NXT
Date: January 21, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from Vengeance Day and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. So far we don’t have a card set for the show but we should be able to start adding some things this week. On top of that, we have three title matches so let’s get to it.

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

Corey Graves is back. That’s good to see, as he’s far too talented to blow up his career.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Ridge Holland

D’Angelo, with his Family, is defending and after the Big Match Intros….we talk about Booker T.’s time as a TNA Legends Champion. Graves: “I believe in Joe Hendry.” Even after this partnership has been going on for months, this still feels weird. D’Angelo runs him over early to start but Shawn Spears comes out for a distraction as we take an early break.

Back with D’Angelo fighting out of an armbar and taking over, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. The spinebuster is broken up so D’Angelo goes with a spear for a knockdown instead. Cue Nico Vance and Brooks Jensen to go after the Family, but Izzi Dame comes in to kick Holland in the head. The spinebuster retains the title at 7:26.

Rating: B-. That was a heck of a spinebuster at the end, but what was more impressive was they had a good match with so little time. You can only get so much out of a seven and a half minute match with a break in the middle. For now though, the important thing is D’Angelo continues to look like a big deal and it would not surprise me to see him being NXT Champion by the end of the year.

Wes Lee, with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont, aren’t happy with Dion Lennox. Trick Williams comes in and Lee mocks him, earning an immediate right hand in a funny bit.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She’s here to talk about her issues with Roxanne Perez, who could be great but slapped her in the face. Perez thinks Bayley is like Natalya or CM Punk, but that might be a compliment? Last night, Perez interfered on Raw and that makes Bayley think Perez just isn’t ready. This women’s division has a lot going on and with a champion like Giulia at the top…and here is Giulia to say she certainly respects Bayley.

Giulia hopes to hold the title with as much honor as Bayley did. Bayley is appreciative as Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade interrupt to insult her. The fans boo them out of the building and suggest that Bayley wants the Women’s Title, because this era has exceeded the Four Horsewomen era. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly cleared out. Odds are this sets up a tag match, though I’m not sure I can imagine Perez or Jade as a serious threat to Giulia.

Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan argue but Karmen Petrovic interrupts and gets in a fight with Parker over Ashante Thee Adonis.

Bayley and Giulia are still brawling with Jade and Perez.

Wes Lee vs. Dion Lennox

Lee is ticked off after being slapped by Trick Williams (Joseph: “Williams slapped Lee so hard he thought his name was Desmond.”) and jumps Lennox to start, knocking him to the floor. Back in and Lennox runs him over, setting up a spinebuster for two as they’re going fast so far. That doesn’t last long though as the Cardiac Kick gives Lee the pin at 2:24. They’re trying with Lee, but I just can’t picture him as a top star.

Post match Lee calls out Trick Williams for next week so here is Williams to chase him off and accept.

We recap Lexis King winning the Heritage Cup for good last week.

Stephanie Vaquer wants the Women’s North American Title and doesn’t care who has it.

Heritage Cup: Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey

King is defending and Round One begins with a technical off going nowhere. King snaps off a dropkick into an armbar to work on the arm. They trade rollups for two each and it’s a standoff, with King trying another rollup. That’s reversed into a choke and then a crossface chickenwing but the round ends before a tap.

We take a break with King having gotten a pin in the second round to go up 1-0. Round Three begins with King working on the arm until a quick shot lets Dempsey take over. Dempsey gets two off a rollup and cranks on the arm some more before a bridging butterfly suplex ties it up at 2:28 of the round and 9:31 overall.

Round Four begins with King pulling out some brass knuckles but throwing them down with a shake of his head. Dempsey goes after the arm but gets suplexed out for his efforts. King hits a high crossbody for two, only to get suplexed for the same. Another tease of the knuckles doesn’t go anywhere so King knocks him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and the referee almost gets crushed in the corner, allowing King to get in a low blow. The Coronation retains the Cup at 2:50 of the round and 12:56.

Rating: C+. They’re definitely telling a story with King and his efforts to be good but getting pulled back into the dark side. That being said, this story feels like it is going to continue, even though it isn’t the most thrilling. Both of them need to move on to something else, though that low blow is likely going to result in another match.

Naomi and Bianca Belair are ready for Meta Four next week.

Andre Chase tells Hank And Tank to break up now because all teams split. As Kelani Jordan walks in the background, Chase goes to another room and sees people watching a Chase U video. Kale Dixon says Chase was great but Chase says Chase U is dead and leaves. Dixon: “But it doesn’t have to be.” It could be a long road from here, but dang the idea of Chase restarting the school and winning the NXT Title could be an all time NXT moment.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic, who takes him down by the arm to start. Parker catches her in an electric chair drop out of the corner and then hits the Tear Drop in the corner. A quick rollup gives Petrovic two and a Sling Blade gets the same. Parker gordbusters her down and loads up the Hipnotique, only to have Kelani Jordan come in for the distraction. Petrovic grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what the appeal of Petrovic and Adonis is supposed to be but the story is probably the least interesting thing in NXT at the moment. I can go for more of Petrovic as she has something about her, but Parker losing isn’t the best thing to see. Not much of a match either, and it’s part of a less than interesting story.

Sol Ruca and Zaria give Meta Four something of a pep talk before next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match. As usual, this sounded so scripted that it was painful.

Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance vs. D’Angelo Family

It’s a big brawl to start and a Stacks is hiptossed over the top onto Jensen and Vance. We settle down to Jensen suplexing Crusifino for two. Everything breaks down and the Family fights up, only for Crusifino to be sent outside. Back in and a spinwheel kick into a lariat from Vance finishes Stacks at 4:25.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and it was nice to see a new team getting a chance. That being said, it’s also quite the big step for them to beat the D’Angelo family so soundly. It wasn’t a great match, but it did a good job of saying that Jensen and Vance, with Shawn Spears controlling them, could be a threat.

Fraxiom is happy with their win last week and they’re ready to go to Impact to defend against the Rascalz. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura interrupt to say they want a title shot. OTM runs in and the brawl is on.

Dion Lennox is annoyed and throws a bunch of stuff.

The D’Angelo Family isn’t happy with Tony D’Angelo not being out there but he blames Izzi Dame for not shutting up. D’Angelo says Stacks has been the underboss for two years. He can do something on his own. Fair point.

Ethan Page is happy with hurting people and likes the sounds of people screaming in pain, including Je’Von Evans.

Je’Von Evans wants to fight Ethan Page but Ava says no due to his injury. Cedric Alexander comes in and is ready to face Page next week. Evans and Alexander leave but here is A-Town Down Under, who are supposed to be here next week. They want to offer the NXT Champion a spot on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Maybe with some extra security. As for tonight, they’ll be watching the main event.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Diamond Dallas Page is here.

NXT Title: Eddy Thorpe vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and powers him into the corner to start, only to miss a charge. Thorpe’s quick kick staggers Femi for two but he glares up at Thorpe for quite the look. One heck of a backdrop sends Thorpe flying but he gets in a dropkick off the apron. A-Town Down Under is watching from the balcony as we take a break.

Back with Femi powering him away again and hitting a heck of a spinebuster for two. A chokeslam is countered into a triangle choke and Thorpe even adds a hurricanrana for a near fall of his own. Thorpe stuns Femi with a Stunner and drops a top rope elbow for two more. Back up and Thorpe hammers away, including a slingshot German suplex for two. Femi powers up and hits a chokeslam for two of his own, only to miss a charge into the post. Thorpe tries to slug away but gets tossed with ease. The Fall From Grace retains the title at 10:18.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure I get this one, as it was mostly the monster Femi selling for Thorpe, who has cheated his way into everything he has. Femi won in the end, but he’s not the kind of champion who should be fighting from underneath for so long. It’s a good enough match, but I’m really not sure I get the thinking behind what they were doing. Also, you might want to not promote “the winner gets to be on the Grayson Waller Effect” over “the winner is the NXT Champion.”

Post match Trick Williams comes out for a Trick Shot to Thorpe before staring Femi down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a big card with three title matches and Bayley as a guest star, but it didn’t feel like a great show. They kept hyping up next week’s show in Atlanta and how big everything on that show was going to be and that didn’t keep me interested in what they were doing this week. It’s far from a bad show, but for what was included, it should have been better.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Ridge Holland – Spinebuster
Wes Lee b. Dion Lennox – Cardiac Kick
Lexis King b. Charlie Dempsey 2-0
Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance b. D’Angelo family – Lariat to Stacks
Oba Femi b. Eddy Thorpe – Fall From Grace

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: January 14, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back to a normal show this week after New Year’s Evil saw a big shakeup around here. Oba Femi is the new NXT Champion and is going to need a challenger for Vengeance Day in about a month. We also have a new Heritage Cup holder and Women’s Champion, plus the Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Long New Year’s Evil recap, and no it still can’t make what Rock said sound like anything.

Here is Oba Femi to get things going. Femi brags about being able to take his rightful place on the throne and he has been backed by destiny since he arrived. The fans think Femi deserves it before Femi talks about how Trick Williams put in a lot of work. Williams has a ceiling, unlike Femi himself. As for Eddy Thorpe, he can go annoy someone else, but here is Tony D’Angelo to interrupt.

D’Angelo brings up beating Femi twice so he can come after the NXT Title as well. Femi brings up Ridge Holland taking out D’Angelo, who promises to take care of Holland. This brings out Holland, who has a photo of himself as Santa Claus attacking D’Angelo. The fight is on, with Thorpe running in to jump Femi and hits him with what looks like a strap. They have a bunch of options in there, but getting rid of Thorpe in a hurry needs to be near the top of the list.

Ethan Page mocks Dante Chen and shoving ensues. A match seems teased, but I’m more curious about why the three man Gallus team apparently shares one locker.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Shotzi

For a future Women’s North American Title shot. They go with the grappling to start and get nowhere so that’s a show of respect. Shotzi’s armdrag is blocked and Vaquer grabs a rollup for a fast two. An enziguri hits Vaquer and Shotzi grabs an upside down to keep her in trouble. Vaquer is right back with the figure four faceplants into the mat and we take a break.

Back with Shotzi snapping off a super hurricanrana but getting caught with Eat Defeat. A tiger suplex gives Shotzi two and it’s time to trade forearms. Cue Jacy Jayne for a distraction, allowing Fallon Henley to come in and deck Vaquer (Shotzi didn’t see it) to give Shotzi the win at 11:06.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t betting on that one but it’s a bit of a nice surprise. They did a nice job of making it clear that Shotzi didn’t know about the cheating and there is a good chance that it is going to set up some kind of a triple threat later on. The action itself was just ok, but they did a good job with the story they were telling.

Zaria gives Kelani Jordan a pep talk bout Cora Jade comes in to mock Jordan. That earns Jade a hard slap.

Oba Femi wants Eddy Thorpe and nearly ends Mr. Stone to get the match for next week.

Ethan Page vs. Dante Chen

Page jumps him before the bell but Chen says ring the bell. The brawl is on but Chen can’t hit his double chop. Instead Page hits the Twist of Fate for the pin at 57 seconds. You mean he could have saved LVL Up that fast???

Post match Page crushes Chen’s leg with the steps. Je’Von Evans tries to make the save but Page hits him in the bad jaw and tells him to smile.

Oba Femi doesn’t want to listen to Dion Lennox.

Riz and Izzi Dame don’t want to listen to Shawn Spears.

Ashante Thee Adonis apologizes to Karmen Petrovic and gives her a rose. She says it’s about time and kisses him.

We look at Giulia winning the Women’s Title last week.

DIY has heard so much about Fraxiom and they’re here to scout future competition.

Meta Four vs. Unholy Union

For a future title shot. Fyre takes Jackson down by the arm to start but Jackson wristdrags her out of the corner. Dawn comes in and gets dropped by a Sling Blade and it’s off to Legend. A cheap shot from Fyre slows her down but Legend breaks up a Tarantula attempt. Fyre takes out Legend’s knee to send Jackson crashing into the corner, allowing Fyre to hit a top rope flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Legend chokeslamming Fyre for two and slamming Dawn for a bonus. A Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two on Jackson as everything breaks down. The Gory Bomb is broken up though an it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant/running cutter combination (that was slick) to finish Fyre at 12:53.

Rating: C+. The Legend push continues, but at some point she’s going to have to get some gold. I’m not sure if that is what we are going to see from the title match, but this was a big showcase match for Legend to look like a killer. She has come a very, very long way in a few years and deserves a lot of credit for the development she has undergone.

Lexis King is proud to win the Heritage Cup but Charlie Dempsey and Wren Sinclair come up to talk about a rematch. Ava is interested…but has to go break up a fight between Ridge Holland and Tony D’Angelo. That freaking parking lot.

TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich is here.

Cora Jade vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan starts fast and hammers away before elbowing Jade down. Jade catches her on top though and stomps away, setting up a running dropkick against the ropes. Jade’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Jordan knocks her down and stomps away as well. Jordan unloads in the corner so the referee breaks it up, allowing Jade to rake the eyes. The double arm DDT finishes Jordan at 5:12.

Rating: C. I’m a bit surprised to see Jordan lose here as she is kind of taking a step back from the heelish tendencies over the last few weeks. Other than that, Jade gets a needed win as she has only done so much since her big return. I’m not sure where this is going, but Jordan is at least getting to do something rather than just win random matches as champion.

Eddy Thorpe is ready to win the NXT Title next week.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura want a Tag Team Title shot at Fraxiom (maybe they could try having a match). OTM comes in to say they’re getting the titles tonight. Insults lead to a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Fraxiom vs. OTM

OTM is challenging and Frazer is taken into the corner to start. Shoulders to the ribs have Frazer down and double teaming makes it worse as DIY is watching from the platform. Frazer fights up and brings in Axiom to clean house, though he looks up at DIY. That lets Nima drop him with a heck of a clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Frazer coming in off a hot tag to clean house, including a running shooting star press for two on Price. Everything breaks down and OTM get caught in stereo holds. That’s broken up when Nima suplexes Frazer onto the other two and we settle back down. Frazer comes in off a springboard tag but Nima Rock Bottoms him onto Axiom. It’s time to clear off the announcers’ table but Frazer fights up. A frog splash sends Nima through the table and the Golden Ratio to Price retains the title at 13:13.

Rating: B. As annoying as the will they/won’t they stuff with Fraxiom can be, they can have some exciting matches. The tension issue does a nice job of making you wonder if this is the time where they are going to lose and that was the case here. They have to lose the titles eventually, but that DIY tease means we might be waiting a good while longer.

A pair of shoes arrives.

Here is Roxanne Perez for a chat. When she won the Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver, no one thought she was going to hold it that long. She wanted to make women’s wrestling special and give the people something they can take pride in every week. This is the best women’s wrestling every week, but here she is without her title. Last week, Giulia was better but that’s what the people wanted. Giulia isn’t going to take the title to the same heights she did and it doesn’t deserve her…and Bayley is back (the fans seem to remember her).

Bayley is here with some advice, but Perez doesn’t want to hear it. Bayley mocks her for wanting advice when she was shorter than she even is now. Perez laughs it off because while Bayley set records, Perez broke them. Maybe she should be Bayley’s role model. Bayley says Perez will be stuck here while Bayley goes on to win the title on Smackdown. The brawl is on and we are way out of time so it’s cut off fast.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that did a lot of things and covered quite a few stories in a single night. The main event was good and Dante Chen got wiped out in short order so there is little to complain about in at least two matches. I liked the Bayley return too as she is an absolute legend around here. Solid work this week, with about a month to go before Vengeance Day.

Results
Shotzi b. Stephanie Vaquer – Rollup
Ethan Page b. Dante Chen – Twist Of Fate
Meta Four b. Unholy Union – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Fyre
Cora Jade b. Kelani Jordan – Double arm DDT
Fraxiom b. OTM – Golden Ratio to Price

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: December 31, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the last wrestling show of the year (at least around here) and we also have one week to go before New Year’s evil, which has already been set up and now we get to see where things are going. Most of the matches are ready to go and now we are likely in for one more week of building things up. Let’s get to it.

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

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice

Vice starts fast and pulls her into a chinlock, which is reversed into an armbar. Back up and Vice fires off the kicks, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. We take a break and come back with Vice hitting Two Amigos but taking too long to dance, allowing Jordan to do the dance and take her down instead. Back up and Jordan flips into a choke but manages to get to the ropes. Cue Cora Jade for a distraction though and Jordan gets a bridging rollup for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. This was another good example of a match that was hurt by the break in the middle, as probably 40% of it was in the commercial. Other than that, it was Vice doing her strikes and Jordan escaping with gymnastics. I’m not sold on Jordan as a villain yet but I’ll take it over her being rather dull on the other side.

Post match Jade unloads on both of them with the kendo stick but Stephanie Vaquer makes the save. Vice accidentally elbows Vaquer in the face when Jade ducks and panic ensues.

It’s time for the NXT Awards, with Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak at Stand & Deliver winning Match Of The Year. Briggs is the only one who gets to talk, but he does thank everyone who “feasted their eyes” on the match.

Video on Giulia, who wants to join the list of NXT Women’s Champions.

Moment Of The Year is…Joe Hendry in NXT. Hendry is grateful and teases another appearance, right before an ad for Raw on Netflix.

Cedric Alexander isn’t happy with Ethan Page attacking Je’Von Evans. A match seems to be set for New Year’s Evil but here is Page to taunt Alexander, triggering a brawl. We’ll do it right now.

Cedric Alexander vs. Ethan Page

Joined in progress with Alexander hammering away before hitting a pair of dropkicks. Another running dropkick to the back of the head gets two and Page is sent outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Page hits his own dropkick for two, setting up the chinlock. Alexander fights up and strikes away, setting up a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Page pops back up with a big boot into a Twist Of Fate for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Page isn’t about to lose to someone on the level of Alexander and thankfully they didn’t waste a lot of time getting there. Page took out Evans a few weeks ago and needed a win to back it up, which is what he got here. It wasn’t anything great and it didn’t need to be, as Page looking more like his old self was the point.

Post match Page crushes Alexander’s hand in a tool box.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee seem to like what Shawn Spears is telling them. Hank and Tank need partners.

Shotzi/Gigi Dolin vs. Meta Four vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter knocks Dolin to the ropes, where Legend tags herself in and puts Dolin on the apron. It’s quickly off to Jackson to suplex Shotzi. Everything breaks down and some running shots have Jackson in more trouble. Carter comes back in for a running boot to put Shotzi on the floor, with Carter and Chance’s dives taking out everyone else. We take a break and come back with Dolin striking away at Legend before Carter comes back in with a basement superkick.

The Keg Stand gets two on Legend with a bunch of people making the save. A belly to back moonsault hits Jackson’s raised knees as everything breaks down. Shotzi tries a dive and lands ON HER HEAD but thankfully she’s up fast enough to get take out by a dive from Jackson. Cue Fatal Influence for a distraction though, allowing Meta Four to hit a wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to finish Dolin at 11:24.

Rating: C-. I really wasn’t feeling this one as it was kind of all over the place with people just doing stuff until even more people interfered to give Meta Four the win. The good thing here is that Shotzi is ok, as that was an absolutely terrifying landing. She was right back up though and I’m not sure how she managed to make that happen without a bad case of broken neck.

Post match the Unholy Union pops up on screen to challenge the Meta Four to a match with title implications.

Lola Vice tries to apologize to Stephanie Vaquer, who is not having it. Kelani Jordan comes in to mock them and everyone has to be pulled apart. Cora Jade is watching when Ava comes in to put her in a four way #1 contenders match next week for a shot at the Women’s North American Title.

Ava is in her office with William Regal, Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey. Apparently the rules aren’t clear if the Heritage Cup can change hands via DQ. Therefore, next week, King vs. Dempsey for the Cup, one fall, sudden death. Regal is having nothing to do with this. There are like five rules for the Cup. How is that not clear? It took them a week to figure this out?

The Tag Team Of The Year is Nathan Frazer and Axiom. Yes, the team who have dominated the tag division and won the titles twice while holding them for over half of the year are in fact the winners.

Frazer and Axiom wouldn’t have it any other way but OTM comes in to say they’re coming for the belts.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready.

Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame

Zaria is here too. Ruca takes her down with a headlock to start before voiding a charge to send Dame shoulder first into the post. Back up and Dame takes her out of the corner as Shawn Spears is watching from the platform. Ruca fights up with some springboard shoulders and a running X Factor. Dame rolls outside and has to avoid Ruca’s moonsault, which hits Zaria instead. Back up and Dame boots her in the face, setting up a Sky High for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C. This was more about Ruca and Zaria than anything else and I’m not even sure why they’re having issues. At the same time, Spears being involved isn’t exactly making it more interesting, but this hasn’t been the most thrilling show so far. At least Dame got a win for a change after not exactly doing much for a good while.

Hank and Tank might have a partner for tonight: Andre Chase.

The Female Superstar Of The Year is Roxanne Perez. Again: the woman who dominated the title scene winning is hardly a shock.

Perez isn’t surprised. Neither am I.

Hank And Tank/Andre Chase vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee

Chase is looking rather unkempt and is in street clothes. The villains jump them to start and Hank gets caught in the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Tank, who is whipped into the corner by Igwe. Everything breaks down and Chase hits a top rope flip dive onto Igwe and DuPont as we take a break.

Back with Hank still in trouble and getting caught with a pop up World’s Strongest Slam. Lee grabs a guillotine choke and a pop up double stomp hits Hank again. Hank fights out and brings in Tank for the house cleaning but quickly hands it off to Chase. Igwe gets knocked down and Chase loads up the spelling stomps but brings Hank back in instead before walking out. That leaves Hank to get hit in the ace, setting up a Stunner to give Igwe the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C. Here we have a storytelling match as Chase is back but can’t do it without it being Chase U. That’s going to create some issues going forward and those should be interesting, but for now this was a bunch of people with nothing else going on having a math where Chase was involved. You can get by with that on occasion, though this show hasn’t exactly been must see so far.

Ashante Thee Adonis calls Karmen Petrovic about New Year’s Eve but gets voicemail, saying he’ll spend it alone if he can’t spend it with her. Nikkita Lyons comes up to invite him to a party but he turns her down.

Shawn Spears praises Izzi Dame but gets turned down. The D’Angelo Family comes in before anything can happen, so Spears implies he’s coming for D’Angelo. With Spears gone, D’Angelo tells the Family to take him out.

Kale Dixon asks Andre Chase about the next semester, but Chase says Chase U is dead. Well that’s a sad way to end the year.

New Year’s Evil rundown.

It’s time to announce the Male Superstar Of The Year but Oba Femi interrupts before anyone is named. Femi says the award doesn’t matter because it’s just a popularity contest. He goes on about how he’s going to win the title because “I am the captain now.” Cue Trick Williams to interrupt, saying he needs to dig deep to retain next week.

Williams calls Femi “Old Beatable Oba”, which is true because otherwise it would be title vs. title. How long is Femi going to leave when he loses this time? Eddy Thorpe runs in to send them into each other and breaks the trophy over Femi’s head. Thorpe holds up the title to end the show. So I guess Femi won, but I don’t think it was ever made clear.

Overall Rating: C-. And that might be generous. This was the definition of a show where they knew it didn’t matter because of the holiday and next week being the big show. The wrestling was mediocre at best and most of the awards were obvious rather than having any drama. Not a good show here, and one of the weaker NXT’s that I can remember in a pretty long time.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Lola Vice – Bridging rollup
Ethan Page b. Cedric Alexander – Twist Of Fate
Meta Four b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance and Shotzi/Gigi Dolin – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Dolin
Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca – Sky High
Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee b. Hank And Tank/Andre Chase – Stunner to Hank

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: December 24, 2024
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s Christmas Eve and yes we are indeed having a regular NXT rather than some kind of Best Of show or something more traditional like that. We are two weeks away from New Year’s Evil and last week’s main event saw Eddy Thorpe and Trick Williams go to a draw for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s title match, plus the fallout after the show with the match being ruled a draw so Trick Williams retains.

Cora Jade vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer takes her down to start before flipping Jade out of the corner. A quick rollup gets two and Vaquer suplexes her into a figure four necklock. That’s broken up and Vaquer hits a dropkick but Jade Backstabs her out of the corner as we take an early break. Back with Vaquer fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing a belly to back suplex. Eat Defeat sends Jade into the corner for some running knees, followed by something like a standing STF. Jade breaks that up but gets caught in the package backbreaker to give Vaquer the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C. Vaquer is still one of the stronger names in the division and having her go over someone with the status of Jade makes sense. Jade is someone who feels like she is best used as someone’s lackey and that might be her ceiling. She has talent, but I’m not sure if it is going to be used with her as a solo star of any kind.

Post match Kelani Jordan runs in with a kendo stick to go after Jade but Vaquer pulls Jordan off.

The D’Angelo Family want the Tag Team Titles, with Stacks promising to beat the other teams’ faces in like his mother beat up Santa Claus with a broom one Christmas night.

William Regal offers to be in Lexis King’s corner for the Heritage Cup match. Regal has the brass knuckles and that’s an oooo moment.

Heritage Cup: Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey

King, with William Regal, is challenging. Round One begins with some grappling as King rolls him up for two. A dropkick misses as Booker says King needs to believe in himself like Neo in the Matrix. Dempsey pulls him into an armbar but gets hiptossed down for one. Lexis reverses a cravate into a headlock as the round ends.

Round Two begins with King jumping him in the corner and chops away. A gutwrench suplex drops King for two and King wrestles him down again. Dempsey stays on the back with a half crab but King gets out again. A superkick out of the corner sets up a super sunset flip for two on Dempsey, leaving King frustrated. Dempsey pulls him into something like a bow and arrow as the round ends.

Round Three begins…and ends during a break so we come back with Round Four beginning with King hitting a clothesline. A backbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock. Some chops into the corner set up a northern lights suplex for two on Dempsey and they trade shots to the face. Regal tries to send in the brass knuckles but King says no, earning himself a shot from Regal to knock him cold. Dempsey picks up the knuckles…and the referee calls it a DQ win for King at 2:53 of the round and 13:32 overall, making King the champion.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of ending that should set up a “did he or didn’t he” ending and it should work well. King has been teasing going the right way but then wins the Cup in something less than a fair way. I like the idea of paying something off on the whole story, though I’m not sure how long this is going to last.

OTM is ready to get the Tag Team Title shot.

We look at Ethan Page injuring Je’Von Evans last week.

Kelani Jordan yells at Stephanie Vaquer but Lola Vice breaks it up. Jordan calls both of them out for always interfering and wants them out of her face.

Unholy Union vs. Fatal Influence

Fallon Henley is here with Fatal Influence. Nyx and Dawn start things off with Dawn shoving her out of the corner. A dropkick has Dawn over to the corner for the tag off to Jayne, who gets chopped by Fyre. Nyx is back in with a running kick to the chest as Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are watching in the crowd. Dawn comes back in for a running knee as Shotzi, Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin come out.

We take a break and come back with Dawn being whipped into the corner so Jayne can kick her in the face. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Nyx gets two off a PerfectPlex (Vic: “The plex wasn’t perfect enough!”). Dawn kicks her way out of trouble and hands it off to Fyre as Carter and Chance are now at ringside. Fyre cleans house with a bunch of kicks and a gordbuster as everything breaks down. Fyre and Jayne headbutt each other own as a fight breaks out at ringside. Dolin uses the distraction to shove Jayne off the top so the Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination can give Dawn the pin at 12:47.

Rating: C. This felt like it was designed to set up some big team match down the line, which isn’t the most thrilling thing but there are so many women in NXT that they have to do something like this here. Fatal Influence being in trouble when the numbers are even (or worse) makes sense as the numbers game has been their thing since their inception. The match wasn’t anything great, but it is probably a step in a bigger story.

The No Quarter Catch Crew is ready for the #1 contenders match.

Izzi Dame interrupts Sol Ruca and Zaria but Shawn Spears and company cut them off. Dame tells them to leave her alone.

Dion Lennox vs. Ashante Thee Adonis

Adonis punches him down to start and hammers away against the ropes. Nikkita Lyons comes out to watch as Lennox reveres a neckbreaker into a backslide for two. An elbow to the ace gives Adonis two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Lennox slugs away, setting up a spinebuster and powerslam for two, with Lyons putting the foot on the ropes. Lennox is so annoyed that he gets rolled up for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C-. The problem with this match comes down to one thing: the story isn’t interesting. I get the whole idea they’re going for but it’s really hard to care about anything going on. It feels like this story that has been going on for months now and I still have no reason to care about anyone involved. That makes a not so good match even harder to care about and that was an issue here.

Hang And Tank are ready for the four way tag match.

Shotzi, Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin run into Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. The Meta Four come in to mock them all.

We get a profile on Roxanne Perez, who brags about her accomplishments and how she has overcome various issues. Maybe only people like Simone Biles and Caitlyn Clark can understand her greatness. She’s ready for Giulia in two weeks. Somehow I don’t see that happening.

Lexis King is happy with his win and cuts off the interviewer before she can ask about William Regal.

Ethan Page is happy with what he did to Je’Von Evans last week. He found his smile by taking Evans’.

D’Angelo Family vs. OTM vs. Hank And Tank vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

For a Tag Team Title shot and it’s tornado rules. Hank and Tank swing Christmas trees to start but get blasted by a fire extinguisher. Nima cleans house with a chair but gets it dropkicked into his chest. OTM beat up Hank and Tank with presents as Santa is watching from ringside. Crusifino comes in with a bowling ball to hit Hank low in the corner but Stacks gets powerbombed through a table of cookies.

We take a break and come back with Crusifino being tied up so the Crew can wreck people with kendo sticks. The Family comes back in to choke them with the sticks but OTM make the save. A table is put up in the corner with Borne sailing through it in a big crash. Hank and Tank hit dives onto the floor but here are Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont to brawl with them to the back. This lets Tony D’Angelo slip the Family some candy cane crowbars. A Shatter Machine connects for the Family but Santa lays out D’Angelo. OTM hits the assisted Alabama Slam to pin Crusifino at 12:41.

Rating: C+. There was so much going on here that it was hard to keep track of everything, but there is nothing wrong with getting a fresh team involved in the title picture. Teams like OTM have been around for months without getting much of anywhere so this is better than anything else they have been doing. It was a wild brawl with a theme going on and while there was a lot going on, it could have been worse.

Santa is….Ridge Holland.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat but Oba Femi cuts him off. Eddy Thorpe cuts them both off, saying Williams escaped instead of beating him. Femi says it’s time to move on to him but Thorpe isn’t having that. Williams makes it a triple threat match and Femi isn’t happy. Thorpe tries to say something but gets shut down by Femi. Ava comes out to make the match official, laving the brawl to be on. Femi wrecks Williams but Thorpe escapes to end the show. That’s a lame way out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they are saving Williams vs. Femi for Stand & Deliver.

Overall Rating: C+. This was more of a show that was designed to move things forward for later on, which makes sense as it was a show of fresh content on Christmas Eve. There is likely going to be a big chunk of the audience missing so putting much of note on here would have been a waste of time. It’s not a bad show, but it’s also not one that feels overly important, which is often worse.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Cora Jade – Package backbreaker
Lexis King b. Charlie Dempsey via DQ when William Regal interfered
Unholy Union b. Fatal Influence – Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination to Jayne
Ashante Thee Adonis b. Dion Lennox – Rollup
OTM b. Hank And Tank, No Quarter Catch Crew and D’Angelo Family – Assisted Alabama Slam to Crusifino

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NXT
Date: December 17, 2024
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re on the way to the end of the year and we’re outside of the Performance Center for a change. In this case we are on the way to New Year’s Evil, with Trick Williams having to deal with the monster that is Oba Femi. Giulia is coming for the Women’s Title as well, which should make for a big title rematch. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at the history of WWE in Lowell, Massachusetts, including Shawn Michaels losing his smile, before moving on to a preview of tonight’s show.

Oba Femi vs. Axiom

Nathan Frazer is here with Axiom. They start slowly with Axiom trying some chops but getting smacked in the back to break up a springboard attempt. We take a break and come back with Femi knocking him down again. Some rapid fire chops in the corner have Axiom in more trouble but he gets fired up. Axiom dropkicks the leg out and a basement superkick gets two. A missile dropkick connects but the Golden Ratio is countered. The Fall From Grace finishes for Femi at 10:22.

Rating: C+. This was Axiom trying to handle himself against a monster but not being able to hang in there that long. Femi knows how to do this kind of a match and putting him out there week after week should help give him some more experience. As usual, Axiom can work well with anyone and he did just fine here, even up against a monster.

Eddy Thorpe is ready for his title match but Ava comes in to say Thorpe took a shortcut. Thorpe doesn’t care because tonight, you’ll be calling him champion.

Karmen Petrovic isn’t sure what to do but Dion Lennox thinks she should apologize to Nikkita Lyons. They hug, so here is Ashante Thee Adonis to not be impressed. He’s off to text Lyons, with Lennox says he’s going to mind his own business. And read.

Zaria/Sol Ruca vs. Meta Four

Jackson jumps Ruca to start but gets planted face first for her efforts. Ruca gets to surf on her back but it’s off to Legend to run her over. It’s off to Zaria, who actually gets slammed down by Legend in a bit of a surprise. Back up and Zaria lifts Jackson up onto her shoulders so Ruca can climb on top for a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Ruca rolling Legend up for two but Jackson comes in for a butterfly suplex. The crossarm choke goes on but Ruca flips out and hits a quick enziguri. The diving tag brings in Zaria to clean house, with a spear getting two on Jackson. Zaria eventually wins a fight over a suplex with Legend before Ruca adds a springboard splash for two. Jackson is back up with a dive onto Ruca though and Legend hits the Bully Drop (I think) to pin Ruca at 12:14.

Rating: C+. Meta four gets a bit of a step up here after not doing much in the last few weeks. It was almost weird to see Zaria getting powered around but Legend is one of the few people who could make it work. At the same time, Ruca taking the fall is something of a surprise, as she was seemingly on her way into a title picture not that long ago and then it just stopped.

Last week, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont argued over another loss but Wes Lee doesn’t see anything wrong with Igwe not being happy with a loss. Makes sense

Jaida Parker vs. Wren Sinclair

OTM and the No Quarter Catch Crew are here too. Parker sends her into the corner to start but Sinclair is back with a shot to the face. The Tear Drop into a Falcon Arrow gets two on Sinclair, who is right back with a full nelson. That’s broken up as well so Parker cranks on both arms and even sits down on the shoulder blades. Back up and Sinclair wins a chop off, setting up a butterfly suplex. The teams on the floor get in a fight and brawl to the back before Parker elbows Sinclair in the face. The Hipnotique finishes Sinclair off at 4:33.

Rating: C. Parker continues her rise up the card and that could see her go rather far given the talent and potential she is showing out there. She really does have a lot going on and it could be a big deal when she puts it all together. Sinclair is back to making people look good and that should do well for her, though I could go for seeing her do something more important.

Shotzi, Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin are in the back and Paxley is glad she has someone new to play with against Fatal Influence.

Fatal Influence finds this funny but Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn come in to mock the team’s lack of chemistry.

We get a look back at the history of the Women’s Title, going from the Horsewomen to Asuka to Shayna Baszler and through everyone else up to Roxanne Perez. She’ll have to defend the title against Giulia in two weeks.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

Axiom (banged up from earlier) and Nathan Frazer are defending and Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Frazer, with his protective mask, is wiling to start but Mark Coffey elbows him down in a hurry. Wolfgang comes in for a shot of his own but everything breaks down. Axiom is too banged up for a dive and Wolfgang drops him with a spear as we take a break. Back with Wolfgang running Axiom over for two and working on his arm.

Axiom manages to get over for the tag off to Frazer to pick up the pace, including the springboard moonsault into the reverse DDT on Wolfgang. A frog splash gets two on Mark but the jumping enziguri/powerslam combination gets the same on Frazer. The Howling connects with Axiom having to make the diving save for a change. The Golden Ratio hit Frazer by mistake but Axiom is back with a Canadian Destroyer, leaving Frazer to grab a poisonrana on Wolfgang. Axiom tags himself back in for the super Spanish Fly on Wolfgang, setting up the phoenix splash to retain the titles at 12:02.

Rating: B-. They’re in a weird place with this story as it’s gone on for so long now that it’s almost funny to see the team retain so long. At some point, they are going to lose but it’s gone on for so long that I’m not sure how the reaction will go. It’s reaching the point of “what took so long” and that isn’t a great way to go. For now though, another nice match from a good team, but either split up or don’t already. Just fine something new.

Je’Von Evans praises Hank Walker and Tank Ledger and promises to do more himself in the new year. Ethan Page walks past and doesn’t look happy.

Lexis King has to complete Charlie Dempsey’s playing card workout to get a Heritage Cup shot next week. King does it and gets his shot. This was just a minute of the two of them working out together.

Here is Ethan Page to say he’s sorry for interrupting but he has to get something off his chest. No one here understands what he is going through but he has lost everything. He can’t keep his promise of winning the big one to his daughter and he has broken promises to his family. Right now, he wants to talk to his wife, who is the reason he’s here. His daughter can’t find the NXT Title in his bag and his son cries when he loses. For now, he isn’t sure if he loves this anymore and he has lost his smile.

Cue Je’Von Evans to interrupt saying this isn’t the real Page. The real Page loves his family and the smile that Evans saw when Page was with them was genuine. Now he needs to drop the All Ego thing and show us who Page really is. Page says he should be worried about taking Evans’ smile and the beating is on. Evans’ neck gets Pillmanized and he spits up a bunch of blood. I’ll take this over Page trying to turn over a new leaf or pretty much anything involving Evans so we’ll call this a double win.

Trick Williams is ready to fight. Oba Femi comes in to say he hopes Williams retains because he wants to face Williams at New Year’s Evil.

Stephanie Vaquer has her sights set on Cora Jade.

NXT Title: Eddy Thorpe vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and takes Thorpe down with a headlock to start. Some running shoulders have Thorpe bailing out to the floor, where Williams chops him up against the barricade. Back in and Williams misses a side kick to crotch himself on the top. We take a break and come back with Thorpe working on a neck crank. Williams fights up and strikes away, setting up a Rock Bottom for two. Thorpe is back with a suplex for two of his own and they both get a bit of a breather.

They trade kicks to the head until Thorpe grabs a Randy Orton backbreaker. Thorpe tries the implant DDT but the referee gets dropped so there’s no count. Another referee comes in to count two off Williams’ rollup, followed by the Trick Shot for three…from both referees…as all four shoulders are down (Williams is on top but Thorpe does get a hand on his stomach to make it a double cover) and Thorpe’s foot is under the ropes at 11:19.

Rating: C+. Not exactly a classic here, but it was similar to the ending of the Shawn Michaels vs. HHH match in San Antonio in 2003. Shawn has a tendency to book things he’s done over his career but waiting over twenty years is acceptable enough. That being said, I’m not sure why they’re doing this kind of an angle three weeks ahead of a Femi vs. Williams showdown. Odds are this is cleared up with a rematch next week, because they’re having a show on Christmas Eve.

Confusion reigns to end the show with Ava wanting explanations from the referees.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as most recent editions, with the majority just not being that interesting. The ending felt like it was a way to set up next week, but that show is not likely to have the biggest audience so it feels like a stretch. Other than that, Axiom and Frazer had their usual match with the same story, which didn’t leave much here to really draw you in. Not a terrible show, but pretty skippable this week.

Results
Oba Femi b. Axiom – Fall From Grace
Meta Four b. Zaria/Sol Ruca – Bully drop to Ruca
Jaida Parker b. Wren Sinclair – Hipnotique
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. Gallus – Phoenix splash to Wolfgang
Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe went to a double pin

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NXT
Date: December 10, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Deadline and the big story is the Iron Survivor Challenges, with Oba Femi and Giulia winning the competitions to earn title shots at New Year’s Evil. That gives us something to build towards over the next few weeks and we should have some more fallout from the weekend to deal with as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

We open with a long Deadline recap.

Here is Giulia to get things going with a promise to win the Women’s Title at New Year’s Evil. Roxanne Perez comes out to suggest that Giulia was the weakest entrant of the match. While the women’s division is great, none of the women are at her level. Giulia wants to fight right now but cue Cora Jade with a baseball bat. Sure Giulia thinks Stephanie Vaquer is going to come out here for the save, but there is no question about who did it. We cut to the back where Vaquer is down so Giulia tries to fight, with Kelani Jordan running in for the save.

We look at Ethan Page being devastated after losing at Deadline.

The D’Angelo Family feels sorry for Page so Tony D’Angelo offers him a North American Title shot. Page calls that a step down for him so D’Angelo offers everyone in the room a shot. Everyone jumps up and NOW Page is willing to accept, saying that if he can’t win, he doesn’t have a career around here.

Lexis King talks to Charlie Dempsey and asks about another Heritage Cup shot. Dempsey says he’ll think about it, which is enough for King to leave. Dempsey praises the rest of the team but OTM comes in to bicker a lot.

Je’Von Evans vs. Wes Lee

They slug it out to start with Lee hammering him down on the ropes but getting sent to the floor for the big dive. Back in and Lee dropkicks him out of the air before sending things back outside. Evans shrugs off a whip into the barricade, setting up another dive to take Lee out again. Lee is smart enough to go after the knee and hits a dive of his own as we take a break.

We come back with Evans hitting a superkick, followed by a spinning kick to the head. A top rope clothesline gives Evans two but Lee grabs the referee to block a sunset flip. Lee snaps off a hurricanrana but charges into a Spanish Fly. Evans’ Pearl River Plunge gets two, as does Lee’s tornado DDT. Back up and Evans kicks him down again, setting up the spinning top rope splash for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B-. This was the match built around fast spots and dives, which is where these two end to shine. Evans getting a nice win makes sense for him and another loss is going to get on Lee’s nerves. They’re certainly trying with Evans and that is a good sign for his future. He still has a long way to go, but at least they’ve started.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer patch things up (again), with Frazer wanting to make things right after Axiom did so much work at Deadline.

Video on Josh Briggs going to Japan and meeting Yoshiki Inamura, who is here with him as his partner. They both like the hard hitting style.

Kelani Jordan and Giulia are mad about Stephanie Vaquer being attacked. Vengeance is sworn in the main event.

Sol Ruca and Zaria liked the Iron Survivor Challenge when Meta Four come in to say they would have won if they were involved. Trash talking ensues.

Hank Walker/Tank Ledger vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Fallout from last week’s tag team battle royal. Hank and Tank drop DuPont to start but Igwe comes in for a double clothesline. Igwe gets dropped with a double standing splash, earning the coveted SHUCKY DUCKY QUACK QUACK. A spinning belly to back suplex gets Igwe out of trouble and he drops Ledger with a jumping elbow. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Leger fights up and drops Igwe, allowing the tag back to Walker. There’s a spinning Boss Man Slam to DuPont and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination finishes him off at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was pretty to the point with Walker and Ledger continuing to win a decent amount of their matches. I still don’t get their appeal but the fans like them and that’s good enough to keep them around. Igwe and DuPont feel like a team with some potential as well, but losing in a five minute match isn’t a great sign for their future.

Post match DuPont shakes hands but Igwe walks away.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He brags about his win at Deadline and now it’s time for him to win the NXT Title. That brings him to Trick Williams, whose path he has yet to cross. Cue Williams…but Eddy Thorpe comes out to cut Williams off. Thorpe says his people have been through enough and says Femi took him out last week. Femi suggests that he didn’t attack Thorpe (though he never flat out denies it) but Williams says it’s time for he and Femi to clash in Los Angeles.

Femi says Williams is only the #1 guy around here because Femi allowed it. Now he is ready to take the title and the Trick era is ending. With Femi gone, Thorpe says Williams didn’t do anything about Femi attacking him. He accuses Williams of being a manufactured sports entertainer but Williams is sick of the doubters. The challenge is on for next week, with Williams telling Ava to make the match.

Fatal Influence is worried about Gigi Dolin.

Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley run into Izzi Dame, who threatens Dolin as well. Cue Shawn Spears, Brooks Jensen and Niko Vance but Dame isn’t interested.

Fatal Influence vs. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley

Fallon Henley is here as well. Paxley kicks her way out of trouble to start and Dolin hiptosses Nyx into a dropkick. Nyx and Dolin go to the floor with the latter being posted but Paxley comes back in to clean house. Henley shoves Paxley off the top though and Jayne hits a discus forearm for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was more about showing that Paxley and Dolin need someone to even up the numbers. There are more than a few options for that and I’m curious to see who they get. For now though, Fatal Influence gets a win to show they’re capable of beating someone, which is something they need every so often.

Post match the beatdown is on but Shotzi returns for the save and the villains are cleaned out.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are both trying to thank the other so Axiom has gotten a match with Oba Femi to avenge Frazer next week. That’s all well and good….but Frazer has gotten them a Tag Team Title defense for next week too. Axiom isn’t pleased, but Frazer says he can’t see his face.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Ethan Page

D’Angelo, with the Family, is defending. Page takes him to the mat for an early headscissors but D’Angelo is back up with a running shot to the face. They crash out to the floor in a heap though and we take an early break. Back with D’Angelo hitting a facebuster into a jumping knee to the face (always good to suck up to the boss) but Page kicks him in the face. Page kicks him out of the corner and hits a Twist of Fate for two. The Ego’s Edge is escaped and D’Angelo plants him with the spinebuster to retain at 8:38.

Rating: C+. This was more about Page losing and not knowing where to go next, but D’Angelo getting a win over a former NXT Champion should only help him. As is often the case around here, they only had so much time with the break in the middle, but it wasn’t bad by any means. I’m not sure what’s next for Page and that is a nice feeling to have.

Lexis King meets Ryan Leaf (former NFL player and current CW broadcaster), who was impressed by King going to Minneapolis to close that chapter in his life. Charlie Dempsey comes in to say that King can have his title shot in two weeks, but first he has to get through a workout. Works for King.

Ethan Page is all depressed and isn’t sure if he’s good enough. He’s lost and ashamed and leaves, still in his gear.

Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade vs. Giulia/Kelani Jordan

Perez and Jade jump Giulia on the stage so Jordan is here for the save. They get inside with the villains being dropkicked out to the floor, with Perez being thrown back in for the opening bell. A basement crossbody gives Jordan two and it’s off to Jade, who armdrags her way out of trouble. Jordan sens Perez hard into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Perez knocking Jordan to the floor for a suicide dive. Jordan fights out of trouble in a hurry and it’s off to Giulia to pick up the pace. A northern lights suplex gets two on Perez and a belly to back cuts Perez off again. Jordan’s top rope splash gets two with Jade making the save. Perez dropkicks Jordan but Giulia’s distraction lets Jordan hit a spinwheel kick. Perez hits Pop Rox on Jordan on the floor and brawls with Giulia, leaving Jade to DDT Jordan for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Jade needed to get a win, even if it was in a tag match, as she was the weak link of the four here. Jade vs. Jordan could be a nice feud on its own and I’ll take the idea of developing more non-title feuds in any division. I’m glad they didn’t go with what felt like the obvious result of Giulia pinning Perez to set up the title match, as the story is already there without having the champ get pinned.

Post match Stephanie Vaquer comes in to jump Jade and breaks the baseball bat over her leg. Jade is chased out of the arena.

Eddy Thorpe signs a contract for an NXT Title shot. Ava says they’re still looking for who attacked him….but Thorpe says she’s looking at the attacker. He just got his title shot and didn’t have to go through five people to do it. That’s a nice swerve and a clever heel move.

Overall Rating: B-. NXT is in a bit of a weird place here as the two title matches are set for their big show in January and that is what got the focus here. Those two matches alone are going to be enough to carry New Year’s Evil so it’s ok to wait a bit to focus on everything else. It made for a show that was centered around those two matches, but that didn’t leave much else that felt important.

I liked the swerve at the end as Thorpe came off as smart, but he feels like a speed bump for Williams more than anything else. Good enough show this week with the big matches getting the focus, though they’re going to need something else to bridge the gap in the coming weeks.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Wes Lee – Spinning top rope splash
Hank Walker/Tank Ledger b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to DuPont
Fatal Influence b. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley – Discus forearm to Paxley
Tony D’Angelo b. Ethan Page – Spinebuster
Cora Jade/Roxanne Perez b. Kelani Jordan/Giulia – DDT to Jordan

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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Deadline 2024
Date: December 7, 2024
Location: Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is one of the most gimmick heavy cards of the year as we have two twenty five minute matches which are kind of a cross between the Royal Rumble and an Iron Man Match. Other than that, Ridge Holland is challenging Trick Williams for the NXT Title, which could be quite the showdown. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how it is a special time of year before looking at the card. The NXT Title gets some attention as well, with the Iron Survivor Challenge matches still getting the final look.

The venue looks rather cool and rather different than the usual arena. The front looks like a normal arena but it keeps going rather far back.

Iron Survivor Challenge rules:

• 25 minute time limit
• Two wrestlers start with a new entrant every five minutes
• Any pinfall, submission or DQ is a fall and worth one point
• When someone loses a fall, they go to the penalty box for 90 seconds
• Most falls in 25 minutes wins a future NXT/Women’s Title shot

Eddy Thorpe is injured and out of the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge, with a mystery entrant having been selected.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Je’Von Evans is in at #1 and Wes Lee is in at #2. Evans grabs a quick sunset flip for two and drops Lee for a standing shooting star press and another near fall. Lee is back with a nasty belly to back suplex for two and he starts working on the back. A dropkick doesn’t work for Evans so Lee knocks him outside, setting up a rather slow motion dive through the ropes. Back in and Evans’ cutter is blocked, allowing Lee to get a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:55.

Lee – 1
Evans – 0
Page – 0
Frazer – 0
Unknown – 0

Nathan Frazer is in at #3 and goes right at Lee for a knockdown, setting up a heck of a frog splash for two. They both head outside and Evans is freed, allowing him to hit a big flip dive over the top onto the two of them. Back in and Evans’ side slam gets two on Lee but Frazer is back with the Sling Blade for two. Evans is clotheslined to the floor and Lee hurricanranas him into the apron.

Frazer’s dive thankfully doesn’t go badly as he gets his feet caught in the ropes but takes both of them down anyway. Everyone is on the floor and Ethan Page is in a #4. Page kicks all of them down and throws Frazer inside as commentary tells us about the success that #4 has had. That doesn’t seem to be the case as Frazer grabs a quick small package to pin Page at 10:38.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Evans – 0
Page – 0
Unknown – 0

Page has to be knocked into the box and Frazer makes Lee DDT Evans for two and a triple breather. Frazer hits the Phoenix splash on Lee but Page comes in to steal the pin on Frazer at 12:40.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Evans – 0
Unknown – 0

Evans still can’t hit a cutter on the apron so the villains get together to hit something like a suicide dive Doomsday Device on the floor. Evans pops back up and hits a quick dive but Lee makes a save back inside. Frazer is back in and we get an exchange of kicks to the head to leave everyone down as….Oba Femi is in at #5 to cause some damage. Femi wrecks everyone in a hurry and pins Evans at 16:17.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 0

Femi hits a toss powerbomb on Lee with Frazer having to make a save. That earns him a sitout Last Ride but Page breaks up the cover. Page insists that he needs to win so Femi grabs him by the throat and rams him against the box, meaning Evans can’t get out. Femi wrecks Lee but gets posted by Frazer, with Evans diving off the box onto Lee and Femi. The top rope cutter gives Evans the pin on Lee at 18:39.

Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Page – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 1

Frazer and Evans go after Femi in the corner to try and slow him down with five minutes left. Lee is back up and the triple teaming just makes Femi mad as he takes all three down. The pop up powerbomb hits Evans but Page steals a rollup pin on Femi at 21:12.

Page – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Femi – 1
Evans – 1

Booker insists that no one else is going to get a fall and then Evans rolls Page up for the pin at 21:48.

Page – 2
Evans – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1
Femi – 1

Page PANICS over having to be locked in the box with Femi and has to be forced in. Femi of course massacres him until he is allowed back in with just under two minutes left. Lee is tossed out to the floor but Evans hits a dive on Femi as Page, or what is left of him, is released. Femi blocks Evans’ cutter off the steps and sends him up against the box. We have a minute left as Frazer snaps Femi’s throat across the top rope. Femi knocks both of them away but Frazer scores an enziguri with thirty seconds left. A double chokeslam lets Femi get a double pin on Frazer and Lee at 24:47.

Femi – 3
Page – 2
Evans – 2
Lee – 1
Frazer – 1

Frazer hits a top rope cutter on Femi but time runs out at 25:00 to give Femi the win.

Rating: B. This match is a bit complicated on paper but once you get into it, the concept is great and you can follow it very easily. The on-screen graphics are perfect and tell you everything you need to know about the whole match. As for the match, it was a bunch of people doing their thing until Femi came in and just wrecked them. They had something with going after Femi in teams but ultimately, Femi was going to be in the title hunt or go to the main roster. There was no in between and this was the right call.

Lexis King walks around in the cold because he isn’t on the show. He’s given his all to try to be himself and while it looks like he’s lost a lot, nothing feels better than that satisfaction.

We recap Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice. They’ve been feuding for weeks and after a hardcore match last month, it’s time for an NXT Underground match.

Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes, people around the ring, and you win by knockout, TKO or submission. Vice knees her in the face to start but Parker is back up with a spinebuster. Parker plants her down again and tries a powerbomb, which is reversed into a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well so Vice grabs an ankle lock. Parker slips out and they go to the floor, where Vice’s spinning backfist hits the post.

The Hipnotic hits Vice’s bad hand and Parker knocks her down with some right hands to the face. Parker pulls out Vice’s black belt and uses it to pull Vice hard int the post. Back in and Vice uses the belt to hit some clotheslines until a headbutt cuts her off. Parker puts her onto the steps and hits the Tear Drop. Back in and Parker loads up the brick but gets kicked in the head. Vice pulls her into a quick choke and Parker is in trouble. That’s broken up so Vice hits the spinning backfist and chokes her out at 11:06.

Rating: B-. This was good but it went longer than it needed to and that hurt things. The brick thing was stupid from the beginning and it is still dumb here. Now that being said, it had the feeling of a fight and they were trying to do some different things to mix it up a bit. I liked the match and if they had cut off 2-3 minutes, it would have been that much better. Vice having something of a signature match is a good thing, though Parker still feels like a much bigger prospect.

Axiom tells Nathan Frazer, who is banged up, that they’ve got this.

We recap the NXT Tag Team Title match, with Axiom and Frazer defending against the No Quarter Catch Crew. The entire division kept getting in a bunch of brawls and then the Crew won a battle royal to get the shot.

Tag Team Titles: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Axiom and Frazer are defending and Frazer’s ribs are banged up. Frazer starts with Borne and the ribs are banged up enough that it’s quickly off to Axiom. For some reason Axiom tries grappling with Heights and actually gets two off a rollup. Axiom goes to tag Frazer, who says maybe later, allowing Heights to suplex Axiom into a gator roll. Frazer comes in to kick Borne down as OTM is here to watch.

A pair of dives take the Crew down but Frazer is banged up. Heights is back up with a clothesline to Axiom and a suplex to send Frazer over the top and onto OTM. That’s enough for OTM to be sent to the back and Borne snaps off a powerslam for two on Frazer. The chinlock goes on but Frazer flips his way out, only to get caught in a flipping slam for two. Heights’ powerslam gets the same and a Dominator gets two more as Frazer’s ribs are destroyed.

Frazer manages to get over for the tag off to Axiom, meaning it’s time for Frazer to take a breather on the floor. Axiom kicks Heights in the chest to limited avail so Heights hits him with a Death valley Driver for two. Borne comes back in but gets sent through the ropes and onto Heights. It’s back to Frazer, who manages a springboard 450 for two on heights as the ribs are seemingly a bit better.

A release German suplex drops Frazer though and a dropkick/sitout powerbomb combination gets two with Borne making the save. The Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash hits Borne but Heights makes the save, only to jump into the Golden Ratio. Back up and Axiom accidentally dropkicks Frazer, who gets planted with an AA onto the apron. Something like a TKO/DDT combination gets two on Axiom and the fans are rather surprised on the kickout. Axiom is back with a quick Canadian Destroyer to Heights and a small package to Borne retains the title at 15:45.

Rating: B-. Oh I really don’t know about that one, as it felt like a place where the titles should have changed hands. If the champs aren’t losing when Frazer is already banged up, it’s almost hard to imagine them losing to anyone at this point. Throw in even more miscommunication that they can overcome and it’s kind of a lot to take no matter how good the action can be. It wasn’t even a great match here, but rather a pretty good match with some how sequences.

Je’Von Evans isn’t overly upset about losing and Wes Lee slaps him for not being serious.

We recap Trick Williams defending the NXT Title against Ridge Holland. Over the last few weeks, Holland has been a wrecking ball in NXT and somehow this has become Williams standing up for NXT because Holland could kill it. Holland has also banged up Williams’ neck but Williams is fighting anyway.

NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Ridge Holland

Holland is challenging and starts fast with a failed Redeemer attempt. Williams slugs away in the corner but Holland runs him over with a hard shot. They go to the floor with Holland’s overhead belly to belly (which injured Big E.) being blocked. Instead Williams posts him and hits a slingshot to send Holland throat first into the bottom rope. A running neckbreaker gets two on Holland but he sends Williams into the corner to start in on the neck.

Some overhead suplexes have Williams in trouble and a neckbreaker gets two. Williams is tied in the Tree of Woe for some neck cranking and another neckbreaker connects for another two. Williams reverses another into a DDT and a flapjack but the Rock Bottom is countered into a crossface. That’s broken up and now the Rock Bottom can drop Holland for another near fall. Holland eventually gets him up with a powerbomb for two but the Swan Dive misses.

Williams kicks him in the face, followed by stereo kicks to the face for back to back near falls. They go outside and Holland loads up the announcers’ table, only to be backdropped to the floor. Back in and Williams misses a charge, getting his head caught in the ropes for the hangman spot. The referee gets him out and the Redeemer connects for two. Holland misses a charge into the post (having to push himself into it), setting up a Trick Kick and the Trick Shot to retain the title at 15:50.

Rating: B. Williams is turning into that kind of scrappy fighter who survives to find a way to win and it’s working for him. It made for a good story here of Williams managing to fight up and slay the monster, though Oba Femi is waiting for him and that might not go so well. At the same time, Holland losing the title shot after ending Chase U is a bit of a surprise, as I was expecting to see him win here. Good match, but not what I was expecting.

Ethan Page talks about his recent losses. It’s taken him 18 years to climb the mountain and now he has no idea how to get back there. He can’t do this and walks off.

Ava announces Wes Lee vs. Je’Von Evans for next week but Tiffany Stratton comes in to tease cashing in her Money In The Bank at New Year’s Evil.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Giulia is in at #1 and Wren Sinclair is in at #2. They take their times to start and then fight over a test of strength. That’s broken up and they go to the mat with Giulia cranking on the arms. Sinclair rolls out and gets two off a rollup, followed by a backslide for two more. Back up and Giulia runs her over with a shoulder before grabbing something like an Octopus.

That’s broken up and Sol Ruca is in at #3 for a spinning belly to back faceplant to Giulia. Sinclair is back up with Cattle Mutilation to Ruca but Giulia ties up their legs for something like a double STF. With that broken up, Ruca grabs a triple sleeper but Sinclair reverses into a Fujiwara armbar. Ruca switches into a neck lock but Giulia reverses into a choke. Back up and Ruca is sent to the floor, leaving Giulia to hit the Northern Lights Bomb to pin Sinclair at 9:47.

Giulia – 1
Vaquer – 0
Zaria – 0
Ruca – 0
Sinclair – 0

Ruca tries a quick rollup for two but Zaria is in at #4. That leaves Ruca and Giulia to realize they’re in trouble but a quick double Sol Snatcher sends both of them outside. Sinclair is back in…and gets caught with the Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin at 11:49.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Vaquer – 0
Zaria – 0
Sinclair – 0

With Zaria back up, Ruca and Giulia powerbomb her through the announcers’ able, only for Giulia to neckbreaker Ruca on the floor. Sinclair is back out and tries to throw them into the ring. Giulia throws her back in instead and they go outside, allowing Ruca to hit a big flipping dive.

Back in and Giulia gets kicked in the head as Stephanie Vaquer completes the field. A springboard high crossbody takes out Sinclair and Ruca and we get the Vaquer vs. Giulia showdown. Zaria is back up though and pulls Vaquer outside for a ram into the penalty box. Zaria German suplexes Sinclair and spears Ruca out of the air but Giulia grabs a choke. Vaquer jumps onto both of their backs but Zaria sends her into the corner, setting up a double Cannonball. Zaria F5’s Giulia for the pin at 17:42.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 0
Sinclair – 0

Zaria stays on Ruca before going up for a moonsault to both Ruca and Sinclair. Giulia gets out of the penalty box and cleans house, including a double missile dropkick/top rope backsplash combination to drop everyone but Vaquer. Back up and Vaquer scores with a superkick to set up another Giulia staredown. That’s broken up so they trade headbutts until Vaquer’s package backbreaker is broken up. Giulia superplexes Vaquer but Zaria breaks it up. Ruca springboards in with a splash but Vaquer rolls Sinclair up for the fall at 22:47.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 0

A string of knockdowns leaves everyone but Ruca on the floor and Sinclair is back in with a sunset flip for the pin on Ruca at 24:27.

Giulia – 1
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 1

Zaria hits a double spear but Giulia knees her down and gets the pin at 24:47.

Giulia – 2
Ruca – 1
Zaria – 1
Vaquer – 1
Sinclair – 1

Vaquer’s rollup only gets two and Giulia wins at 25:00.

Rating: A-. This was excellent with everyone moving around and nothing close to a dead spot. They kept the drama going and the last minute had me wondering who was going to win. You could have gone in a bunch of different directions here but Giulia eels like the biggest star. Her winning the title on the first show of the year could be a heck of a moment and that might be what we’re seeing. Outstanding main event here as the NXT women’s division is one of the best things in wrestling at the moment.

Confetti and streamers go off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Pretty awesome show with the main event being more than worth a watch and even the worst matches on the show being worth a look. It was also over in less than three hours so it didn’t overstay its welcome. This was one of the best NXT shows in a long time and they are set for two big title matches on the first show of the new year. Great show and that main event is definitely worth a look.

Results
Oba Femi won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Lola Vice b. Jaida Parker – Choke
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Small package to Borne
Trick Williams b. Ridge Holland – Trick Shot
Giulia won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

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: December 3, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means it is time to finalize the lineups for the Iron Survivor Challenges. We have a pair of last chance matches tonight, plus the tag team battle royal to crown some new #1 contenders. This is a pretty stacked show and that should mean something good so let’s get to it.

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

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Jaida Parker vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Cora Jade

Jordan and Sinclair both grab early near falls and the other two join in with their own two counts. A high crossbody gets two on Parker but Jade is back in with a double clothesline to Jordan and Sinclair. Parker puts the two of them in the corner and sits on their ribs as we take a break.

Back with Jordan getting the worst of a Tower Of Doom but she’s able to powerbomb Jade out of the corner. Jordan frog splashes Parker and Sinclair at the same time with Jade making the save. Jade’s double arm DDT is broken up with a clothesline and Jordan drops a 450 but Parker drops Sinclair onto them to break it up. Parker goes for the cover but cue Lola Vice for the distraction, allowing Sinclair to get the pin on Jade at 11:16.

Rating: B-. They kept things moving here and it made for a fast paced match with Sinclair winning in a surprise. Jordan felt like the logical way to go here, but it was nice to see a bit of a twist. Sinclair has been doing rather well for the last few months and she deserves to get a chance to do something bigger.

Eddy Thorpe is going to win tonight and says he didn’t do anything wrong last week. Lexis King comes in to say Thorpe needs to stay calm, but tonight King is on his path to winning a title.

Here is a ticked off Jaida Parker to call out Lola Vice. After a break, and with the ropes being removed, Parker wants NXT Underground. Ava comes out to make the match for Deadline but here is Vice to promise to knock Parker out. Parker throws her the brick and then knocks Vice out with an elbow.

Brinley Reece and Dion Lennox try to calm Karmen Petrovic down about Ashante Thee Adonis. Petrovic gets some flowers from Adonis, who says he sent the text to Nikkita Lyons before her. She’s impressed.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier aren’t on the same page (again) about which Deadline match they should be focused on.

Tag Team Battle Royal

D’Angelo Family, OTM, Gallus, Hank Walker/Tank Ledger, No Quarter Catch Crew, Josh Briggs, Yoshiniki Inamura, Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Deadline and both members have to be eliminated. It’s a brawl to start with Inamura cleaning house. Hank and Tank get rid of DuPont and a chop gets rid of Crusifino. Heights and Briggs are both put out and Stacks is tossed to officially eliminate the Family. Back with Inamura and Nima out to get the field down even further. Hank and Tank get rid of Igwe, who grabs the rope and Walker is sent outside.

Walker catches Ledger before he’s eliminated and Gallus are put out back to back. We’re down to Nima, Borne and Ledger, with the fans rather behind….well NXT actually. Price chokeslams Borne onto Ledger, the latter of whom is back up to drop both of them. Back up and Nima gets crotched on top, allowing Borne to clothesline Ledger out. A dropkick eliminates Nima to give Borne, and the No Quarter Catch Crew, the win at 14:44.

Rating: C. Tag team battle royals are hard to make work and that was the case again here, mainly because a lot of these teams just don’t stand out. OTM and DuPont/Igwe haven’t done anything to distinguish themselves, Briggs and Inamura are brand new, the D’Angelo Family are just lackeys for D’Angelo himself, and the Catch Crew and Gallus are just ok. No one stands out above the pack and that didn’t help. Heights and Borne getting the shot works well enough though, as it’s no like there is a team who really belongs on top.

Here is Eric Bischoff to moderate a chat between Trick Williams and Ridge Holland. Bischoff talks about being on the cutting edge of wrestling and how awesome that has always been. It was a revolution in WCW and now the same thing is going on here in NXT. Two pieces of the puzzle to raise NXT up to that next level are his guests tonight so here are Holland and Williams.

Bischoff talks about how Holland is like a throwback to wrestlers like the Crusher. Williams is a total package (Williams: “Let’s talk about it.”) but Holland calls him a stand up comedian with abs. Holland is ready to take the NXT Title but Williams calls him bland and boring.

Holland says that while Williams was a football player, Holland was playing a man’s game in rugby. Williams slugs away and the fight is on with Holland hitting a lifting DDT onto the announcers’ table. That’s enough for Williams to be taken away on a stretcher. I have no idea why Bischoff was needed here.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Karmen Petrovic

They both miss kicks to start until Petrovic kicks her into the corner. Lyons is back with some choking on the ropes and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Petrovic strikes away but Lyons grabs a release German suplex. Cue Ashante Thee Adonis, who takes a kick from Lyons (aimed at Petrovic), which allows Petrovic to hit the Silent Slice for the win at 3:34.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here but I can go for Petrovic getting the win. She needs something to make her feel like a bigger star and while I’m not big on the Adonis story, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, she’s winning matches and that should help boost her up quite nicely.

Post match Petrovic says Adonis shoved her and walks off.

Shawn Spears is almost ready to unleash Niko Vance but we pan over to Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin, with Spears saying he’ll be watching Dolin’s return match.

The No Quarter Catch Crew is fired up and ready for Deadline.

Gigi Dolin vs. Izzi Dame

Tatum Paxley is here with Dolin, who takes Dame down for an early chinlock. Cue Shawn Spears to watch as Fatal Influence is watching in the back, with Dame stomping away on the ropes. A big boot takes Paxley out (Spears approves) but Dolin slips out of a half crab. An STO gives Dame two but Dolin is right back with the Gigi Driver for the win at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another short match here, with Dolin getting back in the swing of things after being away for so long. It seems like she is in for a Women’s North American Title match and she is going to need a few wins to get ready. That’s one of the easiest ways to do it, and odds are she’ll be facing the rest of Fatal Influence sooner than later. That’s not a bad idea, and in this case that is working well enough.

Sean Waltman praises Je’Von Evans, who is the same age Waltman was when he beat Razor Ramon. Evans is a big starstruck.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Axiom

Ethan Page is on commentary. It’s a fast start with King snapping off a running hurricanrana to send Evans outside. Back in and Alexander knocks King to the floor. Axiom and Alexander put each other down and we take a break. We come back with Thorpe getting the worst end of a Tower Of Doom and King hitting a big running flip dive to the floor.

Back in and King’s Swanton gets two on Alexander but Axiom is back up with some running shots to the face. The super Spanish Fly gets two on Thorpe, setting up a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and Alexander Michinoku Drivers King for two, with Thorpe making the save. The Golden Ratio hits King but Thorpe steals the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the way the Iron Survivor Challenge is going to go as it was a bunch of fast paced offense with everyone trying to score a fast pin. It makes for some exciting action and that is the point of what we’ll be seeing this weekend. Thorpe going forward is an interesting way to go, though King and Axiom were viable options as well.

Ava calls in and says the NXT Title match is still on for Deadline.

Eddy Thorpe can’t find Ava but promises to win the NXT Title.

Deadline rundown.

Here is Roxanne Perez for a chat. She’s interested in the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge because it’s what got her on the map, but everyone this year is fighting for second place. Any of them can get something out of winning but nothing compares to stepping in the ring with her. Cue all of the people in the match to interrupt and the big brawl is on, with Perez being knocked to the floor.

We cut to the back where Eddy Thorpe has been laid out.

Overall Rating: C+. Other than the last members of the Iron Survivor Challenges being introduced, there was only so much to this show. They tried something at the end with Thorpe being attacked, but I was only kind of getting into this one. The good thing is Deadline is such a gimmick heavy show and we should be in for a good one. Not a great show here, but it helped set the bigger one.

Results
Wren Sinclair b. Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan and Cora Jade – 450 to Jade
No Quarter Catch Crew won a tag team battle royal last eliminating OTM
Karmen Petrovic b. Nikkita Lyons – Silent Slice
Gigi Dolin b. Izzi Dame – Gigi Driver
Eddy Thorpe b. Axiom, Cedric Alexander and Lexis King – Golden Ratio to King

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: November 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We have some major stakes tonight as Chase U’s future is on the line when Andre Chase faces Ridge Holland. The #1 contendership to the NXT Title is on the line too but that doesn’t seem to be as important. Other than that, we have more Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Axiom and Nathan Frazier still can’t get along over Frazier wanting single success and Axiom wanting to focus on the tag teams.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Nathan Frazier vs. Eddy Thorpe

Axiom is here with Frazier, who is wrestled down to the mat but Frazier is up with a leg lariat. Various tag teams pop up to watch as Thorpe kicks away in the corner but misses a charge into the buckle. A reverse Hennig necksnap gives Frazier two and they collide for a double knockdown as we take a break. Back with even more teams coming out to distract Frazier, allowing Thorpe to belly to back superplex him down for two. The teams get in a big brawl on the floor so Frazier dives onto them, followed by a swinging suplex to Thorpe. The Phoenix splash gives Frazier the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. This was more about the tag stuff, which still isn’t really going anywhere other than a bunch of wild brawling. Frazier getting a spot is fine way to go as he can fly around the ring and do his stuff, which is rather good. The match itself wasn’t the point here and that’s ok, as Thorpe wasn’t likely getting the Challenge spot anyway.

Andre Chase talks to Chase U and goes over some of their accomplishments and how it’s time to put it all on the line to stop Ridge Holland.

Giulia talks about bringing her Beautiful Madness to NXT and promises to win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

Robert Stone and Stevie Turner are with Kelani Jordan, who wants Giulia in a qualifying match next week.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Jaida Parker vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Parker shoulders her own a few times to start so Vaquer goes after the arm. Some cranking has Parker in trouble until she sends Vaquer into the corner for the sitdown splash as we take a break. Back with Parker hitting a reverse suplex for two and cranking on both arms. Vaquer fights up and hits a running Meteora in the corner, followed by the figure four necklock faceplants onto the mat. Parker is back up with a Falcon Arrow for two but cue Lola Vice to break up the Hipnotic. Vaquer hits a superkick into the package backbreaker for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was another match where the result wasn’t quite in question, as Vaquer wasn’t going to lose a singles match so soon into her NXT run. That being said, I’m not wild on having Parker lose again, even with the distraction. Parker is starting to turn into something around here and I could go for having her move up a bit, though she shouldn’t have beaten Vaquer. Put someone else in the spot instead.

Dion Lennox and Brinley Reece fire each other up.

Roxanne Perez is on vacation until after Deadline but Sol Ruca pops up to say she’s coming for the title.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Brooks Jensen

Non-title with Riz and Shawn Spears here as well. D’Angelo forearms him own to start and hammers away in the corner but Jensen gets in a hot shot for a breather. The chinlock goes on with Jensen switching it into a rear naked choke but D’Angelo is back up. D’Angelo bangs up his knee on the ropes and Jensen’s Codebreaker gets two. Back up and the spinebuster finishes Jensen in a hurry at 4:24.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to set up Shawn Spears as the next challenger to D’Angelo, as he can get Jensen to soften D’Angelo up for the title match. D’Angelo as a smashing machine is a little weird but he’s doing well enough. He needs a more interesting challenger than Jensen and Spears though, as I’m not sure how well the latter would go in a big time title match.

Post match Jensen takes out the bad knee again.

Ashante Thee Adonis and Karmen Petrovic are ready for their mixed tag. Flirting is included.

Lexis King is trying to be the best version of himself that he can be and people are starting to take notice. Yoshiki Inamura says he understands and King leaves. Josh Briggs comes in to ask what that was about and Inamura says he doesn’t know because this is a crazy place. We pan over to the tag teams still brawling. Inamura: “My kind of crazy!”

Ashante Thee Adonis/Karmen Petrovic vs. Dion Lennox/Brinley Reece

They come to the ring in Washington State/Oregon State gear for a college football tie-in. The women are set to start but a pair of tags…mean the women are going to start. Or not as more tags mean it’s the men. Or maybe the women. Reece finally rolls Petrovic up for two before Petrovic goes after the arm. Adonis tags himself in and gets hiptossed by Lennox but comes back with some dropkicks. Lennox is sent throat first into the top rope to slow him down again but manages to get over for the tag anyway. Reece cleans house until Adonis offers a flirty distraction, allowing Petrovic to kick her in the face for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. This story has been going on for a few months now and I’m still not sure I get the appeal. Petrovic falling for Adonis, who doesn’t seem to have any kind of similar feelings, isn’t making her look bright but it’s giving her something to do. Lennox and Reece still aren’t doing much but they’re good for opponents in a spot like this.

Ridge Holland is ready to end Chase U.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria

Charlie Dempsey is here with Sinclair. Zaria stalks her to start and blocks a rollup without much effort. Some suplexes have Sinclair down and her dropkick attempt goes badly. Sinclair gets two off a rollup but Zaria knocks her to the floor without much effort. Dempsey offers a distraction so Sinclair can get in a dive, followed by a rollup for two back inside. Zaria has had it with this and hits a spear into the F5 for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C+. Sinclair got in some offense here but Zaria is all about enacting beast mode and running through anyone in front of her. That’s a good role for her as there is always a place for that kind of a powerhouse. The match was a fine way to get another top name into the challenge, as putting these new names into some kind of a competition is the right way to go.

Tony D’Angelo is banged up but ready to fight Shawn Spears on one leg. Ava agrees and then tells Eddy Thorpe that the tag tams getting involved in his match isn’t enough of a reason to reverse the decision. Thorpe doesn’t like the double standard with D’Angelo and leaves.

Fatal Influence still doesn’t like all of the newcomers but want to fight. Fallon Henley is ready for an open challenge for next week…and here is Meta Four to interrupt. They’re ready to accept but a bunch of other women come in for a brawl. Tatum Paxley jumps Henley and lays her out to hold up the title.

Shawn Spears is pleased with Brooks Jensen.

Karmen Petrovic is happy with Ashante Thee Adonis…but Nikkita Lyons comes in to say she’s still waiting on that text back from Adonis. Petrovic isn’t pleased but Adonis says he never texted Lyons.

Ethan Page is ready to win the Iron Survivor Challenge and he’ll qualify next week.

Nathan Frazier isn’t impressed with Page but Axiom is ready to stop him from winning. Frazier isn’t pleased with Axiom being in but if Frazier can do it, why not him too?

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Andre Chase acknowledges being hard on a bunch of his students….but he wouldn’t apologize for a thing. It’s time to become NXT Champion.

Ridge Holland vs. Andre Chase

For the #1 contendership (Trick Williams is on commentary) and Chase U is basically done if Chase loses. Chase sends him into the corner to start but gets run over with a hard shot. Holland goes outside and pulls up the floor mats but takes too long, allowing Chase to hit a flip dive off the apron. We take a break and come back with Holland muscling him up into a spinning DDT for two.

A low blow takes Chase down again but here is Duke Hudson to pull the referee out and brawl with Holland. That’s broken up so Holland goes after Thea Hail, with Riley Osborne making the save this time. Holland gorilla presses Osborne onto the exposed concrete but Chase is back up for the brawl. Chase’s Russian legsweep into the spelling stomps gets two before a powerbomb out of the corner connects for the same. Holland rolls through a high crossbody though and the lifting DDT finishes Chase at 11:57.

Rating: B. Dang they actually did it. Chase U isn’t likely going away but it’s going to be completely changed in some way, whatever that means. Holland getting to be the one to slay the school is certainly a big step, though I wasn’t quite expecting it to come in a clean win. Holland is ready for a title shot now, and based on this, I’d be surprised if he didn’t win the thing.

Chase and the school are devastated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was all about the main event and it worked well, with most of the rest being about setting up the Iron Survivor Challenges. That makes for a focused show with a theme to it, but stuff liked the mixed tag and the D’Angelo vs. Spears/Jensen parts weren’t so good. Deadline is coming together, but dang tonight’s main event was a punch to the gut.

Results
Nathan Frazier b. Eddy Thorpe – Phoenix splash
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jaida Parker – Package backbreaker
Tony D’Angelo b. Brooks Jensen – Spinebuster
Karmen Petrovic/Ashante Thee Adonis b. Dion Lennox/Brinley Reece – Kick to Reece
Zaria b. Wren Sinclair – F5
Ridge Holland b. Andre Chase – Lifting DDT

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: November 6, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in the ECW Arena and that is the main focal point of the show. The show is also featuring a bunch of ECW guest stars, which you might want to take or leave. The main event is Bubba Ray Dudley teaming with Trick Williams to face Ethan Page and Ridge Holland. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening sequence is set to the old ECW theme, which works rather well.

Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker

Hardcore match with Dawn Marie as guest referee. Parker jumps her to start and grabs a chair but Vice knocks it into her face with the spinning backfist. They go to the floor where Vice grabs a table but takes too long, allowing Parker to knock her down. Some chairs are thrown in but Parker’s big swing hits the corner, allowing Vice to get in another knockdown as we take a break.

Back with a bunch of weapons in the ring, including a bunch of ladders. Parker plants her with a spinebuster and puts her on the ladder for the big Tear Drop from the standing ladder for two. More weapons are brought in but Parker takes too much time and gets kendo sticked down.

Vice puts her in a trashcan for the running hip attack and a near fall but Parker throws a trashcan at her. Back in and Vice gets in some more kendo stick shots, only to get sideslammed onto a chair. A running elbow sends Vice into the ladder for two so breaks a BRICK over her head. That’s only good for two (of course) so Parker hits the Hipnotic for the pin at 14:47.

Rating: C. As usual in modern hardcore style matches, there were far too many weapons and it brought the match down. Throw in A BRICK to the head being a near fall and it was more than a bit much to take. Marie didn’t add a thing whatsoever either and the whole thing felt like a match for the live crowd, despite it not being entirely thought out.

Ethan Page and Ridge Holland are ready to take out Trick Williams and Bubba Ray Dudley.

Kelani Jordan is stretching with Rob Van Dam, who gives her a pep talk. Jordan leaves and Wes Lee jumps Van Dam with a chair.

The FBI met the D’Angelo Family and apparently Tony Mamaluke has gotten Rizzo a match with Nikkita Lyons next week. As for tonight, Nunzio gets a North American Title shot.

Apparently referees will be more lenient for the rest of the night.

Je’Von Evans vs. Wes Lee

Evans starts fast but his springboard cutter is countered. A rollup gives Evans two but Lee knocks him to the floor for a 619 around the post. Lee manages a brainbuster onto the steps and we take an early break. Back with Evans snapping off a top rope super hurricanrana and hitting a spinning slam. The top rope spinning splash misses though and Lee scores with the Cardiac Kick for two.

Lee grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, allowing Evans to come back with a running cutter. The top rope cutter connects, with Lee rolling out to the floor. Evans’ dive is sent crashing over the announcers’ table so Lee grabs a chair, only to be cut off by Rob Van Dam. Evans hits a springboard cutter into…what was supposed to be a Five Star frog splash (which was left so short that Evans’ knees hit the mat first) for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: C+. I cannot get into Evans and this wasn’t helping. I’m not sure how many cutters you need to use in a single match but Evans was flirting with the maximum allowed. Lee taking a loss, even with interference, isn’t the most appealing thing either here, especially to such a horrible looking finisher.

Ava doesn’t have time for Eddy Thorpe but promises to make it up.

Here are Ava and her lackeys for a special announcement. That would be the return of Deadline, which will take place on December 7. Robert Stone talks about how much better New York and Boston fans are than Philadelphia fans. Then the lights go out and Rhyno pops in for a Gore.

Kelani Jordan and company exchange pep talks before the ten woman tag. The big announcement here is that Jordan speaks Spanish, but here are Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson to brag about going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer aren’t impressed.

Ethan Page/Ridge Holland vs. Trick Williams/Bubba Ray Dudley

Williams and Holland start things off but Holland shoves Ray on the apron. Ray comes in and gets shouldered down by Holland, leaving him a bit surprised. A wristlock goes a bit better for Ray and it’s off to Williams for some arm cranking of his own. Page gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and the villains take over, only for Williams to slip out of a double neckbreaker. Ray comes back in to clean house and Page and Holland are knocked to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Ray getting crotched against the post and Holland grabbing an armbar. Ray fights out of trouble and brings Williams back in to pick up the pace, including a flapjack to Holland. A Rock Bottom gives Williams two with Page making the save. The Trick Shot is loaded up but Holland reverses into a rollup for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. The ending is a fine way to go and makes sense over having Dudley take the pin. Holland as the next challenger makes sense and now we get to see a likely title match at Deadline. Odds are this is it for Ray, which I’ll take over having him feud with either Page or Holland.

Post match the beatdown is on but Bubba makes the save. We get the What’s Up and then it’s time to GET THE TABLES. Hold on though because here is D-Von Dudley with the table, with Page going through it.

Dion Lennox comes up to Ashante Thee Adonis and asks about him going from woman to woman. Karmen Petrovic comes in to ask about the other woman Adonis was with last week. Adonis isn’t interested but does remember that last week was her birthday. That’s enough to win Petrovic over. Again, with Lennox looking surprised in the background.

Roxanne Perez and company are ready to beat up the newcomers.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Nunzio

D’Angelo, with his family, is defending and Tony Mamaluke is here with Nunzio. D’Angelo starts fast and sends him outside, where a clothesline hits Mamaluke. A belly to belly suplex plants Nunzio and D’Angelo puts him on top but Nunzio dropkicks his way out of trouble. The Sicilian Slice gives Nunzio two but a crow bar shot is caught by the referee. The spinebuster (with Nunzio crossing himself) retains the title at 2:18. That’s what it should have been.

Post match respect is shown.

Shawn Spears tells Brooks Jensen to be ready for next week.

William Regal gives Lexis King a pep talk after last week’s loss. King leaves and the No Quarter Cat Crew comes in. Charlie Dempsey says King couldn’t get the job done, with Regal saying King isn’t his father’s son. Dempsey asks if he’s his father’s son, but Regal suggests the team go after the Tag Team Titles instead.

Nikkita Lyons promises to take out everyone and win gold.

Nathan Frazier and Axiom are told about a meeting with the tag division next week where the new challengers will be determined. Axiom thinks that’s a great way to scout everyone at once but Frazier sees it as a week off.

Fatal Influence/Cora Jade/Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia/Zaria/Kelani Jordan/Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer

Jordan armdrags and dropkicks Henley to start and it’s off to Vaquer for a springboard crossbody. Nyx comes in and gets caught with a 619, setting up a double elbow to give Giulia two. It’s off to Perez, who gets caught with an overhead belly to belly suplex. A shot from the apron slow Giulia down though and Perez hits a running dropkick against the ropes.

Zaria comes in for the tease of a powerbomb but all ten get in for the shouting and brawling. The villains are sent to the floor and Jordan hits a big moonsault as we take a break. Back with Jordan being sent outside, where Nyx takes out Giulia and Vaquer with a dive. Jordan fights up back inside but Henley breaks up a tag attempt. Not that it matters as it’s a diving tag off to Grace to clean house.

A Vader Bomb hits Jade for two and Zaria and Grace’s double powerbomb gets two more. We hit the parade of knockdowns until everyone is down, as Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend come out. More dives take them out as well and it’s off to Perez. Zaria spears Grace by mistake but pops back up with the F5 to pin Perez at 15:04.

Rating: B-. It was a fairly wild match, though I’m not sure why I was supposed to believe that the villains had any real chance to win. The other team has no weak links and it was them mainly steamrolling Perez and company, save for a few brief spots. Evan Zaria spearing Grace didn’t make much of a difference. That being said, it was a fun spectacle and that’s what it needed to be.

Overall Rating: B-. The big appeal here was ECW and if you weren’t a fan, it isn’t going to work out so well. Most of the stuff was harmless enough and they didn’t get a big focus at the end. D-Von was a nice surprise and the non-ECW stuff was good enough. This wasn’t a great show, but you can see a lot of what is being set up for Deadline in about a month. Things will be back to normal next week, but for now, it could have been worse.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Lola Vice – Hipnotic
Je’Von Evans b. Wes Lee – Frog splash
Ridge Holland/Ethan Page b. Bubba Ray Dudley/Trick Williams – Rollup to Williams
Tony D’Angelo b. Nunzio – Spinebuster
Giulia/Zaria/Kelani Jordan/Jordynne Grace/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence/Cora Jade/Roxanne Perez – F5 to Perez

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

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