NXT LVL Up
Date: November 15, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s been a bit since I’ve looked at this show and the god thing is that there is very little to be seen around here most of the time. There are a few minor things going on though and that has me slightly interested, if nothing else for the sake of seeing how the show might be changed up a bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Drake Morreaux

They fight over arm control to start until Morreaux takes him down into a gator roll. A shot to the face gives Mensah a quick two and an anklescissors sends Morreaux into the corner. Back up and Morreaux runs him over, setting up a short form chinlock. Mensah’s slam attempt doesn’t work on the much bigger Morreaux and he sends Mensah crashing out to the floor. Back in and we hit the armbar, which doesn’t last long either as Mensah is up to slug away. A flipping kick to the head sets up the slam to Morreaux and a springboard dropkick rocks him again. The running spinwheel kick in the corner finishes for Mensah at 5:49.

Rating: C+. They had a nice little story here with the smaller Mensah fighting against the bigger Morreaux. It’s a story that will always work in wrestling, even if Morreaux can only do so much at the moment. It wasn’t a great match, but it told a nice story and I’ll take that for just shy of six minutes.

Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon are ready to end their losing ways. They wish the interviewer luck, which has him rather confused.

Carlee Bright vs. Izzi Dame

The much bigger Dame powers her down to start but Bright fires off some chops. A running dropkick and hurricanrana have Dame staggered but she’s back up with a running shoulder. The big boot gives Dame two and a belly to back flipping faceplant gets the same. The crossface chickenwing doesn’t do much to Bright, but the Sky High she charges into is enough for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here, as Bright continues to be little more than someone who puts over the other stars. Bright has some potential but she needs something to separate her from the pack other than “she smiles a lot”. Dame’s size makes her stand out, but a name change wouldn’t hurt. What kind of a villain is named Izzi?

Post match Dame goes after her again but Kendal Grey makes the save. Again, a simple, easy story that gives you something to come back and watch later. It’s not that hard.

Post break, Dame says she doesn’t like Grey and Bright, with Kali Armstrong coming up to say she doesn’t either. Dame kind of stares at her.

D’Angelo Family vs. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon

Stacks headlocks Connors down to start before they both catch a boot to the ribs. With that broken up, Crusifino comes in to clothesline Dixon as the fans approve. Dixon gets sent to the apron and then knocked back over the top but Connors gets a quick tag. That’s fine with Stacks, who trips him own, only to get caught with a baseball slide from Dixon.

A running chop to the back wakes Stacks up but Dixon is smart enough to knock Crusifino to the floor. As tends to be the case, the diving tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Crusifino coming in to clean house. A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Dixon with Connors making the save. The villains grab an AA/sitout powerbomb combination (not bad) for two with Stacks having to make the save. Everything breaks down and Connors jumps into what looked like a double Downward Spiral for the pin a 6:32.

Rating: C+. They still didn’t have a ton of time here but they packed quite a bit in there for a nice main event. The Family are a far bigger team than Connors and Dixon, but the villains are slowly coming along. It’s not like they have anything else to do so throwing them out there in a tag team is far from the worst idea.

Overall Rating: C+. Some decent wrestling here but I’m still liking the idea of stringing some stories together from week to week. You can only get so much out of having one off matches so giving the wrestlers a small angle is better than nothing. The show is still completely skippable, but it could be a good bit worse.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 25, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Things took a bit of a twist last week and it made for a fairly interesting show. Granted the show can only get so far as it’s still fairly limited in pretty much every aspect. There is always the chance that we could get somewhere different this week, though it could always be the norm all over again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Dion Lennox

They trade shoulders until Coffey slaps him in the face, which is enough for Lennox to…grab an armbar. Some right hands stagger Coffey but he kicks Lennox throat first into the bottom rope. Lennox strikes away and grabs a northern lights suplex, followed by a spinebuster for two. Cue Gallus for the distraction though and Mark hits a right hand for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. This was shorter than most of the matches around here and I’m not sure why. Lennox is starting to pop up on the main NXT shows but here he is losing in about four minutes. Yeah there was some interference, but at the same time, it wasn’t exactly an impressive showing for Lennox in any way. Kind of a weird match here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Cutler James and Shiloh Hill make the save. I could go for this.

Tyra Mae Steele is ready to beat Izzi Dame for her first win. Dame comes in to doubt it.

Izzi Dame vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Steele powers her back into the corner to start and they go to the mat for a headlock. Back up and Steele wrestles her to the mat again, setting up a rolling shot to the head in the corner. Dame gets in a shot of her own though and stomping ensues to keep Steele down. A Sky High gives Dame two and the chinlock goes on. Steele fights up again and lawn darts her into the buckle, setting up a capture suplex for two. Another rolling something is cut of though and the spinning Side Effect finishes Steele at 5:30.

Rating: C. Steele is still a great prospect but she needs ring time and this is a good place for her to do just that. As much charisma and amateur skill as she has, she has to get more used to doing something new. She looked ok enough here, but that is maybe the third step in a rather long trip.

Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon annoy Drake Drake Morreaux in the gym. Dante Chen comes in and a tag match is set.

Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon vs. Drake Morreaux/Dante Chen

Dixon works on Chen’s arm to start but makes the mistake of talking trash and gets elbowed in the face. Morreaux comes in and gets armdragged but snaps off a slam without much trouble. A belly to back suplex drops Connors and the villains are cleared out to the floor. Chen goes for the chase but charges into Connors’ superkick to put him down. Dixon gets to pose on the ropes and thrust his pelvis a bit before Connors gets to strike away. The chinlock goes on but Chen fights out and makes the tag off to Morreaux to pick up the pace. A chokeslam off the top plants Connors and the Gentle Touch gives Chen the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C. There is something fun about having Chen as the superhero (as he was called in the setup) who never does anything anywhere else. I’m not sure I can imagine him ever going anywhere else, but I guess it’s better than doing nothing. Speaking of nothing, you have the other three here, who have nothing that makes them stand out in the slightest. Even Morreaux’s size is only going to get him so far, but he did well enough here.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show pretty much lacking in anything resembling star power but it did a nicer than usual job of putting the stories together. There is no reason to just have them be the most nothing matches so add in even the slightest something. Even something of a backstage argument better than nothing and it spices things up at bit, which has been needed for the better part of ever around here.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 27, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s the last show before the move over the CW and there is a chance that we could be seeing something change around here as well. Granted it’s hard to know what you’re going to be seeing change on this show as things tend to be about as basic as you can get around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyrike Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon

Igwe and Connors start things off and run the ropes until Dixon tags himself in for a cheap shot. A double shoulder drops Dixon but he’s right back up to take DuPont into the wrong corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long as DuPont fights up and runs Connors over, allowing the tag back to Igwe. House is cleaned in a hurry and the Heartstopper finishes Dixon at 5:20.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to see here as Igwe and DuPont are at last a regular team but they haven’t done much of anything in months now. I do like that they’re at least trying to put together some teams to see where they’re going as it isn’t like they’ve done anything else lately. Now if only the matches could actually be better.

Sol Ruca and Dani Palmer are put in a match against each other by the rather excited Mr. Stone and Stevie Turner.

Jasper Troy vs. Stacks

The much bigger Troy powers him into the corner to start but Stacks pulls it down into an early chinlock. That’s broken up and Troy pounds him down with some elbows and a running splash in the corner. Stacks’ sleeper is countered into a swinging slam and we hit the chinlock. Troy switches to an Argentinean backbreaker but Stacks slips out and dropkicks him into the corner. One heck of a cannonball gets two but Troy chases him outside, where Stacks drops his brass knuckles. The referee takes them from Troy, allowing Cement Shoes to connect for the pin on Troy at 5:42.

Rating: C. This felt like more of a focus on Troy and that makes sense. He has the size and movement to be a little something if given the experience. If nothing else, there’s something to him as a bodyguard, as he certainly has the right tools. It’s way too early to make that happen, but at least the potential is there.

Even Stacks seems to know he escaped there.

Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors say something needs to change, if nothing else for the sake of Dixon’s hair.

Sol Ruca vs. Dani Palmer

Ruca takes her to the mat by the wrist to start but Palmer reverses into an armbar. Back up and Ruca flips out of an anklescissors and it’s an early standoff. A test of strength results in Palmer’s sunset flip attempt being blocked so Ruca grabs a seated abdominal stretch. Back up and Palmer runs her over, setting up a nice frog splash for two. Ruca tries an O’Connor roll so Palmer kicks out…sending Ruca into the ropes so she can hit the Sol Snatcher for the pin at 4:25. That finish was outstanding.

Rating: C+. The match was just ok but that finishing sequence was one of the better looking ones I’ve seen in a bit. Ruca can hit that thing out of anywhere and it looks great every time. She’s an athletic freak and if she can put together some more things besides that, she’ll be a star in the making.

Overall Rating: C+. The awesome ending to the main event and a good showing from Troy made this a worthwhile enough show. The best thing here was that they had a bit of a variety and adding in Stone and Turner for a cameo boosted it up a bit. There are ways to make this show more interesting but for some reason they rarely happen. Spice it up on occasion and things can be more fun, like this show managed to do.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 13, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re getting closer to the move to the CW, which isn’t likely to have much of an impact on this show. That’s what commentary will be talking about though, as it is certainly the biggest thing to take place in NXT in a good while. Hopefully we get some better action to go with the excitement so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shiloh Hill/Cutler James vs. Uriah Connors/Kale Dixon

Dixon gets elbowed in the face to start and James starts cranking on his ankle. Connors comes in but Dixon gets a blind tag for a cheap shot on Hill and the villains take over. A slingshot hilo gives Dixon two and Hill’s backsplash gets the same. Dixon grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back before switching to the regular chinlock. Hill fights up and a double clothesline gives us a double breather, followed by the tag off to James. A wheelbarrow faceplant gets two on Connors with Dixon making the save. Back up and James hits a spinebuster to finish Connors at 5:15.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine tag match but the best part was not knowing who was winning. Both teams are pretty much thrown together but that gave it a bit of mystery, as neither was the obvious pick. You don’t get that very often and it made what should have been a run of the mill match a bit better.

Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are ready for Grey’s match with Tyra Mae Steele’.

Kendal Grey vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Steele wrestles her down to start (as you would expect) and Grey can’t sit out. Instead Grey rolls her into a quickly broken cross armbreaker as Steele muscles her up for something like a powerbomb. A snap suplex gives Steele two and she grabs something like an STF. Grey suplexes her way to freedom but walks into something like a Pounce for two. Steele grabs a dragon sleeper but Grey flips out of it and hooks a small package for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Steele continue to feel like a star in the making and more of a matter of time rather than anything else. Getting her some kind of experience is only going to help her and I could go for seeing her do even more. On the other hand you have Grey, who is still desperately in need of something to set her apart.

Niko Vance, speaking very quietly, is ready to prove himself against Luca Crusifino.

Niko Vance vs. Luca Crusifino

Vance is a former football player and rather large. Crusifino can’t power out of a headlock to start and Vance grinds away for a bit. An armbar slows Vance down until he fights up and fires off some knees to the ribs. The neck crank keeps Crusifino in trouble as we hear about Vance’s football resume. A jawbreaker gives Crusifino a breather though and a running clothesline takes Vance down. Crusifino makes the clothesline comeback and finishes with the Codebreaker at 5:48.

Rating: C. This was much more about giving Vance his first exposure on television and it worked well enough. Vance is the latest in the line of athletes from other sports who look good but need polish in the ring. That’s something that can come with time, but for now, he looked passable enough for his first time in front of a camera.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit more of what LVL Up felt like it was supposed to be. The biggest thing here was that it seemed to be more about presenting younger, up and coming stars and that is a good thing to do. The opener had four relatively new names, while Steele and Vance are still pretty much unknowns around here. I can go for that kind of show and it worked well enough this week.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these and, well, does it really make that much of a difference? The show rarely changes and other than having a few more interviews here and there, it’s basically the same thing you always gt. In this case we should be in for some of the usual good stuff so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Kale Dixon/Uriah Connors

Walker and Connors start things off with Walker slamming him down and handing it off to Ledger. Dixon comes in for a front facelock but gets broken up with a backdrop. Everything breaks down and Connors jumps Walker from behind to take over. A clothesline gives Dixon two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back. Back up and Ledger blocks a charge in the corner to save Walker, allowing him to hand it back to Ledger. Everything breaks down and the Collision Course finishes Dixon at 5:54.

Rating: C. Hank and Tank continue to be a thing, which tends to be the case despite little success on the bigger shows. Maybe that’s the kind of buildup they’re going for around here but the team still isn’t that interesting. Dixon and Connors might as well have been any other villains here, though they were only presented as a certain level of threatening.

Cutler James interrupts Gallus and thinks he learned a lot in their previous match. Tonight, he wants a rematch and gets Wolfgang.

Uriah Connors wasn’t happy with his loss but OTM (I think) came up to say he needs their help.

Wolfgang vs. Cutler James

The rest of Gallus is here with Wolfgang. James armdrags him down to start and cranks on the arm, followed by a gutbuster for two. Wolfgang is sent to the apron for a throat snap across the top but he gets in a shot of his own to take over. The reverse chinlock goes on until James powers out and starts the comeback, including a slam for two. Back up and Wolfgang hits a spear into the Howling for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. James has been around for a bit now and this might have been his best performance to date. The most important thing is that he looked more comfortable out there rather than just kind of being around as he tends to be. Odds are he’ll get another chance because of his size, but this was a nice showcase for him.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the short form version as they went with the smaller format due to No Mercy taking place over the weekend. That being said, this show could barely have felt less important as it was the lowest of the low part on the roster. Just a nothing show here and they had to know that was coming with what they presented.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 26, 2024
Location: Capital Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Blake Howard

Everything changed last week as we had what resembled a more traditional wrestling show, with stories being advanced, feuds being st up and wrestlers talking about what is on their minds. It was so nice to see for once and I could definitely go for that being the new norm around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jaida Parker vs. Layla Diggs

OTM is here with Parker, who runs her over with a shoulder to start and grabs a headlock. Diggs reverses into a chinlock before cranking on the arm a bit. Diggs sweeps the leg and hits a standing moonsault for two but Parker pulls her down by the hair. A running seated senton in the corner looks to set up a suplex but Diggs reverses into a small package for two. Parker isn’t having that and cranks on the leg (Diggs clearly taps, which doesn’t count as it doesn’t seem to be what she was suppose to do), before sending her neck first into the ropes. The running hip attack finishes for Parker at 4:54.

Rating: C. Parker continues to improve in the ring and is starting to put together a signature style. That could take her a long way if she is given the chance, but she is still going to need a signature win. For now, she’s doing well enough around here, even making Diggs give up when she wasn’t supposed to.

A very polite Cutler James requests and receives a match with Dante Chen.

Uriah Connors vs. Dion Lennox

This is fallout from a brawl last week, as we’re actually getting something in the way of continuity around here. Lennox shoves him down to start and then grinds away on a headlock. Back up and Connors snaps the neck over the top to take over before slowly slapping away. A hard clothesline gets Lennox out of trouble and they trade rollups, with Connors’ grab of the rope being caught. Lennox rolls him up for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C. Not much here but these two are still pretty new around here, meaning the expectations aren’t exactly high. Giving Lennox a win is fine, but it isn’t going to matter if he’s just trading victories with everyone else at his level. You don’t necessarily need to give him a push, but if he’s just going to trade wins, I’m not sure how much good it is to have him around here.

Layla Diggs hates losing when Riz comes in to say she needs confidence. Riz is keeping an eye on her.

Dante Chen vs. Cutler James

James powers him away to start and then grabs a front facelock to start the grappling exchange. Chen gets in a running shoulder and grabs the armbar to slow things down. A slam puts Chen down for a change and a belly to back suplex gives Chen two. They trade shots to the face for two each until James grabs a reverse chinlock. The regular chinlock makes Chen fight up and jawbreak his way to freedom. Chen chops away but gets caught in a Samoan drop for two. Back up and Chen boots him in the face, setting up the double chop for the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C. Yeah it’s still Dante Chen and he’s still as uninteresting as you can imagine. There’s just nothing there to make me care about him being in the ring and that was on full display here. James has some size to him and looked good enough, but as usual, there is only so much you can get out of a generic match without that much time.

Overall Rating: C. It’s nice to have some interviews and week to week story building, but the wrestling wasn’t here to back it up. That’s kind of an important part and it was missing this week. As usual, consistency is this show’s biggest issue, but I do like that they’re actually doing more than just three straight matches week to week. That’s a very helpful change and might actually aide the wrestlers in getting used to how WWE TV works rather than having glorified in-ring training sessions.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re continuing this show and since I’m so far behind here, it isn’t like there is much to say about it. Granted this is LVL Up so there is nothing going on from week to week in the first place. That is what you have to expect around here and unfortunately that is all there is to say about this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson vs. Kendal Grey

Lash Legend and Carlee Bright are here too. Grey starts fast with an armdrag into an armbar but Jackson powers her into the corner without much effort. That earns her a middle rope crossbody into another armbar but Jackson is back up with a side slam. Jackson grabs a cravate to keep her down and grinds away before nailing a Regal Cutter. Grey fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, only to get hit in the ribs and caught with the Sugar Rush to give Jackson the pin at 4:49.

Rating: C. You don’t see Jackson getting much of her own shine and it was nice to have her be something other than Lash Legend’s friend. The match wasn’t much, but Grey got in a bit of offense before her latest loss. That is going to have to turn around at some point soon, but she’s still ok enough for now.

Dion Lennox talks to Uriah Connors about their loss last week. Yelling ensued but Tank Ledger and Hank Walker cut them off. That’s some actual continuity from week to week and I’ll certainly take that.

Adriana Rizzo vs. Lainey Reid

Reid is “the modern southern belle” and takes her down by the arm. The reversal is reversed as well and we get a standoff. Back up and Riz trips her down before taking Reid into the corner. That earns Riz a kick to the head for two before Reid chokes away in the corner. A neckbreaker sets up a quickly broken crossarm choke on Riz, who fights up with some left hands. Riz drops her again and hits a running flipping seated senton for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Reid got to showcase herself a bit here and it was fine for one of her earlier appearances. Riz has kind of disappeared from the ring in recent months so it’s nice to have her back. Neither was exactly looking like a star but I can go for some fresh blood out there most of the time.

Kendal Grey is annoyed by her loss and she’s sick of losing so often. Carlee Bright tells her to bring back her killer instinct and offers to train with her. This was short and to the point but gave us more insight into Grey than we’ve gotten since she’s been here. See how easy it can be?

Eddy Thorpe vs. Shiloh Hill

Hold on though as Lexis King joins us as this show is actually advancing some things. Hill grabs a front facelock to start as King talks about Thorpe’s love of “evil” EDM. A running shoulder drops Thorpe, who is right back with a crossbody. Hill clotheslines him down again and gets two off a side slam. We hit the seated abdominal stretch for a bit but Thorpe fights up rather easily. The jumping elbow into the implant DDT finishes King off at 5:03.

Rating: C. It was nice to see Hill getting some more shine as there is something to him that could work out. At the same time, this was much more about King and Thorpe continuing their issue. Yes it’s a minor story, but I’ll absolutely take a minor feud getting time over another random match that leads nowhere.

King and Thorpe glare at each other to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. YES! This show has been around for about two and a half years and they are FINALLY doing something with it. They had some actual storylines and continuity from week to week. I have no idea what took them so long to start doing this as it’s the kind of show that anyone could write in about fifteen minutes. Let someone see what they can do here and if you happen to get something out of it, cool. I was very pleasantly surprised here and hopefully it continues this way because it is far better than the alternative.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 12, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s another one of these shows and I’ve again given up trying to figure out what to expect on here. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of the same stuff from most of the same people, but there is still the chance of getting a new face in there somewhere. That at least opens up some doors, though I’m not sure I’ll get my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Malik Blade vs. Cutler James

Brinley Reece and Edris Enofe are here with Blade, whose early drop toehold attempt is blocked. A monkey flip is blocked as well and James hits a rather nice backdrop. Back up and Blade’s rollup is countered into a faceplant as he can’t get anything going here. An elbow in the corner sets up a clothesline to put James down though and a middle rope Blockbuster does it again. A frog splash finishes James off at 3:45.

Rating: C-. This was actually a bit disappointing as they were setting up something with James cutting him off over and over but then it just went nowhere as Blade won. I was thinking they might be trying something new here but never mind instead. It’s still weird to see Blade on his own, though it’s not like the team is going anywhere.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger use football talk to prep for their tag match.

Layla Diggs vs. Tatum Paxley

This is Diggs’ singles debut and she takes Paxley down into an early armbar. Paxley can’t nip up her way to freedom as Diggs keeps taking her back down into the armbar. Back up and a Code Red out of the corner gets two but Paxley starts in on the leg to take over. A running crossbody in the corner gives Paxley two and she grabs something like a Stump Puller, albeit with all four limbs tied up (it’s a weird one). Diggs fights up but her knee is hurt…so badly that she cartwheels into a moonsault for two. Possibly offended by the lack of selling, Paxley is back up with the Psycho Trap for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. Diggs showed some promise but there are all kinds of women around here with some kind of gymnastics background who are in great shape. That is only going to get her so far and you’re only going to get so much out of that in a four minute match. Paxley is starting to get some more ring time too and if she gets elevated a bit as a result, cool.

Dion Lennox and Uriah Connors are ready for the main event, even against better competition. You usually only get one of the main event’s participants commenting so this is a nice change of pace.

Uriah Connors/Dion Lennox vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Walker and Lennox start things off with the former hitting a running shoulder and grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. Back up and Lennox shoulders him down, setting up a backsplash from Connors. Ledger comes in to run Connors over for two and a double running body block crushes him again.

Lennox knocks Walker outside to take over, setting up a belly to back suplex for two back inside. Connors stomps away before Walker hits Lennox, which just annoys him. Walker fights out of the corner though and hands it back to Ledger to pick up the pace. A spinebuster gives Lennox two but Walker and Ledger are right back with the Collision Course for the pin on Lennox at 7:27.

Rating: C+. Lennox and Connors got more in here than I would have expected and that was nice to see. This could have been little more than a squash but they put in some more effort to make it better. Walker and Ledger are treated as a much bigger deal than most acts around here so having them in the main event made the show feel better.

Overall Rating: C. This was as all over the place as LVL Up is going to be as you had a lame opener, a mediocre middle match and a good enough main event. You can only break a show like this down so much as it isn’t like there is anything worth seeing most of the time. I could go for more development of personalities and talking segments though, with the second interview being nice to see.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: July 5, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

Things picked up a bit last week but this week is the last show before Heatwave. As usual, that isn’t going to make any kind of a difference around here, but commentary will certainly act like it matters. I’m not sure what we are going to see around here but last week’s show was a bit of a step up from the usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Josh Briggs vs. Shiloh Hill

An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere so Briggs hits him in the face to take over. A side slam sets up the chinlock but Hill is right back with a belly to back suplex. Hill’s backbreaker gets two and he cranks on a reverse chinlock. Back up and a kick to the side of the head gets two on Briggs and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Briggs isn’t having that and fights up for a big boot. Hill misses a charge and the lariat finishes for Briggs at 4:23.

Rating: C. Hill seems like he might be the next project around here and that makes things more interesting. This show is more or less about setting people up to get to NXT and I could go for Hill being someone who turns into something. Other than that, Briggs has fallen quite a long way, as he was in a heck of a match at Stand & Deliver and now….not so much.

Tyra Mae Steele, Olympic gold medal winning wrestler (under her real name of Tamyra Mensah-Stock), is REALLY excited to be here. She even hurts herself slapping her chest.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Wren Sinclair

You have the debut of an Olympic gold medal winner and it’s in the middle slot??? As she was earlier, Steele is VERY energetic and the fans are already into her. For some reason Sinclair tries to go on the mat and is promptly rolled up for two. A hammerlock works a bit better for Sinclair but Steele reverses into a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar but Steele uses the good arm to hit a clothesline. Snake Eyes into a Pounce hits Sinclair, who is right back with a rollup for the pin (her first in the company) at 4:36.

Rating: C. The match was nothing of note of course but there is only so much that can be expected from someone in her fourth career match. That being said, Steele was an absolute ball of charisma and immediately got my attention. If she can get the in-ring side down, she’s going to be a star in a hurry.

Respect is shown post match.

Luca Crusifino vs. Uriah Connors

The rest of the D’Angelo Family is here with Crusifino. They fight over a lockup to start until Connors runs him over with a shoulder. A headlock has Connors down for a change and Crusifino grabs a hiptoss into a neckbreaker. Back up and Connors chops the heck out of him in the corner but Crusifino does the same right back, albeit minus the corner. Connors pulls him into a quickly broken chinlock but Crusifino fights up with a running shoulder. Crusifino is put on the apron though and then kicked out to the floor, where he unloads on Connors with kicks to the ribs. Back in and Case Closed finishes for Crusifino at 5:23.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, but they were in a weird spot after the previous match. Crusifino is fine enough in the ring but he might be better as a character than anything else. That being said, it doesn’t matter if he’s an evil lawyer if he doesn’t actually do any lawyering. Pretty generic match here and neither exactly stood out.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about Steele, who felt like she could be something in the future but is also just a big deal because she has the athletic background to feel like a star. Other than that, it seems like WWE is trying something with Hill and I’ve seen worse ideas. Not much of a show here though, as the lack of bigger names hurt it a good bit.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: June 21, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We are still on the way towards Heatwave and in this case that means very little. Things can go in a variety of ways around here but there are only so many of them that are very interesting. Hopefully they come up with something to make this show better, but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Cutler James/Dion Lennox

Igwe grabs Lenox’s arm to start and works on an armbar before handing it off to DuPont. Lennox manages to get up and bring James in for some arm cranking of his own, this time on Igwe. The alternating armbars continue as they certainly have that idea down. A hammerlock slam gives Lennox two and the armbar goes on again. Igwe fights up and hands it back to DuPont to pick up the pace. The Heartstopper finishes James at 5:19.

Rating: C. Igwe and DuPont are getting better in the ring with the power stuff and that isn’t a bad place to be. There is always going to be a team with that kind of strength and a good look and they might as well fill that spot in for NXT. They have a long way to go but at least it’s coming together.

Shiloh Hill is ready for his singles debut and he’s ready to be tested. He graduated college with a 4.0 though so he knows about being tested.

Shiloh Hill vs. Uriah Connors

Hill shoves him down to start and then does it again to really prove his point. An atomic drop into a slam gets two on Connors, who takes him down for a step up backsplash. Connors hits a hard chop to the back and twists the neck for two, setting up the chinlock. Hill fights up and hits a running kick to the chest but gets sent to the floor. Connors’ dive is pulled out of the air and a spinning Samoan Drop (Hunico’s old finisher) finishes for Hill at 5:04.

Rating: C. Hill is another case where he might be something someday but for now, he’s just the latest guy who has a nice look and some potential. Connors might be something as a bit of weasely heel due to his size, though he hasn’t really gotten the chance to showcase himself either. This was more a pair of people putting their toes in the water and that has to happen to everyone.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Wren Sinclair

The threat of some kicks have Sinclair bailing up against the ropes so Petrovic grabs a headlock. Back up and they both tease throwing a right hand but pull back out of sportsmanship. Petrovic hits a spinning crossbody for two before working on wristlock. Sinclair avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a snap suplex for two.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Petrovic is back up with a kick to the face. Sinclair pulls her right back down into another chinlock though before switching into a full nelson of all things. Petrovic isn’t having that and grabs a faceplant out of the corner. The spinning kick to the back finishes for Petrovic at 7:11.

Rating: C+. Match of the night here, which isn’t a surprise as Petrovic is the biggest name on the card. Sinclair is still a perfectly good hand but that’s about all so far. The good thing is she is still protected and could be turned into something later on, but for now she’s just the person putting everyone else over.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Pretty lame show this week with no star power and a bunch of people who are still getting themselves known around here. That’s kind of the point of the show, but it doesn’t make for the best show. It’s almost like this show doesn’t accomplish much and never has, but it’s not like it’s going to change. Ever. Well mostly ever.

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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