NXT
Date: January 2, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s New Year’s Evil and that means we have a stacked show. In this case that means the NXT Title will be on the line as the injured Ilja Dragunov is defending against Trick Williams, plus the finals of the Breakout Tournament. We should be in for a big card tonight and NXT tends to do that well so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the major matches and talks about how this is a new year, meaning new beginnings.

Women’s Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport

Valkyria is defending after Davenport won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge. They fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far. Valkyria grabs a cravate for little success, as Valkyria gets in a knockdown. A top rope double stomp and neckbreaker give Davenport two but Valkyria jawbreaks her way to freedom.

The high crossbody misses so Valkyria grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two. Valkyria heads up top again but gets pulled down with a super Falcon Arrow for a nasty crash. They head outside, where Davenport’s hard knee crashes into the announcers’ table. Back in and Davenport misses another double stomp, setting up a Samoan driver to retain Valkyria’s title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. This was a way to give Valkyria a nice title defense and clear out Davenport from the list of challengers. In that sense it worked well, even if this didn’t quite feel like a major match following the Iron Survivor Challenge. Valkyria very well may be in for a showdown with Cora Jade and this should take care of one of the biggest roadblocks on the way there.

Post match cue Lola Vice to try to cash in her title shot but Tatum Paxley makes the save. Elektra Lopez comes in to go after Paxley and everything is broken up.

Ilja Dragunov is too banged up and the NXT Title match is off. Well that must be going somewhere.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. LWO

Dragon Lee is out so Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde are teaming with….Carlito. Del Toro runs the ropes to start and snaps off a headscissors to Gulak as the fans are more interested in Carlito. Wilde comes in to take down Gulak and Kemp, leaving Borne to come in as everything breaks down. The Crew is sent outside for a CRAZY high dive from Wilde (yeah he had a springboard but dang that was impressive).

Back in and Gulak blasts Wilde with a clothesline to take over, followed by Kemp coming in to work on the leg. Wilde is able to flip away though and the hot tag brings in Carlito to blow the roof off the place. Everything breaks down again and Kemp catches Carlito with a backbreaker for the delayed two. Wilde goes up top for a heck of a corkscrew dive, leaving Kemp to get Backstabbered. A Phoenix splash gives del Toro the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of “it was what it was”, as the Carlito debut was designed to give the fans a big moment and that’s exactly what happened. The Crew is little more than a bunch of midcard bullies and here we had someone standing up to them for a win. It even had that insane dive (look that up) and it was an entertaining match throughout.

Trick Williams, with Carmelo Hayes, isn’t happy over the title match being canceled but Grayson Waller, the original Iron Survivor, comes in. Hayes says Williams wants a fight tonight and puts up Williams’ title shot against Waller, leaving him pleased and Williams annoyed.

Riley Osborne is writing an essay about what it would mean to become the next European star.

Roxanne Perez vs. Arianna Grace

They fight over arm control to start with Grace taking her down and offering a handshake. Back up and Perez gets in a crossbody but an O’Connor roll is blocked. A catapult sends Perez throat first into the middle rope but she has to fight out of a chinlock. Perez makes the fired up comeback and hits a running knee, followed by the right hands in the corner. Pop Rox finishes Grace at 5:10.

Rating: C. This didn’t get much time but Grace isn’t on Perez’s level yet anyway, meaning there was only so much to get out of this one. Perez is in a bit of a weird place here as she is doing more building others up rather than going near the title scene. I’m not sure what is next for her but she needs something bigger. Grace continues to be good enough in her role, but the beauty queen deal doesn’t seem to have the brightest future.

Post match Grace yells at her again so Perez snaps and grabs a crossface. Perez won’t let go and the decision is reversed.

Ava announces that the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic starts next week. Can we tone it down with the tournaments for a bit?

Video on Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley before their big fight tonight.

Blair Davenport is banged up when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she wants revenge. A fight is broken up but a match seems likely.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

The loser becomes the winner’s servant or ranch hand. Henley starts fast and knocks Stratton into the corner. They go outside, with Henley hammering away even more, only to be sent shoulder first into the post. We take a break and come back with a double clothesline to put both of them down. A crucifix bomb gives Henley two but she has to avoid a Prettiest Moonsault Ever attempt. Instead they crash out to the floor, where Stratton grabs a chair. The referee takes that away and the distraction lets Henley hit the Shining Wizard for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. They had the aggression showing here and the ending was enough of an upset that I was surprised by the result. Henley getting to humiliate Stratton should be a lot of fun and works better than the opposite, but that’s the biggest win of Henley’s career by a wide margin. It’s a big upset and that made things more interesting in this case.

Baron Corbin interrupts Bron Breakker and pitches being a team in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Breakker laughs him off but Corbin points out that no one else wants to be Breakker’s partner. Breakker realizes they’re both rather horrible people so sure why not.

Video on Oba Femi.

Cora Jade gets annoyed at Gigi Dolin sitting in her locker and they have to be held apart.

We get a sitdown interview with Ridge Holland, who talks about how this is his redemption story. His first run in NXT ended with his double leg injury so then he joined the Brawling Brutes on Smackdown. Then he got hurt again and had his twin sons, only to come back here again and injure Ilja Dragunov. There was no malicious intent and he’s not a monster who tries to hurt people. He knows how fast things can be taken away but he’s still here to prove himself. Things end without controversy.

Breakout Tournament Finals: Oba Femi vs. Riley Osborne

In the back, Thea Hail gives Osborne a pep talk and is WAY too excited over a high five. Osborne kicks him in the head to start and we hit the front facelock. That earns Osborne a choke shove out to the floor as Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne come out to watch from the crowd. Femi drops Osborne again and we take a break.

Back with Osborne caught in a bearhug until Femi plants him with a Rock Bottom backbreaker. The bearhug goes right back on before Femi knocks him hard into the corner. Osborne avoids a charge into the post though and the pace gets to pick up. A headscissors into a corkscrew moonsault gives Osborne two but the shooting star press hits knees. Femi grabs a toss powerbomb into a pop up powerbomb for the pin and the tournament at 9:42.

Rating: C. Yeah I’d say that worked, as this was about getting Femi over as a new star. He ran through everyone in the tournament and won the whole thing in the end, which made him feel like a killer. Someone with that size and power should be fine for a long time and I’m curious to see where he goes from here. Osborne should be good to go for a nice while as well and they’re both off to solid starts.

OTM is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week because the champs are no longer hungry.

Kiana James and Izzy Dame are ready to be a perfect partnership.

Trick Williams yells at Carmelo Hayes for making a decision about the Grayson Waller match. Hayes believes in him, but Williams is doing this one by himself.

Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne are upset over Riley Osborne’s loss but Duke Hudson and Andre Chase come in to say they’re ready for the Dusty Cup. Jayne cuts that off and says Chase needs to be focused on his debt so Osborne and Hudson will be in the tournament. Hail really approves.

Tatum Paxley is very happy that Lyra Valkyria is still Women’s Champion but scares Valkyria as well.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer are going to be in the Dusty Cup together, but Frazer again screws up by insulting established teams. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade pop in to not be pleased.

The D’Angelo Family is ready for OTM and introduce the woman who has been doing business for them as Adrianna, shortened to The Riz. They go to their car but Joe Gacy is in the trunk. Apparently someone else was supposed to be in there but Gacy might have dealt with him.

Grayson Waller vs. Trick Williams

For an NXT Title shot. Waller knocks him into the corner to start and a suplex gets two. Williams is back up and knocks him to the floor, followed by going over the announcers’ table. Back up and Waller hits a quick clothesline (Waller: “I just whooped you Trick.”) and we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Waller dropping elbows to the back and grabbing a half crab. With that broken up, Waller talks more trash and gets hit in the mouth. The rolling Stunner is cut off by another shot to the face and they go to the corner. A middle rope Rock Bottom gives Williams two but Waller’s rolling Downward Spiral gets two more. Williams grabs a jumping neckbreaker and here is Carmelo Hayes. Williams isn’t pleased…but here is Kevin Owens to deck Waller. That’s enough to set up Williams’ flash knee for the pin at 13:06.

Rating: C+. So why was Owens there in the first place? Waller wasn’t scheduled so why did Owens show up? Anyway, at least they didn’t do anything crazy like get rid of Williams as #1 contender, which would have been incredibly frustrating after the build. I’m not sure when the title match is going to take place, but we might be waiting a bit if they’re dragging things out. Beating Waller is fine, but that’s not what they were building here and the switch hurt.

Overall Rating: C. This was quite the disappointment, as it was billed as a big deal but the men’s title match didn’t happen, the Women’s Title match was just ok, the tournament final was fine and nothing really stood out. It felt like they punted this week and that’s never a good thing on such an important event. Not an awful show, but a rather disappointing one given what it looked like it was supposed to be.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Blair Davenport – Samoan driver
LWO b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Phoenix splash to Kemp
Arianna Grace b. Roxanne Perez via reversed decision
Fallon Henley b. Tiffany Stratton – Shining Wizard
Oba Femi b. Riley Osborne – Pop up powerbomb
Trick Williams b. Grayson Waller – Flash knee

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: December 19, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re closing in on New Year’s Evil and the two big title matches are already set. There are some other things that need to be followed up on as well though and we might find out a few of them this week. This is a taped show, which can take away some of the energy that is usually around. Let’s get to it.

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

Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton

They start fast with Henley knocking her outside to keep up the beating. Back in and Henley elbows her in the corner but gets knocked out to the floor in a big crash. Stratton gets to beat on her a bit as well but Henley rains down some right hands in the corner. A hurricanrana takes Stratton down again, only to have her come back with a spinebuster for two. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence….and Henley gets a sunset flip for the completely clean pin at 3:51.

Rating: C. I’ve been wanting Henley to get a better push for a long time now and she might just be getting that here. That’s by far the biggest win of her career and I could go for her getting to do some more in the future. It’s nice to see some fresh blood in the division and Henley is pretty much set for a long time around here anyway so the loss won’t hurt her.

Post match Stratton jumps her and drags Henley to the back. Stratton rubs a mop over her face and covers her with garbage in a rather mean moment.

Trick Williams congratulates Carmelo Hayes on his Smackdown win but they talk about who actually attacked Hayes last week. Hayes suggests they turn the New Year’s Evil match into a triple threat match but Williams doesn’t get the thinking. That doesn’t seem to be happening, though Hayes says it doesn’t matter who wins as long as they have the title. Williams: “It does matter.” Williams hopes it’s cool and Hayes seems to be ok, though some of the enthusiasm is lacking.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to talk about how he doesn’t know how he got in the middle of this Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes mess. He didn’t have that on his 2023 Bingo card, but he’ll start 2024 by defeating Williams, no matter how popular he is. Cue Ridge Holland to interrupt, saying he needs to prove himself again in NXT. Holland wants Dragunov to help him get there, perhaps by winning the NXT Title. He isn’t going to beg for a title shot so he wants to prove himself. He’ll face everyone to get to Dragunov, and then he’ll be worthy of a shot. Dragunov is tired of all this so he’ll face Holland tonight.

Lexis King knows he’s already the breakout star around here, but he’ll win the Breakout Tournament if he has to.

Trick Williams doesn’t like Ilja Dragunov giving away title shots but Dragunov says he’s the champ so get over it. Makes sense.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Dion Lennox vs. Lexis King

King wastes no time in taking him into the corner for a running clothesline. A knee to the ribs keeps Lennox in trouble but he fights back with some shots to the face. King heads outside where he grabs the contract and tries to grab the contract. That’s not going to work for Lennox, who takes King back inside, where the Coronation gives King the quick win at 2:57.

Post match Tre Bearhill chases King off.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his feud with Dijak and wants to settle it in NXT Underground.

Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

Riley Osborne is leading the cheers in the Chase U student section as Jayne takes Dame into the corner. A rollup gives Dame two as Hail is very fired up on the apron. Dame clotheslines her way out of trouble and hands it off to James for some knees to the ribs. It’s back to Dame or another clothesline but Jayne gets in her own shot, meaning it’s the hot tag off to Hail. House is quickly cleaned, including a springboard bottom rope backsplash for two. Osborne approves as Hail Kimuras James…but Dame came in off a blind tag. A big boot finishes Hail at 3:51.

Rating: C. The idea of Hail having a crush on Osborne and her excitement messing with her attention is an interesting way to go and I’m curious to see where that goes. James and Dame aren’t the greatest team but at least they have been together for a few weeks now and could be built up with some kind of a business relationship. Not exactly a great match but at least they kept it moving.

Roxanne Perez is annoyed at Kiana James and Izzi Dame and gets in a fight with Arianna Grace over them.

Andre Chase is gambling with OTM and wins a lot of money, but offers to put up the money double or nothing over a tag match between Chase U and OTM next week. Scrypts says as a bonus, if OTM wins, they get a Tag Team Title match, which they can apparently authorize. The D’Angelo Family’s associate comes in and says everything is on. Hudson doesn’t look convinced and Chase doesn’t seem to have the best idea.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against a to be determined member of the No Quarter Catch Crew, but here is Gallus to interrupt, with Joe Coffey saying he wants in on this too. Works for Lee.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Joe Coffey vs. Charlie Dempsey

Lee is defending and gets sent to the apron to start. Back in and Coffey throws Lee but misses a middle rope elbow. Dempsey gets headbutted own but Gallus’ distraction earns them an ejection. Coffey grabs a suplex on Lee and we take a break. Back with Lee grabbing a hurricanrana and knocking Dempsey into the corner. Dempsey fights up and drops Lee but has to slug it out with Coffey.

With Coffey getting the better of things, he goes up top but gets uppercutted out of the air. That leaves Dempsey to suplex Coffey, who is suplexing Lee at the same time. Back up and Lee DDTs Dempsey but gets headbutted into the corner for two more. Dempsey is knocked outside so Lee can knee Coffey in the head for two. Lee is knocked to the floor this time so Coffey hits a dive…as a smiling Joe Gacy pops out from underneath the ring. Gacy pulls Coffey under the ring, leaving Dempsey to tabletop suplex Lee for two. Lee is able to come back with Operation Dragon to retain at 12:12.

Rating: C+. The action was good and they had an exciting enough match, but I’m not a fan of just throwing someone in there to make it into a triple threat. It felt like they were just adding something for the sake of adding it to make it different. Lee getting wins is a good thing, but have him beat one of the Catch Crew and then one of Gallus in separate matches rather than changing what they announced in the first place.

Post match Gacy runs off but the No Quarter Catch Crew jump Lee. Cue the LWO for the save.

Trick Williams rants to Carmelo Hayes about Ridge Holland because if he wins, it might make New Year’s Evil a triple threat. Hayes: “Someone should have thought of that!” They need a way to take the title from Dragunov.

Cora Jade announces her return to the women’s locker room and takes over Karmen Petrovic’s locker. With Jade gone, Petrovic comes in and isn’t pleased. Gigi Dolin tells her to go after Jade.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Luca Crusifino vs. Tavion Heights

Heights, the amateur wrestler, takes Luca down without much trouble and then suplexes him for a fast two. A neckbreaker gives Luca the same and another neckbreaker gets another two. Back up and Heights grabs a powerslam, followed by a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C. These two have been on NXT LVL Up for months now and it is clear that Heights is someone WWE wants to push in a big way down the line. He’s one heck of an athlete and has the amateur wrestling background which should take him a pretty long way. At the same time you have Luca, who has an interesting gimmick with the wrestling lawyer deal, but then he doesn’t really do anything with it and that stops having any kind o an impact.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport, focusing on their paths here, with Valkyria fighting the right way and Davenport doing anything to get to the top. They meet in two weeks at New Year’s Evil.

Valkyria is ready when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she’ll deal with Tatum Paxley for Valkyria, but she wants the Women’s Title too.

The Meta Four is happy this season because Noam Dar isn’t scared of Josh Briggs.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Tatum Paxley

Lyons takes her to the floor to start and fires off the chops until Paxley sends her hand into the steps. Back in and Paxley is right back on the arm, including a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Lyons kicks her in the head, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. Something like a German suplex puts Paxley down again and a kick to the chest makes it worse. Lyons hits the splits splash for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Well that happened. Paxley did something interesting last week when she went after Lyra Valkyria but then got wrecked by Lyons here. Whatever she had last week is more or less squashed immediately, which isn’t the most thrilling development. Lyons is back and seems ready to move into the title picture, but I can’t get my head around how ridiculous her new gear looks. It’s like some genie outfit that didn’t get finished and it’s a big distraction.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready for Gallus.

Fallon Henley is livid at Tiffany Stratton, who has never had to work a day in her life. Henley swears revenge and storms off. Josh Briggs is ready for his Heritage Cup Title match but asks to do it on his own. Jensen isn’t thrilled but agrees.

Tank Ledger/Hank Walker vs. Gallus

Hank works on Mark’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Wolfgang so Walker comes in to work on the arm. Wolfgang gets sent into the corner for a splash but tags out and offers a fast distraction. Walker is knocked out to the floor and comes up holding his shoulder, meaning Wolfgang has a target. Back in and Mark gets kicked away, allowing Ledger to tag himself in, but the referee says no because he was WAY too far down the apron. Therefore no tag, meaning Mark can kick Walker in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. That’s certainly points for a creative ending, as I wouldn’t have thought of that happening in WWE, even if it is by the standard rules of wrestling. I’m really not seeing it with Ledger and Walker, as their every man deal isn’t working. Gallus isn’t exactly great, but they’re the better option here and could be put back into the title hunt sooner than later.

Joe Gacy is watching Gallus from the Chase U student section.

Dijak is in for NXT Underground against Eddy Thorpe.

Tiffany Stratton calls Fallon Henley a servant in society and swears Henley will NEVER be her. Henley will always be trash, so they can fight at New Year’s Evil. When Stratton wins, Henley can become her servant.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ridge Holland vs. Ilja Dragunov

Non-title. Dragunov’s running shoulders stagger Holland but his running shoulder puts Dragunov down. A hard clothesline drops Dragunov again but he’s back up with some hard chops in the corner. An Alabama Slam drops Dragunov, who shrugs it off and rolls some German suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Holland striking away to take over, including a clothesline to knock Dragunov out of the corner. A suplex is countered into a DDT and the H Bomb knocks Holland silly. Holland gets in another shot of his own and tries a suplex but settles for something like a DDT. Hold on though as Dragunov is badly shaken up and the referee calls in the medics, with the match being stopped at about 10:30.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match here and then they went with the rather scary ending. Having what is hopefully a storyline injury in a match is one thing, having a neck injury from the hands of Holland is quite another when he might have accidentally ended Big E.’s career in the same way. I’m really not a fan of this and while the crowd reacted very well, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.

The arena goes silent as Dragunov is taken out on a stretcher, with the title being laid on him, and he is wheeled out to end the show. Of note: this has been reported to be a storyline injury rather than a legitimate injury.

Overall Rating: C. Ignoring everything at the end, this was a rather flat episode with nothing that stood out, save for the surprise of Henley beating Stratton in a heck of an upset. Other than that though, you had a few matches featuring rookies or lower level talent, which didn’t make for the most entertaining show. Granted it was a taped show, but that didn’t exactly make for a good week. We have another of these next week and that’s not exactly compelling after this less than stellar effort.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Tiffany Stratton – Sunset flip
Lexis King b. Dion Lennox – Coronation
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Jacy Jayne/Thea Hail – Big boot to Hail
Dragon Lee b. Joe Coffey and Charlie Dempsey – Operation Dragon to Dempsey
Tavion Heights b. Luca Crusifino – Spinning belly to belly
Nikkita Lyons b. Tatum Paxley – Splits splash
Gallus b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Jumping kick to Walker
Ilja Dragunov vs. Ridge Holland went to a no content when Dragunov was injured

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: December 12, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re done with Deadline and that means we have less than a month to go before New Year’s Evil. Thanks to Blair Davenport and Trick Williams winning the Iron Survivor Challenges, their title shots are set for the first show of the year. Other than that, Dragon Lee is the new North American Champion and we could be in for a hot ending to the year. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes arrive, with Williams bragging to reporters about how clutch he is. As he brags about getting ready for the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil, Hayes walks inside by himself.

Long Deadline recap.

Carmelo Hayes has been attacked and is clutching his knee.

Here is Cora Jade to say that the sun finally emerged from the clouds on Saturday because she is finally bad. Everyone has been tweeting her every day and wanting her back, and even though they hated her back then, they love her now. Now she is all anyone is talking about but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt. She knows Jade hasn’t changed in recent months but things around here have.

Valkyria isn’t the woman Jade used to mess with because she is now the Women’s Champion. Cue Blair Davenport to interrupt, saying she’s the Iron Survivor and the time is ticking on Valkyria’s reign. Cue Nikkita Lyons to say she remembers what Davenport did in the parking lot and the fight is on. That sounds tag teamish for later tonight.

We recap Meta Four and Fallon Henley/Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs getting in a fight at Deadline.

Dragon Lee says the North American Title win hasn’t sunk in yet but it’s incredible. Unfortunately it came after an injury to Wes Lee so Dragon wishes him a speedy recovery. Tonight, the title is on the line and he’ll find out his challenger tonight.

Meta Four vs. Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

Jakara Jackson is here with Meta Four. The villains jump them to start and Jensen might have hurt something early on. We settle down to Henley shoving Legend and trying a choke, which is powered into the corner. Everything breaks down and the villains clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Dar grabbing a chinlock on Jensen, who fights up but gets hit in the knee, which was banged up during the break. Jensen manages to get in a clothesline and the tag brings in Henley as everything breaks down. The women crash out to the floor but here is Tiffany Stratton to go after Henley. They fight to the back as Briggs comes in to clean house, including the always stupid big boot that makes your opponent DDT his partner. A hard lariat gives Briggs the pin on Dar at 11:00.

Rating: C+. That should set up Briggs for a Heritage Cup shot, where he will likely lose because Dar must hold that thing until the end of time. Other than that, we should be in for a good fight between Stratton and Henley, who at least didn’t take the fall here to keep Legend’s build going. Nice six person tag here, as we’re getting some fresh blood moving up the ladder a bit.

Carmelo Hayes’ knee seems to be ok and he’s medically cleared to compete on Smackdown. He thinks he knows who it is and he’ll call that person out in the ring. Trick Williams is ready to be at his side but first he has to take care of Ilja Dragunov. They’ll each handle their own business and everything is cool.

We meet the Men’s Breakout Tournament entrants….and here is Lexis King to jump Trey Bearhill with a chair.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Myles Borne vs. Oba Femi

Borne tries to pick up the pace on the much stronger Femi and hits a dropkick to the back. Some stomping gives Borne two but Femi power up with a running elbow in the corner. A powerslam gives Borne two out of nowhere but Femi puts him down on the apron. Back in and a pop up powerbomb finishes for Femi at 3:36.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one but Femi had the power to make things interesting. He’s already in the final four and putting him in the finals seems like a possibility. For now though, the powerhouse with the great look gets to move forward and that should be enough to generate a bit of interest for him.

Nikkita Lyons comes in to see Lyra Valkyria before their tag match tonight and as usual, no one talks like this. Lyons opens Valkyria’s locker and finds a picture of Valkyria and Becky Lynch….with Tatum Paxley’s face taped over Becky’s. Seems to be news to Valkyria.

Tiffany Stratton is sick of Fallon Henley, who usually serves people like Stratton. Violence seems implied.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. ???

Lee is defending against…..Tyler Bate. They shake hands to start until Bate takes him down with a headlock. Stereo blocked kicks to the ribs and stereo dropkicks get them nowhere so it’s a double clothesline to send us to a break. Back with Bate knocking him to the floor setting up a big dive. They get back inside where Lee hits a superkick to put him outside again, meaning it’s a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and the very extended airplane spin gives Bate two, followed by the rebound lariat for the same. Lee snaps off a rebound German suplex into the top rope double stomp but the powerbomb is countered. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a sunset flip to give Lee two, followed by Destino to retain at 10:50.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to get Lee’s title reign going as Bate is someone who has enough of a reputation to give Lee a nice rub. Lee seems to be one of the next big things for WWE and it is smart to see him getting a few wins. They have a long way to go with him but at least they are off to a nice start.

Respect is shown post match.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen are happy with their win but Fallon Henley wants to hurt Tiffany Stratton. Briggs thinks he’s up or the Heritage Cup but Jensen says that’s not Briggs’ style. Eh he’ll do it anyway.

Lexis King and Ava are outside Shawn Michaels’ office where they talk about how everyone in the tournament wants to hurt him. That’s cool with King, who is put into the tournament to replace Trey Bearhill. Works for him.

Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe

The brawl is on in the aisle before the bell and they send each other into different things. The fight goes inside for the opening bell….and Dijak (who is bleeding from the side of the head) sends him into the corner so hard that the turnbuckle breaks. Dijak hits him with the turnbuckle for the DQ at 53 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Dijak unloading on Thorpe’s ribs.

We go to Chase U, where it’s time to see how much money they have made. The bake sale and car wash brought in a little over $300, with Duke Hudson pointing out how much the interest on the loan is on is own. Thea Hail is excited to see an upcoming match and is off to watch in the student section. With Hail and Jacy Jayne gone, Scrypts comes in with a briefcase and a proposition for Chase, who seems interested.

Cora Jade and Blair Davenport argue over who will win the Women’s Title but they’re ready to team together tonight.

Men’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Keanu Carver vs. Riley Osborne

Osborne is part of Chase U and Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne are in the student section. Osborne takes him down to start and hits a standing moonsault for two, with Carver sending him lying. A heck of a clothesline drops Osborne and a fall away slam sends him flying. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Osborne fighting up (Hail approves)…until a Pounce drops him hard. Osborne knocks him off the top though and a shooting star press gives him the pin at 3:24.

Rating: C. Osborne is someone who has shown quite a bit of potential on NXT LVL Up and it doesn’t surprise me that he won here. Having Hail be interested in him makes things more interesting so they already have something for him. Nice enough match too, with Carver’s Pounce looking great.

Drew Gulak and company interrupt Dragon Lee in the back and since Lee is going to defend the title every week, they accept. Lee can find out which one he’ll face next week.

Thea Hail comes up to Riley Osborne and clearly has a thing for him. Jacy Jayne tries to coach her but he’s off to take a shower. Jayne isn’t sure how well she did but here are Kiana James and Izzi Dame to mock Hail’s lame efforts.

Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria vs. Cora Jade/Blair Davenport

Valkyria rolls Davenport up for two and it’s off to Jade, who gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Lyons comes in and gets to power Davenport around but Jade gets away. Davenport gets in a takedown of her own and grabs the chinlock as we take a break. Back with Jade handing it off to Davenport, who gets kicked away without much trouble. Valkyria comes back in to clean house…but here is Tatum Paxley to stare at Valkyria. The distraction means a high crossbody misses before Valkyria and Jade get sent into each other. Davenport knees Valkyria down and Jade steals the pin at 8:27.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a mess and it really didn’t work that well. Jade pinning Valkyria is fine, but Jade didn’t exactly steal the show and Lyons, with her weird genie looking gear, looked completely out of place. This needed a bit more Davenport, who might not be great but is at least more polished. Not great here and the weakest thing on the show so far.

Post match Paxley shoves Lyons down and awkwardly holds Valkyria. So we have a new stalker?

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger run into Gallus and say they have more heart than Gallus put together. Walker and Ledger leave, with Joe Gacy popping up as a forklift driver to talk about heart. This, believe or not, was dumb.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows. Of note: Drew Gulak and company are dubbed the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He talks about how Deadline was a movement and he nominates the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge as the Match Of The Year. He’s ready to come through in the clutch again but here is NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov to interrupt. Dragunov praises him for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and acknowledges Williams’ momentum. Williams is ready to win the NXT Title in three weeks but Dragunov isn’t so sure about that.

Dragunov is ready to do whatever it takes to retain the title but here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says he knows who attacked Williams, because it’s the same person who attacked him earlier tonight. Dragunov goes to leave but gets a not so fast from Hayes….who says Dragunov is the attacker. Dragunov denies the allegations and Williams would like some proof too. Hayes wants to know who got more out of splitting up the team and lays out how well it has gone for Dragunov.

That earns him another denial from Dragunov, who suggests that Hayes might not have been attacked in the first place. Dragunov says Williams needs to talk to Hayes, who gets a bit more aggressive while saying Dragunov doesn’t deserve the title. Hayes goes to grab the title and winds up hitting Williams in the face. This is an interesting way to go as they’re cranking up the drama on the way to a title match which could go either way. Nice job.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a different kind of show but once again they had a focus. This time, that focus was on building things for the future and giving us something new. In this case, we have the Breakout tournament, Williams as the new big challenge for the title, Briggs and Henley getting some new pushes and Lee seemingly being set up for a weekly title match. That’s a nice way to get the ball rolling on the future, but now they need to actually make that happen, particularly at New Year’s Evil. Good show here, at least from a building for the future show.

Results
Fallon Henley/Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Meta Four – Lariat to Dar
Oba Femi b. Myles Borne – Pop up powerbomb
Dragon Lee b. Tyler Bate – Destino
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak via DQ when Dijak used the turnbuckle
Riley Osborne b. Keanu Carver – Shooting star press
Cora Jade/Blair Davenport b. Nikkita Lyons/Lyra Valkyria – Knee to Valkyria’s head

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NXT
Date: December 5, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means we have one spot left in both of the Iron Survivor Challenge matches. Those will likely be filled in tonight and that should make for some interesting matches to get us to Saturday. Other than that, the rest of the Deadline card could use a final push so let’s get to it.

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

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Fallon Henley vs. Kiana James

Jacy Jayne is here with Hail. Perez and James brawl to start, which continues a fight they had at the Performance Center earlier this week. With James down on the floor, the other three fight over a test of strength until James and Perez brawl outside. Henley hits a suicide dive but gets dropped by James as we take a break.

Back with the Tower Of Doom (with Hail getting the worst of things) but Perez crossbodies James down. Pop Rox is broken up so Perez knocks James to the floor again. The announcers’ table is loaded up with Perez and James crashing off the barricade and through said table. That leaves Henley to Shining Wizard Hail for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. This was more about Perez vs. James and that is not a bad thing, especially with Henley getting one of the bigger wins of her career. She hasn’t had the greatest success rate but she seems like she is capable of doing so much. That leaves Hail in the cold, but she has the whole Chase U ordeal in front of her anyway. Good opener here, as they kept the action going.

Lyra Valkyria is ready for whomever comes out of the Iron Survivor Challenge. Lola Vice comes in to tease cashing in her title shot tonight, though Tatum Paxley pops in for a threat of her own.

Here is Wes Lee, on a cane, for a chat. He was looking forward to winning the North American Title back but the fans supporting him will not bring back the feeling in his legs. He is going to need surgery and time and he isn’t sure when you will see him again. No matter what though, he will be back. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later.

Cue Dominik Mysterio to say Lee is hurt again and he’ll have to be gone for so long. Dominik says he’ll have a night off but Lee says not so fast. Rey Mysterio pops up on screen to say that Dominik will be defending the title at Deadline, with Rey there in person. Dominik will be defending against….Dragon Lee, who comes in to chase Dominik off. Well that’s awful, and hopefully Lee is back to full health sooner than later.

Kiana James is in the trainer’s room and wants to get her hands on Roxanne Perez again. Cue Perez for the brawl.

The Men’s Breakout Tournament begins next week.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They go with the grappling to start and Vice takes her down for a hip attack to the head. Paxley catapults her throat first into the ropes for two and a spinebuster out of the corner gets the same. The body scissors keeps Vice down but she pulls Paxley into a quickly broken kneebar. Vice strikes her into the corner for a hip attack and two, followed by a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. They kept it quick and to the point here with Vice picking up a win, but at least Paxley got in some offense of her own to keep it from being a squash. The point here was building Vice up on the way to her title match though and that worked well enough. If nothing else, a good kick to the head is a nice way to make a champion feel threatened.

Of note: during that match, commentary announced that Wes Lee’s recovery time from back surgery is 8-12 months.

Last week, Axiom and Nathan Frazer didn’t quite agree on Frazer’s loss and agreed to fight again. Granted they’ll be friends afterwards.

Baron Corbin isn’t worried about Ilja Dragunov tonight.

NXT Anonymous shows a video from October 17 of Trick Williams leaving Carmelo Hayes, who texted someone after he left.

Joe Gacy annoys commentary.

Alpha Academy vs. Meta Four

Dar backs Gable up to the ropes to start but gets slammed down for his efforts. Mensah comes in and gets chopped a few times, followed by an armdrag into an armbar. It’s off to Dupri for a suplex to Legend before Otis comes in to suplex Mensah and Dar. Everyone brawls on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Gable suplexing Dar and it’s back to Otis to wreck more people. Mensah gets crushed with an elbow so it’s back to Legend….who slams Otis in quite the impressive feat. Dupri comes in and suplexes Legend for two, only to have Otis catch Legend on the floor. That leaves Dupri to dive onto the pile, leaving Gable to ankle lock Dar for the tap at 11:07.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match and they kept things going the whole time. That’s all you need from a match like this, with Legend slamming Otis being a rather awesome moment. Gable beating Dar in the end should set him up for another Heritage Cup win and my goodness it is long overdue or him to win the title, as Dar has held that thing for the better part of ever.

Gallus ran into Tank Ledger and Hank Walker at the bar, where a challenge was made for next week.

Ava leaves Shawn Michaels’ office and announces that Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez is on for Deadline. To make sure it’s violent, we’ll put them inside a cage.

All five entrants in the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge (Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, Blair Davenport, Kelani Jordan, Fallon Henley) are in the ring to say why they are going to win. Stratton says she is the favorite in the match and the future because she sees four participation trophies and one winner. Jordan knows she’s an underdog but no one here has ever been in an Iron Survivor Challenge either.

Legend doesn’t like any of them but she’s been training with Noam Dar and knows about winning multiple falls. Davenport brings up the women she has injured and threatens to be even more vicious. Henley offers to beat them all up. They all argue, Byron Saxton gets annoyed that they’re arguing, and the big brawl breaks out. This was to the point and Legend continues to be one of the most annoying humans in wrestling history.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

They start fast and trade flips with neither being able to get very far. Axiom catches him with a sliding German suplex but dives into a nice superkick for two. Frazer is sent outside for the big dive but the Iron Survivor Challenge women fight to the ring and it’s a no contest at 2:06.

The brawl continues until Nikkita Lyons runs out to deck Davenport.

Andre Chase hosts a Chase U assembly to explain the situation. Chase himself put them in this position and the school is officially on academic probation. Any students who enrolled after the investigation began will no longer be eligible for financial aid. Thea Hail wants to know how much Chase owes, with Chase saying it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a loan plus interest because he went through a third party.

Chase promises to get the school out of debt and we get some suggestions to make money. Like a bake sale! A car wash! A crash course on avoiding financial crisis (a male student suggests this and Jacy Jayne has to get Thea Hail’s attention back)! Chase promises the debt will be paid. This is a story that is going to see more and more revealed week by week and that makes it more interesting. We still need to know who Chase owes and how Tony D’Angelo/Stacks tie into everything, though that might be one in the same detail.

Trick Williams wants answers from Carmelo Hayes about the footage from earlier. Hayes will answer after this.

Lexis King says the camera always finds him but he’s not going to interfere in Carmelo Hayes’ match, because he doesn’t mess with his friends’ matches.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey vs. Eddy Thorpe

Thorpe is coming in with bad ribs so Coffey goes right after them. Hayes cuts that off, leaving Bate and Coffey to slug it out. Coffey swings Bate to no avail so it’s Hayes coming back in for a springboard spinning clothesline to Thorpe. Everyone goes to the corner, with Thorpe hitting a double high crossbody. All four are down and we take a break.

Back with Thorpe stealing a cover on bate for two with Coffey making the save. Thorpe’s brainbuster gets the same on Bate with Coffey saving again. Thorpe goes to the floor to drop Bate again but charges into a spinebuster onto the steps. Back in and Hayes grabs a top rope sunset flip to Coffey to send Bate flying. A Codebreaker hits Bate for two but Coffey knocks Hayes out of the air. Bats grabs a quick Tyler Driver 97 to pin Coffey and go to Deadline at 11:10.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the earlier match in that they kept things moving and didn’t waste time with a bunch of filler. Bate is always a safe choice to put near the title picture as he can be elevated into a main event spot out of nowhere. Hayes already has Williams to worry about and Coffey vs. Thorpe could be a nice feud as well. Good stuff again here, with the right choice for the winner.

Post match Bate promises violence on Saturday, when Dijak interrupts. After kicking the still injured Thorpe down again, Dijak threatens Bate but Bron Breakker interrupts. We get the usual threats but here is Josh Briggs to say he likes being underrated. Trick Williams comes out as well and the brawl is on.

Post break, Williams asks Carmelo Hayes if he sent the text to Lexis King to take him out. Hayes again denies it and says he would never work with King. To prove it, Hayes will take King out at Deadline (again through Ava, who seems to be some new liaison to Shawn Michaels).

Here are Baron Corbin and Ilja Dragunov for a face to face chat. Corbin promises to win the title and mocks the size difference. Dragunov is ready to fight but says he’s containing himself because if he lets himself go now, there will be no title match at Deadline. Dragunov accuses Corbin of wanting the title to keep up his obsession with materialistic possessions. That sends Corbin into a nice rant about how he’s been around for eight years through ups and downs.

Corbin knows Dragunov is about to lose it because he misses his family and tells Dragunov to do something about it. He even loads up the table in the corner so Dragunov can drop him but nothing happens. Corbin calls him a coward, so Dragunov….hugs him, saying that the only person who can destroy the dragon is the dragon himself. Corbin is confused to….well almost end the show, as the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge participants brawl to ringside. Breakker spears Williams through the table to end the show.

That was a very different way to do things and I really like Dragunov turning the tables on Corbin. At the same time, there might be something in a Corbin face run down the line. That promo about always being here no matter what had a lot of potential in it and I could see people cheering him if he did more like that at some point.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ve said this many times before but this is where NXT shines. They ha a bunch of things to cover here and did every single one of them, from making me want to see where everything is going. They added to the two Iron Survivor Challenges, unfortunately had to change a title match, pushed the rest of the card and furthered some stories for after Deadline. That is one heck of a way to spend two hours and they even had a bunch of good wrestling. Very nice show this week, and hopefully Deadline can live up to the hype.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Thea Hail, Roxanne Perez and Kiana James – Shining Wizard to Hail
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning kick to the head
Alpha Academy b. Meta Four – Ankle lock to Dar
Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer went to a no contest when the Iron Survivor challenge women brawled at ringside
Tyler Bate b. Carmelo Hayes, Eddy Thorpe and Joe Coffey – Tyler Driver 97 to Coffey

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 17, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Vic Joseph

I’m starting to look forward to this show a bit more than I did before as WWE has started to get the formula down. They have been increasing the star power around here for a little while now and it has helped so much. Throw in some longer matches and the show is that much better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dani Palmer vs. Tatum Paxley

Again there is actually a backstory here as Paxley walked out on Palmer during a tag match. Granted that was two months ago but I’ll take it over another cold match. Palmer grabs a cravate to start and Paxley can’t slam her way to freedom. Paxley gets sent to the apron, where she manages a knockdown and some stomping on the leg. Back in and Paxley kicks away at the leg in the corner, meaning Palmer’s comeback doesn’t last long. A leglock keeps Paxley in control but Palmer uses the good leg to kick her in the head. Palmer tries to go up but gets dragon screw legwhipped. The Psycho Trap finishes for Paxley at 5:32.

Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting with Paxley picking Palmer apart before finishing her off. It made her seem like a near killer out there and that is not something she has shown in her previous matches. If she keeps this up, there might be a spot for her in the main women’s division, which Paxley hasn’t really approached before.

Tavion Heights is ready for Riley Osborne, who is a high flier who is coming down.

Tavion Heights vs. Riley Osborne

Heights takes him to the mat to start as commentary points out that neither of these two win very often. A waistlock has the smaller Osborne in trouble but he manages to flip over Heights….who knocks him outside. Back in and we hit the waistlock again, setting up a gutwrench suplex for two. A backdrop gives Heights two more and we hit the double arm crank. Osborne flips out of a torture rack though and hits a forearm to the back of the head. Osborne goes up and, after shoving Heights down, finishes with a shooting star press at 5:46.

Rating: C. Osborne has shown potential in some of his matches but as commentary was pointing out, he had to actually win something at some point. That’s what we covered here, as it might be a win over a fellow rookie but it’s better than nothing. It seems like NXT wants to do something with Osborne and not so great ring name aside, why not?

Overall Rating: C+. This was the shortest LVL Up yet and in this case that’s not a bad thing. The show doesn’t need to have anything special going on as it’s just the dark matches taped (as much of an oxymoron as that is) so less is more. The women had the better match here and it was probably Paxley’s best ever. Perfectly fine show here and being done in twenty minutes helps.

Results
Tatum Paxley b. Dani Palmer – Psycho Trap
Riley Osborne b. Tavion Heights – Shooting star press

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the point where there isn’t much to say about this show. There is no reason to believe that much of anything of importance is going to take place around here. It’s all the more frustrating when you see WWE trying something around here and then just dropping it as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz vs. Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley

Paxley and Feroz lock up to start and neither gets the better of things, meaning it’s an early double tag. Jordan gets knocked down against the ropes so it’s Dame coming in to stomp away. A double elbow sets up Paxley’s splash for two, followed by Paxley grabbing a bodyscissors. Jordan finally kicks her way to freedom though and it’s back to Feroz for some rapid fire armdrags. Everything breaks down and Paxley grabs a Psycho Driver for the pin on Feroz at 4:33.

Rating: C-. What are you supposed to get from a match like this? It’s four women paired off with nothing to set up the match and no reason for them to be fighting. At the same time, they only had about four and a half minutes to get anything going, which doesn’t work so well for people without much experience. Matches like these make me wonder what the point of this show is supposed to be, because this didn’t do much.

Dante Chen is ready to face Drew Gulak. Tonight it’s Singapore style, though Chen doesn’t know what that means.

Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

DuPont faceplants Luca to start so it’s off to Bernal, who gets slammed down. Bernal’s headlock doesn’t do much so it’s Igwe coming in to splash Luca in the corner. Luca manages a hiptoss neckbreaker for a breather and Bernal comes in for a headscissors. That doesn’t last long and DuPont hits a backdrop. It’s back to clean house, including a superkick to Bernal. Luca makes the save and gets tossed, allowing Luca to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. You know, it is ok to let these young guys score a quick win over two “bigger” names who aren’t a regular team and are hardly top level stars in the first place. The match was mostly a squash for Igwe and DuPont but then they lost to a fluke rollup to protect Bernal and Luca? That’s quite the odd choice.

Drew Gulak vs. Dante Chen

Myles Borne, Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Gulak. Chen grabs a headlock to start and snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Chen hits a backdrop for two before dropkicking him out to the floor. Gulak comes back in and stomps away on the ropes before grabbing a neck crank. That’s broken up and Chen chops him out to the floor, setting up a big dive. Gulak’s cronies offer a distraction though and Gulak picks Chen up and hits a kind of powerslam piledriver for the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. It was better than the other matches but that doesn’t really clear a high bar. Chen continues to be little more than a person who happens to be on the show over and over again without really doing anything important. Gulak is still someone who could be used in a slightly bigger way and he only got to show so much of his skills here.

Overall Rating: C. Oh this was LVL Up alright, as there was almost nothing going on and a bunch of the normal lineup having matches that didn’t change anything and won’t lead anywhere. In other words, there is no reason to watch this show again, and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get better.

Results
Izzi Dame/Tatum Paxley b. Kelani Jordan/Valentina Feroz – Psycho Driver to Feroz
Javier Bernal/Luca Crusifino b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Rollup to Igwe
Drew Gulak b. Dante Chen – Powerslam piledriver

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 15, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

The interesting weeks of this show (work with me here) continue as we have more from the Global Heritage Invitational. What matters here is that we have something going on that actually matters for a change and after that not being the case for most of this show’s life, I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend vs. Dani Palmer/Tatum Paxley

The rest of Meta Four is here too. Legend powers Palmer up against the ropes to start so Palmer grabs a waistlock into a sleeper. With that broken up, Legend sends her into the corner for a tag off to Jackson. That’s fine with Palmer, who takes her down and brings in Paxley for a double standing moonsault. Jackson slaps the heck out of Paxley, who doesn’t seem that annoyed.

A Meta Four distraction lets Jackson kick Paxley down though and she sits down on Paxley’s ribs to put her in trouble. The double stomping is on in the corner and Jackson grabs the abdominal stretch. Paxley powers out and brings in Palmer to pick up the pace. Palmer misses a moonsault though and Legend runs her over with a clothesline. Back up and Palmer tries to get over for the tag to Paxley….who walks out. That leaves Paxley to get pump kicked into a wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to give Jackson the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. Well ok then. Not much of a match, but I’ll take the idea of a story taking place around here. It does make sense too, as Paxley suddenly being all good doesn’t really fit her history. If nothing else, Palmer has long since felt like someone WWE wants to use and this is better than just having one random match after another.

Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont are ready to make an impression.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price

Scrypts is here with Nima and Price. DuPont and Nima fight over the power control to start until Igwe comes in to work on the arm. With that broken up, it’s Prince coming in and getting caught with a running knee to the face. Back up and Nima and Price take over on Igwe, with Nima hitting a running crotch attack to the back in the ropes. Nima misses a charge into the corner though and it’s back to DuPont to pick up the pace. A splash hits raised knees though and it’s a suplex swung into an Alabama Slam (that’s not bad) to finish Igwe at 4:22.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to say here. The match was physical and all four guys look good, but there’s nothing here that makes them stand out. Nima and Price are the better team and they’ve already received more of a push, but there is only so much here that can be gained from “here’s are two more power brawlers”. Figure that out and either team could go somewhere down the line.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Charlie Dempsey

They fight over arm control to start with Dempsey taking him to the mat. Bate fights up and slips out, giving us an early standoff. They go back to the mat with Dempsey working a hammerlock into an armbar. That’s reversed into a rollup and they go to the mat, with bate managing a monkey flip.

They flip back up with Dempsey getting a bodyscissors and striking away on the mat. Bate powers out and hits a slam for two but Dempsey gets in a shot to the back. A bridging German suplex gives Dempsey two so bate grabs an airplane spin into an AA for two of his own. They take turns trading running uppercuts before an exchange of rollups ends with Bate getting the pin at 7:13.

Rating: B-. This was different and that is the best thing you can say about a match a good deal of the time. They felt like they were going for a much more technical, if not full on British style match and it worked out well. Sometimes you need something completely different and that is what we got here, which made for a good main event.

Group A Standings
Tyler Bate (2-0-0, 4 points, 1 match remaining)
Butch (1-0-1, 3 points, 1 match remaining)
Axiom (0-1-1, 1 point, 1 match remaining)
Charlie Dempsey (0-2-0, 0 points, 1 match remaining)

Overall Rating: B-. The biggest thing this show had going for it was it felt like there might be some hope for the future. Paxley turning on Palmer is about as low stakes as you can get, but what matters is that there might be some actual stakes. LVL Up has not really had that throughout its history but I’ll take it in small doses like this. Nice show here, and for once I want to see what happens next.

Results
Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend b. Dani Palmer/Tatum Paxley – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Palmer
Bronco Nima/Lucien Price b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Assisted Alabama Slam to Igwe
Tyler Bate b. Charlie Dempsey – 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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NXT LVL Up
Date: August 4, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Welcome to the completely random draw of a show as there is no way of knowing what you are going to see on this show and that makes for some unique options. Unfortunately those options are rarely used and we get a lot of the same people doing the same things over and over. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe

I believe this is the debut for DuPont and Igwe. Blade gets powered around by DuPont but a double elbow lets Enofe get two. Igwe comes in and gets armdragged down a few times, meaning it’s time to start in on his arm. That’s broken up and Enofe gets dropped face first onto the buckle so the villains can take over. DuPont’s armbar keeps Enofe down and Igwe runs him over for two. Enofe pops up and gets over to Blade for the tag to clean house. Igwe gets slammed down, setting up Enofe’s top rope elbow for the pin at 5:18.

Rating: C. Much like just about ever debut on LVL Up, there is only so much you can get out of a short match. DuPont and Igwe both look good and have quite the power game, but there was one thing I rather liked here: a pop up graphic told us about their athletic backgrounds and gave us a bit of a resume for both of them. That’s so easy to do and gives them at least something to build off going forward. Let us know something about these people and it might help them a bit.

Trey Bearhill, a rather big man, is from a culture that passes down its stories. His story begins tonight.

Trey Bearhill vs. Myles Borne

Bearhill is a Native American and has the facepaint to prove it (at least in wrestling circles). Borne tries to pick up the pace to start but loses a battle over a top wristlock. A running shoulder from Borne just earns him a yell but Borne is able to knock him outside. Back in and a dropkick gives Borne one so Bearhill hits a rather large hiptoss for two. Bearhill grabs a bearhug and then grabs it again to prove his point. With that broken up, Borne hits a double leg takedown of all things but Bearhill hits him in the face for two. Borne is right back with a dropkick for the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. As has been the case since wrestling began, power vs. speed is a formula that is going to work every single time. That was the case here again, as Borne was trying to move around while Bearhill used his power to cut him off. Bearhill has some good size but could use a lot more seasoning and a gimmick that won’t limit him as much. Honoring your heritage is fine and he’s not quite as simple as Chief Jay Strongbow, but I’m not sure how well this is going to go for him.

Gigi Dolin vs. Tatum Paxley

They grapple a bit to start and trade some near falls until Dolin grabs a headlock. A running hurricanrana drops Paxley and a running dropkick against the ropes gets two. Paxley pulls her down by the hair and hits a splash for two, followed by a dropkick for the same. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Paxley drops her again and puts the chinlock on again. Back up and Dolin strikes away, setting up an STO for two. The abdominal stretch rollup finishes Paxley at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Definitely the best match of the night and as usual, it’s nice to see some wrestlers who feel a bit more important than the rest of the lineup. Dolin and Paxley aren’t top stars, but they’re bigger than anyone else on this show and it makes that much of a difference. They had a nice back and forth match too, which I wouldn’t have bet on coming in.

Overall Rating: C. This was a different way to go for LVL Up and it’s kind of a nice change of pace. They introduced three new stars here and the main event was different enough to make it work. As usual, the show isn’t worth seeing, but I can go with this format every so often to bring in a few new names and throw out some established people too.

Results
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe – Top rope elbow to Igwe
Myles Borne b. Trey Bearhill – Dropkick
Gigi Dolin b. Tatum Paxley – Abdominal stretch rollup

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

It’s another short form show this week as the Fourth Of July schedule made things a little weird. In a way, these shows are a bit better as they don’t overstay their welcome or feel repetitive in the slightest. Last week’s version worked rather well and it would be nice to have that be the case again here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Fallon Henley vs. Tatum Paxley

Henley grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about how far apart these two have gone since debuting together. A legdrag out of the corner gives Henley two but Paxley sends her neck first into the ropes. Paxley hits a jumping elbow (which is called “innovative” by commentary) and some trash talk gets one. The abdominal stretch goes on, followed by a waistlock to keep Henley down. Henley gets tired of getting beaten up and comes back with some forearms, followed by a Shining Wizard for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. It really is kind of astounding to see Henley fall this far. She was never a top star or anything close to one, but you would think that she would have been able to do something better than being relegated to LVL Up. Henley hasn’t been involved in anything important in months, but it isn’t like Paxley has been doing much better. They’re both talented, though neither is doing anything whatsoever at the moment.

Kale Dixon is ready for Scrypts buts seems a bit confused as he talks about telling a great story.

Kale Dixon vs. Scrypts

They trade headlocks to start until Scrypts snaps off a dropkick. Dixon’s headscissors is countered into a headlock, followed by a slingshot crossbody for a fast two. Dixon powers him off though and stomps away before hitting a knee to the face for two. We hit the chinlock but Scrypts pops back up and strikes away. The Molly Go Round finishes Dixon at 5:52.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t working as neither exactly seemed to know how to keep things flowing. Instead it was a bunch of kicking and stomping until Dixon took over. Scrypts’ comeback took all of a few seconds and it wasn’t exactly interesting. Dixon has a solid attitude but nothing to back it up while Scrypts is an incredible athlete but not interesting. That doesn’t make for a good combination and that was obvious here.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one and the only saving grace was the fact that it was so short. Henley was the biggest star on the show and she hasn’t done anything in months. Nothing to see here, as this was one of the lamer editions of the show in a rather long time.

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NXT
Date: July 4, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Gold Rush and taped for the sake of the holiday. With just over three weeks to go before Great American Bash, it’s time to get the card set up, but there is also the chance for some more guest stars to spice things up a bit. That has worked well enough so far so maybe they’ll do it again. Let’s get to it.

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

Blair Davenport vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez jumps her during the entrance, with ringside still full of smoke. The bell rings and Perez knocks her straight back to the floor. That lasts all of five seconds before Davenport takes her back inside for a faceplant. Davenport gets in a running knee against the ropes for two before heading outside as we take a break.

Back with Perez winning a slugout but Pop Rox into the corner is blocked. Instead Perez gets two off a crossbody but Davenport sends her outside again. This time it’s a running knee to send Perez into the steps but that’s only enough for a nine count. Back in and the Falcon Arrow gets two, followed by a knee to the head to finish Perez at 11:58.

Rating: C+. Davenport has to be established as a monster to be taken down and that is what they are doing here. Perez has been a force in the division and she will be able to come back later on. Davenport might be next in line after whoever takes the title from Tiffany Stratton, but we could be a long way off from that. Until then, just hurting people will have to do.

Ivy Nile is worried about the loser leaves town match tonight with the Creeds and Schism when Tiffany Stratton comes in to make fun of her. A match seems to be made.

Baron Corbin is tired of not having a reputation and burns a bunch of his stuff, including gear from past gimmicks, saying it’s “no more gimmicks, no more nonsense and no more bulls***.” He might as well stick around here and try to figure something else out, because the main roster isn’t happening at the moment.

Mustafa Ali vs. Tyler Bate

They trade rollups for two each to start and then keep at it with a series of near falls that has the referee going a bit nuts trying to keep up. An exchange of takedowns sets up a crossface from Ali. Bate breaks out of that without much trouble and sends him outside for a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with Bate striking away until Ali hits a tornado DDT. A backdrop puts Ali on the floor so Bate can hit a big no hands dive. Back in and the rebound clothesline gives Bate two more. Bate goes up top but misses the Spiral Tap. Ali goes up as well but Bate catches him on top and climbs next to him. Some headbutts and a crotching on the ropes put Bate down though, allowing Ali to hit the 450 for the pin at 13:31.

Rating: B. These two had a chance to tear the house down and they came pretty close, with one big spot after another here. It was a very fun match where they were allowed to just go nuts for awhile. That’s the kind of match that is always going to work and in Ali’s case, it’s the kind of match that he should have been having for a long time now. These NXT excursions can do a lot of good for people, if nothing else just for the sake of reminding fans/WWE of what they can do.

Post match Ali says he wants a North American Title match at the Great American Bash.

Joe Gacy and Ava are ready to get rid of the Creed Brothers.

Kelani Jordan vs. Tatum Paxley

Dana Brooke is here with Jordan, who flips around to start. A backbreaker cuts Jordan off though and a backsplash gives Paxley two. Paxley loads up a suplex but gets reversed into a Stundog Millionaire for the pin at 2:43.

Post match Cora Jade comes out to mock Dana and Jordan, but turns down the latter’s challenge.

Chase U is glad to have Andre Chase back, with Chase thanking Duke Hudson for being great in his absence. Thea Hail is dubbed the uncrowned Women’s Champion and blames Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak for costing her the title. A student asks if they’ll be guest lecturing anymore but Hudson covers the yelling at him. Violence is promised.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp

This is NXT Underground, meaning no ropes and you only win by submission or TKO. Gable Steveson is here with Thorpe, who is easily taken down and pounded with forearms. Kemp rolls him around even more until they fall out to the floor, with Kemp hammering on him even more. Thorpe gets in some choking on the barricade before they head back inside, where Kemp chokes even more.

Thorpe sends him outside but walks into a heck of a fight hand. A knee to the face drops Kemp but he suplexes Thorpe to the floor for a scary sounding crash. Steveson uses the power of the gold medal to inspire Thorpe, who avoids a charge into the post. Kemp’s arm seems to be hurt and Thorpe grabs a triangle choke with some elbows to the head for the stoppage at 7:28.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what to make of something like this as it was more of a wrestling/UFC hybrid than a traditional match. Kemp gets another win and continues his rise up the ranks, but that Steveson involvement is likely what really matters here. Steveson got more physical here than he has in a long time and there is a chance that he is going to do that more often in the future. Or maybe this is his annual “hey I’m still here” moment and we don’t see him again until next year.

Post match Kale Dixon goes after Steveson’s gold medal and gets suplexed. Some more people go after Steveson and get suplexed as well until the rather large….never mind as he gets suplexed too.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams invite Judgment Day to NXT to settle business.

Stacks and Joe Coffey go to see Tony D’Angelo in jail and Tony isn’t happy. However, they have a deal: next week it’s Stacks vs. Coffey and at stake are…..the charges against Tony. That doesn’t work for Tony, who breaks the phone in frustration.

Jacy Jayne vs. Lyra Valkyria

Jayne yells a lot and sends her into the corner, only to miss a charge. Valkyria gets two off a rollup but is sent face first into the apron as we take a break. Back with Jayne holding a Boston crab but getting reversed. Jayne misses a charge and has to avoid a top rope ax kick. Instead Jayne hits a backsplash for two but misses the spinning kick to the face. Valkyria kicks her in the face for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C. This was more to the point as Valkyria continues to look strong. She got the endorsement from Rhea Ripley last week so this should be more than enough to move her up the ladder. A big time title rematch against Tiffany Stratton isn’t out of the question and she moved past Jayne pretty quickly here. Not a great match, but a good performance from Valkyria.

Post match Jayne beats her up again and destroys the feathers.

Noam Dar is nearly in tears over losing the Heritage Cup so the Meta Four have to console him.

Kiana James goes into her office….which has been trashed and spray painted by Gigi Dolin. James swears revenge.

Back in the arena, Von Wagner, in street clothes, beats up Javier Bernal by sending him through a table. I like that better than them having a match, just for making it seem more real.

Creed Brothers vs. Dyad

Loser leaves NXT and the Dyad jumps them from behind. Back up Brutus hits the Brutus Bomb to clear things out as we take a break. We take a break and come back with Fowler hold Brutus in an armbar. After a good deal of cranking, Brutus fights up and manages to get over to Julius or the tag. Suplexes abound and Julius sends them to the floor for a big dive, followed by an assisted spinebuster fr two on Fowler.

Back up and Fowler rolls Julius up for two until Reid grabs a crucifix bomb for the same. A chop block cuts Julius off though and we take a break. Back with Fowler working on the same leg but Julius gets over for the tag to Brutus. A springboard 450 gets two on Fowler so Brutus grabs the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and Fowler hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two.

Julius tells his brother to fight for him because he loves him, which is enough or Brutus to fight back. The Doomsday Device is broken up and it’s a Doomsday suicide dive to take Brutus out. Somehow it’s back to Julius to clean house as the pace picks up. A double suplex sends the Dyad flying and a top rope moonsault takes them both down again. Ava comes in and gets dropped by Ivy Nile….but a masked man runs in to hit Julius. The double Codebreaker finishes Julius at 17:42.

Rating: B. This was another rather good match on a show full of them. The best thing here was a twist ending, as it would seem that the Creeds are ready to go up to the main roster, where they should be. They’ve had their long NXT Tag Team Title reign so send them up and let Julius become the breakout star that he could be. I’d be shocked if the masked man wasn’t revealed to be Gacy, but at least they waited for the right time to do the screwy ending. As usual, the Dyad has never been Schism’s problem so it was nice to see them getting this kind of time.

Finn Balor will be here next week to deal with Carmelo Hayes.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Bron Breakker to talk about how he was in the most watched NXT match in two years last week when he challenged Seth Rollins. No one thought he had a chance against Rolling until he hit a spear. He’s had just over seventy matches and all of them have happened right in front of these people.

Breakker is 25 years old and can hang with the best in the business. He has a lot more titles to win and wants to know who is next. Cue Ilja Dragunov to say he’s next (and Breakker looks a bit worried). Dragunov says there is one person between himself and the NXT Title, so he’s here to eliminate Breakker. The fight is on, with wrestlers and referees barely being able to hold them apart to end the show.

This feels like the old school second match from the top for a Takeover, as you have the former champion against the up and comer who needs the win to move into title contention. It’s a strategy that has worked before and it should here, as these two can beat the daylights out of each other, likely at the Great American Bash.

Overall Rating: B+. When the worst match on the show is a completely watchable Jayne vs. Valkyria match, you’re having a pretty good night. This show featured three rather quality matches, plus some stuff either officially or all but officially being set up for Great American Bash. I had a really good time with this show and it was one of the better NXT’s I’ve seen in a long time. With some guest stars and matches set for next week, it’s nice to be excited for what NXT is doing again, so very good job this week.

Results
Blair Davenport b. Roxanne Perez – Running knee
Mustafa Ali b. Tyler Bate – 450
Eddy Thorpe b. Damon Kemp via referee stoppage
Lyra Valkyria b. Jacy Jayne – Kick to the head
Dyad b. Creed Brothers – Double Codebreaker to Julius

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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