NXT LVL Up
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

For once, this show might actually be a bit different for a change, as next week’s regular NXT will be taped in advance due to the 4th of July. As a result, NXT might switch things up somewhat, for the sake of not having to tape too many matches before the show. That could be a nice way to go so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan takes her down with an armbar to start before a sunset flip gets two. An armdrag out of the corner into a rollup gets two more but Davenport hits her in the face to take over. The cravate has Jordan in more trouble but she fights up with some shots to the face. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two on Davenport but a backbreaker into the Falcon Arrow finishes Jordan at 5:25.

Rating: C. Jordan got a chance to shine here and that is nice to see as she is still brand new. Let her do her thing for a bit, assuming she already knows what that thing is. That being said, Davenport seems to be a candidate for next big bad in NXT and if that is the case, she is not about to be losing to a newcomer like Jordan, especially on LVL Up.

Myles Borne wants a challenge in Joe Coffey.

Joe Coffey vs. Myles Borne

Coffey grabs a cravate to start but Borne is right back up with a dropkick. An armbar puts Borne down and Coffey cranks on the arm a bit more. Coffey’s headlock doesn’t last long as Borne is back up with a dropkick. Borne gets his own armbar and Coffey is sent to the apron, where a Stunner can connect to stagger Borne again. A powerslam gets Borne out of trouble but Coffey knocks him into the corner, setting up All The Best For The Bells and the pin on Borne at 5:40.

Rating: C+. Coffey as the name of the week around here is a weird way to go as he has had enough success to not belong on this show. That make it all the more interesting and Borne even got in some offense here. Decent enough match, even if it was there for the sake of having Coffey around.

Overall Rating: C+. As nice as the thirty minute version of the show may be, the twenty minute version actually suits it even better. It’s more or less the Main Event of NXT and I got a little something out of it, just by having some not quite squash matches. This was a nice change of pace and we’ll probably get the same next week, so well done for a bit.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 9, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

Things were a bit different last week as we had some different faces around for a change. That can make all the difference in the world with a show like this, which is built around getting people some ring time before they’re called up to the main NXT show (in theory at least). Hopefully they keep that up here so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of the Iron Sheik.

Opening sequence.

Nathan Frazier vs. Tavion Heights

Heights wrestles/powers him to the mat to start but Frazier reverses into a sunset flip for two. Back up and Frazier starts flipping away, only to dive into an overhead belly to belly suplex (and a sweet one at that). Heights grabs the chinlock but Frazier reverses, only to get kicked throat first into the rope. A Dominator gives Heights two more but Frazier kicks him in the head. Frazier flips out of a German suplex, nails a superkick and finishes with the Phoenix splash at 4:40.

Rating: C+. Frazier being around instantly made the show feel more important and the fact that it was a rather nice power vs. speed match helped. This felt like Heights was told to go do all of his impressive stuff and the power/amateur mixture worked. Heights is another star who feels like he could be a big deal going forward, but he has to actually win something for that to take place.

Luca Crusifino is ready for Myles Borne, who lacks his intelligence.

Luca Crusifino vs. Myles Borne

Borne works on a wristlock to start before switching over to an armbar. Luca can’t shake him off but can send Borne throat first into the rope to escape. Some knees to the back set up a chokeslam as the fans argue over whether Luca is their lawyer or not. Borne finally suplexes his way out of trouble but can’t get a powerslam. Instead Borne tries la majistral but Luca stacks him up for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. Crusifino winning matches is almost strange to see but it’s nice to have someone fresh actually getting some wins. The evil lawyer isn’t likely to be the biggest gimmick, but I’ll take it over having absolutely nothing else to do. Now just let him get better and find something for him to do and he should be fine.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Dante Chen

Drew Gulak is here with Dempsey. They fight over arm control to start, with Chen flipping him over for an annoyed stare from Dempsey. Another battle over the arm goes to Dempsey, who suplexes him down a few times for some near falls. Back up and Chen elbows him in the face, setting up the armdrag into the armbar.

Chen whips him into the corner a few times but Dempsey gets it back to the mat. The cravate holds Chen in trouble for a bit until he wins a forearm exchange. A big boot drops Dempsey again but he bails to the floor before the double chop. Chen misses a springboard though and gets pulled into a reverse STF (Dempsey has the legs tied up but is laying on his back to pull on the chin.) for the tap at 7:50.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better matches I’ve seen on this show in a good while, as Dempsey was working well with the torture and Chen kept up the energy. Chen is a mainstay around here and isn’t interesting enough for the main NXT show, but he can do well when given the chance. Dempsey could be a force in NXT if he ever gets to move up a bit, but I can settle for him tormenting innocent victims for the time being.

Overall Rating: C+. They went in the opposite direction this week with more star power and that was a nice change of pace. LVL Up is not usually the place for people like Frazier and Dempsey but it was cool to have them around here for a change instead of the same people over and over. I get why NXT wouldn’t want that to be the case every week, but for a one off, this was a fun night.

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NXT
Date: April 18, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Things got a little more interesting last week as Grayson Waller became the new #1 contender to the NXT Title and Bron Breakker seemed to target Chase U. Those are both new directions and I’m curious to see where they go from here. Other than that, the Women’s Title situation could get more complicated so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap….is broken up by a three way brawl between the Dyad, the Creeds and Gallus, who are scheduled to face off for the Tag Team Titles. That’s a new one and I got a bit confused by what they were doing (in a good way).

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Dyad vs. Creed Brothers

Gallus is defending, the rest of the groups are here too and it’s a brawl to start with the Dyad taking over. That doesn’t last long as Gallus is right back, only to have Julius snap off some suplex. Julius moonsaults onto Reid and manages a heck of a powerbomb but a string of shots to the face gives Reid two. Mark sends Julius flying for two and we take a break.

Back with a three way knockdown and a triple tag bringing in Brutus, Fowler and Wolfgang, with Brutus getting to clean house. The Dyad breaks up a double team from Gallus and we get a Dyad vs. Creed showdown. Something like Aussie Open’s Coriolis hits Brutus but Ava offers a distraction. Reid is knocked off the top into Ivy Nile as the Brutus Bomb hits Fowler. With that broken up, Gallus’ running boot/flapjack combination retains the titles at 13:09.

Rating: B-. It was a hot start to the show and that is the right way to go. I liked the whole interrupting the normal video to start, just to add in some rarely used flavor. Other than that, the match was pretty much nonstop action and that is how you get a show going. Gallus is running through the division though and I’m not sure who is supposed to take the belts from them at the moment.

Dijak is mad about Ilja Dragunov and runs into Apollo Crews, setting up a match tonight.

Nathan Frazer has a new talk show segment called Hard Hitting Home Truths, where he talks about how talented the roster is around here. Frazer talks about how he is going to keep going fast to keep from getting down because unhappiness can’t catch you. This was an odd choice but sure why not.

Myles Borne vs. Noam Dar

Dar’s Heritage Cup isn’t on the line. Dar kicks the leg out to start but Borne drives him into the corner to hammer away. Borne gets hung over the ropes and kicked in the face but he fights up with some dropkicks. Dar hits a spinning elbow to the face though and the Nova Roller (running kick to the face) finishes Borne at 2:45.

Roxanne Perez is ready to go through Zoey Stark tonight on her way back to the Women’s Title.

Kiana James isn’t willing to help Josh Briggs after everything that has happened. Briggs still wants help talking to Brooks Jensen, who comes in, looking like he’s auditioning for Pretty Deadly. He doesn’t want to talk to Briggs because Jensen is a man instead of a boy. Jensen tells him to leave.

Odyssey Jones comes out for a match but gets jumped by Bron Breakker. After getting rid of Jones, Breakker talks about how he had to take out Chase U last week but here is Duke Hudson to say not so fast. Breakker isn’t going to badmouth Chase U and get away with it so they can fight at Spring Breakin. Hudson cuts him off to say Breakker is going to face the beating heart of Chase U. Breakker promises to wreck all of Chase U.

Cora Jade gets cut off by Gigi Dolin, who thinks Jade is channeling her anger. A match is made for later.

Pretty Deadly is happy with attacking Tony D’Angelo and Stacks and an anything goes match seems likely for next week.

Roxanne Perez vs. Zoey Stark

Stark works on the arm to start but Perez slips out and we have a standoff. Perez takes her into an armbar and cranks away, setting up a headlock for a change of pace. A headlock takeover out of the corner has Stark even more annoyed but she slips out and kicks Perez in the ribs. Back up and Perez is sent outside, where she cuts off a dive and drops Perez on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Perez being catapulted into the corner, setting up the cravate. Another catapult is countered into a middle rope Thesz press but Stark rolls through a high crossbody for two. Pop Rox is blocked and a half and half suplex drops Perez for two more. The Z360 is countered though and Pop Rox out of the corner gives Perez the pin at 11:08.

Rating: C+. This is where Perez shines, as she fought from behind and came back to win in a nice match. Perez is small enough to be the plucky underdog and she pulled it off well here. On the other hand you have Stark, who is great as a villain to be slayed and it worked out for both of them as a result. Good match here, with Perez getting closer to her title rematch.

Post match here is Indi Hartwell to say she’s a fighting champion so next week, Perez can have her title shot. Perez is of course game but here is Tiffany Stratton to be all annoyed. Stratton says another beatable opponent is getting a title shot but Perez brings up beating her in the Breakout Tournament. Hartwell is up for a triple threat.

Grayson Waller says he’s here because the Johnny Gargano match was unsanctioned and didn’t count. Now for the NXT Title!

Von Wagner convinces Mr. Stone to stick around because he’s the son of a Beverly Brother and ready to go. Why does WWE insist on trying over and over with Wagner? Am I missing something?

Dani Palmer will be here soon.

Cora Jade vs. Gigi Dolin

Cora works on a wristlock to start but gets kicked in the arm to cut her off. A running hip attack drops Dolin for two but she knees Jade in the face. Jade’s running knee is cut off but here is Jacy Jayne for a distraction. Dolin isn’t having that and sends Jayne into the steps, as well as Booker T., with the distraction letting Jade hit a DDT for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was more about Jayne vs. Dolin than anything else. The feud is likely continuing and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch in the next week or two. Dolin feels like someone who NXT wants to push but won’t pull the trigger on, though that might have been more due to Jayne’s injury.

Post match Lyra Valkyria comes out to say she’s facing Jade next week.

Eddy Thorpe is ready to succeed and overcome the Native American stereotypes. Damon Kemp comes in and doesn’t seem impressed.

Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs aren’t cool with Kiana James and Brooks Jensen, who come in to interrupt. Briggs wants to make amends but the challenge for a mixed tag is thrown out. Henley is absolutely in.

Dijak vs. Apollo Crews

Dijak grabs a headlock to start as Booker says time is running out on Crews’ chances. Crews’ headlock goes on before he picks up the pace, setting up a nice dropkick. Dijak manages to send him to the apron though and a hard shot knocks Crews into the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Crews hitting a top rope shot to the head but the discus boot gives Dijak two. Crews kicks him down but the standing moonsault is countered into Hard Justice for….two in a nice finish. Feast Your Eyes finishes Crews at 9:52.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Dijak getting a nice win as he is starting to feel a bit more like his old self. Dijak felt like someone who should have been a bigger deal in the new NXT but hasn’t quite hit that same level, or really even approached it. Maybe this is a nice step forward, but the lack of consistency gives me pause.

Post match Dijak goes after Crews again but Ilja Dragunov makes the save. The two have to be held apart.

Jacy Jayne can’t stand Gigi Dolin and talks about how Dolin left her seven year old brother to deal with their abusive mother.

North American Title: Charlie Dempsey vs. Wes Lee

Dempsey, with Drew Gulak, is defending and Gulak gets in a cheap shot before the bell. Dempsey gets in a fast two and rolls Lee up for two more. Lee is fine enough to send him outside for the big flip dive and we take a break. Back with Dempsey working on an armbar but Lee gets up for the slugout.

A dropkick to the back of the head sends Dempsey into the corner but he comes out with a dragon screw legwhip. Dempsey’s bridging German suplex gets two, only to have Lee kick his way out of trouble. After kicking Gulak off the apron, Lee hits the Cardiac Kick to retain at 8:35.

Rating: C+. The break didn’t do this any favors but I can go with more of Dempsey getting to torture someone. That is something that works no matter what era of wrestling you’re in and that was true again here. At the same time you have Lee, who is on the roll of a career at this point and we could be in for even more awesome title defenses going forward.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are ready for Pretty Deadly and they’ll make it a trunk match.

Oba Femi is coming and can throw stuff, like furniture.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Bron Breakker vs. Andre Chase instead of Duke Hudson.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect with Waller promising to win the NXT Title next week. That brings him to his guests: NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams. Waller talks about what a star he has been without a title, so imagine what he’ll be with one. We get a viewer question asking what the “him” thing means for Hayes. Williams doesn’t like it but Hayes says they keep chanting his name, so what does that tell you?

Waller suggests that Hayes is nothing without Williams but Hayes isn’t going to fall for it. They insult each other for how horrible they would be on the main roster until Waller promises to win the title. The staredown ends the show. This wasn’t great, but it isn’t meant to be some kind of major title showdown. Instead, it’s about Hayes getting his first title defense out of the way and Waller is just dangerous enough to feel like a threat.

Overall Rating: B-. Another solid show from NXT and the best thing is that they have been building up towards the important show next week. Granted a lot of the card was built up in the span of one night, but at least they did get it together. Spring Breakin is not going to be the biggest card ever, but it is going to feel bigger than a regular show. For now though, they’re coming in to the show on something of a roll so there is a lot of potential next week.

Results
Gallus b. Dyad and Creed Brothers – Running boot/flapjack combination to Brutus
Noam Dar b. Myles Borne – Nova Roller
Roxanne Perez b. Zoey Stark – Pop Rox
Cora Jade b. Gigi Dolin – DDT
Wes Lee b. Charlie Dempsey – Cardiac Kick

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NXT LVL Up
Date: February 24, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s another LVL Up and again I’m not sure what to expect. The best formula around here seems to be having some midcard NXT stars in the main event and the younger stars filling in the rest of the show. That has worked well in the past, but you never know what direction the show is going to take. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Axiom vs. Kale Dixon

Dixon works on the arm to start but Axiom reverses into an armbar of his own. A springboard kick to the side of the head drops Dixon but he’s right back with some clubbing forearms. They trade kicks to the ribs until Dixon gets two off a delayed vertical suplex. Axiom strikes his way out of a chinlock and there’s a high crossbody. The Golden Ratio finishes for Axiom at 4:35.

Rating: C. Axiom is starting to find his grove and that was on display here. He’s getting smoother and smoother in the ring and that Golden Ratio is starting to look good. Dixon is someone who has a good look but not much else to back it up, though getting to more than about five matches might be a good start.

Myles Borne and Tank Ledger are different on paper but they can win together tonight.

Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice

Ruca takes the arm to start and fireman’s carries her into an armbar. Vice fights up and knees her down, setting up the sleeper. That’s broken up as well with Ruca starting the comeback, setting up the Sol Snatcher for the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C. Ruca is still almost all about that finisher but to be fair, it’s a pretty incredible looking finisher. She has such a unique style and it makes sense to push her every chance WWE has. That was the situation here, though Vice has a certain fire to her as well that makes it easy to want to watch her.

Tavion Heights/Damon Kemp vs. Myles Borne/Tank Ledger

Ledger and Heights grapple over a rollup to start with Heights being suplexed over, meaning it’s off to Kemp. Borne comes in to work on Kemp’s arm but Kemp hits him in the face. It’s back to Heights for a suplex and Kemp grabs a chinlock. Borne fights up and hits a dropkick, with Heights knocking him into the corner for the tag. Ledger splashes Heights for two and everything breaks down. Ledger rolls Kemp up for two but walks into a Rock Bottom neckbreaker for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as there was one even slightly important name in the match and that didn’t help anything much. It felt like four people who were thrown together for a main event and then told to figure it out for themselves. Not bad by any means, but it came off more like a Performance Center training exercise than a match we needed to see.

Overall Rating: C-. Not the best show here as Axiom was the big name and wasn’t exactly in much danger. The other two matches existed for the sake of a finisher and getting people on the show. This felt more like the LVL Up of old and that is not the best thing to see after it was starting to make some progress.

Results
Axiom b. Kale Dixon – Golden Ratio
Sol Ruca b. Lola Vice – Sol Snatcher
Damon Kemp/Tavion Heights b. Myles Borne/Tank Ledger – Rock Bottom neckbreaker to Ledger

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NXT LVL Up
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re back here for a new year and that could open up…well ok nothing is likely to change, as tends to be the case around here. Last week did see two of the new class actually win a match, albeit against a team actually less experienced than themselves. I’m not sure how much more I can expect here but let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Elektra Lopez/Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer

Kind of a weird dynamic here. Miller and Palmer start things off with a fight over arm control. Palmer drags her to the corner for the tag to Ruca, who elbows her down. A standing moonsault gives Ruca two and a middle rope spinning crossbody gets the same. Lopez comes in to pull Ruca down by the hair and some knees get two. We hit the seated crossface chickenwing and it’s Miller coming back in for a hard clothesline. The armbar stays on Ruca’s arm by way of barring it, only to have Ruca flip over and bring Palmer back in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and the Electric Shock finishes Palmer at 5:05.

Rating: C. This was a weird way to go as the face/heel dynamics didn’t quite match up. It’s also a bit strange to see Ruca losing (albeit not getting pinned) after she has been pushed so hard around here lately. That being said, Palmer is the kind of person you can put in her to take the fall without losing anything.

Tank Ledger is ready for Xyon Quinn because like a tank, he’ll keep moving forward.

Tank Ledger vs. Xyon Quinn

Ledger grabs the arm to start before they go to the test of strength. Quinn has to fight out of Ledger’s one arm lift and there’s a forearm to knock Ledger into the corner. A running shot to the face takes Ledger down and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and it’s a fall away slam to send Quinn flying. The fireman’s carry is escaped though and Quinn hits his running punch for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but they played on the idea of a rookie vs. a more experienced star. Granted Quinn is little more than a rookie himself but he is further along than Ledger. They seem to see a little something in Ledger so maybe this is the first, albeit minor, step towards something else.

Tavion Heights/Myles Borne vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Heights, a former Olympic wrestler, wrestles Blade down without much trouble. Blade fights up and hits a dropkick (earning some cheers) before it’s off to Enofe. Heights drives him into the corner though and Borne comes in for a dropkick of his own. The Crossface goes on for a bit before Heights powers Enofe back into the corner to keep him in trouble.

Enofe slips out of a suplex though and brings Blade back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Heights/Borne grab a fireman’s carry lifted into an assisted Downward Spiral (that was sweet) to Blade as everything breaks down. It’s back to Blade though and the Climax finishes Heights at 5:05.

Rating: C+. Heights seems like someone who is getting the hang of this pretty quickly and Borne has come a long, long way in the last few months. They were starting to cook near the end and that Downward Spiral got a very nice reaction. I could go for more from these teams, but could we please give Blade and Enofe a win that matters at some point?

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that went a good bit better than I was expecting, with a hot main event and some people seemingly moving up a few steps. It’s still not a great show and not even one that you need to watch, but for half an hour, there are certainly worse things to put out there.

Results
Elektra Lopez/Amari Miller b. Sol Ruca/Dani Palmer – Electric Shock to Palmer
Xyon Quinn b. Tank Ledger – Running punch
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Tavion Heights/Myles Borne – Climax to Heights

NXT LVL Up, 2023, Elektra Lopez, Amari Miller, Sol Ruca, Dani Palmer, Tank Ledger, Xyon Quinn, Edris Enofe, Malik Blade, Myles Borne, Tavion Heights

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 23, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Byron Saxton

We are in the holiday season and that could make for an interesting show around here. Granted there is little reason to believe that will be taking place, but last week’s show did include some extra star power to make things more fun. Do something similar this week and they might have something. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Myles Borne

Dempsey grabs the arm to start but Borne wrestles him to the ground. That’s reversed with a wristlock, allowing Dempsey to flip around a bit. A forearm rocks Borne, who armdrags Dempsey down without much trouble. The fans approve of the wrestling as Dempsey works on the arm and then grabs a headscissors to pull Borne down again. Dempsey stays on the arm and even cranks on the ankle a bit at the same time (showoff).

Borne fights up but gets hiptossed right back down. A short armscissors has Borne in more trouble and Dempsey rolls him around the ring. Borne finally powers Dempsey up and drops back for the break, meaning it’s time to strike it out. Some rolling suplexes rock Dempsey but he avoids the top rope splash. Dempsey’s fisherman’s belly to back suplex finishes Borne at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah this worked and was one of the better matches I’ve seen in LVL Up history. They had a story of the two of them trying to out wrestle each other, with Dempsey just being that much better at the concept. This was a blast of a match and made Borne look better than he has at any point in his career so far.

Dani Palmer is ready to prove herself.

Dani Palmer vs. Sol Ruca

They trade armdrags to start with neither getting anywhere, followed by stereo dropkicks for another standoff. Palmer manages something like a seated abdominal stretch before they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Ruca dropkicks her into the corner though and it’s the Sol Snatcher (that inverted flipping cutter) for the pin at 2:57. Ruca hit it faster this time too and made it look more natural.

Hank Walker vs. Trick Williams

Williams sidesteps him to start and the fans seem to approve. Walker dodges a charge though and Williams goes sailing out to the floor. Williams misses an elbow back inside but manages to grab something like a reverse X Factor out of the corner for two. Some chops in the corner make Walker mad so he shows Williams how it’s done for two of his own. Another shot drops Walker though and Williams hits the chinlock. That’s broken up and Walker hits the running powerslam for two, meaning it’s time to take the shirt off. A running neckbreaker gives Williams two though and the Trick Kick finishes Walker at 6:08.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that is going to work most of the time as you had two bigger guys hitting each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Williams wasn’t in the most danger but Walker feels like he is starting to figure a few things out. Granted he didn’t have anywhere to go but up so isn’t the greatest accomplishment, but things are starting to work better than they were before.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener alone was a nice thing to see and I had a good time with this show. Believe it or not, they might actually be doing something with this show and again, that is going to be due to the amount of variety around here. The biggest complaint about this show is how repetitive it can be. Vary things up a bit and the show gets easier to watch. That isn’t complicated and now they are starting to get the idea.

Results
Charlie Dempsey b. Myles Borne – Fisherman’s belly to back suplex
Sol Ruca b. Dani Palmer – Sol Snatcher
Trick Williams b. Hank Walker – Trick Kick

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re into the final month of the year and much like the rest of the months, that isn’t likely to mean anything significant. I’m never sure what to expect in any given week on this show and I’m really not sure how much thought is put into the show week to week either. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Myles Borne

Mensah kicks out of a wristlock to start but gets wrestled to the mat for a quick two. Back up and a quick anklescissors takes Borne down, setting up a running crotch attack against the ropes. Borne is able to catch him on top though and some covers get some twos. We hit the chinlock on Mensah, followed by a quick belly to belly to give Borne another near fall. A northern lights suplex gets the same but Mensah hits his own suplex to start the comeback. Mensah nails a running forearm, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner to finish Borne at 6:10.

Rating: C-. This was mainly about Borne out wrestling and more or less dominating until Mensah hit one or two moves and hits finisher for the pin. Mensah just isn’t that impressive for the most part while Borne has come a LONG way after a few pretty lame early matches. Not much to see here, but it was mostly a Borne squash until the ending switched everything up.

Tavion Heights, a former Olympic wrestler, is ready to debut against Stacks.

Tavion Heights vs. Stacks

Tony D’Angelo is here with Stacks. Heights nips his way out of some headlock attempts but Stacks cuts him off with a dropkick. Stacks has to slam his way out of an armbar and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Heights snaps off a powerslam, setting up a gutwrench suplex for two. Not that it matters as Stacks is back up with a knee to the back of the head for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C. Heights is someone who looks like he has some potential but he has a long way to go. Putting him out there for an early match like this against someone with a bit of success like Stacks isn’t the worst way to go and they did things decently enough here. It’s fine enough for a debut, even with Stacks handling most of the work.

Thea Hail vs. Sol Ruca

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail, who flips around a lot and grabs a wristlock. The fans are behind Chase U, even as Ruca takes her down into an armbar. That’s broken up so Hail armdrags her for one before they’re back up for a quick standoff. Ruca powers her down though and hits a cartwheel splash for two, setting up the bodyscissors.

We hit the abdominal stretch to keep up the variety of rib work, followed by what should be the required surfboard. Hail fights up and shakes the ropes a lot, setting up a backsplash for two. Ruca jumps over her and tries a Matrix, only to get rolled up to give Hail the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C. Ruca is one of the craziest athletes I’ve ever seen and that was on display again here. Sometimes you just need to let someone use their natural abilities and make themselves look great, which is what they’re doing with Ruca. At the same time you have Hail, who is the most enthusiastic ball of energy that you are going to see in NXT these days. Fun match here, but more a showcase of what Ruca can do.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show is starting to find a bit of a groove as they are now focusing on building people up rather than just throwing out random matches. You can see where people like Ruca, Borne and even Hail are starting to come along. If this show actually helps develop people then cool, but they would be much better served by putting in some more extensive time on the Florida house show circuit. For now though, decent show this week.

Results
Oro Mensah b. Myles Borne – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Stacks b. Tavion Heights – Knee to the back of the head
Thea Hail b. Sol Ruca – Crucifix

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Matt Camp

It’s a pay per view weekend and that means a grand total of very little on this show as Crown Jewel has no connection to NXT. LVL Up doesn’t have much to offer most weeks but maybe we can get in a nice match to take up some of the time. The show is usually at least decent so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile vs. Sol Ruca

The fans approve of Nile as she works on the wristlock to start. Ruca trips her down and Nile actually grins a bit, only to have it cut off by Ruca’s headlock takeover. Nile is back up with a sunset flip but a jumpless X Factor gives Ruca two. A rather muscular deadlift suplex gets two on Nile but she is back with an armbar in the corner. The arm is fine enough to hit a side slam and a flipping splash connects on Nile in the corner. Nile isn’t having that and suplexes her over, setting up the Diamond Chain Lock (dragon sleeper) for the tap at 4:55.

Rating: C. I still like Nile a god bit and it is nice to see her getting wins, but almost all of her recent LVL Up matches have felt the same. You would think she would be ready for some far better competition on the main NXT show but for some reason she is stuck down here. Ruca continues to be the same thing: very athletic with nothing that makes me care about her as a wrestler.

Myles Borne is ready for Hank Walker, who he seems to like.

Myles Borne vs. Hank Walker

Borne takes him down by the arm to start as we hear about these two knowing each other as teenagers. A Pounce (with a Monty Brown reference from commentary) sends Borne outside but he comes back in to forearm in the corner. The armbar has Walker down but he gets a boot up to stop a diving something designed to land on a raised boot. The comeback is on but Borne snaps off a northern lights suplex. Back up and Walker runs him over with a flying shoulder for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: C. Walker has grown on me a bit and he’s doing enough of a southern/country powerhouse deal to make it work. Borne has come a LONG way in a short time and is having better matches every time he’s out there. That’s what some ring time can do and while he isn’t a big deal yet, he is at least getting better.

Oro Mensah vs. Xyon Quinn

Quinn powers him up against the rope to start but gets armdragged into an armbar. That works so well that Mensah does it again but Quinn hits him in the back. Mensah is fine enough to send him outside for the slingshot dive but Quinn stays on the back with some rams into the apron. A backbreaker and knee to the back give Quinn two, followed by a swinging neckbreaker for the same. The bearhug stays on the back but Mensah breaks it up and hits a springboard moonsault press. Mensah’s running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes Quinn off at 6:07.

Rating: C+. That might be a little high but it’s cool to see a complete match like this one. They had a story, Quinn worked on the back to wear Mensah down, Mensah made a comeback, and the action was fine throughout. It’s one of the better things I’ve seen around here in a good while and after some of the weaker efforts, I’ll absolutely take that.

Overall Rating: C. That’s one of the better LVL Up’s I’ve seen in a bit with the main event being a very nice surprise. There is talent here, but it helps when they had some of the more developed LVL Up stars around here. Mensah has been on the regular NXT show since coming over and Nile has been ready for a serious NXT feud for a long time now. That made for a better show and I’ll always take that kind of change.

Results
Ivy Nile b. Sol Ruca – Diamond Chain Lock
Hank Walker b. Myles Borne – Flying shoulder
Oro Mensah b. Xyon Quinn – Running spinwheel kick in the corner

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 21, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

It’s the second week of the Saxton Era and that means…well very little really, as Saxton isn’t as well versed as Nigel McGuinness and not quite as good of a commentator as him either. That more or less leaves the wrestling to carry things and that is a hit or miss bet around here at best. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Myles Borne

Borne grabs a headlock to start but gets reversed into a cravate. Another headlock slows Jiro down but Borne hurts his knee on a leapfrog. Jiro is right on that knee with a leglock sending Borne over to the rope. The half crab has Borne in more trouble until he crawls over to the rope. The jacket punch rocks Borne but the reverses the Ikemen Slash into a small package for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C. This was a different way to go from most Borne matches and it was quite the win for his career. Borne has gotten better than I would have expected him to be able to do and it’s nice to see his success. At the same time, Jiro was acting more heelish, which is quite the weird way to go for someone with his kind of charisma.

Javier Bernal is ready for Andre Chase because he learned at the school of hard knocks.

Bryson Montana vs. Duke Hudson

Montana grabs him in a front facelock to start and Hudson has to bail to the rope. Hudson elbows away without much trouble but Montana runs him over with a clothesline. A Michinoku Driver gives Montana two but Hudson is back with a snap German suplex. The big boot finishes Montana at 3:53.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and Hudson continues to be quite the charisma vacuum once the bell rings. Montana seems to be one of NXT’s next projects and that isn’t a bad thing. He has the size and look to go somewhere so let him see what he can do when he gets his feet a bit wetter in the ring.

Andre Chase vs. Javier Bernal

Thea Hail is here too. Chase takes him down by the arm to start and Bernal is sent outside, where Thea Hail yells at him. Back in and Chase shoulders him down before hammering away in the corner. Bernal manages to get in a knee lift and hammers away, only to get caught with a middle rope sunset flip for two. Some kicks keep Chase in trouble but he comes right back with a suplex. Chase slugs him down and the spelling stomps have Bernal in trouble. The high crossbody finishes Bernal at 6:41.

Rating: C. Chase has become one of the biggest stars around this show and that is one of the things that can make him into a special treat. The fans go nuts when he comes out and while it would be nice to see him doing something bigger in NXT, it might be easier to take the moments on the smaller stage like this one. If it means less of Bernal being boring on the main show too, so be it.

Overall Rating: C. There was a bit more energy to this show, though that might just be the reactions to Chase being in the ring. The show is still completely skippable and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, but at least it was a fun use of half an hour. I’m still not sure why they stopped sending one slightly bigger name down here a week but maybe they found it beneath those stars. For now though, ok show, especially for the short run time.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 14, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

We’re back to this show again and as usual, it’s anyone guess what to expect. I’ve given up having any hope for a high quality show around here and that is about as good as it is going to get. The show always needs some bigger stars but if we can get a decent midcard name, it’s going to be as solid as can be expected. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ikemen Jiro/Tank Ledger vs. Duke Hudson/Bryson Montana

Hudson powers Jiro into the corner and starts in on the arm but gets tripped into a headlock. Jiro gets shoved off for the tag to Ledger, who trades some shoulders with Hudson. Some arm cranking slows Ledger down and it’s off to Montana, who charges into a hiptoss. Ledger starts in on the arm as well and the good (I think?) guys start taking turns on Montana’s arm.

Hudson draws Ledger over with a distraction though and a neckbreaker gives Montana two. Montana’s chinlock doesn’t last long and the diving tag brings in Jiro to clean house. The Jacket Punches rock set up the springboard moonsault as Hudson walks off. The Ikemen Slash finishes Montana at 6:20.

Rating: C. Hudson and Montana as a team was a little weird but throwing people together can make for some interesting moments. I’m not sure how much of a future they have together, but for a one off match, it wasn’t that bad. Jiro continues to be a fun guy and it’s smart to have him around to open up a show like this.

Myles Borne is ready to keep his wins going.

Myles Borne vs. Dante Chen

Borne wrestles him down to start but the fans seem more behind Chen. An armdrag into an armbar has Borne down but he’s back up with a standing moonsault over a charging Chen. Back up and the armbar has Borne in more trouble, with the fickle fans now behind him for a change. Chen gets up and charges into an elbow in the corner but kicks Borne right back down. The armbar goes on again, only to have Borne come back with a belly to belly. Something like an inverted Downward Spiral (which I thought was a botched inverted DDT at first) finishes Chen at 5:13.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t much to see, and I do wonder how much of that is due to Borne’s hearing issues. I’m not sure how you would exactly call a match like that but Borne has already improved a pretty good bit. It’s certainly a good story though and it should be interesting to see how far he can go.

Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend

Legend kicks her down to start and then grabs an awkward cravate to keep Nile in place. Nile is back up with some hard kicks and starts cranking on the arm. Back up and a butterfly suplex gives Legend two, allowing her to bend Nile’s arm over the middle rope. Some taunting gives Nile a chance to pull her down by the leg for two but Legend blasts her with a clothesline for the same. The armbar and then chinlock goes on Nile before Legend tries her own dragon sleeper. You don’t do that to Nile though, as she flips over and into her own dragon sleeper to make Legend tap at 6:06.

Rating: C-. Believe it or not, this was decent for a Legend match, though it was still a pretty boring one. Maybe Legend can get somewhere with a good bit more practice, but anytime she talks my interest in her goes right back down. Nile did her thing and the ending looked good with her flipping over to take Legend out. That being said, she seemed ready to break out as a big star and it just never happened for some reason. Maybe it happens later, but I don’t quite see it from here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a weaker show as the star power was almost non-existent. It was more about getting people in the ring than anything else. That works fine as a training deal, but it doesn’t make for a good television show. LVL Up can be a nicely done show, but that wasn’t the case with this one. Now awful, but boring, which is often worse.

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