NXT LVL Up
Date: January 26, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the show that sets up the show that sets up the Royal Rumble so this is kind of the grandchild of the show that is happening tomorrow. In other words, this show will have no impact on the Royal Rumble at all, even if commentary will likely talk about it more than once. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Von Wagner vs. Keanu Carver

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. The rather strong Carver powers him into the corner to start and manages one heck of a Pounce to send Wagner flying. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Wagner for two and we hit the old school bearhug. Wagner fights out and wins the exchange of right hands. A top rope shot to the head sets up the Death Valley Driver to give Wagner the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C+. This was a heck of a performance from Carver, who got in quite a bit of offense with Wagner selling like nuts. That’s how you make someone feel more important even in defeat and that’s just what they did here. Not a great match or anything, but it did something important that could help Carver going forward.

Luca Crusifino is ready for Riley Osborne tonight and makes a bunch of lawyer puns.

Kelani Jordan/Brinley Reece vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

James and Jordan fight over a lockup to start with Jordan snapping off a headscissors. Dame comes in and takes over on both of them until they take out her legs. The villains take Jordan into the corner though and the stomping is on. The double arm crank goes on for a bit but Jordan flips over and brings in Reece to clean house. Then the Dealbreaker finishes Reece at 5:08.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here as Jordan got beaten up, made a tag and then got taken out for the pin almost immediately. James is the biggest name in the match but even then she’s only so good. There is only so much to get out of a match like this and it wasn’t exactly great while it lasted.

Riley Osborne vs. Luca Crusifino

Osborne takes him down but the leg crank doesn’t get him anywhere. Crusifino’s headlock is just as ineffective but he sends Osborne outside and starts in on the leg. Back in and Crusifino kicks away at the leg, meaning the cranking can continue. The knee is rammed into the mat and we hit the half crab. Osborne fights out, hits a leg lariat, shakes his knee a bit, and hits a shooting star press for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: D+. Nope. Not only was the stuff with the leg dull, but Osborne then shrugs it off and hits two moves that mainly use his legs to win. If that’s what he’s going to do, why bother with everything that came before it? In addition to that, Crusifino is still not interesting, as his matches are just the same bland stuff that you see from so many people around here. This was annoying and that’s not something you often see around here.

Overall Rating: C-. It says a lot when Von Wagner’s match is the best thing about the show but that is absolutely what we had here. The women’s tag was nothing and the main event was almost anger inducing and there was nothing on here worth seeing. Osborne is capable of doing more and I was glad to see him on the show and then it wound up being a big disappointment. Bad show and that’s kind of a surprise.

Results
Von Wagner b. Keanu Carver – Death Valley Driver
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Kelani Jordan/Brinley Reece – Dealbreaker to Reece
Riley Osborne b. Luca Crusifino – Shooting star press

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NXT
Date: January 16, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are on the way to Vengeance Day and that means we have some things to cover. There will be more than a few of those this week, as we have more of the Dusty Classic, a battle royal to determine a new #1 contender to the Women’s Title, and probably something involving the NXT Title. Then again we might have to see something change if Carmelo Hayes is too banged up from his Smackdown appearance. Let’s get to it.

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

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

There’s your answer about Hayes. Blade and Hayes start things off, with an exchange of dropkicks going nowhere. Williams comes in and dropkicks Enofe so it’s back to Blade, who is dropkicked right down. We settle down to Enofe being sent into the ropes and managing a low 619. Everything breaks down and Blade and Enofe hit running flip dives to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Hayes in trouble as Enofe hammers away, only to have Hayes flip out of a belly to back suplex. It’s off to Williams, who Rock Bottoms Blade for two. Everything breaks down and Blade drops a top rope elbow for two on Williams. Enofe is punched out of the air, meaning it’s a Codebreaker into the Flash Knee to finish Blade at 12:09.

Rating: C+. This was another step in what should be a bigger story down the line. Hayes and Williams are likely on a collision course for a heck of a showdown, perhaps at Stand & Deliver, and this could be a good way to help get them there. Other than that, I still think Blade and Enofe have a bunch of potential yet here they are, losing in the first round of the tournament. Kind of a shame, but maybe they could get another chance down the line.

Fallon Henley is ready to win the battle royal because it’s Stand & Deliver season.

We look at Dragon Lee winning and losing the North American Title, with Oba Femi cashing in his title shot to take the title last week.

Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice are ready to win the battle royal. Tatum Paxley pops up to say she’ll win so the two of them can’t.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He told you all he would be a champion and now here he is. He was tested as a Nigerian prince and an NCAA athlete, and now he has already made his mark here to win a championship. Femi says he will face everyone but here is Dragon Lee to interrupt. Lee says the title represents opportunity and he wants his shot tonight. That’s going to be a NO, because the open challengers are now closed. Lee asks about Vengeance Day, which Femi will consider.

Eddy Thorpe was happy with his win over Dijak when Tre Bearhill came in to talk about their culture. Dijak came in and seemingly got a match with Bearhill for later.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready to win the tournament but Ilja Dragunov comes in to say he is now clear. Dragunov is ready to defend the title against Williams at Vengeance Day, but Hayes says that’s the finals of the Dusty Cup. Uh oh.

Tatum Paxley/Lyra Valkyria vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopes

Paxley is dressed like Valkyria because she is a bit odd. Valkyria jumps over Lopez in the corner and grabs a rollup for two before the villains are sent outside. Back in and Vice kicks Paxley down for two as the beating begins. Paxley slips out of the corner and hands it off to Valkyria to clean house as everything breaks down. Paxley tags herself back in so Lopez kicks her down….and right onto Vice for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. This is a weird story and I’m not sure where it’s going. Or now though, There is something to having Vice hanging around with the contract. At the same time, the battle royal is coming up in the near future, though that potential cashing in is quite the distraction and it’s going to be happening sooner than later, no matter how out there Paxley may be.

A bunch of women want to be #1 contender but Arianna Grace’s speech scares them off.

Ridge Holland vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is here with Coffey. Holland shoves Coffey around to start and drives Coffey into the corner. Coffey is right back into a knockdown and an elbow drop for two. Holland hits a heck of a clothesline into Northern Grit for the pin at 2:25.

Post match the beatdown is on and no one makes the save, despite the camera looking at the entrance.

NXT Anonymous show the women of Chase U having done something to help save the school. Jacy Jayne approves and asks of one (Jasmine) of them wants to have some drinks.

Kelani Jordan is ready to win the battle royal. Brinley Reece loves her energy.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker aren’t on the same page about who won their previous match. Breakker has apparently spent four weeks thinking of Woof Dogs for their team name. On top of that, Breakker was thinking about the team in the shower….and Corbin is cutting him off right there. Maybe they can be called the Wild Boars?

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: LWO vs. Chase U

Zelina Vega and Andre Chase are here too. Osborne and Wilde trade armdrags to start so del Toro comes in to take Osborne into the corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Hudson for a side slam. Hudson clotheslines them out to the floor and Osborne hits a big dive as we take a break.

Back with Osborne hitting a flip dive onto both of them for a breather. The tag brings in Hudson to clean house, at least until del Toro snaps off a poisonrana. A blind tag brings in Wilde, who hits a missile dropkick on Hudson. Wilde grabs a suicide tornado DDT to plant Hudson on the floor, setting up a phoenix splash for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match here, with Chase U continuing its downward spiral. I’m not sure how much further it could go but Chase almost has to either lose the school or put the whole thing on the line at some point. That’s the real story here, as the LWO mainly feels like a team just looking for something to do here.

Riz is worried about having her first match in the battle royal but the D’Angelo Family reminds her of some previous battles.

Joe Gacy joins commentary.

Last week, Mr. Stone and Von Wagner talked about New Year’s resolutions, when Noam Dar and Oro Mensah came in. Wagner wants a shot at the Heritage Cup and math ensues, with the match not quite being made yet.

Dijak vs. Tre Bearhill

They run the ropes to start until Bearhill snaps off a backdrop. Dijak is back with a suplex and the suplex toss to really take over. Some elbows in the corner rock Bearhill, but he suplexes Dijak into the corner. Dijak fights back but goes outside to yell at Gacy, who gives him a headbutt. The distraction lets Bearhill jump him, only to have Dijak come back with the cyclone boot for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what Bearhill’s appeal is supposed to be but somehow it seems like Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe may be continuing, with Bearhill as the next proxy. Dijak gets to beat someone else up for a change, meaning he is probably on the way to a big loss. Just hopefully not to Gacy.

Post match Gacy goes after Dijak and they brawl up the aisle, while Lexis King comes in to go after Bearhill.

Josh Briggs runs into JBL, who picked him for the Iron Survival Challenge qualifying match. JBL wants Briggs to show who he really is.

Video on the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Trick Williams apologizes to Carmelo Hayes but says he’ll work both matches at Vengeance Day. That seems to appease Williams.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at Cora Jade suffering a torn ACL, which will put her out of action for nearly a year.

Battle Royal

Kiana James, Izzi James, Brinley Reece, Kelani Jordan, Roxanne Perez, Arianna Grace, Karmen Petrovic, Lola Vice, Elektra Lopez, Jakara Jackson, Lash Legend, Wren Sinclair, Riz, Fallon Henley, Thea Hail, Blair Davenport, Gigi Dolin, Jaida Parker, Stevie Turner, Tatum Paxley

The final four have a four way for a future Women’s Title match. Riz and Parker fight to the floor to start, leaving Dolin to eliminate Jackson. Back in and Legend knocks out Riz and Parker as the ring is clearing out quickly. Jordan has to save herself from an elimination but is knocked onto the announcers’ table (not eliminated) as we take a break. Back with clips of Jordan doing a Kofi Kingston impression to make it back into the ring.

Turner is out and Reece follows her, only Vice dump Lopez. Then Paxley tosses out Vice, who is rather displeased. Lopez and Vice brawl to the back and Davenport low bridges Dolin out. Hail kicks Davenport out so Davenport pulls Petrovic outside and drops her. Back in and Legend eliminates Paxley, leaving Grace to pose a bit. Grace tosses the still out cold Petrovic but spends too much time posing and is tossed by Hail.

We take a break and come back with Hail cleaning house, only to be cut off and eliminated by Dame. Legend and Dame collide for a double knockdown, with Dame being tossed shortly thereafter. Sinclair manages to get rid of Legend but James throws her out, meaning we’re down to James, Perez, Jordan and Henley, with the match turning into a regular four way.

Henley and James take over but Perez knocks Henley outside for a suicide dive. Jordan and Perez trade rollup for two each but Henley is back in with a middle rope neckbreaker. James spinebusters Henley for two of her own and everyone is down. James hits the 401K to send Jordan outside, leaving Perez to jump James from behind. Perez snaps off a super hurricanrana on James but Jordan hits a frog splash fort two. A quick Pop Rox gives Perez the pin on Jordan at 22:39.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird one, but what matters here is that the women’s division’s depth was on display. It’s interesting to see what happens when you have this many women put together in one match with some slightly different rules and that was the case here. Perez is mainly a safe pick but safe might be just what they need at the moment.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough, as they were doing a nice job of getting things better for Vengeance Day. They have some things cooking and hopefully they can all be paid off when Vengeance Day arrives. This show helped set some of those things up and now we have to wait and see where they go. The good thing is that NXT has reached a point where you believe they cam make that happen, which is a heck of a lot better than they were doing before.

Results
Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Flash knee to Blade
Tatum Paxley/Lyra Valkyria b. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez – Paxley fell onto Vice
Ridge Holland b. Joe Coffey – Northern Grit
LWO b. Chase U – Phoenix splash to Hudson
Joe Gacy b. Tre Bearhill – Cyclone boot
Roxanne Perez won a battle royal last eliminating Kelani Jordan

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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Deadline 2023
Date: December 9, 2023
Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

This is a show built around a theme match with the Iron Survivor Challenge. It’s something like a gauntlet Iron Man match (with a penalty box) with the winners getting a future title shot. For a bonus, we also have the NXT Title on the line as Ilja Dragunov defends against Baron Corbin. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom

This is a rematch after their previous attempt on NXT was broken up by a big fight breaking out. Axiom headlocks him down to start, which Frazer reverses into one of his own. Back up an Frazer snaps off a headscissors but Axiom sticks the landing to give us another standoff. Axiom takes it to the mat again but misses a running kick to the chest. Frazer knocks him into the corner for a heck of a chop and then does it again for a bonus.

A cobra clutch slows Axiom down a bit and Frazer grabs the bodyscissors, which is broken up almost immediately. The moonsault into the reverse layout DDT gives Frazer two and things slow down a bit. Axiom is right back with half and half suplex into a running kick to the chest for two.

Frazer is sat on top for a forearm to the floor, meaning Axiom can hit a top rope moonsault to take him out again (getting roughly 348% of the contact Charlotte would hit). Back in and Frazer hits the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two, only to miss the phoenix splash. A rather hard superkick rocks Axiom though and Frazer goes up top again. This time Axiom catches him though it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Golden Ratio for the pin on Frazer at 10:53.

Rating: B. This feels like they were given the instruction “go out there and kill it”, which is pretty much what they did. That’s how you get things going for a crowd, though I’m almost worried about how many people they’re going to overshadow. Axiom getting a win surprises me a bit as he tends to come up short, but dang they had a good one here and I could go for seeing more of them, either together or apart, in the future.

We open the show proper with Shawn Michaels, who wants to know if we’re ready. Cue CM Punk, in a Bret Hart hoodie but doing the Shawn Michaels pose at the entrance. Punk apologizes for cutting Shawn off before getting to say SUCK IT but Shawn would rather talk about that hoodie. Punk points out that Bret and Shawn made up and since Punk and HHH made up, this is all about healing. He talks about growing up watching Shawn, and now he’s able to take a picture with him, which he does. We get the tease of Punk joining NXT…and that’s it in a rather fun but not exactly substantive cameo.

The opening video looks at the rise of the next generation, who will get their chance to emerge in the Iron Survivor Challenges.

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is challenging and has Dominik’s dad Rey in his corner. Well on commentary but the man just had knee surgery so give him a break. Lee starts fast and knocks him to the floor for the big running flip dive. Back in and Dominik manages to catch Lee’s leg on the top rope to slow things way down. A DDT onto the apron doesn’t go so well and Dominik crashes down to the floor in a heap. Dominik whips him hard into the corner and we hit the chinlock to keep Lee in trouble.

Lee fights up and catches Dominik on top, meaning it’s a top rope double stomp to the apron to the floor for a nasty crash. Some running forearms have Dominik in trouble and a superkick in the corner makes it worse. A nice dropkick cuts Lee off but they trade strikes to the face. Lee’s sitout powerbomb doesn’t go so well so Dominik powerbombs him for two instead. The 619 misses for Dominik and now Lee’s sitout powerbomb gets two. Back up and Destino gives Lee the pin and the title at 10:40.

Rating: B-. Good opener here and Lee winning the title is the right call. At the end of the day, Lee is being presented as one of the future stars of WWE and he has to win something to get there already. Dominik has done some great things with the title but it might be time for him to move up the ladder. Good stuff here though and Lee gets a nice moment to start the show.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

25 minute time limit, two start, another comes in every five minutes. Anyone can get a pinfall, submission or DQ at any time with 1 point per fall. That fall also sends the defeated wrestler to the penalty box for 90 seconds, most points in the end gets a Women’s Title shot at New Year’s Evil. Fallon Henley is in at #1 and Blair Davenport is in at #2.

They go with the pinfall reversal sequence to start and neither can get anywhere. After a minute plus of reversals, Davenport hits a running knee for two and takes over for good. The double arm crank goes on but Henley kicks her away and it’s Tiffany Stratton in at #3. The entrance takes its sweet time before Stratton comes in to take over on both of them.

Some clotheslines puts Henley down and we hit the double Fujiwara armbar from Stratton and Davenport. Somehow that isn’t a submission so Stratton beats up Davenport. Another kick to Henley gets two, followed by an Alabama Slam or two. Davenport breaks up the cover though and pins Henley at 9:45.

Davenport – 1
Henley – 0
Stratton – 0
Jordan – 0
Legend – 0

Henley goes to the penalty box as Kelani Jordan is in at #4. Jordan cleans house and hits the split legged moonsault for two on Davenport as Stratton makes the save. Henley is back in and strikes away at Stratton, including a Shining Wizard for the pin at 12:10.

Davenport – 1
Henley – 1
Stratton – 0
Jordan – 0
Legend – 0

Jordan and Henley trade some near falls until Henley grabs an armbar into an armbar. Stratton comes back in and Davenport pops back up. All four go into the same corner and it’s Lash Legend in at #5 to complete the field. Legend powerbombs Stratton and Henley out of the corner and then superplexes Jordan and Davenport. A chokeslam hits Stratton and a powerbomb hits Henley….for a double pin, and two points, at 16:13.

Legend – 2
Davenport – 1
Henley – 1
Stratton – 0
Jordan – 0

Jordan is back up with a double knee to send Legend outside. Jordan’s Asai moonsault mostly misses and she takes a nasty crash into the announcers’ table. Davenport is back up to deck Legend but here is Meta Four to block the door to the penalty box. Henley tries to climb out but Stratton shoves her through the announces’ table, followed by a big flip dive onto everyone else. Back in and Jordan goes after Legend before double stomping Jordan for two. Henley makes the save with five minutes left and Davenport double stomps Jordan for the pin at 20:10.

Legend – 2
Davenport – 2
Henley – 1
Stratton – 0
Jordan – 0

Legend picks up Henley and Davenport at the same time but Stratton dropkicks them all down. Jordan comes back in and Henley takes down everyone not named Davenport. A high crossbody gives Jordan two on Legend with Stratton making another save. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever pins Legend at 23:12 to get Stratton on the board.

Legend – 2
Davenport – 2
Henley – 1
Stratton – 1
Jordan – 0

Jordan 450 Stratton and Davenport for two as Henley makes the save and covers both of them for two each. We have a minute left and some holds are broken up before Davenport German superplexes Jordan. A running knee gives Davenport the pin on Henley at 24:45.

Davenport – 3
Legend – 2
Henley – 1
Stratton – 1
Jordan – 0

Davenport runs the clock out to win at 25:00.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but they hit a groove once everyone was in there. Davenport winning is a good call as Jordan and Legend aren’t ready yet, Henley isn’t at that level and Stratton doesn’t need the title again. The concept takes some time to sink in but they got the drama going here and had a nice match as a result.

Post match Davenport calls out Lyra Valkyria who comes out….and is jumped by Cora Jade in a surprise return. Jade holds up the title.

Carmelo Hayes tells Trick Williams that he has the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge. Williams tells him to take care of Lexis King, which Hayes doesn’t seem to like.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Lexis King

King might have attacked Hayes’ friend Trick Williams but has implied Hayes was involved so Hayes is fighting to prove his innocence. Hayes takes him down to start and hammers away, with King bailing out to the floor. Back in and Hayes starts in on the hand, including stomping it onto the steps. King is fine enough to knock him back outside for a dropkick through the ropes and start working on the back.

A kick to said back and a running clothesline to the back of the head gets two, setting up a pair of backbreakers for the same. King offers him a handshake but Hayes lips him of and fights up. They go to the top and crash out hard to the floor for a double knockdown. Back in and Hayes drops King for two of his own but King manages a Jackhammer of all things for the same. King hits another backbreaker but Hayes is up with a Codebreaker. Nothing But Net finishes King clean at 11:13.

Rating: C+. This was ok but never got into the next level. I’m more than a bit surprised that King just lost clean as Hayes is a bigger star, but King is still brand new around here. That’s quite the loss to take so early, but there is a good chance that he’ll be involved in something bigger rather soon. Good enough stuff here, though hardly anything great.

Post match King says he didn’t attack Trick Williams, but he thanks Hayes for that PLE spotlight. Hayes is frustrated as he leaves.

Cora Jade says people aren’t happy she is back but she gave everyone four months of. She’ll be here on Tuesday.

Vengeance Day is on Sunday February 4.

Trick Williams is proud of Carmelo Hayes, who tells him to win tonight.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Same rules as the women’s edition, including the title match coming at New Year’s Evil. Dijak is in at #1 and Josh Briggs is in at #2, with Briggs grabbing a rollup for an early two. They trade some leapfrogs until Briggs grabs a quickly broken headlock. An exchange of shoulders goes nowhere either so Briggs knocks him into the corner for some shots to the face. A hard running shoulder gives Briggs two but Dijak knocks him into the other corner. The toss suplex drops Briggs and High Justice gives Dijak two. A big boot gives Briggs the same but Feast Your Eyes gives Dijak the first fall at 5:01.

Dijak – 1
Briggs – 0
Bate – 0
Williams – 0
Breakker – 0

Tyler Bate is in at #3 and kicks away at Dijak, setting up a running uppercut in the corner. The airplane spin goes on but Briggs comes back in to go after Dijak. One heck of a clothesline gives Briggs the pin on Dijak at 7:03.

Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Bate – 0
Williams – 0
Breakker – 0

Bate is rammed up against the penalty box but comes back with a springboard uppercut to drop Briggs. Another uppercut is blocked though and Briggs hits a splash for two more. Dijak is back in…and gets rolled up by Bate for the pin at 9:03.

Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Bate – 1
Williams – 0
Breakker – 0

Bate punches Briggs but Dijak is yelling at the referee, meaning it’s only a near fall. A huge jawbreaker hits Bate as Trick Williams is in at #4. The fans go coconuts as Williams runs over everyone, including using Briggs as a launchpad to knock Dijak out of the air for two as Bate makes the save. A very long airplane spin, complete with bate putting his hands on his hips, cuts Williams off and the Tyler Driver 97 gives Bate the pin on Williams at 13:57.

Bate – 2
Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Williams – 0
Breakker – 0

Dijak gets to run some people over until Bron Breakker is in at #5. The spear pins Briggs at 15:13.

Bate – 2
Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Breakker – 1
Williams – 0

Another Breakker spear pins Bate at 15:27.

Bate – 2
Breakker – 2
Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Williams – 0

Another Breakker spear pins Dijak at 15:43.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 2
Dijak – 1
Briggs – 1
Williams – 0

That leaves Breakker and Williams, with Breakker grabbing the Recliner. The other three brawl in the penalty box and break out (as their times expire), leaving Williams to make a rope. Williams hits a Rock Bottom on Breakker, who falls out to the floor. A huge Williams dive takes everyone out but Dijak big boots him for the pin at 18:00.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 2
Dijak – 2
Briggs – 1
Williams – 0

Breakker is back up with a super Frankensteiner to send Dijak into a sitout powerbomb from Bate, who gets the pin at 18:35.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 2
Briggs – 1
Williams – 0

Breakker hits a heck of a gutbuster for two on Bate and a super flipping World’s Strongest Slam gets the same as Briggs makes the save. Briggs and Dijak get up and start cleaning house, setting up stereo moonsaults for stereo pins on Breakker and Williams at 21:09.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 3
Briggs – 2
Williams – 0

Bate hits a heck of a springboard tornado DDT to Dijak, setting up the big no hands dive to the floor. Briggs decks Bate with a right hand but Dijak takes them both down back inside. Breakker and Williams are back in, with Breakker posting Williams to cut him off. A spear through the barricade drops Williams again but Dijak chokeslams Breakker onto him. Back in and Williams rolls Briggs up for a fast pin at 23:49.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 3
Briggs – 2
Williams – 1

Feast Your Eyes hits Williams but here is Eddy Thorpe to jump Dijak instead. Williams steals a cover for the pin on Dijak at 24:29.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 3
Briggs – 2
Williams – 2

Williams rolls Bate up for the pin at 24:40.

Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 3
Williams – 3
Briggs – 2

Williams knees Breakker for the pin at 24:57.

Williams – 4
Breakker – 3
Bate – 3
Dijak – 3
Briggs – 2

Williams runs the clock out to win at 25:00.

Rating: B. The last minute and fifteen seconds or so was up there with the most ridiculous endings I’ve ever seen to a wrestling match….and that might be a good thing. Williams was beaten up like he owed people money throughout the match and then basically did a crazy Mario Kart style final lap where he caught up with everything. I’m not sure if it was good, but it was absolutely not boring and I’ll take that every day.

Brooks Jensen tries to cheer up Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley when Meta Four comes in to be obnoxious. A fight breaks out.

Kiana James is driven from WWE Headquarters to the arena.

We recap Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez. They have been fighting for months so it’s time to lock them inside a cage. James talks about being a winner but Perez is ready to end her.

Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James

Inside a cage (pinfall/submission only, with escaping not counting for a change) and James arrives. They fight before the bell with James getting the better of things but Perez slugs away. James goes for a climb but Perez dropkicks the cage for a smart breakup. Back up and James sends her into the cage, setting up a reverse chinlock.

With that broken up, a heck of a spinebuster gives James two. Perez fights up again and hits a quick dropkick to start the comeback. There’s a ram into the cage and it works so well that Perez does it a few more times. They both fight up until Perez gets pulled down, setting up a powerbomb off the bottom rope for two.

Perez is right back with a good looking Pop Rox for two but another attempt is blocked. James tries to leave and brings a chair back in, only to get kicked down. Perez goes to the door again but here is Izzi Dame to slam the door on Perez’s head. The Deal Breaker with the chair finishes for James at 11:30.

Rating: C. This never really broke through to the next level and the few good spots they had didn’t make up for the weaker stuff. The feud didn’t feel like it needed to keep going after Halloween Havoc and this, which felt like the blowoff, didn’t exactly work. It wasn’t a terrible match or even bad, but it was fairly disappointing.

We preview the Men’s Breakout Tournament.

Here’s what’s coming on NXT.

We recap Baron Corbin challenging Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title. Dragunov wants to make the title special but Corbin just wants to be champion. Corbin has beaten Dragunov as well so he has a claim to a title shot. Dragunov has been playing some last minute mind games though and we’re ready for a fight.

NXT Title: Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov is defending and gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Back up and Dragunov strikes away, including a running knee in the corner. A clothesline puts Corbin on the floor and Dragunov follows for a German suplex. Corbin is fine enough to hit a hard drop onto the announcers’ table, meaning he can taunt Dragunov with the offering of stopping it.

Dragunov tries to fight up but gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle. Corbin puts him on top but gets knocked down, only to avoid a top rope backsplash. A top rope clothesline gives Corbin two and a release Rock Bottom has Dragunov in more trouble. Dragunov enziguris his way out of a chokeslam and nails a running knee to put Corbin down.

Now the top rope backsplash can connect but Dragunov is too banged up to cover. They slug it out until Dragunov drops him with a heck of a right hand. Corbin gets struck down in the corner where a running boot to the face makes it worse. Dragunov can barely follow up again but manages a running boot to the face (he likes that) on the apron. They go up top though, where Corbin hits a release chokeslam for two off a nasty crash.

A dragon sleeper goes on but Dragunov backflips out and Death Valley Drivers him into the corner. Back up and a quick Deep Six gives Corbin two, followed by his own Death Valley Driver. A brainbuster gives Corbin two but Dragunov muscles him up for a jackknife of all things (it took a few attempts but he got there). Coast To Coast hits Corbin but leaves Dragunov holding his ribs again. Back up and End of Days is countered into a DDT and a pair of H Bombs knock Corbin silly. One more H Bomb….doesn’t leave Corbin down so Dragunov hugs him and hits the Torpedo Moscow to retain at 20:58.

Rating: B. As usual, a Dragunov match leaves you feeling that he would rather die than lose. That was on full display here and while he didn’t quite hit his top level, he had me wanting to see him keep fighting until he won. That’s a heck of a performance, which includes Corbin. I know he gets some major heat from a lot of people, but Corbin is able to do all kinds of things in the ring and do them at a high level. Good stuff here, with Dragunov getting another nice win.

Trick Williams, followed by Carmelo Hayes, comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This wasn’t a great show, but it was a nice use of three hours, not counting a heck of a Kickoff Show match. That’s all you can ask for out of something like this and it worked well all things considered. The Iron Survivor Challenge matches can take some getting used to but once you figure out the system, the drama can be great at the end. With only the cage match being a bit disappointing, I liked this show a good bit and NXT closes out the year pretty well, with New Year’s Evil mostly set.

Results
Axiom b. Nathan Frazer – Golden Ratio
Dragon Lee b. Dominik Mysterio – Destino
Blair Davenport won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Carmelo Hayes b. Lexis King – Nothing But Net
Trick Williams won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Kiana James b. Roxanne Perez – Deal Breaker with a chair
Ilja Dragunov b. Baron Corbin – Torpedo Moscow

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We’re wrapping up the big WWE shows of the year with this, which is another show built around a concept match. In this case that would be the Iron Survival Challenge, which is kind of like a gauntlet Iron Man match with a penalty box. Either way, it’s for a future title shot and we have a men’s and women’s version. The rest of the card is looking good enough so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

This match was supposed to happen this week on NXT but that fell apart due to a big brawl. They’re fighting over Axiom not being the nicest friend following a recent Frazer loss. It helps that they have a history and should be able to have a good match with each other in their sleep. That should make for a heck of a way to get the crowd warmed up so they do at least have the right idea.

I’ll go with Frazer to win here, as Axiom has a tendency to never win anything and he probably won’t again here. Frazer is the more successful of the two and it would make sense to have him get the win to start the night. I still think Axiom continues to be someone who should be able to move up the ladder a bit, but for now he is probably losing to Frazer.

Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez

We’ll start the main card with a pretty big one, as Perez is looking for revenge inside a cage. I’m not sure why this feud needed to keep going after Halloween Havoc but here we are with one more big fight. Perez is already one of the more established names in the division while James has that one Women’s Tag Team Title reign with Fallon Henley in a story that feels like it was forever ago.

I see no reason for Perez to lose here outside of some major interference so we’ll go with Perez winning. She should be on her way to something bigger and a definitive win over James is a good way to set things up. James will get in some offense here, but I can’t picture someone as good as Perez coming up short in what should be the big blowoff match for the feud. Perez wins in a fight.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Lexis King

This is the next big step in one of the more interesting stories taking place in NXT at the moment. The question right now is whether or not Hayes was working with King in some way to take out Trick Williams but he’s fighting Lexis here to prove his loyalty to Williams. What matters here is finding out if Hayes is telling the truth and there is a good chance we find that out here.

This almost has to be King’s to win so we’ll go there. King is still brand new to NXT and there is no reason to have him lose here. What matters is getting the story advanced, which could go in a few different ways. What won’t matter is anything that happens if King loses here, so we’ll go with him getting the win, likely through some kind of shenanigans. The end game seems to be Hayes vs. Williams, and Hayes losing here can be a step towards the eventual showdown.

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. Dragon Lee

Unfortunately this is the replacement match after Wes Lee announced that he has suffered an injury so bad that he will be out of action for 8-12 months. As a result, Dominik’s father Rey Mysterio announced that he was bringing in Dragon to come after the title instead. This will be the latest attempt to do something with Dragon, who is rather talented and seems to be a big prospect who has to win something at some point.

Given all of the circumstances, I’ll take Dragon to win the title here, as he has to win something at some point. You can put the title back on Dominik if he needs it, but Dragon can’t keep losing over and over. It’s not a bad thing to give us a cool title change here and that might be the idea. If nothing else you don’t want to see Dragon losing so many times, which he did clean this week on SmackDown for whatever reason. For now though, I’ll go with the upset title change and likely be wrong.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov(c) vs. Baron Corbin

This is a match that should sound kind of lame on paper but they have turned it into something that much better than expected. Dragunov turned the tables on Corbin’s mind games this week and now the question is what happens when Dragunov is allowed to get violent. At the same time, Corbin is doing some of the better stuff he has done in recent years and I’m actually wanting to see them fight.

We’ll go with a pretty easy winner here and have Dragunov retain the title. What matters here is having a big fight and give Dragunov a run for his money, but I can actually imagine Corbin winning the title in a big surprise. Corbin winning a title like this would be a big career moment for him, though I can’t bring myself to say he does it here. Dragunov wins, though the more I think about it, the more I could see a title change being possible.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

As usual in a match like this, the best thing to do is eliminate some of the potential winners. In this case, we can knock out Kelani Jordan (too new) and Fallon Henley (talented, but nowhere near the title picture). That leaves Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend and Blair Davenport, all of whom could come away with this thing. The interesting thing is I could see it going any of those ways and that makes for some promising prospects.

I’ll go with Davenport getting the win and the title shot. Stratton has been done and Legend feels like it would be little more than a one off challenger for Lyra Valkyria. Davenport seems like she could be someone who could be a big threat to take the title and that means she should get the win here. While Stratton is always a possibility, it makes more sense to go with Davenport for a change.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

With the whole process of elimination idea again, we’ll get rid of Josh Briggs, who feels like the most random choice to put in this match. I kind of want to drop Bron Breakker, who has already had the big title run but he’s too big of a star to leave out. That gives us a pretty stacked group of options and that should make for a good match, as the more potential winners you have, the better it should be.

The more I look at the field, the more Tyler Bate sticks out to me so we’ll go with him in something of an upset. Trick Williams is busy dealing with Carmelo Hayes and/or Lexis King, Breakker has been champion too long in the past and Dijak just doesn’t feel like a potential winner. Bate vs. Dragunov could make for a heck of a fight on a big TV show, but Bate has to get a title shot to make that a possibility. He can d it here by winning the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Overall Thoughts

Despite two of the matches being the same concept, this show has a decent amount of variety. The Iron Survivor Challenges will be the focal point, but the NXT Title match could be a great fight and there is a cage match to go with some violence. Throw in the storyline match between King and Hayes and we should be in for a solid show. NXT specials like this have been mostly good and while it’s not going to be Takeover, it could go rather well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Men’s Breakout Tournament begins next week.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

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

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

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

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

Baron Corbin isn’t worried about Ilja Dragunov tonight.

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

Joe Gacy annoys commentary.

Alpha Academy vs. Meta Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT
Date: November 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in the final week of the Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches with Jerry Lawler as the guest picker this week. In addition to that, with about a week and a half to go before Deadline and the rest of the card could use some more firming up. That should come this week with the NXT Title match hopefully getting some extra attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza

D’Angelo and Stacks are defending and it’s a brawl in the aisle to start. We settle down with D’Angelo beating up Carrillo, including a belly to belly for two. Garza gets in a cheap shot though, allowing Carrillo to hit a springboard spinning kick to the head. A tackle gets D’Angelo out of trouble though and Stacks comes charging in, only to get caught in the wrong corner. Stacks fights out and hits an uppercut into a German suplex from D’Angelo. The PowerPlex is cut off though and a double slam off the top rope drops Stacks as we take a break.

Back with Stacks fighting out of trouble and handing it off to D’Angelo as everything breaks down. Everything breaks down and a spinebuster gives D’Angelo two on Carrillo. A distracted referee lets Garza hit Stacks low, setting up a Jay Driller for two, with the kickout hitting Garza low as well. D’Angelo comes back in with the Bada Bing Bada Boom to retain at 12:25.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see the champs get a win, though Garza and Carrillo felt like they could have gotten the title shot at Deadline, or at least been more than challengers of the week. I’m not sure who is up next for the champs but they looked good enough here. The tag division has a lot of teams but I’m not sure how many of them I can imagine being serious threats to the belts right now.

Some wrestlers aren’t sure if Ilja Dragunov’s success equal up to all the things Baron Corbin has. Dragunov comes in and doesn’t seem to appreciate Nathan Frazer’s take on things. Dragunov knows how to fix this.

Jerry Lawler picks Eddy Thorpe vs. Bron Breakker and Kelani (which sounds like it was dubbed in) Jordan vs. Kiana James for Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Josh Briggs is fired up for the Iron Survivor Challenge but Lexis King comes in to take some credit for his success and, after slightly hitting on Fallon Henley, mocks Brooks Jensen. King vs. Jensen is set for later.

Nikkita Lyons is back in training and is here tonight.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Kiana James vs. Kelani Jordan

James stomps away in the corner to start but Jordan dropkicks her way out of trouble. A headlock slows James down on the mat until she grabs the hair to escape. They head outside where Jordan is dropped onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with James snapping off a spinebuster but Jordan grabs a Playmaker for two. James hits a quick 401k….but Roxanne Perez pops in to ring the bell. That’s enough of a distraction for Jordan to knock James down and hit the split legged moonsault for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. I’m still not entirely sure why James vs. Perez is continuing but that’s what we’re getting out of this one. Jordan continues to feel like a long term project for NXT and that is not a bad idea. She’s athletic and can do well enough in the ring but is lacking experience. Get that through to her and they could have something.

Video on Cameron Grimes.

The Alpha Academy isn’t happy with what happened in the Heritage Cup match last week and now they want revenge. That can come in a six person tag next week.

NXT Anonymous has released a video showing Lexis King following Trick Williams on the night of Williams’ attack. We don’t see King do anything physical though.

We get a press conference from Chase U, with Andre Chase talking about the ongoing investigation. There are allegations of gambling and misusing funds, leaving the university in debt. Chase says it’s all true and he’ll do whatever he can to get things back on track. He takes some questions but won’t say how much he owes. It’s all his fault and he’ll address the student body at the next assembly. Well that’s rather specific and again I’m not sure how smart it is to have Chase get in trouble when the team was as popular as they have been.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Eddy Thorpe vs. Bron Breakker

Thorpe has taped up ribs. Breakker slams him down to start and grabs a quick gator roll. Something like a powerslam puts Thorpe on the floor, where Breakker sends him into the barricade. A fireman’s carry gutbuster has Thorpe in more trouble and we take a break. Back with Thorpe slipping out of a torture rack and striking away but getting whipped hard into the corner. Thorpe fights back with some suplexes but Breakker spears him down for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: C+. It’s not much of a surprise that Breakker, one of the most successful stars in the history of NXT, was able to get into the big #1 contenders match. This was actually a bit better than I was expecting, as Breakker had a target with the ribs and focused on it. Sometimes it’s fine to go as basic as you can and that’s what they did here.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for revenge on Lexis King but Williams says they can wait for after the Iron Survivor Challenge.

The women’s locker room breaks into a fight over next week’s Last Chance matches to qualify for the Iron Survival Challenge.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazer

Non-title and Dragunov explodes on him to start. Frazer gets knocked hard into the corner to start before Dragunov grabs a waistlock. Frazer is back up with a hard shot of his own into a springboard missile dropkick to put Dragunov down for a change. The phoenix splash misses though and Dragunov hits a powerbomb into the H Bomb…but pulls up at two. Another H Bomb finishes Frazer at 5:26.

Rating: C+. That was a bit weird as Dragunov more or less squashed him. Frazer isn’t a major star but he’s big enough that he should be able to make Dragunov work a bit. That being said, it takes Dragunov look like more of a killer to run through Frazer like this so well done on boosting up the champion.

Post match Baron Corbin pops up on screen to mock Dragunov, who he will meet face to face next week.

Lyra Valkyira knows all of the challenges that could come out of the Iron Survivor Challenge. Fallon Henley pops in to say she’s going to win but someone (Tatum Paxley maybe?) appears from behind the curtains to say Valkyria would beat Henley anyway.

Karmen Petrovic talks about how martial arts teach you to trust your instincts. Her instincts tells her to beat up Arianna Grace.

Meta Four is in for the match with Alpha Academy.

Joe Gacy is underneath the ring because he’s beneath us and wants our attention.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Arianna Grace

Grace powers her into the corner to start and offers to let Petrovic kiss the ring. Petrovic is right back and offers to let Grace do the same. A rollup gives Petrovic two….but here is Joe Gacy from underneath the ring to steal the ring bell. We take a break and come back with Grace bouncing Petrovic’s head off the mat, setting up a chinlock. Petrovic fights up and grabs a choke but Grace goes to the eye. A fireman’s carry slam finishes Petrovic at 9:06 (without a bell because Gacy has to be a thing).

Rating: C. Grace needed to win here as she has been presented as someone who could become a player but hasn’t really gotten much momentum going yet. Beating Petrovic only has so much value but it’s better than not winning. I’m still not wild on Grace as the pageant queen as it isn’t a great idea, though it should do for now.

Gacy rings the bell in the crowd.

Wes Lee is ready for all of his opponents tonight because he needs to go to Deadline and get the North American Title back.

Brooks Jensen vs. Lexis King

Jensen starts fast with a rolling kick to the head and they’re already on the floor for a slugout. We take a break and come back with King hammering away as Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes watch in the back. Hayes goes to deal with something as King grabs the chinlock. Jensen powers him into the corner and grabs a suplex or the break. A missile dropkick gets two on King but here is Hayes to go after King. The distraction lets King grab the Coronation fr the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. This felt like one of those random house show matches you get from time to time in NXT, as Jensen has had almost no singles success. What mattered here was getting King a win, as he seems to be ready to become something pretty big around here. They’re still polishing the details, but what matters here is getting him another win.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenges.

Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Wes Lee

If Lee wins, he gets a North American Title shot at Deadline (against Dominik Mysterio, on commentary) but if he doesn’t, he never gets another shot. Reed cleans house to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Reed getting triple teamed out to the floor, followed by Grimes being sent outside as well.

Lee gets the better of things but Reed is back in to wreck them both. Grimes can’t sunset flip Reed but Gargano catapults Grimes head first into a low blow to put Reed down. Everyone is back up until Lee sends Reed outside. Gargano sends Grimes outside for a knockdown of his own and the fans approve.

The slingshot spear gets two on Grimes but Lee is back in to take over. Reed is back in as well and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Lee. Grimes’ high crossbody gets two on Reed, who is right back up to pick all three of them up for something like a triple Samoan drop (geez). The other three are able to powerbomb Reed out of the corner, leaving Grimes to grab his flipping powerslam for two on Lee.

The Gargano Escape goes on but Lee saves Grimes for a change. That doesn’t work for Reed, who buckle bombs Lee and backsplashes the other two. Reed takes Lee to the middle rope and gorilla presses him onto the other two. Cue Ivar to jump Reed though and they fight to the back, leaving the other three in the ring. Grimes hits the Cave In on Gargano but the Cardiac Kick gives Lee the pin at 17:19.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it as they had almost nonstop action for a pretty long TV match. Reed came off like an absolute star here and they even had a logical and productive way to get rid of him. Lee winning is hardly a surprise but he feels like he earned the win. That should help him a lot on the way to Deadline, but he almost has to win there.

Roxanne Perez and Kiana James are brawling in the parking lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another show that got things done and helped build up Deadline, plus some other things not for the show. The qualifying matches were to the point and the main event was very good. Throw in King and Dragunov both looking strong, plus Chase U’s story getting a pretty big step forward and this was another good show. That has been a theme for NXT as of late and I could go for a lot more of it.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza – Bada Bing Bada Boom to Garza
Kelani Jordan b. Kiana James – Split legged moonsault
Bron Breakker b. Eddy Thorpe – Spear
Ilja Dragunov b. Nathan Frazer – H Bomb
Arianna Grace b. Karmen Petrovic – Fireman’s carry slam
Lexis King b Brooks Jensen – Coronation
Wes Lee b. Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed and Cameron Grimes – Cardiac Kick to Grimes

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 24, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Host: Blake Howard

It’s nice to see some changes around here as the show had been so dull for such a long time. The show isn’t that much better now, but at least it does feel a bit tighter and more entertaining in some ways. Granted I have no reason to believe that will last, but I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

This week is especially different, as it’s a Best Of 2023 show.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his debut on LVL Up on February 17. He had been around for a few weeks and wanted to make an impact against someone he respected.

Dante Chen vs. Eddy Thorpe

The debuting Thorpe is better known as Karl Fredericks in New Japan. Chen’s headscissors doesn’t get him very far and we have an early standoff. A cradle gives Chen two and he takes Thorpe down into an armbar. Back up and Thorpe hits a quick spinning crossbody and grabs a seated abdominal stretch, followed by the standing version for a bonus. Chen fights out and hits a running kick to the face, only to get caught with a running boot to the face. An implant DDT gives Thorpe the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but the important thing is that Thorpe won. Far too often, NXT will debut a new star on this show and then have them lose to the “star”. Chen is still the resident jobber around here and it makes all the sense in the world to have Thorpe, who might become something in NXT, beat him in his debut. At least they have something logical with this one so they got off on the right foot.

We look at Lola Vice winning the Women’s Breakout Tournament over Kelani Jordan.

Vice talks about being ready for Ivy Nile on April 28 and how she doesn’t need any of us.

Ivy Nile vs. Lola Vice

They fight over a rather aggressive lockup to start until Nile rides her to the mat. Vice is right back with a kick to the ribs, followed by a running hip attack in the corner. A double arm crank is broken up though and Nile kicks her down again. Nile grabs a gutwrench suplex and the Diamond Chain Lock knocks Vice out cold for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C+. Vice has all of the tools in the world to be something, including the charisma that makes her feel like a star. Throw in the MMA background and all of the potential is right there. On the other hand you have Nile, who still feels like she could be something in the division as soon as she is given the chance.

Kelani Jordan was excited for her debut match on May 12 against Wendy Choo….which she found out about when she was at her niece’s funeral. Well dang that makes things sad.

Wendy Choo vs. Kelani Jordan

They fight over a lockup to start with Jordan’s early wristlock not getting him very far. A headlock takeover has a bit more success but Choo reverses into a headscissors. Choo grabs a quick takedown for two, followed by doing it again for the same, which leaves Choo looking a bit surprised. A kick to the face and a running elbow drop gets two but Jordan fights up and elbows her down as well. Jordan’s springboard spinning crossbody connects for another near fall but Choo is back with the Snooze Button (full nelson slam) for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. Jordan didn’t do anything overly flashy here but she looked solid enough with the basics. You can see the athleticism and athletic background, which will be more than enough of a foundation to go somewhere. Choo still feels like she is finding her feet after returning, which is what a show like this can help her do.

Tavion Heights talks about throwing everything he had against Axiom on July 14.

Tavion Heights vs. Axiom

Heights wrestles him down but Axiom is fine enough to take over on the mat. A headscissors doesn’t last long on Heights and they’re back up for a standoff. Axiom grabs it again and holds Heights down a bit before kicking him in the head for two. Back up and Heights blasts him with a clothesline before a gutwrench suplex gets two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Axiom is back up and hits a dropkick for a breather. Heights can’t hit a German suplex so Axiom sends him outside for a big dive. Back in and Heights gets two off a doctor bomb but Axiom knees him in the head. The Golden Ratio finishes Heights at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a heck of a match, especially for around here, as Heights was looking like a power monster and Axiom was as smooth as ever. I was getting into this one and wondering who was going to win here. You don’t get to see something like that very often and it worked really well. Good main event.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have a Best Of show for the night after Thanksgiving, but it’s not like this show has any real rules to follow. At the same time, it’s nice to show that some of these wrestlers have indeed moved up the charts a bit, which is the point around here. It’s not a great show or even a good one, but it was a nice change of pace for a one off.

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

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

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

We open with a recap of last week.

Heritage Cup: Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyler Bate is ready for Dijak.

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

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

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

Iron Survivor Challenge: Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

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

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

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

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

Bron Breakker says Von Wagner needs to be worried.

Dijak is ready for Tyler Bate.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe Gacy talks about anger issues.

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

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

Otis vs. Drew Gulak

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

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

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

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

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

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Tyler Bate vs. Dijak

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the point where there isn’t much to say about this show. There is no reason to believe that much of anything of importance is going to take place around here. It’s all the more frustrating when you see WWE trying something around here and then just dropping it as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz vs. Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley

Paxley and Feroz lock up to start and neither gets the better of things, meaning it’s an early double tag. Jordan gets knocked down against the ropes so it’s Dame coming in to stomp away. A double elbow sets up Paxley’s splash for two, followed by Paxley grabbing a bodyscissors. Jordan finally kicks her way to freedom though and it’s back to Feroz for some rapid fire armdrags. Everything breaks down and Paxley grabs a Psycho Driver for the pin on Feroz at 4:33.

Rating: C-. What are you supposed to get from a match like this? It’s four women paired off with nothing to set up the match and no reason for them to be fighting. At the same time, they only had about four and a half minutes to get anything going, which doesn’t work so well for people without much experience. Matches like these make me wonder what the point of this show is supposed to be, because this didn’t do much.

Dante Chen is ready to face Drew Gulak. Tonight it’s Singapore style, though Chen doesn’t know what that means.

Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

DuPont faceplants Luca to start so it’s off to Bernal, who gets slammed down. Bernal’s headlock doesn’t do much so it’s Igwe coming in to splash Luca in the corner. Luca manages a hiptoss neckbreaker for a breather and Bernal comes in for a headscissors. That doesn’t last long and DuPont hits a backdrop. It’s back to clean house, including a superkick to Bernal. Luca makes the save and gets tossed, allowing Luca to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. You know, it is ok to let these young guys score a quick win over two “bigger” names who aren’t a regular team and are hardly top level stars in the first place. The match was mostly a squash for Igwe and DuPont but then they lost to a fluke rollup to protect Bernal and Luca? That’s quite the odd choice.

Drew Gulak vs. Dante Chen

Myles Borne, Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Gulak. Chen grabs a headlock to start and snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Chen hits a backdrop for two before dropkicking him out to the floor. Gulak comes back in and stomps away on the ropes before grabbing a neck crank. That’s broken up and Chen chops him out to the floor, setting up a big dive. Gulak’s cronies offer a distraction though and Gulak picks Chen up and hits a kind of powerslam piledriver for the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. It was better than the other matches but that doesn’t really clear a high bar. Chen continues to be little more than a person who happens to be on the show over and over again without really doing anything important. Gulak is still someone who could be used in a slightly bigger way and he only got to show so much of his skills here.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was LVL Up alright, as there was almost nothing going on and a bunch of the normal lineup having matches that didn’t change anything and won’t lead anywhere. In other words, there is no reason to watch this show again, and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get better.

Results
Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley b. Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz – Psycho Driver to Feroz
Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Rollup to Igwe
Drew Gulak b. Dante Chen – Powerslam piledriver

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

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

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

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

We open with a long rematch from No Mercy.

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

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

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

Kelani Jordan
Izzy Dame

Arianna Grace
Jakara Jackson

Karmen Petrovic
Jaida Parker

Dani Palmer
Lola Vice

Tyler Bate/Butch vs. Gallus

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blair Davenport vs. Gigi Dolin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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