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

We are just over a week away from Stand & Deliver and in this case, that is not going to make the slightest bit of difference to this show. There is still no way of knowing what to expect around here from week to week but hopefully we have a few bigger names. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Odyssey Jones vs. Kale Dixon

Jones powers him around to start and grabs a large headlock before hitting an atomic drop. Dixon goes to the eyes and hammers away so he can send Jones face first into the buckle. Some dropkicks give Dixon two and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. Jones clotheslines him down, setting up the rolling splash. A swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Dixon at 4:38.

Rating: C-. This was a squash for Jones and that’s all it needed to be. Dixon hasn’t shown much outside of a decent look so in this form, he isn’t ready to give someone like Jones a run for his money. Jones is a big man with the ability to move and it makes sense for NXT to want to try to use him for something. Now if they could just find out what that something is.

Lola Vice is ready to dominate NXT and show then what real power is like.

Kale Dixon says he could beat Odyssey Jones if he had the same experience because he has the biggest upside around here. These promos can actually do something for the people around here. More of these things.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Tavion Heights/Damon Kemp

Kemp headlocks Blade to start and they go to the mat with Kemp getting the better of things. Enofe comes in for a reverse Sling Blade to Heights, only to get punched out of the air. The villains take turns hammering on Enofe, including Heights cranking on both arms. With that broken up, Kemp grabs a bridging German suplex out of the corner. Enofe slips away though and it’s back to Blade to clean house. Everything breaks down and Enofe’s top rope splash sets up Blade’s top rope elbow to finish Heights at 5:52.

Rating: C. Better match than the opener here, as Blade and Enofe still have all kinds of energy and enough charisma to back it up. I’m still not sure why they haven’t gotten a better chance on the main NXT show but maybe that can happen one day. Kemp is the latest partner for one of the multiple big, strong newcomers around here and I don’t see much of a future for the team.

Overall Rating: C. This show was almost ten minutes shorter than most editions so either something was cut or they didn’t do as much due to NXT being taped in advance. What we got was little more than some ok at best dark matches, so aside from the very short run time (and that second promo) there wasn’t much to think about here.

Results
Odyssey Jones b. Kale Dixon – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Malik Blade/Edris Enofe b. Tavion Heights/Damon Kemp – Top rope elbow to Heights

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: March 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We have two shows left before Stand & Deliver and things have been picking up around here. That should make for some interesting moments on the way forward and we should be in for two nice weeks of NXT on the way to Los Angeles. NXT does know how to build up a show and hopefully they do it again here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller, including Waller invading the Garganos’ house last week.

Here is Pretty Deadly for a chat. They are your Stand & Deliver hosts so they are erasing all footage of last week’s beatdown from the NXT archives. Cue Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to interrupt, setting off an argument about titles. A challenge is issued for tonight with Williams accepting on behalf of….Hayes and Bron Breakker? The fight is on with Hayes getting double teamed, drawing out Breakker for the save.

Post break Hayes rants about how they didn’t need Breakker’s help. He doesn’t want to team with Breakker but Williams says this is a front row seat to study Breakker up close, which seems to work for Hayes.

Roxanne Perez has sent out a tweet saying she will be back, but she doesn’t know when.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Indi Hartwell

Stratton clotheslines her down to start but Hartwell hits some of her own. They fight to the apron with Hartwell being dropped on the apron as we take a break. Back with Hartwell fighting out of a chinlock as Booker T. can’t remember who Razor Ramon fought in a ladder match (thinking it was the 1-2-3 Kid, which never happened). Stratton double stomps her down but gets caught in a belly to back suplex. The kickout has Stratton frustrated so she misses a springboard Swanton, allowing Hartwell’s spinebuster to get two. Stratton Regal Rolls her to set up a moonsault for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. Hartwell has fallen so far in recent months and Stratton shrugging off her signature spinebuster with commentary not even making it a big deal tells you a lot. Stratton seems ready to move up to the title scene and getting into the ladder match is a good start. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do.

Gallus is playing pool when the Creeds show up and want to shoot some pool. Gallus wins but lose at darts. A Tag Team Title match is set up for Stand & Deliver. The four go to leave but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are outside. They would like to discuss some Stand & Deliver business, with Julius saying it’s going to be a long night.

Lyra Valkyria trains in what seems to be an empty building.

Gigi Dolin doesn’t feel bad about Jacy Jayne being hurt because she can watch Dolin win the Women’s Title. Tiffany Stratton comes in to laugh off the idea of Dolin winning. She’ll climb the ladder to the tippy top!

Wes Lee is in the ring to talk about having to give it everything he had, hence all of the challenges. He needs four challengers for Stand & Deliver….and here is Dragon Lee (no relation) to interrupt. Dragon wants to prove himself as well and wants in, with Wes saying he’s fine with that. Cue JD McDonagh to say he wants in as well but they both mock him for the upcoming beating at the hands of Ilja Dragunov. Cue Dragunov and we’re ready for our scheduled match.

Indi Hartwell is livid at her loss and Zoey Stark makes fun of her.

Kiana James watches the Hartwell outburst when Fallon Henley comes in to yell about what she found in James’ office last week. As you might expect, James is livid about the invasion of privacy but Henley is more upset about how James is treating Brooks Jensen.

Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh

Dragon Lee is watching at ringside. Dragunov knocks McDonagh down hart to start but McDonagh takes over and hits the slingshot spinning splash. Back up and they both avoid shots to the face before an exchange of hard forearms leave them down. Dragunov grabs some rolling German suplexes (the fans approve) before the 6 1 Line gets two. McDonagh sends him outside in a heap though and we take a break.

Back with McDonagh’s leg wrapped around Dragunov’s neck until he turns it into a Brock Lock (from the mat) to escape. McDonagh strikes him down and ducks the jumping enziguri before kicking away at the face. Now the jumping enziguri gives Dragunov a breather as the fans are rather interested in AEW’s (surely soon to be released) Fight Forever game. Dragunov plants him down but gets caught with a German suplex. Back up and Dragunov kicks him in the head but has to fight off McDonagh’s Twister. They fight to the floor again and both get into it with Dragon Lee, which is enough for the no contest at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was two guys hitting each other rather hard until they went to the ending to save both of them. Normally that would be annoying but it is a good idea here, with both guys needing to be kept strong as they (likely) head to the ladder match in Los Angeles. Sometimes you need a hard hitting fight and that is what you got here.

The brawl is on with Wes Lee taking them out and helping Dragon up.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come in to see Bron Breakker. Bron says they have the chance to do something special at Stand & Deliver but accuses Pretty Deadly (and Trick) of being clowns who can screw it up.

Wes Lee grants Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh spots in the North American Title ladder match. There is one spot left and here is Axiom to claim it. Wes says a lot of people want the match so next week, we’re going to have a battle royal for the last spot. Axiom is cool with that because all he wanted was a chance.

Here is Johnny Gargano……’s music, as we get Javier Bernal instead. Bernal wants to know why people love Gargano instead of him. What does Gargano have that Bernal doesn’t? Cue a ticked off Gargano to beat Bernal down before grabbing a microphone. Gargano has a contract for Grayson Waller to sign to make their match unsanctioned. Waller pops up on screen to say he’ll sign it…next week, as long as Gargano isn’t in the building. Gargano leaves the paper with Vic Joseph and knocks Bernal down again.

Eddy Thorpe (better known as Karl Fredericks) is coming next week and wants to honor his people (which appear to be Native Americans). Then he plays some DJing equipment (that’s certainly a combination). He’s here next week.

Ivy Nile is upset after what Tatum Paxley did to her last week but is ready to go to Stand & Deliver.

Video on Hank Walker.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey watch the Walker video, with Gulak wanting Dempsey to be a good student, seemingly telling Dempsey to hurt Walker.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Ivy Nile vs. Lyra Valkyria

Nile rolls her up to start before going after the arm and kicking her in the face. Valkyria sends her into the corner but Nile is right back with a snap suplex. The Diamond Chain Lock is broken up though and Valkyria nails a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 2:53. I know they’re pushing Valkyria and that makes sense, but dang that didn’t make Nile look very strong.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre jump Fallon Henley in the back, with Kiana James making the save.

Wes Lee is looking forward to the battle royal when Jinder Mahal, Dijak and Daba Katto take turns coming up to him, threatening to win next week.

And now, Chase U and Schism have a debate. First up, Rip Fowler talks about how much inclusion matters to the Schism. They even offered Duke Hudson a chance to take off his mask of school spirit. Hudson mutters something about taking off his mask and sits down, with Andre Chase asking what the f*** was that.

Next up we have Ava and Thea Hail talking about safety. Ava is happy to be under the Schism Tree and Hail…recites (rather quickly) a statement that sounds like it’s from a Chase U handbook. Then she goes into quite the rant about how evil Schism is, which has Chase rather impressed.

Finally we have Andre Chase and Joe Gacy talking about how prepared their associates are to be on their own. Gacy cuts Chase off and mocks the students before Tyler Bate comes out of the crowd. Bate goes into a big speech about how you need a prepared mind to be ready, and that is something you get at Chase U, not with Schism. The match is…not on, as Gacy says they have already beaten Chase U. Hudson offers to put up the school and that’s enough for the match to be set. Schism talking isn’t a good thing, but that should set up the blowoff match for good.

At the bar, Gallus, the Creeds and Tony D’Angelo/Stacks seem to have done a lot of drinking. Now a triple threat match is set for Stand & Deliver, as the bar is wrecked.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Bron Breakker/Carmelo Hayes vs. Pretty Deadly

Trick Williams is here too. Hayes takes Wilson into the corner but Prince comes in to knock Hayes outside. Back in and the ring is cleared, with Hayes and Breakker looking a bit nervous about each other as we take a break. We come back with Hayes cleaning house but double teaming takes him down.

Wilson grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back and a clothesline keeps Hayes in trouble. Hayes misses an enziguri but gets over to Breakker anyway. Everything breaks down and Breakker almost charges into Hayes in the corner. Instead Hayes hits a Codebreaker so Breakker can spear Wilson down. Breakker hands it back to Hayes for Nothing But Net and the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty run of the mill tag team formula match and while I’m not wild on Pretty Deadly taking another fall, at least it was two two juggernauts whose combined forces could be pret….never mind. Nice match here and Breakker can feel like a monster when he is let loose. Throw in Hayes looking as smooth as anyone in NXT and this worked well as a main event.

Hayes hands Breakker the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw and Smackdown, there isn’t much left to do for Stand & Deliver outside of filling in a few empty spots. They added enough this week to make the show feel important, though Stand & Deliver needs to get here before they lose momentum. For now though, this was a good enough nudge in Los Angeles’ direction. Just don’t screw up next week and get to the big show safely.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Indi Hartwell – Moonsault
JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov went to a no contest when Dragon Lee interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Ivy Nile – Spinning kick to the head
Bron Breakker/Carmelo Hayes b. Pretty Deadly – Nothing But Net to Wilson

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NXT
Date: March 14, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are past Roadblock and there has been a big story on the way to Stand & Deliver. The main event of last week’s show saw Roxanne Perez defeat Meiko Satomura to retain the Women’s Title. Perez collapsed after the match though, resulting in the title possibly being vacated. Tonight we start the qualifying matches for the (say it with me) ladder match for the (possibly) vacant title at Stand & Deliver. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Roadblock.

Here is Johnny Gargano to get things going. After asking the fans to watch his back so that Grayson Waller doesn’t jump him, Gargano talks about how Waller jumped him fifteen months ago. Waller attacked him during his farewell and then Gargano waited to see what Waller would do next. The last person to take him out was Tommaso Ciampa, who went on to become one of the greatest champions in NXT history. Gargano calls NXT his home….but hold on because Vic Joseph pops up with a phone, showing Waller at Gargano’s actual house. Gargano runs off to deal with this (as he should).

Earlier today, Wes Lee arrived and Axiom met him at his car, saying no one was interrupting his title shot tonight. Lee says the match is eight hours away but Axiom isn’t leaving his side. They’re off to eat.

Gargano left to deal with Waller.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly

Gallus is defending with Mark forearming Prince into the corner. Another hard shot sends Wilson outside so it’s off to Wilson, who gets beaten up by Wolfgang. The champs knock both of them outside and we take a break. Back with Mark in trouble and Pretty Deadly taking turns beating him down. Wilson kicks him in the back a few times and we hit the neck crank.

A backdrop gets Mark out of trouble though and it’s back to Wolfgang to clean house. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang is taken outside, where he pulls both challengers out with him. With nothing else working, Pretty Deadly gets in a belt shot for two on Mark but Spilled Milk is broken up. Instead Mark hits a running elbow and a running knee/fireman’s carry flapjack retains the titles at 12:33.

Rating: C+. That was more abrupt than I was expecting as this match seemed to have the chance to be a bit bigger. They have teased it enough in recent weeks but instead this came off like they were wrapping it up as fast as they could. At least Gallus got the clean pin though, which should get rid of Pretty Deadly from the title picture for the time being.

Josh Briggs is covered in leaves as he and Fallon Henley break into Kiana James’ office (featuring a door handle camera). They find a contract for a qualifying match for the Women’s Title, with James having already signed. Henley didn’t know about this and isn’t pleased, but a planner showing things like “get Brooks to make Fallon team with me” etc don’t sit well. Then they find notes about someone names Sebastian, who also sent the flowers last week.

Roxanne Perez has…hasn’t officially been stripped of the Women’s Title but qualifying matches (like the one mentioned in the previous segment) for a Stand & Deliver ladder match for the title will begin tonight. So if she’s healthy she’s in and it’s a title defense? I guess?

Perez’s doctor says her tests are clear but they aren’t sure what is going on or when she will be back in the ring.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark

Ruca knocks her to the floor to start but gets caught with a superkick to slow her down. Back in and Stark kicks her down, setting up the cravate. Back up and Ruca sends her to the floor for a heck of a moonsault from the top. Ruca loads up a springboard but dives into the flipping knee to the face to send Stark to Stand & Deliver at 4:32.

Rating: C. The match didn’t have time to do much but they did send Stark on to the ladder match. That being said, as strong of a heel as Stark as been, there is something to be said about going with the one with more momentum at the moment, as Ruca has been riding that Sol Snatcher for a good while now. There wasn’t a bad result here, but Ruca might have been the better option.

Scrypts (because he’s still a thing) talks about how he is drawn to one person and holds up a mask (Axiom’s perhaps).

Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. It’s a brawl to start with Dawn being knocked to the floor, leaving Carter and Chance to double team Paxley. A rollup gives Paxley two on Carter but Dawn is back in. Dawn comes in and helps beat up Paxley, with Carter being sent into Paxley in the corner.

It’s off to Nile for a double suplex on Fyre and house is cleaned. A few shots put Nile in trouble…but Paxley won’t tag her, instead getting in a shot to the face. Paxley goes to leave as Fyre and Dawn beat Carter down. That’s not enough as Paxley comes back to kick Nile in the ribs. A Backstabber/Swanton combination finishes Nile at 4:04.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here at once and it was probably better for them to speed through things. Fyre and Dawn make a lot more sense as challengers than the other teams so they went in the right direction. Then you have Nile and Paxley splitting, which is probably for the best as the team never felt quite right together. Nile moving back into the singles run is a good thing too, as she could be a big deal in the division down the line.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks offer Bron Breakker some protection during tonight’s contract signing. Breakker makes Sopranos references before declining and leaving. D’Angelo thinks it’s time to win some gold. Tag team gold. That might explain Pretty Deadly’s loss.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to talk about what JD McDonagh has done to him and his family in recent weeks. Cue McDonagh to say the two of them have caused each other a lot of pain both here and in the UK. Either they are destined to do this for a long time together or something has to change. Dragunov is ready to fight next week but the brawl is on now instead. They brawl off to the back.

Pretty Deadly can’t believe they lost but know they’ll have a spot at Stand & Deliver. Since no match could contain their star power so they should BE the show….as hosts!

Wes Lee is on the way to the ring for his match when he runs into a brawling McDonagh and Dragunov. McDonagh shoves him but Lee is sent to the ring anyway.

Thea Hail and Tyler Bate are doing their exercises when Andre Chase asks them for a minute. This means the two of them leave so Chase can talk to Duke Hudson. Chase talks about how wins and losses aren’t what matter around here, as Hudson has gone from skating by to giving him a purpose. Hudson thinks about this as Chase leaves, but Ava (who had been watching while wearing a Schism mask) comes up and puts her mask over the Chase U sign. Hudson isn’t sure about this. That’s an interesting way to go for Chase U, but egads the Schism problem just won’t go away.

Grayson Waller is impressed by Johnny Gargano’s house and goes to make sure the door isn’t unlocked.

A bunch of people fight to get to the ring to answer Wes Lee’s Open Challenge. Axiom manages to get in the ring…but Scrypts jumps him from behind, so I guess it doesn’t count. Then JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov brawl into the ring, leaving Lee to hit a flip dive onto the huge pile. No match.

Dragon Lee is excited to be here and likes what he saw with the open challenge.

We recap Dabba Kato returning at Vengeance Day and laying out Apollo Crews.

Jacy Jayne, with her arm in a sling, still knows she’s better than Gigi Dolin. The loss is written of as gossip, because Dolin had to cheat to win by injuring Jayne’s shoulder. Violence is promised in the future.

Apollo Crews vs. Dabba Kato

Crews dives off the top to take Kato out before the bell and the brawl starts on the floor. They get inside for the opening bell and go right back to the floor with Kato being sent into the steps. Back in and Kato knocks him down hard we we take a break. We come back with Crews still in trouble as Kato works on his back.

Crews slugs away to no avail as Kato drops a leg on the back of his head as Booker goes on about champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Some kicks to the head and an Angle Slam get Crews out of trouble though and a frog splash gets two on Kato. They go outside with Kato chokebombing him onto the steps for a rather close nine count. Crews dives back….into a sitout chokebomb to give Kato the pin at 8:47.

Rating: D+. I’m certainly glad they got this out of the way, as Kato gets his revenge for…whatever caused the issue between these two. It’s another example of a former pairing that didn’t really warrant a follow up getting one anyway, which is a running problem around here. Kato isn’t exactly improving but I’m sure he’ll wind up as a bodyguard for someone, which very well may be his ceiling anyway.

NXT Anonymous films Shawn Michaels asking Wes Lee to cool it with the open challenges but Lee says he has to prove himself. Lee wants to fight TEN PEOPLE at Stand & Deliver but Shawn gives him a Fatal Five Way instead.

Kiana James can’t get in touch with Fallon Henley but Brooks Jensen offers to go out there with her instead.

Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

No Brooks Jensen. James rolls her up for two to start as the fans are behind Dolin. A running kick to the chest gives Dolin an early two but James knocks her down. The chinlock with a knee in the back doesn’t last long as Dolin makes the ropes. The comeback is on, with an STO into the abdominal stretch bomb finishing James at 2:32. That was strangely abrupt.

Post match Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn run in to beat up James, with Brooks Jensen running out for the save.

Johnny Gargano gets back to his house and finds Grayson Waller outside, with the brawl starting in the yard. Gargano gets the better of it and tells Candice LeRae (who comes to the door) to call the cops (Gargano left NXT about an hour and a half ago. Why aren’t they already there?). Waller sends him head first into a wall and hits him with what looks like a rake before dropping Gargano face first into the dirt. Waller leaves and Candice, with daughter, checks on Gargano.

Stand & Deliver rundown, with Pretty Deadly officially hosting.

Brooks Jensen consoles Kiana James, who wants to know why she was jumped on her own. Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs show up, still in costume. Jensen: “You saw the bear movie without me!” Briggs: “I did. It was really good! I’ll watch it with you….” and James cuts them off. Henley had no idea about Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn qualifying for Stand & Deliver. Henley isn’t sure what to say.

It’s time for the contract signing between Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams). Booker on Bron: “He don’t want no buffalo sauce!” Vic: “What are you talking about???” There is no emcee for a change but they decide they don’t need one. Cue Pretty Deadly to run things and insist they aren’t here for violence. Hayes says the change is coming at Stand & Deliver. He did it with the North American Title and he’ll do it again with the NXT Title. At Stand & Deliver, Bron is coming in second place.

Breakker wants the good Hayes who beat everyone else, with Pretty Deadly saying that Breakker is an angry kitty. Hayes: “I thought you said you weren’t going to talk.” Hayes wants the unstoppable Breakker, because it’ll make the win that much sweeter. Breakker wants to see that Hayes being “Him” is more than just a saying on a shirt. Hayes talks about how this is such a huge match and they’re both ready for the pressure. He will deliver at Stand & Deliver and wants to make sure Breakker does the same.

Hayes signs and Breakker does the same so everything is official. They go to leave but Pretty Deadly says that’s not enough drama. The shirts come off and Pretty Deadly are put through the tables. The staredown ends the show. This made the match feel big, as Hayes is a heck of a promo when he is given the chance.

Overall Rating: C. All of the qualifying matches and other things going on didn’t exactly help Stand & Deliver (the Women’s Title situation alone is enough of a mess), but the main event got a nice boost. They made the match feel that much bigger and I could certainly go for that after taking their time getting to the announcement. Stand & Deliver has mostly come together, but the show still needs a nice lift up outside of the top matches.

Results
Gallus b. Pretty Deadly – Running knee/fireman’s carry flapjack combination to Prince
Zoey Stark b. Sol Ruca – Flipping knee to the face
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile and Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Swanton to Nile
Dabba Kato b. Apollo Crews – Sitout chokebomb
Gigi Dolin b. Kiana James – Abdominal stretch bomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: March 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is the Roadblock special, because we need a special event less than a month before what is probably the biggest NXT event of the year. Since the NXT Champion is in a six man tag, the real main event is probably Shawn Michaels appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect. NXT has teased Michaels fighting Waller, so odds are we see who is doing it in Michaels’ place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Tiffany’s Epiphanies, as Tiffany Stratton runs down the card and talks about how we got here. In her own style of course.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dijak

This is the Jailhouse Street Fight, meaning a casket match with a jail cell (weird choice of name). Dijak tries a nightstick to start but gets clotheslined to the floor instead. It’s way too early to send Dijak into the cell but D’Angelo fights his way out of it too. After Stacks gets knocked down, they head back inside where Dijak hits High Justice onto a chair. Dijak throws in a bunch of chairs as commentary makes Big Boss Man references.

A bunch of chair shots put D’Angelo down but he catches Dijak on top with a chair shot. The flipping belly to back superplex sends Dijak crashing (that looked good) and we take a break. Back with Dijak hitting a springboard elbow to put D’Angelo through a table on the floor (that looked good). D’Angelo is back up with the belly to back Rock Bottom on the floor and they’re both down.

Dijak is sent into the cell but brings Stacks with him for the save. A discus boot to the face puts Stacks over the barricade so D’Angelo throws Dijak down. D’Angelo explodes with chair shots but a low blow gets Dijak out of trouble. Stacks dives into the cell to keep the door from closing, allowing D’Angelo to come back with a bunch of crowbar shots. The door is slammed onto Dijak’s head and D’Angelo locks him in for the win at 11:22.

Rating: C+. The elbow alone gets this a boost but otherwise, I have no idea why this needed to have the jail cell deal. It didn’t add much of anything and Dijak getting knocked cold in the cell isn’t much better than having him get pinned. This was a weird way to go, but a face D’Angelo could be….I’m not sure what actually.

Roxanne Perez is nervous about facing Meiko Satomura tonight and she has pushed herself harder than ever. She’s ready.

Josh Briggs comes in to Kiana James’ office to talk about Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley. Briggs points out the flowers that someone (who he assumes to be Jensen) sent her and says his friends’ happiness is his own happiness. After pulling away the name card and hiding it under her planner, James seems concerned and agrees to call Jensen tonight.

Here is Gallus for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Pretty Deadly, who pop up on the platform. Gallus wants them down here face to face and ask what it is going to take to make that happen. Gallus lays the titles down and say come take them, so here is Pretty Deadly. The beating doesn’t take long and Pretty Deadly runs off without much of a fight. The eventual match should be interesting.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t pleased with Stevie Turner because she is here for a fight. Valkyria wants the Women’s Title too.

New signing Dragon Lee is here.

Indus Sher vs. Bron Breakker/Creed Brothers

It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Indus Sher taking over. We start with Veer and Breakker hammering on each other until Julius comes in to take over. Brutus slams Julius onto Veer for two before it’s off to Mahal. A suplex drops Mahal in a hurry and it’s off to Breakker to slug it out with Sanga. Everything breaks down and the good guys send them outside for the big flip dive, allowing them to pose as we take a break.

Back with Mahal kneeing Julius in the face for two but Julius flips out of a belly to back suplex. Sanga comes in to run Julius over but something like an Angle Slam gets Sanga out of it. Breakker gets the tag and scores with a moonsault before Julius hits a heck of a 450 for two. A Doomsday Deice is broken up though and Sanga runs Julius over. A side slam/middle rope elbow drop gets two and everything breaks down again. Everything breaks down and Breakker spears Sanga and Mahal. Julius slams Veer down, setting up a Doomsday Brutus Ball for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C+. That should be the end of the Creeds vs. Indus Sher unless they run back the regular tag match one more time. Other than that, this was Breakker smashing people and the Creeds holding their own against the monsters. Mahal continues to add nothing, but that hasn’t stopped them for a long time now.

Long video on Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect. We waste no time in having Shawn Michaels come out as the guest, with Waller saying he would have freaked out if he was here at 12 years old. Waller brings up being a Bret Hart guy though, and Shawn says “we’re going there”? As the fans chant HB Shizzle (that will never get old), Shawn talks about how they used to be cool and wants to know what changed.

Waller talks about how he won the Iron Survivor Challenge, he was taking over. For some reason though, Shawn treats Waller the same as people used to treat Shawn in his day. Shawn was told he was too small and not a draw but look what happened. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says Waller cashed in his title shot and lost. To see the problem, Waller needs to look in the mirror.

Waller says Shawn is only in the Gorilla Position every week because HHH had a heart attack. Shawn can give him that one, but Waller needs to understand something: HBK is directing this ship. Waller accuses Shawn of trying to get rid of him, maybe even cutting him after Wrestlemania, because they don’t want a star. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says NXT has always been about the collective.

We hear a list of names who helped build the place (including the Undisputed Era) and the current stars, which includes Waller. The thing is, Waller is just a part of it. Waller: “I’m a part of it! I’m a part of it!” Waller doesn’t buy this team player stuff from SHAWN MICHAELS, but Shawn says that isn’t true of him now.

That sends Waller out of his chair, because Shawn doesn’t see what is right in front of him. Shawn: “ENOUGH!” People a lot bigger than Waller have been running him down for 40 years, but do not ever run NXT into the ground. Waller: “Then do something about it.” Waller issues the challenge for Stand & Deliver for Shawn to put on the HBK had one last time.

Shawn takes off his jacket and says that for over a decade, he has had people challenging him to a Wrestlemania dream match. People have been asking for dream matches for so long that they have backed the Brinks truck to his door. Heck the drivers know his address! Waller is just a guy and he’ll come and go. Everyone wants to fight Shawn, and nothing would make him happier than to beat Waller up at Stand & Deliver.

The reality is there is someone who wants to take Waller out even more, and that man is…..Johnny Gargano. The brawl is on and Waller bails in a hurry. Ok they needed someone big if Shawn wasn’t going to do it and Gargano fits. And remember: Waller interrupted Gargano’s NXT farewell and it was never followed up on, so well done for some continuity.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Dolin (who didn’t get an entrance) takes her to the floor to start and the brawl is on. Back in and Dolin cranks the arm and yells a lot before going right back to the floor. Dolin knocks her down again and we take a break. Back with Dolin fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped with a clothesline for two. Dolin fires off kicks to the chest but Jayne grabs a neckbreaker. Dolin is right back with an abdominal stretch, which she swings back like a crucifix bomb….for the pin at 7:58. Well ok then.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what happened here but it wasn’t an interesting or even important feeling match. The ending came out of nowhere and felt more like Dolin caught Jayne rather than beating her. This match showed one major problem: outside of having different hair color, there isn’t much to make these two stand out from each other. Save for a few moments here and there, they have never done anything other than stand behind Mandy Rose and be a team. That doesn’t work well when you need to make a new star and it wasn’t working here.

Post match Jayne shrugs off the impact of the abdominal stretch bomb and loads up a Pillmanization but referees break it up. So this is going to continue?

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Fallon Henley about the Kiana James stuff. Josh Briggs comes in to compliment him on the roses idea, but Jensen seems a bit confused. Anyway, James calls him (Jensen: “Hey girl.”) and they seem to have a date, with Henley being astounded by how he was talking. Henley and Briggs pick up on the roses deal and have an idea.

Here is Bron Breakker to say it’s time to set up the biggest match on the biggest stage. At Stand & Deliver, he wants Carmelo Hayes, and calls him out right now. Cue Hayes to say that yes, it is time for these two to go at it. Breakker says he has been going through challenger after challenger but he kept wanting it to be Hayes. They’re both ready to fight and they’ll do it at Stand & Deliver. This felt like they were building up a battle of titans rather than a personal feud and that is a good way to go.

Thea Hail is meditating with Tyler Bate when Chase U comes up. Hail is making progress in her recovery and she’s ready to be out there for now. Duke Hudson doesn’t buy Bate’s “snake oil” for a second.

Joe Gacy vs. Andre Chase

Joined in progress with Chase hitting a running clothesline and hammering away as Chase U is rather happy on the floor (Schism on the other hand is unhappy). Gacy knees him in the face and gets two off a brainbuster. Chase comes right back with the spelling stomps but gets caught on top. A sunset bomb gives Chase two but Thea Hail goes after Ava on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I’m out of ways to get upset at Chase losing and Gacy winning over and over. For the life of me I don’t get what NXT sees in Gacy and Schism but there is a chance that it involves the father of one of the team’s members. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and involved far too healthy of a dose of Gacy to be very good.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are in the woods under the full moon and get rather spooky.

Post match Andre Chase tells Thea Hail he’s proud of her but Duke Hudson reminds Chase that he lost. Hudson says Chase U is a bunch of loses and a bloody joke before walking off.

Wes Lee issues another open challenge for next week. Cue Axiom to say he’s getting the shot, though Lee says get to the ring first. Seems cool with Axiom.

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Satomura is challenging. Bell, handshake, break nine seconds in. Back with Satomura taking her down with a test of strength but Perez pulls her into a chinlock. That’s reversed into an ankle crank before Satomura starts striking away at the face. A running forearm just wakes Perez up and she dragon screw legwhips Satomura down. Perez knocks her outside for the dive but a super Russian legsweep is blocked.

Satomura kicks away but Perez sticks the landing on a Death Valley Driver. Another attempt works and Satomura hits the cartwheel knees to the back. They head outside with Pop Rox not exactly working so Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for two, with the foot on the rope saving the title. Perez is fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was the best match of the night and it was hyped up more than any other match, but it didn’t exactly feel epic. Part of that is due to Satomura being explained to us rather than shown to us. She is absolutely a legend and by far the best in-ring star in the division, but her only time under the WWE banner was in NXT UK. No one saw her there, so what is there for fans who haven’t seen her to go off? She’s clearly great if you just watch her in the ring, but you need more than that to make this feel like some huge accomplishment for Perez.

Post match respect is shown…and Perez collapses. Referees and medics come out, with Booker T. getting in the ring to check on her as well. Perez is taken to the back on a stretcher and into the ambulance to end the show. This feels like it is tying into the “I’ve never trained harder” promo from earlier.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be a special. There were some matches that felt bigger than normal, but giving the show a name and talking about it like it was something important didn’t really work. Having so much Stand & Deliver talk didn’t help either, as that show felt so much bigger than anything else that was going on here. What we got was good, but this certainly didn’t feel like a must see show, no matter what catchy name it had.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Dijak – Dijak was locked in the cell
Creed Brothers/Bron Breakker b. Indus Sher – Doomsday Brutus Ball to Veer
Gigi Dolin b. Jacy Jayne – Abdominal stretch bomb
Joe Gacy b. Andre Chase – Handspring lariat
Roxanne Perez b. Meiko Satomura – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: February 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are about a month away from Stand & Deliver and the card is starting to take shape. While nothing has happened yet and Roadblock is next week, you can probably figure out a lot of what is coming. One thing that is not entirely clear is what will be going on with Shawn Michaels and Grayson Waller, but maybe we can find out some more tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a huge brawl of people trying to get to the ring to answer Wes Lee’s open challenge for a North American Title shot. Dabba-Kato almost makes it in but Apollo Crews jumps him. Nathan Frazer returns and gets inside for the title shot.

North American Title: Nathan Frazer vs. Wes Lee

Lee is defending. Frazer headlocks him down to start and holds him there for a good bit. That’s broken up and Lee nips to his feet for a standoff. Lee takes Frazer down but they’re right back up with lee being sent outside. Frazer’s big dive is cut off by a kick to the head and we take a break.

Back with Frazer missing the Phoenix splash but a double crossbody leaves them both down. Frazer hits an AJ Styles moonsault into a (lifting) DDT for two and superplexes him into a spinning neckbreaker for two more. Lee is sent outside but Frazer’s big dive only hits the announcers’ table. Lee busts out a big flip dive to drop Frazer again and the Cardiac Kick retains the title at 13:33.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of fast paced, all energy opener that makes great sense as a choice to start the show. Lee gets another win on his long list as champion and there is a good chance the list could keep going for a good while to come. Frazer returning was a surprise too so this worked in multiple ways.

Respect is shown post match.

JD McDonagh talks about having a torn retina repaired. He loves inflicting pain and is ready to damage Ilja Dragunov.

Josh Briggs tries to perk Brooks Jensen up over his problems with Kiana James. Briggs says all men are stupid with women and he’s proud of Jensen for getting so far. Things seem to be a bit better.

Video on Tyler Bate.

Hank Walker and Axiom get into it over Walker hitting him to try to get to the North American Title match. Shoving ensues and a match seems likely for later.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Indus Sher

Jinder Mahal is here with Indus Sher. Sangs powers Jensen around to start but Jensen manages a spinning faceplant. Briggs comes in for a front facelock but Jensen isn’t there for the tag. Instead Jensen comes in and gets knocked down by Sanga as the beating is on. Veer holds Jensen up for a kick to the ribs and we hit the cobra clutch. Jensen finally avoids an elbow and it’s Briggs coming in to clean house. Another double team doesn’t work as Jensen’s head isn’t in it, meaning it’s a chokeslam and Million Dollar Arm to finish Jensen at 3:27.

Rating: C. This was more about Briggs and Jensen’s issues than Indus Sher winning. Jensen and Briggs having issues with Fallon Henley and Kiana James is causing problems for the team and that isn’t good for their future. It still feels like there is a big reveal coming in that story and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it happen in the next few weeks.

Post match Mahal issues a challenge to the Creed Brothers for a six man tag next week.

Wendy Choo was attacked in the parking lot during the break and seems to have an injured elbow.

Here is Gigi Dolin for a chat. She says this is the last time that you’ll hear the Toxic Attraction theme song. Dolin is going to go fast because she isn’t Jacy Jayne, who loves to hear her own voice. She can live with the physical pain from Jayne jumping her because it told Dolin about herself. Dolin knows how to survive because her own mother used her as her own personal punching bag for years. Jayne calls herself the last woman standing but Dolin keeps getting back up. They’re fighting next week at Roadblock and Dolin is bringing everything she has. Dolin was trying here, but Jayne feels like a much bigger star.

We go to Chase U, where Duke Hudson tries to apologize to Thea Hail. She seems to accept it, but here is Andre Chase to talk about factions in WWE history. Schism hacks the classroom’s feed and talks about how fake Chase U is at everything. Chase is ready to fight next week. If it involves getting rid of cults in wrestling, I’m all for it.

Meiko Satomura vs. Zoey Stark

Roxanne Perez is on commentary as they grapple around to start. Stark slips out of a front facelock but Satomura grabs a headlock and grinds away. Back up and Stark sends her into the corner so Satomura needs a breather on the floor. That’s fine with Satomura, who kicks Stark down as we take a break.

Back with Satomura being sent into the corner again but being fine enough to kick a springboarding Stark out of the air. Stark comes up favoring her knee so Satomura kicks her down again and drops a top rope splash for two. Satomura’s cartwheel kick to the back misses though and Stark’s slingshot splash gets two. More kicks give Stark two but she misses a 450. The Death Valley Driver drops Stark and Scorpio Rising gives Satomura the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting match that was all about giving Satomura momentum going into next week’s title shot against Perez. Satomura is going to be able to have a good match with anyone and Stark can carry her own as well. This did what it needed to do but they were working hard enough to make it a bit better.

Post match Perez gets in for the respectful staredown.

We look back at Grayson Waller hijacking the production truck and calling out Shawn Michaels to end last week’s show.

Shawn Michaels has accepted the invitation for the Grayson Waller Effect next week at Roadblock.

There is no word on how injured Wendy Choo may be but Tiffany Stratton isn’t interested. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance think there Stratton is up to something, but she asks where they were when Nikkita Lyons was attacked. Hair flipping ensues.

We get the Montez Ford/Bianca Belair Titanic trailer.

The Creed Brothers need a partner against Indus Sher. They run into Damon Kemp and even though they don’t like him, he’s what they need next week. Kemp smirks a lot and turns them down. Bron Breakker comes up though and says he’s in. Julius asks if Breakker could have been here a minute earlier to avoid having to humiliate himself with Kemp but he’ll take the champ next week.

Sol Ruca vs. Elektra Lopez

Valentina Feroz is here with Lopez. Ruca has to flip out of a wristlock to start but gets sent to the apron. Lopez knocks her off the top and out to the floor in a heap. Back in and Ruca fights out of the neck crank before firing off the running shoulders. A butterfly suplex drops Lopez but she avoids a flipping clothesline in the corner. Lopez goes for her brass knuckles in the turnbuckle but Feroz has taken them away. The Sol Snatcher finishes Lopez at 4:56.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how much interest there is in this Feroz/Lopez stuff, but as usual this was more about making Ruca look good. The Sol Snatcher is going to get a reaction every time and Ruca is making it look a lot more natural. Ruca has all hf the tools to go somewhere and this was another step in the right direction.

Post match Lopez yells at Feroz, who lays her out with the brass knuckles.

Gallus is shooting pool and Mark Coffey is a bit worried about Pretty Deadly. A guy accidentally runs into Wolfgang and violence ensues.

Pretty Deadly is ready to talk to Gallus next week, despite a tweet from Drew McIntyre talking about how much trouble they’re in.

Katana Chance vs. Tiffany Stratton

Kayden Carter is at ringside. Chance hits a dropkick to start but gets sent to the apron, where she grabs a slingshot headscissors. Stratton takes her down and sets up a double arm crank to slow the pace a bit. Back up and Chance grabs a headscissors but cue Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. The distraction lets Stratton pull Chance out of the air and plant her down. The moonsault (to Chance’s shins) is enough for the pin at 3:36.

Rating: C. Chance and Carter’s downhill spiral continues as Stratton still seems like the next big villain in the women’s division. That means giving her wins like this, though she might want to work on that moonsault. Stratton would be perfect as the villain who brags about being the champion, and the push towards the title is likely to happen sooner than later.

Post match Stratton says she wants the Women’s Title. So, sooner.

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Josh Briggs about what happened but Briggs tells him to get his girl back. Briggs will talk to Kiana James though.

Axiom vs. Hank Walker

Axiom goes straight for a choke to start but gets driven into the corner. A shot to the face annoys Walker, who knocks Axiom down hard. Walker spins him into a faceplant but Axiom is back with a running kick in the corner. Axiom’s high crossbody and some strikes just seem to fire Walker up but he blasts Axiom with a clothesline. A kick to the face staggers Walker though and the Golden Ratio gives Axiom the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C-. Axiom seems to be getting the feel of what he is doing more and more every week. He is turning into a heck of a high flier who can hang with anyone and that Golden Ratio is getting better and better. Walker is someone who has some tools but needs experience to put some things together. That might happen down the line, but it isn’t there yet.

Grayson Waller responds to Shawn Michaels. He knows to never say never, so don’t make him put Shawn in a place Shawn said he would never be in again.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Tyler Bate

Trick Williams is here with Hayes, who grabs a wristlock to start. Bate slips out of that but gets sent outside, where he comes back in quickly. They trade rollups for two each before Bate blocks what looks to be a Codebreaker. Some European uppercuts against the ropes stagger Hayes again and there’s a spinning headscissors to stagger him again. Bate dropkicks him to the floor and hits the big dive as we take a break.

Back with Bate having to deck Williams before airplane spinning Hayes for two. The rebound lariat gives Bate two more but Hayes plants him down hard. Bate is fine enough to catch Hayes on top with a superplex but Williams offers a distraction. Spiral tap misses for Bate and Williams grabs the Codebreaker into Nothing But Net for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: B-. These two are both reliable hands in the ring so it isn’t surprising that they would do well in the main event here. That being said, this didn’t quite hit a high level and it was more about Hayes getting another win to bolster his resume before Stand & Deliver. Hayes is ready to challenge for the title now, and beating Bate just got him a step closer.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about building up Roadblock and that went well enough, even if it is a bit weird to have a big show three weeks before the biggest show of the year. What matters is Roadblock is being set up and then we can get ready for the real show. Another efficient show here though and that’s where NXT tends to shine.

Results
Wes Lee b. Nathan Frazer – Cardiac Kick
Indus Sher b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Million Dollar Arm to Jensen
Meiko Satomura b. Zoey Stark – Scorpio Rising
Sol Ruca b. Elektra Lopez – Sol Snatcher
Tiffany Stratton b. Katana Chance – Moonsault
Axiom b. Hank Walker – Golden Ratio
Carmelo Hayes b. Tyler Bate – Nothing But Net

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: February 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are on our way to Roadblock and then Stand & Deliver, which means we should be in for some big stuff over the next few weeks. That includes this week, as Bron Breakker defends the NXT Title against Jinder Mahal. Ok so not everything can be the biggest deal in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov

Before the match, Williams says that if pain makes Dragunov feel alive, he’ll be on cloud nine tonight. Williams hits him in the face before the bell so Dragunov starts angry. That means an angry headlock on the mat, with Williams having to bail to the ropes. Back up and Dragunov hits a running knee in the corner for two, followed by another such knee to keep Williams down. Dragunov goes up but gets kicked in the leg, allowing Williams to knock him to the floor. Cue JD McDonagh to watch as we take a break.

Back with Dragunov fighting out of a cravate and hitting a 61Line for the double knockdown. With McDonagh on commentary, Dragunov knocks Williams down again and drops a middle rope knee. An enziguri staggers Dragunov, who is fine enough to hit a powerbomb for two more. The Torpedo finishes for Dragunov at 13:09.

Rating: C+. Dragunov is probably going to become a pretty big deal around here as he has the talent and bizarre charisma that makes fans care about him. At the same time, Williams continues to be one of the biggest unsung heroes of NXT. He’s smooth in the ring and knows how to talk. It’s a great combination and compliments Carmelo Hayes while also being his own thing. Williams deserves some more attention, as well as praise.

Jinder Mahal brings up Bron Breakker getting shaken up by the fans booing him. Tonight, he’ll win the NXT Title.

Fallon Henley tries to get in touch with Brooks Jensen after last week. Josh Briggs says Jensen needs time and Henley was wrong about the whole thing. She needs to go apologize to Kiana James, which she reluctantly agrees to do.

Earlier today, Meiko Satomura held a training session in the Performance Center, with Roxanne Perez joining in. Perez was the only one to make it to the end…..of the warmup, which seems to have her quite shaken.

Here is Tyler Bate for a chat. He wasn’t sure about coming to the United States but the love he had received from most of the fans tell him that he made the right decision. Bate has faced some very tough challengers, and now it is time to join a mystical journey. Cue Schism to interrupt, with Joe Gacy seeming to offer him a spot on the team. Bate is going to turn that down but Gacy threatens m him with gang violence. Cue Chase U to chase Schism off.

Chase U vs. Dyad

We’re joined in progress with Hudson coming in to drop an elbow on Reid. Chase gets driven into the wrong corner though as Booker has flashbacks about Boogeyman abducting his wife. A hard clothesline gets two on Chase and we hit the chinlock. Reid’s shoulder breaker gets two on Chase and we’re right back to the chinlock. Chase fights up and Hudson comes in to clean house. It’s back to Chase as everything breaks down, with Reid hitting a suicide dive on Hudson as we take a break.

Back with Chase getting the hot tag and cleaning house, including taking down Reid and Fowler at the same time. Chase dives onto Fowler on the floor and hits a high crossbody for two on Reid. The Russian legsweep sets up the Spelling Stomps but we stop for Chase to get between Thea Hail and Ava. The distraction lets Hudson get caught with the double Codebreaker for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Just let them win something already! NXT was handed a crazy over act with Chase U and they lose over and over and over. Save for a one off Tag Team Title shot in a four way this month, I can’t remember the last time they won anything of note. Now they go down again, and to freaking Schism of all people. Pretty decent match, but the frustration continues.

Post break Hudson blames Hail for the loss. Hudson: “Is this a university or a charity?” Great, as we’re getting to the split.

Earlier today, Mr. Stone tried to fire up Von Wagner when Tony D’Angelo and Stacks came in to yell about him costing them last week. The result is a match between Wagner and D’Angelo, much against Stone’s wishes.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey don’t think much of Hank Walker. Gulak wants someone willing to hurt people, like Dempsey.

Sol Ruca talks about loving to try new things, often involving surfing or a skateboard.

Jacy Jayne vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell misses a clothesline to start and gets caught with a neckbreaker for two. Some low kicks give Jayne two and we hit the chinlock. Hartwell fights up but gets sent shoulder first into the post. With Hartwell in trouble, cue Gigi Dolin to jump Jayne for the DQ at 5:08.

Rating: C. That was a bit sudden for a Dolin comeback but this is likely headed to a showdown at Roadblock, Stand & Deliver, or both. It wouldn’t surprise me to see these two have some kind of a big street fight or something like that, which should let them beat the fire out of each other. That might be a lot better than trying to have them do a regular, long form match. Then you have Hartwell and she….well she certainly exists.

Back to the Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez training session, with Perez trying but running out of energy. Satomura approves of the effort though, saying that the win comes from the heart, not muscles. Their title match is in two weeks.

Zoey Stark isn’t happy with Meiko Satomura being handed a title shot or everyone accusing her of attacking Nikkita Lyons.

Gallus vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Non-title. Blade and Coffey take turns powering each other up against the ropes to start. Wolfgang comes in for the running uppercut but cue some guys in costumes, with a cake. Blade and Enofe hit something like a suplex into a Backstabber for two on Coffey. Wolfgang is back up with the running forearm into a powerslam for the pin on Enofe at 3:49.

Rating: C-. I still like Blade and Enofe but it doesn’t seem that WWE thinks very highly of them, as they were little more than cannon fodder here. Gallus aren’t the most inspiring champions but they can do the power stuff. Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus worked well enough in the UK so maybe they can make it work again here.

Post match the guys in costumes present the cake, which makes the two year anniversary of Pretty Deadly beating Gallus for the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. Gallus cleans house but the real Pretty Deadly comes in from behind to beat up Gallus with chairs. That’s a more aggressive side from Pretty Deadly and I think I like it.

Dabba-Kato says that while Apollo Crews has been looking to the future, he has forgotten his past. He is here to hurt Crews.

Stevie Turner interrupts the announcers and uses a randomizer to pick who she should talk about. It’s Lyra Valkyria, who has those weird feathers. The stream ends just as Vic Joseph is ready to ask his own question.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Von Wagner

Stacks and Mr. Stone are here too. Wagner powers him around to start, followed by a big boot to drop D’Angelo again. A clothesline cuts off D’Angelo’s comeback but Wagner misses a charge into the corner. D’Angelo hits a belly to belly and spinebuster, followed by a belly to back slam for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This Wagner story needs to wrap up already, as he continues to be one of the driest stars that is regularly presented anywhere on wrestling TV. Other than an oddly shaped head, there is nothing about him that makes him stand out in the slightest. Let it go already and get someone with a brighter future in there instead.

Post match D’Angelo says he’s sick of Dijak and wants a Jailhouse Street Fight at Roadblock.

Nikkita Lyons has undergone successful surgery but doesn’t know what happened when she was attacked. Tiffany Stratton pops in to say she’s tired of Lyons’ whining, but Lyons thinks that sounds suspicious. Stratton’s solution: leave for a year and get better.

Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile agree they’re still a team, despite what Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre said. Paxley doesn’t seem so sure.

Carmelo Hayes praises Trick Williams for his efforts earlier when Tyler Bate interrupts. Bate talks about how there are going to be issues at times and Williams seems to improve. Hayes is glad that Bate’s journey has nothing to do with the NXT Title. Bate smiles a bit as Hayes and Williams leave.

Alba Fyre vs. Ivy Nile

Isla Dawn and Tatum Paxley are here too. Nile throws Fyre into the corner to start and hammers away for an early two. The comeback is on with Nile grabbing the Diamond Chain Lock, drawing Dawn to the apron. Paxley gets up as well, only to have Nile driven into her. The superkick and Alba Bomb finish Nile at 2:58.

Video on Bron Breakker.

Fallon Henley apologizes to Kiana James over the allegations of cheating. James didn’t tell her the truth because he wanted Henley to trust her. The apology is accepted, but James accuses Henley of being jealous of her relationship with Brooks Jensen. Either way, they’re good for now.

Wes Lee loved the open challenge so much last week that he’s going to do it again next week. It’s just who he is.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Jinder Mahal

Mahal, with Indus Sher, is challenging and takes Breakker down to start. Breakker is back up with a shoulder and spinebuster but it is too early for the Steiner Recliner. With Mahal on the floor, Breakker busts out the big running flip dive to take out the villains. Indus Sher teases getting involved so here are the Creed Brothers to get rid of them.

We take a break and come back with Breakker being sent outside. A whip into the steps has Breakker in more trouble but he’s fine enough to hit a spinebuster back inside. Mahal bails to the floor before the spear can launch, allowing Mahal to hit a superkick into a suplex for two. Breakker is back with a spear and release suplex for two of his own, The Khallas is countered and another spear retains the title at 10:47.

Rating: D+. Yeah I’m not a bit surprised that this didn’t work. Mahal has never been a ring general and Breakker hasn’t even been wrestling for two years now. There was no one to lead here and the interest in any Mahal match is going to be limited at best most of the time. Pretty bad main event event here and Breakker needs to move on to anything else.

Carmelo Hayes pops up on stage for the showdown…..but Grayson Waller takes over the feed and says he’s the new Main Event, Showstopper and Mr. Stand & Deliver. No one can stop him, including Shawn Michaels, so maybe Shawn can meet him on the Grayson Waller Effect in two weeks. Again: I don’t know what they’re doing with Shawn vs. Waller, but unless they have a heck of a surprise to fight for Shawn, it’s going to feel like a letdown if he doesn’t fight Waller himself. That’s certainly what they have been teasing.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was up and down (with the main event being rather down) but what matters is they moved things forward towards both Roadblock and Stand & Deliver. This show has me wondering what they have planned for those events as NXT is doing a good job of setting things up for later. Pretty nice show this week, which saw more seeds being planted or getting to grow a bit on the way to the important stuff.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Trick Williams – Torpedo
Dyad b. Chase U – Double Codebreaker to Hudson
Jacy Jayne b. Indi Hartwell via DQ when Gigi Dolin interfered
Gallus b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Running forearm/powerslam combination to Enofe
Tony D’Angelo b. Von Wagner – Belly to back slam
Alba Fyre b. Ivy Nile – Alba Bomb
Bron Breakker b. Jinder Mahal – Spear

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NXT
Date: February 14, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s Valentine’s Day and that is not likely to mean much of anything here. We are about a month and a half away from Stand & Deliver and Carmelo Hayes is looking like a strong option to go after Bron Breakker’s NXT Title. Other than that, NXT has some work to do so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jerry Jarrett.

Grayson Waller vs. Tyler Bate

Waller takes him to the rope to start the choking, while shouting that Shawn Michaels bet on the wrong horse. Bate grabs his own foot and swings it into Waller’s face, followed by a dropkick for two. A quick shot lets Waller grab a cravate with the knee to the face getting two more.

The back and forth continues as Bate runs him over and hits a standing shooting star press for his own near fall. They go outside with Booker going on his latest long winded rant about how attitude will get you to Wrestlemania. Waller slides back in and then back outside for a hard clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Bate avoiding the rolling Stunner and hitting the rebound lariat for two more. A middle rope uppercut sets up the airplane spin for two on Waller and frustration is setting in. Waller is back with a leg lariat into an Unprettier for two of his own and more frustration sets in. With nothing else working, Waller Tunes Up The Band but Bate cuts him off with Bop And Bang. A superkick gives Bate two more with Waller having to grab the rope. Bate tries the sunset flip but Waller grabs the rope for two, only to have Bate break the grip and get the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B-. The Shawn stuff is interesting as I can’t imagine he’ll get back in the ring at an NXT show, but that is where they seem to be building towards. Unless Shawn has someone to fight for him, I’m not sure where that is going. Bate winning is a good thing as he needs to be rebuilt (again) and beating the most recent #1 contender is a good place to start.

Earlier today, Brooks Jensen was worried about Valentine’s Day with Kiana James, revealing that he has never kissed a woman before. Josh Briggs gives him an explanation (math is involved) and even starts to demonstrate when Fallon Henley comes in. Briggs explains what is going on and Henley says keep it simple: when Jensen drops off James at her door, if James plays with her keys, go for it. Jensen seems to feel better.

Jacy Jayne is coming to the ring but we can see Grayson Waller yelling at Shawn Michaels. Matt Bloom breaks it up and a furious Shawn says cut to the break.

Apollo Crews is up set at Dabba-Kato for returning and attacking him at Vengeance Day.

Here is Jacy Jayne for an explanation about turning on Gigi Dolin last week. Jayne says last week was the beginning of her story and now it is about her. She has been the talk of NXT for the last week and her name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Jayne has already watched the footage back 1000 times, so let’s make it 1001.

After that produced video rather than just the regular footage, Jayne calls Dolin Jannetty and says the days of Chuckie are over. Everyone needs to listen to her carefully: screw you. She is tired of being the third wheel in the most dominant faction in WWE history. But now, look who is the last woman standing. This wasn’t exactly original (the amount of “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME” promos over the years is astounding) but Jayne did deliver it well.

Chase U tells Thea Hail that she can talk to them about what Schism did anytime they want. She’s ready to go tonight though, and is going to say “Hi fear, I’m Thea.”

Video on Sol Ruca.

Thea Hail vs. Tiffany Stratton

The rest of Chase U is here too. Hail armdrags her down to start and hits a running dropkick for a bonus. Cue Schism (in different parts of the arena) to scare Hail though, allowing Stratton to knock her off the apron. Back in and Hail knocks her to the floor again, setting up the suicide dive. Ava Raine pops up for another distraction, allowing Stratton to plant Hail. The moonsault finishes for Stratton at 3:29.

Rating: C. This was all about keeping Hail vs. Schism going and that feels like it is going to last for a long time. Getting inside Hail’s mind is a good way to go, but at the same time, but Schism has a tendency to drag down almost anyone they work with. Hopefully that isn’t the case here, as Chase U has taken enough damage already. Stratton gets a win as her comeback continues and that is about as good as she can do right now.

Javier Bernal comes up to Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile in the back and offers to let both of them be his Javytine. Paxley is taken but Nile actually says yes. Then she chokes Bernal out. Isla Dawn’s voice pops up to threaten Paxley and Nile, who don’t seem pleased.

Axiom vs. Damon Kemp

Fallout from Kemp attacking him a few weeks back. Axiom goes right for him to start as Booker talks about the Matrix. The big kick to the head misses so Kemp heads outside, with Axiom hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Kemp snaps off a wheelbarrow suplex and Axiom is in trouble in a hurry. A release German suplex does it again and Axiom gets knocked out to the floor. Axiom strikes away back inside but his high crossbody is rolled through for two. Another German suplex gives Kemp two more but Axiom hits him in the face. The Golden Ratio finishes Kemp at 3:31.

Rating: C+. Axiom is falling into his groove as a rather good midcard star as they have gotten rid of some of the bad things that he had been doing. The superhero deal works well for him and he can back it up in the ring. I’m still not sure what is going on with Kemp, who could be a decent star, but that Diamond Mine feud seemed to ruin him for some reason.

We see some Instagram posts about Brooks Jensen and Kiana James’ Valentine’s Day date.

Fallon Henley has to tell Brooks Jensen what is going on.

Grayson Waller has been thrown out and rants about Shawn Michaels, saying there is no more Heartbreak Kid and he runs this place.

Here is Bron Breakker for a chat. Breakker says it doesn’t feel right around here because the next challenge feels bigger. The match everyone wants to see is Breakker vs. him (not named) but here are Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher to interrupt. Breakker wasn’t expecting them, but Mahal says you have to expect the unexpected. The villains get inside, with Mahal talking about the stress that Breakker has been under for nearly a year now.

Mahal asks if this is what Breakker expected as champion, and yeah it is. Breakker must be deaf if he doesn’t hear the small pocket of fans who are booing him. Mahal says you either die a hero or you become the villain. Breakker says the fans can think whatever they want, which Mahal refers to as arrogance. The tides are changing and Mahal issues the challenge for next week. The champ is in and says Mahal doesn’t need to waste time with the new 3 Man Band. Breakker: “Which one of you plays the guitar?” Mahal says he’ll still like Breakker after taking his title.

This was a good example of the problem being the messenger instead of the message. Jinder Mahal is someone fans are not going to take seriously and the 3MB joke didn’t help things. As a one off win it’s fine, but Mahal as generic villain isn’t helping him. Just have Breakker smash him and move on (which is probably what is going to happen).

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter confirm that they are down to face Roxanne Perez and Meiko Satomura. Perez and Satomura respect each other.

It’s time for an open challenge for the North American Title. Tony D’Angelo comes out to accept but Dijak jump him, with Stacks going to help. We have another challenger sneaking up on Lee though.

North American Title: Von Wagner vs. Wes Lee

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, is challenging. Lee fights back and tries to flip away in the corner, only to get dropped face first onto the apron. Stone reminds Wagner that he has to win back inside so it’s a clothesline for two on Lee. Back up and Lee ducks a big boot, setting up the standing moonsault to stagger Wagner. Lee’s tornado DDT is pulled out of the air and Wagner faceplants him for two. Lee slips out of a gorilla press, hits four straight superkicks, and finishes with the Cardiac Kick at 4:43.

Rating: C. This was power vs. speed 101 and as usual, it worked just fine. Lee is getting built up as someone who can over come the odds, which is going to make whoever beats him that much bigger of a deal. Then you have Wagner and I still don’t get it. He’s as generic of a monster as you can get and it still isn’t interesting no matter what.

Hank Walker has a new singlet but his old boots. Drew Gulak gives him some silver boots of his own.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Hank Walker

Drew Gulak is here with Walker, who shrugs off some forearms to the face to start. A collision goes to Walker but they trade big boots for a double knockdown. Walker tries a Fujiwara armbar but Dempsey reverses into his head and leg stretch for the tap at 1:41.

Post match Dempsey puts the hold back on but Gulak just stands there. Then Gulak and Dempsey leave together. Fair enough as Walker is kind of a loser.

Von Wagner is furious about his loss and Mr. Stone blames Wagner not having a connection to anyone. Wagner needs to break his walls down and Stone has time for the guy inside him.

Gallus is in the pool hall when Pretty Deadly comes in. A pool game breaks out and Pretty Deadly does well….albeit on the wrong balls. Gallus wins easily but Pretty Deadly wants a rematch. The deal is if Pretty Deadly keeps buying them drinks, they can keep playing, with Pretty Deadly getting a Tag Team Title shot if they win. Pretty Deadly loses at least seven games in a row and then get stuck with the (very long) bill. Gallus gives them the title shot anyway.

Ilja Dragunov talks about how pain makes you feel alive and he promises to hurt JD McDonagh. We cut to the arena, where Trick Williams calls out Dragunov. That works for Dragunov, who comes to the ring as Williams promises to drop Dragunov like a mix tape. Cue Dragunov to say Williams is an entertaining life of the party. Williams is dropped but here is JD McDonagh (with tape over his eye) to threaten Dragunov, allowing Williams to get in a cheap shot.

Post break, Trick Williams comes up to Carmelo Hayes and brags about what he just did.

We see Brooks Jensen taking Kiana James to her front door after their date. Jensen gives her astronomy trivia (which he gets wrong) and then goes to kiss her (following the key playing). Then Fallon Henley and Josh Briggs show up (How long have they been following them?) with Henley bringing up the phone call with an “I love you Zack” from a few weeks ago. It turns out Zack is James’ brother and he pops up at the door. James storms inside and Jensen leaves in heartbreak.

Here’s what is coming next week.

Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter shoulders Perez down to start and hands it off to Chance, who trips Perez down. A sliding kick and slingshot hilo get two on Perez and we hit the armbar. Back up and Perez flips out of a hurricanrana but gets taken right back into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Satomura for the first time, including a handshake with Carter.

Everything breaks down with Perez and Satomura cleaning house with uppercuts. Perez dives through the ropes onto Chance and Satomura hits one on Carter as we take a break. Back with Perez fighting out of Chance’s abdominal stretch but getting dropkicked down. Perez jawbreaks her way to freedom though and it’s Satomura coming back in to strike away. Some kicks to the head get two on Carter and Perez adds a backflip moonsault for two more.

Carter grabs something like an STO to plant Perez but she Russian legsweeps her way out of trouble. It’s back to Satomura, who gets knocked into the wrong corner for a change. Everything breaks down and Perez is knocked to the floor. Satomura is right back with the moonsault knees to Chance, followed by a Pele to Carter. Perez comes back in for Pop Rox and the pin on Carter at 10:29.

Rating: B-. This was a “hey, look who’s here” match as Satomura being around is a cool thing to see. Carter and Chance still have some value as a team so Perez and Satomura beating them means a little something. You might as well make Satomura vs. Perez for the title now though, as it isn’t like Perez has another challenger at the moment.

Post match Satomura issues the challenge for the title match and it would be Perez’s honor.

Overall Rating: B. This is a great example of a show where the overall rating is greater than its individual parts. All kinds of things were advanced here and you even got some turning points in a few stories. It came off like they had a big checklist for the show and covered every single item. The show felt organized and well put together, as you can see a lot of Stand & Deliver coming from here. Heck of an episode this week and I could go for a lot more like this one.

Results
Tyler Bate b. Grayson Waller – Sunset flip
Tiffany Stratton b. Thea Hail – Moonsault
Axiom b. Damon Kemp – Golden Ratio
Wes Lee b. Von Wagner – Cardiac Kick
Charlie Dempsey b. Hank Walker – Head and leg stretch
Meiko Satomura/Roxanne Perez b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Pop Rox to Carter

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: February 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Vengeance Day and just shy of two months away from Stand & Deliver. It looks like we have a title match set up, as Carmelo Hayes stared down Bron Breakker, who retained the NXT Title in the main event. That should give us a clear path to Los Angeles so let’s get to it.

Here is Vengeance Day if you need a recap.

We open with the long recap of Vengeance Day.

Here are Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to open things up. Williams talks about how Hayes turned seer Apollo Crews into Stevie Wonder before Hayes brags about his win too. Hayes knows his destiny and there is one man waiting for him. Cue JD McDonagh to cut him off and say Hayes is entitled. While Hayes wants a private room at the club, McDonagh sends people to the emergency room. The match is made for later.

Fallon Henley isn’t happy that Kiana James cheated to tin the titles and insists on a rematch. James isn’t sure, so Henley says they’ll talk about James possibly cheating on Brooks Jensen. Before they can get to that, it’s time for a surprise party in their dressing room.

We look at Grayson Waller interrupting Shawn Michaels’ post Vengeance Day media call, earning a week’s suspension as a result.

Sol Ruca vs. Zoey Stark

They run the ropes to start until Ruca sends her outside. Back in and Stark grabs the rope and throws a big forearm to take over. Ruca can’t roll out of a cravate but she can flip over into a sunset flip for two on Stark. A running dropkick sends Stark into the corner and there’s a forward flip splash. Stark superkicks her to the apron and pulls her back in for the flipping knee to the face and the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but it is fun to watch Ruca move around in the ring. She has a different movement to her and it shows off her athleticism. At the same time, seeing her lose was a bit surprising, as she has been on a bit of a roll. That being said, Stark is a bigger deal and Ruca beating her would have been a big upset.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Ruca manages a Sol Smasher to leave Stark laying.

We go to the surprise party, where Kiana James doesn’t want to talk about the Brooks Jensen thing. Pretty Deadly, looking a big disheveled, come in, saying they haven’t slept since Vengeance Day. They blame Chase U and a match is set for tonight (with Chase swearing included).

Dabba-Kato vs. Dante Chen

Chops, faceplant, shrugging off Chen’s chops, sitout chokebomb to finish Chen at 2:40. Kato sold way more than he should have there.

Post match Kato promises to break Apollo Crews.

Earlier today, Diamond Mine was regrouping after their loss to Indus Sher last week. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn came in to mock them, setting up a match later.

Roxanne Perez is happy with keeping her title but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are upset about their title loss. Perez is going to make a phone call and get a partner.

Isla Dawn vs. Tatum Paxley

Alba Fyre is here too. Paxley slugs away to start but Dawn knees her in the chest and hits a running Meteora for two. Back up and Paxley slugs away to little avail, with Dawn hitting something like a Nightmare On Helm Street for the pin at 2:58.

Post match Dawn and Fyre tease the beatdown but Ivy Nile runs in for a save. Why Dawn and Fyre, the latter of whom had a baseball bat, ran off isn’t clear.

Video on JD McDonagh vs. Carmelo Hayes.

JD McDonagh vs. Carmelo Hayes

Trick Williams is here too and it’s a feeling out process to start. McDonagh seems to taunt Williams and the pace picks up, with McDonagh sending him into the corner. A faceplant puts Hayes down and McDonagh drops him ribs first across the top as we take a break. Back with McDonagh sending him into the corner and hitting a standing Spanish Fly for two.

Hayes grabs a cutter for two and a spinning faceplant gets the same. We hit the crossface but McDonagh makes the ropes. A Codebreaker gives Hayes two more but McDonagh headbutts him down. Cue the returning Ilja Dragunov to take out Williams though and a rollup finishes McDonagh at 13:17.

Rating: C. McDonagh stopped being interested a long time ago and that was on full display here. Hayes feels like the hot new heel and McDonagh feels like a remnant of the 2.0 days. Hayes winning via a distraction finish was even weirder, as they were both down when the whole thing happened. Not a bad match, but Hayes is heading to Stand & Deliver and this was an annoying pit stop for him.

Post match Dragunov teases going after Hayes but jumps McDonagh instead.

Thea Hail comes up to Tiffany Stratton and they get in an argument over whether Chase U is cool or tacky. Hail goes on a rant and tells her to suck it but gets pulled off by Ava Raine.

Back at the party, Brooks Jensen is ready for Valentine’s Day with Kiana James, so Fallon Henley can’t bring herself to say anything.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Valentina Feroz

Wendy Choo is here with Feroz. Valkyria takes Feroz down without much trouble to start as Elektra Lopez comes out to watch. Feroz gets in a shot of her own so Lopez throws her some brass knuckles. Valkyria is back up with a pair of kicks to the head for the pin at 2:44.

We see Wes Lee coming back home after Vengeance Day and meeting his wife at the airport. It’s a rather emotional moment for him because he has worked so hard and is going to keep the title as long as he can. This was rather well done and a more personal look at Lee.

Lee is fired up and wants a challenge. Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come in to say they wants payment for helping him against Dijak. That’s cool with Lee, who is having an Open Challenge for the title next week.

Tyler Bate wants Grayson Waller next week.

Stacks vs. Odyssey Jones

Tony D’Angelo is here too. Jones throws Stacks around to start and the size is already crushing him. A huge slam plants Stacks and he has to roll outside for an early breather. Back in and Stacks gets in a DDT to rock Jones for a change, setting up a running forearm to do it again. Stacks hits a Stomp for the (somewhat surprising) pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. That’s quite the surprise as Jones has seemed to be getting something of a push, only to lose clean here. Stacks is seemingly getting a bit of a push of his own and I’ve heard worse ideas. I’m not sure what that means for D’Angelo, but they’re trying something new and that’s often a good thing. The match wasn’t so much, but at least they seem to be going somewhere.

Roxanne Perez has a partner for next week: Meiko Satomura.

Pretty Deadly vs. Chase U

Thea Hail isn’t here as she is busy being kidnapped. Pretty Deadly is barely functioning here and Hudson grabs Prince for an early headlock. Wilson comes in and tries to walk off but Chase brings him back in for a tie up in the ropes. Prince is sent face first into Wilson’s feet as the one sidedness continues. They go outside with Hudson missing a charge into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Chase coming in to clean house but an assisted gutbuster takes him down. Hudson makes the save and it’s the Spelling Stomps to Prince for two. Cue a screaming Thea Hail, holding her knee, with Hudson grabbing her to see what’s wrong. The distraction lets Spilled Milk finish Chase at 9:24.

Rating: C. And yes, Chase loses again. Losing to Pretty Deadly is one thing, but if this leads to them losing to Schism, I’m not sure where NXT has been. At the same time, Hudson is getting to be really good as the hot tag man and Chase is still almost as over as anyone else in NXT. Just let the team win something, please.

Hank Walker wants to take Wes Lee’s open challenge next week but Charlie Dempsey comes in. Drew Gulak thinks Walker is ready for a rematch with Dempsey, who implies Gulak cheated to beat him.

It’s time for Ding Dong Hello, with Bayley (arm in a sling) ranting about Lita showing up and costing her last night. The guests are Toxic Attraction, who wipe their feet coming in. They get straight to the argument over who cost who at Vengeance Day, with Jacy saying that Gigi was dressed like a “hobo who banged a Chuckie doll”.

Bayley thinks the split is coming but wonders what happens to both of them after that happens. That’s enough for the two of them to agree that there is strength in numbers, ala Damage Ctrl, so maybe they should go after the Tag Team Titles. Like….the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Bayley says calm down and they hug it out, only to have Jayne drop her. Dolin gets sent into the door and Jayne stands tall to end the show. That was a way to go, though Toxic Attraction moving up was a better option.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this show as much this week, but maybe that’s just due to taking a big breath after their special show. We still have several weeks before Stand & Deliver so there is still a long time to get things going. What matters is that they didn’t completely bomb here and what we got was a passable enough show, but it didn’t have anything that you need to see.

Results
Zoey Stark b. Sol Ruca – Flipping knee to the face
Dabba-Kato b. Dante Chen – Sitout chokebomb
Carmelo Hayes b. JD McDonagh – Rollup
Lyra Valkyria b. Valentina Feroz – Kick to the head
Stacks b. Odyssey Jones – Stomp
Chase U b. Pretty Deadly – Spilled Milk to Chase

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Vengeance Day 2023
Date: February 4, 2023
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

NXT is back on the road for the first time since Stand & Deliver all the way back in the spring. That is something that could do a lot of good for NXT and the card is pretty stacked as well. We have a bunch of title matches here, capped off by Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Grayson Waller inside a cage. Let’s get to it.

Charlotte hosts the opening video, which features all of the wrestlers coming into what looks like a mini arena (probably at the Performance Center) and staring each other down. That’s certainly different.

Commentary says they are on the road for the first time since they took over Portland over 1,000 days ago. So I dreamed going to Stand & Deliver in Dallas last year?

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Dijak

Lee is defending and suckers Dijak into the corner to start. A missed charge lets Lee hit a slingshot hurricanrana (nearly taking out the referee in the process) to send Dijak outside. Back in and Dijak throws him around to take over, including a heck of a toss suplex for two. Dijak tosses him over the top for a big crash and then sends him into the barricade for a bonus. Lee ducks a charge though and sends Dijak crashing to the floor.

Back up and Lee sends him into the corner for a superkick to the back of the head. A bridging German suplex plants Dijak and Lee knocks him to the floor again. There’s the big twisting dive and a poisonrana plants Dijak back inside. A fisherman’s driver gets two more but Dijak counters a flip into High Justice for two.

Dijak goes to a crossface chickenwing and grabs the bodyscissors but Lee makes the rope. Another High Justice is reversed and Lee hits a running knee to the face. Dijak kicks him in the face for two and takes it to the corner, only to have a superbomb reversed into a super hurricanrana. The Spiral Tap gives Lee a very close two and Dijak bails to the floor.

The suicide dive only hits barricade though and it’s time for Dijak to grab a chair. Dijak uses a broom to secure Lee in the chair and goes up for a moonsault, which hits…..Tony D’Angelo and Stacks? With the two of them down, Lee superkicks Dijak out of the air and hits the Pele to retain at 16:56.

Rating: B+. This felt like an old school Takeover opener where you were expecting a pretty good match but got a very good one instead. That is the kind of surprise that is always nice to have and they delivered it very well here. Lee gets the kind of win that he has been needing and Dijak had enough of a distraction to keep his loss from hurting him that much. D’Angelo probably comes out of this as champion, but this was a heck of a step on the way there.

Dijak seems to have really messed up his finger.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance only care about retaining their Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kiana James/Fallon Henley vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

James/Henley, with Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs, are challenging. James takes over on Carter to start but gets taken down, allowing Chance to come in with a slingshot hilo. Hold on though as Henley doesn’t like James using the hair to cheat. The champs hit a standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two on Henley but it’s right back to James for a side slam.

Henley grabs a chinlock but Chance flips her away and it’s back to Carter to clean house. James spinebusters Carter for two and everything breaks down again. Henley gets taken up top for a super hurricanrana from Chance but James breaks up the neckbreaker/450 combination. Henley grabs a rollup for the pin and the titles out of nowhere at 9:15, not noticing James holding the leg down.

Rating: C. This match was in a weird place, as they had very little story coming in and the titles haven’t felt important in a long time. The fact that Chance and Carter had held the belts for six months was almost staggering as they haven’t done anything with them. NXT has enough women for a tag division, but if the titles are forgotten so often, it isn’t going to make much of a difference. Completely watchable match, but it pretty much came and went.

There is an NXT watch party at the Performance Center. Drew Gulak is impressed with the opening match but needs Hank Walker to get some proper gear.

We recap Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes. Crews is an athletic marvel who is here to prove himself in NXT. Hayes is the new phenom and says he’s the next big thing. Tonight it’s 2/3 falls.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Apollo Crews

2/3 falls and Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far on their feel or on the mat. Crews starts in on the leg so Hayes flips up and hits him in the face for a breaker. Hayes goes up but gets pulled down into the Tree Of Woe to bang up his ribs.

That’s enough of a target for Crews, who knees him in the ribs but gets elbowed in the face. Crews sends him outside for a moonsault to the floor, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside. Back up and Hayes backdrops him over the ropes and catches a cutter to drop Crews across the top. Hayes starts cranking on the neck but Crews is back up and sends him to the apron.

The apron super gives Crews two but Hayes faceplants him down hard. We hit the Crossface on Crews, who finally tapes for the first fall at 15:48. Crews is banged up to start the second fall and Hayes goes after the shoulder to keep him in trouble. The Fade Away gives Hayes a fast two but Crews is back up with a running Blockbuster (almost a flipping DDT) for two.

They both go to the apron and a double ram into the buckle puts them on the floor. Back in and Crews hits a jumping knee to the face but Williams’ distraction doesn’t work. Crews knocks Hayes to the floor and it’s Dabba Kato (formerly Commander Azeez) to take Williams down. Hayes takes Crews down as well though and it’s Nothing But Net to finish Crews 2-0 at 23:24.

Rating: B. The Kato return isn’t exactly inspiring but this was a rather well done back and forth match with Hayes getting a very strong rub. Hayes has been built up as a big star in NXT and this should be enough to catapult him into the #1 contendership. It is the big prize that he has not won around here so it was either get in the title hunt or head to the main roster. They got a lot of time here and the match was good, so it’s hard to find much to complain about with the entire package.

Post match Kato hugs Crews and then takes him out with a chokebomb.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs/Kiana James/Fallon Henley can’t believe they won the titles. Now, they drink.

Hometown boy Andre Chase is ready to win the Tag Team Titles in his hometown. The fact that they are freezing outside is just a detail.

Tag Team Titles: Chase U vs. New Day vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly

New Day is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Kofi and Prince start things off but it’s quickly off to Woods. Prince winds up on Wilson’s shoulders on the floor, with a baseball slide breaking it up. Thea Hail uses the megaphone to scare Pretty Deadly but Hudson tags himself in to take over on Prince.

Wilson comes in and gets beaten up by Gallus, who take turns on his arm. Woods takes Wilson’s place and is pulled into the corner to start up the beating. Pretty Deadly takes over on Woods, with Wilson cranking on the wrist. Woods gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house.

The Boom Drop into the SOS gets two on Prince but everything breaks down. The parade of knockdowns sets up an assisted gutbuster for two on Kingston but he’s right back up with the Midnight Hour. Everyone dives in for the save and the pile heads to the floor. Chase throws Kingston onto them all, then superplexes Wilson onto them for an even bigger crash. The announcers’ table is cleared off but Pretty Deadly throws Hudson back in rather than using it.

Hudson runs both of them over but Mark Coffey takes Hudson down. Everyone heads back outside, with Gallus sending Hudson through the announcers’ table. Back in and Chase sends Wolfgang outside, setting up the high crossbody for two on Coffey. We hit the Figure Four on Coffey but Wolfgang makes the save with the Howling.

The enziguri/powerslam combination gets two on Chase but Kofi is back in to break up a second attempt. Kofi’s Trust Fall is pulled out of the air though and Pretty Deadly hits Spilled Milk on the floor. Woods forearms Coffey down back inside but dives into an assisted powerslam to give Gallus the pin and the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B-. I couldn’t decide on picking Gallus or New Day to leave with the titles here so they didn’t go out of left field. Gallus feels like a team who could be rather dominant if they are build up properly and it isn’t like a loss is going to hut New Day. At the same time, Pretty Deadly have held the titles for a good while already and Chase U….well they never win anything. The good thing here though is Chase U was actually in the title match, which is more than they can say most of the time. Throw in them not taking the fall and this was a pretty nice result all things considered.

We look at the who did it video on the Nikkita Lyons attack.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with Roxanne Perez defending against Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin. The challengers both won a battle royal and are both coming for the title. They teased splitting up, only to get back together and fight Perez at the same time. Perez is trying to prove she is a real champion by fighting both of them at once.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Perez is defending and has to start slugging away at both of them at once. Dolin and Jayne collide by mistake though and have to pause to make sure everything is cool. Back up and Perez sends both of them outside but Jayne neckbreakers Perez down. Another near mistake leaves Dolin and Jayne apologizing on the floor, only to have Dolin pull Jayne into the way of a baseball slide.

Back in and Jayne breaks up Dolin’s cover, meaning the fight is on between the challengers. Perez is back in with a DDT for two on Jayne and Dolin is left down in the corner. Jayne sends Perez into the corner for the Cannonball, followed by a running knee for two on Perez. Back up and Jayne drops Dolin but Pop Rox is broken up.

Dolin suplexes Perez for two with Jayne making a save. Everyone needs a breather until Perez gets knocked down for a double near fall. It’s time to bring out a table but Perez fights up again. Perez sends Jayne into the apron and drops Dolin, setting up the super Pop Rox to retain the title at 13:43.

Rating: C. I couldn’t get into this one as it felt like a bunch of the same idea over and over. Toxic Attraction gets along, then they fight, then they fight again, all while Perez is able to split the difference and get in some shots of their own. That’s about what you would expect to happen in a match like this, as it is the tried and true formula. Perez gets a nice win, but it wasn’t exactly a great match on the way there.

We recap the NXT Title match as Bron Breakker defends against Grayson Waller in a cage. Waller keeps trying to get inside Breakker’s notably easy to mess with head. Breakker is ready to kill him but Waller seems rather confident.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. Grayson Waller

Breakker is defending inside a cage but Waller (who has a woman bring his golden shoe to the ring) dropkicks the door into Breakker’s face on the floor before he can get in. That doesn’t last long as Breakker fights back and takes it inside for the opening bell. Waller grabs a cravate and fires off some knees to the face.

Breakker reverses that into a suplex but gets caught in a tornado DDT for two. A belly to belly puts Waller down again and the Steiner Bulldog, only for Breakker to miss a charge into the cage. Waller heads up top, only to get Frankensteinered back down. A jumping knee knocks Breakker out of the air for two and Breakker gets tied in the ropes. Waller hits a spear but Breakker powers out of the ropes, leaving Waller a bit petrified.

The rams into the cage keep Waller rocked until he low blows his way out of trouble. The fans are split on Waller, who goes all the way to the top of the cage. Rather than climb down, Waller waits for Breakker to get up and catch him on top. A superplex off the top of the cage rocks Waller’s inner Big Boss Man and there’s the spear to cut him in half. That’s not enough for Breakker to cover though as he yells at Waller instead. Waller shoves him in the face…..so Breakker hits a second spear to retain at 14:22.

Rating: C+. Another kind of weird match here as Waller more or less hung with Breakker until the ending and then tried his mind games, only to get speared down again to lose. The match wasn’t bad by any means, but it also didn’t feel like something epic. Then again this feud hasn’t felt like a big deal since it started, but Carmelo Hayes seems to be the next big bad for Breakker and that should work well.

Breakker seems to be favoring his arm a bit but poses on top of the cage anyway. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come out to stare at Breakker to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. While it was nowhere near a Takeover, this was a good enough show and felt like a big one by NXT standards. At the end of the day, NXT needed to get out of the Performance Center and have a show that felt more important. They did it here and get to do it again in Los Angeles in April, so things are looking up a bit. Other than that, this was a collection of mostly good matches, with the opener blowing away just about everything else. They also set up the next title program, so the show did a few positive things. You don’t need to see it, but there are worse things to watch, which makes it a win.

Results
Wes Lee b. Dijak – Pele
Kiana James/Fallon Henley b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Rollup to Carter with James holding the foot
Carmelo Hayes b. Apollo Crews 2-0
Gallus b. New Day, Pretty Deadly and Chase U – Assisted powerslam to Woods
Roxanne Perez b. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne – Super Pop Rox to Jayne
Bron Breakker b. Grayson Waller – Spear

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Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time NXT has left Orlando for a televised event since Stand & Deliver over Wrestlemania weekend. At some point they just need to get out of Florida and heading to Charlotte is as good of a way as any. The card actually has me interested this time, though the television show from this week wasn’t so great. Maybe they can overcome that with a good one here so let’s get to it.

North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Dijak

We’ll start off with one that can go either way as Dijak is a monster who can run through a lot of people and Lee is someone who could be champion for a nice run. This has been built up for a few weeks with Dijak speaking more and more like an 80s movie villain. Lee has turned into a much better star than I would have expected him to be and this is a tossup so far.

I’ll go with Lee here, as it would not surprise me to see Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come in to cost Dijak the match. Dijak is someone who needs to be protected in a loss but I don’t think it’s early enough for Lee to drop the belt either. The title is all Lee has done in WWE on his own and he isn’t ready to move up to the next level yet. Instead, let him do his underdog thing here, as the power vs. speed dynamic should work well here.

Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Chase U

We have another interesting one here as it could go in multiple ways. First up you have the champs, who are pretty easily the biggest stars in NXT. Then you have Gallus, who have returned and could use the boost. Pretty Deadly are already two time champions but they are owed a win back from New Day. Finally you have Chase U, who will be the crowd favorites, even over New Day.

As much as I’d like this to be Chase U, just so they can FINALLY win something, I think I’m going to take New Day to retain. It’s a coin flip between them and Gallus, as Pretty Deadly has held the titles enough already. Chase U…..I’d love to see them win something in a surprise and they might one day, but it’s not going to be here. I’ll stick with New Day, who can drop them soon enough.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Katana Chance/Kayden Carter(c) vs. Fallon Henley/Kiana James

Then there’s this one, and the more I hear from Chance and Carter, the less I want to see them on any show. I get that they are told everything to say and all that jazz, but it is cringe inducing to hear them speak in any way about any thing. They’re supposed to be some great champions or something and maybe it’s that the titles have barely been around for less than two years but I’m not seeing it.

I’ll take Henley and James to win the titles here, as the wacky partners idea would fit in perfectly for this story. I don’t like that booking trope at all, but it makes sense as a reason for the two of them to have to work together. Chance and Carter are a good enough team in the ring, but there is nothing for them to do at the moment and that is rather clear every week.

Apollo Crews vs. Carmelo Hayes

This one is all about the future, as Hayes needs to either be the next NXT Champion or on his way to the main roster. There is nothing left for him to do outside of moving up somehow and I think NXT is starting to realize that. On the other hand you have Crews, who has put in some of his most memorable work in NXT and already has the main roster credentials.

Give me Hayes for the win here, as there is pretty much no reason for Crews to win. Crews is someone who has already gotten a lot of the accolades that he needs, so there is little reason for him to pick up the win here. Hayes feels like a top prospect and giving him a win over a former Intercontinental and United States Champion would be a great thing to see going forward.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez(c) vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Gigi Dolin

I’m still not sure I get the thinking behind Toxic Attraction’s plan to mess with Perez. So they were just suddenly going to pretend to have problems and then reveal the ruse a week and a half before the title match. What is the logic in giving it away so early. I don’t think I can see it having much of an impact either, and that brings us to the important part of the whole match.

Since I can’t imagine a title change so soon into Perez’s reign, I’ll expect her to get beaten down, only to have Toxic Attraction start fighting each other so the champ can retain. Perez has felt like the next big thing in the women’s division for a long time and that means she isn’t losing the title to former flunkies who can’t get out of their own way yet. Toxic Attraction is good, but they’re not taking the title here.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Grayson Waller

In a cage and that means we are going to be playing the power vs. intelligence game. Granted that is all of the teasing that we have gotten for the match. Waller has been trying to get under Breakker’s skin to cost him for a long time now and it would not surprise me to see him finally pull it off and escape with the title. That seems to be what they have been teasing but can they pull it off?

I don’t see any reason for Breakker to retain the title here (unless Hayes it taking it from him in Los Angeles over Wrestlemania weekend. Waller seems like someone who could be great in a Miz style role and that is close to how he has been presented. The main thing would involve him winning a title he doesn’t deserve (in a way) and then brag about it. That has to start somewhere and it should be this week as he wins the NXT Title.

Overall Thoughts

Outside of a pretty weak Women’s Tag Team Title match, this is a show that looks pretty awesome on paper. It would be cool to see them stick the landing when they go on the road again and hopefully they make it work here. This feels a lot more like an old NXT show and if they can get close to that, we should be in for a heck of a show. NXT usually lives up to the hype too so maybe they can pull it off again here.

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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