NXT
Date: October 22, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the last show before Halloween Havoc and the card…well it somewhat exists. There have been a few matches set, including those with Spin The Wheel Make The Deal attached, but very little is standing out. The main event will see Ethan Page getting another shot at Trick Williams and the NXT Title, with the two of them going face to face this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Damage CTRL vs. Meta Four

Jackson backs Sane up against the ropes to start but Sane is back up with a running dropkick. It’s off to Sky for some stereo basement dropkicks but a missed charge lets Jackson send her into the corner. The much bigger Legend comes in to choke Sane, with Legend holding both Sane and Sky up at the same time to bounce them on the ropes. A sleeper slows Legend down though and Sane sends her outside, setting up Sky’s Asai moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Sane coming back in for a running Blockbuster to Jackson with Legend being knocked to the floor. A top rope forearm gets two on Jackson and an assisted elbow drop gets the same. Jackson gets over to Legend though and a pump kick knocks Sane silly. Cue Piper Niven to pull Jackson outside for the DQ at 11:16.

Rating: C+. The match was just good enough, but the interesting thing here is that WWE seems to actually be pushing the women’s tag division. You can only get so far with the same two or three teams fighting each other over and over so mixing it up a bit is great to see. What matters the most is building up some actual teams for a division with some depth. It will take time but the start is there, which I’ll take more than what they’ve been doing lately.

Post match Chelsea Green is here to help assist Niven with the beatdown.

Cole Custer, a NASCAR driver, arrives and is greeted by Hank Walker and Tank Ledger. OTM interrupts and a match seems likely.

Ashante Thee Adonis hits on Karmen Petrovic again but Brinley Reece and Sol Ruca pop in to say she’s not interested. Petrovic doesn’t approve.

Tatum Paxley vs. Jaida Parker

OTM is here with Parker. Paxley starts fast with a rollup for two but Parker sits her on the middle rope for the sitdown splash. Parker sends her flying and cranks on both arms as Lola Vice is watching backstage. Back up and a facebuster gets Paxley out of trouble and something like a modified Angle Slam gets two. Parker flips out of a rollup though and hits a pair of running hip attacks for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: C. Short match here but Parker’s rise continues. She is probably in for a showdown with Lola Vice sooner rather than later and that could be a big step up the ladder. Parker is someone who feels like she could be a player at a higher level in the future and another win like this one is just one more move in the right direction. They kept this quick and to the point, with Parker doing well enough.

Post match Lola Vice has to be held back from Parker. Cue Wendy Choo to kidnap Paxley.

Lexis King asks the No Quarter Catch Crew how he can get some better respect around here. Maybe winning the Heritage Cup can make it happen, so the match is made. Just find a corner man.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier congratulate Je’Von Evans, with Cedric Alexander, on coming close and say he’ll get there someday. Evans slaps Frazier in the face and they have to be held apart. Wes Lee pops in to say he knew someone would get under Evans’ skin eventually.

Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia talk about their friendship on the way to WWE and now they are here to dominate.

Riz has been attacked, with the D’Angelo Family wanting revenge.

Luca Crusifino vs. Oba Femi

Crusifino hits a dropkick and goes after the knee to start but a shoulderbreaker cuts him off. Some knees to the back set up a quickly broken chinlock so Femi knocks him down again. The chokeslam is countered into a Codebreaker but Femi sends him flying. The toss powerbomb finishes for Femi at 3:04.

Rating: C. That’s all it needed to be as Femi gets to smash one of the Family before his rematch with Tony D’Angelo. It’s as logical of a result as you can have and the title match is already looking like it could go either way. He looks like one heck of a monster, though the stipulation gives him enough of an out to lose without being downgraded. That’s smart booking, or he just gets the title back.

Post match Femi lays out the Family, with Tony D’Angelo running down for the save but getting zip tied to the post. With D’Angelo stuck, Femi slams Crusifino onto a ladder.

The woman in red, named Zaria, will be at Halloween Havoc.

Andre Chase talks about how Chase U is about giving people a chance, just like they gave to Ridge Holland. Then Holland turned on them because there are some people who can’t be saved. At Halloween Havoc, they’re having an ambulance match. Makes sense.

Here are Ethan Page and Trick Williams for a face to face chat. Williams is willing to wait for Halloween Havoc to fight, but he thinks Page is desperate. Page talks about how he’s been at this for seventeen years and didn’t have the resources Williams had at his disposal. Williams says he gets it, which is all the proof Page needs to know Williams doesn’t get it. Has Williams ever tasted his own blood and sweat?

Williams is ready to make Page tastes his blood again on Sunday, which Page sees as fake confidence. The match is the Devil’s Playground, which benefits page, because Williams isn’t ready to go through that. Page is ready to take this further than anyone else Williams has faced, but Williams says Page has never pinned him. Page is desperate, but Williams is looking forward to it. This was as good as it could have gotten, but this story still isn’t interesting.

Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade are ready for Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. Fatal Influence comes in to say they’re ready, with Kelani Jordan coming in to say she’s not so sure. The wheel will be spun tonight.

Sol Ruca vs. Karmen Petrovic

Ruca takes her down to start but Petrovic is back up with some strikes. That’s fine with Ruca, who drops her again and gets in some surfing on the back. A superkick gives Petrovic two but Ruca hits a Codebreaker as we see Ashante Thee Adonis in the crowd with some woman. Petrovic catches her on top with an Iconoclasm but Adonis and said woman distracts Petrovic. The Sol Snatcher gives Ruca the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. Another short match in a series of them tonight as the Adonis story actually goes somewhere for a change. Having Petrovic fall for him a bit without realizing what he really is could be a nice path to follow, though I’m not sure where it could lead. Any excuse to see the Sol Snatcher is a plus though and that was certainly true here.

Nikkita Lyons gives Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont a pep talk. Oba Femi comes in to give Ruca her jacket, saying she dropped it. Oh dear.

OTM vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Jaida Parker and Cole Custer are here too and the fight starts on the floor with Walker and Ledger taking over. Meet In The Middle gets two on Nima but it’s off to Price to plant Ledger. That’s broken up and the rolling tag brings in Walker to clean house in short order. A swinging Boss Man Slam gets two on Price as Lola Vice comes out to deck Parker. Custer’s distraction sets up the Collision Course to finish Price a 3:09.

Rating: C. There’s your guest star match of the night and Custer added as much as most guest stars over the years. OTM is still around but hasn’t done anything in a good while, with this match not helping things. At least Vice and Parker got to do something, which should move us closer to their big showdown.

Post match, dancing ensues.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier argue but get a Tag Team Title match with Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander. The champs leave but Lexis King comes in to say he needs a corner man for the Heritage Cup shot. Ava seems to have an idea.

Ridge Holland is ready to hurt Andre Chase.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Tony D’Angelo is ready to hurt Oba Femi.

Giulia/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence

Giulia knocks Henley into the corner to start and takes her down without much effort. Vaquer comes in to drive Henley’s face into the mat but it’s off to Jayne to take over in the corner. Back up and a dropkick gets Vaquer out of trouble and it’s off to Giulia as everything breaks down. Jazmyn Nyx gets in a cheap shot on the floor and the villains take over as we take a break.

Back with Giulia hitting a basement dropkick to get out of trouble and the big tag bringing in Vaquer to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jayne has to make a save, leaving Giulia and Henley to slug it out. Jayne hits a spinebuster with Vaquer making a save of her own so Nyx gets involved. Cue Kelani Jordan fr the save so Giulia can knee Jayne into a package backbreaker for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C+. Fatal Influence was little more than cannon fodder for the new monster dream team here and that’s perfectly fine. Giulia and Vaquer are designed to be some great team and I could go for the two of them on some path of destruction for the time being. Perez and Jade are bigger challengers, but I wouldn’t be getting my hopes up about them for Sunday.

Post match, Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade show up for the staredown. Fatal Influence spins the wheel for their match with Jordan and it’s…Spinner’s Choice. Never mind though as Zaria shows up for the debut to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. NXT is getting more and more divided, as the men’s stuff is becoming downright uninteresting while the women’s division is rather entertaining. The latter is keeping the show afloat and thankfully NXT seems to understand what they have there. At the same time, Halloween Havoc is looking more like the big finale to the summer feuds, which were only so good in the first place. Not much of a show here, with the limited positives coming from the women’s side of things.

Results
Meta Four b. Damage CTRL via DQ when Piper Niven interfered
Jaida Parker b. Tatum Paxley – Hip attack
Oba Femi b. Luca Crusifino – Toss powerbomb
Sol Ruca b. Karmen Petrovic – Sol Snatcher
Hank Walker/Tank Ledger b. OTM – Collision Course to Price
Giulia/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Package backbreaker to Jayne

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 13, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re getting closer to the move to the CW, which isn’t likely to have much of an impact on this show. That’s what commentary will be talking about though, as it is certainly the biggest thing to take place in NXT in a good while. Hopefully we get some better action to go with the excitement so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shiloh Hill/Cutler James vs. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon

Dixon gets elbowed in the face to start and James starts cranking on his ankle. Connors comes in but Dixon gets a blind tag for a cheap shot on Hill and the villains take over. A slingshot hilo gives Dixon two and Hill’s backsplash gets the same. Dixon grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back before switching to the regular chinlock. Hill fights up and a double clothesline gives us a double breather, followed by the tag off to James. A wheelbarrow faceplant gets two on Connors with Dixon making the save. Back up and James hits a spinebuster to finish Connors at 5:15.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine tag match but the best part was not knowing who was winning. Both teams are pretty much thrown together but that gave it a bit of mystery, as neither was the obvious pick. You don’t get that very often and it made what should have been a run of the mill match a bit better.

Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are ready for Grey’s match with Tyra Mae Steele’.

Kendal Grey vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Steele wrestles her down to start (as you would expect) and Grey can’t sit out. Instead Grey rolls her into a quickly broken cross armbreaker as Steele muscles her up for something like a powerbomb. A snap suplex gives Steele two and she grabs something like an STF. Grey suplexes her way to freedom but walks into something like a Pounce for two. Steele grabs a dragon sleeper but Grey flips out of it and hooks a small package for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Steele continue to feel like a star in the making and more of a matter of time rather than anything else. Getting her some kind of experience is only going to help her and I could go for seeing her do even more. On the other hand you have Grey, who is still desperately in need of something to set her apart.

Niko Vance, speaking very quietly, is ready to prove himself against Luca Crusifino.

Niko Vance vs. Luca Crusifino

Vance is a former football player and rather large. Crusifino can’t power out of a headlock to start and Vance grinds away for a bit. An armbar slows Vance down until he fights up and fires off some knees to the ribs. The neck crank keeps Crusifino in trouble as we hear about Vance’s football resume. A jawbreaker gives Crusifino a breather though and a running clothesline takes Vance down. Crusifino makes the clothesline comeback and finishes with the Codebreaker at 5:48.

Rating: C. This was much more about giving Vance his first exposure on television and it worked well enough. Vance is the latest in the line of athletes from other sports who look good but need polish in the ring. That’s something that can come with time, but for now, he looked passable enough for his first time in front of a camera.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit more of what LVL Up felt like it was supposed to be. The biggest thing here was that it seemed to be more about presenting younger, up and coming stars and that is a good thing to do. The opener had four relatively new names, while Steele and Vance are still pretty much unknowns around here. I can go for that kind of show and it worked well enough this week.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 5, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

Things picked up a bit last week but this week is the last show before Heatwave. As usual, that isn’t going to make any kind of a difference around here, but commentary will certainly act like it matters. I’m not sure what we are going to see around here but last week’s show was a bit of a step up from the usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Josh Briggs vs. Shiloh Hill

An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere so Briggs hits him in the face to take over. A side slam sets up the chinlock but Hill is right back with a belly to back suplex. Hill’s backbreaker gets two and he cranks on a reverse chinlock. Back up and a kick to the side of the head gets two on Briggs and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Briggs isn’t having that and fights up for a big boot. Hill misses a charge and the lariat finishes for Briggs at 4:23.

Rating: C. Hill seems like he might be the next project around here and that makes things more interesting. This show is more or less about setting people up to get to NXT and I could go for Hill being someone who turns into something. Other than that, Briggs has fallen quite a long way, as he was in a heck of a match at Stand & Deliver and now….not so much.

Tyra Mae Steele, Olympic gold medal winning wrestler (under her real name of Tamyra Mensah-Stock), is REALLY excited to be here. She even hurts herself slapping her chest.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Wren Sinclair

You have the debut of an Olympic gold medal winner and it’s in the middle slot??? As she was earlier, Steele is VERY energetic and the fans are already into her. For some reason Sinclair tries to go on the mat and is promptly rolled up for two. A hammerlock works a bit better for Sinclair but Steele reverses into a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar but Steele uses the good arm to hit a clothesline. Snake Eyes into a Pounce hits Sinclair, who is right back with a rollup for the pin (her first in the company) at 4:36.

Rating: C. The match was nothing of note of course but there is only so much that can be expected from someone in her fourth career match. That being said, Steele was an absolute ball of charisma and immediately got my attention. If she can get the in-ring side down, she’s going to be a star in a hurry.

Respect is shown post match.

Luca Crusifino vs. Uriah Connors

The rest of the D’Angelo Family is here with Crusifino. They fight over a lockup to start until Connors runs him over with a shoulder. A headlock has Connors down for a change and Crusifino grabs a hiptoss into a neckbreaker. Back up and Connors chops the heck out of him in the corner but Crusifino does the same right back, albeit minus the corner. Connors pulls him into a quickly broken chinlock but Crusifino fights up with a running shoulder. Crusifino is put on the apron though and then kicked out to the floor, where he unloads on Connors with kicks to the ribs. Back in and Case Closed finishes for Crusifino at 5:23.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, but they were in a weird spot after the previous match. Crusifino is fine enough in the ring but he might be better as a character than anything else. That being said, it doesn’t matter if he’s an evil lawyer if he doesn’t actually do any lawyering. Pretty generic match here and neither exactly stood out.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about Steele, who felt like she could be something in the future but is also just a big deal because she has the athletic background to feel like a star. Other than that, it seems like WWE is trying something with Hill and I’ve seen worse ideas. Not much of a show here though, as the lack of bigger names hurt it a good bit.

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NXT
Date: June 18, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for another night all about the guest as we have a battle royal to crown the next #1 contender to Trick Williams and the NXT Title. The catch is that there will be wrestlers from other locker rooms, which likely means people from either the main roster or elsewhere. That opens up some possibilities so let’s get to it.

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

Battle Royal

Shawn Spears, Je’Von Evans, Tank Ledger, Angel, Berto, Joe Coffey, Tyler Bate, Frankie Kazarian, Ridge Holland, Dragon Lee, Lexis King, Tony D’Angelo, Damon Kemp, Myles Borne, Apollo Crews, Eddy Thorpe, Edris Enofe, Malik Blade, Charlie Dempsey, Tavion Heights, Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, Nathan Frazer, Oro Mensah, Dante Chen

For the next shot at Trick Williams and the NXT Title. I think that’s everyone and we have two TNA entrants, with Frankie Kazarian and my goodness Joe Hendry, who gets a heck of a reaction. He gives his usual speech about being 252 pounds of pure motivation and just let him sign with NXT already as they would be crazy to not take him the second they could.

The bell rings and we get a Page vs. Hendry showdown but Mensah (I think he’s in at least) tackles Page and they fall through the ropes for a brawl to the back. Everyone else brawls and Hendry is out in about twenty seconds. The fans are not happy and Enofe is tossed soon after him. Thorpe misses a big boot and gets tossed out by Spears. Kemp gets rid of Blade but eliminates Dempsey at the same time, seemingly by mistake. Kazarian takes advantage of the arguing and tosses Kemp and Borne at the same time.

Crews is out and we take a break. Back with Heights and Chen fighting on the apron until Holland gets rid of both of them. King saves Berto and Angel before tossing the former on his own. Angel throws out King but gets tossed as well, leaving Bate to hit a heck of an airplane spin to Ledger. That’s enough to get rid of Ledger, followed by Frazer kicking D’Angelo out. Frazer and Lee fight on the apron with Lee kneeing him out. Bate and Lee knock Holland out as we’re down to Evans, Kazarian, Bate, Spears and Lee (Page went through the ropes but hasn’t been seen since and I’m still not sure if Mensah was ever in).

Spears knocks Bate out and tries to toss Kazarian, who manages to get back in. Evans throws Kazarian out instead and we’re down to Evans vs. Lee, with Spears on the floor but not out. They trade snap German suplexes but Spears breaks up a springboard to get rid of Lee. Evans slips out of a C4 attempt and clotheslines Spears to the apron but Spears is back in. A kick to the face lets Evans get rid of Spears for the win at 16:32.

Rating: B-. This went a bit long and I’m somewhat confused about Hendry being out so early, but the important thing is getting a fresh star into the main event scene. NXT is clearly very high on Evans and that could make for some interesting twists going forward. I can’t imagine him winning the title, but just getting a shot so soon on this big of a stage is impressive.

Fallon Henley doesn’t think much of Carlee Bright, who calls her out for losing at Battleground. Henley yells at most of the locker room.

Roxanne Perez accuses Lola Vice of coming for her title but Vice says she isn’t…yet. They’re in a tag match tonight.

Chase U consoles Ridge Holland over his loss and give him his official shirt. The OC come in to mock Holland and a tag match is made, with Thea Hail having to be held back.

Meta Four vs. Jacy Jayne/Jazmyn Nyx vs. Lola Vice/Roxanne Perez

Perez, Jackson and Jayne start things off and they trade rollups for two each. Legend comes in and picks up Perez and Jayne for some stereo throttling. Nyx comes in to kick Legend and everything breaks down, with Perez diving onto Jackson as we take a break. Back with Perez cleaning house with a DDT/Russian legsweep combination. Vice comes in and kicks away at Jackson, setting up the running hip attacks. Legend isn’t having that and suplexes Vice and Jayne at the same time. Back up and Vice backfists Jackson, only to have Perez tag herself in and grab Pop Rox for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a different way to go and Vice has been pretty clear as the next big challenger for a long time now. We certainly seem to be on the way there and that ending should get them along the right path. Other than that, Legend continues to feel like a star, and if she can get more polished, she could be ready to break through to the next level rather quickly.

Post match Perez drops Vice.

Ava congratulates Je’Von Evans on his win but Ethan Page comes in to complain about never being eliminated. A match is made for later tonight.

Sol Ruca gives Kelani Jordan a pep talk.

Women’s North American Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Michin

Michin is challenging and they show respect to start. Jordan grabs a rollup to start as the OC comes out to watch. Michin misses a charge and falls out to the floor, allowing Jordan to hit a dive as we take a break. Back with Michin Pouncing Jordan down for two and grabbing the bearhug. Jordan gets in a crossbody and they’re both down for a breather.

Michin’s German suplex gets two but Jordan gets in another shot. Michin catches her on top but gets caught with a poisonrana for two. The split legged moonsault misses and Michin hits Sittin Pretty for two…as OTM comes out for a distraction. Cue Jaida Parker to shove Michin off the top and Jordan hits the split legged moonsault for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C. This match showed exactly why winning a title, especially an inaugural title, in a ladder match is a bad move. I spent the whole match trying to care about the title or the wrestlers involved and I never got there because Jordan doesn’t feel like she really won anything. Yeah she won the ladder match, but she didn’t pin anyone to win the title. Why should I be invested in her when she hasn’t shown that she is the best when it comes to what the title is about?

Ethan Page says he’s still in the battle royal and he wants the NXT Title, but he’s also going to take out Oro Mensah.

Video on Izzi Dame, who is a former professional volleyball player and better than you.

Axiom isn’t happy with Nathan Frazer being in the battle royal because he thinks Frazer wants gold for himself. Luca Crusifino comes in with a contract for a Heritage Cup shot….and Frazer snatches it from him and instantly signs. Luca: “That’s not a bad signature.” Axiom: “Unbelievable.”

We look at Tatum Paxley showing up at TNA Against All Odds and losing to Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace.

Here is Oba Femi to brag about retaining the North American Title. He beat up Joe Coffey and Wes Lee at Battleground because there is no one like him. Cue Lee to interrupt, saying Femi never pinned him. Lee wants his title back (as the fans are distracted by what might be a fight in the stands) and tells a leaving Femi to not turn his back on him. Femi gives him the title shot, but it’s his first and last chance.

Hank Walker tells Tank Ledger that he is back from his shoulder injury. Next up: the New Catch Republic.

Tavion Heights is in the back with the No Quarter Catch Crew, with Charlie Dempsey offering him a spot. If Heights wins next week, he’s on the team.

Gallus is mad about Wes Lee getting another title shot when Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont jump them.

Fallon Henley vs. Carlee Bright

Kendal Grey is here with Bright. Henley grabs a headlock to start as commentary argues about Curt Hennig. Bright fights up and snaps off a headscissors but Henley powers her into the corner. Henley puts on an armbar but Bright is back up with a sleeper. That’s broken up as Wendy Choo comes to ringside and chokes Grey out. Bright hits a dropkick but gets faceplanted down, setting up the Shining Wizard to give Henley the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C. Henley’s heel turn has been ok and she looks like a star, but there is very little about her that makes her stand out in the ring. She’s more or less just an evil cowgirl at this point and that isn’t much to go on. Maybe she can adjust that a bit as there is something to her, but it’s not clicking so far.

Eddy Thorpe had a good run in the battle royal but wants to keep going. Maybe for a title.

Trick Williams congratulates Je’Von Evans and tells him to end Ethan Page tonight.

Chase U vs. OC

Thea Hail, Ridge Holland and Michin are here too. Chase hiptosses Anderson down to start and there’s a hiptoss to do it again. Hudson comes in to stay on the arm and an elbow drop gives Chase two. It’s off to Gallows for a boot to the face and some rather hard slams. We hit the chinlock but Chase fights up and rolls over for the tag off to Hudson. House is quickly cleaned, including a super hurricanrana to Anderson. Everything breaks down and Hudson rolls Anderson up, with an assist from Holland, for the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. I will absolutely take the OC losing again as I do not get why I’m supposed to be interested in anything they do. Chase U needs a few wins to get back on their feet and even if it takes some cheating, this was a step in the right direction. Other than that, not much of a match, but I like the result.

Kelani Jordan is interrupted by Arianna Grace, who accepts an offer for a North American Title shot. There wasn’t an actual offer, as Jordan was thinking Sol Ruca. Ava makes Grace vs. Ruca for next week.

Andre Chase accuses Duke Hudson of cheating but he and Ridge Holland don’t know anything.

Fallon Henley, Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne aren’t happy with how things are going around here.

Here’s what’s coming on next week’s show.

Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page

Trick Williams is on commentary. Evans, with his ribs taped up, slugs away in the corner but Page goes after the ribs in a logical move. Some shoulders to the ribs and a reverse fisherman’s suplex give Page two before he stays on the ribs. Evans is dropped ribs first onto the top rope but manages a superkick to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Page cranking on the ribs again and grabbing a powerslam for two. The half grab goes on, with Evans bailing over to the rope. Evans fights up and bounces off the ropes for a kick to the face, setting up a clothesline for two. Page sidesteps the springboard cutter but gets caught with a spinning DDT. Back up and Page drops him hard onto the corner, setting up the Ego’s Edge for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. They stuck to the point here, but it continued to show that Page is only so good in the first place. There is only so much that he does to stand out in the slightest in the ring and until that changes, I’m not sure how much higher he is going to go. Evans losing after having a much longer match earlier is a good way to start, but this felt like a way to set up a multi-man title match at Heatwave.

Page comes out to stare at Williams as Shawn Spears runs in to beat on Evans. Williams comes in but gets beaten down as well, with Evans making the save to leave everyone down to end the show (with the title in the middle of the ring to really hammer the idea home).

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their strongest show but it felt like they were trying something with a few new stories. A four way title match at Heatwave could be a better way to go and Perez vs. Vice seems all but guaranteed. It’s hard to imagine we’ve seen the last of Joe Hendry either, which could be interesting for another one off. Not the best show here, but points for trying to do something new in a few areas.

Results
Je’Von Evans won a battle royal last eliminating Shawn Spears
Lola Vice/Roxanne Perez b. Meta Four and Jacy Jayne/Jazmyn Nyx – Pop Rox to Jackson
Kelani Jordan b. Michin – Split legged moonsault
Fallon Henley b. Carlee Bright – Shining Wizard
Chase U b. OC – Assisted rollup to Anderson
Ethan Page b. Je’Von Evans – Ego’s Edge

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NXT
Date: February 27, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

The road to Stand & deliver continues as we have just over a month away from the biggest show of the year. We are also on the way to Roadblock and NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov wants Carmelo Hayes on the way there. At the same time, Trick Williams is probably on his way back so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov to call out Carmelo Hayes. Cue Hayes, complete with security, to say he isn’t getting in the ring with Dragunov without a contract for a title match. Dragunov can have until the end of the night.

Gigi Dolin asks Ava to talk about her future but runs into Jaida Parker, who wants her own version. Ava makes a match between them for later tonight.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James

Izzi Dame is here with James. Jordan wastes no time in taking her out to the floor to start but Dame offers a distraction. That’s fine with Jordan, who moonsaults onto both of them at once. We take a break and come back with both of them hitting crossbodies to leave them both down. Jordan makes the clothesline comeback and hits an elbow to the face for two. A Downward Spiral gives Jordan two but Dame gets in a cheap shot. The Dealbreaker finishes for 8:12.

Rating: C. James and Jordan continue to do nothing for me as a team and that was certainly the case again here. They’re just generic heels who don’t have much else going on and win random matches. Jordan is someone who feels like she could become something down the line and she is already off to a nice start.

Roxanne Perez is mad at not getting the Women’s Title shot last week. Jakara Jackson comes in to mock her and the brawl is on.

OC vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

Blade gets knocked into the corner to start but comes back with a dropkick to Anderson. Enofe comes in with a headscissors as Booker goes on such a rambling rant that Joseph says he has no idea what Booker is going to say next. Gallows comes in to choke Blade down in the corner and we hit the chinlock. It’s back to Anderson for a chinlock of his own but Blade fights up and hands it back to Enofe to pick up the pace. Blade dives into a spinebuster though and it’s the Magic Killer for the win at 5:24.

Rating: C. I don’t think the OC winning their first match back in NXT over the resident jobbing tam is a surprise and thankfully they didn’t take long in doing so. The OC continues to be a strange team as they have a great resume but they are almost never featured on the main roster. Maybe they can do something here, because it isn’t like they have much further to fall.

Post match Chase U and Axiom/Nathan Frazier pop up to argue over who gets to beat up the OC first. Cue the LWO to dropkick the OC down as Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker look on.

Oba Femi wants competition and runs into Ilja Dragunov. After a quick staredown, Dragunov says he needs to talk to Ava.

Jakara Jackson vs. Roxanne Perez

Lash Legend is here with Jackson and offers an early distraction to cut Perez off. Perez isn’t having that and knocks Jackson down, setting up a springboard moonsault for two. Pop Rox is broken up too so Jackson ties up the legs and pulls on the arm at the same time. That’s broken up and Perez slugs away, setting up the crossface for the tap at 4:11.

Rating: C. They still didn’t have much time to do anything here but it gets Perez back on track after some frustrations last week. Perez is still leaning more in the heel direction but beating a fellow heel in Jackson doesn’t quite continue her on that path. The crossface is a better finisher for her though, as Pop Rox doesn’t feel overly devastating.

Thea Hail is disappointed over her date with Riley Osborne not going well but Jacy Jayne tells her to ignore Fallon Henley. Cue Kiana James and Izzi Dame to congratulate them on the calendar, leaving Hail alone.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker run into the OC and bicker a bit, with a Tag Team Title match seeming likely.

Luca Crusifino vs. Dijak

Luca strikes away to start and they go outside, with Luca knocking him over the announcers’ table. Back in and Dijak slugs away but a chop wakes Luca up. Dijak hits a superkick but Luca strikes him down again and hits some clotheslines. The cyclone boot sets up Feast Your Eyes to finish Luca at 3:28.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen Luca since he showed up on LVL Up and I’ve never seen him show that kind of aggression. Luca’s biggest issue has long since been that he doesn’t really do anything to make him stand out and now he has this kind of a showing. Rather surprising match here and I liked it more than I would have expected.

Post match Joe Gacy, in a torn straitjacket, comes in to brawl with Dijak.

Tony D’Angelo tells Stacks to get him, but not right now.

Noam Dar is warming up for his title defense in the main event but he doesn’t care about the Catch Clause.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for a chat. She wishes Shotzi a speedy recovery and promises Shotzi a title match when she gets back. Valkyria praises Lash Legend for stepping up but now she wants Tatum Paxley out here for a special gift. Paxley says she has proven her loyalty to Valkyria, who says that they’re getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot against the Kabuki Warriors last week.

Cue Ridge Holland of all people to say he has something to say so they can leave if they’re done. Holland talks about how he isn’t a violent man most of the time…..but here is the man with the weird fear vignettes to beat him down. It’s Shawn Spears (called that, rather than Tye Dillinger) to beat Holland down. Points for an actual surprise there as I don’t think he was on many guess lists.

Brooks Jensen challenges Oba Femi and gets an acceptance.

Carmelo Hayes isn’t coming to the ring without a contract for a title match.

Lexis King vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. King’s chops don’t have much effect to start so Wagner strikes away for a change. Wagner’s big boot misses though and King strikes away at the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Back in and Wagner hits a big boot anyway and they go outside again, where Stone gets crushed. They get back inside where King is right back to the leg. A running knee to the back of the head gives King two but Stone offers a distraction. Wagner grabs a rollup for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C+. The ending wasn’t the best as Stone offering a distraction doesn’t exactly make him look like a hero. Wagner is in the middle of a weird cycle as he’s kind of all over the place without getting anywhere. King on the other hand feels like he is mainly an agent of chaos, though he didn’t really show that off here, as he was just kind of a person facing Wagner.

Post match King takes out Stone before leaving.

Video on the Kabuki Warriors.

Jaida Parker mocks Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley but Arianna Grace wants peace. Valkyria points out that fighting is kind of what they do.

Joe Gacy jumps Dijak and a cameraman is taken out.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jaida Parker

They go to the mat to start with Dolin grabbing a rollup for a fast two. Parker is back up to stomp her down in the corner, including a running sit onto the ribs for two of her own. A running Blockbuster gives Parker two and we hit the neck rank. Dolin fights up but here is Arianna Grace for a distraction. That’s enough for Parker to hit a running forearm for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: C. They’re keeping up the trend of mediocre matches here but Parker continues to look like a star. She has a great look and that forearm looked solid, so giving her a win is a nice step forward. At the same time, Dolin’s fall continues as she is little more than a jobber to the stars these days.

Someone has written SEE YOU SOON on a beach and the Roadblock logo appears. Sol Ruca I’d assume?

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. ???

Dar is defending against….Charlie Dempsey, with Jakara Jackson and the rest of the No Quarter Catch Crew here too. Round one begins with a feeling out process and neither being able to get very far. An exchange of arm control doesn’t work either but Dempsey grabs a backslide and flips forward for the pin at 1:48. Damon Kemp gets in a cheap shot to Dar as the round ends. Round two begins and we take an early break. Back with Dempsey hitting a suplex to end the round without much happening.

Round Three begins with neither being able to get very far with a hold, including Dar escaping an ankle lock. Dar wins a battle over the armbars before hitting a discus elbow as the round ends. Round four begins with Dar hitting a series of running shots to the face. The discus elbow sets up the Nova Roller for the tie at 22 seconds of the round and 9:50 overall.

Round five begins with Dar hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the head for an early two. The seconds get into it on the floor though and Dar misses a corner dropkick, allowing Dempsey to grab a dragon suplex for the upset pin and the cup at 52 seconds of the round and 11:10 overall.

Rating: B-. I believe the term “it’s about time” is appropriate here, as Dar has held the Cup for so long that he had to lose the thing sooner or later. Dempsey getting the win is a nice surprise as well as he hasn’t done much so far in NXT. The Crew is kind of perfect to get the Cup as it is more or less their thing personified, and now Dar can move on to anything else for the time being.

Shawn Spears is back to mess things up.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, flanked by security, to sign the contract with Ilja Dragunov. Hayes apologizes for the security but he can’t have Dragunov getting hurt, which has Dragunov smirking. Cue Tony D’Angelo to say he’s tired of hearing Hayes wants a title shot. He respects Dragunov and is ready to earn a title match.

Dragunov is intrigued and D’Angelo proposes a #1 contenders match against Hayes next week, with Ava agreeing. Hayes gets up and the fight is on, with D’Angelo accidentally knocking Dragunov down. D’Angelo is put through the table to end the show. Again points for a surprise here, and that’s before Trick Williams is involved too.

Overall Rating: C+. This was about a few major moments, with the title change, Spears returning and D’Angelo being thrown into the title picture. I’m curious to see where some of those things go and that is a good sign. At the same time, the wrestling was not the best here as there was no match that stood out, though there is a good chance those come next week.

Results
Kiana James b. Kelani Jordan – Dealbreaker
OC b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Magic Killer to Blade
Roxanne Perez b. Jakara Jackson – Crossface
Dijak b. Luca Crusifino – Feast Your Eyes
Von Wagner b. Lexis King – Rollup
Jaida Parker b. Gigi Dolin – Running forearm
Charlie Dempsey b. Noam Dar 2-1

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: February 20, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Vic Joseph

We’re taped this week and there is a guest star in the main event, with Smackdown’s Shotzi challenging Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Title. Other than that, we have new Tag Team Champions in Baron Corbin and Smackdown’s Bron Breakker and they are going to need some challengers. Let’s get to it.

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

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Lexis King

Femi is defending and we’re starting fast with both of them in the ring without entrances. King avoids a charge in the corner and hits an elbow to the face, followed by some kicks to the chest. That just earns him a choke shove to the floor, where Femi misses a charge into the post. Back in and King cranks away on the arm as we see Mr. Stone leaving Von Wagner because he wants to watch in person. King stays on the arm until Stone comes to ringside, earning himself a hard shove. The distraction lets Femi get in a heck of a backdrop, setting up the pop up powerbomb to retain at 3:59.

Rating: C. They kept this short and to the point, which is what you should be doing with someone as inexperienced as Femi. He has pretty much no experience at this point so letting him do his basics and stay down while King works on his arm is a good move. The ending keeps King vs. Wagner/Stone going while giving Femi another win, which isn’t bad for a match that didn’t even last four minutes.

Thea Hail hasn’t heard from Riley Osborne since their Valentine’s Day date but Arianna Grace comes in to mock her for not letting Osborne do everything for her. Jacy Jayne doesn’t want to hear this and tells Grace to stay out of this.

Lyra Valkyria checks on Tatum Paxley, who offers to thank her for last week. She’ll even attack Shotzi with a baseball bat! Valkyria wants her to just stay here instead, with Paxley saying she can do that.

Here are Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker for their big celebration. Breakker can’t believe how far they’ve come since No Mercy, with Corbin bringing up beating Breakker back then. They seem to like the team name of Spear Of Days but here is Chase U (complete with Andre Chase having gotten a haircut) to interrupt. They want the titles back because this is a TEACHABLE MOMENT.

Chase U were promised a title shot from the previous champs but here are Nathan Frazer and Axiom to interrupt. Frazer says the previous agreement is gone but Duke Hudson doesn’t want to hear it. Corbin and Breakker tell the two teams to figure this out, which brings out Ava to make the #1 contenders match for later tonight. They kept this short and that is the right way to go.

Roxanne Perez is ready to beat up Wren Sinclair, who shouldn’t just be happy to be here. Perez continues to lean towards the evil side.

We get another weird vignette talking about how the person will be a mirror to truth.

Roxanne Perez vs. Wren Sinclair

Perez takes her up against the ropes to start and they fall out to the floor with Perez hammering away. Back in and Sinclair grabs a spinning belly to back suplex for two, only to get knocked outside again. Perez starts in on the arm and wrenches away back inside. The chinlock goes on until Sinclair rolls her way out and makes the clothesline comeback. Another arm crank cuts her off though and Pop Rox sets up a crossface to make Sinclair tap at 4:19.

Rating: C. Sinclair has been dropped into NXT and is already fitting in rather well. She is doing well enough in the ring and already seems to be involved in some stories. That is better than most newcomers do this quickly so she is off to a nice start. On the other hand you have Perez leaning towards being a heel and that is already doing well, which is kind of surprising given her smaller stature.

Meta Four is ready for tonight when the No Quarter Catch Crew interrupts. Noam Dar is willing to give them a title shot but wants to know who it is. That isn’t happening though because the Catch Clause says the challenger is announced in the ring next week.

Josh Briggs vs. Brooks Jensen

They trade shoulders to start until Briggs sends him into the corner to take over. Jensen is right back with clotheslines and chops in the corner but Briggs sends him outside. That’s fine with Jensen, who slugs away and takes it back inside for a running faceplant. They go back to the floor with Jensen sending him into the barricade and stomping away with quite the aggression.

We take a break and come back with Briggs hammering him down in the corner Briggs says he’s doing this for Jensen, who hits him in the face for a breather. Jensen scores with a superkick and a missile dropkick gets two. Back up and Briggs kicks him in the face, setting up a chokeslam for two of his own. They slug it out from their knees until Jensen hits a spinning heel kick to the face. Briggs has had it with this and hits a pair of hard running clotheslines for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match that worked well because of the story behind it. They were having a hard hitting match, but the important factor is there is a reason to care about them fighting. You don’t get that very often and it made things that much more interesting. Nice fight here and Briggs gets a hard fought win.

Post match Briggs says he did this for Jensen and he loves him.

Dijak comes to see Joe Gacy, who is in a straitjacket. Gacy says Dijak can’t stop him so Dijak offers some threats. Luca Crusifino comes in to say this is illegal but Dijak doesn’t care.

Carmelo Hayes goes to the barber shop and talks about how this is where it all started with Trick Williams. He didn’t get too big for his own boots and he wanted Williams to experience everything he could. But then Williams tried to become the #1 guy in NXT. Williams could have been #3, #5 or even #2 behind Hayes but then he went too far. Hayes knew it was coming so he attacked him first. So wherever Williams is, he should stay there, because he has nothing to talk about when it comes to the NXT Title. This heel turn continues to be as logical of a story as there is in wrestling right now.

Arianna Grace vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne has Jazmyn Nyx and Thea Hail with her. They fight over arm control to start until Grace runs her over with a shoulder. Grace gets knocked to the floor for her efforts and Jayne hits a hard clothesline back inside. A backsplash gives Jayne two but Grace is back with a slam and elbow for two. The armbar goes on but Jayne is right back up to send Grace outside again. Nyx gets in a cheap shot and Jayne hits the big forearm for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. This was about getting Nyx involved as Jayne is still evil compared to Hail, who is still rather wholesome. That could lead to an interesting predicament for Hail, which very well could lead to her going back to the full Chase U style. Grace continues to be a pest, but at least she isn’t winning a bunch of matches.

Tony D’Angelo says the Family is going in a new direction and it’s time for him to really be the Don. That means the Tag Team Titles aren’t the focus right now.

We get a sitdown interview with Ridge Holland, who isn’t done with Gallus. Next week, he’ll be apologizing for what he did with a chair last week. Holland walks off.

Chase U vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

For the #1 contendership and the women of Chase U run into the men on the way in. Jacy Jayne doesn’t seem happy with Andre Chase and Riley Osborne gives Thea Hail a bit of a weird look. Chase and Axiom fight over arm control to start before grappling down to the mat. Stereo dropkick attempts give us a stalemate so it’s off to Hudson to work on Frazer’s arm. A hard shoulder drops Frazer again and it’s back to Axiom vs. Chase. Everything breaks down and Chase U is sent outside for the big dives as we take a break.

Back with Chase still in trouble until he catches Frazer with a Side Effect. Hudson comes in to clean house but his Razor’s Edge is broken up. Frazer hits a missile dropkick and Axiom’s top rope Spanish Fly gets two. Hudson is back up to clean house and Chase comes back in to get a rollup pin on Frazer at 11:27.

Rating: B-. I could go for Chase U being treated as something more serious and hopefully we are getting away from the rather insane gambling ordeal. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting the Tag Team Titles back but getting a clean win is a nice way to start. Axiom and Frazer are still capable of working well with just about anyone and that is a great thing to have.

Post match the OC of all people come in to wreck both teams. Well it’s better than yelling at AJ Styles about the old days. I think.

Ilja Dragunov is willing to give Carmelo Hayes an NXT Title shot at Roadblock, as long as Hayes will meet him face to face next week. Dragunov is coming for Hayes’ soul.

Thea Hail and Fallon Henley talk about how bad everything is going for them lately. Hail’s Valentine’s Day was awful and Henley talks about how bad hers was last year. They’re off for a chat.

Lash Legend vs. Kelani Jordan

Jakara Jackson is here too. Legend powers her up to start but gets cradled for a fast two. A kick to the chest knocks Jordan out of the air and a backbreaker makes things even worse. Something like a torture rack over the back has Jordan in more trouble but she gets the knees up to block a splash. Jordan flips out of a powerbomb attempt and there’s a dropkick to put Legend into the corner. Jackson offers a distraction though and Legend gets in a chokeslam for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. Legend has come a long, long way in recent months and a lot of that is due to the change in gear. She didn’t exactly have the best reputation for a long time so in addition to changing her style, she has a new look, which shakes away a lot of the bad memories. It’s one of those minor changes that makes a big difference, and Legend has gotten a lot better.

Post match Kiana James and Izzi Dame come out for the beatdown but Jordan escapes.

The OC are here to show that they’re different than anyone else. They’ll take the NXT Tag Team Titles too.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Shotzi

Shotzi is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. Valkyria fights out of a front facelock to start and takes Shotzi down with a headlock. An exchange of rollups gets two each before Shotzi drops her with a shoulder. A rope walk wristdrag has Valkyria in more trouble and Shotzi DDTs her onto the apron. We comes back and….the match has been stopped as Shotzi has blown out her knee. Cue Ava to announce that we have an open challenger for a title shot against Valkyria. I won’t rate the match we got as it was barely long enough to rate and then ended with the injury but it was going well enough.

NXT Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Lash Legend

Valykria is defending and gets dropped with an early right hand. Legend’s chinlock doesn’t last long so she grabs a swinging backbreaker for two instead. A whip into the corner gives Valkyria two and we hit an over the shoulder backbreaker. Valkyria fights out as we see Roxanne Perez being furious over not getting the title shot. Legend’s chokeslam gets two and Valkyria’s high crossbody connects for the same. A pump kick gives Legend two more but Valkyria knocks her off the top and hits a splash to retain at 5:49.

Rating: C+. This is on a very lightened up scale as the match was barely anything but Legend was literally sent out there with no notice to have an impromptu title match. it might not have been great, but they did what they could under the circumstances. Good enough match here and nice touch by having Perez be made about not getting out there, but was she just not paying attention to a match for the title she wants more than anything?

Overall Rating: B-. This was absolutely feeling like a taped show to get us to the big shows down the line, but what matters is NXT continues to treat these things like they matter. Even if these were the lower level stories, they were treated as important and that is a very hard trick most of the time. It wasn’t the biggest NXT show, but it moved things forward and set some things up for later with completely good enough action. The big stuff can come later, but for now they’re doing well with the small stuff and that’s important as well.

Results
Oba Femi b. Lexis King – Pop up powerbomb
Roxanne Perez b. Wren Sinclair – Crossface
Josh Briggs b. Brooks Jensen – Clothesline
Jacy Jayne b. Arianna Grace – Forearm
Chase U b. Nathan Frazer/Axiom – Rollup to Frazer
Lash Legend b. Kelani Jordan – Chokeslam
Lyra Valkyria vs. Shotzi went to a no contest when Shotzi was injured
Lyra Valkyria b. Lash Legend – Top rope splash

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

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NXT
Date: February 13, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Byron Saxton

Things have gotten more interesting in the main event scene, as not only has Carmelo Hayes attacked Trick Williams and turned into a full on villain, but he has also set his sights on the NXT Title. We should be hearing more about that this week, plus all of the other things going on around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Meta Four is not quite taking Von Wagner/Mr. Stone seriously in tonight’s tag match but here are Stone and Wagner to jump them. Stone’s kids send Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend the wrong way as the guys fight into the arena. And we’re ready to go.

Von Wagner/Mr. Stone vs. Meta Four

Stone knocks Mensah down to start but has to go after Dar, allowing Mensah to get in a kick to the face. Dar’s belly to back suplex gets two and Mensah’s bot to the face gets the same. Stone manages to clear the ring though and it’s Wagner coming in to clean house. A double chokeslam sets up Stone’s splash off of Wagner’s shoulders but Mensah makes the save. Wagner comes back in but Lash Legend (who found the right path) offers a distraction, allowing Mensah to get in a cheap shot so Dar can get the cheating pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. Oh joy as Dar wins again because we haven’t seen that for the better part of ever. Unless they’re building up to a surprise Stone title win, I’m not sure why you have Wagner take the fall here. It was a bit nice to have this be something other than the Heritage Cup rules, but I could go for a long break from Dar.

We look at Carmelo Hayes’ explanation about attacking Trick Williams and then attacking Ilja Dragunov last week.

Chase U gets is stuff back, including Duke Hudson’s MVP trophy. Thea Hail has a date with Riley Osborne and Jacy Jayne doesn’t seem thrilled. Riz from the D’Angelo Family comes in and Jayne pays her off (with a bonus), but mentions Chase U for a possible Tag Team Title shot.

Ridge Holland vs. Gallus

This is a gauntlet match and Wolfgang starts for Gallus. Holland stomps away to start but a distraction lets Wolfgang rip away at Holland’s face. Wolfgang fires off right hands in the corner before they get in a fight over a suplex. Holland’s suplex puts Wolfgang down and we take a break.

Back with Holland having pinned Wolfgang during the break so Mark Coffey is in to take out Holland’s knee. Mark cranks away at the leg but Holland is fine enough to pull him out of the air and hit a swinging Rock Bottom. An overhead belly to belly and spinebuster both plant Mark, setting up Northern Grit. Joe Coffey pulls Holland out at two and that’s a DQ at 10:40…which seems to end the match, even though it should have just ended Mark’s fall.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what they were going for at the end there, but at least Holland got a nice moment and didn’t get pinned. Holland could go in a few different directions but hopefully he isn’t put into another team. He’ll need some friends if he’s going to fight Gallus, though hopefully it’s just a temporary association.

Post match Gallus brings in some chairs but Holland fights back and unloads on Joe. Holland suddenly realizes what he’s doing and backs off.

Lexis King mocks Mr. Stone and Von Wagner, saying Stone’s kids can look up to him. Wagner has to hold Stone back.

The No Quarter Catch Crew checks out the Heritage Cup when Noam Dar comes in to take it back. The Crew wants a shot.

Lola Vice vs. Tatum Paxley

Vice takes her to the mat to start but an early choke is broken up. Paxley starts fast with a rollup for two but Vice is back with a kick to the ribs. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Vice as Paxley rolls her up for two more. Paxley hits an enziguri as Lyra Valkyria is out to watch. Vice kicks her into the ropes for two as Paxley gets a foot on the ropes. That’s fine with Vice, who grabs a headscissors choke for the tap at 3:57.

Rating: C+. Vice is starting to get it together with the MMA style stuff and that is a good way for her to go. At the same time, we could be seeing Vice getting a singles shot against Valkyria after the cash in didn’t go. You also have the Paxley/Valkyria stuff, which could be going in a few directions. Vice seems to be the longer term story though and that should make for a nice future.

Luca Crusifino (the wrestling lawyer) gives Tony D’Angelo a pep talk. Then D’Angelo gives the rest of his family a pep talk.

Lyra Valkyria checks on Tatum Paxley when Shotzi, who got into it with Valkyria over the weekend, comes in to ask for a title shot. It’s on for next week and with Shotzi gone, Paxley pops up and is suddenly fine.

Riz vs. Jaida Parker

Parker swats away a dropkick to start but Riz hammers away in the corner. A missed charge sends Riz shoulder first into the post though and Parker sits on her in the corner. Riz fights up and fires off some uppercuts to the ribs, only to get planted with a spinebuster. Riz says bring it so Parker hits a forearm to the face for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. Riz isn’t exactly a polished star yet but she is already figuring things out with what she is doing. Putting her into the team is a good way to start and now we can see what happens to the team in the future. At the same time, you have Parker, who is looking more and more like a monster every times he’s out there. Give her some more experience and a win or two and she could be on her way.

Dijak isn’t happy with Joe Gacy costing him last week and looks into a bag of goodies.

Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin seem to be ready for their Tag Team Title shot but have to bicker a bit anyway. Corbin will say the team name if they win.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Joe Gacy

The fans say Hayes sold out as Gacy snaps off a backdrop and backbreaker. Hayes pulls him down by the leg but gets flipped away but Hayes is back up with the springboard clothesline. Gacy chops Hayes down and grabs the chinlock, followed by another backbreaker for another two. The frustrated Hayes fights back and hammers away but stops to check under the ring.

Gacy cuts him off with a dive and we take a break. Back with Gacy seemingly enjoying being in a half crab until he fights up and grabs a suplex. The swinging Rock Bottom gives Gacy two and a Samoan Driver is good for the same. Hayes’ suplex cutter gets two but Gacy fights back again. The Upside Down is broken up though and Nothing But Net finishes for Hayes at 12:46.

Rating: B-. Who would have thought that the solution to making the most annoying talker that much easier to watch was to not let him speak? Gacy is far from some kind of a star but he’s far easier to tolerate when he isn’t doing his cult deal. Hayes gets a win to show that he still has it as a villain and I’m sure he’s up for something big in the short term.

Post match Dijak comes in to put Gacy in a straitjacket. Gacy smiles anyway.

Some women are giving Brinley Reece a pep talk but the women of Meta Four come in. Lash Legend and Kelani Jordan get into an argument over respect.

Roxanne Perez rants to the women’s locker room about Lola Vice and Shotzi. Wren Sinclair tries to calm things down and gets hit in the face.

We get another vignette about being evil but no name is given.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He talks about how dominant he is and how he’s ready for anyone. Send anybody, as long as you don’t want them back. Cue Lexis King to say that he’s impressed. Femi is the ruler, but Lexis is the king, so they can do this next week. King strikes away but Femi blocks the Coronation and sends him running.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen get in a fight but Ava says do it in the ring.

Kiana James vs. Brinley Reece

Izzi Dame is here with James. Reece snaps off an armdrag to start but gets shouldered out to the floor. Back in and James snaps off a swinging neckbreaker for two. The quickly broken chinlock sets up Reece’s cutter for two but James hits the 401K. James Bankrupts her for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as Reece is little more than a wacky backstage character and another athletic newcomer. James and Dame aren’t exactly coming off as the next big thing as James gets a somewhat random win over someone beneath her. They didn’t waste a lot of time on it though so it’s hard to get overly annoyed.

Roxanne Perez isn’t happy with Wren Sinclair but Ava says Sinclair has already asked for a match next week.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are worried about what happened to Brinley Reece, who cartwheels in and is rather excited to train harder. The guys aren’t sure what to do.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: D’Angelo Family vs. Bron Breakker/Baron Corbin

Breakker and Corbin are challenging with Breakker powering D’Angelo into the corner to start. They trade shoulders until Stacks comes in, only to get pulled into the wrong corner. Corbin cuts off a springboard with a right hand but it’s right back to D’Angelo for a double suplex. Breakker comes back in to fight back but D’Angelo cuts him off with a sitout powerbomb as we take a break.

Back with Corbin hitting Deep Six for two on Stacks, who manages a middle rope elbow to the jaw. D’Angelo comes back in and spinebusters Breakker out of the air before throwing Stacks onto both villains. A powerbomb/neckbreaker combination gets two on Breakker but it’s back to Corbin for a suplex cutter. Stacks manages a sunset flip and rolls over for the tag to D’Angelo, who is Boss Man Slammed for two. Everything breaks down and they fight to the floor, where Breakker is sent through the announcers’ table. Back in and the End of Days hits Stacks, leaving Breakker to spear him down for the pin and the titles at 12:28.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised by the title change as Breakker doesn’t seem long for NXT, but there can always be something of a gap. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine this is a long term reign, but giving Breakker one more accolade on the way out is only going to make him feel stronger. I’m not sure who is coming for the titles next but Corbin and Breakker holding them beyond Stand & Deliver is hard to fathom.

Overall Rating: C+. Not the strongest wrestling show in the world but the title change is what matters here and now we should be on the way to some bigger stuff in the coming weeks. NXT seems to know that we are on the way towards Stand & Deliver, which should provide some major showdowns. There is still time to set that up and this was a show that seemed to help set the stage in multiple stories. We’ll get some more steps next week and as tends to be the case with NXT, they set some of that up in advance.

Results
Meta Four b. Von Wagner/Mr. Stone – Rollup to Wagner
Ridge Holland b. Gallus via DQ when Joe Coffey interfered
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Headscissors choke
Carmelo Hayes b. Joe Gacy – Nothing But Net
Kiana James b. Brinley Reece – Bankrupt
Baron Corbin/Bron Breakker b. D‘Angelo Family – Spear to Stacks

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Von Wagner vs. Keanu Carver

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riley Osborne vs. Luca Crusifino

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

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

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

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

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NXT
Date: January 9, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back to the normal shows this week after New Year’s Evil, which didn’t see the advertised NXT Title match. NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is still banged up and it makes me wonder if that will be the Vengeance Day main event. Other than that, Oba Femi is the new Breakout star and he has a title match wherever he wants. Finally, it’s time to start the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Let’s get to it.

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

New Year’s Evil recap.

Blair Davenport and Nikkita Lyons got in a fight in the parking lot and it carries into the arena. And here we go.

Blair Davenport vs. Nikkita Lyons

Lyons suplexes her down to start and a spinning kick to the face gives Lyons two. Davenport gets in a ship into the post though and a shot off the apron takes her down again. Back in and Davenport goes after the knee before grabbing a front facelock. That’s reversed into a suplex, followed by another suplex which is almost more of a DDT. A hip attack in the corner gives Lyons two more and they go outside again. This time Lyons kicks the post by mistake, allowing Davenport to get in a chop block. The knee to the face finishes Lyons at 5:25.

Rating: C. The more I see of Lyons, the harder it is to get interested in her. I’m not sure what it is but there is something about her that makes it really difficult to take her seriously. Davenport isn’t a good deal better, but she feels like a more serious heel and someone who could be a star around here. I’m sure Lyons will be too, but it might take a bit of time to make everything work.

Cody Rhodes narrates a video on the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Carmelo Hayes is in the back with Trick Williams, who isn’t happy with Hayes coming to the ring last week. Hayes says Williams got the win last week and he has a surprise: they’re the last team in the Dusty Cup! Williams isn’t sure but the idea of being called Two Time Trick gets him on the same page.

Here are the brackets for the Dusty Cup:

Bron Breakker/Baron Corbin
Gallus

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger
Nathan Frazer/Axiom

Chase U
LWO

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Bron Breakker/Baron Corbin vs. Gallus

Breakker shoulders Mark down to start so Wolfgang comes in, only to be sent into the corner. Corbin comes in and gets dropped with some uppercuts so he and Breakker take a break on the floor. We take a break and come back with Corbin and Mark slugging it out in the corner until Corbin puts him down for two.

Everything breaks down and Deep Six hits Mark, setting up the four way slugout. Wolfgang pulls Mark away from a screaming Corbin, who misses a right hand to the post. Back in and Wolfgang splashes Corbin in the corner but Mark misses one of his own. That’s enough or Breakker to come in and clean house, including suplexing both of them at once. Corbin tags himself back in (Breakker doesn’t like it) and the End of Days finishes Mark at 10:56.

Rating: C+. Corbin and Breakker are your latest tag partners who don’t get along but happen to be successful, which very well may be enough to get them the tournament. At the same time, it would be interesting to see the two of them beating the fire out of each other once the team breaks down. For now though, they got rid of a successful team in Gallus and that could be the start of something big.

We go to Fallon Henley’s ranch, where Tiffany Stratton, in full on pink gear, including her wrestling top and skirt, arrives late. The sights and smells have her terrified, but not quite as much as the clothes Henley has ready for her. Henley goes over her responsibilities and Stratton is already wincing. More on this later.

Here is Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria for a chat. She promises to end the year as champion but needs an opponent for Vengeance Day. We’ll find that out next week, with a 20 woman battle royal (erg) but the final four will have a four way for the title shot (slightly less erg).

Cue Lola Vice, with Elektra Lopez, to threaten to cash in her contract at any time. Valkyria is sick of hearing Vice talk and wants her to fight. Vice says the people love her Latina Heat, but Valkyria says the only heat is coming from Lopez. The brawl is on but Tatum Paxley runs in for the save. Just cash in the stupid contract to get rid of the Money In The Bank nonsense.

Meta Four laugh at Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley splitting up. Briggs comes in to say he deserves a Heritage Cup rematch but gets Oro Mensah tonight instead.

Luca Crusifino presents evidence his foot was under the ropes but Ava doesn’t care. With Crusifino gone, Dragon Lee comes in but Lexis King interrupts, saying that the open challenge is back on so we’ve got a title match. I could really go for no more open challenges either. Just build someone up already.

Oro Mensah vs. Josh Briggs

The rest of Meta Four are here too as Briggs hammers away to start. Briggs plants him down and the chase on the floor doesn’t go well, as Mensah stomps away on the way back in. A clothesline to the back of the head gets two on Briggs but he plants Mensah with a spinebuster. Dar’s distraction doesn’t work as Briggs hits a running clothesline for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here but it should set up Briggs’ rematch for the Heritage Cup. That’s still kind of a weird match but at least it’s something a little different. I guess Mensah is the gatekeeper for Dar, who needs someone to stand in his way before he retains the title again, as he seems destined to do for the rest of time.

Back at the ranch, Tiffany Stratton finishes her first task (which seemed to have a lot of parts) but her feet are killing her in these heels. It’s time to wash a horse (Buttercup) and terror ensues. With that done, Stratton is ready to go, but she has to muck a stall. She even gets a pink rake!

Tag Team Titles: D’Angelo Family vs. OTM

The Family (with Riz) is defending while OTM has Scrypts. Stacks can’t do much with Nima to start so Nima sends him into the corner. That doesn’t work so it’s off to D’Angelo as we get a four way standoff. D’Angelo sends Stacks into Price in the corner for two but OTM takes him to the floor. Stacks gets dropped face first onto the floor for a nasty crash and we take a break.

Back with Nima pounding Stacks down until Stacks manages a quick posting. D’Angelo comes back in to clean house, including a spinebuster for two on Nima. Everything breaks down and Booker sounds like he calls OTM “the young bucks”. An assisted powerslam gives Price two on D’Angelo but Stacks is back in for the save. D’Angelo hiptosses Stacks onto the two of them on the floor and they all slug it out back inside. Riz cuts off an interfering Scrypts and the fisherman’s suplex finishes Price to retain the titles at 11:47.

Rating: B-. I can’t believe I’m saying this but the Family is goofy fun that is kind of working. They’re not supposed to be anything serious but they’ve turned into a pretty nice team. It helps when they’re doing more wrestling than over the top segments, but what they’re doing is working. OTM is still a work in progress, though the potential is certainly there, even with Scrypts being such an annoying human.

NXT Anonymous shows Jacy Jayne rallying the female Chase U students with an idea to save the school. Note newly signed Madi Wrenkowski as one of the students.

Oba Femi isn’t sure when he’ll cash in but Lexis King comes in to say Femi should focus on the NXT Title.

Gallus is mad over their loss but Ridge Holland interrupts. They don’t like each other and we could be on the way to Joe Coffey vs. Holland.

Cora Jade vs. Gigi Dolin

They trade wrist cranking to start but Dolin has to escape an early Jaded attempt. Some shoulders in the corner have Dolin in trouble and a running elbow to the back makes it worse. The chinlock is broken up so Dolin strikes away and hits an STO to drop Jade. The abdominal stretch bomb is blocked with a grab of the rope though and Jaded finishes Dolin at 4:05.

Rating: C. Jade’s roll continues and it wouldn’t shock me to see her getting the title shot out of next week’s battle royal. She’s pretty clearly being pushed as one of the new big heels around here and that isn’t the worst way to go for her. At the very least she has the attitude down, and if she can get the rest of the package going, she has quite the potential.

OTM is made about their loss but run into Jaida Parker, who isn’t surprised at the result. She seems ready to help them deal with Riz, so Scrypts says they should talk.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker

Walker runs Axiom over to start as Booker goes on a rant about Ledger and Walker’s wardrobe. Ledger comes in and gets kicked in the chest as commentary talks about how both teams used to fight each other. A slingshot splash gets two on Axiom but he rolls over for the hot tag to Frazer. Everything breaks down and a toss belly to back suplex gets two on Frazer. Back up and Frazer hits some hard dives but Tank clothesline Axiom down. Not that it matters as Axiom kicks Tank in the face, setting up Frazer’s Phoenix splash for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C+. This was short but had quite a bit of action, which is more than you often get out of a match like this one. Axiom and Frazer continue to work well together despite having some issues backstage, while Ledger and Walker just aren’t very good. I get what they’re going for but they didn’t interest me when they started and they still don’t now.

Back to the farm where Tiffany Stratton is near her breaking point so Fallon Henley and her friends mock her behind her back. She’s finally done and Stratton yells at Henley for being pitiful enough to enjoy this stuff. Then Stratton steps in some droppings and falls into a tub of water. This was all funny stuff and the culture clash was great.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are ready to win next week and are tired of hearing about Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Brinley Reece of all people come in to give them training tips but they show off their abs as proof that they’re covered.

North American Title: Lexis King vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is defending and grabs a headlock takeover to start. That’s broken up so King grabs a wristlock, which is countered into a rollup for two. Back up and they run the ropes until Lee hits a running dropkick. Cue Tre Bearhill to distract King though and Lee kicks him down as we take a break.

We come back with King grabbing a half crab before slapping Lee in the mask in the corner. Lee isn’t having that and gets back up for a slingshot kick to the face. They chop it out and trade strikes to the face until King walk into a superkick, setting up Operation Dragon to retain the title at 8:48.

Rating: C+. They got a bit of time here and it’s still a little weird to see King lose so frequently. That being said, Lee is someone who is being pushed at the moment and racking up one win after another is a good idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to see King getting a chance and doing something more interesting than Brian Pillman’s kid.

Post match here is Oba Femi to cash in his contract.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Oba Femi

Lee is defending and hits a suicide dive to the floor before the bell. Femi grabs a belly to back toss but charges into some boots to the face. A tornado DDT gives Lee two but counters Operation Dragon into a powerbomb for the pin and the title at 1:16. That’s a surprise, but more importantly, one of those stupid contracts is gone.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that helped move things forward to the parts where things could get interesting. In other words, it was the first step towards setting up Vengeance Day, though they are going to get to the bigger stuff in the future. Not exactly a great show here, but the title change in the end was important and the next few weeks should be bigger going forward.

Results
Blair Davenport b. Nikkita Lyons – Knee to the face
Baron Corbin/Bron Breakker b. Gallus – End of Days to Coffey
Josh Briggs b. Oro Mensah – Clothesline
D’Angelo Family b. OTM – Fisherman’s suplex to Price
Cora Jade b. Gigi Dolin – Jaded
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Phoenix splash to Ledger
Dragon Lee b. Lexis King – Operation Dragon
Oba Femi b. Dragon Lee – Powerbomb

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NXT LVL Up
Date: January 5, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re in a new year and that means it is time to start finding out what this show is going to be in the coming weeks. LVL Up has been all over the place and I’m really not sure what that is going to mean going forward. The good thing is that things have been trending up in recent months. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brooks Jensen vs. Luca Crusifino

They go to the mat to start as the fans are oddly split here. Crusifino can’t get very far with the front facelock so Jensen monkey flips him down. A flying headscissors puts Crusifino down again but he’s right back with a neckbreaker to take over. The stomping is on, with a jumping legdrop giving Crusifino two. Another neckbreaker gets another two and we hit the chinlock. Jensen fights up and hits a dropkick into a powerslam for two of his own. A top rope knee finishes Crusifino at 6:25.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much of a match, but they were presenting the idea of Jensen being more of a throwback to a technician ala Brad Armstrong or Bobby Eaton. That’s not the worst idea and certainly not something you see very often, but I’m not sure if Jensen has the technique to back it up. I can certainly go with this over the country boy thing, but at least he has something different.

Dion Lennox is a former football player and wants to chase his dream. He’s rather polite, but things change when the bell rings. He thanks the interviewer for her time and hopes she has a great day. I think I like this guy.

Brinley Reece/Kiyah Saint vs. Izzi Dame/Kiana James

Reece and James start things off with Reece flipping forward for a clothesline. Saint comes in to work on the arm, which has James straight over to the rope. Dame’s choking on the ropes doesn’t do much but a pull of the hair sets up a backbreaker for two. James grabs a front facelock before firing off some shoulders in the corner. Dame puts Reece in a torture rack (not quite Lex Luger’s form) but she slips out and hands it back to Saint so the pace can pick way up. Not that it matters as James grabs the Dealbreaker for the fast pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. James and Dame are fine as a midcard heel team but there is only so much that you can do for a team that will have a grand total of no chance at getting the Women’s Tag Team Titles. This was little more than a way to put them on the show and there is nothing wrong with that. Reece and Saint are just kind of there, so hopefully they got something out of their time in the ring.

Oro Mensah vs. Dion Lennox

Mensah has Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson with him. Mensah sends him into the corner to start and stops to pose like a villain should. Lennox is right back with a takedown into a chinlock, followed by a headlock takeover. Back up and a Stinger Splash into a northern lights suplex sends Mensah flying again and there’s a whip over the top. Mensah scores with a superkick on the way back in and Lennox gets sent flying back a suplex. Lennox gets in a boot to the face and a spinebuster but Mensah hits him in the back. The running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes Lennox at 5:36.

Rating: C. I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea that Lennox’s entire deal is “he’s polite”. It’s almost impressive to go that basic with something but it’s oddly kind of working. Now that being said, he’s still brand new and has a long way tog o, but at least they’re giving him something and a chance to stand out, even in the slightest.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was straight out of the old LVL Up playbook, with little in the way of interest and matches that didn’t really make me want to see more. There were some slightly important names on the show, but it felt more about introducing Lennox and Jensen’s new characters than anything else. That being said, that’s kind of the point of this show, so while it’s doing what it’s supposed to, it’s not that interesting.

Results
Brooks Jensen b. Luca Crusifino – Top rope knee
Izzi Dame/Kiana James b. Brinley Reece/Kiyah Saint – Dealbreaker to Saint
Oro Mensah b. Dion Lennox – Running spinwheel kick in the corner

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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