraction lets Escobar fight up, only to charge into some elbows to the throat. Quinn is dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and some more shots keep Escobar in trouble. Something from the apron is broken up by a Legado del Fantasma distraction though and Escobar gets in a cheap shot. That doesn’t work either though as Quinn knocks him away as we take a break

Back with Quinn having to fight out of a neck crank and armbar with straight power. Quinn sends him into the corner for a running shoulder but Escobar reverses and hits the running DDT. The Phantom Driver is countered though and Quinn powers him into the corner. They fight on top and Escobar hits a super hurricane for the big knockdown. In the crash, Lopez slips Quinn some brass knuckles, but he throws them to Joaquin Wilde. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. Aside from the super hurricane taking a good bit too long to set up, this was a pretty nice back and forth match. I’m not sure I would have had Escobar beat Quin, but at least there was a bit of a distraction finish and the Lopez/Quin stuff can continue. Quin is still one of the brighter spots around here and I could see WWE taking a shot with him in a hurry.

Diamond Mine runs into Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams in the back. Hayes wants Roderick Strong so Bivens issues the challenge. Hayes says Strong isn’t the A Champion and leaves, with Bivens not being happy.

Boa doesn’t like Edris Enofe so they’ll fight next week.

Here is a rather sad looking Johnny Gargano for a chat. Gargano talks about how “Heartbreak” told him he could have as long as he wants and London Has Fallen is on next anyway. Gargano: “I was always a La Femme Nikita guy myself.” He talks about how he has never had the best promos or skills but the fans have always been here for him. Back in 2015, he showed up at a tryout and was told he would never be in NXT.

William Regal saw something in him though and he got a dark match against Apollo Crews. The fans cheered him so hard that they kept bringing him back, and now here he is. The fans chant for Gargano, who talks about every single person in the back who has helped him, including listing off a bunch of coaches.

Change can be scary, but sometimes it needs to happen. Gargano isn’t sure what is next, but he’s starting a new job as a dad in February. His son is going to watch this back one day and thank you all….and here is Grayson Waller to jump him with a chair. The beatdown is on and Gargano is sent into various things, setting up a hard powerbomb through the announcers’ table. I’m guessing it’s paternity leave and then the big comeback match with Waller.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the good stuff was enough to carry the show over the weaker parts. There are still a lot of things that need to be adjusted, but you can also see a bunch of things starting to come together around here. I’m curious to see how they all go, but this show is about as week to week as you can get these days. For this one though, not bad and that’s nice to see for a change.

Results
Von Wagner b. Kyle O’Reilly – Double underhook spinning slam
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Creed Brothers – Rollup to Julius
Dexter Lumis b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Trick Williams interfered
Toxic Attraction b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Kick to Feroz
Santos Escobar b. Xyon Quinn – Phantom Driver

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: November 23, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s title time as we have a pretty big main event with North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defending against Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne. NXT has a good history of setting up these title matches and then making them work, so hopefully they remember how to make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Grayson Waller in the ring, talking about how great of an NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa really is. Waller goes on about the fans booing everyone, including John Cena and Roman Reigns, but those two are at the top of the game. It’s like people with 80,000 tweets and 3 followers don’t matter! Cue Ciampa to cut Waller off and we’re ready to go.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Grayson Waller

Non-title. Ciampa isn’t having this and stomps away in the corner. A running knee puts Waller on the floor but he comes back in with a jumping neckbreaker. Now it’s Waller stomping away in the corner until Ciampa is back up with a boot out of the corner. Waller grabs a spinebuster into a modified People’s Elbow, which only hits mat. A clothesline puts Waller on the floor and there’s the throw over the announcers’ table so Ciampa can applaud himself.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa kneeing Waller out of the air, followed by a DDT for two. Waller grabs a spinebuster for two but Ciampa catches him on top. A super Air Raid Crash gets two but Waller catches him with a spinebuster for two. Ciampa is sent outside for the big flip dive but he catches Waller with the Willow’s Bell on the way back in. The Fairy Tale Ending finishes Waller at 13:37.

Rating: C+. This was a good showing from both guys and Ciampa still feels like he’s a few miles ahead of just about everyone else in NXT. He comes off as polished and knowing what he’s doing, while so many others seem to be figuring it out as they go. Speaking of figuring it out, it would be nice if NXT could figure out what Waller is supposed to be and stick with it for more than two weeks at a time.

LA Knight doesn’t think much of Grayson Waller, because the fans were chanting WALLER SUCKS. That’s not an insult, but just a fact of life. Joe Gacy comes in to talk about how bad that is so they agree to meet in the safe space. Knight: “You make it sound like such a perverted thing, you freak.” The match is on for later.

We recap last week’s poker showdown.

Toxic Attraction isn’t looking forward to having to face Cora Jade. Dakota Kai comes up next to them and seems to be a bit crazy. Mandy Rose: “At least she’s on our team.” They find a bunch of destroyed stuff but keep walking, with Kai breaking another glass. Kay Lee Ray pops up with a baseball bat, apparently having smashed everything.

Here is a depressed Cameron Grimes, still with the shorter hair. Grimes talks about growing up in a very small town in North Carolina. Every day, he would have people push him down and tell him he wasn’t good enough. Grimes kept fighting and coming up because he would never quit and now he has made it. The entire time, he kept his hair and beard to remind himself of what he went through. Duke Hudson took all of that away last week and embarrassed him.

Hudson messed up though because he made Grimes angry. He wants Hudson down here right now because the talking is done. Hudson, in a barber’s chair, pops up on screen to ask why Grimes should be mad at him. Last week, Grimes took a lot of money from him and got a free haircut. All Hudson is trying to do is make Grimes a decent human being, so Grimes says come down here and let’s finish this. That’s not happening, so Grimes makes a better offer: let’s go all in, with hair vs. hair at WarGames. Hudson is in, and holds up Grimes’ hair in a bag.

This was a wrestling promo and a classic wrestling setup. Ignoring the poker nonsense, this was someone who has been wronged giving a serious speech about wanting revenge and setting up a big match with some high stakes. That’s how this stuff can work and this was good stuff.

Pete Dunne is ready to win the North American Title tonight.

Indi Hartwell says Dexter Lumis has a broken hand and is out for a month. He can’t even draw, but she’s still ready to have her tag match tonight. This one is for Dexter, but Persia Pirotta pulls her to the ring.

Tiffany Stratton, a rich blonde girl who plays tennis, is coming. I saw her on 205 Live and that’s not a great thing.

Persia Pirotta/Indi Hartwell vs. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro

Carter and Catanzaro come through the crowd for their energized entrance. Persia shrugs Carter off to start and hands it off to Hartwell, who seems a little distracted. Hartwell shoves her way out of the corner but gets taken down by Carter in a hurry. Catanzaro comes in off a blind tag and is suplexed into a moonsault for two on Hartwell.

It’s back to Pirotta to drop Catanzaro face first on the top, setting up a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Hartwell stops to look at her ring finger before hitting Carter with a side slam. That means another look at the ring finger, allowing Carter to grab a crucifix for two of her own. Carter splashes the distracted Hartwell for the fast pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. Hartwell being distracted because of Dexter is a way to go for her, as the team with Pirotta seems ready to split. To be fair, they have been a team for all of a few months now and that is a long shelf life around here. Carter and Catanzaro seem primed for a Women’s Tag Team Title match and that should be a good thing whenever we get there.

Andre Chase gives his students a tour of Chase University facilities when they run into Cameron Grimes. Chase calls him a teachable moment and Grimes doesn’t seem pleased.

Malik Blade vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar takes him to the mat to start but Blade slips out of a suplex. Blade grabs a sunset flip for two, earning himself a forearm to the face. Back up and Escobar sends him into the corner, setting up the Phantom Driver for the pin at 2:27.

Post match Legado del Fantasma gets in the ring, where Elektra Lopez says Xyon Quinn turned them down. They never needed him anyway, but here are Von Wagner and Kyle O’Reilly to interrupt. They’re here for the same reason: they want the Tag Team Titles (which Legado never mentioned) and Wagner’s foot was on the rope in their match. Imperium pops up to shout about how the little children are fighting among themselves. Imperium announces a #1 contenders match and the winners can get a shot at WarGames.

Raquel Gonzalez barges into the women’s locker room and nearly gets in a fight. Cora Jade tells them to get it together for WarGames, but they need a fourth to go along with Io Shirai. They can figure that out while she goes to fight Mandy Rose.

Tony D’Angelo’s money is on Carmelo Hayes tonight and suggests putting some bets on the match.

Mandy Rose vs. Cora Jade

Non-title. They fight over a lockup to start with Jade grabbing a quick rollup for two. A running knee in the corner is countered into a spinebuster to give Rose her own two though and she plants Jade again for a bonus. Back up and Jade snaps off a running hurricanrana for two, only to miss a middle rope dropkick. Cue Kay Lee Ray with her baseball bat, which is smashed into a variety of things. The distraction lets Jade grab a rollup for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: D+. As soon as Rose told Toxic Attraction to stay in the back and this was non-title, Rose was in big trouble. Those are some nearly guaranteed signs that the champ is in trouble, though what might be a bigger problem is how obvious those signs were. Work on those things a bit, because it makes your booking pretty easy to guess.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready for the triple threat. Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne are chasing him and he won’t miss.

Joe Gacy is ready to make the ring a safe space. Harland puts his hand on Gacy’s shoulder.

Kay Lee Ray comes up to Cora Jade, Raquel Gonzalez and Io Shirai. Ray will be their fourth member at WarGames, and she’ll be in the advantage ladder match next week too. It has been a full month since a ladder match so at least they’re not wasting any more time.

Joe Gacy vs. LA Knight

Cue Grayson Waller to jump Knight from behind and they fight to the back. No match.

Gacy talks about anger management but here is the Diamond Mine to interrupt. That sends Gacy into a rant about weight shaming with the Cruiserweight Title but Roderick Strong says he’ll face Gacy anyway. Malcolm Bivens says the match will be made, but here is Harland to scare Diamond Mine off. Well at least….actually no, as I can’t think of anything positive in this segment.

MSK continues on their quest but get pulled over for driving seven miles an hour. They’re worried about the contents of their bag but are allowed to go.

Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon

Nile takes her down and does pushups on Leon’s back. Leon fights up and works on the arm but Nile is back with a heck of a clothesline. A triangle choke is eventually broken up so Leon tries a rollup, only to get reversed into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 2:44.

Solo Sikoa talks about everything he has done to get here and he has done it on his own.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are planning something but get broken up by an LA Knight/Grayson Waller brawl.

Boa can’t control his evil but once he does, you will fear him.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Drake gets sent throat first into the middle rope for a pair of right hands to start. There’s a big left hand to put him down again but Zack Gibson asks for some time before a right hand. A blind tag brings in Gibson to jump Jensen from behind and we hit the chinlock. We cut to LA Knight and Grayson Waller STILL fighting in the back as Gibson cuts off Jensen’s tag attempt.

That lasts all of a few seconds as it’s off to Briggs to clean house in a hurry. Drake gets backdropped and claims a knee injury but Briggs has to go after Gibson. Drake’s knee is fine enough to try a kick to the ribs, which is easily caught. Briggs and Jensen go high/low to finish Drake at 4:26.

Rating: C. Briggs and Jensen get to pick up a win and that’s a good thing for them. They have the potential to be a nice tag team but you’re only going to get so far without ever beating anyone. Granted you could say the same thing about the Veterans and in a much bigger way, but the solution for them is to be goofy con artists for some reason.

WarGames rundown.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is defending. Dunne gets dropkicked to the floor start, leaving Gargano to dropkicks Hayes. Back in and Dunne runs Hayes over, with Gargano taking Dunne’s place. Everyone is back inside so Dunne can half crab them both. That’s broken up as well so Hayes springboard body blocks Dunne for two before hammering on Gargano. Johnny fights out of the corner and this a bulldog/running clothesline combination to take both of them down. Gargano hits a dive each onto Dunne and Hayes, setting up a running hurricane to Dunne.

We take a break and come back with a circle slugout until Hayes gets knocked into the corner. Hayes gets the better of things and sends Gargano to the apron, where scores with the slingshot spear. The Patter End is countered into a DDT for two on Dunne. Stereo kicks to the head rock Hayes but he’s back up to suplex Dunne onto Gargano. Back up and Gargano runs both of them over, setting up the Lawn Dart to Hayes. Dunne comes back in and hits the Bitter End, but here Tony D’Angelo to break up the cover. D’Angelo sends Dunne into the steps and the top rope ax kick gives Hayes the retaining pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. They had me wondering who was leaving with the title here and Hayes continues to look like a star, so they’re certainly doing something well. Hayes is one of the brighter young stars around and the other two have been made men for a longtime. I liked the match and the ending probably sets up something for WarGames, so they took care of a few things at once.

Post match the big beatdown is on with LA Knight and Grayson Waller joining in. The villains get the better of things and Gargano’s hand is loaded up for the Pillmanization. Cue Tommaso Ciampa with the chair to break everything up. The fans want the DIY reunion and the fans chant for WarGames….but here is Bron Breakker to join the villains. Breakker: “WARGAMES!!!” The brawl is on again as the sirens go off to end the show. I’m really not sure if this should be a WarGames match, but the more appropriate Survivor Series has already passed so this is as good as we’re getting.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t great here, but this felt like a show where they had a plan and were starting to execute it. A lot of the random, throwing stuff at the wall feeling was gone and a lot of that probably has to do with having a shot to build towards. This was a glimmer of hope and if NXT is more like this going forward, they have a chance. There is still a lot of fine tuning to go, but at least they got it a lot closer to right this week.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Grayson Waller – Fairy Tale Ending
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Indi Hartwell/Persia Pirotta – Splash to Hartwell
Santos Escobar b. Malik Blade – Phantom Driver
Cora Jade b. Mandy Rose – Rollup
Ivy Nile b. Yulisa Leon – Dragon sleeper
Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Grizzled Young Veterans – High/Low to Drake
Carmelo Hayes b. Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano – Top rope ax kick to Dunne

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: November 16, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re back to whatever NXT has become but this time it’s all about WarGames. Somehow NXT thinks they have a matchup that will work there, though I’m almost scared to know who is going to be included. Maybe we find that out tonight, plus get what should be an obvious setup for Breakker vs. Ciampa II. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dexter Lumis

Fallout from D’Angelo suggesting Lumis was about to get whacked. Lumis has a drawing for D’Angelo, showing him asleep in a school of fish. D’Angelo bails away to start and gets caught with a Thesz press. Back up and D’Angelo gets in a few shots of his own to take over and we hit the chinlock. Lumis fights up again but D’Angelo snaps his throat across the top. With Lumis staggered, D’Angelo grabs the easel the drawing is sitting on, which is quickly taken away. That’s all D’Angelo needs as he pokes Lumis in the eye behind the referee’s back. The fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Lumis at 3:05.

Rating: D+. I’m trying to get into D’Angelo but he’s so straight out of central casting that it’s almost impossible. He feels completely out of place around here and it’s a really jarring thing to see. Having him pin Lumis is a way to go, but egads I’m really not sure how much of a future there is in someone doing the corniest mobster deal imaginable.

Post match here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to go after Lumis. They throw in a Pillmanizing to the hand, with Johnny Gargano getting in for the save a moment too late.

Post break, Gargano says we don’t need to see any replays. He wants Hayes out here right now but gets Pete Dunne instead. Before that can go anywhere, here are Hayes and Williams in the balcony to interrupt. Williams talks trash about Gargano but Dunne wants to know who these people are. Dunne says he’s the same age as Hayes with ten years more experience, plus with a win over him. Hayes doesn’t like this so let’s make it a triple threat match for the title next week. Hayes loads up the Melo Don’t Miss catchphrase but gets cut off by telling him how much he does miss. Gargano says you don’t want to miss the title match.

The Diamond Mine is warming up when Joe Gacy comes in. He likes the idea of a leader and seems to be interested in joining. Malcolm Bivens says the tryout is in a few weeks and that’s going to be 837 dollars. Gacy does at least get a business card.

LA Knight talks about how he has all kinds of things but he’s still the same person without them. He was ready for the NXT Title but then Grayson Waller came in to get in his way. Waller can talk all he wants, but there is one superstar around here and it isn’t him.

Diamond Mine vs. Odyssey Jones/Jacket Time

Strong and Kushida start things off, with Strong hitting Jones in the face on the apron. That’s enough to bring Jones in but it’s off to Julius Creed, who jumps on his back. Jones breaks that up so Brutus comes in and gets flipped over for his efforts. Jiro comes in to start on the arm but it’s off to Strong, who gets to face Kushida

The basement dropkick rocks Strong and Kushida takes out the Brothers for a bonus. A cheap shot from Strong takes Kushida down though and we take a break. Back with Julius working over Jiro and handing it off to Brutus to hammer away. That’s broken up and it’s back to Jones, who gets Olympic Slammed to give Strong two. Everything breaks down and Jones splashes Strong for the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what the point is in having Jones feud with Strong, but at least it is something for both of them to do. Bringing Jacket Time (because their name really is Jacket time) is a good thing, but you’re only going to get so far with these three against a pushed team like the Diamond Mine. The match was fine though, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

The Grizzled Young Veterans have stolen the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles but call Gibson’s grandmother to brag. She’s proud of their win, which should be enough to get him the lion’s share of the inheritance. They even have a board labeled Nana Con. I have no idea why the team needs a gimmick like this, but I don’t get a lot of this NXT.

MSK get to the airport but get caught with, ahem, supplies. Then they take separate flights to meet the Shaman, whoever that is. They get wherever they’re going and are off to find him.

Xyon Quinn vs. Andre Chase

Chase takes him down to start and grabs a running neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on but Quinn powers up and throws Chase down with ease. The Jackhammer finishes Chase in a hurry at 3:08.

Rating: D+. This was what it should have been as there was no reason to have Chase be a threat to a monster like Quinn. They have something with Quinn and having him dispatch Chase (with an upgraded finisher) is a good sign for what he’s doing. Now just get Quinn something more serious to do and see what you have with him.

Post match Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde jump Quinn from behind. Quinn fights them off but Santos Escobar comes in to jump him from behind. Cue Elektra Lopez to say no one say no to Elektra Lopez (But didn’t she just say it?). Quinn gets planted on the ramp.

Raquel Gonzalez talks about how much she loved being champion but one shovel to the back took all of that away. Now she has to look at Mandy Rose holding her title, but tonight she’s burying Dakota Kai with that shovel.

It’s time for the Poker Showdown between Duke Hudson and Cameron Grimes. We actually go over the rules for the game and Hudson talks about how luck is for losers. Grimes says he played Hudson and now it’s time for poker. They play out the hand, with the pot getting to nearly $20,000. Hudson requests that the fans be quiet before calling.

The final card is dealt and Grimes goes all in, with Hudson being scared despite having the best hand. Hudson loses it and thinks that Grimes has him beat and folds, with Hudson grabbing the cards to find out he was bluffed (you don’t do that in poker). Grimes thinks it’s hilarious and gets kicked in the head, setting up a powerbomb through the table. Hudson grabs some scissors and cuts Grimes’ beard and hair. This was long but the ending was a step forward for the story.

Kyle O’Reilly doesn’t seem happy with Von Wagner appearing on Smackdown but they’re cool for tonight.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner

O’Reilly ducks Jensen’s clothesline and kicks away before grabbing a headlock. Briggs tags himself in though and it’s a double shoulder to take him down. We see Imperium watching in the back as O’Reilly gets over for the tag to Wagner. That means the power standoff with Briggs, who can’t shoulder Wagner down. Wagner powers him into the corner so O’Reilly can come back in for the kicks. That earns him a bearhug but O’Reilly slips out, allowing the tag back to Wagner. Everything breaks down and O’Reilly takes Briggs down on the floor. That leaves Wagner to hit a double underhook swinging slam on Jensen for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C. I was really hoping that O’Reilly and Wagner could be done but NXT sees something in them. I’m not sure what that is, but it seems to be continuing. Jensen and Briggs continue to be the easiest team in the world to set up, yet they have almost no success at all. Is Wagner really that great of a prospect?

Imperium is impressed, but not that impressed.

Indi Hartwell is worried about Dexter Lumis’ hand. Persia Pirotta will wrestle on her own, but she doesn’t seem happy.

It’s time for Lashing Out with Lash Legend (dang it I hoped they had dropped this stupid thing) and this week she doesn’t like Kay Lee Ray. Grayson Waller pops up to be the guest and talks about all of the veterans who have made it this far. Then Waller was a success on reality TV and made a video to get on here. The business has changed because it’s no longer about how many stars you get but how many followers. Lash: “The tea has just been spilled!” This continues to be the dumbest thing on a show full of dumb things.

Persia Pirotta vs. Gabby Stephens/Jenna Levy

Persia cleans house to start as Robert Stone is in the aisle. The jobbers are cleaned out and Pirotta puts them both on her shoulders for a double Samoan drop. A sitout F5 finishes Leavy at 1:49. Total domination.

Stone is impressed.

Dakota Kai seems a bit off but says she needs to purge Raquel Gonzalez. Toxic Attraction pops up to scare her off but here are the Grizzled Young Veterans to give them their titles back.

Tommaso Ciampa is ready to face anyone….and he’ll just address them in the ring.

Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro went to a music festival and danced a lot. They want to bring the party to everyone. More vignettes like this, just to give us an idea of who these people are, even if they’ve been around.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He doesn’t like a lot of these new people, including Grayson Waller mocking old wrestlers working the indies for a hot dog and a handshake. Cue Bron Breakker to cut him off to say Ciampa must be upset over these new talents popping up. Ciampa reminds him of the loss at Halloween Havoc and we even see a clip. Ciampa says Breakker has less than a 33 1/3% chance of taking the title, because he is just a puppy instead of the champ.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai

Before the match, Gonzalez points to Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the front row. The beating continues in the corner, with Kai smiling while Gonzalez unloads on her. An over the shoulder backbreaker makes it worse until Gonzalez sends her outside. This time Kai gets in a shot of her own and we take a break.

Back with Kai hitting a running boot against the ropes for two. Kai goes up and shoves Gonzalez off for daring to try a superplex. Another kick to the head keeps Gonzalez in trouble but she fights back, albeit with a bottom turnbuckle being pulled off. A Vader Bomb gives Gonzalez two but Kai breaks up the Chingona Bomb.

Instead, Gonzalez grabs a stretch muffler and spins Kai around for a crash. Kai is able to send her face first into the exposed buckle though and now it’s time for the shovel from Halloween Havoc. Gonzalez takes it away without too much effort…and here is Toxic Attraction to jump Gonzalez for the DQ at 11:45.

Rating: C+. This was pretty easily the best match on the show and I think you know where the ending is taking us. How Gonzalez isn’t on the main roster yet is beyond me, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see WarGames as her big NXT finale. Kai’s new character is certainly weird and I’m not quite sure what they’re doing with her. This was pretty good action for a bit though and that’s better than most of this show.

Post match the beatdown is on but Cora Jade makes the save with her skateboard. Mandy Rose cuts that off though and Jade gets beaten down. Cue Zoey Stark, with her leg in a cast, but Io Shirai runs out and grabs the crutch to clear the ring. The big brawl continues as fans chant for WARGAMES as Gonzalez and company clear the ring. Shirai issues the WarGames challenge to end the show, because Toxic Attraction needs to be in ANOTHER dangerous match.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling a lot of this show and that shouldn’t be a surprise. They have certainly settled down, but nothing feels overly big and Toxic Attraction does not feel like they belong in a WarGames match. This show is a bad mixture of goofy and people who aren’t ready yet. That works fine on local TV where you can get away with more, but at two hours a week on the same channel as Raw, it makes for a downright bizarre experience.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Dexter Lumis – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Odyssey Jones/Jacket Time b. Diamond Mine – Splash to Strong
Xyon Quinn b. Andre Chase – Jackhammer
Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Double underhook swinging slam to Jensen
Persia Pirotta b. Gabby Stephens/Jenna Levy – Sitout F5 to Leavy
Raquel Gonzalez b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Toxic Attraction interfered

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.