NXT LVL Up
Date: June 24, 2022
Location: Capitol Sports Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Sudu Shah

So we continue around here, as NXT stars continue to take over WWE. They now have three shows, as the NXT undercard has invaded NXT UK, because we haven’t seen enough of these people just yet. That isn’t necessarily a good thing, but when has that ever stopped WWE before? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Opening sequence.

Bryson Montana vs. Quincy Elliott

The much bigger Elliott powers him into the corner to start but misses a charge and gets knocked own. Back up and Montana starts driving in shoulders to the shoulder before grabbing a reverse chinlock. A forearm to the back cuts off Elliott’s comeback and some heavy forearms set up the chinlock sequence. The slam attempt collapses though and Elliott runs him over, only to get caught with a dropkick. Back up and Elliott elbows him out of the corner, setting up a kind of reverse Vader Bomb (lifts himself up on the ropes and drops forward) to pin Montana at 5:07.

Rating: C. Elliott is the kind of guy that WWE always finds a place for, as he has the size and enough charisma to make up for his lack of mobility. It’s not my kind of thing, but I get what they’re trying for with him. Montana has a great look but needs time in the ring and some coaching, which is where (hopefully) the NXT house show loop can do him some good.

Kiana James vs. Brooklyn Barlow

James cranks on the arms to start but gets reversed into a headscissors. Back up and Barlow gets to work on the arm for a change, only to get snapmared down into an armbar from James. The exchange of arm cranking continues until Barlow rolls her up for two. A kick to the knee gives James the same and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Barlow strikes away but gets knocked into the corner. A belly to back gutbuster finishes for James at 5:17.

Rating: C-. This was an exchange of grappling until the bigger name won. James isn’t a big star yet but she has something that sets her apart enough. Barlow looks like Tiffany Stratton without the gymnastics background and the rich girl stuff, which doesn’t leave much. Then again, how far can you get when you’re presented as nothing but the next generic blonde?

Ikemen Jiro vs. Ru Feng

During his entrance, a fan high fives Jiro and then gives him a thumbs down behind his back. Feng takes him down without much effort to start but Jiro grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Jiro takes him down and hits a slingshot splash to the back. Feng goes after the knee until a small package gets Jiro out of trouble. More shots to the knee put Jiro down and we hit the half crab. Jiro gets out and hits a monkey flip, setting up the Ikemen Slice for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C. I’m not that into Jiro’s deal with the wacky jackets, but he is very smooth in the ring and that is more than enough to keep him around at least for the time being. Feng is someone who has been around for a bit and I still don’t know what I’m supposed to see in him. They had a nice enough match here with the leg thing and Jiro coming from behind to win, but it was a LVL Up main event so it isn’t worth much.

Overall Rating: C-. The star power wasn’t around here and that isn’t exactly the best thing to watch. LVL Up isn’t exactly a great show most of time but they can get some people out there to do some good stuff. This wasn’t one of those weeks though as it just came and went without much going on, as tends to be the case here more often than not.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 17, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

Things are starting to take form around here and it makes for some more interesting shows. You can tell which names are going to put on a good match and which ones are going to be there as either cannon fodder or to get in some reps. That can make the show easier to predict, but not necessarily good, as tends to be the case. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Thea Hail vs. Arianna Grace

Hail has the rest of Chase U with her and Grace now wears a feather boa to the ring. Grace powers her around to start before they fight over a wristlock. Hail’s arm is snapped across the top to cut her off though and it’s time to kick away in the corner. A DDT on the arm gives Grace two and we hit the hammerlock, with Grace slamming Hail into the mat for a bonus. That’s broken up as Hail fights up and hits a running flip neckbreaker, followed by an arm trap cradle for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C-. Grace continues to do very little for me, though it does seem like she is starting to put together a persona. Hail on the other hand playing the college student with a bunch of energy could be worse. Neither is great, but at least they went with the one who is doing better at the moment.

Guru Raaj vs. Miles Borne

This is Borne’s debut and they trade flips away from each other for a fast start. Borne takes him down with an armdrag into an armbar to slow things up though, which isn’t surprising as he’s clearly a technical guy due to wearing a singlet. That’s countered into a northern lights suplex and Raaj kicks away, setting up a double arm crank on the mat. Back up and Borne hits some dropkicks into a slam for two as this is rather riveting offense. Raaj fights back and strikes away before a middle rope bulldog finishes Borne at 4:56.

Rating: D+. This was a match between two people who have nothing that sets them apart and had little redeeming value. It wasn’t a bad match, but it was about as boring as you can get without falling off a cliff. Just two guys having a match and that isn’t going to make me care much about either of them.

Respect is shown post match.

Ivy Nile vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez has Stacks and Two Dimes with her. Nile easily takes her to the mat to start for a headlock. A snap suplex gives Nile two but a gutbuster cuts her down. What looked to be a running spinning chop in the corner is just a run, a stop, and then the spinning chop to Nile, followed by some forearms to the back. The abdominal stretch goes on, with Lopez lifting the leg for a bonus. Lopez takes it to the mat for a bonus but Nile fights up and hits an enziguri. The dragon sleeper finishes for Nile at 5:48.

Rating: C. Nile is at the point where she doesn’t belong on this show. She has mowed down everyone in front of her and was this close to winning the NXT UK Women’s Title. There is no reason to keep her here but she does add some star power. Lopez on the other hand has more natural charisma than she needs, but I don’t remember the last time she won anything important. That’s a weird mixture, especially for part of a stable that gets so much TV time.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a rough going for the show as there wasn’t much to see this time around. The main event was ok at best and that was because Nile is one of the best things going in NXT. LVL Up is only so good from time to time and this wasn’t one of their better weeks, with people just getting in the ring rather than doing anything of note.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 3, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Sudu Shah

The normal trend of this show is likely to continue this week as we have three more matches between people who aren’t usually going to make it to NXT proper. That can make for some acceptable background noise but rarely much more than that unfortunately. You get used to the concept though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Fallon Henley vs. Brooklyn Barlow

They go to the mat to start and it’s a pair of standoffs before Henley grabs the armbar. An exchange of rollups get two each and Barlow wants her to bring it. Back up and they fight over a lockup until Barlow starts working on the arm instead. She cranks on the neck as well but Henley fights out with a faceplant. A running knee finishes for Henley 4:22.

Rating: C-. Henley continues to look like a star and I could see her being on the main roster someday. She has a gimmick and the charisma to make it work so with some more ring time, she could wind up going somewhere. Barlow has a good look but she is still in the very early stages so you can’t tell much about her just yet.

Tatum Paxley vs. Sloane Jacobs

They grapple around to start with neither being able to get the better of things. Paxley slams her down (while throwing in a squat) and it’s time to crank on the arms. Another slam is countered into a headlock takeover though and Jacobs hits a running boot for two. The chinlock keeps Paxley down but she is back up with a butterfly suplex. Jacobs gets caught in an electric chair, with Paxley spinning her around into a powerbomb and floating over for the pin at 5:52.

Rating: C. Paxley is another someone who could go somewhere with some more time but, much like Jacobs, it is way too early to know what they have with her. This and some house show matches are the kind of things that could do both of them a world of good. That ist he case with a lot of people on NXT so those live events coming up are great ideas.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Dante Chen/Javier Bernal

This is about as LVL Up of a match as you can get. Blade works on Chen’s arm to start before a dropkick gets two. Enofe comes in for a basement 619 for two before we hit the headlock. It’s off to Bernal for a splash in the corner but Enofe powers him into the other corner. That means Blade can come in to miss a charge in the corner, allowing Chen to grab a chinlock.

Bernal adds an atomic drop for two and the chinlock goes on again. Blade finally rolls underneath a clothesline and brings Enofe back in to clean house. A top rope elbow gets two on Chen and Enofe can’t believe it. He’s so stunned that he hits a reverse Sling Blade setting up an assisted elevated Stunner to finish Bernal at 7:03.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t a great match but it was better than just about anything else we have seen around here in a long time. Enofe and Blade could hang as a young and plucky team on the main NXT roster and that is the kind of team they could use. Chen and Bernal were two heels (I think?) thrown together here as opponents and they did just fine, even in a short match.

Respect is shown post match.

Overall Rating: C. This show might not have been much on its own but it was a great illustration of why NXT needs live events. There was about seventeen minutes of wrestling on this show between eight wrestlers. How much can you really get out of that little amount of time? Give these people eight to ten minutes each for three shows a week and they can actually get somewhere. Like wrestling has worked for, like, ever.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 27, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

I’m not sure what to think of the show these days and there isn’t anything coming out of last week to set this up. They had something going for a few weeks with something leading to a possible story for the next week but that hasn’t bee the case in a long time now. Maybe we can get a little something here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward vs. Bryson Montana/Demaris Griffin

Hayward grabs a headlock on Griffin to start but Griffin reverses into one of his own. Back up and a hiptoss has Griffin in the corner but it’s off to Montana. A sunset flip gives Chase two before it’s time for the spelling stomps. Montana doesn’t care for that and sends him face first into the mat. Chase isn’t having any of this and fights up, getting over for the tag to Hayward. House is quickly cleaned and the Fratliner finishes Montana at 3:49.

Rating: C. Chase and Hayward continue to be two of the most entertaining people in all of NXT and that is something worth having around. I still see something from Montana and I wouldn’t have him taking falls, but at least he is getting some ring time. Now just find something else for him to do and maybe they have a little something with him.

Arianna Grace vs. Amari Miller

Miller wins an exchange of forearms and grabs an armbar. Some more forearms set up a Regal cutter for two on Grace, who drives her into the corner to even things up. A bow and arrow hold has Miller in more trouble and we hit the chinlock. Miller fights up and kicks away but gets caught in a sunset flip. That’s broken up though and Miller grabs a cradle for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C-. Grace has some size and power though she is in need of something to make her stand out. For the sake of her career, hopefully it doesn’t involve talking about her father, who is kind of a pest. Miller on the other hand has all the charisma that she needs and could be a bigger deal if given the chance. Now just give her some better competition to learn from and you might have something.

Dante Chen vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams. Some running shoulders set up an armbar on Williams and it’s an armdrag into another armbar. Back up and Williams him down before cranking on a wristlock. Chen gets caught in an armbar and can’t quite power out. The second attempt works a bit better but Williams knocks him down again. An elbow misses for Williams though and Chen gets to strike away. A belly to back suplex gives Chen two but Williams hits the Trick Kick for the pin at 6:06.

Rating: C. Just a match here as there is only so much that you can get out of these two. Neither of them is overly interesting, though at least Williams has some charisma when he is getting the chance to talk. Granted it doesn’t mean all that much when you have him with Carmelo Hayes, who is far better than Williams in any given way.

Williams and Hayes celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Another ho and may I add hum show this week and that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. You can only get so far with a show with this level of talent and nothing in the world of storytelling, so this was only going to be ok at best. The matches were fine enough, though I’m not entirely sure I’ll remember them tomorrow. In other words: this was Level Up.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Nigel McGuinness

We’re off a pretty hot ending on Smackdown and hopefully at least a little bit of that can carry over here. Other than that though, there is always the chance to run down Sasha Banks and Naomi again, because doing it on national TV wasn’t enough. And there might even be some wrestling thrown in. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Javier Bernal vs. Bryson Montana

Montana was the last man standing in Ivy Nile’s challenge a few weeks back. They fight over arm control to start with Montana flipping out and staring at Bernal a bit. A side slam plants Bernal but he fights out of an over the shoulder backbreaker. Some kicks to the leg put Montana down and a Codebreaker finishes Montana at 4:11.

Rating: C. This was all about Montana, which makes the loss a bit more annoying. Montana is certainly a physical beast and it is a bit questionable to have him lose here. At the end of the day, Bernal isn’t someone who has done anything of note in NXT but he can beat Montana in a short match. Maybe they see something in Bernal, but it hasn’t exactly been showcased so far.

Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon

Valentina Feroz is here with Leon. Feeling out process to start with Nile winning a test of strength without much effort. Nile takes her down into a headscissors and drags Leon away from the ropes in a smart move. Leon slips out and fires off some forearms against the ropes, which seem to stagger Nile for a change. A neck crank is reversed into a neckbreaker though and Nile hits a running forearm in the corner. Leon comes back with a slam but Nile rolls through and grabs the dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:19.

Rating: C. They were trying something here with Leon but it is pretty clear that Nile is on her way to the top of the division so she isn’t losing here. Leon getting in a few shots to the face to rock Nile was a little surprising though they were only going to get her so far. Now just get to the point with Nile, who shouldn’t be on a show like this one.

Josh Briggs vs. Quincy Elliott

Brooks Jensen is here with Briggs. Elliott takes him into the corner for some hip gyrating but Briggs manages to get Elliott on the middle rope. The running right hand rocks Elliott but Briggs makes the mistake of high fiving Jensen and hurts his hand on the cast. Back in and Elliott runs over and a quickly broken neck crank goes on.

The splash to the back sets up a waistlock but Briggs is up again. One heck of an elbow to the face rocks Briggs, setting up an abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Briggs avoids a Banzai Drop and hits a big boot into a side slam. Back up and Briggs hits a lariat for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C-. I still don’t get nearly as much out of Elliott as NXT seems to but maybe there is something to him that I’m not getting. He is big and can move, but the dancing and gyrating is only going to get him so far. I’m still not sure Briggs and Jensen haven’t gotten much further, though it isn’t surprising to see them sticking around as they’re good at what they do.

Overall Rating: C. Another week that just comes and goes, which shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. The wrestling is completely adequate without being something that is going to make me interested most weeks. We see a lot of these people on NXT every week and they aren’t that great in the first place. It is still hard to get that annoyed at a 29 minute show, but it’s also one of those shows that has no impact whatsoever.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in an interesting place on NXT as the show is now featuring some of the people who started here. It makes this one feel a bit more like a launching pad and that could open up some doors for something more interesting. Then again, it might have absolutely nothing to do with anything going on here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, featuring a bunch of people who will never be on this show.

Sanga vs. Dante Chen

Sanga throws him into the corner to start but Chen swings out of a slam to set up an armbar. A side slam cuts Chen off and some shots to the back of the neck make it worse. The cobra clutch sets up a missed legdrop and Chen hits a quick short DDT. Sanga blasts him with a clothesline and finishes with the chokeslam at 5:07.

Rating: C-. Sanga is another run of the mill monster and it’s kind of weird to see him go five minutes with someone as low level as Chen. I kind of like Sanga as his own man instead of being ANOTHER bodyguard though and he didn’t look awful here. Give him some ring time and maybe it could work, though it’s strange to see him having a regular match like this instead of a total squash.

Elektra Lopez vs. Thea Hail

Lopez powers her into the ropes to start but Hal grabs a rather nifty headlock. Some shoulders stagger Hail but she’s back with some running dropkicks. Lopez takes her down by the arm though and a legdrop on the arm makes it worse. The armbar with a chinlock goes on before it’s off to a rather nasty arm crank. Hail powers up and manages to take her down, only to miss a dropkick. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Lopez the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of Lopez, as she gets to dominate when she is in the ring but doesn’t do it often enough to mean much. Maybe NXT doesn’t think enough of her in the ring but she’s doing well enough here. Hail might need a costume change but she has been impressive enough to be the next project around here if they want to go that way.

Javier Bernal vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams. Bernal starts working on the arm and manages to take him down for an early chinlock. That gets shifted into a headlock but Williams slips out and hits a heck of a dropkick. A jumping clothesline gives Williams two and he plants Bernal again, allowing some trash talking. There’s a flapjack for two more before Williams grabs a standing armbar. Bernal jawbreaks his way to freedom and it’s an atomic drop into a Russian legsweep as we go back to 1987. Williams isn’t having that and hits a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C. Hayes gets the attention and the glory but Williams is a perfectly fine worker in the ring. He looked good enough here and the spinning kick for the finish worked well too. Bernal is another guy who is just on the roster and not looking like anything special, which is where so many people fall in NXT. Maybe they can find something else for him, but it isn’t happening so far.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty nothing show this week and that isn’t exactly a surprise these days. LVL Up continues to be all over the place from one week to the next, as you never know what you are going to get around here. The matches are usually watchable enough, but there isn’t exactly a reason to watch most weeks. Get these people back on some small house show circuit or something, because it is going to mean a lot more than this.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 6, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Sudu Shah

We’re coming off a big NXT event on Tuesday and odds are that doesn’t mean much around here. What might mean something is the upcoming women’s Breakout Tournament, which very well could get some hype on this show. This is where some of the upcoming women have appeared before so maybe we get more of that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Erica Yan/Sarray

Roderick Strong is here with Nile and Paxley. Speaking of the Breakout Tournament and also speaking of people who have fallen through the floor, we have Paxley and Sarray. Nile takes Sarray into the corner to start and it’s an exchange of wristlocks with Paxley. Sarray slips out and hits a running dropkick so Yan can come in instead.

An exchange of rollups get two each and that’s good for a standoff so we’ll try Nile vs. Sarray again. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Nile but she is back up with a clothesline. Some rolling suplexes set up a running kick in the corner and Sarray is in trouble. Paxley comes back in for the armbar but Sarray fights up, ducks a clothesline, and gets over to for the tag to Yan. That’s fine with Nile, who comes back in with the dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:20.

Rating: C. Nile still feels like a killer and Paxley is coming along nicely, though she still has some work to do to break out from the pack. The interesting thing here is Sarray, who has either been a huge disappointment or has lost every bit of support she has backstage. It’s just weird to see her falling this far but somehow this is still better than the transforming schoolgirl deal.

Sloane Jacobs vs. Thea Hail

They fight over arm control to start until Hail hits a dropkick for an early two. Jacobs sends her into the corner to start the stomping though as commentary points out that these two are 37 years old combined. A big boot drops Hail for two and we’re off to the neck crank. Hail takes her time fighting up and sends Jacobs into the corner, setting up a sunset flip for two. Jacobs shrugs it off and hits a Samoan drop for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C-. Not the most interesting match as the neck crank took awhile but you can tell that these two are still works in progress. Given that the older one is nineteen years old, there is only so much you can expect from them. At some point you need to get them in the ring, but a televised show might not be the best idea.

Channing Lorezno/Troy Donovan vs. Javier Bernal/Dante Chen

Why yes, this is a LVL Up main event. Tony D’Angelo joins commentary and the voice is already grating. Bernal headlocks Lorenzo down to start as D’Angelo interrogates Shah about possibly being a federal agent. Chen comes in to headlock Lorenzo before switching up to another headlock. Bernal’s sliding lariat gets two but Lorenzo blocks a sunset flip and brings Donovan in. The stomping ensues and a suplex gets two on Bernal. The alternating beatdown is on but Bernal sends them into each other and gets over to Chen for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and it’s a big boot setting up stereo big boots to finish Chen at 6:02.

Rating: C. D’Angelo is a good example of a joke that is being pounded into your head so hard that there might as well be someone following him around yelling “GET IT????”. Lorenzo and Donovan (enjoy those names while you can) are two guys who are about as interchangeable as you can get and that doesn’t make for the most interesting matches. This was ok at best and I could go with D’Angelo N Pals being around a bit less, or at least not talking so much.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a good example of LVL Up: it was short, the wrestling wasn’t anything worth seeing, and they weren’t exactly putting the star power out there. I did like them showcasing some of the newer women more though, as they are going to need all of the ring time that they can get and the matches were hardly awful. It’s still hard to get annoyed at this show, but it’s also not easy to get interested most weeks.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

I’m almost looking forward to this show in a way and that should make for an interesting enough week. They’re starting to do something a bit differently around here as you see wrestlers debut here before moving up to the main NXT show a week or so later, making this a glorified preview show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Damon Kemp

Busy week for Kemp, who was on NXT UK yesterday and since the schedule for these shows couldn’t possibly have anything nefarious or misleading going on, he must have some jet lag issues. Chen goes for an armbar to start but gets taken to the mat for some easy riding. This prompts a discussion of pretty much any main roster story the fans can think of to avoid talking about the match.

Back up and Chen starts working on the leg to put him in a bit of trouble, including some cranking on the mat. A backslide gives Kemp two but Chen is back with a spinning toehold. The Ric Flair cannonball down onto the leg is countered into a rollup for two and Kemp is back up with a running shoulder. The running powerslam finishes Chen at 5:13.

Rating: C. The more I see of Kemp, the more I like him. He has some charisma to go with an amateur wrestling background and that is more than you could expect in a situation like his. I could go for more of him, though not so much with Chen, who continues to just be there with little of note about him.

Amari Miller vs. Arianna Grace

Miller is returning from two months off due to an injury and Grace is better known as the daughter of Santino Marella. Miller takes her down with a headlock to start but eventually gets powered down into an armbar. Said armbar keeps Miller down on the arm as we move on to a discussion of the main roster Women’s Titles. Back up and Miller hits a running kick to the chest, only to get small packaged to give Grace the pin at 5:15.

Rating: D+. This was as interesting as four and a half minutes of armbars are going to be. I get that they want to push Grace as someone in the Breakout Tournament, though I’d like to believe that she has something more than we got to see here. If nothing else, it is a bit frustrating to see Miller come back and lose after she was starting to get somewhere before her injury.

Respect is shown post match.

Andre Chase vs. Quincy Elliott

Bodhi Hayward is here with Chase. Quincy shoves him into the corner and gives us a hip swivel, followed by a crushing in another corner. Chase swivels his way out of a waistlock but gets run over again, meaning even more swiveling. Back up and for some reason Chase tries a slam, earning himself another knockdown (and a sore back to go with it).

The big splash doesn’t even warrant a cover before Quincy hits a side slam for two. Chase fights up and manages to stagger Quincy, setting up a high crossbody. The spelling stomps set up a failed sunset flip attempt, but Chase grabs the leg to break up more swiveling. A fairly impressive slam finishes for Chase at 6:19.

Rating: C-. I can go for watching Chase for a good while, but Quincy pretty clearly ran out of stuff he knew how to do and started repeating things with about two minutes left. I know WWE likes rushing things, but if you can’t make it through a six minute match without repeating that many spots, you might not be ready for TV. The slam was good, though it didn’t exactly make up for everything else.

Nigel praises Chase’s 13 inch pythons to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a pretty disappointing show, but the run time continues to be its saving grace. Even if the show isn’t very good, it’s only not very good for less than half an hour (including ads between matches) so its hard to get that annoyed. Hopefully this was just a one off though, as this was a pretty bad step backwards for the show.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 22, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Matt Camp

I’m at the point where I don’t know what to expect from this show, as you might get someone making a one off appearance before debuting on the main NXT show or a name with nothing else going on. The show has worked before so maybe they can do it again here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Quincy Elliott/Damaris Griffin

This is Griffin’s in-ring debut. Blade staggers the much bigger Elliott with a dropkick but Elliott hits a quick splash on the back to take over. Griffin comes in to work on Enofe’s arm but that’s reversed into another wristlock, allowing Blade to come in with the ax handle. A double belly to back suplex drops Griffin again but he’s right back with a spinebuster.

Elliott comes back in to knock Enofe down, allowing Griffin to whip him into the corner over and over. Elliott’s Pounce sends Enofe flying and the nerve hold goes on. A sitdown splash misses though and the hot tag brings in Blade to clean house. Blade’s high crossbody gets two on Elliott but it’s back to Griffin for a powerslam. Enofe dives in for a save and it’s a legsweep into a frog splash for the pin on Griffin at 6:33.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t exactly a classic and it was a match between two teams not going anywhere but I got into this by the end and was wondering who was winning. I could have gone for more of this as Blade and Enofe are starting to become quite the nice young team. Do more stuff like this around here and the show would be a good bit more enjoyable every week.

Fallon Henley vs. Thea Hail

Henley powers her into the corner to start and then sends Hail down, which has Hail thinking twice about this. There’s a shoulder to put Hail down again and Henley throws in a dance. Back up and Hail hits a running ax handle to take over for the first time and a rollup gets two. The double arm crank goes on but Henley fights up and hits a Shining Wizard for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t quite as intriguing as Henley didn’t seem to break a sweat against Hail. Henley is just a step above a manager on NXT at this point, though at least she has a personality compared to her days as just another wrestler. Hail isn’t exactly a star yet but she has done well enough in her limited appearances.

Dante Chen vs. Bodhi Hayward

Andre Chase is here with Hayward (who seems to be a bit sunburned), who takes him to the mat with a headlock. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they’re both back up to run the ropes without hitting each other. Chen grabs a headlock takeover before switching to a front facelock to stay on the neck. We hit the chinlock, leaving Chase to coach from ringside. Hayward fights up and (with a bloody nose) hits his bouncing splash for two. Chen’s fireman’s carry is broken up and Hayward grabs a spinebuster for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. Just a match here, but it was nice to see Hayward get a win like this. He is capable of doing some good things in front of a fired up crowd and that is enough of the case around here most of the time. Hayward and Chase aren’t ready for anything that much bigger, but there is nothing wrong with being popular in front of a specific crowd.

Overall Rating: C. The opener was surprisingly good but the rest of the show was just kind of there, with a pretty lame match and one firmly in the middle. There wasn’t much to see with this show and that isn’t exactly surprising, as it tends to be the norm. I can’t imagine they change much to the formula, but at least there is a formula in the first place.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 8, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re basking in that post Wrestlemania glow and while it might have dimmed out a bit by the time it gets to NXT LVL Up, it still feels a bit special. Last week seemed to tease a tag match and that could be a good thing for a future show. I’ll take a small story over no story so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Javier Bernal vs. Guru Raaj

Shah: “Raaj dreams of headlining premium live events.” A quote that has never been said about anyone in history. Bernal grabs a headlock to start before they go to a pinfall reversal sequence. Raaj starts working on the arms as the fans get behind Bernal. That’s broken up and Bernal kicks away, setting up the Codebreaker for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C-. These are two more guys on the roster with nothing that makes them stand out and nothing all that interesting about them. I’m not sure what NXT is going to be able to do with them, but it isn’t like there has been much of an investment put into them so far. Right now, the best description of these two is where they’re from and they need more than that.

Ivy Nile vs. Thea Hail

This is Hail’s debut and she is dressed like a superhero, complete with a cape. The fans think Nile is going to kill her, starting with a lethal wristlock. Hail, with a gymnastics background, backflips out but gets caught in a fireman’s carry drop onto the top. A fall away slam sets up a running kick in the corner to give Nile two. Hail is sent into the corner for a flipping cutter (that could be a finisher) and a suplex gets two, only to have Hail make a quick comeback. You don’t do that to Nile though as she grabs the dragon sleeper for the tap at 4:09.

Rating: C. Nile is getting into Taz territory with just another victim and that is not a bad thing. NXT has done a great job in making her feel like a star and we are reaching the point where she could be dropped into the title picture without a second thought. That is how you develop talent and Nile certainly has it.

Andre Chase/Bodie Hayward vs. Channing Lauren/Troy Donovan

Chase works on Lauren’s arm to start but Lauren sends him into the corner, setting up the loser L on the forehead. When you’re taking your taunts from the Bellas, you might want to pack it in already. That’s too much for Chase, who takes him down for the CHASE U stomping. Hayward comes in with a sunset flip for two so it’s off to Donovan, who gets armdragged into an armbar. A cheap shot from the apron slows Chase down though and Donovan scores with a dropkick.

Chase fights out of an armbar and rolls his way over to Hayward for the hot tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Hayward grabs a Gory Stretch, with Chase getting a running start and spinning across Lauren for a Downward Spiral (it’s kind of hard to describe) and the pin at 6:57. Nigel dubs the finisher the Fratliner so we’ll go with that.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash but it’s nice to see Chase U getting a win for a change. Chase has worked so hard and managed to get that stupid thing over so having them be successful is cool to see. Granted they aren’t going to go much higher, but it’s a unique gimmick and is working fairly well.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a downgrade after last week as they didn’t have anything that you needed to see. Nile continues to be a hidden gem in NXT and I like seeing her wreck whomever is in front of her. Other than that though, this was a pretty nothing, skippable show and unfortunately that has a tendency to be the norm around here.

Results
Javier Bernal b. Guru Raaj – Codebreaker
Ivy Nile b. Thea Hail – Dragon sleeper
Andre Chase/Bodhi Hayward b. Channing Lauren/Troy Donovan – Fratliner to Lauren

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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