NXT LVL Up
Date: May 3, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s back for more of this and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. The good thing is that we had some bigger names last time and, again, it helped a lot. It would be nice to see that continue here as it is the only thing that makes the show feel even slightly worthwhile. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Kale Dixon

Thorpe grabs a headlock takeover to start and then armdrags him into an armbar for some cranking. Back up and a jumping elbow to the face puts Dixon down again but he’s back up with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two. Dixon hits his own elbow to the face to even things up a bit and another tilt-a-whirl slam gets two more. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Dixon chops him in the back, which just wakes Thorpe up. A German suplex into an elbow into the implant DDT finishes Dixon at 5:55.

Rating: C. As usual, Dixon is a perfectly fine hand in the ring who isn’t likely to go anywhere beyond LVL Up. Thorpe on the other hand feels like someone NXT wants to move up but he has only gotten so far. It’s nice seeing him on a bit of a winning streak, so hopefully he gets to keep it going and maybe into something a bit better.

Je’Von Evans is willing to go against anyone and that includes Riley Osborne tonight.

Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan

Carlee Bright is here with Grey. They fight over wrist control to start until Jordan takes him down by the arm. An exchange of leg trips lets Grey crank on the arm before a belly to belly gives Grey two. Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Jordan grabs a fireman’s carry slam. The split legged moonsault gives Jordan the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Grey is the latest star on the roster in great shape with very little else to set her apart from the rest of the women’s division. Jordan has the gymnastics background which allows her to do some impressive things, though she is only starting to feel like something of a player. Both of them need the ring time so this works as well as anything else.

Riley Osborne vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans spins out of a wristlock to start and grabs one of his own. Back up and Evans snaps off a springboard hurricanrana to send Osborne to the floor. Osborne is fine enough to hit something like a 619 off the apron and we hit the reverse chinlock back inside. Evans fights up for a kick to the head into a springboard clothesline for the big knockdown. There’s the big dive to the floor to drop Osborne again but he switches places and hits a dive of his own. Back in and they trade rollups until Evans grabs a sunset flip for the big upset at 5:52.

Rating: C+. That is a heck of an upset as Osborne has been treated as someone with a big future around here. It made for a good moment and Evans is instantly a bigger deal. I’m not sure how far he is going to go but at some point you need to just try something with someone new. Evans is getting that treatment and now we get to see where it goes.

Overall Rating: C+. That ending helped a lot and it was the first moment in a long time around here that felt like it could matter going forward. For now, the show itself wasn’t much but I’m wanting to see what they’ll do next with Evans. The fans are behind him and now he’s getting an upgrade, which is kind of the point of this entire show. For once.

Results
Eddy Thorpe b. Kale Dixon – Impaler DDT
Kelani Jordan b. Kendal Grey – Split legged moonsault
Je’Von Evans b. Riley Osborne – Sunset flip

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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 12, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and that means it is time to change pretty much nothing around here. Last week’s show saw something of a grudge match between Je’Von Evans and Scrypts, albeit with some partners. Somehow that was only the second ever six man tag in the history of LVL Up, so maybe we can get another treat here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tavion Heights vs. Uriah Connors

The bigger Heights lips him into the corner to start and wrestles to the mat without much effort. Some shots to the face stagger Heights and Connors sends him outside for a crash. Back in and Connors stomps away, setting up an arm crank. Connors grabs a choke over the ropes, only to have Heights power up into an electric chair for the break. Back up and the spinning belly to belly gives Heights the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. NXT needs to bring up some new people and Heights might as well be one of them. He has separated himself from the pack around here a little big and that suplex is a good finisher. Connors got in some offense of his own but this was more about Heights, which should be the case at the moment.

Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are ready to try their best against Blair Davenport and Stevie Turner.

Stevie Turner/Blair Davenport vs. Kendal Grey/Carlee Bright

Turner snapmares Bright down to start but Bright is right back up with a wristlock. Grey comes in to work on Davenport’s arm but she gets taken into the villains’ corner. Bright manages to flip over Davenport though and it’s Grey coming in for an assisted top rope splash. That doesn’t work for Davenport, who brings Grey into the corner for a Backstabber from Turner.

Davenport’s backbreaker gets two on Grey and some forearms to the back make it even worse. Grey quickly powers out of a half crab though and the tag brings Bright back in to clean house. Bright headscissors Davenport into a splash, only to have Davenport come right back with the Falcon Arrow for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: C. The biggest thing here was finding out that Turner was still employed. She has barely done anything in months and I’m not sure why. Her futuristic deal isn’t that bad and she can hang in the ring, but it has never come close to clicking for her. Maybe that changes, but for now she was just Davenport’s partner.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dion Lennox

They fight over wrist control to start (as is so often the case) before an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere. Lennox’s dropkick lets him grab a headlock but Thorpe isn’t having that. Back up and Thorpe hammers away before putting on an abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Lennox hammers away and hits a clothesline but Thorpe punches him in the face. The impaler DDT finishes for Thorpe at 5:11.

Rating: C. Thorpe didn’t do much here until the end when he just grabbed his finisher for the win. That’ snot much of a match but it did make Lennox look good enough in defeat. At some point you have to try something new with someone and that’s more or less what happened here. Lennox is going to need more than “he wears glasses to the ring” to stand out though and we seem pretty far off from that.

Overall Rating: C. Not their best effort here, with the women’s tag probably standing out the most. This was a show where it didn’t feel like they were trying and it made the show that much less interesting as a result. Like I’ve said far too many times, you can just tell when the effort isn’t there from WWE (as opposed to the wrestlers, who were trying) and it showed again this week with a pretty lackluster show.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Uriah Connors – Belly to belly suplex
Stevie Turner/Blair Davenport b. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey – Falcon Arrow to Bright
Eddy Thorpe b. Dion Lennox – Implant DDT

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 29, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I’m a bit behind on this thing and I’m not sure how much I missed it. In this case, the good thing is that there isn’t exactly much in the way of continuity around here. What matters the most is the action and star power, as both of them can come together to turn into something pretty decent. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend vs. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey

Legend throws Bright down with no trouble to start and it’s off to Jackson, who gets caught by the arm. Grey and Bright start some quick tags to stay on the arm but it’s back to Legend for the pump kick. An elbow to the back gives Legend two and we hit the bearhug to stay on said back. Grey fights out but gets caught in a quick backbreaker to cut her off again. That doesn’t last long and it’s back to Bright to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down until Jackson hits an Edge-O-Matic. Bright is sent outside and the Alley Oop finishes for Jackson at 6:35.

Rating: C. They’re turning Jackson and Legend into something of a thing, which is rather impressive as Legend has come a LONG way since her rather terrible earlier days. The team is getting somewhere and I could go for them being given a bigger chance. That might be coming, and hopefully they keep growing as a team.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready to finish their best of three series with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont. Cue Igwe and DuPont, who want to raise the stakes. Now on the line: a meatloaf recipe vs. shoes. Yeah.

Je’Von Evans vs. Scrypts

The rest of OTM is here with Scrypts. They take turns ducking the other to start until Evans gets two off a sunset flip. Back up and Scrypts elbows him in the face but Evans snaps off a headscissors. Scrypts takes him down again and hammers away, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner. The chinlock goes on but Evans is back up with a springboard kick to the face. OTM offers a distraction though and Evans misses his spinning top rope splash. Not that it matters as Evans is right back with a small package for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C+. They know what they’ve got with Evans, who is young and able to move rather quickly out there. That makes for some exciting moments as you get some fun high flying stuff. Scrypts can hang in that style as well, making for a nice acrobatic display. I have no idea how far Evans can go right now, but he’s off to a fun start.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Final match in a Best Of Three series. Walker powers Igwe into the corner to start but runs into an elbow. DuPont comes in to help with some strikes but it’s quickly off to Ledger. That means a fall away slam can put Igwe down and a toss slam drops him again. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Walker and Ledger hit stereo running standing splashes on Igwe.

Another chinlock is broken up in a hurry and Igwe gets over to DuPont to pick up the pace. DuPont’s discus punch gets two on Walker as everything breaks down. Ledger is sent outside and the chokeslam/belly to back suplex combination connects, only for Ledger to make the save. Igwe and Walker collide and Walker falls on him for the fluke pin at 6:23.

Rating: C+. As has been the case around here before, it is amazing to see how much even some small stakes around here changes things. Granted I’m not overly interested in the shoes, though the idea of someone winning a meatloaf recipe had potential. It helped a good bit here, as I had no reason to care about either of these teams but it mattered just a bit, which is nice to see.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I guess we can call this a show with some continuity and I’ll take that for a one off week. LVL Up is still not exactly must see stuff but you can tell when they are trying vs. the weeks when they aren’t. This was one of the better shows, which says a lot given the names involved. Perfectly fine show, though that means nothing for the show’s future.

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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