Smackdown
Date: February 23, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We’re taped from last week as we are nine hours away from Elimination Chamber. The show is pretty much set but there is always the chance of a last minute addition. Other than that, since they were around last week, there is the chance of getting something more from the Rock and Roman Reigns. Let’s get to it.

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

Video on the Women’s Elimination Chamber match.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Liv Morgan

Bianca Belair is at ringside. Morgan starts fast and forearms her out to the floor for a breather. Back in and Stratton takes over and hits a running corner splash. Morgan grabs a crucifix for two and we take a break. We come back with Morgan fighting out of a chinlock and an exchange of running shots to the face. Morgan sends her into the corner for a running knee as Belair is literally bouncing up and down.

Oblivion is countered into a spinebuster to give Stratton two but she misses the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. An Alabama Slam gives Stratton two but the moonsault is broken up again, this time with a powerbomb. Stratton sends her outside and into the announcers’ table, followed by a slap to Belair. That brings Belair to the apron, with Morgan being kicked into her, allowing Stratton to grab a rollup pin at 11:38.

Rating: C+. You can see the talent in Stratton and she is already feeling like she belongs on the main roster. There was little in the way of nervousness or looking like she was trying to figure things out. That is more than a lot of veterans can do and it gives me hope for Stratton’s future. At the same time, Stratton vs. Belair would be a rather interesting feud for both of them and a great sign for the start of Stratton’s future.

Drew McIntyre says if he loses in the Chamber, his WWE career will be as worthless as CM Punk’s Wrestlemania return. Bobby Lashley comes in to remind McIntyre of the time he beat McIntyre at Wrestlemania.

Ashante Thee Adonis and Cedric Alexander discuss possible matching ring gear but still can’t get on the same page.

We look at the Bloodline interfering on Raw to cost Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso matches, the latter of which was for the Intercontinental Title.

The Bloodline is excited over what they did, but Roman Reigns wants to know who sent Jimmy Uso to Raw. That would be Paul Heyman, but Reigns says it was his idea. Heyman interrupts though, saying Grayson Waller is here. Reigns is interested.

We see some wrestlers arriving and spending time in Australia before Elimination Chamber.

Bron Breakker vs. Dante Chen

This is Breakker’s debut as a full time member of Smackdown. Breakker wrestles him down to start and hits a running shoulder. A running clothesline (called a Steiner Line) connects but Chen gets in a neck snap over the top. Breakker slams him out of the air though and hits the spear for the dominant pin at 1:21. Destruction and Breakker looked great.

Judgment Day isn’t worried about Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, especially not after tonight.

Elektra Lopez comes up to the LWO and says the team is dying because of bad choices. Then Legado del Fantasma jump them from behind.

Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne vs. Judgment Day

That would be JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio here. McDonagh shoulders Bate down to start but gets headscissored out to the floor for his efforts. Back in and a monkey flip sends McDonagh flying before Bate dives over Dunne for a middle rope Swanton. McDonagh manages to send Bate into the other corner so Dominik can come in but Bate fights out of trouble rather easily. Dunne comes back in to work on Dominik’s arm and then twist away at the ankle. Bate and Dunne stomp onto the arms at the same time but the villains send them both outside.

We take a break and come back with Dunne stomping on McDonagh’s fingers and kicking him in the head. Dominik breaks up a double suplex and gets pummeled down for his efforts. Bate airplane spins Dominik to the floor and McDonagh gets the same treatment. The rebound lariat/German suplex combination gets two on McDonagh with Dominik making the save. The standing Spanish Fly gives McDonagh two but his moonsault hits raised knees. A double Tyler Driver 97 finishes McDonagh at 13:16.

Rating: B-. This was almost literally a glorified warmup for Bate and Dunne, who feel like they could take the titles from Judgment Day proper tomorrow. The team doesn’t have much of a history so giving them a win over a team with some name power is a good step. That double Tyler Driver 97 is growing on me too so they’re doing something right so far.

Post match Damian Priest and Finn Balor come in for the brawl but are quickly dispatched.

Video on the men’s Elimination Chamber match.

Grayson Waller and Austin Theory are in the back with Logan Paul when Kevin Owens interrupts. Owens wants to punch Theory and Waller in the face again and walks off. Paul Heyman comes in and says Roman Reigns wants to speak to Waller.

Dakota Kai has been hurt again and is limping into the trainer’s room.

AOP vs. Street Profits

The rest of the Final Testament and B-Fab/Bobby Lashley are here too. Ford’s dropkicks don’t do much to Akam to start so Dawkins comes in to help take him down. A belly to back moonsault gets two on Akam and the AOP are sent outside. Dawkins hits the big flip dive and we take a break.

Back with Ford fighting out of Rezar’s chinlock but getting kneed in the chest by Akam. Ford fights up again and avoids a charge to send Rezar into the post. The tag brings in Dawkins to clean house but he misses a charge in the corner and gets booted in the face. The Final Chapter gets two with Ford making a save. A Doomsday Blockbuster hits Akam as the fans are doing Bray Wyatt’s Fireflies for some reason. Ford goes up but everyone gets in a fight on the floor, including Karrion Kross crushing Lashley’s arm with a chair. The suplex/sitout powerbomb finishes Ford at 11:21.

Rating: C+. This feud seems like it has a long way to go, even if it might not have the interest to get it very far. Other than chaos and violence, I’m still not sure what the point of the Final Testament is supposed to be. The AOP are still evil monsters who can do some damage though and putting them over the Profits will make them feel that much bigger.

Bayley comes in to check on Dakota Kai, who says Damage CTRL did this. Bayley swears vengeance and Kai promises to help make them pay.

We look at the Elimination Chamber press event.

Grayson Waller comes in to see the Bloodline, with Roman Reigns wanting to tell him something.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Drew McIntyre checks on the injured Bobby Lashley and offers to pray for him.

LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

Hold on though as here is Logan Paul to join commentary. McIntyre punches his way out of the corner to start but gets sent into another corner so Knight can stomp away. The Glasgow Kiss cuts Knight but he backdrops McIntyre to the floor as Kevin Owens is here for commentary as well. McIntyre fights back and catapults Knight into the bottom of the ring as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre hitting the toss suplex but charging into a boot in the corner. A DDT gives Knight two as Owens and Paul continue to bicker. McIntyre gets in a shot of his own and goes up, only to have Knight jump to the top for the superkick. Knight gets dropped again but he’s fine enough to avoid the Claymore. They go outside where McIntyre is sent into the announcers’ table over and over. Knight and McIntyre get into it with Owens and Paul though, with Owens attacking McIntyre for the DQ at 11:49.

Rating: C+. They might as well have had a countdown until one of the people on commentary got involved for the DQ and in this case, that is a good thing. There is little reason to have one of them take a pinfall the day before Elimination Chamber so don’t waste the time. It’s still impressive to see Knight going toe to toe with the stars and shows you what kind of impact effort can have.

Post match the big fight is on, with Bobby Lashley coming in to spear various people. McIntyre Claymores him but walks into the RKO from a surprise Randy Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the big final push towards Elimination Chamber and it was enough of a success. It doesn’t help that almost everything was set for the pay per view coming into this, but they managed to put together a nice two hours. The show only mattered so much but they made it work, as tends to be the case in recent weeks.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Bron Breakker b. Dante Chen – Spear
Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne b. Judgment Day – Double Tyler Driver 97 to McDonagh
AOP b. Street Profits – Sitout powerbomb/suplex combination to Ford
Drew McIntyre b. LA Knight via DQ when Kevin Owens interfered

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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Smackdown
Date: February 16, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

It’s another big show as we have the return of the Rock and Roman Reigns. Even if we don’t know what they are going to do, you know it is going to be something important and that is the right way to go. Other than that, we have more Elimination Chamber qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

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

The Rock arrived earlier today.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dominik Mysterio

Before the match, Dominik brags about how Judgment Day is going to dominate the Elimination Chamber and he is going to complete the sweep. Owens wastes no time in knocking him out to the floor, followed by an armdrag to put him n the floor again. Back in and Dominik gets in a few shots, only to be clotheslined down to cut him off again.

They head outside together this time, with Owens hitting a right hand and sending him into the steps. Cue R-Truth to look at Owens though and Dominik takes over, including the slingshot hilo for two as we take a break. Back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock and firing off right hands. Owens stomps him down and hits the running backsplash on the floor, followed by the Cannonball back inside.

The frog splash gives Owens two (that’s almost a surprising kickout) but Dominik grabs an X Factor of all things. They trade two Amigos each but Dominik misses his own frog splash. Owens is back with the Swanton for two (geez Dominik is getting to look strong here), only to get caught with a 619 for two more. The frustrated Dominik tells Truth to get him a chair, with the distraction allowing Owens to grab the pop up powerbomb for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B-. It is astounding to see how much better Dominik has gotten in the last year or so and this was another example. This was a solid back and forth match with Dominik more than holding up his end. Throw in the fans loudly booing him before the match and it was quite the overall performance. Good stuff here and I was surprised by how well it went.

Drew McIntyre is here and says he has to win the Elimination Chamber to go on and win the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania. LA Knight comes in to say not so fast and is ready to add McIntyre’s name to that Wrestlemania tombstone on his shirt. Things have to be broken up in a hurry.

The Bloodline arrives.

Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, but Bate thinks they need a team name. Dominik Mysterio comes in to say the Judgment Day will beat them at Elimination Chamber, so Bate says they can beat Dominik and R-Truth next week. I have no idea why they can make this stick but that’s how wrestling works.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Tiffany Stratton

Vega snaps off a hurricanrana to start before kicking Stratton out to the floor. An armdrag off the apron sets up a middle rope moonsault to Stratton. Cue Legado del Fantasma to ringside as we take a break. Back with Vega fighting out of a chinlock and the LWO coming out to even things up. Stratton cuts off a comeback attempt with an Alabama Slam but Vega cuts off the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. They head outside where Vega is rammed into the barricade, where Legado’s Elektra Lopez offers a distraction. That’s enough for Stratton to deck Vega and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. I could have seen this one going either way and that made things a bit more interesting. Vega was firing off the offense here and Stratton kept up with her throughout, which is a good sign in one of her first main roster matches. Stratton seems like she could be quite the star around here and the fact that she transitioned from NXT to Smackdown rather smoothly (at least to start) is already giving me hope for her future.

The OC comes in to see AJ Styles, with Karl Anderson saying Styles has forgotten where he came from. The two of them have to be held apart.

Damage CTRL is coming for Bayley at Wrestlemania.

AOP vs. Javier Bernal/Beau Morris

The rest of the Final Testament is here too. Akam throws Bernal down to start and everything breaks down, with the Super Collider (stereo powerbombs, with the non-AOP being rammed together before being slammed down) setting up a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to finish Bernal at 1:02. Total destruction, as it should have been.

Logan Paul is ready to beat the Miz, win the Elimination Chamber and become a double champion at Wrestlemania.

We look at the Seth Rollins/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: The Miz vs. Logan Paul

Non-title. Paul talks trash to start and is promptly knocked down for his efforts. Miz sends him to the apron, where Paul comes back in with a high crossbody. The standing moonsault doesn’t quite connect but Paul grabs a Regal Roll to put Miz down again. A splits splash gives Paul two but Miz fires off the chops. Paul knocks him right back down and hits a splash on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Miz slugging away and grabbing a Downward Spiral for two, followed by a Codebreaker out of the corner for the same. Miz tries the Figure Four but Paul grabs the ring skirt, leaving the referee distracted. That’s enough for Paul to poke Miz in the eye and hit his own Skull Crushing Finale for a rather near fall, meaning it’s time to get frustrated.

Miz’s Figure Four sends Paul over to the ropes and then out to the floor, where one of his goons hand him the brass knuckles. Miz breaks that up but Paul kicks the rope for a low blow on the way back in. The big right hand sets up something like an STO to give Paul the pin at 12:40.

Rating: B-. There is a history between these two and that made the match feel more important. Paul’s rise continues with another good match, though I could definitely go for less of his goons interfering. Ignoring that the people are interchangeable, it’s the same stuff so often and that gets rather dull. At least Paul won though, and the lineup inside the Chamber is strong enough that he can lose without taking a major hit.

Tiffany Stratton brags to Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair, the latter of whom isn’t impressed. Jade Cargill comes in to tell them all to shut up. Nick Aldis pops in and we pan over to see Bron Breakker next to a contract (not clear if it has been signed), just like Cargill’s (signing again not clear).

Paul Heyman is talking to Grayson Waller, who seems rather interested.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Alba Fyre

Isla Dawn is here with Fyre, who takes Naomi down into the corner to start. Naomi slides up and slaps her in the face, setting up a splits splash for two. They go outside with Naomi hitting a bulldog onto the steps as we take a break. Back with Naomi sending her into the corner and hitting a high crossbody for two. Fyre is able to send her into the buckle though and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Fyre two of her own. The Gory Bomb is countered though and an interfering Dawn is kicked down. A headscissors driver sets up a reverse Rings of Saturn finishes Fyre at 9:20.

Rating: C+. This was just a step above a squash for Naomi, who more or less rolled into the Chamber. It didn’t help that Fyre was a replacement after Shotzi’s injury, which is kind of a shame as she is more than talented enough to get a run of her own. If nothing else, let Fyre and Dawn win some tag matches, as they’re both just sitting around doing nothing at the moment.

Dakota Kai begs Bayley to protect her from Damage CTRL. Bayley isn’t sure because she doesn’t know who she can trust and says she can’t do this right now.

Nick Aldis announces that Bron Breakker has signed with Smackdown and brings him out to sign the contract live.

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

Here is the Bloodline for the big chat. After Roman Reigns says his catchphrase, he calls the fans in Salt Lake City idiots who don’t get how big this is. It’s the biggest night ever in WWE because tonight, the Rock is officially part of the Bloodline. Cue the Rock and the Hollywood is strong with this one. Following a break, Rock says this is an all time indoor attendance record for Utah. That’s right: the record for the largest collection of trailer park trash he has ever seen.

Rock loads up the FINALLY…..the people’s lives have meaning and they’ll have a story to tell their 50 wives. These people have brought out a side of the Rock that you haven’t seen in years but it has always been in here. You had the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever and you flushed it away for CODY. What is Cody’s story? He lost last year and now he wants a rematch.

Apply that to sports. Should the 49ers get a rematch after losing the Super Bowl? Michael Jordan crushed the Utah Jazz and they moved on to get back to the top but the people here don’t get it because they are spoiled entitled crybaby b******. The Bloodline’s story is just beginning but the people here DO NOT get to sing along with the Rock as he hits the catchphrase to end the show.

This cemented the Rock’s heel turn (I’m assuming him picking the 49ers losing to the Chiefs and the Jazz losing to the Bulls, both of which were rematches of recent finals, wasn’t a coincidence) and having him officially join the Bloodline while explaining the heel turn makes good sense.

Overall Rating: B. Much like Raw, this was about setting up a bunch of Elimination Chamber participants with one big segment included. The wrestling was good enough but what mattered here was how important things felt. That has been the case for the last few weeks as made things that much better. It was another good show where the big stuff felt important but the rest of the stuff was far from bad. Things will get even bigger after Elimination Chamber but they’re making that show feel important as well, which is a hard trick to make work.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Dominik Mysterio – Pop up powerbomb
Tiffany Stratton b. Zelina Vega – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
AOP b. Javier Bernal/Beau Morris – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bernal
Logan Paul b. The Miz – STO
Naomi b. Alba Fyre – Reverse Rings of Saturn

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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Smackdown
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and that means we are officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means we are going to need some decisions from the Royal Rumble winners, one of which will be announced tonight as Bayley makes her announcement. Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are here as well so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

The Bloodline arrives.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Commentary welcomes us to the show. It’s a smart move to remind people that Barrett is a 5x Intercontinental Champion. A lot of people might not know that and it gives him some instant credibility.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. He hates Alabama but has to praise Kevin Owens, who hurt him more than Floyd Mayweather Jr. Owens even made him bleed…..but then Owens still lost. Paul talks about how tough he is and mocks Seth Rollins and CM Punk’s recent injuries. He lists off some nicknames before getting interrupted by Owens himself. Owens talks about how much he liked hitting Paul, because hurting him was better than winning the title.

Paul says that was Owens’ one and only shot because he took the bait of the brass knuckles. Owens talks about how he’ll do anything to win a match, but he just got caught. Paul insults Owens’ smell, but Owens says he bathed in Prime (Paul’s energy drink) before he came out here. Either way, there’s no rematch, so Paul is off to find a better challenger.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Logan Paul is on commentary and Grayson Waller is at ringside. They trade headlocks to start with Theory knocking him down and choking a bit, much to Paul’s approval. Owens is back up with a backsplash into a Cannonball but Theory backdrops him onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock. A knockdown sets up a missed Swanton so Theory hits a rolling Blockbuster for two. Back up and Paul slips in the brass knuckles but Owens takes them away. After dropping Waller, a right hand to Theory finishes for Owens at 10:48.

Rating: C+. It seems like Owens is staying in the title picture and this was a good way to get him back in the hunt after the bad loss. Sometimes it’s fine just to put someone out there and give them a win over a somewhat credible star and they did it just fine. Owens has bigger things coming, but this was about setting the table and that needed to be done.

Post match Owens chases Paul off.

We look back at Naomi returning in the women’s Royal Rumble.

Naomi has officially signed with Smackdown….and so has Tiffany Stratton, who slaps Michin and runs off.

Bianca Belair is trying to find out what she has to do to get a Wrestlemania title shot. Logan Paul interrupts and wants a match tonight, but gets into an argument with Belair.

Legado del Fantasma talks about their unbreakable bond. A toast is made.

Pretty Deadly vs. Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne vs. LWO vs. Legado del Fantasma

The winners face the winners of another four way on Raw, with the winners getting a Tag Team Title shot at Elimination Chamber. Bate works on Prince’s arm before handing it off to Dunne to do more of the same. Everything breaks down and Wilde is launched off the middle rope for the huge assisted dive onto a bunch of people.

We take a break and come back with Dunne getting the tag to clean house as everything breaks down. Zelina Vega holds the ropes so the LWO can hit stereo dives, followed by Vega diving onto Elektra Lopez. Pretty Deadly’s twin magic doesn’t work as Dunne snaps his fingers and the double Tyler Driver 97 finishes for Bate at 8:47.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much you can do with this many people and so little time. Bate and Dunne are a good tag team and it’s nice to see WWE rebuilding their tag division. No one in here felt off and if there are four other teams on Raw (which there should be), you have quite a division between the two rosters. Having one set of titles helps that much, and there are some interesting possibilities for the Elimination Chamber title match.

We look at Bayley and Rhea Ripley arguing on Raw until Nia Jax interrupted and scared Bayley.

Damage CTRL, minus Bayley, doesn’t think much of Bayley, who happens to be listening from the other room. So she’s Batista with less tattoos?

Here is Bayley, with Damage CTRL, to talk about her Wrestlemania decision. She has done everything she can at Wrestlemania and her career has been a lot more downs than ups. The whole time though, she had her Damage CTRL friends with her because they’re family. The team laughs a bit but then gets serious when she turns around. She wants to be the best and that means beating the best, which brings her to Rhea Ripley.

Sometimes you have to do what your heart tells you to do, like proving people wrong when they said they were your friends. Bayley calls Damage CTRL out for laughing and drops some Japanese, which scares them a bit. She picked it up from all the talking they’ve done behind their back (they know the jig is up) and doesn’t get why they did this.

All she wanted was Damage CTRL to be the best….and they beat her down. Bayley whips out a pipe and cleans house before staring Iyo Sky down. With Sky bailing, Bayley makes the Wrestlemania challenge and the match seems on. That was good stuff as the villains knew the jig was up and didn’t bother wasting time getting to the point.

Final Testament vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

It’s a brawl before the bell and Lashley is left alone to spinebuster Kross. The Hurt Lock is loaded up but Scarlett runs in, only to have B Fab make the save. Lashley spears Kross down and the villains leave. No match.

Bron Breakker is about to sign with Smackdown when Adam Pearce comes in to say he has an offer for him on Monday. Breakker is willing to listen and says he’ll see Pearce on Raw. Jade Cargill comes in to talk with Aldis, who throws Pearce out. Pearce says be careful of Double 0 Salesman.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin

Michin starts fast and grabs a suplex but Stratton pops up and takes her down without much trouble. Stratton asks what time it is as we take a break. Back with Michin hitting a heck of a slap and hammering away. An Alabama Slam gives Stratton two and it’s a Regal Roll into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C. This was a “hi, nice to meet you” match from Stratton as she beats someone the fans know well enough. Stratton is quite the athlete and got to showcase that here, though she’s going to need to do some of her promos to really make it work. For now it’s a nice start, but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a presentation.

It’s time for Cody Rhodes’ decision, so here is the Bloodline, with Roman Reigns wanting some acknowledgment. Reigns talks about how Seth Rollins talked called his title the important title, but Reigns has beaten everyone who is going after that title. Rollins tried to carry the title and now he’s limping around. Sure Reigns wrestles ten times less than Rollins, but he makes ten times more. Do you want Rollins money or Tribal Chief money?

Cody Rhodes is an idiot and has values and all that, so Reigns isn’t begging him like the other guy. You can be the best #2 in the industry or take a crack at #1 again. After Reigns killed that promo, here is Cody to interrupt. Back from a break and Cody asks if we can do this more privately. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso leave, allowing Cody to say he disagrees with Seth Rollins saying the WWE Title is the Hollywood Title.

Cody says that is the title Bruno Sammartino held and the title that was taken from his father’s hands. So what is finishing the story? Reigns has said everything around here belongs to him, so if finishing the story taking the title, or taking everything? Cody wants the title and is coming for Reigns…..but not at Wrestlemania.

Cody took counsel this week and one person knows him very well….and here’s the Rock (Reigns’ eyebrows popped up when the music hit). Cody and Rock shake hands, with Rock whispering something to Cody that makes him nod. Cody leaves and Rock stares Reigns down…as the show ends with nothing being said, but we do get a graphic for a Wrestlemania Press Event on Thursday.

Oh yeah this is going to get some people mad and I don’t quite get it. Cody has had his Wrestlemania main event. Against Reigns. For the title. In an NFL stadium. Rock is 53 years old and has a very complicated schedule. If this is the time to get that one big match out of him, you do it when you have the chance. Cody can have his (second) match with Reigns later and even then there’s no guarantee he’s getting the title. Rock vs. Reigns is he biggest match possible right now and if they can do it in front of 60,000+ in Philadelphia, it’s going to be an amazing moment.

Overall Rating: B. This show wasn’t about the wrestling but rather setting up the Wrestlemania title matches. Bayley vs. Sky won’t headline anything but it’s a solid middle of the pack match. Rock vs. Reigns is one of those dream matches that you get every so often and yeah, WWE is going to have to twist things around a lot for it to happen but maybe, just maybe, they have something else in mind for Cody, either at Wrestlemania or down the line. This wasn’t about what happened this week but rather setting things up for Philadelphia and that went really well.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory – Right hand with brass knuckles
Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne b. Pretty Deadly, LWO and Legado del Fantasma – Double Tyler Driver 97 to Prince
Tiffany Stratton b. Michin – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

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: January 30, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Vengeance Day and that means a lot of talking for the matches that are already set. One of them has a bit of a twist though, with #1 contender Trick Williams also set to team with Carmelo Hayes in the semifinals of the Dusty Classic. That could make for a busy Sunday so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. LWO

Hayes armdrags Wilde down to start and snaps off a dropkick. Williams comes in for a dropkick of his own so it’s off to del Toro for a double back elbow. A comeback is cut off with some shots to the knee but Williams gets over to Hayes anyway. The LWO sends them right back to the floor though and stereo dives connect as we take a break.

Back with Hayes fighting out of a chinlock and hitting his half of a double clothesline. Williams comes back in for a double release Rock Bottom and it’s back to Hayes, who gets caught in the Tree of Woe. The LWO take him down again with stereo missile dropkicks and everyone is down. Hayes and del Toro kick it out until del Toro misses a phoenix splash. Williams comes back in and hits the jumping knee for the pin on Wilde at 12:33.

Rating: B-. So there’s your setup for the main event at Vengeance Day, as there’s a very good chance that Williams can’t win because of something that happens in the tournament final. As in the tournament final that he was in because of Hayes, meaning Hayes costs him the title. Or maybe he wins everything and Hayes is jealous. Either way, it makes things more interesting and we should be in for something good.

Post match Oba Femi runs in to jump the LWO and takes out Dragon Lee for trying to make a save.

Ava tells Ridge Holland that he can’t fight Gallus himself. Lexis King comes in with a gift basket for Ava, who didn’t realize they have a meeting. Ava makes King vs. Holland for tonight. Works for Holland.

Tatum Paxley talks to a picture of Lyra Valkyria, saying she’ll always be there for her. Valkyria comes to say she got all of Paxley’s messages but doesn’t get why Paxley attacked Roxanne Perez last week. Paxley says she’ll always be there for Valkyria.

Tatum Paxley vs. Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria is on commentary and we’re joined in progress with Paxley firing off an assortment of kicks. A hanging butterfly suplex gives Paxley two and she sends Perez outside, with Valkyria not being sure why Paxley is doing any of this. Back in and Pop Rox finishes Paxley at 2:20 shown.

Arianna Grace is with Wren Sinclair and says she is a role model around here. Fallon Henley comes in to say she doesn’t buy this and wants a match with Grace later.

Elektra Lopez vs. Lola Vice

Lopez spars her down and the fight is on to start with the two of them heading outside. Back in and Vice fires off some kicks to send her into the corner. More kicks to the back give Vice two but Lopez powerbombs her out of the corner. An annoyed Lopez strikes away and hits a swinging Rock Bottom for two. A spinebuster is broken up though and Vice kicks her in the head for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C+. This was quick and to the point with Vice getting a pretty strong win by knocking Lopez silly with that kick. Lopez is on her way to Smackdown and Vice is probably going to get into the title match sooner than later so they needed to cover both of these things. Not a great match, but it was intense while it lasted.

Joe Gacy comes to see Dijak and sits down without permission. Gacy says Dijak can’t get rid of him and plays a recording suggesting that he has been here before. Dijak wrecks him again.

Ridge Holland vs. Lexis King

Holland elbows him in the face to start and we take a very early break. Back with King going after the knee but getting hit in the face for his efforts. King cheap shots him in the corner though and chokes away before we hit the chinlock. A running clothesline to the back of the head gives King two but Holland fights up again. The Coronation is blocked and Holland hits him in the back of the head for two but cue Gallus for a distraction. That’s enough for a hanging Coronation to finish Holland at 9:38.

Rating: C. King is still not great in the ring but at least he’s getting the character stuff down. You also need to give him some wins like this to build him up and it’s not like Holland is going to lose much in defeat. Holland already has to deal with Gallus while King gets to move on to something of his own so this was a nice way forward for both of them.

Post match Gallus comes in to beat down Holland.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are still unsure about Ilja Dragunov but Hayes gives him a pep talk. Hayes promises to show that he’s had Williams’ back since the beginning.

Here is Chase University, minus their sweaters (and Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail), for their final goodbyes. Chases knows he’s a hothead and he has no one to blame but himself, but he thanks everyone for letting him live his dream. Duke Hudson talks about what he has learned from the school and wants everyone to remember how it was. This means a tribute video, which may have been made by threatening students, and yes it is set to Tell Me A Lie.

Chase thanks everyone, but here are Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail to interrupt. Jayne says if you want something done right, ask a woman. Chase: “We’re out here saying our final goodbyes.” Jayne: “Are you?” She talks about how she came into this place a bit toxic but she needed friends. Maybe she could actually change, and maybe she could help fix the problem. She looked inside her comfort zone and the school is NOT closing.

We see the Ladies Of Chase U Calendar…..which will have Chase U out of debt and moving into the future. Chase jumps up and down in happiness and Jayne hugs him. There is something hilarious about how simple of a solution that is and hopefully they get back to doing what worked with Chase U.

The D’Angelo Family is ready for OTM at Vengeance Day.

Brooks Jensen comes up to Fallon Henley to talk about old times but she leaves to go have her match, leaving Jensen a bit disappointed.

Chase U celebrates a lot but Lexis King interrupts. A match between King and Riley Osborne is teased but Joe Gacy and Dijak brawl in to break it up.

Fallon Henley vs. Arianna Grace

Wren Sinclair is here with Henley. Grace offers her a hand to start and gets caught in a wristlock for her efforts. Some armdrags put Grace down again and a big right hand rocks her again as we take a break. Back with Henley fighting out of a chinlock and getting two off a rollup. Henley sends her outside and gets in a shot of her own, only to have Jakara Jackson come in to distract the referee. Cue Lash Legend to kick Henley in the face to give Grace the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. Henley is definitely moving up the ladder a bit around here and it seems that she has a feud coming up with Meta Four. I could go for her winning something else but at least she has something going on here. Grace on the other hand continues to be more annoying than anything else but at least she didn’t get a dominant win.

OTM is ready for the D’Angelo Family at Vengeance Day.

Dijak and Joe Gacy are fighting way above a dumpster, with Dijak knocking him down into it for a nasty thud.

Baron Corbin praises Bron Breakker for his Royal Rumble performance and seems to be warming up to the Wolf Dogs name.

Heritage Cup: Von Wagner vs. Noam Dar

Dar, with Meta Four, is defending and Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. Round One begins with Dar’s kicks being shrugged off and Wagner snaps off a nice armdrag. Wagner powers him into the corner and slowly walks around as Stone plays cheerleader. The tape comes off of Wagner’s hand and he hammers away until the round ends.

Round Two begins with Wagner going after Oro Mensah, allowing Dar to hit the Nova Roller for the pin at 22 seconds of the round and 3:57 overall. We take a break and come back with Wagner hitting a rather delayed vertical suplex. Mensah offers a distraction but here are Fallon Henley and Wren Sinclair to brawl with Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. The women leave as Dar’s kneebar can’t get the tap before Round Three ends.

Round Four begins with Wagner punching him in the face for two but Dar is back with some elbows. Wagner fights out again but the Death Valley Driver is broken up. Instead Wagner scores with a jumping knee to the face but misses a charge into the post. That’s enough for Dar to roll him up and retain at 1:53 of the round and 10:10 overall.

Rating: C. The seemingly never ending reign continues for Dar and the matches are getting less interesting. Wagner didn’t seem like one of the strongest challengers but Dar has held the title for the better part of ever. Either find something else for him to do or get rid of the title altogether, because this stopped working a long time ago.

Post match Dar mocks Stone’s kids in the front row so Wagner puts Mensah through the announcers’ table.

Ava yells at Dijak for putting Joe Gacy in a dumpster and wants a No DQ match with Gacy….who pops out of the dumpster to say he’s in. The match is on.

Vengeance Day rundown.

Here is Trick Williams for a face to face showdown with NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov. Cue the champ, who says he’s ready to whoop that Trick, but Williams thinks Dragunov has been playing him the entire time. Williams thinks Dragunov faked his injuries to avoid the match but Dragunov says there’s no way because he’s ready to hurt himself to retain the title.

Dragunov says Williams might want to be more worried about Carmelo Hayes but Williams says he’ll win twice on Sunday. Williams wants Hayes left out of this so Dragunov threatens him with destruction. They shake hands and have a staredown but cue Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker to jump them. Carmelo Hayes runs in for the save so Dragunov and Williams can stare each other down again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There wasn’t a must see match on the show, but they did a good enough job of making me want to see Vengeance Day. The action worked well and they set up some more things for the pay per view and it was a fairly solid go home show. The ending segment was probably the best part of the show as they’ve done a nice job of setting up a story that could go in a few different directions. Solid show here, even if there was only so much more that could be done with the title match.

Results
Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams b. LWO – Jumping knee to Wilde
Roxanne Perez b. Tatum Paxley – Pop Rox
Lola Vice b. Elektra Lopez – Spinning kick to the head
Lexis King b. Ridge Holland – Hanging Coronation
Arianna Grace b. Fallon Henley – Big boot from Lash Legend
Noam Dar b. Von Wagner 2-0

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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Smackdown
Date: January 26, 2024
Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means it is time for the final push to the show. There’s a good chance we’ll get some more names added to the Royal Rumble matches, as there are less than twenty entrants out of the sixty spots in two matches. The Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight too so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with Roman Reigns jumping Randy Orton after the match but getting taken out with an RKO to end the show.

Here is Eladio Carrion, a rapper from Puerto Rico who has released a song called RKO, with the music video featuring Randy Orton. He wastes no time in bringing out Orton, who greets a fan on the way to the ring. Orton knows the fans are surprised he’s friends with Carrion but it’s time to get to serious business. That would be the Bloodline, because Roman Reigns has been World Champion for almost 1,300 days.

It’s almost unheard of and no one can stop him….except maybe Orton himself. After tomorrow at the Royal Rumble, he’ll be a fifteen time World Champion and that is the only number that matters. Cue AJ Styles, who was taken out by Solo Sikoa last week. He hasn’t forgotten about Orton though, because Orton has a receipt coming. Styles is going to step over Reigns, Orton and…cue LA Knight to interrupt.

The fans seem happy to see him, with Knight calling both of them dummy. Knight finds it interesting that he is the only one in tomorrow’s four way who has a match (against Sikoa) tonight. That’s because Paul Heyman sees him as the biggest threat but tomorrow he’s coming for the title and stepping over all of them. Styles Pele’s Orton to give him the promised receipt to wrap this up.

Carlito vs. Santos Escobar

The LWO and Legado del Fantasma are here too. Carlito hammers away in the corner to start but gets sent into the buckle. Escobar sends him out to the apron, with a Legado distraction letting him get knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Escobar getting two off a clothesline. A super hurricanrana takes Carlito down again and we hit the seated abdominal stretch.

Carlito fights up and hits a dropkick, followed by a rolling neckbreaker for two. The running knee lift and a clothesline put Escobar down and everyone gets in a brawl on the floor. Del Toro hits a huge dive and here is NXT’s Elektra Lopez (formerly part of Legado) to jump Zelina Vega, allowing Escobar to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was about giving Legado one more member to even things up with the LWO, but again this was all about keeping Escobar warm before his big showdown with Rey Mysterio, whenever it comes up. Escobar is being built up rather well and having Lopez around is only going to make things better for him.

Commentary talks about Raw moving to Netflix in January.

AJ Styles runs into Jimmy Uso and suggests that Styles help the Bloodline get rid of LA Knight tonight. Uso leaves and the OC comes in, with Styles saying don’t worry about it.

NXT GM Ava comes in to see Nick Aldis but Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits interrupt. Lashley gets to draw his Royal Rumble number when Legado del Fantasma come in. Escobar draws his number as well.

Video on Bayley, who creates history and is ready to do it again. Then she formed Damage CTRL and they’re taking over.

R-Truth draws a Royal Rumble number and thinks Nick Aldis is Adam Pearce.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter/Chance are defending. Carter rolls Asuka up for two to start and it’s Chance hitting a slingshot hilo for two of her own. Chance takes both of them out with a slingshot dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Chance in trouble but managing to send Sane outside. Carter comes back in and dives onto both Warriors to drop them on the floor.

A springboard spinning legdrop gets two on Asuka but she hands it back to Sane. Everything breaks down but the Insane Elbow hits raised boots. The Keg Stand gets two on Asuka, who breaks up the After Party. Asuka kicks Carter in the head though and the Insane Elbow gives us new champions at 9:03.

Rating: B-. This was a better match than I was expecting but at the end of the day, there was no reason to keep the titles on Carter and Chance. They were pretty much transitional champions but dropped the titles to one of the best teams the titles have ever seen. It was the right way to go and now we get to see where things go from here.

Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa to finish LA Knight. Sikoa: “Ok.” With Sikoa gone, Heyman hypes up the idea of Jimmy us winning the Royal Rumble.

Bayley and Bianca Belair draw their Royal Rumble numbers.

Here are Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits for a face to face showdown with the Final Testament. Lashley runs down their resume and calls the Testament out, with the team coming straight to the ring. Only Scarlet gets in the ring though, with Montez Ford calling the team scared. Karrion Kross says the fight isn’t happening tonight…but Lashley disagrees. Scarlet goes after Lashley’s eyes though and the Testament lays everyone out.

Jimmy Uso draws his Royal Rumble number. No yeet.

We look back at Logan Paul on the KO Show, with Paul further damaging Owens’ bad hand. Then they got in a fight at the Performance Center.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory. A dropkick takes Theory down to start and a springboard spinning clothesline does it again. Theory gets in a cheap shot to put Hayes on the floor though and Waller adds a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Hayes making a comeback and hitting something like a….reverse reverse DDT (as in Theory is facing up while Hayes is facing away from him). A spinning faceplant gives Hayes two but another Waller distraction sets up Ataxia (Theory loads him up for a powerbomb but flips him backwards into a faceplant). They trade rollups until Theory grabs the tights for the pin at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was a way to make up after things went really badly two weeks ago. It’s good to see Hayes getting more reps on the show as he seems almost ready to move up to the main roster full time. It’s wouldn’t shock me to see him as a post Wrestlemania call up, but he has to get done with everything involving Trick Williams first. For now though, losing to Theory via cheating isn’t a bad thing and the match went well enough.

Post match Waller comes in for the beatdown but Trick Williams makes the save to a positive reaction. Things still aren’t great with Hayes and Williams though (it’s an NXT thing).

Royal Rumble rundown, with only four matches.

Eladio Carrion wants Randy Orton to win the title at the Rumble but the Bloodline comes in to scare him a bit.

LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa

The Bloodline is here too. Sikoa takes him into the corner to start and hammers away but Knight gets smart by going after the leg. A stomp to the hand slows Sikoa down again and a ram into the steps makes it worse. Back in and a cheap shot takes Knight down again and we take a break.

We come back with Knight charging into a Samoan drop for two but getting a boot up in the corner. The middle rope bulldog takes Sikoa down again and Knight gets to slug away. A DDT only does so much to Sikoa so they crash out to the floor, where Knight can ram him into the announcers’ table over and over. Cue AJ Styles to take Knight out for the DQ at 8:40.

Rating: C+. Not exactly a great match here but I appreciate not giving Knight a pinfall loss, or a loss of any kind, before he head son to the Royal Rumble. It’s important to keep him strong, especially with the real possibility of Knight being there to take the pinfall. The match was a lot of punching and kicking, but Knight going after the hand made sense.

Post match Styles teases teaming with Jimmy Uso against Knight but goes after Uso instead. Cue Randy Orton to take out the Bloodline and hit an RKO on Styles to….not end the show, as LA Knight gives Orton the BFT to really end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good enough show that focused on the World Title match, which is what it needed to be. There was nothing on here worth going out of your way to see but it also didn’t do anything that made me less interested in the Rumble. The Rumble is such a weird show in that there are only four matches on the card with two of them being a mixture of wrestlers from all three shows. That leaves the US Title match, which got time last week, and the World Title match, which got time this week. Nice, to the point show.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Carlito – Rollup
Kabuki Warriors b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Insane Elbow to Carter
Austin Theory b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup with tights
LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when AJ Styles interfered

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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Smackdown
Date: January 19, 2024
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s a big week as Roman Reigns is back, this time for the four way contract signing for the Royal Rumble title match. That alone should be enough to carry the show, though we still have the rest of the Smackdown side of the card to be set up. That should include some new Rumble participants, which can make for some interesting moments. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with Randy Orton showing up at the end to score the win.

The Bloodline welcomes Roman Reigns, who says he’s here to fix things. With Reigns gone, Solo Sikoa says he’ll fix everything.

Here is Nick Aldis to emcee the contract signing, meaning we get AJ Styles (who signs before anyone else can come out), LA Knight (signs as soon as he comes out), Randy Orton (three signatures) and….well Paul Heyman, who wants to look over the contract before Roman Reigns signs. Aldis says that’s fine, because the three who have signed can wrestle for the VACANT WWE Universal Title.

Heyman gets on the apron to say he admires the mediocre job that Aldis has done. He praises Aldis’ fashion sense but says no one can sell this kind of decision to anyone, because Reigns should be defending the title in a one on one match. Knight cuts it off and says that one on one match should be his, because the Bloodline cost him the title at Crown Jewel. Styles says Knight walked over him to get the title shot and the fight is on, leaving Orton to grab Heyman by the tie. Orton promises to take out Solo Sikoa tonight and then go on to RKO Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Good stuff here and it set up at least one match tonight.

Post break, AJ Styles gets a match with LA Knight made for tonight.

LWO vs. Legado del Fantasma

Zelina Vega is here with the LWO. Escobar bails from Carlito to start, allowing Angel to get in a cheap shot from behind. Del Toro comes in and springboards onto Angel, with Wilde coming in to take over. Humberto comes in and the LWO hit stereo dives to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Wilde in trouble and being dragged into the wrong corner so Garza can hit a running dropkick to the ribs. Wilde manages to flip into the air for a DDT (that was sweet and left Escobar stunned), allowing the hot tag off to Carlito. House is cleaned but Humberto hits a nice springboard spinning kick to Carlito’s face. Back up and Carlito hits Humberto with a chokebomb into the Backstabber. Escobar makes a blind tag though and rolls Carlito up for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving as you might have expected but it still feels like they’re just killing time until we get to the big Escobar vs. Rey Mysterio showdown. Bringing back Legado is a good thing as there’s already a history to the team and we could get a nice variety of matches out of the thing. This was a good start and Carlito can take a bunch of losses without really being hurt.

Pretty Deadly is ready to face Tyler Bate and Butch.

Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are ready for the Final Testament. Just name the time and the place.

Pretty Deadly vs. Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne

Yes Pete Dunne as the long awaited name change has FINALLY come through. Bate takes over on Wilson to start and hands it off to Dunne for some finger cranking. An armbar and leg stomp have various parts of Wilson in varying degrees of pain, followed by Bate’s airplane spin to the floor. We take a break and come back with Bate getting caught in the corner for a running uppercut. The chinlock doesn’t last long though as Bate gets over to Dunne for the tag to initiate the house cleaning. Bate takes out Wilson, leaving Dunne to give Prince the Bitter End for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C+. This was all about one thing and it worked well, as this was the more aggressive Dunne, who looked good in his return. It’s not some huge change from Butch but there is a certain edge to him that wasn’t there before. Thankfully they’ve done what should have happened a long time ago and Dunne clearly still knows how to be his old self.

We recap Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens, with Paul threatening Owens with a lawsuit over a shot with the cast.

Pretty Deadly is livid over it being Pete Dunne instead of Butch and swear no more.

Here is Kevin Owens for the KO Show. Owens isn’t happy about it but introduces his guest: Logan Paul. Cue Paul, who says he would be honored to be here but he isn’t. It’s his show now because he is the show. Owens might not know it, but he is the reason Paul is in WWE. We see a clip of Owens Stunnering him at Wrestlemania XXXVII, which made 70,000 people cheer. That was when he realized he needed to show the world he could do this, though Owens says he barely remembers it.

Paul was just one of the people Owens Stunned, but yes Paul did become really good at this. At the end of the day though, Paul isn’t one of them and certainly isn’t a Kevin Owens. Paul: “Thank God!” Paul talks about everything he has done and everything he has accomplished, while Owens is just himself. Owens: “I don’t know what any of that meant.” He calls Paul a joke and that joke will end at the Royal Rumble.

Paul says he wasn’t listening to any of that and we hear about their knockout abilities. He’s ready to KO KO, who reminds Paul of how much punishment he can take. Owens goes to take off the cast but Paul decks him, setting off the brawl. Paul gets in another cheap shot and stands tall to wrap it up. The match and story are already set so it’s nice to see some extra building, with Paul having a motivation of his own.

Roman Reigns yells at the Bloodline but Solo Sikoa steps up to say last week was on him. Tonight, he’ll fix things.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Unholy Union

The Union (Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn) is challenging and Damage CTRL is on commentary. Carter gets jumped to start and a running knee gives Dawn two. A superkick gets the same but Carter gets back up and takes Dawn into the corner. Chance hurricanranas Dawn down onto Fyre for two but Dawn gets in a cheap shot. Fyre’s rollup gets two but it’s a Canadian Destroyer into into the assisted spinning moonsault for the pin to retain at 2:52.

Post match the Kabuki Warriors take the title belts and seem to get a title shot.

We get a quick tribute to Pat Patterson, who started the Royal Rumble and would have turned 83 today.

The Final Testament is ready to hurt Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits next week.

We look at Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory ending in a no contest last week.

Hayes says he’d love to face Theory again so here is Theory to say…well he doesn’t want to do it again next week. Grayson Waller accepts for him, with Theory saying Waller has to quit doing that.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

Knight slugs away to start and hits a quick belly to back suplex. Styles grabs a rather hard headlock on the mat though, with Knight having to send him into the corner. Back up and Styles strikes away, only to have Knight punch his way out of trouble. Knight’s powerslam connects but Styles avoids a running knee in the corner. Styles sends him into the barricade, only to have Knight drive him face first into the announcers’ table instead. Cue Jimmy Uso for a distraction, with Solo Sikoa coming in to Spike Knight for the DQ at 4:45.

Rating: C. They started fast here but the match was more of a way to set up the main event than anything else. You don’t want one of them taking a fall on the way to the Royal Rumble so having Sikoa Spike one of them for the DQ was the smart way to go. Not much of a match, but they’re saving the big stuff for the Rumble.

Post match Sikoa Spikes Styles as well before saying “two down and one to go”. He wants Randy Orton out here night, but we’ll have to wait for a break.

Randy Orton vs. Solo Sikoa

Nick Aldis, with contract, is at ringside. The beating is on fast and Orton is knocked into the corner. The running hip attack connects and Orton is sent outside as we take an early break. Back with Orton throwing Sikoa over the announcers’ desk and hitting the hanging DDT. Cue Jimmy Uso but LA Knight cuts him off, sending Uso running…right into AJ Styles. That brings Styles to the ring, allowing Sikoa to load up the Spike. Orton isn’t having that though and RKO’s him for the pin at 5:18. Not enough shown to rate but the last two matches were pretty much all one big angle.

Post match Knight drops Styles but gets RKO’ed. Styles gets one of his own but Reigns comes in with the Superman Punch to Orton. Reigns signs and drops the contract in front of Aldis. The spear is loaded up…and countered into the RKO to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This definitely wasn’t a week about the wrestling, but the focus on the four way throughout the night was a good way to go and the Dunne reveal/return in the middle was a nice bonus. They threw a bunch of stuff out there in one night, though a good deal of it didn’t quite feel like it mattered. They got the important part though and if they don’t screw anything up next week, the Smackdown half of the Rumble is pretty set.

Results
Legado del Fantasma b. LWO – Rollup to Carlito
Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne b. Pretty Deadly – Bitter End to Prince
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Unholy Union – Assisted spinning moonsault to Fyre
LA Knight b. AJ Styles via DQ when Solo Sikoa interfered
Randy Orton b. Solo Sikoa – RKO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ridge Holland vs. Joe Coffey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe Gacy joins commentary.

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

Dijak vs. Tre Bearhill

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

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

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

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

Video on the No Quarter Catch Crew.

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

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

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are just over two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and after last week’s rather boneheaded move, Roman Reigns is defending against AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton at the same time. Other than that, the Royal Rumbles could use some more entrants so we might get to cover a few names this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s triple threat #1 contenders match, which saw the Bloodline interfere for the no contest. Then the Royal Rumble title match was made a four way, shocking no one paying attention.

Grayson Waller vs. Cameron Grimes

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Hold on though as here is the Bloodline to jump Grimes from behind. Theory and Waller bail and we have no match.

Paul Heyman grabs the mic and mocks Nick Aldis for putting Roman Reigns in a four way match. Aldis pops in to say the match is on no matter what. As for tonight, it’s the Bloodline, including Roman Reigns, in a six man tag….despite Reigns not being here. The team can find a third entrant, but otherwise it’s handicap match a go-go.

Video on Angel and Humberto joining forces with Santos Escobar.

Post break Heyman says that Reigns isn’t here tonight so the team will have to find a replacement.

LWO vs. Angel/Humberto

Zelina Vega is here with the LWO and Santos Escobar is on commentary. The fight is on fast to start with the LWO sending them outside for the big double flip dives. Back in and Del Toro hammers away on Angel, setting up a springboard missile dropkick to the floor. A low bridge sends del Toro outside though and we take a break. We take a break and come back with a basement dropkick hitting del Toro for two.

Del Toro rolls over for the tag off to Wilde though and house is quickly cleaned. Angel crotches Wilde on top though and a double super gorilla press brings him back down. Humberto rolls Wilde into a powerbomb for two but Wilde is right back with a poisonrana. It’s back to del Toro for the big flip dive to the floor as Carlito comes out to jump Escobar. That leaves Wilde to roll Angel up, only to have Angel sit down on him and grab the rope for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and it was the kind of entertaining spectacle that you would have expected. What mattered here was having four guys go nuts with one high spot after another and once the match got going, that is what they had. It keeps the feud going, and all we’re doing now is waiting for Rey Mysterio to get back so the real stuff can begin.

Carmelo Hayes is in Nick Aldis’ office where it sounds like contract negotiations are taking place. Hayes mentions the Royal Rumble but Nick Aldis and Austin Theory interrupt. That’s not cool with Hayes, so Aldis makes Hayes vs. Theory for tonight.

The LWO isn’t happy with their loss but Paul Heyman pops in to offer an apple in exchange for teaming with the Bloodline tonight. Carlito takes the apple but would rather fight Santos Escobar.

We look back at Kevin Owens becoming #1 contender to the US Title and knocking out Logan Paul after the match.

Logan Paul isn’t here tonight but sends in a video, threatening to sue Owens over an assault with a weapon. If Owens has the cast at the Rumble, his title shot is gone.

Tyler Bate and Butch are at a coffee shop, with Bate thinking they would make a good team going forward. Butch isn’t sure because the Brawling Brutes are in the past but Bate suggests that Butch find out what his name is going to be. Nothing is said but Butch is thinking about it.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

The rest of Damage CTRL is here with Bayley. They start fast so Bayley can take her down by the hair, which doesn’t have Belair happy. An exchange of clotheslines puts both of them down but Bayley is back up to wrap the arm around the rope. Belair isn’t having that and runs her over, only to get clotheslined in the back of the head. Some slams put Bayley down but she sends Belair throat first into the ropes. The threat of a quick KOD is broken up so Belair rams her into the buckle as we take a break.

Back with Bayley working on the arm but Belair manages a quick spinebuster. The comeback is on but Bayley ties her in the corner for a running knee. Bayley goes extra evil by tying Belair’s hair around the ropes….so Belair uses it as a rip wire in a creative spot. With the hair untied, Belair bends Bayley’s back around the post before slamming her ribs first into another post.

Back in and Belair hammers away in the corner, followed by a backbreaker for two. Belair throws her out of the corner and hits the handspring moonsault for two more. Bayley sends her into the corner again and drops the top rope elbow for her own near fall. A charging Belair is sent outside but she’s fine enough to nail a spear on the way back inside. The KOD finishes for Belair at 16:26.

Rating: B. As usual, these two have very good chemistry together and it was on display again here. Belair continues her march through Damage CTRL on the road to the title match while Bayley’s latest loss further damages her standing with the team. There is a good chance that Belair will get her shot against Sky at the Royal Rumble and that is not a bad idea given the story they’re telling.

Kevin Owens is down for the Royal Rumble, and offers to have Logan Paul on the Kevin Owens Show next week.

Damage CTRL is not pleased with Bayley but Dakota Kai gives her a pep talk.

Here are Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits for a chat. They’re not happy with the AOP and Karrion Kross, who have gotten into a fight they can’t win. The challenge is on but Kross and company pop up on screen to say this is a new era of pain. The team is officially dubbed the Final Testament but they don’t show up.

Pretty Deadly offers their services to Paul Heyman. He points out that it’s one spot instead of two and facepalms as they leave.

Video on Carmelo Hayes. Again: these quick hype packages on people Smackdown fans might not know are such a great idea.

Paul Heyman offers Bobby Lashley a chance to take out his aggression in the main event. Lashley says the only time he wants to be in the ring with the Bloodline is when he’s facing Roman Reigns.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory. They trade headlocks to start until a dropkick puts Theory down. A thumb to the eye cuts Hayes off though and Theory elbows him in the face. Back up and Hayes ties him in the ropes for the Fade Away (springboard jump backwards into a Fameasser). A DDT onto the apron plants Theory again and we take a break. Back with Theory hitting the rolling dropkick but Hayes reverses a suplex to take him over instead.

An atomic drop into a springboard clothesline sets up a facebuster for two on Theory. A superkick looks to set up a Codebreaker but Theory puts him on top instead. What looks to be a super Spanish Fly doesn’t go right though and they both land on their heads, which is enough for the referee to stop it at around 8:55. The problem was Hayes’ foot got caught on the rope and he couldn’t flip forward, which brought Theory down as well.

Rating: C+. Ignoring the scary ending, this was another nice showcase for Hayes, who really can do some incredibly athletic things. At the same time though, there is always the chance that something like this could happen. Theory was his usual self here, but all that matters is both of them being ok after that really scary ending.

The medic checks on them and their limbs are all moving so it seems like a bad double bell ringing.

Paul Heyman says he couldn’t find anyone worthy of the Bloodline and he is NOT worried. Jimmy: “OG, I’M WORRIED!” Sikoa: “I’m not.” Jimmy: “If Solo’s not worried, I’m not worried!”

Bloodline vs. LA Knight/Randy Orton/AJ Styles

Hold on though as the Bloodline jumps Orton from behind with Sikoa hitting a Samoan Spike. Knight and Styles argue over who starts until Uso jumps Knight to get things going. A swinging neckbreaker puts Uso down and a running crotch attack to the back gets two. Sikoa comes in but gets clotheslined to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Styles in a nerve hold, followed by Sikoa’s running hip attack. Styles slugs away at Jimmy and it’s a double knockdown, meaning Sikoa can pull Knight away so there’s no tag. Knight is back up but Styles yells at him instead of tagging. Jimmy’s superkick misses Styles and hits Knight instead….but Orton is back (Heyman’s disgusted glare is great). The tag brings in Orton, who hits the hanging DDT and RKO to finish Jimmy at 11:42.

Rating: C+. Not much of a match here, with Orton coming in at the end and barely doing anything. That seems to be a trend with him lately and that is not a bad thing. The fans are going to cheer him no matter what so let him come out there, hit his two moves, and soak in the cheers. Other than that, it gets us one step closer to the Rumble and everything should work well, especially when Reigns gets back.

Post match the winners all hit their finishers on Sikoa and TripleBomb him through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of covering a bunch of stuff, as everything is lading towards the Royal Rumble and that means all they have to do is get to the end of the month. There was nothing on here that you really needed to see, but it kept getting us closer to one o the most important shows of the year. The ans going nuts for Orton is always worth hearing though, and the Bloodline getting wrecked to end the show was a nice moment.

Results
Angel/Humberto b. LWO – Rollup to Wilde while grabbing the rope
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – KOD
Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory went to a referee stoppage
LA Knight/AJ Styles/Randy Orton b. Bloodline – RKO to Uso

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NXT
Date: January 2, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s New Year’s Evil and that means we have a stacked show. In this case that means the NXT Title will be on the line as the injured Ilja Dragunov is defending against Trick Williams, plus the finals of the Breakout Tournament. We should be in for a big card tonight and NXT tends to do that well so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the major matches and talks about how this is a new year, meaning new beginnings.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport

Valkyria is defending after Davenport won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge. They fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far. Valkyria grabs a cravate for little success, as Valkyria gets in a knockdown. A top rope double stomp and neckbreaker give Davenport two but Valkyria jawbreaks her way to freedom.

The high crossbody misses so Valkyria grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two. Valkyria heads up top again but gets pulled down with a super Falcon Arrow for a nasty crash. They head outside, where Davenport’s hard knee crashes into the announcers’ table. Back in and Davenport misses another double stomp, setting up a Samoan driver to retain Valkyria’s title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. This was a way to give Valkyria a nice title defense and clear out Davenport from the list of challengers. In that sense it worked well, even if this didn’t quite feel like a major match following the Iron Survivor Challenge. Valkyria very well may be in for a showdown with Cora Jade and this should take care of one of the biggest roadblocks on the way there.

Post match cue Lola Vice to try to cash in her title shot but Tatum Paxley makes the save. Elektra Lopez comes in to go after Paxley and everything is broken up.

Ilja Dragunov is too banged up and the NXT Title match is off. Well that must be going somewhere.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. LWO

Dragon Lee is out so Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde are teaming with….Carlito. Del Toro runs the ropes to start and snaps off a headscissors to Gulak as the fans are more interested in Carlito. Wilde comes in to take down Gulak and Kemp, leaving Borne to come in as everything breaks down. The Crew is sent outside for a CRAZY high dive from Wilde (yeah he had a springboard but dang that was impressive).

Back in and Gulak blasts Wilde with a clothesline to take over, followed by Kemp coming in to work on the leg. Wilde is able to flip away though and the hot tag brings in Carlito to blow the roof off the place. Everything breaks down again and Kemp catches Carlito with a backbreaker for the delayed two. Wilde goes up top for a heck of a corkscrew dive, leaving Kemp to get Backstabbered. A Phoenix splash gives del Toro the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of “it was what it was”, as the Carlito debut was designed to give the fans a big moment and that’s exactly what happened. The Crew is little more than a bunch of midcard bullies and here we had someone standing up to them for a win. It even had that insane dive (look that up) and it was an entertaining match throughout.

Trick Williams, with Carmelo Hayes, isn’t happy over the title match being canceled but Grayson Waller, the original Iron Survivor, comes in. Hayes says Williams wants a fight tonight and puts up Williams’ title shot against Waller, leaving him pleased and Williams annoyed.

Riley Osborne is writing an essay about what it would mean to become the next European star.

Roxanne Perez vs. Arianna Grace

They fight over arm control to start with Grace taking her down and offering a handshake. Back up and Perez gets in a crossbody but an O’Connor roll is blocked. A catapult sends Perez throat first into the middle rope but she has to fight out of a chinlock. Perez makes the fired up comeback and hits a running knee, followed by the right hands in the corner. Pop Rox finishes Grace at 5:10.

Rating: C. This didn’t get much time but Grace isn’t on Perez’s level yet anyway, meaning there was only so much to get out of this one. Perez is in a bit of a weird place here as she is doing more building others up rather than going near the title scene. I’m not sure what is next for her but she needs something bigger. Grace continues to be good enough in her role, but the beauty queen deal doesn’t seem to have the brightest future.

Post match Grace yells at her again so Perez snaps and grabs a crossface. Perez won’t let go and the decision is reversed.

Ava announces that the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic starts next week. Can we tone it down with the tournaments for a bit?

Video on Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley before their big fight tonight.

Blair Davenport is banged up when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she wants revenge. A fight is broken up but a match seems likely.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

The loser becomes the winner’s servant or ranch hand. Henley starts fast and knocks Stratton into the corner. They go outside, with Henley hammering away even more, only to be sent shoulder first into the post. We take a break and come back with a double clothesline to put both of them down. A crucifix bomb gives Henley two but she has to avoid a Prettiest Moonsault Ever attempt. Instead they crash out to the floor, where Stratton grabs a chair. The referee takes that away and the distraction lets Henley hit the Shining Wizard for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. They had the aggression showing here and the ending was enough of an upset that I was surprised by the result. Henley getting to humiliate Stratton should be a lot of fun and works better than the opposite, but that’s the biggest win of Henley’s career by a wide margin. It’s a big upset and that made things more interesting in this case.

Baron Corbin interrupts Bron Breakker and pitches being a team in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Breakker laughs him off but Corbin points out that no one else wants to be Breakker’s partner. Breakker realizes they’re both rather horrible people so sure why not.

Video on Oba Femi.

Cora Jade gets annoyed at Gigi Dolin sitting in her locker and they have to be held apart.

We get a sitdown interview with Ridge Holland, who talks about how this is his redemption story. His first run in NXT ended with his double leg injury so then he joined the Brawling Brutes on Smackdown. Then he got hurt again and had his twin sons, only to come back here again and injure Ilja Dragunov. There was no malicious intent and he’s not a monster who tries to hurt people. He knows how fast things can be taken away but he’s still here to prove himself. Things end without controversy.

Breakout Tournament Finals: Oba Femi vs. Riley Osborne

In the back, Thea Hail gives Osborne a pep talk and is WAY too excited over a high five. Osborne kicks him in the head to start and we hit the front facelock. That earns Osborne a choke shove out to the floor as Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne come out to watch from the crowd. Femi drops Osborne again and we take a break.

Back with Osborne caught in a bearhug until Femi plants him with a Rock Bottom backbreaker. The bearhug goes right back on before Femi knocks him hard into the corner. Osborne avoids a charge into the post though and the pace gets to pick up. A headscissors into a corkscrew moonsault gives Osborne two but the shooting star press hits knees. Femi grabs a toss powerbomb into a pop up powerbomb for the pin and the tournament at 9:42.

Rating: C. Yeah I’d say that worked, as this was about getting Femi over as a new star. He ran through everyone in the tournament and won the whole thing in the end, which made him feel like a killer. Someone with that size and power should be fine for a long time and I’m curious to see where he goes from here. Osborne should be good to go for a nice while as well and they’re both off to solid starts.

OTM is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week because the champs are no longer hungry.

Kiana James and Izzy Dame are ready to be a perfect partnership.

Trick Williams yells at Carmelo Hayes for making a decision about the Grayson Waller match. Hayes believes in him, but Williams is doing this one by himself.

Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne are upset over Riley Osborne’s loss but Duke Hudson and Andre Chase come in to say they’re ready for the Dusty Cup. Jayne cuts that off and says Chase needs to be focused on his debt so Osborne and Hudson will be in the tournament. Hail really approves.

Tatum Paxley is very happy that Lyra Valkyria is still Women’s Champion but scares Valkyria as well.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer are going to be in the Dusty Cup together, but Frazer again screws up by insulting established teams. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade pop in to not be pleased.

The D’Angelo Family is ready for OTM and introduce the woman who has been doing business for them as Adrianna, shortened to The Riz. They go to their car but Joe Gacy is in the trunk. Apparently someone else was supposed to be in there but Gacy might have dealt with him.

Grayson Waller vs. Trick Williams

For an NXT Title shot. Waller knocks him into the corner to start and a suplex gets two. Williams is back up and knocks him to the floor, followed by going over the announcers’ table. Back up and Waller hits a quick clothesline (Waller: “I just whooped you Trick.”) and we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Waller dropping elbows to the back and grabbing a half crab. With that broken up, Waller talks more trash and gets hit in the mouth. The rolling Stunner is cut off by another shot to the face and they go to the corner. A middle rope Rock Bottom gives Williams two but Waller’s rolling Downward Spiral gets two more. Williams grabs a jumping neckbreaker and here is Carmelo Hayes. Williams isn’t pleased…but here is Kevin Owens to deck Waller. That’s enough to set up Williams’ flash knee for the pin at 13:06.

Rating: C+. So why was Owens there in the first place? Waller wasn’t scheduled so why did Owens show up? Anyway, at least they didn’t do anything crazy like get rid of Williams as #1 contender, which would have been incredibly frustrating after the build. I’m not sure when the title match is going to take place, but we might be waiting a bit if they’re dragging things out. Beating Waller is fine, but that’s not what they were building here and the switch hurt.

Overall Rating: C. This was quite the disappointment, as it was billed as a big deal but the men’s title match didn’t happen, the Women’s Title match was just ok, the tournament final was fine and nothing really stood out. It felt like they punted this week and that’s never a good thing on such an important event. Not an awful show, but a rather disappointing one given what it looked like it was supposed to be.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Blair Davenport – Samoan driver
LWO b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Phoenix splash to Kemp
Arianna Grace b. Roxanne Perez via reversed decision
Fallon Henley b. Tiffany Stratton – Shining Wizard
Oba Femi b. Riley Osborne – Pop up powerbomb
Trick Williams b. Grayson Waller – Flash knee

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: December 26, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re taped again here, as WWE thankfully gave the roster the holiday week off. The big story coming out of last week was Ilja Dragunov seemingly being injured in a match against Ridge Holland, which could change next week’s NXT Title match. Other than that, Chase U has a match to get rid of all of its debt. Let’s get to it.

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

Chase U vs. OTM

If Chase U wins, their debt is paid but if they lose, the have nothing. Chase dropkicks Price to start and hands it off to Hudson as Chase U gets to alternate on the arm. Price kicks his way to freedom and brings in Nima to stomp Chase down for two. A hard corner clothesline rocks Chase again but he fights out of the corner to bring Hudson back in to clean house. Chase comes back in but walks into a superkick, allowing an assisted spinebuster to give Nima the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point with Chase screwing up again to get his school into even more trouble. That’s going to be a major problem going forward but for now he’ll have to come up with a new plan. It’s still really weird to have Chase go from the lovable goon to this loser who screwed everything up and I’m still not sure why this is a good idea. At the same time, OTM gets the biggest win of their career and maybe they’re on the way to something bigger.

Here are some NXT Year End Award winners:

Tag Team Of The Year: Creed Brothers
Female Superstar Of The Year: Tiffany Stratton
Male Superstar Of The Year: Ilja Dragunov

Creeds and Stratton make sense and Dragunov’s only competition was Carmelo Hayes so these all work.

Trick Williams is thinking about pushing his title match back due to Ilja Dragunov’s injury. Carmelo Hayes tells him no way and says take your shot, because its not Williams fault that Dragunov is hurt.

Heritage Cup: Josh Briggs vs. Noam Dar

Dar, with the Meta Four, is defending. Round One begins as the much taller Briggs taunts Dar with a test of strength offer before tossing Dar into the corner. Briggs slams him down and gets two off a splash before a running shoulder gets the same. A powerbomb is loaded up but time expires before Briggs can drop him as the round ends. Round Two begins with a Boss Man Slam giving Briggs two. Briggs powers out of a guillotine choke but gets caught in a triangle choke but that’s broken up as well. A hard clothesline gives Briggs the first fall at 1:15 of the round and 4:58 overall.

We take a break and come back with the two of them slugging it out on the apron. Briggs misses a big boot against the barricade though and Dar kicks him in the face as the round ends. Round Four begins with Dar kicking him in the face again and then does it a third time for two. Briggs is back with a chokeslam for two of his own but Dar goes after the knee. Some strikes to the face set up the kneebar but Briggs gets to the rope. Lash Legend hits Briggs with a bucket for two so Briggs grabs said bucket and hits Dar for the DQ at 2:47 of the round. By rule, Dar automatically retains at 12:48 overall.

Rating: C+. Well at least the ending was different. My biggest issue with these matches is they tend to go the same way so points for switching something up for once. That being said, Dar really needs to drop the Cup to someone else already, just to freshen things up a bit at least. Briggs wouldn’t really have fit as the conquering hero, but someone needs to get the thing off of Dar already.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are in the back, with Frazer talking about how glad he is Bron Breakker isn’t Superstar of the Year. Frazer: “He’s behind me isn’t he?” That would be correct and a match is made for later.

Cora Jade vs. Karmen Petrovic

Jade stole Petrovic’s to set this up and whips Petrovic into the corner to start. Stomping and trash talking ensue but Petrovic kicks her way out of the corner. A spinning kick to the back of the head gets two but Jade is right back with the double arm DDT for the pin at 3:02.

Rating: C. Really short and to the point here, which is what it should have been. Petrovic is still really new around here and it wouldn’t make sense for her to beat Jade, who is back with a vengeance. Jade getting a push towards the title picture wouldn’t surprise me and this is a nice, albeit small, step in that direction.

Post match the beating almost continued but Gigi Dolin ran in for the save. Hopefully Jade can beat Dolin so we can move on from this for good.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Riley Osborne vs. Lexis King

Osborne works on the arm to start as Tre Bearhill comes out with a chair to stare at King. Back up and King takes over to work on the leg. A half crab is broken up so King kicks him in the face and hits a backbreaker. King takes him to the top but Bearhill offers a distraction, allowing Osborne to hit a shooting star press for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have much time to go anywhere here, but King’s weird path in NXT continues. He came in with hype, got paired with one of the biggest stars in NXT and is now seemingly feuding with one of the rookies over a spot in the Breakout Tournament. King was still protected in defeat and Osborne seems to be a project around here, but this doesn’t bode well for King’s future as he isn’t off to the hottest start around here.

Post match Bearhill goes after King, who bails out to the floor.

More awards:

Match Of The Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes – No Mercy
Moment Of The Year: The Undertaker In NXT

Ava says Ilja Dragunov gets to decide if he defends the title next week or not.

Nathan Frazer vs. Bron Breakker

Frazer’s headlock doesn’t work in the slightest and Breakker smiles at him a lot. Instead Frazer tries to run the ropes but gets flattened by a shoulder. A headlock takeover actually does work for Frazer, at least until Breakker launches him into the corner. Frazer slips out of a suplex though and hits a running kick to the chest as we take a break.

Back with Breakker hitting a gutbuster for two and starting in on the ribs. Frazer fights up again and kicks Breakker to the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. Breakker is knocked into the steps but he’s fine enough to slam his way out of a high crossbody attempt. The spear is cut off by a spear so Breakker tries again, this time cutting Frazer in half for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B-. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and that was on full display here, with both of them doing their parts rather well. Frazer looking desperate when he was going for covers sold how dangerous he knows Breakker to be, while Breakker continues to be a wrecking ball with all kinds of power. I know he’s practically main roster ready now, but giving him a bit more time in NXT to get in reps and be more and more seasoned is helping him so much.

Baron Corbin is watching in the back and seems impressed by Breakker.

The No Quarter Catch Crew wants the LWO next week.

Fallon Henley and Brooks Jensen give Josh Briggs a pep talk, with the team seemingly breaking up on good terms. That came a bit out of nowhere.

Arianna Grace talks to Ava about Roxanne Perez slapping her last week. As a result, Ava makes Perez vs. Grace for next week.

Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport have a face to face interview before next week’s title match. They accuse each other of hiding, with Valkyria saying she was beating Becky Lynch while Davenport was jumping people in the parking lot. Davenport has seen Valkyria’s rise but will be the reason for her fall. This was short but intense.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Oba Femi vs. Tavion Heights

The stronger Femi powers him down to start and drops a jumping knee for two. A backbreaker has Heights in more trouble and it’s time to work on Heights’ arm. Femi hits a running charge in the corner for two but Heights is right back with an AA into a suplex. Femi blasts him with a clothesline though and a pop up powerbomb finishes for Femi at 4:07.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a surprise as Heights has been pushed rather hard on NXT LVL Up, though Femi is an absolute monster. Heights is going to have his day, but Femi being the one who wrecks everything in front of him makes sense. Femi vs. Osborne should be a heck of a showdown in the finals as it has the power vs. speed dynamic, but this feels like something of an upset.

Ilja Dragunov arrives and wants to talk to Trick Williams.

We look at Dragunov’s injury, with Ridge Holland apologizing on Twitter. More from Holland next week.

Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is at ringside. They start fast with Gacy being sent outside, where Coffey hits a suicide dive. The fans chant for JOE as Coffey drops an elbow for two back inside. Gacy fights out of the corner and hits some running forearms, followed by a big dive to the floor. Back in and a release Rock Bottom gives Gacy two as Hank Walker and Tank Ledger come out to brawl with Gallus. The distraction lets Gacy hit the Upside Down for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. NXT is going to pus Gacy no matter what and I can at least take this more than another cult deal. I’m still not sure what Gacy’s deal is at this point but they’re certainly trying something new with him. Beating Coffey feels like a big deal and as long as Gacy doesn’t build up followers, it could be a lot worse.

The LWO is ready for the No Quarter Catch Crew next week. Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice come in, with Lopez being happy to see her old friends while Vice seems totally uninterested.

We run down next week’s card.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes and a bunch of wrestlers around the ring. Anything goes but you can only win by knockout or submission. Thorpe goes for the arm to start but Dijak fights out, only to get caught in a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well and Dijak unloads with right hands. Dijak tosses him out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Thorpe in big trouble and being sent back inside. Thorpe fights up and snaps off a German suplex, followed by a brainbuster. Dijak is still up so Thorpe grabs a choke, with Dijak dropping back onto him or the break. That’s broken up as well and Dijak scores with the spinning boot. Another such boot is broken up with Thorpe’s kick to the face before Thorpe suplexes him to the floor.

Dijak lands on his feet though and hits a quick Feast Your Eyes but Thorpe is still in it. Thorpe drops him ribs first onto the apron but Dijak grabs the leather strap. The big right hand is blocked though and Thorpe hits Manifest Destiny (DDT), which still isn’t enough for the win.

Thorpe grabs the strap and whips away before slapping on another choke. Dijak rams him into the post for the break but a powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana to the floor. An elbow off the apron sets up another Manifest Destiny on the floor but Dijak is still in it. Another choke goes on but Dijak climbs the steps next to the announcers’ table, only to have Dijak Manifest Destiny him through the table for the win at 15:48.

Rating: B. The unique rules and setup take some getting used to but they had a hard hitting fight and that’s what it needed to be. This felt like the big ending to the feud as Thorpe gets a big boost. I’m not sure how long it is going to last but at least they had a good fight, with Dijak looking strong in defeat, as always.

We get a sitdown faceoff between Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams. Trick won’t hold back at New Year’s Evil and signs, but says we can push the match back if Dragunov needs more time to recover. Dragunov says no one can stop him and takes off the neck brace before signing. An intense handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show covered a lot of stuff and the main event helped boost it up a lot. They were in a weird place here as there is only so much that you can make feel big with the major show coming next week. New Year’s Evil is looking very good/important and this show did a nice job of setting things up for next week. Another rather nice show this week, with a variety of stuff being covered in just over two hours.

Results
OTM b. Chase U – Assisted spinebuster to Chase
Noam Dar b. Josh Briggs via DQ when Briggs used a bucket
Cora Jade b. Karmen Petrovic – Double arm DDT
Riley Osborne b. Lexis King – Shooting star press
Bron Breakker b. Nathan Frazer – Spear
Oba Femi b. Tavion Heights – Pop up powerbomb
Joe Gacy b. Joe Coffey – Upside Down
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak – Manifest Destiny through the announcers’ table

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