NXT LVL Up – September 15, 2023: They’re Doing Something Different!

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

 

 

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