NXT
Date: August 29, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Heatwave and about a month away from No Mercy. Carmelo Hayes has retained the NXT Title and seems likely to be facing Ilja Dragunov next. For now though, we have a cage match between the Creeds and Schism for the Creeds’ chance to return full time. That would be one of two cage matches in four days this week because WWE likes to do things a lot. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt.

We open with a long recap of Heatwave.

Dyad vs. Creed Brothers

In a cage and if the Creeds win, they’re back in NXT full time. Schism jumps Brutus outside the cage and take him to the back, leaving Julius down 2-1. Julius suplexes his way out of trouble but gets caught with a double clothesline. Some ankle locks slow the Dyad down but they send him face first into the cage as we take a break.

Back with Julius still in trouble but here is Brutus to charge through the rest of the masked Schism members. With nothing else stopping him, Brutus rips the cage door off and gets inside to beat up the Dyad without much trouble. The door is used to crush Dyad against the cage and Fowler gets gorilla pressed into the wall.

What looks to be a Doomsday Device is broken up and Julius is sent into the cage again. Some cage shots to Brutus keep him down until Julius makes the save. Julius lifts both of them onto his shoulders at once for a Brutus Bomb in a very impressive power display. The beatdown is on in a hurry and stereo sliding lariats finish the Dyad at 13:45.

Rating: B-. This was more of a fight than a match and that is what it should have been. There is something amazing about watching the Creeds run through other, possibly more talented teams, with pure power and athleticism. Both of them can just wreck people and it is all kinds of fun to watch every time they’re out there. Just get them something else to do already so they can move up to the main roster.

Roxanne Perez is ready to become #1 contender.

We get a rather well produced video looking over the Global Heritage Cup Invitational. It’s a round robin tournament, set up as two groups of four with the winners facing off for a future title shot. All group matches have a 12 minute time limit and it’s two points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. These matches are NOT under the rounds system.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are admiring their titles in the back when Carmelo Hayes comes in to brag with them. The Street Profits come in and show respect to Hayes, while mentioning a blemish on his record. Hayes is ready to get rid of it while the Profits….are interrupted by a brawl between Dana Brooke, Elektra Lopez, Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Charlie Dempsey vs. Butch

Drew Gulak and Damon Kemp are here with the Meta Four watching from a box. Dempsey suplexes Butch down to start as the fans are on Butch’s side. They stay on the mat to trade control over the other’s hands. Back up and Butch knocks him down for some forearms to the face. Dempsey’s German suplex gets two but Butch pulls him into an armbar. Butch snaps the fingers again and it’s the Bitter End for the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. This was your technical match of the night and my goodness it’s nice to see Butch being like Pete Dunne but under a different name. He has a history in NXT and it is great to see him going back to what made him one of the best things in wrestling for a long time. Dempsey is rather good as well, but he’s not Butch yet and it showed here.

Group A Standings
Butch – 1-0-0 (3 points)
Tyler Bate – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Axiom – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Charlie Dempsey – 0-1-0 (0 points)

Dragon Lee thinks he deserves a North American Title shot but Mustafa Ali comes in to say he’s never had a one on one title shot. People like he and Lee should be fighting for NXT…but Lee already struck out so it’s Ali’s turn now. Lee doesn’t seem to agree as Ali leaves.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to praise Trick Williams for last week. Williams left it all in the ring and proved that he is NOT a sidekick. Dragunov was impressed but now he wants Carmelo Hayes. Hold on though as Noam Dar interrupts from the box to say they’re already on the way to California for No Mercy. Dragunov says it’s very Dar-esque to put the attention on himself and laughs off Oro Mensah’s childish insults.

Dragunov wants to know why he isn’t coming up there right now. Lash Legend says Dar isn’t afraid of anyone so Dragunov takes off the jacket. The Meta Four freaks out so Dar says let’s do this next week: Mensah vs. Dragunov. Works for Dragunov, who kicks Mensah in the head and sends him bailing at the threat of the Torpedo.

Von Wagner wants Bron Breakker, No DQ.

Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez vs. Kelani Jordan/Dana Brooke

Lopez powers Jordan down to start and it’s off to Vice for a double hip attack to the head. Vice’s spinning backfist gets two but Jordan kicks her way out of trouble. Brooke flips Jordan onto Lopez for two as everything breaks down. A spinning kick to the head finishes Jordan at 4:01.

Rating: D+. As usual, Dana Brooke matches aren’t very good and it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. Jordan is still brand new at this and still has a long way to go. Then you have Lopez, who feels like she should be a star but never really broke out. Finally there is Vice, and she has something. There is a presence to go with her charisma and that could get her a long way.

Gigi Dolin is ready to become #1 contender.

Trick Williams talks to Carmelo Hayes, who doesn’t like people thinking Williams got him the win over Ilja Dragunov. Now Hayes has to fight Dragunov one on one but Williams isn’t sure if Hayes can beat him. Hayes isn’t happy, but as he leaves, Williams says “I know you can”, though Hayes doesn’t seem to hear him.

Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe

Eddy starts the fight in the aisle and hits a running boot in the corner for two. A suplex gets the same on Dijak but he’s right back with High Justice for two. They’re both knocked down so Dijak pulls off his belt and the tug of war is on. Thorpe sends him shoulder first into the post but gets tossed hard over the announcers’ table for the big crash. Dijak misses a chair shot in the corner so Eddy him outside. The referee takes the chair away and Dijak gets in a belt shot. The cyclone boot finishes Eddy at 4:15.

Rating: C. These two had a hard hitting match but they seem to be stuck in the purgatory that is the NXT midcard. Either of them could move up to the next level without much of a stretch but for now, they’re more people just trading wins without going anywhere. Why aren’t either of them in the North American Title hunt? Or even the Heritage stuff?

Kiana James is ready to become #1 contender.

Bron Breakker interrupts Baron Corbin and tells him to stay out of the No DQ match with Von Wagner next week.

Angel Garza wakes up with blood on his hands. After he washes it off, Humberto Carrillo knocks on the door and says he had a dream about their grandfather. They seem to have had the same dream, with Garza scratching his chest until he bled. Carrillo reveals that he did the same thing, which means they have to start from….scratch. They pull out a Los Lotharios shirt and seem to be on the same page.

Bray Wyatt tribute video.

Blair Davenport is ready to become #1 contender.

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio aren’t impressed by Dragon Lee. Mysterio says he belongs to Mami and Ripley promises to make him champ for life. Lee and Mustafa Ali can even fight each other for a North American Title shot at No Mercy. Dominik will even be guest referee!

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is at ringside. Frazer works on the arm to start but Frazer seems to accidentally slam his head against the top rope (I’ve never seen that before) so Coffey slams him down. The referee checks on Frazer as fast as he can but Frazer is fine enough to grab a headlock. Coffey powers him into the corner but gets knocked to the apron. A dropkick sends Frazer outside and we take a break.

Back with Frazer firing off a bunch of running forearms into a swinging suplex for two. Coffey cuts him off with a pop up uppercut into a bridging German suplex for two more. Frazer is fine enough to send him outside for a heck of a dive (which barely makes contact). The frog splash gets two back inside but Frazer misses a phoenix splash. A Gallus distraction lets All The Best for The Bells finish for Coffey at 10:00.

Rating: C+. If Frazer is going to be getting the title shot against Dar at the end of this whole thing, they are already building him up for quite the underdog run. Other than that though, we had another good enough match, with Coffey getting something of an upset win. Frazer continues to be a fireball every time he’s out there though and that is always fun to see.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey – 1-0-0 (3 points)
Akira Tozawa – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Duke Hudson – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Nathan Frazer – 0-1-0 (0 points)

We’re off to Chase U, where there is no Thea Hail. Duke Hudson doesn’t know where she is but can’t imagine she skipped class. Chase recognized Duke Hudson for being in the Global Heritage Invitational. Chase didn’t know that Hudson was from Australia, thinking it was New Zealand. Hudson seems surprised at the round robin structure. Class is dismissed and Hudson and Chase talk about the tournament. Thea Hail comes in and seems to imply she skipped class. Hudson says they’re off to Study Hall but Hail says she’s going out. Jacy Jayne pops in to ask if Hail is ready and they leave together. Oh dear.

Fallon Henley talks to Myles Borne, who is cleaning the ring after Drew Gulak and company. She offers him a spot on a team with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, so he’s in.

Wes Lee is in the desert and says he wants another shot at Carmelo Hayes, who didn’t beat him as Lee beat himself. It’s different the next time he gets a chance.

Tyler Bate sizes up the competition in his group but seems to think twice at Butch. As for next week though, he’s going to be waiting in the ring for Dabba-Kato, so come be the Goliath to his David.

Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James vs. Blair Davenport

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a Women’s Title shot next week. Dolin and James fight to the floor to start, leaving Davenport to forearm Perez down. Back in and they trade rollups for two each Everyone stares at each other. Dolin plants Perez on the apron and whips James into the barricade. Davenport takes Dolin down but James moonsaults off the barricade to drop Davenport, only to get taken down by Perez’s dive.

We take a break and come back with Perez getting the worst of a Tower Of Doom. The lack of impact leaves Dolin to hit running charges and dropkicks against the ropes until Perez fights up. Pop Rox is broken up by a James dropkick but Davenport plants Perez or two. Dolin gets two off a half and half suplex and everyone is down (including James on the floor). Perez is back up with Pop Rox to Davenport but she rolls out to the floor. James is back in with the 401k to Perez, followed by the Dealbreaker to Dolin for the pin and the title shot at 11:39.

Rating: B-. This was a better match that I was expecting as they were moving well out there and kept up the action throughout. James kind of stole the win but she did it by taking out two people in a row. That’s an impressive way to get the title shot and it’s nice to see her get a boost. The women’s division can use some fresh blood so even a short shot of James is a good idea.

Tiffany Stratton comes out for the staredown with James.

Carmelo Hayes is watching Wes Lee’s promo and goes into Shawn Michaels’ office, saying they need to talk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another fine show here, even if it was more about setting things up than last week’s show with a bunch of showdowns. They have about a month before No Mercy and they started fast here, though that tournament sounds long (I can however go for something other than another single elimination format). This wasn’t exactly a must see show, but it started to set things up in the right time.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Dyad – Double sliding lariats
Butch b. Charlie Dempsey – Spinning kick to the head
Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez b. Dana Brooke/Kelani Jordan – Spinning kick to the head to Jordan
Dijak b. Eddy Thorpe – Cyclone boot
Joe Coffey b. Nathan Frazer – All The Best For The Bells
Kiana James b. Gigi Dolin, Roxanne Perez and Blair Davenport – Dealbreaker to Dolin

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.

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 28, 2023
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home Raw for Payback and the card is mostly set. There are still a few things that need to be either set up or at least finalized a bit more and hopefully that makes for an entertaining show. Odds are we’ll also be seeing something in the way of tributes to Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt.

Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest

This is a preview of the newly announced Tag Team Title match at Payback, where Sami and Kevin Owens will defend against Priest and Finn Balor. Priest’s headlock doesn’t last long as Zayn sends him out to the floor and hits a springboard moonsault. Back in and Priest blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the Broken Arrow for two.

Zayn is sent outside for a Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. We come back with Zayn hitting a sunset bomb for two and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Zayn exploders him into the corner but here is JD McDonagh for a distraction so Priest can hit South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This is the standard way to build towards a Tag Team Title match in WWE and I would bet on an Owens vs. Balor match later in the night. The McDonagh factor makes it more interesting but we might be waiting to see that one go anywhere. For now though, we got a decent enough match as Priest gets the win while Zayn is protected in a loss.

Post match Priest shoves McDonagh down and leaves, with Kevin Owens coming in to beat McDonagh up again.

Drew McIntyre has a new photo of himself in bright green trunks, which Akira Tozawa finds a bit disturbing. Matt Riddle comes in to suggest they get matching kilts and watch New Day vs. the Viking Raiders tonight.

Video on Raquel Rodriguez wanting to get revenge on Rhea Ripley.

Here is the Miz dressed as LA Knight and we have an impression. Miz mocks the way Knight speaks and switches between YEAH and WHAT. He knows it takes more than a catchphrase to get your support and whips out a bag of LA Knight shirts. If you want a free shirt, give him a H*** YEAH. Miz takes off the gear and talks about how pathetic the fans are. They’ll cheer for anything and the party is over when he beats LA Knight for good. You can cheer for catchphrases and losers and in five days, they’ll be chanting M-I-Z, YEAH! Miz was fired up here and it worked as usual.

We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura talking about Seth Rollins’ back injury.

New Day vs. Viking Raiders

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle (taking notes) are at ringside. Woods headlocks Erik to start but it’s off to Ivar to take over without much time. That’s broken up and Kofi comes back in to strike away. The kick in the corner sets up a high crossbody for two on Ivar, who needs a breather. The big no hands dive takes Ivar out again and we take a break.

Back with Kofi having to dropkick his way out of trouble. Commentary references Barbarian of all people as they talk about Valhalla wearing antlers at ringside and Kofi gets dropped with a forearm for two. Ivar forearms Kofi down and Erik adds a boot as the beating continues. Ivar’s chinlock doesn’t last long and he misses a sitdown splash.

Kofi gets over to Woods so the pace can be picked up but Erik grabs a full nelson onto a raised knee. Everything breaks down and Kingston is driven into Riddle and McIntyre. The latter throws a chair inside and another hits Woods HARD in the face (he seemed to be aiming for Erik). Ivar dives onto McIntyre and Ragnarok finishes Kofi at 17:08.

Rating: C+. This got a lot of time (likely too much) and was more about Riddle and McIntyre interfering than anything else. McIntyre throwing the chair at Woods’ head was a nasty looking crash and should set up a triple threat match. Good stuff here, but it went longer than it needed to.

Post match Kofi, McIntyre and Riddle check on Woods.

Finn Balor and Damian Priest argue about JD McDonagh again and Rhea Ripley has to calm things down again. She already has to deal with Raquel Rodriguez and if the team doesn’t walk out of Payback with Gold, there are going to be some changes.

We get the full Bray Wyatt tribute from Smackdown.

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle ask Kofi Kingston about Xavier Woods, with Kofi saying he’ll be ok. He knows it was an accident because that’s not what Drew is about. Next week, Drew and Riddle are dealing with the Viking Raiders.

Here is Imperium for a chat. Gunther, standing on the announcers’ table as usual, talks about how Chad Gable defeated him last week….by countout. In reality, Gable won nothing, because Gunther is still the champion. The only thing Gable has achieved is making him mad, and now Gable has his focus. If Gable is the last thing left between him and the longest title reign in history, so be it. Cue the Alpha Academy, with gable saying Gunther is making some good points. Next week, Gable is taking the title away.

Chad Gable vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Gable wrestles him down to start and sends things outside for a flip dive off the apron. We take a break and come back with Gable bridging up from a wristlock and taking him down with a drop toehold. Kaiser shoulders him down as well though, only to have Gable come back with a roll into the ankle lock.

That doesn’t work either as Kaiser blasts him with a clothesline. The armbar over the ropes slows Kaiser down again but he knocks Gable outside with a heck of a slap. We take another break and come back again with Kaiser dropkicking him out to the floor. Back in and Gable goes after the leg but can’t get a German suplex.

Instead Kaiser kicks him in the face for two but gets caught with a neckbreaker. Gable misses the moonsault, only to come back with something like a Gory Stretch into a Dominator for two. A Cactus crossbody puts Kaiser on the floor and Gable moonsaults down onto Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci at the same time. Back in and the ankle lock is broken up so Gable grabs Chaos Theory…but Vinci comes in for the DQ at 18:08.

Rating: C+. Wait what? They had the #1 contender go 18 minutes with the champ’s chief goon and then he can’t even get a pin? Not only should Gable have won this clean after taking out an interfering Vinci, but he should have done it in about ten minutes less. I don’t get this one and it didn’t do Gable any favors at all.

Post match the brawl is on with Gunther coming back in. Gunther’s powerbomb is countered into an ankle lock but Gable is beaten down anyway.

Here is Seth Rollins to call out Shinsuke Nakamura. After taking his time to soak in some singing, Rollins throws in a YOWIE WOWIE before saying who he is. It has been a long week so he’ll get to the point and calls out Nakamura right now. There’s no Nakamura, so Rollins is off to drink.

Cue Nakamura on the screen in a video, as he practices with various weapons as well as grappling. The voiceover (with captions) talks about how he is going to stop Rollins. This doesn’t impress Rollins, who wants the OLD Nakamura back. A year ago, Rollins would have given him the shirt off his back but not anymore. On Saturday, Rollins will lay him out, so Nakamura will know that he is never getting anything else from him. Cue Nakamura to jump him from behind and whisper something else to Rollins.

Sami Zayn is sick of Judgment Day always using the numbers game to win. We’ll do it one more time, but it’s going to be in a Steel City Street Fight.

Bronson Reed vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Reed jumps him downing the entrance but gets kneed down as we take a break before the bell. We come back joined in progress with Reed crossbodying him down to cut off an early comeback. Ciampa avoids a charge and manages an Air Raid Crash but Reed is back with a powerbomb. Reed knocks him off the apron and hits a flying shoulder from said apron for the big crash. Back in and Willow’s Bell into a running knee to the face gives Ciampa two. Ciampa gets back up and grabs a crucifix bomb for the pin (despite barely being able to get the shoulders down) for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Not much to this one and the ending didn’t help things. It feels like these two and a few others have been trading wins for weeks now and no one has really come out looking better. What matters here is Ciampa gets a win for a change, but it doesn’t make much of a difference if there is no follow up.

Becky Lynch is ready for Trish Stratus in a cage and for Zoey Stark in a falls count anywhere match. It’s not the easy way and that’s fine with her.

Here are Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley for a chat (and NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is in the crow). Ripley doesn’t think much of Raquel Rodriguez, even if she has a resume of her own. Like being tall! Either way, Ripley is keeping the title at Payback. Cue Rodriguez for the brawl with a fall away slam sending Ripley flying. The Riptide is blocked and Ripley gets clotheslined to the floor.

Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark are ready for Becky Lynch.

Payback rundown.

We get the Terry Funk video tribute from Smackdown.

Zoey Stark vs. Becky Lynch

Falls count anywhere and Trish Stratus is here with Zoey. They both grab kendo sticks to start with Becky beating her down. They head outside where a Trish distraction lets Stark get in a cheap shot. A springboard missile dropkick connects so Trish throws in some chairs….one of which hits Stark in the head (meaning commentary is all over Trish).

There is a pile of chairs in the ring but Lynch pulls her off the top. The Z360 is countered into the Manhandle Slam for two, with Trish making the save. Becky gives chase but has to pull a kendo stick away from Trish. The beating sends Trish up the ramp, only to have Zoey get in a chair shot to the ribs as we take a break.

Back with Becky throwing Zoey over the barricade and back to ringside for a suplex into the barricade. They get back inside where Stark chairs her down again as Michael Cole is standing up on commentary for some reason. A slingshot springboard corkscrew dive hits the chair on Lynch so Stark goes up again. Becky catches her with a superplex onto the chairs and we head outside.

This time the Manhandle Slam onto the announcers’ table is loaded up but Stark escapes and kicks her in the face. Trish is back with a bulldog through a well placed table for a rather delayed two. A double bulldog is broken up and Stark accidentally takes Trish out. The Manhandle Slam off a crate and through a table finishes Stark at 16:11.

Rating: B. They were going for the big fight feel here with Becky overcoming the odds, but that only worked so well as it felt like a handicap match instead of a showdown with Stark. At the same time, this didn’t really make me want to see a Lynch vs. Trish cage match, as Trish was mostly vanquished here. This whole feud has been a bit of a mess and I don’t see the blowoff on Saturday going great either.

Lynch holds up a BRAY armband to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an up and down show with the main event being the best match on the card. At the same time, there wasn’t much added to Payback, save for a Tag Team Title match which was hardly a surprise. Instead they had a wrestling heavy show this week and that is a nice thing to see every so often. They needed a steady show like this after all of the rough news last week, so this was about as good of a choice as they had available. It worked well enough, but save for the main event, there isn’t much you need to see here.

Results
Damian Priest b. Sami Zayn – South Of Heaven
Viking Raiders b. New Day – Ragnarok to Kingston
Chad Gable b. Ludwig Kaiser via DQ when Giovanni Vinci interfered
Tommaso Ciampa b. Bronson Reed – Crucifix bomb
Becky Lynch b. Zoey Stark – Manhandle Slam through a table

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: August 22, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s time for another special with Heatwave, which will be our big time TV show for August. That includes Carmelo Hayes defending the NXT Title against Wes Lee, plus a Trick Williams vs. Ilja Dragunov showdown. NXT has had some success with these bigger shows so maybe they can continue it here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening sequence features Tony D’Angelo and Stacks in a pool, talking about the matches tonight. Big Ang comes in with some of her friends to join in and the guys think the more the merrier. More previewing ensues, with Stacks getting a bit distracted.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams

This is the more serious Williams and they start fast with a strike off. Dragunov gets the better of things by chopping him around the ring until Williams blocks a boot. Williams gets in a shot to the face of his own and they head outside, where Dragunov sends him into the apron. We take a break and come back with Dragunov chopping away in the corner, with Williams telling him to bring it.

Dragunov does bring it, and seems to regret that decision. Williams blocks a chop and kicks him down though and the fans seem to approve. Some shots to the face strike Dragunov down against the ropes but he tells Williams to bring it on. Fans, seemingly singing: “TRICK’S GONNA BEAT YOUR A**!”

One heck of a knee puts Dragunov down again but he pulls Williams into a DDT. Back up and Williams catches him with a super Rock Bottom (that was cool) for two of his own. Dragunov knees him down and hits a powerbomb as the fans are WAY into this. The middle rope fist drop finally finishes Williams at 12:49.

Rating: B. This wasn’t so much about the technical side of things but rather two guys beating the fire out of each other as the fans got into it. If that crowd reaction is any indication of what they are going to do with Williams, his future just got a heck of a lot brighter in a hurry. Williams has a charisma to him and enough in-ring ability to back it up. He wasn’t ready to beat a star like Dragunov here, but they beat each other up really well on the way to the loss.

Tyler Bate is trying to recover from his Dabba Kato beating last week when Nathan Frazer comes in. Bate is ready to see Frazer show he’s the true Heritage Cup Champion, but Frazer would like him to be his second tonight. And yes, Bate will get the first shot after Dar is vanquished. Deal.

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley are warming up for their mixed tag tonight when Mustafa Ali comes in. Ali can’t wait for Dominik to be gone so the North American Title can be free but Ripley threatens violence if Ali isn’t gone in ten seconds. Ali: “Ten seconds? Sounds like something you guys are used to.”

Ava vs. Ivy Nile

Schism is here with Ava, who sends her into the corner for a running splash to start. A scorpion kick puts Nile down again but a slam attempt is countered into the Diamond Chain Lock to make Ava tap at 2:11.

Post match the masked Schism members come after Nile, who fights them all off until Ava is pulled away.

A banged up Ilja Dragunov comes in to see Wes Lee, saying he is next for the NXT Title. Lee says he’ll be champion at the end of the night and he’ll face Dragunov after he wins the title.

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer

Frazer, with Tyler Bate, is defending while the rest of the Meta Four are here too. This is of course under Heritage Cup rules so round one begins with Frazer working on the arm. Dar takes him down into an armbar of his own but Frazer reverses into a headlock as they stay basic to start. Some kicks to the ribs have Frazer staggered a bit but he rolls Dar up for two. Back up and they both miss a few shots, allowing Dar to get in a slap to the face. Frazer hammers away until the round ends and we take a break.

Back with Dar up 1-0 as Dabba Kato came out to attack Bate, allowing Dar to roll him up for the fall. Round three begins with Bate being carried out and Frazer grabbing an STF on Dar. With that broken up, Dar gets in a shot of his own and counters an enziguri into an ankle lock. Frazer breaks that up and sends Dar outside for a suicide dive. A running shooting star press gives Frazer two as the round ends, though Dar gets in an elbow after the bell.

Round four begins with Frazer kicking him down but missing the phoenix splash. Dar elbows him in the face again for two but Frazer catches him on top with a superplex. The Final Cut ties us up at 1-1 at 1:45 of the round and 12:25 overall. We take a break and come back with Frazer hitting a dive onto Dar but Lash Legend slows the count down. Frazer gets a very close two as the round ends.

Round six begins with Frazer forearming him down but Dar gets in some kicks from the mat. Frazer misses a kick in the ropes and gets struck down, only to have Dar miss a top rope stomp. Dar counters a kick into the kneebar but Frazer kicks his way out as we have a minute to go. Frazer goes up top but another distraction means the phoenix splash misses. The Nova Roller gives Dar the cup back at 2:45 of the round and 19;41 overall.

Rating: B-. These matches do have a unique feeling with the rounds, but when you miss most of two of those rounds, the special part kind of goes away. Other than that, this was a back and forth match, though Dar getting the Cup back is a bit depressing. He’s great in the role, but we’ve seen it for so long that it stops being so fun.

Ava says Ivy Nile tried to hurt her but couldn’t do it. If she wants to try again, come give it a shot.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to say it is the end of a hot summer. She won the Women’s Title and now the fall is going to get even better. She’s already a perfect champion so how much better can it get? Bayley promises to be a better champion than anyone in NXT history, including Becky Lynch (who never won the NXT Women’s Title).

Cue Gigi Dolin to say she wants the title. Cue Kiana James to say she wants the title. Cue Blair Davenport to say she wants the title. Insults are hurled and Tiffany tries to leave but cue Roxanne Perez to hit Tiffany in the face. The brawl is on with Tiffany leaving. This was every horrible “HEY, WHAT ABOUT ME” parade style promo you could ask for and that is not a good thing in any way.

Charlie Dempsey and Damon Kemp are training when Miles Borne comes in to talk to Drew Gulak. Borne has done his chores but Dempsey chokes him from behind. Despite Borne tapping, Gulak says Borne needs to work harder.

Ava is still waiting on Ivy Nile. Cue Ivy, with Ava telling the masked men to take her out. They unmask as the Creeds, who say that if Schism wants Ava back, the Dyad has to face them next week. In a cage, and if the Creeds win, they’re back in NXT.

The Meta Four are celebrating Noam Dar’s win when he is presented with a letter from the Heritage Cup committee. Next week, a #1 contenders tournament begins to find his new challenger for No Mercy. All Dar hears is he isn’t defending for five weeks so they’re off to California!

Judgment Day vs. Lyra Valkyria/Dragon lee

Lee and Dominik start things off with Dominik hammering away before they trade standing switches. Lee hits a dropkick so it’s off to Ripley vs. Valkyria, with the latter jumping up or a headlock. Ripley powers her down but gets kicked from the mat before the threat of a roundhouse kick sends Ripley running. Valkyria slips out of a suplex attempt and strikes away before it’s back to the men, with Lee kicking Dominik in the head. Judgment Day is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes and a dive as we take a break.

Back with Ripley holding Valkyria in a bodyscissors and screaming a lot. Valkyria manages to turn it over and fires off forearms so Ripley suplexes her down. Ripley tries it again but this time it’s reversed into a DDT for a breather. The roundhouse kick connects for Valkyria but Ripley is knocked into the corner for a tag.

Lee drapes him over the top for a double stomp to the back and a near fall. Dominik misses a 619 attempt and gets planted with a sitout powerbomb for two. Valkyria’s hurricanrana off the apron is pulled out of the air but cue Raquel Rodriguez to go after Ripley. The distraction lets Lee hit a flipping reverse DDT for the pin at 14:05.

Rating: B-. Another good match on the show as Judgment Day continues to feel like the biggest stars anywhere when they’re around. Dominik oddly gets more heat out of being North American Champion on the main roster shows but around here he plays it a bit more seriously, which is quite the change. Lee is all but guaranteed the next title shot and that should make for a solid showdown, with a title change feeling a bit more likely than last time. Throw in Valkyria doing well enough against Ripley and this was a nice use of TV time.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams have a reunion and are all ok with each other.

Tiffany Stratton has gotten all the mentions and no, Becky Lynch was never NXT Women’s Champion. As for the other four, they’re in a four way match for a future title shot.

We look back at Thea Hail losing last week due to Andre Chase’s mistake.

Hail rants about how Chase cost her when Jacy Jayne came in to say Hail has improved a lot in the last year. Jayne talks about how everyone has been let down before, but people like them always get through it.

Von Wagner vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin jumps him during the entrance and sends Wagner (with Mr. Stone) into the steps. Wagner gets in a few shots but is sent into the steps again and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Stone tries to make a save, allowing Wagner to get up…and get speared down by Bron Breakker. No match.

Schism is down to face the Creeds, as long as they get Ava back.

Dijak is ready to hurt Eddy Thorpe.

Becky Lynch has sent out a tweet saying she has never been NXT Women’s Champion. Yet.

NXT Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

Hayes is defending. They flip around a bit to start and then bounce back to their feet for a standoff. Lee takes him down for a fast two before they trade dropkicks into nipups. A double knockdown sends us to a break as they’re mostly mirroring each other to start. We come back with things having slowed down a bit and Hayes hitting an enziguri into the corner. The Fade Away connects for Hayes and they’re both down again.

They slug it out until Hayes drops him for two, with some frustration setting in. Back up and Lee hits a standing Meteora for two, followed by Spiral Tap for two more. Hayes counters the Cardiac Kick into a suplex cutter though and Lee gets planted for two more. They head outside with Hayes DDTing him through the announcers’ table. Nothing But Net misses back inside though and Lee hits the Cardiac Kick, only to have Hayes roll outside. Lee misses a big dive and barely beats the count, leaving Hayes to hit Nothing But Net to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Hayes is a weird case as champion as he does all the things that make him feel like a star but his matches rarely hit that higher level. That was on display here as the match was good, but it wasn’t anything close to great. What matters is Lee got the chance and the ending, with him going a bit too far, could open him up for a rematch. Ilja Dragunov seems to be next for Hayes though and that should be a showdown.

Overall Rating: B. This definitely felt like a big show and the card was rather stacked. What matters here is getting things out of the way so the road to No Mercy can start up next week. The opener was the best match of the show and the rest were good enough, along with stories being set up for the future. That’s a well done two hour special and I had a good time throughout the whole thing.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Trick Williams – Middle rope fist drop
Ivy Nile b. Ava – Diamond Chain Lock
Noam Dar b. Nathan Frazer 2-1
Dragon Lee/Lyra Valkyria b. Judgment Day – Flipping reverse DDT to Mysterio
Carmelo Hayes b. Wes Lee – Nothing But Net

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 21, 2023
Location: Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are rapidly approaching Payback and the show does not have much set up as of yet. You can all but guarantee a few matches though, and that should be enough to build from over the next two Raw’s. Judgment Day did some smashing to end last week’s show and that is going to be an issue. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Judgment Day wrecking havoc to end last week’s show, despite having some problems.

Here is home province boy Sami Zayn to get things going, with the fans giving him a VERY long welcome. Sami soaks it all in for a special moment and FINALLY gets his first words in about nine minutes after the show came on the air. That would be a French greeting, but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. They surround the ring, but Sami says of course he didn’t come alone. Cue the returning Kevin Owens to clean house before issuing a challenge for a tag match tonight. One more French statement pops the crowd to wrap this up.

Matt Riddle/Drew McIntyre vs. New Day

Woods dropkicks Riddle down to start before it’s off to Kofi to face Drew. Kofi flips out of a clothesline and hits a dropkick, only to get tossed with an overhead suplex. The same things happens to Woods so Riddle gives him a bit hug. Then McIntyre suplexes him over the top for an even bigger crash on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Kofi working on Riddle’s arm. Riddle fights up so Kofi fights him off, setting up a top rope splash to the back. A jumping knee drops Kofi though but Riddle won’t tag. Instead he hits a fisherman’s superplex to Kofi….and here is Erik of the Viking Raiders to jump McIntyre. Kofi didn’t see it and Trouble In Paradises Riddle for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. The ending is interesting as it’s almost like they’re trying to work on something similar to a division. That’s almost hard to fathom around here but if they get a few more teams in there, they might just have something going on for a change. Then again I have almost no reason to believe that McIntyre and Riddle are going to be a long term thing, so maybe this is yet another bit of false hope for tag wrestling.

Post match the Viking Raiders attack New Day but Riddle and McIntyre make the save.

JD McDonagh is with Finn Balor and is asked about the Judgment Day. Cue Rhea Ripley to say there is a Judgment Day meeting, meaning McDonagh isn’t included.

Video on Shayna Baszler, who wants to burn everything down.

We look back at Imperium vs. Alpha Academy last week.

Gunther is ready to take out Chad Gable tonight, as Gable will not make his own name at Gunther’s expense.

Otis and Maxxine Dupri give Chad Gable a pep talk.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and misses a chop in the corner to start. With that not working early on, Gunther takes him down by the arm for some early cranking. Gable slips out and manages to get to the apron, where a chop sends him hard to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Gable being sent chest first into the buckle but managing to kick his way out of the corner.

The armbar over the rope slows Gunther down, only to have him boot Gable out of the air. The big clothesline gives Gunther two but Gable’s crucifix gets the same. Gunther is right back with a sleeper but Gable powers up and grabs a belly to back suplex for a needed breather. A dragon screw legwhip sets up the ankle lock but Gunther kicks his way out.

Gable hammers away and now the German suplex gives him two. Back up and Gunther shoves him off the top for a crash into the barricade. Gunther follows him out and chops away but a big one only hits the post. Gable suplexes him over the barricade and wins by countout at 13:03.

Rating: B-. That’s an interesting way to go, as Gunther is still on the way towards the record, but having him lose in any way is a big blow. There is a good chance that this is going to set up a rematch, likely at Payback, and that will now have some more stakes. The good thing is Gable didn’t lose here to wrap it up, so this could have gone a lot worse.

Judgment Day argues over who should face Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn tonight, with Rhea Ripley not liking the arguing. She says to figure this out or she’ll do it for them.

Gunther yells at Imperium about the loss and wants them to figure it out.

Cody Rhodes isn’t sure what’s up with the Judgment Day and JD McDonagh….but let’s take this interview into the arena. Cody, in French, asks what the fans want to talk about but first he introduces himself to the new commentary team. As for tonight, he wants to see Judgment Day fall to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and hopes the people will be in their corner. Like him or not, Cody eels like a star no matter what he is doing and it’s a great thing to see.

We get a video from Shinsuke Nakamura, who explains what he said to Seth Rollins last week. Rollins is someone who has everything he wants, but Nakamura said “I know about your back”. Nakamura knows how much pain Rollins is in and talks about the code tattooed on his back. As in the same back that is hurting. Is Rollins satisfied with his life? Watch your back. This was rather awesome and a very different side of Nakamura, in a good way.

John Cena is back on next week’s Smackdown.

Candice LeRae vs. Rhea Ripley

Indi Hartwell and Dominik Mysterio are here too. Ripley starts fast and runs her over, setting up an early Riptide. LeRae manages to counter into a DDT but Ripley is back with the Prism Trap (which Cole thinks is new) to finish LeRae at 1:15.

Post match here is Raquel Rodriguez on a crutch, which she throws at Ripley and then uses the bad leg to kick her down. Rodriguez takes her inside for the beating before announced that she is cleared and the match is set for Payback.

Tommaso Ciampa is tired of being so close to title shots but never getting there and that needs to change.

Here is Miz for a chat before his match. He talks about how he is a trendsetter around here and will be spoken about in twenty years. On the other hand you have LA Knight, who will be remembered as a flash in the pan. For now though, Miz gets to pick his own opponent, so here we go.

Miz vs. Akira Tozawa

Before the match, Miz says that it’s a shame the 24/7 Title, which Tozawa held, isn’t around anymore, because it’s perfect for LA Knight: an Attitude Era throwback. Tozawa says YEAH a lot and gets into a YEAH/REALLY duel. Miz kicks him in the face and now we can ring the bell. Cue LA Knight so Tozawa can dropkick Miz to the floor. Knight throws Miz some tissues and tells him to cry about that before Tozawa low bridges Miz outside. There’s the big suicide dive and Miz is in early trouble.

We take a break and come back with Knight on commentary and Miz firing off the kicks. Tozawa gets knocked outside for a dropkick through the ropes, but Miz stops to yell at Knight. Back in and Tozawa drops Miz with a kick, setting up a top rope backsplash. Miz gets the knees up but stops to yell at Tozawa, who rolls him up for the surprise pin at 7:11.

Rating: C. The match itself wasn’t the point but there is nothing wrong with a storyline advancement loss. This was about Miz getting too cocky and costing himself what should have been an easy win. You can always get something out of a loudmouth getting what is coming to him and that is exactly what we got here as Miz vs. Knight continues to loom in the future.

Post match Knight lays out Miz with the BFT.

Drew McIntyre is ready to split up the team with Matt Riddle but New Day comes in to talk them out of it (and dub the team McRiddle). New Day already has the Viking Raiders next week but Riddle and McIntyre can have them next. McIntyre doesn’t say no and Riddle will take that.

Rhea Ripley yells at Judgment Day again.

Here is Becky Lynch to be rather pleased at acing Trish Stratus in a cage match at Payback. For months, people have talked about the real difference between herself and Trish, and it all comes down to legacy. So what defines her legacy? It won’t be wins and losses or accomplishments, but rather survival. You can beat her but you cannot stop her because she will always fight.

She has some issues with Zoey Stark so cue Trish and Stark to interrupt. Trish talks about how thankful she is to this city….for nothing. It’s not like this is Montreal or Toronto so we get some Canadian jokes. Now she has a cage match with Becky and yeah she’s scared, but that has been the case before and she’s killed it.

Now Becky is going to see a new side of her, but wasn’t Becky going to say something about Zoey? Becky was indeed going to, because next week it’s a falls count anywhere match with Stark. They got the point across but there were some weird sounding parts to this. I’m not sure if they got lost in the script or what, but Trish sounded like she was on another planet at times.

Piper Niven again tells Chelsea Green that they’re partners and that’s that.

Video on Piper Niven.

Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Non-title. Green knocks Chance off the apron to start so Carter forearms her in the face. Niven tags herself in but gets kicked off the apron as she tries to come in. That leaves the illegal Green to get superkicked, setting up a splash off of Carter’s shoulders. Niven comes in and crossbodies Chance for the easy win at 1:24.

Seth Rollins confirms that his back injury is rather serious, with two fractured vertebrae and he doesn’t know how long he can keep doing this. If Nakamura wants to bring Rollins’ family into this though, he better be ready to face him man to man. Nakamura isn’t even here tonight, but next week, Rollins will be in the ring as the people are singing his song. This was a rather intense promo from Rollins and that was nice to see.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Judgment Day

Non-title and it’s….Damian Priest/Finn Balor, as per Rhea Ripley’s orders. This was so hard to figure out? Judgment Day runs into the ring and starts the brawl, complete with the opening bell. Zayn and Priest slug it out and head to the floor, where Zayn beats Balor up as well.

Back in and Zayn suplexes Balor before handing it off to Owens for the rapid fire right hands (the fans approve). Owens flip dives off the apron onto Priest and hits the Swanton on Balor back inside. The Stunner is broken up though and Balor hits the Sling Blade. Zayn fights back and takes down Priest but here is JD McDonagh to throw in the briefcase. Owens picks it off though and hits Balor for the DQ at 2:35.

Post match the beatdown is on until Cody Rhodes makes the save and I think you know where this is going.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes vs. Judgment Day

Joined in progress with Cody uppercutting Dominik before it’s off to Zayn. Balor hammers away in the corner but gets dropped with a clothesline. Owens comes in but gets taken down as well, allowing Dominik to grab a chinlock. They go to the floor where Owens knocks him out of the air, only to have Rhea Ripley get in a slam to drop Owens again. Back in and Priest hits a clothesline for two as we take a break.

We come back with Owens dropping Balor onto the announcers’ table. They get back inside and Owens gets taken down again, this time for a chinlock. Owens fights out of that as well and hits a superkick, allowing the hot tag to Zayn to clean house. The tornado DDT gets two on Priest, leaving Ripley rather scared. South Of Heaven gives Priest two but he gets his knees up to cut off Dominik’s splash. Cody comes in for the Cody Cutter and it’s the Helluva Kick into the Stunner to finish Dominik at 14:24.

Rating: B-. As you might have expected, the match was pretty good but I’m having a hard time caring about these Judgment Day tag matches anymore. It feels like something that has been done to death and there isn’t much left to get excited about from them. They’re far from bad, but how many times now does it seem like we’ve seen the same thing over and over again?

The good guys celebrate to send the fans home happy.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the moving day edition of the show as they st up a bunch of stuff for the pay per view. At the same time, there was a lot of stuff that felt like it was designed to be used later rather than being important here. It’s not a bad show, but it’s the kind of show that really needed to be trimmed down with someone asking “and what about this person” during the writing process. It helped boost up Payback though, and that’s what it needed to do most.

Results
New Day b. Matt Riddle/Drew McIntyre – Trouble In Paradise to Riddle
Chad Gable b. Gunther via countout
Rhea Ripley b. Candice LeRae – Prism Trap
Akira Tozawa b. Miz – Rollup
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Crossbody to Chance
Judgment Day b. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn via DQ when Owens used the Money In The Bank briefcase
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn/Cody Rhodes b. Judgment Day – Stunner to Mysterio

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: August 15, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re a week away from Heatwave, which is the next TV special to fill in time on the way to the next major show. For now though, we should be in for a nice show, with a #1 contenders match between Dijak and Wes Lee. Other than that, there’s a good chance we hear from Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio so let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Dyad

The Dyad, with Schism, is challenging. Stacks knocks Reid into the corner to start and we go outside with Schism staring Stacks into stopping. Back in and D’Angelo is sent into a spinwheel kick from Reid but a suplex puts Reid down. Stacks grabs a headlock and everything breaks down, with the champs clotheslining them to the floor. A big flip dive takes Dyad down again and we head back inside. This time Fowler throws Reid at Stacks, knocking him off the apron and into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Stacks fighting out of a chinlock but not being able to get in. Some Dyad double teaming draws D’Angelo in, meaning the referee doesn’t see Stacks’ small package to Reid. Stacks manages to kick Reid away and the hot tag brings in D’Angelo to clean house. Everything breaks down and here is Ivy Nile, who gets cornered by the 10 or so members of Schism. Two of them jump the Dyad though and D’Angelo belly to back slams Fowler to retain at 13:25.

Rating: C+. Nice match but PLEASE get to the end of the Schism stuff already as the “whoa there are a bunch of them and they’re wearing spooky masks” thing is getting really tiresome. They aren’t winning, but the story isn’t interesting and it’s becoming a chore to watch anything they do. Stacks and D’Angelo on the other hand are turning into a polished team and are developing rather nicely, especially as champions.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his fighting spirit and is ready to fight.

Carmelo Hayes is signing a bunch of stuff when Wes Lee comes in to say Hayes has been too busy for him lately. Lee says he’ll go become #1 contender and Hayes can sign a contract to defend the title against him at Heatwave. Hayes: “Why don’t you go do that?”

Andre Chase and Duke Hudson talk about how to get Thea Hail back on the right track. Chase has gotten her a match with Jacy Jayne to work through some emotions. Hail isn’t happy and accuses Chase of always trying to do what’s best for her. Hudson agrees and Hail tells Chase to try not to throw in the towel this time. With Hail gone, Chase asks Hudson what the **** that was. Hudson is off to talk to her.

Blair Davenport vs. Dana Brooke

Kelani Jordan is here with Brooke, who starts fast and sends Davenport outside. Back in and a stomp to Brooke’s back gives Davenport two but Brooke powerbombs her out of the corner for the same. They’re back on the floor with Brooke being sent into the steps, only to have Brooke knock her down back inside. For some reason Brooke goes to grab the bell, which is quickly take away. Back in and Brooke can’t quite get a rollup, so Davenport knees her in the face twice in a row for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C-. I get what they’re going for with Brooke but it really isn’t working. She’s not the kind of person for this veteran spot and it’s showing badly every time she gets in the ring. It’s not working, but for some reason that is what we’re getting out of her. At least Davenport won though and that is what matters most.

Dijak comes up to Carmelo Hayes’ signing and tells him to save one for himself for after Heatwave. Hayes tells him to get to Heatwave before he talks that much.

Trick Williams vs. Drew Gulak

Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Williams. Williams shrugs off the grappling attempt and hits a pop up right hand to send Gulak outside. Back in and Gulak takes him down by the leg but Williams knocks him away again. A Rock Bottom plants Gulak before Williams goes after Kemp and Dempsey. Cue Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs to take care of the two of them, leaving Williams to hit a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. This was a fine way to make Williams look like someone before he gets destroyed by Ilja Dragunov next week. Williams is a fine hand in the ring and can talk very well, but Dragunov is a big test right out of the gate. As usual, Gulak can make anyone look good, which is why he’ll have a job in WWE in one form or another for as long as he wants it.

Dabba-Kato is coming back. Does he have to?

Here is Baron Corbin for a chat. He can say whatever he wants and not have to worry about the repercussions. Corbin ran Gable Steveson out of NXT and that locker room is full of a bunch of soft b******. Corbin is introducing a new era around here but here is Von Wagner, with Mr. Stone, to interrupt. Stone doesn’t think much of Corbin, who mocks Stone’s wardrobe choices.

We hear about Wagner putting Bron Breakker through a table last week and Wagner doesn’t have much to say. Corbin says Wagner needs to learn to do this or he’ll have a “security” shirt on every time the stars come through town. Wagner says he’s tired of Corbin and tells him to be out here next week with “one of your ten gimmicks” for a fight. A table is promised but Wagner can’t put him through one tonight.

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio call out Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria for next week.

Mustafa Ali addresses a bunch of people of North America, talking about how the recent and current champion do not represent them. Dominik Mysterio is a CONVICTED CRIMINAL and the people deserve better. He is the North American Champion that you need and in Ali you can trust. This sounded like a political rally.

Dijak vs. Wes Lee

For an NXT Title shot next week. Lee strikes away start and goes after the knee, even sending him outside early on. Back in and Dijak works on the arm before sending him into the post (with Vic calling the match to cut off Booker’s latest rambling). The running boot misses Lee in the corner but he manages to post Lee again as we take a break.

Back again with Dijak working on the arm until Lee flips over into a DDT. Lee manages to block a big boot and lift him up for a powerbomb but Dijak goes for the arm again. Feast Your Eyes is loaded up but Dijak’s knee gives out. The knee is fine enough for High Justice to connect for two before Dijak sends him outside and over the barricade. Cue Eddy Thorpe to distract Dijak, allowing Lee to knock Dijak down. The Cardiac Kick and Spiral Tap finish Dijak at 12:08.

Rating: B. This was a good fight and Lee continues to look like he belongs at the higher levels of NXT. To go from a tag guy without much going on to someone who can hang with anyone around here is very impressive and he is the logical next #1 contender after that North American Title reign. Dijak continues to be a heck of a monster, though he could use a win in the near future.

Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee are ready for Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio next week. Lee thinks Valkyria is hitting on her, but not so much. They exchange pleasantries in their own languages with hit and miss results.

Tyler Bate is ready for Joe Coffey after an incident at an NXT live event on Friday.

Ilja Dragunov is ready for Trick Williams next week, when Williams’ fantasy will not become reality.

Vic Joseph plugs No Mercy with a dig-diggity-dig-dig-diggity-dog.

Joe Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

Bate takes him down by the head to start and survives a few rollup attempts. Coffey reverses into a quickly broken full nelson before Bate punches him down. A standing shooting star press gives Bate two, followed by the airplane spin for that dizzying effect. Back up and Coffey grabs a bridging German suplex for two of his own but Bate knocks him outside. There’s the big dive to drop Coffey again but Dabba-Kato returns to attack Bate for the DQ at 4:00.

Rating: C. This was just a means to an end with the Kato return, which is hardly the most thrilling idea. Kato is a monster but he’s a monster who was beaten by Axiom and Scrypts. That isn’t the most ringing endorsement, so now I guess it is time to rebuild him again. I get that he’s big, but trying the same thing over and over again without it working in the first place is quite the choice. Bate and Coffey had the match you would have expected but with just four minutes, they couldn’t get very far.

Baron Corbin is ready for Von Wagner next week when Bron Breakker comes in. Breakker isn’t done with Wagner, which Corbin finds interesting after what happened last week. Corbin isn’t scared of him.

Nathan Frazer talks about the Heritage Cup match with Noam Dar next week when Dar hacks his feed and tries to turn it into Supernova Sessions. Dar brags about how great of a champion he is but insists that his cup is real. We see a clip of Dar admitting otherwise so Frazer whips out a FRAUD alarm, which hs presses every time Dar lies. Dar keeps talking and the button is pressed quite a few times.

Jacy Jayne vs. Thea Hail

Chase U is here with Hail, who takes her down without much trouble to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Hail fighting out of a chinlock but a neckbreaker is broken up. Jayne knees her down but has to go to the ropes to avoid a Kimura. A spinebuster gives Jayne two so Andre Chase gets on the apron. Hail avoids going into a buckle and yells at Chase, allowing Jayne to grab a small package for the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was another example of a storyline match and not much more, as Chase completely screwed that one up for Hail and has no one but himself to blame. Seeing the downfall of Chase U is kind of sad as they never really accomplished anything despite being crazy popular, and not it seems that they’re falling apart. I’d like to see something else happen for them, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.

Video on Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, as narrated by their grandfather, who talks about the importance of family staying together. We see clips of them wrestling together as children and it seems it’s time for a reunion.

Carmelo Hayes finishes his signing and Wes Lee comes in to get him to sign a contract. Hayes says he’ll see him next Tuesday but Lee clears the table and says he’ll see Hayes in the ring, before dragging the table with him.

Tiffany Stratton is back next week.

Heatwave rundown.

Wes Lee is in the ring with the table and tells Carmelo Hayes to get out here. Hayes says Lee is about to turn him into the old version so Lee talks about all of the things Hayes gets to do these days. Hayes brings up Lee’s time as North American Champion but then a little pressure comes up and Lee folds like a chair on the Alabama boardwalk. Lee is tired of being told he can’t do something but here he is after having become a Tag Team and North American Champion. He’s been told he can’t, until he did.

Hayes isn’t convinced and says Lee can’t beat him, which Lee says is all he has heard before. He won’t fail again and signs for next week. Hayes says Lee has earned this but warns him to not go chasing waterfalls, because next week, Melo won’t miss. Hayes signs, so Lee stomps the table in half and says he’ll see him at Heatwave to end the show. This was a fairly week final segment, but there’s only so much they can do to set up this match.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t the big one, but rather the way to set up the big one. They seem to be getting to some of the bigger stories coming to a conclusion next week and that should let them move on to the start of the road to No Mercy. For now though, it was an acceptable enough show as we get ready for next week’s important one.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Dyad – Belly to back slam to Fowler
Blair Davenport b. Dana Brooke – Knee to the face
Trick Williams b. Drew Gulak – Spinning kick to the face
Wes Lee b. Dijak – Spiral Tap
Tyler Bate b. Joe Coffey via DQ when Dabba-Kato interfered
Jacy Jayne b. Thea Hail – Small package

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 14, 2023
Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are starting on the road to Payback and it is probably time to start getting towards the build to the show. If nothing else, we need some actual matches for the card and it wouldn’t surprise me to see that list built up a bit tonight. Other than that, the big showdown this week is Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Judgment Day, minus Finn Balor, to get things going. They agree that communication has been an issue, but as long as Damian Priest has the briefcase, they dictate what goes on around here. Priest isn’t happy with Balor not being here, so if they’re supposed to be a team, where is he? Cue JD McDonagh to interrupt and Priest immediately tells him to be careful.

McDonagh has a message from Balor: don’t worry about McDonagh, but rather Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes. Rhea Ripley doesn’t want to take orders from anyone and Dominik is booed out of the building, despite it being part of NORTH AMERICA, meaning he is their champion. McDonagh goes to leave, but Ripley tells him to tell Balor that they need to talk. Cue Zayn to go after McDonagh, who posts Zayn’s bad arm to stop that cold.

Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

Zayn is heavily favoring his arm, with that big bump on it from last week probably not helping things. A backdrop puts McDonagh down fast and a monkey flip sends him crashing into the ropes. McDonagh gets smart by going after the arm so Zayn tries to take it outside. The bad arm is sent into the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with McDonagh dropkicking him out of the air. Zayn hits a one armed Michinoku Driver but McDonagh is back with a Spanish Fly. The crossface goes on the bad arm but Zayn slips out and suplexes him into the corner. Cue Finn Balor for a distraction so McDonagh can roll him up for two, followed by a headbutt to drop Zayn. The raised boots block a moonsault though and, after kicking Balor down, Zayn finishes with a Helluva Kick at 11:43.

Rating: B-. This was even more impressive when you consider Sami wrestled the match with one good arm. That is a heck of a lot more than some could do and to top it off, they didn’t go with the distraction finish. This went pretty well and I could go with seeing it again when Sami is healthy. At the same time, that is a heck of a blow to McDonagh, who still doesn’t have his footing around here in the first place.

Adam Pearce seems ready to strip Chelsea Green of the Women’s Tag Team Titles but she cuts him off and threatens to call human resources. Green wants to hold talent auditions to find her new partner but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter come in. They want the first shot at the new champs, but here is Piper Niven to drop both of them. She says she is the new partner and takes one of the titles. Green agrees, seemingly out of fear.

Video on Imperium.

Cody Rhodes is ready for Finn Balor tonight and is ready to bring it in Winnipeg, as he hasn’t been here in a long time.

Here is Imperium, with Gunther standing on the announcers’ table, for a chat. Gunther talks about how hard he has to work to build the title, and says that as a European, he is always looking forward to come to Canada. Then he walked the streets of Winnipeg this morning and gets why no one likes it here.

For now though, he wants to address Chad Gable, who impressed him last week. In general, Gable has worked hard for years and is a former Olympian. But Gunther has achieved more in a year than gable has in his entire career. Cue the Alpha Academy, with Gable talking about how Gunther put him on the clock a few weeks ago. Well now he Gunther is on the clock because he is less than a month away from the longest Intercontinental Title reign ever.

Gable is chasing him down though and he has been looking for a chance for ten years now. Tonight though it’s Gable vs. Giovanni Vinci so get that big bald head in here. Before the match, Ludwig Kaiser promises that Gable will be embarrassed and then hits on Maxxine Dupri again. He is willing to rescue her from becoming an absolute embarrassment and gets slapped in the face for his efforts.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Chad Gable

Gable goes for the arm to start but a leapfrog is countered into a powerslam for two. A belly to back suplex puts Gable down and a backbreaker gets two more. Gable loses a chop off in the corner but comes back with some strikes of his own. Gable’s moonsault misses so Vinci hits one of his own for two. Not that it matters as Gable is right back with Chaos Theory for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C+. This is all you need to do with Gable: give him a nice win and make him look like more and more of a threat to Gunther as the title match gets closer. It’s a very simple formula and even if Gable winning the title feels like a long shot at best, they’re setting it up in the right way. Good enough here and that’s all it needed to be.

Post match Gunther says he’s not done and wants Otis right now.

Otis vs. Gunther

Non-title. Otis starts with the giggling so Gunther powers him into the corner. A headlock slows Otis down and Gunther forearms him in the back to send it to the ropes. Gunther slowly pounds him down but the chops wake Otis up a bit. They trade big clotheslines until Otis grabs a fall away slam. The Caterpillar is broken up by a no great looking basement dropkick. Instead Gunther kicks him in the head and manages a powerbomb for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C+. That powerbomb alone was worth a look and Gunther was selling the Otis goofiness well enough. The good thing here is that there wasn’t much of it to be seen, as Otis was wrestling a pretty straight power style (jiggling aside). Nice enough match here as Gunther got to show off, which is always nice to see.

Post match Gable comes in to after the villains but Gunther gets away.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor are annoyed at each other but Rhea Ripley yells at the to get their killer instinct back. JD McDonagh tries to come up but Priest scares him off. Balor is ready to get the instinct back tonight by beating Cody Rhodes.

We look at the Bloodline drama from Smackdown, with Jey Uso standing tall and then quitting.

Earlier today, Drew McIntyre was interrupted by Matt Riddle, who thinks they can be a great team. He has already accepted a match against the Viking Raiders and asks Drew about being his partner. Drew finally cuts him off and says he’ll consider it if no one else will.

Video on Indi Hartwell.

Drew McIntyre/Matt Riddle vs. Viking Raiders

Cole thinks they should be called the High Landers. Riddle starts for the team and is quickly sent outside, where the Raiders run him over. We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away but getting beaten down again. Riddle knees his way out of trouble and brings McIntyre back in to clean house, including a suplex and neckbreaker.

A Michinoku Driver gets two on Ivar The Claymore is cut off by a distraction and Erik punches McIntyre in the face. Riddle tags himself back in and the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination gives Ivar two. A belly to back suplex is broken up and it’s back to McIntyre as everything breaks down. Riddle’s Floating Bro hits Ivar, leaving McIntyre to Claymore Erik for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here, and they didn’t even have McIntyre turn on Riddle. While I could see that taking place down the road, I guess we might be getting them as a regular team for the time being. McIntyre needs something to do, though I’m really not sure if that is going to be a mostly goofy tag team. For now though, nice start at least and McIntyre got the pin.

Video on Rhea Ripley attacking Raquel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez gives Indi Hartwell a pep talk.

Matt Riddle and Drew McIntyre talk about wanting the Tag Team Titles but New Day cuts them of and says that’s not how it works. Xavier Woods goes on a rant about how everything is going nuts around here so a tag match is made for next week. New Day’s dancing almost cracks Drew up. Riddle: “The Glas Bro’s accept.”

Rhea Ripley vs. Indi Hartwell

Non-title and Dominik Mysterio/Candice LeRae are the seconds. Ripley throws her around to start but misses a charge into the corner. Hartwell’s spinebuster gets two and they go outside, with Ripley posting her as well. Ripley decks Candice and finishes with Riptide at 2:57.

Here is Shinsuke Nakamura to explain his attack on Seth Rollins last week. Nakamura speaks Japanese before switching to English to say he wants the title. Cue Rollins to say he didn’t like that but if Nakamura wants a title shot, all he has to do is ask. Rollins is a fighting champion and Nakamura can have the title shot whenever, so just name the date. They shake hands and Nakamura says something we can’t hear, which has Rollins confused. Rollins turns to face him again but Nakamura his him with Kinshasa and leaves.

Miz does not approve of the idea that LA Knight showed him up last week. He asks if Byron Saxton is an LA Knight guy now. Saxton: “Yeah.” Miz: “DON’T SAY YEAH!” Miz promises to beat someone next week on Raw.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

Zoey Stark is banned from ringside. Becky hammers away to start but Trish uses the face mask for a weapon. Some chops in the corner rock Becky but she’s back with a Bexploder. They go to the floor and Becky strikes away before knocking the mask off back inside. Trish catches her on top but can’t quite get the Stratusphere. The second attempt works a bit better and Becky gets sent into the steps.

Stratus tries to use the mask again but Becky takes it away, only to get choked on the middle rope. We take a break and come back with Becky hitting the top rope legdrop as Trish is draped in the ropes. Trish hits a spear but it’s too early or Stratusfaction. A tornado DDT is blocked as well so Becky gets two off a superplex. They fight out into the crowd and that’s a double countout at 11:30.

Rating: C. Oh boy that’s quite the ending, as this feud has more or less died in recent weeks and now it’s going to continue until Payback (more than likely). I’m not sure how WWE sees that much heat in this thing as it’s already been going on for months. The match itself was ok enough, but I really don’t get this continuing.

Post match the brawl continues into the concourse, with Becky beating hr up at the merchandise stand. The Manhandle Slam is broken up by Zoey Stark, who leaves Trish hanging on a high five. Lynch gets dropped with the Chick Kick and the villains leave.

Gunther yells at Imperium for their screwups tonight and says he’ll defend the title against Chad Gable next week.

Adam Pearce yells at Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark. We’ll get Trish vs. Becky Lynch again, this time inside of a steel cage.

Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor

Balor goes to the arm to start and cranks away a bit to keep Rhode sin some early trouble. Back up and Balor chops him into the corner, where he throws in some shoulders to the ribs for a bonus. The chinlock goes on to keep Cody in trouble as this is mostly one sided to start. Cody fights up so here are Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley for a distraction. Balor gets in a dropkick through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Cody fighting back and hitting a hard shot to the face, only to have Damian Priest come out as well. Cody kicks away from 1916 but gets caught with the Sling Blade. The shotgun dropkick sends Cody into the corner but the Coup de Grace misses. The Cody Cutter connects so Priest grabs the leg for a distraction. Cody’s dive hits Balor and Priest but Balor is back with a superplex. Dominik slides in a chair, which is cut off by the referee. Priest slides in the briefcase, which Cody cuts off and uses on Balor. The Cross Rhodes finishes Balor at 13:57.

Rating: B-. Another good enough but not quite great match here, as Cody using the briefcase is a bit more acceptable when he’s already down 4-1. The Judgment Day’s issues continue and now we get to see if their next step is fixing things or falling apart. For now though, Cody gets a win as he’s waiting for his next big opponent.

Post match the beatdown is on but Sami Zayn runs in for the save. JD McDonagh runs in to break that up and Cody is taken out with South of Heaven. The big beatdown keeps going to end the show with Judgment Day posing. Again: that only works so well when Balor just got beat.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the show about setting up things for the future rather than having much big going on here. You can probably figure out a few of the Payback matches from here and odds are they’ll be made by this time next week. That being said, what we got did work with some good enough matches and the stories being built up well enough. Not a bad show, but probably a skippable one.

Results
Sami Zayn b. JD McDonagh – Helluva Kick
Chad Gable b. Giovanni Vinci – Chaos Theory
Gunther b. Otis – Powerbomb
Drew McIntyre/Matt Riddle b. Viking Raiders – Claymore to Erik
Rhea Ripley b. Indi Hartwell – Riptide
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus went to a double countout
Cody Rhodes b. Finn Balor – Cross Rhodes

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 8, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The long road to No Mercy is on but there are probably going to be a bunch of big time matches before we get there. A month and a half is too long to build up the card so odds are we’ll blow through some stuff over the next few weeks. That includes tonight’s North American Title match with Rey Mysterio here as a special guest. Let’s get to it.

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

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio are ready to prove how great Dominik is.

Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee are ready to show that Lee is the future of lucha libre.

Mustafa Ali vs. Axiom

This is over Ali trying to jump over Axiom to get a North American Title shot and feeling disrespected. Booker tries to make it into some complicated thing and Vic, apparently not in the mood tonight, wastes no time in asking what the heck Booker is talking about. They run the ropes to start until Ali runs him over. Back up and Axiom sends him outside for a dive over the announcers’ table, with Booker managing to stay on his feet.

Back inside and here is Scrypts to watch as Axiom is shoved off the top for a flip into a clothesline to drop Axiom. Cue Bronco Nima and Lucien Price as Ali reverses a suplex into a Jackhammer of all things. Axiom snaps off a Canadian Destroyer to send Ali rolling outside, where a huge springboard moonsault connects.

Hold on though as Axiom comes up holding his knee but he’s fine enough to avoid a 450 back inside. A tornado DDT plants Ali but he counters a cross armbreaker into a Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Axiom hits a springboard moonsault DDT and they’re both down again. Axiom goes up but Ali goes the mask and sends him crashing to the floor. The 450 gives Ali the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Good action, as you would expect from these two as Ali moves forward to a likely North American Title shot, but WOW they need to drop this Scrypts stuff. He isn’t interesting, he looks tiny and they can barely decide what his name is, let alone giving us a reason to care about him. Just let Axiom go have good matches with people and stop trying to make Scrypts a thing.

Post match Ali says he’s next in line for the North American Title.

Schism promises to find the Creed Brothers, and proceed to destroy Ikemen Jiro.

Kelani Jordan vs. Blair Davenport

This is the result of Dana Brooke, here at ringside, wanting Jordan to do something so she called Davenport out. Jordan starts fast and can’t quite snap off a springboard hurricanrana. Davenport takes her into the corner and hammers away, with Dana’s coaching not really working. Jordan fights up but gets knocked out of the corner, allowing Davenport to stomp her in the back. A hard knee to the face finishes Jordan at 3:27.

Rating: C. Speaking of things that aren’t working, Dana Brooke is up there on the list. It’s a fine story of a veteran trying to push a newcomer to the next level, but at the end of the day, that veteran is Dana Brooke. She has always tried and seemed to be getting better at times, but this is not the right role for her and there isn’t much of a way around that.

Post match Dana chases Davenport off with a belt but nearly hits Jordan with it, earning Dana a glare.

Von Wagner is ready for Bron Breakker and threatens to put him in a table.

Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar

This is for Dar’s unofficial Heritage Cup and therefore under Heritage Cup rules with the rest of the Meta Four at ringside. Round one begins with a fight over wrist control and go to the mat with neither being able to get the better of things. Back up and Bop and Bang doesn’t work for Bate so they clothesline each other and pop up for a glare. More fighting against the ropes ends the round with neither having much of an advantage.

Round two begins with Bate taking Dar down but having to clothesline Mensah off the apron. A big dive hits Dar on the floor and the Tyler Driver 97 finishes Dar at 43 seconds of the round and 4:15 overall to put Bate up 1-0. We take a break and come back with Bate missing what looked to be a dropkick off the top, banging up his knee in the process as round three ends.

Round four begins with Bate running him over for a rather close two. Dar is right back up and hits a spinning elbow for two before grabbing the kneebar. Bate stacks him up for two so Dar grabs the hold again until Bate taps at 2:20 of the round and 11:01 overall, tying it up 1-1. Round five begins with Bate unloading on one leg but Dar pulls him back into the kneebar. That’s broken up and Bate hits a German suplex before a small package gives Bate two. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered so Bate rolls him up for the pin at 2:13 of the round and 13:33 overall to win 2-1.

Rating: C+. I was expecting Dar to retain via cheating so well done on a bit of a surprise. I’m still not much of a Heritage Cup fan and the Meta Four do very little for me, but Dar has gone from all time levels of annoying to moderately interesting, so there is some growth there. It’s also nice to see Bate get a win, as he hasn’t been in the ring much lately.

Tank Ledger and Hank Walker name themselves Smash Mouth before being beaten down by Schism, who is still looking for the Creed Brothers.

Dijak comes in to Carmelo Hayes’ locker room and wants a title shot. Wes Lee comes in and wants a shot too but Dijak doesn’t like that. They argue as Hayes leaves, with Dijak sucker punching Lee and sending him into a locker.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to call out Trick Williams. Cue Williams, to say he has something to say, which is too far for Dragunov. He doesn’t want to hear from Williams after the Great American Bash, but Williams says Dragunov ran into the title rather than Williams hitting him with it. The challenge is on for a match because Williams wants to show he can back everything up because he isn’t a sidekick. Dragunov says be careful what you ask for because he won’t hold back and will break Williams. Williams says they’re on for two weeks at Heatwave. Dragunov is going to kill him, but Williams should put up a good fight.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey think Tank Ledger and Hank Walker are cowards for backing out of their match due to injury. Damon Kemp comes in to say he’s their man if they are looking for toughness. That’s just one, so here are Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen to say they’re tough. A tag match is made.

Bron Breakker is ready for Von Wagner.

Rey Mysterio gives Roxanne Perez a pep talk and is impressed with her. Thea Hail comes in and is a nervous wreck to meet him. Rey praises the heart he sees in the ring with her and she seems amazes. Thea asks if he still loves Dominik, which Rey says he does, even if things aren’t great right now. Rey leaves and Chase U comes in to say that was Rey Mysterio, Hall of Famer! Thea: “I know. And unlike you, he wouldn’t throw in the towel!” YOWZA that was cold.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who powers Breakker into the corner to start but Breakker runs him over with a clothesline. Breakker drops him again and hits a standing moonsault (or most of it) for two. Back up and a double clothesline leaves both of them down again for a breather. Wagner gets up and hits a running big boot but the fans want tables. Breakker doesn’t mind and hits a spear for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. Nice power match here and they went the right way with the far more established Breakker winning, but please stop with the table stuff. It’s bad enough to have the fans chant for them in every weapons based match and I really don’t want to hear about them every time Wagner is out there at all. They’ve been done to death so many times that they’re probably eligible to be put on trial as a serial killer and those chants can take over a match way too fast. Find something else for Wagner to use as a thing please, before it gets even worse.

Post match Breakker goes after Stone but Wagner powerbombs him through a table.

Eddy Thorpe talks about the spirit he was given to fight for his people but Dijak has taken him out more than once. Now he has to take responsibility to refocus and readjust.

Lyra Valkyria interrupts Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, but she accuses Ripley of manipulating people. Ripley doesn’t like being accused of helping Dominik retain the title, so Valkyria challenges her to not be in Dominik’s corner tonight.

Schism asks Tony D’Angelo and Stacks about the Creed Brothers but tease coming after the Tag Team Titles instead.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey

Fallon Henley is here with Briggs and Jensen. Gulak backs Jensen into the corner to start but charges into a boot to the face. An elbow misses for Jensen though and it’s Dempsey coming in for a headlock takeover. Cue Myles Borne to be in Gulak/Dempsey’s corner but since he doesn’t have water, Gulak sends him away. Briggs comes in to slam Dempsey and drops an elbow for two.

It’s back to Gulak, who is quickly taken into the wrong corner, with Briggs sending him flying off a slam. Briggs and Jensen drop Gulak but it’s Dempsey gets the tag anyway and twists Briggs’ arm over the ropes. Dempsey cranks on the arm, with Vic saying he has a regal approach to this kind of thing. Briggs fights up and brings Jensen back in as everything breaks down. Cue Damon Kemp to suplex Jensen, allowing Dempsey to snap off a dragon suplex and pin Jensen at 5:46.

Rating: C+ Briggs and Jensen have kind of fallen off the face of the planet since the Henley/Kiana James deal ended and that’s a shame as they aren’t a bad team most of the time. That being said, I do like Kemp being added to Gulak/Dempsey. They fit well together and that could be a nice three man team going forward.

Dana Brooke wants to know what that was from Kelani Jordan, but Jordan doesn’t know what her killer instinct looks like. Brooke will show her next week when she faces Blair Davenport. This really isn’t working as it’s still just Dana Brooke.

Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James

Before the match, James promises to tap into her wild side. James jumps her before the bell and takes it outside, with Nile getting posted and suplexed. Back in and we hit the armbar as we take a break. We come back with Schism surrounding the ring and rhythmically slapping the mat. Nile fights up but charges into a boot in the corner, allowing James to hit the spinebuster. A Fujiwara armbar has Nile in more trouble but she’s back with a powerslam. Schism offers a distraction though and a knee to the back of the head finishes Nile at 7:41.

Rating: C. Yay more Schism, as this one angle has been on TV four times tonight. I still do not get what NXT sees in these guys but they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. At least they’ve mainly been portrayed as a bit more unhinged this week, as they have been the lamest cult in a long time. As for the match, James being more aggressive is good but they still need to find a way to make her stand out more. Nile continues to feel like a missed opportunity and could be something, provided she doesn’t have to talk.

Post match Schism gets in the ring but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks run in with crowbars for the save.

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo text each other about how they’re a joke now but want to honor their grandfather. A reunion is teased.

Tyler Bate is polishing up his new Heritage Cup when the Meta Four come in to say Noam Dar needs it back for emotional support. Nathan Frazer comes in with his own cup and says they’re a Spider-Man meme. They argue over which cup is real and the result is Dar getting his cup back AND a shot at the real thing at Heatwave. Frazer to Bate: “I owe you one?” Bate: “Yep.”

Tiffany Stratton is asked what’s next for her but talks about clothes instead of the title.

Trick Williams runs into Wes Lee in the parking lot and is told to tell Carmelo Hayes to be ready. Williams tells Lee to tell him himself but Lee drives away. Drew Gulak and company show up to mock Williams and then tell Myles Borne he’s late again.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik, with Rhea Ripley, is defending and Rey Mysterio, who handles Lee’s entrance, is in Lee’s corner. Lee knocks him into the corner to start and hits the slingshot dropkick to send Dominik outside. The fight with Rey is teased and we take a break. Back with Dominik taunting Rey and grabbing a chinlock. Three Amigos hit Lee and Dominik hammers away with right hands.

Dominik goes for the mask, which fires up Lee to start the comeback. Lee knocks him outside for a big dive but Dominik grabs a neckbreaker for two back inside. They trade shots to the face until Dominik hits a 619. The frog splash hits raised knees though and the powerbomb gets two. Rhea slides in the North American Title but Rey takes it away. That’s enough for Rhea to hit Lee with the Women’s Title, allowing Dominik to hit a Michinoku Driver to retain at 11:40.

Rating: B-. One of the good things about Dominik is that he is far from a disaster in the ring. While he’s nothing compared to his dad (most aren’t), he’s certainly capable of having a completely acceptable match. That was on display here, with the Ripley stuff being more of a way to bail Dominik out rather than saving him at the beginning. Lee will get there one day, but Dominik isn’t losing that title for a long time, and that’s how it should be.

Post match Rhea yells at Rey but Lyra Valkyria comes in to send Rhea to the floor. The heroes stand in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe it was the show feeling longer with the limited breaks or something, but this show was testing my patience more than once. Between Scrypts, Schism and Dana Brooke getting so much time, it was a tough show at times and that isn’t a good thing to do. The action was mostly fine, but there were enough annoying parts to bring it back down. Not their worst show ever, but getting rid of some of the bad parts would help a lot.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Axiom – 450
Blair Davenport b. Kelani Jordan – Knee to the face
Tyler Bate b. Drew Gulak 2-1
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Dragon suplex to Jensen
Kiana James b. Ivy Nile – Knee to the back of the head
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee – Michinoku Driver

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.

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 7, 2023
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Summerslam and the wasn’t much on the Raw side. Finn Balor again failed to win the World Title from Seth Rollins, Damian Priest still has the Money In The Bank briefcase and Cody Rhodes beat Brock Lesnar again. Payback is in about a month and that means it’s time to start the build up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

Long Summerslam recap video.

We’re commercial free for the first hour.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Cody talks about how he was face to face with one of Minneapolis’ own at Summerslam and defeated him when he beat Brock Lesnar. After the match, Lesnar shook his hand, which was Lesnar ACKNOWLEDGING him. Now Rhodes feels like he could beat anyone in the world….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins (in yellow sunglasses and what look like massive yellow Crocs) to say he is thanking Cody for helping him, but let’s put this “I can beat anyone” to the test.

Cue Judgment Day (minus Finn Balor) to say they run Raw, including determining the title matches. Dominik Mysterio is the REAL workhorse around here. Dominik takes the mic but Balor runs in through the crowd and the beatdown is on. Sami Zayn runs in for the save and the good guys stand tall. Cody throws out the challenge for the six man main event.

Earlier today, Ricochet complained to Adam Pearce about Logan Paul’s brass knuckles. Pearce can’t do anything, but Chad Gable, Riddle and Tommaso Ciampa all come in to interrupt. It’s a four way and the winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot against Gunther. Everyone gets in their promises of winning.

Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable vs. Tommaso Ciampa

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a future Intercontinental Title shot. Feeling out process to start with no one getting anywhere. Gable and Riddle grab stereo ankle locks but Ricochet and Ciampa make the ropes. That leaves us with Riddle vs. Gable but Ciampa is back in to send Gable outside. Ricochet drops Ciampa with a springboard clothesline for two but Riddle gets the same off a fisherman’s buster.

Gable is back in to faceplant Riddle for two, with Ciampa coming back in with a reverse DDT or two. Ricochet flips out of the Fairy Tale Ending and the Benedriller gets two more. Everyone goes to the corner for a huge Tower Of Doom, with Ricochet bouncing off the mat for a rather funny facial. Gable ankle locks Ciampa, whose rope grab means nothing. Instead Riddle makes the save and knees Gable but has to take Ricochet out instead.

Another knee rocks Ciampa and a superplex makes it worse. Gable and Ricochet both come off the top but dive onto knees, giving Riddle and Ciampa stereo two counts. Ricochet hits a big flip dive to the floor but dives back into Ciampa’s kick to the face. Project Ciampa gets two so Riddle hits the Bro Derek, with Gable making the save off a top rope splash. Gable is back up with Chaos Theory to Ciampa for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B. The action was pretty much non-stop here and it was cool to see these four getting to showcase what they can do. Gable, the hometown boy, gets another shot at Gunther, which makes last week’s loss a bit more questionable. Leave the five minute time limit thing alone and it would work but instead we’re getting a rematch after Gunther already beat him. Either way, good match here, with all of the moves you could want.

Post match Gable gets to celebrate, even carrying his son around the ring.

Video on Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

Sami Zayn has to play peacemaker between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. They’re cool enough to work together to fight the Judgment Day, but Sami doesn’t buy it.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso.

Miz is told he has to wait as LA Knight has a photo shoot.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed

Reed powers him up against the ropes to start and runs Nakamura over. Nakamura’s shots to the face have little effect as Reed shoulders him down again. Back up and Nakamura hits a running knee into a sliding kick to the face. Good Vibrations shakes Reed up but he runs Nakamura over again as we take a break (it’s not the end of the first hour yet but I guess picture in picture doesn’t count as a commercial).

Back with Nakamura hitting the middle rope knee and scoring with a running kick to the chest for two. Reed grabs a running powerbomb for the same and a Death Valley Driver gets two more. Nakamura’s spinning kick barely grazes Reed, who hits a hard clothesline. The Tsunami misses though and back to back Kinshasas finish Reed at 11:51.

Rating: C+. This has been a nice feud but I don’t really need to see them fight again. It’s also more than a little weird that Nakamura was showing no signs of last week’s heel turn, which had been built up for a few weeks. Reed losing again isn’t great, but at least Nakamura took some work to put him down. Just let them both move on.

We look back at Rhea Ripley attacking Raquel Rodriguez in recent weeks.

Ludwig Kaiser comes in to the Alpha Academy locker room to suggest that Maxxine Dupri (here alone) would be better off with Imperium (or at least Kaiser). She slaps him in the face and Otis pops up to issue the challenge for tonight. Deal.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She is tired of dealing with Trish Stratus and she is ready to wrap this up next week. It’s the greatest of the previous generation vs. the greatest of this generation (and the next and the next and the next) but here is Zoey Stark to interrupt. She doesn’t like all of this badmouthing Trish, but Becky says Trish is just using her. Stark: “You are d*** right. I am good at what I do!” She rants about how great she is until Shayna Baszler interrupts.

Baszler is a bit banged up but she says you should see Ronda Rousey. Well you can’t, because she got rid of Rousey at Summerslam (Becky approves). Stark says Baszler looks like a tough punching bag, which Becky thinks are fighting words. Cue Adam Pearce to agree. Not the best exchange here, as none of them were exactly feeling it on the mic.

Before the match, we get a long video on Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins.

JD McDonagh is in the back with Finn Balor when Damian Priest interrupts. Priest wants to know what was up with Balor making his own plans earlier. They argue over Balor’s loss, with Priest saying Balor is crowding him. Balor: “That contract is crowding both of us.” Rhea Ripley breaks it up, saying they need to act like men. McDonagh tries to intervene, saying that if the briefcase is coming between them, maybe Priest should get rid of it.

Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark

Becky Lynch is having some lemonade at ringside. Feeling out process to start with Baszler knocking her down without much effort. Back up and Stark kicks away at a variety of Baszler’s injuries, meaning the chinlock can go on. Baszler fights up and hits a few kicks to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Baszler fighting out of a chinlock and making the clothesline comeback. Stark kicks her in the face for two but Baszler grabs a gutwrench suplex for two more (Becky approves). The Kirifuda Clutch sends Stark outside but Becky offers a distraction, allowing Baszler to kick her in the ribs and eventually hit a Piper’s Pit (now the World’s Baddest Slam) for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C-. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be. I’m not sure if they were playing up the idea that Baszler is hurt and can’t take out Stark like she usually would, but it wasn’t exactly a great first match for Baszler after the big Rousey victory. Baszler can do better than that, but she needs to be more of a killer than all hobbled around.

Becky toasts Baszler’s win.

Shinsuke Nakamura is being interviewed when we cut to JD McDonagh attacking Sami Zayn, who has a HUGE lump on his elbow (that’s either a bad dislocation or a bursa sac).

Otis vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Maxxine Dupri and Giovanni Vinci are here too. Kaiser punches him into the corner to start but Otis gyrates his way out and grabs a slam. Otis hammers away in the corner but Vinci offers a distraction, allowing Gunther to come in with a cheap shot. Kaiser hits an enziguri and gets the pin at 2:57.

Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes almost argue over who gets to say that Sami Zayn isn’t cleared to compete tonight, so it’s 3-2. Shinsuke Nakamura comes up and offers to be their partner. Rollins agrees without getting Rhodes’ approval.

Here is Miz for a chat. He doesn’t get what is going on here because the fans suddenly love LA Knight. Why is he waiting behind someone like Knight? You’re supposed to introduce yourself when you get here and pay respect to those who came before you. Knight did NOT do any of that and he is tired of the lack of respect.

Cue Knight to say he thought the battle royal was enough of an introduction but sticks out his hand anyway. Miz says no, because Knight doesn’t deserve to shake his hand. He calls Knight the flavor of the month, but Miz thinks Knight is just an Attitude Era fanboy playing cosplay in the middle of his ring. Knight says you don’t want to make this personal so Miz goes on a rant about what he has been doing for the last twenty years.

That sounds personal to Knight, who talks about spending the last twenty years making himself a dangerous man on the outside while WWE bet on all of the wrong horses. Like Miz for instance. He’s been waiting for the right chance to come in but Miz got a twenty year head start because he’s safe. Yeah Miz has won a bunch of stuff and good for him, but Knight hasn’t been here yet. Now Knight is on the rise and Miz’s career is in the toilet. Knight is fine with making Miz a stepping stone (and he doesn’t mean the little ones down there).

Miz goes on a rant about being the main event, so Knight says prove him wrong. The jacket comes off and Miz throws it at him to start the fight. Knight reverses the Skull Crushing Finale into Blunt Force Trauma to knock Miz silly. Knight shakes his hand on the mat for a bonus. This was a good comeback promo from Knight, who has the charisma to make this work, but the Miz stuff needs to be a one off match and not a feud.

Here are the Viking Raiders for an open challenge.

Viking Raiders vs. New Day

Valhalla is here with the Raiders and this is the first New Day match since before Wrestlemania. Woods kicks away at Erik to start before handing it off to Kofi for the same. A Valhalla distraction lets Ivar kicks Woods in the face and it’s a top rope splash to give Ivar two. The beating continues until Woods manages a tornado DDT to escape.

Kofi comes back in for the Boom Drop but misses Trouble In Paradise. The SOS gets two but Ivar splashes him in the corner, allowing Erik to knee him in the face for two. Back up and Kofi kicks Erik in the face, setting up Trouble In Paradise into the Limit Break to give Woods the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have Kofi and the New Day back as the team can be slotted into any spot you want. They’re automatically near the top of the depth chart and that should make for a better future for the tag division. If Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are both out of action, New Day getting the titles again soon wouldn’t be out of the question.

Shayna Baszler interrupts a Becky Lynch interview and says she’ll be coming for The Man sooner than later. Lynch says she’s not hard to find.

New Day is glad to be back and teaches interviewer Jackie Redmond their dance.

Sonya Deville has torn her ACL and is out indefinitely, meaning the future of the Women’s Tag Team Titles isn’t clear.

Judgment Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins

During the entrances, here is Raquel Rodriguez to jump Rhea Ripley. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae are here to help try and break it up but Ripley jumps both of them off, meaning it’s Candice going after Ripley instead. They’re broken up, with Ripley throwing her shoe at Candice.

After a break we get down to the actual match (after Cole says Wrestlemania is coming to the northeast for the first time in eleven years, as math is no longer his strong suit), with Nakamura dropping Dominik for an early two. We take a break and come back with Nakamura in trouble and not quite being able to fight his way out. Nakamura finally manages to kick his way over to Rollins for the tag so house can be cleaned for a bit. Priest can’t get the Broken Arrow so Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two.

Rollins hits some suicide dives but springboards into an uppercut, allowing Priest to hit the swinging Downward Spiral. With Rollins outside, Balor shotgun dropkicks him into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Rhodes coming in to pick up the pace but Balor catches him with the reverse DDT for two. The Cody Cutter gives Rhodes the same but Priest uses the briefcase to break up Cross Rhodes. Cue Sami Zayn (with a taped up elbow) to jump Priest, allowing Rollins to superkick the briefcase into Balor’s face. Cross Rhodes finishes Balor at 14:22.

Rating: B-. This was your main event tag match and that’s all it needed to be given the kind of weird circumstances. What mattered here was giving the good guys a win as Rollins is now about as ready as he can be to move on to someone else. Nakamura’s heel turn seems to have been kind of dropped after last week but maybe they’re planning something for later with him.

Rollins and Rhodes reluctantly shake hands and the good guys celebrate…until Nakamura Kinshasas Rollins to end the show. Well I guess it’s later.

Overall Rating: B. They got a lot covered in here and had the action to back it up. There are probably four or five matches set up out of this show, plus the return of New Day for a nice moment. With not much time until Payback, this is the kind of show that they needed and they certainly got out of the blocks fast. Good show here, but more importantly, they did a lot of stuff for the future, which is not something you can often say about WWE TV.

Results
Chad Gable b. Ricochet, Tommaso Ciampa and Matt Riddle – Chaos Theory to Ciampa
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Bronson Reed – Kinshasa
Shayna Baszler b. Zoey Stark – The World’s Baddest Slam
Ludwig Kaiser b. Otis – Enziguri
New Day b. Viking Raiders – Limit Break to Erik
Shinsuke Nakamura/Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Balor

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: August 1, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re past the Great American Bash and Carmelo Hayes is still the NXT Champion after defeating Ilja Dragunov in the main event. The show was another strong effort when NXT goes on the road and now they’re having to get ready to do it again at the end of next month. There is a good chance that the build starts here so let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the Great American Bash.

New Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Stacks arrive but get jumped by Gallus. Joe Coffey says no matter what, Gallus boys on top.

Jacy Jayne storms the announcers’ table and promises to finish what she started with Lyra Valkyria at the Great American Bash.

Jacy Jayne vs. Lyra Valkyria

The fight is on before the bell with Valkyria in trouble as we officially get things going. Jayne takes her down and nails a kick to the back before they head outside. Valkyria takes over and we go to an early break. Back with Valkyria elbowing her way out of the corner but Jayne knocks her down again.

A backsplash gets two but Valkyria manages a quick toss outside, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Valkyria’s northern lights suplex gets two but Jayne’s spinebuster gets the same. Back up and Valkyria hits a spinning kick to the head into a top rope splash for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: C. They started fast but then it turned into a more basic match after the break. Valkyria gets a nice win over someone with some status and that is a good idea. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Valkyria as the next challenger to the Women’s Title and a win like this can be a step forward for her.

Trick Williams congratulates Carmelo Hayes on retaining the NXT Title but says he has to start doing this for himself. Hayes is totally cool with that and says Williams should go get his, but Williams says he isn’t a sidekick. Hayes says he never saw Williams as a sidekick, which Williams says he knows, but now it’s Williams’ time to go after the dragon. Williams clarifies that this is NOT a breakup and Hayes promises to have his back anytime. They seem to part as friends.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are getting checked out by the medics but D’Angelo says they want Gallus tonight. Stacks says that’s 3-2 but D’Angelo is going to make a call.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio for a celebratory chat. Mysterio says the win on Sunday makes him the greatest luchador of all time, but here is Dragon Lee to say Mysterio’s dad is the greatest of all time. Lee and Rhea disagree about Dominik’s cajones but we get a title match set for next week. Rhea says she’ll be here too, but Rey Mysterio pops up on screen to say he’ll be in Lee’s corner next week because Lee is the future of lucha libre.

Wes Lee is mad about his loss and vents to Carmelo Hayes, who tells him to calm the h*** down. Noam Dar comes in to say he’s the Heritage Cup Champion because Nathan Frazer never beat him. On the other hand, Dominik beat Lee twice. That’s enough to trigger a brawl, with referees quickly breaking it up.

Thea Hail is depressed over her loss at the Great American Bash, with Andre Chase saying he had no choice. Hail shouted she still had a chance but Baron Corbin shows up to tell them to leave. Corbin tells Hail that the job isn’t for everyone so she should leave. Chase: “That’s it Corbin. You’re a piece of s***.” A match seems to be made but Hail still doesn’t want to talk to Chase.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

Thorpe charges right at Dijak to start and sends him into the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Dijak is right back up for a slugout before drilling Thorpe with a clothesline. Dijak can’t get a chokeslam so Thorpe sends him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. A charge only hits post though and Dijak grabs a chokeslam for two. Back up and Thorpe grabs a suplex for two but can’t hit a German suplex. Instead Dijak tries a torture rack but gets reversed into the German suplex to knock him silly. They head outside, with Dijak posting him hard, setting up the cyclone boot to finish Thorpe at 4:22.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to get very far but they used the time they had well. Dijak continues to feel like a monster and some of the things he can do still look great. At the same time you have Thorpe, who has hit a rough patch and doesn’t feel like nearly the up and comer he was a few weeks ago. There is still time for him, but Dijak getting pushed is certainly interesting at the moment.

Tony D’Angelo makes a call to someone and gets a second partner for tonight.

Dana Brooke and Kelani Jones are happy with Brook’s win last week but tells Jordan to find her killer instinct.

Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez

Leon and Lopez start things off with Lopez taking over. Feroz comes in but gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Vice add a running hip attack in the corner. Lopez’s enziguri sets up a chinlock but it’s quickly back to Vice. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work for Vice and Feroz crawls over for the tag to Leon. Everything breaks down and Vice kicks Leon in the head for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C. Another match without much time, but what matters here is setting up Vice and Lopez as a new team. It’s not like there are a ton of options in the women’s tag division so setting up someone from NXT is a good way to go. Maybe this is just a one off, but beating Feroz and Leon does feel like a little something at least.

Tiffany Stratton talks about how much pain she was in against Thea Hail but she survived. She’ll be back next week for something fabulous.

Wes Lee/Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah/Noam Dar

Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend are here with Mensah and Dar. Lee starts fast on the floor and Hayes has to come out for the save before asking what Lee is doing. We settle down to Hayes being driven into the wrong corner but coming out with the springboard clothesline to Mensah. Lee comes in for two off a falling backsplash as the fans start chanting HAPPY BIRTHDAY to someone (apparently Hayes, who is turning 29). Mensah rolls outside and Lee loads up a dive but Hayes calls him off as we take a break.

Back with Mensah hitting a northern lights suplex for two on Lee. A quick shot takes Mensah down though and the big tag brings Hayes back in to clean house. Hayes takes Dar down with La Mistica (headscissors into a faceplant, minus the armbar) but Jackson gets in the way of something off the top. Everything breaks down and Lee’s Cardiac Kick hits Hayes by mistake. Mensah superkicks Lee into the Nova Roller to give Dar the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This match, especially the ending, was more about setting up Lee as the likely next challenger for Hayes. After Lee’s record North American Title reign, he has more than earned a shot so that all lines up. Other than that, this was a pretty nice tag match and it isn’t like being pinned by a long running Heritage Cup Champion is some major upset. They did what they needed to do here and that’s nice to see.

Post match Hayes and Lee argue, with Hayes trying to play peacemaker but Lee yells a lot.

Bron Breakker talks about the sad story Von Wagner has been telling but the truth is that Wagner is soft like his father. The scar he had on his head was nothing compared to how Wagner will look after Breakker gets done with him.

Axiom is looking to get a North American Title shot (Dominik Mysterio can’t keep his masked people straight) but Mustafa Ali interrupts and tries to get his own title shot. Dominik and Rhea Ripley leave as they argue, with Axiom saying he doesn’t respect the disrespect. Ali rants about being disrespected for three years.

Baron Corbin vs. Andre Chase

The rest of Chase U is here and Thea Hail is rather distraught. Corbin powers him around to start but Chase slips out and knocks Corbin outside. A Death Valley Driver plants Chase on the floor and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Chase’s back back inside. Fans: “THROW THE TOWEL!”

Chase fights up and gets in a shot to the leg before dropkicking the leg out again. The Russian legsweep sets up the spelling stomps but Corbin is back with a spinebuster. A half crab goes on and Thea throws in the towel at 4:40. The referee doesn’t see it so the match continues with Corbin letting the hold go as Thea leaves. End of Days finishes Chase at 5:14.

Rating: C. As much as I want to see him win, Chase losing here is what makes the most sense. He isn’t as big of a star as Corbin, or even close to it, and he has the whole Hail thing on top of it. Corbin gets a bit of a win to help make up for the Gable Steveson mess, but for now it’s going to be about Chase U, which seems to be in a lot of trouble.

We look at Roxanne Perez going back home to Texas for the Great American Bash, where Blair Davenport jumped her. Then she beat Blair in a Weapons Wild match, because no one can break her.

Meta Four is bragging about their win when Tyler Bate returns to say he has been in Tibet for a bit. Since Noam Dar says he’s the Heritage Cup Champion and has beaten everyone, he might need a fresh opponent. Bate accepts the challenge (which he himself issued) so the title match is on next week.

Here is the Schism to find out who messed with them last week. There are six masked people in the ring with them, with Joe Gacy talking about how insubordination must be eradicated. Ava tells them to unmask one by one, with the first two being no one in particular. The third is….Ikemen Jiro of all people, with his stylish jacket. Schism throws him and one other person out, leaving two people that Schism KNOWS are the Creed Brothers. They jump the still masked men but the Creeds pop up on screen from a beach.

They’ve also been to the pyramids, Easter Island, and…well back to the beach in some place they can’t agree on. What matters is they are NOT in Orlando, so we see that the two masked men are just more people. Gacy tells the worldwide followers of the Schism to find the Creeds and bring them back. Well at least the Creeds are kind of back and the Jiro surprise was good for a chuckle.

Last week, Cora Jade snapped after her loss to Dana Brooke and stormed out of the locker room.

Gallus vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks/Santos Escobar

Stacks hammers on Wolfgang to start before D’Angelo comes in for more of the same. A hiptoss sends Stacks into Wolfgang in the corner and everything breaks down, with the good guys hitting stereo punches to the ribs. The ring is cleared out and we take a break with Gallus in trouble.

Back with Gallus taking turns on Stacks, including Mark holding a front facelock. Stacks slips away but his partners are pulled to the floor, meaning there is no one to tag. Not that it matters as the tag off to Escobar allows him to clean house. Mark sends Escobar to the apron, where he scores with an enziguri. A high crossbody hits Mark and a victory roll gets two. Everything breaks down and Escobar snaps off a super hurricanrana to Mark. The Bada Bing finishes for D’Angelo at 9:54.

Rating: B-. This was little more than a fun reunion between Escobar and D’Angelo while giving Escobar a mini boost before his US Title match. It was just fine for what it was and should finish Gallus off from the title hunt for the time being. I can really go for more of these main roster cameos in NXT and this was another good one.

The winners celebrate, and seem to bury the old hatchet…..to not end the show.

Ilja Dragunov says he isn’t done with Trick Williams and promises to begins his retribution next week.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt like a nice, slower edition without much going on but when you look at it, they accomplished a lot. They covered the fallout from the Bash, set up some matches for next week and seemingly set up Hayes’ next challenger. That’s a rather efficient use of two hours and it’s cool to see an NXT that is covering so much in a single night. If there was some better wrestling throughout this would have been one of the better weekly NXT shows in a good bit. For not though, it was just another efficient one.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Jacy Jayne – Top rope splash
Dijak b. Eddy Thorpe – Cyclone boot
Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – Superkick to Leon
Oro Mensah/Noam Dar b. Carmelo Hayes/Wes Lee – Nova Roller to Lee
Baron Corbin b. Andre Chase – End of Days
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks/Santos Escobar b. Gallus – Bada Bing to Mark Coffey

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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Great American Bash 2023
Date: July 30, 2023
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

NXT is back on the big stage here and that is becoming a bit more common of a situation. In this case, it’s the biggest show of the summer with NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes defending the title against Ilja Dragunov in the main event. Other than that, we have the in-ring debut of Gable Steveson and Thea Hail challenging Tiffany Stratton for the Women’s Title in a submission match. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Meta Four vs. Nathan Frazer/Dragon Lee/Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz

Dar and Frazer fight over wrist control to start until Frazer snaps off a dropkick, meaning Legend comes in. Leon hits a running knee before handing it off to Feroz for a quick moonsault. Jackson faceplants her down for two and it’s Jackson coming in but getting sent into the wrong corner. Leon unloads on Jackson but Mensah tags himself in, meaning Lee can hit a running kick in the corner. A quick distraction lets Mensah take Lee down though and of course Dar is willing to come back in.

The chinlock goes on but Lee is right back up with a basement superkick for a double knockdown. Frazer comes back in to unload on Dar but Legend cuts off the big dive. Everything breaks down and Leon LAUNCHES Feroz over the top for the crash. Lee and Frazer hit dives of their own, followed by Frazer’s springboard reverse DDT.

Vic says these wrestlers embody Dusty Rhodes and….yeah not seeing it. Leon hits a missile dropkick on Lash, setting up a DDT to give Feroz two. Lee and Dar trade strikes to the head until Mensah hits a powerbomb faceplant (Big Show used to call it the Alley Oop) for two. Lee is fine enough to get back to Frazer though and it’s a springboard reverse Spanish Fly to Mensah, setting up Lee’s running Sliced Bread for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: B-. That’s about as perfect of a way as you can have to start a show, as you had eight people doing all whatever they could in the time they had. Frazer and Lee are great high fliers and they did their thing rather well. Dar can hang with just about anyone and I’m sure we’ll see more of this going forward with the double cups. Not a classic match, but a very fun opener.

The opening video focuses on Dusty Rhodes, who invented the Bash and was born here in Austin. Cody Rhodes narrates how important this is (nice touch) and we look at most of the card.

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Gallus

Gallus, with Joe Coffey, is defending and get a video before the match, where they promise to come out on top. Mark drives Stacks into D’Angelo to start and hammers away early on. Stacks is back up and brings D’Angelo in to stomp away but Joe trips Stacks up. D’Angelo goes after Joe, allowing Wolfgang to get in a hard clothesline to put him down on the floor.

Back in and Mark sends Stacks throat first into the bottom rope so Wolfgang can grab a chinlock. With that broken up, Stacks jumps over Wolfgang and hands it back to D’Angelo to clean house. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang is punched to the floor, leaving Mark to get PowerPlexed (headbutt instead of splash) for two, with Wolfgang making the save.

Back up and Wolfgang throws Mark over the top onto D’Angelo, followed by a moonsault for two on Stacks. Joe gets on the apron and slips Wolfgang a club, which is quickly taken away. Stacks low bridges Wolfgang to the floor and D’Angelo powerbombs Mark into him. D’Angelo hiptosses Stacks onto both of them and Bada Bing finishes Wolfgang for the pin and the titles at 9:15.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much of another choice here as Gallus was ice cold as champions and there was no reason to keep the titles on them. D’Angelo and Stacks have been chasing the belts for a bit so the win is a pretty nice moment. The match was good enough too, with Gallus’ cheating not working this time around and the titles going to the better team.

We recap Roxanne Perez vs. Blair Davenport in a Weapons Wild match. Davenport was out of action for a long time but came back as the mystery attacker who took out a bunch of the women’s division. Then she targeted Perez, who was sick and tired of being treated as an easy opponent. Perez is fired up for revenge and anything goes.

Blair Davenport vs. Roxanne Perez

Weapons Wild and anything goes, but first we see a clip of the two of them getting into it at a convention yesterday. Perez’s family is in the crowd, but so is a disguised Davenport to get in a cheap shot to start fast. Davenport takes her down on the floor and then heads inside, only to get dropped with a suicide dive. Some chair shots have Perez in trouble and what looks like a cane to the ribs puts her down on the floor.

Davenport makes sure to mock the family before putting a trashcan over Perez and unloading with the cane. Perez manages a quick chair to the ribs but Davenport hits her in the ribs with a belt. Davenport yells at the family again but Perez is back with a bull rope (with cowbell of course). The belt is tied around Davenport’s wrist so Perez can whip her into the barricade a few times.

It’s table time (because of course) but that takes a bit too long, allowing Davenport to take her down again. The chairs are stacked up but Davenport has to counter Pop Rox onto the pile. A suplex through the trashcan gets two on Perez, who is back with a Russian legsweep of all things. They’re back on the floor with Perez hitting a running knee to send her head first into the steps. A top rope splash through the table crushes Davenport, followed by Pop Rox onto the chairs for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C+. Not a bad brawl here with both women laying it in until Perez won. They could have gone either way here but this is going to take Davenport out of the running to be the big bad of NXT for awhile. That’s not the worst idea, but Perez winning is a good way to go after she has had a rough few weeks. Other than that, it was your run of the mill hardcore match and it went well enough.

Gable Steveson vs. Baron Corbin

This is Steveson’s, an Olympic gold medal winner, debut and we get a quick look at everything he has done in WWE so far. Corbin punches him into the corner to start but Steveson leapfrogs over him and gets the ankle lock (Please no. There are going to be enough Kurt Angle comparisons already.).

Corbin gets the rope and heads outside, where Steveson gets posted. Back in and Corbin posts him shoulder first, followed by a Death Valley Driver for two. Steveson sends him into the corner but gets stomped down for his efforts. Some belly to belly suplexes drop Corbin and Steveson sends him outside. Steveson whips him into the announcers’ table…and they fight to a countout at 6:33?

Rating: C-. While this wasn’t a disaster, it’s going to leave some people saying “that’s it?” Steveson is clearly a great athlete and can do the suplexes and throws well, but this should have been a dominant start, not a match designed to set something else up for the future. Let Steveson show what he can do rather than having him sell for most of the match. Steveson is a special athlete and someone WWE is not going to get very often. This didn’t make me think he was special, but rather that he was a good athlete who wasn’t very high on the WWE totem pole. Not an awful match, but this wasn’t the right direction to take.

Post match the brawl stays on but the fans are really, really not pleased.

We look at Lyra Valkyria coming up short against Rhea Ripley but getting a show of respect after. Ripley told her to take out Jacy Jayne.

Valkyria wants more, but Jayne attacks her and the big brawl is on.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is defending after taking the title from Lee a few weeks back. The other two go after Dominik to start but Rhea gets in Ali’s way, as she is known to do. Dominik tries to run but gets pulled back in by the two of them (great visual) so the double chopping in the corner can ensue.

Lee and Ali slug it out but Dominik is back in for the Three Amigos. That doesn’t work for Ali and Lee, who hit double Three Amigos in a clever spot. With Ali sent outside, Lee grabs a hurricanrana for two, with Ali’s dropkick through the ropes (cool) making the save. Ali kicks Dominik down and hits the rolling neckbreaker, setting up a Boston crab/camel clutch at the same time. That’s broken up so Ali kicks them into the ropes but a 450 only hits apron.

Dominik is knocked to the floor for a dive from Lee but Rhea blocks another. That’s fine with Lee, who dives over her to take Dominik down again (and sticks the landing). Rhea isn’t cool with that and Lee gets Riptided through the announcers’ table to give Dominik a VERY close two (Rhea freaking out on the floor is great). A belt shot gets two more but Ali breaks up the frog splash. The 450 gets two but Ripley pulls Ali out, allowing Dominik to hit the frog splash and retain at 12:05.

Rating: B. There’s a lot here and that is a good thing. First of all, it was a rather modern triple threat style, with all three working at a fast pace and the challengers trying to get the pin where they could. At the same time though you have Dominik doing his best Honky Tonk Man impression and absolutely nailing it. While he isn’t incompetent in the ring, he’s in over his head and needs Ripley to bail him out every time. That is making him an absolute heat magnet and it’s some amazing work.

Finally you have Ripley, who is more of a star than the women’s division has seen since Becky Lynch. She is the kind of person who leaves you wanting to see what she is going to do next while believing that there is nothing she can’t do. It’s a treat to get to watch her and she and Dominik together are about as perfect as it gets.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Trick Williams is ready for Carmelo Hayes to shut Dragunov up.

We recap Tiffany Stratton vs. Thea Hail for the Women’s Title. Stratton beat her once before, albeit after tapping behind the referee’s back. Tonight it’s a submission match, with Stratton promising to debut a new submission.

Women’s Title: Thea Hail vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton, with a Barbie theme, is defending in a submission match while Chase U is here with Hail. Feeling out process to start until Stratton knocks her down for an early surfboard. That doesn’t last long as Hail knocks her outside but a suicide dive is blocked. Stratton posts her to start on the back and works away back inside.

Hail avoids a charge in the corner though and grabs a suplex, only to get pulled into a bodyscissors. Back up and Hail gets in a bulldog to send Stratton outside, meaning the dive can connect this time. Stratton pulls her out of the air back inside but Hail tries the Kimura. That’s broken up with a suplex into the corner though and a Regal Roll plants Hail again.

Hail catches her on top with an exploder superplex and the Kimura goes on. Stratton uses the ropes to escape to the floor and drives Hail’s back into the apron. Back in and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever sets up a Boston crab to keep hail in a lot of trouble. Stratton cranks back on it….and Andre Chase throws in the towel at 11:45.

Rating: C+. I’m going to need to hear the explanation on this one, as it is going to be needed to boost the match up. Stratton isn’t really a submission wrestler, so while her hurting the back worked, the Boston crab really didn’t. Hail being mad at Chase over the ending could work, but it didn’t come close to building up the emotion you need from that kind of ending. I didn’t buy Hail being in that much danger and it brought things down a bit. Still good, but not what it could have been.

Dragon Lee is proud of his win earlier when he runs into Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Rhea calls him the wannabe Rey Mysterio, with Lee saying he would be proud to be like Rey in any way.

Schism argues about the two masked men who interfered in their match. Next week, it’s an interrogation.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They fight over the arm to start until Dragunov grabs a headlock. Hayes goes for the arm before hitting a springboard clothesline but Dragunov gets in a shot to the back. A German suplex drops Hayes and Dragunov kicks him in the face for a bonus. They slug it out until Dragunov rolls some German suplexes until Hayes armdrags his way out of trouble. That doesn’t work for Dragunov, who kicks him in the face and snaps off a bridging German suplex for two.

A backsplash stays on the ribs for two more and we hit the chinlock. Hayes tries to fight back and gets hit in the face for another near fall. The Constantine Special gets two and Dragunov needs a breather. Dragunov is up with the heavy forearms to the back into a cobra clutch with a bodyscissors. Hayes slips out and hits a kick to the chest, only to get kicked in the head for two more.

Back up and Hayes knocks him into the corner but Dragunov comes back with the chops. Hayes elbows his way out of trouble and a springboard DDT gets two on Dragunov. Back up and Dragunov catches him on top, setting up the top rope backsplash for two. Dragunov tries the Coast To Coast but dives into a Codebreaker (for a VERY over the top bump). Hayes goes up for Nothing But Net, which is countered into a heck of a powerbomb.

Dragunov’s running forearm to the head gets two but a top rope superplex is countered into a super cutter (that was sweet) to give Hayes two of his own. Williams grabs the title to give Hayes a pep talk and the slugout on the ground begins. The slugout sends Hayes out to the floor as the fans find this awesome. Dragunov’s dive takes out Williams by mistake but his head hits the title. That’s enough for Hayes to hit Nothing But Net to retain at 24:08.

Rating: B. This one took some time to get going, but it hit its stride once it stopped being a Dragunov squash of Hayes. They didn’t have the best chemistry, though it worked out well by the end, especially with Dragunov’s own intensity and willingness to go one more step being his downfall. Hayes didn’t look great here, but he looked good enough to get by and in some cases that’s all you need.

Overall Rating: B-. Much like the main event, this show wasn’t great but it was just good enough. One thing I like about NXT is that it never feels like they are trying to be Wrestlemania and that’s how it should be. NXT isn’t good enough to be that big and it would be foolish to try. Instead you get shows like this, where they have been built up well enough and then make the execution work. They pulled it off here and I had a good enough time with the show, especially considering it was in and out in less than two and a half hours. This is worth a look if you want something different, so consider it if you have the chance.

Results
Dragon Lee/Nathan Frazer/Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz b. Meta Four – Standing Sliced Bread to Mensah
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Gallus – Bada Bing to Wolfgang
Roxanne Perez b. Blair Davenport – Pop Rox onto a pile of chairs
Baron Corbin vs. Gable Steveson went to a double countout
Dominik Mysterio b. Wes Lee and Mustafa Ali – Frog splash to Lee
Tiffany Stratton b. Thea Hail when Andre Chase threw in the towel
Carmelo Hayes b. Ilja Dragunov – Nothing But Net

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