NXT LVL Up
Date: July 21, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Back to Orlando and that has meant all kinds of things over the last few weeks. I’m almost curious to see what is going on around here but the bad stuff is so lame that it can be a chore to watch. Then again you can occasionally get a nice match here and there, so maybe there is some hope to be had. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tank Ledger/Hank Walker vs. Ikemen Jiro/Quincy Elliott

Walker headlocks Elliott to start and gets a dance as a result. Ledger comes in off a blind tag for a running elbow and stereo knees rock Elliott again. It’s off to Jiro, who gets shouldered down but nips back up. Jiro gets in a shot in the corner but misses the springboard moonsault. Ledger hits a slingshot splash for two and we’re off to the armbar. Jiro kicks his way to freedom though and it’s Elliott coming back in for a corner clothesline and bulldog. Everything breaks down and Ledger spanks Elliott, setting up the Flying Fridge to give Walker the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C. Not bad here and it was nice to see Jiro back. I had kind o forgotten about him but he certainly knows how to look smooth in the ring, which is a talent that not everyone has. Nice enough return match here, even if Walker and Ledger aren’t exactly the most polished pairing out there (which is kind of the point).

Izzi Dame is the friend that you don’t like but you need.

Izzi Dame vs. Dani Palmer

Dame has quite the height advantage so Palmer flips over her to start and hits a dropkick. Palmer’s headlock puts Dame down but she powers up and faceplants Palmer in the corner. A bearhug of all things goes on before Dame slams her down for two. Back up and Palmer hits some running elbows, setting up a high crossbody to finish Dame at 4:35.

Rating: C. As usual, you can only get so much out of someone in less than five minutes so it’s not quite fair to judge Dame yet. She was fine enough at what she did and has some attitude to her, but she feels like a long term project, which is the case for a lot of people around here. Palmer is starting to find herself as an energetic star who has to come from behind and it worked well enough.

Dante Chen vs. Javier Bernal

And this would be the most LVL Up main event imaginable. Chen’s headlock works for all of two seconds to start so Bernal works on an armbar. That’s reversed into the same thing from Chen but Bernal hot shots his way to freedom. A stomp to the ribs and a belly to back suplex gets two on Chen as Bernal gets a bit frustrated.

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Bernal dives into a raised boot. Eat Defeat drops Chen but the referee almost gets bumped, allowing Bernal to get a poke to the eye. A reverse DDT gives Bernal two (I bought that) but Chen is back with the double chop for the pin at 6:51.

Rating: C+. You can definitely see that these two are further along than most of the regulars around here and that makes for a better match. They were doing some more complicated stuff and had more of a story, with Chen being the clean wrestler while Bernal cheated wherever he could. It was a good enough match and I bought on the near fall, even if it meant challenging the undefeatable power of Dante Chen.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped but this was a show drastically lacking in big names or in anything you needed to see. That being said, going with this kind of a show is certainly a way to go around here. If LVL Up is supposed to be the big developmental show, then this is what it needs to be, though that doesn’t make it the most interesting.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 2, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I have no idea what to expect from this show and I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not. LVL Up is a show that can offer something and it is cool to see some of these young up and comers getting a chance. The problem is it can take time for that to really make an impact. Maybe that is different this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quincy Elliott vs. Kale Dixon

Elliott grinds away on a headlock and adds a kind of Old School wristdrag. Something more similar to a regular Old School connects but Dixon knocks him down and hits a running knee to the face. A few running shots to the face stagger Elliott again and we hit the nerve hold. Back up and Elliott hits a foot to the face, only to miss a charge into the corner. A rollup with feet on the ropes gives Dixon the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C-. What does it say about your career when you lose to a guy named Kale? Elliott is rather flashy and I can see the appeal, but I’m not sure what kind of ceiling he really has. It wasn’t exactly a huge return for Elliott, but then again he has never been pushed as any kind of a major star so I can’t imagine this going very far.

Post match Dixon gyrates and gets punched down for his efforts.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price are ready for Tank Ledger and Hank Walker. That’s the most LVL Up main event I can imagine.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James

Jordan’s early armdrag annoys James, who grabs an armbar to blow off some steam. That’s reversed into Jordan’s armbar, which doesn’t sit well with James. A running forearm drops Jordan but she’s right back with another armdrag. Back up and James sends Jordan’s arm into the buckle to take over and the armbar goes on again. Jordan fights up and hits a dropkick but James has had it and grabs the 401K for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C. Well they have the armbar stuff down pretty well. There wasn’t much to see with this one, as Jordan is brand new and James is only so good with her limited experience. James winning isn’t a surprise, but Jordan is another young star with all kinds of athleticism which could come in handy down the road.

Tank Ledger/Hank Walker vs. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price

Nima and Ledger lock up to start, with Nima shoving him away. It’s quickly off to Walker for a double shoulder and a solo headlock. Price comes in and gets shouldered down, only to have Price run Ledger over with a clothesline. A jumping knee keeps Ledger in trouble and Nima is back in for the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s back to Walker to clean house as everything breaks down. Price superkicks Walker and a gordbuster into a kick to the face gives Price two. A double clothesline gives Walker a breather though and the hot tag brings in Ledger. Nima gets caught in a double belly to back suplex of all things for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. It was a nice power fight and that’s all it needed to be, as Walker and Ledger are the much more established team. Let them go in there and get a win over a rather imposing pairing for the show’s main event. Nima and Price are about the same as they have been or a long time now, which isn’t exactly saying much for the developmental side of things.

Overall Rating: C. It was nice to have some different names than we have been seeing in recent weeks around here and that made for an easier watch this time around. The show is turning into more of a coming attractions version of NXT and that makes for an interesting episode from time to time. This was an acceptable edition, but as usual, there isn’t anything worth seeing.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 10, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s another week of the build up show and that could make for an interesting week. Then again it could make for another show that leaves me scratching my head about why Dante Chen is so protected around here. You never can tell with LVL Up and that does at least offer a little hope. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Jakara Jackson

Jackson takes her into the corner to start and smiles, only to get pulled into an armbar. Hartwell hits a Snake Eyes and goes right back to the armbar as Jackson can’t get much going. A missed charge in the corner puts Hartwell in trouble though and something like an Edge-O-Matic makes it worse. The chinlock with a knee in the back triggers Hartwell’s comeback and she throws Jackson off. Fans: “SHE’S IMPRESSIVE!” The spinebuster finishes Jackson at 5:17.

Rating: C. Jackson didn’t seem to have much here other than powering Hartwell around, but the charisma is more than enough to keep her around. What matters is giving her something that can get the fans’ attention and her attitude can do just that. Now find something to balance that out.

Quincy Elliott vs. Scrypts

Scrypts tries a waistlock to start, allowing Elliott to do the dance that the waistlock was designed to let him do. A right hand out of the corner seems to annoy Elliott more than anything else and a crossbody takes him down. Scrypts’ running flip legdrop to the back of the head sets up something close to a Tazmission. Back up and Elliott runs him over a few times before some whips into the corner keep Scrypts in trouble. Scrypts shoves him off the top though and finishes with the Molly Go Round at 5:05.

Rating: C-. Elliott is a case of you know what you’re getting: he’s the big guy who dances a lot and is more about having fun than winning anything. The running elbows and shots that use his mass look good but there is only so much someone of his size is going to be able to do. Scrypts on the other hand is still such a weird character and I’m not entirely sure what he’s supposed to be other than a guy in a mask who flips a lot.

Odyssey Jones vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. An exchange of running shoulders has them bouncing off the ropes until Jones gets the better of things. Jones misses a charge in the corner though and Wagner knocks him down. The jumping elbow sets up the neck crank but a fireman’s carry on someone Jones’ size isn’t a good idea. Jones elbows him in the face a few times but Wagner avoids a crossbody. Back up and Jones grabs the swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. Gee I wonder if this is going to result in Stone yelling at Wagner and telling him to show more personality or something about himself before doing the same thing again the next week. Wagner is one of those guys who feels like a lost cause without a bunch of changes and I don’t see said changes coming. Jones moves well for a big man and has the charisma to back it up. I could see him being a bit of a something if given the chance, and NXT might be waiting to find that chance.

Overall Rating: C. Another ho and may I add hum edition of the show and that shouldn’t be a surprise. There just isn’t enough star power on this show to make it work, with Wagner being the biggest name on the card. The show can do better, but for now there was only so much that can be done with who is out there.

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Halloween Havoc 2022
Date: October 22, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T

We’re back to the themed shows and this one has some potential, if nothing else for the set alone. How WWE waited twenty years to bring this back is beyond me, but we could be in for a very fun show this week. Or it’s going to be a big crossover between NXT and Chucky because he has to be around every year. Let’s get to it.

Chucky (oh here we go) welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Hosts Shotzi and Quincy Elliott welcome us to the show.

North American Title: Oro Mensah vs. Wes Lee vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Von Wagner

Ladder match for the vacant title. It’s the normal brawl to start with Frazer sending the villains outside for the big dive onto Wagner. The first ladder is brought in but Mensah and Frazer get together to take Hayes and Lee down. With that broken up, Lee gets the ladder and starts cleaning house, including driving it into Wagner’s ribs in the corner. Wagner cuts off a climb but Mensah is there to go up. Frazer takes the ladder down but Lee rides a ladder down onto Frazer for the big crash.

Back up and Hayes hits Melo Don’t Miss into the ropes on Lee but Frazer hits a springboard reverse Spanish Fly (that was cool) onto the ladder. Wagner is back up with a chokeslam but Lee kicks him to the floor. Trick Williams comes in to turn the ladder over on Mensah, who lands on the top and dives onto everyone else. Williams and Mr. Stone use the chance to go up, with Williams hitting him with a shoe.

That’s enough to knock Williams down but he shoves the ladder over and Stone crashes to the floor. Wagner is back in to throw a ladder at Frazer and Mensah but Frazer is back up to put Wagner on a ladder. That means a frog splash to drive Wagner through the ladder for the big crash at ringside. Lee takes Hayes down and grabs the big ladder but Wagner picks him up and LAUNCHES HIM over the top and onto (not through) the announcers’ table.

Wagner goes up but Frazer springboards in to cut him off. With Wagner sent over the barricade, he does the big horror movie rise but gets laddered down again. Frazer and Mensah go up the ladder and slug it out until Frazer comes crashing down. Hayes is back in to pull Mensah into another ladder but Lee takes him down. This time it’s Lee going up but Hayes cuts him off on a ladder bridged between the rope and the standing one. Lee drops Hayes and manages to get up top for the win and the title at 16:03.

Rating: B-. It was a good brawl, but as usual, they’re running out of things to do in a ladder match. It doesn’t help that this was just a collection of people thrown into the match rather than having any reason to be mad at each other. What matters here is having a bunch of people fly around and do their big spots to get the crowd going and that worked.

Last night, Alba Fyre challenged Mandy Rose to meet her in a graveyard, so Toxic Attraction jumps in the car and rides off.

We arrive at the graveyard, where Toxic Attraction is more than a little scared. They start walking around and head into a spooky old house and are all scared, with Jacy Jayne being left alone and finding what looks to be an old theater. Someone moves behind her and she screams.

We move over to Gigi Dolin, who winds up in the dining room where she finds….Chucky. Then someone in a mask with red hair jumps her and the fight is on, with Dolin using whatever she can to fight back. A door to the head rocks the woman, who is (shockingly) revealed as Alba Fyre. Dolin opens a refrigerator, finds someone inside, and is knocked inside by Alba. We cut to Mandy Rose, who kicks a monster low but gets jumped by Fyre as well. A baseball bat shot misses and Rose takes the bat away, only to get dropped again. Fyre says she isn’t like everyone else drives off. More on this later….I guess?

We recap Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews. Waller cheated to beat him but Crews used his psychic powers to see Waller getting hurt, which wound up happening. They have since Spun the Wheel, with the Deal being a casket match.

Apollo Crews vs. Grayson Waller

Casket match. Waller elbows him down to start but Crews does an Undertaker situp and stare. Crews takes it outside and moonsaults off the apron onto Waller, with the brawl heading up the ramp. A suplex drops Crews so hard that Booker says we’re watching “Nathan” Waller.

They fight over to the announcers’ table, where Waller gets in a shot with a pen to take over. They go to the top where Waller shoves him off and through the lid of the casket. Waller thinks he’s won….but then the lights go out. They come back up to reveal Crews coming down the aisle with the druids and another casket. Back in and Crews unloads on Waller, including a gutbuster to put him in the casket.

Waller fights out again and slams the casket lid on Crews’ head but they both wind up inside. They both fight out until Waller sends him back inside for the rolling Stunner. Waller does the Undertaker throat slit and tries a Tombstone, only to be reversed into a gutbuster. That’s not enough to put Waller in, so Crews slams him from the apron into the casket and wins at 12:35.

Rating: C. I looked at the clock about eight minutes into this and couldn’t believe they hadn’t been going fifteen already. This felt far longer than it should have because the casket deal was a weird stipulation to choose. Crews winning is more than a little weird, but you can imagine Waller has bigger things in store for him anyway.

We go to Chase U, where Andre Chase isn’t happy with his students’ lack of knowledge about Halloween Havoc 1995. They also have a new student in Duke Hudson, who shows up Bodie Hayward. Chase expects more from Bodie.

Alba Fyre is on her way back, with Mandy Rose in the backseat.

Pretty Deadly and Kayden Carter/Katana Chance are backstage and ready to retain their Tag Team Titles.

Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez

Weapons Wild, more or less meaning street fight. Perez busts out a skateboard, which is what started the whole thing. The fight is on with Jade being taken down and put on the skateboard for a trip to the floor. Jade is back with some kind of spray to the face and a swing into the barricade.

Back in and Cora blocks her from grabbing a chair and puts a trashcan over her head. They head back to the floor where Jade puts on a reverse chinlock. That’s let go but Jade misses a chain shot, allowing Perez to dive on her and hammer away. Pop Rox is blocked back inside and they brawl to the floor again. The fight heads through the crowd and up into the balcony, where a Russian legsweep takes them down and through a table below. Back in and Perez hits Pop Rox onto a pile of chairs for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C+. The right person won so they definitely went in the right direction and the personal nature of the feud was well set up. It was good enough, though neither looked overly comfortable using the weapons. Perez feels like she could be the next big thing and Jade is a heck of a prospect in her own right so this was a pair of strong options, but Perez is ahead of her and might even be in line for a title shot. Nice stuff here, with the right person going over.

NXT Deadline is on December 10.

Here is Shotzi, in Beetlejuice gear, to talk about how great tonight has been. She brings out Quincy Elliott, as a banana, for some puns. Lash Legend interrupts and says she should be hosting before Elliott says she’s not fabulous enough to host. Shotzi lays her out with a DDT and spanks a dancing Elliott.

Schism talks about trying to welcome more people to the hold and ask the person in the red hoodie if he/she is ready to reveal themselves. We’ll do that Tuesday. Then they all put on yellow masks.

We recap Damon Kemp ripping apart the Diamond Mine and Julius Creed agreeing to fight Damon Kemp for Brutus Creed’s future. Therefore, it’s an ambulance match with Roderick Strong still in a wheelchair lurking around.

Julius Creed vs. Damon Kemp

Ambulance match for Brutus Creed’s career. Creed chucks pumpkins at him to start and hits a dropkick at the bell. A German suplex makes Kemp drop his chair and they crash out to the floor. They’re already at the ambulance and Creed throws him in but Kemp uses a crutch to block the door. Some crutch shots put Creed down and a suplex on the floor makes it worse.

A steps shot rocks Creed again but he gets away from Kemp without much trouble. Kemp slams the ambulance door on him but Julius kicks it into his face. They head back inside where Kemp plants him on the steps, meaning it’s time to pose. The fight heads outside where Julius ties him into a wheelchair with a crutch and rolls him around as the fans want a pumpkin used.

Instead Kemp puts him in a rolling cart to head towards the ambulance. Creed is sent inside, has the door slammed on his hands, but fights out again. They head back to ringside (again) with Julius unloading on him with chair shots. A powerbomb onto a stretcher lets Julius take him to the ambulance for the win at 12:05.

Rating: C+. It was a good brawl and the pumpkins (which acted more like dodge balls) were a fun addition at first, but it begs one question: why did this need to be an ambulance match? You have two former college wrestling stars and your solution is to put them in the second “win by putting someone into something and closing it” match of the night? What they did was good and Creed looked dominant in his win, but I could have gone for something a bit more suited to their skills.

The ambulance leaves and we see Alba Fyre, with Mandy Rose, arriving. Here we go.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre

Fyre is challenging and starts fast but gets shoved off the top to the floor. Back in and Rose slams her down for two before forearming away. With that broken up Fyre kicks her in the chest to take over. A spinebuster out of the corner gives Rose two but Fyre plants her down hard again.

Back up and a swanton plants Mandy but here is Toxic Attraction to pull the referee. Fyre kicks Jacy Jayne into the referee, meaning no one is there to count after Fyre hits the Gory Bomb. Toxic Attraction goes high/low on Fyre and the running knee is enough to retain the title at 7:05.

Rating: C. And yes, Rose wins again. I like her a good bit and she has come MILES over this run, but it’s time to wrap it up. You can only have Toxic Attraction save you so many times to set up the running knee and we are long past the point of it being a fresh ending. Rose has mowed down so many people already and it is getting old fast. I don’t know if Toxic Attraction is going to the main roster, but Rose can stand to lose the title by now.

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark and Edris Enofe/Malik Blade are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

We recap the NXT Title match. Bron Breakker is champion, JD McDonagh (who Breakker has already beaten) won a #1 contenders match and Ilja Dragunov is here because he never lost the NXT UK Title. Now it’s a three way for the title, with Austin Theory teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov

Breakker is defending and goes after McDonagh to start. Dragunov wants to beat on McDonagh as well but the delay lets McDonagh fight back up. With Dragunov on the floor, McDonagh slugs away on Breakker in the corner before Dragunov takes Breakker’s face. The slugout is on with McDonagh getting frustrated and whipping him into the corner. Breakker is back in with the belly to belly and sends McDonagh outside but charges into Dragunov’s boot to the face.

Everyone gets back inside and Dragunov knocks the other two into the corner, setting up a big Coast to Coast. Breakker is back up to slug it out with Dragunov and McDonagh applauds as they both go down. That’s too far for the other two as they knock McDonagh back and forth before tossing him outside. Breakker and Dragunov clothesline each other and McDonagh is back in to slowly go up top.

The delay is enough for Breakker to Frankensteiner him into a powerbomb from Dragunov and they’re all down again. It’s McDonagh up first to send them outside for the big moonsault to the floor. Back in and Dragunov powerbombs Breakker for two but McDonagh is in with a 450 for two on Dragunov. Breakker manages to German suplex both of them at the same time and then hits the gorilla press powerslam on Dragunov.

McDonagh steals the cover and gets two but Breakker isn’t happy with the thievery. With McDonagh on the floor, Breakker’s spear is cut off with Dragunov’s jumping knee. A top rope backsplash sets up the Torpedo but McDonagh grabs the referee at two. Dragunov chases McDonagh to the floor and walks into a Spanish Fly. McDonagh tries to crush Dragunov’s ankle on the steps but misses, allowing Dragunov to hit a Torpedo off the steps. Back in and Breakker spears Dragunov to retain at 23:50.

Rating: B+. This had everything you could want in this sort of triple threat, save for maybe an interesting champion. Breakker has the tools, but other than being strong, athletic and a Steiner, what is there to know about him? I get why he is in a prominent spot, but it would be nice to develop the other side of him a bit more. McDonagh was there for some aerial stuff and Dragunov took the pin for reasons I don’t quite get, but Breakker needs someone else to come after him and I’m not sure who that is. Carmelo Hayes maybe?

Overall Rating: B. The show was mostly good, but aside from maybe the main event, there is nothing worth going out of your way to see. That describes NXT in a nutshell for the last several months: good, but don’t expect anything that is going to feel must see. NXT needs some kind of hot story or angle to spice things up a bit, because the show is only going to be so good with what they’re doing at the moment.

This show was a good example, as they more or less turned Halloween Havoc into something closer to Extreme Rules. It has good enough work and results, but nothing that blew me away. Fix that and NXT is that much better. If nothing else, stop overthinking these things and let the wrestlers showcase themselves instead of playing to some stipulation. For a special it was good, but it didn’t give me much to get behind with NXT going forward.

Results
Wes Lee b. Oro Mensah, Carmelo Hayes, Nathan Frazer and Von Wagner – Lee pulled down the title
Apollo Crews b. Grayson Waller – Crews shut Waller in the casket
Roxanne Perez b. Cora Jade – Pop Rox onto a pile of chairs
Julius Creed b. Damon Kemp – Creed shut Kemp in the ambulance
Mandy Rose b. Alba Fyre – Kiss From A Rose
Bron Breakker b. Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh – Spear to Dragunov

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NXT
Date: October 18, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Halloween Havoc and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. In this case that means we have some main roster stars in some Pick Your Poison matches for Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez. Other than that, we need one more night to set up the triple threat NXT Title match, which certainly needs the help. Let’s get to it.

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

Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez

The rest of Judgment Day is here with Ripley, who is Cora Jade’s pick to face Perez. The fans are glad to see Rhea and think she is going to kill Perez, rather enthusiastically really. Perez goes for the wristlock to little avail and the spinning headscissors doesn’t work. A chop just makes Ripley mad so she headbutts Perez in the ribs. Ripley forearms her into the back and is starting to look rather comfortable.

A quick hurricanrana sends Ripley outside but she moves before Perez can dive. Instead Perez tries another hurricanrana off the apron, earning herself a HARD face first drop onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Ripley holding her in a waistlock and driving in forearms to the back of Perez’s head. Perez fights up and fires off some kicks to the leg but an armdrag is blocked.

One heck of a missed charge sends Ripley shoulder first into the post, setting up Perez’s suicide dive. Perez slips out of a superplex attempt back inside and grabs a super hurricanrana for two. Another charge is countered into a faceplant for two and Ripley is stunned off the kickout. Riptide and Pop Rox are both broken up so Dominik Mysterio distracts Perez, allowing Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B-. Perez is looking more and more like a star every day as she is hanging in there with big names, from Bayley on Smackdown last week and Ripley here. Ripley winning, especially via cheating, is a fine way to go and she got to look dominant again in doing so. What mattered here was making Perez look good and they pulled that off rather well.

The OC aren’t sure about teaming with Cameron Grimes. Then Grimes pulls out a bunch of money and now they’re ready to go to the moon.

Here are Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, with the former having a mystery opponent. We’ll see who that is….after a break.

Grayson Waller is ready to get rid of Apollo Crews. Then Chucky from Child’s Play pops up on screen to taunt him about Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal. Waller is freaked out.

Stacks vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Now there’s a surprise and the fans are rather glad to see him. Stacks grabs a headlock to start and hammers away to little effect. Nakamura remembers that he’s fighting Stacks and kicks away without much trouble. Some right hands actually put Nakamura down though and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up and Nakamura wins the strike off without much effort. The sliding German suplex gives Nakamura two but he can’t keep a cross armbreaker. Stacks is back up with another shot but Nakamura kicks him in the head. Kinshasa sends Stacks outside, followed by another to finish him off at 5:22.

Rating: C. Nakamura being back is a nice surprise, but it’s more than a little weird to see Stacks getting in that much offense on him. This actually wasn’t a squash, but rather Stacks being overwhelmed by someone on a much higher level. I’m not sure I get the story here, though hopefully it doesn’t involve Stacks being split off on his own.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom reminisce on their best of three series when Von Wagner, with Mr. Stone, comes in. Wagner mocks them and gets a match with Frazer as a result.

Sonya Deville vs. Alba Fyre

Deville has Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin with her. Neither can hit a kick to start so Fyre headbutts her into the corner. Deville pulls Fyre off the middle rope though and the crash is good for two. A faceplant drops Deville though and Fyre goes up top. That doesn’t work as she has to beat up Toxic Attraction, with Deville accidentally helping by kicking Dolin in the face. A rollup gives Fyre the pin at 2:09.

Post match Toxic Attraction gets back in to go after Fyre, with Mandy Rose making her return to say she she’s ready for Fyre. That’s enough for Fyre to come back with the bat on the other two, before shoving an invading Rose out to the floor.

Oro Mensah and Wes Lee are in the back when Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come in to start a brawl. They fight into the arena and you know what that means.

Oro Mensah/Wes Lee vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

We’re joined in progress with Lee headlocking Williams, who fights up with some forearms. Hayes comes in and gets missile dropkicked down by Mensah. Williams trips Mensah down though and Williams gets to stomp away. That doesn’t last long and it’s Lee coming back in to strike away on Hayes. Everything breaks down and Hayes hits a top rope ax kick to finish Lee at 2:52. Short and to the point here, which was “these people are in a ladder match on Saturday so here they are”.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Nathan Frazer running in. Some dives leave everyone laying.

Schism doesn’t like Cameron Grimes running from them over to the OC. No one is stopping them of course.

Bron Breakker is ready to go through JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov. As for tonight, he is looking forward to being on the KO Show, because he knows something is going to happen.

Schism vs. OC/Cameron Grimes

Grimes throws Reid around to start and kicks him in the face so it’s off to Fowler, who has about the same luck. Fowler gets taken into the corner and Anderson comes in to work on the arm. Some elbows from Gallows make it worse but a blind tag brings in Reid, who knees Anderson from the apron. Anderson gets beaten down on the floor, meaning it’s time for some Schism hugs. Back in and Anderson wins a slugout with Reid, which is enough for the hot tag to Grimes. Everything breaks down and Schism is knocked outside and we take a break.

We come back with Grimes crossbodying Gacy for two but getting elbowed back down. Grimes can’t quite suplex his way to freedom but he can crawl through Fowler’s legs and bring Gallows in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Reid has to save Fowler from the Magic Killer. Gacy hits Grimes with a backbreaker but Anderson drops him with a neckbreaker. Grimes hits a Cage In and the Magic Killer finishes Reid at 11:56.

Rating: C+. Now LET IT BE OVER. There is no reason for Grimes to be dragged down any more than he already has been by this stupid feud and it needs to end. Gacy is fine enough as a midcard heel but Grimes is someone who could be a big deal in more than one place. That isn’t going to happen with Schism so move on already.

Veer Mahaan isn’t going to say what he said to Sanga last week. Sanga comes in and is ready to talk.

Video on Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Zoey Stark/Nikkita Lyons.

We get the contract signing for the Women’s Tag Team Title match, with Lyons and Stark signing while saying they’re ready to take the titles. Carter and Chance sign as well, saying they’re a real team.

We get a split screen interview between Julius Creed and Damon Kemp, with Julius being ready to fight for his brother’s career. He isn’t intimidated by Kemp and is ready to take him out in an ambulance for what he did to Diamond Mine. Kemp says Creed may be great, but he’s also jealous. That has Julius chuckling, because Kemp isn’t willing to put in the work to be great. Kemp says this is about violence and not skill, but Julius promises to put Kemp in an ambulance on Saturday before storming off.

Shotzi is back to host Halloween Havoc again this year. The fans are rather glad to see her again and she is ready to be all weird and evil. She needs a co-host though so here is Xyon Quinn to say it should be him. Quincy Elliott is here to say the same, so let’s just have a match for the gig.

Quincy Elliott vs. Xyon Quinn

Joined in progress with Quinn hitting a clothesline as Shotzi sits in on commentary. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Elliott is back up with a running elbow. Quinn tries a Samoan drop but Elliott falls on him. Elliott’s splash misses though and Quinn tries for a chair, only to have Hank Walker cut him off. Back in and Elliott hits a splash, setting up a Banzai drop for the pin at 2:53.

Thea Hail is upset over her loss to Kiana James and freaks out in need of a rematch. Andre Chase says they’ll talk about it later and goes over the history of Halloween Havoc, with moments like Hulk Hogan beating Ric Flair, Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page, Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero and Mandy Rose winning the NXT Women’s Title. Their homework is to watch Halloween Havoc, but Chucky pops up on screen to threaten them via swearing, because that is a teachable moment. Hail: “What the F***???” Chase and Bodie Hayward are stunned. As usual, funny stuff.

Pretty Deadly sign their contract for the Tag Team Title match next week. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade aren’t so sure that Pretty Deadly is leaving with the titles.

Cora Jade vs. Raquel Rodriguez

This is the other Pick Your Poison match. Rodriguez backs her into the corner to start so Jade chills on the top. Jade gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and the chops against the announcers’ table make it worse. Back in and Jade manages to get in a few shots before grabbing the baseball bat. Rodriguez takes it away so Jade slaps her in the face. That’s enough for a bat shot to Jade and the DQ at 2:43.

Post match Roxanne Perez comes in and beats Jade up to send her running. Rodriguez puts Perez on her shoulder to celebrate.

Halloween Havoc rundown.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are hosting a party in the back to watch the KO Show and put down some bets on what various people are going to say about Saturday. Sol Ruca walks by on her hands and it’s time to drink. This was a weird collection of cameos.

It’s time for the KO Show for the big finale. Without any introductions, here are Bron Breakker, JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov for a chat. Owens talks about how Shawn Michaels wanted him here, oddly enough to keep the peace. McDonagh is asked why he stirs the pot so much but McDonagh says Breakker and Dragunov are the ones who attacked each other last week. Dragunov doesn’t think much of Breakker and promises to take the title from him on Saturday. Breakker: “Over my dead body.”

Owens tries to calm things down, but he doesn’t want McDonagh as the NXT Champion. Owens: “I talked to his mom earlier and SHE doesn’t want him to be NXT Champion!” Dragunov says McDonagh can be great but NEVER a champion. Breakker wants Dragunov in the same category, but Dragunov brings up Breakker actually losing his title.

The challenge is on for right now so Owens takes his leave. Dragunov clears house….and Austin Theory comes out, points at the title, and holds up the briefcase to end the show. Now there’s a twist, and it might be a good thing for Theory. Better this than losing over and over on Raw/Smackdown and eventually becoming a lame champion who is seen as a failure when he doesn’t get over with the title. Good segment overall, as this match needs all the help it can get.

Overall Rating: C+. They were flying through this show and the guest stars didn’t exactly do much, which made the show a bit strange. I get that they were trying to hype up Halloween Havoc and fight back against AEW at the same time, but maybe advertise these names a bit better? The other thing here was that they were moving from one match to another as fast as they could here and little had a chance to set in. I’m not overly excited about Halloween Havoc, but the last segment did make me more interested in the main event. Pretty good show, but I’m not sure how much impact it had.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Roxanne Perez – Riptide
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Stacks – Kinshasa
Alba Fyre b. Sonya Deville – Rollup
Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams b. Wes Lee/Oro Mensah – Top rope ax kick to Lee
OC/Cameron Grimes b. Schism – Magic Killer to Reid
Quincy Elliott b. Xyon Quinn – Banzai drop
Cora Jade b. Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Rodriguez hit her with a baseball bat

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: October 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Wade Barrett, Byron Saxton

We’re coming up on Halloween Havoc near the end of the month and the card seems to be set. They still have a few things that need to be done to get ready for the show though and we will probably get some more of that build this week. We also have some guest stars coming in this week from Smackdown so things should be feeling bigger. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Pretty Deadly, dressed as very stereotypical British men (complete with red robes and powdered wigs), for a state of the Commonwealth address. They talk about how back in the day, some pilgrims came from the United Kingdom (Prince: “Hello.”) and now as a result, they are here. All of the other teams have been training in the Performance Center to be as good as they are, including the Boring Brothers and Cheap Denim. Therefore, they should be the Tag Team Champions for all time!

Cue the Brawling Brutes, who are tired of how Pretty Deadly have been complaining everywhere. Pretty Deadly claims they were hacked (By Kevin Nash! Kevin Patrick! Kevin Owens!) but get cleared out anyway. As usual, Pretty Deadly is one of the funnier things in NXT, as long as you don’t take them seriously in the slightest.

Earlier today, Alba Fyre attacked Toxic Attraction so the six woman tag is off for tonight, with Fyre and Mandy Rose taken out.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah

Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Mensah snaps off a suplex to start and they head outside. Hayes gets in a cheap shot to take over and chops Mensah down back inside. Back up and Mensah kicks away, including a shot to the head to knock Hayes away. A missed charge slows Mensah down though and the top rope ax kick finishes for Hayes at 5:30.

Rating: C. Hayes is a bigger deal than Mensah, but you would think that they might not want to have Mensah lose in one of his first matches as part of NXT. Granted Mensah has almost no chance of winning in the ladder match so it isn’t going to lead anywhere, but this was a bit of an odd way to go. I can always appreciate more from Hayes, though Mensah not losing would have made sense too.

Brutus Creed isn’t cleared to compete because of his shoulder. Duke Hudson comes in to laugh at him and gets a match with Julius Creed as a result.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Von Wagner vs. Andre Chase

Carmelo Hayes is on commentary. Wagner throws him around with the straight power to start but Chase is back with some right hands. Mr. Stone offers a distraction but gets taken down by Thea Hail. Chase grabs a rollup for two but gets caught with a Death Valley Bomb for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C-. While I can see the point in having Hayes win the opener, this one feels a lot more questionable. Chase has been on a roll as of late while Wagner seems to have long since stopped being anything around here. I guess they need a power guy in the ladder match, but they had no one else other than Chase to get him in there?

Post match Wes Lee jumps Carmelo Hayes.

Sanga wishes Nathan Frazer luck in his qualifying match. With Frazer gone, Veer Mahaan comes in to stare at Sanga.

Lash Legend is ready for Wendy Choo.

Grayson Waller has his security ready to deal with Apollo Crews’ visions.

Wendy Choo vs. Lash Legend

Choo goes after her to start and they head outside, where Legend spins her into a backbreaker. Back in and a side slam gives Legend two but she misses an elbow, allowing Choo to strike away. Some more kicks put Legend down and Choo’s top rope Vader Bomb is good for the pin at 3:46.

Rating: D+. Given that it was a Lash Legend match, this could have been a heck of a lot worse. I’m not a big fan of Choo, but she is miles ahead of anything Legend can do right now. Hopefully this wraps it up for both of them though, because there is no reason to have it keep going. WWE keeps trying with Legend and it keeps not working, so at least they’re consistent.

Wes Lee is ready for Halloween Havoc but wants Grayson Waller first. He’ll have to settle for a match with an invading Stacks.

Gallus promises to be back and they’re coming for Bron Breakker.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance know they are different but they work great together.

Toxic Attraction vs. Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark

For a future Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Lyons powers Dolin into the corner to start so it’s off to Stark vs. Jayne. Stark knocks her outside without much trouble so Dolin comes back in, earning a springboard spinning crossbody. Toxic Attraction is sent outside for a breather and we take a break.

Back with Lyons in trouble but she kicks her way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Stark to go after Dolin. A superkick into a German suplex gets two on Dolin as everything breaks down. Jayne gets to clean house for a change but she walks into the flipping knee from Stark. The splits splash finishes for Lyons at 10:23.

Rating: C. I like Toxic Attraction, but the title picture needs some fresh blood. WWE sees something in Lyons and Stark as a team so this isn’t the biggest surprise. I don’t know if they win the titles, but at least a fresh team is being added to the mix. Lyons feels like she is going to be a major priority for the women’s division at some point, but for now she will have to settle for going after these titles.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to get some more gold because he fought so hard to become champion and then never lost it. He’s ready for JD McDonagh and Bron Breakker if that is what it takes to get back where he wants to be. Dragunov continues to feel like a star.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect with Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez. They talk about how they want to fight each other, with Perez saying they wanted to come into WWE together and be what the Four Horsewomen were to them. Jade accuses her of showing her true colors but Waller interrupts to reveal that in two weeks, they are going to get to pick your poison, meaning select each others’ opponents. Oh and their Halloween Havoc match is going to be Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal.

Waller even goes up to the stage to spin the wheel, comes up on Weapons Wild (sounds street fightish). The women fight in the ring so Waller comes back, only to be pulled underneath by Apollo Crews. Waller comes out and yes his eyes are red like in Crews’ vision last week. This is the right role for Waller, as he is rather good at being the annoying pest who never shuts up.

The Schism yells at an unseen member of the team in a red hoodie. The person failed at their mission and need to be better.

Julius Creed vs. Duke Hudson

Creed knocks him down, grabs a suplex and hits the basement clothesline for the pin at 48 seconds.

Post match Brutus Creed comes out and beats on Hudson as well. Damon Kemp pops up on the platform to say it’s going to be different at Halloween Havoc. Kemp makes it simple: if Julius can beat him at Halloween Havoc, Brutus can get another match, with Brutus saying he just needs five minutes. Kemp says Brutus’ career is on the line at Halloween Havoc, which Brutus accepts on Julius’ behalf. Julius makes it even bigger by saying it’s an ambulance match. Kemp is in.

JD McDonagh is ready for Ilja Dragunov and Bron Breakker at Halloween Havoc.

Hank Walker’s security buddies fire him up. Quincy Elliott comes in to do the same and dancing ensues.

Axiom is ready to win his trilogy with Nathan Frazer.

Xyon Quinn vs. Hank Walker

Walker armdrags him down a few times but Quinn is back with some shots to the face. We hit the quickly broken chinlock so Walker can hit the Thesz press. Some right hands have Quinn in more trouble but that’s broken up. Quinn’s running fist finishes Walker at 2:10.

Post match the beating is on until Quincy Elliott, makes the save. And adds a spank to Walker.

Cameron Grimes comes up tot he red hoodied Schism person with a warning about Joe Gacy. Cue Schism to beat Grimes down and to praise the hoodied one for doing well. The person in the hoodie is officially on the team. No identity given.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs and Malik Blade/Edris Enofe give the Brawling Brutes a pep talk but get in their own argument. The Brutes say either team can get a shot after they win the titles, but get serious.

Bron Breakker is ready for Halloween Havoc but Javier Bernal comes up to suggest it’s a bad idea. Oh and that Breakker isn’t very good. A match is set for next week.

Tag Team Titles: Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly

The Brutes are challenging. Wilson hammers on Holland to start but can’t get him up for a suplex. A dropkick/butterfly suplex combination drops Wilson so Butch can come in to bend the fingers. Prince comes in and gets dropped with a clothesline, leaving Wilson to get caught with some Sheamus style forearms to the chest.

We take a break with the champs in trouble and come back with Butch fighting out of a chinlock but getting driven into the corner. Butch slips away again and makes the tag to Holland for the house cleaning. A powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Wilson and it’s back to Butch, who misses a running knee in the corner. Prince tosses Wilson at Butch for a Codebreaker (cool) with Holland having to make the save.

Everything breaks down again and Holland sends Prince outside, leaving Butch to try a cross armbreaker on Wilson. Prince makes the save by stacking Wilson up for two but Butch is back with the Bitter End. Prince puts a foot on the rope so Holland sends him outside. The kick to the head into the Northern Grit connects but here is Imperium for the distraction. Prince uses said distraction to send Butch into the apron and Spilled Milk retain the titles at 12:25.

Rating: C+. They had some good drama in the end but this was less of a match and more waiting for Imperium to show up and cost the Brutes the titles. That’s a fine way to go with Extreme Rules coming up in less than a week so they did the right thing all around. Pretty Deadly might not be good, but they are just right for what they are and that’s enough.

The brawl continues on the floor and goes to the back to….not end the show as Edris Enofe/Malik Blade and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen come out to stare at the champs to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show didn’t have the best wrestling, but it did a nice job of getting things ready for Halloween Havoc. That’s what matters a lot more at the moment and NXT did a nice job of building the show up. Now I want to see it more than I did before and the next few weeks should be entertaining as well. Efficient show this week, even if it might not have been their best.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Oro Mensah – Top rope ax kick
Von Wagner b. Andre Chase – Death Valley Bomb
Wendy Choo b. Lash Legend – Top rope Vader Bomb
Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark b. Toxic Attraction – Splits splash to Jayne
Julius Creed b. Duke Hudson – Sliding lariat
Xyon Quinn b. Hank Walker – Running punch
Pretty Deadly b. Brawling Brutes – Spilled Milk to Holland

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: September 27, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

Things got shaken up in a big way last week as Ilja Dragunov debuted to add quite the wild card. JD McDonagh is the new #1 contender to Bron Breakker’s NXT Title but Dragunov is going to be put into a top spot rather quickly. This should be interesting on top of everything else around here so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Ilja Dragunov to get things going. He has beaten a monster to win gold before and now he is ready to do it again. This time it isn’t Gunther though, but rather Bron Breakker. Cue JD McDonagh to call Dragunov a sneaky, dirty little rat and to say that he hopes Dragunov’s ankle is healed.

McDonagh offers to end Dragunov’s career but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker says the title isn’t going anywhere but McDonagh has an idea: Dragunov vs. Breakker with McDonagh being there for to face the winner. That doesn’t work for Breakker, who says if his math is correct, McDonagh has a 33 1/3 chance of winning (BIG pop for that). Breakker will see them at Halloween Havoc.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are in a fight in the back.

Mandy Rose hopes Alba Fyre is watching.

The Schism is ready to hurt Cameron Grimes.

Fallon Henley vs. Mandy Rose

Non-title and the rest of Toxic Attraction is here too. Rose knocks her into the corner to start and grabs an abdominal stretch before grabbing an abdominal stretch. Henley hiptosses her way out of it and hits a swinging faceplant for two. Back up and Rose shoves her off, setting up the running knee for the pin at 5:35. Barrett: “Rose keeps knocking them out with those American thighs.”

Rating: C-. This was kind of a dry one as Rose spent a good chunk of time on the abdominal stretch. Henley is still one of the most energetic and charismatic women on the roster but she isn’t in the title hunt and shouldn’t have been any kind of a threat to Rose. There are bigger challengers for Rose out there and this was a way to keep her looking strong before she gets to them.

Post match Rose says this is Alba Fyre’s last warning. Fyre pops up on screen to say she’s more of a visual person, and then lights the words AND NEW on fire. Good thing she had that ready.

Apollo Crews has a vision of Grayson Waller with terrified eyes.

Ilja Dragunov runs into Xyon Quinn, who says Dragunov has a lot of hype. Quinn wants a chance to run with the ball but Dragunov doesn’t think he’s that bright. A match seems likely for later tonight.

North American Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks is here with D’Angelo. Feeling out process to start with D’Angelo getting the better of things. Lee knocks him to the floor though, where Stacks says give him some time to cut off Lee’s dive. That earns Stacks a dive instead so he gets inside, where the referee ejects him as we take a break. Back with D’Angelo grinding away on a chinlock but Lee fights up and sends him into the corner…..and D’Angelo is hurt. The referee calls the match at 8:42 with Lee winning via stoppage.

Rating: C. That’s never something you want to see and hopefully D’Angelo is back to full health very soon. The match leading up to the injury wasn’t all that great and the result means very little, as I can’t imagine either of these two being a major threat to winning the title. Kind of a run of the mill match here until the ending took everything they had away.

It isn’t clear what happened to D’Angelo but commentary thinks it is a knee injury.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams don’t care about Wes Lee but here is Oro Mensah to interrupt. Hayes thinks they can do good things for Mensah but at Halloween Havoc, it is every man for themselves. Works for Mensah.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

And now, a day in the life of Pretty Deadly. They wake up at 10am and have breakfast in bed, then choose their wardrobe at 11am. Then at 2pm it’s time to spend an hour working on their hair. After some tea, they go to the gym (wearing their titles of course) where they keep working out. Then they sleep next to each other. For you old OVW fans, I had no idea that the Heartbreakers were still a thing.

Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is a rather athletic surfer. Miller takes her down by the arm to start but Ruca is back up with a headscissors. A sunset flip gives Ruca one and a dropkick gets two as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled here. Miller takes her back down and grabs a cross arm choke but Ruca is back up. A knockdown out of the corner sets up a flipping legdrop to the back to give Ruca the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. Ruca is a very athletic woman and has a good look. That is the extent of what could be said about her based on this and that isn’t enough to get much from yet. So far, the only thing I know about Ruca is she surfs and is athletic. One of those things makes her stand out and she is going to need something else to make me interested in her.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are still fighting.

Cameron Grimes vs. Joe Gacy

The Dyad is here with Gacy. Grimes kicks away at the ribs to start so Gacy heads outside, where he rams Grimes into the apron. That’s enough for Grimes, who fights up and hits a flip dive to take the Dyad down. Back in and Gacy grabs a swinging Rock Bottom for two on Grimes but he slips out of a second one. The superkick drops Gacy but the Dyad offers another distraction. That’s enough for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here, other than Gacy getting another win because of course he does. For the life of me I do not get what WWE sees in him but we are going to be seeing him for a long time to come. I would hope that this doesn’t lead to Grimes joining the team, but maybe he can find a friend to help deal with the numbers game.

Grayson Waller is frustrated with Apollo Crews, including what was wrong with his eyes in that vision. So Crews’ visions are now able to be seen by everyone? Doesn’t that mean it isn’t his vision? Anyway, Waller is going to have extra security for his talk show next week because that isn’t going to happen.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayden Carter

Zoey Stark and Katana Chance are here too. Feeling out process to start with Carter taking her down and shaking a bit. Back up and Lyons knocks her into the corner, setting up the running headscissors out of the corner. Something like a Michinoku Driver gives Lyons two but Carter knocks her down. The running kick to the face in the ropes gets two on Lyons but she is right back with a spinning kick to the head. The splits splash finishes for Lyons at 4:14.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark are likely to get the next Women’s Tag Team Title shot and that means one of them needs to pin one of the champs on the way there. It would not surprise me to see Lyons move up to a much higher level on her own one day, but the Tag Team Titles makes enough sense. Keeping Lyons matches short is a good idea as she gets to be flashy and get out, which works well for her.

We look back at Chase U beating Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams last week.

This week at a pep rally, Chase told his students that he has a North American Title qualifying match next week against Von Wagner. He’s ready to move on to win the title and opens the floor for questions. Someone named Dave (ahuh) asks why we should believe that Chase can beat Wagner. Chase: “YOU THINK THAT’S A FIVE STAR QUESTION???” Chase promises to win. So there is WWE’s take on the AEW media scrums.

Nathan Frazer talks about being tied up with Axiom and compares it to his soccer career.

Xyon Quinn vs. Ilja Dragunov

They fight over a headlock to start with Dragunov getting the better of things with a headlock takeover. The abdominal stretch goes on but Quinn slips out and sends him into the corner for a running shot to the face. There’s a backbreaker to Dragunov and a splash gets two. Dragunov hits a jumping enziguri and muscles him over with a suplex, setting up a hard right hand on the mat. The Torpedo Undisclosed Location finishes Quinn at 4:54.

Rating: C+. What matters here is getting Dragunov in the ring and giving him a win to establish him. The fans knew who he was but he needed to beat someone to get his feet wet around here. Dragunov is such a ball of energy in the ring and he’ll get over through pure energy, while Quinn….dang he seemed like a solid prospect and then just fell apart.

Wendy Choo doesn’t like Lash Legend’s voice and won’t apologize for standing up for herself. Legend doesn’t like her either so next week they’ll try to shut each other up.

Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp

Brutus starts the brawl in the aisle and they head inside for the opening bell. They fight over some grappling to start with Kemp grabbing a cravate. Creed fights up and gets two off a cradle, which is enough for Kemp to grab a chair and unload for the DQ at 3:03.

Rating: C. This was more about moving a story forward as Kemp is getting ready for the big showdown with Julius Creed. That being said, the more I see of Kemp, the more I like him. He has the amateur style and is becoming a rather nasty heel so this was a nice beatdown for the ending. Brutus got beaten up, but there are bigger deals for Kemp coming down the line.

Kemp wants Julius Creed too. Where is Julius for the save anyway?

Quincy Elliott gives Sanga a pep talk in the back, which Sanga appreciates. With Sanga gone, Xyon Quinn comes in but Elliott doesn’t see the X Factor in him. Then Quincy leaves.

Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles but Toxic Attraction comes in to laugh at them. A fight is teased and here is Alba Fyre to even things up (and start a fire). Toxic Attraction bails.

Gallus vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

Pub Rules match, meaning street fight, with Joe Coffey banned from ringside. It’s a brawl to start with a fight on the floor and another inside. Gallus feels the need to bring out a table as I feel the need to praise Jensen’s Badstreet USA shirt. Jensen grabs his own table but instead it’s time for s a bunch of chair shots to drop Gallus as we take a break. Back with Gallus in control and a bunch of weapons in the ring.

Some belts are brought out to whip Jensen and Briggs, with a few fans being rather terrified. Jensen and Briggs fight up and get in their own whipping but since it’s pub rules, some glasses are broken over Gallus as well. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so here is Joe Coffey, who gets booted off the apron and through a table. Wolfgang goes through a table as well and it’s a High/Low to Mark (still in the trashcan) for the win at 11:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a low level house show main event where they had a street fight for the sake of saying they had a street fight. There was nothing here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere and Gallus got beaten up pretty easily. I don’t know what kind of a future Briggs and Jensen have, but it’s better than whatever Gallus has to look forward to. Dull match and really not worthy of a main event spot.

Gallus is held back by security and punches a referee. Cops come in to arrest the trio to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a very up and down show and I wasn’t getting into a lot of it. There was nothing on here that was particularly good or worth seeing, but it did move a lot of things forward. That is one of the places where NXT shines: it feels like they know where they want to go and how they want to get there, which is a lot more than some shows can say. Halloween Havoc is over a month away and you can see a lot of the matches from here. If they can find a better way to set things up then great, but for now, they are at least doing something right in the areas of structure. Not a great show, but it was well put together.

Results
Mandy Rose b. Fallon Henley – Running knee
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo via referee stoppage
Sol Ruca b. Amari Miller – Flipping legdrop
Joe Gacy b. Cameron Grimes – Handspring clothesline
Nikkita Lyons b. Kayden Carter – Splits splash
Ilja Dragunov b. Xyon Quinn – Torpedo
Brutus Creed b. Damon Kemp via DQ when Kemp used a chair
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Gallus – High/low to Coffey

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: September 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re officially into the second year of NXT 2.0 which now seems to be minus the 2.0. Things seem to be moving forward into a new era around here and that should be good for NXT as a whole. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but we do have a #1 contenders match this week between Tyler Bate and JD McDonagh. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Earlier today, Carmelo Hayes and Solo Sikoa came in to see Shawn Michaels and the results of the match last week cannot stand. Sikoa was not the sanctioned challenger and therefore cannot be the North American Champion. The title is handed over and Sikoa hands over the title, with Shawn wishing him luck anywhere he goes. Hayes is ready to have the title handed back to him but Shawn says not so fast. In six weeks at Halloween Havoc, there is a six man ladder match (gah) for the title. I like Sikoa not losing and Shawn as the kind of GM, but the ladder match….not so much.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

Match #2 in a best of three series with Axiom up 1-0. Frazer starts fast with a backslide, setting off a series of rollups for two each. Axiom goes for the ankle but Frazer escapes and that’s a standoff. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Axiom two but Frazer dropkicks him out of the air. That’s enough to send Axiom bailing to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Axiom fighting out of a front facelock and hitting a running dropkick. A high crossbody gives Axiom two but Frazer superkicks him down for the same. Axiom is back up with a super hiptoss for two of his own but he takes too long going up. Frazer runs the corner for a superplex into a spinning suplex into the Phoenix splash for the pin at 13:09.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action based match that these two were always going to have and they didn’t’ even go with anything stupid like having Axiom kicking out after that kind of a finishing sequence. Very good match here and an upgrade over their first match, which has me wanting to see the rematch. Odds are they wind up as a team, but at least they’re having a good run getting there.

Alba Fyre wants the Women’s Title.

Mandy Rose insists she isn’t worried about Fyre. She’ll take out Fallon Henley next week and then beat Fyre.

We recap Damon Kemp turning on the Diamond Mine, even showing footage of him being paid off by the D’Angelo Family (to win the Tag Team Titles, but that failed due to Santos Escobar). Then he took out Roderick Strong and knows that the Creeds are mad at him anyway. He’ll fight either of them one on one. This was a heck of an explanation and better than I was expecting.

Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for the tag match, with Nile insisting that she’s ok.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Toxic Attraction

Paxley and Dolin lock up to start and then trade some dives with neither getting anywhere. A dropkick staggers Dolin but she’s right back with a running clothesline. Jayne comes in for some kicks and a backsplash for two but Paxley fights out of an armbar. It’s back to Nile for a suplex as everything breaks down. A spinning Codebreaker sets up some stereo kicks to drop Paxley for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get anywhere and they didn’t exactly play into the idea of Nile being distracted. Paxley and Nile are still a bit of a weird team but it is a good thing to see them getting time together to make them feel like a normal pairing. Nothing match and not very good, as Toxic Attraction gets built back up again.

Here is Schism to talk about how awesome they are and how everyone should join them. Joe Gacy calls out Cameron Grimes again but here are Edris Enofe and Malik Blade for the brawl, following last week’s beating.

Dyad vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

It’s a brawl to start until Blade works on Fowler’s wrist. Some double teaming takes Fowler down but it’s quickly off to Reid, who takes Enofe into the corner. That is broken up rather quickly and Blade comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. The big flip dive to the floor drops the Dyad and we take a break.

Back with Blade in trouble through a pull of the sweater vest. We pause for the Schism hug on the floor before the beating is back on. Blade slips through the legs though and the hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house. Blade tags right back in for a spinebuster/side kick combination on Reid but Fowler makes the save. A step up Canadian Destroyer drops Enofe and Ticket To Mayhem finishes him off at 9:15.

Rating: C. This is your weekly reminder that Schism and the Dyad are absolutely horrible and not worth the time of day. The gimmick s something that has been done so much better elsewhere and I can’t believe that we are continuing their run. Enofe and Blade continue to be that team that should be something but haven’t gotten the chance yet. That might come later, but for now, it is a lot of spinning their wheels.

We look at Quincy Elliott’s debut last week.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez, with Satomura taking her out and then Cora Jade vs. Perez continuing. Perez is ready to be more violent.

Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo

Choo takes her down to start and sends Jade outside for a dive but gets taken down by the hair. Back in and Jade hammers away before grabbing a cross arm choke. Choo fights up to start the comeback but gets caught in a DDT to give Jade the fast pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. Little more than a squash here until Jade finished her off. Jade continues to find her footing as a heel but she has come a long way in a few weeks. On the other hand you have Choo, who is at least dressing a bit more seriously. It might not be much, but any step is an improvement over how bad things have been for her.

Post match Lash Legend comes in to boot Choo down.

Bron Breakker is grateful to the fans for voting him Superstar Of The Year. As for the main event, he picks Tyler Bate over JD McDonagh and would love a rematch.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes aren’t happy.

Video on Oro Mensah.

Mensah is here to face the very best, like Grayson Waller. Now he wants the North American Title.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams for a chat. Hayes insists that he is the top star around here but title or no title, he is still the A Champion. Cue Chase U, with Chase thinking this is a TEACHABLE MOMENT. Chase knocks them to the floor and let’s ring that bell.

Chase U vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

Williams comes in off a blind tag and dropkicks Chase for two as Barrett goes over courses he would offer if he was a professor. Hayward comes in to take over in the corner before Chase is right back in for the spelling stomps. It’s back to Hayward for a torture rack but Hayes comes in to break it up. A springboard spinning clothesline drops Hayward for two, only to have Hayward get over to Chase without much trouble. Hayes kicks Chase and Hayward down but another springboard is countered into a rollup to give Chase the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C. I still have no idea how but Chase has gotten this Chase U nonsense over. It is something that should have no staying power and somehow is one of the most over things in all of NXT. Putting Chase into the North American Title hunt wouldn’t be the worst thing and that seems to be where we are going. Nothing match due to time, but I could go for more Chase and company shenanigans.

Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley interrupt Gallus’ card game. Security has to come in to quell any possible violence.

Sanga vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who can’t shoulder Sanga down to start and has to punch his way out of a powerslam attempt. Back up and a sidewalk slam plants Wagner but Sanga goes after an interfering Stone. That’s enough for Wagner to post him, setting up a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:51.

Wesley wants the North American Title.

Stacks says Tony D’Angelo will be North American Champion.

Cameron Grimes is sick of Schism and promises to put them in a wood chipper next week. The fuel will take him to the moon.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Oro Mensah vs. Grayson Waller

Waller starts fast but gets armdragged down a few times. Back up and Waller yells a lot, earning himself a beating into the corner. A pop up belly to back suplex drops Mensah and Waller unloads with forearms on the mat. The hammer and anvil elbows get two on Mensah but he’s back up with a spinning kick to the head. Waller manages a neck snap across the top and loads up the running Stunner, only to get cut off by Apollo Crews (bleeding from the eye). That lets Mensah hit a dive, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C. Mensah (as Oliver Carter back in the day) was fun to watch in NXT UK and you got the same thing here. It’s also a bit of a surprise to see Waller losing, but he was protected by the Crews interference. I could go for more of Mensah, even if he won’t be getting his title shot for a long time.

The Creed Brothers want Damon Kemp, with Brutus getting the shot next week. Julius wants Kemp’s career ended.

Here is Bron Breakker with a Connor’s Cure kid. The kid seems a bit awestruck and I’d call that acceptable.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Tyler Bate

The winner gets a shot at Bron Breakker, on commentary, at some point in the future. McDonagh takes him down by the head to start but Bate slips out and reverses into an armbar. Back up and they trade several rollups/cradles for two each until a double knockdown sends us to a break.

We come back with Bate getting out of a Boston crab so McDonagh kicks him down again. The fight heads to the floor with Bate getting the better of things, setting up a t-bone suplex back inside. A running shooting star press gives Bate two and the airplane spin is good for the same.

McDonagh low bridges him to the floor, setting up a 450 for two back inside. A brainbuster gives McDonagh two more and they slug it out, with Bate getting Spanish Flied down….where he manages a left hand from his back for a unique twist. Bate gets caught on top and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Devil Inside to give McDonagh the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. They had a good, hard hitting fight here and that Bate punch from the mat was a nice spot. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have McDonagh get another shot so fast but it was less recent than Bate vs. Breakker. They didn’t get to that next level but Breakker has a new challenger and we’re probably set for the Halloween Havoc main event.

Post match Breakker gets in the ring for a staredown….and none of that matters because Ilja Dragunov is here (McDonagh: “NO!!!!!”)!. Breakker approves and holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The opener and main event were both good but the rest of the show didn’t exactly light up the world. I do like the Dragunov debut though as he feels like a top star joining the roster. Halloween Havoc is still a long way off but at least they have something to build towards. Now we get to find out how things are going to go as there is a long while before the show, which should make for a good time.

Results
Nathan Frazer b. Axiom – Phoenix splash
Toxic Attraction b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile – Stereo kicks to Paxley
Dyad b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Ticket To Mayhem to Enofe
Cora Jade b. Wendy Choo – DDT
Chase U b. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams – Rollup to Hayes
Von Wagner b. Sanga – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Oro Mensah b. Grayson Waller – Running spinwheel kick
JD McDonagh b. Tyler Bate – Devil Inside

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: September 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the one year anniversary and that is something that could work very well. WWE knows how to hype up its own history like few others and they could manage to make it work around here. I’m not sure how many highlights there are for this show, but there is at least some potential. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers vs. Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly is defending inside a cage, where thankfully there are no tags. The champs try for stereo escapes to start and are quickly pulled down into some suplexes. Wilson is sent into the cage and Prince gets kneed in the face a lot. The Creeds have to cut them off again, but this time Prince hits a middle rope Codebreaker to drop Julius. Brutus is fine enough to powerbomb Wilson into the cage. Prince and Brutus slug it out on top of the cage until Julius pulls Wilson down with a springboard Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with the champs double superplexing Julius. The champs go up but Julius pulls them back, leaving Brutus to hit the Creed Bomb for something like a Doomsday device. Cue Damon Kemp with handcuffs so Julius goes up to cut him off. That leaves Julius handcuffed to the top of the cage so Brutus has to make his own save. Brutus can’t keep up with the numbers though and Spilled Milk gets two. A series of rams into the cage crush Brutus again and another Spilled Milk retains the titles at 14:58.

Rating: C+. I’ve been big on Pretty Deadly for a long time now and it is great to see them getting this kind of a win. This felt like a major moment and they needed to do something like that to feel like bigger stars. Hopefully they get to hold onto the titles for a good while, as the Creeds seem busy with Damon Kemp at the moment.

Damon Kemp is pleased.

Wes Lee wins the vote for a North American Title shot and is very pleased. Von Wagner, one of the losers, isn’t and storms off. Joe Gacy says he approves of the vote and wishes Lee luck. Lee seems a bit disturbed.

Video on the last year of NXT. Like it or not, there has been A LOT of stuff in there, some of which worked better than others, but things did happen. As usual, this is where WWE shines, as they made some silly angles and moments feel a lot better than they were.

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Legend starts fast and knocks Henley outside hard. A ram into the apron has Fallon’s back in trouble and they go back inside for an over the shoulder backbreaker. With that broken up, Henley ducks the pump kick and hits a running knee to finish Legend at 2:17. Well that’s a surprise and I’m not complaining.

Yulisa Leon has torn something in her knee and will be out nine months. Sanga consoles her as an annoyed Von Wagner and Mr. Stone come in. They rant a lot and Sanga says watch the language because there are ladies present. A fight is teased.

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs run into Toxic Attraction. After Jensen stumbles over being nice to Mandy Rose, Henley doesn’t think much of what she says back to him. Another fight is teased, with Toxic Attraction mocking Henley a good bit.

Here is Toxic Attraction to say it is appropriate that they are the featured attraction on the anniversary show. They promise to keep dominating and brag about all of their title wins, with Mandy Rose saying she’s better than Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes. Cue Alba Fyre to say Mandy knows nothing about her. The bat holds the team off and Mandy has to be saved. She goes back to get the title as the next challenger seems to be set. Fyre is one of the few challengers Mandy has left so this is a smart way to go.

Cora Jade talks about how great she is, despite taking her time to rise up. The lack of confidence cost her, until the match with Natalya brought her to the next level. Then she dropped Roxanne Perez like she should have done a long time ago and now the sky is the limit. The change of attitude has allowed her to become a star and this time next year, she’ll be the top star.

Wendy Choo doesn’t think much of Jade and says she may dress weird, but she’s still smart. Lash Legend comes in and is still mad about the loss to Fallon Henley. Glaring at Choo ensues.

Quincy Elliott vs. Sean Gallagher

Elliott gyrates a lot and Gallagher is shaken. A flip from Elliott makes it even worse so Gallagher hits him, only to get mauled in return. Elliott hits a Banzai Drop to finish at 1:21. The fans seemed into Elliott so they’re doing something right.

Cameron Grimes is ready to fight the D’Angelo Family himself, because he’s teaming with the one person he can trust. Time to go to the moon.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams jump Wes Lee in the locker room and crush his head in a locker. Sounds like replacement time.

Cameron Grimes vs. D’Angelo Family

Stacks starts for the team and gets dropped with a running shoulder. A knee to the ribs does the same and there’s a running kick to the back of the head. D’Angelo comes in and the numbers game puts Grimes in trouble in the corner. Cue Joe Gacy and the Dyad, with Gacy getting on the apron as Grimes’ partner.

Grimes fights out of the corner and Gacy extends his hand, but Grimes would rather get suplexed by D’Angelo for two instead (probably smart). A backflip gets Grimes out of a suplex and he staggers into the corner, where Gacy tags himself in. House is cleaned but Grimes stops to yell at Gacy, only to have the Family break it up. A Cave In hits D’Angelo and the handspring lariat finishes Stacks at 5:36.

Rating: C. The match was just kind of there, but please do not let this turn into a Gacy/Grimes thing. If they have to feud with each other then fine, but putting Gacy above Grimes sounds like a horrible idea. Then again that might just be Gacy in general, as almost nothing he has done has been worthwhile whatsoever.

Post match Gacy hugs a confused Grimes, who says he doesn’t need Gacy. The Dyad jumps Grimes and Gacy joins in with the beatdown, including putting the smiley face sticker on Grimes’ chest.

JD McDonagh is getting his beard shaved and says this is a necessity. He doesn’t like Bron Breakker or Tyler bate for that matter, but doesn’t seem phased by the fact that he is bleeding from the shave.

We get a sitdown interview with Bron Breakker, who was scared after his first match but the people made him feel at home. After some issues getting there, Breakker won the NXT Title, which was a big deal for his family. Then he got to induct the Steiner Brothers into the Hall of Fame, which was a great honor for him. Breakker won the NXT Title for the second time and then beat a bunch of people to retain it. We’ll see what’s next.

Tyler Bate respects Bron Breakker but wants a rematch for the NXT Title. As for JD McDonagh, Bate is down to face him to get the title shot.

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark vs. Kiana James/Arianna Grace

Stark pulls James into the corner to start and it’s off to Lyons, who blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a release fisherman’s suplex into a nip up. We take a break and come back with Lyons fighting back again, including a spinning kick to Grace for two. Stark comes in to take Grace down and James gets tagged in, much to her own fear.

James manages to get in a cheap shot on Lyons and takes Stark down in a bit of a surprise. A backdrop kicks Stark out of trouble so Grace comes in, only to get kneed in the face. Since there is no Lyons, Grace kicks Stark in the face for two instead. Stark manages the Z360 (the flipping knee) to Grace and it’s Lyons with the splits splash for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark were supposed to be in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament so it would seem that they are going to be pushed as a regular thing. Grace and James only got together recently and have already lost so their future might not be as bright. Stark is still able to have a good one with just about anyone though and that made up for some of Grace and James’ shortcomings.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are happy with not voting for Joe Gacy. Cue the Dyad for the brawl but security breaks it up. Hank Walker is told to go back inside because he has his own match.

Oro Mensah (Oliver Carter of NXT UK) is coming next week.

Grayson Waller is sure that he is going to be voted the biggest star of NXT, but the final four were Toxic Attraction, Nikkita Lyons, Carmelo Hayes and….Bron Breakker. Waller goes off on the fans for not voting for him because he is the face of this brand.

Javier Bernal vs. Hank Walker

Walker is a security guard, doesn’t have music, and comes to the ring in street clothes. Bernal gets caught in the corner and is tossed right back out of it, only to dropkick the knee out. Some kicks to the knee stagger Walker but he tossed Bernal around again. Walker takes him down and hammers away before taking off the shirt to quite the reaction. A running elbow finishes Bernal at 3:20, which is viewed as a major upset.

Rating: D+. They do realize that Walker has wrestled on one of the other NXT shows right? I’ve seen Walker a few times on LVL Up and I have no idea what the appeal is supposed to be. The fact that he looks like Seth Rogen is only going to get him so far and he didn’t show me anything here to make me think he has potential.

Video on cool entrances.

Sol Ruca is coming. She’s still a surfer.

Some alumni congratulate NXT 2.0 on its anniversary.

Bron Breakker is voted Superstar Of The Year.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending, at least in theory as Lee was taken out earlier. Hayes talks about how he is running over everyone and he has more on him than anyone else. Hold on though as we seem to have a surprise challenger.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is still defending and the fans are WAY into Sikoa. A whip into the corner sets up a running corner clothesline but it’s too early for the running Umaga attack. Instead Sikoa sends him over the top and onto Williams as we take an early break. Back with Williams tripping Sikoa down to bank up the bad knee and give Hayes control for a change.

The half crab keeps Sikoa in trouble until a rope breaks things up. Hayes’ jumping knee is blocked and Sikoa hammers away. There’s the Samoan drop to Hayes and Sikoa takes Williams out. A swinging Rock Bottom sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin and the title at 10:00.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the title change is any kind of a surprise as NXT would want to have a big moment to end the show. That being said, Sikoa winning the title is almost confusing due to his Smackdown/Bloodline status, but I can’t imagine they changed their minds on a promotion and then and then gave him a championship immediately thereafter. This should be interesting, but it’s more bizarre than anything else at the moment.

Shawn Michaels gives us a voiceover talking about what NXT means to end the show, complete with a new, and much less rainbowy, logo, with the 2.0 disappearing.

Overall Rating: C+. What mattered more than the wrestling here was the fact that the show felt like a big celebration of the first year of NXT 2.0. The video package on the history’s show was great and the title change at the end felt special. This was a show that made me want to see more of NXT, and the ending gave me a hope that they are going to be a bit more serious going forward. I liked the show and had a good time with it, so they hit their mark this week.

Results
Pretty Deadly b. Creed Brothers – Spilled Milk to Brutus
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Running knee
Quincy Elliott b. Sean Gallagher – Banzai Drop
Joe Gacy/Cameron Grimes b. D’Angelo Family – Handspring lariat to Stacks
Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark b. Kiana James/Arianna Grace – Splits splash to James
Hank Walker b. Javier Bernal – Running forearm
Solo Sikoa b. Carmelo Hayes – Superfly Splash

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: August 30, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Worlds Collide and that means we should be in for the hard push towards the show. Since we currently have a two match card, I’m expecting quite a few matches to be added to the show this week. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but it almost has to happen. Let’s get to it.

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

Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews

Crews’ intro cuts off Waller’s pre-match speech, much to Barrett’s annoyance. Crews grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about his random visions, which just aren’t going to be explained. Waller fights out but gets dropkicked down, allowing Crews to dribble an invisible basketball and dance a bit. The very delayed vertical suplex slam puts Waller back down but he seems to go to the eye to get a breather. A medic comes out to check on Crews and we take a break.

Back with Crews fighting out of a chinlock but his slingshot hilo is countered into a sleeper. Crews breaks out of that too and kicks him in the head but Waller gets in a shot of his own to slow him down. The rolling Stunner is almost countered into a spinebuster, only to have the second attempt connect to give Waller the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C. Waller’s push continues, even if it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. At the same time, Crews seems to be in NXT to put others over and that might be the best use for him. You could put him into a title hunt almost immediately or even bring him back t the main roster, but for now, this seems to be about it for him.

The Diamond Mine is ready to fight but Roderick Strong wants to talk about the security footage from a few weeks ago. Julius Creed doesn’t care, but here are Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for their tag match against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter.

Bron Breakker is in the locker room when Finn Balor pops up to say he made the NXT Title the standard. He’s also beaten people twice his size so don’t underestimate Tyler Bate.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Non-title. Nile takes Carter down for an early two and sunset flips her for the same. Chance comes in to roll Paxley up for two more, followed by a double clothesline for a double knockdown. As they’re both down, we see that Toxic Attraction has left the Toxic Lounge. Cue Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for a distraction, which draws Nile away. The 450/neckbreaker combination finishes Paxley at 4:16.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, but it does say something that NXT seems to have some teams that can be thrown out there every now and then. It wasn’t exactly a great match and was there for the sake of the Toxic Attraction run-in, but at least the champs got a win. Now just find some better challengers for the champs and start making them seem better.

Post match Chance and Carter grab the mic but Doudrop and Nikki Ash interrupt. They like the idea of a party, but they also want a title shot on Sunday. Sure.

Kiana James is in her office where she is ready for Zoey Stark tonight.

The Schism is ready for some ceremony involving Cameron Grimes.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrive but don’t want to talk about anything but Hayes’ opponent at Worlds Collide.

Here is Schism, with Joe Gacy being proud of the Dyad’s efforts. He’s so happy that they get smiley face pins to show how great they are. They are moving up the Schism’s tree, and yes there is a graphic. The Dyad is rather pleased with what they’re doing, but for now, Joe Gacy wants to talk about Cameron Grimes. He can never be happy without the Schism so here is Grimes to answer.

Cue Grimes, who says the team has been after him for a few weeks but he has realized he doesn’t need them. Gacy talks about how Grimes keeps failing and has not titles, but Grimes still isn’t interested. That makes Gacy bring up Grimes’ dead father, and that’s enough for the fight. Grimes cleans house, but walks into Gacy’s handspring…..hug? Grimes leaves and is rather confused. I’m rather confused as to why Gacy, who might be the worst thing in wrestling, is still around.

Roxanne Perez can’t believe Cora Jade turned on her and goes nuclear by blocking Jade’s number.

Tyler Bate is in the back when Finlay comes in to say there’s a call for him. Pete Dunne is on a tablet and says go unify those titles for NXT UK. Yes Dunne, not Butch.

Lash Legend/Pretty Deadly vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley

Henley goes after Legend to start but gets choked on the ropes for her efforts. Wilson comes in and gets slapped by Henley, allowing Briggs to come in for the big shoulder. It’s off to Prince, who comes off the top and lands in an atomic drop. Henley kicks Legend down and gets LAUNCHED over the top onto all three villains as we take a break.

Back with Briggs getting knocked down and pounded by Wilson, setting up some choking from the floor. The chinlock goes on but Briggs powers over and brings in Jensen to start cleaning house. Jensen and Prince knock each other down so Jensen goes for the tag, only to have Gallus come out. The women get in a fight, leaving Joe Coffey to kick Jensen into a rollup to give Prince the pin at 11:31.

Rating: C. this was all about getting Gallus out there and probably helping to set up the four way for both sets of Tag Team Titles at the pay per view. The distraction helps keep the champs looking ok and Henley vs. Legend was at least energetic. It’s still the weakest title match at the moment, but at least they seem to have a direction.

Shayna Baszler comes in to see Mandy Rose, who says she’ll be passing Baszler soon. Baszler tells her to unify the titles or nothing from the last year matters.

JD McDonagh twists the mic cube around and says people find him creepy, including Wes Lee. He doesn’t care about what people think or about things like feelings. Did you know McDonagh is weird? I don’t know if they made that clear enough.

Andre Chase vs. Charlie Dempsey

Chase U is here with Chase, as you might have guessed. They go with the grappling to start with neither being able to get very far. A test of strength results in them flipping down to the mat, with no one getting an advantage. Chase starts working on the arm to take over but Dempsey isn’t having any of that. Instead, Dempsey pulls him down into a string of holds, from a Fujiwara armbar into an STF into something like a Regal Stretch. Bodie Hayward annoys Dempsey though, causing him to let go and suplex Hayward on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction to let Chase grab a rollup pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. Not much of a match but it deserves some credit for the surprise ending. Dempsey was pushed as a killer in NXT UK but I like Chase actually getting a win. The whole Chase U act has figured out its ceiling and giving them a win like this isn’t the worst idea. There is always going to be room for someone like Dempsey and he’ll be fine, but Chase has a more unique talent and that deserves some attention.

Meiko Satomura runs into Alba Fyre (who Satomura beat to win the NXT UK Women’s Title) and they exchange respect.

Tyler Bate runs into Gunther, who tells him to bring the Bate that fought him in Cardiff to face Bron Breakker.

Kiana James vs. Zoey Stark

Stark starts fast and knocks her down, setting up a springboard corkscrew dive for two. A quick trip to the floor goes badly for James but she’s right back with an armbar inside. Stark fights up and hits a running knee for two of her own, setting up the flipping knee for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C-. Another short match that didn’t have the time to go very far, but Stark winning gives her a nice boost back up. James is someone with charisma and a different kind of character but she hasn’t actually done much yet. She shouldn’t have started doing so here either, so this was the right way to go.

Post match Nikkita Lyons runs in to chase James off.

Blair Davenport is ready to unify the women’s titles on Sunday. Rhea Ripley pops up to say she has held both titles so do the same thing she did.

Nathan Frazer and someone else are reading WWE comic books. Frazer misses NXT UK and says the guy next to him wouldn’t know what that’s like. It’s Axiom, who agrees to face Frazer in a British rounds match under Heritage Cup rules at Worlds Collide. Then they trade comic books.

Gallus vs. Diamond Mine

Brutus has to fight out of early trouble and gutwrench suplexes Mark, allowing the tag off to Kemp for a waistlock. Everything breaks down and Diamond Mine tries stereo submissions to send us to a break. Back with Julius powering Joe up for a release slam, setting up the ankle lock. Mark trips Julius on the apron though and some shots to the back keep him in trouble.

Julius fights out of Joe’s chinlock and Wolfgang’s front facelock but still can’t make the tag. A missed charge allows the tag off to Kemp to clean house, but here is Roderick Strong with his phone. Kemp throws it on the floor for a stomping but the distraction lets Joe hit All The Best For The Bells for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Much like the other six man, this was a bunch of waiting around until we got to the important stuff with the interference. You knew there was going to be someone getting involved somehow and in this case, it was Strong messing things up for his own team. Gallus are fine as the bullies and the Creeds are growing on me, so this was at least decent until the obvious ending.

Post match Pretty Deadly runs in for the brawl but the locker room clears out, with a bunch of referees getting in on it.

Bron Breakker is in the back watching when Ciampa sits down next to him. Ciampa holds the title and talks about what he helped make it mean. It’s Breakker’s world now and he has to defend the brand.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams interrupt a chat about Sunday’s show because Hayes wants an opponent.

Quincy Elliott is still coming.

Worlds Collide rundown, now with Pretty Deadly, Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Gallus and the Creed Brothers in a unification match.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to demand to know who Hayes is facing at Worlds Collide. Hayes has already unified titles so this is nothing new for him. He isn’t a secondary champion and the lack of competition means he is not going to Worlds Collide. There is no one on his level or on a level beneath him. Then the lights go out and it’s…..Ricochet. Hayes: “Look he got a microphone. I don’t know if he knows how to use it though.”

Ricochet thinks Smackdown needs to be part of Worlds Collide. While he respect Hayes and all his title defenses, he can’t actually remember any of them. That’s why Ricochet is ready to give Hayes one to remember, which has Hayes ready to fight. Williams gets kicked down and Hayes springboards into a Recoil, leaving Ricochet to pose to end the show. Ricochet is a good choice as he means something around here and he probably wasn’t on a lot of radar. Just don’t let him talk that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The guest stars gave this a lot of energy and it made the show feel more important, at least for a week. They have taken Worlds Collide from a pretty one note show and turned it into something that could be quite the interesting mess. I’m more interested in where it goes now than I was coming into this week though and that means they did something right.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Apollo Crews – Rolling Stunner
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley – 450/neckbreaker combination to Paxley
Pretty Deadly/Lash Legend b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley – Rollup to Briggs
Andre Chase b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Zoey Stark b. Kiana James – Flipping knee to the face
Gallus b. Diamond Mine – All The Best For The Bells to Julius

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