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

It’s Wrestlemania Weekend and we might get to see some people who might be at Wrestlemania L or so. It would be nice to have them do something a little different for this show but odds are that isn’t what we’ll be getting to see. If nothing else, just some slightly bigger names could help a lot so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Drake Morreaux

The rather large Morreaux takes him down without much effort so Chen goes to the arm. A hiptoss is blocked and Morreaux drops him with a clothesline, setting up a splash to the back. Chen goes for the arm again but walks into a backbreaker for two. We hit the waistlock before Morreaux misses another splash. Back up and Chen strikes away, including a pump kick into the double chop to finish Morreaux at 5:43.

Rating: C. One day someone is going to have to explain the Chen thing to me. He’s nothing of note in the ring but even commentary was pointing out how he is the guy who gets to face all of the up and comers around here. That’s one thing, but then he beats those up and comers, which makes things all the worse. It’s hardly some career killer for Morreaux, though it doesn’t do much to make me want to watch the show.

OTM threatened Je’Von Evans at the Performance Center but Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe made the save.

Brinley Reece vs. Tatum Paxley

Reece grabs the armbar to start but Paxley stops to talk to her. That earns Paxley an armdrag into another armbar, followed by a running shoulder in the corner. Back up and Reece misses a dropkick, allowing Paxley to go after the ribs. A reverse chinlock has Reece in more trouble but she fights up with the elbows. Not that it matters as Paxley pulls her into the Psycho Trap for the pin at 4:22.

Rating: C. Reece is something similar to the original Bayley crossed with Thea Hail but she doesn’t actually win anything. Having that kind of energy is nice to see but it isn’t going to matter if she doesn’t have some success. On the other hand you have Paxley, who is at least getting higher up in the women’s division due to her weird association with Lyra Valkyria.

OTM vs. Je’Von Evans/Tyrike Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Evans slugs away at Scrypts to start, meaning the flipping escapes ensue. Price and DuPont come in to trade shoulders with the latter getting the better of things. A splash gives DuPont two and it’s off to Nima, with Igwe working on the arm. Igwe gets taken into the wrong corner so the villains can take over. Scrypts is tossed at him for two and the chinlock goes on, only to have Igwe power out without much trouble. It’s back to Evans to pick the pace up with the dives but Price and Nima catch DuPont in the assisted Alabama Slam for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C+. Commentary said this was only the second six man tag in the history of LVL Up and I have no idea how or why that is possible. On a show built around the idea of getting people as much ring time as possible, why wouldn’t you want to put more people out there? Just an odd bit of trivia but the match itself was decent, with Evans getting to pop the crowd again.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure if a six man tag counts as anything special for Wrestlemania Weekend but I’m not sure how many people in WWE know this show exists in the first place. Just having a quick angle at the Performance Center helps and at least it was something from a previous week. Nothing of note here, but that’s LVL Up for two.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 29, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I’m a bit behind on this thing and I’m not sure how much I missed it. In this case, the good thing is that there isn’t exactly much in the way of continuity around here. What matters the most is the action and star power, as both of them can come together to turn into something pretty decent. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend vs. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey

Legend throws Bright down with no trouble to start and it’s off to Jackson, who gets caught by the arm. Grey and Bright start some quick tags to stay on the arm but it’s back to Legend for the pump kick. An elbow to the back gives Legend two and we hit the bearhug to stay on said back. Grey fights out but gets caught in a quick backbreaker to cut her off again. That doesn’t last long and it’s back to Bright to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down until Jackson hits an Edge-O-Matic. Bright is sent outside and the Alley Oop finishes for Jackson at 6:35.

Rating: C. They’re turning Jackson and Legend into something of a thing, which is rather impressive as Legend has come a LONG way since her rather terrible earlier days. The team is getting somewhere and I could go for them being given a bigger chance. That might be coming, and hopefully they keep growing as a team.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready to finish their best of three series with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont. Cue Igwe and DuPont, who want to raise the stakes. Now on the line: a meatloaf recipe vs. shoes. Yeah.

Je’Von Evans vs. Scrypts

The rest of OTM is here with Scrypts. They take turns ducking the other to start until Evans gets two off a sunset flip. Back up and Scrypts elbows him in the face but Evans snaps off a headscissors. Scrypts takes him down again and hammers away, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner. The chinlock goes on but Evans is back up with a springboard kick to the face. OTM offers a distraction though and Evans misses his spinning top rope splash. Not that it matters as Evans is right back with a small package for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C+. They know what they’ve got with Evans, who is young and able to move rather quickly out there. That makes for some exciting moments as you get some fun high flying stuff. Scrypts can hang in that style as well, making for a nice acrobatic display. I have no idea how far Evans can go right now, but he’s off to a fun start.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Final match in a Best Of Three series. Walker powers Igwe into the corner to start but runs into an elbow. DuPont comes in to help with some strikes but it’s quickly off to Ledger. That means a fall away slam can put Igwe down and a toss slam drops him again. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Walker and Ledger hit stereo running standing splashes on Igwe.

Another chinlock is broken up in a hurry and Igwe gets over to DuPont to pick up the pace. DuPont’s discus punch gets two on Walker as everything breaks down. Ledger is sent outside and the chokeslam/belly to back suplex combination connects, only for Ledger to make the save. Igwe and Walker collide and Walker falls on him for the fluke pin at 6:23.

Rating: C+. As has been the case around here before, it is amazing to see how much even some small stakes around here changes things. Granted I’m not overly interested in the shoes, though the idea of someone winning a meatloaf recipe had potential. It helped a good bit here, as I had no reason to care about either of these teams but it mattered just a bit, which is nice to see.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I guess we can call this a show with some continuity and I’ll take that for a one off week. LVL Up is still not exactly must see stuff but you can tell when they are trying vs. the weeks when they aren’t. This was one of the better shows, which says a lot given the names involved. Perfectly fine show, though that means nothing for the show’s future.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 22, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Every week when I get ready to watch this show I hope that we get some star power around here. There is only so much you can get out of having those lower level stars on the show and that becomes more and more obvious every week it happens around here. Hopefully it isn’t the case again this week as it can make the show that much better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tavion Heights vs. Saquon Shugars

This is Shugars’ debut. Heights takes the oddly dressed Shugars down without much effort to start and then drops down to let Shugars have a free try. This goes rather badly for Shugars, who is quickly wrestled down and then rocked back and forth into a gutwrench suplex. Back up and they run the ropes until Shugars pulls him throat first into the middle rope. A neckbreaker drops Heights back inside and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s a slingshot Fameasser to put Heights down again. Another chinlock doesn’t work and Heights fights up, including A Sling Blade. A belly to belly finishes Shugars at 5:44.

Rating: C+. You can tell that Heights is on the way up to the next level around here and that is not a bad thing. He has the amateur style that works rather well and it was on display here. Shugars is off to a good start around here though like so many others around here, he has a very long way to go.

Uriah Connors, who got wrecked on NXT by Shawn Spears a few weeks back, is ready to try again against Eddy Thorpe.

Lainey Reed vs. Jaida Parker

Reed is a southern belle and they fight over arm control to start. Reed avoids a charge in the corner and gets two off a sunset flip as the fans seem to be behind Parker. A hair slam takes Reed down though and Parker hits a running shoulder in the corner. Parker puts Reed on the middle rope and sits on her stomach for two. The abdominal stretch goes on until Reed slips out and slugs away. Parker escapes…I think an atomic drop and hits a Rough Ryder for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Parker is in a weird spot as she is starting to get it together as a powerhouse but it is going to take something special to get her out of the shadow of Lash Legend who is doing something similar but better. As for Reed, she is the latest in shape young star who did well enough in a short match. Again that is going to take some effort to stand out and this only got her so far.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Uriah Connors

Thorpe backs him into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock. Back up and Thorpe snaps off another headlock takeover but Connors reverses into an armbar. A dropkick puts Thorpe on the floor to set up a suicide dive and they head back inside. This time Thorpe strikes him down with a kick and elbow for two, followed by a snap suplex for the same. We hit the chinlock but Connors is back up with a suplex of his own. Connors hits a running elbow to the face and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Thorpe is right back with a backbreaker into a penalty kick, followed by an implant DDT for the pin at 6:58.

Rating: B-. This was a heck of a match by LVL Up standards and I was digging what I was seeing here. Thorpe is someone who has shown quite a bit of promise in his time around NXT but there is only so much he can do without being on the main show. At the same time Connors got a really good showcase here, which shouldn’t be the biggest surprise given that his father is one Fit Finlay.

Overall Rating: C+. That main event brought this show up after a not so great middle match. The opener worked rather well for a debut and it made this show feel like a nice mix. I can go for a different kind of vibe around here as the worst thing that they can do is put on the same boring show every week. Not a bad time at all here, with Connors and Thorpe having a heck of a nice surprise.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Saquon Shugars – Belly to belly suplex
Jaida Parker b. Lainey Reed – Rough Ryder
Eddy Thorpe b. Uriah Connors – Implant DDT

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 15, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Things almost have to be better after last week’s rather dull show. As usual, the show’s interest level hinges on the star power involved and there was almost none to be see last week. That needs to change here but you never know if that is going to be the case. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lola Vice vs. Carlee Bright

Bright’s mom is in the audience. Vice takes her to the mat without much trouble to start and grabs the waistlock. That’s reversed into a headlock from Bright, followed by a running crossbody for two. Vice is right back with a spinebuster and we hit the neck crank. That lasts as long as the average neck crank, with Bright grabbing a backslide and small package for two each. Vice isn’t having that though and grabs a headscissors choke for the tap at 4:24.

Rating: C. Vice continues to feel like someone who is turning into something around here and she is probably going to be a project going forward. There is value there and WWE seems to know it. On the other hand you have Bright, who is another young athletic star who has been dropped into the division without having anything that makes her stand out.

Javier Bernal, now with the rather large (and debuting) Drake Morreaux, is ready for their tag match against the D’Angelo Family. Morreaux is very, very Cajun.

Javier Bernal/Drake Morreaux vs. D’Angelo Family

Stacks and Bernal fight over arm control to start until Stacks runs him over with a shoulder. Morreaux comes in and for some reason it’s off to Crusifino, who is powered into the corner. Crusifino is run over without much effort and it’s back to Bernal for the front facelock. A springboard elbow drop gives Bernal two but Crusifino ducks Morreaux’s running shoulder. Stacks comes back in and everything breaks down, allowing Stacks to hit Cement Shoes to finish Morreaux at 5:26.

Rating: C. I know it’s just LVL Up but was there no other way to go than having the new monster take the fall here? A former champion beating a goon like Bernal doesn’t feel like that big of a stretch but instead it’s the new monster losing. The good thing is almost no one sees this show as otherwise, that would be a good way to cut Morreaux’s legs off right at the beginning.

Wren Sinclair vs. Sol Ruca

The fans are glad to have Ruca (now with new tattoos) back and respect is shown before we get going. They fight over arm control to start until Ruca cartwheels away from a sunset flip attempt. Ruca takes her down out of the corner and we hit the headlock takeover. Sinclair reverses into a quickly broken headscissors before stereo crossbodies leave both of them down. Back up and Sinclair knocks her down again, setting up a chinlock. That’s broken up as well so they trade rollups for two each. Ruca scores with a dropkick and the Sol Snatcher finishes Sinclair at 6:02.

Rating: C+. The rest of the match was just ok but dang that Sol Snatcher is one of the coolest looking finishers you’ll see anywhere. Ruca’s athleticism is rather impressive and it’s great to see that she can still do her big move after her injury. Sinclair continues to lose over and over but she’s certainly not getting crushed out there.

More respect is shown post match.

Overall Rating: C+. It really is amazing what happens when it feels like the people on the show matter. Having Ruca, the Family and Vine around made this such a more engaging show and that was glaringly absent last week. The show wasn’t exactly great, but I’ll certainly take this after last week’s drek.

Results
Lola Vice b. Carlee Bright – Headscissors choke
D’Angelo Family b. Javier Bernal/Drake Morreaux – Cement Shoes to Morreaux
Sol Ruca b. Wren Sinclair – Sol Snatcher

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 8, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

My confusion with these shows continues as I had a better time with last week’s show after weeks of almost nothing. That could make for something good this time around here, assuming there is anything involving continuity. Granted There is no reason to believe that will be the case but oh well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scrypts vs. Dion Lennox

OTM is here with Scrypts, who is sent hard into the corner to start. Lennox wrestles him to the mat but Scrypts flips away from the threat of a right hand. That’s fine with Lennox, who grabs a bridging northern lights suplex for two but Scrypts starts working on the arm. A middle rope crossbody gives Scrypts two and it’s back to the arm. Lennox fights up and makes the one armed comeback but the arm gives out again. Scrypts sends said arm into the corner and it’s a rolling cutter to give Scrypts the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. Scrypts continues to be someone I tend to forget is around most of the time and that was the case coming into this as well. He’s still an amazing acrobat and can do some impressive things, but that doesn’t make him someone who is the brightest star around here. Lennox isn’t someone who should be beating Scrypts, making this less than ideal.

Karmen Petrovic is ready for Izzi Dame, even if Kiana James is in Dame’s corner.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Izzi Dame

Kiana James is here with Dame. Petrovic’s headlock doesn’t last long as Dame reverses into an armbar. A big boot puts Petrovic down and there’s a full nelson slam to make it worse. Some backbreakers give Dame two and she grabs the torture rack. With that broken up, Petrovic goes up for a middle rope crossbody but Dame is back with the Z Quill for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. Pretty to the point match here with neither of them getting to stand out. Dame and James are still the same middle of the road team they have been since they got together and that isn’t exactly great. Petrovic isn’t doing much either, though her martial arts stuff looks good when she gets to use them.

Dante Chen vs. Tavion Heights

They go to the mat to start and that goes a grand total of nowhere. Heights grinds away on a headlock but Chen is back with an armbar. More grappling doesn’t get either anywhere as commentary talks about what Stand & Deliver means to the wrestlers around here. Ignore that neither of these two are anywhere close to that level as Heights hits a hard clothesline.

Heights pulls him down out of the corner and grabs an armbar to keep things slow. Chen is right back with a neckbreaker but Heights suplexes his way out of a headlock. Another suplex has Chen in more trouble and a doctor bomb gives Heights two. Back up and Chen hits something like a Side Effect for two, meaning frustration is setting in. The double chop misses though and Heights grabs a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. This got better in the end and it was nice to not have Chen pick up another win over someone who needed the momentum. Thankfully WWE seems to have calmed down with keeping Chen so strong as I never got the point. Heights is someone who could have some potential and losing to Chen would have knocked that all the way back down.

Overall Rating: D+. Not one of their finer offerings here with little in the way of interest and the best match being fairly dull. It was a case where there was barely anything in the way of star power and the action wasn’t exactly good either. This really didn’t work and there wasn’t much in the way of positives on the whole thing.

Results
Scrypts b. Dion Lennox – Rolling cutter
Izzi Dame b. Karmen Petrovic – Z Quill
Tavion Heights b. Dante Chen – Spinning belly to belly

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 1, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re just over a month away from Stand & Deliver and that means we get to see people who will have nothing to do with that show. LVL Up is back to its old self with little in the way of interest, but at least we could be in for a surprise, which the show has had over its history. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Stacks vs. Kale Dixon

Riz is here with Stacks and Dixon is back after about eight months away. Dixon powers him into the corner to start so Stacks wrestles Dixon down to the mat. An armbar into an armdrag has Stacks down and Dixon sends him outside. A baseball slide lands Dixon in the ring skirt though and Stacks hammers away. Dixon gets a boot up in the corner back inside, only to get hit in the face. Cement Shoes finishes for Stacks at 5:22.

Rating: C. Stacks isn’t the biggest name in the world but he’s a bigger deal than you usually see around here. That’s a nice little bonus around here, even if it is just for a week, and helps a good bit. At the same time, Dixon is back and his name is still Kale Dixon, meaning I think you know how far he is getting around here.

Je’Von Evans is happy to be back and ready to go in another try against Javier Bernal.

Lola Vice vs. Wren Sinclair

They fight over wrist control to start until Sinclair gets her down to work on the leg. Vice isn’t having that though and takes her into the corner to start in on the arm. Some right hands in the corner put Sinclair down and Vice cranks on the arm again. Back up and a legdrag has Vice down and Sinclair rolls her up for two. Vice shrugs it off and hits a spinning backfist for the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. What matters here is that I could see this match taking place on a regular episode of NXT. Vice was challenging for the Women’s Title not too long ago and Sinclair has been something of a featured name in recent weeks. It wasn’t exactly a great match but it felt like something a bit more important than usual and I’ll certainly take that.

Je’Von Evans vs. Javier Bernal

Bernal works on the arm to start and shrugs off a dropkick attempt. Back and Evans snaps off a headscissors but Bernal knocks him down again. A knee to the ribs cuts off Evans’ comeback and Bernal gets in a shot on the apron. Back in and they slug it out with Bernal hitting a jumping kick to the head. Evans’ springboard clothesline gets two but Bernal’s DDT gets the same. Some rollups give Evans two each and he kicks Bernal down. A springboard spinning splash gives Evans the upset pin at 6:23.

Rating: C+. At some point, if you’re going to make these new wrestlers into stars, you have to do something like this. Evans certainly has a certain something to him and giving him a win over someone like Bernal is a nice start for him. He has a long way to go but at the end of the day, at least he has a win under his belt and that is the right first step.

Overall Rating: C+. Egads this show cannot pick what it needs to be most of the time but at least in this case they went with the right choice. There was more star power here and Evans got his big win. Good enough show here, as it felt like something you might want to see rather than something that is just kind of there.

Results
Stacks b. Kale Dixon – Cement Shoes
Lola Vice b. Wren Sinclair – Spinning backfist
Je’Von Evans b. Javier Bernal – Springboard spinning splash

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NXT LVL Up
Date: February 16, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

I’m not sure what to think of with this show these days but unfortunately things haven’t been going well in recent weeks. We’re back to the pretty lame shows where the lower level wrestlers are frequenting this show again and the shows have been weaker as a result. Hopefully it picks up again here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brooks Jensen vs. Je’Von Evans

Jensen shoves the 19 year old (and debuting) Evans down before grabbing a failed headlock attempt. A shoulder drops Evans but he’s back up with an armdrag into a headlock takeover, with the fans approving. Jensen fights up and gets in a hard whip to the corner, followed by a basement clothesline for two.

The chinlock goes on and the fans are booing Jensen out of the building. Evans fights to his feet and strikes away, setting up a springboard high crossbody for two. Another dive is powerslammed out of the air though and the top rope knee is enough to finish Evans off for good at 6:22.

Rating: B-. Evans got to showcase some high flying and the fans certainly responded to him, which is a great sign for his future. At the same time, the Jensen stuff was rather interesting as the fans are flat out rejecting him. I’m not sure if that is due to Evans or just because of Jensen, but this certainly did not go well for Jensen and that might not bode well for his future. Evans is off to a good start, but he has quite a ways to go.

Izzi Dame, with Kiana James, isn’t worried about Gigi Dolin.

Izzi Dame vs. Gigi Dolin

Kiana James is here with Dame. Dolin gets powered down to start and then pushed into the corner as Dame shows off the power. Back up and a headscissors takes Dame down, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes for two. Dame kicks her in the face to take over again and the stomping in the corner ensues.

Dolin’s forearms are cut off and a slam gives Dame two. The chinlock is broken up and Dolin strikes away, setting up something like a middle rope neckbreaker. James offers a distraction though and Dame grabs the Z Quill (fireman’s carry flapjack) to put Dolin away at 5:45.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if it is just a lack of anything to do or something else, but this James/Dame tandem has felt lame from the start and isn’t getting any better. They just feel like the latest evil duo and that isn’t exactly much to go on. At the same time, Dolin has fallen almost to the floor and I’m really not sure why. She might not be the next big thing, but she feels like she should be better than this.

Overall Rating: C+. This show worked better due to a pair of reasons and we’ll start with the opener. That was one of the better matches I’ve seen on LVL Up in a good bit and that makes the show feel that much more important. At the same time, cutting this down to two matches (due to the following week’s NXT being taped in advance) helped a lot, as three matches with lower level talent involved starts to wear a bit thin. Not a great or even good show, but it came and went with a solid match and that’s not bad for about twenty minutes.

Results
Brooks Jensen b. Je’Von Evans – Top rope knee
Izzi Dame b. Gigi Dolin – Z Quill

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NXT LVL Up
Date: February 9, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

This show was interesting and entertaining for a few weeks but that has been knocked out again. Instead we’re back to the same old LVL Up crew who aren’t going anywhere and are having the same matches we’ve seen them have for the better part of ever. NXT has the talent to make this work but instead they go with not doing that instead. Quite the shame. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelani Jordan vs. Stevie Turner

Jordan starts fast by taking her down for a basement crossbody but has to flip around to get out of a wristlock. Turner is back up and hits her from behind, setting up a neckbreaker for two. A running knee gives Turner two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Jordan’s back. Jordan is back up and hits a Rob Van Dam step over spinwheel kick, setting up the split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Turner is one of the more interesting stories in NXT as she feels like she has all of the tools to be a star and then just never is. There have been multiple times where I forget she even exists, which is not a good sign for any kind of a star. Turner needs either a complete reset or a new start in another promotion because this isn’t working for her.

Javier Bernal is ready to give us a new viral moment.

Javier Bernal vs. Keanu Carver

The huge Carver shoves him down before Bernal hurts his shoulder by bouncing off of Carver. Bernal avoids a charge though and kicks Carver’s leg in the ropes to take over. A Downward Spiral gives Bernal two but Carver is up to run him over a few times. One heck of a Pounce sends Bernal flying…but he sweeps the legs for a rollup (with feet on the ropes) for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C+. They kept this short as Carver is still a rather raw rookie, but when you look like that with that kind of power, there is only so much that you need to do. As usual, this was about Bernal though and he made it work by being such a weasely heel. It works to see him get beaten up and then cheat to win as it makes you want to see him get beaten up again. Nice match here and it worked well.

Tavion Heights vs. Myles Borne

Borne is a surprise opponent as it was only said to be a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew. They fight over a lockup to start until Heights takes him down without much trouble. A fireman’s carry drop puts Borne down again and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Borne grabs a suplex for two and we hit the chinlock. Heights fights up and hits a quick Sling Blade, only to have the Crew offer a distraction. Borne grabs a powerslam for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C. While I like the idea of adding something with the mystery opponent, it only means so much when any of the four would have been about the same. The match itself was only so good with neither of them exactly doing anything of note. The Crew is a good enough idea for a team but when you only have basic matches, you’re only going to get so far.

Overall Rating: C. It was slightly better than last week, but at the same time it was more of the same kind of things we’ve been seeing on this show in recent weeks. The matches come and go and it isn’t like anything ever feels like it’s changing. That’s kind of the point around here but it also doesn’t make for a great show all of the time.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re back to the show and my hope for this show is starting to wain again. There is only so much that you can do with the low level stars and that has been obvious in recent weeks. What matters here is getting things interesting with weaker star power, which is easier said than done. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Walker and Igwe start things off as commentary talks about a history between the teams. A side slam puts Walker down and DuPont comes in with a splash. That doesn’t last long as Walker is over to Ledger so a backsplash can hit DuPont. Everything breaks down with Walker and Ledger clearing the ring.

The rather large DuPont is back with a hard clothesline and Igwe’s gutwrench suplex gets two. Walker fights out of a chinlock though and it’s back to Ledger to clean house. It’s back to Ledger, who gets caught in a belly to back suplex/jumping clothesline combination with Walker having to make the save. A Bubba Bomb puts Igwe down and a powerslam/running forearm combination (the Collision Course) finishes for Walker at 622.

Rating: C+. This was more high energy than most of what you see on this show and I’ll take that for a change. Walker and Ledger are pretty low on the totem pole in the tag division but they are a regular team and that makes things feel more important. Igwe and DuPont look great but are going to need a lot more time before they are ready to do much else.

Brooks Jensen needs to find his own success and it can start tonight with Dante Chen.

Carlee Bright vs. Blair Davenport

Bright actually armdrags her down to start and Davenport needs to think about this. They trade near falls off a rollup each but Davenport hits a hard knee in the corner to take over. An abdominal stretch is broken up so Davenport goes after the ribs again. Now the stretch goes on before Davenport switches over to a chinlock. Bright fights up and hits a dropkick into a crossbody but Davenport pulls her down by the hair. The knee to the face finishes for Davenport at 5:05.

Rating: C. Bright got in some offense here and it wasn’t a squash, which made for a nice enough match. Bright is another someone who hasn’t gotten the chance to show much but that is only going to be so possible in a five minute match. Nothing to see here, as Davenport is a name waiting for something to do.

Dante Chen vs. Brooks Jensen

Chen takes over on the arm to start but Jensen is right back with a flying headscissors. That’s broken up and Chen is right back on the arm so Jensen has to roll out of a short armscissors. Back up and Jensen snaps off a spinebuster as we hear about Jensen being a fan of old southern wrestlers. Chen fights up and strikes away, setting up a kick to the head for two. Chen slips off the top though, allowing Jensen to hit a top rope knee for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C. Jensen as an old school wrestler is certainly not something you see very often these days and it’s ok enough for a twist, but Jensen continues to not be all that interesting. He just feels basic and has nothing to make him stand out, which is a problem when you’re in a spot like this. Not an awful match or even bad, but how far were you expecting this to go?

Overall Rating: C. It was another dull show here and that is becoming the norm more and more often these days. The biggest name on the show was….I guess Davenport, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. There are so many people in NXT and I don’t get why more of them can’t be featured around here. It’s worked before and it would work again if given the chance.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Von Wagner vs. Keanu Carver

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riley Osborne vs. Luca Crusifino

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

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

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

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

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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