By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT 2.0 TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live April 26, 2022 on USA Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
1. Nikitta Lyons vs. Lash Legend. Lash and Nikita traded punches to start. Both women went on to trade kicks with Lyons grounding Lash with a high kick. Lash recovered and hit Lyons with a backfist. Lyons recovered and hit Lash with a Thesz Press leading to some ground and pound. Lash broke it with a rope break. Lash shoved Nikkita off her to dump Lyons, head first, to ringside. Lyons recovered, but Lash gave Lyons a shoulder tackle to knock her off the apron.
Lash tossed Lyons into the steel steps. Lash worked on Lyons with methodical offense. Lyons rolled up Legend for a two count (the lights went black for a second). Lash gave Lyons a sidewalk slam for a two count. Lash worked on Lyons with a cravate. Lyons escaped with a wrist toss. Lyons kept Legend at bay with some footsies. Lyons gave Legend a few suplexes. Lyons worked on Legend with ten punches in the corner. Legend tried to power bomb Lyons, but Lyons countered with a huracanrana for the win.
Nikkita Lyons defeated Lash Legend via pinfalll in 5:09.
Natalya ran out to attack Nikkita. Cora Jade ran in with a skateboard to clear away the heels. Natalya managed to get Jade in Sharpshooter position, but Nikitta kicked Natalya to send her to ringside…
Tony D’Angelo cut a promo. He talked about how Xyon Quinn got replaced by Von Wagner due to an injury…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Ugly match, but it worked here because this has gotten a bit personal and rough. Definitely Lash’s best showing in the ring, even though it wasn’t anything to write home about. Hopefully both women move on to more experienced wrestlers because I don’t there is much to benefit, when both need to improve practice-wise.
Roderick Strong was giving the Diamond Mine a pep talk, saying that he doesn’t want to see Diamond Mine end up like his last group (Undisputed Era). Strong berated the Creeds for looking too confident. Brutus brought up how they almost ran a gauntlet. Strong said that Brutus is just making excuses. Strong set up a match next week between The Creeds and former NXT Tag Team Champions, The Viking Raiders, Erik and Ivar. The Raiders showed up and did some grunting. Julius said that the Creeds will see the Vikings next week…
Entrances for the next match took place. It looks like Robert Stone has also lost his first name. He’s “Mr. Stone” now…
John’s Thoughts: Is Mr. Stone related to Dr. Stone? Sorry. Lame anime joke. Robert Stone probably lost his first name due to his real name being Robert Strauss. Hence the Robert part had to go.
2. Tony D’Angelo vs. Von Wagner (w/Mr. Stone). Wagner shoved Tony to the corner to start. Tony came back with a slap. Wagner grounded D’Angelo with a Belly to Back suplex. Wagner blocked a double leg takedown and then tackled D’Angelo into teh corner. Wagner took down Tony with a clothesline. Tony rallied back with punches and knees. Wagner used kicks and punches to get Tony back ot the mat. Wagner blocked a suplex by Tony. Wagner raked the back of Tony’s head against the 2nd rope.
Tony gave Wagner a drop toehold and baseball slide. Tony gave Wagner an atomic drop and lariat to send him to ringside. Wagner recovered and suplexed D’Angelo on the apron. The show cut to picture-in-picture. [c]
Wagner dominated the match with methodical offense. D’Angelo managed to get a moment of respite after hitting Wagner with a Belly to Belly. Wagner dominated with clinch hockey strikes. D’Angelo suplexed Wagner. Wagner grounded D’Angelo with a lariat. Both men traded counters. D’Angelo was tripped off the apron when Wagner put him on it. Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde got on the apron. While the referee was distracted, Santos Escobar showed up and kicked D’Angelo in the knee cap with a crow bar. \
D’Angelo’s unnamed thugs pulled Wilde and Toro off the apron and had a standoff with them. D’Angelo beat the 10 count and walked into a big boot by Wagner which gave Wagner the win.
Von Wagner defeated Tony D’Angelo via pinfall in 10:44.
John’s Thoughts: Wagner and D’Angelo looked good here, but an odd decision to go with the weird heel vs. heel matchup between two developmental prospects (Though Wagner has a lot more in-ring experience and haritage due to being Wayne Bloom’s son). Was there no one else available in the performance center? Even though he’s a heel, couldn’t they have slid the experienced and goofy Andre Chase here? Anyways, both men made the best out of WWE having to pull Xyon Quinn from the match. Heck Xyon has been acting like a douche recently so I’m not even sure if he’s a babyface, but they’re all over the place with Quinn. Anyways, I liked D’Angelo’s brawler style and Wagner is actually pretty refined.
Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta congratulated Roxanne Perez for her win last week. Toxic Attraction showed up to taunt Roxanne. Roxanne said she’ll prove that last week’s win was not a fluke. Mandy Rose said that she’ll show Perez what it takes to really be a champion, instead of just dreaming to be one…
A Nathan Frazer vignette aired to hype his debut after the break…[c]
Vic Joseph plugged the Make a Wish charity…
Briggs, Jensen, and Henley were hyping each other up backstage. Brooks Jensen ended up getting distracted by a woman who passed by them (I think it was Sofia Cromwell?)…
Vic Joseph announced Cora Jade and Nikkita Lyons vs. Lash Legend and Natalya for the Spring Break In themed show…
Nathan Frazer was making his entrance. Grayson Waller interrupted and slid in the ring, dumping Guru Raj to ringside (who was scheduled to be Frazer’s debut opponent). Waller gloated about being a star and how he doesn’t need Sanga. Waller pointed out Bodhi Hayward and Andre Chase in the crowed. He said that their university is a fraud and that their sorority girls look like refrigerators. Chase and Hayward were approaching Waller. Waller was cleared from the ring by Nathan Frazer. Frazer hit Waller with a suicide dive. Chase took the mic and said that this moment was a teachable moment…
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett checked in from ringside. Joseph announced the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament in two weeks. An introductory vignette aired for Ariana Grace, who would be in the Breakout Tournament…
John’s Thoughts: Grace is the daughter of Anthony Carelli (known as Santino Marella in WWE). Looking forward to seeing what the 2nd generation wrestler can do. Let’s see if they lean into her family’s MMA/Shoot fighting background or if they lean into the goofy identity that Santino was known in WWE to have. Cool to see the Breakout Tournament for the women. Would this also lead to the winner getting a Money In the Bank esque contract that they can cash in on the spot (last time it was Carmello Hayes cashing in on Shane Swerve Strickland.
Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro made their entrance…[c]
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Tiffany Stratton about beating Sarray last week. Tiffany cried about Sarray messing up her hair. Grayson Waller showed up to rant about Nathan Frazer. Waller and Stratton agreed with each other.
3. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter vs. Valentina Feroz and Lusia Leon. Leon and Carter started the match. Carter taunted Leon by shaking her hips. Leon landed a dropkick on Carter. Feroz tagged in and gave Carter a huracanrana. Carter ran around the ring and baited Feroz into a boot. Carter hit Feroz with a dropkick. Chance tagged in and hit Feroz with a corkscrew splits splash. Feroz dragged Chance into a Kimura Lock. Chance escaped. Chanced hit Feroz with a crossbody for a two count. Carter and Chance traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Feroz.
Feroz managed to dive and tag in Leon. Leon rallied at Carter with lariats. Leon hit Carter with a missile dropkick for a two count. Feroz tagged in. Leon gave Feroz an impressive Military Press slam on Carter. Katana broke up the pin. Carter rolled up Feroz for a two count. Carter went for a tag, but Chance was gone for some reason, off the apron. Carter escaped Feroz’s Octopus hold. Carter went for a tag again but Chance wasn’t around again. Chance showed up all of a sudden to blind tag in after Leon took herself out with a missed moonsault. Carter hit Feroz with a superkick. Carter held Feroz in place for Chance’s 450 for the victory.
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter defeated Valentina Feroz and Lusia Leon via pinfall in 6:01.
The camera cut to backstage where Brooks Jensen was lying on the ground injured. Josh Briggs yelled, saying that he knows Legado did this. Jensen tried to say he could fight, despite a wrist injury…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Very odd finish to the match. Katana Chance just disappeared for no reason for a minute or so. It might play into a potential storyline? Who knows. Chance is the former Kacy Catanzaro, who also fell victim to WWE’s name changes. I’m surprised WWE never took advantage of Kacy’s fame due to being a standout star from Ninja Warrior? Feroz and Leon continue to improve. Leon really shows great feats of strength and innovative offense. Feroz reminds me of Tay Conti. She’s Brazillian, a Judo blackbelt, and is rapidly improving every time WWE puts her in the ring. WWE gave Tay a lot of time by the end of her NXT run and I wonder if they can re-do the push they seemingly wanted to give her with Valentina.
A Kay Lee Ray vignette aired. She still swings a bat. She dragged her signature bat on the ground, and somehow it lit on fire. Her name is now “Alba Fyre”, and her bat’s on fire now…
[Hour Two] Alicia Taylor announced the Legado vs. Briggs, Jensen, and Henley match is now a two on three handicap match. The face team tried to jump Legado before the bell…
4. “Legado Del Fantasma” Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Elektra Lopez vs. Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley in a Handicap Mixed Tag Match. Henley and Briggs got the upper hand and hit Wilde and Lopez wiht stereo punches after a baseball slide. Del Toro chop blocked Briggs which allowed Wilde to work on the knee of Briggs. Mr. Stone walked to the commentary table and noted that Von Wagner attacked Brooks Jensen for staring at Sofia Cromwell. Toro and Wilde traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Briggs.
Briggs punched away Legado and then tagged in Henley. Henley hit Lopez with running strikes for the two count. Lopez tagged in Wilde, forcing Briggs to come back in. Briggs hit Wilde with a sidewalk slam and standing splash for a two count. Henley and Lopez brawled to the back. Briggs tossed Wilde into the corner. Del Toro tagged in and hit Briggs with a missile dropkick. Legado hit Briggs with their Sidesweep-Leg Lariat finisher to give Del Toro the victory.
Legado Del Fantasma defeated Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley via pinfall in 4:45.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Natalya and Lash Legend about their match against Jade and Lyons at the upcoming Break In show. Natalya said that at the Break In show, she’s going to break Jade’s legs. Natalya said she also sees potential in her tag partner Lash. Lash was excited to be teaming with a legend in Natalya…
Cameron Grimes made his entrance in formal street clothes to join the commentary table…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Lots of awkward stuff rule-wise to wrestle around given the handicap and mixed tag situation, but Josh Briggs found a way to make it work. Josh Briggs shows a lot of potential as a big man single’s star and I feel he’s held back as the goofball cosplay tag partner of Bull Buchannan’s son. Briggs vs. Wagner should be a good singles match between two developmental prospects if that’s where the backstage attack is leading?
An introductory vignette aired to introduce Kianna James, who will be in the breakout tournament…
Solo Sikoa made his entrance followed by Trick and Melo’s…
5. Solo Sikoa vs. Trick Williams (w/Carmelo Hayes). Trick escaped an early wristlock with a backflip. Trick slammed Solo into the ringposts with hammerlocks. Solo used a snapmare to escape a hammerlock and followed up with a few shoulder tackles. Solo worked on Trick with methodical strikes. Trick came back with a right hand and back kick. Trick hit Solo with a body slam. Trick hit Solo with a dropkick. Trick hit Solo with a running neckbreaker for a two count. Solo no-sold a front kick and gave Trick a back suplex.
Solo hit Trick with a rally of right arm lariats after a uppercut. Solo hit Trick with a series of corner splashes. Solo hit Trick with a Uso Splash for the victory.
Solo Sikoa defeated Trick Williams via pinfall in 5:08.
Solo and Grimes faced off in the ring. Melo got up in Grimes’s face. Solo went for a superkick on Melo, but Melo ducked. Solo superkicked Grimes instead to leave him lying…
John’s Thoughts: Decent showcase for Solo Sikoa. Solo’s a rising star and I’m really looking forward to this guy joining his brothers, Jimmy and Jey, on the main roster. We haven’t seen much of Trick in the ring. Aside from a few tag matches, he’s been pretty much the mouthpiece for the North American Champion, at the time, Carmelo Hayes. Trick has upside. He may not be ready in the ring, but he’s already risen to one of NXT’s top wrestlers on the mic.
Malik Blade and Edris Enofe were psyching themselves up for their upcoming match against The Viking Raiders. Enofe was more confident than Blade…[c]
The four members of Legado Del Fantasma were bragging about their successes earlier in the night. Escobar talked about how he was just returning the favor for what D’Angelo did last week…
Enofe and Blade were already in the ring. The Viking Raiders got a televised entrance…
6. “The Viking Raiders” Erik and Ivar vs. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe. Ivar took down Blade with a shoulder tackle. Enofe and Erik tagged in. Erik dominated Enofe with chain wrestling. Enofe managed to get Erik on his knee after leaping over him and hitting him with a dropkick. Blade and Enofe traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Erik. Erik managed to run through Enofe with a clothesline. Ivar tagged in and joined Erik in giving Enofe clubbing blows. Ivar gave Enofe a series of back elbows in the corner.
Erik gave Enofe a high knee for a two count. Enofe avoided a meteora from Erik. Ivar tagged in. Enofe rolled under Ivar’s lariat to tag in Blade. Blade staggered Ivar with a dropkick and lariat. Ivar caught Blade off a crossbody, but Enofe tagged in and completed Blade’s crossbody for a two count. Ivar took down Blade and Enofe with dropkick moves. Erik tagged in and slammed Enofe. The Viking Raiders hit Blade with a double team power bomb for the victory.
The Viking Raiders defeated Malik Blade and Edris Enofe via pinfall in 4:45.
The Viking Raiders gave their opponents a code of honor handshake. Julius and Brutus Creed appeared on the stage to jaw with the Raiders from a distance…
John’s Thoughts: I’m surprised they gave Enofe and Blade so much offense against the powerhouse former NXT Tag Team Champions? That said, they looked solid. I just thought they would put the Raiders over strong in their cameo stint on the NXT show before their impromptu showdown match on next week’s show. Should be a hell of a match between two similar teams. The Creeds and Raiders both are powerhouses with a lot of agility.
A Wes Lee cinematic promo aired. Lee talked about how it was a six month journey to get back to the tag titles (with Nash Carter). Lee said it sucks to lose the titles, but he understands in that case because any team can be better on any day, meaning you can get back to the titles. Lee said it’s worse when the titles are taken from you. Lee said anger gets created in that case. He said he’ll never forget the past, but future has new risks. He said he can bitch and complain about how things aren’t fair, or he can knuckle up and make the waves he’s destined too. Lee was standing on the shore of a beach as the sun set…
Toxic Attraction were shown backstage, heading to the ring…[c]
John’s Thoughts: It looks like they’re reframing Wes Lee away from the cornball Rascalz character and back to where he was before Zach Wentz and Trey Miguel got associated with him on Impact TV. It’s been a long time since I saw this version of Dezmond Xavier, and I forgot that this guy showed true main event potential. Wes Lee won the Impact World X Cup and at that time Jeff Jarrett was hyping Lee up as a future world champ. I have to say I agree and I’m intrigued to see where Wes Lee goes now that he’s shed away the comedy and carefree antics that came with being a Rascal. As sad as the whole situation with Nash Carter ended up, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise if Lee can finally show why people saw him as a main eventer before he started having all those great matches alongside Miguel and Wentz.
McKenzie interviewed Tony D’Angelo. D’Angelo introduced people to Troy Donavan and Channing Lorenzo as his two goons. D’Angelo demanded a sitdown with Santos Escobar next week’s Spring Break In show….
Entrances for the next match took place…
7. NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose (w/Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne) vs. Roxanne Perez in a non-title match. Rose dominated the collar and elbow. Rose put Perez on the top rope and shoved her to the bottom buckle. Rose put Perez in a wristlock for a stretch of match. Perez used a Victory Roll ot escape the wristlock. Perez hit Rose with a huracanrana for a two count. Perez got a few nearfalls after a few rollups. Rose got in Perez’s face. Perez bit Rose’s finger. Perez rolled up Rose for a two count. Perez dragged Rose to ringside and slamme Rose’s hand into the steel step. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
Rose worked on Perez with methodical offense. Joseph noted that Perez is only 20 years old (probably the youngest wrestler on NXT 2.0. Cora Jade is 21 at this point). Rose dominated for a few minutes. Perez made a comeback after a top rope Thesz Press. Perez hit Rose with a Russian Legsweep and a handstand splash for a two count. Rose escaped a Code Red Attempt. Perez blocked Rose’s knee finisher with a few rollups. Rose managed to land her finisher knee for the victory.
Mandy Rose defeated Roxanne Perez via pinfall in 9:58.
Toxic Attraction celebrated a bit, but bolted to the stage when Wendy Choo showed up to shoot them with water guns. Choo then pulled out a button on a box and pressed it to drop a net on Toxic Attraction. Choo and Perez then chased away Toxic Attraction with cans of silly string…
Joseph and Barrett sent the show to an introductory vignette for Sloane Jacobs. Roxanne isn’t the youngest in NXT as Sloane is 19 years old…
Joe Gacy was shown surrounded by his druids. He walked into the camera and said it was time to go change the world…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A bit surreal seeing 20 year old Roxanne Perez in the ring with a NXT Women’s Champion who’s still at the beginning stages of her in-ring development. Roxanne may have carried Rose to one of Rose’s best in-ring showings in WWE. Still rough, but Rose gains a bit by winning a match clean. They do have to move on from the Nickelodeon Wendy Choo stuff.
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett announced the following segments for the Spring Break In show next week: Nathan Frazer vs. Grayson Waller, The Creed Brothers vs. The Viking Raiders, Cameron Grimes vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa, and the Tony D’Angelo and Santos Escobar sit-down meeting.
[Overrun] Joe Gacy made his entrance to the NXT ring. Gacy said on his journey for change, we have come so far. He said we are breaking breakers for people who were discriminated against for their weight. He said he’s been molding NXT as a clay of acceptance. The random druids surrounded the ring. Gacy said we have made strides, but the mission hasn’t been accomplished. He said no everybody accepts this accepting way of life. Gacy continued to talk his usual rhetoric to hype his match against Bron Breakker next week. Gacy said he knows that Bron Breakker is not cleared to defend the championship because of the fall last week. Gacy said that because of Breakker’s fall from grace, Joe Gacy will be the new NXT Champion. Gacy said that he will mold this clay into the vision that he sees for the world.
WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner made his entrance with a mic and wearing street clothes. Steiner joined Gacy in the ring for a promo. Steiner said that Gacy has it wrong and Breakker is cleared to compete at Spring Break In. Gacy said that Steiner has picked a good time to come back, or maybe he picked the worst possible time. The random druids all got on the aprons. There were about 15 to 20 druids. Bron Breakker made his entrance and beat up a few druids on the way to Gacy. Two druids pinned Rick Steiner against the turnbuckle. Gacy took down Breakker with a lariat. The 15 or so druids passed along the NXT championship in a line, giving it to Joe Gacy. Joe Gacy posed with the NXT Championship, standing tall over the fallen Bron Breakker to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: An interesting segment and mixed bag. To get the positive out of the way. Joe Gacy was fine in his delivery of the content. The best part of the segment was the promo where he was throwing his usual “woke” buzzwords and rhetoric. He came off as sinister and as a leader with his whole “molding clay” analogy. Where you lose me is the random-ass druids. I get that he’s supposed to be a cult leader of sorts? Maybe? But they should have taken time to see his cult develop or something. It just feels like WWE is just tacking along druids with Gacy because it worked for Undertaker once. Hey? Is this Brother Love’s fault? (I kid, but Brother Love Bruce Prichard was associated with Taker at a point in time).
Another underwhelming showing from Rick Steiner. He kinda just shows up to do very little. So he just delivered news that Bron Breakker is ready to compete? Ok, but underwhelming. I probably would have been more excited if they had Scott run out to do his usual TNA promos that make no sense, but are entertaining as hell. Breakker is also the new Xyon Quinn as he’s supposed to be a badass, but he’s getting punked out every week. This feud probably could have used more build and less druids because this feud is falling into the problem NXT 1.0 had in rushing from A to Z in a storyline within the span of one month and not over “months”. Mixed bag show as well. I guess the weird druid stuff kinda dragged things down for me. There was also a lot of contrived booking with rearranging things from what they were advertised as.
That’s how you start a show, with Yam Yam Bigelow strutting to the ring.
This is the Rok-C that everyone was talking about? She’s just another midget with no chance to ever be a draw.
The name-changing is almost at the level of self-parody now.
“Roxanne may have carried Rose to one of Rose’s best in-ring showings in WWE.”
I seriously wonder what the hell you guys are watching most of the time. I saw a teeny, tiny nobody who brought absolutely nothing to the match. Nothing was believable, nothing showed any real fire, and she’s just another bad indie darling who has no chance of every being anything on a real wrestling show.
I’d like to set you on fire… but that’s neither here nor there.
Calling Rok-C a midget, when she is legitimately the same height as Alexa Bliss, whom you seem to respect is amusing to me.. also, what have short, and/or skinny people done to you? I think you need a therapist bro/sis/it.
I look forward to Dynamite.. where the greatestshame will speak, but more importantly, I poke fun at the Minnesota Vikings for re-signing Kirk Cousins.. Actually, scratch that, my Panthers don’t even have a QB.