Evolve
Date: October 8, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenburg, Robert Stone

We’re rapidly approaching Succession and it’s time to find out what we’re going to have to push towards the two title matches. I’m not sure if anything else is going to be added to the show but it should be interesting to see how Kali Armstrong and Jackson Drake get ready for their defenses. Let’s get to it.

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

Stevie Turner tells us that Keanu Carver is injured and unable to wrestle at Succession. A new challenger will be named tonight.

Opening sequence.

Chuey Martinez brings out Kali Armstrong and Kendal Grey for their face to face meeting. Grey is tired of Armstrong looking so confident after she hurt Carlee Bright last week. Armstrong says bright is full of sunshine and bubbles but there is no room for that in Evolve. As good as Grey may be, Armstrong is just better.

Grey lists off her amateur credentials and Armstrong talks about her own resume in track and around here. Armstrong was one of eight children and was born with drugs in her system but here she is. They stare each other down again to wrap it up. Pretty simple and to the point stuff here and the match is feeling like a showdown.

Tate Wilder is happy with his win but now he wants to be on Succession. Brooks Jensen jumps him from behind to lay him out.

It’s Gal vs. Dante Chen

Feeling out process to start with Gal taking him down and doing some pushups on Chen’s back. The posing seems to get on Chen’s nerves and he makes the comeback, including a dropkick. The threat of the Gentle Touch sends Gal out to the apron so Chen clotheslines him back over the top.

Gal hits a hard clothesline of his own but again takes too much time posing and gets rolled up for two. A half nelson slam and superkick send Gal outside for the suicide dive. Back in and Gal gets caught up top for a spinning powerbomb, followed by the Gentle Touch for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C+. This boils down to one issue: Gal is goofy fun and Chen isn’t interesting. I’m not sure what WWE sees in Chen as he has been around for a long time but isn’t exactly showing much in the way of standing out. In theory this is moving Chen towards title contention, and I really don’t get why.

High Ryze is ready to show what they can do.

The Vanity Project isn’t sure what’s going on with Succession and thinks the management is messing with them by not naming an opponent. Jackson Drake credits Bryce Donovan for getting rid of Keanu Reeves and everyone seems happy. Well not Donovan, though he does smirk a bit.

High Ryze vs. Aaron Rourke/Marcus Mathers

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Igwe shoulders Rourke in the corner but Rourke jumps over him and brings Mathers in for a running dropkick. DuPont tags himself in though and a big boot puts Mathers down so the villains can take over. A double forearm drops Mathers again and we hit the chinlock, only for Igwe to miss a charge into the post. Rourke comes back in to clean house, including an elbow to Igwe. Mathers hits a middle rope Stunner into Rourke’s Molly Go Round for two. Rourke misses a moonsault though and gets Heartstoppered for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C+. We’re going to need some Tag Team Titles around here and that’s not a bad idea. There are several tag teams around here (though Rourke and Mathers aren’t among the best) but they don’t have much to fight over. It’s only about seven months into Evolve though so we very well could see such an announcement, even at Succession.

Jax Presley and Harley Riggins want one more match with Adrenaline Drip. They tell Stevie Turner that Robert Stone would give them the match, which is enough for Turner to make it happen.

Wendy Choo vs. Nikkita Lyons

Lyons backs her into the corner to start but gets taken down with a headlock takeover out of the corner. A crucifix gives Choo two and she hits a dropkick. Lyons shrugs that off and they head outside, where Choo gets kicked down. Back inside and Lyons chokes on the ropes, followed by some hip drops in the corner.

A suplex gives Lyons two and she grabs the reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Choo grabs an anklescissors into some running shots in the corner. Lyons tries a quick sunset flip but gets pulled down into a rollup for two. A tiger bomb gives Lyons two more and she breaks out of a Dirt Nap attempt. The Vader Bomb misses though and Choo gets the Dirt Nap to make Lyons tap at 7:00.

Rating: B-. Not a bad match at all here, as Choo having something of a personality and not doing a bunch of weird glares at the camera while holding a pillow. She has the talent in the ring and do fine if she’s able to drop all of the weird stuff. Thankfully that’s what she seems to be doing and Lyons lost as a bonus.

Brooks Jensen says Tate Wilder is why he hates Evolve. Jensen should be rising up the ranks here but Wilder wins one match and thinks he should be something special. They’ll fight next week and this time it’s a bullrope match. Wilder has to win that and while he’s not the most interesting person, at least he’s getting a coherent story.

Here is the Vanity Project to find out who will be facing Jackson Drake for the title. Cue Sean Legacy, who says his issues with Drake have gone back to the first episode of Evolve and even before. The perfect way to go would be to have Legacy take the title. Legacy looks into the camera and promises Keanu Carver a title shot but here is Edris Enofe to jump Legacy from behind. Legacy is sent into the video board to mess it up. Drake: “That sucks. Bye Sean!”

Drake says there is no next challenger so next week, it can be the Vanity Project Appreciation Night. He lists off his teammates and praises everyone but Bryce Donovan, who picks up the contract and tells Drake to shut up for once. Donovan calls them all the worst human beings he has ever met. Drake can solve his own problems because Donovan is done with the Vanity Project. Donovan says he’s coming for the title at Succession and clears the ring, including a chokeslam to put Drake through a table. That lets Donovan sign the contract. Not the most thrilling story, but they have a connection and that’s a good idea.

We run down the Succession card to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They’ve done a nice job to set up a three match show and I want to see where things go at Succession. The big matches are feeling important and hopefully they live up to their hype. There was only so much in the way of good matches here though, as the build was the important part. They’ve set next week up and that’s what matters even more, so the action can be excused at least a bit.

Results
Dante Chen b. It’s Gal – Gentle Touch
High Ryze b. Marcus Mathers/Aaron Rourke – Heartstopper to Rourke
Wendy Choo b. Nikkita Lyons – Dirt Nap

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

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NXT
Date: July 29, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re just under a month away from Heatwave and that means it is time to start putting the show together. We already have a few hints at what to expect, which very well may include Trick Williams defending the TNA World Title. Odds are we get a bit more of the card announced this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a ten bell salute to Hulk Hogan and the tribute video from this week’s Raw.

Long recap of last week in Houston.

Jaida Parker vs. Jazmyn Nyx

The rest of Fatal Influence is here with Nyx. Parker gets kicked down to start but blocks a kick to the face. Back up and Parker sends her into the corner and shouts down at Fatal Influence, allowing Nyx to get in a shot of her own. Something like a standing Last Chancery has Parker in trouble, which doesn’t last long as they’re back up for the slugout. Parker hits a Samoan drop, followed by a quick Hipnotique for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to work here but it was nice to see Parker getting a win. She might be on the way towards the title picture and that is not a bad idea. Parker has all of the charisma she could ever need but it’s going to take some success in the ring to make that happen.

Je’Von Evans runs into High Ryze, who don’t impress him. After that, Evans runs into Chase U, with Andre Chase telling the team to go after the big dogs. Evans is going to do the same right now.

Here is Evans in the arena for a chat. A Hall of Famer told him to go after the biggest dog so let’s do this. Cue Trick Williams, who says the big dog is here. Williams says Evans should watch who he talks to, with Evans bringing up the chokeslam from Undertaker last week. Evans was actually talking about Oba Femi, which doesn’t mean much to Williams. Cue the High Ryze, who says Williams is on a different level from Evans. Lee doesn’t think Evans is making a smart move but Evans tries fighting all of them anyway. The brawl is on and Evans is quickly beaten down.

Chase U goes after Hank & Tank…but can’t decide if it’s 1-2-3 go or go on 3. The result is a standoff, with Hank & Tank giving them the match anyway. Andre Chase comes in and says that’s not what he meant.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Tavion Heights

If Heights wins, he’s out of the No Quarter Catch crew. Heights takes him down a few times to start but Dempsey is back with an armbar. We get a random Joe Hendry shot (I’m assuming that was a glitch) before Heights is back up with a quick leg trip into a headlock takeover. Back up and they collide with stereo crossbodies and we take a break.

We come back with Heights suplexing his way out of trouble. They go outside where Dempsey starts going after the leg, setting up a half crab back inside. Heights rolls out and gets two off a small package, followed by a Death Valley Driver for two more. The belly to belly gives Heights the win at 10:11.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why it took three weeks to get there but at least Heights is free of the team and he did it with a clean win. Now all that matters is that they do something with him now that he’s out of the team. There is always room for an Olympic wrestler who can do well enough in the ring so see what he can do after a bigger win.

Santino Marella comes in to see Trick Williams and the High Ryze. Marella tells Williams to not get too comfortable with the TNA World Title because it’s coming home soon.

Here is Blake Monroe for a chat. After getting on Booker T. for getting her name wrong, Monroe moves on to Jordynne Grace. Monroe has seen protein shakes with more personality than Grace and we see various shots of Grace looking as “gym material” rather than “championship material”.

On the other hand, Monroe has star power but here is Lola Vice to interrupt. She doesn’t understand how Monroe can be so beautiful on the outside but so ugly on the inside. Vince made a moment by dancing with Nikki Bella at Evolution…and here is Jaida Parker to interrupt. Parker doesn’t need anyone else to make her into a star but here is Kelani Jordan to interrupt. Jordan doesn’t like Monroe, who challengers her to a match next week. Vice and Jordan clear the ring in a hurry.

Tatum Paxley tells Izzi Dame that she wants to challenge Sol Ruca. Dame isn’t sure but the rest of the Culling comes in to say Paxley is indeed getting the title shot. With the team gone, Luca Crusifino pops in to say no family lasts forever.

Lash Legend is ready to beat up Fallon Henley and go after the Women’s Title.

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

The rest of Fatal Influence is here and Henley backs behind Legend for some early posing. Legend hammers away in the corner and drops down onto Henley’s back. Henley sends her throat first into the ropes and stomps away for two. We get another Hendry glimpse so the glitch theory seems to be wrong. A springboard bulldog into a hurricanrana have Legend down but she’s right back with a fall away slam. Legend goes outside and beats up the rest of the team…but gets dropped by Nia Jax of all people. Back in and Henley hits her Fameasser for the pin at 4:10.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to think of that, but I’m glad Henley didn’t take another fall. At the same time, Legend looks to be getting into a bigger feud, which might be her path up to the main roster. Legend was a star in the Evolution battle royal against the main roster talent and it’s great to see her possibly getting the chance to do it again.

Post match Jax gives Legend the Annihilator.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura have to be held apart. Stacks comes in and doesn’t think much of Inamura, who is ready to face him next week.

Wes Lee vs. Je’Von Evans

The rest of High Ryze is here and Trick Williams is on commentary. Evans dives onto Lee to start the brawl in the aisle and they head inside for the opening bell. A springboard high crossbody hits Lee for two but he gets in a knockdown of his own. Lee strikes away until a chop drops him in a hurry. Back up and Lee sends him into the corner for a trip out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Lee holding a front chancery. That’s broken up and Evans kicks him in the head, followed by a German suplex. Some kicks to the face, including the springboard variety, give Evans two but Lee knocks him back as well. A brainbuster gives Lee two but Evans ties him in the Tree Of Woe. Evans flips into a Coast To Coast for two, only for the High Ryze to offer a distraction. One heck of a no hands dive takes them out but Lee hits the Cardiac Kick…for two, as Evans’ foot is in the ropes. Evans is back up with a jumping cutter, followed by the top rope cutter for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match, with Evans getting to look like a star. He not only beat a former long term champion but he took out Lee’s goons on the way there. That’s a good way to give Evans a nice rub and it looks like he’s going after some gold of his own. Evans can wrestle that fast paced style very well and it worked well here, especially with an opponent like Lee.

Post match Evans and Williams have a staredown but Oba Femi pops up on the platform for the three way staredown.

We get a sitdown interview with Myles Borne, who talks about his health issues as a baby which led to him losing 90% of his hearing. Communication isn’t easy for him but he knows how to read lips and use non-verbal cues. Now he’s blocking out people like Lexis King.

Ava’s assistants update her on Ricky Saints’ and Jordynne Grace’s health issues. Lexis King comes in to call Myles Borne a phony. Ava makes Borne vs. King for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Nia Jax interrupts Fatal Influence’s interview and says that’s what Lash Legend gets when she messes with the most dominant force in WWE. Legend just doesn’t measure up.

North American Title: Santino Marella vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending. Marella wrestles him down to the mat to start and gets some early near falls. Page fights back as we get another Joe Hendry blip. Another rollup gives Marella two and Page bails to the floor, where he takes Marella down. A big boot drops Marella again and a neckbreaker gives Page two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Marella lifts him up into an airplane spin. The Twisted Grin is countered into a Stunner and the saluting elbow gives Marella two. Page’s kick to the head gets two more but a top rope splash hits raised knees. Marella sends him outside for a slingshot dive but Page uses the referee to avoid the Cobra. That lets Page grab the Twisted Grin to retain at 7:01.

Rating: C. Well that’s a sigh of relief. The match was about all you’re going to get out of Marella, who thankfully did nothing but play the hits here. Page gets to beat a popular star and NXT gets a win over someone from TNA. That’s all this needed to be, even if it doesn’t feel like the biggest main event.

Tony D’Angelo is dining alone at his restaurant, where he tells the server to call him Tony rather than Don…but someone we can’t see is behind him to end the show. That could be interesting.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the biggest show but they seem to be planting the seeds for some things down the line. That includes Evans getting a choice to go after one of the two top titles and the ending, which could go in a few ways. Next week should be the build towards Heatwave, as they’re only going to have so many weeks left to get ready. Not a bad show this week, but it didn’t feel like their biggest offering.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Jazmyn Nyx – Hipnotique
Tavion Heights b. Charlie Dempsey – Belly to belly
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Fameasser
Je’Von Evans b. Wes Lee – Top rope cutter
Ethan Page b. Santino Marella – Twisted Grin

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 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the last show before both the Great American Bash and Evolution, both of which will have some NXT involvement. Therefore, it’s time to see who is going to be in the Evolution battle royal, plus finding out any last minute additions to the shows. That should make for a nice evening so let’s get to it.

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

Ricky Saints vs. Vanity Project

Gauntlet match, Jackson’s Drake’s Evolve Title isn’t on the line, and if Saints wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for his match with Ethan Page (here too). Brad Baylor starts for the Project and Saints strikes away, including a middle rope dropkick. Baylor gets in a shot of his own though and hammers away, including a spinning butterfly suplex. Saints makes a quick comeback though and hits the springboard tornado DDT for the first pin at 3:09.

Ricky Smokes is in second and grabs a quick suplex for two on Saints. We take a break and come back with Smokes hitting a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two more. Saints comes back again and grabs an overhead belly to belly for two of his own. An atomic drop into a jackknife rollup gives Saints the pin at 8:38 total.

Drake is in third and stomps away in the corner to start fast. A kick to the back gives Drake two and he grabs a surfboard. The fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more and Drake is getting a bit frustrated. Drake misses a running kick to the chest and Saints gets his knees up to block a springboard Swanton. The Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 12:13 total.

Rating: C+. The Vanity Project is a good choice for something like this as they’re still a level beneath the NXT roster so it’s not like they lose any status here. Saints gets to run through some people and head on to his big match with Page at the Bash. For now, good enough opener for the show and it sets up some things for the future.

Post match Saints makes it an anything goes, falls count anywhere match with Page at the Bash.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are fired up for the Women’s Tag Team Title match at Evolution but Lainey Reid says she should be in the battle royal. She’s asked what she’s done to earn that spot and doesn’t have much of an answer.

Earlier today, Blake Monroe blew off a training session with Jordynne Grace, who wants her to have a glamorous workout. Grace agreed, and we’ll see more of this later.

Tavion Heights vs. Charlie Dempsey

If Heights wins, he is out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights armdrags him down a few times to start and they take turns sending each other to the floor. Back in and Dempsey grabs a cravate to frustrate Heights. That’s broken up so Heights tackles him down and hammers away. They head outside again and knock each other down as we take a break.

We come back with Heights fighting off a crossface chickenwing and throwing him down a few times. They crash out to the floor again, but this time Dempsey crushes the knee with the steps. The half crab goes on back inside, followed by a stepover toehold. Dempsey turns it into an STF and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel at 9:39.

Rating: B-. The idea of Heights trying to get out of the team but not being able to do it is a good way to set something up for him, especially here where he didn’t give up. Sinclair could be going either way here and I like what they’re doing with the story. The match itself was a nice technical vs. power showdown as well, so we’ll call this a nice outing.

Hank & Tank are ready for their match while Lexis King messes with stuff behind them. Je’Von Evans comes in for a pep talk but gets jumped by Jasper Troy.

Mike Santana/Joe Hendry vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Hendry and Igwe take each other down for an early standoff and it’s off to Santana for a dropkick. DuPont gets sent flying with the fall away slam and we take an early break. We come back with Hendry getting two off a rollup but a clothesline drops him for the same. A series of splashes get two as we see Natalya and Maxxine Dupri arriving in the back.

Hendry muscles Igwe up for a suplex and the tag brings in Santana to clean house. The Rolling Buck Fifty (rolling cutter) hits Igwe and a big flip dive to the floor takes him out again. Everything breaks down and Hendry hits a dive to the floor of his own. Cue Trick Williams for a distraction but Santana hits Spin The Block (discus lariat) to pin DuPont at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it continued to show that Hendry isn’t quite as interesting as Santana no matter how he is presented. Santana is just on fire right now and Hendry has already had his moment, but Hendry being there adds some star power to the title match. I’m not sure Santana wins the title, but dang it’s fun to see him in the ring every time.

Post match Williams drops Santana so Hendry goes after him. High Ryze comes back in for the beatdown.

We look at Yoshiki Inamura becoming #1 contender to the NXT Title last week. Various Japanese stars, including THE GREAT MUTA and Iyo Sky say they believe in Inamura.

Darkstate brags about invading TNA and suggest they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Here are Oba Femi and Yoshiki Inamura, with Josh Briggs, for a face to face chat. Inamura says Femi is his greatest challenge but he is ready. He has the support of his friends and family and now he must make them proud. Femi says it’s good that Inamura has support, because maybe those people can pick up his pieces. No one is taking the title from him, but Briggs says Inamura beat Jasper Troy a lot more easily than Femi did.

Inamura may be a man of honor but Briggs isn’t, so he will do everything he can to make Inamura champion. This is “their” chance and the brawl is on, albeit quickly broken up. This was a good showing from Inamura, who feels like someone who is trying to prove he belongs here. At the same time, this is the second straight major event where Femi is defending against a pretty low level challenger, but it brings up a big issue in NXT: who else is there to come after the title?

Jordynne Grace shows up for Blake Monroe’s makeover and rips the sleeves off the robe she is given. They get their nails done and a massage, plus makeup. Grace admits she kind of likes this and they’re ready for the tag match at the Bash.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid

They trade early takedowns to start with Jordan grabbing a monkey flip and dropkick out to the floor. Back in and Reid ties her leg up in the ropes and cranks away but a Figure Four attempt is blocked. Reid’s spinebuster gets two and the half crab goes on. Jordan tries to use the free leg to kick her way out but Reid just pulls her into a Boston crab for a smart counter. That’s broken up as well and Jordan hits a handspring elbow into a nipup (impressive after having her leg and back cranked). Reid catches her up top but gets shoved down, setting up One Of A Kind to give Jordan the win at 4:23.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild about Jordan’s lack of selling but the ending was a nice touch which showed off Jordan’s rather impressive athleticism. The win gives her a boost going into the battle royal, which she isn’t likely to win but at least she could have a good showing. Reid is still finding her footing around here, but she’s far from a lost cause.

Post match here is Thea Hail to brawl to the back with Reid.

Jasper Troy jumps Je’Von Evans in the trainer’s room.

We have a meeting of the former D’Angelo Family, with all four members showing up. Riz tries to talk but gets shut down by Stacks. Riz isn’t having that and talks about what happened between Stacks and Tony. She realizes this can’t be fixed but she has set up a triple threat next week. While she doesn’t know if their paths will cross again, this will be the final battle. Stacks says he’s bigger than all of them and they can’t take it. Next week, he’ll prove it. D’Angelo says he’s done here and everyone stares at each other. That could go in a few different ways and that’s a good thing.

Here is Jasper Troy, who wants in on the NXT Title match. Cue Je’Von Evans to jump him and hit a big dive onto both Troy and security.

Tatum Paxley likes being part of the Culling, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank are defending and charge in to start the fight fast. We settle down to Spears stomping on Hank, allowing Vance to send him into the turnbuckle. Tank comes in for some dancing into a double splash but Spears is back with a neckbreaker. That doesn’t last long as the champs fight back, only for Hank to miss a top rope clothesline. The Culling runs Hank over on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hank knocking Vance off the top, allowing Tank to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Vance’s top rope headbutt hits Tank for two. Izzi Dame gets in a cheap shot so Spears can grab an implant DDT for two more. Cue Zaria and Sol Ruca to take out Tatum Paxley and Dame, leaving the champs to hit their powerslam/neckbreaker combination on Spears to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Hank & Tank still don’t feel like the most serious champions, but they’ve at least figured out something that fits for them. That’s a good thing for them to have and it would be nice to see it continue to grow. That being said, if Darkstate comes after the belts, there is no reason to believe the title reign will be lasting much longer.

Great American Bash rundown.

Kale Dixon couldn’t wrestle as scheduled due to high blood pressure, caused by nerves. Andre Chase isn’t happy but seems to understand.

Here is Ava, who talks about the original Evolution, which took place when she was in high school. She’s so proud that NXT will be all over Evolution, with Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley being in the battle royal. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Ava saying she just talked about Jacy Jayne. We get a rant from Jayne about how she’s the focal point of the show, but cue Jordynne Grace saying she’ll take the title.

Lash Legend comes out to say she’s going to win the battle royal. Stephanie Vaquer returns to NXT and says Grace will win. Maxxine Dupri and Natalya come out to say they’ll be the last two in the battle royal. Jaida Parker pops up in the crowd to say she’ll win. Everyone gets in and the big brawl is on to end the show. This was more than Raw and Smackdown have done for the show, and that’s not surprising given how much of a focus the women’s division has received around here.

Overall Rating: B. I came into this show not particularly wanting to see either Evolution or the Bash and I left a lot more interested in both. They did a heck of a job building up both shows and there is even some stuff set up for next week’s regular show. That’s a very nice way to go, even if the wrestling was pretty middle of the road this week. What mattered was everything else, and that stuff was quite well done.

Results
Ricky Saints b. Vanity Project last eliminating Jackson Drake
Charlie Dempsey b. Tavion Heights when Wren Sinclair threw in the towel
Mike Santana/Joe Hendry b. High Ryze – Spin The Block to DuPont
Kelani Jordan b. Lainey Reid – One Of A Kind
Hank & Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Spears

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 1, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially in the second half of the year and less than two weeks away from the Great American Bash. The card is starting to come together and we are going to be seeing some more added this week. In addition, TNA’s Joe Hendry is here to face Wes Lee, which should be a fun one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Joe Hendry vs. Wes Lee

Trick Williams is on commentary and the rest of High Ryze is here with Lee. Hendry takes him down by the arm to start as Williams says his challengers (Hendry and Mike Santana) need to be the ones getting ready for Slammiversary. Lee rolls around and kicks him in the ribs before sending Hendry outside. That’s fine with Hendry, who blasts him with a clothesline.

We take a break and come back with Hendry glaring at the High Ryze, allowing Lee to hit a suicide dive. A middle rope phoenix splash gives Lee two but Hendry suplexes his way out of trouble. The comeback is on quickly but Lee slips out of the Standing Ovation. A fireman’s carry slam gives Hendry two so High Ryze gets up. Cue Santana to cut them off though and the Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 9:29.

Rating: B-. Well Hendry wasn’t going to lose here so this was about giving him a victory on the way to his big rematch with Trick Williams at Slammiversary. The good thing is that Lee is someone who can make just about anyone look good. Hendry’s charisma and star power are more than enough to carry him but he can back it up in the ring well enough, which was on display here.

Santana and Hendry stand tall as Williams doesn’t look happy.

We look at Tatum Paxley seemingly joining the Culling, with Zaria and Sol Ruca letting her go.

Here is Luca Crusifino for a chat. He wants to talk to Tony D’Angelo, who comes out to say the tables have turned. They argue over who has done what to whom in the last few weeks but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino talks about the things he has sacrificed for D’Angelo and the Family and that is loyalty. Cue Stacks to interrupt but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino decks D’Angelo…and then does the same to Stacks, saying his loyalty belongs to himself. There’s your big moment, with another betrayal/surprise likely coming sooner than later.

Oba Femi wants to see if Yoshiki Inamura has the fire to come after him. Inamura, with Josh Briggs, comes in to say he’s ready, but Femi says he is the hunter rather than the hunted.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

They fight over wrist control to start and King steps on his back a bit for some mind games. Borne takes him down and does the Florida Gator chomp, only for King to nail a dropkick on top. A top rope superplex brings Borne down for two and a running corner dropkick gives King two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before King hits a running slap in the corner. That’s enough for Borne to fight up, including an Angle Slam for a breather. Borne’s big dropkick sets up a Zig Zag for the pin at 4:40. Well at least it’s a finisher.

Rating: C+. Good enough match here as the idea is to turn Borne into something more important. He had his big moment against Oba Femi and now the goal is to do something to keep him at a higher level. A clean win like this is a good way to start and I could go for seeing more of him. It’s nice to see NXT trying with someone who got a nice reaction and they’re doing it again here, which has potential.

Darkstate says everything that happens around here is because they allow it. They know what they’re going to do next, but we don’t.

Thea Hail vs. Lainey Reid

Hail isn’t happy and takes her down to start for some forearms to the face. Reid drops her face first into the corner and chokes away, followed by a spinning clothesline. A double underhook shoulderbreaker gives Reid two but Hail is back with a Codebreaker to the arm. The Kimura is blocked and Reid grabs a rollup but gets caught caught with her feet on the ropes. Hail’s rollup gets two so Reid kicks her away, setting up a running knee for the pin (while grabbing the rope and with Hail’s hand under the rope) at 4:22.

Rating: C+. And that’s another loss for Hail, who doesn’t really seem to win much of note…ever really. They’ve tried a few things with her but ever since that whole ordeal of Andre Chase throwing in the towel, Hail hasn’t felt like anything important. Reid isn’t that much further ahead, but she seems to be going in a rather different direction than Hail at the moment.

Tavion Heights isn’t happy with still being in the No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey agrees to give him one more “win and you’re out” match but this is his last chance.

Jasper Troy says you should fear him and Oba Femi knows what is coming for him if Troy wins tonight.

Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame

The rest of the Culling is here with Paxley and Dame. Ruca tries to talk some sends into Paxley to start but Zaria and Dame come in to argue as well. Ruca and Zaria clear the ring without much trouble and it’s Ruca grabbing a waistlock on Paxley. Some arm cranking has Paxley in more trouble and it’s off to Zaria to yell at Dame. They trade forearms until Paxley breaks it up with a high crossbody for two. Back up and Ruca and Zaria clear the ring again and we take a break.

We come back with Paxley tying Zaria up in the ropes for a running dropkick from Dame. A chokeslam drops Zaria again and a running flipping ax kick gives Paxley two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Paxley knocks her down again and puts it on for a second go. Zaria powers out without much trouble and it’s Ruca coming in to clean house.

A quick tag brings Zaria back in to clean house and an assisted splash from Ruca gives Zaria two. Dame hits a Codebreaker but there’s no Paxley, only for her to run back in and shove Dame out of the way. That means Zaria spears Ruca by mistake and Zaria is sent outside. A Sky High finishes Ruca at 13:17.

Rating: B-. Zaria and Ruca’s issues continue and it would not stun me to see them split for good in the near future. At the same time, Paxley seems to be finding a place with the Culling, though they don’t feel like the most trustworthy team in the world. There is a good chance that Dame gets a shot at Ruca out of this, and things might change even more once we get to that one.

Ethan Page, with the Vanity Project, and Ricky Saints are in Ava’s office. Page agrees to let Saints get a title shot if he can run the Vanity Project gauntlet (which happened recently on Evolve). Saints is in, but if he wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for the title shot. Deal.

We go to Chase U where Andre Chase actually apologizes. As a result, he has gotten Kale Dixon a match for next week and they hug. Chase does his swearing pep talk, but he does it WITH Dixon rather than at him.

Joe Hendry thanks Mike Santana, who says they’re uniting to fight for TNA. They’re not friends, but they’re fighting together against High Ryze next week. Works for them.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk before his #1 contenders match, though Inamura says he has this.

Tatum Paxley is happy with their win and here is Ava to say Izzi Dame gets a Women’s North American Title shot at the Great American Bash. Hank & Tank come in to accuse the Culling of attacking them last week and Paxley talks them into giving the Culling a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Jasper Troy vs. Yoshiki Inamura

For an NXT Title shot at the Great American Bash. Inamura strikes away to start but Try gives him a hard whip into the corner. The chinlock is already on but Inamura powers out and shrugs off some clotheslines. A headlock grinds away at Troy and Inamura hits him with a sumo charges but Troy is right back with a side slam. Back up and Inamura knocks him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Troy hitting three straight splashes for two and a World’s Strongest Slam gets the same. The abdominal stretch goes on but Inamura is quickly out for a ran into the post. Inamura unloads with shots to the head but walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam (appropriate as commentary compared Troy to Abyss earlier). Inamura muscles him up for a slam and the top rope splash connects for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the result but maybe they’re going with the idea of “Inamura isn’t here long, get what we can out of him”. He’s gotten a bit more interesting lately, though maybe that’s due to having him actually get in the ring rather than just talking about it most of the time. Troy is still a good monster, but that aura goes away quickly if he keeps losing.

Post match Oba Femi comes in to stare at Inamura as Je’Von Evans comes in to drop Troy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. Getting here is the hardest thing she has ever done but last week reminded her that she thrives on pressure. Evolution is a major event for women’s wrestling and she will be making history. She’s terrified of being vulnerable though and she has been asking herself if she belongs here. She did everything to get here and became someone you can’t ignore.

Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne asking if Grace is done yet. Grace can bench press more than Jayne but she can’t carry as much as Jayne. Grace tells her to shut up and says it won’t be a surprise when there is a new champion at Evolution. The beatdown is on but Blake Monroe runs in for the save. Ava comes out to make the tag match for the Great American Bash. Jayne and Fallon Henley run back in and get knocked back down just as fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was much more about getting ready for the future with the Great American Bash, which is something that has been needed. At the same time, we’re building towards a big match at Slammiversary and likely some things at Evolution. That’s a tricky path to walk and they did it well enough here. NXT has found quite the balancing act of not having boring television while still setting things up for later. Other shows can’t make that work so well done for figuring out a nice formula.

Results
Joe Hendry b. Wes Lee – Standing Ovation
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Zig Zag
Lainey Reid b. Thea Hail – Running knee while holding the rope
Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca/Zaria – Sky High to Ruca
Yoshiki Inamura b. Jasper Troy – Top rope 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: June 17, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from the Great American Bash and it might be time to start getting things ready for the show. Last week, Oba Femi beat Jasper Troy in a heck of a hoss fight, meaning he’s going to need a fresh challenger. Other than that, Blake Monroe is going to be signing her contract this week so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Jacy Jayne being unhappy over being called the most beatable champion in NXT. As a result, Ava has set up a tournament for the title shot at Evolution.

Evolution Eliminator: Thea Hail vs. Jaida Parker

Hail jumps her from behind during Parker’s entrance and they get inside for the opening bell. Parker hammers away but Hail takes it outside again to ram Parker into the apron. Back in and an exploder suplex gets two on Parker, who is right back with a sidewalk slam for the same. The chinlock goes on and Parker actually pulls her back down to cut off the comeback attempt.

Back up and a snap suplex into a reverse snap suplex gives Parker two but Hail knocks her to the floor again. This time Parker is sent hard into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Hipnotique missing, allowing Hail to grab the Kimura. Parker powers up to drive her into the corner but Hail grabs it again. Parker does tap…but the referee doesn’t see it, leaving Hail to let go anyway. The distraction lets Parker hit Hipnotique for the win at 9:15.

Rating: C+. I rather like that ending, as it’s not something you see very often (Undertaker used it against Brock Lesnar once). Parker being smart to go with the athleticism should serve her well and hopefully this is another step towards the top of the card. She has a long way to go, but at least she got a win here.

Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura and Elijah are ready to beat up First Class and Trick Williams. Elijah leaves and Hank & Tank come in to say Briggs/Inamura have a title shot coming to them. Oba Femi comes in and gets into a quick staredown with Trick Williams (who of course just happened to be there).

Blake Monroe finds the perfect dress for her contract signing.

Evolution Eliminator: Lash Legend vs. Kelani Jordan

Legend shoves her down to start as commentary talks about Sensational Sherri. Jordan is back up with some rapid fire kicks, including a basement superkick. A headlock keeps Jordan in control and she snaps off a running hurricanrana. Legend gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Legend blocking a sunset flip and blasting Jordan with a pump kick.

An Argentine backbreaker keeps Jordan in trouble but she manages to escape with a Codebreaker. Jordan nails another kick and nips up with Sliced Bread setting up a Five Star for two. One Of A Kind is broken up though and Legend tries a belly to back superplex. That’s reversed into a high crossbody but the 450 hits knees. Legend’s over the back faceplant finishes Jordan at 9:56.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised by the result, but more than that I’m rather surprised that I’m happy about it. Legend’s transformation from…whatever she was before to what she is now is quite impressive as she has figured out quite a few things out. That has turned her into someone who has a lot of promise and I want to see where she goes from here. Jordan should be fine, but I’m not sure what is next for her.

We recap the downfall of the D’Angelo Family and Luca Crusifino being somewhere in the middle.

Tony D’Angelo is tired of waiting on Crusifino and will see him in the ring.

Here is D’Angelo for a chat. He says as the Don, you have to be ready for everything no matter what. That’s what got him in trouble with Stacks, but now he wants to talk to Crusifino right now. Cue Crusifino, who wants to know if this is what we’re doing. D’Angelo asks what happened with Crusifino and Stacks in the desert.

Crusifino says he was kidnapped and had his phone stolen but then Stacks let him go. He didn’t attack Stacks at Battleground because he didn’t know what to do. D’Angelo flat out asks him whose side he’s on but before he can answer, here is Stacks, with some goons, to interrupt.

Stacks talks about D’Angelo not trusting Crusifino and how Crusifino knows what to do next. The goons and Stacks hit the ring with D’Angelo and Crusifino fighting them off, but Crusifino swings at Stacks and hits D’Angelo….by mistake? Stacks certainly approves. That’s a nice touch, as it’s the kind of thing that could actually happen and it worked well.

AJ Francis says KC Navarro is injured and can’t wrestle in tonight’s six man, but Wes Lee will take his place. Trick Williams eventually approves.

We go back to the Chase U classroom, where Kale Dixon has questions but Andre Chase tells him to adjust. Dixon walks out and Uriah Connors goes with him.

The Vanity Project congratulates Ethan Page for hurting Ricky Saints. Cue Saints, who says he’ll be cleared next week. The Project laughs at him but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to mock him, with a match seeming likely.

Wren Sinclair hasn’t talked to Charlie Dempsey, though Tavion Evans Heights apparently wants out of the team. Je’Von Evans wants him out as well, so Dempsey says Heights and Evans can fight for Heights’ freedom. That was quite the messy way to set up the match.

Blake Monroe has photos taken.

Elijah/Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs vs. AJ Francis/Wes Lee/Trick Williams

The injured KC Navarro and the rest of High Ryze are here with the villains. Lee kicks away at Inamura to start but said kicks are shrugged off, allowing the tags off to Briggs and Francis. Briggs gets a boot up in the corner and it’s off to Williams, who gets clotheslined by Elijah. The Old School knee gives Elijah two but Williams kicks him in the chest. Everything breaks down and Lee’s flip dive is pulled out of the air.

Francis gets planted and splashed as we take a break. Back with Inamura fighting out of a crossface chickenwing but getting caught with a spear for two. Lee adds a slingshot hilo for two more but Inamura gives him a very spinning slam. Briggs comes in to clean house, followed by Elijah unloading on Williams in the corner. Everything breaks down and Lee accidentally takes Williams out. Inamura’s top rope splash finishes Williams at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was the big six man tag and I’m not sure if really lived up to the hype. In theory this should set up Inamura as Williams’ next challenger, and if that means seeing Inamura getting kicked in the face, I can live with the idea. Other than that, Francis is getting the hang of being a big man and Lee was fine enough to fill in for Navarro. Not a bad match, but kind of underwhelming.

Sol Ruca and Zaria are ready for tonight, with Tatum Paxley following them.

Stevie Turner, Ava and Robert Stone are in the back when Luca Crusifino and Tony D’Angelo come in. D’Angelo wants Crusifino to face Stacks next week but Ava says no….because Stacks is getting a Heritage Cup shot. Stacks’ consigliere already signed off on it, which has D’Angelo all the angrier.

Evolution Eliminator: Zaria vs. Izzi Dame

Sol Ruca and the rest of the Culling are here too. Dame kicks her in the face to start and they slug it out until Zaria gets two off a suplex. Back up and Dame powers her into the corner so Zaria grabs a choke to lift Dame into the air. We take a break and come back with Dame blocking a German suplex.

Instead Zaria is sent into the corner and a slam gives Dame two. A chokeslam gives Dame two more but Zaria pops up with the clotheslines. Now the German suplex can connect but cue Tatum Paxley to grab Ruca. That’s enough of a distraction for Dame to hit a Sky High for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: C. Zaria takes another loss, but this one did at least seem to be designed to set up something for her with Paxley going forward. That should eventually lead to the split with Ruca, which is a logical way for them all to go. Dame winning is fine as the four way will need someone to take the fall and it’s not like she has a ton of status to lose.

Josh Briggs says Yoshiki Inamura should get a TNA Title shot but Inamura wants Briggs to have it instead. Inamura will go after the NXT Title instead.

Evolution Eliminator: Lola Vice vs. Jordynne Grace

The early grappling goes nowhere to start so Vice grabs a running headscissors to send her flying. Vice fires off the kicks and hits the running hip attack in the corner as we take an early break. Back with Vice charging into a boot in the corner so Grace grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. The Vader Bomb is countered into a triangle choke though, with Grace having to powerbomb her way to freedom. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Grace takes her up top, where Vice pulls grace down by the arm for two. Grace suplexes her down though and grabs the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: B-. This was the power vs. striking and that’s a simple format which worked well here. Grace winning makes sense as she has been close to the title picture for a long time now. Vice very well could get back there and had a great showing at Worlds Collide, but Grace is the better pick at the moment.

So it’s Parker vs. Legend vs. Dame vs. Grace for the title shot. We recap the four matches.

Zaria yells at Tatum Paxley but Izzi Dame comes in to say Zaria and Sol Ruca aren’t her real friends anyway. Dame wouldn’t leave her out of Tik Tok videos.

Noam Dar is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Stacks next week.

Here is Ava for Blake Monroe’s contract signing. Monroe comes out to say she has been waiting to jump into bed with the talent in that locker room. The spotlight is on her now and she signs, which brings out Fatal Influence. They don’t like Monroe, with Jacy Jayne calling her the new flavor of the month. The brawl is on and Monroe is sent though a table. That’s kind of a weird way to present the new star but it seems to set Monroe up for a big feud right out of the box. Also seemingly not as a heel, which is a weird way to go.

We run down next week’s show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. Well they definitely had a focus here, as this might be the most women’s wrestling heavy show I’ve ever seen in NXT. That’s not a bad thing either, as I do like a show where there is a theme running throughout the entire night. Next week is looking stacked, though they’re going to need to shift towards the Great American Bash soon. Odds are that starts next week and that’s about as late as they can take it. Good enough show here, with the best women’s division going getting a big spotlight.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Thea Hail – Hipnotique
Lash Legend b. Kelani Jordan – Over the back faceplant
Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs/Elijah b. Trick Williams/Wes Lee/AJ Francis – Top rope splash to Williams
Izzi Dame b. Zaria – Sky High
Jordynne Grace b. Lola Vice – Juggernaut Driver

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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Evolve
Date: June 11, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re into a new era around here as we officially have Men’s and Women’s Evolve Champions. Last week saw Jackson Drake bring the men’s version to the Vanity Project, who I’m sure will have a calm, respectful celebration as a result. There are other things around here to address as well though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jackson Drake winning the title last week.

Opening sequence.

Here is the Vanity Project for their celebration. They aren’t ones to tell you “we told you so”, but that’s what they did. They are the future NXT main eventers and now Jackson Drake himself gets the mic. Drake talks about Buddy Rogers, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins being the first holders of various titles and now his name has been added. They have the best man, woman and tag team in Evolve and at this point, it isn’t even bragging. When you’re this good, you can only be called the Vanity Project, and now they make V signs with their fingers because they’re turning into a real stable.

Lince Dorado knows that he’s going to need help to come after the Vanity Project and he has an idea.

Wes Lee, with the rest of High Ryze, is ready for Cappuccino Jones.

Cappuccino Jones is with Jack Cartwheel and is heavily caffeinated for Wes Lee. The problem is Lee has forgotten what it’s like to be thirsty and it’s time for a fresh brew. Jones has one bit and he is getting everything he can out of it.

Zayda Steele/Nikkita Lyons vs. Layla Diggs/Masyn Holiday

Diggs and Holiday have a dance during their entrance and their opponents are….impressed? Steele takes Diggs down and poses to start but gets her leg swept for a fast two. Diggs dances some more and it’s off to Holiday for a dancing ax handle to the arm. Lyons comes in and fights out of the armbar before bending over so Holiday can jump over her.

Diggs comes back in and gets taken into the wrong corner but manages to powerslam Steele down for two. Holiday runs Steele over with a shoulder but stops to look at Lyons, which allows Lyons to come in for some shoulders to the ribs. The ZDT gives Steele two and Lyons grabs a chinlock, which works as well as you would expect.

Holiday avoids a charge in the corner and it’s off to Diggs to pick up the pace. A handspring shoulder to the ribs in the corner drops Steele and a splash gets two, with Lyons making the save. Cue Chantel Monroe to sit on the apron for a distraction, which allows Lyons to kick Holiday in the head for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the best stuff, with the dancing from Diggs and Holiday feeling like something that has been done to death. At the same time, having Monroe come in to do her one thing for a distraction wasn’t the most thrilling twist. The action wasn’t terrible as they all need time in the ring, but I wasn’t feeling this one for the most part.

Troy Yearwood likes to lift weights and write poetry, including one about how he’s going to take over Evolve and NXT. He likes lifting people in the ring with him…and now his name is Jamar Hampton. Sure.

Kali Armstrong comes up to tell Natalya that she doesn’t need her help. Natalya says she might, because they’re teaming together next week.

Jamar Hampton vs. It’s Gal

Hampton has some weird intro music, sounding like it would be playing in the opening scene of a romantic comedy while someone we just met is walking down the street. Hampton drives him into the corner to start so Gal (now pronounced as it would traditionally be, rather than gaul, as in rhyming with Paul) wants a test of strength. That goes fine for Hampton, who takes him down and does pushups on Gal’s back. An atomic drop sets up a running dropkick (and a high one at that) for two on Gal.

Back up and Gal starts taking over on the leg and hammers away in the corner. A pushup cover gives Gal two and he drops a Kofi Kingston double legdrop for two more. Gal stays on the leg with a half crab, with Hampton fighting out but not being able to stand. The one good leg is enough to German suplex Gal and an overhead belly to belly takes Gal down again. Hampton can’t quite get a fireman’s carry as Gal grabs a rollup for two of his own. Back up and Hampton hits an AA (landing on Gal, ala Keith Lee’s Big Bang Catastrophe) for the pin 6:30.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Hampton and that worked well enough, as he has a good look and some very impressive athleticism. That being said, the leg stuff being somewhat ignored so he could throw Gal around wasn’t the best look. On the other hand, Gal continues to not do much for me, as “he’s in good shape” and “looks like a human action figure” is only going to get him so far.

Marcus Mathers talks about how he has trained as hard and often as he can because this is what matters the most to him.

Jordan Oasis talks about how hard he has worked to get here, often walking the streets and living on busses. He doesn’t remember the last time he was in a hotel room. It’s hard to have to order the cheapest thing on the menu at a fast food restaurant so he can use the restroom or sneak into the gym after someone so he can use the shower. But now it’s worth it because he is making it here. That’s a heck of a way to make me care about someone and it did a nice job.

Wes Lee vs. Cappuccino Jones

The rest of High Ryze and Jack Cartwheel are here too. After the Big Match Intros, Jones takes him down by the arm to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Jones sweeps the legs out for two before going with back to back leapfrogs. Lee gets sent outside for a running flip dive and we take a break.

Back with Lee dropping Jones out of the corner and hitting a basement dropkick to the side of the head. A superkick lets Lee slam him head first into the mat a few times while shouting a lot as well. Jones tries to fight back but gets powerslammed down for two, leaving Lee frustrated. A quick backslide and rollup give Jones two each and he hits an enziguri to send Lee into the ropes.

The Half And Half gives Jones two so High Ryze gets involved, with Cartwheel going after them. That means a three way ejection, allowing Lee to hit a tornado DDT. The running knees give Lee two and Jones is back up with the Decaffinator for two and now it’s Jones’ turn to be stunned. Jones misses the Froggy Brew (these names are great) so Lee rolls him up but gets caught with his feet on the ropes. A rollup gives Jones a close two but Lee superkicks him in the back of the head. The Cardiac Kick finishes for Lee at 11:04.

Rating: B. Dang they had me into this one at the end, as I thought they might actually give Jones the big upset. I can get why they didn’t, but that would have been a heck of a way to give Jones the push. That being said, this absolutely did not hurt Jones, who looked great in defeat. Pretty awesome main event here, with both guys working rather hard.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show that kind of reset things a bit, as they spent about a month setting up the title matches and now we have to see where things go from here. The main event was quite good and they have some people who seem ready to move up to the next level, which is what we might be seeing soon. This show didn’t exactly do anything big, but it moved a few things forward and wrapped up a thing or two as well. Evolve is turning into a regular show and I’m liking it more often than not so well done.

Results
Zayda Steele/Nikkita Lyons b. Layla Diggs/Masyn Holiday – Kick to the head to Holiday
Jamar Hampton b. It’s Gal – Attitude Adjustment
Wes Lee b. Cappuccino Jones – Cardiac Kick

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 13, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

We’re less than two weeks away from Battleground and the big story is going to see Trick Williams challenging Joe Hendry for the TNA World Title. That means there is a good chance that Hendry will be around this week, along with some other things being set up for the show. We could be in for some big happenings so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is the No Quarter Catch Crew, with new #1 contender Myles Borne. He talks about how he was probably not the big favorite for last week’s battle royal and let’s get around this already: yes he has a disability because he is partially deaf. It affects his hearing and his ability to speak, but that’s not what he wants to be known as. He wants to be known as the one who overcomes the odds and while he can’t hear very well, at Battleground, he’ll hear himself called the new NXT Champion.

Cue Ethan Page, who is tired of this sentimental stuff. Borne won the title shot on a fluke so he can’t beat Oba Femi. Fans: “YOU CAN’T EITHER!” Page wants the title shot on the line tonight and Charlie Dempsey thinks it’s a good idea. Ava comes out to say it’s on, but Dempsey’s match is on right now. Page is right in that Borne came out of nowhere, but this did a good job of making him feel a lot more personable. That’s a nice thing to see and it worked well here.

Oba Femi vs. Charlie Dempsey

Non-title. Femi wastes no time in powering him out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dempsey getting a few shots to the head and grabbing a headscissors takeover. Dempsey starts in on the arm but Femi slams his way out of an armbar. A short armscissors is countered with a dead lift and Femi starts firing off the uppercuts. The Fall From Grace finishes Dempsey at 8:13.

Rating: B-. Dempsey going after the arm and trying to do the technical stuff worked well enough, but there was only so much you can do to stop a monster like Femi. This was more about Femi overcoming a bit of adversity and winning in the end, which is what he does well. Nice opener, and a bit better than I was expecting.

Earlier today, Thea Hail and Karmen Petrovic ran into Tatum Paxley, who was losing her mind and screaming about her friends leaving her (as Gigi Dolin was released).

Ricky Saints comes up to a warming up Ethan Page and mocks him for trying to ruin everyone’s moments. Page isn’t impressed and says Saints can go back to playing second fiddle to him. Saints: “Good luck with that.”

Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Lee has officially dubbed his team with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont as “High Rise”. Yeah that’s not good. Lee’s headlock doesn’t get him very far so he fires off some kicks to the legs. That earns him some uppercuts from D’Angelo but DuPont grabs the foot. That offers a grand total of no impact but D’Angelo sends Lee outside, with the other two catching him. D’Angelo dives onto the three of them and we take a break.

Back with Lee yelling a lot and promising to be the next Don. That brings D’Angelo up with some headbutts to the floor and an overhead belly to belly connects back inside. The powerslam gives D’Angelo two but he gets pulled down into a hurricanrana. The Cardiac Kick is speared down…but Stacks is on the Titantron. Stacks shows up at Riz’s safe house and that’s enough of a distraction for the Cardiac Kick to finish D’Angelo at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Odds are that is setting up the Stacks vs. D’Angelo showdown at Battleground and Lee winning here is a nice moment for him. Giving the stable a new name isn’t going to make it much better, but the winning could help. Not exactly a great match, but it set up the bigger match down the line.

OTM is coming back.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She saw Jordynne Grace becoming the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title and now it’s time for them to fight at Battleground. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne bringing up Fallon Henley losing the Women’s North American Title.

Henley doesn’t like that but here is Grace to interrupt. Grace is here to protect her investment, which isn’t something Vaquer likes. Jayne mocks Grace’s lack of success, which Vaquer says will continue at Battleground. Grace is going to make sure Vaquer makes it to Battleground. Given that it’s another show and a half, that’s not much of a guarantee.

Myles Borne says he has this, mainly due to Charlie Dempsey being banged up.

The Undertaker and Bubba Ray Dudley talk to the finalists of the women’s side of WWE LFG. Izzi Dame, Nikkita Lyons, Lola Vice and Lash Legend all come in to threaten anyone who comes for this division. Undertaker isn’t intimidated. Dang I can’t wait for LFG to be over so they can stop talking about it.

The D’Angelo Family races to the safe house.

Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page

For the Battleground title shot. Borne wrestles him into a front facelock to start and then armdrags him into an armbar. That’s broken up and Borne reverses Page’s suplex attempt into a successful version. Page elbow shim in the face and grabs a chinlock, which is broken up rather quickly as well. A clothesline puts Page out on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Page hitting a superplex but not being able to get a Boston crab. Borne snaps off an overhead belly to belly suplex and an Angle Slam gets two. Page blocks a dropkick for two more but it’s too early for the Ego’s Edge. Twisted Grin is countered as well and Borne hits a dropkick into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. The point of this match was to make Borne look like a more serious challenger to Oba Femi and it went just fine. At the end of the day, NXT has two shows to have Borne go from basically a nobody to challenging for the NXT Title. He got a clean win over a former NXT Champion and that’s good, but you can only get him so far that fast. Borne did look good here though and that’s all he could do.

Sean Legacy is upset about losing last week in the battle royal and wants Je’Von Evans.

Evans is interested but Ashante Thee Adonis comes up to mock the idea. Ricky Saints likes the idea too, and says maybe the winner can get a title shot after Battleground.

Tony D’Angelo arrives at the safe house and gets jumped by Stacks, who mocks everything he’s doing. The challenge is issued for Battleground.

Thea Hail vs. Tatum Paxley

Hail punches her down to start and wants to know what she did to Paxley. Some armdrags take Paxley down but she faceplants Hail down. Hail reverses a ram into the buckle as Jaida Parker is watching backstage. An enziguri connects with Hail, who is right back with a rollup for two. Paxley’s running flipping Fameasser gets two but Hail clotheslines her way out of trouble. The Kimura sends Paxley straight to the rope so Hail grabs it again. That sends Paxley to Hail’s eye, which is actually a DQ at 4:35.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much all about the ending and it only worked so well. At the end of the day, this feels like a total shift for Paxley as her short lived team with Gigi Dolin is over. It continues to astound me that the team was thrown together and then left to die without any kind of resolution, even a short term one, as it creates this kind of an issue. Paxley being insane could be a good way to go, but we’ll have to see where it goes from here.

Post match Paxley goes for the eye again and has to be held back.

Kelani Jordan comes in to yell at Sol Ruca and Zaria for taking her out last week. Jordan wants one more shot at Zaria and when she wins, she gets a title shot. Ruca accepts, with Zaria not being happy.

We get the Joe Hendry/Trick Williams contract signing. Ava talks about the prestige of the title and Williams promises to take the title. Hendry knows Williams knows what it means to break out, but now Williams is just complaining about everything. Hendry talks about how he’s making TNA bigger than ever before but Williams says everyone has his fifteen minutes of fame. Well except for Hollywood Trick that is.

Williams signs and Hendry talks about how this is Williams’ last chance, because he has no path back to the NXT Title. After Battleground, the TNA Title is gone too. Hendry signs and staring ensues. There wasn’t much new here, but both of them sold it well. I’m just not sure I can imagine Hendry actually beating him.

Hank And Tank come in to see Josh Briggs, who is a little blue. Briggs is sad to lose his friend and his partner but here is Shawn Spears to mock him for his losses. Briggs doesn’t want to hear this and implies he wants a match with Spears.

The new Chase U gets their first match set for next week against….OTM. Andre Chase: “GUYS WHAT THE F***?”

Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence

Grace backdrops and clotheslines Henley to start but Vaquer tags herself in. A springboard high crossbody hits Henley but it’s back to Jayne for a snap suplex. Vaquer pulls her into a European Clutch for two, only for Henley to get in a cheap shot from the apron. Jayne’s superkick sets up a Codebreaker and Vaquer is in trouble. Grace gets pulled off the apron and Fatal Influence puts both of them down as we take a break.

Back with Vaquer fighting out of the corner but Jayne plants her back down for two. Jayne hits her with a pump kick but Jayne gets in a shot of her own and brings Grace back in. Grace cleans house for two and everything breaks down with Fatal Influence actually getting the better of things. Grace takes a shot for Vaquer though, only to fight out of a double team. The Juggernaut Driver finishes Jayne at 10:54.

Rating: B-. So we have a team who is starting to work well together for the sake of their upcoming match, while Fatal Influence’s issues continue. I’m not sure how a split would go between them as there isn’t much of a reason to cheer for them, but we seem to be heading in that direction. The Grace/Vaquer story isn’t exactly original, but it should go well enough to get them to Battleground.

Battleground rundown.

Grace holds up Vaquer’s arm.

Ethan Page has attacked Ricky Saints.

Vaquer and Grace look at each other some more to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mostly the “get Battleground ready really fast” and it worked out fairly well. The problem here is that they only had so much time to make it work and they did it well enough here. There is still a lot to do next week, but this was a good way to get us closer.

Results
Oba Femi b. Charlie Dempsey – Fall From Grace
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo – Cardiac Kick
Myles Borne b. Ethan Page – Dropkick
Thea Hail b. Tatum Paxley via DQ when Paxley poked the eye
Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Juggernaut Driver to Jayne

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 15, 2025
Location: Capitol One Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Stand & Deliver and there are still some spots that need to be filled in. The main thing that needs to be done is filling in the final spots in the women’s ladder match, but there is always the chance that another match can be added. Other than that, the already announced card has some build to be done so let’s get to it.

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

Ethan Page vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King vs. Wes Lee

Non-title and the winner gets a North American Title shot on Saturday, so here is Ricky Saints to join commentary. It’s a brawl to start until King gets triple teamed for an early beating. Thorpe drops all of them and a suplex gets two on King. Lee gets to take over for a bit and drops everyone but King avoids some charges to send everyone else into the corner.

Thorpe gets low bridged to the floor and a Codebreaker in the ropes gives King two on Lee. Back in and Lee puts everyone else down with a Tower Of Doom before a running shooting star press gets two on Page. Lee’s suicide dive hits King and Page sends Thorpe into Saints. That’s enough for Saints to get ejected and we take an early break.

Back with Page cleaning house and getting a Boston crab on King. Thorpe puts a crossface on King at the same time so Lee has to dive in to break up the tap. With the holds broken up, King gets caught in an electric chair, with Lee adding a Whisper In The Wind to take everyone out. Page and Lee slug it out until Thorpe Meteoras Lee, only to get caught with the Coronation. Page is right back up with the Twisted Grin to pin King at 12:21.

Rating: B. Fast paced and action packed opener here, with Page getting the title shot in the match that had already been set up. The good thing is that they had enough going on here to make you think there was a chance someone else could win, which is a nice bonus. Page makes the most sense though and it should make for a good title match.

Post match Page taunts Saints, who runs back in for a spear.

Jordynne Grace talks about starting out in wrestling and knowing she needed something else. This involved turning her body into a wall of muscle and becoming something that you couldn’t find anywhere else. She got to TNA and is now in WWE and knows what she has to do to win her first WWE title this weekend.

Various women talk about how they’re going to win the Women’s North American Title.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Gigi Dolin is here with Paxley. Vice takes her down to the mat to start but can’t get something like a crossface. Paxley reverses into an armbar but has to get out of a triangle choke. We take a break and come back with Vice cutting off a charge in the corner, setting up some rapid fire kicks. The running hip attack gets two on Paxley, who is right back with a running crossbody in the corner. Paxley catches her on top and pulls her down but the Psycho Trap is blocked. Instead, Vice hits the spinning backfist for the fast pin at 9:59.

Rating: C+. It feels like Vice hasn’t been around much lately and hopefully this is the start of something else for her. I’m not sure how likely she is to win the title, but at least she’s going to be on the show again. Paxley and Dolin are seemingly just a low level tag team at the moment and I don’t quite see a ton of upside there.

Giulia was tired of waiting for Stephanie Vaquer and she’s back for revenge and her title. Jaida Parker is confident but Giulia will show her how to take pain. Jordynne Grace is strong, but Giulia will introduce her to strong style.

The women’s division argues in the back so Ava makes a four way women’s tag match for Stand & Deliver, with the winner getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot next week. Roxanne Perez needs a partner.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For the title shot at Stand & Deliver. Hank & Tank is in at #1 and Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe are in at #2. Vic says this is the matchup that we have all been waiting for and…I really don’t think that’s true. Anyway Tank and DuPont lock up to start with DuPont taking over and handing it off to Igwe. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hank for the house cleaning, including the powerslam/neckbreaker combination to pin Igwe at 1:40.

The Culling is in at #3 with Hank & Tank taking it right to them. A running seated senton gets two on Jensen and we take a break. Back with Hank in trouble but getting in a clothesline to drop Vance. The referee doesn’t see the tag though and an assisted powerslam gets two on Hank. As tends to be the case, Hank breaks away rather shortly thereafter and the hot tag brings in Tank. House is cleaned but Tank gets caught in an electric chair. Jensen goes up but Tank powerslams him out of the air for the pin at 10:10 total.

The No Quarter Catch Crew are in at #4 and go right after the tired Hank & Tank. Heights grabs a chinlock but Tank jawbreaks his way to freedom, allowing Hank to come back in to make the comeback. Borne hits a big flip dive to take Hank & Tank down though and we take a break.

Back again with Heights suplexing Tank and hitting a crossbody for two. Hank pulls Borne outside though and Tank gets a rollup pin on Heights at 17:59. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are in at #5 (the last team) and start hammering away on Hank. Everything breaks down and Hank & Tank pull themselves up, with Hank getting a quick small package to pin Briggs and win at 20:47.

Rating: C+. I still don’t care much for Hank & Tank but they did have a story here and it fits to see them coming back and beating so many teams who had beaten them. The fans are getting into them as well and it makes sense to have them get the shot here. It was a bunch of rollups and quick wins, but I’ll take it over a team being randomly thrown out there.

Evolve’s Kali Armstrong is ready for her main event but Ava teases that she has a surprise for the qualifying match for the final spot in the Women’s North American Title ladder match.

Oba Femi arrives….and Darkstate is following him.

Jaida Parker knows that looking the part isn’t the same as being the best. She knows the pressure and is ready to move up to the next level. She lost her best friend when her uncle passed away and she knows she can lose anyone. Now she just needs the big game situation.

The D’Angelo Family, minus Tony D’Angelo (as this was Stacks’ call) gets in a fight with Darkstate in the parking lot, which goes inside. Various weapons are used and some Evolve wrestlers are beaten up before they crash through a wall. A fire extinguisher goes off and Luca Crusifino is slammed onto a car. Cue D’Angelo himself with a crowbar to clear out Darkstate. Cops arrive and D’Angelo yells at Stacks for going over his head. D’Angelo has gotten the match set up for Stand & Deliver. Stacks understands that he went too far.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready for the biggest match of her life. We see her going back to her native Chile as champion and talking about how important this was for her.

Hank & Tank are ready to win and Fraxiom come in to say they’re ready.

Roxanne Perez has found a tag partner: herself! That doesn’t work for Ava, but Cora Jade comes in to tease being her partner.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Andre Chase is scared about ruining Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon but Thea Hail comes in to say Chase didn’t ruin her. She’s ready to win the Women’s North American Title. This would have been a better surprise if Hail hadn’t been shown in a graphic before the break.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Karmen Petrovic vs. Thea Hail

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic and they trade rollups to start. Petrovic gets knocked to the floor but cuts off Hail’s dive. Hail makes the comeback without much trouble and a spinning double underhook slam plants Petrovic. The Kimura finishes Petrovic at 2:41. That’s a great return, but it gets Hail into a ladder match, which doesn’t work as well.

Here is Trick Williams to say he’ll win the NXT Title. Cue Oba Femi to say that Williams is a broken record, saying the same things he has said for months. No one is singing along though, because the spotlight has moved on. Williams seems ready to fight but Je’Von Evans comes in to tell Williams to shut up. Evans says Williams is dismissed and turns his attention to the Rules. Evans has dropped Femi a few times lately and knows it is a matter of time before Femi goes up to the main roster.

Femi was a star at the University Of Alabama (Femi: “Roll Tide.”) but Evans is a kid from North Carolina and shouldn’t have gotten here. Femi says being champion means he is the top dog and Evans is a CHILD. Williams is ready to fight again and Evans is sent to the floor so the other two can brawl. Evans dives in to take both of them out though and holds up the title to end the show. This was about all you needed for a final push towards the title match, with Evans getting a chance to shine over the two much bigger stars.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a more active than usual go home show as they had a return with Hail and some matches being added. Other than that, we had a few more qualifying matches, because it’s Wrestlemania season so there will be qualifying matches everywhere. Finally though, you had the usual final push towards the show and I’m more interested in seeing Stand & Deliver than I was coming in so call it well done.

Results
Ethan Page b. Eddy Thorpe, Lexis King and Wes Lee – Twisted Grin to King
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning backfist
Hank & Tank won a tag team gauntlet match last eliminating Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura
Thea Hail b. Karmen Petrovic – Kimura

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 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves, Booker T.

We are less than two weeks away from Stand & Deliver and this week’s show is going to be focused on the main event. In this case we have a six man tag between the three people involved in the Stand & Deliver main event and the debuting Dark State. That could go in a variety of ways so let’s get to it.

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

Stephanie Vaquer will announce her opponent for Stand & Deliver after this match.

Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker

Stephanie Vaquer is on commentary. They get in a fight to start and head outside for some rams into the apron. Back in and Grace hits a Death Valley Driver for two before heading out to the apron. Neither can drop the other so Parker hits a TKO onto the top rope. A Blockbuster gives Parker two and she sits on Grace in the corner (setting up that high step, which is an awesome signature taunt).

We take a break and come back with Parker blocking a sunset bomb but getting caught in….well Grace loaded her up for a Tombstone but flipped her backwards onto her back (that was cool). Grace drops her face first onto the turnbuckle and gets two off a neckbreaker. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Grace sends her to the floor, where a suicide dive doesn’t work as her foot gets caught in the ropes. Thankfully she’s ok as Parker slaps Vaquer, who swings and hits Grace by mistake. That’s enough for the referee to throw it out at 10:03.

Rating: B-. As much as I like both of them, my goodness I do not want another triple threat over Wrestlemania Weekend. They are hammering those things into the ground this year and that’s where it seems we’re going with this one too. Parker continues to feel like a star and if she can back it up in the ring, they have something special with her. Grace isn’t exactly bad either, but please don’t just throw them both in there with Vaquer.

Post match the brawl stays on but Giulia makes her return and helps Vaquer clear the ring. Then Giulia lays out Vaquer and holds up the title. Vaquer never announcers her challenger.

We look back at Ricky Saints winning the North American Title last week in a star making performance, only to be taken out by Ethan Page after the match.

Swipe Right interrupt Hank & Tank and offer them advice after their match tonight. Hank: “We’re not that desperate…are we?” Tank: “No Hank.”

The Culling wants the North American Title back but Shawn Spears says he is happy with what he did and it’s time for the rest of the team to succeed.

Fraxiom vs. Swipe Right

Non-title and Swipe Right (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) are the heel pretty boy team from Evolve. Smokes dropkicks Axiom off the apron to start and Baylor comes in for a Hennig necksnap on Frazer. Back up and Axiom helps clear the ring, with Fraxiom hitting stereo dives to the floor. Axiom hammers away on Baylor in the corner but Smokes comes in off a blind tag and hits a spear.

A springboard X Factor gives Baylor two as Graves busts out a Julius Smokes reference for your obscure independent wrestling name drop of the week. Frazer comes back in and hits a running shooting star press but gets kneed in the face. An assisted swinging double underhook neckbreaker drops Frazer but Axiom is back in to clean house. The super Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash finishes Smokes at 5:12.

Rating: B-. For a pair of rookies who are from the most minor of minor league shows, Swipe Right looked pretty good in there against one of the best teams going today. This was a rather nice performance from the newcomers and while they might not be ready to move up, they certainly made a nice first impression. That’s a good thing to see, though I’m almost worried about who is coming for the titles next.

Fatal Influence bickers over who will get the Women’s North American Title.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Jazmyn Nyx

The rest of Fatal Influence and Zaria are here too. Ruca starts fast by fighting out of a headlock and sending her into the corner. A suplex into something like a moonsault Meteora gives Ruca two but a springboard splash hits raised boots. Nyx stomps away and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two. A running knee gives Nyx two more but Ruca is back with a spinning belly to back faceplant. Ruca’s running knee gets two but Henley offers a distraction, allowing Nyx to kick Ruca in the face for two. Back up and the Sol Snatcher finishes Nyx at 5:04.

Rating: C+. Fatal Influence is starting to fall apart and that isn’t the best sign for their future. Other than that, Ruca moving on is a good idea to go with, as having her hit the Sol Snatcher off a ladder should be fun. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title, but it’s nice to see her getting a win in a match that matters in some way.

Je’Von Evans is coming for the NXT Title but tonight, he’s taking out Dark State.

Giulia wants a rematch with Stephanie Vaquer at Stand & Deliver.

Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank start fast to clean house until we settle down with Tank working on Jensen’s arm. Vance breaks it up though and Jensen comes back with a neckbreaker for two. Tank fights out of the chinlock and Hank gets the tag to fight back. Everything breaks down though and Vance sends Hank into the barricade. Hank is right back up and misses a Swanton, setting up a top rope knee/Dominator combination to give Vance the pin at 3:26.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but the point was giving the Culling a win. Hank & Tank are flailing, which very well could lead to something changing for them in the near future. Other than that, neither of these teams feel like they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles, but that didn’t seem to be the goal here anyway.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. Saints appreciates the reception and says the revolution will be televised again. He’s happy with his win but he’s not pleased with Ethan Page. Saints gets that Page isn’t ok with someone showing him up so get out here right now. Instead it’s Lexis King, who says he loves gold…and here is Eddy Thorpe to interrupt.

Thorpe wants a title, and it should be the one that represents the land stolen from his people. Cue Wes Lee, who says he was the best champion the title has ever seen so the conversation starts with him. Starks is ready for any of them but here is Page to drop him. The four challengers get in a brawl and Lee hits a big flip dive to take them out.

Ava, Robert Stone and Stevie Turner are in the back when Stephanie Vaquer comes in. She wants to face everyone at Stand & Deliver, so it’s a four way with Giulia, Jordynne Grace and Jaida Parker. As they somehow get bigger than a triple threat.

Trick Williams is ready to get the NXT Title back and he’s not sweating Dark State.

Wes Lee vs. Yoshiki Inamura

Tyson DuPont, Tyriek Igwe and Josh Briggs are here too. Lee kicks him in the face to start fast but gets dropped with a running shoulder. Some choking on the ropes has Inamura down again but it’s too early for a 450. Inamura strikes away in the corner and muscles him up for a fisherman’s suplex. Lee fights up and takes out Briggs but Inamura pulls him out of the air for a spinning slam. Briggs goes after DuPont though and Lee hits the Cardiac Kick for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C+. Neither of these two have much going on at the moment but Lee could at least be in the running for the North American Title shot. I still don’t get the appeal of Inamura, who hasn’t done much in his time around here and has only had some flashes of interest. Maybe that changes in the future but for now, he’s just kind of there without doing much.

Oba Femi is ready to wreck Dark State and keep his title at Stand & Deliver.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Izzi Dame vs. Wren Sinclair

The Culling and the No Quarter Catch Crew are here too. Dame drives her into the corner to start so Sinclair grabs a wristlock. A rollup gives Sinclair two but the octopus is broken up rather quickly. Dame hits a clothesline and hammers away, setting up a crossface chickenwing. Sinclair fights up and hits some clotheslines for two, followed by a crucifix for the same. Back up and Dame grabs a Sky High for the quick pin at 4:28.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, with Dame being another name without much chance to win, though it would be a nice surprise. The Culling is having a good night here and that’s a nice thing to see, as the team is at least getting a chance. Sinclair is still good in the ring but she isn’t exactly doing much lately, which is another annoying thing to see.

A bunch of women are in Ava’s office and she announces a last chance qualifying match for the Women’s North American title match.

Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon finally get Andre Chase to agree to help them. Hank & Tank come in but run into the Street Profits, who tell them to be themselves. The Profits want them in next week’s gauntlet match for a Tag Team Title shot at Stand & Deliver.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Dark State vs. Je’Von Evans/Oba Femi/Trick Williams

Dark State charges the ring and the fight is on, with Dion Lennox starting against Oba Femi. Lennox sends him into the corner so Cutler James can come in for a clothesline. Williams comes in to go after Saquon Shugars, who pulls him down by the hair. A jumping neckbreaker hits Shugars but James comes in for a sleeper on Williams.

James slams him down but gets hit with a heck of a backdrop. Williams chops away at Shugars in the corner and hands it off to Evans, who snaps off a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and Dark State is knocked to the floor, giving us a standoff as we take a break. Back with Evans hitting a springboard high crossbody on Shugars but Cutler comes in with a clothesline.

Lennox grabs a chinlock and the villains take turns beating on Evans. An elbow misses though and Evans hits an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Femi. House is cleaned until Shugars is tossed Williams, meaning the brawl is on. Evans hits a frog splash for two on Lennox as Williams and Femi fight up the aisle. A triple bomb, with Shugars diving off the top to put Evans down (cool) is good for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. For a team of people who came from pretty much nowhere with little success before this, Dark State did rather well here. That finish had quite the impact and I liked what they were doing together. They have the D’Angelo Family to deal with and this makes their feud that much more interesting as they had a strong in-ring debut here. The other three brawling into a fight isn’t a big surprise, but this was more about Dark State and they did well.

Post match Stacks pops up on the screen to issue the challenge for a fight in the parking lot next week. Well that ups the danger significantly.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was more about setting up things for Stand & Deliver, with matches being made and some qualifying matches being covered. That being said, the show isn’t feeling like the most must see card as all of the multi-person matches don’t really come off as special. Stand & Deliver is supposed to be the biggest show of the year and that doesn’t often mean a bunch of matches with all kinds of people running around. It should be good, but it doesn’t feel special and that’s not a positive thing at all.

Results
Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker went to a double DQ when Stephanie Vaquer interfered
Fraxiom b. Swipe Right – Phoenix splash to Smokes
Sol Ruca b. Jazmyn Nyx – Sol Snatcher
Culling b. Hank & Tank – Top rope knee/Dominator combination to Hank
Wes Lee b. Yoshiki Inamura – Cardiac Kick
Izzi Dame b. Wren Sinclair – Sky High
Dark State b. Oba Femi/Trick Williams/Je’Von Evans – Triple Bomb to Evans

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

NXT
Date: March 25, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re getting very close to Stand & Deliver and that means it’s time to start putting the show together. There is a good chance that we’ll see some more of the matches set up this week, though first both women’s titles are on the line as Stephanie Vaquer is defending twice. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Stephanie Vaquer’s attempts to defend both of her titles in one night, which isn’t something you often see attempted, let alone done.

Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jaida Parker

Vaquer is defending and gets slammed down as Booker talks about his two TV Title defenses at Superbrawl VIII (not quite). Parker shrugs off a wristlock and slams her down before they trade rollups for two each. A hurricanrana sends Parker into the corner but she drops Vaquer as we take a break.

Back with Parker hitting a Backstabber for two but Vaquer knocks her into the ropes. The 619 sets up the figure four necklock faceplants. The STB is broken up though and Parker plants her with a Falcon Arrow for two. Parker’s hip attack connects in the corner but here is Jordynne Grace for a distraction. That’s enough for Vaquer to roll her up and retain at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Parker isn’t the most experienced star just yet but she has a certain swagger to her that you either have or you don’t. That’s one of those things that can take you a long way and now it seems that she is going to be doing something with Grace. Good enough opener here, even though Vaquer seemed to be saving some of herself for later, which is fine.

Post match Parker and Grace have to be held apart. Cue Fatal Influence to jump Parker and leave her laying.

Trick Williams still doesn’t want to hear from Je’Von Evans, saying there’s a difference between having potential and having a title. Evans is ready to prove him wrong.

Meta Four want to know why they’re not getting a TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles and get in an argument with Tatum Paxley/Gigi Dolin, who do have such a shot this week.

Earlier today, there was a sitdown interview with Ricky Saints, who thinks people are having trouble dealing with his self confidence. For awhile he had to live in his car and the only thing he had was his self confidence, which helped get him here. Then Shawn Spears interrupted, saying that Saints’ confidence is driving people crazy. Spears has friends, but Saints says that’s how he won the North American Title. Spears suggests that Saints can always go somewhere else if it doesn’t work out, but then brings up all of the burned bridges. Saints: “I guess I better win then.”

Ethan Page runs his mouth and gets into it with Andre Chase, who talks about teaching the younger people about how to deal with people like Page. Insults ensue as Chase sounded like his old self.

The Motor City Machine Guns give Hank And Talk a quick pep talk.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont vs. Hank And Tank

Wes Lee is here with the villains. We’re joined in progress with everything breaking down and Hank And Tank hammering away in the corners. A camel clutch/running dropkick combination gets two on DuPont before a suicide dive hits Igwe on the floor. Back in and Igwe stomps on Hank’s arm and DuPont plants him down for two. The full nelson is broken up and it’s back to Tank to clean house. Tank plants Igwe for two but Lee offers a distraction meaning it’s the Heartstopper to finish Hank at 6:25.

Rating: C+. Igwe and DuPont are getting some more exposure as of late and that’s the kind of thing that can give them some better hope in the future. I’m not sure I can imagine them doing much of note anytime soon, but it’s better than nothing. Hank And Tank still don’t have much going on, but that has been the case for a good while now.

Stephanie Vaquer insists that she can face Fallon Henley tonight, despite Ava being worried.

Fraxiom has another of their mini arguments about Axiom not inviting Nathan Frazer to Spain. Oba Femi arrives and Axiom leaves.

Heritage Cup: Je’Von Evans vs. Lexis King

Evans is challenging and grabs a headlock to start. That’s reversed into a headscissors before a belly to back suplex drops Evans. Back up and a high crossbody gives Evans two and a suicide dive sends King into the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with King hitting a fisherman’s driver for two, with the kickout leaving King frustrated.

Evans knocks him down and hits a frog splash (with some height) for two of his own but King goes after the bad jaw. A running shot sends King outside though and Evans nails a heck of a dive. Cue Oba Femi to take Evans down though and King retains the cup via countout at 10:43.

Rating: C. The ending keeps the Cup with King, even through some shenanigans, and that’s the best thing for him at the moment. This wasn’t so much King cheating as much as King capitalizing on someone going into business for themselves. Evans vs. Femi could be a fun David vs. Goliath match, but Trick Williams seems to be the next challenger for the title.

Post match Dark State is teased but Femi goes after Evans again. Trick Williams comes in for the save but has to be held back from Femi.

Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley vs. Meta Four

Dolin and Jackson lock up to start as Zaria and Sol Ruca are here to watch. Dolin sends her into the corner for a running shot from Paxley. A reverse surfboard has Jackson in trouble it’s off to Legend to take over. Paxley gets slammed for two but it’s a quick tag back to Dolin, who hits a high crossbody on both villains. Granted it was near their legs but close enough. Everything breaks down and the Cemetery Drive finishes Jackson at 3:58.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and it took away what they could do. There was no reason to have Dolin and Paxley lose just before their title shot on Thursday so at least they have some momentum. Zaria and Ruca didn’t do anything here but there is a good chance that they’ll wind up facing Meta Four at some point in the future.

Tony D’Angelo wants information on the Dark State. The Family goes to find it when Stacks is asked to stay. D’Angelo brings up saving Stacks when he was a kid, which Stacks will never forget. D’Angelo: “I can always trust you, right?” Stacks: “You can always trust me T, always.” I’m sure.

The Motor City Machine Guns tells Hank And Tank to stay with it. Trust your partners and don’t compare yourselves to the Guns, because they’ve been a team for a long time.

Ethan Page vs. Andre Chase

Ricky Saints comes out to join commentary, which Page doesn’t like. Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors are here with Chase, who doesn’t want them doing the Chase U pose. Chase tries some early rollups to start and grabs a headlock. That’s reversed into a belly to back suplex but Chase sends him to the floor and adds a superkick from the apron.

We take a break and come back with Chase grabbing a swinging neckbreaker into the Russian legsweep. The Spelling Stomps are blocked but Chase knocks him down for two more. Page is back with an Iconoclasm into a Codebreaker for two of his own but Chase neckbreakers him on the apron. A tornado DDT gives Chase two, only for Chase to crotch him on top. The super powerslam gives Page two, followed by the Twisted Grin to pin Chase at 9:58.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one as Chase continues to be a likable guy no matter what he is doing. I could go for his story taking a bigger step forward, but you can see the old version of him still alive inside there. Page vs. Saints is likely going to be a big showdown at Stand & Deliver, which is a good way to get Saints on the biggest show of the year.

Post match Saints looks up at Page but Shawn Spears and the Culling jump him.

Dark State says when they strike, no one is safe.

We get a clip of the debut of Stephanie’s Places.

Trick Williams calls Je’Von Evans a distraction, just like Eddy Thorpe. He wants Oba Femi next week and calls Dark State none of his business.

Women’s North American Title: Fallon Henley vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Henley, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is challenging and drives Vaquer into the corner to start. Vaquer fights up and hits a running dropkick for an early two. A superkick sends Henley into the ropes but she’s back up with a knockdown as we take a break. Back with Henley hitting a running forearm and kicking Vaquer between the shoulders.

Vaquer catches her on top with a superplex and Eat Defeat staggers Henley again. The running knees connect in the corner but Henley rolls through a rollup attempt. Henley throws her outside for a cheap shot from Jazmyn Nyx but Vaquer sends Henley into Nyx for the knockdown. The SVB retains the title at 10:03.

Rating: C+. I was a bit surprised that Vaquer didn’t lose one of her titles here but doing the whole two title defenses in one night is a nice feather in her non-existent cap. Henley gets her rematch and is cleared out so now we can move on to another challenger. It wasn’t a particularly good match, but you can see how far Henley has come in the last few months.

Post match Fatal Influence beats Vaquer down but Jordynne Grace makes the save. Grace teases challenging Vaquer but here is Jaida Parker to jump Grace, only to be cleared out again.

A bunch of women plead their case for a future shot at Vaquer and Ava doesn’t get to make an announcement.

Vaquer and Grace have one more staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show that wasn’t so much about the wrestling but rather moving the pieces around on the way to Stand & Deliver. The show might not have anything announced yet, but you can probably guess some of the matches that are coming on the show. That is a big deal and this was the kind of show that you need on the way there. I’m looking forward to seeing those matches coming together, as there is just enough time left to still add a few surprises.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jaida Parker – Rollup
Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont b. Hank And Tank – Heartstopper to Hank
Lexis King b. Je’Von Evans via countout
Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley b. Meta Four – Cemetery Drive to Jackson
Ethan Page b. Andre Chase – Twisted Grin
Stephanie Vaquer b. Fallon Henley – SVB

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