NXT
Date: May 24, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We are less than two weeks away from In Your House and the show has already started to come together. There are still a few matches to be set up for the card but at least we already have the main event set. Unfortunately that match is another Joe Gacy title shot against Bron Breakker. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony D’Angelo and company want to get their hands on Legado del Fantasma again.

Stacks/Two Dimes vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Stacks elbows Enofe down to start but a dropkick gets him out of trouble. That’s not enough for a real comeback though as Stacks takes Enofe down again and grabs a seated abdominal stretch. We cut to Legado watching in the back, but now they’re heading to the ring. Enofe fights up and knocks Two Dimes over enough to make the tag to Blade, meaning house can be cleared. A high crossbody gives Blade two but the goons take him down in a hurry. Cue Legado as Stacks and Two Dimes hit stereo right hands for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. Pretty meh opener here and that’s not like NXT. Then again it might have something to do with D’Angelo’s boys not exactly being interesting as they are little more than muscle guys (who aren’t that muscular). Blade and Enofe losing again is annoying too, as they seem like a team who could work well as the new pretty boy team.

Post match Legado comes to the ring and the fight is on.

Wes Lee, with his ribs taped up, isn’t regretting challenging Sanga and he’ll prove himself tonight.

Sanga vs. Wes Lee

The much bigger Sanga headbutts him down and hits a splash to the back. The slow beating begins with Sanga staying on the ribs. Lee manages to kick him to the floor though and a slingshot stomp….doesn’t actually put Sanga down. Instead Lee tries a running dropkick into the steps, only to have Sanga chop him down again. Back in and Lee comes off the top but gets knocked away, allowing Sanga to hit a chokeslam for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. Quick match here as Lee loses again, though I guess it’s better than sitting in catering. Sanga is the latest monster, but in this case he wasn’t exactly a mean one. This was more about Sanga beating up Lee to get rid of him, which isn’t quite the same thing as mauling various people like a giant eats villagers.

Post match Xyon Quinn goes after Lee, but Sanga makes the save. Great. Another big/little man team, though Sanga is better than he was as Grayson Waller’s bodyguard.

Cora Jade gives Roxanne Perez a pep talk about her match with Lash Legend tonight. They also don’t like Elektra Lopez and Jade implies interference. Of all the segments NXT has had, this might have sounded the most fake.

Bron Breakker is told Joe Gacy is looking for him. He goes in the locker room and finds a picture of….I think Rick Steiner and his kids (including Breakker). Breakker says it is from twenty years ago.

Alba Fyre vs. Elektra Lopez

Cora Jade is here. Fyre takes her into the corner to start and hits a running clothesline for two. Back up and Fyre misses an elbow in the corner, allowing Fyre to hit a superkick. Lopez takes her down by the arm though and gets a breather. That’s not enough for Fyre though as she kicks Lopez in the face and hits a Swanton for the pin at 2:53.

Post match Jade laughs at Lopez so she knocks the popcorn out of Jade’s hand.

Damon Kemp tells the Creeds that their match is off because Roderick Strong her hurt his ankle. The Creeds aren’t cool with that but Kemp says he’s just following orders and relaying information.

Due to an injury to Nikkita Lyons, Fallon Henley is in the finals of the Breakout Tournament. Tiffany Stratton pops in and mocks Henley for getting the bye. That’s too far, and the new semifinals match is on.

Women’s Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Roxanne Perez vs. Lash Legend

No entrance for Legend. Perez goes for a waistlock to start but Legend powers her up without much trouble. That means it’s time for Perez to be thrown around but she manages to take Legend down and hammer away. Some running elbows in the corner look to set up a Russian legsweep but Legend sweeps the leg to take her down. A powerbomb is countered into Pop Rox to give Perez the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C+. I’m very happy to have been wrong about this one as I would have bet on Legend vs. Lyons in the finals. This is a nice surprise, as Perez has all kinds of potential and can hang with a lot of people in the ring from here. Legend is a very long term project and while there are pieces there, she isn’t ready for that kind of success just yet.

Toxic Attraction doesn’t like Indi Hartwell but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter jump them, with Mandy Rose escaping.

Mandy Rose vs. Indi Hartwell

Non-title. Rose takes her down to start and gets an early two, meaning the trash talk can be on. That takes a bit too long though and Hartwell knocks her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Hartwell slugging away but her back gives out on a fireman’s carry attempt. Something like a spinebuster gives Hartwell two but here are Katrina Chance/Kayden Carder/Toxic Attraction for the fight. They get in the ring and the distraction lets Rose hit the running knee for the pin at 9:15.

Rating: C-. Hartwell has fallen a long way and it wouldn’t shock me to see her out of the company sooner rather than later. She wasn’t all that interesting as part of the Way but at least she had some charm with Dexter Lumis. Now she’s just another person on the roster and that isn’t a great place to be.

Post match Wendy Choo runs out to jump Rose with a bag full of various types of balls. BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY YOU SEE!

Bron Breakker is shown a clip of one of his high school football games. His dad was supposed to be there, but he was in Japan instead.

Pretty Deadly is ready for the Creeds.

Women’s Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton takes her down to start and hits a few elbows. A slingshot Swanton gives Stratton two and it’s time to start cranking on the leg, complete with Stratton bridging back and blowing a kiss. With that broken up, Henley headbutts her into the corner but Henley’s knee gives out. A slingshot dropkick in the corner connects and a slingshot corkscrew Vader Bomb finishes for Stratton at 4:56.

Rating: C. Stratton really does feel like a potential star and I can see pushing her forward here. Henley is fitting in perfectly well as the charming country girl and she’ll be fine if she can have even a passable match on her personality alone. This worked for a quick one off match and I could see both of them being something better in the future.

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Wendy Choo comes in and wants the Women’s Title.

Video on Von Wagner.

Thea Hail is graduating from high school tomorrow and she’s glad to be living her dream in NXT. Next week, she decides between college and NXT.

Duke Hudson comes up to Bron Breakker and insists he didn’t do any of the things to him tonight. Hudson says he has nothing to lose, but Breakker grabs him by the throat. Hudson says someone was right about Breakker being predictable.

Von Wagner vs. Ikemen Jiro

Jiro charges in and strikes away before the opening bell. The match actually happens and Wagner knocks him out of the air to slow things down. Jiro uses the jacket punches and scores with an enziguri to the floor, setting up a middle rope DDT for two. That’s enough for Wagner, who hits his Death Valley Driver neckbreaker for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: D. Well at least Jiro grabbed his jacket despite being so angry and thirsty for revenge. The match was just a squash but I still don’t see it with either of these two. Wagner is a big guy who can do basic big guy stuff while Jiro can be funny at times (and certainly has charisma). That’s not quite enough to make me all that interested though.

Post match Wagner goes after Jiro again but Josh Briggs makes the save. Sophia Cromwell won’t let Wagner go after Briggs.

Tony D’Angelo and company want Legado del Fantasma at In Your House.

Von Wagner is ready to erupt but Sophia Cromwell says he’ll get his revenge when he has the chance.

Toxic Attraction is down for the title matches at In Your House.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are at the barbershop and are ready for In Your House. He needs his title back so here is Cameron Grimes to mock him. Hayes says Grimes is a title holder instead of a champion like him. There is someone from NXT UK (meaning Nathan Frazer) who people are saying is faster and better than Hayes (which has Hayes’ eyes shifting). That’s why Grimes is facing Frazer next week.

In Your House rundown.

We get a promo from an unseen woman talking about the high life and how status is only bad thing to those who can’t achieve it. She is from Italy and her name is Giovanni Vici.

Bron Breakker vs. Duke Hudson

Non-title and Joe Gacy, with the minions, is on the balcony. A quick Frankensteiner puts Hudson in early trouble but he chokes on the ropes to slow Breakker down. They go to the floor where Hudson hits a clothesline, followed by an overhead suplex back inside. Hudson even throws in some barking, which is enough for Breakker to take him down as we go to a break.

Back with Hudson sending him into the steps, setting up a failed Steiner Recliner attempt. Instead Breakker slips out but can’t get his own version. With Joe Gacy and the minions watching at ringside, Breakker fights up but the minions get on the apron. The minions try to get in as Hudson picks up a chair. Breakker takes that away and swings at Gacy but turns around and hits Hudson for the DQ at 10:59.

Rating: C. Gacy vs. Breakker is a fine example of a feud that makes all the sense in the world on paper but isn’t interesting. I have no desire to see Breakker beat Gacy up again and I have even less desire to see Gacy win the title. It’s a feud that should have been wrapped up weeks ago but here we go again, because much like WWE, NXT can’t help itself with these rematches.

Post match Gacy mocks Breakker for the DQ, because it’s in his nature.

Overall Rating: C-. I couldn’t get myself into this show and it wasn’t their best work. I do like the tournament final being Perez vs. Stratton as I would have bet on Legend and/or Lyons being in there, so at least they’re throwing in a surprise. As for the rest of the show, they are making In Your House look ok, though that Gacy vs. Breakker match is dragging it way down, much like NXT cranking up the Wendy Choo “comedy” again. Not their best this week, though it did have some nice moments.

Results
Stacks/Two Dimes b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Double punch to Blade
Sanga b. Wes Lee – Chokeslam
Alba Fyre b. Elektra Lopez – Swanton
Roxanne Perez b. Lash Legend – Pop Rox
Mandy Rose b. Indi Hartwell – Running knee
Tiffany Stratton b. Fallon Henley – Corkscrew Vader Bomb
Von Wagner b. Ikemen Jiro – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Duke Hudson b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Breakker used a chair

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

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

NXT
Date: May 17, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re officially on the road to In Your House and that means more of Joe Gacy vs. Bron Breakker because of course it does. Other than that we have more of the women’s Breakout Tournament, which at least started out somewhat ok. Tonight we have more first round matches so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. Solo Sikoa/Cameron Grimes

Before the match, Hayes and Williams promise to take the North American Title back at In Your House. Grimes kicks Hayes in the face to start and Sikoa drops a backsplash on Williams to start fast. Williams is back with a jumping clothesline on Grimes and Hayes adds a springboard crossbody. It’s a double tag to bring in Williams and Sikoa with Sikoa getting taken down as we take a break.

Back with Hayes holding Sikoa in a chinlock, which is broken up without much trouble. The tag brings Grimes back in to clean house, including the double hurricanrana. There’s a high crossbody to Hayes but Sikoa tags himself in to break up the Cave In. Sikoa drops Hayes and the Cave In hits Williams, setting up the Superfly Splash to finish Hayes at 9:59.

Rating: C+. Four talented people were put into a match and two of them won, with the #1 contender to the North American Title taking the fall. I’m sure this won’t set up a triple threat match for the title, because that is never something WWE would do. The action here was as good as you would have expected and it was a solid choice for an opener.

Post match Sikoa hands Grimes the North American Title, albeit with quite the stare.

Pretty Deadly certainly isn’t scared of the Creed Brothers.

Video on Thea Hail training at the Performance Center. She has been decent enough on LVL Up. Oh but first she needs to graduate high school.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Lash Legend vs. Tatum Paxley

Legend powers her into the corner to start but gets caught in a headscissors. That’s escaped with a nip up and Paxley can’t get an electric chair. Paxley’s leg is messed up so Legend wraps it around the bottom rope to make it worse. A stretch muffler goes on but Paxley pulls herself up and manages a rollup for two. The electric chair still doesn’t work so she grabs a suplex, only to hurt her knee again. A standing spinning moonsault gives Paxley two but she STILL can’t get the electric chair (try something else already). That lets Legend hit the pump kick for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C-. I don’t think it’s any real secret that this tournament is going to end with Legend and/or Nikkita Lyons in the finals so running through Paxley was a mere formality here. Legend has improved a lot and not letting her talk is the best thing NXT could have gone, but she still has a long way to go. Certainly not an awful match here though and that is a big upgrade for Legend.

Tony D’Angelo and company are ready for Legado del Fantasma tonight.

NXT is returning to live touring in Florida this summer. That is great to hear for them as the wrestlers need the reps.

Duke Hudson is talking about how he took some time off…and Bron Breakker walks by, saying to play his music.

Here is Breakker in the ring for a chat. Breakker talks about how Joe Gacy left him in a field and now wants him to join Gacy’s cause. That earns Gacy an offer of kissing a certain part of Breakker, but here is Gacy to interrupt. Breakker says he doesn’t trust him but Gacy says the people want Gacy vs. Breakker, one on one. That’s fine with Breakker, who says the match is on but Gacy wants to raise the stakes. It should be Breakker destroying Gacy and hurting him every way he can. That gives Gacy an idea: if Breakker gets disqualified, he loses the title. Deal. Sure why not, as it’s not like anything else in this feud has mattered.

Indi Hartwell is tired of feeling sorry for herself so she wants to face Mandy Rose.

Wes Lee says Xyon Quin isn’t medically cleared but Lee is waiting on him. Nathan Frazer comes in for a challenge for tonight. Lee says there is a lot of pent up aggression so he doesn’t want to hurt Frazer. The match seems to be on.

Viking Raiders vs. Creed Brothers

Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp are here with the Creeds. The Creeds start fast and knock the Vikings outside early on. We settle down to Erik running Julius down and the Raiders be clubberin. The armbar goes on, followed by a clothesline and the front facelock. Julius fights up and brings Brutus in to clean house, including a dropkick to knock Ivar off the top. Brutus hits a top rope cannonball to the floor (and lands hard on his feet) as we take a break.

Back with Brutus getting two on Erik and taking him into the corner to keep up the beating. Erik breaks that up and dives over to Ivar to make the tag, meaning house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and a spinebuster gets two on Erik. Brutus is sent outside and it’s back to Ivar, setting up a middle rope World’s Strongest Slam for two, with Brutus making the save.

A German suplex drops Erik and Julius runs the top, only to have a superplex attempt broken up. Ivar misses the top rope splash, allowing Brutus to grab an Oklahoma roll for two as Erik makes a save of his own. Everyone slugs it out so Kemp gets in the apron, allowing Strong to offer some interference. Julius breaks that up, only to have the Raiders double powerbomb Julius for the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B. This was about four big, strong guys beating on each other and throwing around some suplexes, which is all it should have been. They didn’t waste time here and the ending plays into the story that was set up in their first match. It’s another case of the #1 contenders losing, but at least the Raiders winning isn’t a total stretch.

Post match, the Diamond Mine seems ready to split.

Legado del Fantasma is ready for Tony D’Angelo and company.

Tiffany Stratton gives Grayson Waller a pep talk.

Bron Breakker is ready for Joe Gacy but Duke Hudson interrupts. A match is set for later tonight.

Grayson Waller vs. Andre Chase

Bodhi Hayward is here with Chase. Waller pounds away to start but Chase is back with a neckbreaker. That earns him a big boot though and Waller gets in some right hands. This does not sit well with Sarray, the honorary Chase U flag bearer, and neither does a suplex from Waller. A side kick gives Waller two but Chase catapults him into the corner. The spelling stomps set up a backdrop but Waller lands on Hayward by mistake. The distraction lets Waller hit the rolling Stunner for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C. Chase is still one of the most entertaining people in NXT but he shouldn’t be going over someone like Waller. NXT certainly sees something in Waller and he is almost good enough to be on the main roster today (and might already be ready). Let Chase stay around here where he can pop the crowd with a funny line every so often and things will be fine.

Toxic Attraction doesn’t think much of Kayden Carter/Katana Chance/Indi Hartwell have been talking about them. Revenge is promised.

The Diamond Mine argues in the back with the Creed Brothers walking away. Roderick Strong tells Damon Kemp to deal with this. With Kemp gone, Pretty Deadly comes in to say the Creeds aren’t winning no matter what.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James

James takes her down to start and goes after the arm but Perez grabs some armdrags. A backbreaker puts Perez in trouble but she reverses a Boston crab into a rollup for two. Another spinning backbreaker drops Perez again as she can’t get any kind of momentum. Perez finally manages a headscissors for a breather and a Russian legsweep gets two. James hits a side slam but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Perez to hit Uproxx for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as James was getting a bit repetitive with her side slams and backbreakers. Much like the Legend match though, there wasn’t a lot of drama in Perez winning, as she is someone who could be a star in short order around here. James has an interesting enough gimmick to go a little somewhere, but it might be a lot better suited as a manager.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe mock the Tony D’Angelo vs. Santos Escobar war. D’Angelo’s goons come in and the match is set for next week.

Cora Jade congratulates Roxanne Perez on her win but Elektra Lopez comes in to promise to beat Alba Fyre next week. Jade and Perez aren’t impressed.

Wes Lee vs. Nathan Frazer

Feeling out process to start and they go to a rather early standoff. Frazer misses the threat of a superkick and gets sent to the apron, with Lee knocking him to the floor. They switch places again and it’s Frazer hitting a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Lee grabs a German suplex for two but Frazer catches him on top. A superplex attempt is countered into a crossbody for two and they’re both down again. They hit stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown and they need a breather. Not that it matters as Von Wagner runs in to kick Frazer in the face for the DQ at 4:22.

Rating: C+. The match was the usual spot fest style of entertaining and that’s not a bad thing, but it feels like the kind of a match that I’ve seen half a dozen times this month alone. Throw in Wagner being the big focus at the end and it doesn’t make things much better. I still feel sorry for Lee, as he is stuck trying to start from scratch after something that wasn’t his fault.

Post match Wagner beats up Lee as well, setting up a big gorilla press toss onto the announcers’ table.

Wes Lee and Nathan Frazer run into Sanga, who says they did well for men their size. Lee takes that personally but Frazer isn’t getting involved. Sanga doesn’t want to get involved in this but a match is set for next week.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Santos Escobar

Feeling out process to start with D’Angelo running him over and stomping away. Escobar fights back but his dive is cut off, allowing D’Angelo to do more mob stereotypes as we take an early break. Back with Escobar hitting a kick to the face to put D’Angelo on the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive.

A dropkick takes D’Angelo down and another puts him on the apron as well. D’Angelo grabs a belly to belly into the corner and they both go up top, where Escobar snaps off a super hurricanrana. The fans chanting knocks the sound out and here is the rest of Legado for a distraction. D’Angelo’s goons come in to take care of them, but Escobar uses the distraction to knock D’Angelo cold for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. I cannot put into words how little I care about this whole gang wars story. It isn’t my kind of thing and I haven’t gotten interested in anything they’re doing. The worst part is how out of sync it feels with just about everything else on the show and that makes it stick out so much. Escobar and D’Angelo are talented enough that they don’t need the other the top stuff, yet here we are again.

Joe Gacy, with his minions, talks about how Bron Breakker’s lack of control will cost him the NXT Title, allowing Gacy to control the brand (yes the brand) and the world. Maniacal laughter, apparently from on top of a rather high building, ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. It was a very up and down show this week, as some good action was drowned out by some pretty uninteresting stories. I still have no idea why Breakker vs. Gacy is continuing or how some of these things are the best ideas that NXT has, but we are full steam ahead towards In Your House. Hopefully that means a change of pace for a lot of things, as the action is only going to carry it so far.

Results
Solo Sikoa/Cameron Grimes b. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes – Superfly Splash to Hayes
Lash Legend b. Tatum Paxley – Pump kick
Viking Raiders b. Creed Brothers – Double powerbomb to Julius
Grayson Waller b. Andre Chase – Rolling Stunner
Roxanne Perez b. Kiana James – Uproxx
Nathan Frazer b. Wes Lee via DQ when Von Wagner interfered
Santos Escobar b. Tony D’Angelo – Right hand with brass knuckles

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

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

NXT
Date: May 10, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

While things should have changed last week with NXT Champion Bron Breakker beating Joe Gacy at Spring Breakin, Gacy’s minions beat Breakker down and kidnapped him. Since wins and losses don’t matter around here, Gacy vs. Breakker continues while the women’s Breakout Tournament begins. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s title match, plus the post show beatdown and Gacy and Company taking Breakker into a field with a sack of his head. They seem to leave him there as Gacy is all nutty.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Toxic Attraction vs. Roxanne Perez/Wendy Choo

Toxic Attraction is defending against the criminals. Choo dives in off the top from behind to take the champs down and it’s Perez starting with Jayne. That’s fine with the champ as Perez gets sent into the corner, allowing Jayne to do some of the most blatant spot calling I can remember (she grabbed Perez’s head and talked to her).

Jayne makes the mistake of talking too much trash though and it’s Choo coming in to clean house. Choo sends them outside and holds the ropes open so Perez can hit a double dive as we take a break. Back with Jayne taking Choo down but the tag off to Perez doesn’t take that long. A Russian legsweep gets two on Dolin as everything breaks down. Mandy Rose gets in the ring so Choo goes after her, allowing Jayne to hit a superkick on Perez for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. Choo’s gimmick is still horrible but she can wrestle a somewhat exciting match. That kind of makes me wonder what in the world the point is in trying to have her be this goofy thing that is impossible to take seriously. If she was having matches like this in regular gear, she would be downright useful, but it is a little hard to buy her as anything important based on how she is dressed in the ring (and what she does out of it).

Post match Toxic Attraction beats Choo down.

Grayson Waller and Tiffany Stratton went shopping.

The Creed Brothers aren’t happy with Roderick Strong interfering against the Viking Raiders last week. Strong says the win is what matters but next week the Creeds are going to face the Raiders again. That’s cool with Strong, who is bringing in someone who has been wanting to join the team for a long time now: Damon Kemp. The Creeds say that new members are supposed to be a group decision, so they’ll talk about this later.

Here is Joe Gacy, with minions, for a chat. Gacy says that Bron Breakker has to take the next step in his journey all alone. He started his own journey here months ago and allowed anyone to be a part of real change. Two men, the minions, separated themselves from the pack and have proven their worth to him and themselves. Now Breakker can be a part of this change and receive eternal joy. Otherwise, affliction and hardship await those who resist. And that’s it, because Gacy is just another cult leader that has been done time after time.

Sarray, a schoolgirl again, talks to Chase University and since Bodie Hayward speaks Japanese (Chase: “We got a foreign language department?”), he translates that Sarray wants to team with Chase in a mixed tag. Chase is in.

This week at the Performance Center, Ivy Nile had an exercise challenge, starting with pushups. More on this later as some participants drop out early.

Here are the eight Women’s Breakout Tournament participants and we’ve got brackets:

Nikkita Lyons
Arianna Grace

Fallon Henley
Sloane Jacobs

Roxanne Perez
Kiana James

Lash Legend
Tatum Paxley

Everyone gets introduced with a quick bio graphic.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Fallon Henley vs. Sloane Jacobs

Henley misses a charge in the corner to start, allowing Jacobs to try a dropkick that is left a big short, meaning Henley has to lean into it for the near fall to make sense. Cue Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs to cheer Henley on as Jacobs kicks her in the face for two. Back up and Henley manages a clothesline for a double knockdown, setting up a running knee to finish Jacobs at 4:16.

Rating: C-. They did the right thing by having Henley go forward, but the brackets would suggest that she is going to get wrecked by Nikkita Lyons in the second round. Henley has fit in rather nicely with the country boys and that is a good starting point for her. Jacobs isn’t even 20 years old yet so she has a long way to go, but at least the base seems to be there so far.

Respect is shown post match.

Legado del Fantasma doesn’t feel bad about kidnapping AJ Galante last week. Now it’s time to start the car again.

Cruz del Toro goes to start the car but Tony D’Angelo and company jump him and beat him down. Then they put him in another car trunk and drive off.

Alba Fyre vs. Amari Miller

Fyre grabs a rollup to start as we go split screen to see Ivy Nile putting her contestants through burpees to get rid of even more. Miller comes back with a Regal Cutter for two but Fyre superkicks her for the same. Fyre plants her again with the Firebomb (Gory Bomb) and hits a Swanton for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C. Fyre looked good here, but that isn’t hard when you’re one of the best in the world. I know WWE felt the need to change everything about her but at least the red hair is about as much of a trademark as you can get. It wasn’t quite a squash as Miller has a bit of standing around here, though Fyre should be either in the title scene or on the main roster like yesterday.

Solo Sikoa won’t let Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes in the building.

Cora Jade is ready for Natalya and isn’t that little girl that Natalya remembers.

Here is Solo Sikoa for a chat. He likes what he did to Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes and wants the North American Title. Cue Cameron Grimes to say that once he beats Hayes, Sikoa is next. That’s cool with Sikoa, who walks away, but here are Hayes and Williams to beat Grimes down. Sikoa slowly leaves, then turns to look back and very eventually makes the save.

Legado del Fantasma calls Tony D’Angelo and company and threats are made. Santos Escobar throws in a “f*** you” to end the call and D’Angelo breaks things.

Nathan Frazer is excited to be here when Xyon Quinn comes in. Quinn says something Frazer doesn’t understand when Wes Lee comes up too. Frazer says he thought it was some American thing and leaves, which seems to set up Lee vs. Quinn.

Tiffany Stratton/Grayson Waller vs. Andre Chase/Sarray

Sarray transforms, but it also changes Bodhi Hayward into a schoolgirl and changes Chase’s sweater to blue. The guys start things off with Waller working on the wristlock. A shot to the face annoys Chase so it’s off to Stratton, who has to run away from Sarray. That lets Stratton get her into the ring for a forearm to the face, only to have Sarray take her down by the leg. The Muta Lock goes on, with Sarray having to grab the hair for the escape.

Chase and Sarray hit the spelling stomps and we take a break. Back with Waller beating on Chase until a suplex gets him out of trouble. Everything breaks down again and the Sunray dropkick hits Waller. That leaves Sarray to get planted though and Stratton hits the twisting Vader Bomb….for two as Hayward blasts the air horn. Stratton dives on him (Stratton: “THAT’S A TEACHABLE MOMENT!”) but gets rolled up by Sarray for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: C+. Chase U has rapidly become one of my favorite things in all of NXT and that is due to the efforts that Chase has put in. He has turned a totally dumb story into something I like to see every week and that is a rare thing to see. It is all in the performance for him and I could go for more of that and people like him. Waller and Stratton were fine here and Sarray winning….I just can’t imagine it’s going to stick this time. She has fallen too far and the still lame transformation stuff is making it worse.

Ivy Nile has people doing lunges.

Mr. Stone says if people step to Von Wagner, they are going to get hurt. Ikemen Jiro comes in and attacks him and they get separated.

Indi Hartwell is sad about Dexter Lumis (whose name we can’t say) being gone when Toxic Attraction comes in. Mandy Rose talks about how she can’t imagine what Indi is going through….because no one would ever leave her. Go find Wendy Choo and cry with her. Hartwell shakes her head a lot.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Nikkita Lyons vs. Arianna Grace

Grace hits her in the face to start and manages to take Lyons down early on. Something like an Anaconda Vice has Lyons in trouble but she’s back up with some superkicks. A release German suplex sends Grace flying and a spinning kick to the face drops her. The splits splash finishes for Lyons at 3:08.

Rating: C. They kept this one short with Grace getting in some offense before falling tot he bigger star. There is nothing wrong with pushing the heck out of Lyons as she has the physical gifts and intangibles to go a long way. Grace looked good in the short term, but you can only get so much out of her selling a lot in a three minute match.

Ivy Nile gets rid of more people with the battle ropes and pullups. Nile outlasts the one remaining person and doesn’t look happy.

Video on Cora Jade vs. Natalya, and yes that really is the main event.

The Viking Raiders are in on a rematch against the Creeds.

Natalya vs. Cora Jade

Feeling out process to start with Jade spinning out of a wristlock and taking Natalya down early. The threat of some kind of a hold has Jade slipping out, only to send Natalya to the floor. We take a break and come back with Jade escaping a surfboard, setting up a running knee in the ropes. A tornado DDT gets two on Natalya but she is fine enough to suplex Jade hard into the corner.

Jade’s knee is crushed in the ropes so Natalya wraps it around the post. That allows Jade to pull her face first into the post and Sliced Bread gets two. With nothing else working, Jade grabs the Sharpshooter but Natalya powers out as Jade’s knee can’t hold up. Natalya grabs the Sharpshooter and Jade passes out at 14:06.

Rating: B. They were managing to pull me in here, and while I get the idea of Jade hanging in there to fall in the end, I’m not sure that’s the best way to go. Is Natalya really important enough that Jade can’t beat her? I know WWE seems to think of her as a legend and yeah I think I just answered my own question.

Post match Jade wakes up and Natalya helps her to her feet for the big hug to end the show. Please, not another tag team.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event pulled this one over the line and while it took time, I’m glad it actually got there. NXT continues to push some rather uninteresting stars and characters though, from Choo to Gacy to D’Angelo and company to Sarray to Natalya and it doesn’t help me through the show. There are good and interesting people on here who could use the TV time, but the bad names are bringing things WAY down and it’s making parts of the show a chore rather than entertaining. Side note: has there ever been a full, regular show that has a woman in every match? That might be a first.

Results
Toxic Attraction b. Roxanne Perez/Wendy Choo – Superkick to Perez
Fallon Henley b. Sloane Jacobs – Running knee
Alba Fyre b. Amari Miller – Swanton
Andre Chase/Sarray b. Tiffany Stratton/Grayson Waller – Rollup to Stratton
Nikkita Lyons b. Arianna Grace – Splits splash
Natalya b. Cora Jade via referee stoppage

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NXT
Date: May 3, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s Spring Breakin, which is somehow a name that has never been used before. It’s one of those big time shows that has a pair of title matches included, capped off by Joe Gacy challenging Bron Breakker for the NXT Title. The show is looking stacked enough to be good so let’s get to it.

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

Pretty Deadly is by the pool to welcome us to the show, while admiring their Tag Team Titles. After running down the card, they jump into the pool and we’re ready to go.

North American Title: Cameron Grimes vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes

Grimes is defending and Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Sikoa and Grimes take turns chopping Hayes and a heck of a backdrop sends Hayes bailing to the floor. Back in and Hayes is hiptossed into Sikoa but pulls him in for a hurricanrana. Hayes hits a springboard clothesline on Sikoa but Grimes takes him down, setting up a high crossbody to Sikoa for two of his own. Back up and Hayes takes both of them down as we go to a break.

We come back with Sikoa headbutting Hayes down but the backsplash hits raised knees. Hayes goes up but Sikoa catches him, only to have Grimes charge at both of them. The Tower of Doom gives us a HOLY CENSORED (at least some of the time) chant before switching to the more family friendly THIS IS AWESOME. It’s time for the three way forearm off with Sikoa getting the better of things, setting up a double running Umaga Attack in the same corner. Grimes gets powerbombed onto Hayes but the Superfly Splash is broken up.

Grimes hurricanranas both of them at the same time and hits a poisonrana for two on Hayes. The Cave In is countered into something like a Codebreaker to give Hayes two of his own but Sikoa superkicks Hayes out of the air. Sikoa hits the Superfly Splash on Grimes for a VERY close near fall, which looked like three as Hayes might have been a split second late with the save. With that not working, Sikoa loads up the Samoan drop on Hayes but Grimes comes in off the middle rope with the Cave In for the retaining pin on Sikoa at 14:09.

Rating: B. That near fall was crazy close and they might have let it be close enough for it to be a pin. They were rolling near the end of this though and I was way into the thing, which isn’t something you get to say very often in NXT. It was also something of a coming out party for Sikoa and he has a future around here. Great match and they started very hot this week.

Mandy Rose went tanning earlier today but Wendy Choo runs in (wearing full costume of course) to sabotage things. The rest of Toxic Attraction shows up and finds her completely burned, but they’re going to go to the beach without her. Rose screams at the sight of herself in the mirror.

Nathan Frazer can’t believe he’s here and it’s like every birthday and Christmas rolled into one.

Roderick Strong gives the Creed Brothers a pep talk at Diamond Mine practice. He also makes it clear that he’s in charge of the team, which doesn’t sit well with the Creeds.

Indi Hartwell is sad that….well she doesn’t say, but she is touching her empty ring finger. Here is Duke Hudson to tease kissing her, but they both snap backwards, with Hartwell saying “oh h*** no” and Hudson saying “you wish”. Ok then, though it’s not like they have anything else for these two to do.

Nathan Frazer vs. Grayson Waller

Feeling out process to start with Frazer grabbing a headlock but Waller fights up. A dropkick sends him to the floor though, only to run up the aisle before Frazer can dive. They slug it out in the aisle before heading back to the ring for more slugging. Waller breaks up Frazer’s dive and hits a slide underneath the ropes for a right hand on the floor. A beach ball is added, which Waller tears apart to become my (and Cesaro’s) new favorite as we take a break.

Back with Frazer making the comeback and knocking Waller off the apron. The suicide dive drops Waller again and a superkick cuts off the rolling Stunner. A superkick gives Frazer two but Waller punches him down into the corner. Frazer goes up but gets knocked down so Waller heads up as well. Cue Andre Chase (who has been seen in the crowd throughout the match) with an air horn for a distraction to knock Waller off the top. Frazer’s Phoenix splash finishes Waller off at 12:38.

Rating: C+. Waller looked better here, as he feels like someone who knows how to be a villain. On the other hand, you have Frazer, who did look good, but felt like someone who is a more polished version of someone we’ve seen a dozen times. Frazer feels like a very modern wrestler while Waller felt like someone with some upward potential. Neither looked bad, but Waller was better.

Fallon Henley is in the Breakout Tournament and loves horses, including her own, Luna. These vignettes are good as they tell you a little something about the women to give you an introduction. The fact that Henley has been around for months makes it a little late, but I’ll take what I can get.

We get the sitdown meeting between Legado del Fantasma and Tony D’Angelo and company. Santos Escobar respects him but not as a businessman. They both want the same things, but argue over who controls the NXT pie. Eventually they agree to peace though and share a toast. The mafia leaves and Escobar says start the car, which seems to have some hidden meaning. This is one of those things fans are probably going to love or hate without much in between ground.

The Viking Raiders are ready to hurt the Creed Brothers…but Pretty deadly interrupts to say they want to see the Raiders smash the Creeds. Just remember though: the Creeds are damaged goods. The Raiders warn them over the interruption and threaten to change their focus, which gets Pretty Deadly to back off.

Joe Gacy warns us of what happens if he doesn’t win the NXT Title tonight. He is change.

Nikkita Lyons/Cora Jade vs. Natalya/Lash Legend

Legend throws Jade into the corner to start but misses a charge so Jade can slug away. Natalya comes in and trades some rollups with Jade for two each. Lyons comes in and gets headlocked to the mat but Natalya is right back up. The wristlock doesn’t work well for Lyons and it’s off to Legend to take over. Legend hits a Cactus Clothesline on Lyons and the partners are outside to check on both of them as we take a break.

Back with Natalya dropping Jade for two more and a snap suplex gets the same. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Legend comes in for some shouts to the ribs in the corner. Jade fights up (as Natalya very clearly told her to on camera) and gets over for the tag to Lyons. House is cleaned, including the running Blockbuster for two on Natalya. Legend comes back in to take Lyons down for some knees to the ribs but Natalya kicks her down by mistake. Lyons gets over to Jade, who comes in with a top rope backsplash for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: C. That’s on a bit of a sliding scale as Legend is not ready for anything complicated yet, but this was a mostly watchable match with Natalya being the glue to hold it together. Other than that, you have Jade bouncing around and Lyons adding some charisma. It’s not great or even very good, but this felt like it could have been a disaster and was completely watchable.

Tatum Paxley likes powerlifting, and presumably winning the Breakout Tournament.

Toxic Attraction goes to the beach, where Wendy Choo and Roxanne Perez steal their shoes and car. To recap, Choo has injured Mandy Rose and then stole a car. I’m supposed to cheer for her because….reasons?

Creed Brothers vs. Viking Raiders

The Raiders start fast and take both Creeds down, setting up the Viking Experience for two on Julius. Brutus fights back up and hits a release gutwrench suplex on Erik. That doesn’t last long as Ivar takes both of them down and we go to a break. Back with Brutus suplexing his way out of a headlock and bringing in Julius to slam Erik. An exchange of suplexes gives Ivar two and he drops Erik onto Brutus to make it worse.

Ivar’s middle rope splash gives Erik two because the Creeds like to kick out of a lot of stuff. Ivar goes up again but Julius runs the corner for a top rope superplex. Erik is back up for the belly to back suplex/top rope legdrop combination. Brutus and Ivar fall to the floor, leaving Roderick Strong to run in for a cheap shot on Erik (Julius didn’t see him). The basement lariat finishes for Julius at 12:52.

Rating: C. I’m getting a bit over the Creeds being able to kick out of everything, but the ending seems like a way for them to break away from Strong and end the Diamond Mine for good. The Creeds are all but guaranteed to win the titles soon and them crushing Pretty Deadly should be good. As usual, the main roster contingent did their jobs well here, with a win over the Raiders feeling like an accomplishment for the Creeds.

Post match the Creeds see the replay and aren’t happy with Strong.

Santos Escobar and AJ Galante meet in the parking lot. Then Escobar jumps him and the rest of Legado kidnaps him, because that’s what you do in the NXT parking lot.

Alba Fyre likes fire.

Earlier this week, Brooks Jensen is told that normally his injury recovery time is about 10-12 weeks, but since the muscles in his hand are so strong (ahem), it will be 6-8 weeks.

Bron Breakker throws a comically large on/off switch to start his music.

NXT Title: Joe Gacy vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker, in apparently the same singlet that Rick Steiner wore to the first Raw (ignore that it is a different color and design), is defending. Gacy gets powered to the floor to start but comes back in with a cheap shot. The chinlock goes on for a bit before another shot knocks Breakker to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Breakker getting pulled off the middle rope, allowing Gacy to flip himself upside down in the corner (as Bray Wyatt rolls his eyes somewhere). An armbar doesn’t last long as Breakker is back up and drops him onto the top. Some shoulders set up a running clothesline but the overhead belly to belly is blocked. Gacy hits a reverse DDT for two but Breakker is right back with a Steiner Bulldog for two.

Breakker misses a charge into the corner but stops himself (in a nice call back to the Dolph Ziggler feud), setting up a Frankensteiner. A not great looking belly to belly gives Breakker two but he misses a charge, allowing Gacy to hit an Alabama Slam. Gacy’s sitout powerbomb gets two more but the handspring lariat misses. Breakker spears him down to retain the title at 11:02.

Rating: D+. Yeah this missed and it missed pretty hard. Gacy never felt like a threat and they were on different pages at times. I’m still not sure why Gacy is seen as some kind of a major player in NXT as he is turning into more and more of a Bray Wyatt knockoff every day. This whole feud has felt like a major waste of time for Breakker and now he needs to move on to almost anyone else.

Post match Breakker poses but two masked men pop up on the apron behind him….and that’s the show, with Breakker not seeing them.

Overall Rating: C. This show started off well and then hit a hard wall, mainly around the time they started focusing on the goofy stuff. That’s what drives me crazy about NXT: they have the talent and the ability to put on a good show, but then you get around to the stuff they seem to enjoy doing and it all falls apart. You have Perez and Choo as criminals, plus a turf war between the mob and Legado. That stuff is so goofy that it could be fun, but they can’t even get that stuff to work right. The first hour was good enough to carry the show, but it was just barely enough to make up for the bad.

Results
Cameron Grimes b. Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes – Middle rope Cave In to Sikoa
Nathan Frazer b. Grayson Waller – Phoenix splash
Cora Jade/Nikkita Lyons b. Natalya/Lash Legend – Top rope backsplash to Legend
Creed Brothers b. Viking Raiders – Sliding lariat to Erik
Bron Breakker b. Joe Gacy – Spear

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: April 26, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Things got weird last week as Joe Gacy suddenly had a cult (minus his one regular follower) and sent them after Bron Breakker. That’s your NXT Title match for next week and….yeah I’m not sure what to expect there. Other than that, we need to start building up the rest of the card and that will probably be done tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Nikkita Lyons vs. Lash Legend

They go right at the brawling with Lyons getting the better of things and taking her to the ground for some right hands. Legend sends her crashing out to the floor though and a ram into the steps makes it worse. Back in and Lyons gets a sunset flip for two but Legend is back with a spinning side slam for the same. The neck crank has Lyons in trouble but she is back up with the kicks to the leg. There’s a snap suplex to drop Legend and a German suplex does it again. The spinning kick to the chest finishes Legend at 5:02.

Rating: D. This was rough, didn’t flow well and was just a mess as these two, especially Legend, just is not ready for live TV. I completely get why they want to put both of them on television, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Lyons is ahead of Legend at the moment, but I wouldn’t leave her out there for a longer match either. At least it was relatively short, though that about the extent of the positives.

Post match Natalya runs in to jump Lyons but Cora Jade makes the save.

Tony D’Angelo isn’t worried about facing Xyon Quinn….because he isn’t cleared to compete for some reason. Instead, he gets to face Von Wagner, who is going to be sleeping with the fishes. Right Santos Escobar?

Roderick Strong gives the rest of Diamond Mine a pep talk and has even gotten the Creed Brothers a match next week…..with the Viking Raiders. Cool with the Brothers.

Von Wagner vs. Tony D’Angelo

They start a bit fast with neither being able to get very far. Wagner gets him into the ropes for some choking to take over as the fans are behind D’Angelo. A show to the face keeps D’Angelo down and we take a break. Back with D’Angelo fighting out of a chinlock and hammering away.

The fisherman’s neckbreaker is broken up with a toss to the floor but here are Legado del Fantasma to go after Wagner. Cue the Wise Guys (as commentary calls them) to cut them off so Santos Escobar comes in to take out D’Angelo’s knee. Back in and a big boot finishes D’Angelo at 10:02.

Rating: C-. I keep hoping that they will pull the plug on Wagner as he’s just another generic big man doing generic big man things. D’Angelo is at least someone they have put some effort into so maybe there might be something there, but at least they protected him in the loss. I’m still not into the D’Angelo vs. Escobar stuff whatsoever though.

Toxic Attraction mocks Roxanne Perez over her cheating win last week but she’s ready for Mandy Rose. Tonight. Rose is ready to teach her a lesson.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen give Fallon Henley a pep talk before she gets to fight Elektra Lopez. Sofia Cromwell comes in and distracts Jensen, but he gets snapped back into reality.

Nathan Frazer comes out for his debut match but Grayson Waller jumps Frazer’s unnamed opponent. Chase U distracts Waller so he says to get in here and fight him. Chase U comes to the ring and Frazer jumps Waller to clear the ring. Apparently Frazer’s opponent was Guru Raaj if you’re into the least interesting trivia available this week. You couldn’t have Frazer win in a minute or so and then do the Waller stuff?

The Women’s Breakout Tournament begins in two weeks, featuring Arianna Grace, better known as Santino Marella’s daughter Bianca.

Tiffany Stratton freaks out because Sarray pulled her hair three times last week. Grayson Waller comes in to rant about Nathan Frazer. Stratton rants about Frazer’s bad hair and accent, with Waller agreeing about how horrible accents are.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon

Cater armdrags Leon to start but it’s off to Feroz for a hurricanrana and some dancing. Back in and Carter catches her with a kick before handing it off to Chance for a springboard crossbody. A seated abdominal stretch has Feroz in more trouble until she fights up and hits an elbow to the face. The tag brings in Leon to clean house and Chance is knocked to the floor. Carter gets caught in an Octopus but Leon misses a Lionsault. That lets Chance come back in for the 450/neckbreaker combination and the pin at 5:58.

Rating: C. This was fine enough, but egads cut it out with the name changes. All this did was make me have to erase Catanzaro over and over because that’s who I see out there. It isn’t like there was some reason for the change other than Vince McMahon has a new thing, making it all the more annoying of a move.

Post match the winners dance, because at least half of the women in this division must dance.

Brooks Jensen has been jumped and Josh Briggs knows it was Legado del Fantasma. Briggs and Fallon Henley leave to fight as Jensen tells the medics he can go.

Kay Lee Ray lights her baseball bat on fire and names herself Alba Fyre, because Vince McMahon has to change ALL THE NAMES, because if you skip a few weeks and are confused, THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM!

Legado del Fantasma vs. Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley

Handicap match as Brooks Jensen isn’t here. Briggs and Henley clear the ring to start and it’s the women officially getting things going. Lopez misses an elbow so it’s quickly off to Briggs to run over Del Toro and Wilde. Del Toro is suplexes into Wilde and Lopez gets kicked in the head.

We settle down to Briggs getting double teamed as Mr. Stone gets on commentary to suggest that Von Wagner took out Brooks Jensen. An electric chair splash gets two on Briggs, who manages to kick Wilde into the corner. The double tag brings the women back in so Henley can hit a running shoulder. A running kick doesn’t quite work but gets two on Lopez anyway. Everything breaks down and the women are chased off, leaving Briggs to get caught in the Russian legsweep/big boot combination for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. Briggs looked good here and Henley got to show some fire, which makes me think there is some hope for their trio. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Briggs and Jensen split up after Jensen sells his soul for Cromwell, because modern WWE could somehow screw up the country boy tag team trope. This needed a bit more time to get good but it worked while it lasted.

Natalya is ready to beat up Cora Jade and put the locker room ON NOTICE. Lash Legend says it isn’t over with Nikkita Lyons next week and then win the Breakout Tournament.

Kiana James is smart and bringing corporate strategy to the Breakout Tournament. I guess the modern day Alexandra York is a way to go.

Solo Sikoa vs. Trick Williams

Cameron Grimes is on commentary. Williams sends Sikoa shoulder first into the corner a few times to start but Sikoa reverses into an armbar of his own. Some kicks put Sikoa down and Williams adds a slam for a bonus. The running neckbreaker gets two as Grimes talks about the various things he has done around here over the years. Sikoa fights up though and the fired up Sikoa hits a belly to back suplex. The running splash in the corner sets up the Samoan drop and the Superfly Splash is good for the pin on Williams at 5:08.

Rating: C+. Williams continues to hold his own in the ring despite being little more than a mouthpiece for someone who doesn’t need one. Sikoa is someone who has the tools but needs ring time, so letting him slowly progress is a good thing. While he probably won’t win the North American Title next week, it’s nice to see him getting a chance and not feeling like he is in over his head.

Post match Grimes gets in the ring to argue with Carmelo Hayes but Sikoa superkicks him down before the three of them face off for the North American Title next week.

Malik Blade gives Edris Enofe a pep talk in the mirror in a scene straight out of Cool Runnings (nearly copying the dialogue).

Legeado del Fantasma are fired up over their win but they want to get rid of Tony D’Angelo and his associates.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Viking Raiders

Erik knocks Blade around to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Enofe comes in to try his luck and gets blasted in the face with a knee for two. The fans are behind Erik as he works on the armbar. It’s back to Blade as commentary seems to quote Lose Yourself and Cool Runnings back to back. A double high crossbody gets two on Ivar and that’s enough of being beaten up for him. House is cleaned and it’s off to Erik for a full nelson slam backbreaker. The Viking Experience finishes at 4:45.

Rating: C. The ending wasn’t really in doubt but NXT might have something with Blade and Enofe. They’re young, they work well together and their matches aren’t too bad. Give them some time to develop and maybe they can be the next “it” team around here. NXT is supposed to be developmental and these two seem to be developing so well done.

Post match the Creed Brothers come out for a staredown.

Wes Lee is on the beach and talks about taking is months to get back to the Tag Team Titles. Losing was hard, but it was even worse to have them taken away. He could whine and complain or he could knuckle up and makes the waves that he is destined to make. I’ve heard far worse promos.

Tony D’Angelo introduces us to his associates: Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan and Channing Lorenzo, better known as Stacks. D’Angelo wants Santos Escobar at Spring Breakin.

Mandy Rose vs. Roxanne Perez

Non-title and the rest of Toxic Attraction is here. Rose takes her down with a wristlock to start but Perez nips up and grabs a victory roll for one. Back up and Perez starts biting the finger, as Barrett is panicking over the manicure. A ram into the steps has Rose in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Rose taking over again and putting on a backbreaker with Perez bent over the knee. That’s broken up and Perez starts the comeback with a Russian legsweep into a standing moonsault for two (which isn’t innovative offense). A crossbody gets the same but Rose hits the jumping knee for the pin at 9:55.

Rating: C-. I get why it had to happen this way but I wouldn’t have had Perez losing in her second match on NXT. She is someone who came in and had a little buzz so don’t have her lose so fast. Rose is the bigger star, but at least have Toxic Attraction interfere to cost Perez the match.

Post match Wendy Choo appears to chase off Toxic Attraction….and a net falls onto them. Choo and Perez spray them with silly string. This was worse than Perez losing.

Sloan Jacobs is 19 years old but she spent years fighting with her sisters so she’s ready to overcome the odds in the Breakout Tournament.

Spring Breakin rundown.

Here is Joe Gacy, with druids, to talk about the strides they have made to embrace change. Now he knows that Bron Breakker has been hurt and left on the sidelines so now Gacy can be crowned NXT Champion. Cue Rick Steiner to interrupt and say Breakker is cleared to compete, so the druids get in the ring. Cue Breakker to clean house, because I guess he was having a sandwich while Rick came to the ring. Gacy hits the handspring clothesline and drops Breakker before posing with the title to end the show. This wasn’t good, but it was miles ahead of last week’s nonsense. If this is as bad as it gets anymore, it should be ok.

Overall Rating: C-. This show could have been worse, but the bad parts were really bad and that brings things down a lot. They went with faster matches and got a lot of people on the show this week but it didn’t have anything you needed to see. Spring Breakin doesn’t feel like a show that needed to exist and that is becoming more obvious each week. Not their worst (especially after last week’s Gacy/Breakker stuff) but it really didn’t work very well.

Results
Nikkita Lyons b. Lash Legend – Spinning kick to the chest
Von Wagner b. Tony D’Angelo – Big boot
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz – 450/neckbreaker combination to Feroz
Legado del Fantasma b. Josh Briggs/Fallon Henley – Russian legsweep/big boot combination to Briggs
Solo Sikoa b. Trick Williams – Superfly Splash
Viking Raiders b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Viking Experience to Blade
Mandy Rose b. Roxanne Perez – Jumping knee

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 LVL Up
Date: April 15, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to normal around here and that might not be the worst thing. LVL Up has figured out something of a formula and it makes for a nicer show. I’m not sure what to expect from here but it has turned into something a lot more enjoyable than 205 Live was at times. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Roxanne Perez vs. Sloane Jacobs

Perez is better known as Rok-C in her debut. The bigger Jacobs backs her up against the ropes to start but Perez slips out and offers a curtsy, setting up an armdrag. Jacobs drops her throat first across the top though and a neckbreaker gets two. The crossarm choke has Perez in more trouble but she’s back up with a small package for two of her own. Perez knocks her down though and it’s a twisting handspring moonsault for two. A Code Red gives Perez the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C. This was a very basic match as Perez gets her feet wet in WWE. You have to do something with her to see what you have and that is what a show like LVL Up can do. Perez seems like quite the prospect and she did fine enough under the circumstances. That’s a good start of what could be quite the career.

Damon Kemp vs. Troy Donovan

Channing Lauren is here with Donovan. Kemp flips his way out of a wristlock as commentary talks about Donovan’s farm boy upbringing and associated strength. A gutwrench suplex drops Donovan as this is one sided so far. There’s a spinning slam to drop Donovan again but Lauren offers a distraction so Donovan can get in some cheap shots. A clothesline gets two on Kemp and we hit the chinlock. With that not working, Donovan hits a spinning spinebuster and grabs the chinlock again. Kemp fights up without much trouble and hits a running shoulder for two. Donovan is back with a Falcon Arrow of all things for two, only to miss a top rope…something. After dropping Lauren, Kemp grabs a butterfly suplex into a neckbreaker for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. Donovan got to showcase himself a bit here but this was almost all about Kemp, who has the wrestling background and some other stuff to go with it. You can see him getting a little somewhere, though hopefully he isn’t completely forgotten when his brother gets to show up full time.

Kiana James vs. Tatum Paxley

James flips out of Paxley’s wristlock to start and it’s an early standoff with a nod of respect. Cue Ivy Nile to watch Paxley, which fires her up. James slips off of the fireman’s carry though and sends Paxley throat first into the middle rope, setting up an armbar. Some stomps in the corner keep Paxley’s ribs banged up but she manages a suplex. A standing spinning moonsault (practically the same thing Perez did earlier) connects to finish James at 3:58.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as well as Paxley is still figuring some of this out. James looks like she should be fine in a little while, but this was more about Nile and Paxley. That isn’t a thrilling story so far, but Nile comes off like a star and having her around here for something like this does boost the rest of the show up a bit.

Overall Rating: C. This was a rather quick show without much worth seeing, but they kept it really quick this week, with the show barely breaking 25 minutes. Nothing on here was worth seeing, but Perez’s debut was somewhat noteworthy and Kemp looked better than he has so far. LVL Up still isn’t a show that you need to see, but at least it feels like it has a bit of a purpose.

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: April 19, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Things are both picking up and being let down around here. While Pretty Deadly and some other imports are a nice upgrade, the NXT Title picture is leaning more into B movie territory as Joe Gacy becomes more of a Bond villain parody. Hopefully the things in the middle can make it better so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Pretty Deadly winning the Tag Team Titles and Joe Gacy telling Bron Brakker he needs to make a sacrifice.

Here is Pretty Deadly for a chat. They have dominated England and decided it was time to come to America and dominate here as well. And it wasn’t even that hard! Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans (with the graphic ignoring their first names, which has me worried). Drake says Pretty Deadly wouldn’t have won had they been here and it is time for the Veterans to win the titles. Cue Legado del Fantasma to brawl with the Veterans though and all four of them go to the back.

As the brawl is on, cue Bron Breakker through the crowd to tell Joe Gacy to get out here right now and see what he is willing to sacrifice. A recording of Gacy pops up on screen, saying he isn’t hard to find and all Breakker has to do is come fine him. Breakker goes off in search.

Over the weekend, Carmelo Hayes promised to get the North American Title back.

Santos Escobar laughed at Hayes, saying his place is in the back of the line.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes laugh off what Escobar says and a match is ready for this week.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Sarray

Stratton’s theme song is now about being Daddy’s Little Rich Girl. They go toe to toe to start with Sarray taking her down and into a Muta Lock, sending Stratton straight to the rope. Stratton avoids the running dropkick and hits a hip attack, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up and Sarray hits a German suplex into a middle rope double stomp. The Sunray dropkick sends Stratton outside so Sarray sends her inside for another German suplex. That’s broken up with a clash of heads though and the corkscrew Vader Bomb finishes for Stratton at 4:20.

Rating: C. The more I see Stratton in the ring, the more I like her. She isn’t going to be the next star but she is seeming more and more confident out there. The gymnastics background helps a lot and she is rather athletic. Give her something with a bit more to it than the Daddy’s Little Rich Girl deal and she could go somewhere. Sarray….I’m not sure even NXT sees it anymore.

Bron Breakker is looking for Joe Gacy but hears his dad’s voice saying “BRONSON (Breakker’s real first name) UP HERE”! Breakker finds the cage his dad was trapped in but it’s just a recording of Gacy and Harland torturing Rick Steiner two weeks ago. The hunt continues.

Pretty Deadly runs into Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta backstage and the women would like a match. Things get rather suggestive, but it turns out that the match is for Dexter Lumis/Duke Hudson, which has Pretty Deadly running off. This is up there with the worst things on NXT at the moment.

Grayson Waller blames Sanga for not winning the North American Title because Sanga screwed up the perfect plan. Andre Chase/Bodie Hayward come in to say this is teachable moment and brings up Ben Franklin, which has Waller asking who Franklin ever beat. Cue Sanga to chase Waller to the ring for their scheduled match.

Sanga vs. Grayson Waller

Waller’s shot to the back earns him a toss across the ring and there’s another to bring him back out of the corner. Sanga does it over and over until Waller just grabs the rope to save himself. That doesn’t work for Sanga, who drops an elbow on the back for two. Waller bails to the floor and has to escape a chokeslam. He goes up the aisle but runs back in for the running Stunner and the pin at 3:25.

Rating: C-. Good. NXT (and WWE as a whole) has WAY too many intimidating looking monsters and doesn’t need another one being built up with almost no chance of going anywhere. Waller is much closer to being a star and giving him a win over another lumbering monster is a good idea. Not a great match, but the result was a sigh of relief.

Video on Cora Jade meeting Natalya last week and getting beaten up. Now Jade wants to take Natalya out.

Roxanne Perez (Rok-C) talks about growing up as a gamer and being told that her character would be the closest thing she would come to making it in WWE. Now she is making her debut next week to make everything real.

Perez is ready for next week but Toxic Attraction comes in to say the butterflies you feel around them are real. Just don’t set your bar too high because you’ll never make it. Perez doesn’t seem impressed so Toxic Attraction thinks we should make the debut tonight instead. Perez says she can figure something out.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

The Veterans do seem to have lost their first names as Legado hits a flip dive to take them out before the bell. Back in and Gibson fights out of the Legado corner, allowing Drake to hit an enziguri. Wilde fights out of the corner and brings del Toro in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Gibson gets caught with the tornado DDT, setting up the big boot/Russian legsweep combination to finish Drake at 3:56.

Rating: C+. This was fun while it lasted, much like calling the team the Grizzled Young Veterans as the name change curse strikes again. Other than that we had a fast paced match between two teams who can work that style well enough. Neither has any real chance of getting near the titles soon, but that’s NXT/WWE for you.

Wes Lee is feeling lost since everything happened but Xyon Quinn comes in to say he needs to teach Lee a lesson. Lee knows he belongs in the ring and maybe that can bring some peace to the chaos. Thank goodness this isn’t a Jaxson Ryker situation where Lee is getting punished because someone else did something stupid.

Santos Escobar vs Carmelo Hayes

Trick Williams is here too. They start fast with Hayes sending him into the corner but Escobar comes back with a missile dropkick. The distraction lets Hayes hit a quick clothesline and the confidence starts going. Hayes slips a bit but is fine enough to kick Escobar in the face. A neckbreaker connects and we take a break with Escobar in trouble.

Back with Hayes working on the leg and grabbing a half crab, despite his own back being banged up. Escobar fights up and takes him down for two more as Hayes’ back is in trouble. That means a delayed vertical suplex drops Hayes onto his back to leave both of them laying again.

Hayes can’t hit something out of the corner so Escobar unloads with right hands. That earns him a face first drop onto the top turnbuckle and Escobar runs him over a few times. Escobar hits a big dive to the floor but here are Tony D’Angelo’s goons to take out Escobar’s knee. The top rope ax kick gives Hayes the pin at 13:41.

Rating: B-. They were starting to roll until the ending when the over the top stuff brought it back down. Escobar might be a bit too old for WWE’s tastes but he can still get out there and work well with anyone. Hayes continues to be one of the smoothest stars in NXT and I could go for seeing more of him near the top of the card soon. Would Hayes vs. Breakker wound Summerslam weekend be that insane?

Post match Hayes challenges Cameron Grimes for the title at Spring Break In in two weeks. Grimes comes out to say it’s on but here is Solo Sikoa to jump Hayes and Williams from behind. Sikoa says he has next and walks off, with Grimes not saying no.

Bron Breakker gets out of an elevator and continues looking for Joe Gacy, seemingly finding the evil headquarters. Gacy pops up in a mirror but when he turns around, there is no Gacy anywhere. Breakker breaks the mirror and screams WHERE ARE YOU, because somehow they have dragged BRON BREAKKER into this dumb horror movie storytelling garbage that they just love to do.

Diamond Mine is happy that Ivy Nile is over in NXT UK because she can dominate. Roderick Strong talks about how the team has struggled in the last few months. Strong is ready to start making examples out of people and if they don’t agree, they’re enemies of Diamond Mine.

Natalya vs. Tatum Paxley

Natalya shoves her down to start and then grabs a headlock takeover. Paxley comes back with the wristlock but Natalya reverses into one of her own and flips her over into an armbar. Back up and Paxley sends her outside, where Natalya grabs a suplex to take over. Paxley fights back inside and grabs a suplex of her own but Natalya runs her over again. The Sharpshooter finishes Paxley at 4:55.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash to establish Natalya as being a thing in NXT. You know what you’re getting with her and she is going to be one of the better stars as long as she is here. Then you have Paxley, who has barely been wrestling for a few months now and was fine enough. This could have been a lot worse for her so there is definitely potential there.

Tony D’Angelo had nothing to do with Santos Escobar being attacked earlier but does find Legado del Fantasma’s car.

Nathan Frazer is coming.

Duke Hudson doesn’t want to dress like Dexter Lumis but does try talking strategy with him. The problem is Lumis doesn’t flinch no matter what Hudson says, though Indi Hartwell says it’s written all over his face. Just try and speak his language. This results in Hudson mugging in Lumis’ face but Hartwell says Hudson isn’t saying anything. Persia Pirotta is confused too.

Xyon Quinn vs. Wes Lee

Quinn gets knocked to the floor to start but drops Lee onto the apron for an early two. An elbow to the face puts Lee down but he manages a small package for two. A superkick rocks Quinn and Lee strikes him down but a slip lets Quinn get in a shot of his own. The running fist finishes Lee at 3:30.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one and it seems that Lee is going to be little more than a jobber for the time being (and probably the rest of his time around here). I’m higher on Quinn more than most people but he does seem fairly limited in the ring so far. The good thing for him is that his look is going to carry him for a long time and maybe he can improve along the way.

Natalya is sick of people coming to the main roster to go after her so she came here instead. Nikkita Lyons pops up to put Natalya on notice and is coming for her after she gets rid of Lash Legend. Natalya threatens her with the Sharpshooter but Lyons says she’s flexible.

We look at Ikemen Jiro being tossed into the crowd by Von Wagner. Jiro is out for about a month due to injuries and Wagner has been fined/suspended.

Roxanne Perez vs. Jacy Jayne

The rest of Toxic Attraction is here too. Perez grabs a rollup for two and Jane does the same to even things up. They trade more cradles for two each before Perez snaps off some armdrags. Jayne sends her into the corner and hits a superkick but Wendy Choo pops up on screen. She has, ahem, remodeled the Toxic Attraction lounge, allowing Perez to hit the Code Red for the pin at 2:14. Vic Joseph: “ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED FOR ROXANNE PEREZ!” Nice debut for Perez and they got her in and out fast.

Legado del Fantasma finds a boot on their car and a dead fish on the hood.

Joe Gacy is watching Bron Breakker and says it’s time to end this. How in the world did he get access to that much surveillance equipment?

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Dexter Lumis/Duke Hudson

Pretty Deadly is defending and take over on Lumis to start. An atomic drop has Prince in trouble so it’s Hudson coming in as the fans keep chanting for Lumis. That doesn’t last long as Pretty Deadly goes to the floor to put their arms around Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell, earning themselves a double beating. Hudson and Lumis hit a double suplex and the champs are in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Lumis still in control but Wilson pulls Prince out of the way of a corner charge. The chinlock goes on but Lumis fights up and brings Hudson back in to clean house. Prince grabs a quick two and they collide to put himself and Hudson down. Lumis gets knocked off the apron but Hudson grabs a powerslam for two. Back up and a Wilson distraction lets Prince hit a running boot for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C+. I don’t think there was ton of drama on the ending and thank goodness for that. Pretty Deadly might not be the greatest team in the world and they certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel, but I’ll take them over wacky tag partners who happen to work well together. The Creed Brothers seem destined to take the titles from Pretty Deadly, so maybe that is where we are headed soon enough.

Joe Gacy pops up on the platform and says he’s right here because he isn’t a hard man to find. Cue Bron Breakker to go up to Gacy, who has the Hall of Fame ring. Breakker can have the ring back in exchange for a title match in two weeks. Deal, so Gacy puts the ring in Breakker’s pocket. Then Gacy shoves Breakker off the platform, because Breakker not only stood there when Gacy had the ring in front of him, but then stood there as Gacy shoved him down. Then a bunch of guys in hoods show up to surround Breakker to end the show.

This story had been getting more and more annoying all night long and now it goes over the edge. Breakker, who looks like a can’t miss prospect, has spent the whole night looking like a moron because he can’t find Gacy, literally stands there and gives Gacy everything he wants before being shoved off a platform with no resistance. Then Gacy suddenly has minions, because of course he does. It feels like a bad B movie plot and I’m terrified if this is the best they can do with Breakker so soon.

Overall Rating: C-. I wanted to like this show. There were good parts to it throughout and some nice action, but it’s a case where the everything else ruined what good they had. This show was full of dumb angles and characters (a dead fish on the car, Wendy Choo, the Breakker/Gacy stuff) doing dumb things and it killed what positives the show had built up. It came off like someone saying “this isn’t good enough so let’s add some spice” without thinking about how bad that spice would make things. This was a big step back after some better weeks and I’m really disappointed.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Sarray – Twisting Vader Bomb
Grayson Waller b. Sanga – Rolling Stunner
Legado del Fantasma b. Gibson/Drake – Russian legsweep/running big boot combination to Drake
Carmelo Hayes b. Santos Escobar – Top rope ax kick
Natalya b. Tatum Paxley – Sharpshooter
Xyon Quinn b. Wes Lee – Running punch
Roxanne Perez b. Jacy Jayne – Code Red
Pretty Deadly b. Duke Hudson/Dexter Lumis – Big boot to Hudson

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.