NXT LVL Up – July 28, 2023: Call It An Improvement?
NXT LVL Up
Date: July 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard
Things are not exactly on fire around here at the moment as there isn’t much that can be done with the low level stars that are presented on this show. You never know what might be taking place on the show and hopefully things are a bit better this week, just for the sake of making it an easier watch. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Ikemen Jiro vs. Damon Kemp
Jiro does a handstand in the corner for some early posing so Kemp takes him down without much effort. Kemp runs him over so Jiro dances at him a bit, setting up his own shoulder to drop Kemp for a change. Jiro’s right hands are shrugged off so Kemp can hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The jacket punches set up a springboard moonsault for two but Jiro misses a charge into the ropes. An electric chair German suplex gives Kemp the pin at 4:54.
Rating: C+. This was a bit better than normal around here with Kemp being better than a lot of the talent on this show and Jiro being rather smooth at just about everything he does. Jiro’s gimmick might not be the best in the world but he can work well with just about anyone. That is something that was missing from around here and hopefully it should help matches in the future.
Karmen Petrovic is ready for Ivy Nile. She’s a martial artist and ready to prove it.
Ivy Nile vs. Karmen Petrovic
Nile takes her down without much trouble to start but Petrovic reverses into a headlock of her own. Back up and Nile sends her flying with a fall away slam but Petrovic takes her down by the leg. A kick to the head gets two and we hit the leglock. Something close to Eddie Guerrero’s Lasso From El Paso is broken up and Nile fights back with some running shoulders. The Diamond Chain Lock finishes Petrovic at 4:08.
Rating: C. This was little more than a way to introduce Petrovic but as tends to be the case, you’re not going to get much out of a four minute match against anyone. She has some potential and did fine enough here, but this is just a dip your toe in moment. Odds are she’ll be around more in the future and they covered everything they needed to do here.
Duke Hudson vs. Luca Crusifino
The rest of Chase U is here with Hudson, who drives Luca outside without much trouble. Back in and Hudson runs him over with a shoulder but Luca grabs a headlock. A hard slam sends Luca out to the apron, where he manages to snap Hudson’s throat across the top rope. Some right hands and an elbow to the face put Hudson down but he starts to Hulk Up. Luca is knocked outside, beaten back inside, and put in a Razor’s Edge to finish for Hudson at 6:19.
Rating: C. As usual, Chase U is the best thing about this show and Luca’s best stuff is before and after the bell, though that hasn’t been the case in recent weeks. It’s nice to see Hudson getting a chance to shine in the ring for once and that Razor’s Edge looked good. Chase U continues to feel like it’s on the brink of imploding and that would be a shame given how over they really are around here.
Overall Rating: C. It was a bit better than last week but still nothing to see here. Maybe everything is focused on the Great American Bash but there just wasn’t much to see with this whole thing. There were some slightly bigger names around this week, though still nothing that you need to see. Maybe there is something better coming, but for now it’s still the most skippable thing WWE offers, including Main Event.
Results
Damon Kemp b. Ikemen Jiro – Electric chair German suplex
Ivy Nile b. Karmen Petrovic – Diamond Chain Lock
Duke Hudson b. Luca Crusifino – Razor’s Edge
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