NXT LVL Up
Date: November 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and this show has gotten a good bit more interesting in recent weeks. I’m not sure how interesting that really is, but it’s better than nothing and I’ll take anything I can get around here. For now, hopefully we get something even better this week, or at least some fresh names. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile vs. Valentina Feroz

Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. They wrestle to the mat with Feroz getting a fast one. Nile sends her flying but Feroz manages to snap off an armdrag. The short armscissors has Nile frustrated until she powers up and takes her into the corner for the break. Feroz is right back with a hammerlock before ramming the bad arm onto the apron. Nile is back up and runs her over for two but Feroz hits a running Meteora. Not that it matters as the Diamond Chain Lock finishes Feroz at 4:48.

Rating: C+. This is probably going to be one of if not the last Nile match around here and she went out with a pretty good one. The best thing here was that Nile had to work to win but then she just snapped on the Lock to wrap it up. That very well could be her calling card on the main roster and it’s nice to see her giving Feroz a boost on the way out.

Trey Bearhill is ready to run it back against Myles Borne. I have almost no memory of their first match so that might go rather well.

Trey Bearhill vs. Myles Borne

Borne’s friends are here too. Bearhill knocks him down without much trouble to start and begins dancing. The dancing is replaced by an armbar but Borne slugs his way to freedom. Borne grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back until Bearhill fights up with the chops. Damon Kemp offers a distraction though, allowing Borne to hit a dropkick for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. So I barely remembered Bearhill’s first match and I barely remember this one either. He feels like something that belongs on a low rent 90s indy show and it’s almost hard to fathom him being here now. It’s not terrible or even bad, but it’s really not working so well. On the other hand, Borne and his wrestling obsessed friends are a good idea, though they’re also kind of losers.

Dante Chen vs. Oro Mensah

This is described as a “big” main event as the commentators lie to us again. The women o Meta Four are here with Mensah. Mensah fights out of a wristlock to start but gets pulled down into an armbar. The armdrag into the armbar works so well that Chen does it a second time. Mensah seemingly gets frustrated by having his arm pulled and kicks Chen in the head to take over.

A legsweep lets Mensah hit a forearm to the head for two before he grabs a crossface chickenwing in the ropes. Chen fights out of a chinlock and starts kicking away, setting up a springboard clothesline. The double chop gets two but Lash Legend puts a boot on the rope….as Boa can be seen watching from the aisle. Mensah is back up with the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C. Well, that was certainly a match between these two and that is not the highest compliment. They’re not very interesting and it was a rough watch to see the two of them in there having the same boring match I’ve seen them have over and over. Throw in Boa and it’s somehow even less interesting.

Boa helps Chen out of the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The opener was pretty good but it was a rough watch otherwise, with a pair of mediocre (at best) matches to wrap it up. The not so interesting stars were back in full force here as this felt like they snapped back from the change of pace over the last few weeks. Hopefully that changes again, but this show hasn’t given me much of a reason to believe that will be happening.

Results
Ivy Nile b. Valentina Feroz – Diamond Chain Lock
Myles Borne b. Trey Bearhill – Dropkick
Oro Mensah b. Dante Chen – Running spinwheel kick in the corner

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 27, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I’ve been digging the recent changes to the show as they have been running two matches, allowing for a bit more time. That helps a good bit as the matches could use the extra quality. It also helps to have some slightly bigger names around here and hopefully that continues this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jacy Jayne vs. Izzi Dame

Thea Hail is here with Jayne, who sends her into the corner to start. Dame tries to fight back but gets pulled down by the hair, giving us a crotch chop from Jayne. Back up and Dame gets in a hot shot into a big boot for two. The neck crank goes on and the fans are already wanting Jayne to get up. They get what they want as Jayne sends her into the buckle for two but gets caught with a basement dropkick for two. Dame grabs a cravate but Jayne is right back up with a discus lariat for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. Jayne is really clicking into this new role as the still slightly bad heroine and that is something that could work well for her. She has been looking for something new since Toxic Attraction split up and maybe this is it. If nothing else, at least Chase U seems to be having some success and if Jayne’s turn is how they get there, so be it.

We look at Axiom beating Riley Osborne in a heck of a match two weeks ago.

Osborne is ready to run it back and hopes the outcome is different.

Axiom vs. Riley Osborne

They fight over wrist control to start and trade some spins to escape. Axiom gets him to the mat and cranks on the arms but can’t keep the shoulders down for two. Osbourne flips over but he gets knocked to the apron, only to come back with a slingshot shoulder. Back in and Axiom takes him down, setting up a half and half suplex.

A running kick to the chest gets two and Axiom powerbombs him out of the corner for two more. They go outside with Osborne bouncing off of the announcers’ table, only to run Axiom over for two back inside. Axiom catches him on top though and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Golden Ratio for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was another good match between the two as they do have chemistry and Osborne has gotten a lot of mileage out of the two match series. It wasn’t quite as good as the first one though, which might be due to the expectations. That being said, it’s something close to continuity around here and that is nice to see.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show better be careful or it is going to become worth something. They had a bit of continuity and the first match had a somewhat bigger name involved. That’s something I have been waiting on for well over a year now and it is great to see something, even the slightest bit of something, starting to develop around here. Nice show, and keep this kind of thing going.

Results
Jacy Jayne b. Izzi Dame – Discus lariat
Axiom b. Riley Osborne – Golden Ratio

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 20, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

Things were actually a bit different last week as there were only two matches with a slightly shorter run time. It made things a bit easier to watch, though granted having the best match NXT LVL Up has presented in months helped as well. I could go or more of the new format as it did make for a tighter show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Boa/Dante Chen

Blade works on Chen’s arm to start but Chen reverses into a headlock. That’s broken up and Blade hits a dropkick before Enofe comes in to elbow away. It’s off to Boa, whose armbar doesn’t work in the slightest. Enofe has to fight out of the corner, allowing Boa to get in a kick to the ribs.

Chen’s belly to back suplex gets two as commentary actually gives us a backstory for the villains (Boa has been around since Chen’s tryout and kept his eye on him the whole time). Enofe backflips out of another suplex attempt and hands it back to Blade to pick up the pace. A high crossbody takes Boa and Chen, setting up an assisted Blockbuster to finish Chen at 6:08.

Rating: C+. Not exactly a surprising result but Boa and Chen worked well enough together as a makeshift villainous team. Blade and Enofe continue to be a team that feels like it has a lot of potential but this is about all they’ve gotten to do in recent months. For a quick opener though, there were far worse options.

Fallon Henley, with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, is ready for Lash Legend, who is loud and annoying.

Fallon Henley vs. Lash Legend

Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen and the rest of the Meta Four are here too. Legend shoves her against the ropes to start and talks a lot of trash before firing off an elbow to the face. A hard slam puts Henley down again for two. Henley tries to fight up but gets caught with a right hand to slow her back down.

A pump kick sends her to the floor and Legend sends her face first into the apron back inside. Legend grabs a delayed suplex before putting on a torture rack (a move that needs to make a comeback), only to be reversed into a sleeper. With that broken up, Henley gets in a facebuster, leaving the others to brawl on the floor. Henley hits the Shining Wizard for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C. Legend isn’t great in the ring but she’s a good bit better than she was a year or so ago. Letting her get in the ring more and more often is the best thing or her so even a six minute match can help her advance. I still see something in Henley and could go for having her around a lot more often but that doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Overall Rating: C. It’s not just the shorter run time but I like the new format a good bit more. This lets the matches get a bit more focus instead of trying to get three matches and two commercials into half an hour. It also might help keep things feeling a bit fresher around here as it’s one less match to have each week, which could help things out nicely. For now it’s not exactly a game changer, but it is an improvement, which is long overdue around here.

Results
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Boa/Dante Chen – Assisted Blockbuster to Chen
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Shining Wizard

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the point where there isn’t much to say about this show. There is no reason to believe that much of anything of importance is going to take place around here. It’s all the more frustrating when you see WWE trying something around here and then just dropping it as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz vs. Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley

Paxley and Feroz lock up to start and neither gets the better of things, meaning it’s an early double tag. Jordan gets knocked down against the ropes so it’s Dame coming in to stomp away. A double elbow sets up Paxley’s splash for two, followed by Paxley grabbing a bodyscissors. Jordan finally kicks her way to freedom though and it’s back to Feroz for some rapid fire armdrags. Everything breaks down and Paxley grabs a Psycho Driver for the pin on Feroz at 4:33.

Rating: C-. What are you supposed to get from a match like this? It’s four women paired off with nothing to set up the match and no reason for them to be fighting. At the same time, they only had about four and a half minutes to get anything going, which doesn’t work so well for people without much experience. Matches like these make me wonder what the point of this show is supposed to be, because this didn’t do much.

Dante Chen is ready to face Drew Gulak. Tonight it’s Singapore style, though Chen doesn’t know what that means.

Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

DuPont faceplants Luca to start so it’s off to Bernal, who gets slammed down. Bernal’s headlock doesn’t do much so it’s Igwe coming in to splash Luca in the corner. Luca manages a hiptoss neckbreaker for a breather and Bernal comes in for a headscissors. That doesn’t last long and DuPont hits a backdrop. It’s back to clean house, including a superkick to Bernal. Luca makes the save and gets tossed, allowing Luca to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. You know, it is ok to let these young guys score a quick win over two “bigger” names who aren’t a regular team and are hardly top level stars in the first place. The match was mostly a squash for Igwe and DuPont but then they lost to a fluke rollup to protect Bernal and Luca? That’s quite the odd choice.

Drew Gulak vs. Dante Chen

Myles Borne, Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Gulak. Chen grabs a headlock to start and snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Chen hits a backdrop for two before dropkicking him out to the floor. Gulak comes back in and stomps away on the ropes before grabbing a neck crank. That’s broken up and Chen chops him out to the floor, setting up a big dive. Gulak’s cronies offer a distraction though and Gulak picks Chen up and hits a kind of powerslam piledriver for the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. It was better than the other matches but that doesn’t really clear a high bar. Chen continues to be little more than a person who happens to be on the show over and over again without really doing anything important. Gulak is still someone who could be used in a slightly bigger way and he only got to show so much of his skills here.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was LVL Up alright, as there was almost nothing going on and a bunch of the normal lineup having matches that didn’t change anything and won’t lead anywhere. In other words, there is no reason to watch this show again, and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get better.

Results
Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley b. Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz – Psycho Driver to Feroz
Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Rollup to Igwe
Drew Gulak b. Dante Chen – Powerslam piledriver

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 29, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s the last show before No Mercy but I’m not sure if that is going to make much of a difference around here. The Global Heritage Invitational has come to an end and unfortunately that probably means the end of any matches with important for this show. Hopefully I’m wrong though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Fallon Henley vs. Arianna Grace

This is Grace’s first match in almost a year and she knows we all missed her because she is a true beauty queen. Grace armdrags her down and allows Henley to kiss her hand. Henley does the same thing and makes the same offer before kicking Grace in the head. Back up and Grace knocks her into the corner, setting up the reverse chinlock. Henley fights up and starts the comeback, but misses a charge into the corner. Grace grabs a rollup but gets caught with her feet on the ropes. The distraction lets Henley grab a rollup for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Not much of a match here and Grace is pretty much exactly what she was before her injury. I’m still not sure how far she is going to get with an only ok gimmick, but she needs to grow in the ring a lot. What matters is she’s back in the ring, as she can’t do much while still recovering from injuries.

Riley Osborne knows we have seen a quick glimpse of him but tonight he’s ready for another win.

Riley Osborne vs. Myles Borne

Osborne flips around to escape a wristlock and a rollup gets a fast two. Borne drives him into the corner and hammers away until a dropkick cuts him off in a hurry. A dropkick puts Osborne down and Borne grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Osborne elbows away before knocking him out to the floor. The big dive connects but a shooting star misses back inside. Borne grabs a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:04.

Rating: C+. This was a faster paced match than usual around here and Osborne has the energy needed to get himself noticed. It’s going to take some time for him to get noticed but things are already on the right path. Borne has certainly improved as well and is turning into a much more polished star.

Oro Mensah vs. Tavion Heights

The rest of Meta Four is here with Mensah. Heights takes him down by the wrist to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. Mensah sends him throat first into the rope to take him down and adds another kick to the face. A rollup gives Heights two but he gets caught with a springboard kick for the same. Heights is back up with a string of suplexes for two each but Mensah kicks him in the face again for the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C-. Not the best match here as there is only so much you can get out of Mensah kicking him in the face over and over. Heights was showcasing himself well enough with the suplexes but at some point he needs something better than what he got from Mensah. He can do more than this, but for some reason it wasn’t on display here.

Overall Rating: C. And we’re back to the same LVL Up that we’ve been stuck on for months. The Global Heritage Invitational stuff helped for a few weeks but here we are again with one nothing match after another. With only one decent match throughout, there is only so much to get out of LVL Up and it was thoroughly covered this week.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Arianna Grace – Rollup
Myles Borne b. Riley Osborne – Dragon sleeper
Oro Mensah b. Tavion Heights – Low superkick

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 22, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

On a show that rarely feels important, it makes sense that we get the only meaningless match of the Global Heritage Invitational. The winners have already been established and now we get the final match between two people who have already been eliminated. At least we also have Tatum Paxley turning on Dani Palmer last week as a possible continuing story around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile vs. Izzi Dame

Nile takes her down with a headlock to start and then does it again for a bonus. Back up and a running crossbody takes Dame down again, setting up a third headlock. Dame finally fights to her feet and sends her into the corner, meaning it’s time for the stomping. Nile’s leg is rammed into the mat and Dame cranks away on the leg. A sunset flip gives Nile one but she misses an enziguri. The bad knee is slammed into the apron but Nile calmly flips into the Diamond Chain Lock for the tap at 5:22.

Rating: C+. This match actually had something of a story and it worked out well enough with Dame working on the knee. That being said, Nile is just a more complete star at this point and was able to take whatever Dame through at her and slip into the hold for the win. I could still go for more of Nile, but that just isn’t happening at the moment.

Luca Crusifino is ready for Ikemen Jiro and that illegal jacket of his. This turns into a battle of objections between Luca and Kelly Kincaid.

Luca Crusifino vs. Ikemen Jiro

Crusifino shoves him down a few times so Jiro nips up a few times. That just annoys Crusifino, who hammers away against the ropes and hits a neckbreaker for two. Jiro slips out of a necklock and fires off the jacket punches. The springboard moonsault gives Jiro two but Crusifino pulls off the jacket. Back up and Crusifino throws the jacket in Jiro’s face and rolls him up for the pin (with trunks) at 2:59. The fact that Jiro was released the day this show aired might have given you a clue about the result here.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Axiom vs. Charlie Dempsey

Feeling out process to start with Axiom taking him down with an armbar. Dempsey is up with a headlock but Axiom drops him again without much trouble. Fans: “THANK YOU REGAL”! Dempsey swings him into a backbreaker to take over and strikes away at the back to keep Axiom down.

The abdominal stretch has Axiom in more trouble but he reverses into an Octopus hold of all things. A dropkick sends Dempsey outside and Axiom hits a dive. Back in a high crossbody is countered into a tabletop suplex to give Dempsey two. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Dempsey two more and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up rather quickly so Dempsey goes up, only to get pulled back down. The Golden Ratio finishes Dempsey at 7:55.

Rating: B-. Again, why do we not get this kind of a match on a more regular basis around here? There’s nothing wrong with letting two talented guys get in there and tear a few rooms of the house. It’s not like the two of them are doing anything different so let them go out there and have a fun match.

They don’t even show the final standings but here they are for you Global Heritage Invitational enthusiasts:

Group A Standings
Butch – 2-0-1, 5 points, 0 matches remaining
Tyler Bate – 2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining
Axiom – 1-1-1, 3 point, 0 matches remaining
Charlie Dempsey – 0-3-0, 0 points, 0 matches remaining

Overall Rating: C+. This was a slightly quicker show and hopefully it isn’t the end of having a match that matters around here. The last few weeks have been that much better as a result of those slightly higher stakes and I could go for seeing it more often. The main event was good enough too, making this a perfectly nice show.

Results
Ivy Nile b. Izzi Dame – Diamond Chain Lock
Luca Crusifino b. Ikemen Jiro – Rollup with trunks
Axiom b. Charlie Dempsey – Golden Ratio

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 15, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

The interesting weeks of this show (work with me here) continue as we have more from the Global Heritage Invitational. What matters here is that we have something going on that actually matters for a change and after that not being the case for most of this show’s life, I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend vs. Dani Palmer/Tatum Paxley

The rest of Meta Four is here too. Legend powers Palmer up against the ropes to start so Palmer grabs a waistlock into a sleeper. With that broken up, Legend sends her into the corner for a tag off to Jackson. That’s fine with Palmer, who takes her down and brings in Paxley for a double standing moonsault. Jackson slaps the heck out of Paxley, who doesn’t seem that annoyed.

A Meta Four distraction lets Jackson kick Paxley down though and she sits down on Paxley’s ribs to put her in trouble. The double stomping is on in the corner and Jackson grabs the abdominal stretch. Paxley powers out and brings in Palmer to pick up the pace. Palmer misses a moonsault though and Legend runs her over with a clothesline. Back up and Palmer tries to get over for the tag to Paxley….who walks out. That leaves Paxley to get pump kicked into a wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to give Jackson the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. Well ok then. Not much of a match, but I’ll take the idea of a story taking place around here. It does make sense too, as Paxley suddenly being all good doesn’t really fit her history. If nothing else, Palmer has long since felt like someone WWE wants to use and this is better than just having one random match after another.

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont are ready to make an impression.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price

Scrypts is here with Nima and Price. DuPont and Nima fight over the power control to start until Igwe comes in to work on the arm. With that broken up, it’s Prince coming in and getting caught with a running knee to the face. Back up and Nima and Price take over on Igwe, with Nima hitting a running crotch attack to the back in the ropes. Nima misses a charge into the corner though and it’s back to DuPont to pick up the pace. A splash hits raised knees though and it’s a suplex swung into an Alabama Slam (that’s not bad) to finish Igwe at 4:22.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to say here. The match was physical and all four guys look good, but there’s nothing here that makes them stand out. Nima and Price are the better team and they’ve already received more of a push, but there is only so much here that can be gained from “here’s are two more power brawlers”. Figure that out and either team could go somewhere down the line.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Charlie Dempsey

They fight over arm control to start with Dempsey taking him to the mat. Bate fights up and slips out, giving us an early standoff. They go back to the mat with Dempsey working a hammerlock into an armbar. That’s reversed into a rollup and they go to the mat, with bate managing a monkey flip.

They flip back up with Dempsey getting a bodyscissors and striking away on the mat. Bate powers out and hits a slam for two but Dempsey gets in a shot to the back. A bridging German suplex gives Dempsey two so bate grabs an airplane spin into an AA for two of his own. They take turns trading running uppercuts before an exchange of rollups ends with Bate getting the pin at 7:13.

Rating: B-. This was different and that is the best thing you can say about a match a good deal of the time. They felt like they were going for a much more technical, if not full on British style match and it worked out well. Sometimes you need something completely different and that is what we got here, which made for a good main event.

Group A Standings
Tyler Bate (2-0-0, 4 points, 1 match remaining)
Butch (1-0-1, 3 points, 1 match remaining)
Axiom (0-1-1, 1 point, 1 match remaining)
Charlie Dempsey (0-2-0, 0 points, 1 match remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. The biggest thing this show had going for it was it felt like there might be some hope for the future. Paxley turning on Palmer is about as low stakes as you can get, but what matters is that there might be some actual stakes. LVL Up has not really had that throughout its history but I’ll take it in small doses like this. Nice show here, and for once I want to see what happens next.

Results
Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend b. Dani Palmer/Tatum Paxley – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Palmer
Bronco Nima/Lucien Price b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Assisted Alabama Slam to Igwe
Tyler Bate b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 8, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

The Global Heritage Invitational did some wonders for this show last week and it would be great to have that happen again this time around. Above all else, it makes the show feel like it matters a little bit more and that is very welcome after months of nothing. It isn’t likely to last but I’ll take it while I can. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Tavion Heights

Heights gives him a heck of a shove into the ropes but Jiro flips up a few times and strikes a pose. A faceplant and crossbody put Heights down and we’re already off to the chinlock. Back up and Heights plows through him but Jiro fires off the jacket punches. A powerslam gives Heights two and we hit the chinlock (with roles reversed from earlier). Jiro fights up and flips out of a suplex attempt, setting up a slingshot headscissors for two. Heights avoids a Swanton though and a spinning belly to belly finishes Jiro at 5:50.

Rating: C+. Jiro continues to be the smooth hand out there who can work with anyone and that is what he got here. Heights hasn’t done much on his own and this is probably the biggest singles win of his career. He has a long way to go, but working with reliable hands on a more regular basis is the best way for him to get better.

Heights looking very excited over his win is a nice touch.

Karmen Petrovic knows she has lost before but she’s used to being a winner. She’s starting on the path to success because she is bred for combat.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Fallon Henley

Petrovic strikes a we’ll say karate pose to start so Henley headlocks her down. That’s reversed into a headscissors, which is reversed right back into a headlock. Back up and Henley runs her over with a shoulder before nailing a right hand. Petrovic sends her to the apron and scores with a spinning kick to the face, followed by a straight kick to the ribs. The abdominal stretch doesn’t last long so Petrovic switches to a seated armbar. Make that a bodyscissors, but Henley fights up and hits a running elbow in the corner. A running faceplant sets up a Shining Wizard to finish Petrovic at 5:12.

Rating: C. Petrovic still hasn’t been around much, but between this match and the promo beforehand, I’m at least starting to get a feel for what she’s about. She has a long way to go of course but that’s kind of the point of his show. Henley is pretty well established as the brawling country girl and that works well for her, though it would be better if she had anything important to do.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen come out to celebrate with Henley.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Joe Coffey vs. Akira Tozawa

The rest of Gallus is here with Coffey. Tozawa bounces away from him to start before grabbing a wristlock. That’s reversed into Coffey’s headlock but he charges into a boot in the corner. A middle rope hurricanrana works a bit better for Tozawa but Coffey catches him in a wheelbarrow faceplant.

Coffey backbreakers him for two and we hit a seated full nelson. That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Tozawa snaps off a backdrop. Tozawa’s Shining Wizard sends Coffey outside and a suicide dive makes it worse. Back in and a missile dropkick gets two on Coffey, followed by a German suplex for the same. Coffey catches him on top though and All The Best For The Bells finishes Tozawa at 6:43.

Rating: C+. As has been the case for the better part of ever, power vs. speed worked well here, with Tozawa trying as hard as he could but not being able to overcome Coffey’s size and force. Coffey is the current favorite to win the division and he looked pretty solid in his win here. As usual, Tozawa looked fine in defeat, which he has quite a bit of practice at doing.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey – (2-0-0, 4 points, 1 match remaining)
Nathan Frazer – (1-1-0, 2 points, 1 match remaining)
Duke Hudson – (1-1-0, 2 points, 1 match remaining)
Akira Tozawa – (0-2-0, 0 points, 1 match remaining)

Overall Rating: C+. Much like last week, having something of importance on the show made all of the difference. LVL Up has never been an important show so having even a little something like this made it that much better. It won’t last long beyond the tournament, but I’ll take two good weeks over nothing.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Ikemen Jiro – Spinning belly to belly suplex
Fallon Henley b. Karmen Petrovic – Shining Wizard
Joe Coffey b. Akira Tozawa – All The Best For The Bells

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 1, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Believe it or not, we actually have something important on this show! This week will see a match in the Global Heritage Invitational, as Duke Hudson will face Akira Tozawa. It isn’t going to be the biggest match, but what matters is that it matters for a change, which hasn’t been the case in a very long time. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt.

Opening sequence.

Javier Bernal vs. Riley Osborne

Osborne is making his debut and works on the arm to start. Bernal reverses and does the same but Osborne runs up the corner for the armdrag escape. Another armbar has Bernal in trouble but he scores with a hiptoss into a sliding lariat. Bernal rolls through a high crossbody and drops a leg for two. A butterfly suplex gives Bernal two more and we hit the chinlock. With that broken up, Osborne comes back with a nice slingshot shoulder for his own near fall. Osborne dropkicks him to the floor for a running flip dive, followed by a shooting star press for the upset pin back inside at 6:16.

Rating: C+. Where the heck did that come from? Osborne is one of the few newcomers to actually win their debut and that is nice to see. Bernal might not be a big star but he is someone who has been around long enough to have a bit of a reputation. Osborne looked good in his debut and while he needs some polish, this is a heck of a way to start for his career and that is great to see.

Stevie Turner has been watching and now she’s ready to beat Valentina Feroz in her return.

Valentina Feroz vs. Stevie Turner

Yulisa Leon is here with Feroz. They go with the grappling to start and Turner cranks on a hammerlock. Feroz flips her way to freedom and works on a hammerlock of her own but gets sent face first into the turnbuckle. An armbar doesn’t last long so Turner scores with a neckbreaker for two instead. Feroz fights back and sends her into the corner for the running knees but another charge only hits buckle. Turner hits some running knees to the back (Feroz holding the ropes and leaning backwards helped) for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: C. That was certainly a Stevie Turner match as she seems like someone who should be interesting yet she just isn’t for whatever reason. The knees in the corner felt like an impromptu way to finish the match and that’s a nice thing to see, but Turner has never quite lived up to what should be a cool character. Granted there is only so much you can get out of a one off four minute match, but this was only so good.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Akira Tozawa vs. Duke Hudson

Andre Chase is here with Hudson. Tozawa tries a leg dive to start but gets pulled into a headlock instead. That’s broken up for a standoff, allowing Tozawa to get some rollups for two each. Tozawa even pats Hudson on the head and that is a step too far. A top rope hurricanrana into a dropkick sends Hudson outside, where a dive is cut off.

Back in and a good German suplex gets two on Tozawa and we hit the chinlock. Tozawa fights up and hits a running knee for two but the kicks to the chest just wake Hudson up. The big boot looks to set up a Razor’s Edge but Tozawa rolls through for two off a sunset flip. Tozawa’s top rope backsplash hits knees though and the Razor’s Edge finishes for Hudson at 6:56.

Rating: B-. I had fun here as Tozawa is someone who can work well with anyone but rarely gets the chance to show it. At the same time, Hudson is starting to figure out how to be a bigger guy and that made for a nice showdown. As usual, the star power helps here and even if Tozawa is a lower level Raw star, he still feels like something special around here.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey – 1-0-0 (2 points, 2 matches remaining)
Duke Hudson – 1-0-0 (2 points, 2 matches remaining)
Nathan Frazer – 0-1-0 (0 points, 2 matches remaining)
Akira Tozawa – 0-1-0 (0 points, 2 matches remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. That’s the best LVL Up in awhile and a lot of that is due to the main event and the opener. What mattered here is it felt like they were doing something different and that stood out a lot. LVL Up feels like a show with nothing happening most of the time and it was nice to see them mix it up like they did here. Not a great show, but for thirty one minutes and the minor league’s minor league show, I had a good time.

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: August 25, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Last week’s show was a bit of an upgrade as there were two matches featuring names from the regular NXT roster. If that keeps up, the show can be that much better, as there are all kinds of stars who could pop up around here. Or maybe there won’t be anyone included whatsoever. 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 runs Igwe over to start and cranks on the arm before driving in corner shoulders. Ledger is pulled in with a slingshot splash or two so it’s off to DuPont, who is double shouldered down. Igwe comes back in for a belly to back suplex and some right hands as Walker is in trouble for a change. A clothesline out of the corner puts DuPont back down and there’s the tag off to Ledger to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and a running powerslam with a crossbody to the back at the same time finishes Igwe at 5:05.

Rating: C. Not a bad power match here but I’m still not that into Walker and Ledger. They feel like some weird cross between Heavy Machinery and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen and it’s not really working. They’re not bad but they come off as quite the token power team and that’s not great. Igwe and DuPont are the latest team who looks great but have little to make them stand out, which has to change at some point.

Kiyah Saint is ready to debut against Kiana James. She’s educated and calculate.

Kiyah Saint vs. Kiana James

James snapmares her down to start so Saint nips up. Saint grabs a headlock this time and manages to take her down. That’s broken up so James takes it into the corner, where Saint rolls her up for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Saint comes back with some running forearms. A fisherman’s suplex gets two but James is back with the 401k. The Dealbreaker finishes Saint off at 5:19.

Rating: C+. For someone’s debut match, Saint looked a lot better than most of the rookies you get around here. She has quite the athletic background and when you mix that in with quite the bit of energy, it makes for a nice debut. James is fine in the role she’s been filling, but that isn’t going to get her much further.

Scrypts vs. Dante Chen

Scrypts has Bronco Nima and Lucien Price with him. Scrypts gets in a shot to the ribs to start but Chen pulls him down into an armbar. Back up and Scrypts gets knocked to the floor, where he manages an arm snap across the top rope. An elbow to the face gives Scrypts two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Chen’s back. Chen fights up and strikes away but can’t hit the double chop. Instead he kicks Scrypts in the head but Nima offers a distraction. That’s enough for Scrypts to hit a handspring cutter for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. I know I’ve said it before but my goodness Scrypts is still rather lame. Even giving him a pair of monster lackeys isn’t going to hide that and I’m not sure what else could. Chen isn’t that much better, but at least he never makes it out of LVL Up. This was a rather uninspiring pick for a main event here and it showed pretty badly.

Overall Rating: C. It says a lot that the thing that stood out the most here was a rookie best known for her triple jumping career in college. They went straight back to the “oh who cares” version here with some lower level names than last time. As usual the short run time saves the show but that’s about all it has to offer.

Results
Hank Walker/Tank Ledger b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Powerslam/crossbody combination to Igwe
Kiana James b. Kiyah Saint – Dealbreaker
Scrypts b. Dante Chen – Handspring cutter

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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