By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT 2.0 TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live March 29, 2022 on USA Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett were on commentary…
While Imperium were making their entrance, they were jumped by LA Knight and MSK…
1. “Imperium” Gunther, Marcel Barthel, and Fabian Aichner vs. LA Knight, Wes Lee, and Nash Carter. Knight had the initial advantage, but was taken down with a headlock by Fabian Aichner. Barthel tagged in and put Knight in an armbar. Barthel had Knight in armbar variations for a minute. Knight escaped and gave Barthel a neckbreaker. Lee and Carter tagged in. Lee put Barthel in a muta lock so Carter could give him a dropkick. Knight tagged back in to backdrop Barthel.
Aichner distracted Knight which allowed Barthel to take him down. Gunther tagged in. Knight avoided a few chops from Gunther, but Gunther planted Knight to the mat with a power chop. Aichner tagged in and body slammed Knight on the ropes. Imperium cut the ring in half on Knight. Knight escaped a backdrop to tag in both MSK guys. MSK swarmed Aichner with their signature kicks. Carter dove on Barthel (and kinda missed). Gunther took down Lee heading into the picture-in-picture.[c]
Lee caught Aichner with a enzuigiri for a moment of respite. Barthel and Knight tagged in with Knight cleaning house off the hot tag momentum. Knight planted Barthel with a high elbow drop. The brawl spilled to ringside with Gunther and Knight going at it. Knight and Gunther brawled to the back. Aichner and Carter were the legal men. Carter gave Barthel a jackknife rollup, but the ref wouldn’t call the pin. Aichner gave Carter a clothesline from hell to pick up the win.
Imperium defeated MSK and LA Knight via pinfall in 12:11.
The Creed Brothers showed up on the stage. MSK, The Creeds, and Imperium glared at each other, eluding to their tag title match this Saturday…
John’s Thoughts: A good six person tag match. A fun part of the match was MSK’s quick tags which allowed them to initiate their tandem offense. Knight vs. Gunther does feel a bit rushed. I wonder if Gunther was supposed to face Bron Breakker at Stand and Deliver until the audible was called to put the strap on Dolph Ziggler? Gunther vs. Knight should be a stellar match, but I wouldn’t have booked these two together. The biggest issue is Knight never wins matches, in general, so there’s no way he’s beating The Ring General, and he shouldn’t beat Gunther! I would have booked Knight against a heel he could beat. Knight’s babyface run has been surprisingly fun.
Kay Lee Ray and Io Shirai cut a promo in front of a brick wall about how they were both coming after the NXT Women’s Championship which is held by Mandy Rose. When the graphic flashed on the screen Vic Joseph reminded viewers that the champion doesn’t have to be pinned to lose the title…
Tiffany Stratton vs. Ivy Nile was hyped for after the break…[c]
Dakota Kai was wandering backstage looking for Wendy Choo. Kai ran across Choo’s pillow and panda bear doll all ripped up. Kai acted worried…
Ivy Nile made her entrance. Footage from “earlier this week” showed Tatum Paxley trying to clean up the Diamond Mine gym to get in their good favors. Nile told her to get out and that Diamond Mine kick ass, not kiss ass. Tiffany Stratton made her entrance. A picture-in-picture replay aired of Stratton beating up Schoolgirl-mode Sarray from a few weeks ago…
2. Ivy Nile (w/Malcolm Bivens) vs. Tiffany Stratton. Nile took down Stratton with an armdrag. Stratton slammed Nile to the mat and hit her with a standing moonsault for a one count. Nile took down Stratton with a stiff clothesline. Both women traded rollup attempts. Stratton managed to get Nile in a sleeper hold. Stratton slammed Nile to the mat when it looked like she might escape. Nile recovered and took down Stratton with a kick combination. Nile hit Stratton with a running thrust kick.
Nile put Stratton in a grounded surfboard. Stratton escaped and rolled to ringside. Stratton surprised Nile with a lariat. Stratton got distrated by Sarray’s henshin smoke again. (Transformed) Sarray showed up. Becaused Stratton was distracted by Transformed-Sarray, Nile put Stratton in a Dragon Sleeper for the submission win.
Ivy Nile defeated Tiffany Stratton via submission in 3:32.
Vic Joseph hyped up a Dolph Ziggler promo for after the commercial…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Eh, still goofy seeing Tiffany constantly distracted by Sarray’s boring smoke effect. Match was a bit rough too and nothing too special. I do like the potential of both women. Nile has that badass and different look that separates her from everyone else. Stratton is starting to win me over because she’s discovering her mean streak. She’s becoming less like Taya Valkyrie-lite and more of herself.
Tommaso Ciampa cut a promo in front of his usual spot, a garage door. Ciampa talked about how he’s been through the highest of highs and lowest and lows in NXT. Ciampa talked about how the highs are like winning a title, or the lows like his wife having five miscarriges only to lead to the miracle of birthing a daughter. Ciampa said the fans went through everything with him, keeping Black and Gold alive. Ciampa said Stand and Deliver may be the end of an era and we will all create that magic together. Ciampa set up his steel chair like a tombstone with the dates 9/9/2015 to 4/4/2022 on it.
V c Joseph and Wade Barrett checked in from ringside. Vic Joseph thanked the artist 2KBABY for providing the song “Like This” as the song for NXT Stand and Deliver. They sent the show to a Dolph Ziggler promo package…
In the video package, Ziggler recapped all the titles he won in WWE. Ziggler said this isn’t just NXT 2.0, it’s DZ 2.0. The show package cut to Dolph Ziggler in a car driving up to the WWE PC. Ziggler talked about Bron Breakker being young while he’s going into yet another WrestleMania weekend. Ziggler said Breakker won the title too early in his career and couldn’t handle the pressure. The show then cut to highlights of Dolph Ziggler appearing on WWE’s Bump youtube show. Ziggler was also shown at a photoshoot with the NXT Championship. Ziggler said if he had NXT during his time in WWE he wouldn’t have had to be White-privilege Chavo Guerrero’s caddy or the cheerleader. The video package finished with Ziggler saying he’s going to still be NXT Champion after Stand and Deliver…
Legado Del Fantasma made their entrance for the next match…[c]
A Cora Jade promo package aired. Jade talked about dreaming of being in WWE while in high school. The talked about looking up to people like Bayley, Sasha Banks, Rhea Ripley, or Bianca Belair. She joked that she didn’t look up to Charlotte. Jade said she doesn’t just have to deal with Mandy Rose on Saturday, she has to deal with one of the most dominant women in WWE in Io Shirai and the most dominant woman in NXT UK in Kay Lee Ray. She said she’s the underdog, which will make it all that much sweeter when she becomes NXT Women’s Champions…
3. “Legado Del Fantasma” Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza (w/Elektra Lopez) vs. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen (w/Fallon Henley). Jensen flapjacked Wilde and hit him wit a series of lariats. Briggs tagged in and body slammed Wilde. Wilde hit Briggs with a jawbreaker so he could tag in Mendoza. Mendoza caught Briggs with a forearm. Mendoza missed a slingshot dive. Jensen tagged in. Briggs and Jensen took down Mendoza. Wilde reversed Jensen with a dropkick and followed up with a baseball slide at ringside. Wilde hit Jensen with his signature delayed vader bomb. Wilde and Mendoza traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Jensen.
Jensen managed to tag in Briggs who took down Wilde with a big boot. Briggs slammed and splashed Mendoza. Briggs slammed Wilde for a two count. Lopez distracted Briggs which allowed Mendoza to nail Briggs with a missile dropkick. Henley and Lopez brawled at ringside. Briggs blocked Wilde’s 450 with a Choke into a Chokeslam. Jensen tagged in. Briggs and Jensen hit Wilde with a High-Low combination for the win.
Jenson and Briggs defeated Legado Del Fantasma via pinfall in 5:36.
Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta continued to bicker and brag about their respective male partners. Persia Pirotta propsoed that they both bring their partners to Dallas to have some sort of confrontation…[c]
John’s Thoughts: The tag team match was well worked, but a few things need to be tweaked to make us care about both teams, namely the hokey Briggs and Jensen tag team. Jensen has gotten better in the ring. I never thought of his dad, Bull Buchanan, as the best in-ring guy, but hopefully his dad is able to pass down some experience and knowledge to him. Briggs is really good in the ring, but he’s stuck with the cartoon clown gimmick. It also seems like WWE doesn’t want to show off his tattoos for some reason.
An ad aired for NXT Stand and Deliver in Dallas…
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Cameron Grimes about his last chance match later in the show. He said he’s usually confident, but now he’s nervous. He said this is the most important match of his career. Grimes said that A Kid and Strong are good competitors but they don’t need this like Grimes needs this. He said he needs to win so he can deliver on his promise to his late father…
[Hour Two] Toxic Attraction made their entrance at the top of the hour (WWE really likes to put Toxic Attraction at the top of the 2nd hour). Rose, Dolan, and Jayne were in street clothes. Rose took the mic and talked about how Shirai and Ray took things out of context. She said she’d fight any woman, but not all at the same time. Rose said she’s not scared though. Rose said everyone needs to remember who the hell she is. Rose said Toxic Attraction have been dominating for months and will continue to do so. She said she’ll take care of Kay Lee Ray, get rid of Io Shirai, and send Cora Jade to under whatever bridge she came from. Rose said she will continue to build up a legacy to become the best NXT Women’s Champion of all time.
Rose said Toxic Attraction helped Wendy Choo and Dakota Kai by taking out the strong team in the tournament, Jade and Gonzalez. Rose said they made Choo apologize for not taking care of Shirai and Ray. Dolan emptied a backpack with Choo’s toys in it. Dolan said that Toxic Attraction runs the division and they’ve beaten everyone. Jayne said there’s no one left for them to face. Jayne said that she and Dolan are walking into stand and deliver to watch Mandy Rose beat three bimbos. Rose said they aren’t just Toxic Attraction, they are The Attraction. Dakota Kai ran out and attacked Mandy Rose. \
Dolan and Jayne dogpiled Kai to get the numbers advantage. Raquel Gonzalez made her return and gave Rose and Jayne lariats. Toxic Attraction rolled to ringside. Gonzalez and Kai stared at each other. The crowd chanted “Yes” due to them being former Dusty Cup Champions. Kai then leg-lock hugged Gonzalez. Kai and Gonzalez then held up the Women’s Tag Belts to end the segment…
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes who was with Trick Williams. Melo said he was going to be on commentary for the Last Chance match. Grayson Waller and Sanga showed up to taunt Melo. Melo taunted back. Waller talked about how his insurance policy, Sanga, is bigger than Melo’s, Trick…
Bodhi Hayward and Andre Chase were walking around backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A pleasant surprise with the reunion of the Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez tag team. Sasha Banks and Bayley may be the most well known women’s tag team champions in the last few years, but Kai and Gonzalez were probably the most underrated and can make the argument for being the best women’s tag team the last few years. I’m okay with this. Gonzalez is a huge upgrade over the childish Wendy Choo character. I can see NXT Creative being tempted to put the tag belts on Kai and Gonzalez. Kai and Gonzalez are a bit fresher now as a team too with Kai playing the Hana Kimura tribute act.
Von Wagner and Robert Stone made their entrance. Wagner has new generic entrance music. Ikeman Jiro and Kushida got a personal announce table for some reason…
4. Von Wagner (w/Robert Stone) vs. Bodhi Hayward (w/Andre Chase). Hayward went at Wagner with punches. Wagner took down Hayward with a lariat. Hayward tackled Wagner to ringside. Hayward went for a spear but he ate a big boot from Wagner. Ikeman Jiro got distracted by the random woman that Robert Stone has been chatting with for weeks. I think Barrett said her name was Sophia Cromwell. Wagner continued to toss around Wagner.
Hayward went for a sunset flip for a two count. Wagner gave Hayward a fallaway slam. Hayward avoided a big boot and caught Wagner with a chop block and shoulder tackle. Wagner planted Hayward with a modified Angle Slam for the victory.
Von Wagner defeated Bodhi Hayward via pinfall in 3:42.
Wagner punched out Kushida nad dragged Jiro into the ring. Wagner hit Jiro with the Angle Slam. Wagner ripped off Jiro’s jacket and ripped it off.
The show cut to a Tony D’Angelo promo where he was walking around in the city. D’Angelo reiterated how he’s going to take down Ciampa in Ciampa’s last match and how he’ll become the leader of the streets. D’Angelo said after Stand and Deliver he’ll be the new Don of NXT…
Joe Gacy and Harland made their entrance for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Decent enough match. Wagner is solid in the ring. The key with him is to keep the mic the hell away from his mouth. Hopefully Robert Stone can take care of that. I’m intrigued by the woman at ringside. She has a good look.
A video package aired spotlighting Triple H. Barrett and Joseph talked about Triple H announcing his in-ring career being over. Barrett said he wouldn’t have made it back to WWE without Hunter re-hiring him to be a commentator. They showed the various tweets of wrestlers thanking Triple H for a storied career…
John’s Thoughts: Very cool to see Hunter back on NXT TV. It was weird. He was almost persona non grata for a stretch during the 2.0 era. This show is Hunter’s baby and I understand that it was for the best for him to take a step back after his near-death scare. Still wishing the best for Papa Paul, the Papa of some of the best wrestling in the past decade with his NXT Black and Gold show.
Nikita Lyons was shown shadowboxing backstage…
Draco Anthony made his entrance…
5. Joe Gacy (w/Harland) vs. Draco Anthony. Gacy body slammed Draco and wanted a hug. Draco kicked Gacy away. Draco whipped Gacy to the corner and was distracted by Harland. Gacy suplexed Anthony. A large man appeared behind Harland. It was WWE developmental wrestler Quincy Elliot. Gacy hit Anthony with a Uranage for a two count. Anthony fended off Gacy with punches. Anthony took down Gacy with a shoulder tackle and back elbow. Anthony got a two count off a backdrop. Gacy escaped a suplex and rolled up Anthony for a two count. Gacy hit Anthony with the handstand lariat for the victory.
Joe Gacy defeated Draco Anthony via pinfall in 3:57.
Vic Joseph hyped up a Bron Breakker video package after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: That match dragged a bit. Understandable as Anthony is seemingly fairly green. Joe Gacy has been a missed opportunity. The guy got international buzz (partial for some of the wrong reasons), and WWE really should have capitalized on it. Gacy deserves a lot of credit for taking the character and adding depth. NXT Creative just doesn’t seem to know what to do with him and instead they just have him meandering backstage.
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett checked in from ringside. Wade Barrett noted that the Steiner Brothers are being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Vic Joseph actually acknowledged that Bron Breakker is Rick Steiner’s son…
A Bron Breakker promo package aired. Breakker talked about how he proved he can be the buy after he beat Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. They also aired clips of Dolph Ziggler pinning Tommaso Ciampa to cause Bron Breakker to lose the NXT Title. Breakker talked in his natural voice and said that Dolph Ziggler is a poison. Breakker said Ziggler just shows up for his segments and then bounces. Breakker said Ziggler takes everything and doesn’t give anything back. Breakker said that NXT is his life. Breakker said he wakes up, goes to the Performance Center, and works his ass off every single day. He said that Wrestlemania Weekend is the biggest time of the year and Ziggler won’t leave Stand and Deliver as the Champion. He said the culture of NXT means too much to him and he doesn’t like Ziggler ruining that. He said he’s going to smash Dolph’s ass and take back the brand for everyone who chants “NXT”…
John’s Thoughts: The Breakker video package was way better than the Dolph one. Dolph’s was a bit all over the place. Breakkers told a good story and it’s interesting seeing him drop the Scott Steiner voice when he delivers his heart-to-hearts.
The commentary team ran through the advertised Stand and Deliver card. They added Toxic Attraction vs. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships to the Stand and Deliver card…
John’s Thoughts: Hey, Gonzalez gets beat up, and she might as well have won the Dusty Cup because she ended up with the prize anyway. Her and Dakota Kai.
Nikkita Lyons made her entrance for the next match…
6. Nikkita Lyons vs. Sloane Jacobs. Lyons started the match with a headlock and shoulder tackle. Lyons hit Jacobs with a series of armdrags and a body slam. Lyons hit Jacobs with a back kick. Jacobs escaped a fireman carry and gave Lyons a elbow buster. Lyrons cucked a kick and gave Jacobs an Exploder Suplex. Lyons hit Jacobs with a Samoan Drop. Lyons hit Jacobs with a strike combo and a splits leg drop for the win.
Nikkita Lyons defeated Sloane Jacobs via pinfall in 1:47.
Lash Legend appeared on the Titantron and called out Lyons. Legend said she and Lyons have unfinished business. She said she’ll show Lyons why she’s a bigger superstar than Lyons…
John’s Thoughts: Lyons is still a bit all over the place from a character perspective, but her look does drive horny twitter crazy. There’s a little bit of a Hook (Taz’s son) like buzz around Nikkita. Let’s see how WWE takes advantage of this hidden sensation.
The show cut to Malcolm Bivens and the Diamond Mine backstage. Bivens hyped up Strong potentially winning the Last Chance Triple Threat to win the North American Title for the third time. He also hyped up the Creeds going for the tag titles this weekend. Bivens said Diamond Mine will have more gold than Mr. T after this Saturday. Nile, Strong, and Bivens walked away. Brutus was distracted by a text from a 781 area code, which wished the Creeds luck on Saturday. The Creeds assumed it was from the people that jumped them…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I was afraid we wouldn’t get a hit at the mystery attacker this week as it adds for a fun game the viewers can play. I had to google it, but it said that the 781 area code is from Boston. I have no clue at first glance, but I like the bread crumbs being laid out. I hope it ends up being a clue that leads to the answer.
Entrances for the Last Chance Triple Threat took place. Cameron Grimes continued to act more serious than usual…
7. A-Kid vs. Roderick Strong (w/Malcolm Bivens) vs. Cameron Grimes in a Last Chance Triple Threat Match for a spot in the North American Championship Ladder Match at NXT Stand and Deliver. All three men traded quick counters and pin attempts. This ended in a stalemate. Grimes acted like a goof for a second by saying Kiss My Grits, but he then took down Kid with a stiff Roundhouse. Strong tossed Kid and Grimes to the corners. Kid caught Strong with a huracanrana. Kid was launched by Grimes which allowed him to dropkick Strong. Melo and Trick joined Barrett and Joseph on commentary. Kid caught Strong at ringside with a Tope. Grimes caught Kid with a PK from the apron.
Strong gave Grimes a backbreaker on the apron. Solo Sikoa appeared at ringside to watch the match heading into the picture-in-picture.[c]
[Overrun] Grayson Waller and Sanga appeared in the crowd to watch the match. Strong power bombed Kid on Grimes. Grimes recovered and hit both Strong and Kid with a Frankendriver. Grimes hit Strong with a series of clotheslines and then hit Kid with clotheslines. Grimes caught Strong with a crossbody. Grimes hit Kid with a side slam. Strong broke up the pin. Strong hit Grimes iwth his signature driveby elbows. Grimes caught Strong with a Spanish Fly Power Slam. Kid spiked Grimes on the head with a springboard DDT. All three men traded fatigued strikes. Strong reversesd Kid into a backbreaker. Strong caught Grimes with a knee. Strong hit Kid with another backbreaker.
Strong hit Grimes with a gutbuster. Strong suplexed Kid onto Grimes. Strong hit A Kid with the End of Heartache. Grimes flew in from nowhere with the Cave In for the win.
Cameron Grimes defeated Roderick Strong and A-Kid via pinfall in 10:55 to earn a spot in the North American Championship Ladder Match at NXT Stand and Deliver.
Melo grabbed a mic as he and Trick got on the apron. Melo said that Grimes has no chance of walking out Saturday as the A-Champion. Santos Escobar showed up in the crowd and said he’s going to bring the title back to La Familia. Waller grabbed a mic and said that family doesn’t matter. He said he’s going to go viral by pulling the belt down. Solo took a mic and said the man from the streets is about to become the new champion. Grimes said all he’s saying is he’s going to take the championship to the moon. Grimes punched Melo and a brawl ensued between everyone. Joseph handled the outtro to the show. The show closed with two more minutes left in the allotted overrun…
John’s Thoughts: Great spotfest style match. You see these matches a dime a dozen everywhere else, but it’s rare you see them in NXT to the point where it’s a treat to have one every once in a while. Roderick Strong was the MVP of this match, simply with how he was quickly able to string moves together and transition them well. You did have to go in thinking that Strong was taking the pin thought. That’s kind his job these days. Take pins. That and they need to protect the sensation A Kid. I would have liked one more week of build for Grimes to continue to sell it being make-or-break for him, but I guess this is fine too.
Decent NXT. I’m surprised that NXT didn’t decide to dedicate the show 100% to Stand and Deliver build. They had a mix of their hit-or-miss developmental stuff in it. I feel like those are usually the weakest parts of the show and they definitely were here. Not to mention, that time could have been allotted to more WrestleMania weekend build. Speaking of which, I’ll be back on Saturday morning for the rare morning wrestling PPV with my live Stand and Deliver review.
Is Jimmy Hart booking the women’s division? It’s turning into Wrestlicious
MSK needs to be off TV. They have nothing to offer the title scene and are too small to be anything more than enhancement guys.
Tiffany Stratton was 100x better than Taya Valkyrie the first time she showed up on TV.
Briggs and Jensen still need work, but adding Booty Jorts to the team already makes them feel more legit.
Not their best episode, but still mostly fun. Of the 3 losers in the main event, I guess I’ll take The Modern Day Memphis Midcarder over Less Muscular Dean Malenko and Interchangeable Flippy Midget #783.
i’d say I am done, but this pest drills my head… MSK are awesome… Adam Cole had an off night, and no-one likes you. What are you achieving by being a Cocksplash
I really want to know, how to be irrelevant, moronic and a fuckwit
TheGreatestOne, people evolve.. you do not.
Did you know that Wes Lee could be the New AJ Styles.
No one likes you, and thats okay… I like you.. you’re a moron that needs help… MSK should be heel, except Impact wrestling
Wes Lee? He’s listed at 5’7″ 190, so he’s probably 5’5″ 160 and he’s already 33. He’s a nobody and will never be more than that.
Styles is listed as 5’11” 218 so he’s probably around 5’9″ 195-200. At age 33 he had been NWA and TNA world champ at the time that TNA was pulling close to 2 million viewers each week.
Wes Lee’s potential is to be a jobber who takes impressive bumps and nothing more than that.
I can see Toxic Attraction retain and Raquel turning on Dakota afterwards partly because the Dakota and Cho team just started unless it’s been dropped already..