NXT
Date: August 15, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re a week away from Heatwave, which is the next TV special to fill in time on the way to the next major show. For now though, we should be in for a nice show, with a #1 contenders match between Dijak and Wes Lee. Other than that, there’s a good chance we hear from Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio so let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Dyad

The Dyad, with Schism, is challenging. Stacks knocks Reid into the corner to start and we go outside with Schism staring Stacks into stopping. Back in and D’Angelo is sent into a spinwheel kick from Reid but a suplex puts Reid down. Stacks grabs a headlock and everything breaks down, with the champs clotheslining them to the floor. A big flip dive takes Dyad down again and we head back inside. This time Fowler throws Reid at Stacks, knocking him off the apron and into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Stacks fighting out of a chinlock but not being able to get in. Some Dyad double teaming draws D’Angelo in, meaning the referee doesn’t see Stacks’ small package to Reid. Stacks manages to kick Reid away and the hot tag brings in D’Angelo to clean house. Everything breaks down and here is Ivy Nile, who gets cornered by the 10 or so members of Schism. Two of them jump the Dyad though and D’Angelo belly to back slams Fowler to retain at 13:25.

Rating: C+. Nice match but PLEASE get to the end of the Schism stuff already as the “whoa there are a bunch of them and they’re wearing spooky masks” thing is getting really tiresome. They aren’t winning, but the story isn’t interesting and it’s becoming a chore to watch anything they do. Stacks and D’Angelo on the other hand are turning into a polished team and are developing rather nicely, especially as champions.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his fighting spirit and is ready to fight.

Carmelo Hayes is signing a bunch of stuff when Wes Lee comes in to say Hayes has been too busy for him lately. Lee says he’ll go become #1 contender and Hayes can sign a contract to defend the title against him at Heatwave. Hayes: “Why don’t you go do that?”

Andre Chase and Duke Hudson talk about how to get Thea Hail back on the right track. Chase has gotten her a match with Jacy Jayne to work through some emotions. Hail isn’t happy and accuses Chase of always trying to do what’s best for her. Hudson agrees and Hail tells Chase to try not to throw in the towel this time. With Hail gone, Chase asks Hudson what the **** that was. Hudson is off to talk to her.

Blair Davenport vs. Dana Brooke

Kelani Jordan is here with Brooke, who starts fast and sends Davenport outside. Back in and a stomp to Brooke’s back gives Davenport two but Brooke powerbombs her out of the corner for the same. They’re back on the floor with Brooke being sent into the steps, only to have Brooke knock her down back inside. For some reason Brooke goes to grab the bell, which is quickly take away. Back in and Brooke can’t quite get a rollup, so Davenport knees her in the face twice in a row for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C-. I get what they’re going for with Brooke but it really isn’t working. She’s not the kind of person for this veteran spot and it’s showing badly every time she gets in the ring. It’s not working, but for some reason that is what we’re getting out of her. At least Davenport won though and that is what matters most.

Dijak comes up to Carmelo Hayes’ signing and tells him to save one for himself for after Heatwave. Hayes tells him to get to Heatwave before he talks that much.

Trick Williams vs. Drew Gulak

Damon Kemp and Charlie Dempsey are here with Williams. Williams shrugs off the grappling attempt and hits a pop up right hand to send Gulak outside. Back in and Gulak takes him down by the leg but Williams knocks him away again. A Rock Bottom plants Gulak before Williams goes after Kemp and Dempsey. Cue Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs to take care of the two of them, leaving Williams to hit a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. This was a fine way to make Williams look like someone before he gets destroyed by Ilja Dragunov next week. Williams is a fine hand in the ring and can talk very well, but Dragunov is a big test right out of the gate. As usual, Gulak can make anyone look good, which is why he’ll have a job in WWE in one form or another for as long as he wants it.

Dabba-Kato is coming back. Does he have to?

Here is Baron Corbin for a chat. He can say whatever he wants and not have to worry about the repercussions. Corbin ran Gable Steveson out of NXT and that locker room is full of a bunch of soft b******. Corbin is introducing a new era around here but here is Von Wagner, with Mr. Stone, to interrupt. Stone doesn’t think much of Corbin, who mocks Stone’s wardrobe choices.

We hear about Wagner putting Bron Breakker through a table last week and Wagner doesn’t have much to say. Corbin says Wagner needs to learn to do this or he’ll have a “security” shirt on every time the stars come through town. Wagner says he’s tired of Corbin and tells him to be out here next week with “one of your ten gimmicks” for a fight. A table is promised but Wagner can’t put him through one tonight.

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio call out Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria for next week.

Mustafa Ali addresses a bunch of people of North America, talking about how the recent and current champion do not represent them. Dominik Mysterio is a CONVICTED CRIMINAL and the people deserve better. He is the North American Champion that you need and in Ali you can trust. This sounded like a political rally.

Dijak vs. Wes Lee

For an NXT Title shot next week. Lee strikes away start and goes after the knee, even sending him outside early on. Back in and Dijak works on the arm before sending him into the post (with Vic calling the match to cut off Booker’s latest rambling). The running boot misses Lee in the corner but he manages to post Lee again as we take a break.

Back again with Dijak working on the arm until Lee flips over into a DDT. Lee manages to block a big boot and lift him up for a powerbomb but Dijak goes for the arm again. Feast Your Eyes is loaded up but Dijak’s knee gives out. The knee is fine enough for High Justice to connect for two before Dijak sends him outside and over the barricade. Cue Eddy Thorpe to distract Dijak, allowing Lee to knock Dijak down. The Cardiac Kick and Spiral Tap finish Dijak at 12:08.

Rating: B. This was a good fight and Lee continues to look like he belongs at the higher levels of NXT. To go from a tag guy without much going on to someone who can hang with anyone around here is very impressive and he is the logical next #1 contender after that North American Title reign. Dijak continues to be a heck of a monster, though he could use a win in the near future.

Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee are ready for Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio next week. Lee thinks Valkyria is hitting on her, but not so much. They exchange pleasantries in their own languages with hit and miss results.

Tyler Bate is ready for Joe Coffey after an incident at an NXT live event on Friday.

Ilja Dragunov is ready for Trick Williams next week, when Williams’ fantasy will not become reality.

Vic Joseph plugs No Mercy with a dig-diggity-dig-dig-diggity-dog.

Joe Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

Bate takes him down by the head to start and survives a few rollup attempts. Coffey reverses into a quickly broken full nelson before Bate punches him down. A standing shooting star press gives Bate two, followed by the airplane spin for that dizzying effect. Back up and Coffey grabs a bridging German suplex for two of his own but Bate knocks him outside. There’s the big dive to drop Coffey again but Dabba-Kato returns to attack Bate for the DQ at 4:00.

Rating: C. This was just a means to an end with the Kato return, which is hardly the most thrilling idea. Kato is a monster but he’s a monster who was beaten by Axiom and Scrypts. That isn’t the most ringing endorsement, so now I guess it is time to rebuild him again. I get that he’s big, but trying the same thing over and over again without it working in the first place is quite the choice. Bate and Coffey had the match you would have expected but with just four minutes, they couldn’t get very far.

Baron Corbin is ready for Von Wagner next week when Bron Breakker comes in. Breakker isn’t done with Wagner, which Corbin finds interesting after what happened last week. Corbin isn’t scared of him.

Nathan Frazer talks about the Heritage Cup match with Noam Dar next week when Dar hacks his feed and tries to turn it into Supernova Sessions. Dar brags about how great of a champion he is but insists that his cup is real. We see a clip of Dar admitting otherwise so Frazer whips out a FRAUD alarm, which hs presses every time Dar lies. Dar keeps talking and the button is pressed quite a few times.

Jacy Jayne vs. Thea Hail

Chase U is here with Hail, who takes her down without much trouble to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Hail fighting out of a chinlock but a neckbreaker is broken up. Jayne knees her down but has to go to the ropes to avoid a Kimura. A spinebuster gives Jayne two so Andre Chase gets on the apron. Hail avoids going into a buckle and yells at Chase, allowing Jayne to grab a small package for the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was another example of a storyline match and not much more, as Chase completely screwed that one up for Hail and has no one but himself to blame. Seeing the downfall of Chase U is kind of sad as they never really accomplished anything despite being crazy popular, and not it seems that they’re falling apart. I’d like to see something else happen for them, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.

Video on Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, as narrated by their grandfather, who talks about the importance of family staying together. We see clips of them wrestling together as children and it seems it’s time for a reunion.

Carmelo Hayes finishes his signing and Wes Lee comes in to get him to sign a contract. Hayes says he’ll see him next Tuesday but Lee clears the table and says he’ll see Hayes in the ring, before dragging the table with him.

Tiffany Stratton is back next week.

Heatwave rundown.

Wes Lee is in the ring with the table and tells Carmelo Hayes to get out here. Hayes says Lee is about to turn him into the old version so Lee talks about all of the things Hayes gets to do these days. Hayes brings up Lee’s time as North American Champion but then a little pressure comes up and Lee folds like a chair on the Alabama boardwalk. Lee is tired of being told he can’t do something but here he is after having become a Tag Team and North American Champion. He’s been told he can’t, until he did.

Hayes isn’t convinced and says Lee can’t beat him, which Lee says is all he has heard before. He won’t fail again and signs for next week. Hayes says Lee has earned this but warns him to not go chasing waterfalls, because next week, Melo won’t miss. Hayes signs, so Lee stomps the table in half and says he’ll see him at Heatwave to end the show. This was a fairly week final segment, but there’s only so much they can do to set up this match.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t the big one, but rather the way to set up the big one. They seem to be getting to some of the bigger stories coming to a conclusion next week and that should let them move on to the start of the road to No Mercy. For now though, it was an acceptable enough show as we get ready for next week’s important one.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Dyad – Belly to back slam to Fowler
Blair Davenport b. Dana Brooke – Knee to the face
Trick Williams b. Drew Gulak – Spinning kick to the face
Wes Lee b. Dijak – Spiral Tap
Tyler Bate b. Joe Coffey via DQ when Dabba-Kato interfered
Jacy Jayne b. Thea Hail – Small package

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: August 8, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The long road to No Mercy is on but there are probably going to be a bunch of big time matches before we get there. A month and a half is too long to build up the card so odds are we’ll blow through some stuff over the next few weeks. That includes tonight’s North American Title match with Rey Mysterio here as a special guest. Let’s get to it.

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

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio are ready to prove how great Dominik is.

Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee are ready to show that Lee is the future of lucha libre.

Mustafa Ali vs. Axiom

This is over Ali trying to jump over Axiom to get a North American Title shot and feeling disrespected. Booker tries to make it into some complicated thing and Vic, apparently not in the mood tonight, wastes no time in asking what the heck Booker is talking about. They run the ropes to start until Ali runs him over. Back up and Axiom sends him outside for a dive over the announcers’ table, with Booker managing to stay on his feet.

Back inside and here is Scrypts to watch as Axiom is shoved off the top for a flip into a clothesline to drop Axiom. Cue Bronco Nima and Lucien Price as Ali reverses a suplex into a Jackhammer of all things. Axiom snaps off a Canadian Destroyer to send Ali rolling outside, where a huge springboard moonsault connects.

Hold on though as Axiom comes up holding his knee but he’s fine enough to avoid a 450 back inside. A tornado DDT plants Ali but he counters a cross armbreaker into a Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Axiom hits a springboard moonsault DDT and they’re both down again. Axiom goes up but Ali goes the mask and sends him crashing to the floor. The 450 gives Ali the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Good action, as you would expect from these two as Ali moves forward to a likely North American Title shot, but WOW they need to drop this Scrypts stuff. He isn’t interesting, he looks tiny and they can barely decide what his name is, let alone giving us a reason to care about him. Just let Axiom go have good matches with people and stop trying to make Scrypts a thing.

Post match Ali says he’s next in line for the North American Title.

Schism promises to find the Creed Brothers, and proceed to destroy Ikemen Jiro.

Kelani Jordan vs. Blair Davenport

This is the result of Dana Brooke, here at ringside, wanting Jordan to do something so she called Davenport out. Jordan starts fast and can’t quite snap off a springboard hurricanrana. Davenport takes her into the corner and hammers away, with Dana’s coaching not really working. Jordan fights up but gets knocked out of the corner, allowing Davenport to stomp her in the back. A hard knee to the face finishes Jordan at 3:27.

Rating: C. Speaking of things that aren’t working, Dana Brooke is up there on the list. It’s a fine story of a veteran trying to push a newcomer to the next level, but at the end of the day, that veteran is Dana Brooke. She has always tried and seemed to be getting better at times, but this is not the right role for her and there isn’t much of a way around that.

Post match Dana chases Davenport off with a belt but nearly hits Jordan with it, earning Dana a glare.

Von Wagner is ready for Bron Breakker and threatens to put him in a table.

Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar

This is for Dar’s unofficial Heritage Cup and therefore under Heritage Cup rules with the rest of the Meta Four at ringside. Round one begins with a fight over wrist control and go to the mat with neither being able to get the better of things. Back up and Bop and Bang doesn’t work for Bate so they clothesline each other and pop up for a glare. More fighting against the ropes ends the round with neither having much of an advantage.

Round two begins with Bate taking Dar down but having to clothesline Mensah off the apron. A big dive hits Dar on the floor and the Tyler Driver 97 finishes Dar at 43 seconds of the round and 4:15 overall to put Bate up 1-0. We take a break and come back with Bate missing what looked to be a dropkick off the top, banging up his knee in the process as round three ends.

Round four begins with Bate running him over for a rather close two. Dar is right back up and hits a spinning elbow for two before grabbing the kneebar. Bate stacks him up for two so Dar grabs the hold again until Bate taps at 2:20 of the round and 11:01 overall, tying it up 1-1. Round five begins with Bate unloading on one leg but Dar pulls him back into the kneebar. That’s broken up and Bate hits a German suplex before a small package gives Bate two. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered so Bate rolls him up for the pin at 2:13 of the round and 13:33 overall to win 2-1.

Rating: C+. I was expecting Dar to retain via cheating so well done on a bit of a surprise. I’m still not much of a Heritage Cup fan and the Meta Four do very little for me, but Dar has gone from all time levels of annoying to moderately interesting, so there is some growth there. It’s also nice to see Bate get a win, as he hasn’t been in the ring much lately.

Tank Ledger and Hank Walker name themselves Smash Mouth before being beaten down by Schism, who is still looking for the Creed Brothers.

Dijak comes in to Carmelo Hayes’ locker room and wants a title shot. Wes Lee comes in and wants a shot too but Dijak doesn’t like that. They argue as Hayes leaves, with Dijak sucker punching Lee and sending him into a locker.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to call out Trick Williams. Cue Williams, to say he has something to say, which is too far for Dragunov. He doesn’t want to hear from Williams after the Great American Bash, but Williams says Dragunov ran into the title rather than Williams hitting him with it. The challenge is on for a match because Williams wants to show he can back everything up because he isn’t a sidekick. Dragunov says be careful what you ask for because he won’t hold back and will break Williams. Williams says they’re on for two weeks at Heatwave. Dragunov is going to kill him, but Williams should put up a good fight.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey think Tank Ledger and Hank Walker are cowards for backing out of their match due to injury. Damon Kemp comes in to say he’s their man if they are looking for toughness. That’s just one, so here are Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen to say they’re tough. A tag match is made.

Bron Breakker is ready for Von Wagner.

Rey Mysterio gives Roxanne Perez a pep talk and is impressed with her. Thea Hail comes in and is a nervous wreck to meet him. Rey praises the heart he sees in the ring with her and she seems amazes. Thea asks if he still loves Dominik, which Rey says he does, even if things aren’t great right now. Rey leaves and Chase U comes in to say that was Rey Mysterio, Hall of Famer! Thea: “I know. And unlike you, he wouldn’t throw in the towel!” YOWZA that was cold.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who powers Breakker into the corner to start but Breakker runs him over with a clothesline. Breakker drops him again and hits a standing moonsault (or most of it) for two. Back up and a double clothesline leaves both of them down again for a breather. Wagner gets up and hits a running big boot but the fans want tables. Breakker doesn’t mind and hits a spear for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. Nice power match here and they went the right way with the far more established Breakker winning, but please stop with the table stuff. It’s bad enough to have the fans chant for them in every weapons based match and I really don’t want to hear about them every time Wagner is out there at all. They’ve been done to death so many times that they’re probably eligible to be put on trial as a serial killer and those chants can take over a match way too fast. Find something else for Wagner to use as a thing please, before it gets even worse.

Post match Breakker goes after Stone but Wagner powerbombs him through a table.

Eddy Thorpe talks about the spirit he was given to fight for his people but Dijak has taken him out more than once. Now he has to take responsibility to refocus and readjust.

Lyra Valkyria interrupts Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, but she accuses Ripley of manipulating people. Ripley doesn’t like being accused of helping Dominik retain the title, so Valkyria challenges her to not be in Dominik’s corner tonight.

Schism asks Tony D’Angelo and Stacks about the Creed Brothers but tease coming after the Tag Team Titles instead.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey

Fallon Henley is here with Briggs and Jensen. Gulak backs Jensen into the corner to start but charges into a boot to the face. An elbow misses for Jensen though and it’s Dempsey coming in for a headlock takeover. Cue Myles Borne to be in Gulak/Dempsey’s corner but since he doesn’t have water, Gulak sends him away. Briggs comes in to slam Dempsey and drops an elbow for two.

It’s back to Gulak, who is quickly taken into the wrong corner, with Briggs sending him flying off a slam. Briggs and Jensen drop Gulak but it’s Dempsey gets the tag anyway and twists Briggs’ arm over the ropes. Dempsey cranks on the arm, with Vic saying he has a regal approach to this kind of thing. Briggs fights up and brings Jensen back in as everything breaks down. Cue Damon Kemp to suplex Jensen, allowing Dempsey to snap off a dragon suplex and pin Jensen at 5:46.

Rating: C+ Briggs and Jensen have kind of fallen off the face of the planet since the Henley/Kiana James deal ended and that’s a shame as they aren’t a bad team most of the time. That being said, I do like Kemp being added to Gulak/Dempsey. They fit well together and that could be a nice three man team going forward.

Dana Brooke wants to know what that was from Kelani Jordan, but Jordan doesn’t know what her killer instinct looks like. Brooke will show her next week when she faces Blair Davenport. This really isn’t working as it’s still just Dana Brooke.

Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James

Before the match, James promises to tap into her wild side. James jumps her before the bell and takes it outside, with Nile getting posted and suplexed. Back in and we hit the armbar as we take a break. We come back with Schism surrounding the ring and rhythmically slapping the mat. Nile fights up but charges into a boot in the corner, allowing James to hit the spinebuster. A Fujiwara armbar has Nile in more trouble but she’s back with a powerslam. Schism offers a distraction though and a knee to the back of the head finishes Nile at 7:41.

Rating: C. Yay more Schism, as this one angle has been on TV four times tonight. I still do not get what NXT sees in these guys but they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. At least they’ve mainly been portrayed as a bit more unhinged this week, as they have been the lamest cult in a long time. As for the match, James being more aggressive is good but they still need to find a way to make her stand out more. Nile continues to feel like a missed opportunity and could be something, provided she doesn’t have to talk.

Post match Schism gets in the ring but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks run in with crowbars for the save.

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo text each other about how they’re a joke now but want to honor their grandfather. A reunion is teased.

Tyler Bate is polishing up his new Heritage Cup when the Meta Four come in to say Noam Dar needs it back for emotional support. Nathan Frazer comes in with his own cup and says they’re a Spider-Man meme. They argue over which cup is real and the result is Dar getting his cup back AND a shot at the real thing at Heatwave. Frazer to Bate: “I owe you one?” Bate: “Yep.”

Tiffany Stratton is asked what’s next for her but talks about clothes instead of the title.

Trick Williams runs into Wes Lee in the parking lot and is told to tell Carmelo Hayes to be ready. Williams tells Lee to tell him himself but Lee drives away. Drew Gulak and company show up to mock Williams and then tell Myles Borne he’s late again.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

North American Title: Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik, with Rhea Ripley, is defending and Rey Mysterio, who handles Lee’s entrance, is in Lee’s corner. Lee knocks him into the corner to start and hits the slingshot dropkick to send Dominik outside. The fight with Rey is teased and we take a break. Back with Dominik taunting Rey and grabbing a chinlock. Three Amigos hit Lee and Dominik hammers away with right hands.

Dominik goes for the mask, which fires up Lee to start the comeback. Lee knocks him outside for a big dive but Dominik grabs a neckbreaker for two back inside. They trade shots to the face until Dominik hits a 619. The frog splash hits raised knees though and the powerbomb gets two. Rhea slides in the North American Title but Rey takes it away. That’s enough for Rhea to hit Lee with the Women’s Title, allowing Dominik to hit a Michinoku Driver to retain at 11:40.

Rating: B-. One of the good things about Dominik is that he is far from a disaster in the ring. While he’s nothing compared to his dad (most aren’t), he’s certainly capable of having a completely acceptable match. That was on display here, with the Ripley stuff being more of a way to bail Dominik out rather than saving him at the beginning. Lee will get there one day, but Dominik isn’t losing that title for a long time, and that’s how it should be.

Post match Rhea yells at Rey but Lyra Valkyria comes in to send Rhea to the floor. The heroes stand in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe it was the show feeling longer with the limited breaks or something, but this show was testing my patience more than once. Between Scrypts, Schism and Dana Brooke getting so much time, it was a tough show at times and that isn’t a good thing to do. The action was mostly fine, but there were enough annoying parts to bring it back down. Not their worst show ever, but getting rid of some of the bad parts would help a lot.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Axiom – 450
Blair Davenport b. Kelani Jordan – Knee to the face
Tyler Bate b. Drew Gulak 2-1
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey b. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs – Dragon suplex to Jensen
Kiana James b. Ivy Nile – Knee to the back of the head
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee – Michinoku Driver

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: July 25, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for the Great American Bash and believe it or not, Judgment Day is here again. At least Dominik Mysterio being North American Champion gives him a reason to be here, but WWE is getting dangerously close to overexposing the team. Other than that, we get the final showdown between Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov before their title match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Dominik Mysterio winning and defending the North American Title.

Here are Dominik and Rhea Ripley to get things going. They talk about how great each other is until Rhea has to shout down a CUT THE MULLET chant. As for Lyra Valkyria….and never mind as here is Wes Lee to interrupt. Lee hates seeing Dominik holding that title and wants his rematch TONIGHT.

Cue Mustafa Ali to say he respects Lee but not so much Dominik. Ali wanted his chance to be the new North American Champion but Dominik stole it when this clown….and Lee doesn’t like that. Ali didn’t mean it like that but Dominik says this is a problem between them. That makes Ali swing at Dominik, only to hit Lee. Dominik: “Excuse me, champ coming through.” The other two brawl as Dominik and Rhea escape. Just make the triple threat already, but first of all, make sure you praise Rhea for the little silent things she does. Here she had her head on Dominik’s shoulder and the biggest grin on her face and it made things so much better.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are ready to win the Tag Team Titles. Lucien Price and Bronco Nima come in to say they want the belts too, so a match is on for tonight.

Lyra Valkyria challenged Rhea Ripley for tonight. This video might have been more effective if the match hadn’t already been announced.

Valkyria says she has been here for seven months and needs to know where she stands. She isn’t going to stand in the shadows like Jacy Jayne because people will see who she is.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams/Ilja Dragunov vs. Schism

Hayes and Joe Gacy start things off with an exchange of knockdowns. Williams comes in for a rather high dropkick but Gacy hits him in the face and brings in Reid. That’s fine with Williams, who hits him in the face and hands it off to Dragunov. Fowler comes in and gets wrestled down without much trouble, meaning Williams can hit him in the face. Everything breaks down and Schism is sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Hayes fighting up and bringing Williams back in. Gacy gets knocked to the floor as Dragunov tags himself back in and knocks the other two outside. Dragunov goes outside with him but misses a charge which sends Williams hard into the steps. Back in and Fowler actually takes over on Dragunov, who chops his way to freedom rather quickly. Everything breaks down and some of the Schism followers pull Reid and Fowler down. Hayes tags himself in and Nothing But Net finishes Gacy at 11:28.

Rating: C+. The ending is what matters here, as Dragunov has been on a roll in recent weeks so Hayes needed to get some momentum of his own on his way to the title match. the (allegedly) incidental contact is more than enough to make things personal and the title match should be awesome.

Video on Tiffany Stratton, who knows she is awesome and isn’t sweating a submission match with Thea Hail.

Von Wagner vs. Javier Bernal

Bernal jumps him to start but gets booted in the face. Wagner hammers away on the mat and hits a swinging slam for the pin at 1:02.

Post match Wagner puts him through the announcers’ table but gets blindsided by Bron Breakker. The beating is on and Wagner gets chaired down for a bonus.

Trick Williams goes after Ilja Dragunov in the back, with Dragunov threatening to break him. Carmelo Hayes says he has this but Williams wants Dragunov tonight. He’s going to call Dragunov out, even with Hayes not looking happy.

Here is Gable Steveson for his big decision. Steveson lists off some of his accomplishments in the Olympics and says he has options in front of him. He is ready to announce his decision but Baron Corbin cuts him off. Corbin talks about how Steveson should just go back to college because this place is full of sharks. Steveson needs to leave before he gets hurt, which he says makes his decision for him. The challenge is on for the Great American Bash and Corbin gets suplexed a few times.

Dana Brooke vs. Cora Jade

Singapore Cane match and Kelani James is here with Brooke, who seems to have a Catwoman theme going. They fight on the floor to start and Brooke sends her into the steps. Jade is sent hard over the announcers’ table, with Booker T. getting wiped out in the process (Fans: “ARE YOU OK?). Jordan comes back by taking out the legs and there’s the stick to the back.

They get inside with Jade piling up a bunch of sticks and slamming Brooke onto all of them. One heck of a running knee in the corner hits Brooke in the face but she gets in a shot of her own for a breather. The handspring elbow in the corner sets up a failed bulldog though and Jade hits the DDT for…two. A Jordan distraction lets Brooke send Jade into a chair, allowing Brooke to get the pink kendo stick. Brooke slams her onto the chair and drops a Swanton for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C. Ok that result is a surprise as I never would have bet on Jade actually losing here. Jade seemed to be ready for a push up the card over the last few months but for some reason she lost here in what should be an upset. Those stick shots were rather loud too, making this a more violent than expected match.

Carmelo Hayes warns Ilja Dragunov about Trick Williams wanting to call him out. Dragunov is fine with that, but it won’t be for a match. He will break Williams, and then he’ll break Hayes at the Great American Bash.

Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey are training with Myles Borne, who doesn’t impress them. Damon Kemp comes in and wants to train with them, which works for the villains.

Bronco Nima/Lucien Price vs. Tony D’Angelo/Stacks

Scrypts is on commentary as Nima takes over on Stacks. It’s quickly off to Price, who gets elbowed in the face. D’Angelo comes in and is taken down but manages to knock Nima into the corner. It’s already back to Stacks for a chinlock, which doesn’t last long either. Price is back in for a running corner clothesline. Cue Axiom to go after Scrypts and the distraction lets D’Angelo come in to clean house. The Bada Bing finishes Price at 4:55.

Rating: C. I didn’t think it was possible, but Scrypts actually made commentary more annoying. I’m not sure what WWE sees in him other than being a heck of an athlete but anything involving Scrypts talking is horrible. As for the match, the Family getting a win makes sense as they have a title match this weekend, but Price and Nima losing so soon was really surprising.

Post match Gallus pops up to say they’re retaining on Sunday.

Dijak is ready to hurt Eddy Thorpe.

Zion Clark is in the crowd (apparently an MMA fighter and author).

Great American Bash rundown.

We get some cell phone footage of Roxanne Perez attacking Blair Davenport in what looks to be a convenience store. Perez beats her up and threatens her for their fight at the Bash before leaving as the cops arrive. No green frogs were harmed in the filming of this fight.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with the Meta Four. Their guest this week is the REAL Heritage Cup champion, Noam Dar! They recap Dar losing the Cup….which they somehow have here! Dar wakes up from his stupor and gets out of his wheelchair before going to stand on his couch. Cue Nathan Frazer (with the real Cup) and Dragon Lee to say Dar is a fraud. Now it’s Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz to take out the women, allowing Frazer and Lee to clear the ring.

Duke Hudson and Andre Chase narrate a Thea Hail training montage. Thea says she doesn’t need a miracle, because all she needs is a chance.

Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza yelled at each other and officially split up.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Rhea Ripley

Non-title and Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley. Valkyria’s headlock doesn’t last long as we hear about Dominik having a triple threat title defense on Sunday. Ripley gets tripped down and looks rather mad, only to get rolled up for two. Back up and Ripley knocks her down but gets rolled up for two more. That earns Valkyria one heck of a German suplex and we take a break.

Back with Ripley hitting a belly to back faceplant for two but Riptide is countered into a choke. Ripley breaks that up and goes up top, only to spend too much time looking at Dominik. Valkyria sends her outside for an apron hurricanrana but Ripley pulls a high crossbody out of the air. A suplex is countered into a DDT on Ripley for two but Valkyria gets kicked down. The Riptide finishes for Ripley at 10:12.

Rating: B. And that is how you give someone one heck of a rub. Ripley talked about how awesome Valkyria was a few weeks ago and then backed it up in the ring here. This was a great way to make Valkyria look like a star, as while she isn’t as good as Ripley, she could be a force around here with some more time. Heck of a match and Ripley made Valkyria look very impressive.

Post match Ripley says prove her right and beat Jacy Jayne.

Great American Bash rundown.

Here is Trick Williams to call out Ilja Dragunov, who comes straight down the aisle. A dropkick hits Dragunov and Williams unloads on him against the barricade. Dragunov fights back and unloads with chops in the corner before dropping a big right hand to the face. Carmelo Hayes tries to make the save and gets dropped as well. Dragunov promises to take the title on Sunday to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had some nice moments and the wrestling was mostly ok, but what matters most is it made me more interested in seeing the Sunday’s pay per view. That’s the point of a show like this one and they made it work. The Bash needs to be a hit as they don’t do shows like that very often, but the hype for the show went well and that’s what matters the most, at least for tonight.

Results
Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams/Ilja Dragunov b. Schism – Nothing But Net to Gacy
Von Wagner b. Javier Bernal – Swinging slam
Dana Brooke b. Cora Jade – Swanton
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Lucien Price/Bronco Nima – Bada Bing to Price
Rhea Ripley b. Lyra Valkyria – Riptide

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: 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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NXT
Date: June 27, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the second half of the Gold Rush tournament and that means we have a title match main event. Baron Corbin will finally get his shot against Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title, plus the Tag Team and Women’s Titles are on the line. That is a heck of a card so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

Women’s Title: Thea Hail vs. Tiffany Stratton

Hail, with Duke Hudson, is challenging. Some rollups give Hail two but the Kimura sends Stratton straight to the rope. Cue Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak as Stratton gets in a shot to take over, setting up a double stomp for two. Stratton starts working on the arm and we take a break.

Back with Hail firing away in the corner and grabbing a t-bone suplex. The spelling stomps set up an armbar but Hudson is arguing with Dempsey. Hail gets the Kimura again and Stratton taps but the referee is yelling at Gulak. Hail makes the eternal mistake of letting the hold go and getting the referee, allowing Stratton to get the rollup pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. Hail continues to be such an entertaining ball of energy out there and it is hard to take your eyes off of her. At the same time, Stratton feels like an absolute star and someone who is going to keep the title for a long time to come. Hail’s title win might happen someday, but it’s Stratton’s time and NXT seems to know it.

Post match Dempsey and Gulak beat down Hudson but Andre Chase returns for the save. The people seem to still like him.

Video on Ilja Dragunov, who loves fighting.

Gallus still hasn’t heard from Joe Coffey.

Last week, Dana Brooke was getting her knee looked at when Kelani Jordan came in. Jordan praised her and there seems to be some respect.

Tag Team Titles: Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Gallus

Gallus is defending. Blade rolls away from Joe to start and slips out of a double teaming in the corner. Enofe comes in to start working on Wolfgang’s arm before it’s right back to Blade to headlock Mark. A dropkick gets two as we see Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo watching from the platform.

We take a break and come back with Blade in trouble as Wolfgang cranks on the neck. Coffey shoulders him down and grabs a front facelock, only to go after Enofe. The distraction lets Blade duck underneath and bring in Enofe to clean house. Enofe tries to use Coffey as a launchpad but slips, only to come back with a spinebuster for two instead. A frog splash gets two on Coffey with Wolfgang making the save. Cue Stacks to go after Coffey but he knocks Enofe into the steps by mistake (though he doesn’t seem too upset by it). The flapjack/dropkick finishes Enofe to retain at 13:13.

Rating: C+. I still think Enofe and Blade could and should be champions someday and moving the belts here wouldn’t have been the worst idea. Gallus isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire as champions and it would be nice to see some fresh blood around the belts. At least there seems to be something going on with the Stacks deal, but Gallus still aren’t all that interesting.

The Meta Four don’t want to talk about losing the Heritage Cup but Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend want the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

It’s time for a Schism family meeting. Joe Gacy tells them to speak freely, with Dyad talking about how their lives were supposed to be made better. The problem is that Gacy’s life is the only one getting better. Gacy accuses Fowler of not letting Reid have a voice, with Fowler saying Gacy bosses them around.

That doesn’t work for Gacy, who says they were never fully dedicated but they’re in a better form now. Cue the Diamond Mine to say they’re sick of this and declare Schism a cancer that wants to take over NXT. Gacy wants the Creeds vs. the Dyad next week, loser leaves NXT. The Creeds are in, though Julius looks a bit nervous. Schism’s schism continues and it couldn’t happen to a more annoying group.

Lucien Price and Bronco Nima talk about growing up together and using football to let out their aggression. Now they’re back on the same time and they’re here to dominate.

Axiom/Scrypts and Hank Walker/Tank Ledger are impressed by Price and Nima. Nathan Frazer walks up and gets some congratulations from Axiom on winning the Heritage Cup. Axiom says he’s drawn to the cup.

Trick Williams gives Carmelo Hayes a pep talk….and Rhea Ripley shows up (BIG pop for that). She warns them to stay out of Judgment Day business and leaves.

Heritage Cup: Dragon Lee vs. Nathan Frazer

Lee is challenging. Round One begins with neither being able to get anywhere on the mat. Neither can get anywhere off a wristlock so we have a standoff. Cue Axiom to watch as Frazer works away on a headlock. Scrypts is here too as they trade rollups for near falls each. They fight over a lockup and get nowhere as the round ends.

Round Two begins with Frazer snapping off a flying mare and hitting a running dropkick. Lee tries a hurricanrana out of the corner but gets pulled into a sunset flip to give Frazer the first fall at 1:10 of the round and 5:05 overall. Round Three begins with Lee cartwheeling his way out of a hurricanrana. Lee knocks him outside and hits the big flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Round Three over, the score still 1-0 Frazer, and about a minute of Round Four done. Frazer hits a dive to the floor but Lee hits a quick powerbomb for the pin at 1:45 of the round and 10:33 overall. Round Five starts with Lee tying him in the Tree of Woe for the top rope double stomp. They both go up top and come crashing down, with Lee hitting another powerbomb or two. They’re both down for a bit before slugging it out from their knees. A fight over a rollup goes to Frazer, who gets the pin at 2:59 of the round and 13:02 overall to retain.

Rating: B-. These rounds matches can be tricky as while they’re entertaining, they make me want to see these wrestlers have a regular match without the gimmicky setup. Lee and Frazer could have a heck of a match out there no matter what, so why chop it up with the round stuff? Either way, good match and the best on the show so far.

Raw Underground is back next week.

We see Gable Steveson training Eddy Thorpe for his Raw Underground match with Damon Kemp. Steveson will be in Thorpe’s corner.

Mustafa Ali comes in to see Wes Lee and apologizes for getting a little too involved as referee last week. Tyler Bate comes in to question how things went last week. Ali wants a title shot and Bate offers to referee. Bate and Ali bicker as Lee walks off.

Mr. Stone can’t find Von Wagner. Then he finds Von Wagner, who is upset over the photo of him as a baby and everything his family had to go through. Wagner says he can’t do this right now and leaves.

Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

They fight over a lockup until Dolin starts in on the armbar. Dolin dropkicks her up against the ropes and gets two off a rollup before they crash out to the floor. We take a break and come back with James going outside again, but this time she manages to send Dolin into the steps. We hit the chinlock back inside but Dolin fights up again. With nothing else working, James goes for her loaded bag, only to get caught with a crucifix bomb to give Dolin the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. Dolin is in a weird place as NXT seems interested in pushing her but it doesn’t ever really seem to go anywhere. She feels unique enough that she can do something interesting but it hasn’t exactly gone to that next level. James isn’t much higher up at the moment, though she seems to have found more of a niche than Dolin.

Post match James hits her with the bag and pours cans of paint onto Dolin.

We go to the prison, where Joe Coffey visits Tony D’Angelo. Tony looks confused but Joe says things have changed since Tony was locked up. Tony promises that Stacks will handle things, but Joe says Stacks already has things handled. Stacks has ambition, with Joe saying Stacks sold Tony out. Joe plays some audio from his phone, with Stacks talking about how he’s the new Don and wanting Gallus to lay low for a week.

We look at Blair Davenport jumping Roxanne Perez during a fan Q&A show.

Jacy Jayne isn’t happy with Lyra Valkyria, who pops up to hit her in the face. Rhea Ripley pops up to say Jayne deserved that and Valkyria is a bada**.

The Dyad freaks out over next week’s Loser Leaves NXT match but Ava calms them down.

NXT Title: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending. They start fast with Hayes sending him outside and nailing a dive as we take an early break. Back with the fight heading outside again and Hayes being sent over the barricade. A big boot knocks Hayes silly but he gets out of a chinlock. The springboard clothesline takes Corbin down but he grabs a backbreaker for a breather.

Corbin rips the shirt off and drops Hayes with an elbow before taking him up top. Hayes knocks him off for a frog splash and the Fade Away his Corbin as well. The springboard DDT gets two more and a cradle gets two. Corbin is right back with an AA into the chokebreaker for two of his own and frustration sets in.

They fight out to the floor with Corbin sending him face first into the announcers’ table. Some elbows to the head drive said head into the table for two back inside. Deep Six is broken up but the second attempt plants Hayes for two more. Hayes manages to send him to the apron for a slingshot DDT. Back in and Nothing But Net finishes Corbin to retain the title at 16:28.

Rating: B-. The length hurt this one a good bit as it stopped being interesting early on, got a bit better near the end and then just kept going. Cut out about five minutes of this and it’s a lot better, though they did have me wondering if they were actually going to change the title here. Hayes is starting to feel like a champion and if he can avoid unnecessary losses like this week on Raw, he’ll be good for the time being.

We get a preview of next week’s show, including Mustafa Ali one on one with Tyler Bate.

Bron Breakker leaves Shawn Michaels’ office, shouting about how he has beaten everyone and Shawn can’t control him. Breakker says you’ll see what he means next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a classic or even must see show, as a lot of it felt like a bunch of stuff you might see on a month of normal shows stacked up onto one. The action was good enough and things were set up for next week, but it was missing that spark that really made it feel special. For now though, good enough show, even if it wasn’t as solid of a showing as last week.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Thea Hail – Rollup
Gallus b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Flapjack/dropkick combination to Enofe
Nathan Frazer b. Dragon Lee 2-1
Gigi Dolin b. Kiana James – Crucifix bomb
Carmelo Hayes b. Baron Corbin – Nothing But Net

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: June 6, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The main roster has come to invade NXT as Baron Corbin and Mustafa Ali both showed up here last week. That is something that should have some value for NXT, as it’s not like the two of them were doing anything on Raw and/or Smackdown. If they can make things better around here then good for them. Let’s get to it.

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

Baron Corbin arrives in the back and says hit his music. The production assistant isn’t arguing so here is Corbin in the arena. Corbin talks about how he never thought he would be back here because he got the call and never looked back. Now NXT wrestlers come up and play on their phones, acting like they belong there. Back here, you have stars acting like they’re owed something when people like Corbin, who came from FCW, got things ready for them. He blames the NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, who got a taste of main roster reality last week.

Cue Ilja Dragunov to interrupt, saying he isn’t soft and after Battleground, he’s the #1 contender to the NXT Title. Corbin calls this NXT arrogance but Dragunov doesn’t care about what Corbin has done. Dragunov wants the title to be the best rather than proving something. Corbin can make assumptions, but Dragunov makes challenges. The challenge is on and Corbin promises to hurt Dragunov. With Dragunov gone, cue Trick Williams to jump Corbin and chase him off. Having Dragunov standing up for NXT makes him feel like a star, which is only going to be good for everyone.

Thea Hail is very sore after training with Charlie Dempsey as she runs into Duke Hudson. Dempsey shouts that he wants more effort tomorrow, with Hail’s shouts back at him worrying Hudson a bit. Hail demonstrates a quick wristlock and Hudson seems to think they’ve created a monster.

During the break, Bron Breakker jumped Ilja Dragunov.

Schism vs. Diamond Mine

That would be Ava/the Dyad for Schism. Julius and Fowler start things off with the former working on an armbar. It’s off to Reid, who gets wrestled down so Brutus can come in for some armbarring of his own. Julius comes back in and, with both of them on the mat, lifts Reid up into a delayed vertical suplex, with reps, before dropping him down.

Ava tags herself in so Nile has to join her, but Fowler and Brutus are right back in. Brutus slams him down and hits a standing moonsault as the Mine clears the ring. We take a break and come back with Brutus fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked into the corner. Ava even gets in a cheap shot but Brutus powers up.

The hot tag brings in Julius for his string of suplexes and nipups (that’s just impressive) before a double suplex drops the Dyad. A string of clotheslines leaves only the women standing so they come in for a slugout. Reid has to break up the Diamond Chain Lock and gets choked out for his efforts. The distraction lets Ava get in a shot with the mask to pin Nile at 13:24.

Rating: C+. What mattered here was getting another showcase for the Creeds, who still feel like they’re the best team in NXT by a fairly wide margin. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly seem like Ava is ready for anything that complicated and they did a nice job of protecting her limitations here. Getting her feet wet is a good thing though and this was a nice baby step for her in her first match on regular TV.

Stacks visits Tony D’Angelo in prison, who gets to watch Peacock here but wants to know who squealed on him. Tony thinks it was Gallus and tells Stacks to figure something out.

Mr. Stone and Von Wagner have had troubles finding the right therapist until Wagner finds a rather attractive blonde one. He’ll go in alone.

Dani Palmer vs. Blair Davenport

Palmer tries an anklescissors out of the corner and gets dropped down onto her face for her efforts. Davenport hits a gutbuster before wrestling Palmer down into a waistlock. Some knees to the face give Palmer two but Davenport gives her a much harder knee. A Falcon Arrow finishes Palmer at 3:01.

Rating: C. This was just a quick destruction to give Davenport an official in-ring appearance. She wrecked Palmer here, despite Palmer getting in a shot or two of her own. I don’t think anyone was expecting Palmer to be the dragon slayer here, as Davenport very well could be a big time villain for a good while to come. She certainly has done some damage so far, putting her off to a strong start.

Dana Brooke is here and enters herself in the battle royal to crown a new #1 contender to Tiffany Stratton.

Stratton isn’t surprised that Brooke wants in and thinks Lyra Valkyria is the only possible winner.

Baron Corbin vs. Trick Williams

Corbin sends him into the corner to start and hits a running clothesline to the back of the head. Some shots to the ribs keep Williams in trouble and Corbin sends him flying. Williams gets in a quick shot of his own though and Corbin is on the floor as we take a break. Back with Williams fighting out of a chinlock and sending Corbin outside. Corbin is fine enough to avoid a running knee against the announcers’ table and Williams is down again.

We hit the half crab back inside, with Williams making it over to the ropes. The knee is fine enough for a dropkick and a running neckbreaker gives Williams two. There’s a kick to Corbin’s head but he is right back with Deep Six for two of his own. Corbin cuts of a comeback by going after the knee again, setting up End Of Days for the pin at 11:26.

Rating: C. Perfectly acceptable match here as Williams was trying but ultimately came up short against a much more accomplished star. Corbin might be a bit of a joke on the main roster but he can be a force when he is working his power style. Williams’ progress continues to impress me, as he looks very comfortable in the ring no matter what he is doing. There are a lot of wrestlers who cannot say that so well done.

Post match, Corbin says he’ll be here next week if Ilja Dragunov is ready.

Nathan Frazer is back with his Hard Hitting Home Truths talk show, where he recaps Battleground and says he isn’t happy with Noam Dar. Dragon Lee is brought in as his new correspondent with a list of slightly humorous names for Dar’s new group. Frazer gets to the point by challenging Dar for the Heritage Cup next week.

Mustafa Ali says he is a free agent and can write his own story in NXT. He’s here to win a title when Wes Lee interrupts. Ali doesn’t want to be handed an opportunity and is ready to start earning it against Joe Gacy tonight. Everything appears to be cool here.

Mustafa Ali vs. Joe Gacy

No seconds here for Gacy, who turns Ali inside out with an early clothesline. Ali’s springboard is shoved away and his face slams into the apron for an early two. Back in and a release Rock Bottom sets up a DDT for two on Ali but he’s right back with the rolling neckbreaker. A superplex is loaded up but Ali reverses into a sunset bomb. The 450 finishes Gacy at 3:12.

Rating: C. The bottom might be dropping out for Gacy soon and that could be a rather nice thing to see. The rest of Schism has never been the big problem so if NXT is thinking about a switch on top, things might actually be looking up for the team. For now though, Ali got a nice win and establishes himself a bit around here, which is something that he needed to do in a hurry. Not bad here, but they only had so much time.

Post match the Dyad runs in for the beatdown but Wes Lee and Tyler Bate make the save.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen give Fallon Henley a pep talk for the battle royal. With Henley gone, Edris Enofe and Malik Blade come in to test how close Briggs and Jensen are. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger come in to show their partnership as well, with Enofe and Blade not doing so well. Blade and Enofe are left alone, with Gallus coming in to challenge them to a Tag Team Title match next week. There was a lot packed in to a few minutes here and I’m not sure how interesting it was.

Noam Dar introduces the rest of his team (Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson and Oro Mensah), collectively known as the Meta Four. He’ll gladly defend the Heritage Cup against Nathan Frazer next week.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp

Thorpe goes for the legs to start but it’s too early for a Boston crab. Kemp snaps off an overhead belly to belly and rakes a boot over Thorpe’s eyes as a heel tends to do. The reverse chinlock goes on but Thorpe fights up again. Kemp tries to knock him into the corner but almost hits the referee, meaning the brakes need to be hit. That allows Thorpe to grab a bridging German suplex for the pin at 4:05, despite Kemp’s foot being on the rope.

Rating: C-. That’s a storyline advancing ending if I’ve ever seen one, though I’m not entirely sure why. It’s not like Thorpe is getting anything out of beating Kemp multiple times as Kemp isn’t exactly a major star. NXT does seem intent on trying something with Thorpe though, as he gets a win to erase some of his first loss to Tyler Bate. Still though, I would think he could do better than a feud with Kemp.

Gigi Dolin and Kiana James bicker until Dabba-Kato cuts them off.

Scrypts vs. Dabba-Kato

Scrypts strikes away to start and is knocked down with a single shot. One heck of a big boot cuts Scrypts off and Kato sends him crashing to the floor. Back in and cue Axiom for a distraction, allowing Scrypts to avoid a charge and get a rollup pin at 2:53. That was fast and it seems the plug might already have been pulled on Kato.

Post match Kato wrecks both of them. Doesn’t mean quite as much after losing to Scrypts.

Joe Gacy is mad and promises to take care of Wes Lee, Tyler Bate and Mustafa Ali. For now though, he needs to reflect.

Ali and company are ready to take out Schism next week. In addition though, Ali wants to see Bate vs. Lee, which works for them. They’ll figure out the details after next week, and after Ali qualifies for Money In The Bank this week.

Battle Royal

Lyra Valkyria, Gigi Dolin, Kiana James, Fallon Henley, Dana Brooke, Thea Hail, Cora Jade, Jakara Jackson, Lash Legend, Elektra Lopez, Roxanne Perez, Jacy Jayne, Kelani Jordan, Brooklyn Barlow, Valentina Feroz, Yulisa Leon, Tatum Paxley, Lola Vice

The winner gets a Women’s Title shot against Tiffany Stratton. Oro Mensah saves Jackson from an early elimination as Vice is tossed out. Dolin takes James to the apron but gets knocked out with a crash into the apron. Jordan is out as well and Henley sends Jackson to the apron, where Hail eliminates her. With Hail on the floor (through the ropes so not out), Legend sends her into the steps. Leon and Feroz get rid of Legend but Jackson and Legend pull both of them out (eliminated) and we take a break.

Back with Blair Davenport (not in the match) here to watch, so Perez goes to the floor to beat her up. Paxley eliminates herself to save Davenport and throws Perez back in so Jayne can eliminate her. Valkyria cleans house and eliminates Jayne but gets eliminated by Jayne. We’re down to Brooke, Jade, Henley and James, with Henley and James slugging it out.

Henley eliminates James but Brooke clotheslines Henley and Jade at the same time. Brooke tosses Henley and kicks Jade in the head and they’re both down. Hang on though as Hail was never eliminated and comes back in to become the instant crowd favorite. Hail is thrown to the apron but comes back in, where Brooke hits a running flipping neckbreaker. Back up and Hail dumps them both for the win at 13:06.

Rating: C+. There was enough going on here to keep things interesting and that is always nice to see in a battle royal. Hail winning is a nice way to go as she is going to get a great reaction, even if it would be a stunner to see her win. The rest of the women did well, with Brooke getting far but coming up short. They kept this moving and that is normally enough to make a battle royal work out.

Post match Chase U, including the NIL signee Cavinder Twins, come out to put Hail on their shoulders.

Bron Breakker is leaving, but first says that he is tired of disrespect so he’s starting at the top. Like with Seth Rollins. Come down here and give Breakker a World Heavyweight Championship shot if he’s a real workhorse. That escalated quickly.

Overall Rating: C+. Some of the middle of the show let a bit to be desired but I’m digging the WWE stars coming down here to offer some fresh blood. They’re known names and people with at least something of a reputation but they’re new around here, which is what NXT needs. Let them spice things up a bit, which has been the case so far. Throw in the new version of Hail, Schism having problems and Breakker wanting Rollins and I had fun with a show that was good enough to get by.

Results
Schism b. Diamond Mine – Mask shot to Nile
Blair Davenport b. Dani Palmer – Falcon Arrow
Baron Corbin b. Trick Williams – End Of Days
Mustafa Ali b. Joe Gacy – 450
Eddy Thorpe b. Damon Kemp – Bridging German suplex
Scrypts b. Dabba-Kato – Rollup
Thea Hail won a battle royal last eliminating Dana Brooke

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

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NXT
Date: May 9, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Things are going to be different around here as the Draft took away so many big name NXT stars. That means some spots are going to have to be filled, but in addition we have Battleground coming up in less than three weeks. We’re going to be in for a heck of a balancing act, including the Women’s Title tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Indi Hartwell vacating the Women’s Title due to her main roster promotion last week. A tournament was announced and chaos ensued.

The eight participants in the tournament are in the aisle and we’re starting fast.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Tiffany Stratton vs. Gigi Dolin

Stratton gets a promo before the match, complaining about being in the tournament and saying she needs this like she needs a pair of fat jeans. A clothesline doesn’t work for Dolin as Stratton Matrixes away, only to have her arm kicked out. Dolin hits a Bronco Buster in the corner but misses a second, allowing Stratton to start in on Dolin’s bad shoulder.

Stratton takes her down by the arm for two but Dolin manages a whip into the corner for two. Stratton’s snapmare out of the corner sets up a missed…I’m not sure, but she’s fine enough to block the abdominal stretch bomb. A Regal Roll sets up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to finish Dolin at 4:30.

Rating: C. Stratton has to be a favorite to win the title, or at least be in the final, so it makes sense to have her win here. Dolin isn’t about to win here, though I was a bit relieved that Jacy Jayne didn’t interfere here. Let Stratton get her win to start the tournament right, as she very well could be the next champion.

We have brackets for the tournament:

Tiffany Stratton
Jacy Jayne/Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria
Kiana James

Fallon Henley
Cora Jade

The Dyad is ready for their Tag Team Title shot but Joe Gacy is following Ava’s advice: he won’t be at ringside.

Earlier today at the barber shop, Trick Williams says he’s ready for Bron Breakker, with Carmelo Hayes thanking him for standing up to Breakker last week. Williams is ready for tonight alone, which is cool with Hayes.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Dyad

Dyad, with Ava, is defending, so Joe Coffey is here with the champs to even it out. Gallus takes over on Reid’s arm to start but Fowler comes in for a clothesline to take over. It’s back to Mark, who gets kicked in the face, setting up an enziguri into a Downward Spiral for two.

We take a break and come back with Mark fighting up on Reid and bringing Wolfgang in to clean house. A double Rock Bottom gives Gallus two but Ava offers a distraction, allowing Reid to get in a DDT. Cue Ivy Mile to go after Ava, allowing Gallus to hit the big boot/flapjack combination to finish Fowler at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Fine enough match, but what matters is that the Dyad didn’t win the titles. maybe they tie this into Gacy not being there and we get a rematch later, but anything with less Schism is a good thing. The tag division isn’t exactly deep right now, but Tony D’Angelo and Stacks would be fine. As for this match, it was fine enough for a title defense, though not quite some instant classic.

Gallus is off to drink.

Thea Hail wished she was drafted but Javier Bernal comes in to mock her. Duke Hudson comes in to say that Hail did well on her exam. Bernal thinks Hudson has a big plan, but Hudson says not so fast. He almost calls it Duke University again before a match is made for later.

A hooded figure is watching the various women who have been attacked in recent months. No word on who it is, but having that turn into something would be a good idea.

Javier Bernal vs. Duke Hudson

Thea Hail is here with Hudson, who shoves Bernal out to the floor to start. Hudson gets in a slam back inside but Bernal knocks him down for a breather. The chinlock doesn’t work and some right hands to the head trigger Hudson Dukes Up, including a side slam. A Razor’s Edge finishes Bernal at 3:54.

Rating: C. Hudson has come a long way in just a few months and I’m curious to see where this whole thing goes. You could have a story of him trying to take down Chase U or he could be telling the truth. That makes things all the more interesting, and that’s more than I would have bet on with him.

Mr. Stone and Von Wagner talk about their favorite foods until Stone whips out the picture of a baby who appears to have undergone brain surgery from last week. Wagner doesn’t want to talk about it and beats up Luca Crusifino for asking about it.

The Creeds want the next Tag Team Title shot and Gallus seems ready to fight.

Damon Kemp vs. Eddy Thorpe

Kemp takes him down to start but Thorpe is back with a headlock takeover. Back up and Kemp runs him over, only to get elbowed in the face. Thorpe’s half crab sends Kemp over to the rope so it’s a German suplex to drop Kemp again. A jumping elbow drop finishes Kemp at 4:59.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as they weren’t exactly hitting on all cylinders out there. Thorpe winning is no surprise as he seems to be getting a strong start, though something other than a jumping elbow drop to finish people off might be advisable. Other than that, I’d still like to see more of Kemp, but this seems to be his ceiling for the time being.

Kiana James is ready for the hardest first round match in the Women’s Title tournament. She accomplishes her goals though and will do it again.

Bron Breakker says he hasn’t changed his attitude, but rather he just stopped caring. He carried the NXT flag for over a year and what did it get him? Tonight, he’s going to hurt Trick Williams and put him in the same hospital he put Carmelo Hayes in.

Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov chops away to start so Dijak tells him to do it again. That’s not a good idea, as Dragunov chops him into the corner, setting up a middle rope knee drop. Dijak is fine enough to toss him off the top and out to the floor for the crash. Back in and Dragunov fights back up and slugs away, only to get caught with the Cyclone Boot for two. It’s time to grab a chair and after, after throwing the referee down, Dijak gets disqualified for using said chair on Dragunov at 4:23.

Rating: C+. I think you know one of the matches we’ll be seeing at Battleground now and I could certainly go for these two beating the fire out of each other in some kind of a stipulation match. Dijak is slowly starting to find himself again after such a long run of nothing and Dragunov works well with anyone. This is going to give us the ticked off Dragunov though, and that is just going to end in more violence.

Post match Dijak crushes Dragunov with the steps and stands on them for some choking.

Tyler Bate is meditating when Wes Lee comes in to thank him for the save last week. Lee says Bate is up next….and Bate wakes up from his meditation with no idea Lee was there. Everything is fine and he’s ready for his match.

Dani Palmer met Tank Ledger/Hank Walker and Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs. The teams agreed to a respectful match.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Tyler Bate

Drew Gulak and Wes Lee are here too. Bate slips out of a hold to start and snaps off a suplex, only to have to flip out of a Boston crab attempt. Back up and they hit heads, giving us a double knockdown. Bate is up first with an airplane spin, but here is Joe Gacy for an argument with Lee. A big dive drops Gacy and Gulak, with the diving Bate going back in to hit Bop and Bang on Dempsey. Not that it matters as Gacy gets in a cheap shot on Bate to knock him silly. Dempsey grabs a dragon suplex for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C+. There are a few places to go with this one and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends with Bate winning the title in a four way at Battleground. Bate has needed something more to do and while the meditation stuff is fine for him, some success would be even better. Dempsey as the evil wrestling machine works as well, and you can see a lot of the Villain in him.

Carmelo Hayes is on his way to help Trick Williams.

Noam Dar interrupts a Dragon Lee interview to invite him to be a guest on Supernova Sessions.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Walker and Jensen brawl on the floor to start before some double teaming takes over on Briggs inside. Jensen comes in and gets shouldered down hard but it’s back to Briggs for a big boot. We pause for Ledger to spit out a tooth (he puts it in his singlet), followed by a Hart Attack to finish him off at 2:41.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

Nathan Frazer talks about how international NXT has become but focuses on Noam Dar.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Kiana James vs. Lyra Valkyria

They trade rollups to start with neither getting very far. Another rollup gives Valkyria two but she gets sent hard into the corner. We take a break and come back with James crushing the ribs but Valkyria knocks her away. A middle rope dropkick puts James down and Valkyria sends her outside for a dive. Back in and a suplex gives Valkyria two but James’ powerbomb gets the same. Valkyria shrugs it off and hits a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They were working hard enough here and I’m a bit surprised by the result. James has been more prominently featured than Valkyria, who has yet to really find herself in NXT. Going with her into the next round is a way to go and she’s more polished in the ring than James, but it was still somewhat surprising.

Gallus is drinking at the bar when Tony D’Angelo and Stacks interrupt, saying they want a title shot. Joe Coffey isn’t having that but threats are made. Gallus’ friends get up and D’Angelo/Stacks are smart enough to leave.

Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams

They fight to the floor in a hurry, with Breakker having to suplex him onto the announcers’ table to stop an early flurry. Back in and Breakker puts on a seated abdominal stretch but Williams fights up with a dropkick. A jumping clothesline drops Breakker again and a Rock Bottom gives Williams two. Breakker has had it with this and spears him down, setting up the Recliner for the win at 6:15.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? Breakker is a machine about to get a title shot against Williams’ best friend so of course he’s going to crush Williams here. There wasn’t much else that could have been done, though Williams gave it all he had. He deserves more credit than he gets, as he has turned a basic hype man spot into something pretty good.

Post match Breakker goes for him again but Carmelo Hayes comes in. Breakker spears him out of the air (that looked GREAT) and grabs the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw, this show felt like a chance for the bosses to go “ok, what do we have now?” while running the tournament matches to fill in a lot of the space. What we got was good enough, but it felt like they were trying to fill it in as well as they could, which isn’t exactly easy given that they lost almost 20 names. Still though, good enough show, but they need to come up with something better to fill up the show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Gigi Dolin – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Gallus b. Dyad – Flapjack/big boot combination to Fowler
Duke Hudson b. Javier Bernal – Razor’s Edge
Eddy Thorpe b. Damon Kemp – Jumping elbow drop
Ilja Dragunov b. Dijak via DQ when Dijak used a chair
Charlie Dempsey b. Tyler Bate – Dragon suplex
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Hart Attack to Ledger
Lyra Valkyria b. Kiana James – Spinning kick to the face
Bron Breakker b. Trick Williams – Recliner

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

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NXT
Date: May 2, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are in for the final night before everything changes up next week. The NXT roster was gutted by the WWE Draft and now we get to see everyone have one last night around here. This is going to include multiple champions, so we could be in for some last minute title changes, which could be quite the shakeup. Or WWE will just do something stupid. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the NXT Draft picks.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Drew Gulak

Lee, with Tyler Bate (as evened out by Charlie Dempsey), is defending. An early dropkick puts Gulak on the floor but he’s back in with a sunset flip for two. Back up and Lee takes him to the top, only to get knocked to the mat for a top rope clothesline. Gulak cranks on both arms at once but Lee slips out and wins a slugout. A German suplex out of the corner is blocked and Gulak heads outside, where he is taken down by a dive. Dempsey’s interference is cut off by Bate and the Cardiac Kick retains the title at 5:23.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a lot of time here but they crammed in what they could for a nice opener. Lee is a great choice to open the show as he can excite the fans rather easily no matter who he is in there against. Gulak is going to be around as long as he wants to as he can always be a trainer, plus actively wrestling on the side. Nice opener here and I could have gone for a longer version.

We look at Carmelo Hayes retaining the NXT Title last week against Carmelo Hayes. After the match, the challenge was thrown out to Bron Breakker, who then wrecked Hayes and Trick Williams.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles before they leave NXT for good after tonight. They’re leaving the place in darkness.

Here is Trick Williams for an angry chat. He has known Carmelo Hayes since high school and they have been friends for years. Last week he took a spear for Hayes and he would do it again in a heartbeat because it’s his instinct. Cue Bron Breakker to say Williams must be tougher than Hayes because he’s actually here. The match is on for Battleground, but Williams wants to face Breakker as well. Breakker does it on his time so they can fight next week.

JD McDonagh is ready to move up to Raw but Noam Dar comes in to tell him to take out Dragon Lee tonight. McDonagh says stay away from him or he’ll take the Heritage Cup with him to Raw.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne knees her in the ribs to start and trips Dolin face first onto the apron. Back in and Dolin’s half nelson attempt is blocked and it’s a superkick to stagger her again. Dolin is back with a kick to the head though and an STO gets two on Jayne. They head outside again (where Dolin’s brother is watching in the crowd) and some Kawada kicks send Jayne’s head into the steps. They get back inside where Dolin is sent into the turnbuckle bar, allowing Jayne to hit a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 3:22.

Rating: C. Again they didn’t have much time here but this was about giving Jayne a pin over Dolin to even things up a bit. It was a quick beating and Dolin didn’t get in a ton of offense, but at least there were some shenanigans setting up the finish. There will probably be a rubber match at Battleground, but this feud has gone ice cold since Jayne got injured.

Post match Jayne keeps up the beating and even mocks Dolin’s brother for a bonus.

Axiom vs. Scrypts

Scrypts (no entrance) jumps Axiom to start but gets armdragged down. A northern lights suplex drops Scrypts again but he sends Axiom outside. The big dive drops Axiom and a top rope moonsault press gives Scrypts two back inside. Scrypts dropkicks him out of the air but Axiom knees him in the face for two. Axiom gets dropped again but he manages to superkick Scrypts out of the air as well. The Golden Ratio finishes Scrypts at 4:17.

Rating: C+. Now just move on to something else for Axiom already. He’s a talented guy who has been stuck in this weird/not interesting feud with Scrypts for a good while now. They did some nice things here with the flips and dives, but I’m still not sure what the point of Scrypts is supposed to be and I don’t know if NXT knows it either.

Post match Scrypts goes after Axiom and gets exposed as….well the fans chant Reggie but no name is given. This is up there with Doom’s reveal for non-surprises.

Earlier today, Brooks Jensen joined Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley at the bar and thanked them for dealing with him. They say he doesn’t need to apologize, but he did learn enough from Kiana James to help the bar make more money. Some women come up to hit on Jensen but he politely declines because he’s with his friends.

Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh

Lee works on the arm to start but gets driven into the corner. That doesn’t work for Lee, who hits some rapid fire dropkicks in the corner. Cue Noam Dar for a distraction though, allowing McDonagh to tie Lee up in the Tree of Woe. A charge misses Lee and sends McDonagh crotching himself into the post as we take a break.

Back with McDonagh holding a bodyscissors to keep Lee in trouble. Lee isn’t having that though and goes up top for a high crossbody, setting up the big flip dive to the floor. The top rope double stomp gives Lee two and they head to the apron, where McDonagh gets struck in the chest a lot.

They both crash down to the floor and beat the count, with Lee snapping off a fast German suplex. The poisonrana plants McDonagh again but he’s back with a hard clothesline as Noam Dar is here. Lee heads up but gets cut off by a super Spanish Fly. The brainbuster gives McDonagh two, only to have Lee Canadian Destroy him to the floor. Back in and the Devlin Side finishes Lee out of nowhere at 15:03.

Rating: B. These two got a lot more time and had a much better match, which shouldn’t be surprising given the talent involved. McDonagh gets a nice showcase on the way on the way out of NXT and onto Raw with some momentum. At the same time, Lee needs to win something around here and I’m not sure why he keeps losing so often. The talent is there, but those losses pile up.

Post match Lee and Dar brawl to the back.

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles because they’re a better team.

Joe Gacy is ready to sacrifice his body to Joe Coffey to get the Dyad a Tag Team Title match.

We look at various women being attacked in recent months.

Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey.

If Gacy wins, the Dyad gets a Tag Team Title shot against Gallus and the rest of Schism is here. Coffey knees him into the corner to start and stomps away but Gacy hits a knee to the face. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Coffey fights up and hits an elbow for two. Gacy’s belly to back gets the same but gets caught with All The Best For The Bells. The Dyad puts a foot on the rope though and Gacy hits the Upside Down for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. Well Gacy wasn’t going to lose here, even if he should have. Putting the focus on the Dyad is a better idea than focusing on Gacy, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see that coming sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, Schism is still the same level of bad that they have been since they came in and I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon.

Sol Ruca (via phone), Tank Ledger and Hank Walker give Dani Palmer a pep talk. Oba Femi comes in to scare the guys.

Eddy Thorpe was training earlier when Damon Kemp came in to tell him to take out the trash. Kemp called him a young boy too, making a match seem imminent.

Dani Palmer vs. Tatum Paxley

Palmer flips around to start, including flipping out of a wristlock and into a rollup for two on Paxley. Back up and Paxley knocks her into the corner to take over, setting up a chinlock with a knee in the spine. Palmer slips out of an abdominal stretch attempt and avoids a splash, followed by something like a standing Sliced Bread to drop Paxley again. A frog splash gives Palmer the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Palmer and that’s what it needed to be. She has the athleticism and some charisma to go with it so there is certainly potential there. Paxley is far from a top star but she is someone who has been around long enough to have a bit of a reputation. That makes her perfect to put Palmer over to start and that is all it needed to be here.

Andre Chase is too banged up from facing Bron Breakker, meaning he can’t teach this week. Instead, Duke Hudson takes over the teaching and says we have no more pop quizzes. Hudson: “Duke University?”

Von Wagner and Mr. Stone are going through a photo album but Wagner doesn’t want to talk about one of the photos. Wagner leaves, and Stone sees a baby dealing with a lot of medical issues (presumably Wagner himself).

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter/Chance are challenging and both teams are main roster bound. The champs jump them to start fast and the fight is on the floor before the bell. Chance dives onto both of them and we get the bell, allowing Chance to sunset flip Fyre for two. Carter clears the ring and hits a few kicks from the apron as we take a break.

Back with Chance snapping off a hurricanrana to Fyre, followed by a flipping legdrop to the back of the head for two. A springboard moonsault/legdrop combination gets two on Fyre but she kicks Chance into the corner. The Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two, with Carter having to make the save.

Everything breaks down and the 450/neckbreaker combination hits Dawn for two more and it’s time for the big double slugout. Dawn gets sent outside and a super Spanish Fly gets two on Fyre. A high crossbody hits Dawn but Fyre is back in with a Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination (that looked sweet) to retain at 9:14.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here, but they didn’t do it any favors with the break in the middle. It still gets very old having that cut out such a big chunk of the match but what we did get to see worked well. Now I’m curious to see what happens to the titles, though I could go with seeing them unified with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Dijak blames Ilja Dragunov for the beating he received last week.

Apollo Crews runs into Trick Williams in the parking low and gives him a pep talk.

Here is Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell, with the fans telling her that SHE DESERVES IT (likely meaning the promotion to the main roster, not the walking boot and crutches). She talks about her path here and what it meant for her to become champion. Then she got hurt in a title defense, but the title reign wasn’t ending on the medical table. Now she is on the way to Raw, but the most important thing right now is NXT.

Starting next week, there will be a tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion, with the new champion being crowned at Battleground. Hartwell leaves the title in the ring….and Dexter Lumis pops out from underneath said ring. Dexter takes her away and Tiffany Stratton comes in to pick up the title. A bunch more women come in and the big brawl ends the show. Makes sense, as Hartwell doesn’t seem able to lose the title right now and you don’t want her getting beaten on the way to the main roster. It also gives a bunch of people something to do so this is the right way to go.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of show, as NXT is finishing up a bunch of stars and there isn’t much that can be done with them as a result. Instead, you had some farewells and some things being set up for once everyone is gone. That doesn’t leave you with many options, but at least they got through the show with some good action and an important development in the end. The new NXT starts next week, but for now their latest finale went well.

Results
Wes Lee b. Drew Gulak – Cardiac Kick
Jacy Jayne b. Gigi Dolin – Spinning kick to the face
Axiom b. Scrypts – Golden Ratio
JD McDonagh b. Dragon Lee – Devlin Side
Dani Palmer b. Tatum Paxley – Frog splash

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: April 11, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

With no major special events in sight, it is time to start getting ready for the next big TV show. That would be two weeks away with Spring Breakin, which is going to need a main event. This week will see a four way match for the #1 contendership, with participants to be announced. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to get things going. Hayes wants to talk about Bron Breakker turning on him last week. There was no passing of the torch because Hayes took it. Hayes and Breakker are going to be facing off for a long time and Stand & Deliver was just a chapter in a long story. Tonight, Hayes is flexing his championship muscle and inviting Breakker into the four way #1 contenders match. That means he’s telling, not asking.

Cue Dragon Lee to interrupt, saying that Hayes is talented but he’s coming for the title. Hayes welcomes him to NXT and says never interrupt the champ. Lee gets a pass because he’s new around here, but here is JD McDonagh to interrupt. McDonagh promises to win the match and the title, but Hayes makes a leprechaun joke. Now it’s Grayson Waller, who says there are some stupid people here. Hayes says there are a lot of them’s but one him. This was your “hi, I want a title match” opening segment.

Kiana James and Fallon Henley argue again. Brooks Jensen is nowhere to be found.

Sol Ruca and Dani Palmer were making a TikTok video in the parking lot when Tiffany Stratton interrupted. Tiffany was NOT happy about them being in her space but left in a huff.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn vs. Fallon Henley/Kiana James

Henley/James, with Josh Briggs, are challenging. James jumps Dawn to start and the fight is on fast. It’s off to Henley, who gets tripped down and forearmed by Fyre. We see Brooks Jensen arriving as Henley jawbreaks her way to freedom and brings James back in. The champs are cleared out and we take a break.

Back with James in trouble but managing a belly to back suplex to Fyre. Henley gets the tag and trades kicks with Dawn for a double knockdown. Cue Jensen to try to bring in the loaded purse but the referee ejects him as Henley tells him to get out. Jensen shoves Briggs down and carries James off, leaving Dawn to get Backstabbered and Swantoned to retained the titles at 10:05

Rating: C. Henley and James have been bickering for months now and they are still doing just that. There is only so much that you can get out of that idea and we might be reaching that point. At the same time, Dawn and Fyre are looking like fairly good champions, even if there isn’t much to compare them to. Just get on with the Henley/James stuff already so everyone can move on to something else.

Video on Noam Dar and the Heritage Cup.

It’s time to present the Chase University MVP Award to Duke Hudson. After a speech from Andre Chase about Hudson saving the day, Hudson seems mostly grateful and does his own spelling chant. Cue Bron Breakker to interrupt, saying everyone wants to hear from him. Breakker doesn’t care that he is being rude, but he has realized that the title is a curse.

He doesn’t need the approval of these scumbags any longer, but for tonight, Hudson should be in the #1 contenders match. Breakker goes to leave, only to turn around and spear Chase in half. The Chase U flag is ripped in half. This didn’t feel like the start of a feud and it shouldn’t be.

Gigi Dolin is at her childhood home, which looks less than inviting. She talks about how she wanted to be loved and escape from this place. Jacy Jayne knew that and then attacked her anyway, but she will never break Dolin’s spirit.

Earlier this week, as shown by NXT Anonymous, Tony D’Angelo and Stacks attacked Pretty Deadly.

Javier Bernal vs. Eddy Thorpe

They go to the mat to start with Thorpe getting the better of things and hitting a crossbody. Cue Damon Kemp to watch as Bernal sends Thorpe outside. Back in and a suplex sets up a Boston crab on Thorpe, who slips out rather quickly. Thorpe’s double underhook swinging suplex finishes Bernal at 3:36.

Rating: C. This was little more than a way to get Thorpe some more exposure as he continues his start. Beating up a goon like Bernal is a fine way to go as the fans will react to it enough and Thorpe can get something out of it. Thorpe has potential, but he has to get some wins before that potential can start to be realized. These matches might not be great, but they’ll be helpful for him on the way up.

Gallus interrupted Tank Ledger’s photo shoot but as interrupted by Schism. The Dyad want a Tag Team Title shot.

Scrypts is ready to expose Axiom.

Sol Ruca vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton takes her down by the wrist to start before they take turns flipping over each other. Ruca actually falls for a handshake and is quickly taken down for a standing moonsault. The armbar keeps Ruca down but she fights up with some running shoulders. A flipping corner clothesline and a powerslam give Ruca two, with Stratton bailing to the floor. Ruca’s dive is cut off with a kick to the arm, setting up a Regal Roll. The moonsault gives Stratton the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C+. The athleticism was on display here but Ruca didn’t get to show nearly what she can do. That’s the right play in a match like this though, as this was about making Stratton look like a star. The flips looked great with that moonsault to finish being a thing of beauty. Stratton very well could be the next breakout star in the division so there is no reason to have her lose here.

Duke Hudson is fired up about bringing gold to Chase U.

The Creed Brothers want Gallus for the Tag Team Titles next week. With them gone, Tiffany Stratton comes in to say Indi Hartwell is scared.

Here is Cora Jade for a chat. Jade talks about how it is time to start humbling some people. Zoey Stark can do a lot of impressive things in the ring, but she’ll never be champion. Roxanne Perez is only famous for Jade turning on her and how long is she using what happened to her as a crutch? Gigi Dolin was close to winning the title but that title says Cora Jade.

Then there’s Tiffany Stratton, who has the tools but Jade runs this place. Lyra Valkyria is fearless but she should fear Jade. Finally there is Indi Hartwell, who isn’t in a fairy tale but rather Jade’s NXT. Cue Valkyria to interrupt and accuse Jade of being jealous. The fight is on and Jade bails fast. This was a weird mixture of compliments and insults but Jade seems to have a next opponent lined up.

Wes Lee is interrupted by Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak, who wonder how he would handle being tied up on the mat. Lee more or less says bring it and leaves.

Von Wagner vs. Ilja Dragunov

If Wagner loses, Mr. Stone (ringside) is done with him. Wagner jumps him to start as Booker compares Wagner to Shaquille O’Neal. Dragunov is back up with the Constantine Special and a suplex to drop Wagner again. Wagner gets in a slam off the top but Dragunov kicks him in the head to take over again. The Torpedo finishes for Dragunov at 3:23.

Rating: C+. That’s exactly what it needed to be, as there was no reason to believe that Wagner was going to be a threat to Dragunov. After months of Wagner losing every big match he had, he wasn’t going to beat a star like Dragunov for the sake of keeping his manager. This was more a matter of necessity to split up Wagner and Stone and if I get to watch Dragunov wreck someone, so be it.

Stone walks away from Wagner. Cue Dijak to stare Dragunov down and threaten violence.

Hank Walker gives Tank Ledger a pep talk.

Tank Ledger vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is here too. Ledger shoves him down to start but Coffey is right back in with an armbar. That’s broken up and Ledger hits a splash but what looks to be an Alabama Slam is broken up. They head outside with Coffey sending him into the steps, followed by All The Best For The Bells back inside. A second one finishes Ledger off at 4:25.

Rating: C. Much like Dragunov vs. Wagner, this wasn’t about drama as Ledger wasn’t going to win here, save for a very surprising upset. Coffey hasn’t been around for a good while and needed a win, but this wasn’t entirely dominant. Ledger got in a few shots here and showed some potential, but it isn’t close to his time yet.

Post match the Creed Brothers and Schism comes in to fight.

Roxanne Perez comes up to Tony D’Angelo and Stacks to say they’ll all win titles. Then Zoey Stark comes in to mock Perez, resulting in a match for next week. With Perez gone, Pretty Deadly jumps D’Angelo and Stacks.

Grayson Waller vs. Duke Hudson vs. JD McDonagh vs. Dragon Lee

The winner gets a title shot in two weeks. Hudson gets knocked to the floor to start, leaving Waller to take over inside. Back in and Hudson suplexes McDonagh and Waller at the same time but Lee low bridges him to the floor. The big flip dive drops Hudson again and McDonagh Asai moonsaults onto Lee. Waller’s rolling Stunner hits Hudson but he gets dropped as well. Everyone is down as we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a bunch of dropkicks in the corner but Waller cuts him off. Hudson is back up to clean house, including a bionic elbow on Waller. A slingshot German suplex gets two on Lee but McDonagh hits Hudson with a poisonrana. Lee makes the save with a top rope double stomp, followed by another to bring McDonagh out of the corner. There’s the suicide dive onto Hudson and a running shot to McDonagh’s face for two. Lee powerbombs Hudson but Waller hits the rolling Stunner to steal the pin and the title shot at 12:45.

Rating: B. This was the all action match that you would expect here with a bit of a surprise result. Waller winning is an interesting way to go as he is the most established of the four stars but he just lost a huge match at Stand & Deliver. He’ll do for a first challenger for Hayes though and it came after a pretty great match. The four of them kept moving almost entirely throughout and Waller stealing the win suits him perfectly. Very good main event and the best thing on the show.

Waller drinks from a shoe and gets stared down by Carmelo Hayes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Solid show here with matches that kept stories moving and got some people into new spots. What matters here is setting up a bigger show with Spring Breakin and they got the main event ready here. The rest of the card can be set up next week, but for now we had some stuff going on and a good main event. That’s a nice use of two hours, as tends to be the case for NXT.

Results
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Fallon Henley/Kiana James – Swanton to Henley
Eddy Thorpe b. Javier Bernal – Swinging double underhook suplex
Tiffany Stratton b. Sol Ruca – Moonsault
Ilja Dragunov b. Von Wagner – Torpedo
Joe Coffey b. Tank Ledger – All The Best For The Bells
Grayson Waller b. Dragon Lee, Duke Hudson and JD McDonagh – Powerbomb to Hudson

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: March 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Stand & Deliver and there are a few spots that still need to be filled, albeit in multi person matches. Other than that, we get to find out if Grayson Waller vs. Johnny Gargano will be sanctioned or not, plus probably a lot more on Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Battle Royal

Apollo Crews, Axiom, Dabba Kato, Hank Walker, Dante Chen, Xyon Quinn, Edris Enofe, Scrypts, Nathan Fraser, Jinder Mahal, Dijak, Charlie Dempsey, Quincy Elliott, Oro Mensah, Damon Kemp, Malik Blade, Odyssey Jones, Drew Gulak, Javier Bernal, Bryson Montana

The winner is the final entrant in the Open Challenge for the North American Title at Stand & Deliver, with champion Wes Lee at ringside. Scrypts flips in to hit Axiom as the bell rings, with Elliott being tossed out. The brawling ensues and Chen is kicked out as well. Montana is tossed and Kemp is kicked out as well. Enofe and Blade get together and send Dijak to the apron, where Jones gets rid of him.

Dijak pulls Jones to the floor and sends him into the steps before throwing him back in. That lets Mahal toss the banged up Jones, with Blade and Enofe fighting Mahal to the apron. Crews dropkicks Enofe out and Blade is sent as well, with Scrypts being tossed too. Mahal gets back in as Crews tosses Bernal out.

We take a break and come back with Dempsey tossing Walker but eliminating Gulak at the same time. Mahal is knocked out and we’re down to Axiom, Fraser, Kato and Dempsey. Everyone else gets together to get rid of Kato before knocking each other down. Axiom knocks Dempsey to the apron and then out, leaving us with two. They trade shots to the face until the Golden Ratio is cut off. Another superkick knocks Axiom silly but he sends Fraser to the apron anyway. Fraser skins the cat but gets superkicked anyway, which oddly brings him back in. Axiom tosses him out to win at 14:33.

Rating: C+. This was more fun than most battle royals, at least partially due to how fast they kept the pace. Axiom winning wasn’t a guarantee, as they had me wondering if someone would cost him the match and have him come back later in some way. It’s the right call though, as he has been chasing the title shot for a good while now.

Post match Lee gets in the ring and everyone in in the title match appears for a staredown.

Pretty Deadly, in matching hats, pick JD McDonagh to win the North American Title. More on this later.

Andre Chase thanks Tyler Bate for the great performance last week. They’re ready for Stand & Deliver, but Duke Hudson doesn’t seem thrilled.

Brooks Jensen is worried about his relationship with Kiana James but Josh Briggs says it’s cool. Cue James and Fallon Henley, with James saying she has gotten the guys a match tonight. If they win, they’re in the Tag Team Title match at Stand & Deliver. Henley is skeptical but the guys are happy.

Tyler Bate vs. Von Wagner

Chase U and Mr. Stone are here too. Wagner kicks him in the face to start and grabs a neck crank. Bate is sent into the corner but gets a boot up to cut Wagner off. A knee lift staggers Wagner again, setting up a middle rope elbow. There’s a rebound forearm into Bop and Bang. Stone grabs the leg though and Chase isn’t happy. Thea Hail jumps Stone and Hudson gives a half hearted low bridge so Bate can dive onto Stone. Back in and Bate drops Wagner, setting up the Spiral Tap for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. Nothing out of the ordinary here as Wagner is a punching bag and Bate is one of the more talented stars in NXT. It’s nice to see Bate getting a chance to do something for a change, even if sliding him into Chase U is a bit weird. For now though, he’s the ace in the tag match on Saturday and that should be enough.

Chase U celebrates but Schism pops up on screen with a video of how Chase U will be under Schism’s control. Some of the students seem to have already embraced the changes. Screwing up Chase U would be bad enough, but PLEASE don’t put even more focus on Schism. I can’t take it.

Roxanne Perez is looking for Shawn Michaels but he just stepped out.

Post break, Perez talks to Shawn, saying she is cleared to return. Shawn says her health is the priority though and defending the title in a ladder match isn’t the best idea. We can get a new champion crowned and she’ll get the first title shot. Perez talks about having anxiety, which has Shawn wondering if she is all cleared mentally instead of physically.

She needs to know that there are other chances but Perez wants to steal the show like he did at Wrestlemania. Shawn finally relents and lets her in the match but sends her away before he has a nervous breakdown. That’s a very different way to go and it could be interesting and/or a disaster depending on which way they take things.

Elektra Lopez vs. Valentina Feroz

Lopez powers her into the corner to start and it’s time to work on the leg. Feroz fights up and kicks her down, only to get pulled out of the air. Electric Shock (sitout chokebomb) finishes Feroz at 1:53.

Eddy Thorpe is ready to represent his people as an alpha wolf.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Myles Borne

Borne grabs the wrist to start before hammering away to stagger Thorpe a bit. A belly to belly cuts off Thorpe’s comeback but he kicks Borne in the face in the corner. Thorpe hits a jumping elbow for two and a Saito suplex makes it worse. Back up and Thorpe grabs a rolling neckbreaker for the pin at 2:55. Thorpe looked dominant in the second half but he gave up a god bit of offense here.

Pretty Deadly predicts problems for Johnny Gargano.

Gallus doesn’t care how many teams they have to face because they’ll win.

Indi Hartwell vs. Sol Ruca vs. Ivy Nile

The winner is in the Women’s Title ladder match at Stand & Deliver. Ruca and Nile brawl to start until Nile and Hartwell are sent to the floor. Ruca’s big flip dive connects but Nile grabs an armbar back inside. Hartwell makes the save and gets springboard splashed by Ruca for two. Ruca’s flipping splash this Nile in the corner but Hartwell is back with the spinebuster for two. The Sol Snatcher drops Nile but Hartwell kicks Ruca to the floor. The running forearm to the back of the head gives Hartwell the pin on Nile at 4:04.

Rating: C. I am having a really hard time caring about Hartwell and her “oh well, I guess I’m wrestling here, doesn’t matter if I do or not though” moroseness over the last several months. Putting her in the title match seems to designed to give the match another powerhouse, but dang it would be nice if she did something else. Or if Nile and/or Ruca got a chance of their own, which granted would be better served outside of a multi person ladder match.

Post match all of the women come out to stare each other down.

Pretty Deadly pick Tiffany Stratton to win.

Grayson Waller teases not making his match with Johnny Gargano unsanctioned.

We get a special video on Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes. They came in as part of the new NXT recruiting class and now it’s time for a showdown. Hayes has an incredible resume but he’s training harder than ever for this match. He even turned down extra celebrating time in order to hit the gym more. Breakker talks about all of the training that he does and isn’t worried about going to the deep water. Breakker has been doing this for years and Hayes isn’t going to have an answer for a Steiner Line. Hayes says he’s the king now give him his f****** crown. As usual, this was excellent, as WWE knows just how to put them together.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Drew Gulak vs. Hank Walker

Charlie Dempsey is here with Gulak. Walker takes him down by the arm to start but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Back up and Gulak runs him over and hits a clothesline to the back of the head as Booker goes on an insane rant about how Walker doesn’t deserve to wear a singlet. Walker fights out of a crossface and hammers Gulak down, setting up a running shoulder for two. Gulak reverses a wheelbarrow slam into another crossface, which is reversed into an armbar. That’s broken up as well and a Dempsey cheap shot sends Walker into a small package to give Gulak the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. I don’t know if they’re going for some kind of everyman deal with Walker, but it isn’t quite working. The idea of presenting him as this run of the mill guy who is trying to hang with submission masters is weird to say the least and it isn’t exactly making me want to keep watching. Thankfully he isn’t beating them or anything, but it is still a strange way to go for someone who doesn’t really stand out.

Pretty Deadly talk tag teams and say they’ll see us Saturday.

Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

If Briggs and Jensen win, they’re added to the Tag Team Title match. Jensen and Stacks lock up to start with Jensen grabbing a rollup for two. D’Angelo comes in to wrestle Briggs down as Fallon Henley and Kiana James are watching in the back. James takes credit for the match but Henley threatens to tell Jensen what she knows, which has James panicking. Briggs and Jensen hit matching sliding uppercuts and we take a break.

Back with Jensen getting caught in something like a Demolition Decapitator (not a Doomsday Device Booker) with Briggs having to make the save. Jensen gets over to Jensen for the tag as Henley and James are at ringside. For some reason Jensen wants back in for a Doomsday Device (spinwheel kick instead of a clothesline, which wound up being more of a hip attack than anything else) but D’Angelo makes a save. D’Angelo sends Briggs outside and it’s a double slam to finish Jensen at 9:55.

Rating: C+. I’m glad they didn’t add another tam to the title match and make it even messier, as six wrestlers in a match at once is enough. Other than that, this was almost entirely about the romance stuff as D’Angelo and Stacks had nothing to prove. Briggs and Jensen are a completely serviceable team and the James/Henley issues make them a bit more interesting. It’s nice to see an actual story, even if it has more than a few flaws.

Post match Henley wants James to tell Jensen the truth….so James kisses him. Joseph: “BROOKS IS ON BASE!”

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Here is Grayson Waller to decide if he will sign to make his match with Johnny Gargano unsanctioned. Vic Joseph hands him the contract (which Gargano left with him last week) and Waller gets in the ring, which is surrounded by security. Waller talks about what he has done during hi time in NXT, including Gargano getting the spotlight after Waller dove off the WarGames cage. That’s why he jumped Gargano during the farewell speech, and he hit his mark. Waller: “Johnny, you are the biggest mark in this business.”

Now Waller has Gargano begging him for a match at Stand & Deliver. Gargano is the greatest big match star in NXT history and is Mr. NXT, but just like Mr. Wrestlemania would do, Gargano is going to lose. Cue Gargano……’s music, because Gargano is a disguised cameraman. The big brawl is on, with security eventually holding them apart. Vic says it’s unsanctioned, though I didn’t see Waller actually sign the contract.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a different show than Raw last night, as they had more action rather than focusing so much on talking. Granted it helps that this show was taped and they could probably make some time saving adjustments if needed. For now though, Stand & Deliver is looking good, though they need to be pretty tight to make everything work. Nice enough go home show though, and hopefully it pays off this weekend.

Results
Axiom won a battle royal last eliminating Nathan Fraser
Tyler Bate b. Von Wagner – Spiral Tap
Elektra Lopez b. Valentina Feroz – Electric Shock
Indi Hartwell b. Sol Ruca and Ivy Nile – Running forearm to the back of Nile’s head
Drew Gulak b. Hank Walker – Small package
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Double slam to Jensen

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.