NXT
Date: June 3, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on Worlds collide and some of the show will feature NXT stars. That’s going to get some attention tonight, but at the same time, we have the TNA World Title on the line as Trick Williams defends against TNA’s Mike Santana. That should be a big one so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at last week’s title changes and this week’s TNA World Title match being set up. The shock over Jacy Jayne winning the women’s Title is still great.

Here are Laredo Kid, Je’Von Evans and Ethan Page for a chat. Page makes it clear that Rey Fenix isn’t here tonight due to travel issues so he should be in the ring tapdancing on the memory of Ricky Saints. Now though, someone named Sean Legacy is getting a title shot but Evans and Kid both want the title. Page goes to leave but here is Legacy to cut him off. Legacy would love to face either Evans or Kid, but next week he could become a double champion. Cue the Vanity Project to say Jackson Drake is winning the Evolve Title and they have Page’s back. The brawl is on with the good guys hitting stereo dives.

El Hijo del Vikingo is here.

Chase U vs. Darkstate

Darkstate charges in to start the beating early and Connors is thrown inside for the beating. Lennox comes in and plants Connors with a backbreaker into a Boston crab. That’s broken up and it’s off to Dixon to grab a suplex. It’s already back to Connors, who sends Griffin outside for a breather. Everything breaks down and Chase U fires off some superkicks. Griffin casually suplexes both of them at once though and it’s the toss sitout powerbomb for the pin on Dixon at 3:30.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but this one wasn’t in doubt. I’m not sure where Chase U goes after all of this as they aren’t being treated as anything serious. Hopefully they get the chance to boost the team up soon, because this hasn’t been much so far. On the other hand, Darkstate continues to feel important, which is more than I was expecting from them at this point.

Ava tells Sean Legacy, Laredo Kid and Je’Von Evans to find a partner to face Ethan Page and the Vanity Project. They don’t know anyone, but Dragon Lee comes in to say he’ll do it.

Trick Williams is ready to beat Mike Santana.

Earlier this week, Tyra Mae Steele was nervous about making her NXT debut. Arianna Grace comes in to say no one likes someone who talks too much. Steele thinks she has found her first opponent.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Myles Borne

Rounds match (as in Heritage Cup rules) and if Borne wins, he is free from the No Quarter Catch Crew. Round one begins with Dempsey working on the arm and not getting anywhere, meaning it’s an early standoff. Borne goes back to the arm but gets pulled down into a headscissors with an armbar. That’s broken up so they fight over near falls until Borne stacks him up for the pin at 2:54.

We take a break and come back with some grappling taking us to a stalemate to end round two. Borne gives a clean break but Dempsey knees him in the ribs for a cheap shot. After a stern warning from the referee, round three begins with Borne firing off uppercuts in the corner. That’s shrugged off and a Regalplex gives Dempsey the pin to tie it up at 25 seconds of the round and 7:43 total.

Round four begins with Dempsey going after the banged up ribs, including an octopus hold. That’s broken up and Borne fights back, including an Angle Slam for two. Another Regalplex is blocked and they trade near falls until Borne hits his dropkick for the winning pin at 2:47 of the round and 11:06 total.

Rating: C+. That’s how it should have gone, as you couldn’t have Borne lose again after the rather awesome performance at Battleground. Borne has completely outgrown the No Quarter Catch Crew so having him overcome some cheating to win at Dempsey’s own game is a great way to get him out of the team. Nice match here, with the absolute right result.

Izzi Dame attacks Brooks Jensen with a chair because he’s officially out of the Culling.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Arianna Grace

Steele is a former Olympic gold medal winning wrestler and the winner of the first season of LFG. Steele wastes no time in wrestling her to the mat, followed by a northern lights suplex. Grace stomps away in the corner but Steele isn’t having that and makes the comeback. A bridging German suplex gives Steele the pin at 2:24. If you want to make her look like a star, this was a good way to go about it.

We look back at Jacy Jayne winning the Women’s Title last week. Jayne’s line of “you all may be shocked, but I’m not” is pretty awesome.

Mike Santana gives a fired up speech about being ready to fight to save TNA from Trick Williams. He knows how great Williams is, but tonight he’ll be three seconds better.

Here is Fatal Influence for Jacy Jayne’s big celebration. Jayne tells the fans to stay off the bandwagon now that she’s wont he title. The looks on everyone’s faces when she won the title last week made her happy and she was never shocked at all. She has put in the work for years and gotten better. The reality is that she and Fallon Henley have been friends for years and they decided to fake the fight to give her a better chance of winning the title.

Cue Lainey Reid to interrupt, saying Jayne is the most beatable champion of all time. Lola Vice thinks she should get the title as well and here is Jordynne Grace to throw her name in the hat as well. Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan join the parade, followed by Lash Legend and Thea Hail so the big fight can be on. Then the lights go out….and Mariah May is here. She wants the Women’s Title, though no name is officially given. This was a good way to set up the new reality in the division, with the May debut being the great surprise at the end.

Evolve Prime Minister Stevie Turner and Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong wants someone to step up.

Ethan Page and the Vanity Project are ready for the eight man tag.

Ethan Page/Vanity Project vs. Sean Legacy/Laredo Kid/Je’Von Evans/Dragon Lee

Kid takes Drake up against the ropes to start and chops away before handing it off to Lee for a running elbow. Stereo basement superkicks get two on Drake and a high crossbody gives Lee the same. Smokes comes in and it’s off to Evans to work on his arm. Legacy gets taken into the wrong corner though and the villains get to take over.

A dropkick starts the comeback though and Legacy hits a suicide dive to take out Swipe Right. Evans and Lee hit dives of their own but Page cuts off Kid’s dive. We take a break and come back with Evans in trouble as Drake stomps on his hands. A legsweep into a standing shooting star press gets two and Drake slaps on a chinlock.

That’s broken up so Page comes in, only to have the Twisted Grin broken up. Evans fires off a superkick and gets Lee back in so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Page’s powerslam gets two with Lee and Kid making the save. Kid and Evans hit a dive each, leaving Legacy to slug it out with Page. Baylor and Lee go to the top, with Lee knocking him down and hitting Operation Dragon for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B-. For a match designed to set up the four way at Worlds Collide and get Legacy over as a possible threat, I’ve seen far worse. I’m not sure if Lee getting the pin makes sense as he isn’t involved in the match, but maybe they didn’t want to risk giving someone an advantage going into the title match. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but it went well enough.

Oba Femi and Jasper Troy have a tense showdown, where their contract is signed for a future match.

Zaria and Sol Ruca run into Tatum Paxley, who says she didn’t want to go out there earlier. Izzi Dame comes in and suggests that Paxley purge the people who aren’t her real friends.

Tony D’Angelo talks to Luca Crusifino, who has gotten them a match with High Ryze to show that they can trust each other. D’Angelo says that Crusifino didn’t get the Family’s permission, but Crusifino says they really aren’t a family anymore.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana

Santana is challenging and the winner of this defends against Elijah this Friday at Against All Odds. Williams backs him into the corner to start as the fans are all behind Santana here. A rather intimidating smile sets up Santana driving him into the corner but Williams gets in a shot to the face.

Williams’ running neckbreaker gets two but Santana glares his way up. Another knockdown sends Williams outside where Santana hits a big dive. We take a break and come back with Santana knocking him into the corner for the right hands. Williams scores with the Trick Kick for two before grabbing the cravate. Back up and the chops just fire Santana up, with an exchange of kicks to the head rocking both of them.

Santana hits a Death Valley Driver for a double down and the Rolling Buck Fifty (cutter) gives Santana two. The big Cannonball gets two and a 450 connects for the same, with Williams putting a finger on the ropes. Williams bails to the floor and breaks Elijah’s guitar…and here is First Class (AJ Francis, who is formerly known as Top Dolla, and KC Navarro) from TNA to take Santana out. The Trick Shot retains the title at 12:26.

Rating: B-. The ending was a nice move and while Santana winning the title will be a great moment, it doesn’t need to happen yet. I still expect Joe Hendry to get the title back at Slammiversary for the big moment, but for now, Williams beating someone in a good first defense is a smart way to go. Santana will be fine and can go after First Class to give him some heat back.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like the week where NXT restocked the shelves, especially in that women’s segment. The door has been revolving at a crazy pace as of late so this is something that they were going to have to do sooner or later. I like how it went, as there are some new faces around here who could make a big impact in a hurry. Good show here, but more of a needed one than anything else.

Results
Darkstate b. Chase U – Toss sitout powerbomb to Dixon
Myles Borne b. Charlie Dempsey 2-1
Tyra Mae Steele b. Arianna Grace – Bridging German suplex
Sean Legacy/Laredo Kid/Je’Von Evans/Dragon Lee b. Ethan Page/Vanity Project – Operation Dragon to Baylor
Trick Williams b. Mike Santana – Trick Shot

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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Evolve
Date: May 28, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

It’s a big show this week, with the first Women’s Champion being crowned. That means a four way elimination match for the inaugural title and that means we should be in for a big time main event. Other than that, the Men’s Title is being crowned next week so it’s time for a big push. Let’s get to it.

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

The four women in the title match (Kendal Grey, Kali Armstrong, Wendy Choo and Kylie Rae) are ready to win. Well Choo doesn’t talk because of course she doesn’t.

Opening sequence.

Jackson Drake vs. Lince Dorado vs. Jordan Oasis

The Vanity Project is here with Drake and the winner is in the Evolve Title match next week. Drake elbows both of them down to start and Oasis is sent outside. A top rope ax handle gets two on Dorado with Oasis coming back in for the save. Oasis hits a gutbuster for two on Drake and it’s time for a three way strike off.

Dorado gets the better of things but gets sent outside, leaving Drake to hammer on Oasis in the corner. Oasis plants him down for two but Brad Baylor makes the save. Dorado hits a big dive to the floor and goes to the back with the Vanity Project. Back up and Drake avoids a charge in the corner, setting up a running knee to pin Oasis at 5:52.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough way to get the Vanity Project into the title match, as it would have been strange to not have them around in one way or another. I like the idea of bringing in a veteran like Dorado as well, as the fans are going to respond to someone they know. He’s still more than good enough in the ring to hold his own out here too, even if he isn’t likely going to win much.

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont are ready to take out Cappuccino Jones and Jack Cartwheel.

It’s Gal is by the pool but he can’t have as much fun as he wants because people are saying Troy Yearwood has a better physique. That doesn’t work for Gal, so Yearwood needs to stay out of his way.

Jackson Drake is back in the ring and brags about his success, promising to win the title next week. Cue Edris Enofe to interrupt, saying Drake shouldn’t brag while he’s around. Cue Sean Legacy to interrupt, saying he’s going to win. Drake isn’t impressed but cue Keanu Carver to interrupt, with Drake getting beaten down.

Cappuccino Jones and Jack Cartwheel say it’s their speed against Tyson DuPont and Tyriek Igwe’s power.

Cappuccino Jones/Jack Cartwheel vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Igwe powers Cartwheel down to start but Cartwheel is back up to work on the arm. DuPont comes in for a side slam but misses a charge into the corner. It’s off to Jones for a basement dropkick and a double clothesline puts DuPont on the floor. Cue Wes Lee to check on DuPont and Igwe, with the distraction letting DuPont get in a cheap shot to take over.

The double teaming is on but Jones gets over for the tag to Cartwheel. As we get a graphic saying Cartwheel is friends with Frank Frontroll and John Backflip, Cartwheel hits a big flip dive to take DuPont down, followed by a spinning moonsault for two on Igwe. DuPont runs Jones over on the floor though and it’s a Heartstopper for the pin on Cartwheel at 5:08.

Rating: B-. Power vs. speed very well may be the most basic story in wrestling and it went rather well here. They made the story clear and didn’t veer to one side or another with it, which is exactly how this needed to go. I liked this more than I was expecting, and Jones/Cartwheel as a regular team could be worth a try.

Stevie Turner signs Jin Tala to the roster. Carlee Bright comes in and is told she can’t be at ringside. Next week: Tala vs. Bright, and they’re both fine with it.

Natalya is here to watch the title match.

High Ryze (Wes Lee/Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont) are happy with their win and acknowledge that Jack Cartwheel and Cappuccino Jones have potential.

Women’s Title: Kylie Rae vs. Kali Armstrong vs. Kendal Grey vs. Wendy Choo

Elimination rules for the inaugural title. They start fast and everyone but Grey goes to the floor, meaning it’s time for the big dive to take them out. Back in and Armstrong is rammed into Rae for two each, followed by Grey crossbodying Choo for the same. Choo pops up and gets all creepy, including a running shot to all three in various corners. A high crossbody hits Rae but Grey runs Choo over. The Kali Connection hits Choo and Rae adds a superkick to get rid of Choo at 2:54.

We take a break and come back with Rae hitting a pair of Cannonballs for two. Armstrong suplexes them both at the same time but Grey fights up and cleans house. Grey goes for a cross armbreaker on Armstrong but Rae grabs a rollup to pin Grey at 6:05 total. We’re down to Armstrong vs. Rae, with Armstrong making a quick comeback.

The Kali Connection is countered into a crossface in the middle of the ring but Armstrong powers up anyway. A powerslam doesn’t work for Armstrong and Rae gets two off a small package. Back up and Armstrong hits the powerslam followed by the Kali Connection for the pin and the title at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Uh, where’s the rest of this? They hyped up the match as being this huge deal and then it’s over in less than nine minutes? I was expecting this to go a lot longer than this and it was actually disappointing. That being said, Armstrong is the right choice for the win, as she has had the hot hand in recent weeks. Someone is going to have to overcome the power and athleticism and that is going to make them a big deal.

Post match Rae is distraught and Wendy Choo looks on, because that still needs to be a thing.

Natalya comes in to present the title, which Armstrong snatches away from her.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was focused on the titles for the most part, with the tag match in the middle adding a bit of variety. The men’s title match is feeling huge, though the women’s version didn’t quite live up to expectations. I’ll take the step forward though, as this is starting to feel like a more traditional wrestling show week by week.

Results
Jackson Drake b. Jordan Oasis and Lince Dorado – Running knee to Oasis
Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe b. Cappuccino Jones/Jack Cartwheel – Heartstopper to Cartwheel
Kali Armstrong b. Kendal Grey, Kylie Rae and Wendy Choo last eliminating Rae

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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Evolve
Date: May 21, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

The title matches are drawing closer and that makes things all the more interesting around here. What matters the most right now is getting some people into those matches, with one spot in the men’s match being determined tonight. I’m curious to see how that goes and who gets in so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Harlem Lewis vs. Keanu Carver, who face off tonight in a title match qualifier. Also tonight: a four way for the final spot in the Women’s Title four way.

Opening sequence.

Chantel Monroe vs. Aria Bennett vs. Kylie Rae vs. Zayda Steel

For the final spot in the Women’s Title match next week and the Vanity Project is here with Steel. They pair off to start and Monroe is sent to the apron, where Rae forearms her to the floor. Bennett flips over Rae and armdrags her into a quickly broken armbar. Steel is back in to take Rae into the corner, with Bennett snapmaring both of them out. A double basement dropkick to both of their backs connects but Monroe is back up to take Bennett down.

Steel’s springboard tornado DDT plants Bennett and a Codebreaker gets two on Rae. Back up and Rae takes over on Steel, with the Project helping with the save. That’s enough for a mass ejection and Monroe is back in to clean a bit of house. Bennett fights up and wrecks everyone, including a dive tot he floor onto Steel and Monroe. Rae’s crossface goes on but Bennett rolls out, only for Rae to hit a superkick for the surprise win at 6:33.

Rating: C+. The match was a bit messy but Rae winning is the feel good story that makes sense. Rae has felt like a star since the show started but she hasn’t had a win coming into this match. This gives her the chance to become champion, though it would be a stretch to see her win the title. At least she took a big step though, even if I was expecting Steel to be involved somehow.

A more serious looking Rae promises to win the title next week.

Keanu Carver is ready to beat up Harlem Lewis and move on to become the Evolve Champion.

Oro Mensah wants in the title match too.

Oro Mensah vs. Edris Enofe

Mensah chops away to start but Enofe is right back with some shots of his own. A dropkick into some elbows and a standing moonsault give Enofe two but Mensah is back up to plant him on the floor. Back up and Mensah hits a tornado DDT to send Enofe throat first across the top rope. A springboard kick to the chest gets two on Enofe and we hit the chinlock with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and Enofe fires off some clotheslines, setting up a spinebuster for two. A dragon suplex gives Mensah two more and they both go up, with Enofe knocking him off the top. The Epitome Of Excellence finishes Mensah at 6:03.

Rating: B-. This is one thing that is good about Evolve, as you have two people with nothing else going on and now they are getting the chance to show what they can do. Enofe isn’t a big star but he is someone who could get somewhere if given the chance. This is a win that could set such a thing up and now we get to see where he can go with his next step. It came after a hard fought match too and that’s good to see.

Post match Enofe puts Mensah over as a tough competitor but he’s glad he’s back. Stevie Turner comes out and puts Enofe in the Men’s Evolve Title match. Hold on though as Dani Palmer has been attacked.

Harlem Lewis is ready to take out Keanu Carver and go on to the title match.

We look at Brinley Reece having been attacked last week.

Here is the Vanity Project to say no one cares about the women being attacked.

Swipe Right vs. Timothy Thatcher/Sean Legacy

Thatcher goes after Baylor’s arm to start with a variety of cranking before handing it off to Legacy for some more of the same. Thatcher and Legacy take turns working on the arm even more as they’re certainly focused thus far. Baylor manages to get away so it’s off to Smokes, who gets beaten up as well Swipe Right realizes this isn’t working and bails to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Legacy fighting back on Baylor and kicking him in the back as commentary makes bets on the Vanity Project interfering. Baylor cuts Legacy off though and it’s back to Smokes for some knees to the ribs. An assisted kick to the back sets up Baylor’s jumping elbow but Legacy dives away for the tag to Thatcher. Everything breaks down and a jumping knee to Thatcher sets up the Super Swipe for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: C+. Swipe Right are in the weird position where they are a good heel act but they are only so good when the bell rings. That was the case here as there just wasn’t much to be seen with the match itself. That made this feel rather long and that’s not the kind of feeling you want to have. At the same time, Thatcher is only going to mean so much if he puts everyone over, and that was the case again here.

Kali Armstrong isn’t happy with Kendal Grey for attacking her last week. She doesn’t want Wendy Choo or Kylie Rae trying to stop her either, as she’s going to be the first Women’s Champion.

Kendal Grey isn’t impressed and brags about her wrestling skill to the women’s locker room. Chantel Monroe isn’t impressed and leaves. Masyn Holiday isn’t impressed with Monroe either.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Harlem Lewis vs. Keanu Carver

For a spot in the Men’s Evolve Title match. They talk trash during the Big Match Intros and then start slugging it out at the bell. Lewis knocks him into the corner but gets dropped with a running clothesline. Carver’s threat of a Pounce sends Lewis bailing to the floor and they brawl outside again. Carver is sent hard into the steps and Lewis hammers away back inside.

Back up and Carver knocks him to the apron, where Lewis is hung over the top rope for a heck of a right hand. A Pounce sends Lewis, who is favoring his knee, crashing out to the floor but he’s back with a heck of a clothesline. Back in and Lewis hits the Boom Slam but the knee gives out. They go back outside where Lewis grabs a belly to back suplex, followed by a powerbomb back inside. The bad knee means it’s only a two count though and they slug it out again. Carver blocks a suplex and another Pounce connects. Carver’s spinning powerslam is enough for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match where it wasn’t about a technical masterpiece or even wrestling for the most part. Instead, this was two guys beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up. That doesn’t make for the highest quality match, but dang does it make for something fun, which is pretty much exactly as advertised.

Carver looks at the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There is something about having titles coming up soon that makes a show that much better and that is what we’re seeing here. The titles being on the line soon makes the matches feel that much more important as wrestlers have a goal in mind. Most of these matches had something to do with the title picture (with even the tag match including someone in the Men’s Title match). This is good booking coming together in a logical way and that is great to see.

Results
Kylie Rae b. Aria Bennett, Chantel Monroe and Zayda Steel – Superkick to Bennett
Edris Enofe b. Oro Mensah – Epitome Of Excellence
Swipe Right b. Timothy Thatcher/Sean Legacy – Super Swipe to Thatcher
Keanu Carver b. Harlem Lewis – Spinning powerslam

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: May 20, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Battleground and that means we’re in for the final push towards the show. The card is mostly set and now we get to see what is going to be added at the last minute. Some of these shows can be hit and miss and that makes me curious about what we’re going to see. Let’s get to it.

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

Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante Thee Adonis vs. Sean Legacy

Ricky Saints is on commentary. Adonis stomps away in the corner to start and we get an exchange of rollups for two each. Evans is sent outside for a dive from Adonis and Legacy is tossed as well. Back in and Evans’ dive is cut off so he busts out another one to drop both Legacy and Adonis as we take a break.

We come back with Adonis spinebustering Legacy onto Evans but Legacy blocks the Long Kiss Goodnight. Legacy missile dropkicks Adonis to the floor and hits a running Spanish Fly for two on Evans. Back up and Evans snaps off a super hurricanrana to Legacy but Adonis tries to steal the pin.

That’s broken up as well and all three of them need a breather. Adonis hits a superkick on Evans but Legacy breaks up the cover with a springboard 450. Evans cleans house again and frog splashes Adonis, with Legacy making another save. Cue Ethan Page to go after Saints though and Evans dives onto both of them. That leaves Adonis to miss a frog splash and Legacy grabs Shambles for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was the showcase for Legacy and it worked well for him. It’s fairly clear that he’s one of the brighter prospects in Evolve and it would not surprise me to see him wind up full time in NXT sooner than later. They had an entertaining match here and while I’m not sure Legacy is going to move to the top, this is a nice start for him on the next level.

Ava sends security to deal with Ethan Page. That brings her to Tyra Mae Steele and Jasper Troy, the winners of WWE LFG Season 1. They’ll be debuting in the next few weeks but Troy promises to make an impact tonight. Ava: “Ok.”

We look at Jordynne Grace training. She signed around the same time as Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer and they all want to be at the top. Grace has been in Mexico and Japan, plus dominating TNA. On Sunday at Battleground, she’ll prove she’s the best.

Lola Vice wishes Vaquer luck but runs into Fatal Influence. They argue a bit and Fallon Henley vs. Vice is set for tonight.

Trick Williams says people break their neck to see him while Joe Hendry breaks his neck to see the people. Williams raps about not losing to an average Joe and Booker T. seems impressed. I’m not a rap fan but this seemed to be decent.

Josh Briggs dedicates his match to Yoshiki Inamura.

Shawn Spears vs. Josh Briggs

The rest of the Culling is here with Spears. We’re joined in progress with Briggs running him over but Spears fires off some knees to the ribs. They go outside where Spears posts him before taking it back inside for a neckbreaker. A superkick is blocked though and Briggs hits a quick splash for two. Spears’ dive to the floor is pulled out of the air and Briggs drops him onto the announcers’ table. They go to get back inside but the Culling gets in a cheap shot, allowing Spears to get a small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. Am I supposed to be sad that Inamura is gone? I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but it could be interesting to see Briggs and Brooks Jensen join forces again in some way. It’s not like either of them have done anything important else in a long time so why not see what they can do. The match was nothing all that good anyway, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Post match the beatdown is on but Hank & Tank run in for the save.

Kelani Jordan bickers with Zaria and Sol Ruca tonight, with Zaria saying she’ll take care of Jordan for Ruca later.

Thea Hail, with her eye bandaged, yells at Tatum Paxley about the attack last week. Paxley says Hail has no idea what it’s like to lose everyone, which Hail doesn’t accept. Jaida Parker then jumps Hail from behind but wants nothing to do with Paxley. That was kind of funny.

Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon vs. OTM

Andre Chase is here with Connors/Dixon. Price knocks Connors down to start and then faceplants Dixon as well, leaving Chase worried on the floor. Back in and Connors runs Price over, allowing Dixon to hit a quick DDT. Nima comes in though and gets knocked back, only to grab the assisted Alabama Slam to finish Connors fast at 3:10.

Rating: C. Just shy of a squash here, with OTM running over the new Chase U. That’s what it should have been, as Chase U has nothing going for them yet and have quite a long way to go. At the same time, OTM is a pair of powerhouses and it makes sense to have them smash through some people now that they’re back. If nothing else, they could be into the title scene sooner than later.

Here are Myles Borne and Oba Femi for their final showdown before the title match. Femi is surprised and impressed that Borne made it this far. He understands that Borne is fighting for people who believe in him and who are following their dreams. However, that dream was realized when Borne won the battle royal and it all ends when the bell rings at Battleground. Borne talks about how he has been treated differently for his entire career.

This is about making a statement and he hopes Femi underestimates him. Everyone has done that before, from the doctors and nurses to NXT coaches. He’s been overcoming battles all of his life and every ruler eventually falls. No he can’t hear well, but he’ll hear the 1-2-3 on Sunday when he wins the NXT Title. Borne leaves and here is Jasper Troy to jump Femi. Borne makes the save and holds up the title, eventually handing it back to Femi for the staredown. I don’t believe he has a chance of winning the title but man alive Borne is turning himself into one of the easiest to like stars NXT has seen in a good while.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page argue in Ava’s office and Saints is willing to give him a title shot to get his hands on him. Ava says they don’t make matches….and then she makes the match they want for the title next week.

Tony D’Angelo talks about what it means when you get betrayed. He and Stacks grew up together and have known each other for years. They made the D’Angelo Family but now Stacks wants to run everything. Stacks doesn’t get what it takes to be in charge and doesn’t see everything. On Sunday, Stacks will see how things really work. Those personal touches are making it even better and that should be a good thing at Battleground.

Lola Vice vs. Fallon Henley

Jacy Jayne is here with Henley, who gets wrestled to the mat without much trouble to start. Vice takes her down again without much trouble as Jayne doesn’t seem impressed on the floor. Back up and Vice snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor but Henley gets in a shot of her own.

We take a break and come back with Vice striking her way out of trouble. That doesn’t last long as Henley is back with some sliding forearms but Vice kicks her down. Vice’s running hip attack in the corner gets two so Henley grabs a flying faceplant. Vice fights up again so Jayne offers a distraction, only for Henley to be sent into her. The spinning backfist gives Vice the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Vice continues to be in a weird place, as she smashes through various stars but never seems to get to the next level. She doesn’t quite seem ready to move up to the title picture, but there isn’t much of a point in having her beat people like this. The issues between Fatal Influence continues and I’m not sure where that is going, but it doesn’t seem likely to go anywhere good.

Stephanie Vaquer has a sitdown interview where she talks about all of the work it took to get here. She was inspired by Rey Mysterio and now she knows that she had to do everything to accomplish her goals. Jordynne Grace conquers companies but Vaquer conquers countries.

Darkstate talks about how Dion Lennox started the team and they are all ready to take NXT down. They all bring something different, and now it is time to find out who is next.

We look at Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson (NBA stars) almost getting in a fight last year on Smackdown.

Kelani Jordan vs. Zaria

Sol Ruca is here with Zaria, who sends Jordan flying with a release German suplex to start. Jordan gets in a shot to the face and hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a choke to try and slow Zaria down. They go outside where Zaria sends her head first into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Jordan escaping a belly to back suplex attempt and managing a knockdown for a double breather. The exchange of forearms goes to Zaria so Jordan gives her a running crossbody. A tornado DDT plants Zaria for two but Jordan misses a 450. Jordan tries another choke but gets flipped into a Cannonball into the corner (that was cool). Back up and Jordan is sent outside, where she goes after Ruca. This brings Ruca up onto the apron but Zaria is sent into her, allowing Jordan to grab the rollup for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure why both women’s matches had the same finish but it’s not a great sign. That aside, Jordan winning to get the next shot at Ruca isn’t a bad way to go. She’s already a former champion and that could be quite the accomplishment if Ruca can beat her. At the same time you have Zaria….and she is certainly there. Unfortunately that’s about all there is to say about her at the moment and that isn’t promising.

Battleground rundown.

Here is Joe Hendry for a concert. After praising Trick Williams for trying in his first performance, Hendry sings about how he’ll be champion after Battleground. Williams is merely the World Champion of producing tears and is only a bad sidekick to Carmelo Hayes. This gives us a clip of Williams and Hayes in a haunted house back in the day, albeit with some Hendry heads superimposed.

Hendry sings about how Williams is Melo’s b****, which brings out Williams to interrupt. Williams calls him Average Joe and the fight is on, with the Trick Shot hitting the guitar. Hendry gives him the Standing Ovation (chokeslam) and sings about winning on Sunday to end the show. That’s pretty clearly the main event, which is a rather weird thing to see but it’s the right way to go.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about getting us ready for Battleground but thankfully they did a nice job of getting some things ready for other stories down the line. That is something that has been missing from various go home shows and it’s nice to have them get things better. I’m mostly interested in Battleground and I’m interested in where things are going, so we’ll call this a good enough one.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Je’Von Evans and Ashante Thee Adonis – Shambles to Adonis
Shawn Spears b. Josh Briggs – Small package
OTM b. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon – Assisted Alabama Slam to Connors
Lola vice b. Fallon Henley – Spinning backfist
Kelani Jordan b. Zaria – Rollup

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

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Evolve
Date: May 14, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Things are starting to pick up a lot around here after last week’s introductions of the Men’s and Women’s Titles. Those will be awarded in the coming weeks but there are still spots available in the upcoming title matches. People are going to be interested in earning those shots, but there is other stuff taking place as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing on the titles being introduced.

Opening sequence.

Keanu Carver/Harlem Lewis vs. Gallus

Wolfgang is here with the Coffey Brothers and all three of them jump Carver and Lewis on the floor before the bell. Cue Stevie Turner to get rid of Wolfgang and we’re ready to go. Carver slams Joe down to start as Lewis suplexes Mark on the floor. Joe and Carver hit stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown, followed by the big exchange of forearms. Carver isn’t having that and hits a heck of a Pounce to take over before hammering away in the corner.

Lewis comes in for a slam but Carver tags himself in, meaning it’s time for the non Coffeys to argue. The distraction lets Joe come back in with a springboard spinning high crossbody. Mark is back in with a belly to back suplex as everything breaks down. Joe bails to the floor…and Lewis decks Carver. Lewis yells at him and walks out, leaving Carver to get caught with an assisted German suplex. All The Best For The Bells finishes Carver at 6:48.

Rating: C+. Gallus was more or less just here for the sake of setting things up between Lewis and Carver. The two of them are having issues and that’s likely going to be set up for the future, possibly even as part of the title match. I can always go for two big bruisers fighting and that’s what we’re likely going to be seeing from these two.

Sean Legacy comes up to Timothy Thatcher and asks for Thatcher to be in his corner against Lexis King tonight. Legacy respects him, with Thatcher glaring a massive hole right through him. Thatcher is in though.

We get a sitdown interview with the returning Edris Enofe, who is glad to be back after a seven month injury absence. He has built himself up during his time away and now he’s ready to do it on his own. Of course he has his eyes set on the Evolve Title. I could go for having Enofe back.

Masyn Holiday is glad to have Enofe back while Chantrel Monroe is too busy to be in her corner tonight. Holiday tells Monroe to let her know when Monroe is ready to show her true self to the world. Monroe is slightly more interesting between the two of them but they’re nothing great.

Kali Armstrong vs. Masyn Holiday

Armstrong backs her up against the ropes to start and then grinds away on a wristlock. Holiday uses the ropes to spin into a wristlock of her own but Armstrong blasts her with a pop up forearm. Armstrong slams her into something like a seated abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long. Holiday fights up and hits a dropkick, only to get caught with a quick powerslam. The Kali Connection finishes for Armstrong at 3:18.

Rating: C. Armstrong’s mega push continues and she is going to be a threat to win the Women’s Title. If nothing else, there is always room for a powerhouse like her, with the Connection being a solid finisher. There is something about seeing someone flying through the air to take her opponent out and Armstrong is doing well with a simple concept.

Post match Armstrong says she doesn’t care who else is in the title match, which brings out Zayda Steel. She knows Armstrong is a physical beast but Steel has the brain to know that she’s the only one winning the inaugural title. Cue Chantel Monroe to praise the two of them and saying she’s winning the title.

Kylie Rae interrupts, saying she can be in the final spot, which earns her a SHUT UP from Steel. Rae drops her with a right and the brawl is on, with Armstrong pressing Monroe onto the other two. Cue Kendal Grey to suplex Armstrong to the floor and stand tall, with her knee looking just fine. Grey looked like a star here, along with Armstrong. The others…well they were there too.

Keanu carver is annoyed at Harley Lewis so Stevie Turner makes a match between them for next week.

It’s Gal vs. Javier Bernal

They fight over wrist control to start until Bernal grabs a running headscissors. A dropkick sends Gal into the ropes for a basement superkick. A high crossbody gets two on Gal but he’s right back with a heck of a clothesline. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a dropkick for two on Bernal. Back up and Bernal hits a superkick into a spinning Downward Spiral for two of his own. Gal Gory Bombs him onto the buckle though and hits a running big boot. Bernal is right back with a rollup for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C. I’ve seen a bit of Gal recently but nothing he’s done has been overly impressive. He’s far from being a failure or even bad, but it feels like something that has been done before. At the same time, it’s not a good sign when you lose to someone who was unemployed shortly thereafter and you would think WWE would have known that coming in.

Post match Gal jumps Bernal from behind and hits some pretty terrible right hands. A Blue Thunder Bomb puts Bernal down, with commentary asking where this was during the match.

Stevie Turner suggests adding Nikkita Lyons to the four way title match, but Lyons wants to face the champion one on one. If that means waiting longer before she’s back, I’m all for it.

Kylie Rae is ready for a four way match next week for the final spot in the four way title match. She doesn’t have time to worry about Wendy Choo.

Troy Yearwood is glad to sign his Evolve deal. It’s Gal comes in to brag about what he just did and argues with Yearwood about his physique.

Sean Legacy vs. Lexis King

Legacy has Timothy Thatcher in his corner to take care of the Vanity Project…who aren’t here. Well that’s not a good look. Legacy works on an armbar to start but King is right out. That earns him a shoulder down and Legacy goes back to the arm. A jumping double stomp to the back hits King, who backs into the corner for a big chop. Back up and King elbows him out to the floor to take over for the first time.

We take a break and come back with King working on the back, including a surfboard hold. Legacy fights out and sends him to the floor for a dive, only to springboard into a superkick back inside (with Legacy landing a few feet in front of King, which telegraphed the heck out of the counter). King stays on the back but Legacy is out with a DDT for a needed breather. Legacy kicks away and puts him down for two.

A kick to the face in the corner rocks King and a springboard 450 connects for a delayed two. Legacy tries Shambles but his back gives out. A Backstabber gives King two but the Coronation is countered into a failed backslide attempt. Legacy grabs a Spanish Fly but here is the Vanity Project to go after Thatcher. A big flip dive takes them down, with Thatcher sending Legacy back inside. The distraction lets King grab the Coronation for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. I know King has the star power and name recognition compared to everyone around here, but he’s not exactly the one you bring in to make someone else look good. Legacy hung in there with him and is likely going to be the big star around here. That’s the point of putting him in a spot like this, with a match against the Vanity Project likely coming sooner or later.

Brinley Reece has been attacked and can’t feel her arm.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem right now is that everything is building towards the title matches, which means we have a little while to wait before we get to the big stuff. There are spots being filled in but at the same time, it leaves the rest of the show feeling a bit less interesting. That left a not so interesting show, but they’re keeping it moving and things are still fun enough. Just get to the big stuff in a few weeks and we’ll see where things go from there.

Results
Gallus b. Keanu Carver/Harlem Lewis – All The Best For The Bells to Carver
Kali Armstrong b. Masyn Holiday – Kali Connection
Javier Bernal b. It’s Gal – Rollup
Lexis King b. Sean Legacy – Coronation

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: May 13, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

We’re less than two weeks away from Battleground and the big story is going to see Trick Williams challenging Joe Hendry for the TNA World Title. That means there is a good chance that Hendry will be around this week, along with some other things being set up for the show. We could be in for some big happenings so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is the No Quarter Catch Crew, with new #1 contender Myles Borne. He talks about how he was probably not the big favorite for last week’s battle royal and let’s get around this already: yes he has a disability because he is partially deaf. It affects his hearing and his ability to speak, but that’s not what he wants to be known as. He wants to be known as the one who overcomes the odds and while he can’t hear very well, at Battleground, he’ll hear himself called the new NXT Champion.

Cue Ethan Page, who is tired of this sentimental stuff. Borne won the title shot on a fluke so he can’t beat Oba Femi. Fans: “YOU CAN’T EITHER!” Page wants the title shot on the line tonight and Charlie Dempsey thinks it’s a good idea. Ava comes out to say it’s on, but Dempsey’s match is on right now. Page is right in that Borne came out of nowhere, but this did a good job of making him feel a lot more personable. That’s a nice thing to see and it worked well here.

Oba Femi vs. Charlie Dempsey

Non-title. Femi wastes no time in powering him out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dempsey getting a few shots to the head and grabbing a headscissors takeover. Dempsey starts in on the arm but Femi slams his way out of an armbar. A short armscissors is countered with a dead lift and Femi starts firing off the uppercuts. The Fall From Grace finishes Dempsey at 8:13.

Rating: B-. Dempsey going after the arm and trying to do the technical stuff worked well enough, but there was only so much you can do to stop a monster like Femi. This was more about Femi overcoming a bit of adversity and winning in the end, which is what he does well. Nice opener, and a bit better than I was expecting.

Earlier today, Thea Hail and Karmen Petrovic ran into Tatum Paxley, who was losing her mind and screaming about her friends leaving her (as Gigi Dolin was released).

Ricky Saints comes up to a warming up Ethan Page and mocks him for trying to ruin everyone’s moments. Page isn’t impressed and says Saints can go back to playing second fiddle to him. Saints: “Good luck with that.”

Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Lee has officially dubbed his team with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont as “High Rise”. Yeah that’s not good. Lee’s headlock doesn’t get him very far so he fires off some kicks to the legs. That earns him some uppercuts from D’Angelo but DuPont grabs the foot. That offers a grand total of no impact but D’Angelo sends Lee outside, with the other two catching him. D’Angelo dives onto the three of them and we take a break.

Back with Lee yelling a lot and promising to be the next Don. That brings D’Angelo up with some headbutts to the floor and an overhead belly to belly connects back inside. The powerslam gives D’Angelo two but he gets pulled down into a hurricanrana. The Cardiac Kick is speared down…but Stacks is on the Titantron. Stacks shows up at Riz’s safe house and that’s enough of a distraction for the Cardiac Kick to finish D’Angelo at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Odds are that is setting up the Stacks vs. D’Angelo showdown at Battleground and Lee winning here is a nice moment for him. Giving the stable a new name isn’t going to make it much better, but the winning could help. Not exactly a great match, but it set up the bigger match down the line.

OTM is coming back.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She saw Jordynne Grace becoming the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title and now it’s time for them to fight at Battleground. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne bringing up Fallon Henley losing the Women’s North American Title.

Henley doesn’t like that but here is Grace to interrupt. Grace is here to protect her investment, which isn’t something Vaquer likes. Jayne mocks Grace’s lack of success, which Vaquer says will continue at Battleground. Grace is going to make sure Vaquer makes it to Battleground. Given that it’s another show and a half, that’s not much of a guarantee.

Myles Borne says he has this, mainly due to Charlie Dempsey being banged up.

The Undertaker and Bubba Ray Dudley talk to the finalists of the women’s side of WWE LFG. Izzi Dame, Nikkita Lyons, Lola Vice and Lash Legend all come in to threaten anyone who comes for this division. Undertaker isn’t intimidated. Dang I can’t wait for LFG to be over so they can stop talking about it.

The D’Angelo Family races to the safe house.

Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page

For the Battleground title shot. Borne wrestles him into a front facelock to start and then armdrags him into an armbar. That’s broken up and Borne reverses Page’s suplex attempt into a successful version. Page elbow shim in the face and grabs a chinlock, which is broken up rather quickly as well. A clothesline puts Page out on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Page hitting a superplex but not being able to get a Boston crab. Borne snaps off an overhead belly to belly suplex and an Angle Slam gets two. Page blocks a dropkick for two more but it’s too early for the Ego’s Edge. Twisted Grin is countered as well and Borne hits a dropkick into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. The point of this match was to make Borne look like a more serious challenger to Oba Femi and it went just fine. At the end of the day, NXT has two shows to have Borne go from basically a nobody to challenging for the NXT Title. He got a clean win over a former NXT Champion and that’s good, but you can only get him so far that fast. Borne did look good here though and that’s all he could do.

Sean Legacy is upset about losing last week in the battle royal and wants Je’Von Evans.

Evans is interested but Ashante Thee Adonis comes up to mock the idea. Ricky Saints likes the idea too, and says maybe the winner can get a title shot after Battleground.

Tony D’Angelo arrives at the safe house and gets jumped by Stacks, who mocks everything he’s doing. The challenge is issued for Battleground.

Thea Hail vs. Tatum Paxley

Hail punches her down to start and wants to know what she did to Paxley. Some armdrags take Paxley down but she faceplants Hail down. Hail reverses a ram into the buckle as Jaida Parker is watching backstage. An enziguri connects with Hail, who is right back with a rollup for two. Paxley’s running flipping Fameasser gets two but Hail clotheslines her way out of trouble. The Kimura sends Paxley straight to the rope so Hail grabs it again. That sends Paxley to Hail’s eye, which is actually a DQ at 4:35.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much all about the ending and it only worked so well. At the end of the day, this feels like a total shift for Paxley as her short lived team with Gigi Dolin is over. It continues to astound me that the team was thrown together and then left to die without any kind of resolution, even a short term one, as it creates this kind of an issue. Paxley being insane could be a good way to go, but we’ll have to see where it goes from here.

Post match Paxley goes for the eye again and has to be held back.

Kelani Jordan comes in to yell at Sol Ruca and Zaria for taking her out last week. Jordan wants one more shot at Zaria and when she wins, she gets a title shot. Ruca accepts, with Zaria not being happy.

We get the Joe Hendry/Trick Williams contract signing. Ava talks about the prestige of the title and Williams promises to take the title. Hendry knows Williams knows what it means to break out, but now Williams is just complaining about everything. Hendry talks about how he’s making TNA bigger than ever before but Williams says everyone has his fifteen minutes of fame. Well except for Hollywood Trick that is.

Williams signs and Hendry talks about how this is Williams’ last chance, because he has no path back to the NXT Title. After Battleground, the TNA Title is gone too. Hendry signs and staring ensues. There wasn’t much new here, but both of them sold it well. I’m just not sure I can imagine Hendry actually beating him.

Hank And Tank come in to see Josh Briggs, who is a little blue. Briggs is sad to lose his friend and his partner but here is Shawn Spears to mock him for his losses. Briggs doesn’t want to hear this and implies he wants a match with Spears.

The new Chase U gets their first match set for next week against….OTM. Andre Chase: “GUYS WHAT THE F***?”

Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence

Grace backdrops and clotheslines Henley to start but Vaquer tags herself in. A springboard high crossbody hits Henley but it’s back to Jayne for a snap suplex. Vaquer pulls her into a European Clutch for two, only for Henley to get in a cheap shot from the apron. Jayne’s superkick sets up a Codebreaker and Vaquer is in trouble. Grace gets pulled off the apron and Fatal Influence puts both of them down as we take a break.

Back with Vaquer fighting out of the corner but Jayne plants her back down for two. Jayne hits her with a pump kick but Jayne gets in a shot of her own and brings Grace back in. Grace cleans house for two and everything breaks down with Fatal Influence actually getting the better of things. Grace takes a shot for Vaquer though, only to fight out of a double team. The Juggernaut Driver finishes Jayne at 10:54.

Rating: B-. So we have a team who is starting to work well together for the sake of their upcoming match, while Fatal Influence’s issues continue. I’m not sure how a split would go between them as there isn’t much of a reason to cheer for them, but we seem to be heading in that direction. The Grace/Vaquer story isn’t exactly original, but it should go well enough to get them to Battleground.

Battleground rundown.

Grace holds up Vaquer’s arm.

Ethan Page has attacked Ricky Saints.

Vaquer and Grace look at each other some more to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mostly the “get Battleground ready really fast” and it worked out fairly well. The problem here is that they only had so much time to make it work and they did it well enough here. There is still a lot to do next week, but this was a good way to get us closer.

Results
Oba Femi b. Charlie Dempsey – Fall From Grace
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo – Cardiac Kick
Myles Borne b. Ethan Page – Dropkick
Thea Hail b. Tatum Paxley via DQ when Paxley poked the eye
Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Juggernaut Driver to Jayne

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

Evolve
Date: April 23, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re done with Wrestlemania Weekend and that means the ID Title Tournaments have officially begun. That could go in a few different ways as it might take some time to catch up with the taping cycle. Other than that, we have some grudge matches around here and that could make for some interesting options. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Stevie Turner to announce that she will be making an announcement. Cue the Vanity Project to interrupt (as Drako Knox is in the VIP section). Brad Baylor brags about how awesome they are and how everyone wants Zayda Steele so the Vanity Project name is perfect for them. Ava isn’t impressed and announces a match right now (which was announced in the show’s opening.

Sean Legacy vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Vanity Project is here as Legacy knocks him into the corner to start. A snap powerslam gives Drake a fast two but Legacy fights back. A standing moonsault gets two but the Project offers a distraction, earning a mass ejection. We take a break and come back with Legacy forearming away as commentary argues over who named the Vanity Project.

A reverse sitout gordbuster drops Drake and some running forearms into a German suplex makes it worse. Legacy hits a springboard missile dropkick for two but Drake is back with a Lethal Injection for two. A double knockdown gives us a double breather before Drake hurricanranas him into a running knee to the face. Back up and Drake strikes away until a poisonrana gets two. Legacy fights up and hits him in the face, setting up the torture rack suplex neckbreaker (thankfully named the Shambles) for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C+. Legacy continues to feel like the big star around here and that should give him a good future. He’s backing it up well enough in the ring too and that was the case again here. It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting up to NXT sooner than later as he has all of the tools to get there soon.

Post match Legacy talks about being ready for everything in Evolve.

Kylie Rae isn’t scared of Wendy Choo, even if the darkness started to overtake her. They’ll face each other again.

Harlem Lewis and Keanu Carver have a face to face showdown, talking about how they know the title is coming through them. Ava comes in to make the two of them against Swipe Right next week.

Aria Bennett vs. Zara Zakher

Layla Diggs is here with Bennett. An early rollup gives Zakher two and a suplex is good for the same. We hit the armbar but Bennett is up with some headscissors. A high crossbody gives Bennett two but Zakher’s super hurricanrana gets the same. Zakher grabs a neckbreaker (with kind of a weird cover) for two. Back up and a quick Control Z finishes for Zakher at 3:58.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time get anywhere but Zakher continues to look like someone with potential. Her size issues might be a problem going forward but at least she’s getting some wins to make her seem like a more important star. Bennett is decent as well, but this wasn’t a place where she was going to get much shine.

Post match Zakher is interviewed by the lights dim and a bear, with a note, are left on the mat. The note says “KYLIE, I ACCEPT”.

The Vanity Project is in the VIP section and Brad Baylor’s parent’s lawyer says they have every right to be here.

Carlee Bright vs. Kalyx

Kendal Grey is here with Bright and since I had it drilled into my head for not mentioning it last time, Kalyx is referee Jessika Carr under a mask. Kalyx stomps away but gets kicked in the mask, only to come back with a clothesline. Grey gives Bright a pep talk and it seems to work as the comeback is on, with Kalyx breaking out of a Black Widow. Kalyx’s fireman’s carry is countered into a sunset flip for the pin at 2:30.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Bryce Donovan

Thatcher reverses an early waistlock into an armbar but gets taken into the corner for an elbow to the face. A belly to belly sends Donovan flying and we take an early break. Back again with Thatcher grabbing a half crab and then cranking on the leg, with the Vanity Project not being pleased.

A surfboard is broken up though and Donovan hammers away, setting up a front facelock. The chinlock goes on for a bit before they go outside, where Thatcher is sent into the post. Donovan plants him again for two more but Thatcher fights back and headbutts the arm. A jumping enziguri sets up a butterfly suplex but Swipe Right offers the distraction. Donovan hits a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. These two beat each other up and the interference keeps Thatcher looking like a big deal. He’s the kind of guy who can give some credibility around here and that is a good thing to see. Hopefully he gets to win a match or two without being beaten into the ground, which would kind of defeat his purpose.

Ava isn’t happy with the Vanity Project but Keanu Carver and Harlem Lewis are ready for them.

Overall Rating: C. This show was VERY focused on the Vanity Project and your mileage may vary as a result. The team is fine for what they are, but they don’t feel like the biggest deal. For a team you want to see get taken out, I can go for them, but that doesn’t make them seem like the big bads. Other than that…well there wasn’t much outside of that, with only the two women’s matches really being unrelated. I wasn’t feeling this show as much, as I could go for a bit more variety.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Jackson Drake – Shambles
Zara Zakher b. Aria Bennett – Control Z
Carlee Bright b. Kalyx – Sunset flip
Bryce Donovan b. Timothy Thatcher – Swinging Boss Man Slam

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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FSW WWE ID Championship Tournament
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jake Black, Trevin Adams

It’s pretty much what the name says, as we started the tournament on Wednesday and now we get the second day here. There is a men’s and women’s version, which means we are going to be seeing some of the prominent ID names getting their chance. The first night wasn’t bad at all and hopefully this lives up that standard. Let’s get to it.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Cappuccino Jones vs. It’s Gal

This is a double elimination tournament and Gal powers him around to start. A headlock doesn’t work for Jones so Gal pulls him into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up and Jones hits a big dropkick before chopping away. Gal shrugs that off and powers him down, meaning it’s time for some pushups with choking included. A legdrop gives Gal two and he grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back.

Back up and Gal chokes in the corner before slapping Jones in the face. That seems to wake Jones up enough to fight back, only for Gal to kick him in the face. Jones manages a quick Stunner into a springboard elbow to the face, followed by a pop up cutter for two. Hold on though as Gal comes up holding his elbow but the referee catches him using the medals. Jones hits him in the face and grabs the Decaffinator for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty nice match actually with Gal getting in the offense but posing too much, leading to him trying to cheat to no avail. Jones is someone with a goofy but simple gimmick and it is starting to take off for him. Both of them are entertaining enough and this was a good way to open the show.

Post match Jones thanks the fans for being here to support them tonight. He would have done anything to get here and now he has a big pot brewing for anyone who wants some. Cue Swipe Right, Jackson Drake and Zayda Steele to lay Jones out. Drake brags about the team’s success so far and more success is coming. He’s ready for Marcus Mathers and Ricky Smokes is ready for Sean Legacy and Brad Baylor is ready for Ice Williams. Even Zayda Williams is ready to win her match! These people don’t have much to say.

Zayda Steele/Mazzerati vs. Brittnie Brooks/Zara Zakher

Steele wants to face Brooks but immediately bails out to the floor, allowing Mazzerati to headlock Brooks instead. Brooks reverses into an armbar, which is broken up just as quickly. Back up and Brooks grabs some armdrags into a snap suplex for two. Zakher comes in for an elbow to the face and a running kick to the back for two. Mazzerati is back with a gutbuster and Steele slaps her in the back for a tag, meaning it’s time to hammer on Zakher. Steele knocks her onto the floor and stomps away but stops to blow a kiss to the camera.

Back in and a dropkick knocks Zakher out of the Tree of Woe but Steele accidentally knocks Mazzerati off the apron. It’s back to Brooks and Mazzerati tags herself back in, only to get forearmed in the face. Brooks grabs a DDT for two but Mazzerati fights up. Steele grabs her by the hair and tags herself back in though, setting up a Gory Bomb for two on Zakher. Mazzerati won’t tag in so Steele shoves her off the apron, which has Mazzerati leaving. Zakher RKOs Steele for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see a story in a match like this, as you have Steele dealing with Mazzerati, complete with commentary pointing out how Mazzerati has recently changed her attitude. Other than that, it wasn’t much of a match but at least it got some time and they were able to showcase themselves. Steele continues to look like a star and if she can back it up in the ring, she’ll be a big deal.

Bodhi Young Prodigy vs. Freedom Ramsey

Bodhi tries a quick sunset flip for two and holds the ropes to avoid the dropkick. Ramsey comes back with an atomic drop and a middle rope faceplant gets two. A jumping legdrop gives Ramsey two but Bodhi comes back with a DDT for a needed breather. The comeback is on and Bodhi hits a high crossbody for two. A Pele drops Ramsey again but he avoids the 450. Ramsey hits a Blockbuster for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C+. I’ve only seen a bit of these two so I didn’t have much of an idea of what is going on but they pulled me in to Bodhi making his comeback. That’s an impressive thing to do as I don’t have any reason to care about these two but it worked anyway. Bodhi’s comeback was engaging and the fans got into it, which made things even that much better.

Respect is shown post match.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Sam Holloway vs. Aaron Rourke

They’ve both lost once so the loser is eliminated. The bigger Holloway shoves him into the corner to start so Rourke grabs a lockup and climbs the ropes. That doesn’t work either so Rourke just opts to hammer away in the corner. A running boot in the corner rocks Holloway and Rourke sends him to the floor for a dive. This works a bit better for Holloway, who crotches Rourke on the barricade and then chops the heck out of him.

Back in and we hit the chinlock to keep Rourke down, only for him to reverse into an Octopus. That’s broken up as well so Holloway cuts him off with a running dropkick (impressive given his size). A top rope splash gives Holloway two and he can’t believe the kickout. Rourke gets up again but gets caught in a powerbomb, which he reverses into a Code Red for the pin to eliminate Holloway at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Rourke got to stand out a bit more here than he did yesterday and that’s nice to see. That’s kind of the point of what you’re supposed to see from these matches as they’re still making themselves known on the bigger stages. Rourke doesn’t have much that makes him stand out but at least he was out there with a bigger guy who gave him a solid opponent.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Aaron Roberts vs. Jordan Oasis

Oasis starts fast and knocks him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Roberts drops him with a clothesline before ramming Oasis’ head into the mat. Roberts slowly hammers away in the corner before dropping down onto Oasis’ back. Oasis finally fights out and manages a good spinebuster. Roberts’ chokeslam gets two but a Vader Bomb is countered into a powerbomb to give Oasis two more. Back up and Roberts pulls out a foreign object for a cheap shot, setting up the Vader Bomb for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C+. Oasis feels like someone who turn into something so while it’s annoying to see him lose, it might mean that they have a little more for him to do. Seeing him face some adversity could make for a good story and hopefully that is where they’re going. At the same time, Roberts is a pretty standard big man and hasn’t shown me much so far. There will always be a place for someone like him in wrestling, but so far he hasn’t shown me much.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Jackson Drake vs. Marcus Mathers

They fight over a lockup to start until Drake pulls him down into a headscissors. That’s broken up and Mathers knocks him outside, followed by some leg cranking back inside. Drake fights up and is dropkicked down almost immediately. Mathers charges into a boot in the corner though and Drake gets in a middle rope knee to the arm to take over. The arm is tied up and Drake gets creative by using his wrist tape to pull back on the arm even more.

The referee sees Drake using the ropes on a cover to give Mathers a breather but Drake is right back on the arm. Mathers’ arm is fine enough to slam him down, followed by a spinning high crossbody. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Mathers two but Drake pulls him into a Kimura. That’s broken up with a quick slam but the arm gives out and Drake gets a cross armbreaker.

Mathers survives that as well and fights up for a superkick. That means it’s time to go up top, where Drake’s superplex brings him back down in a big crash. Back up and the frustrated Drake hammers away in the corner, setting up a bridging German suplex for two. Mathers blocks the running knee though and a dragon screw legwhip takes Drake down again. A middle rope Canadian Destroyer hits Drake and the Broad Street Buster (fisherman’s buster) gets another near fall. Cue Swipe Right for a distraction, allowing Sam Holloway to post Mathers. Drake adds the running knee for the pin at 18:32.

Rating: B-. Well that was…long. I’m not sure I’d say it was especially good, but it’s nice to see them being able to hold it together for a longer match. Drake is a decent enough villain and Mathers certainly feels like someone who could turn into a bigger star if he is properly developed. For now though, they had a nice match, even if it went on for quite awhile.

Post match, Drake brags about how great he and Swipe Right are. Again.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Sean Legacy vs. Ricky Smokes

Legacy isn’t waiting here and dropkicks Smokes to the floor to start. Some chops rock Smokes even more and they head back inside where Smokes can keep chopping away. Smokes gets in a shot of his own in the corner and starts in with his own chops, followed by a kick into the ropes. Legacy fights up and goes to the top but gets dropkicked out to the floor in a heap.

Back in and Smokes drops a knee, followed by the required chinlock. That’s broken up and Legacy strikes away, setting up a middle rope Spanish Fly to leave both of them down. Legacy moonsaults into a lifting reverse DDT for two before grabbing the torture rack, only to have to go after Swipe Right. Smokes kicks him in the head but dives into a Codebreaker. The torture rack flipped into the swinging neckbreaker gives Legacy the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Legacy has definitely felt like the biggest star in the ID program so far and it seems like he’s the centerpiece, at least in the early stages. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him as the first champion, but he’s almost guaranteed to at least make a deep run. Smokes is one half of the annoying heel tag team so Legacy had a reason to beat him, though I’m not sure if there was much drama.

Post match Swipe Right comes in for the beatdown but Ice Williams and Cappuccino Jokes make the save. And now, the main event.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Ice Williams vs. Brad Baylor

Williams starts fast and hammers away, including knocking Baylor to the floor for some uppercuts. Baylor gets in a shot of his own and they head back inside, where Baylor starts going after Williams’ neck. The pace slows again as Baylor hammers away and then grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Williams spins around to hit a quick DDT. Williams ties him in the ropes for a kick tot he face and an elbow to the back for two.

Baylor comes back with a snapdragon for two before going up top, where he reverses a superplex into a swinging superplex (ala Kevin Owens). Back up and Williams hits a good looking superkick for two, plus a good shocked kickout face. Baylor brainbusters him onto the knee for two more and goes for a turnbuckle pad. With the referee taking care of that, it’s a low blow for two on Williams. Back up and they slug it out until Williams superkicks him down again. A brainbuster finishes Baylor off at 11:13.

Rating: C+. Baylor feels like the bigger star of Swipe Right, which is quite a big deal at this point given how much they have been featured. At the same time, Williams is another guy who might wind up becoming a star and certainly has the look. He’s already doing well with his early tournament appearances and that should give him a nice next few appearances.

Post match Williams says he’s going to be the first ID Champion and thanks the fans for coming out.

Overall Rating: C+. The show isn’t bad and the action is good enough, but the ID people are starting to lose their charm. They’ve been all over the weekend and you can only see Swipe Right and company run in so many times to do their thing before it stops working. I know we’ll get to the title stuff and some better stories later, but two long shows from these same people in a few days is a bit much. It’s not bad, but there’s a reason these people are prospects rather than the featured stars.

On top of that, the tournament is kind of all over the place. You have some people with one loss, one guy already eliminated and in theory some wrestlers who haven’t debuted yet. What we didn’t have was any kind of graphic or standings showing where people were. Maybe they don’t know all of the entrants yet or they haven’t been announced, but it doesn’t make for the easiest thing to follow, especially with the double elimination aspect. It makes the show feel all over the place and hard to keep track of, which isn’t the kind of feeling you want fans to have. Good enough wrestling, but it needs to be tightened up.

Results
Cappuccino Jones b. It’s Gal – Decaffinator
Brittnie Brooks/Zara Zakher b. Zayda Steele/Mazzerati – RKO to Steele
Freedom Ramsey b. Bodhi Young Prodigy – Blockbuster
Aaron Rourke b. Sam Holloway – Code Red
Aaron Roberts b. Jordan Oasis – Vader Bomb
Jackson Drake b. Marcus Mathers – Running knee
Sean Legacy b. Ricky Smokes – Torture rack swinging neckbreaker
Ice Williams b. Brad Baylor – Brainbuster

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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The House Always Wins
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Freemont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Elliot Tyler, Jordan Castle

So this is Pandemonium Pro, which is an independent promotion that I know nothing about. I wanted to do one of their shows a few years ago but could never actually find it so we’ll try it again here. I’m always a sucker for a gambling themed named and what are the odds of seeing one of them in Las Vegas? Let’s get to it.

Note that I know nothing about this promotion so I apologize in advance if I miss any plot or character points.

Apparently there was a pre-show battle royal but it does not seem to have been broadcast.

Sean Legacy vs. Tommy Billington

For some reason this is a separate video from the YouTube stream of the show so I’m not sure if it’s officially part of the show or some kind of pre-show. Legacy takes him to the mat to start as commentary is at very different levels, with one of them sounding like they are in a different location. A victory roll gives Legacy two and he grabs a headlock takeover.

Billington flips out of a wristlock and takes him down into an armbar. Legacy is right back with a standing moonsault for two so Billington drops him with a clothesline. Back up and Billington stomps away in the corner but gets caught with a DDT for two more. They slug it out….and the video ends without a winner. Another video on the page shows Legacy leaving after a win, though there are no details about how he got there. No rating due to the incomplete match, but they were starting to pick it up when the video ended.

Here is Miu Watanabe to sing a song. I’m not sure what she’s saying but the fans seem into it and it’s rather fast paced.

Jordan Cruz/Sonico/Wicked Wickett vs. Alan Angels/Duke/Fuego del Sol

Duke is better known as Duke Hudson. Angels and Sonico start things off as we lose commentary for a bit. Sonico rolls him up for some near falls and it’s already off to del Sol vs. Wickett. They trade hurricanranas for a standoff…and the video ends again after just over two minutes. Apparently Cruz and company went on to win, though again I have no idea how they did it or how long it took.

Mao vs. Masha Slamovich

Neither gets an introduction and we’re seemingly joined in progress. Slamovich’s headlock doesn’t last long and they’re quickly on the mat, which goes to a standoff. Mao flips her off as commentary reads off some sponsors and then apologizes to them. A hiptoss takes her down before Mao teases a hanging DDT, only to drop her face first instead. The half crab keeps Slamovich in trouble before a split legged moonsault (with Mao grabbing the lighting rig) gets two.

Slamovich is back up with a rolling kick to the face and the rear naked choke goes on. Mao slips out but gets it again, only for Mao to fight up with a cutter for two. They trade enziguris until Slamovich knocks him out of the air for a crash. An exchange of German suplexes doesn’t get either of them anywhere so they trade kicks to the head…and Slamovich falls onto him for the fluke pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a nice enough back and forth match, with Slamovich being able to hang with Mao fairly well. Granted it helps when Mao’s big offense is flipping off the crowd, so Slamovich only had so much to keep up with here. Slamovich’s star continues to rise and she got a good win here on the big weekend.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ninja Mack

Ali has no interest in shaking hands to start so he drives Mack into the corner. Back up and Ali grabs an armbar, only for Mack to flip away and nip up into a standoff. Mack flips out of a hurricanrana but Ali does Mack’s own pose with quite the big grin. That’s fine with Mack, who hits a spinning kick to the head and they head outside, where Mack’s sliding dive is countered into a DDT onto the floor (ouch).

Back in and Mack seems to be having trouble seeing so Ali knocks him down again and hits a standing moonsault. Mack catches him on top with a kick to the head, only to get German suplexed down. Ali mocks Mack again and they trade rollups until Ali backslides him with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: B-. What were you expecting here? Ali is one of the better stars on the independent circuit and Mack is a rather entertaining high flier. Getting Ali on the show makes things feel more important and he got to showcase his talents rather well. Mack is going to be fine as well as he’s that good of a high flier and this worked well enough.

Hyan vs. Kingsley

Kingsley is apparently replacing WWE ID Prospect Zara Zakher and is the lead singer of the Backslide Girls. Which is apparently a thing. They circle each other to start and then trade legsweeps for a quick cover each. A dropkick sends Kingsley outside and Hyan drags her back in by the hair, which isn’t very nice.

Back in and Kingsley kicks away as commentary throws us to a commercial on the local TV broadcast as this is a rather odd production. Kingsley stacks her up for two and grabs a chinlock to keep things slow. Back up and Hyan sends her to the floor and a dive takes Kingsley down again. They get back inside with Kingsley grabbing an STF variation until Hyan makes the rope. Hyan’s CT Knee gets two and it’s a spear into Beauty Sleep (Glam Slam) to end Kingsley at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the production brought down the enjoyment as there were issues in telling which of them was which or what was going on. That’s an annoying detail as the match was good enough, though it was kind of just trading moves without building towards much of anything.

Miu Watanabe vs. Maya World

Watanabe wrestles her down to start before Maya misses a swinging kick. Maya manages to send her to the apron for a basement dropkick and it’s time for a bit of a breather. Back in and Watanabe is fine enough to hit a running shoulder, only to get caught in a gory stretch spun into a knee to the face. Watanabe pops up with a comeback so sudden that commentary sounds surprised, including with World being driven into the corner.

The giant swing is broken up though and World superkicks her into a crossface. Watanabe fights up and hits a big backbreaker, which is enough to set up the giant swing. World slips out of an over the shoulder backbreaker and grabs a sunset bomb out of the corner for two. Back up and Watanabe misses a right hand and gets cuttered, only to shrug it off for a powerslam. The Tear Drop (flapjack) finishes World at 11:28.

Rating: B-. This was good enough, though Watanabe seemed to survive a good bit of offense and just pop up to take over again. That’s not the best way to go, but World definitely got to showcase herself for a bit. Watanabe definitely has star power, though it was nice to see World doing well too.

Kzy vs. Cappuccino Jones

Kzy is from Dragon Gate. Jones takes him down by the arm to start and they fight over a hammerlock. Back up and Jones cranks away on the arm, only for Kzy to Worm his way out. Jones isn’t sure what to make of that so he has some coffee and dances a bit as well. Kzy has some of said coffee and they both do indeed dance. Jones does a reverse Worm and then gets kneed in the ribs, only to come back with a dropkick for two.

They run the ropes until Kzy hits a running Blockbuster for a big smile. Jones hammers him down and drops a fist for two, setting up the neck crank. Kzy fights up and hits a running shoulder in the corner, setting up a fireman’s carry sitout powerbomb for two. A frog splash misses for Kzy and a half and half (clever) suplex gives Jones two more.

The Macchiato Driver gives Jones another near fall and they slug it out. Back up and Kzy hits a running clothesline and they’re both down. A sliding lariat gives Kzy two but Jones gets to the coffee and hits a Decaffinator for two. Kzy is back with another basement clothesline into a frog splash for two of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Kzy piledrives him for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as Jones has turned what should be a pretty basic gimmick into something rather entertaining. You wouldn’t expect to see someone whose entire deal is “he drinks a lot of coffee” get somewhere but he has the in-ring talent to back it up. Kzy has looked good in his time in the ring this weekend and he got to do well again here.

Barbaro Cavernario/Yamato vs. Ben-K/Titan

Cavernario and Ben-K start things off and they go to the grappling, with Cavernario taking him to the mat. That’s broken up and they circle each other again before heading right back down. Ben-K drops him with a running shoulder and it’s off to Yamato vs. Titan, with commentary going into a discussion of wrestlers’ hair. Yamato gets taken down and Ben-K comes in to work on the ribs.

A gutwrench suplex gets two and it’s time to tie up the legs for something like a reverse surfboard (that’s a weird one). Yamato fights up and sends him into the corner for the running dropkick, allowing the tag off to Cavernario. Everything breaks down and Cavernario hits a big dive out to the floor.

Back in and Cavernario gets faceplanted for two, leaving Yamato and Ben-K to go at it for a change. Yamato can’t hit a brainbuster but he can forearm Ben-K a few times, setting up a suplex for two. Titan is back in to kick Yamato in the face and everyone is down for a bit. Back up and Titan hits a top rope double stomp on Yamato with Cavernario breaking it up. Yamato kicks Ben-K in the face and gets German suplexed for two. A quick hurricanrana gives Yamato the pin at 14:05.

Rating: B. Another match designed to be a bunch of people getting in some fast spots and hard hits, which worked rather well. It was a mixture of different styles but they meshed together, likely due to familiarity. Good, fast paced match here and all of them got a chance to showcase themselves.

Ella Envy/Brittnie Brooks vs. B3cca/Joseline Navarro

B3cca, a singer, dances to start and Envy joins in before decking B3cca from behind. Navarro comes in to take Brooks down but gets dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Everything breaks down and B3cca and Navarro drop them, meaning we get tandem dancing. Envy fights out of the corner and hits a running hip attack in the corner to B3cca. Brooks comes back in and gets caught with a superkick, only to get kicked in the back for two.

A slightly aggressive tag brings Envy back in but she’s fine enough to grab a snap suplex. Envy accidentally drops Brooks and B3cca crossbodies both of them at the same time. Navarro comes back in to clean house but Envy drops her from the apron. B3cca hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee but she gets sent outside. A catapult into a clothesline gets two on Navarro with B3cca making the save. Navarro takes Brooks outside and B3cca hits….something we don’t see off the top for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. This was a nice showcase from four women who might not be as well known and that’s one of the best things that can happen int his kind of a weekend. B3cca has a gimmick that can get your attention rather quickly and Envy/Brooks were both good as the pink obsessed stars. Nice match here, though the missed ending hurt it a bit.

Hechicero vs. Kevin Blackwood

We get an anxious handshake to start before Blackwood grabs a hammerlock. Hechicero grabs a leglock and they go to the mat with Blackwood having to take it to the ropes. Blackwood’s choke sends Hechicero over to the ropes as well and they get up for the chop off. Blackwood gets the better of things and hits some clotheslines but Hechicero pulls him into a swinging backbreaker for two.

Hechicero pulls him into a leglock in the ropes and a top rope forearm gets two more. That’s broken up and Blackwood kicks away, setting up an exploder suplex. The running corner dropkick rocks Hechicero again but he pulls Blackwood out of the air, setting up the surfboard. Blackwood powers out of that and pulls him into a leglock.

Hechicero gets out of that as well and a spinning slam gets two. They chop it out from their knees until Blackwood hits a running knee. The brainbuster gets two more but Hechicero dropkicks him into the corner. The headscissors driver plants Blackwood again and something like an Octopus on the mat makes him tap at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was the technical showcase match and it worked well, with Hechicero getting to work his magic and finally put Blackwood away. Blackwood was presented as a mixture of skilled and tough, which was going to give Hechicero a difficult out. Good main event here, with Hechicero feeling like a star throughout the whole thing.

Post match Blackwood shows respect and Hechicero says…something the microphone is far too low to understand.

The ring announcer thanks us for coming out to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a lot of good stuff on here and the biggest problem was the production, with the lighting being not so great and the camera angles having issues. That being said, this was a nice mixture of styles and stuff throughout, which made for a fun show. It flew by and was certainly entertaining, with enough star power to make things interesting. Maybe not a classic, but certainly a fun enough way to spend about two hours and fifteen minutes.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Tommy Billington
Jordan Cruz/Sonico/Wicked Wickett b. Alan Angels/Duke/Fuego del Sol
Masha Slamovich b. Mao – Kick to the head
Hyan b. Kingsley – Beauty Sleep
Miu Watanabe b. Maya World – Tear Drop
Kzy b. Cappuccino Jones – Piledriver
Yamato/Barbaro Cavernario b. Ben-K/Titan – Hurricanrana to Yamato
B3cca/Joseline Navarro b. Brittnie Brooks/Ella Envy
Hechicero b. Kevin Blackwood – Seated Octopus

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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WWE ID Championship Tournament
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Trevin Adams

So this is a weird thing as WWE is partnering with GCW for the first batch of matches in the tournaments to crown the first ever ID Champions. We’re getting matches in the men’s and women’s tournaments, plus some bonus matches to round out the card. One of these matches features former Bayley super fan Izzy, which is going to be absolutely bizarre to see. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Note that both tournaments are double elimination so a loss does not end a wrestler’s chances.

WWE Men’s ID Title Tournament First Round: Freedom Ramsey vs. Jordan Oasis

Oasis is the Global Nomad and is here by way of Greyhound. We get a handshake to start and Ramsey grabs a headlock to grind away. Back up and Oasis armdrags him into an armbar, only to get dropped with a running forearm to the face. Something like an X Factor out of the corner gives Ramsey two but Oasis kicks him down. A backsplash gets two on Ramsey and Oasis grabs the chinlock.

Back up and a low bridge sends Oasis outside but he’s right back up for a suicide dive. The chinlock goes on again back inside for a bit before Oasis fires off some big chops in the corner. A hard clothesline gets Ramsey out of trouble and a spinebuster drops Oasis again. Ramsey grabs a Falcon Arrow for two but Oasis pulls him out of the air and hits a brainbuster. A Cannonball to Ramsey’s back against the ropes (or at least in its general vicinity) gets two but Ramsey snaps off a German suplex. Oasis is right back up with a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a bad match, but it was dragging in the middle and that hurt it a lot. It started to feel like they were just filling in time by doing moves instead of trying to get a win. Maybe they were trying to showcase themselves and display what they can do, but this probably needed to have a few minutes cut out. Not a bad match, but it only got so far.

Post match they shake hands and Oasis welcomes us to the show. Oasis talks about how the ID Titles will be defended around the independent circuit, including in GCW. He thrives on being on the road and he hopes the people are strapped in for the journey. Decent promo here.

Zara Zakher vs. Izzy Moreno

This isn’t a tournament match but if Moreno wins, she is in the Women’s ID Title tournament. They go with the grappling to start and have a staredown before trading rollups for two each. Moreno’s northern lights suplex gets two and her armbar sends Zakher to the ropes.

Back up and Zakher grabs a few slams but Moreno hits a high crossbody for two. A cross armbreaker goes on so Zakher stacks her up for two. Zakher’s spinebuster gets two but here are Swipe Right, with Jackson Drake and Zayda Steele (from Evolve). Steele uses the distraction to hit Moreno in the head with a shoe, allowing Zakher (who didn’t seem to see Steele interfere) to grab Control Z (RKO) for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C. The fact that Moreno was in the ring is more amazing than anything else, as so many people are going to remember her as a ten or so year old fan. I’m not sure what kind of a future she has in WWE but getting this far is pretty impressive. Zakher continues to be an impressive enough star and I could see her making a run in Evolve, or even further.

Post match Steele lays out Zakher and Moreno. Swipe Right says Jordan Oasis and Izzy Moreno suck and don’t deserve to be in the ID Program. They brag about their own talents and promise to take over the independent scene. As usual, the team isn’t a bad idea, but they’re not the most imposing looking people.

WWE Men’s ID Title Tournament First Round: Aaron Rourke vs. It’s Gal

Gal (rhymes with doll) is quite muscular and is described as a Real Life Action Figure. Rourke on the other hand is billed from Sparkle City. Gal’s grappling doesn’t work to start and Rourke gets in a quick spank. A headscissors takes Rourke down and Gal grabs a headscissors with some pushups thrown in. Back up and Rourke hits a dropkick into the corner and they head outside. That goes nowhere so Gal sends him flying for a faceplant, setting up a big boot for two.

Gal grabs the chinlock for a bit before throwing him out of the corner. A fall away slam sends Rourke flying and a clothesline gives Gal two but he misses a legdrop. Rourke scores with a leg lariat and a DDT, followed by a Helluva Kick. The hip attack gets two on Gal, setting up a Molly Go Round for two more. They lock hands and trade shots to the face before going up top, with Rourke grabbing a sunset bomb. Back up and they get in a fight over Gal’s medals, which are taken away, allowing Gal to hit him low. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Gal the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match here, with Gal getting to show off. They were just different enough to have something that made them stand out while also being similar enough that it made for a fun showdown. Gal has been featured on Evolve before so it makes sense for him to go over, though I’m not sure if he stood out more.

WWE Men’s ID Title Tournament First Round: Atticus Cougar vs. Ice Williams vs. Aaron Roberts

Cougar, a GCW star, has to win to get into the tournament. Roberts, by far the largest of the three, takes over on Cougar to start and avoids Cougar’s attempt at skewering him in the head. Williams is back up with a rope walk Blockbuster to take Roberts down but Cougar is right there to go after him. A DDT plants Cougar and Roberts’ splash crushes him as well. Roberts splashes Williams as well but Cougar is back in with a chair. That just ticks Roberts off and a spinebuster drops Cougar.

Roberts has a seat in the chair, but Cougar is back up with a running boot to send the chair into Roberts’ face. Williams is back up to slug it out with Cougar but Roberts runs both of them over. Back up and Cougar sends them into each other, setting up a moonsault for two on Roberts. Williams elbows Cougar down, only for Roberts to miss a Vader Bomb. Cougar rakes Roberts’ eyes and this a headlock driver but Fuego del Sol runs in to take Cougar out. Williams drops a top rope elbow to pin Roberts at 6:31.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one, with Cougar feeling like he was just thrown in there for some GCW flavor. That doesn’t really work though as you have two guys doing a regular match and Cougar runs in there with skewers to try to stab someone. It doesn’t work and the match was kind of a mess as a result.

Post match Swipe Right and company come out to wreck Williams. Zayda Steele mocks Williams as a loser and promises to make Kylie Rae a loser as well.

WWE Women’s ID Title Tournament First Round: Kylie Rae vs. Zayda Steele

Swipe Right and Jackson Drake are here too. Steele won’t shake hands so Rae grabs a wristlock. A rollup gives Rae two and she does it again to frustrate Steele all the more. Swipe Right trips Rae down though and that’s good for a massive ejection. Steels pulls the arm over the rope and some knees to the chest give Steele two. Rae gets choked down in the corner and Steele gets to strut a bit.

The triangle choke over the ropes keeps Rae in trouble and the rather cocky Steele stays on the arm. Rae gets out of a Disarm-Her and a basement superkick gets two on Steele. Back up and Steele hits a discus forearm for two as the pace slows again. A slap to the face wakes Rae up though and she hits a superkick into a crossface for the fast tap at 8:46.

Rating: C+. That’s a bit of a surprise, as Steele has felt like someone who could be a big star in the division if she was given the chance. At the same time, Rae is one of the bigger names on the Evolve roster and it’s good to see her actually getting a win on a bigger show. This felt like something that could be a step forward for Rae, which she has been needing.

WWE Men’s ID Title Tournament First Round: Marcus Mathers vs. Sam Holloway

No DQ and these two seem to have been feuding for a good while. The much bigger Holloway hits a dropkick to start fast, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two less than thirty seconds after the bell. Some chairs are thrown in but Holloway picks up another, which is dropkicked into his face. Mathers hits a suicide dive and hammers away before posting Holloway.

Back up and Mathers climbs onto the stage, setting up a huge running flip dive. A high crossbody gives Mathers two but Holloway butterfly suplexes him into a chair in the corner. The chair is wedged into the corner but Holloway’s charge misses, giving Mathers a much needed breather. A Van Daminator (Mathers is from Philadelphia so it fits well) gives Mathers two and a German suplex is good for the same. Back up and Holloway drops him through the chair for two of his own and things slow down a bit.

Mathers tries to go up and gets dropkicked off the top for a crash. A powerbomb onto the apron drops Mathers again and a top rope splash gives Holloway another near fall. It’s time to get serious as Holloway takes down the straps, which takes way too long, allowing Mathers to chair him into the Tree Of Woe. Mathers puts a chair in front of Holloway’s face and pelts another chair at him for two more. A chair bridge is set up and a middle rope cutter onto a chair (the bridge broke), setting up a nice 450 to pin Holloway at 12:36.

Rating: B-. You could tell there was a story and feud here, though commentary didn’t exactly explain what those were. What mattered the most here was that the weapons didn’t feel out of place and they didn’t go insane, only using a bunch of chairs. Mathers has shown off some talent in his career and it isn’t a surprise that he is getting this kind of attention. Holloway wasn’t a bad big man either, but he needs something else to make him stand out.

Post match Holloway takes out the referee to blow off some steam.

Swipe Right/Jackson Drake vs. Cappuccino Jones/Jack Cartwheel/Sean Legacy

This is a rematch from the first ever WWE Evolve main event. Drake and Jones start things off and go to the mat to start with Jones sending him crawling over to the ropes. Jones cranks away on the wrist before he sweeps the legs to take Drake down again. Cartwheel comes in to work on Baylor’s arm as well before it’s off to Legacy for more of the same. Jones gets in more arm cranking and it’s Cartwheel coming in for a chinlock.

Smokes comes in and has his arm twisted as well as the good guys have a theme going here. Cartwheel cartwheels away from Baylor and gets two off a slam. The fast tags continue with Legacy moonsaulting next to Smokes, but getting clotheslined down by Drake. Legacy gets taken into the wrong corner though and it’s time to start the alternating beatdown. Drake’s Russian legsweep puts Legacy down and he stomps on Legacy’s fingers in a rather nasty move.

Legacy is fine enough to get over to Cartwheel for the tag and the pace picks back up, with Cartwheel flipping around Baylor. Something from the top is loaded up but Baylor rolls outside, only for Cartwheel to cartwheel dive onto Swipe Right. The good guys hit stereo dives to the floor in a cool visual but Cartwheel gets low bridged outside. The double stomping is on and Baylor grabs a suplex to put Cartwheel down back inside. Jones tries to come in for a save without a tag but Cartwheel is dropped down with a belly to back suplex.

Drake’s butterfly suplex gets two and he hammers away, with Cartwheel fighting…into the wrong corner. Maybe those cartwheels are messing with his brain. Cartwheel finally clotheslines his way out of trouble and brings Jones in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Legacy knocks all three villains down at once. A springboard 450 gets two on Smokes, who is back up with a fireman’s carry onto the knee for two of his own.

Legacy gets over to Cartwheel to fight back but he gets caught with a Lethal Injection for two. Baylor sends Jones outside and then come sin legally but Jones is back in for a right hand into a Death Valley Driver to put Baylor down. A top rope elbow gives Jones two and all six are left down. Cartwheel takes too long going up and gets caught by Drake, who grabs a super poisonrana. The Super Swipe finishes Cartwheel at 20:58.

Rating: B-. Well that was…lengthy. It was a match where it felt like they were out there for the sake of filling in time, which doesn’t help when these guys don’t have a ton of experience to know how to make this work. What we got was good, but it could have been a few minutes shorter to tighten things up again. That being said, this is designed to be developmental stars having a match and it went well enough all things considered.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Freedom Ramsey runs in for the save. That goes badly as well but here are Ice Williams and Jordan Oasis for the real save. The villains are cleared out, with Legacy and Williams promising to be ready for their tournament matches. That lets the good guys pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. All things considered, this was ok, but it did lose its charm after a little while. At the end of the day, these people are mainly still up and coming stars who need to get more ring time and coaching. At some point, they start to run out of things to do and it can take away a lot of interest in their matches. That can make for a fun forty five minute show with something like Evolve, but a two plus hour event, especially with a bunch of tournament matches, it was only so entertaining throughout.

Results
Jordan Oasis b. Freedom Ramsey – Clothesline to the back of the head
Zara Zakher b. Izzy Moreno – Control Z
It’s Gal b. Aaron Rourke – Blue Thunder Bomb
Ice Williams b. Aaron Roberts and Atticus Cougar – Top rope elbow to Roberts
Kylie Rae b. Zayda Steele – Crossface
Marcus Mathers b. Sam Holloway – 450
Swipe Right/Jackson Drake b. Sean Legacy/Cappuccino Jones/Jack Cartwheel – Super Swipe to Cartwheel

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