NXT
Date: October 18, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Halloween Havoc and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. In this case that means we have some main roster stars in some Pick Your Poison matches for Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez. Other than that, we need one more night to set up the triple threat NXT Title match, which certainly needs the help. Let’s get to it.

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

Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez

The rest of Judgment Day is here with Ripley, who is Cora Jade’s pick to face Perez. The fans are glad to see Rhea and think she is going to kill Perez, rather enthusiastically really. Perez goes for the wristlock to little avail and the spinning headscissors doesn’t work. A chop just makes Ripley mad so she headbutts Perez in the ribs. Ripley forearms her into the back and is starting to look rather comfortable.

A quick hurricanrana sends Ripley outside but she moves before Perez can dive. Instead Perez tries another hurricanrana off the apron, earning herself a HARD face first drop onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Ripley holding her in a waistlock and driving in forearms to the back of Perez’s head. Perez fights up and fires off some kicks to the leg but an armdrag is blocked.

One heck of a missed charge sends Ripley shoulder first into the post, setting up Perez’s suicide dive. Perez slips out of a superplex attempt back inside and grabs a super hurricanrana for two. Another charge is countered into a faceplant for two and Ripley is stunned off the kickout. Riptide and Pop Rox are both broken up so Dominik Mysterio distracts Perez, allowing Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B-. Perez is looking more and more like a star every day as she is hanging in there with big names, from Bayley on Smackdown last week and Ripley here. Ripley winning, especially via cheating, is a fine way to go and she got to look dominant again in doing so. What mattered here was making Perez look good and they pulled that off rather well.

The OC aren’t sure about teaming with Cameron Grimes. Then Grimes pulls out a bunch of money and now they’re ready to go to the moon.

Here are Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, with the former having a mystery opponent. We’ll see who that is….after a break.

Grayson Waller is ready to get rid of Apollo Crews. Then Chucky from Child’s Play pops up on screen to taunt him about Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal. Waller is freaked out.

Stacks vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Now there’s a surprise and the fans are rather glad to see him. Stacks grabs a headlock to start and hammers away to little effect. Nakamura remembers that he’s fighting Stacks and kicks away without much trouble. Some right hands actually put Nakamura down though and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up and Nakamura wins the strike off without much effort. The sliding German suplex gives Nakamura two but he can’t keep a cross armbreaker. Stacks is back up with another shot but Nakamura kicks him in the head. Kinshasa sends Stacks outside, followed by another to finish him off at 5:22.

Rating: C. Nakamura being back is a nice surprise, but it’s more than a little weird to see Stacks getting in that much offense on him. This actually wasn’t a squash, but rather Stacks being overwhelmed by someone on a much higher level. I’m not sure I get the story here, though hopefully it doesn’t involve Stacks being split off on his own.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom reminisce on their best of three series when Von Wagner, with Mr. Stone, comes in. Wagner mocks them and gets a match with Frazer as a result.

Sonya Deville vs. Alba Fyre

Deville has Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin with her. Neither can hit a kick to start so Fyre headbutts her into the corner. Deville pulls Fyre off the middle rope though and the crash is good for two. A faceplant drops Deville though and Fyre goes up top. That doesn’t work as she has to beat up Toxic Attraction, with Deville accidentally helping by kicking Dolin in the face. A rollup gives Fyre the pin at 2:09.

Post match Toxic Attraction gets back in to go after Fyre, with Mandy Rose making her return to say she she’s ready for Fyre. That’s enough for Fyre to come back with the bat on the other two, before shoving an invading Rose out to the floor.

Oro Mensah and Wes Lee are in the back when Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come in to start a brawl. They fight into the arena and you know what that means.

Oro Mensah/Wes Lee vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

We’re joined in progress with Lee headlocking Williams, who fights up with some forearms. Hayes comes in and gets missile dropkicked down by Mensah. Williams trips Mensah down though and Williams gets to stomp away. That doesn’t last long and it’s Lee coming back in to strike away on Hayes. Everything breaks down and Hayes hits a top rope ax kick to finish Lee at 2:52. Short and to the point here, which was “these people are in a ladder match on Saturday so here they are”.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Nathan Frazer running in. Some dives leave everyone laying.

Schism doesn’t like Cameron Grimes running from them over to the OC. No one is stopping them of course.

Bron Breakker is ready to go through JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov. As for tonight, he is looking forward to being on the KO Show, because he knows something is going to happen.

Schism vs. OC/Cameron Grimes

Grimes throws Reid around to start and kicks him in the face so it’s off to Fowler, who has about the same luck. Fowler gets taken into the corner and Anderson comes in to work on the arm. Some elbows from Gallows make it worse but a blind tag brings in Reid, who knees Anderson from the apron. Anderson gets beaten down on the floor, meaning it’s time for some Schism hugs. Back in and Anderson wins a slugout with Reid, which is enough for the hot tag to Grimes. Everything breaks down and Schism is knocked outside and we take a break.

We come back with Grimes crossbodying Gacy for two but getting elbowed back down. Grimes can’t quite suplex his way to freedom but he can crawl through Fowler’s legs and bring Gallows in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Reid has to save Fowler from the Magic Killer. Gacy hits Grimes with a backbreaker but Anderson drops him with a neckbreaker. Grimes hits a Cage In and the Magic Killer finishes Reid at 11:56.

Rating: C+. Now LET IT BE OVER. There is no reason for Grimes to be dragged down any more than he already has been by this stupid feud and it needs to end. Gacy is fine enough as a midcard heel but Grimes is someone who could be a big deal in more than one place. That isn’t going to happen with Schism so move on already.

Veer Mahaan isn’t going to say what he said to Sanga last week. Sanga comes in and is ready to talk.

Video on Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Zoey Stark/Nikkita Lyons.

We get the contract signing for the Women’s Tag Team Title match, with Lyons and Stark signing while saying they’re ready to take the titles. Carter and Chance sign as well, saying they’re a real team.

We get a split screen interview between Julius Creed and Damon Kemp, with Julius being ready to fight for his brother’s career. He isn’t intimidated by Kemp and is ready to take him out in an ambulance for what he did to Diamond Mine. Kemp says Creed may be great, but he’s also jealous. That has Julius chuckling, because Kemp isn’t willing to put in the work to be great. Kemp says this is about violence and not skill, but Julius promises to put Kemp in an ambulance on Saturday before storming off.

Shotzi is back to host Halloween Havoc again this year. The fans are rather glad to see her again and she is ready to be all weird and evil. She needs a co-host though so here is Xyon Quinn to say it should be him. Quincy Elliott is here to say the same, so let’s just have a match for the gig.

Quincy Elliott vs. Xyon Quinn

Joined in progress with Quinn hitting a clothesline as Shotzi sits in on commentary. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Elliott is back up with a running elbow. Quinn tries a Samoan drop but Elliott falls on him. Elliott’s splash misses though and Quinn tries for a chair, only to have Hank Walker cut him off. Back in and Elliott hits a splash, setting up a Banzai drop for the pin at 2:53.

Thea Hail is upset over her loss to Kiana James and freaks out in need of a rematch. Andre Chase says they’ll talk about it later and goes over the history of Halloween Havoc, with moments like Hulk Hogan beating Ric Flair, Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page, Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero and Mandy Rose winning the NXT Women’s Title. Their homework is to watch Halloween Havoc, but Chucky pops up on screen to threaten them via swearing, because that is a teachable moment. Hail: “What the F***???” Chase and Bodie Hayward are stunned. As usual, funny stuff.

Pretty Deadly sign their contract for the Tag Team Title match next week. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade aren’t so sure that Pretty Deadly is leaving with the titles.

Cora Jade vs. Raquel Rodriguez

This is the other Pick Your Poison match. Rodriguez backs her into the corner to start so Jade chills on the top. Jade gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and the chops against the announcers’ table make it worse. Back in and Jade manages to get in a few shots before grabbing the baseball bat. Rodriguez takes it away so Jade slaps her in the face. That’s enough for a bat shot to Jade and the DQ at 2:43.

Post match Roxanne Perez comes in and beats Jade up to send her running. Rodriguez puts Perez on her shoulder to celebrate.

Halloween Havoc rundown.

Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are hosting a party in the back to watch the KO Show and put down some bets on what various people are going to say about Saturday. Sol Ruca walks by on her hands and it’s time to drink. This was a weird collection of cameos.

It’s time for the KO Show for the big finale. Without any introductions, here are Bron Breakker, JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov for a chat. Owens talks about how Shawn Michaels wanted him here, oddly enough to keep the peace. McDonagh is asked why he stirs the pot so much but McDonagh says Breakker and Dragunov are the ones who attacked each other last week. Dragunov doesn’t think much of Breakker and promises to take the title from him on Saturday. Breakker: “Over my dead body.”

Owens tries to calm things down, but he doesn’t want McDonagh as the NXT Champion. Owens: “I talked to his mom earlier and SHE doesn’t want him to be NXT Champion!” Dragunov says McDonagh can be great but NEVER a champion. Breakker wants Dragunov in the same category, but Dragunov brings up Breakker actually losing his title.

The challenge is on for right now so Owens takes his leave. Dragunov clears house….and Austin Theory comes out, points at the title, and holds up the briefcase to end the show. Now there’s a twist, and it might be a good thing for Theory. Better this than losing over and over on Raw/Smackdown and eventually becoming a lame champion who is seen as a failure when he doesn’t get over with the title. Good segment overall, as this match needs all the help it can get.

Overall Rating: C+. They were flying through this show and the guest stars didn’t exactly do much, which made the show a bit strange. I get that they were trying to hype up Halloween Havoc and fight back against AEW at the same time, but maybe advertise these names a bit better? The other thing here was that they were moving from one match to another as fast as they could here and little had a chance to set in. I’m not overly excited about Halloween Havoc, but the last segment did make me more interested in the main event. Pretty good show, but I’m not sure how much impact it had.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Roxanne Perez – Riptide
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Stacks – Kinshasa
Alba Fyre b. Sonya Deville – Rollup
Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams b. Wes Lee/Oro Mensah – Top rope ax kick to Lee
OC/Cameron Grimes b. Schism – Magic Killer to Reid
Quincy Elliott b. Xyon Quinn – Banzai drop
Cora Jade b. Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Rodriguez hit her with a baseball bat

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: October 11, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re rapidly approaching Halloween Havoc and that means we might need some more matches added to the show. The main event is already set and tonight we get another name added to the North American Title match as Axiom and Nathan Frazer wrap up their best of three series. Let’s get to it.

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

Javier Bernal vs. Bron Breakker

Non-title and here is JD McDonagh to join commentary. Breakker wrestles him down with ease to start and grabs an armbar. A belly to belly drops Bernal but he’s back up with a shot of his own. A shove to the face annoys Breakker though and he throws Bernal down. The gorilla press powerslam finishes Bernal at 3:18.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above a squash as Bernal got in just as much offense as you would expect him to get in such a match. There is no reason to have it be anything else and it’s fun to see Bernal get beaten up. Breakker continues to learn in the ring so keeping it short against lesser proven names is a good idea.

Post match McDonagh gets in the ring for the showdown and Ilja Dragunov comes in to join them. The brawl is on and Dragunov’s Torpedo hits Breakker, despite looking like he was aiming at McDonagh.

NXT North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

In addition to being a qualifying match, this is the rubber match in a best of three series. Feeling out process to start with Frazer taking him down and smirking a bit. Axiom gets in his own takedown and…..well I’m assuming smirks back. They go with some grappling and Axiom takes him down with a headlock to slow things down a bit. Back up and Frazer pulls him out of the corner as we take a break.

We come back with the fight heading outside, where Frazer hits a Nightmare on Helm Street to put them both down for a bit. Frazer takes him down back inside and goes up top but dives into a triangle choke. That’s broken up so Axiom switches to a rear naked choke. Frazer escapes again and they trade kicks to the face. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and the fans applaud. Back up and Axiom knees him in the head and they go to a pinfall reversal sequence. Frazer finally gets the better of it and cradles him for the pin at 12:50.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and it was nice to see them getting to do their thing for a third time. I was expecting some kind of a draw to put them both in the ladder match so it was a bit refreshing to have a twist. Frazer winning is probably the better choice, though Axiom came out of the series looking good as well.

Post match, respect is show.

Ilja Dragunov is leaving but gets cut off by Grayson Waller. After Waller is a bit annoying, Dragunov mocks Waller’s sunglasses and a match seems to be made for later.

Valentina Feroz wants Sanga in her corner tonight and of course he’ll be there. Indi Hartwell comes in to suggest that Feroz is in trouble.

Apollo Crews writes in his journal about how changing one detail can make a huge difference. He is ready to get his hands on Grayson Waller at Halloween Havoc. The vision seems to be a bunch of clips of Halloween Havocs past, plus Chuckie from Child’s Play. He promises to leave Waller in the dark.

Indi Hartwell vs. Valentina Feroz

Sanga is here with Feroz. The much bigger Hartwell powers her up against the ropes to start and slams her down a few times for two. Hartwell grabs the chinlock and here is Veer to take Sanga to the back with him. Feroz doesn’t notice at first as she grabs a short armscissors. That’s broken up so she puts it on again, only to realize that Sanga is gone. The distraction lets Hartwell grab a superplex for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C-. Hartwell is at least starting to put something back together but she has still fallen a long way. Other than that you have Feroz, who seems to be more of a pawn in the Indus Sher reunion. That’s a shame as I like Sanga, but I guess we need an evil foreign menace team instead, because that’s what we have been missing.

Post match Pretty Deadly pops up on the platform in an overly large cowboy hat and one of those hats with two beer cans on the side. They mock fans cheering for sports teams and the idea of anyone being a real challenge to them.

Cora Jade is annoyed at her lack of respect and it gets even worse when she finds out that Roxanne Perez is going to be on Smackdown this week.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen vs. Dyad

For the Halloween Havoc Tag Team Title shot. The Dyad takes over on Jensen to start but he punches his way to freedom and brings in Briggs to run the Dyad over. Enofe gets punched into the ropes, setting up the slides underneath the ropes and stereo right hands. The Dyad gets knocked to the floor for a meeting with Joe Gacy, allowing Fowler to come back in for a suplex on Enofe.

Briggs comes in to clean house and cuts off Reed despite a blind tag. Reed is thrown over the top and onto the pile at ringside, followed by Jensen hitting a big flip dive off the top for a wipeout. We take a break and come back with a Tower of Doom taking Blade down further than anyone else.

Briggs comes in and gets to clean house, including going to the floor, picking Enofe up, throwing him off the ropes, and clotheslining him out of the air (that was cool). Blade gets the tag and starts to clean house as everything breaks down. We hit a long string of strikes to the face until Enofe and Blade clear the ring. The back to back running dives take down the other four but Gacy drops Enofe with a discus lariat. Cue Cameron Grimes to take Gacy out and Enofe pins Reed at 12:29.

Rating: C+. This was all action and they didn’t try to do anything else. It makes sense to have something like this on a show just to spice things up a bit and the winner makes for an interesting setup. If nothing else, Blade and Enofe needed a win to get them somewhere and why not let them have a title shot? It isn’t like they have anything to lose.

Toxic Attraction want their Women’s Tag Team Title match and promise violence.

Kiana James wants to shut down Chase U because the land it’s on is really valuable.

Alba Fyre vs. Jacy Jayne

Gigi Dolin is here with Jayne and offers a distraction to start. Jayne knocks Fyre into the corner and looks a bit too cocky early on. Fyre fights back up and slugs away but can’t hit a Gory Bomb. A fireman’s carry slam gives Fyre two and some frustration is setting in. Instead it’s another Dolin distraction to annoy Fyre, meaning she hits a running dive to take both of them out at ringside. Back in and the Gory Bomb finishes Jayne at 3:32.

Rating: C. This is one of those stories that you know by heart as soon as the match is announced and that isn’t a bad thing. What matters is keeping Alba warmed up before her title match and so far, that is working well. You can pencil in the Gigi Dolin match from here and it should go rather well with the story they are telling.

Post match a fan jumps Fyre and it’s…..Sonya Deville. The beating is on with Fyre getting triple powerbombed through the announcers’ table.

Joe Gacy promises to end Cameron Grimes 3-1 because Grimes has no one to help him. Their follower in the red hoodie pops up behind the team as they leave.

Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Quincy Elliott and Hank Walker are ready for a match next week. Walker gives him a quick spank and Elliott thanks him.

Wes Lee vs. Stacks

Stacks takes him down by the leg to start but Lee is right back up with a shot to the face. Back up and Stacks goes for the leg and grabs a leglock. A torture rack neckbreaker gets two on Lee so Stacks goes up, only to get pulled back down. The Spiral Tap gives Lee the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C. Well you can see why Stacks is the lackey to Tony D’Angelo rather than the other way around. Stacks is one of the more generic stars that you will see in NXT as he just didn’t have anything to make him stand out. He did everything fine, but the crowd didn’t seem interested and Lee’s Spiral Tap was about the only interesting part. Not bad, but dull.

Post match Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes come in to beat Lee down but Oro Mensah makes the save.

Sonya Deville likes Toxic Attraction and doesn’t like Alba Fyre. Next week, Deville will be waiting in the ring for her.

Roderick Strong, in a neck brace, is wheeled in to see the Creed Brothers and wants Julius to take out Damon Kemp at Halloween Havoc. Strong apologizes for ruining everything by bringing Kemp in and is forgiven. If you can’t see how this is going at Halloween Havoc, you aren’t paying enough attention.

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

The bell rings and Mr. Stone runs in to say he can’t enjoy Von Wagner’s win last week because Thea Hail slapped him. Stone charges at him and gets backdropped but James hits a reverse Sling Blade (401K) to finish Hail at 1:18. Sounds like a teachable moment.

Tony D’Angelo on crutches comes in to say he’s disappointed in Stacks for losing and for not listening to him. Stacks has another match next week, but D’Angelo won’t say against who.

Von Wagner tells Mr. Strong that he needs to be serious for two weeks.

Cameron Grimes seems to have some friends for next week.

Cora Jade has an invitation from Rhea Ripley to come to Raw, so HA Roxanne Perez.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Grayson Waller

Dragunov takes him down to start and works on the armbar. A jumping backsplash and running knee in the corner put Waller down again as this is one sided so far. Back up and Waller gets in a shot to the face to take over and even mocks his conducting. Oh and he mocks the Spinarooni, which has Booker annoyed as well.

We take a break and come back with Dragunov hitting some shots to the back, setting up a jumping enziguri. Waller knocks him right back down though and hits the middle rope elbow for two. Dragunov comes back with the 6 1 Line but a takedown sets up Waller’s choke. A neck snap across the top has Dragunov down so he goes to the floor….where the Spin The Wheel Make The Deal wheel appears and starts spinning (on its own). Back in and Dragunov rolls some suplexes, setting up the Torpedo for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. The wheel thing was a little weird but Apollo Crews is doing a lot of weird things as of late. Dragunov winning here helps establish him a bit more in NXT, where he is still brand new. This should give him a small boost on the way to Halloween Havoc and I’d like to see what happens to him in what could be a wild triple threat.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in and spears Dragunov down. JD McDonagh applauds to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Not exactly a strong week from NXT here as they don’t have anything that has me overly interested for Halloween Havoc. The NXT Title match should be good, but it doesn’t feel like a story that is head and shoulders above everything else. The problem is that nothing else on the show does either and I’m not exactly interested in what they’re doing so far. Maybe they can change that next week, and at this point, they need to. Decent enough action this week and it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t make me more interested in their big show and that’s not good.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Javier Bernal – Gorilla press powerslam
Nathan Frazer b. Axiom – Rollup
Indi Hartwell b. Valentina Feroz – Superplex
Malik Blade/Edris Enofe b. Dyad and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Rollup to Reed
Alba Fyre b. Jacy Jayne – Gory Bomb
Wes Lee b. Stacks – Spiral Tap
Kiana James b. Thea Hail – 401K
Ilja Dragunov b. Grayson Waller – Torpedo

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: September 27, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

Things got shaken up in a big way last week as Ilja Dragunov debuted to add quite the wild card. JD McDonagh is the new #1 contender to Bron Breakker’s NXT Title but Dragunov is going to be put into a top spot rather quickly. This should be interesting on top of everything else around here so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Ilja Dragunov to get things going. He has beaten a monster to win gold before and now he is ready to do it again. This time it isn’t Gunther though, but rather Bron Breakker. Cue JD McDonagh to call Dragunov a sneaky, dirty little rat and to say that he hopes Dragunov’s ankle is healed.

McDonagh offers to end Dragunov’s career but here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker says the title isn’t going anywhere but McDonagh has an idea: Dragunov vs. Breakker with McDonagh being there for to face the winner. That doesn’t work for Breakker, who says if his math is correct, McDonagh has a 33 1/3 chance of winning (BIG pop for that). Breakker will see them at Halloween Havoc.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are in a fight in the back.

Mandy Rose hopes Alba Fyre is watching.

The Schism is ready to hurt Cameron Grimes.

Fallon Henley vs. Mandy Rose

Non-title and the rest of Toxic Attraction is here too. Rose knocks her into the corner to start and grabs an abdominal stretch before grabbing an abdominal stretch. Henley hiptosses her way out of it and hits a swinging faceplant for two. Back up and Rose shoves her off, setting up the running knee for the pin at 5:35. Barrett: “Rose keeps knocking them out with those American thighs.”

Rating: C-. This was kind of a dry one as Rose spent a good chunk of time on the abdominal stretch. Henley is still one of the most energetic and charismatic women on the roster but she isn’t in the title hunt and shouldn’t have been any kind of a threat to Rose. There are bigger challengers for Rose out there and this was a way to keep her looking strong before she gets to them.

Post match Rose says this is Alba Fyre’s last warning. Fyre pops up on screen to say she’s more of a visual person, and then lights the words AND NEW on fire. Good thing she had that ready.

Apollo Crews has a vision of Grayson Waller with terrified eyes.

Ilja Dragunov runs into Xyon Quinn, who says Dragunov has a lot of hype. Quinn wants a chance to run with the ball but Dragunov doesn’t think he’s that bright. A match seems likely for later tonight.

North American Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks is here with D’Angelo. Feeling out process to start with D’Angelo getting the better of things. Lee knocks him to the floor though, where Stacks says give him some time to cut off Lee’s dive. That earns Stacks a dive instead so he gets inside, where the referee ejects him as we take a break. Back with D’Angelo grinding away on a chinlock but Lee fights up and sends him into the corner…..and D’Angelo is hurt. The referee calls the match at 8:42 with Lee winning via stoppage.

Rating: C. That’s never something you want to see and hopefully D’Angelo is back to full health very soon. The match leading up to the injury wasn’t all that great and the result means very little, as I can’t imagine either of these two being a major threat to winning the title. Kind of a run of the mill match here until the ending took everything they had away.

It isn’t clear what happened to D’Angelo but commentary thinks it is a knee injury.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams don’t care about Wes Lee but here is Oro Mensah to interrupt. Hayes thinks they can do good things for Mensah but at Halloween Havoc, it is every man for themselves. Works for Mensah.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

And now, a day in the life of Pretty Deadly. They wake up at 10am and have breakfast in bed, then choose their wardrobe at 11am. Then at 2pm it’s time to spend an hour working on their hair. After some tea, they go to the gym (wearing their titles of course) where they keep working out. Then they sleep next to each other. For you old OVW fans, I had no idea that the Heartbreakers were still a thing.

Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is a rather athletic surfer. Miller takes her down by the arm to start but Ruca is back up with a headscissors. A sunset flip gives Ruca one and a dropkick gets two as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled here. Miller takes her back down and grabs a cross arm choke but Ruca is back up. A knockdown out of the corner sets up a flipping legdrop to the back to give Ruca the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. Ruca is a very athletic woman and has a good look. That is the extent of what could be said about her based on this and that isn’t enough to get much from yet. So far, the only thing I know about Ruca is she surfs and is athletic. One of those things makes her stand out and she is going to need something else to make me interested in her.

Gallus and Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen are still fighting.

Cameron Grimes vs. Joe Gacy

The Dyad is here with Gacy. Grimes kicks away at the ribs to start so Gacy heads outside, where he rams Grimes into the apron. That’s enough for Grimes, who fights up and hits a flip dive to take the Dyad down. Back in and Gacy grabs a swinging Rock Bottom for two on Grimes but he slips out of a second one. The superkick drops Gacy but the Dyad offers another distraction. That’s enough for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here, other than Gacy getting another win because of course he does. For the life of me I do not get what WWE sees in him but we are going to be seeing him for a long time to come. I would hope that this doesn’t lead to Grimes joining the team, but maybe he can find a friend to help deal with the numbers game.

Grayson Waller is frustrated with Apollo Crews, including what was wrong with his eyes in that vision. So Crews’ visions are now able to be seen by everyone? Doesn’t that mean it isn’t his vision? Anyway, Waller is going to have extra security for his talk show next week because that isn’t going to happen.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayden Carter

Zoey Stark and Katana Chance are here too. Feeling out process to start with Carter taking her down and shaking a bit. Back up and Lyons knocks her into the corner, setting up the running headscissors out of the corner. Something like a Michinoku Driver gives Lyons two but Carter knocks her down. The running kick to the face in the ropes gets two on Lyons but she is right back with a spinning kick to the head. The splits splash finishes for Lyons at 4:14.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark are likely to get the next Women’s Tag Team Title shot and that means one of them needs to pin one of the champs on the way there. It would not surprise me to see Lyons move up to a much higher level on her own one day, but the Tag Team Titles makes enough sense. Keeping Lyons matches short is a good idea as she gets to be flashy and get out, which works well for her.

We look back at Chase U beating Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams last week.

This week at a pep rally, Chase told his students that he has a North American Title qualifying match next week against Von Wagner. He’s ready to move on to win the title and opens the floor for questions. Someone named Dave (ahuh) asks why we should believe that Chase can beat Wagner. Chase: “YOU THINK THAT’S A FIVE STAR QUESTION???” Chase promises to win. So there is WWE’s take on the AEW media scrums.

Nathan Frazer talks about being tied up with Axiom and compares it to his soccer career.

Xyon Quinn vs. Ilja Dragunov

They fight over a headlock to start with Dragunov getting the better of things with a headlock takeover. The abdominal stretch goes on but Quinn slips out and sends him into the corner for a running shot to the face. There’s a backbreaker to Dragunov and a splash gets two. Dragunov hits a jumping enziguri and muscles him over with a suplex, setting up a hard right hand on the mat. The Torpedo Undisclosed Location finishes Quinn at 4:54.

Rating: C+. What matters here is getting Dragunov in the ring and giving him a win to establish him. The fans knew who he was but he needed to beat someone to get his feet wet around here. Dragunov is such a ball of energy in the ring and he’ll get over through pure energy, while Quinn….dang he seemed like a solid prospect and then just fell apart.

Wendy Choo doesn’t like Lash Legend’s voice and won’t apologize for standing up for herself. Legend doesn’t like her either so next week they’ll try to shut each other up.

Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp

Brutus starts the brawl in the aisle and they head inside for the opening bell. They fight over some grappling to start with Kemp grabbing a cravate. Creed fights up and gets two off a cradle, which is enough for Kemp to grab a chair and unload for the DQ at 3:03.

Rating: C. This was more about moving a story forward as Kemp is getting ready for the big showdown with Julius Creed. That being said, the more I see of Kemp, the more I like him. He has the amateur style and is becoming a rather nasty heel so this was a nice beatdown for the ending. Brutus got beaten up, but there are bigger deals for Kemp coming down the line.

Kemp wants Julius Creed too. Where is Julius for the save anyway?

Quincy Elliott gives Sanga a pep talk in the back, which Sanga appreciates. With Sanga gone, Xyon Quinn comes in but Elliott doesn’t see the X Factor in him. Then Quincy leaves.

Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles but Toxic Attraction comes in to laugh at them. A fight is teased and here is Alba Fyre to even things up (and start a fire). Toxic Attraction bails.

Gallus vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

Pub Rules match, meaning street fight, with Joe Coffey banned from ringside. It’s a brawl to start with a fight on the floor and another inside. Gallus feels the need to bring out a table as I feel the need to praise Jensen’s Badstreet USA shirt. Jensen grabs his own table but instead it’s time for s a bunch of chair shots to drop Gallus as we take a break. Back with Gallus in control and a bunch of weapons in the ring.

Some belts are brought out to whip Jensen and Briggs, with a few fans being rather terrified. Jensen and Briggs fight up and get in their own whipping but since it’s pub rules, some glasses are broken over Gallus as well. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so here is Joe Coffey, who gets booted off the apron and through a table. Wolfgang goes through a table as well and it’s a High/Low to Mark (still in the trashcan) for the win at 11:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a low level house show main event where they had a street fight for the sake of saying they had a street fight. There was nothing here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere and Gallus got beaten up pretty easily. I don’t know what kind of a future Briggs and Jensen have, but it’s better than whatever Gallus has to look forward to. Dull match and really not worthy of a main event spot.

Gallus is held back by security and punches a referee. Cops come in to arrest the trio to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a very up and down show and I wasn’t getting into a lot of it. There was nothing on here that was particularly good or worth seeing, but it did move a lot of things forward. That is one of the places where NXT shines: it feels like they know where they want to go and how they want to get there, which is a lot more than some shows can say. Halloween Havoc is over a month away and you can see a lot of the matches from here. If they can find a better way to set things up then great, but for now, they are at least doing something right in the areas of structure. Not a great show, but it was well put together.

Results
Mandy Rose b. Fallon Henley – Running knee
Wes Lee b. Tony D’Angelo via referee stoppage
Sol Ruca b. Amari Miller – Flipping legdrop
Joe Gacy b. Cameron Grimes – Handspring clothesline
Nikkita Lyons b. Kayden Carter – Splits splash
Ilja Dragunov b. Xyon Quinn – Torpedo
Brutus Creed b. Damon Kemp via DQ when Kemp used a chair
Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs b. Gallus – High/low to Coffey

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: September 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re officially into the second year of NXT 2.0 which now seems to be minus the 2.0. Things seem to be moving forward into a new era around here and that should be good for NXT as a whole. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but we do have a #1 contenders match this week between Tyler Bate and JD McDonagh. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Earlier today, Carmelo Hayes and Solo Sikoa came in to see Shawn Michaels and the results of the match last week cannot stand. Sikoa was not the sanctioned challenger and therefore cannot be the North American Champion. The title is handed over and Sikoa hands over the title, with Shawn wishing him luck anywhere he goes. Hayes is ready to have the title handed back to him but Shawn says not so fast. In six weeks at Halloween Havoc, there is a six man ladder match (gah) for the title. I like Sikoa not losing and Shawn as the kind of GM, but the ladder match….not so much.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

Match #2 in a best of three series with Axiom up 1-0. Frazer starts fast with a backslide, setting off a series of rollups for two each. Axiom goes for the ankle but Frazer escapes and that’s a standoff. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Axiom two but Frazer dropkicks him out of the air. That’s enough to send Axiom bailing to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Axiom fighting out of a front facelock and hitting a running dropkick. A high crossbody gives Axiom two but Frazer superkicks him down for the same. Axiom is back up with a super hiptoss for two of his own but he takes too long going up. Frazer runs the corner for a superplex into a spinning suplex into the Phoenix splash for the pin at 13:09.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action based match that these two were always going to have and they didn’t’ even go with anything stupid like having Axiom kicking out after that kind of a finishing sequence. Very good match here and an upgrade over their first match, which has me wanting to see the rematch. Odds are they wind up as a team, but at least they’re having a good run getting there.

Alba Fyre wants the Women’s Title.

Mandy Rose insists she isn’t worried about Fyre. She’ll take out Fallon Henley next week and then beat Fyre.

We recap Damon Kemp turning on the Diamond Mine, even showing footage of him being paid off by the D’Angelo Family (to win the Tag Team Titles, but that failed due to Santos Escobar). Then he took out Roderick Strong and knows that the Creeds are mad at him anyway. He’ll fight either of them one on one. This was a heck of an explanation and better than I was expecting.

Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for the tag match, with Nile insisting that she’s ok.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Toxic Attraction

Paxley and Dolin lock up to start and then trade some dives with neither getting anywhere. A dropkick staggers Dolin but she’s right back with a running clothesline. Jayne comes in for some kicks and a backsplash for two but Paxley fights out of an armbar. It’s back to Nile for a suplex as everything breaks down. A spinning Codebreaker sets up some stereo kicks to drop Paxley for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get anywhere and they didn’t exactly play into the idea of Nile being distracted. Paxley and Nile are still a bit of a weird team but it is a good thing to see them getting time together to make them feel like a normal pairing. Nothing match and not very good, as Toxic Attraction gets built back up again.

Here is Schism to talk about how awesome they are and how everyone should join them. Joe Gacy calls out Cameron Grimes again but here are Edris Enofe and Malik Blade for the brawl, following last week’s beating.

Dyad vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

It’s a brawl to start until Blade works on Fowler’s wrist. Some double teaming takes Fowler down but it’s quickly off to Reid, who takes Enofe into the corner. That is broken up rather quickly and Blade comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. The big flip dive to the floor drops the Dyad and we take a break.

Back with Blade in trouble through a pull of the sweater vest. We pause for the Schism hug on the floor before the beating is back on. Blade slips through the legs though and the hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house. Blade tags right back in for a spinebuster/side kick combination on Reid but Fowler makes the save. A step up Canadian Destroyer drops Enofe and Ticket To Mayhem finishes him off at 9:15.

Rating: C. This is your weekly reminder that Schism and the Dyad are absolutely horrible and not worth the time of day. The gimmick s something that has been done so much better elsewhere and I can’t believe that we are continuing their run. Enofe and Blade continue to be that team that should be something but haven’t gotten the chance yet. That might come later, but for now, it is a lot of spinning their wheels.

We look at Quincy Elliott’s debut last week.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez, with Satomura taking her out and then Cora Jade vs. Perez continuing. Perez is ready to be more violent.

Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo

Choo takes her down to start and sends Jade outside for a dive but gets taken down by the hair. Back in and Jade hammers away before grabbing a cross arm choke. Choo fights up to start the comeback but gets caught in a DDT to give Jade the fast pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. Little more than a squash here until Jade finished her off. Jade continues to find her footing as a heel but she has come a long way in a few weeks. On the other hand you have Choo, who is at least dressing a bit more seriously. It might not be much, but any step is an improvement over how bad things have been for her.

Post match Lash Legend comes in to boot Choo down.

Bron Breakker is grateful to the fans for voting him Superstar Of The Year. As for the main event, he picks Tyler Bate over JD McDonagh and would love a rematch.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes aren’t happy.

Video on Oro Mensah.

Mensah is here to face the very best, like Grayson Waller. Now he wants the North American Title.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams for a chat. Hayes insists that he is the top star around here but title or no title, he is still the A Champion. Cue Chase U, with Chase thinking this is a TEACHABLE MOMENT. Chase knocks them to the floor and let’s ring that bell.

Chase U vs. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams

Williams comes in off a blind tag and dropkicks Chase for two as Barrett goes over courses he would offer if he was a professor. Hayward comes in to take over in the corner before Chase is right back in for the spelling stomps. It’s back to Hayward for a torture rack but Hayes comes in to break it up. A springboard spinning clothesline drops Hayward for two, only to have Hayward get over to Chase without much trouble. Hayes kicks Chase and Hayward down but another springboard is countered into a rollup to give Chase the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C. I still have no idea how but Chase has gotten this Chase U nonsense over. It is something that should have no staying power and somehow is one of the most over things in all of NXT. Putting Chase into the North American Title hunt wouldn’t be the worst thing and that seems to be where we are going. Nothing match due to time, but I could go for more Chase and company shenanigans.

Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley interrupt Gallus’ card game. Security has to come in to quell any possible violence.

Sanga vs. Von Wagner

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who can’t shoulder Sanga down to start and has to punch his way out of a powerslam attempt. Back up and a sidewalk slam plants Wagner but Sanga goes after an interfering Stone. That’s enough for Wagner to post him, setting up a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:51.

Wesley wants the North American Title.

Stacks says Tony D’Angelo will be North American Champion.

Cameron Grimes is sick of Schism and promises to put them in a wood chipper next week. The fuel will take him to the moon.

North American Title Match Qualifying Match: Oro Mensah vs. Grayson Waller

Waller starts fast but gets armdragged down a few times. Back up and Waller yells a lot, earning himself a beating into the corner. A pop up belly to back suplex drops Mensah and Waller unloads with forearms on the mat. The hammer and anvil elbows get two on Mensah but he’s back up with a spinning kick to the head. Waller manages a neck snap across the top and loads up the running Stunner, only to get cut off by Apollo Crews (bleeding from the eye). That lets Mensah hit a dive, setting up the running spinwheel kick in the corner for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C. Mensah (as Oliver Carter back in the day) was fun to watch in NXT UK and you got the same thing here. It’s also a bit of a surprise to see Waller losing, but he was protected by the Crews interference. I could go for more of Mensah, even if he won’t be getting his title shot for a long time.

The Creed Brothers want Damon Kemp, with Brutus getting the shot next week. Julius wants Kemp’s career ended.

Here is Bron Breakker with a Connor’s Cure kid. The kid seems a bit awestruck and I’d call that acceptable.

Sol Ruca is still coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Tyler Bate

The winner gets a shot at Bron Breakker, on commentary, at some point in the future. McDonagh takes him down by the head to start but Bate slips out and reverses into an armbar. Back up and they trade several rollups/cradles for two each until a double knockdown sends us to a break.

We come back with Bate getting out of a Boston crab so McDonagh kicks him down again. The fight heads to the floor with Bate getting the better of things, setting up a t-bone suplex back inside. A running shooting star press gives Bate two and the airplane spin is good for the same.

McDonagh low bridges him to the floor, setting up a 450 for two back inside. A brainbuster gives McDonagh two more and they slug it out, with Bate getting Spanish Flied down….where he manages a left hand from his back for a unique twist. Bate gets caught on top and it’s a super Spanish Fly into the Devil Inside to give McDonagh the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. They had a good, hard hitting fight here and that Bate punch from the mat was a nice spot. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have McDonagh get another shot so fast but it was less recent than Bate vs. Breakker. They didn’t get to that next level but Breakker has a new challenger and we’re probably set for the Halloween Havoc main event.

Post match Breakker gets in the ring for a staredown….and none of that matters because Ilja Dragunov is here (McDonagh: “NO!!!!!”)!. Breakker approves and holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The opener and main event were both good but the rest of the show didn’t exactly light up the world. I do like the Dragunov debut though as he feels like a top star joining the roster. Halloween Havoc is still a long way off but at least they have something to build towards. Now we get to find out how things are going to go as there is a long while before the show, which should make for a good time.

Results
Nathan Frazer b. Axiom – Phoenix splash
Toxic Attraction b. Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile – Stereo kicks to Paxley
Dyad b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Ticket To Mayhem to Enofe
Cora Jade b. Wendy Choo – DDT
Chase U b. Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams – Rollup to Hayes
Von Wagner b. Sanga – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Oro Mensah b. Grayson Waller – Running spinwheel kick
JD McDonagh b. Tyler Bate – Devil Inside

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: September 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the one year anniversary and that is something that could work very well. WWE knows how to hype up its own history like few others and they could manage to make it work around here. I’m not sure how many highlights there are for this show, but there is at least some potential. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers vs. Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly is defending inside a cage, where thankfully there are no tags. The champs try for stereo escapes to start and are quickly pulled down into some suplexes. Wilson is sent into the cage and Prince gets kneed in the face a lot. The Creeds have to cut them off again, but this time Prince hits a middle rope Codebreaker to drop Julius. Brutus is fine enough to powerbomb Wilson into the cage. Prince and Brutus slug it out on top of the cage until Julius pulls Wilson down with a springboard Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with the champs double superplexing Julius. The champs go up but Julius pulls them back, leaving Brutus to hit the Creed Bomb for something like a Doomsday device. Cue Damon Kemp with handcuffs so Julius goes up to cut him off. That leaves Julius handcuffed to the top of the cage so Brutus has to make his own save. Brutus can’t keep up with the numbers though and Spilled Milk gets two. A series of rams into the cage crush Brutus again and another Spilled Milk retains the titles at 14:58.

Rating: C+. I’ve been big on Pretty Deadly for a long time now and it is great to see them getting this kind of a win. This felt like a major moment and they needed to do something like that to feel like bigger stars. Hopefully they get to hold onto the titles for a good while, as the Creeds seem busy with Damon Kemp at the moment.

Damon Kemp is pleased.

Wes Lee wins the vote for a North American Title shot and is very pleased. Von Wagner, one of the losers, isn’t and storms off. Joe Gacy says he approves of the vote and wishes Lee luck. Lee seems a bit disturbed.

Video on the last year of NXT. Like it or not, there has been A LOT of stuff in there, some of which worked better than others, but things did happen. As usual, this is where WWE shines, as they made some silly angles and moments feel a lot better than they were.

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Legend starts fast and knocks Henley outside hard. A ram into the apron has Fallon’s back in trouble and they go back inside for an over the shoulder backbreaker. With that broken up, Henley ducks the pump kick and hits a running knee to finish Legend at 2:17. Well that’s a surprise and I’m not complaining.

Yulisa Leon has torn something in her knee and will be out nine months. Sanga consoles her as an annoyed Von Wagner and Mr. Stone come in. They rant a lot and Sanga says watch the language because there are ladies present. A fight is teased.

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs run into Toxic Attraction. After Jensen stumbles over being nice to Mandy Rose, Henley doesn’t think much of what she says back to him. Another fight is teased, with Toxic Attraction mocking Henley a good bit.

Here is Toxic Attraction to say it is appropriate that they are the featured attraction on the anniversary show. They promise to keep dominating and brag about all of their title wins, with Mandy Rose saying she’s better than Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes. Cue Alba Fyre to say Mandy knows nothing about her. The bat holds the team off and Mandy has to be saved. She goes back to get the title as the next challenger seems to be set. Fyre is one of the few challengers Mandy has left so this is a smart way to go.

Cora Jade talks about how great she is, despite taking her time to rise up. The lack of confidence cost her, until the match with Natalya brought her to the next level. Then she dropped Roxanne Perez like she should have done a long time ago and now the sky is the limit. The change of attitude has allowed her to become a star and this time next year, she’ll be the top star.

Wendy Choo doesn’t think much of Jade and says she may dress weird, but she’s still smart. Lash Legend comes in and is still mad about the loss to Fallon Henley. Glaring at Choo ensues.

Quincy Elliott vs. Sean Gallagher

Elliott gyrates a lot and Gallagher is shaken. A flip from Elliott makes it even worse so Gallagher hits him, only to get mauled in return. Elliott hits a Banzai Drop to finish at 1:21. The fans seemed into Elliott so they’re doing something right.

Cameron Grimes is ready to fight the D’Angelo Family himself, because he’s teaming with the one person he can trust. Time to go to the moon.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams jump Wes Lee in the locker room and crush his head in a locker. Sounds like replacement time.

Cameron Grimes vs. D’Angelo Family

Stacks starts for the team and gets dropped with a running shoulder. A knee to the ribs does the same and there’s a running kick to the back of the head. D’Angelo comes in and the numbers game puts Grimes in trouble in the corner. Cue Joe Gacy and the Dyad, with Gacy getting on the apron as Grimes’ partner.

Grimes fights out of the corner and Gacy extends his hand, but Grimes would rather get suplexed by D’Angelo for two instead (probably smart). A backflip gets Grimes out of a suplex and he staggers into the corner, where Gacy tags himself in. House is cleaned but Grimes stops to yell at Gacy, only to have the Family break it up. A Cave In hits D’Angelo and the handspring lariat finishes Stacks at 5:36.

Rating: C. The match was just kind of there, but please do not let this turn into a Gacy/Grimes thing. If they have to feud with each other then fine, but putting Gacy above Grimes sounds like a horrible idea. Then again that might just be Gacy in general, as almost nothing he has done has been worthwhile whatsoever.

Post match Gacy hugs a confused Grimes, who says he doesn’t need Gacy. The Dyad jumps Grimes and Gacy joins in with the beatdown, including putting the smiley face sticker on Grimes’ chest.

JD McDonagh is getting his beard shaved and says this is a necessity. He doesn’t like Bron Breakker or Tyler bate for that matter, but doesn’t seem phased by the fact that he is bleeding from the shave.

We get a sitdown interview with Bron Breakker, who was scared after his first match but the people made him feel at home. After some issues getting there, Breakker won the NXT Title, which was a big deal for his family. Then he got to induct the Steiner Brothers into the Hall of Fame, which was a great honor for him. Breakker won the NXT Title for the second time and then beat a bunch of people to retain it. We’ll see what’s next.

Tyler Bate respects Bron Breakker but wants a rematch for the NXT Title. As for JD McDonagh, Bate is down to face him to get the title shot.

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark vs. Kiana James/Arianna Grace

Stark pulls James into the corner to start and it’s off to Lyons, who blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a release fisherman’s suplex into a nip up. We take a break and come back with Lyons fighting back again, including a spinning kick to Grace for two. Stark comes in to take Grace down and James gets tagged in, much to her own fear.

James manages to get in a cheap shot on Lyons and takes Stark down in a bit of a surprise. A backdrop kicks Stark out of trouble so Grace comes in, only to get kneed in the face. Since there is no Lyons, Grace kicks Stark in the face for two instead. Stark manages the Z360 (the flipping knee) to Grace and it’s Lyons with the splits splash for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Lyons and Stark were supposed to be in the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament so it would seem that they are going to be pushed as a regular thing. Grace and James only got together recently and have already lost so their future might not be as bright. Stark is still able to have a good one with just about anyone though and that made up for some of Grace and James’ shortcomings.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are happy with not voting for Joe Gacy. Cue the Dyad for the brawl but security breaks it up. Hank Walker is told to go back inside because he has his own match.

Oro Mensah (Oliver Carter of NXT UK) is coming next week.

Grayson Waller is sure that he is going to be voted the biggest star of NXT, but the final four were Toxic Attraction, Nikkita Lyons, Carmelo Hayes and….Bron Breakker. Waller goes off on the fans for not voting for him because he is the face of this brand.

Javier Bernal vs. Hank Walker

Walker is a security guard, doesn’t have music, and comes to the ring in street clothes. Bernal gets caught in the corner and is tossed right back out of it, only to dropkick the knee out. Some kicks to the knee stagger Walker but he tossed Bernal around again. Walker takes him down and hammers away before taking off the shirt to quite the reaction. A running elbow finishes Bernal at 3:20, which is viewed as a major upset.

Rating: D+. They do realize that Walker has wrestled on one of the other NXT shows right? I’ve seen Walker a few times on LVL Up and I have no idea what the appeal is supposed to be. The fact that he looks like Seth Rogen is only going to get him so far and he didn’t show me anything here to make me think he has potential.

Video on cool entrances.

Sol Ruca is coming. She’s still a surfer.

Some alumni congratulate NXT 2.0 on its anniversary.

Bron Breakker is voted Superstar Of The Year.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is defending, at least in theory as Lee was taken out earlier. Hayes talks about how he is running over everyone and he has more on him than anyone else. Hold on though as we seem to have a surprise challenger.

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa

Hayes, with Trick Williams, is still defending and the fans are WAY into Sikoa. A whip into the corner sets up a running corner clothesline but it’s too early for the running Umaga attack. Instead Sikoa sends him over the top and onto Williams as we take an early break. Back with Williams tripping Sikoa down to bank up the bad knee and give Hayes control for a change.

The half crab keeps Sikoa in trouble until a rope breaks things up. Hayes’ jumping knee is blocked and Sikoa hammers away. There’s the Samoan drop to Hayes and Sikoa takes Williams out. A swinging Rock Bottom sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin and the title at 10:00.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the title change is any kind of a surprise as NXT would want to have a big moment to end the show. That being said, Sikoa winning the title is almost confusing due to his Smackdown/Bloodline status, but I can’t imagine they changed their minds on a promotion and then and then gave him a championship immediately thereafter. This should be interesting, but it’s more bizarre than anything else at the moment.

Shawn Michaels gives us a voiceover talking about what NXT means to end the show, complete with a new, and much less rainbowy, logo, with the 2.0 disappearing.

Overall Rating: C+. What mattered more than the wrestling here was the fact that the show felt like a big celebration of the first year of NXT 2.0. The video package on the history’s show was great and the title change at the end felt special. This was a show that made me want to see more of NXT, and the ending gave me a hope that they are going to be a bit more serious going forward. I liked the show and had a good time with it, so they hit their mark this week.

Results
Pretty Deadly b. Creed Brothers – Spilled Milk to Brutus
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Running knee
Quincy Elliott b. Sean Gallagher – Banzai Drop
Joe Gacy/Cameron Grimes b. D’Angelo Family – Handspring lariat to Stacks
Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark b. Kiana James/Arianna Grace – Splits splash to James
Hank Walker b. Javier Bernal – Running forearm
Solo Sikoa b. Carmelo Hayes – Superfly Splash

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: September 6, 2022
Location: capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re done with Worlds Collide and that means it is time to start the build towards whatever is next around here. Odds are that is going to be a big weekly show in a month or so, continuing a schedule that has severed NXT well. NXT has a fresh batch of stars from the UK here and now we get to see them full time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds Collide if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Worlds Collide.

Here is Tyler Bate for a chat. He thanks the fans for having NXT UK’s back since the beginning, along with Bron Breaker for having such a great match. Cue Gallus to accuse Bate of letting the UK down and not being the Big Strong Boy anymore. The brawl doesn’t take long but Breakker runs in for the save. I think we have a tag match.

Pretty Deadly brags about winning more Tag Team Titles when Lash Legend comes in to brag about them.

Back on Sunday, Cora Jade interrupted Meiko Satomura and mocked her before setting up a match between them. Well not quite actually as Satomura already has a match with Roxanne Perez.

Doudrop/Nikki Ash vs. Toxic Attraction

Ash sends Dolin into the corner to start and hands it off to Doudrop for some heavy shoulders. It’s back to Ash, who is driven into the wrong corner so Jayne can pose a lot. Ash comes back with a chinlock to keep Jayne in trouble, setting up a swinging neckbreaker. Back up and Nikki gets knocked off the apron with Doudrop following in a bigger crash as we take a break.

We come back with Jayne grabbing a front facelock before taking Ash down with a neckbreaker. Ash fights up and gets over to Doudrop so house can be cleaned, including a double backsplash. Jayne has to save Dolin after a Cannonball so Ash ties her in the ring skirt for the hard forearms. Dolin goes up so Doudrop pulls her out of the air for a Michinoku Driver. The basement crossbody finishes Dolin at 10:40.

Rating: C. It says a lot when I was so sued to calling Toxic Attraction the champions that I almost did it again here. Doudrop and Ash might be sticking around long term and that isn’t a bad thing for them. Giving them a few wins at least reheats them a bit, though it may be too late for them to be brought back to any value.

Apollo Crews talks about Grayson Waller going for his eyes. Payback is coming.

JD McDonagh vs. Wes Lee

McDonagh headlocks him down to start as we talk about the return of Braun Strowman to Raw. Back up and Lee kicks him away, only to get his neck snapped across the top rope. We take a break and come back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock. The rapid fire kicks to the chest and a double stomp to the back have McDonagh on the floor. Lee knocks him over the announcers’ table and takes him back inside for a Meteora. A hard knee rocks McDonagh again but he pulls Lee into a suplex. Another attempt is countered into a sunset flip but McDonagh kicks him in the face. The Devil Inside finishes Lee at 9:34.

Rating: B. Lee was bringing it here and McDonagh was right there with him the whole way, making for another good match. These guys were working hard and keeping the pace fast, which is more than you see most of the time in a match on this level. I’m still not sure what Lee is going to do and McDonagh’s oddness makes him hard to pin down as well. For now though, I’ll settle for something like this.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are having coffee when Pretty Deadly comes in to join them. D’Angelo asks them how much it cost to get Damon Kemp to screw over Diamond Mine. Prince burns his mouth on the coffee before saying they did everything themselves.

Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is looking rather nervous here and Satomura takes over on her arm to start. Back up and Perez sends her into the corner, setting up a headscissors into a rollup for two. Satomura pulls Perez down into a choke but vets reversed into an STF, causing Satomura to elbow her way to freedom. Perez sends is outside for a heck of a suicide dive and we take a break.

Back with Satomura pulling on both arms but Perez fights up and grabs a Russian legsweep. A Koji Clutch is broken up and Satomura hits a running spinwheel kick. Perez catches her up top with a super hurricanrana for two, giving us the shocked kickout face. Satomura has had it with her and comes back with a Pele kick into Scorpio Rising for the pin at 11:22.

Rating: B-. More goodness here and a very nice rub for Perez. You can see so much natural talent and star power in her matches and giving her a match with Satomura is a great way to go. Satomura sticking around is a good thing as she adds value to anyone doing anything, including as she did with Perez here.

Respect is shown post match but Cora Jade runs in to stick Perez down.

Tyler Bate and Bron Breakker are ready to take out Gallus.

Damon Kemp explains how he tore Diamond Mine apart from the inside because he didn’t like being left as the bench as a backup. He knew Roderick Strong and Julius Creed were going to explode and he stirred the pot. Then he took Strong out in the parking lot and cost the Creeds the Tag Team Titles. More on this next time. I’ve heard far worse explanations.

Dyad tries to recruit Kiana James, who gives them a polite brush out. Then James runs into Arianna Grace, who seems to be what James was looking for. Someone hugged the Dyad as the women were talking.

Trick Williams vs. Ricochet

Carmelo Hayes is on commentary. Ricochet kicks him to the floor and Hayes isn’t sure what to do early on. Back in and Ricochet starts cranking on the arm but Williams manages a pop up uppercut for two. Williams takes him outside for some rams into the announcers’ table, setting up a running neckbreaker for two more back inside. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody into the Recoil into the shooting star press (with a stare at Hayes) for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C+. They kept this one quick and Ricochet was his usual high flying self. Williams continues to be someone that is fun to watch but that you also want to see get hit in the face, which is an impressive combination. I’m not sure if Ricochet is sticking around full time, but another match with Hayes would not be the biggest shock.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are still having coffee when Cameron Grimes walks past. Grimes says they’re just like Joe Gacy and he still doesn’t need anyone. D’Angelo throws an insult so Grimes throws the coffee, earning himself a Rock Bottom through the table.

Sol Ruca, a surfer, is coming.

Diamond Mine is ready to wreck Damon Kemp, plus Pretty Deadly next week. Pretty Deadly comes up to say not so fast, because the people can vote on the stipulation so Pretty Deadly can prove everyone wrong.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

First match in a best of three series. They trade wrist control to start before Frazer reverses into a headlock, allowing them to flip up to their feet. Frazer dropkicks him to the floor for a dive and we take a break. We come back with Axiom sending him to the floor for a suicide dive before starting in on the arm back inside.

Frazer fights up again and hits something like AJ Styles’ moonsault into a reverse DDT for two, followed by a Sling Blade. The running shooting star hits knees though and Axiom pulls him into a triangle choke. Frazer makes the rope and pulls Axiom into a half crab, followed by something like the old Haas of Pain to send Axiom to the ropes as well. Back up and Axiom hits a heck of a jumping kick to the face for the pin at 11:42.

Rating: B-. This was more of the modern style match with both guys hitting their stuff and trying to wear the other one down until the big finish could give them the win. I don’t know if I need to see them do this two more times, but it is good to get them both on television a bit more often. They have the in-ring abilities but are still needing something to do, so this is better than nothing.

Javier Bernal annoys Hank Walker (security guard) and a fight nearly breaks out until Walker goes to escort Gallus to the ring.

Quincy Elliott is here next week.

Here’s what else is coming next week.

Gallus vs. Tyler Bate/Bron Breakker

Mark Coffey is here with Gallus. Breakker headlocks Joe Coffey to start and takes him down in the corner before handing it off to Bate. Joe gets over for the tag off to Mark so it’s a double suplex to drop Gallus. We even get an old school Steiner pose we we take a break. Back with Bate hitting a big dive to the floor but a Wolfgang distraction lets post Breakker to take over again.

Back in and the rib work begins, including some forearms to the ribs and a chinlock. Mark grabs a bearhug but Bate slips out and goes through the legs to set up the hot tag. Breakker comes in for the spinebusters and a Steiner Bulldog gets two. All The Best For The Bells is cut off with a spear and the Tyler Driver 97 finishes Mark at 10:51.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on Gallus losing again but at least they lost to a pair of big singles stars. Bate getting the main event pin should help him a bit and they had another hard hitting match on the way there. Gallus could use a win of its own and soon, but it’s far too early to write anyone off.

Post match the winners celebrate but JD McDonagh runs in to take them both down, including a big beating to Bate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with nothing close to bad and a bunch of good to very good matches. Throw in some angle advancement and that is a heck of a good use of two hours. NXT might not what it once was but it is still a very nice show a lot of the time. This is one of their best in recent memory and it comes off a pretty good Worlds Collide, so they might even be on a roll.

Results
Nikki Ash/Doudrop b. Toxic Attraction – Basement crossbody to Dolin
JD McDonagh b. Wes Lee – Devil Inside
Meiko Satomura b. Roxanne Perez – Scorpio Rising
Ricochet b. Trick Williams – Shooting star press
Axiom b. Nathan Frazer – Running kick to the face
Bron Breakker/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Tyler Driver 97 to Mark

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Worlds Collide
Date: September 4, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

This is a themed show as we have some unification matches between the NXT and NXT UK Champions. NXT UK is no more and things are wrapping up with this show. That means the card is looking stacked and we should be in for some good stuff. The main event of Bron Breakker vs. Tyler Bate for both singles titles should be great. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of both NXT’s, which set up the title unification matches tonight.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is defending and has Trick Williams with him. Feeling out process to start and they both go with some flips that get nowhere. Ricochet is back up with a dropkick to stagger Hayes so it’s time to go outside for a breather. The Williams distraction lets Hayes get in a shot of his own and they head back inside. A few kicks rock Ricochet and Hayes is starting to get the confidence rolling.

Ricochet flips out and tries the comeback but walks into a heck of a superkick for two. A springboard clothesline gives Hayes two more but Ricochet manages to take him down for a quick double stomp. Back up and they both try springboard spinning crossbodies, meaning a midair collision gives us a double knockdown (and a great visual). Ricochet wins a slugout and kicks him in the head but the Benedriller is blocked. Hayes gets in another kick but misses a springboard spinning crossbody.

The Recoil rocks Hayes but Williams breaks up the cover. Back up and Hayes hits a suplex into a cutter before going up top. That’s fine with Ricochet, who brings him down with a top rope superplex for two, leaving both of them staggered. They strike it out again until Ricochet hits a poisonrana. Ricochet loads up something but Hayes offers a distraction, meaning the shooting star pres is a bit slow. The delay lets Hayes grab a small package to retain at 16:18.

Rating: B. Yeah this was exactly what they were hoping for with this one, as they did a bunch of stuff to pop the crowd and look awesome in the process. Ricochet wasn’t likely to win here but that wasn’t what the match was about. It was cool to see and a very good choice for an opener so well done.

Post match Hayes celebrates and Ricochet’s name is added to the list of victims.

Video on Meiko Satomura.

Roderick Strong was attacked in the parking lot, meaning he was taken out in an ambulance.

NXT Tag Team Titles/NXT UK Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus vs. Creed Brothers vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs

Elimination match for both sets of titles and the Creeds and Jensen/Briggs are defending. Lash Legend, Joe Coffey, Damon Kemp and Fallon Henley are here as the respective seconds. It’s a brawl before the bell until we get down to Julius Creed vs. Josh Briggs to start things off. Jensen comes in for an atomic drop/big boot combination but Prince tags himself in to steal the cover.

With Julius not being happy, it’s off to Wolfgang vs. Brutus for some more power. The brawl is on again and the women get in a fight inside. That helps everything break down, with Jensen being backdropped onto Pretty Deadly. Wolfgang superplexes Brutus and it’s a powerslam/jumping kick to the head to eliminate Jensen at 4:15.

We get the Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly showdown, with Wilson’s rollup with trunks only getting two on Mark. Back up and Mark kicks Wilson’s head off for a double knockdown, leaving Brutus to tag himself in. A Doomsday Creed Bomb sets up the sliding lariat to get rid of Gallus at 8:39, leaving us with the Creeds vs. Pretty Deadly for the unified titles.

After security gets rid of Gallus, Prince and Brutus slug it out until Wilson comes in for some knees to the ribs to put Brutus down in the corner. A DDT drops Brutus again but he’s able to get over for the hot tag off to Julius. House is cleaned but here are Briggs/Jensen and Gallus to brawl at ringside again. The distraction is broken up by security, allowing Julius to take Wilson down. Prince tries to grab a chair but Kemp cuts him off…and hits Julius with the chair instead. An Irish Curse plants Julius and Prince gets the pin and the titles at 15:06.

Rating: C+. I was surprised by the result here and the Kemp turn was a nice twist, so well done on giving us something out of nowhere. Pretty Deadly are good champions and having them unify the belts should set up someone else to come take them away fairly soon. Gallus is going to be fine and Jensen/Briggs….well they had a nice run at least.

Video on Blair Davenport.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are trying to figure out who they can get to replace Legado del Fantasma when Cameron Grimes comes up. Word on the street is he needs some new friends, so Tony tells him to make an offer. Grimes is good.

NXT Women’s Title/NXT UK Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport

Only Davenport isn’t a champion coming in. They strike it out to start with Rose being knocked down, leaving Satomura to hit a running spinwheel kick to Davenport. Satomura and Davenport head outside, leaving Rose to pose in her very patriotic gear. Davenport goes after her and it’s a fall away slam to put her down, allowing Rose to hit a shoulder in the corner.

Satomura pulls both of them outside and kicks away at Davenport against the steps. Mandy is dropped as well, leaving Satomura to take Davenport back inside and charge into a boot to the face. Satomura kicks the invading Rose down for two but Davenport makes the save. Rose catches Davenport on top but it’s Satomura charging at both of them in the corner for some clotheslines.

A double suplex attempt is countered into a double DDT to give Satomura a breather. Satomura hits a series of Satomura Specials before driving Rose down for two, as Davenport comes off the top with a double stomp for the save. Rose is back up to forearm away at Rose in the corner as the USA chant breaks out. Davenport hits a weird looking missile dropkick on Satomura but she’s right back with Scorpion Rising. Rose hits a double running knee though and pins Davenport to unify the titles at 13:28.

Rating: C+. This was more or less between Davenport and Rose as Satomura winning never felt like it was in the cards. Rose has become something of a monster around here, though she is going to need a fresh challenger. Odds are it’s going to be Nikita Lyons and that is a good enough idea, as I don’t know if I can imagine Satomura sticking around. Either way, Rose plays her role well, as she might not be the best, but no one is stopping her and that lets her get more and more condescending each week.

Alba Fyre is still ready for Lash Legend.

We see the Axiom/Nathan Frazer segment from NXT. They’ll meet on Tuesday.

Wes Lee isn’t worried about the weird JD McDonagh.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Doudrop/Nikki Ash vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter and Chance are defending. Carter takes over on Ash to start and a running dropkick in the corner gives Chance one. Doudrop comes in to flatten Chance and dance a bit before flattening the champs again. Nikki comes in and ties Chance up in the ring skirt to hammer away. The chinlock doesn’t last long inside but Doudrop is back in with the big elbow. A missed charge hits post though and it’s Carter coming in to pick up the pace.

Ash tornado DDTs Carter to cut her off too and a double neckbreaker gives Doudrop two. A Samoan drop/neckbreaker combination hits Carter so Chance has to make her own save. Doudrop takes Carter up top but here is Toxic Attraction for a distraction. Ash goes after them, leaving Carter/Chance to hit a neckbreaker/450 combination to beat Doudrop at 10:23.

Rating: C. This was always going to be the weak match on the card and I don’t think they bothered trying to hide it. Doudrop and Ash have been treated as losers on the main roster so having them come down here and win the NXT titles didn’t make sense. Chance and Carter aren’t great champions but giving them a win over two bigger names is a good way to give them a boost. And now we have Toxic Attraction doing something so at least there is a path forward from here.

Dyad talks to Grayson Waller, who doesn’t want their button. Waller walks away from them and talks about how his mom yelled at him for poking Apollo Crews in the eye. For once, he was speechless but his mom can kiss his a**.

We recap Tyler Bate vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT United Kingdom/NXT Title. It’s a showdown to unify the titles so one man can be left standing.

NXT Title/NXT United Kingdom Title: Bron Breakker vs. Tyler Bate

Winner take all and the fans are behind Bate to start. Breakker works on a headlock but has to fight out of a Tyler Driver 97. They collide into stereo nip ups and that’s a staredown. Bate picks up the pace and jumps over Breakker before shoving him into the corner, where Breakker gives him a stare.

Breakker grabs a delayed vertical suplex and hits a standing moonsault for two. We hit the front facelock for a bit before Breakker is sent outside. That means the big no hands dive but Breakker is right back with a powerslam back inside. Breakker drives him outside again but Bate suplexes him down back inside.

The running shooting star press gives Bate two and a bit of frustration is setting in. Breakker gets in a shot of his own and jumps up top for something close to a Steiner Bulldog. A suplex into a powerbomb gets two on Bate and they fight it out from the mat. Bop and Bang is countered into a Fujiwara armbar, which is countered into the airplane spin to give Bate two.

There’s the rebound lariat for two and Bate manages a Tyler Driver 97 for two, leaving them both down. It’s Breakker’s turn with the gorilla press powerslam for two, as Breakker goes to the rope. The spear is cut off with a boot to the face and Bop and Bang makes it worse. Another Tyler Driver 97 is blocked so Bate tries the rebound lariat, only to have Breakker spear him down for the pin at 17:17.

Rating: B. The last few minutes picked up a lot, but this never hit that high gear that I was expecting. Granted a lot of that is in the story, as there was nothing personal here and that took away the emotion that a match like this needs. What matters here is giving us a big Breakker win as his legend continues to rise. Bate will be fine, as I’m assuming he sticks around NXT as one of the other big projects.

Bate presents the titles to Breakker and respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Much like the main event, the show was good but there was nothing that took it to the next level. Pretty Deadly winning was a surprise, but other than that they went about as by the predicted book as you could have. This show was good enough for a two hour and fifteen minute watch, though it probably isn’t a must see show. NXT UK did at least go out on a high enough note though and I’ll take that over just letting it die. More than adequate show here, but don’t go out of your way to see it.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Ricochet – Small package
Pretty Deadly b. Gallus, Creed Brothers and Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs last eliminating Creed Brothers
Mandy Rose b. Blair Davenport and Meiko Satomura – Kiss of the Rose to Davenport
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Nikki Ash/Doudrop – 450/neckbreaker combination to Doudrop
Bron Breakker b. Tyler Bate – Spear

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NXT
Date: August 9, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We’re a week away from Heatwave and that means we need to get in the final push towards the show. In this case that means a few grudge matches, plus One Final Accord between Santos Escobar and Tony D’Angelo. Other than that, we have a bit of a twist with a rounds match between Wes Lee and Trick Williams. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Kayden Carter/Katana Chance winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

We get some rapid fire interviews from people wrestling tonight, including Trick Williams, Wes Lee, Cora Jade, Zoey Stark and Tony D’Angelo.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kiana James

Before the bell, we get a quick promo from Lyons and Zoey Stark, who are ready to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. James fights out of an early suplex attempt and cranks on the arm. That’s switched to the knee, which is crushed in the corner before James takes her to the floor for a whip into the steps. Lyons fights back up with a German suplex and most of a nip up but James gets to the ropes. Back up and Lyons kicks her in the face, setting up the splits splash for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. Nothing much to see here as Lyons gets a win to keep her on TV in a quick feud. James has a unique enough character but she still needs a win or two to make her seem important. That might be a little bit in the future, but at least she is getting in the ring on TV a bit more.

James jumps Lyons post match, because this feud is continuing for whatever reason.

Roderick Strong doesn’t like Apollo Crews watching film with the rest of Diamond Mine. A match seems to be made for tonight.

Lash Legend cuts off Malik Blade and talks about how amazing she was last week. This goes on so long that we just cut back to the arena.

Wes Lee vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams. This is a Rounds Match, meaning there are three six minute rounds with the first to two falls winning. You win by pinfall, submission or countout but a knockout or DQ instantly ends the match (it’s Heritage Cup rules if you watch NXT UK). They’re also both in boxing gloves, even though this isn’t a boxing match.

Round one begins with a lot of circling and then flailing but Williams hits a good shot. Lee slugs away in the corner and the round ends with Williams going down. They take the gloves off to start the second round and Lee grabs some armdrags. A slingshot dive to the floor connects for Lee but Hayes offers a distraction, allowing Williams to drop Lee for the first fall at 57 seconds of the round and 4:12 overall.

Round three begins during the break and we come back with the start of round four, with Williams still up 1-0 and wearing a boxing glove on his left hand. Lee grabs a rollup for the second fall to tie it up at 1:14 of the round and 9:32 overall, even with Williams’ feet on the ropes during the pin.

Williams blasts him with a left hand in between rounds and gets two at the start of the fifth round. Another shot to the face gives Williams two, followed by a suplex for the same. Lee fights back with some knees and a bulldog but stops to grab a boxing glove and knock Williams silly for the pin at 2:54 of the round and 12:44 overall.

Rating: C-. I usually like the rounds/Heritage Cup stuff but this was too wacky with the boxing being added. Just wrestle the gimmick match as is without adding in something else, as that’s too much for a match that fans aren’t likely to be used to in the first place. Lee winning was a bit of a surprise, though he could use the boost.

We go to Chase U where Andre Chase is talking to a woman we can’t see. Thea Hail comes and finds out that she has hurt Arianna Grace’s face. She and Bodie Hayward were doing something on the university’s campus and a ball hit Grace in the eye. Grace wants revenge so Chase makes a match for later. Actually she was thinking more along the lines of a lawsuit, which sends Chase into a rant about how this university solves things in the ring. Hail is excited for her first match and falls over something on the way out.

Carmelo Hayes is still in the ring to complain about Nathan Frazer interrupting the open challenge last week. Giovanni Vinci interrupts and says he’ll take that title shot right now. They’ll do it at Heatwave instead but the fight starts now, with neither being able to hit anything until referees break it up.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh, with McDonagh playing more mind games and promising to wreck Breakker’s arm. Breakker is ready to hurt him but McDonagh says to never bet against an ace.

Lash Legend is still telling Blade about her match last week, with Edris Enofe now there too.

Thea Hail vs. Arianna Grace

The rest of Chase U is here with Hail. Grace takes her down and starts unloading with forearms but only hits Hail’s raised hands. Hail fights out of a chinlock and hits some elbows to the face, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Grace backs off while favoring her eye, only to sucker punch Hail. Wasteland (Barrett approves) finishes Hail at 3:50.

Rating: C-. Maybe it’s me not being a fan of the gimmick but I’m not getting into Grace whatsoever. The beauty queen thing isn’t clicking and feels like something that has been done better before. Hail losing is a bit depressing as well as she has done so well with the Chase U stuff. Not exactly a great match either, but Hail’s energy helped it a lot.

Apollo Crews is on his way to the ring and we seem to look into his mind’s eye, where a green video shows Diamond Mine down in a ring.

We look at Solo Sikoa beating Von Wagner in last week’s falls count anywhere match.

Sikoa has a PCL injury and he’s out 4-6 weeks. Cameron Grimes comes up to say congratulations. Sikoa says he’s coming for the North American Title next week but Grimes doesn’t seem to like being compared to him.

Apollo Crews vs. Roderick Strong

No Diamond Mine with Strong. They go with the grappling to start with Crews wrestling him down before crews drives him into the corner. Back up and Strong grabs his first backbreaker before dropping him onto his back again. Crews knocks him back and goes up, only to give into a dropkick to cut him down in a hurry.

Back with Strong working on a reverse chinlock before kneeing away at the ribs. A missed charge in the corner lets Crews make the clothesline comeback. The middle rope Blockbuster and a wheelbarrow suplex give Crews two but Strong suplexes him onto the apron. Another backbreaker is shrugged off and Crews muscles him into a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The spinebuster finishes for Crews at 15:23.

Rating: B-. Commentary was calling this a match of the year candidate for NXT and while that might be a bit much, it was certainly good. Crews is someone who can go move for move with just about anyone and Strong isn’t going to have a bad match most of the time. The problem is that everything else Strong does is about as uninteresting as you can get around here and it was hard to bring myself to get into anything he was doing.

Lash Legend is still talking until Malik Blade finally cuts her off to say she lost. Legend is offended by the interruption but Pretty Deadly comes in to defend her honor. A match is made.

Sanga is trying to give Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz advice but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter come in to offer them a title match. Feroz and Leon aren’t sure about this but Sanga offers to help them find inner peace.

The Diamond Mine are doing another film story on Apollo Crews’ suggestion. They see something that they don’t like but Roderick Strong comes in to yell at them for not being out there. Julius Creed yells about someone getting involved in the big tag match last week and is going to deal with it next week. Strong doesn’t want to hear about that and breaks Damon Kemp’s laptop.

We have one final accord between Santos Escobar and Tony D’Angelo. The meet outside the building and….sit down at a table to talk. They have the same argument they have had over and over about which family is better and how neither of them have accomplished anything. Escobar offers one final match between the two of them: if D’Angelo wins, Escobar is gone, but D’Angelo gets to keep the rest of Legado del Fantasma. If Escobar wins though, Legado is free. The match is on, and it’s a street fight. This was a long segment that could have been set up in a much faster segment.

Tiffany Stratton goes into her locker room where Wendy Choo (dang it) is waiting. Choo has night vision goggles on and turns the lights out, allowing her to beat up Stratton. Choo says this isn’t over, making me wonder WHY THE HECK IS THIS NOT OVER. There is NO reason for this to keep going, and stop acting like Choo is the heroine in any of this with her one “prank” and sneak attack after another.

Malik Blade/Edris Enofe vs. Pretty Deadly

Prince gets caught in the wrong corner for some early double teaming to start but a toss into an elbow cuts Blade down. Pretty Deadly goes to pose on the floor but here are Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley to chase them back inside. The hot tag brings in Enofe to clean house as everything breaks down. A quick Spilled Milk finishes for Prince at 4:32.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly winning is fine enough, though it would be nice to have Blade and Enofe win a match every now and then. The good thing is that they are continuously on TV and not getting squashed, so they are being at least somewhat protected. I could go for another of these on a bigger stage, or at least without the interference in the middle.

Cameron Grimes doesn’t like being mocked for being knocked down during last week’s main event. The Schism comes up to offer their condolences and Grimes might be a bit more interested.

Nikkita Lyons gives Zoey Stark a pep talk before her match.

Video on Toxic Attraction, with Jacy Jayne liking rock music and Gigi Dolin playing by her own rules.

Apollo Crews is happy with his win but Grayson Waller comes in to ask why Crews is here. A match seems likely.

Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade

Mandy Rose is on commentary. Stark armdrags her down to start and fires off some knees to the ribs. Jade gets in a few shots of her own, including a knee to the face for a needed breather. We take a break and come back with Jade cranking on the neck but missing a shot with her stick. Stark grabs a German suplex to get out of trouble before they slug it out.

Jade tries to jump over her in the corner but gets superkicked down for two, with Rose wanting Jade to make a comeback. A hammerlock DDT gives Jade two and something like Sliced Bread connects for the same. Jade goes for the stick but Roxanne Perez pops up to take it away. Stark hits another superkick and flips Jade into a knee to the face for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. I liked that finisher from Stark and Jade is already finding her rhythm as a heel. The good thing is that they are continuing to figure out what they are doing with this women’s division and it feels like there are multiple directions they could go on any given week. That’s more than most women’s divisions can say so well done.

Post match Perez chases Jade off and Rose gets laid out by Stark’s flipping knee (with Rose going DOWN on contact) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This one wasn’t working for me so well as a lot of the first half was pretty lame. Things got better later on in the show but I’m only kind of interested in what they have on tap for Heatwave. NXT tends to do well with the big shows though so there is a good chance they make it work. Not a great show this week, but next week is the one that matters.

Results
Nikkita Lyons b. Kiana James – Splits splash
Wes Lee b. Trick Williams 2-1
Arianna Grace b. Thea Hail – Wasteland
Apollo Crews b. Roderick Strong – Spinebuster
Pretty Deadly b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Spilled Milk to Enofe
Zoey Stark b. Cora Jade – Flipping knee to the face

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 26, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the first show of the new regime and I’m not sure how much of a difference that is going to make. NXT seems a bit more planned out that Raw and Smackdown so it might be a little while before the impact takes hold. Maybe they have a few surprises or at least ideas this week though so let’s get to it.

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

Here is the recently returned Zoey Stark for a chat. She is REALLY happy to be back and talks about being on the shelf since October after tearing her ACL and MCL. The doctors told her it would be over a year before she could return, but she worked in that trainer’s room so hard and beat the expectations by four months. Now she is the #1 contender for the Women’s Title and only has Toxic Attraction standing in her way. Cue Cora Jade on the platform to say she is already sick of Stark.

Jade was ready to be champion but Stark had to take HER MOMENT, just like Roxanne Perez did. They bicker about Jade trashing the Women’s Tag Team Titles but here is Toxic Attraction to interrupt. Mandy Rose is looking forward to becoming the fourth longest reigning Women’s Champion tomorrow when she surpasses Paige. Stark wants her title shot tonight, but instead has to settle for Gigi Dolin. This was just an “I’m back” promo, with Jade being annoying to keep her presence going.

Grayson Waller is ready to take out Wes Lee.

Tony D’Angelo and Family are ready to destroy the Diamond Mine.

Wes Lee vs. Grayson Waller

Waller takes him down to start and gets two off an early rollup. Lee is back with a victory roll for two of his own and there’s a double stomp to Waller’s back to set in the frustration. They run the ropes until Waller kicks him in the chest. That doesn’t do much to Lee, who dropkicks him to the floor and follows with a suplex.

We take a break and come back with Waller hitting a fireman’s carry flipped into a sitout powerbomb for two. Waller starts slapping him in the face, which has Lee fired up and unloading with shots to the face. Lee goes up top but gets shoved off for the big crash down to the floor. Waller yells at the referee and it’s Trick Williams in the crowd (in a hoodie and boxing gloves) with a shot to the back of Lee’s head. Lee dives back in to beat the count but the rolling Stunner gives Waller the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Lee continues to be in a weird spot as he is around almost every week but doesn’t ever really do anything important. Granted that is part of the “finding himself” story, but it isn’t exactly making him feel like a big deal. Waller is still a rather good villain, though he doesn’t come off as anything more than a midcard pest most of the time. He could also go with a better finisher than something that requires being outside to start most of the time.

The Schism talks about how Joe Gacy has opened their eyes to a new world. Now they want Cameron Grimes to join them, because Gacy can be the father figure that Grimes needs.

Arianna Grace is bragging about how much people were enjoying watching her in the battle royal last week when Indi Hartwell knocked her out. Hartwell’s gear is atrocious but here she is to say Grace would have done the same thing. Grace talks about how she would never do that as a former beauty queen and can’t stand this negative energy. Grace hasn’t shown me anything on LVL Up and I don’t see an improvement here.

Apollo Crews vs. Xyon Quinn

Crews dropkicks him down to start but Quinn is back up with some shots to the head. Quinn grabs a chinlock before elbowing Crews in the face for another knockdown. Crews fights back up but gets dropped again as he can’t get anything going. An enziguri gets Crews out of trouble though and he grabs a quick spinebuster for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C-. I like Quinn a good deal but it’s becoming clear that he doesn’t have much to him besides a great look. He is long past the point of feeling like he is going to be something for the time being and while that is sad, it also isn’t surprising. Then you have Crews, who looks like a star and has much stronger of a resume, but the lack of personality is still holding him back. He’s miles ahead of Quinn though and that didn’t leave much doubt here.

Toxic Attraction isn’t worried about Zoey Stark but here is Sarray to say she wants a shot. Mandy Rose is ready for her revenge next week.

We look at Von Wagner beating Solo Sikoa down last week at Smackdown.

Solo Sikoa wants a falls count anywhere match with Wagner next week. Yes more brawling/hardcore stuff, but at least they have the slightest logical reason to go that way.

Gigi Dolin vs. Zoey Stark

The rest of Toxic Attraction is here and their early distraction lets Dolin jump her from behind. Some knees to the ribs and an elbow to the face rock Stark and we hit the bow and arrow hold. Stark fights up and hits a superkick, followed by a fireman’s carry flipped into a knee to the face for the pin at 2:50. Short and to the point here.

Post match Mandy Rose goes after Stark and gets chased to the floor. Cue Cora Jade to kendo stick her down but Roxanne Perez returns to make the save.

JD McDonagh is here….as a fan.

Wendy Choo has nightmares about losing to Tiffany Stratton. She wakes up and promises that this isn’t over with Stratton and next time won’t be so nice. How has anything about this feud been nice???

JD McDonagh is in the crowd and tells a fan to eat his popcorn slowly because people die eating it all the time. Next up he goes to talk to the timekeeper, who has an important job and talks about how you can break a hand with a hammer. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor has a great voice, but then there is Wade Barrett. McDonagh talks about how the calcium deposits from bare knuckle boxing can hurt your joints so watch out for that.

Then we have Vic Joseph, who said some bad things about McDonagh’s family last week. McDonagh thinks he could break Joseph’s collarbone with his bare hands…but he won’t. Instead, McDonagh gets in the ring and calls out Bron Breakker, who is happy to oblige. Breakker is ready to face him in three weeks and knocks McDonagh down, which has McDonagh smiling.

Chase U is ready for Andre Chase to face Giovanni Vinci. Thea Hail wants to do the fighting for him but Chase himself has this. Nathan Frazer comes in and gets to be the Chase U flag bearer.

We look back at Axiom’s debut with a comic book theme.

Roxanne Perez has a lot going on, including being half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions. She has no partner though, and hands the belt over to Alundra Blayze. Next week, it’s a fatal four way elimination match for the vacant titles.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Andre Chase

Chase armdrags him into an armbar to start and grabs a sunset flip for two. Some rollups get two each on Vinci and it’s right back to the armbar. Vinci fights up but gets distracted by the flag waving, allowing Chase to send him into the post. We take a break and come back with Chase being dumped out to the floor.

Back in and Chase hammers away, setting up a belly to back suplex for the double knockdown. The spelling stomps look to set up a double underhook something but Vinci powers out. A backslide doesn’t work for Vinci as Chase grabs a butterfly powerbomb for two more. The Fratliner is broken up though and Vinci clothesline him down. The sitout Last Ride finishes for Vinci at 12:24.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of how you use someone who has been built up into a little something to get a bigger prospect over. Vinci has done well in NXT so far, but he hasn’t won much to make him feel like a big deal. Chase might not be a top star, but the fans love him and the charisma is impossible to ignore. Beating him feels like it matters and that is what made this better than something like the Quinn vs. Crews match.

Post match the beating continues but Nathan Frazer makes the save.

Diamond Mine is ready for the D’Angelo Family.

Yulisa Leon is talking to Valentina Feroz when Sanga comes in. Sanga gives them a pep talk for next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance want the titles they have been chasing. Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley come in to gloat and trash talking ensues. Elektra Lopez comes in to say Diamond Mine will lost to the D’Angelo Family tonight and the brawl breaks out.

Arianna Grace vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell takes her down by the arm to start and works on a headlock. That’s reversed into a chinlock with Grace’s knee in her back before Grace plants her down. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught, allowing Hartwell to boot her in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C-. Grace is still pretty new at this, but the former beauty queen deal doesn’t exactly sound inspiring. I haven’t cared for what I’ve seen of her so far and this didn’t help make things better. At least Hartwell has a bit more star power, even if she hasn’t done much lately. Not a very good match, but at least Hartwell got a boost out of the mess she has been in lately.

Mr. Stone and Von Wagner are ready for Solo Sikoa next week.

Kiana James has a PowerPoint presentation about Nikkita Lyons being terrible in the ring. We see Lyons’ childhood as the daughter of a musician. Lyons doesn’t even have a great vocabulary. James is going to further investigate Lyons, but she already doesn’t care for her.

Video on Alba Fyre vs. Lash Legend.

D’Angelo Family vs. Diamond Mine

Tony D’Angelo drives Roderick Strong into the corner to start but gets armdragged down for his efforts. Everything breaks down and it’s a huge brawl, with Brutus Creed going for an ankle lock on D’Angelo, who gets pulled outside to safety. Julius dives off the apron to take them all down though and we take a break.

Back with Kemp hitting a jumping knee on Wilde and sending him outside. A swinging slam to Del Toro is broken up with a chop block though and Kemp is down. Kemp’s knee gets slammed into the mat and Stacks grabs a quickly broken half crab. Kemp kicks his way to freedom and brings in Julius Creed to clean house. Julius runs the corner to superplex Del Toro and a German suplex drops D’Angelo. Brutus comes back in to run over the Family but Cruz and Del Toro hits their Russian legsweep/big boot combination. Strong knees Brutus by mistake though and D’Angelo fisherman’s suplexes Brutus for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: C+. The Diamond Mine continues to fall apart and it’s hard to imagine that they’re a thing much longer. This wasn’t so much about the D’Angelo Family winning as much as it was about the Diamond Mine losing, so they did have the logic right. I’m curious to see where the split goes, and at least they had a pretty good match to help us get there.

Alundra Blayze doesn’t know who is winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week. Toxic Attraction comes up to say they’ll win but Blayze says they have to earn them. This annoys Toxic Attraction to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t the best show, it was nice to see something a show that felt nice and steady again. This show touched on a variety of feuds and angles while also moving some stuff forward. They need are starting to set up their next big show so they even have a direction. Now just get things set up and pay them off at that show and they’ve gotten somewhere in the right way, just like NXT of old.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Wes Lee – Rolling Stunner
Apollo Crews b. Xyon Quinn – Spinebuster
Zoey Stark b. Gigi Dolin – Fireman’s carry knee to the face
Giovanni Vinci b. Andre Chase – Sitout Last Ride
Indi Hartwell b. Arianna Grace – Big boot
D’Angelo Family b. Diamond Mine – Fisherman’s suplex to Brutus

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

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AND

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NXT
Date: July 19, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

The focus is on the women again this week as we have a battle royal for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. Other than that, we are probably going to be getting a lot more attention on Cora Jade betraying Roxanne Perez last week. And maybe Bron Breakker can do something. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week, with Cora Jade turning on Roxanne Perez and costing her the Women’s Title.

Cameron Grimes vs. JD McDonagh

Grimes shoulders him down but McDonagh kicks at the knee. That doesn’t bother Grimes, who kicks him in the chest and hits a backdrop. A whip into the corner has McDonagh on the apron and a big boot puts him on the floor. Back in and Grimes hits a high crossbody to rock McDonagh again, but here is Joe Gacy on the platform for a distraction as we take a break.

Back with Gacy still looking down and McDonagh blocking a suplex from the apron. McDonagh goes back to the knee and kicks away at it in the corner, only to get caught in a swinging Side Effect. Another shot to the knee slows Grimes down so he enziguris his way out of trouble. McDonagh goes for the leg again so Grimes knees him in the face. Grimes is knocked to the apron but McDonagh headbutts him, with Grimes’ knee getting caught in the ropes. That’s enough to slow Grimes down so the Devlin Side can finish Grimes at 13:24.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match you knew you would get from these two, as McDonagh and Grimes are capable of doing very good things in the ring. I could go for about 183% less Gacy, but he’s the junk mail you get in your box every day anymore. Other than that, they had a really good opener here and McDonagh is instantly established on the show.

Nikkita Lyons is ready to win the battle royal tonight.

Tiffany Stratton is OFFENDED that she has to be in the battle royal tonight but she’ll win anyway.

Here is Cora Jade for her big explanation. After coming close to using the start of Hulk Hogan’s Bash At The Beach 1996 speech, Jade talks about how she has been the featured star of the women’s division since she got here. People have been talking about how great she is at such a young age. Then she found the perfect partner in her best friend, Roxanne Perez. Everything was great and they won the Tag Team Titles, but not THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Perez wanted to do something more by winning the Women’s Title.

That was so disrespectful so it was time to do something about it. That’s why Jade didn’t mind turning on her last week and hitting her with the title. Now Perez is gone with a broken heart but they are still the Women’s Tag Team Champions. The titles mean nothing to her in the new Generation of Jade, so she throws it in the trash at ringside. Logical, to the point, everything was fine here and that’ snice to see for a change.

Xyon Quinn likes what Jade did but now he has something to look forward to next week: a one on one match with Apollo Crews. Sure Crews can throw weight around in the gym, but he couldn’t do it on the main stage. Now the X Factor gets to take Crews out.

Indi Hartwell wants to win the Women’s Title.

Roderick Strong vs. Damon Kemp

They trade headlock takeovers to start with Strong getting the better of things early on. Back up and Kemp grabs a suplex before a gutwrench suplex makes it worse. Strong is back with some knees to the ribs to put Kemp down as commentary talks about Strong’s failings as the leader of Diamond Mine. Kemp gets in some more suplexes, but we cut to the D’Angelo Family on screen laying out the Creed Brothers. Kemp is distracted enough that Strong can hit a jumping knee for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. I’m oddly curious about how this Diamond Mine split is going to go, even if Strong is hardly the most interesting person. Kemp continues to seem like he could work well in some kind of a role and I could go for more of him. For now though, it is likely going to be about the team’s split rather than anyone standing out and that might not draw the most interest.

Pretty Deadly, in their cowboy gear, is ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen ware ready to keep the Tag Team Titles and then Fallon Henley is winning the battle royal. She tells them to focus, because keeping the titles is harder than losing them.

Diamond Mine is banged up but Roderick Strong is ready to fight the D’Angelo Family.

NXT UK Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen

Briggs and Jensen, with Fallon Henley, are defending. Jensen knocks Prince into the corner to start for some clotheslines and a backdrop as everything breaks down early. A cheap shot has Briggs in trouble but he knocks Prince outside….and right into Henley. The champs panic as Henley is down and we take a break.

Back with Prince taking Jensen down for a chinlock and keeping him from getting over for the tag to Brigs. That doesn’t last long as Jensen gets over to Briggs for the tag so house can be cleaned. Stereo crossbodies put Briggs and Wilson down, with Prince handing Wilson a title belt. Then Prince slides Briggs the other belt so the referee doesn’t see Henley grab Wilson’s title. The tug of war lets Briggs and Jensen hit a High/Low to retain the titles at 11:34.

Rating: C+. Briggs and Jensen have finally picked up a little something to move them forward and that is a good idea. They have the gimmick and abilities to make something interesting so giving them some titles was the right move. I’d like to see how far they can go, but the fact that NXT set up a team and then developed them is a great sign.

Joe Gacy says it is time for the Dyad to reveal themselves but there is no going back. And of course it’s the Grizzled Young Veterans, who he baptizes as Jagger Reid (James Drake) and Rip Fowler (Zack Gibson). They might be named the Schism.

Bron Breakker is looking for JD McDonagh.

Wes Lee is still on his quest to find himself and now it’s time to go after Grayson Waller and then Trick Williams.

Here is Bron Breakker for a chat. He can respect someone coming to him and asking for a title shot like Cameron Grimes, but then there is someone like JD McDonagh who jumps him from behind. Breakker knows who McDonagh is and here is McDonagh on the screen. McDonagh talks about how he knows Breakker is tough and will fight through anything, but McDonagh knows how to hurt people.

That bad shoulder Breakker has is comprised of eight major muscles, which McDonagh draws on a mannequin. Breakker is tired of the lesson and tells McDonagh to come down here and fight him. McDonagh says in due time and watch that shoulder. Breakker threatens to take the shoulder and beat McDonagh over the head with it for a line that could only work coming from a Steiner.

Von Wagner and Solo Sikoa got in a fight backstage at Smackdown, with Wagner beating him up outside the building.

The Diamond Mine is fired up and ready to take out the D’Angelo Family. The Family has two choices, both of which involves getting beaten up.

Axiom vs. Dante Chen

Axiom is a masked man who looks like a superhero, complete with special effects that make him look like he moves in a blur. They fight over wristlocks until Axiom takes him down by the arm. Chen sends him outside but Axiom comes back in with a tornado DDT. A jumping kick to the face finishes Chen at 2:56. Not the greatest debut but the superhero deal should work fine.

Lash Legend brags about her greatness.

Giovanni Vinci grants a fan a picture (with the fan not in it) but Chase U arrives and gets in the way of Vinci’s car. They go inside but don’t move their bus, leaving Vinci annoyed. This was funnier than it should have been.

We go to the barber shop where Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams aren’t impressed with Hayes’ potential challengers. Williams will be watching Wes Lee vs. Grayson Waller next week though.

Toxic Attraction isn’t impressed with the battle royal but Ivy Nile, Kiana James and Alba Fyre come in to say they’ll win.

There’s a new QR code, which links to a woman wearing boots and walking somewhere.

Cameron Grimes is leaving and an unseen interviewer (sounds like Jeremy Borash) won’t take no for an answer on asking questions. Grimes snaps and yells about how he wants to go home, but Joe Gacy pops up to say he gets it.

Tony D’Angelo accepts the Diamond Mine’s challenge for next week.

Battle Royal

Alba Fyre, Nikkita Lyons, Tiffany Stratton, Fallon Henley, Lash Legend, Indi Hartwell, Ivy Nile, Kiana James, Elektra Lopez, Cora Jade, Zoey Stark, Sloane Jacobs, Valentina Feroz, Yulisa Leon, Wendy Choo, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Tatum Paxley, Amari Miller, Arianna Grace

For the next shot at Mandy Rose and commentary confirms that Zoey Stark is behind the QR codes. Everyone glares at Jade, who walks outside and gets beaten up by Nile. Miller is out first and Grace is kicked out as well. Fyre and Legend eliminate each other and brawl to the back, because basketball related feuds run deep.

Stratton knocks Choo out but she lands on her pillow and gets back in. Stark tosses Leon and Feroz and James kick Henley out. Stratton hits Choo in the face with a cup to get rid of her as well and we take a break. Back with Carter and Chance putting Nile out but getting knocked out as well. Paxley dives onto the two of them to save Nile and eliminates herself in the process. Stratton dumps Hartwell and we’re down to Stratton, Lyons, James and Stark.

James drives Lyons into the corner but gets kicked in the face for the easy elimination. Stratton dumps Lyons, leaving her alone with Stark. A clothesline puts Stratton over the top but only one foot hits, allowing her to get back onto the apron. Stratton backdrops Starks to the apron but they both get back inside. Stark forearms Stratton out….but Jade comes back in through the crowd and….gets backdropped out as well to give Stark the win at 13:10.

Rating: B-. This was better than I would have expected and a lot of that is due to the division actually having some depth. There were twenty women involved in this with three more watching (and Roxanne Perez not included), most of which have some kind of defining characteristic. That’s a heck of a lot more than most women’s divisions can claim and that’s pretty impressive. As for the match, Stark winning is a fine way to go as she’s a fresh challenger for Rose, though I wouldn’t have had the brand new heel get tossed like a goon.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty nice show this week with the opener and main event both working well. NXT is turning back into a good show, though there are still some parts that need ironing out. What matters most is that they have developed people up and down the card rather than just in the main event, which is more than WWE can say. Now just get things a little tighter and you could have something here, though they have already come a rather long way and should be proud of their success.

Results
JD McDonagh b. Cameron Grimes – Devlin Side
Roderick Strong b. Damon Kemp – Jumping knee
Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen b. Pretty Deadly – High/Low to Wilson
Axiom b. Dante Chen – Running boot to the face
Zoey Stark won a battle royal last eliminating Cora Jade

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

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

AND

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