NXT
Date: July 15, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially done with the Great American Bash and the big story coming out of the show is…well not much really. There were no title changes and the main event was little more than a preview for the title match at Evolution. That isn’t much to go on, but we are about five weeks away from Heatwave so let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

Great American Bash recap.

We also look at Blake Monroe turning on Jordynne Grace to cost her the Women’s Title at Evolution.

Here is Fatal Influence, with Jacy Jayne (and her banged up voice after an elbow to the throat) not being happy with what the rest of the team did at the Great American Bash. It’s all ok though because she got to shock the world again at the Great American Bash. Shocking people is what Jayne does best and that is what she is going to do again at TNA Slammiversary this weekend.

Cue TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to say she’ll win the title on Sunday, but Jayne says she’s walking out with both titles. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria, with Ruca saying she’s already got two titles. Zaria says Ruca was the MVP of the weekend with her three matches (granted she only won one of them) and the brawl is on. Just make the six woman tag already.

Video on Tony D’Angelo’s rise up the ranks of NXT.

Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams vs. Darkstate

Santana dives onto Darkstate on the floor to start fast and the brawl is on outside. They get inside with Santana hammering on Shugars. Williams gets in a side kick but Griffin comes in off a blind tag. Griffin decks Williams as he mocks Hendry and we take a break. We come back with Lennox wrestling Santana down but Santana avoids a charge in the corner.

Santana kicks Shugars away and it’s off to Hendry to clean house. The fall away slam sends Shugars flying and everything breaks down. Darkstate is sent to the floor but Williams wants to run things, earning a double shot to the face from Santana and Hendry. The two of them hit dives onto Darkstate…and here is the System (top heel stable in TNA) to brawl with Darkstate for the DQ at 9:04.

Rating: C+. This was about the big surprise run-in at the end and it worked well enough. That’s also a smart way out of things as Hendry and Santana weren’t going to be able to beat Darkstate on their own. NXT has done a pretty nice job of making Darkstate feel like a threat and they kept that going here.

Arianna Grace suggests she should have been in the battle royal at Evolution. Karmen Petrovic says she should have been in as well but Kali Armstrong (Evolve Women’s Champion) doesn’t want to hear it. The match is set for tonight.

Video on Stacks, who went from the underboss to being Tag Team Champions with Tony D’Angelo before eventually turning on the team

Evolve Women’s Title: Kali Armstrong vs. Karmen Petrovic

Armstrong (a powerhouse) is defending and throws Petrovic down without much trouble. Petrovic tries to kick away but Armstrong slugs her in the face. Cue Jordynne Grace to pull Armstrong to the floor and drop her with a right hand for the DQ at 1:13.

Post match Grace beats up Petrovic (because it isn’t about Armstrong) and demands that Blake Monroe get out here right now. Instead she gets Stevie Turner and Robert Stone to explain that Monroe isn’t here. We get a video from Monroe, who hates everything about Grace. Which of them would you rather be? Grace is invited to Monroe’s singles debut next week. Grace beats the two of them up and yells at Ava and security on the way out.

Team Undertaker (from LFG) is excited for Undertaker to be here next week. Trick Williams comes in and doesn’t want to hear it, even getting in one of their faces. Undertaker calls one of them.

Jasper Troy comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with him attacking Ricky Saints. Troy isn’t impressed but Ava makes Troy vs. Saints next week.

Video on Luca Crusifino, the mind behind the D’Angelo Family, who now seems to be on his own.

We look at the Evolution battle royal, won by Stephanie Vaquer, with Lash Legend making a strong showing.

Legend brags about her success and wants a title shot. Jaida Parker comes in

Stacks vs. Luca Crusifino vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks and Crusifino grab D’Angelo’s arms to start but he breaks it up and hammers away. Crusifino gets up to tackle D’Angelo down and hits a baseball slide to take both of them down on the floor. A springboard right hand sends Crusifino back out to the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Stacks in control and hitting a pair of running Cannonballs in the corner.

Stacks sends D’Angelo into Crusifino but D’Angelo fights up and they go outside. D’Angelo ducks a crowbar shot from Stacks, who misses a top rope knee as well. A double German suplex sends Stacks and Crusifino down and a Tower Of Doom makes it even worse. Crusifino gets up and hits a brainbuster onto the knee for two on D’Angelo. Stacks sends D’Angelo outside and grabs the crowbar, only for D’Angelo to spear him through a wooden wall. A spinebuster puts Crusifino through the announcers’ table and another one to Stacks gives D’Angelo the pin at 13:35.

Rating: B. This was the way the match needed to go, as D’Angelo is the biggest star of the three but hasn’t done much in recent weeks. The ending saw him get up and ram through both of them, which is a great way to get D’Angelo back on track. Good, hard hitting match here and it worked well.

Tavion Heights complains to Wren Sinclair about losing to Charlie Dempsey last week when Dempsey comes in. They’ll argue about this later, because Sinclair has a match next week. The guys can be in her corner if they want to be.

We look back at Yoshiki Inamura not accepting Josh Briggs’ interference at the Great American Bash, resulting in him his shot at Oba Femi and the NXT Title.

Here is Briggs, who lost an opportunity at the Great American Bash. Why did Inamura get a title shot so soon? Inamura has only been here less than a year and got a high profile title match but Briggs has been here four years and has never gotten a shot. The reality is that Inamura is too nice and if you have a shot, you take it. Cue Oba Femi to interrupt, saying that Briggs ruined the match.

Briggs says that Femi was taken to his limit and Inamura let him up for air. Cue Inamura to say that Briggs does not speak for him, with Femi saying that Inamura has earned a rematch. Inamura cuts Briggs off, saying he is his own man and he will win his way, with honor. Briggs issues the challenge for a triple threat match for the title next week. Game, and fight, on.

Ethan Page brags about his win and how great it is for North America. The big celebration is next week in Houston.

Ricky Saints is sore but ready for Jasper Troy next week.

Undertaker doesn’t like Trick Williams being rude to his LFG team and wants Williams to stay out of his yard.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Culling isn’t mad at Tatum Paxley, who is touched by the forgiveness. She has an idea for Sol Ruca.

Fatal Influence vs. Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria

Zaria powers Henley around to start and it’s off to Ruca to work on the arm. Slamovich comes in and gets hit in the throat, which is quickly shrugged off. It’s off to Jayne, who gets rolled up for a fast two but elbows Slamovich in the face for two of her own. Everything breaks down and Jayne gets double teamed, including the double elbow. We cut to Lexis King in the crowd, with Ava yelling at him.

Ruca surfs on Jayne’s back and slams Nyx down onto her for a bonus. Back up and Jayne gets in a cheap shot though and Nyx gets in a superkick to send Slamovich outside. We take a break and come back with Ruca fighting out of a chinlock. A jawbreaker allows the tag off to Zaria to clean house in a hurry. Fatal Influence gets together to strike away at Zaria and get her in the wrong corner for a change.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Slamovich for a rolling kick to the face. A double flapjack into a double flipping faceplant drops Slamovich again. Everything breaks down again but here is the Culling, with Zaria and Ruca taking out Paxley and Dame. Hank & Tank come in to brawl with the rest of the team and they all brawl to the back. That leaves Slamovich three on one…but she kicks Jayne in the head and Snowplows her for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. So in theory, the title match on Sunday should be a total layup right? Slamovich just beat all three members of Fatal Influence on her own, including pinning Jayne clean. That’s quite the big accomplishment, though at the end of the day I’m expecting Jayne to win at Slammiversary. Either way, good enough stuff here with three matches (or likely matches) being advanced at once.

Slamovich hands Jayne her title, which Jayne snatches away.

We run down next week’s show.

Overall Rating: B. In two hours, they managed to follow up on the Great American Bash/Evolution and set up next week’s show at the same time. That’s a heck of a use of a show and the wrestling was good enough. I liked this one a lot and the show flew by, which is always a nice bonus as well. Solid work this week, as it feels well structured and planned out.

Results
Darkstate b. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams via DQ when the System interfered
Kali Armstrong b. Karmen Petrovic via DQ when Jordynne Grace interfered
Tony D’Angelo b. Luca Crusifino and Stacks – Spinebuster to Stacks
Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Fatal Influence – Snowplow to Jayne

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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Great American Bash 2025
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another big show and we have an interesting lineup here, with three title matches and some grudge matches to fill out the card. The (likely) main event will see Yoshiki Inamura challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title. Other than that, Ricky Saints is challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title in a falls count anywhere match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks back at the history of the Great American Bash, including some footage of the first Bash from 40 years ago. Tonight, the tradition continues and we look at the card.

Maybe it’s the camera angle but the ring looks a bit smaller than usual.

Jasper Troy vs. Je’Von Evans

Troy has been bullying Evans, who is coming in with bad ribs. Evans hits him in the face to start and is quickly knocked down, with Troy sending him to the apron. A jump over the post gets Evans out of trouble and he comes back with a dropkick. They crash out to the floor and Evans is sent into various hard objects to make the ribs much worse. Back in and Troy grinds away but Evans gets in a few right hands.

That just earns him a slam on the ribs, only for Troy to miss an elbow. For some reason Evans tries a German suplex, which doesn’t work in the slightest. Instead Troy backbreakers and then tosses him down for a big crash. A seated abdominal stretch goes on but Evans gets up and hits him in the face. Evans kicks him in the face and tries a springboard but the ribs give out.

Troy misses a Vader Bomb and Evans unloads on Troy in the corner, even managing to get him to his knees. Some kicks to the face rock Troy and Evans slips out of a chokeslam. The German suplex doesn’t work again, with commentary again wondering why Evans went there. The springboard high crossbody does work this time, only for Troy to block a springboard cutter.

Evans’ running flip kick to the head gets two and he sends Troy to the floor for the big no hands dive. Back in and Evans seems to slip a bit on a springboard but he’s fine enough to finally get the German suplex. A frog splash gets two on Troy and you can hear the crowd being surprised. Troy is back up with the chokeslam but Evans reverses the Black Hole Slam into a rollup for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. This was slow to start but once Evans started fighting back and swinging away, it got really good in a hurry. There is something about watching a smaller guy fight back against a bully that works every time and it was certainly working here. Good opener here, as they told a solid story and Evans gets a really big win. They might not want to job Troy any more for a bit though, as a monster who loses a lot isn’t a great visual.

Jaida Parker is ready for the battle royal at Evolution.

Stacks is ready to end the D’Angelo Family for good on Tuesday. He wants to make the Heritage Cup the #1 title in NXT so he’s been trying to come after some stars, like Koko B. Ware, Logan Paul’s dad, the Situation from Jersey Shore, the A-Train or Logan Paul….’s dad. Apparently only A-Train accepted the challenge so Stacks goes to face him at the Performance Center. Apparently A-Train was hacked and it wasn’t him. A-Train tells him to keep his head on a swivel…because someone has stolen the cup. Hokey smoke that actually went somewhere.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready to win this weekend. Darkstate hacks the video for a bit but doesn’t say anything.

Women’s North American Title: Izzi Dame vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is defending and has Zaria in her corner, while Tatum Paxley is here with Dame. Paxley slaps Zaria at the bell and they go to the floor, allowing Dame to hit a quick Sky High. The referee is on the floor with the other two though, meaning Dame only gets a VERY delayed two. Ruca is back up with a dropkick to send Dame outside, setting up the running hurricanrana off the apron.

Back in and Ruca hammers away in the corner but Dame is back with a gutbuster to take over. A backbreaker keeps Ruca down and a clothesline gives Dame two. The chinlock is broken up but Dame absolutely blasts her with a big boot for two more. Ruca hits a clothesline and a quick Backstabber to send Dame outside. A step up middle rope step up moonsault drops Dame again, followed by a springboard Buckshot Lariat (which didn’t look great) for two.

Dame knocks her off the top though and hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two. They both go up top again, with Ruca grabbing a super X Factor. A belly to back faceplant gives Dame two but Ruca catches her with a superkick. Ruca flips out of a belly to back superplex though and hits a spear for two more. Dame is sent outside for a meeting with Paxley, who gets speared in half by Zaria (that looked GREAT). Back in and the Sol Snatcher retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: B. These two were beating the fire out of each other and it made for a heck of a match. I wasn’t expecting them to go this hard but it wound up being a lot better than I was expecting. The Sol Snatcher is still an awesome looking finisher and Zaria’s spear to to Paxley was a heck of a bonus.

We look at Lola Vice at a AAA show.

Blake Monroe is doing her makeup while Jordynne Grace warms up.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title. Page took the title from Saints, who wants both the belt and revenge. Saints won a gauntlet match to earn the rematch and the right to pick the stipulation, which will be falls count anywhere and anything goes.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints

Page is defending in what is basically a hardcore match. Saints slugs away during the entrances and hits a spear to send Page bailing out to the floor. Back up and Page tosses him over the barricade so they can fight into the crowd. Something like Old School along the barricade has Page in more trouble and they go back stage. Page drive shim into a pillar and grabs a Boston crab to stay on the back.

That’s broken up and Ego’s Edge into the pillar is escaped, allowing Saints to put him through a WWE Shop table. They head back into the arena with Page sending him into the steps and throwing a chair inside. Another chair shot misses though and Page hits him in the back with a fire extinguisher. A piece of the barricade is brought inside but Page slams him off the top.

Page slams him onto the tops of a pair of open chairs, followed by a suplex into the barricade for two. The chairs are set up again but Saints blocks a superplex, setting up a powerbomb to send Page through the tables for two. They go back stage again, with Saints using a pipe to dropkick him down.

Some flip flop shots to the back have Page in trouble but Saints bumps into Jasper Troy, who Black Hole Slams him onto an anvil case. They’re quickly back to ringside, where Page is backdropped onto the ramp. Saints uses the referee (yep) for a tornado DDT onto the stage for two. Roshambo is blocked though and Ego’s Edge off the stage through some tables (that looked AMAZING) retains the title at 14:50.

Rating: B-. Outstanding looking ending aside, this was your usual weapons based brawl, which was only going to be so interesting. They do get some points for doing some innovative stuff, but it feels like I’ve seen so many of these things before. Not bad at all, though I’m surprised Saints lost here. Maybe he’s going to the main roster, though he might have to deal with Jasper Troy first.

Luca Crusifino is ready for the biggest match of his life.

It’s time for the contract signing for the TNA World Title match at Slammiversary between Mike Santana, Trick Williams and Joe Hendry. Santana talks about how he doesn’t take moments like these lightly. He is ready to show what it means, which is what Williams used to do. Now though, Williams is all sizzle but no steak. Santana respects Hendry but he’s ready to throw hands with him to get the title.

Santana signs, allowing Hendry to talk about how he wants to bring TNA to new heights as only he can. Hendry says Williams will be behind enemy lines next week and Hendry is taking the title back. With Hendry signing as well, Williams says he wants some respect on his name.

Williams says this isn’t about making people believe or making promises to Santana’s daughter (Santana doesn’t like that). He’s ready to keep the title and signs as well but Hendry cuts him off from leaving. Hendry and Santana agree that they don’t like Williams so they put him through the table. Cue Darkstate to lay out Hendry and Santana as the random attacks continue.

Kelani Jordan wants to win the Evolution battle royal.

Tony D’Angelo recaps the history of his Family, which he’s ready to end on Tuesday. Stacks is going to come in a bit light though, because D’Angelo has the Heritage Cup…which he throws off a bridge.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk.

NXT Title: Yoshiki Inamura vs. Oba Femi

Inamura, with Josh Briggs, is challenging. They trade shoulders to start with Inamura getting the better of things and knocking Femi outside. A running shoulder off the apron drops Femi again but he knocks Inamura down to take over. Back in and Femi starts in on the ribs, with a gutbuster getting two. Inamura fights back and manages to win a battle of the suplexes.

A German suplex brings Femi down again but the top rope splash misses. The referee gets bumped in the corner so Briggs hits Femi with the title. Inamura didn’t seem to notice as he backdrops Femi and goes up, but then realizes what happened. He doesn’t want it that way and climbs down, setting up a running headbutt to Femi.

The top rope splash connects but there’s no referee. Briggs tries to send in a chain but Inamura won’t use it, allowing Femi to grab a chokeslam for two. Inamura fights back and hits a lifting powerbomb but Briggs gets on the apron. Femi sends them into each other and hits the Fall From Grace to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B+. They followed a simple formula here, with two big bruisers beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. The Briggs stuff feels like it is leading to a split with Inamura and that’s about all Briggs has to do. This was pretty much Inamura’s best match in NXT to date and one of Femi’s best so we’ll call this a big success.

Lash Legend is ready to win the Evolution battle royal.

Trick Williams comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with what happened with Darkstate. Why did Williams leave when Darkstate showed up? Williams has no idea, but Ava puts him in a six man tag with Joe Hendry and Mike Santana against Darkstate. Williams: “Aw h*** nah!”

Yoshiki Inamura comes up to Oba Femi in the back and apologizes for what Josh Briggs did. It’s ok with Femi, who says Inamura deserves a rematch but Briggs storms in and yells at Femi. Shoving ensues, with Briggs saying he’ll fix this on Tuesday.

We recap Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe vs. Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne is the shocking champion and Grace wants to take the title. Monroe debuted a few weeks ago and was jumped by Fatal Influence, setting up the tag match with Monroe and Grace as the oddball team.

Fatal Influence vs. Jordynne Grace/Blake Monroe

Grace kicks away at Henley to start and powers her over with a suplex. Monroe comes in to drop Jayne before catapulting Grace onto Henley (after fixing Grace’s hair of course). Back up and Monroe is taken into the wrong corner, which doesn’t last long as she’s right back to Grace. The chase is on outside, where Jayne cuts Grace off with a big boot.

Back in and Grace gets double teamed in the corner, followed by Jayne’s basement superkick knocking her silly again. A Death Valley Driver out of the corner plants Henley though and the tag brings Monroe back in to clean house. Monroe can’t hit a powerbomb on the apron but she can headbutt Henley back inside. Grace tags herself in and powerbombs Henley, with Monroe decking Jayne during the two count.

Henley is sent to the ramp as Grace skins the cat, only for Henley to give her a big spear. Jazmyn Nyx offers a distraction but here is TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to cut her off. A double shot to the face drops Monroe, with Grace diving in for the save. Back up and they all slug it out until Grace and Henley go outside. Jayne superkicks Monroe and rolls her up for two but Grace elbows Jayne into a double arm DDT to give Monroe the pin at 16:31.

Rating: B-. Kind of a weird choice for a main event here, but in theory this was promoting Evolution more than anything else. Monroe looked fine out there in her in-ring debut, with anything she does in the ring as a bonus compared to her incredible charisma. Grace is ready for the title match, though it would seem to have been the perfect place for her to pin the champion. Points for not being entirely predictable though.

Overall Rating: B+. Another pretty awesome show here with no bad matches and few rather good ones throughout. It didn’t feel like a must see show but it’s one where you’ll have a nice time if you watched. If nothing else, it was over at about two and a half hours so it isn’t even a long sit. Throw in some building towards next week and it was a rather nice Saturday afternoon.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Jasper Troy – Rollup
Sol Ruca b. Izzi Dame – Sol Snatcher
Ethan Page b. Ricky Saints – Ego’s Edge off the stage
Oba Femi b. Yoshiki Inamura – Fall From Grace
Blake Monroe/Jordynne Grace b. Fatal Influence – Double arm DDT to Jayne

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

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NXT
Date: July 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the last show before both the Great American Bash and Evolution, both of which will have some NXT involvement. Therefore, it’s time to see who is going to be in the Evolution battle royal, plus finding out any last minute additions to the shows. That should make for a nice evening so let’s get to it.

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

Ricky Saints vs. Vanity Project

Gauntlet match, Jackson’s Drake’s Evolve Title isn’t on the line, and if Saints wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for his match with Ethan Page (here too). Brad Baylor starts for the Project and Saints strikes away, including a middle rope dropkick. Baylor gets in a shot of his own though and hammers away, including a spinning butterfly suplex. Saints makes a quick comeback though and hits the springboard tornado DDT for the first pin at 3:09.

Ricky Smokes is in second and grabs a quick suplex for two on Saints. We take a break and come back with Smokes hitting a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two more. Saints comes back again and grabs an overhead belly to belly for two of his own. An atomic drop into a jackknife rollup gives Saints the pin at 8:38 total.

Drake is in third and stomps away in the corner to start fast. A kick to the back gives Drake two and he grabs a surfboard. The fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more and Drake is getting a bit frustrated. Drake misses a running kick to the chest and Saints gets his knees up to block a springboard Swanton. The Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 12:13 total.

Rating: C+. The Vanity Project is a good choice for something like this as they’re still a level beneath the NXT roster so it’s not like they lose any status here. Saints gets to run through some people and head on to his big match with Page at the Bash. For now, good enough opener for the show and it sets up some things for the future.

Post match Saints makes it an anything goes, falls count anywhere match with Page at the Bash.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are fired up for the Women’s Tag Team Title match at Evolution but Lainey Reid says she should be in the battle royal. She’s asked what she’s done to earn that spot and doesn’t have much of an answer.

Earlier today, Blake Monroe blew off a training session with Jordynne Grace, who wants her to have a glamorous workout. Grace agreed, and we’ll see more of this later.

Tavion Heights vs. Charlie Dempsey

If Heights wins, he is out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights armdrags him down a few times to start and they take turns sending each other to the floor. Back in and Dempsey grabs a cravate to frustrate Heights. That’s broken up so Heights tackles him down and hammers away. They head outside again and knock each other down as we take a break.

We come back with Heights fighting off a crossface chickenwing and throwing him down a few times. They crash out to the floor again, but this time Dempsey crushes the knee with the steps. The half crab goes on back inside, followed by a stepover toehold. Dempsey turns it into an STF and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel at 9:39.

Rating: B-. The idea of Heights trying to get out of the team but not being able to do it is a good way to set something up for him, especially here where he didn’t give up. Sinclair could be going either way here and I like what they’re doing with the story. The match itself was a nice technical vs. power showdown as well, so we’ll call this a nice outing.

Hank & Tank are ready for their match while Lexis King messes with stuff behind them. Je’Von Evans comes in for a pep talk but gets jumped by Jasper Troy.

Mike Santana/Joe Hendry vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Hendry and Igwe take each other down for an early standoff and it’s off to Santana for a dropkick. DuPont gets sent flying with the fall away slam and we take an early break. We come back with Hendry getting two off a rollup but a clothesline drops him for the same. A series of splashes get two as we see Natalya and Maxxine Dupri arriving in the back.

Hendry muscles Igwe up for a suplex and the tag brings in Santana to clean house. The Rolling Buck Fifty (rolling cutter) hits Igwe and a big flip dive to the floor takes him out again. Everything breaks down and Hendry hits a dive to the floor of his own. Cue Trick Williams for a distraction but Santana hits Spin The Block (discus lariat) to pin DuPont at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it continued to show that Hendry isn’t quite as interesting as Santana no matter how he is presented. Santana is just on fire right now and Hendry has already had his moment, but Hendry being there adds some star power to the title match. I’m not sure Santana wins the title, but dang it’s fun to see him in the ring every time.

Post match Williams drops Santana so Hendry goes after him. High Ryze comes back in for the beatdown.

We look at Yoshiki Inamura becoming #1 contender to the NXT Title last week. Various Japanese stars, including THE GREAT MUTA and Iyo Sky say they believe in Inamura.

Darkstate brags about invading TNA and suggest they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Here are Oba Femi and Yoshiki Inamura, with Josh Briggs, for a face to face chat. Inamura says Femi is his greatest challenge but he is ready. He has the support of his friends and family and now he must make them proud. Femi says it’s good that Inamura has support, because maybe those people can pick up his pieces. No one is taking the title from him, but Briggs says Inamura beat Jasper Troy a lot more easily than Femi did.

Inamura may be a man of honor but Briggs isn’t, so he will do everything he can to make Inamura champion. This is “their” chance and the brawl is on, albeit quickly broken up. This was a good showing from Inamura, who feels like someone who is trying to prove he belongs here. At the same time, this is the second straight major event where Femi is defending against a pretty low level challenger, but it brings up a big issue in NXT: who else is there to come after the title?

Jordynne Grace shows up for Blake Monroe’s makeover and rips the sleeves off the robe she is given. They get their nails done and a massage, plus makeup. Grace admits she kind of likes this and they’re ready for the tag match at the Bash.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid

They trade early takedowns to start with Jordan grabbing a monkey flip and dropkick out to the floor. Back in and Reid ties her leg up in the ropes and cranks away but a Figure Four attempt is blocked. Reid’s spinebuster gets two and the half crab goes on. Jordan tries to use the free leg to kick her way out but Reid just pulls her into a Boston crab for a smart counter. That’s broken up as well and Jordan hits a handspring elbow into a nipup (impressive after having her leg and back cranked). Reid catches her up top but gets shoved down, setting up One Of A Kind to give Jordan the win at 4:23.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild about Jordan’s lack of selling but the ending was a nice touch which showed off Jordan’s rather impressive athleticism. The win gives her a boost going into the battle royal, which she isn’t likely to win but at least she could have a good showing. Reid is still finding her footing around here, but she’s far from a lost cause.

Post match here is Thea Hail to brawl to the back with Reid.

Jasper Troy jumps Je’Von Evans in the trainer’s room.

We have a meeting of the former D’Angelo Family, with all four members showing up. Riz tries to talk but gets shut down by Stacks. Riz isn’t having that and talks about what happened between Stacks and Tony. She realizes this can’t be fixed but she has set up a triple threat next week. While she doesn’t know if their paths will cross again, this will be the final battle. Stacks says he’s bigger than all of them and they can’t take it. Next week, he’ll prove it. D’Angelo says he’s done here and everyone stares at each other. That could go in a few different ways and that’s a good thing.

Here is Jasper Troy, who wants in on the NXT Title match. Cue Je’Von Evans to jump him and hit a big dive onto both Troy and security.

Tatum Paxley likes being part of the Culling, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank are defending and charge in to start the fight fast. We settle down to Spears stomping on Hank, allowing Vance to send him into the turnbuckle. Tank comes in for some dancing into a double splash but Spears is back with a neckbreaker. That doesn’t last long as the champs fight back, only for Hank to miss a top rope clothesline. The Culling runs Hank over on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hank knocking Vance off the top, allowing Tank to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Vance’s top rope headbutt hits Tank for two. Izzi Dame gets in a cheap shot so Spears can grab an implant DDT for two more. Cue Zaria and Sol Ruca to take out Tatum Paxley and Dame, leaving the champs to hit their powerslam/neckbreaker combination on Spears to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Hank & Tank still don’t feel like the most serious champions, but they’ve at least figured out something that fits for them. That’s a good thing for them to have and it would be nice to see it continue to grow. That being said, if Darkstate comes after the belts, there is no reason to believe the title reign will be lasting much longer.

Great American Bash rundown.

Kale Dixon couldn’t wrestle as scheduled due to high blood pressure, caused by nerves. Andre Chase isn’t happy but seems to understand.

Here is Ava, who talks about the original Evolution, which took place when she was in high school. She’s so proud that NXT will be all over Evolution, with Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley being in the battle royal. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Ava saying she just talked about Jacy Jayne. We get a rant from Jayne about how she’s the focal point of the show, but cue Jordynne Grace saying she’ll take the title.

Lash Legend comes out to say she’s going to win the battle royal. Stephanie Vaquer returns to NXT and says Grace will win. Maxxine Dupri and Natalya come out to say they’ll be the last two in the battle royal. Jaida Parker pops up in the crowd to say she’ll win. Everyone gets in and the big brawl is on to end the show. This was more than Raw and Smackdown have done for the show, and that’s not surprising given how much of a focus the women’s division has received around here.

Overall Rating: B. I came into this show not particularly wanting to see either Evolution or the Bash and I left a lot more interested in both. They did a heck of a job building up both shows and there is even some stuff set up for next week’s regular show. That’s a very nice way to go, even if the wrestling was pretty middle of the road this week. What mattered was everything else, and that stuff was quite well done.

Results
Ricky Saints b. Vanity Project last eliminating Jackson Drake
Charlie Dempsey b. Tavion Heights when Wren Sinclair threw in the towel
Mike Santana/Joe Hendry b. High Ryze – Spin The Block to DuPont
Kelani Jordan b. Lainey Reid – One Of A Kind
Hank & Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Spears

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

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NXT
Date: July 1, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially in the second half of the year and less than two weeks away from the Great American Bash. The card is starting to come together and we are going to be seeing some more added this week. In addition, TNA’s Joe Hendry is here to face Wes Lee, which should be a fun one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Joe Hendry vs. Wes Lee

Trick Williams is on commentary and the rest of High Ryze is here with Lee. Hendry takes him down by the arm to start as Williams says his challengers (Hendry and Mike Santana) need to be the ones getting ready for Slammiversary. Lee rolls around and kicks him in the ribs before sending Hendry outside. That’s fine with Hendry, who blasts him with a clothesline.

We take a break and come back with Hendry glaring at the High Ryze, allowing Lee to hit a suicide dive. A middle rope phoenix splash gives Lee two but Hendry suplexes his way out of trouble. The comeback is on quickly but Lee slips out of the Standing Ovation. A fireman’s carry slam gives Hendry two so High Ryze gets up. Cue Santana to cut them off though and the Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 9:29.

Rating: B-. Well Hendry wasn’t going to lose here so this was about giving him a victory on the way to his big rematch with Trick Williams at Slammiversary. The good thing is that Lee is someone who can make just about anyone look good. Hendry’s charisma and star power are more than enough to carry him but he can back it up in the ring well enough, which was on display here.

Santana and Hendry stand tall as Williams doesn’t look happy.

We look at Tatum Paxley seemingly joining the Culling, with Zaria and Sol Ruca letting her go.

Here is Luca Crusifino for a chat. He wants to talk to Tony D’Angelo, who comes out to say the tables have turned. They argue over who has done what to whom in the last few weeks but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino talks about the things he has sacrificed for D’Angelo and the Family and that is loyalty. Cue Stacks to interrupt but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino decks D’Angelo…and then does the same to Stacks, saying his loyalty belongs to himself. There’s your big moment, with another betrayal/surprise likely coming sooner than later.

Oba Femi wants to see if Yoshiki Inamura has the fire to come after him. Inamura, with Josh Briggs, comes in to say he’s ready, but Femi says he is the hunter rather than the hunted.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

They fight over wrist control to start and King steps on his back a bit for some mind games. Borne takes him down and does the Florida Gator chomp, only for King to nail a dropkick on top. A top rope superplex brings Borne down for two and a running corner dropkick gives King two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before King hits a running slap in the corner. That’s enough for Borne to fight up, including an Angle Slam for a breather. Borne’s big dropkick sets up a Zig Zag for the pin at 4:40. Well at least it’s a finisher.

Rating: C+. Good enough match here as the idea is to turn Borne into something more important. He had his big moment against Oba Femi and now the goal is to do something to keep him at a higher level. A clean win like this is a good way to start and I could go for seeing more of him. It’s nice to see NXT trying with someone who got a nice reaction and they’re doing it again here, which has potential.

Darkstate says everything that happens around here is because they allow it. They know what they’re going to do next, but we don’t.

Thea Hail vs. Lainey Reid

Hail isn’t happy and takes her down to start for some forearms to the face. Reid drops her face first into the corner and chokes away, followed by a spinning clothesline. A double underhook shoulderbreaker gives Reid two but Hail is back with a Codebreaker to the arm. The Kimura is blocked and Reid grabs a rollup but gets caught caught with her feet on the ropes. Hail’s rollup gets two so Reid kicks her away, setting up a running knee for the pin (while grabbing the rope and with Hail’s hand under the rope) at 4:22.

Rating: C+. And that’s another loss for Hail, who doesn’t really seem to win much of note…ever really. They’ve tried a few things with her but ever since that whole ordeal of Andre Chase throwing in the towel, Hail hasn’t felt like anything important. Reid isn’t that much further ahead, but she seems to be going in a rather different direction than Hail at the moment.

Tavion Heights isn’t happy with still being in the No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey agrees to give him one more “win and you’re out” match but this is his last chance.

Jasper Troy says you should fear him and Oba Femi knows what is coming for him if Troy wins tonight.

Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame

The rest of the Culling is here with Paxley and Dame. Ruca tries to talk some sends into Paxley to start but Zaria and Dame come in to argue as well. Ruca and Zaria clear the ring without much trouble and it’s Ruca grabbing a waistlock on Paxley. Some arm cranking has Paxley in more trouble and it’s off to Zaria to yell at Dame. They trade forearms until Paxley breaks it up with a high crossbody for two. Back up and Ruca and Zaria clear the ring again and we take a break.

We come back with Paxley tying Zaria up in the ropes for a running dropkick from Dame. A chokeslam drops Zaria again and a running flipping ax kick gives Paxley two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Paxley knocks her down again and puts it on for a second go. Zaria powers out without much trouble and it’s Ruca coming in to clean house.

A quick tag brings Zaria back in to clean house and an assisted splash from Ruca gives Zaria two. Dame hits a Codebreaker but there’s no Paxley, only for her to run back in and shove Dame out of the way. That means Zaria spears Ruca by mistake and Zaria is sent outside. A Sky High finishes Ruca at 13:17.

Rating: B-. Zaria and Ruca’s issues continue and it would not stun me to see them split for good in the near future. At the same time, Paxley seems to be finding a place with the Culling, though they don’t feel like the most trustworthy team in the world. There is a good chance that Dame gets a shot at Ruca out of this, and things might change even more once we get to that one.

Ethan Page, with the Vanity Project, and Ricky Saints are in Ava’s office. Page agrees to let Saints get a title shot if he can run the Vanity Project gauntlet (which happened recently on Evolve). Saints is in, but if he wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for the title shot. Deal.

We go to Chase U where Andre Chase actually apologizes. As a result, he has gotten Kale Dixon a match for next week and they hug. Chase does his swearing pep talk, but he does it WITH Dixon rather than at him.

Joe Hendry thanks Mike Santana, who says they’re uniting to fight for TNA. They’re not friends, but they’re fighting together against High Ryze next week. Works for them.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk before his #1 contenders match, though Inamura says he has this.

Tatum Paxley is happy with their win and here is Ava to say Izzi Dame gets a Women’s North American Title shot at the Great American Bash. Hank & Tank come in to accuse the Culling of attacking them last week and Paxley talks them into giving the Culling a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Jasper Troy vs. Yoshiki Inamura

For an NXT Title shot at the Great American Bash. Inamura strikes away to start but Try gives him a hard whip into the corner. The chinlock is already on but Inamura powers out and shrugs off some clotheslines. A headlock grinds away at Troy and Inamura hits him with a sumo charges but Troy is right back with a side slam. Back up and Inamura knocks him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Troy hitting three straight splashes for two and a World’s Strongest Slam gets the same. The abdominal stretch goes on but Inamura is quickly out for a ran into the post. Inamura unloads with shots to the head but walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam (appropriate as commentary compared Troy to Abyss earlier). Inamura muscles him up for a slam and the top rope splash connects for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the result but maybe they’re going with the idea of “Inamura isn’t here long, get what we can out of him”. He’s gotten a bit more interesting lately, though maybe that’s due to having him actually get in the ring rather than just talking about it most of the time. Troy is still a good monster, but that aura goes away quickly if he keeps losing.

Post match Oba Femi comes in to stare at Inamura as Je’Von Evans comes in to drop Troy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. Getting here is the hardest thing she has ever done but last week reminded her that she thrives on pressure. Evolution is a major event for women’s wrestling and she will be making history. She’s terrified of being vulnerable though and she has been asking herself if she belongs here. She did everything to get here and became someone you can’t ignore.

Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne asking if Grace is done yet. Grace can bench press more than Jayne but she can’t carry as much as Jayne. Grace tells her to shut up and says it won’t be a surprise when there is a new champion at Evolution. The beatdown is on but Blake Monroe runs in for the save. Ava comes out to make the tag match for the Great American Bash. Jayne and Fallon Henley run back in and get knocked back down just as fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was much more about getting ready for the future with the Great American Bash, which is something that has been needed. At the same time, we’re building towards a big match at Slammiversary and likely some things at Evolution. That’s a tricky path to walk and they did it well enough here. NXT has found quite the balancing act of not having boring television while still setting things up for later. Other shows can’t make that work so well done for figuring out a nice formula.

Results
Joe Hendry b. Wes Lee – Standing Ovation
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Zig Zag
Lainey Reid b. Thea Hail – Running knee while holding the rope
Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca/Zaria – Sky High to Ruca
Yoshiki Inamura b. Jasper Troy – Top rope splash

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

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NXT
Date: June 24, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

While the Great American Bash is coming up in a few weeks, tonight is about Evolution, as we have a four way match to crown a new #1 contender for the pay per view. Other than that, we should be finding out who is next in ling for Oba Femi and the NXT Title, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace all say they’re going to win tonight and go on to Evolution. Three out of four people lying is not a great ratio.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs, with Yoshiki Inamura, is challenging and sends Williams into the corner a few times to start. Williams’ whip is blocked and Briggs hits a running clothesline for two. A hot shot onto the buckle cuts Briggs off and Williams takes him down with a headlock. Back up and they trade some running shots to the face until Williams is knocked outside. Briggs gets in a big boot and we take a break.

We come back with Briggs countering a side kick into a suplex and hitting a splash. Williams gets in a middle rope knee for two and flips out of a chokeslam. A powerbomb doesn’t work for Briggs, who is right back with a chokeslam for two. Briggs misses the moonsault though and the Trick Shot retains the title at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This was a case of giving the champion a fairly safe title defense where he had to work for it anyway. Briggs didn’t even get a pin to earn the title shot so he was playing with the house’s money in the first place. It’s a fine way to open the show, though I could still go for seeing more of Briggs actually winning something.

Post match Williams says he wants respect but here is Joe Hendry from behind to clear the ring as we’re told that Hendry gets the title shot at Slammiversary.

Tavion Heights (in a Ribera Steak House jacket) is ready to win tonight and escape the No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey doesn’t seem thrilled.

Myles Borne is talking to some football players when Lexis King interrupts. King mocks all of them and leaves.

Je’Von Evans vs. Tavion Heights

If Heights wins, he’s out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights easily wrestles him down to start and gets two off an early cradle. The armbar goes on to keep Evans down but he’s back up with a springboard headscissors. Heights is sent to the floor for a big dive and we take a break. We come back with Evans getting the better of a slugout until Heights hits a Pounce for two. A German suplex gives Heights two but he charges into a superkick in the corner. The spinning top rope splash gives Evans the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. The result surprised me a bit, as while I wasn’t certain that Evans was going to win, I was surprised that he did it completely clean. Heights and Myles Borne both leaving the No Quarter Catch Crew in the span of a few weeks would have been a lot, but I was expecting Charlie Dempsey to get involved if nothing else. I’m sure Heights will keep trying to get out, but that was a pretty painful loss.

Post match Jasper Troy comes in to drop Evans.

We recap Tony D’Angelo vs. Stacks for the Heritage Cup. Stacks was set for the title match but Noam Dar was injured. As a result, D’Angelo was given the spot for the vacant title instead. The question is about Luca Crusifino, who is working for one of them but it isn’t clear whom.

Ricky Saints vs. Ashante Thee Adonis

They slug it out to start with Adonis fighting out of the corner. A crisscross lets Saints kick him in the face and throw Adonis outside as we take a break. We come back with Saints fighting out of the corner but getting caught with an AA for two. Saints fights back and grabs suplex like a backdrop into a tornado DDT for two of his own. Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here with almost half of the match taking place in the break. Saints gets a win to help reestablish himself a bit, though Ethan Page is what really matters for him. This was a fine way to get Saints back on track though and that’s what Adonis should be used for most of the time.

Post match Ethan Page pops up on screen for a distraction but here is Page to jump Saints from behind. Page hits his own Roshambo.

Darkstate says they’ll be front and center with chaos and destruction.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He has been NXT Champion since January and since then, a variety of stars have come for his title but wound up as footnotes. Femi loves the fight and wants someone to come step up to him. Cue Yoshiki Inamura to say he’s here to chase gold. He missed Josh Briggs but he also missed NXT, with its culture and the passion of the fans. Femi admires his moxie but says it won’t go well for Inamura. That’s fine with Inamura, who is ready, only for Jasper Troy to take him out. I’d rather have Troy over Inamura, but at least we should be getting a #1 contenders match out of this whole thing.

Izzi Dame gives Tatum Paxley a doll but Zaria and Sol Ruca come in. Paxley walks off with the doll and meets up with Dame and the rest of the Culling. Dame takes Paxley with her.

High Ryze comes in to see Trick Williams and next week, it’s Wes Lee vs. Joe Hendry. Williams approves.

Heritage Cup: Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo

For the vacant cup. Round one begins with D’Angelo knocking him into the corner but Stacks hammers right back. A trip to the apron and a backdrop get D’Angelo out of trouble. With the wrestling not working, they go back to straight brawling to end the round at a standoff. Round two begins with D’Angelo hitting a running clothesline and adding a spear for the pin at 37 seconds of the round and 4:07 overall.

We take a break and come back with Stacks hitting Cement Shoes for a very near fall as round three ends. Round four begins with D’Angelo slugging away but his knee (which was attacked during the break) gives out on the spinebuster attempt. Stacks gets a small package for the pin at 18 seconds of the round and 9:03 overall.

Cue Luca Crusifino to suddenly be D’Angelo’s corner man. Round five begins with Stacks tying up the leg but D’Angelo fights out and hits the spinebuster. Stacks is sent outside where D’Angelo goes after Stacks’ goons. Crusifino comes in to help but accidentally hits D’Angelo in the back with a bucket. A running knee gives Stacks the pin and the cup at 1:41 of the round and 14:21 overall.

Rating: B-. I’m rather impressed by how they’re managing to find new ways to keep up the mystery about Crusifino’s loyalties. At the end of the day, it could go either way as you could say it’s all a bunch of mistakes or he’s being subtle with his backstabbery. That’s a good way to keep the story going and they’re making it work rather well.

Post match D’Angelo lays out Crusifino.

Fatal Influence isn’t impressed with Blake Monroe and Jacy Jayne is ready for the four way tonight, as she’ll find out who loses next.

Thea Hail rants about recent issues when Lainey Reid comes in to mock her. Lash Legend comes in to say she has a match so they can’t be arguing right now.

Ava yells at Ethan Page for attacking Ricky Saints but Page just wants Saints away from him. They’ll settle it in her office next week. Hold on though as Hank & Tank have been attacked.

Joe Hendry is ready to take out Trick Williams and get the TNA World Title back at Slammiversary. He’ll be around here until then, including next week against Wes Lee.

Andre Chase tells his students that they need to toughen up. The attitude is what made the university a success….but Kale Dixon says it’s what killed it as well. Dixon and Uriah Connors leave, saying it was supposed to be different this time. Apparently they’re the ones who stopped Chase when he was closing the university in the first place (which isn’t that big of a reveal).

Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker vs. Izzi Dame vs. Jordynne Grace

Fatal Influence is watching as Legend slams Grace to start. Dame takes Grace’s place before the other two come back in. Grace and Parker are sent outside again, leaving Dame to slug it out with Legend. That doesn’t work for Legend, who sends Dame outside before missing a charge into the post.

Back in and Grace gets two off a fisherman’s suplex, followed by Dame’s flapjack getting two on Grace. Legend breaks up the Hipnotique but gets taken down by Grace, who is chokeslammed onto the apron by Dame. Cue Tatum Paxley, so Zaria and Sol Ruca grab her and take her back.

We take a break and come back with Parker hitting a Tear Drop each to Grace and Dame. A fireman’s carry to Grace is cut off by Dame’s big boot but Legend puts Dame on top. Parker cuts that off with a Backstabber to Legend and a sunset flip gets two. Since there are four people involved in the match, we get the Tower Of Doom with Parker getting the worst of things, leaving Grace to get two each. Grace misses the Vader Bomb and Legend gives Parker the over the back faceplant. Dame makes the save, leaving Grace to give Parker a spinning torture rack bomb for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if this earned the THIS IS AWESOME chants it was getting, but I can go with what we were getting here. If nothing else, Grace is someone who could massacre Jayne if given the chance, but that’s what was supposed to happen when Jayne got her title shot in the first place. This was pretty much Grace’s to lose, but the other three hung in there well enough to keep it interesting.

We run down next week’s card to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They started to look towards both the Great American Bash and Evolution here and that’s something that needed to happen. There are still a few weeks to go, but what matters is that the corner is starting to be turned. As is often (but not always) the case around here, nothing on here is worth going out of your way to see, but it makes for a good overall presentation. Simple, easy to follow stuff and acceptable action tends to work well for NXT and they did it again here.

Results
Trick Williams b. Josh Briggs – Trick Shot
Je’Von Evans b. Tavion Heights – Spinning top rope splash
Ricky Saints b. Ashante Thee Adonis – Roshambo
Stacks b. Tony D’Angelo 2-1
Jordynne Grace b. Izzi Dame, Lash Legend and Jaida Parker – Torture rack powerbomb to Parker

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

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NXT
Date: June 17, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from the Great American Bash and it might be time to start getting things ready for the show. Last week, Oba Femi beat Jasper Troy in a heck of a hoss fight, meaning he’s going to need a fresh challenger. Other than that, Blake Monroe is going to be signing her contract this week so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Jacy Jayne being unhappy over being called the most beatable champion in NXT. As a result, Ava has set up a tournament for the title shot at Evolution.

Evolution Eliminator: Thea Hail vs. Jaida Parker

Hail jumps her from behind during Parker’s entrance and they get inside for the opening bell. Parker hammers away but Hail takes it outside again to ram Parker into the apron. Back in and an exploder suplex gets two on Parker, who is right back with a sidewalk slam for the same. The chinlock goes on and Parker actually pulls her back down to cut off the comeback attempt.

Back up and a snap suplex into a reverse snap suplex gives Parker two but Hail knocks her to the floor again. This time Parker is sent hard into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Hipnotique missing, allowing Hail to grab the Kimura. Parker powers up to drive her into the corner but Hail grabs it again. Parker does tap…but the referee doesn’t see it, leaving Hail to let go anyway. The distraction lets Parker hit Hipnotique for the win at 9:15.

Rating: C+. I rather like that ending, as it’s not something you see very often (Undertaker used it against Brock Lesnar once). Parker being smart to go with the athleticism should serve her well and hopefully this is another step towards the top of the card. She has a long way to go, but at least she got a win here.

Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura and Elijah are ready to beat up First Class and Trick Williams. Elijah leaves and Hank & Tank come in to say Briggs/Inamura have a title shot coming to them. Oba Femi comes in and gets into a quick staredown with Trick Williams (who of course just happened to be there).

Blake Monroe finds the perfect dress for her contract signing.

Evolution Eliminator: Lash Legend vs. Kelani Jordan

Legend shoves her down to start as commentary talks about Sensational Sherri. Jordan is back up with some rapid fire kicks, including a basement superkick. A headlock keeps Jordan in control and she snaps off a running hurricanrana. Legend gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Legend blocking a sunset flip and blasting Jordan with a pump kick.

An Argentine backbreaker keeps Jordan in trouble but she manages to escape with a Codebreaker. Jordan nails another kick and nips up with Sliced Bread setting up a Five Star for two. One Of A Kind is broken up though and Legend tries a belly to back superplex. That’s reversed into a high crossbody but the 450 hits knees. Legend’s over the back faceplant finishes Jordan at 9:56.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised by the result, but more than that I’m rather surprised that I’m happy about it. Legend’s transformation from…whatever she was before to what she is now is quite impressive as she has figured out quite a few things out. That has turned her into someone who has a lot of promise and I want to see where she goes from here. Jordan should be fine, but I’m not sure what is next for her.

We recap the downfall of the D’Angelo Family and Luca Crusifino being somewhere in the middle.

Tony D’Angelo is tired of waiting on Crusifino and will see him in the ring.

Here is D’Angelo for a chat. He says as the Don, you have to be ready for everything no matter what. That’s what got him in trouble with Stacks, but now he wants to talk to Crusifino right now. Cue Crusifino, who wants to know if this is what we’re doing. D’Angelo asks what happened with Crusifino and Stacks in the desert.

Crusifino says he was kidnapped and had his phone stolen but then Stacks let him go. He didn’t attack Stacks at Battleground because he didn’t know what to do. D’Angelo flat out asks him whose side he’s on but before he can answer, here is Stacks, with some goons, to interrupt.

Stacks talks about D’Angelo not trusting Crusifino and how Crusifino knows what to do next. The goons and Stacks hit the ring with D’Angelo and Crusifino fighting them off, but Crusifino swings at Stacks and hits D’Angelo….by mistake? Stacks certainly approves. That’s a nice touch, as it’s the kind of thing that could actually happen and it worked well.

AJ Francis says KC Navarro is injured and can’t wrestle in tonight’s six man, but Wes Lee will take his place. Trick Williams eventually approves.

We go back to the Chase U classroom, where Kale Dixon has questions but Andre Chase tells him to adjust. Dixon walks out and Uriah Connors goes with him.

The Vanity Project congratulates Ethan Page for hurting Ricky Saints. Cue Saints, who says he’ll be cleared next week. The Project laughs at him but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to mock him, with a match seeming likely.

Wren Sinclair hasn’t talked to Charlie Dempsey, though Tavion Evans Heights apparently wants out of the team. Je’Von Evans wants him out as well, so Dempsey says Heights and Evans can fight for Heights’ freedom. That was quite the messy way to set up the match.

Blake Monroe has photos taken.

Elijah/Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs vs. AJ Francis/Wes Lee/Trick Williams

The injured KC Navarro and the rest of High Ryze are here with the villains. Lee kicks away at Inamura to start but said kicks are shrugged off, allowing the tags off to Briggs and Francis. Briggs gets a boot up in the corner and it’s off to Williams, who gets clotheslined by Elijah. The Old School knee gives Elijah two but Williams kicks him in the chest. Everything breaks down and Lee’s flip dive is pulled out of the air.

Francis gets planted and splashed as we take a break. Back with Inamura fighting out of a crossface chickenwing but getting caught with a spear for two. Lee adds a slingshot hilo for two more but Inamura gives him a very spinning slam. Briggs comes in to clean house, followed by Elijah unloading on Williams in the corner. Everything breaks down and Lee accidentally takes Williams out. Inamura’s top rope splash finishes Williams at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was the big six man tag and I’m not sure if really lived up to the hype. In theory this should set up Inamura as Williams’ next challenger, and if that means seeing Inamura getting kicked in the face, I can live with the idea. Other than that, Francis is getting the hang of being a big man and Lee was fine enough to fill in for Navarro. Not a bad match, but kind of underwhelming.

Sol Ruca and Zaria are ready for tonight, with Tatum Paxley following them.

Stevie Turner, Ava and Robert Stone are in the back when Luca Crusifino and Tony D’Angelo come in. D’Angelo wants Crusifino to face Stacks next week but Ava says no….because Stacks is getting a Heritage Cup shot. Stacks’ consigliere already signed off on it, which has D’Angelo all the angrier.

Evolution Eliminator: Zaria vs. Izzi Dame

Sol Ruca and the rest of the Culling are here too. Dame kicks her in the face to start and they slug it out until Zaria gets two off a suplex. Back up and Dame powers her into the corner so Zaria grabs a choke to lift Dame into the air. We take a break and come back with Dame blocking a German suplex.

Instead Zaria is sent into the corner and a slam gives Dame two. A chokeslam gives Dame two more but Zaria pops up with the clotheslines. Now the German suplex can connect but cue Tatum Paxley to grab Ruca. That’s enough of a distraction for Dame to hit a Sky High for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: C. Zaria takes another loss, but this one did at least seem to be designed to set up something for her with Paxley going forward. That should eventually lead to the split with Ruca, which is a logical way for them all to go. Dame winning is fine as the four way will need someone to take the fall and it’s not like she has a ton of status to lose.

Josh Briggs says Yoshiki Inamura should get a TNA Title shot but Inamura wants Briggs to have it instead. Inamura will go after the NXT Title instead.

Evolution Eliminator: Lola Vice vs. Jordynne Grace

The early grappling goes nowhere to start so Vice grabs a running headscissors to send her flying. Vice fires off the kicks and hits the running hip attack in the corner as we take an early break. Back with Vice charging into a boot in the corner so Grace grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. The Vader Bomb is countered into a triangle choke though, with Grace having to powerbomb her way to freedom. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Grace takes her up top, where Vice pulls grace down by the arm for two. Grace suplexes her down though and grabs the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: B-. This was the power vs. striking and that’s a simple format which worked well here. Grace winning makes sense as she has been close to the title picture for a long time now. Vice very well could get back there and had a great showing at Worlds Collide, but Grace is the better pick at the moment.

So it’s Parker vs. Legend vs. Dame vs. Grace for the title shot. We recap the four matches.

Zaria yells at Tatum Paxley but Izzi Dame comes in to say Zaria and Sol Ruca aren’t her real friends anyway. Dame wouldn’t leave her out of Tik Tok videos.

Noam Dar is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Stacks next week.

Here is Ava for Blake Monroe’s contract signing. Monroe comes out to say she has been waiting to jump into bed with the talent in that locker room. The spotlight is on her now and she signs, which brings out Fatal Influence. They don’t like Monroe, with Jacy Jayne calling her the new flavor of the month. The brawl is on and Monroe is sent though a table. That’s kind of a weird way to present the new star but it seems to set Monroe up for a big feud right out of the box. Also seemingly not as a heel, which is a weird way to go.

We run down next week’s show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. Well they definitely had a focus here, as this might be the most women’s wrestling heavy show I’ve ever seen in NXT. That’s not a bad thing either, as I do like a show where there is a theme running throughout the entire night. Next week is looking stacked, though they’re going to need to shift towards the Great American Bash soon. Odds are that starts next week and that’s about as late as they can take it. Good enough show here, with the best women’s division going getting a big spotlight.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Thea Hail – Hipnotique
Lash Legend b. Kelani Jordan – Over the back faceplant
Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs/Elijah b. Trick Williams/Wes Lee/AJ Francis – Top rope splash to Williams
Izzi Dame b. Zaria – Sky High
Jordynne Grace b. Lola Vice – Juggernaut 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

NXT
Date: June 10, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

It’s time for a hoss fight as Oba Femi is defending the NXT Title against Jasper Troy. That alone should be a heck of a fight as both of them are capable of hitting the other very hard. Other than that, we have the beginning of the build towards Great American Bash, which is about a month away. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Jasper Troy attacked Oba Femi in the parking lot and chokeslammed him through a windshield.

North American Title: Sean Legacy vs. Ethan Page

Legacy is challenging. Page takes him down with a headlock to start and then does it again without much trouble. Back up and Legacy dropkicks the leg out, with Page bailing out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Page knocking him down again. Legacy gets to the apron for a springboard missile dropkick and a German suplex drops Page again. Shambles is blocked though, leaving Legacy to hit a reverse sitout gordbuster. They go outside where Legacy escapes an Ego’s Edge and posts Page. Back in and the springboard 450 misses though and the Twisted Grin retains the title at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Legacy isn’t breaking out as a star yet but having him rub elbows with people like Page, a former NXT Champion, is a good sign for his future. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Legacy on the full NXT roster rather soon, as he hasn’t felt like he belonged in Evolve from the start. Page continues to win, which is at least a good sign for him after his mostly fluke NXT Title reign.

Post match Ricky Saints runs in to beat Page up and send him running off.

Jacy Jayne asks Ava about the next challenger but Lainey Reid comes in to slap her in the face. Reid does it again and that’s enough for Jayne to give her a title shot tonight.

Earlier today, Lash Legend got in an argument with various women and seems set for a match later.

Shawn Spears says he trusts Izzi Dame but asks why she hit Brooks Jensen with a chair. Dame says it was due to Jensen hinting at wanting a different family. He had to go, with the rest of the team understanding. She has her eyes on someone new.

The Culling vs. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura

Vance and Inamura lock up to start with Inamura hitting a flying shoulder. Spears comes in for some chops, which just wake Inamura up that much more. It’s off to Briggs, who flips Spears over into a backbreaker. Briggs runs Spears over again but Dame’s distraction lets Vance get in a cheap shot. That doesn’t last long as Briggs hits Vance in the face and brings Inamura back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Briggs’ moonsault is countered into a Dominator to give Vance the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what else they could have gone here, as Briggs and Inamura don’t win much and the Culling needed a victory after seemingly throwing Brooks Jensen off the team. The Culling doesn’t have much going on at the moment, but maybe they could bring in someone else. Like Briggs, to get him away from this Inamura team.

Ava yells at Ricky Saints, whose neck is still so messed up that he can’t talk.

Oba Femi is banged up and the NXT Title match might be in jeopardy.

Andre Chase yells at Chase U for getting beaten up again and not following his instructions. They’re all the way in, so Chase says it’s time to go back to class.

We recap the former Mariah May’s debut last week and join her in a bath. She’s beauty, she’s grace and she’ll probably punch you in the face. She’s the Glamour and she is Blake Monroe. Eh, I’ve heard worse names. Apparently this is VERY inspired by singer Sabrina Carpenter. Ok then.

Lash Legend vs. Wren Sinclair

Kelani Jordan, who was involved in the argument that set this up, is on commentary. Legend powers her down to start and blocks a sunset flip attempt. Sinclair is fine enough to sweep the leg though and grabs Cattle Mutilation of all things. With that broken up, Legend kicks her in the head and drops a splash for two. The bearhug goes on but Sinclair fights out and avoids a charge in the corner. Sinclair tries to go up but gets pulled out of the air and slammed down with the behind the back faceplant for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C+. These are two people who feel like they could turn into something bigger down the line, even if Sinclair is settling nicely into her role of putting everyone else over. Legend on the other hand feels like a heck of a prospect and will likely be moving up the ladder a lot sooner than later. She has that it factor and that is absolutely worth protecting.

We get a profile on Lainey Reid, who is a southerner and a former track athlete. Tonight, she’s going to show the world that Jacy Jayne is the most beatable champion in WWE.

Jasper Troy didn’t waste his title shot because he knows Oba Femi will be out there no matter what.

Women’s Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Lainey Reid

Jayne, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is defending. Reid gets an early rollup for two to start but Jayne kicks her down and drops a backsplash. Jayne sends her throat first across the ropes to keep Reid down and we take a break. Back with Jayne driving her into the corner but Reid gets in a kick to the chest. Reid’s middle rope…we’ll call it a clothesline….puts Jayne down again and they slap it out. Reid gets the better of things and a swinging suplex gets two. A knee to the face gets two more but Henley offers a distraction, allowing Jayne to hit the Rolling Encore (I think?) to retain at 10:26.

Rating: C. I like the idea of playing up Jayne as such a beatable champion, as she can pick up some wins to slowly start shaking off that moniker. At the same time, she beat a newcomer in Reid, who loses nothing by getting beaten by a much bigger name. Reid still hasn’t shown me much in the ring dating back to her LVL Up days, but NXT needs some replacements after so many people were moved off the show.

Post match Ava pops up on the platform and announces a mini tournament for the #1 contendership, with the title shot taking place at Evolution. Jayne looks nervous.

Josh Briggs is disappointed in the tag team loss but here is TNA’s First Class to mock them. Yoshiki Inamura says AJ Francis is annoying but here is Elijah to blame First Class for the TNA World Title not being in TNA.

Tony D’Angelo and Luca Crusifino don’t seem to trust each other before their tag match.

Charlie Dempsey wishes Myles Borne luck in the future and Borne thanks him for everything the No Quarter Catch Crew did for him. Je’Von Evans comes in to say that was a tough loss for Dempsey, who wants to face Evans as a result.

Video on Worlds Collide.

Mr. Iguana and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Tony D’Angelo/Luca Crusifino vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Crusifino chops Igwe to start so it’s off to DuPont as commentary starts asking why anyone in the D’Angelo Family would care about D’Angelo. As that random attack begins, D’Angelo comes in and gets stomped down in the corner. That doesn’t last long and D’Angelo gets up and makes the tag off to Crusifino. House is quickly cleaned on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Crusifino fighting out of a chinlock so Igwe pulls him into a front facelock instead. Crusifino manages a running Codebreaker and the diving tag brings in D’Angelo for the spinebuster. Cue Stacks for a distraction but D’Angelo cuts him off. Crusifino picks up a crowbar (which Stacks may have brought in) but D’Angelo sees him before Crusifino can do anything with it (Crusifino hadn’t even raised it yet). Igwe decks D’Angelo though and the Heartstopper is good for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. WWE absolutely loves that WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO style of booking and that’s because it often works. The good thing about what they set up here was you could see it going either way, which opens up some options. I’m curious to see what does happen and that’s more than I can say about a lot of what the D’Angelo Family was doing. That being said, commentary suddenly turning on D’Angelo is quite the red flag.

Trick Williams does not like the implication that he needed First Class’ help the beat Elijah and agrees to team with them against Elijah/Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Jasper Troy

Femi, who is banged up from earlier, is defending. Troy goes after the bad ribs to start and hits a backsplash but Femi manages a slam. Femi fights back until a suplex brings him right back down. They go outside where a clothesline drops Femi, who is whipped so hard into the corner that the middle rope breaks.

We take a break and come back (with the rope fixed) with Femi being dropped hard onto the apron. A splash gives Troy two but Femi makes the clothesline comeback. Femi hits a spinebuster for two but walks into a chokeslam. Jasper shrugs off being tossed and hits a Black Hole Slam for two more. They go outside where Femi sends him through the barricade, followed by the Fall From Grace for….two. Another Fall From Grace retains at 11:21.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it as you had two big guys just beating the daylights out of each other. Troy got a bit of an advantage thanks to the attack earlier in the day and that’s a smart move given how much of a favorite Femi would be here. There is something about watching Femi go into that higher mode where he just wrecks everyone in sight. That’s what we got here, though Troy was more than holding his own for at least awhile.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event bailed out an otherwise not so interesting show, which is more than a little surprising. NXT has been doing well enough lately but they were missing here a bit. Hopefully things turn around, though the TNA stuff isn’t interesting me very much at the moment. Stick with the interesting stories in the women’s division, plus Femi doing whatever he has going on, which tends to be quite good.

Results
Ethan Page b. Sean Legacy – Twisted Grin
The Culling b. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura – Dominator to Briggs
Lash Legend b. Wren Sinclair – Behind the back faceplant
Jacy Jayne b. Lainey Reid – Rolling Encore
High Ryze b. Tony D’Angelo/Luca Crusifino – Heartstopper to D’Angelo
Oba Femi b. Jasper Troy – Fall From Grace

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

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NXT
Date: May 27, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves, Booker T.

We’re done with Battleground and that means it is time to start the rather long road to the Great American Bash. Assuming they don’t have a June special, that’s a long way off to get ready for something but it could be a nice positive. The big story coming out of Battleground is Trick Williams winning the TNA World Title. As for tonight, Ethan Page is challenging for the North American Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Battleground if you need a recap.

We open with a long Battleground recap.

North American Title: Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page

Page is challenging and the brawl is on before the bell, with security having to hold them back. We’re not waiting though as the match officially gets going, with Saints grabbing a headlock on the mat. Page reverses into one of his own but it’s too early for the Ego’s Edge. Instead Saints slips out to the apron and plants Saints down as the fight heads to the floor. Security comes in to break it up again so here is Ava to say….something as we take a break.

Back with Page and Saints beating up the security, with the fans approving. Security tries to get them broken up again but Page uses the distraction to hit a Twisted Grin onto an open chair. Saints is down on the floor and the Ego’s Edge connects for two back inside. They slug it out and Saints counters a powerslam into a tornado DDT. Saints fires off some clotheslines but Page hits an even bigger one to cut him off. A neck snap across the top rope sets up the Twisted Grin to give Page the pin and the title at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was a wild brawl to start but then it turned into a regular match, which went well too. Saints is likely moving on to something bigger, with the title being a good way to start his NXT run. Page getting the title is a nice way to boost him up again, and adding a former NXT Champion to the title lineage is a smart idea.

Fatal Influence continues to snipe at each other, even though Jacy Jayne is facing Stephanie Vaquer tonight.

Video on TNA’s Mike Santana, who is making his NXT in-ring debut tonight.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are glad to be back together and want the Tag Team Titles.

Mike Santana vs. Tavion Heights

The No Quarter Catch Crew is here with Heights. Santana grabs a headlock to start before a dropkick sends him into the corner. A springboard spinning crossbody drops heights, who is back up with something like a hiptoss. That’s fine with Santana, who sends him outside for the big running flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Heights hitting some running clotheslines up against the ropes. A gutwrench suplex gives Heights two and we hit the chinlock. Santana is back up with a clothesline and enziguri into a rolling cutter for two. The fans certainly approve but are a bit more silenced with Heights hitting a Death Valley Driver. Santana is back up with a fireman’s carry faceplant into Spin The Block (discus lariat) for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Santana is one of those stars who has one of the most important things you can have in wrestling: that fire in his eyes. There is something you get when you look at him and it makes Santana feel like that much of a bigger deal. It would not surprise me at all to see him be the TNA World Champion at some point this year and coming over to WWE one day down the line. This was a heck of a debut for him and it’s a good sign for his future.

The High Ryze is ready to take over.

Andre Chase tells his students to take risks so they ask Ava for a match. She gives them a match with Darkstate next week, which isn’t what Chase means.

Tony D’Angelo yells at Luca Crusifino about what he did/didn’t do at Battleground. Crusifino says Stacks let him go and he was scared of what would happen if he reached out. D’Angelo says he doesn’t know if he can trust Crusifino, who insists D’Angelo can.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He brags about being the first NXT star to be the TNA World Champion but doesn’t want to hear those cheers. These people here are the same people who were cheering for the Average Joe. He’s on his way to TNA to defend the title, which has been held by names such as Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre and more. Now he’s turning his back on the fans because they turned their backs on him.

Cue Mike Santana to interrupt, which Williams calls a mistake. Santana isn’t having that because TNA is on a roll and Williams isn’t ruining that. Santana calls Williams a pretend rapper and champion who has never dealt with someone like him. A fight is teased but cue TNA boss Santino Marella to make the title match for next week. Williams isn’t interested in shaking hands so Santana clears the ring and holds up the belt.

Ava tells Stephanie Vaquer that she’ll be in a tag match at Worlds Collide and needs a partner. Lola Vice comes in to say she’ll do it.

Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley drives her into the corner to start and manages a butterfly suplex for a knockdown. Parker’s Backstabber out of the corner gives her a breather and the Tear Drop connects. A double arm crank goes on but Paxley is right back up with a rollup. An enziguri has Parker in more trouble and a running flipping Fameasser drops her again. Parker is knocked to the floor, where she grabs one of Paxley’s dolls and throws it inside. The distraction allows Parker to hit the Hypnotique for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This felt like another step in Paxley’s decline, though I’m not sure how far that is going to go. At the same time, it is nice to see Parker getting another win as she continues to look strong. What matters the most is that she is turning into a bigger star and could wind up being a player in the title picture sooner than later.

Post match Thea Hail runs in to chase Parker off.

Video on Jasper Troy.

Jasper Troy vs. Dante Chen

Troy powers him into the corner to start and tries a slam. Chen slips out but gets sent flying with a backdrop. A drop onto the top rope has Chen in more trouble and Troy hits a backbreaker. That seems to wake Chen up a bit though and he grabs a tornado DDT. Troy runs him over again though and hits a Boss Man Slam for the win at 3:39.

Rating: C+. And that is why Chen has a job. He’s out there to make someone like Troy look good and it worked well enough. Troy is already getting into things with Oba Femi so he needed a win like this to get him a nice in-ring start. Odds are he’ll be in for a bigger match next time, but at least he did well to start.

Post match Oba Femi pops up on the platform, saying that Troy’s five minutes of fame are over because he has the Ruler’s attention.

Charlie Dempsey mocks Myles Borne and Tavion Heights for their losses, saying it’s time for the team to regroup. Borne doesn’t want to take a step back and agrees to face Dempsey for his freedom from the team. We’ll make it a rounds match.

Here is Ethan Page to celebrate his title win but Je’Von Evans interrupts. Evans talks about their history together and now he is getting a title shot at Worlds Collide. Cue AAA’s Laredo Kid, who wants the title as well. That’s not all though, because here is Rey Fenix to be the other challenger in a four way match at Worlds Collide.

In her office, Ava announces that Sean Legacy gets a title shot against the winner.

Tatum Paxley freaks out over her loss but runs into Sol Ruca and Zaria. They’re here if Paxley needs someone to talk to but the Culling is shown watching behind them.

Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is challenging. Vaquer charges in and the brawl starts fast, with Jayne getting rolled up for an early two. The Devil’s Kiss is broken up and Jayne gets two off a suplex. Back up and Vaquer sends her into various buckles but here are Chik Tormenta and Dalys for a distraction. Lola Vice runs in to cut them off and Vaquer hits a 619 into a springboard missile dropkick.

We take a break and come back with Jayne hitting a running kick to the face for two. Frustration is setting in so Jayne hits a Sling Blade backbreaker. Vaquer fights up and it’s a double swinging faceplant for a double down. Back up and Jayne knocks her into the corner for a knee to the face. Jayne knees her in the face as well for two of her own but Vaquer grabs a dragon screw legwhip.

They head to the floor where Jayne is sent into the steps but Henley offers a distraction back inside. That’s fine with Vaquer, who rams them together and then dives onto both of them. Back in and the Devil’s Kiss connects but Henley gets in a cheap shot from around the post. Jayne’s discus forearm connects for the pin and the title at 13:02.

Rating: C+. Well. That happened. This feels like a way to move Vaquer up to the main roster really, really fast and that’s not a bad move. She had a quick run on the main roster and looked more than comfortable. Jayne winning something is quite the move for her and opens up the doors for a lot of potential challengers. This was quite the shock, but what matters here is Vaquer seems likely on the way to the main roster, where she belongs.

The ring announcer is so stunned that he has to be told to make the announcement.

Overall Rating: B-. That is quite the change of path forward after Battleground, as we have another TNA star getting a World Title shot, the LFG winner going after the NXT Champion, a shocking upset main event and a title change in the opener. You do not get that kind of change around here very often and dang I’m curious to see where it goes next.

Results
Ethan Page b. Ricky Saints – Twisted Grin
Mike Santana b. Tavion Heights – Spin The Block
Jaida Parker b. Tatum Paxley – Hypnotique
Jasper Troy b. Dante Chen – Boss Man Slam
Jacy Jayne b. Stephanie Vaquer – Discus forearm

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

Battleground 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another big show and we have quite the interesting card this time. Not only is Myles Borne getting an NXT Title shot against Oba Femi, but the TNA World Title is on the line as Joe Hendry defends against Trick Williams. That’s quite a doubleheader and now we get to see what else they have set up. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the show’s major matches as battle lines have been drawn.

Women’s North American Title: Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan

Ruca is defending and has Zaria in her corner. Feeling out process to start with neither of them getting anywhere until Ruca takes her down. Ruca surfs on her back before tripping Jordan into an STF. That’s broken up so Ruca hits a suplex into a standing moonsault. They trade rollups for two each until Jordan plants her down in the corner. Something like a powerbomb looks to set up a half crab but Ruca kicks away.

Jordan kicks at the leg and gets the half crab, which is reversed into a rollup to escape. They both climb up and it’s Ruca with a super X Factor to plant her down for a double breather. Back up and Jordan sends her to the floor, setting up the Asai moonsault. Jordan glares at Zaria and they head back inside, where Ruca blocks a super hurricanrana. A Backstabber (with feet instead of knees) sends Jordan to the floor and a big handspring flip dive drops her again.

Back in and Jordan knocks her down for a change, setting up a frog splash for two. They both head up top again and Jordan tries a super poisonrana, with Ruca flipping out and landing on her feet. A spear gives Ruca two so she goes up, where Jordan gives her a super Spanish Fly for two. Back up and Zaria pulls Ruca away from One Of A Kind, which is enough for an ejection. Jordan baseball slides Ruca down and breaks up the Sol Snatcher but Ruca goes up anyway. A top rope Sol Snatcher retains the title at 12:58.

Rating: B-. That Sol Snatcher is something else and WWE seems to know what they have with the thing. It’s making Ruca feel like a bigger star every time she puts someone away with it and this time it came at the end of a good match. Jordan is starting to find herself more, while Zaria continues to feel irrelevant. Odds are this is setting up Ruca vs. Zaria, and that’s feeling like a downgrade for Ruca at this point.

We recap the Culling attacking Josh Briggs, with Hank And Tank making the save.

Shawn Spears gives the Culling a pep talk before the six man tag. The team can rely on him to face a formidable challenge.

AAA’s Dalys and Chik Tormenta are here.

TNA’s Mike Santana is coming for the TNA World Title so he needs to see who walks out tonight. For those of you who don’t know who he is, he’s a proud man from the Bronx and he wants the winner of tonight’s title match. The No Quarter Catch Crew come in and say they don’t like these outsiders. Tavion Heights wants a match on Tuesday and Santana is game. As this is going on, two women (I believe Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne) can be seen arguing in the back.

The Culling vs. Hank And Tank/Josh Briggs

Izzi Dame is here with the Culling and Vance gets caught in the wrong corner to start. Some dives take Vance out on the floor but Hank gets sent hard into the post. The villains take turns beating on Hank, with Spears stomping away. Hank gets in a right hand for a breather and kicks Vance away, allowing the tag off to Tank to clean house.

Vance gets in a headbutt, only for Briggs to come in with a top rope moonsault for two. A double stomp Dominator hits Hank and the referee has to stop the count due to a late save. Spears grabs Briggs’ hand and Dame gets in a big boot so Jensen can roll him up for two. Briggs hits a heck of a lariat and hands it back to Hank for the powerslam/neckbreaker combination and the pin at 9:28.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to get the Tag Team Champions on the show and they probably should have a better way to go than that. I’ll take it over a forced title defense, but this was easily the weakest built match on the show. The tag division isn’t overly strong at the moment and I’m not sure who is going to be next to come after the belts, save for maybe Darkstate.

Post match the Culling jumps the winners again but Yoshiki Inamaru returns for the save. Great. Now he can be uninteresting all over again.

Ethan Page is ready to win the North American Title on Tuesday by finally finishing Ricky Saints. Ava comes in to say the winner will defend the title at Worlds Collide on June 7.

We recap Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo. They were the leaders of the D’Angelo Family and grew up together. Stacks started making some moves that D’Angelo didn’t like and put a stop to them, which led to Stacks turning on the team. Now it’s time for revenge and to find out the real force of the team.

Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo takes him straight down to start and hammers away but Stacks hits a kick to the ribs. Some heavy forearms to the back of the head rock D’Angelo and they head outside. Stacks gets rammed into the apron and tries to go over the barricade, earning himself a ram into the post. A little too much trash talk lets Stacks knock him into the steps though and a running dropkick makes it worse.

Back in and Stacks stays on D’Angelo’s ribs with a seated abdominal stretch as Booker goes on a weird rant about how it’s “Channing Stacks Lorenzo” rather than “Stacks”. Cement Shoes gives Stacks two but D’Angelo fires off some more uppercuts to the body. Stacks goes back to the ribs but misses another Cement Shoes. A delayed German suplex drops Stacks and D’Angelo hits a powerbomb before raining down right hands.

Hold on though as D’Angelo stops and looks around before they both stand up. Stacks tells D’Angelo that he’s weak and drives him ribs first into the post. A cannonball only hits post though and D’Angelo hits Forget About It for two. D’Angelo’s ribs give out again and Stacks drapes him over the ropes for a top rope double stomp.

Stacks goes to get his crowbar but D’Angelo has taken it away. A spear cuts Stacks down and D’Angelo hammers away with forearms. Stacks begs forgiveness but gets spinebustered for his efforts. Cue Luca Crusifino to stare at D’Angelo, allowing Stacks to kick D’Angelo low. A running knee to the back of the head finishes for Stacks at 15:17.

Rating: B. That’s the right way to go as it leaves the door open for something else while Stacks losing here would have been a death sentence. The Crusifino deal is something else on its own, as he didn’t actually attack anyone and just stood there. That’s likely going to be explained soon, as this story feels like it has a long way to go.

Post match D’Angelo gets up and Crusifino (who did not get physical) offers a hug but gets shoved away.

We recap Jordynne Grace challenging Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s Title. Vaquer is the new star and Grace beat Giulia to get a title shot. This is a major showdown and that’s what it should be.

Women’s Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. We get a handshake to start and Grace picks her up without much trouble. Grace works on an armbar but Grace is back up with a headscissors into a rollup for two. They go outside and Grace is sent over the announcers’ table, leaving commentary to mock Booker for being such a huge Vaquer fan. Back in and the Boston crab sends Vaquer over to the ropes so Grace slams her down. The Vader Bomb misses though and Vaquer gets in the Devil’s Kiss.

Back up and Grace hits a spinebuster into a sitout package powerbomb for two as they’re both getting tired. Vaquer hits a DDT for two but Grace takes her into the corner for a superplex into a Jackhammer for two more. Back up and the SVB and Juggernaut Driver are both countered, setting up a fight over a tombstone.

With that not working, they go outside and Vaquer powers her through the barricade for a big crash. Back in and the SVB connects…for two, leaving Vaquer stunned. Another SVB is broken up and Vaquer takes out the leg with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. Vaquer goes up and hits a Spiral Tap to retain at 16:09.

Rating: B. Another good one here, as Vaquer felt like she defeated Grace for good here. Busting out the Spiral Tap felt like a big way to go and it was Vaquer needing to go big to beat a top opponent. I’m not sure who is next for both of them, but this was a big time title match and that’s what it was supposed to be.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. He is ready to face Ethan Page because he doesn’t get what people see in Page. The thing is Page is like the guy at the party but no one knows why he is there. The reality is Saints can put the title on the line because he knew Page’s greed would get in his way. If he has to start this week’s show to beat Page up, so be it. As for Worlds Collide, Saints is ready to go to Mexico if he has to…and here is Page to try and jump him from behind. Saints cuts that off and security breaks it up, with Saints diving onto all of them to get at Page.

We recap Myles Borne challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title in the form of Borne having a sitdown interview in an empty arena. Borne wasn’t sure if he was ready when he came here but now he’s doing as well as he ever has before. He was ready at the battle royal and he’ll be ready to come after the title.

It’s true that he was given a 15% chance of living when he was born but now he wants people to know about his disability so that kids who are struggling can know that nothing can hold them back. He’s been fighting the odds since birth and he’ll be fighting the odds against Femi, who has everything over him. The only thing Borne has over him is heart. Sweet goodness this guy is likable.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Myles Borne

Borne is challenging. Femi backs him into the corner to start and sends Borne flying, though Borne does stick the landing. A nice dropkick staggers Femi but he’s back up with a suplex for one to take over. Some forearms to the back have Borne in more trouble and a big one puts him down. An Irish Curse plants Borne again and Femi slams him head first into the mat.

Back up and another great dropkick puts Femi down again for a needed breather. A big clothesline rocks Borne but he grabs a sleeper to put Femi in some trouble for a change. Borne can’t suplex him and Femi gets in a kick to the ribs, setting up a reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Borne manages to send him outside for a heck of a flip dive. Back in and a powerslam out of the corner gives Borne two as the fans are getting into this.

A double stomp into a standing moonsault…is countered into a chokeslam for two as Femi is looking a bit shaken. Borne is back up with a DDT before countering the Fall From Grace with a hurricanrana. Back up and Femi rocks him with a forearm to the face, only to get caught with a German suplex. A frog splash gives Borne two and he hits another dropkick but walks into a pop up uppercut. The Fall From Grace…gets two and the fans are right back into this. Borne rolls him up out of the corner for two but gets turned inside out with a clothesline. Back to back Falls From Grace retain the title at 16:51.

Rating: A-. I had a grand total of no expectations coming into this and they MORE than pulled me into the whole thing. While I wasn’t completely buying that Borne was going to win, they had me feeling the Rocky style story here of someone who had no business hanging in there with the monster champion. I loved this and it’s one of the best things I’ve seen NXT do in a long time.

Post match, respect is shown.

We cut to the back where Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley are STILL arguing (for an hour now). At the same time, Stephanie Vaquer is arguing with the two women from AAA. Jayne comes in to slap Vaquer and they have to be held back.

We recap Trick Williams challenging Joe Hendry for the TNA Title.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Trick Williams

Hendry is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Hendry wants to fight so they start the brawling, with Hendry grabbing a headlock. Back up and Williams hits a fall away slam for two, followed by a Rock Bottom for the same. They trade rollups for two each until Williams drops him again. Williams tries a Spinarooni (yes we look at Booker) but he walks into a Rock Bottom for two.

A side kick drops Hendry but he muscles Williams into a fireman’s carry slam for two more. Williams is back up and they go to the floor, where Hendry is whipped into the steps. Back in and Hendry fights up again, this time with a fall away slam. Hendry hits the pose but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Williams misses a kick and gets Standing Ovationed for two with a foot on the ropes making the save.

Back up and Williams kicks him down and they head outside, with a Rock Bottom through a table planting Hendry. Back in and a Trick Shot gives Williams two and frustration is setting in. Williams grabs the belt and gets it taken away, only to walk into a Standing Ovation attempt. That’s broken up with a rake to the eyes, allowing Williams to flapjack Hendry down onto the belt. Another Trick Shot drops Hendry for the pin and the title at 15:04.

Rating: B. This is what the crossover story has been needing, as otherwise it’s just been midcarders trading wins. Hendry gets cheated out of the title and there is a reason to see a rematch, possibly with Hendry winning the title back at Slammiversary to avenge his company. Williams has been needing a win of his own too and it came at the end of another solid match.

Overall Rating: A-. That six man is the only thing close to bad on the show and it’s absolutely nothing terrible. Other than that, it was one good match after another with Femi vs. Borne tearing the house down. This was a good looking show coming in and they knocked it out of the park with a great night. NXT has been needing a show like this for a bit and dang it was worth the watch. Awesome stuff here.

Results
Sol Ruca b. Kelani Jordan – Super Sol Snatcher
Josh Briggs/Hank And Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to Jensen
Stacks b. Tony D’Angelo – Running knee
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jordynne Grace – Spiral Tap
Oba Femi b. Myles Borne – Fall From Grace
Trick Williams b. Joe Hendry – Trick Shot

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

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NXT
Date: May 20, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Battleground and that means we’re in for the final push towards the show. The card is mostly set and now we get to see what is going to be added at the last minute. Some of these shows can be hit and miss and that makes me curious about what we’re going to see. Let’s get to it.

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

Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante Thee Adonis vs. Sean Legacy

Ricky Saints is on commentary. Adonis stomps away in the corner to start and we get an exchange of rollups for two each. Evans is sent outside for a dive from Adonis and Legacy is tossed as well. Back in and Evans’ dive is cut off so he busts out another one to drop both Legacy and Adonis as we take a break.

We come back with Adonis spinebustering Legacy onto Evans but Legacy blocks the Long Kiss Goodnight. Legacy missile dropkicks Adonis to the floor and hits a running Spanish Fly for two on Evans. Back up and Evans snaps off a super hurricanrana to Legacy but Adonis tries to steal the pin.

That’s broken up as well and all three of them need a breather. Adonis hits a superkick on Evans but Legacy breaks up the cover with a springboard 450. Evans cleans house again and frog splashes Adonis, with Legacy making another save. Cue Ethan Page to go after Saints though and Evans dives onto both of them. That leaves Adonis to miss a frog splash and Legacy grabs Shambles for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was the showcase for Legacy and it worked well for him. It’s fairly clear that he’s one of the brighter prospects in Evolve and it would not surprise me to see him wind up full time in NXT sooner than later. They had an entertaining match here and while I’m not sure Legacy is going to move to the top, this is a nice start for him on the next level.

Ava sends security to deal with Ethan Page. That brings her to Tyra Mae Steele and Jasper Troy, the winners of WWE LFG Season 1. They’ll be debuting in the next few weeks but Troy promises to make an impact tonight. Ava: “Ok.”

We look at Jordynne Grace training. She signed around the same time as Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer and they all want to be at the top. Grace has been in Mexico and Japan, plus dominating TNA. On Sunday at Battleground, she’ll prove she’s the best.

Lola Vice wishes Vaquer luck but runs into Fatal Influence. They argue a bit and Fallon Henley vs. Vice is set for tonight.

Trick Williams says people break their neck to see him while Joe Hendry breaks his neck to see the people. Williams raps about not losing to an average Joe and Booker T. seems impressed. I’m not a rap fan but this seemed to be decent.

Josh Briggs dedicates his match to Yoshiki Inamura.

Shawn Spears vs. Josh Briggs

The rest of the Culling is here with Spears. We’re joined in progress with Briggs running him over but Spears fires off some knees to the ribs. They go outside where Spears posts him before taking it back inside for a neckbreaker. A superkick is blocked though and Briggs hits a quick splash for two. Spears’ dive to the floor is pulled out of the air and Briggs drops him onto the announcers’ table. They go to get back inside but the Culling gets in a cheap shot, allowing Spears to get a small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. Am I supposed to be sad that Inamura is gone? I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but it could be interesting to see Briggs and Brooks Jensen join forces again in some way. It’s not like either of them have done anything important else in a long time so why not see what they can do. The match was nothing all that good anyway, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Post match the beatdown is on but Hank & Tank run in for the save.

Kelani Jordan bickers with Zaria and Sol Ruca tonight, with Zaria saying she’ll take care of Jordan for Ruca later.

Thea Hail, with her eye bandaged, yells at Tatum Paxley about the attack last week. Paxley says Hail has no idea what it’s like to lose everyone, which Hail doesn’t accept. Jaida Parker then jumps Hail from behind but wants nothing to do with Paxley. That was kind of funny.

Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon vs. OTM

Andre Chase is here with Connors/Dixon. Price knocks Connors down to start and then faceplants Dixon as well, leaving Chase worried on the floor. Back in and Connors runs Price over, allowing Dixon to hit a quick DDT. Nima comes in though and gets knocked back, only to grab the assisted Alabama Slam to finish Connors fast at 3:10.

Rating: C. Just shy of a squash here, with OTM running over the new Chase U. That’s what it should have been, as Chase U has nothing going for them yet and have quite a long way to go. At the same time, OTM is a pair of powerhouses and it makes sense to have them smash through some people now that they’re back. If nothing else, they could be into the title scene sooner than later.

Here are Myles Borne and Oba Femi for their final showdown before the title match. Femi is surprised and impressed that Borne made it this far. He understands that Borne is fighting for people who believe in him and who are following their dreams. However, that dream was realized when Borne won the battle royal and it all ends when the bell rings at Battleground. Borne talks about how he has been treated differently for his entire career.

This is about making a statement and he hopes Femi underestimates him. Everyone has done that before, from the doctors and nurses to NXT coaches. He’s been overcoming battles all of his life and every ruler eventually falls. No he can’t hear well, but he’ll hear the 1-2-3 on Sunday when he wins the NXT Title. Borne leaves and here is Jasper Troy to jump Femi. Borne makes the save and holds up the title, eventually handing it back to Femi for the staredown. I don’t believe he has a chance of winning the title but man alive Borne is turning himself into one of the easiest to like stars NXT has seen in a good while.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page argue in Ava’s office and Saints is willing to give him a title shot to get his hands on him. Ava says they don’t make matches….and then she makes the match they want for the title next week.

Tony D’Angelo talks about what it means when you get betrayed. He and Stacks grew up together and have known each other for years. They made the D’Angelo Family but now Stacks wants to run everything. Stacks doesn’t get what it takes to be in charge and doesn’t see everything. On Sunday, Stacks will see how things really work. Those personal touches are making it even better and that should be a good thing at Battleground.

Lola Vice vs. Fallon Henley

Jacy Jayne is here with Henley, who gets wrestled to the mat without much trouble to start. Vice takes her down again without much trouble as Jayne doesn’t seem impressed on the floor. Back up and Vice snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor but Henley gets in a shot of her own.

We take a break and come back with Vice striking her way out of trouble. That doesn’t last long as Henley is back with some sliding forearms but Vice kicks her down. Vice’s running hip attack in the corner gets two so Henley grabs a flying faceplant. Vice fights up again so Jayne offers a distraction, only for Henley to be sent into her. The spinning backfist gives Vice the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Vice continues to be in a weird place, as she smashes through various stars but never seems to get to the next level. She doesn’t quite seem ready to move up to the title picture, but there isn’t much of a point in having her beat people like this. The issues between Fatal Influence continues and I’m not sure where that is going, but it doesn’t seem likely to go anywhere good.

Stephanie Vaquer has a sitdown interview where she talks about all of the work it took to get here. She was inspired by Rey Mysterio and now she knows that she had to do everything to accomplish her goals. Jordynne Grace conquers companies but Vaquer conquers countries.

Darkstate talks about how Dion Lennox started the team and they are all ready to take NXT down. They all bring something different, and now it is time to find out who is next.

We look at Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson (NBA stars) almost getting in a fight last year on Smackdown.

Kelani Jordan vs. Zaria

Sol Ruca is here with Zaria, who sends Jordan flying with a release German suplex to start. Jordan gets in a shot to the face and hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a choke to try and slow Zaria down. They go outside where Zaria sends her head first into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Jordan escaping a belly to back suplex attempt and managing a knockdown for a double breather. The exchange of forearms goes to Zaria so Jordan gives her a running crossbody. A tornado DDT plants Zaria for two but Jordan misses a 450. Jordan tries another choke but gets flipped into a Cannonball into the corner (that was cool). Back up and Jordan is sent outside, where she goes after Ruca. This brings Ruca up onto the apron but Zaria is sent into her, allowing Jordan to grab the rollup for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure why both women’s matches had the same finish but it’s not a great sign. That aside, Jordan winning to get the next shot at Ruca isn’t a bad way to go. She’s already a former champion and that could be quite the accomplishment if Ruca can beat her. At the same time you have Zaria….and she is certainly there. Unfortunately that’s about all there is to say about her at the moment and that isn’t promising.

Battleground rundown.

Here is Joe Hendry for a concert. After praising Trick Williams for trying in his first performance, Hendry sings about how he’ll be champion after Battleground. Williams is merely the World Champion of producing tears and is only a bad sidekick to Carmelo Hayes. This gives us a clip of Williams and Hayes in a haunted house back in the day, albeit with some Hendry heads superimposed.

Hendry sings about how Williams is Melo’s b****, which brings out Williams to interrupt. Williams calls him Average Joe and the fight is on, with the Trick Shot hitting the guitar. Hendry gives him the Standing Ovation (chokeslam) and sings about winning on Sunday to end the show. That’s pretty clearly the main event, which is a rather weird thing to see but it’s the right way to go.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about getting us ready for Battleground but thankfully they did a nice job of getting some things ready for other stories down the line. That is something that has been missing from various go home shows and it’s nice to have them get things better. I’m mostly interested in Battleground and I’m interested in where things are going, so we’ll call this a good enough one.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Je’Von Evans and Ashante Thee Adonis – Shambles to Adonis
Shawn Spears b. Josh Briggs – Small package
OTM b. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon – Assisted Alabama Slam to Connors
Lola vice b. Fallon Henley – Spinning backfist
Kelani Jordan b. Zaria – Rollup

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