NXT
Date: November 2, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and that means it is time to get ready for…well I have no idea actually as I’m not sure what they’re going to do as far as Takeover goes. There were a bunch of title changes last week and now it is time to see where things go from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Mandy Rose to open things up and Barrett is VERY happy to see her as the new Women’s Champion. She is very proud of her win because she is the best looking champion in the title’s history and she is still the baddest b**** around. Last week was a great night for Toxic Attraction and we see all of them holding up their new titles last week (Mandy: “D*** I’m hot.”).

Her girls aren’t here, so we cut to the back where the rest of Toxic Attraction is beating up Zoey Stark. Mandy is proud of them but wants some competition. Cue Io Shirai to say she’ll fight right now, but Rose says she isn’t scared. Rose wants a referee out here right now so Shirai looks to the entrance and gets hit with the microphone. The beatdown is on until Shirai fights back, which draws out the rest of Toxic Attraction for the real beating. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter run in for the save, likely setting up the six woman tag.

In the back, Toxic Attraction find Dakota Kai, who says she didn’t help them last week. She just wants to get rid of Raquel Gonzalez.

Cameron Grimes is in Duke’s Poker Room with a bunch of other people, though he doesn’t seem to know the rules. Grimes: “You got 21? I GOT 22!” Hudson looks happy.

Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade

Kai wastes no time in knocking Jade down and grabbing a chinlock. Back up and Jake fires off the running elbows, setting up the running hurricanrana. Jade gets two off a sunset flip but Kai scorpion kicks her. The running boot in the corner finishes Jade at 2:24.

Post match the beatdown stays on, including another shot to Jade’s head. Kai pulls out a table and lays it on Jade on the floor, but stops before jumping off the apron. Instead, she walks away and leaves Jade down.

Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner have been yelling at Legado del Fantasma on Twitter over the weekend.

Robert Stone doesn’t like everyone being happy with Xyon Quinn beating him up last week. The challenge is on.

MSK is depressed by their Tag Team Title loss but they’re getting help from someone. They don’t say who it is, but he invented the legend of MSK and has helped millions and millions. We’re about to hear the legend, but a bus pulls up and we can’t hear the explanation. And they missed their bus, so they’ll just have to walk.

Xyon Quinn vs. Robert Stone

Stone doesn’t like Quinn and promises to win in a hurry. This one is for Frankie Monet though and it’s time to dance to Monet’s theme. Quinn stands in the middle of the ring while Stone dances around him before asking if Quinn can dance better. After Quinn says no, Stone dances around like a chicken so Quinn says play the music and then dances/sings to Shawn Michaels’ theme. He even dances with Stone a bit, including a Dirty Dancing lift. Stone slaps him in the face so Quinn says ring the bell. A Samoan drop and Jackhammer (better than that running elbow) finish Stone at 47 seconds.

Joe Gacy talks about how horrible the world is, including clips of people arguing and talking about how evil social media really is. Harland is called a monster because he’s big and has tattoos. They will change the world together.

Legado del Fantasma, including Elektra Lopez, seems impressed by Xyon Quinn, who says he has a lot of sides to him.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner

Elektra Lopez is here with Legado. O’Reilly headlocks Wilde’s head to start so Mendoza comes in and has his sunset flip blocked. The much bigger Wagner comes in to take Mendoza down as well but Mendoza springboards over him for a breather. That doesn’t go well either as Wagner plants him, allowing O’Reilly to come back in and go after the arm. Wilde comes in so Wagner shoulders them both down, setting up a double suplex as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly loading up a kick on Wilde but getting distracted by Lopez. Wilde’s kick connects in the corner and it’s Legado taking over for the first time. Mendoza kicks Wagner off the apron and it’s a springboard flip dive to drop O’Reilly for two. O’Reilly comes back and kicks Mendoza down, with Wilde making the save. Wagner comes back in but has some miscommunication with O’Reilly, allowing Wilde to roll him up for the pin at 10:59 (with Wagner’s foot in the rope).

Rating: C+. For the life of me I cannot get into this O’Reilly/Wagner team. O’Reilly was a main event player in NXT and now he seems to be there to mentor a pretty run of the mill big guy. The team isn’t bad or anything, but it’s not something I’m going to be interested in, which is making for some rough sits.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready to move on from the Way but Andre Chase pops up to say he has their back. Chase insists that he was NOT a coward last week and promises to give someone a beating to blow off some steam.

Back to the Poker Room, where Cameron Grimes is on a streak of beginner’s luck despite hitting on the women and not knowing the rules. Duke Hudson takes all of one of the women’s money and Grimes starts losing. More later.

Here’s Andre Chase for the open challenge (required on every show) but his microphone doesn’t work. We get a replacement microphone so Chase can say that people have been calling him a COWARD after last week. That sounds like a teachable moment so the challenge is on.

Andre Chase vs. Bron Breakker

Chase gets knocked outside in a hurry and Breakker blasts him with a clothesline. Back in and Chase chops away a bit but Breakker grabs the gorilla press powerslam for the easy pin at 1:41.

Post match, Breakker says he fell for one trap after another last week. Tommaso Ciampa is the man in NXT but they’re not done, because Breakker is coming after the title. Breakker’s voice in this promo was so Steiner that it might as well have been the University of Michigan fight song.

Imperium is proud of their Tag Team Title win, but they don’t like America. Toxic Attraction comes up to say Imperium should watch their six woman tag next week. Barthel thinks America has its benefits. I’m not sure if you noticed, but Toxic Attraction is a bunch of good looking women, just in case you didn’t get it from how many times we heard about them.

It’s time for Lashing Out With Lash Legend, with Lash talking about last week’s Halloween costumes. She doesn’t like the suggestion that LA Knight and Grayson Waller were the hosts because she is the REAL host around here. This week’s guest is Tony D’Angelo, who talks about allegedly kidnapping Lash’s producer, but here is the producer in person! D’Angelo makes vague threats to the producer’s family before moving on to saying he wants to face bigger NXT stars. This was the dumbest thing on a show with a lot of dumb things and feels like it belongs on a low level territory show from 1989.

Solo Sikoa vs. Jeet Rama

Sikoa sends him into the corner for the running Umaga attack and scores with a kick to the head. The Superfly Splash finishes Rama at 1:29.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen cook steak, play cornhole and pitch horseshoes while talking about loving to fight and compete.

Boa vs. Grayson Waller

LA Knight is on commentary. Waller drives Boa into the corner to start but gets taken down into a crossarm choke. Back up and Waller fires off some clotheslines into a cravate with knees to the head. Knight offers a distraction though and Waller gets kicked off the ropes. Boa scores with a kick to the head to finish Waller at 2:28.

Back to the Poker Room where Cameron Grimes beats Duke Hudson on a big bluff. Grimes hat 2’s, because he’s going TO THE MOON. So a poker game gets three segments, a good fifteen or more years after the poker boom hit its peak. That’s very WWE of them.

Kay Lee Ray is back in a rage next week.

Boa can’t find Mei Ying. I’d call that a positive.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. Ciampa talks about how last week was a changing of the guard in NXT and lists off the new champions. Bron Breakker was supposed to be the next NXT Champion but no one told Ciampa about that. With this title comes a target, but he knows that this is usually the time when someone interrupts. Cue Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, with the former saying he is that guy. Hayes says he is the A Champion in NXT, but Ciampa can’t hear him over the CIAMPA’S GONNA KILL YOU chants. The brawl is teased and Williams gets dropped, making Hayes think twice as Ciampa leaves.

The Way vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

Ciampa is still in the aisle as Johnny Gargano comes out for a tease of the good old days. Lumis and Williams start things off, with a single glare sending Williams over for the tag to Hayes. That’s fine with Lumis, who crawls over to scare Hayes, meaning Williams comes back in to hammer away. Lumis scores with a Thesz press and right hands before it’s off to Gargano to work on the arm.

That should mean a top rope ax handle, but instead Lumis lands on his feet and uppercuts Williams in the face. Hayes comes back in and gets his kick to the ribs caught, meaning Gargano can come back in for some more traditional wrestling. Gargano nails the slingshot spear to cut Hayes down, allowing the Way to clear the ring as we take a break. Back with Hayes cutting off Gargano’s tag attempt and hitting an assisted springboard legdrop for two. Gargano gets over for the tag to Lumis a few moments later though and it’s time to clean some house.

An assisted superplex gets two on Hayes and Gargano superkicks Williams. Gargano loads up his own glove for stereo shots to the face, followed by stereo superkicks. Lumis adds a top rope elbow for two on Williams with Hayes making the save. We settle down to Hayes and Gargano chopping it out until Hayes goes to the throat. A discus lariat turns Hayes inside out and there’s the Silencer to keep Hayes in trouble. The referee gets Gargano out though, allowing Williams to hit Lumis with a shoe. That’s enough to set up the top rope ax kick to give Hayes the pin at 13:32.

Rating: C+. Another perfectly decent if not fairly good match, as Gargano and Lumis have a weird chemistry, but are also an established team. What matters here is they made Hayes and Williams look pretty good, which is exactly the point of something like this. Hayes looks like a possible NXT Title challenger, so it isn’t like he was going to lose here. I’m not sure what is next for the Way, but this father-in-law/son deal could be funny.

Overall Rating: C-. The two longer matched helped this show a lot but my goodness this felt like a circus. There are so many characters and so many gimmicks running around that it felt like a high school improv exercise where you pulled your character out of a hat and figure it out in ten minutes. That’s fine for some low level place that needs something for people to do, but this is national television and I’d expect a bit better.

There are a lot of problems on this show, but there are certainly good parts too. I want to see where some of the new characters go, including Sikoa, Quinn, Breakker and Hayes, which shows that NXT does know how to do some things right. At the same time though, there are a bunch of things that are a bit less than thrilling, including Toxic Attraction, Duke Hudson’s Poker Room, Tony D’Angelo and Lash Legend (egads). Those things are bringing the show down, because they do not exactly offer the greatest hope.

Overall, this show was a microcosm of what NXT is at the moment: a bunch of things happening, with some interesting prospects but a lot of people who are bordering on disaster because it isn’t 1994. Why would I want to see a mobster on a talk show with a loud host when I could see more of the talented athletes getting to do their thing? This was a rough sit, but it did have some bright spots to keep some hope alive.

Results
Dakota Kai b. Cora Jade – Running kick in the corner
Xyon Quinn b. Robert Stone – Jackhammer
Legado del Fantasma b. Kyle O’Reilly/Von Wagner – Rollup to Wagner
Bron Breakker b. Andre Chase – Gorilla press powerslam
Solo Sikoa b. Jeet Rama – Superfly Splash
Boa b. Grayson Waller – Kick to the head
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. The Way – Top rope ax kick to Lumis

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 19, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

Things got a bit more intense at the end of last week’s show as Carmelo Hayes cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract to become the new North American Champion. Odds are we’ll deal with some fallout, plus we have Halloween Havoc coming up next week. That might mean some spinning the wheel and making the deal so let’s get to it.

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

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to celebrate Hayes winning the North American Title last week. They aren’t humble, so tonight is the start of the Mellowbration, which seems to please the fans. Hayes talks about how great he is and says that he is holding this title, which is now the A title, for a long time.

Cue Johnny Gargano, who says that he has been busy as of late, but now Candice LeRae is off pregnant and Austin Theory is on Raw, so now it’s time for him to get back in the ring. Gargano issues the challenge, but Trick says that Indi Hartwell has been in their DM’s all week. With that, Dexter Lumis pops up behind them and the Way clears the ring. Lumis scares Williams and Gargano is left looking at the North American Title. Gargano and Lumis share a thumbs up as Gargano holds up the title.

Odyssey Jones vs. Andre Chase

Chase dedicates his win to the student section. We start with an ODYSSEY chant as Jones shoves him down with ease to start. Chase realizes that isn’t going to work so he starts kicking at the legs to take Jones down. The double stomp puts Jones in trouble and there’s a short DDT for two. Jones isn’t having that and shoves Chase away, setting up a big slam and splash for the pin at 2:54.

Malcolm Bivens wants the Creed Brothers to get a chance.

Creed Brothers vs. Imperium

The rest of the Diamond Mine is here with the Brothers. Barthel takes Brutus down to start but Brutus pops up with a belly to belly to escape. Back up and a heck of a big boot cuts Brutus down so it’s off to Julius, who gets hit in the face. Hold on though as Roderick Strong gets in a quick distraction, allowing Julius to plant Barthel and take over.

The chinlock brings Barthel back to life and it’s off to Aichner to start cleaning house. A cheap shot takes Aichner down so Barthel comes back in, only to dive into a gutwrench powerbomb for two. Cue Kushida and Ikemen Jiro to go after the Diamond Mine though, allowing Barthel to grab a rollup for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: C. I’m really not sure I would be having the Creed Brothers taking falls for a long time, though at least it wasn’t clean. Imperium is probably getting the Tag Team Title shot against MSK sooner than later, likely at Halloween Havoc. Not the most exciting match, but they hit each other hard and it was an interesting pairing.

Post match the Diamond Mine and Kushida/Ikemen Jiro go to the back, allowing MSK to come in and jump Imperium, again drawing the ire of the fans. MSK clears the ring and challenges Imperium for the Tag Team Title match next week.

Kyle O’Reilly was supposed to meet Von Wagner for a bike ride but Wagner didn’t bring a bike. Instead they go to the woods and work out with large pieces of wood/in the trees. Beers are consumed.

Joe Gacy doesn’t like violence or people who make any micro aggression. He will speak for us as a coalition and we will be stronger together. Gacy extends his hand and here is Harland to put his hand there too, with Gacy calling him little snowflake.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat. The first words Santos Escobar ever heard in this business were “may God always bless you with luck”, which was always the case, at least until last week. Carmelo Hayes is a lucky son of a ***** but Escobar and Lady Luck are going to find him. Elektra Lopez is about to speak but Cora Jade and her skateboard interrupt.

Elektra Lopez vs. Cora Jade

The bigger Lopez powers her into the corner to start and whips Jade hard into another corner. A toss out of said corner has Jade in more trouble as this has been one sided so far. Then Jade grabs a small package for the pin at 1:47, though Lopez seemed to be out a good bit before the pin.

Bron Breakker tells Tommaso Ciampa to watch himself in their tag match tonight. Ciampa says he’s going to follow Breakker’s lead.

Grayson Waller thinks he should host Halloween Havoc.

LA Knight thinks he should host Halloween Havoc.

Io Shirai vs. Persia Pirotta vs. Jacy Jayne

The winner gets to spin the wheel for next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match. It’s a three way slap off to start until Pirotta clotheslines both of them down. Shirai isn’t having that and dropkicks Pirotta down for two as the fans are WAY behind Shirai here. Pirotta is back up to suplex both of them before throwing Jayne in a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up by Shirai’s dropkick, sending Jayne into a Samoan drop.

With Pirotta sent outside, Jayne tries a suicide dive but gets her feet caught in the ropes and faceplants on the floor for a SCARY crash. Pirotta immediately checks on her and Shirai adds a moonsault to send us to a break. Back with Jayne gone (as she should be after that landing) and Pirotta kicking Shirai in the face for two. A hard clothesline gets the same but Shirai tries a comeback.

That’s cut off with a Batista Bomb to give Pirotta two more but a kick to the head puts her into the ropes. There’s the 619 into a springboard (with a bit of a slip) missile dropkick to give Shirai two. We hit the Crossface on Pirotta but she powers out, only to get caught in a German suplex. The Moon Over Moonsault finishes Pirotta (ignore Shirai’s shoulders being down too) at 11:21.

Rating: C-. This was a hard one to rate as they had to shake everything up due to the injury. Shirai had to put in some effort to beat Pirotta in a glorified singles match, which is about how it should have been. Pirotta is brand new around here and shouldn’t be beating a former Women’s Champion on her own. Hopefully Jayne is ok though, as that was a terrifying landing.

Post match, we spin the wheel and it’s going to be a ladder match. Jayne got hurt in a regular match and you want her in a ladder match?

Legado del Fantasma has beaten up Trey Baxter while Cora Jade had to watch. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen made the save.

Tony D’Angelo knows everyone is talking about him and it’s time for him to do it again.

Solo Sikoa is still coming.

Ikemen Jiro and Kushida are ready to go back to the future. The lights turn blue for some reason.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Ru Feng

D’Angelo grabs a headlock to start and, after shrugging off a kick to the face, elbows Feng down. A short arm clothesline sets up a northern lights suplex, rolled into a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give D’Angelo the pin at 1:47.

Post match D’Angelo is questioned about Lash Legend’s producer missing so he pays off the interviewer and says forgetaboutit.

We’re in Duke Hudson’s Poker Room where we can hear Hudson’s thoughts about his hand. Hudson wins, then wins again.

Legado del Fantasma has jumped Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs before their tag match.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Josh Briggs/Brooke Jensen

Joined in progress with the rest of Legado at ringside. Jensen fights back against Mendoza and hands it off to Briggs to send him flying. Elektra Lopez distracts the referee though and Santos Escobar gets in a cheap shot so Wilde can take over. Briggs gets send into the corner for some running clotheslines from both of them, setting up a double slam to plant Briggs again.

Back up and Briggs manages to toss Mendoza outside and kicks Wilde away, allowing the diving tag to bring Jensen in. Everything breaks down and a powerslam puts Wilde down for two. A backdrop makes it worse for Wilde but Jensen heads outside to deck Escobar. The distraction lets Mendoza jump Jensen from behind though, setting up the Russian legsweep/running kick to the face to give Wilde the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. Briggs and Jensen are an easy gimmick to understand and what they’re doing works rather well, though I’m not sure if they make sense as good guys. Big bar fighters scream heels most of the time, but it’s not like this has been a terrible thing. They can fight in anywhere and they do look the part, so maybe we’re on to something with them, despite a loss here.

Video on Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzalez for the Women’s Title next week. Gonzalez wants to be champion for the competition while Rose wants to be champion because it makes her look better.

The mystery man is still in the graveyard, with a broken mirror, playing cards and a WWE chair. Whoever it is debuts next week.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are looking for the North American Title. They search through Ikemen Jiro’s locker (Williams: “HOW MANY JACKETS DOES THIS GUY HAVE???”) but find a drawing from Dexter Lumis. It’s an invitation to an open haunted house next week, though Williams is a bit scared. Hayes wants his title back.

LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller

The winner is the Halloween Havoc host. Waller rolls him up for two to start but Knight cuts off a jump in the corner. The chinlock goes on but the fans get behind Waller again. Waller tries to fight up and hits the jumping Stunner, only to have Knight hit him in the face. Blunt Force Trauma makes Knight the host at 2:45.

Halloween Havoc rundown.

Tommaso Ciampa/Bron Breakker vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Drake headlocks Breakker to start but gets taken down with a shoulder. Breakker tells Drake to try his own running shoulder, which does not go well for Drake. With Drake in trouble, Ciampa tags himself in, much to Breakker’s annoyance. Ciampa scores with a series of running clotheslines, including a double clothesline to put both Veterans down.

Back with the Veterans working over Ciampa’s arm and cutting off a comeback attempt in a hurry. A double shot to the face doesn’t do much good though as Ciampa chops right back. Drake Downward Spirals Ciampa into the Kofi Clutch but Ciampa slips out. That’s fine with Drake, who pulls on his beard like a real villain.

Ciampa fights up and smacks Breakker for the tag, meaning it’s time to clean house. Breakker isn’t happy with that and teases clotheslining Ciampa but takes Drake down instead. The straps come down but the Breakker Recliner is broke up by Gibson. That’s fine with Breakker, who clears Gibson out and hits the gorilla press powerslam for the pin on Drake at 10:59.

Rating; C+. Remember all those times when WWE has people who are about to face each other in a big match team up and beat an established team while teasing tension? Well this is the most recent version, as this was every tired, worn out version of the same idea that we have seen forever now. I wasn’t interested when it was announced and I was bored while it was going on, as it just isn’t that interesting of an idea. The match itself was completely fine due to the talent involved, but can we please retire this idea already?

Breakker yells at Ciampa and wants him to come back in to end. Ciampa joins him in the ring for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m really not sure what to think about this one, as it did feel like a big hype show for Halloween Havoc, but nothing stood out whatsoever. They have done a good job of cutting back on the rapid fire debuts and new characters, but at the same time they have cut back on anything being overly interesting. Next week should be better as NXT knows how to do big shows, though I’m not sure how much interest they are going to be able to bring. This was another one sized fits all show, with almost everything being right in the middle or at least pretty close to it. That’s good in a way, but it’s not the most exciting.

Results
Odyssey Jones b. Andre Chase – Splash
Imperium b. Creed Brothers – Rollup to Julius
Cora Jade b. Elektra Lopez – Small package
Io Shirai b. Persia Pirotta and Jacy Jayne – Moon Over Moonsault to Pirotta
Tony D’Angelo b. Ru Feng – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Legado del Fantasma b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Russian legsweep/running boot combination to Jensen
LA Knight b. Grayson Waller – Blunt Force Trauma
Tommaso Ciampa/Bron Breakker b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Gorilla press powerslam to Drake

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: October 5, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph

Things are starting to come together around here and that’s a good thing. Now, instead of bringing in a bunch of new people, we’re seeing those wrestlers getting to do something. The pieces that have been introduced are now being put into some stories and that’s a positive sign. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Tag Team Title situation. Tonight’s scheduled eight man tag has been changed into a four way for the titles.

Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon

The rest of Toxic Attraction is here with Mandy. Moon takes her down to start and Mandy bails to the floor, meaning it’s a suicide dive to take the team out. Back in and Mandy kicks away in the corner, setting up a bodyscissors. Moon fights up and slugs away, including a heck of a discus forearm. A middle rope Codebreaker drops Mandy again but Moon has to bail out of an Eclipse attempt. Mandy’s running knee finishes Moon at 4:35.

Rating: C-. If they want to make Mandy into the next big thing, this is how you go about doing it: short matches where she can pick up wins, including over someone like Moon. While she has fallen a long way, Moon still has some name value and it is a good move to have Rose go over her. Mandy plays her part well, and keeping the match short made it even better.

Legado de Fantasma isn’t done with Hit Row and Santos Escobar wants Isaiah Scott’s North American Title.

Odyssey Jones vs. LA Knight

Jones throws him around to start, including one heck of a toss into the corner. Knight needs a breather on the floor before Jones runs him over back inside. Knight manages to get in a shot of his own but a cover only gets one. For some reason Knight tries a slam, which goes as well for him as you would expect. Cue Andre Chase for a distraction though and Knight scores with a jumping neckbreaker for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. Another short match and again, that is probably the right idea. Jones is a huge guy and it should be a case of less is more. Don’t let the fans get worn out on a guy that size who can move like that. Let him get the crowd’s attention and then leave, as now they want to see him pummel Chase, as is the plan.

Cameron Grimes says love is in the air around here and wants to find a lucky lady of her own. Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland come up with Dunne throwing out a challenge for tonight. Grimes heads off to hit on some women instead.

Kyle O’Reilly asks Von Wagner why he has been helping him. Wagner says he respects O’Reilly but Kyle doesn’t trust anyone. O’Reilly appreciates it but wants Wagner to leave him alone. Wagner is going to need some help with the talking.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. Halloween Havoc is back on October 26 and the champ needs a challenger. He knows that Bron Breakker has been circling around but who has the guts to come out here and face him? Cue Bron Breakker, who says he doesn’t care how long he has been here because he wants the NXT Title. Ciampa says Breakker wants the title but Ciampa needs it. Breakker sees it as a stepping stone to something bigger and better, but to Ciampa, it is something bigger and better. That leaves Breakker with three weeks to get ready, because challenge accepted. Breakker’s Steiner was showing here again.

Joe Gacy talks about how he wasn’t worried when social media crashed yesterday. Tonight, the ring is his safe space.

Persia Pirotta is here with Indi Hartwell and talking about how great the honeymoon was. Indi wore Dexter Lumis out by going through two packs. After saying Lumis is 9.5, they find a door with smoke coming out from underneath and find….Tian Sha, who throws them out.

Joe Gacy vs. Ikemen Jiro

Jiro shoulders him to start and Gacy encourages him to do it again. That earns him a running armdrag and a hurricanrana, meaning Gacy wants a breather. Gacy runs him over but Jiro slips out of a slam. Jiro tosses him down again but misses the Ikemen Slash. The handspring clothesline finishes for Gacy at 3:08.

Rating: D+. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen a gimmick that beat you over the head as hard as Gacy. There might as well be a big sign over his head explaining the joke every time for how subtle the whole thing is. It isn’t funny and the matches aren’t exactly great, but I’m sure the people writing it are having a great time so we aren’t getting away from it anytime soon.

Post match, Gacy picks him up for a bit of an awkward hug. As Gacy leaves, a guy stares down at him from the stands and Gacy smiles back up at him.

Cora Jade likes to skateboard.

Duke Hudson is a wrestler and a professional poker player with his own Duke’s Poker Room. He’ll take your belt or your money. Or your Swinger’s Palace.

Cora Jade vs. Virginia Ferry

Hold on though as here is Frankie Monet to jump Ferry and take her place.

Cora Jade vs. Frankie Monet

Monet hits the running knees in the corner to start so here is Trey Baxter to cheer Jade on. A stomp has Jade in more trouble and a spear cuts her in half. Not that it matters as Jade rolls her up for the pin at 2:04.

The Grizzled Young Veterans come up to MSK in the back. Let’s just make the title match elimination rules? Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen and Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes come in for the brawl.

Tommaso Ciampa is ready for Bron Breakker but Joe Gacy comes in. Gacy thinks Ciampa is putting forth his privilege as champion and would like a shot of his own. Ciampa says if Gacy can beat him next week, Halloween Havoc can be a three way. Just remember that the ring isn’t going to be a safe space for Gacy.

Pete Dunne vs. Cameron Grimes

Ridge Holland is here with Dunne. They trade wristlocks to start with Dunne getting the better of things. Back up and a running hurricanrana gets Grimes out of trouble, setting up an armdrag into an armbar. Dunne kicks him down again but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Grimes to hit a good high crossbody for two. A double stomp to the hands slows Grimes back down but he is back up with a bridging German suplex for two more. Holland goes for the distraction, drawing out Kyle O’Reilly for the save. The distraction lets Dunne hit the Bitter End for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: C+. I could have gone for more of this as these two had some chemistry. It’s always nice to see some of the people who can have a good match getting the chance to do so and it worked out well enough here. Dunne winning off the distraction is fine as Grimes saves some face, but he’s over enough that a loss to a more established star isn’t going to hurt him.

Post match Dunne and Holland lay out O’Reilly.

Hit Row isn’t running from NXT but running to the money. Smackdown wanted them and that’s where they’re going. They’re ready to finish things with Legado del Fantasma and Santos Escobar can have his title shot.

During the break, Von Wagner helped Kyle O’Reilly up.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Malik Blade

The fans go nuts for D’Angelo, who talks a lot and grabs a headlock to start. A running shoulder sets up another headlock as commentary talks about D’Angelo’s, ahem, businesses, with all the subtly of a pair of concrete shoes. Blade manages to get in a shot and head outside, only to walk into a spear. A waistlock sets up an abdominal stretch but Blade fights up and hits a high crossbody. Some rolling suplexes set up a fisherman’s neckbreaker to finish Blade at 4:44.

Rating: C. Oh man this has potential. The fans were loving D’Angelo and it certainly felt like a case where they’re in on the joke of how bad he really is. D’Angelo looks like an athlete but there were a lot of instances of pausing for holds here as it didn’t seem like they were ready. The fans were absolutely loving it though and it is a rare case where they were able to bring this WAY higher than it would have been otherwise.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are bout it and ready to win the Tag Team Titles without using Hayes’ contract.

Indi Hartwell vs. Mei Ying

Persia Pirotta is here with Hartwell and Boa is with Ying. We get a MRS. LUMIS chant as Ying hammers away to start and grabs the nerve hold. The Tongan Death Grip has Indi on the floor but Ying lets go and kicks Persia in the face by mistake. Indi posts Ying and hits a springboard clothesline for the surprise pin at 2:52.

Lash Legend is talking about how great her show will be next week. Tony D’Angelo comes in and wants to be her guest, which works for Legend. She takes credit for shutting down Facebook and Instagram yesterday because her show was so hot.

Malcolm Bivens introduces the Diamond Mine and gives us a quick bio of every member. More stuff like this please, as you need to get to know these people.

Raquel Gonzalez thinks Mandy Rose’s hair dye has gotten into her brain because Mandy doesn’t know who she is messing with. Touch her title again and Mandy can start posing for a body cast. Cue Toxic Attraction to say Raquel is coming off desperate. The three of them talk about how great they are but Gonzalez says she can only look at the staples in Gigi Dolin’s head from when Gonzalez hit her with the belt. Jacy Jayne says they’ll hold all of the gold soon because they’re THE attraction. Gonzalez is surrounded but Zoey Stark and Io Shirai run in for the save.

Von Wagner comes in to tell Kyle O’Reilly that they’re facing Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland. O’Reilly isn’t happy.

Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are ready for Toxic Attraction but Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta come in to say they’re coming for the titles. Shirai said the only gold they’re wearing is in their ears.

Tag Team Titles: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes vs. MSK

MSK is defending and it’s elimination rules. Wes Lee rolls Zack Gibson up for two to start and it’s off to Nash Carter for the rapid fire kicks to the chest. That’s enough to send Gibson over for the tag to Hayes, who drops Lee in a hurry. Williams comes in and clotheslines Jensen, who cuts Hayes off with an atomic drop. A double shoulders sends Hayes over to Williams, who gets booted in the face. Lee comes back in and sends Williams outside for a suicide dive. Back in and the Hart Attack Blockbuster pins Williams at 3:55.

We take a break and come back with the Veterans working over Lee, including some choking on the ropes. Lee gets away and brings Carter back in though, allowing house to be cleaned. A moonsault to the floor drops the Veterans but Gibson drops Lee. Briggs makes a blind tag though and a double powerbomb finishes Gibson to get rid of the Veterans at 10:30. Briggs’ running boot into a Russian legsweep from Jensen gets two on Lee. There’s a huge double spinebuster to plant Lee again but Carter breaks up the double powerbomb. Lee hurricanranas Jensen to retain at 12:32.

Rating: C+. I like the elimination rules, but MSK needs to drop the titles pretty soon. That being said, outside of the Veterans, who are they supposed to drop them to? The country boys? Hayes and the new guy who shouts bout it all the time? I’m sure the Veterans aren’t gimmicky enough for this NXT though and that shouldn’t be a big surprise. Nice match, but they need to shake up the titles sooner than later.

Post match Briggs and Jensen pick up the titles….and hand them to MSK. The fans want Melo but get Imperium jumping MSK instead. Briggs and Jensen run in for a late save. Fans: “THANK YOU IMPERIUM!” This really didn’t do the division or the titles any favors, but there is in fact a division there now, which is more than you can say about the main roster.

Overall Rating: C. This was a big step back for NXT and I’m scared that it’s a sign of things to come. A lot of this show felt like WWE saying “this is what you’re getting and we don’t care if you like it”. Maybe the live fans were complaining for the sake of complaining, but it was pretty clear that they weren’t happy with a good bit of this.

Between Toxic Attraction doing their best Beautiful People impression to Duke Hudson suddenly copying Johnny Swinger to that wacky Joe Gacy to Imperium vs. MSK, there wasn’t much to get excited about around here. That seems to be NXT in a nutshell, but at least Vince’s lovable gang of goons have their jobs instead of HHH right?

Results
Mandy Rose b. Ember Moon – Running knee
LA Knight b. Odyssey Jones – Jumping neckbreaker
Joe Gacy b. Ikemen Jiro – Handspring lariat
Cora Jade b. Frankie Monet – Victory roll
Pete Dunne b. Cameron Grimes – Bitter End
Tony D’Angelo b. Malik Blade – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Indi Hartwell b. Mei Ying – Springfield clothesline
MSK b. Grizzled Young Veterans, Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen and Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams last eliminating Briggs/Brooks Jensen

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: September 28, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

It’s time to focus on the women’s division as we have several women’s matches taking place this week. This includes a pair of title matches, plus a grudge match. That’s the easy part though. The fun part is finding out how many new people can be brought in with little to no explanation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Hit Row to get things going. They run down tonight’s focus on the women’s matches and wonder why no one is coming after Isaiah Scott’s North American Title? B Fab is ready to take out Elektra Lopez, so here is Legado del Fantasma to make things serious.

B Fab vs. Elektra Lopez

No DQ and the brawl starts on the floor before the bell. B Fab kicks Lopez in the head and they’re outside in a hurry, with the guys getting in a big brawl of their own as we take a break. Back with a fight over a table, with Lopez driving it into B Fab’s ribs. They get back in with a bunch of weapons joining them. B Fab grabs some kendo sticks to swing away but Lopez crossbodies her through an open chair. Lopez drops her ribs first across the top of the open chair, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to put B Fab away at 10:05.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting match here and it worked well given how little experience both of them have around here. Again, I’m still not sure why the regular television shows are going more extreme than most of the Extreme Rules pay per view, but at least we are getting some better stuff this week.

We go to InDex’s honeymoon, with the two of them walking on the beach. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are watching from the balcony of a hotel room and LeRae suggests that more things are going to happen. Dexter seems to like how Indi looks coming out of the water and Gargano panics. Then a shark starts coming up from the water and…..yeah it’s Gargano with a shark fin on his head.

Here is Joe Gacy, to say that the ring is still a safe space and he has not been canceled. He has made a bigger impact than stars like Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker, because he didn’t throw a punch. Gacy speaks for a generation while the rest of them lives in a dark world. Then last week he was shunned, but now he is here to usher the world into a new normal. Woke, as written by WWE.

Xyon Quin vs. Oney Lorcan

It’s a 205 Live rematch and Quin knocks Lorcan outside to start. Back in and Lorcan runs him over, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Quin fights up with a Samoan drop and finishes with a running forearm at 2:58. They might have something with Quin, just based on his look.

Grayson Waller talks about being a thrill junkie who loves to take chances. Now he’s taking a chance by going after the Cruiserweight Title. Why are we getting these (good and useful) vignettes explaining people AFTER we’ve been confused by their debuts?

Here is MSK for a chat. They have been champions for awhile now and they are going to keep smoking the division. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans, who say that they want their two on two title shot but here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says they are going to be champions because he has the golden ticket. MSK is good with that but Zack Gibson wants to know why everyone is talking in riddles. Cue Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, who want in on this too. The brawl is on among the challengers and MSK hold up the titles. MSK really need challengers so this was a messy but necessary segment.

Raquel Gonzalez is ready for Frankie Monet but Toxic Attraction comes in, with Mandy Rose saying the title will look better on her.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Toxic Attraction vs. Io Shirai/Zoey Stark

Shirai and Stark are defending and Mandy Rose is here with the challengers. Shirai flips away from Dolin to start, though she can’t quite get the nip up right. The second takedown sets up a more successful nip up and it’s off to Jayne, who gets taken down in the corner. Stark comes in for some rapid fire rollups as commentary talks about how the champs never defend their titles. That’s because they don’t have much need to exist, but that has never stopped WWE before.

Stark chops her down and hits a slingshot Swanton for two. Dolin comes in off a blind tag and kicks Stark down but the champs are back up with some springboard dropkicks. Some dives to the floor have Attraction in trouble and we take a break. Back with Jayne hitting a running knee to Shirai’s face. Shirai is back with a kick to the face though and the tag brings in Stark to hit people in the face.

Stark gets knocked into the corner though and it’s back to Shirai to clean house again. A 619 sets up a springboard missile dropkick for two on Dolin as Rose is panicking on the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s Stark hitting her GTS on Jayne…and tagging out instead of covering for no apparent reason. Stark dives onto Dolin but stops to glare at Rose. Shirai hits the Moon Over Moonsault to retain at 12:43.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here, but that would mean a regular team holding the titles instead of a wacky tag team with nothing in common and that’s not how WWE rolls. Toxic Attraction is a fine enough idea and they can work well in the ring, though it seems like they’re only around as lackeys for Rose more than anything else.

Video on Bron Breakker, who still feels like Scott Steiner and wants to be NXT Champion.

Tommaso Ciampa joins us via Facetime to say that Breakker is talented but let’s hold off on the Hall of Fame induction for now. Breakker is a stud but it took Ciampa over 900 days to get back the title that he never lost. They’ll face each other one day and Breakker will drown in an ocean of inexperience.

Andre Chase vs. Boa

Chase doesn’t think much of Tian Sha and grabs an armbar to start. A suplex sends Boa flying and it’s time to stomp away. Chase puts on a chinlock and shouts that Boa has a lot to learn, but Boa is back up with some kicks to send Chase outside. Chase shouts a lot and then goes over to Mei Ying, who mists him in the face. Boa’s layout reverse DDT finishes at 3:09.

Rating: D+. Boa still isn’t great in the ring but at least they are pushing someone new. That’s the point of something like this, though you can expect Chase to keep getting the TV time despite him losing over and over. Chase’s gimmick isn’t the worst thing, but egads it’s another one where they beat you over the head with everything and that can get tiring.

Back to the honeymoon, with Johnny Gargano worrying about what could happen when InDex goes to their room. Gargano lies his way into the hotel room (Gargano: “Security around here sucks.”) and finds a bunch of condoms in Lumis’ bag. InDex comes back and Gargano hides in the closet as a pillow fight breaks out, complete with various statements that sound like….I think you get the idea. InDex takes a nap and Gargano leaves, with Lumis holding up the condoms and giving him a thumbs up.

Cruiserweight Title: Grayson Waller vs. Roderick Strong

Waller is challenging and comes through the crowd to jump Strong before the bell. A heck of a suicide dive takes Strong down and we take a break. We come back joined in progress with Waller hammering away until Strong dumps him outside for a breather. The abdominal stretch goes on to keep Waller in trouble but he fights out into pinfall reversal sequence.

Strong goes with his basics by hitting a backbreaker and the camel clutch goes on. With that broken up, Waller gets suplexed for two but manages to block a superplex attempt. Waller hits a top rope missile dropkick and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and Waller grabs a Stunner for two of his own, only to walk into a jumping knee to the face to retain Strong’s title at 6:19.

Rating: C+. This was a good showing from both of them, even though I’m not sure what the point was in having Waller go from a heel on 205 Live to a face here. That being said, at least he’s doing something and I’ll take what I can get. It’s nice to have the title being defended a little more regularly and Strong is going to be good at anything he does.

LA Knight doesn’t like Odyssey Jones coming in here and talking about the uncrowned NXT Champion. Cue Jones to scare Knight and say that Knight has never seen anything like him. Andre Chase walks by to complain about the lack of a DQ, allowing Knight to jump Jones.

Dante Chen is from Singapore. This is the extent of his character.

Cora Jade and Trey Baxter are excited for her match next week. She’s only twenty years old and is ready for the future. They seem rather happy together.

Moving on from happy to unhappy, we have the debut of Lashing Out With Lash Legend, who is on a stage with an audience. She goes over various topics in NXT, such as the Draft (allowing her to talk about her WNBA career), Trey Baxter/Cora Jade and her Lash Out of the Week, which is Andre Chase. We’re done in a hurry, which is probably a good thing. I’m assuming this is a parody of a daytime talk show and it was every bit as bad.

Ridge Holland vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly jumps Holland before the bell and we take a break (again). We’re joined in progress with Holland working on the ribs and hitting a backbreaker to keep O’Reilly in trouble. The bearhug goes on but O’Reilly fights out in a hurry and starts striking away. Holland plants him face first though and grabs a powerbomb for two. O’Reilly knocks him down again and goes up but Pete Dunne offers a distraction. Not that it matters as O’Reilly grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. What we got was pretty good, but the same match setup as the Cruiserweight Title match isn’t exactly a positive sign. O’Reilly as someone who fights from underneath and survives against a monster is smart, though not so much with Holland losing twice in a row. Then again, he’s kind of perfect for the main roster so a promotion wouldn’t shock me.

Post match the beatdown is on but Von Wagner makes the save.

Tony D’Angelo is still on the docks, is still in the mob and is still talking about his family. The difference this time: he debuts next week.

Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Frankie Monet

Monet, with the rest of the Robert Stone Brand, is challenging. Gonzalez gets headlocked down to start and then powers her off without much trouble. Another hard toss has Monet in trouble so it’s out to the floor, where Gonzalez gets pulled off the steps for a crash. Back in and some running knees to the back have Gonzalez in more trouble and a suplex gives Monet two.

Monet cranks on part of a surfboard and then kicks her down for…well no count actually as Gonzalez’s shoulders aren’t down. Back up and Gonzalez drops Monet for a change, setting up the spinning Vader Bomb for two. Gonzalez’s back gives out though and Monet double stomps her for two of her own. Not that it matters as Gonzalez is back up with the Chingona Bomb for the retaining pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. I would have bet on the title change here but the segment with Toxic Attraction earlier was kind of a giveaway. Monet losing like this is a little weird, but it would not surprise me at all to see her going straight to the main roster. She’s one of the stars who absolutely does not need NXT so it isn’t the worst idea.

Post match Monet and company go to leave but here is Toxic Attraction to jump them from behind. With Monet dispatched, Toxic surrounds Gonzalez and beats her down, allowing Mandy to hold up the title to end the show. Assuming you ignore them losing earlier this show, this was an effective segment.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this a good bit better than last week’s show, if nothing else because they slowed WAY down with the whole thing. There weren’t a bunch of people being tossed out there and it felt like we were seeing wrestlers who had debuted being put into place. The Gargano/InDex stuff is going to be hit or miss, though I’m sure there are people who find it funny. Overall, the show felt much more structured this week and while it is still a bunch of newer people who aren’t quite ready for these spots, it felt WAY more like NXT than whatever the last two weeks have been.

Results
Elektra Lopez b. B Fab – Blue Thunder Bomb
Xyon Quin b. Oney Lorcan – Running forearm
Io Shirai/Zoey Stark b. Toxic Attraction – Moon Over Moonsault to Jayne
Boa b. Andre Chase – Reverse layout DDT
Roderick Strong b. Grayson Waller – Jumping knee to the face
Kyle O’Reilly b. Ridge Holland – Rollup
Raquel Gonzalez b. Frankie Monet – Chingona Bomb

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: September 14, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We have arrived as it is time for the all new NXT, featuring a lot of the same people and whatever angles need to be wrapped up. I’m almost terrified of what this is going to include as the usual suspects from Raw are in charge. We have a wedding and a vacant World Title to fill though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick recap of Samoa Joe vacating the NXT Title and the setup of the four way for the vacant championship.

Tommaso Ciampa doesn’t care which NXT it is because he’ll be champion.

Pete Dunne thinks it is time for a Bruiserweight Champion.

Kyle O’Reilly is ready to achieve a goal sixteen years in the making.

LA Knight knows Samoa Joe was scared of him and now three men are stuck in the same spot. Someone named Bron Breaker (better known as Bronson Rechsteiner) comes up to Knight and says he wants a chance to prove himself. Knight tells him to go out there and take a beating in a few minutes.

The arena and set are far brighter and the setup makes it look FAR bigger. The seats wrap around the ring for a unique look. It’s actually quite the improvement.

LA Knight vs. Bron Breaker

Breaker shoulders and clotheslines Knight down and some suplexes have Knight in the corner. Commentary says Breaker has a Dog Faced Gremlin mentality for the first Steiner reference. Knight is back with a clothesline and the jumping neckbreaker out of the corner puts Breaker in more trouble. Some running shoulders have Knight back in trouble as we hear about Breaker’s resume. Not his family history or anything, but he did play football. Knight gets gorilla pressed into a powerslam for the clean pin at 3:42.

Rating: C-. So I guess they’re starting with the rapid fire changes, as Breaker is suddenly thrown right into the spotlight. I’m still stunned that they didn’t directly say he’s a Steiner, but I guess that might be too much pressure? Either way, quite the surprise for the first match, but it doesn’t do Knight much good.

Post break, Breaker gets congratulated by a bunch of unnamed wrestlers.

Imperium vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

Jensen powerslams Aichner to start so it’s off to Barthel, who grabs an armbar on Briggs. That’s fine with Briggs, who powers his way out in a hurry. Barthel strikes away but can’t get in a suplex. Instead he hits a running kick to the chest but Briggs tosses him away without much effort. It’s back to Jensen to clean house but Briggs gets knocked outside. The Imperial Bomb finishes Jensen at 3:18.

Rating: C. I can go for some new names being showcased, but I could go for less of Imperium. They have every bit of the in-ring acumen but egads they are incredibly dry. I know that’s kind of the point, though it doesn’t make things much better. Briggs continues to have something there, but it hasn’t quite broken out yet.

Hit Row talks about how fabulous B Fab really is. She has trained with the best and now she is ready for her win.

B Fab vs. Katrina Cortez

Fab kicks her away and shrugs off Cortez’s comeback. A big kick to the face in the corner rocks Cortez and it’s a neckbreaker for the pin at 1:14. They weren’t out there very long and didn’t look great while they were.

B Fab doesn’t think much of Elektra Lopez getting involved in their business so here is Legado del Fantasma to interrupt. Lopez and B Fab insult each other with various threats…and we’re just done with that.

Odyssey Jones and Cameron Grimes are trying to cheer up Johnny Gargano when Austin Theory returns. He even has a surprise: you can’t have a wedding without a priest, so here is DAMIAN Priest to say the bar must be open. Grimes has the drinks covered and Theory and Gargano hug. The matching Dexter Lumis costumes help a lot.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams (whoever that is) for a chat. After a break, Hayes talks about winning the Breakout Tournament three weeks ago. You aren’t going to catch him off guard again so he called Williams, who insisted he was bout it bout it. Now Williams is going to be everywhere Hayes goes because he has the gift of the gab and the gift of the jab. Hayes is great, but Williams has a bone to pick with him. Williams describes being bout it bout it and Hayes says it is hard to be good and humble. When he shoots he doesn’t miss, but if he chooses to pass, Williams will see it.

Duke Hudson comes out for his match and says Hayes got lucky in the Breakout Tournament. Williams comes in and hits a cyclone boot to Hudson’s face. The beating is on and Hayes joins in. Some double teaming leaves Hudson laying. I have no idea what they said or what this was supposed to be.

Gigi Dolin and Jayce Jane compliment the NEW Mandy Rose, whose face we don’t see.

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Gigi Dolin/Jayce Jane

It’s a brawl to start with Catanzaro dropkicking Jane to the floor so Carter can run Dolin over. A double arm crank has Dolin in trouble as we go split screen to see Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland taking out Kyle O’Reilly. Dolin gets armdragged into the corner for the tag to Jane. That’s fine with Carter, who hits her in the face from the apron. The 450/neckbreaker combination is loaded up but Mandy Rose, in a hoodie, comes in for the DQ at 1:57.

Post match the beatdown is on and Mandy is….a brunette. Sarray comes in for the save and clears the ring in a hurry.

Sarray/Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Gigi Dolin/Jayce Jane/Mandy Rose

We’re joined in progress with Sarray hitting a missile dropkick on Dolin and a fisherman’s suplex gets two. It’s off to Carter for a dropkick into a backsplash and Catanzaro comes in, only to fall for a distractions o she gets caught in the wrong corner. Mandy forearms her in the back and hits a slam for two.

A bodyscissors sets up a suplex for two and it’s back to Jane to keep Kacy in trouble. Not that it matters as Kacy slips through some legs and brings in Carter to clean house. The basement superkicks drops Jane and everything breaks down. That means the Rose vs. Sarray showdown until Carter superkicks Mandy for two. Rose is back up with a jumping knee to Carter’s face for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C-. So that happened, as Blonde Bombshell Mandy Rose is now Evil Brunette Bombshell Mandy Rose. I don’t know how much of a difference that makes but I’m kind of digging the heel trio. There is something there, though it might need a bit more of an explanation of what it actually is.

The bridal party is getting ready.

William Regal announces that O’Reilly is out of the way and…..Von Wagoner will take his place. You’re not supposed to know who that is.

Ridge Holland vs. Drake Maverick

Holland throws him around to start and runs him over with ease. Some forearms across the face keep Maverick down and more forearms keep up the pain. Northern Grit finishes Maverick at 1:48. Total squash.

Tommaso Ciampa talks about how everyone is coming for the title and that is why we are here. It has been 908 days since he held Goldie and tonight he gets his redemption.

Tony Dangerfield is a former All American Greco Roman wrestler and he’s coming to nXT.

Creed Brothers vs. ???//???

Brutus starts fast and shoves one of them over the top and out to the floor. Back in and Brutus drives them into the corner and Julius comes in sans tag. After the double teaming, Brutus plants the first one again before a slap brings Julius back in for a suplex. Julius makes one opponent tag the other and a dropkick just fires Julius up. A spinebuster plants the first one and a basement clothesline is good for the pin at 2:50. Total dominance and they have something with the Creed Brothers.

Post match Malcolm Bivens brags about the Diamond Mine’s success and introduces the newest member of the team: Ivy Nile. She’s in great shape and hasn’t had a carb in sixteen years. Cue Kushida to say he is ready for Roderick Strong and the Cruiserweight Title match is set for next week.

NXT Title: Von Wagoner vs. Pete Dunne vs. LA Knight vs. Tommaso Ciampa

One fall for the vacant title. It’s a big brawl to star with Wagoner clearing most of the ring until Knight gets to clean house. Dunne is back in to work on Wagoner’s arm and it’s time for the showdown with Ciampa. That means an armbar into a stomp to Ciampa’s arm until Knight breaks that up. A clothesline sends Knight outside though and the brawl is on again. Wagoner comes in and cleans house as we take a break.

Back with the brawling continuing with Ciampa hitting the running strikes in the corner. The double clothesline takes down Dunne and Knight but Wagoner blocks the Fairy Tale Ending. Knight scores with Blunt Force Trauma for two. Another one sends Dunne outside but Ciampa scores with Willow’s Bell for two, as Dunne makes another save. Ciampa hits the running corkscrew dive onto everyone else and is the only one left standing. Back in and Dunne snaps Ciampa’s fingers, setting up the Bitter End. Knight tries to steal the pin but Wagoner cuts him off with an Angle Slam for a very close two.

Dunne and Ciampa take Wagoner and Knight out and the big slugout is on. A German suplex sends Ciampa outside and Dunne goes up top, only to have Knight grab a top rope superplex to bring him back down. Wagoner hits a double underhook slam for two on Knight with Ciampa making the save. The Fairy Tale Ending to Knight gives Ciampa the title back at 10:36.

Rating: B. This was all action and that’s what you need for the title match. It didn’t feel like an epic title win, but Ciampa is about as solid of a choice for the title as you can have. I was convinced that Wagoner was actually going to get the title, but at least they went with something that made sense. There are all kinds of ways to go for the first title feud too so this is a safe and smart choice.

Ciampa is rather happy to have won the title.

Video on Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis’ road to the altar.

It’s time for the wedding, with wrestlers in the wedding party. Indi Hartwell comes to the ring and Johnny Gargano gives her away, though only after he lists off his resume. Gargano asks if Austin Theory has the rings, with Theory saying they’re in a ring. Ikemen Jiro has rings, inside his jacket of course. We get up to “speak now” and Dexter threatens anyone who says something with an ax.

Indi reads her vows to Dexter, whose middle name is Gaylord. She says he is misunderstood and is glad that he’s a freak. Lumis has to cut her off from a story about sneaking into her bed one night, with Gargano and Candice LeRae freaking out. Indi: “Dexter, you never lose a staring contest.” Lumis’ vow is a thumbs up, with the minister being confused about what is going on. That earns the minister a Silencer so there is no one to finish this.

The fans want William Regal….but Beth Phoenix jumps in the ring because she knew this would happen. That’s why she became an ordained minister last night so she can handle things. Beth wants to cut to the chase, which draws up Andre Chase….who is taken out by Odyssey Jones. With that out of the way, Beth says her thing, making sure to say that any death doing them parting is hopefully not ax related. Indi says she does and Dexter….actually says I DO (Candice’s shocked face is great). After the kiss, they pose together and no major shenanigans ensue.

Tommaso Ciampa is watching in the back when Bron Breaker comes up to say congratulations. A tense staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I have no idea what to think of this show and I don’t think NXT knows what they were thinking with it either. We’ll start with the good: the new look makes it feel like a much better show as they leave behind the cramped atmosphere. There were also fresh faces, which makes things seem like it is a brand new production. The wrestling wasn’t bad either, with the title match being well put together.

The problem comes in two parts: who are these people and why are they here? There was no explanation from William Regal, no storyline explanation and really nothing at all about WHY this was the new NXT. We know that it is because they kept talking about it, but we were never told why it was happening. There are all of these new faces running around too, making for a rather confusing show at times. It isn’t bad and it was the start, but dang I do not have any confidence in this show at the moment.

Results
Bron Breaker b. LA Knight – Gorilla press powerslam
Imperium b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Imperium Bomb to Jensen
B Fab b. Katrina Cortez – Neckbreaker
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Jayce Jane/Gigi Dolin via DQ when Mandy Rose interfered
Mandy Rose/Gigi Dolin/Jayce Jane b. Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter/Sarray – Running knee to Carter
Ridge Holland b. Drake Maverick – Northern Grit
Creed Brothers b. ???/??? – Basement clothesline to ???
Tommaso Ciampa b. LA Knight, Pete Dunne and Von Wagoner – Fairy Tale Ending to Knight

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NXT
Date: August 24, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Takeover has come and gone and I have no idea what to expect next. Everything is about to be turned upside down around here and there is a good chance that we are going to be seeing something completely different going forward. That might be a good thing, but it is certainly going to be an eventful thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Takeover if you need a recap.

Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes arrive and we follow them into the ring. DiBiase talks about how people have wanted to see what he wanted around here. He is here because he saw something in Grimes, who kept getting back up. That is why he is now the Million Dollar Champion, which the fans seem to like. Grimes talks about how DiBiase drove him nuts when he got here, which DiBiase says was a test.

Instead of learning, Grimes got distracted by the money and the stuff, and now he has the accomplishment to back it up. At Takeover, the two of them took care of LA Knight and now he has the title to prove it. Now though, it is time to go TO THE MOON, and Cameron Grimes Bucks are launched at the crowd. Beth to Barrett: “You can buy a new gavel!”

We get the long Takeover recap video.

Ridge Holland vs. Timothy Thatcher

Pete Dunne and Tommaso Ciampa are here too. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t get them anywhere so Holland goes with the slam to send Thatcher’s legs into the ropes. Back up and a running elbow gives Holland two but a belly to belly gives Thatcher a breather. A knee to the ribs cuts Holland down again and it’s time to work on the arm.

Holland grabs Thatcher’s arm and grabs a clothesline though and we take a break with Thatcher on the floor. Back with Thatcher winning a slugout and hitting his own slam to send the legs into the ropes. The half crab goes on but a rope is grabbed in a hurry. Holland knocks a jumping enziguri out of the air and Northern Grit finishes Thatcher at 10:36.

Rating: C+. I can go for watching these two beat each other up as they know how to make things look physical. Holland is a good power guy and Thatcher is someone who can work well with anyone. You could mix these things up into various combinations and that is the way to keep a story moving for a long time to come.

Post match Ciampa comes in to save Thatcher but Oney Lorcan and the returning Danny Burch runs in for the big beatdown. Holland hits Thatcher in the arm with his club and gets in a shot to the throat as well. This is feeling like the groundwork to WarGames.

Carmelo Hayes is used to facing bigger people but he dubs himself the overdog instead of the underdog. This is a long time coming and he has put in the work to get here. If he wins tonight, it is still one match at a time and he will wind up with gold. Hayes sounds confident on the mic and if he can back it up in the ring with some personality, he should be fine.

Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis are ready to get married and have been making sandcastles on the beach. Lumis pulls out a wedding invitation with the wedding set for September 14. Beth: “WE HAVE A DATE!”

Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Jacy Jayne/Gigi Dolin

Dolin rolls Carter up for two start but gets kicked in the head. Catanzaro and Carter tease double dives to the floor but bounce back in for some dancing. Dolin takes Catanzaro into the corner though and the beatdown is on, with Jayne calling her a little girl. Another shot to the face gets two on Catanzaro but she manages to get over to Carter for the hot tag. House is cleaned for a bit until Carter takes Jayne over to the corner for the neckbreaker/450 combination for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C-. This was another fine win for Catanzaro and Carter, though calling them the Tik Tok Tag Team and showing their Tik Tok videos before the match doesn’t give me the most hope. They have turned into a pretty nice team over the last few months though and I’m curious to see how their eventual Tag Team Title shot goes.

Raquel Gonzalez knows it isn’t over with Dakota Kai because Kai is that tough. She has been waiting for Kay Lee Ray too and she can bring it. Cue Frankie Monet and company to say she doesn’t wait in line. She’s coming for the shine and the title.

Video on Kay Lee Ray.

We get a sitdown interview with Odyssey Jones, who knew he would get here one day. He just didn’t know how well it would go once he got here. Taking off the football helmet is a big change and his name comes from his energy. He isn’t thinking beyond tonight’s title match because he can’t look beyond Hayes.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Valentina Feroz

Ray goes after the arm to start and lifts Feroz off the mat with the arm cranking. Some forearms have no effect and it’s a gordbuster to drop Feroz again. Ray beats on her in the corner and Feroz’s feathers are falling off. A dropkick slows Ray down but she is right back with a superkick. The Gory Bomb finishes for Ray at 2:53. As it should have been.

Mandy Rose offers Gigi Dolin and Jayce Jane some advance. They shrug and follow her.

Here is new NXT Champion Samoa Joe for a chat. Joe talks about facing the most dominant NXT Champion of all time and taking him down at Takeover. Now he is the first ever three time NXT Champion but he is here to fight instead of celebrating. Someone needs to come out here and face him, so here is Pete Dunne to say he wants the next title match. Go get William Regal and have the match made.

Cue LA Knight to say Joe is running from the only megatstar in NXT and it would have taken him 43 seconds to dust Karrion Kross. He wants to be the first challenger and that means he will be the last challenger. Dunne to Knight: “Take one more step and I swear I’ll break every one of your fingers.”

Now it’s Kyle O’Reilly to say that Samoa Joseph, Peter Dunne and La (pronounced as one word, not two letters) Knight aren’t here to get a title shot. He mentions winning the Undisputed Finale but here is Ridge Holland to jump him from behind. Dunne and Joe are about to fight but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to go after Dunne, though Joe grabs the belt first. Holland comes in to headbutt Ciampa and Joe takes out Knight. I could go for a lot of this.

Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase are leaving when Grimes tries to give him the title back. DiBiase says it belongs to Grimes and hands it back…..but he switched it out for a replica and is keeping the real thing as he drives off. Grimes, with a smile: “That Ted DiBiase.” That’s a pretty perfect ending and hopefully they don’t keep the title around now that Grimes has gotten everything he needs out of it.

Duke Hudson jumps Kyle O’Reilly in the back but O’Reilly fights back and they have to be separated.

Breakout Tournament Finals: Carmelo Hayes vs. Odyssey Jones

William Regal is at ringside. The much smaller Hayes gets driven into the corner and sat on top for a bat on the chest. Hayes tries running the ropes but stops when he realizes what is waiting on him. Jones powers him into the corner again and a big toss sends him flying and then rolling out to the floor. Back in and Hayes scores with an enziguri but his springboard is knocked out of the air.

We take a break and come back with Hayes working on the leg in the corner. Jones misses a charge and gets caught in a sleeper to slow the big guy down. The fans are split as Hayes scores with a pump kick and a springboard clothesline but can’t put the big man down. An ax kick gets two on Jones but he is right back with a shoulder breaker. Jones misses a charge into the post though and a top rope ax kick puts him down again. Hayes can’t hit it twice in a row and gets crushed with the splash. That’s not quite enough though as Hayes grabs a crucifix for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B-. Good showing here from Hayes, who looks very polished every time he is in there. Jones is going to be fine as he can go be an enforcer for just about anyone and make them look better. There wasn’t a bad choice here and both of them will likely be around for a good while to come. NXT needs some fresh talent too so this is something they should be doing.

Post match Regal hands Hayes his contract for a future title shot. Hayes says Jones is no joke but he isn’t sure who he is going to face first. He called his shot here and when he calls his shot, he doesn’t miss.

Pete Dunne, Ridge Holland, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch are ready to hurt Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa.

Boa vs. Xyon Quinn

Boa kicks away in the corner to start but stops to look up at Mei Ying. The distraction lets Quinn hit a forearm for the upset pin at 1:13.

Quinn is smart enough to leave through the crowd instead of walking near Ying.

Johnny Gargano is in William Regal’s office and asks for a favor: stop the Dexter Lumis/Indi Hartwell wedding. They get in an argument over Gargano going nuts and how to pronounce bananas. LA Knight comes in to yell a lot and Regal throws both of them out. Regal: “Buffoons.”

Malcolm Bivens is overseeing a training session with Diamond Mine and the Creed Brothers. Next week, Roderick Strong is issuing another open challenge and he hopes Kushida is watching.

Hit Row vs. Legado del Fantasma

Legado starts the brawl before the bell and Top Dolla is triple teamed until B Fab makes a save. Ashante Adonis and Swerve pull Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde outside and the brawl is on. We settle down to Adonis hitting back to back monkey flips with Mendoza and Wilde being sent outside. A dropkick (which seems to miss) sends Wilde outside and it’s a flapjack on the floor to make it worse.

Legado needs a breather on the floor and we take a break. Back with Swerve caught in the Legado corner for a series of running clotheslines. A suplex drops Scott again and something like the old McGillicutter gets two. Scott counters a sunset flip and gets in a stomp to the chest, allowing the hot tag off to Dolla. Everything breaks down and Dolla carries ALL THREE members of Legado around at the same time (e pluribus gads), setting up a World’s Strongest Wasteland.

Adonis comes back in and gets caught with a double basement dropkick for two. Swerve and Escobar drawl in the ring as Dolla flip dives onto the rest of Legado. That leaves Swerve to 450 Escobar for two but Legado is sent outside. B Fab gets in a slap but here is Electra Lopez to hit B Fab with a pipe. Lopez throws the pipe to Swerve, but it’s a swerve so Escobar can roll him up with tights for the pin at 13:57.

Rating: B. Some of that is for Top Dolla carrying around three grown men at the same time. The action was good throughout and they evened the numbers in the end too. These teams are getting a nice feud going and they could be in for a pretty major match down the line. Keep this thing going, probably including the eventual title showdown with Escobar vs. Swerve.

Overall Rating: B-. This was still the traditional NXT, but there are some new faces showing up. That isn’t a bad thing as NXT has really been needing a freshening up, but they need to get the transitional period down. Overall, a rather fun show with a mixture of stuff to make the two hours and change go by pretty quickly. They have the talent to make this work, but they are going to need to execute it really well over the next few weeks.

Results
Ridge Holland b. Timothy Thatcher – Northern Grit
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Gigi Dolin/Jacy Jayne – 450/neckbreaker combination to Jayne
Kay Lee Ray b. Valentina Feroz – Gory Bomb
Carmelo Hayes b. Odyssey Jones – Crucifix
Xyon Quinn b. Boa – Forearm
Legado del Fantasma b. Hit Row – Rollup with tights to Scott

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NXT
Date: August 17, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home show for Takeover 36 and the card is completely set. That might not be the best thing though as the show could use a few upgrades. As has been the case for a long time, Takeover has not had the sparkiest of sparks, even if the shows wind up being pretty high qualify. Let’s get to it.

The Diamond Mine (with Tyler Rust missing with no explanation from the team) is in the ring to start things off. Kushida isn’t here tonight (due to not being cleared) to defend the Cruiserweight Title against Roderick Strong, so it’s open challenge time.

Roderick Strong vs. Ilja Dragunov

Strong grabs the arm to start but Dragunov kicks him away without much trouble. Back up and Strong chops him down, only to have Dragunov hit one of his own. Dragunov goes up top but has to bail out, leaving him to run Strong over again. Strong’s leg gets knocked out but he is fine enough to knock Dragunov outside. Dragunov is sent face first into the steps and there’s the Rock Bottom onto the steps as we take a break.

Back with Dragunov busted WAY open but being fine enough to fight out of an abdominal stretch. The German suplexes put Strong in trouble and an enziguri sets up a reverse t-bone suplex. Torpedo Moscow is broken up with a jumping knee but Dragunov pops back up for Torpedo Moscow and the pin at 12:09.

Rating: C+. I’d be curious to know if they went home a little earlier than expected because of the cut. I didn’t see when he got cut but there is something to be said about the added emotion that comes with seeing blood in a match. Dragunov winning here makes sense, though Strong losing is a little weird when he is scheduled for a title match whenever Kushida gets back. Still though, pretty good.

Post match, Dragunov calls out Walter but no one shows up.

It’s time for the Prime Target on Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly (which I believe we’ve had for another match between them). They have fought before and now it is time for the big Undisputed Finale to blow the whole thing off for good. Now they hate each other and have made it personal, but they have to finish this.

Here is Hit Row for a chat. They aren’t happy with Legado del Fantasma for taking the grill out of Isaiah Scott’s mouth. Santos Escobar pops up on screen with the grill and says he should give it back to him. He would be there in person, but he doesn’t trust Swerve’s crew. Come meet him in the parking lot, where he has no one waiting with him. That’s cool with Swerve, who heads to the back, where the rest of Legado pops up. Top Dolla runs in for the save but gets sent into a metal wall. B Fab makes the real save with a pipe and Legado is left laying.

LA Knight is working out in the gym with Cameron Grimes wiping him down. Knight isn’t happy with him though and brings in Josh Briggs to face Grimes tonight.

Imperium, with Walter, doesn’t like people like MSK and are here to get rid of people like them.

Josh Briggs vs. Cameron Grimes

Ted DiBiase and LA Knight are on commentary as Grimes, in his tuxedo, gets beaten down to start, including a heck of a big boot in the face. DiBiase throws out a $20,000 bet on Grimes winning as Briggs drops him with a release side slam. A splash gets two but Grimes gets a boot up in the corner. There’s a running forearm to drop Briggs and the running belly to belly gives Grimes two. The Cave In finishes Briggs at 2:07.

Post match DiBiase goes to collect on his bet but Knight punches him in the face. Grimes goes for the save and walks into Blunt Force Trauma on the floor.

Indi Hartwell brags to the Way about how much she has been seeing of Dexter Lumis. Candice LeRae: “They have a shirt now!” Indi: “We went hiking.” Gargano: “Ew.” Indi: “We went bicycling.” Gargano. “Ew.” Indi: “We went up in a hot air balloon.” Gargano: “Ok that’s pretty cool.” Dexter pops up and has the same gloves as Indi, which has Gargano and LeRae even more annoyed.

Zoey Stark and Io Shirai talk about trying to be friends but Shirai says just focus on being partners. Stark thinks this might take time.

Jessi Kamea/Robert Stone vs. Dexter Lumis/Indi Hartwell

Frankie Monet is here with Kamea and Stone. Hartwell copies Lumis’ intro and walk to the ring, though she does bump into him at one point. The fans wish Hartwell a happy birthday as Stone dives at Lumis’ leg to start. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Lumis and Hartwell hit stereo stomps in the corner. Monet grabs Lumis’ leg and gets dragged in, which is enough for an ejection as we take a break.

Back with Hartwell fighting out of trouble and bringing Lumis in to clean house. The spinebuster plants Stone for two and Lumis sends him outside. Back in and Kamea grabs a half crab on Hartwell, who makes it over to the ropes. Everything breaks down and Stone misses a slingshot dive, landing in front of a staring Lumis. Stereo Silencers give Hartwell and Lumis the win at 9:17.

Rating: C. Total comedy match here and that is what you have to do in a situation like this. The wrestling wasn’t the point at all here and Lumis/Hartwell are good in their roles. I’m curious to see where it goes from here and that is a nice feeling. I didn’t expect to like this but they have made it work, which you don’t get very often these days.

Post match, Beth Phoenix whispers some advice to Indi Hartwell, who pulls out a ring and proposes to Lumis. That’s good for a quick nod of acceptance.

The Diamond Mine insists that Roderick Strong’s loss to Ilja Dragunov doesn’t count because Dragunov is not a cruiserweight. Therefore, Strong’s title shot against Kushida still counts.

We get a split screen sitdown interview between Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. Kai talks about how she discovered Gonzalez but Gonzalez says she has become a superstar. How does Kai expect to win on Sunday? By bringing in the next Raquel Gonzalez? Kai says she can play all the roles she wants, but on Sunday, Kai is playing the role of champion. See you at Takeover, sidekick. This was short and to the point but you can feel the intensity.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Duke Hudson vs. Carmelo Hayes

The bigger Hudson goes with the headlock to start but Hayes slips out and grabs one of his own. A big shoulder drops Hayes, who is back with a springboard crossbody for two. Hudson tosses him outside in a heap and we take a break. Back with Hudson kneeing him in the face and hitting an overhead belly to belly out of the corner.

Hayes manages a quick scissors kick though and a slingshot DDT sends Hudson face first into the apron (geez that looked rough). Hudson catches him on top but the slam is countered into a small package for two. A Backstabber rocks Hudson again and Hayes goes up for the top rope Fameasser to advance at 8:57.

Rating: C+. Hayes has looked like a complete package since he debuted around here and this was no exception. This was a nice come from behind win as Hayes hung in there just long enough to pull it off, with Hudson getting a bit too cocky and not being able to keep up. The finals could go either way and Hudson has come off like a star, making this a pretty efficient tournament so far.

Post match Hayes said he called his shot to make the finals and that’s what he did. That isn’t enough for him though and now it is time to face the final boss. Hey Odyssey Jones, plot twist: Hayes is the final boss. Cue Jones to say the universe will sound the alarm next week. This was a perfectly fine jawing segment.

Jacy Jayne says a lot of people are just satisfied but that is not good enough for them. You have heard them silenced for too long and now it is time to break free. The plurals were strong with this one.

Ted DiBiase apologizes to Cameron Grimes in the back, with Grimes going into a rant to recap the whole thing. He dropped the ball for DiBiase but after Takeover, the two of them are going to be Million Dollar Champions going TO THE MOON! DiBiase is so impressed that he busts out the laugh. DiBiase: “THAT’S MY CAMERON!” I’m not sure how much DiBiase likes this stuff but he’s the only person who would fit in this role.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Imperium

Imperium is challenging. Lee takes Aichner into the corner for the slingshot dropkick, followed by the running Bronco Buster from Carter. Barthel brings himself in and armdrags Carter into a hammerlock. A hard uppercut rocks Carter but he fights out of the corner, only to get suplexed right back down. The beating doesn’t last as long this time though as Carter gets over for the tag to Lee. Everything breaks down and the champs’ dives are cut off by stereo slams as we take a break.

Back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock but getting pulled into an ankle lock. Lee gets sent hard into the corner and we need a quick breather so the referee can make sure he’s fine. The double dropkick in the corner gets two on Lee but he sends both of them outside. Cue Walter as the hot tag brings in Carter to clean house. The push moonsault gets two on Aichner with Barthel making the save. Walter’s distraction looks to set up the European Bomb but here is Ilja Dragunov to cut Walter off. Lee makes the save and the Blockbuster Hart Attack retains the titles at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Imperium continues to be a problem for me in the tag division. They are technically sound and their gimmick makes perfect sense but I have yet to find myself invested in anything they do. They just aren’t very interesting and it feels like no one can do anything to bring them up. MSK winning is the good move here, though I continue to not be sure who takes the titles off of them.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Walter destroying everyone in sight. Dragunov is taken out as well and Imperium stands tall.

Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland don’t like Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa ignoring them. Holland would fight through people just to get to a fight and he’ll be seeing Thatcher next week.

Takeover rundown.

Here is Samoa Joe for the big face to face with Karrion Kross. Joe says it is time to verbally eviscerate Kross in front of the world but what’s the point? He isn’t here to hurt Kross’ feelings because he is here to hurt Kross period. Cue Kross to say that this is about the future of this brand and Joe isn’t coming in to beat him after a year off. Kross calls out security to protect Joe but Joe is ready to fight anyway. The brawl is on, with Joe hitting the big dive to take everyone out. They fight over to the announcers’ table and the big double knockdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a fine enough go home show, but it was far from a home run. There was nothing on here that really made me want to see Takeover, though I’m sure the show will wind up being another hit. Maybe it’s the lack of anything interesting in Kross or Cole vs. O’Reilly AGAIN but I can’t get myself to care about what they’re doing. That being said, Walter vs. Dragunov II is going to be enough to carry a lot of the show and I’m really not worried. Good go home show, though I’m not entirely jazzed for Takeover.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Roderick Strong – Torpedo Moscow
Cameron Grimes b. Josh Briggs – Cave In
Dexter Lumis/Indi Hartwell b. Jessi Kamea/Robert Stone – Silencer to Kamea
Carmelo Hayes b. Duke Hudson – Top rope Fameasser
MSK b. Imperium – Blockbuster Hart Attack to Barthel

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NXT
Date: August 3, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix.

We are less than three weeks away from Takeover and after last week, we have a new main event for the show as Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Title. Granted Kross might not mean as much after how things have gone on Monday Night Raw, I’m not sure how much that is going to be worth. Other than that, more things will be happening. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row

Santos Escobar and the rest of Hit Row is at ringside. It’s a brawl to start with Legado being knocked outside until Mendoza and Adonis slug it out inside. A whip into the corner takes Mendoza down and a neckbreaker makes it worse. Top Dolla comes in to throw people around, including running both of them over. Hold on though as Escobar gets up for a distraction, allowing Mendoza to low bridge Adonis to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Adonis getting planted with a double spinebuster into a chinlock. Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner set up a moonsault for two. Mendoza’s chinlock doesn’t last long either as Adonis gets up for a dropkick. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Dolla to clean house. Legado is rocked but Escobar hits Dolla in the back with a chair for the DQ at 10:52.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but they were smart to not have a definitive ending here. This is all but guaranteed to have some kind of a big match at Takeover (or maybe even two of them) so there was zero reason to have a clean fall here. Hit Row shouldn’t be losing, but you also don’t want Legado taking another loss until it’s on a big stage. The ending might be annoying, but it was the right call.

Post match the beatdown is on with Escobar stealing Swerve’s grill. The Pillmanizing of the neck is broken up though and Dolla sends Legado running. Escobar still has the grill.

William Regal tells Samoa Joe to not get physical until Takeover.

We look back at the return of Ridge Holland last week to wreck Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher.

Dexter Lumis is drawing INDEX over and over.

Ridge Holland vs. Ikemen Jiro

Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan are here too. An uppercut drops Jiro in a hurry and we’re already off to a chinlock. Jiro fights up but gets knocked outside in a hurry. The big tackle sends Jiro hard into the barricade, allowing Holland to take off the jacket, which is high treason against Jiro. A headbutt into Northern Grit finishes Jiro at 3:12.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be as Holland destroyed someone with a minor name. Holland is going to need ring time after being gone for so long (and not being around that long before he was put on the shelf). Holland is a monster who can wreck people for a good while while he develops and that should work fine for the time being.

Post match Pete Dunne says they’re ready to destroy Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa, because Holland is a real man.

Frankie Monet blames Robert Stone for her loss last week. The Robert Stone Brand is used to losing but that is not what she does. Stone seems to accept responsibility as Monet and Jessi Kamea leave.

Video on Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish.

Video on Trey Baxter, who is All Heart.

Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish

The rest of the Diamond Mine is here too. They go technical to start with Fish grabbing a headlock into a suplex to take Strong down. The grappling on the mat goes to Strong until he lands a kick to the chest. Fish is fine enough to take him into the corner as Malcolm Bivens is looking worried on the floor. Strong gets knocked to the apron and we take a break.

Back with Strong taking him down for another chinlock but Fish fights up again. A fish hook gives Fish a breather and it’s time to strike away at Strong. Some chops stagger Fish and a belly to back faceplant puts him down again. Fish is back with a rollup for two but Strong knees him in the face. End of Heartache finishes Fish at 12:45.

Rating: C+. Only way this one could have gone as Fish isn’t going to win any important match right now. Strong seems to be on the rise and a Cruiserweight Title match against Kushida at Takeover would make sense. You almost have to get the Fish match out of the way though and it gives Strong a nice win on the way there.

Cameron Grimes is ready for the tag match tonight but LA Knight wants him to be more serious. Grimes promises to be there for him and Knight will have his back too. For now though, Grimes has a boot to polish.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Cameron Grimes/LA Knight

Grimes is still in his tuxedo. Before the match, the Veterans say they don’t like Grimes and Knight and want them out of their way. Grimes and Gibson start things off but it’s quickly off to Knight, who gets caught with a clothesline. Drake comes in to forearm away but a neckbreaker gets Knight out of trouble. It’s back to Grimes, who gets distracted by Knight and taken into the wrong corner.

Grimes manages to backdrop his way out of trouble but Knight walks off, saying Grimes can do this on his own. That’s fine with Grimes, who takes off the gloves and sends the Veterans into each other. A double hurricanrana puts the Veterans on the floor and Grimes snaps off the flipping powerslam for two on Drake. Gibson comes back in though and it’s the Ticket To Mayhem for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C. This was angle advancement and that’s fine. The big blowoff match is coming at Takeover and that is the right way to go for Grimes and Knight. Grimes needs to get the big win and probably will, which will be even better now that they have put in the effort like this. The Veterans even got to win something for a bonus too!

Post match Ted DiBiase comes out to say that Grimes is a man of his word, but he needs to find a way out of this.

Video on Samoa Joe.

We look back at Dakota Kai turning on Raquel Gonzalez last week.

Dakota Kai talks about how she found Raquel Gonzalez and helped bring her up. They were friends and partners, but it was all Kai’s doing. Then Io Shirai gave Gonzalez the Women’s Title shot at Takeover: Stand & Deliver and won the title. That should have been Kai’s, because she plucked Gonzalez out of security. Kai is more than Gonzalez’s sidekick and the only opportunity should be hers. How does it feel knowing that the person standing next to you is about to kick your head off? Kai brought her into this world and now she is going to take her out of it by winning the Women’s Title. Logical explanation.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are sick of Dexter Lumis messing with the Way. Tonight, Gargano is ending InDex for good.

Joe Gacy won’t be controlled until he wins the Breakout Tournament. After that, sure why not.

Adam Cole has a neck injury after last week’s attack at the hands of Kyle O’Reilly. We look at the attack again.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Trey Baxter vs. Joe Gacy

The smaller Baxter tries a waistlock to start but gets thrown into the corner for his efforts. A dropkick puts Gacy on the floor but he catches a dive by sending Baxter into the ropes. That lets Gacy knock Baxter silly again and we hit the neck crank back inside. Baxter reverses into a quickly broken choke and Gacy suplexes him down for two. The neck crank is on again but Baxter escapes just as quickly.

A missile dropkick sends Gacy outside and this time the suicide dive works. Back in and a slingshot splash gets two but Gacy sends him into the corner for a Cannonball. Gacy takes him up but Baxter slips off and sends him into the ropes. Baxter hits a quick middle rope 450 stomp (or maybe he just didn’t rotate properly) for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. I liked what we got here but Baxter needs to either pick a 450 or a stomp because it was messy enough that I couldn’t really tell what he was trying. At the same time, Gacy winning would have been nice as the roster could use someone built like him rather than another cruiserweight style guy. Baxter was good though and will be fine as an appetizer for Odyssey Jones in the semifinals.

Zoey Stark and Io Shirai get sushi and Stark is rather confused/disgusted. Food is thrown away when Shirai isn’t looking and Stark gets stuck with the bill. Shirai hugs the waitress, who says they don’t know each other but speak the same language. The two of them leave and Stark is somewhere between annoyed and disgusted by the food.

Indi Hartwell wishes the Way would give Dexter Lumis a chance because he isn’t a bad guy. Tonight, we’ll see how much he cares.

Commentary talks about Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis but Karrion Kross interrupts to stand on the announcers’ table and call out Samoa Joe. Cue Joe, who fights through security and chokes one of them out but Kross has escaped. Joe shouts a lot.

We get the Prime Target video on Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter II. They beat each other so horribly in the first match and everyone is talking about it. Dragunov talks about how angry and aggressive he has been since the first match because he knows something was missing. The rematch will take place at Takeover, and Walter says he is unbeatable on his best day. Dragunov says he has the stamina and mental toughness, which is why he can take the title. We see clips from the press conference with Dragunov getting in Walter’s head as he’s smarter this time around. This is going to be awesome.

Kushida says of course Roderick Strong can have a Cruiserweight Title shot.

Dexter Lumis vs. Johnny Gargano

Love Her Or Leave Her, which technically means the winner gets Indi Hartwell. Gargano shouts about how Lumis has to go through him to get her and starts in on the arm. Lumis is back up with a dropkick but gets sent outside as Hartwell comes out. The distraction lets Lumis get in a Thesz press back inside to hammer away and slowly stalk Gargano in the corner. Gargano is back up to knock Lumis outside, with Lumis going under the ring. Hartwell goes after him so here is Candice LeRae to help pull her out….with her hands interlocked with Lumis’.

We take a break and come back with Gargano winning a slugout but getting caught in a spinebuster. The Silence is broken up with Lumis being elbowed to the floor. Gargano hits his suicide dive and yells at Beth Phoenix, with the distraction allowing Lumis to block the slingshot spear. A slingshot Falcon Arrow gives Lumis two but Gargano’s superkick gets the same. Lumis runs him over again but misses the springboard elbow. The Gargano Escape goes on until Lumis reaches out to Hartwell/the rope for the break. Lumis’ rollup gets two and the kickout sends him into Hartwell. One Final Beat finishes Lumis at 12:53.

Rating: C. I was getting into the love conquers all story and you know this isn’t going to be the end of the thing. It’s a fine enough story, but Lumis is still not doing anything for me for the most part. This isn’t exactly the most thrilling stuff, but Beth being so into the romance thing and Hartwell in general are making it work well enough. Just…please find something to make Lumis more interesting somehow.

Post match Hartwell goes to leave with the Way but then runs back and dives on Lumis for the big kiss as Beth Phoenix screams about InDex to end the show. Makes enough sense (while not doing much for the stipulation), as Hartwell never said she was leaving anyone.

Overall Rating: C+. Nothing really jumped off the page here but it was an easy to swallow use of two hours. The good thing is you can see almost all of (if not all of) Takeover from here. NXT knows how to set up a card and then make it come into reality. That’s what they did a lot of here, making it more efficient/important than good.

It’s also nice to see how logical things are around here. There might be some things that don’t make a ton of sense at first, but NXT knows how to tie them together. It is such a jarring change of pace from Raw, where things seem like they are happening at random and if they can be made somewhat coherent later, so be it then. NXT feels like they have this planned out and that can make all kinds of difference.

Results
Hit Row b. Legado del Fantasma via DQ when Santos Escobar interfered
Ridge Holland b. Ikemen Jiro – Northern Grit
Roderick Strong b. Bobby Fish – End of Heartache
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Cameron Grimes/LA Knight – Ticket to Mayhem to Grimes
Trey Baxter b. Joe Gacy – Middle rope 450 stomp
Johnny Gargano b. Dexter Lumis – One Final Beat

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

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NXT
Date: July 27, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Things got serious around here last week as NXT Champion Karrion Kross attacked William Regal to close the show. Samoa Joe is ready to destroy him as a result and that is all this needs to be. We are less than a month away from Takeover and that means it is time to start getting the card ready. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps the end of last week’s show, as Karrion Kross left William Regal laying.

Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher vs. Pete Dunne/Oney Lorcan

Thatcher and Dunne get things going with neither being able to get very far on the mat. Ciampa and Lorcan come in with Ciampa grinding on a headlock. A shot to the face knocks Lorcan outside and the beating continues back inside. Ciampa wants Dunne, who comes in and blasts him with a clothesline. Everything breaks down for a second with Ciampa and Thatcher pounding away with forearms to the chest. Everyone heads outside with Dunne and Lorcan being sent into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Dunne surfboarding Thatcher so Lorcan can fire off more chops. Thatcher slips away and brings in Ciampa so everything can break down. Lorcan is sent outside, leaving Ciampa to go after Dunne’s arm. Thatcher and Lorcan brawl on the floor but the returning Ridge Holland takes Thatcher down. Lorcan is able to save Dunne and it’s the Bitter End to finish Ciampa at 11:55.

Rating: C+. This was about people hitting each other hard and laying things in, which is why you have this match in the first place. The return is a nice twist too as we never got to see what Holland can do. Having him as the big bruising villain works out well and he could become a player around here in a hurry. Good brawl here, but the surprise is the important part.

Post match Lorcan and Dunne hold Ciampa back as Thatcher gets destroyed by Holland. The villains stand tall.

Carmelo Hayes is ready to win the Breakout Tournament.

Hit Row is ready to take apart Legado del Fantasma, with Top Dolla throwing in some Spanish.

Here is Samoa Joe to set up a table and chair in the ring. He knows Kross isn’t going to come do anything himself, so he would like William Regal out here right now. Cue Regal, with Joe saying he knows Regal is going to fire Kross. Joe has a better idea though, and it is in three steps.

First up, he presents Regal with his resignation as part of NXT management. Step two is another piece of paper, which needs Regal’s signature to bring Joe back to the main roster. Regal signs, which brings us to step three: signing Joe vs. Kross for Takeover, which Regal does as well. Regal didn’t say a word (at least not one we could hear).

Josh Briggs is ready to win the Breakout Tournament.

Earlier today, LA Knight and Cameron Grimes were on the golf course. Grimes is busy washing Knight’s (golf) balls and then gets confused by which club to use (Grimes: “Driver? I’m your driver!” Knight: “That’s a sand wedge.” Grimes: “Sandwich? Now you’re hungry?”). Grimes even throws out a $5,000 bet on Knight hitting it into the trees. Knight does just that and then yells at Grimes for mentioning it.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Carmelo Hayes vs. Josh Briggs

Hayes is a cruiserweight and Briggs is a giant. Briggs slams him down to start so Hayes is back with some rights and lefts in the corner. A dropkick sends Briggs face first into the middle buckle and it’s time to go after Briggs’ knee. That just earns Hayes a backdrop to the floor for the crash. Back in and Hayes catches him with a springboard legdrop for two, setting up the front facelock. Briggs gets in a shot of his own though and we take a break.

Back with Duke Hudson, who faces the winner in the next round, on commentary as Briggs gets two off a splash. Hayes counters a powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana into the corner, followed by a pair of enziguris. A Codebreaker gives Hayes two more and he hits a running boot in the corner. Briggs shows him how to hit a big boot and a chokeslam gets two. The side slam is countered into a faceplant and Hayes does it again for good measure. A top rope Fameasser gives Hayes the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B-. This was a power vs. speed match and that is wrestling 101. Hayes is someone who made an impact when he debuted a few weeks ago and he looked good again here. The high flying is effective as Hayes looks polished, which is what you could use in a tournament like this. Briggs is going to be fine as an enforcer of some kind and I’m sure he will be around in the future.

Frankie Monet is ready to take the Robert Stone Brand to the next level. Maybe they can even win the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter come up to say not so fast, because you can’t create chemistry like theirs.

Back on the golf course, Cameron Grimes imitates a commentator and LA Knight hits his ball into the water. Grimes cracks up, until Knight sends him after the ball. He finds the ball, but here is Ted DiBiase in a golf cart. DiBiase talks about how people like Knight are always going to hold people like Grimes down. Grimes was born to be a champion and DiBiase sees him as a fighter. Think about that. The wheels continue to turn on this one and that’s a good thing.

Here are Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez for a chat. Gonzalez talks about destroying Xia Li last week and wonders who is next. Bring them on, because no one is stopping her. Kai says Gonzalez is the most dominant woman in NXT history and lists off the greats of the women’s division.

This division is great because of one woman (though Kai doesn’t say who) and asks who is woman enough to challenge Gonzalez at Takeover. Kai says Gonzalez will be champion as long as she has Gonzalez’s back and posing ensues. Gonzalez turns around….and gets kicked in the face. Kai holds up the title and the fans seem to approve. This works.

Adam Cole thinks NXT is nuts right now, including Bronson Reed calling Cole his rebound. That’s not what Cole is because he is at the top of the mountain. Tonight, Reed is falling off of that mountain because he isn’t good enough. Cole doesn’t care about Reed’s fourteen year journey and tonight is another sad chapter.

Zoey Stark comes up to Io Shirai to ask for some partner bonding time. Shirai doesn’t seem convinced but eventually gives in.

Mandy Rose talks to Gigi Dolin and Jayce Jane until she has to throw the cameras out.

Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter vs. Jessi Kamea/Frankie Monet

Robert Stone is here with Kamea and Monet. Kacy takes Kamea down for an early two and brings in Carter for a rollup. Monet comes in for a DDT out of the corner to take over on Carter, including the running knees in the corner. Rights and lefts keep Carter in trouble, with Monet getting to shout. Hold on though as Stone throws in his purse (yes purse) to get her attention. The distraction lets Carter hit a pump kick, setting up the neckbreaker/450 combination for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: D+. I get what they’re going for with the story but egads did they need to have Monet take a fall here? There was no way to have this set up Kamea taking a fall? Or anything but Monet taking a pin? That feels like something they would do on Raw and that is not a good thing these days.

Wade Barrett had a sitdown interview with Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong. The Diamond Mine was perfect for Strong, because he was tired of the drama of the Undisputed Era. Bivens talks about how great of a talent Strong is and anyone, including William Regal, can understand that. Barrett asks about the Cruiserweight Title and Bobby Fish, so Strong promises to end Fish next week.

We look at Dakota Kai turning on Raquel Gonzalez.

Kai leaves without saying a word.

Hit Row vs. Imperium

Ashante Adonis and Top Dolla for Hit Row. Adonis starts with Marcel Barthel, who takes him into the corner. It’s quickly off to Fabian Aichner, who gets dropped with a neckbreaker for one. Dolla comes in for a jumping knee to drop Aichner and Adonis comes back in for a dropkick. Another neckbreaker is countered into a belly to back suplex but B Fab breaks up the double dropkick in the corner. Adonis uses the distraction to take Aichner down again and we take a break.

Back with Adonis having his spine bustered but he kicks Barthel away anyway. The ankle lock cuts off the hot tag though and Aichner adds an elbow to the back for two. The beating continues, including Barthel grabbing a butterfly suplex for two of his own. Adonis finally manages a backdrop though and the hot tag brings in Dolla to clean house. Dolla knee lifts Aichner and a side slam putts him down again. Adonis plants Barthel but here is Legado del Fantasma to take Adonis out. Dolla chases them off and the European Bomb finishes Adonis at 12:23.

Rating: C. Not the best match but you’re not going to have Imperium in there for something energized. I’m not wild on Hit Row losing but at least it wasn’t a clean loss. Hit Tor vs. Legado will be pretty awesome once we get there and Hit Row isn’t going to lose any kind of momentum as long as they can keep talking.

Post match Legado comes in for the beatdown until Swerve makes the save.

The Way is looking for Austin Theory, with Johnny Gargano saying he ran away from home. Indi Hartwell gets a present, which is a drawing of Dexter Lumis with the Way. Gargano freaks out and says no way, even as Hartwell asks them for a chance. Gargano: “NO CHANCE!” A match is set up with Gargano vs. Lumis, with Lumis’ inclusion in their lives seemingly on the line. Hartwell goes to find Lumis.

It’s back to the golf course where the Grizzled Young Veterans pop up to ask if they can pick up the pace. Just let LA Knight hit the ball into the woods again so we can move on. Cameron Grimes makes another bet on who can get it into the hole next, with $20,000 on the line.

Knight hits the ball into the water again, so Grimes busts out a gold ball and, after hitting Knight low with the club, knocks it into the hole with one shot (and hits Knight in the head with the club on the way back). Grimes blames Knight for the club shots so the Veterans bail in the golf cart. As usual, this feels like Knight and Grimes were given a script saying “hijinks on a golf course” with a few bullet points and told to fill in the gaps. It’s the best thing on this show because it doesn’t feel forced. This is how these two would act on a golf course and it works as a result.

Adam Cole vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over to start and sends Cole flying with ease. That lets Reed sit on his chest for two, and then stay there despite the referee not counting due to a foot under the rope. A superplex is loaded up but Cole slips out and kicks the knee. We take a break and come back with Cole working on the knee, including a dragon screw legwhip.

Reed gets up and runs Cole over again to get a breather. A suplex drops Cole and Reed punches him in the corner, only to get kicked in the face for two. Reed chops away until Cole gets in a shot of his own. The Panama Sunrise gets two and Cole is stunned by the kickout. Back up and Reed blasts him with a clothesline to set up a powerbomb. The Tsunami misses though and the Last Shot gives Cole the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B. Another power vs. speed match here, with Cole being just smart enough to make the difference. Cole is primed for a huge match against Kyle O’Reilly at Takeover and Reed seems likely for the main roster. The good thing for Reed is that his size and that splash are going to be more than enough to carry him anywhere he needs to go, so this loss doesn’t do much damage.

Post match Cole poses, but here is Kyle O’Reilly to chair him down. A brainbuster onto the steps leaves Cole out cold to end the show. I’m not sure how popular that made O’Reilly.

Overall Rating: B+. The wrestling was good here and the antics on the golf course made it even better. This show felt much more NXTesque as they seem to know where they want to go and are taking steps to get there. Not only did stuff happen on this show, but stuff happened that advanced the stories and got us closer to a Takeover card. That’s where NXT shines and it is great to have that feeling back, even if it is just for a week.

Results
Oney Lorcan/Pete Dunne b. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher – Bitter end to Ciampa
Carmelo Hayes b. Josh Briggs – Top rope Fameasser
Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter b. Frankie Monet/Jessi Kamea – 450/neckbreaker combination to Monet
Imperium b. Hit Row – European Bomb to Adonis
Adam Cole b. Bronson Reed – Last Shot

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: July 20, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

Things are getting interesting around here as Karrion Kross choked out Samoa Joe last week, only to go up to Raw and get pinned in less than two minutes by Jeff Hardy. That would suggest that a title change is afoot, and hopefully they find an interesting way to set it up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Karrion Kross choking out Samoa Joe.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going and he looks ready to fight. Joe calls him out but gets William Regal instead. Regal says this isn’t what they agreed to and Joe can’t do this but Joe says he was provoked. Did Regal know about Kross’ trip to Raw last week? Of course not, because Regal doesn’t control the man. Regal says Kross is on his way here and things will be settled peacefully. Joe says that due to his respect for Regal, this will end tonight, but he can’t guarantee peace, because someone is going to sleep. Big difference between Raw and NXT: the opening sequence is done five minutes after the show starts.

Xia Li is ready to defeat Raquel Gonzalez and become Women’s Champion because she has been waiting for this chance.

Tyler Rust/Roderick Strong vs. Kushida/Bobby Fish

The rest of the Diamond Mine is here too but Kushida and Fish jump them from behind to start and clear the ring before the bell. We take a break and come back joined in progress with both of Strong’s arms being cranked on, setting up a double armbar from Kushida. That’s broken up and Rust comes in, only to get caught with Fish’s slingshot hilo. Kushida comes back in but has to fight out of the corner.

Strong goes back to basics with the backbreaker to take over and the chops in the corner keep Kushida in trouble. There’s the butterfly suplex for two and the chinlock goes on. That doesn’t last long as Kushida fights up and hits the double handspring elbow. Fish gets the tag and it’s time to clean house (including telling Rust which corner to go to) again. Everything breaks down with the good guys being knocked outside as we take a break.

Back with Fish still in trouble, with Rust hitting an ax kick for two. The arm cranking goes on but Fish manages a spinebuster, setting up the hot tag to Kushida. The hiptoss into the basement dropkick drops Strong and a kick to the head gets two. Rust comes back in and gets enziguried but he switches a half crab into the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well so Kushida pulls him into the Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 15:02.

Rating: C+. This is a feud that is technically fine but it is not exactly a thrilling story. Kushida is rapidly becoming the “I forgot he was champion” champion and that is a bad sign for his title reign. Having the other guy in the team tap to a champion isn’t a bad thing, as the Diamond Mine is more about Strong than anyone else. Just get them a big win soonish.

LA Knight arrived earlier, with Cameron Grimes driving. Knight tells him to get all of the bags (all four of them), so Grimes has a story carrying bags. As Knight freaks out about Grimes having a story for everything, Drake Maverick comes up to give Grimes a hand with the bags. That’s not cool with Knight, so a match with Maverick is set up for later.

The next Takeover is August 22, the day after Summerslam.

Video on Odyssey Jones, who is in the Breakout Tournament tonight.

Frankie Monet vs. Jacy Jane

Jessie Kamea is here with Frankie but Robert Stone joins them, seemingly sans invitation. Monet misses a right hand and gets rolled up, only to get sent into the corner. Jane misses a charge and Monet hits the running knees in the corner. The chinlock goes on and here is Mandy Rose to lay on the commentary table. Jane fights up and hits a pump kick as Barrett tries to give Rose his number. A running neckbreaker gives Jane two but Jane yells at Rose, allowing Monet to hit Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one and a lot of that was over having a bit too much going on. You had Stone and Rose at ringside, plus a no name like Jane putting up a pretty good fight. Monet has lost a bit of her personality since getting here, but that is often the case with someone who has something that works outside of NXT. It should come back over time, but it makes for a bit of a rough start.

Kyle O’Reilly is arguing with Johnny Gargano when Austin Theory comes in. Theory vs. O’Reilly is set for later, with O’Reilly saying he is putting his dancing shoes on. Gargano dubs himself Papa John.

The next two weeks are on SyFy due to the Olympics.

Bronson Reed had a sitdown interview with Wade Barrett earlier today and talked about how losing the North American Title was a hard thing to take. He has to move forward though, and that includes facing Adam Cole next week. Reed wants to fight the best and he already shut Cole down last week. He’ll do it again in the ring.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Austin Theory

No one is here with Theory, who loads up the no look high five anyway, only to realize his mistake. Feeling out process to start with O’Reilly taking him down but missing a shot in the corner. That lets Theory headlock takeover him and talk to the camera a bit. That’s broken up and O’Reilly low bridges him to the apron, setting up a running knee to the back. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly striking away but Theory fights back. A slingshot rolling dropkick is countered into a heel hook, sending Theory straight to the rope.

Theory hits a slingshot stomp into an armbar but O’Reilly escapes and grabs an ankle lock. Theory grabs the rope and plants him for but stops to go after the steps. O’Reilly is all ticked off and sends Theory into various things, which commentary thinks is a flashback to the brainbuster onto the steps. Another shot to the head drops Theory and the top rope knee to the knee connect. The heel hook makes Theory tap at 14:09.

Rating: C+. This was a nice, hard hitting fight and that’s what it should have been. I know Theory plays the idiot really well but it is nice to see him getting to do something else every now and then. He has a lot of talent in the ring and getting to showcase it is one of the best things he can do. O’Reilly snapping was pretty awesome though and I could go for more of that kind of personality.

Raquel Gonzalez, with Dakota Kai, is ready to destroy Xia Li and then there will be no one left. That last line gets a look from Kai.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for the MARIACHI MADNESS MUSICAL (complete with a band) but Santos Escobar says these people don’t deserve it. He isn’t here to be like Hit Row because this isn’t a battle of styles. His style is to be the real champion with blood, sweat and tradition…but here is Hit Row to interrupt. Rhyming and Spanish ensue, with Top Dolla talking about how much better they are and Swerve talking about how it took all three of Legado to beat him.

Swerve can’t believe that there were kidnappings in the parking lot but the guys got returned. The challenge is on and Hit Row is ready with the brawl being on. Escobar loads up a guitar but B Fab takes it away. Swerve misses the big swing and Escobar bails, leaving Mendoza alone with the entire Hit Row. The guitar is cracked over Mendoza’s back and Hit Row stands tall. The gimmick is absolutely not my thing but there is absolutely something here with them.

The Way is complaining about the issues they have been having lately, with Indi Hartwell saying Theory can kiss Dexter if he wants to. Candice: “Ok I’m calling the therapist.” Everyone but Theory bickers so he leaves.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Andre Chase vs. Odyssey Jones

Chase strikes away at the much bigger Jones and manages to knock him to the floor. The big dive mostly connects and Chase posts him for a bonus. Back in and a dropkick to the knee sends Jones face first into the buckle and a slingshot flipping Stunner staggers him as well. Chase hits a top rope moonsault press for two and he charges at Jones, only to get caught in kind of a lifting Boss Man Slam for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D. This really didn’t work and Jones is little more than a guy with size. That is going to work for a bit, but he really didn’t showcase himself well here. Chase could only do so much here and he was pretty limited due to what Jones was doing. Not a good display here for Jones, though Chase looked fine enough.

MSK is ready for anything but McKenzie Mitchell points out we still don’t know what MSK stands for. Wes Lee is about to explain but Imperium interrupts the feed to say they are serious, unlike all of these goofy teams. They are fixing this by any means necessary. Cut back to Lee: “And that’s what MSK stands for.” Yay, Imperium.

Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan want to have a scrap with Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa next week.

LA Knight vs. Drake Maverick

Non-title and Cameron Grimes is here with Knight. Maverick starts fast with a dropkick to the knee but Knight is right back with a knockdown of his own. Hold on though as Knight makes sure that Grimes is holding the title up through the whole match. Maverick snaps off a hurricanrana and nails a high crossbody for one. Knight runs him over again but stops to yell at Grimes, allowing Maverick to grab a rollup pin at 2:28.

Post match Knight beats Maverick down but Grimes pulls him off. Grimes goes to leave but Knight orders him to do it. He has Grimes’ word, so Grimes reluctantly hits Maverick and eventually leaves with Knight.

Video on Xia Li vs. Raquel Gonzalez.

A guy who looks a bit like Karrion Kross arrives so Joe jumps him, only to be told that Kross came in through the front.

Women’s Title: Xia Li vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Gonzalez is defending and has Dakota Kai in her corner. Li goes right at her for a test of strength but gets slammed down. That’s fine with Li, who tries to climb over her for a sunset flip but gets sent into the corner. A big boot puts Li on the floor for a lawn dart into the post to keep her in trouble. Gonzalez misses a big boot though and the leg is wrapped around the post, with Li swinging it into the steel a few times.

We take a break and come back with Li working on the leg again. The half crab is broken up and Gonzalez hits a good looking dropkick for two. Li rolls her up for the same and kicks Gonzalez’s knee out again. There’s a running kick for two more but Gonzalez runs her over again. A Vader Bomb spun into a backsplash gives Gonzalez two and hang on as the medical staff has to check on Li. Things are allowed to continue after a few minutes and it’s the lifting powerbomb to give Gonzalez the pin at 10:50.

Rating: C+. This was a good hoss fight but I’m curious to know what happened on that landing. The match just stopped cold and they went home immediately, so hopefully it was nothing more than Li having the wind knocked out of her. It was a hard hitting match and that’s all you could ask for here, though Gonzalez is starting to run out of readily available challengers.

Post match here is Samoa Joe to demand that the young champion come out here right now and take his beating. Karrion Kross pops up on the screen to say this is his world now. He is the new beginning and the title means that he can go anywhere and do anything he wants. For example….and we cut to a knocked out William Regal. Kross: “Hey Joe, do you still feel like you’re in control?” Kross gets in his car and leaves to end the show, with Joe showing up just too late.

Overall Rating: C+. For a show where no one was going to be watching in the second hour due to the NBA Finals, this worked out pretty well. Things were moved forward towards Takeover and I’m curious to see what we are going to be getting. You can see a good bit of the card from here and as usual, things should work out. Not a great show, but a fine use of two hours, as is the NXT mantra.

Results
Kushida/Bobby Fish b. Tyler Rust/Roderick Strong – Hoverboard Lock to Rust
Frankie Monet b. Jacy Jane – Road To Valhalla
Kyle O’Reilly b. Austin Theory – Heel hook
Odyssey Jones b. Andre Chase – Lifting Boss Man Slam
Drake Maverick b. LA Knight – Rollup
Raquel Gonzalez b. Xia Li – Lifting powerbomb

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.