NXT
Date: October 7, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

THEY’RE HERE! Granted they’ve been here for the last few months, but tonight is the big showdown between NXT and TNA. We have four matches between the two of them, including a pair of Survivor Series matches, a regular title match and a winner take all Tag Team Title match. I’d call that a loaded show so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the origins of both NXT and TNA while talking about how this seemed impossible for years. Then TNA showed up here and the fight was on, with tonight’s show being set up.

TNA Tag Team Titles/NXT Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Darkstate

Title for title and yeah the fans still know the Hardys and the Dudley Boyz are in the crowd. All four members of Darkstate run in for the brawl though and are quickly dispatched by the Hardys but they’re right back up. Shugars and James are sent to the back though and it’s Lennox getting taken down with the Spin Cycle for an early two. A Poetry In Motion clothesline hits Lennox but Griffin gets in a cheap shot.

Darkstate can’t get a double clothesline right and Griffin manages to miss a legdrop despite Jeff not moving. Booker: “Did he miss that?” Jeff dodges another one (at least on purpose this time) and knocks Griffin down, allowing Matt to come back in. A few rooms of the house are cleaned but Lennox knocks him down again as we take a break.

We come back with Lennox hammering on Jeff and throwing in a jumping splash. Griffin chokes on the rope but Jeff fights up and hits a better Whisper In The Wind to take them both down. The tag brings Matt back in to clean house and a Plot Twist gets two. Everything breaks down and Matt slips out of a Doomsday Device, setting up the Twist of Fate to Lennox. The Swanton gives Jeff the pin and the titles 10:48.

Rating: C. There were some rough spots in there but the Hardys getting to add yet another title to their incredible resume is hardly a stretch. They likely won’t hold them that long and (probably) get to be double champions heading into Bound For Flory. Darkstate will likely get a rematch and maybe even get the belts back. For now though, this is a nice result as TNA needed to win something for a change.

Team NXT vs. Team TNA

NXT: Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca
TNA: Kelani Jordan, Cassie Lee, Jessie McKay, Mara Sade

Survivor Series rules and Jordynne Grace is guest referee. Jayne knocks Kelani down to start so it’s off to Vice, who gets taken down by the IInspiration. Sade comes in and has to be saved from a double suplex. Everyone comes in and they have the big staredown into the big brawl. They head outside and Ruca hits a dive, followed by another one from Kelani as we take a break.

We come back with Sade dropping a knee and it’s back to Jayne for a middle rope flipping splash. Parker drives McKay into the corner and stacks Lee on top of her for the hip attack. Sade breaks it up and totally overshoots a moonsault, with her hands grazing Parker. A Falcon Arrow gives Parker two as Kelani breaks it up with a top rope splash. Everything breaks down again and we get the parade of knockdowns until Sade drops Parker for the pin at 12:50. Ruca is up with Sol Snatcher gets rid of Sade at 13:02 and we take another break.

We come back again with Vice cleaning house with the kicks, plus the running hip attacks. Lee and Vice trade missed kicks to the head until Vice hits the spinning backfist for the pin at 17:00. A triangle choke makes McKay tap at 17:10 with Kelani not being able to make the save. We’re down to Kelani vs. Jayne/Ruca/Vice but the Lee and McKay pull Ruca and Vice down. Kelani hits One Of A Kid for a rather delayed two on Jayne, leaving Kelani to argue.

Jayne’s rollup gets two more and she hits a nasty kick from the apron to Kelani on the floor. Jayne seems to have hurt her foot as Vice tags herself back in, so Kelani shoves them together. An Angle Slam gives Kelani the pin on Vice (with the ring announcer being confused about it being an elimination rather than the final pin) at 20:18. Ruca comes in and gets planted down, allowing Kelani to go up top, where Ruca kicks her in the head. A super Spanish Fly plants Ruca but a 450 hits raised knees. The Sol Snatcher kind of connects but Jayne tags herself in to get the final pin on Kelani at 23:09.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if the TNA stars are nervous or what but it’s been a pretty sloppy night. At the same time, it’s not a good sign when the final four women in the match are all from NXT, as it doesn’t quite make the TNA women look good. Grace wasn’t much of a factor but she’ll probably be going after Jayne soon enough. Either way, nice long match here, with the ending being a logical way to go.

Matt Cardona comes in to see Ava and doesn’t mind that he made Josh Briggs mad. Briggs comes in, doesn’t see Cardona, and gets a match with him next week. Briggs leaves and Cardona says he loves this place.

North American Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Ali spins him around into a backslide for two. The rolling neckbreaker into a standing moonsault gives Ali two so Page bails out to the floor. The chase is on and Page gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. We come back with Ali hitting a sunset bomb, which seems to shock him more than anyone else. Page crotches him on top and one heck of a pump kick gives Page two, with Ali bridging out to leave Page stunned.

Ali’s tornado DDT gets two and he goes up top, only to miss the 450. A hurricanrana and superkick have Page in trouble and the Twisted Grin is countered into a rollup for two. Page is sent outside for a VERY hard suicide dive, sending both of them over the announcers’ table. Ali goes up again but gets his foot caught in a microphone cord, allowing Page to shove him down to the floor. That’s enough to set up the Twisted Grin to retain the title at 14:02.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match as Ali knows how to leave it all in the ring when he’s given the chance. I’m glad that they let him be the good guy version of himself as it works so much better in the ring. I didn’t think the title would change hands, but at least the loss came after an awesome performance from both.

El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. wants Ethan page but Lexis King interrupts and says there is NO doctor named Wagner anywhere in Mexico. King thinks it’s Tavion Heights under the mask and Heights pops up behind him.

The NXT women’s team is technically happy with their win but Zaria comes in to still not be happy. Ruca apologizes for Zaria not being on the team and says they’ll be Women’s Tag Team Champions. Blake Monroe comes in and says Zaria will never be champion if Ruca holds her back. Monroe suggests she’s coming for the Women’s North American Title.

Team NXT vs. Team TNA

TNA: Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, Leon Slater
NXT: Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Myles Borne, Je’Von Evans

Survivor Series rules again and Joe Hendry is guest referee. Kazarian and Williams start things off with Williams slugging away and hitting a big dropkick. Borne comes in for a neckbreaker and everything breaks down with Borne hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and Borne hits a flipping neckbreaker but walks into a slingshot cutter to give Kazarian the elimination at 2:21.

We take a break and come back with Kazarian working over Evans and getting mad at Hendry’s count. Slater comes in and gets beaten up by Williams, who throws his jersey away before chopping Slater in the corner. That’s broken up and Santana comes in for the Bound For Glory preview…but Williams tags Evans in instead. Evans is up with the flip dive but Moose pulls him out of the air. A hurricanrana sends Moose flying but Slater rolls Evans up for the pin at 11:21.

It’s 4-2 and we take another break, coming back with Williams fighting back against Moose. Williams won’t tag so Saints has to do it for him to kick Moose in the head. Slater comes in with a Blue Thunder Bomb and Saints goes for the tag…but Williams drops to the floor and walks out. That leaves Saints alone, but he reverses Kazarian’s crossface chickenwing into a rollup for the pin at 17:50.

Slater’s frog splash gets two on Saints and he hits a running dropkick in the corner. The Swanton 450 (as cool as it sounds) hits raised knees though and Saints pins Slater at 19:03. Moose comes in to take over and hit a backsplash but Saints fights back again. It’s back to Santana to kick away at Saints, followed by a belly to back faceplant for two. Everything breaks down and Moose spears Santana by mistake for a rather near fall. Spin The Block misses and Moose gives Saints a powerbomb. Spin The Block finishes Saints at 22:49.

Rating: B. Well the ending was a bit surprising, but TNA had to win here after losing the women’s match. I was worried about Saints pinning another TNA star after he pinned a pair of champions in less than two minutes but Santana kicking out was the right way to go. Williams leaving Bad News Brown style is perfectly fitting for him and Saints went down fighting before losing to TNA, so it all made sense.

Ava and Santino Marella are in the back and Ava invites some Knockouts to be in next week’s battle royal for the #1 contendership to the NXT Women’s Title. Marella accepts to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The show felt big, though I was waiting for some huge moment to end the show and it just never happened. This isn’t the ending to the story and it makes enough sense as it keeps a lot of fresh talent coming into NXT. I liked the show well enough and it lived up to the hype, with Bound For Glory getting enough of a boost as well. Good show, though it could have been better with some kind of a big angle or moment.

Results
Hardys b. Darkstate – Swanton to Lennox
Team NXT b. Team TNA last eliminating Kelani Jordan
Ethan Page b. Mustafa Ali – Twisted Grin
Team TNA b. Team NXT last eliminating Ricky Saints

 

 

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Showdown
Date: May 20, 2005
Location: Hazard High School, Hazard, Kentucky
Commentators: Chad Dregs, JR

Of course this is from Appalachian Mountain Wrestling from eastern Kentucky, because what else could it be? I have absolutely no idea what to expect here but it popped up on YouTube and that means we can have some fun with a small independent promotion. That can go in a variety of ways so let’s get to it.

The General Manager, who doesn’t actually say his name, announces a gauntlet match for the Tag Team Titles at Summer Bash in Lexington, Kentucky (Hey!) on June 15.

Opening sequence.

Adrian Alexander vs. Marcus Johnson

Johnson has the Go For The Gold briefcase, because everyone has to have a briefcase. Commentary (whose names were really hard to understand) reveal that the General Manager is former Smokey Mountain wrestler Bobby Blaze. Good to know. The fans like Johnson as Alexander armdrags him down to start. It works so well that Alexander does it again so Johnson comes back with some elbows and a dropkick.

Commentary recaps various issues in the company as of late as Johnson gets two off a rollup. Alexander goes to the throat and chokes on the ropes before getting two to set in the frustration. Another rollup gets another two but Johnson is back with some running shoulders. A spinwheel kick drops Alexander but he’s right back with a neckbreaker for two. Alexander grabs the briefcase, only to get caught with a Codebreaker for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. The action was fine, but I’m not entirely sure who I was supposed to cheer for here. Johnson seemed to be the standard heel to start but the fans liked him so maybe I was missing something. At the same time, any match involving someone carrying a guaranteed title shot briefcase is not the best way to get my interest up.

Company president Tony Presley holds a drawing for the tag team gauntlet, with one of them drawing #1 and the other drawing nothing. Well that was unnecessary.

Southeastern Champion Lord Murphy Costigan is asked about injuring Chase Emory last week but Costigan says he gave Emory a fair warning. Now he’s ready to step up and face any challenger for the title. Apparently he is defending against Michael Xodiak (pronounced Zodiac, the Mad Tailor), with Costigan saying Xodiak chases people around with a sewing needle. Costigan says that isn’t going to happen and he’ll be talking to his legal team.

We hear from some sponsors.

Michael Xodiak vs. Zee Collins

Collins has the Voodoo King in his corner, with commentary saying the King is 7’6. We start with some suggestive dancing from Collins, earning himself a whip to the floor. Xodiak uses his measuring tape to trip Collins down (and measure his shoulders) but Xodiak hits him in the back with the voodoo stick. Back in and Collins strikes away, setting up a running bulldog out of the corner for two. More dancing sets up a missed legdrop and Xodiak is back with a middle rope fist drop for two. A spike to the throat knocks Collins out for the win at 5:20.

Rating: C+. Well that was a different kind of thing gimmick from Xodiak and I actually liked it. He is certainly memorable in a good way, with the Mad Tailor deal being rather unique. I’m not sure how far it would go, but for someone who is in the middle of a title chase, I’ve seen far worse, both in concept and in the ring.

Xodiak is ready for his title shot and stabs at the contract with his needle.

Two wrestlers come up to Tony Presley and draw their number for the gauntlet, which they seem to like.

Kyle Maggard calls out Stan Sierra (apparently his former friend). Maggard isn’t happy with Tony Presley from the city of Lexington coming to explain how things go here in the mountains. He suggests that they get back together to defend the promotion. Sierra asks the fans what they think and then asks if Maggard wants to be his friend again.

Sierra wants an apology from Maggard, who apparently cost him a title. Maggard swallows his pride, says he’s sorry, and extends his hand. They shake and the team seems to be back together. I have no idea who these people are or what their history is together but I got the point of that segment. That’s a good sign.

Misery vs. Marty Clay

Misery’s Kentucky Title and Clay’s AMW Title are not on the line and Misery has Tony Presley with him. Presley joins commentary as Clay dropkicks Misery, who looks like a cosplay Abyss. They go out to the floor where Misery drops Clay onto the apron for two. Clay strikes away and hits a dropkick but a sunset flip is cut off with ease. Clay’s RKO attempt is cut off with a simple toss but Misery misses a charge into the corner. Clay strikes away and hits a dropkick to the knee, followed by something like a Phenomenal Forearm. They brawl to the floor and it’s a double countout at 8:12.

Rating: C. Clay seems to be the top champion around here and I’m not sure I get the appeal. Maybe Misery is that big of a guy but he was making Clay look tiny here. That doesn’t make me interested in a clash between two champions but rather wondering why Misery is bothering with someone Clay’s size. Clay was far from bad here, but Misery stood out more, even if Abyss should be getting a cut of his check for how much he is ripping off.

Post match the commentators get in a fight and Presley argues with commentator JR. Presley rams JR into the apron but Kyle Maggard and another wrestler run in with a chair for the save. Commentary actually gives us a very quick summary of the big story (from what I can gather): Presley is from New South Wrestling but has power here too. The problem is he’s an outsider and a lot of people don’t like him coming in and telling AMW what to do. That’s more of an explanation than we’ve gotten so far and I’ll take that over nothing.

Overall Rating: C+. I came into this show knowing absolutely nothing and I came away with a decent idea of what they’re doing. The wrestling itself was just ok, with Xodiak’s gimmick standing out more than anything else (which may be more due to it being so unique). The best thing I can say here is I got the idea of what they were doing in what feels like a big company wide story with no background so they’re doing something right. Throw in a pretty impressive looking crowd for a small town at a TV taping and I was pretty impressed. I’ve seen FAR worse local promotions and this was not bad at all.

Results
Marcus Johnson b. Adrian Alexander – Codebreaker
Michael Xodiak b. Zee Collins – Spike to the throat
Marty Clay vs. Misery went to a double countout

 

 

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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