By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT 2.0 TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live May 31, 2022 on USA Network
The show started off with the entire Diamond Mine heading to the ring from backstage. Roderick Strong told Ivy Nile, Julius Creed, and Brutus Creed to hang in the back while he and Damon Kemp show them how Diamond Mine is supposed to take care of business. Brutus Creed said that Diamond Mine doesn’t take breaks. Ivy Nile suspected that something was a bit off with Roddy…
John’s Thoughts: Julius is definitely the better talker of the Creed Brothers. Brutus sounds like Robin from the Adam West Batman series with how hammy he delivers his lines.
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer….
1. “The Diamond Mine” Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp vs. NXT Tag Team Champions “Pretty Deadly” Kit Wilson and Elton Prince in a non-title match. Pretty Deadly had the advantage up to the point where Roddy took down Kit with a chop. Prince and Kemp tagged in. Prince mocked Kemp with goofy chain wrestling. Roderick Strong slapped Kemp in the face to fire Kemp up. Kemp hit Prince with a series of suplexes and a spear. Kemp took down Wilson with a side headlock.
Roddy tagged in and Pretty Deadly regained control with methodical offense. Kemp tagged in and gave Wilson a modified Final Cut. Strong and Kemp gave Prince and Wilson stereo backbreakers. The show cut to picture in picture.[c]
Pretty Deadly cut the ring in half on Kemp. Kemp managed to crawl under Prince’s legs to tag in Strong for the hot tag. Strong gave Wilson a series of chops and a backbreaker. Strong hit Prince with a gutbuster. Strong gave wilson a backbreaker. Strong took down both Wilson and Prince with rapid chops. Strong tossed Prince into Wilson. Prince blocked an Angle Slam by holding the ropes. Wilson tagged in and took a backbreaker from Strong. Prince shoved Kemp into the steel steps.
Strong and Pretty Deadly both attempted to cheat at the same time. Pretty Deadly both grabbed title belts while Strong went to unhook the top buckle. Julius Creed ran out and prevented Strong from unhooking the buckle. Strong ducked hit Strong with Spilled Milk to give Elton Prince the win over Strong.
Pretty Deadly defeated Diamond Mine via pinfall in a non title match.
John’s Thoughts: A good match that accomplished a handful of things. First it forwarded Roderick Strong’s character development in how he’s becoming a petty heel similar to his Undisputed Era character and how that clashes with the honor of the rest of Diamond Mine. The match also gave Pretty Deadly yet another strong win. This was probably the 2nd time we’ve seen Damon Kemp in a longer match on NXT 2.0 and he was WAY better than the last time we saw him. His time in the ring was limited, but he looked really good in dealing out the rapid suplexes and delivering power moves.
Cameron Grimes and Solo Sikoa were hanging out in the Locker Room. Grimes said after he beats Carmelo Hayes Solo gets the next shot. Duke Hudson walked in saying that Grimes is handing out title shots like people taking turns at the Arcade. Hudson bragged about beating NXT Champion Bron Breakker. Grimes left. Solo said that win doesn’t count because Breakker got DQ’d and Hudson had Gacy’s help. Hudson said that Solo isn’t at Hudson’s level. Solo said that they should find out tonight if Solo is at Hudson’s level. Hudson said he’d see what he can do…
Tony D’Angelo and his goons were shown walking outside. Vic Joseph hyped up a meeting between Tony’s gang and Legado Del Fantasma…[c]
Grayson Waller was ranting in front of a bunch of developmental wrestlers about how much Roxanne Perez sucks and how awesome he thinks Tiffany Stratton is. Josh Briggs showed up and got in Waller’s face, causing him to back down…
The WWE Special Olympics PSA aired. The show then cut to Alicia Taylor announcing that there were Special Olympics participants in the audience…
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett checked in from ringside and sent the show to the D’Angelo and Escobar gang meeting…
Tony D’Angelo, Stacks, and Two Dimes entered the lounge of a fancy boat. Legado Del Fantasma also entered. D’Angelo and Escobar sat at the table. Escobar joked about AJ Galante not being here. D’Angelo said that Escobar may look fancy but he doesn’t respect Escobar. Escobar talked about how D’Angelo was a kid from the barrio who stabbed people in the back to get to the top. Escobar said in the jungle, Escobar is El Jefe. Wilde and one of the Goons threatened to fight and were stopped by their bosses.
Lopez cut in and wondered what Legado can gain from a rematch. D’Angelo noted that Escobar cheated in the last match. Escobar said that D’Angelo needs to up the stakes. D’Angelo proposed a Six Man Tag Match between his gang and Legado Del Fantasma where the losing gang has to join the other gang. Escobar said he’s looking at three new members of Legado in front of him. D’Angelo says he sees his future yacht. Escobar and D’Angelo agreed to the match stipulations. Escobar told D’Angelo to get off his boat. Vic Joseph hyped up Legado vs. D’Angelo’s gang at In Your House…
Cora Jade made her entrance for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I’m still not a fan of the Impact Wrestling-like loud background music that comes off as low rent, but I did like this cinematic better than the last sitdown the two gangs had. I think this setting was better because it was themed off of Escobar, who comes off as more of a organic mobster as opposed to the cartoon stereotype that D’Angelo is themed off. I understand that some people can give and take the whole mob thing. I was a fan of Lucha Underground and can accept this as long as it’s done well. Speaking of Lucha Underground, Santos Escobar continues to deliver stellar promos just as well as when he was the cowboy bounty hunter King Cuerno. Again, why aren’t WWE making money off this guy who has all the tools to succeed on the main roster (Escobar is also barely a cruiserweight, so the size thing shouldn’t get in the way).
Elektra Lopez made her entrance for the next match…
2. Cora Jade vs. Elektra Lopez. Vic Joseph noted that he expects a fair fight since Legado isn’t at ringside. Lopez started the match with a Belly to Back suplex. Jade came back with a double boot and rough looking armdrag. Jade hit Lopez with an uppercut and shotgun dropkick. Lopez hit Jade with a wheelbarrow slam. Lopez worked on Jade with methodical offense. Elektra Lopez hit Jade with a body slam. Jade rallied back with forearms. Lopez sent Jade into the turnbuckle.
A “we want popcorn” chant ensued. Lopez slammed Jade to the mat for a two count. Lopez locked Jade in a modified deathlock. Jade sent Lopez to ringside with a huracanrana. Jade hit Lopez with another huracanrana and then a dropkick. Jade hit Lopez with a slingshot footstomp for a two count. Lopez hit Jade with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Jade sent Lopez to the mat with a tiger knee. Jade hit Lopez with a diving senton for the win.
Cora Jade defeated Elektra Lopez via pinfall in 5:06.
John’s Thoughts: An ok match, but I don’t think Elektra Lopez is really ready for the ring yet. She’s been very awkward for a while in her matches. I gave her the benefit of the doubt for a while, but she hasn’t shown too much improvement. Hopefully she cleans up her work a bit, or at least tries to perform moves that fit her better.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Wes Lee and asked him why he challenged Xyon Quinn. Lee said he’s been waiting for this for weeks. He said he had to take it now because Quinn might come up with more excuses. Sanga showed up and said that Lee needs to bring the same fight to Quinn that he brought to him last week. Sanga said Lee may not be 10 feet tall, a giant but he knows “brotha” that Lee has a giant heart. Sanga wished Lee the best of luck…
Wes Lee made his entrance for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Yo! Chill nice guy Sanga is so cool. He’s slowly becoming one of my favorite wrestlers to see talk week to week. There’s a hidden star here!
A Roxanne Perez promo package aired. They showed footage of her as a kid meeting the Bella Twins. Perez talked about preparing for the next round all of her life. They aired clips of her as a kid. She said where her friends were watching other things, she watched Raw and Smackdwon.
She talked about taking a bus to train at Booker T’s wrestling school, Reality of Wrestling. They aired B-roll footage of her at ROW. She talked about missing out on the usual teenager things like Prom or parties. She said Cora Jade went through the same journey and she’s happy to have her back. She said Tiffany Stratton may be bigger and stronger, but she’s going to try her best to win the tournament next week…
Xyon Quinn made his entrance for the next match…
3. Wes Lee vs. Xyon Quinn. Lee swarmed Quinn with strikes and a slam. Quinn hit Lee with a suplex to drape him on the top rope. Quinn bolder tossed Lee. Quinn worked on Lee with shortarm boots. Lee powered through a boot, but Quinn came back with strikes. Quinn hit Lee with a release power slam for a two count. Lee fended off Quinn with a dropkick. Quinn reversed a springboard moonsault into a lawn dart toss into the 2nd buckle. Quinn did a Haka dance to set up for his finisher. Lee rolled up Quinn with a small package for the win.
Wes Lee defeated Xyon Quinn via pinfall in 3:41.
Lee rolled to ringside and celebrated with the fans…
John’s Thoughts: I really like what they’re doing with Wes Lee. He’s coming off as a damaged and down singles star on the rise. It’s fun to see that they aren’t jobbing him out after losing his title (and tag partner) and are telling an intricate story with him.
Roderick Strong was yelling at Diamond Mine saying that they were supposed to stay in the back. Nile talked about how Julius took the belt shot for Strong. Strong said that he would have won by DQ. Strong gave the Creeds the ultimatum that if they don’t win the titles at In Your House, then they’re out of Diamond Mine…
John’s Thoughts: I really like that ultimatum as it adds intrigue to the Pretty Deadly vs. Creed Brothers match. Actual stakes for both teams and me not able to clearly see what direction they’re going in. They are clearly setting Roderick Strong as a heel against the Creeds and we’re not sure how they get there. Diamond Mine dissolving could lead to that (but we also had Strong throw in the line of not wanting to see it dissolve due to PTSD from Undisputed Era). This is a fun and intricate story web. Ivy Nile is sided with the Creeds, so she’ll go if the Creed’s go. I would say that Damon Kemp and Roderick Strong should recruit Kemp’s brother Gable Steveson to Diamond Mine, but we all know that Gable is too big for NXT (or maybe going back to College).
Vic Joseph hyped the “Women’s championship summit” for after the break…[c]
Joe Gacy was in a dark area talking about the life of Rick Steiner and how he raised Bron Breakker. Gacy said that Breakker carried the Steiner rage to the Gridiron. Gacy said ultimately that led Breakker to WWE and to being a 2 time NXT Champion. Gacy said he found all this intimate information when he kidnapped Rick Steiner. Gacy said he wants to see Breakker lose control on Saturday. He said that one way or another, the NXT Championship is coming home with Gacy…
John’s Thoughts: Ugh, please end this story soon.
Bron Breakker was watching the promo from backstage. McKenzie Mitchell showed up. The lights flickered and Breakker acted paranoid. Breakker was about to toss the TV around in rage. Breakker said his rage is not a weakness, it’s a strength and he’s going to rip Gacy apart on Saturday…
Vic Joseph sent the show to Wade Barrett hosting the NXT Womens Championship’s Summit between Toxic Attraction and Choo, Carter, and Chance. Chance cut in saying they are going to take down Toxic Attraction from off the mountain. Gigi Dolin said they aren’t the first people to try to take down Toxic Attraction Dolin said some of those opponents aren’t even around in the company anymore. Jayne said it seems like Choo, Carter, and Chance are nervous to be wrestling in their first Premium Live Event.
Carter pointed out that Toxic Attraction can’t lose the title if they don’t even defend the title. Carter said they actually pinned Toxic Attraction before. Jayne said Carter looks like she’s a part of the lollipop guild. Both teams trash talked each other. Choo would keep cutting in “just sign the contract”. Rose called Choo a child.
Rose said that people thought her title reign would be short but she’s held it for over 200 days. Rose signed the contract. Rose said Choo can continue to play games. Choo shot a spitball at Rose. Both sides started brawling. Chance hit Rose with a Codebreaker after the rest of the heels were dumped to ringside. Chance and Carter put Rose on the table. Choo gave Rose a sleepy elbow drop through the table. Choo, Carter, and Chance held up the women’s title belts…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Two of the worst parts of NXT 2.0 back to back. The Joe Gacy thing, and the Wendy Choo thing. Again, I can’t wait until this is over. This whole contract signing thing was all over the place too in a bad way.
Kiana James approached Ivy Nile backstage and talked about how she thinks Diamond Mine will need some new members after the Creeds lose on Saturday. She said that the Creeds have a 12% chance of winning. Nile pressed James against the lockers, asking her the chances of her kicking James’s ass. James said we’ll have to see about that…
Solo Sikoa got a televised entrance for the next match…
4. Solo Sikoa vs. Duke Hudson. Hudson pressured Solo to the corner. Solo turned the tables and slammed Hudson against the buckles. Solo gave Hudson a running lariat. Solo and Hudson traded headbutts. Solo dropped Hudson in the corner. Hudson avoided the Umaga Hip Attack. Hudson gave Solo a jawbreaker on the top rope. Hudson hit Solo with a nice slingshot German Suplex. Hudson worked on Solo with ground punches and boots. Hudson tossed around Solo with Belly to Belly suplexes. Solo made a comeback with a suplex. Solo hit Hudson with a Muay Thai combo into a Samoan Drop.
Solo hit Hudson with a corner splash and superkick. Solo hit Hudson with the Umaga Hip Attack. Solo hit Hudson with a Uso Splash.
Solo Sikoa defeated Duke Hudson via pinfall in 4:44.
John’s Thoughts: Mixed thoughts leaning positive. Mixed because Duke Hudson can’t build momentum. I thought they should have protected the guy a bit more after he picked up the win on Bron Breakker. He can always get his heat back, but I feel like they keep going to the drawing board with him every time they see to get things right. What I really liked was the match and what it did for Solo Sikoa. On the other side, WWE seems really high on Solo and is really protecting him. Solo was born ready for pro wrestling and he’s showed that he’s main roster ready since day 1 in NXT. I’m okay with him sticking in NXT to get better though. That doesn’t hurt. Solo is someone that WWE shouldn’t mess up, and I hope he gets the same plot armor that his really talented brothers and cousin get on the main roster.
Tiffany Stratton cut a promo to hype up winning her match after replacing Nikkita Lyons in the Breakout Tournament. They showed footage of her real life bodybuilding and gymnastic competitions. She hyped up beating Roxanne Perez in the finals…
Footage aired of Thea Hail graduating High School last week. Thea then went to a press conference seat with a bunch of College caps in front of her. She teased going to Notre Dame, but tossed the college caps to the ground. She said she’s going to attend Andre Chase University…
John’s Thoughts: Ok, that one got a chuckle out of me. I was actually thinking she was going to announce her actual college. I appreciate the troll moment, but I was actually looking forward to see what college she’s actually going to. Hey, at least she’s not going to that god awful college known as Stanford University (I’m a UC Berkeley alum. It’s required that I trash talk Stanford on occasion. Ey, but because of how lame Aaron Rodgers has been the last two years, I feel like I’m no longer obligated to praise him! Maybe? But I honestly feel bad for mah boy Jared Goff who traded places with Matthew Stafford in the NFL’s version of Dante’s Inferno, The Detroit Lions). After hyping this up though, which college is she actually going to?
Briggs, Jensen, and Henley made their entrance. Waller took the mic and said that it wasn’t fair and that Jensen and Henley should head to the back. Henley and Jensen agreed to head to the back.
4. Josh Briggs vs. Grayson Waller. Briggs dominated the match and hit Waller with a baseball slide into a right hand. Waller came back with some strikes. Waller dominated Briggs for a few minutes with methodical offense. Barrett said that Briggs reminds him of his real life best friend Sheamus. Briggs got a window of opportunity after a back suplex. Sofia Cromwell and Robert Stone walked to ringside. Briggs hit Waller with a big boot and lariat. Briggs took down Waller wth a pounce. Von Wagner got on the apron and ate a big boot from Josh Briggs. Waller caught the distracted Briggs with the rolling stunner finisher for the victory.
Grayson Waller defeated Josh Briggs via pinfall in 3:33.
Von Wagner put the boots to Briggs and yanked him into the ringpost. Brooks Jensen ran out to protect Briggs. Cromwell and Stone pulled Wagner to the back…
Nathan Frazer was shown warming up backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A good match for the little time given with both guys gaining in defeat and win. Briggs gets protected with the distraction while being dominant. Josh Briggs and Von Wagner are naturals in the ring and Von Wagner is finally clicking as a pro wrestler. I’m really looking forward to seeing both guys unleashed in the ring in a singles match. Waller picks up another win, which he does often. Back to back, WWE has a couple of good big men on their hands in Duke Hudson and Josh Briggs. Hopefully these guys get good pushes on the Main Roster (But poor Dominik Dijak is showing that they can also bury you on the C-shows too). Waller’s wins tend to be dirty, but wins mean something. I like that the guy is credible and consistent with his wins.
Entrances for the next match took place…
5. Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James. James pressured Nile to the corner. Nile came back with a shove and headlock. James tried to come at Nile with forearms, but Nile came back with her own stronger forearm. James sent Nile into the corner and gave her boots and a tackle. James gave Nile a sidewalk slam for a two count. Nile escaped a submission with an armdrag. Nile gave James an enzuigiri combination. Nile gave James a thrust kick. James recovered and tackle Nile into the corner.
James kept talking about how she’s smarter than Nile. Both women reversed holds with James getting a two count off a rollup. Nile slammed James to the mat and gave her ground and pound. Nile gave James high roundhouse kicks and an elevated power slam for the victory.
Ivy Nile defeated Kiana James via pinfall in 3:36.
John’s Thoughts: Good showcase for Nile. They’ve been keeping Nile on NXT Level Up, but they’ve sort of turned her into a buzzsaw there. That’s fine, I’m happy that they’re patient with not rushing her to big programs before she’s ready. She’s someone WWE should be taking their time on because she comes off as a natural badass. Kiana James has been very good in the ring too from what little we’ve seen from her. She’s just saddled with the generic vocational “Sexy Secretary” gimmick. It reminds me of Michelle McCool’s generic “Sexy Teacher” gimmick from back in the day, and McCool only really got good when she ditched that.
Kit Wilson and Elton Prince made their entrance and talked trash to Ivy Nile, saying that they’re going to get the Creeds kicked out of Diamond Mind. Prince asked Nile what Nile will do when Diamond Mine closes. The Creed Brothers showed up and yanked Pretty Deadly into the ring. The Creeds dumped Pretty Deadly to ringside and posed with the Tag Team Titles…
A vignette aired for Gioviani Vinci. It showed him essentially being the world’s most interesting Italian. He drinks nice wines, eats nice food, drives nice cards, and is a prime athelete. The narrator was talking in the third person hyping up Vinci…
John’s Thoughts: Last week I thought Vinci was the guy talking, but now I think the guy talking might be a manager or just a narrator. Right now, my guess is this might be the repackage of Fabian Aichner. I was actually calling for Aichner while he was still in Imperium to be paired with Tony D’Angelo because Aichner’s weakness has been in the character end, but I’m also okay with him not being a part of D’Angelo’s cartoon act (he would be a more authentic Italian than whoever that one goon is who can’t speak in a Italian accent. To be fair, Joaquin Wilde, who’s Filipino, can’t do a Mexican accent either, but they don’t ask him to there. Again, authenticity). I also hope Aichner, or whoever this guy is, doesn’t end up like Cesaro, who had the “Coolest guy in Europe” gimmick when he was called up to the main roster.
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams joined the commentary table. Cameron Grimes made his entrance for the next match…[c]
An ad for Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes at Hell in a Cell…
Nathan Frazer got his dynamic entrance…
John’s Thoughts: I have the feeling that WWE sees big things for Nathan Frazer. They make sure to feature him weekly, they gave him an elaborate entrance, and they make sure to tell you as much as possible that Nathan Frazer is associated with Seth Rollins.
6. Nathan Frazer vs. NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes in a non-title match. Grimes and Frazer started out the match in a stalemate after some chain wrestling. Grimes hit Frazer with a shoulder tackle. Frazer came back with a dropkick. Grimes blocked a dive by catching Frazer with a shoulder tackle. Frazer hit Grimes with a slingshot gut tackle and a huracanrana. Grimes avoided a dive and hit Frazer with a PK heading into the picture in picture.[c]
[Overrun] Frazer gave Grimes an STO into the 2nd buckle. Frazer gave Grimes a moonsault into an Eye of the Hurricane. Grimes and Frazer traded forearms. Frazer rallied with strikes. Grimes came back with a front suplex. Grimes hit a few shoves on Frazer. Frazer caught Grimes with a superkick. Grimes blocked a standing Shooting Star by getting the boots up. Frazer hit Grimes with a Victory Rollup for a two count. Grimes hit Frazer with a uranage for a two count.
Grimes and Frazer traded forearms while getting to their feet. Grimes got Frazer to a knee with a stiff roundhouse. Frazer came back with forearms. Frazer got Grimes staggered with an enzuigiri. Grimes caught Frazer with a lariat. Frazer surprised Grimes with a Frankendriver for a two count. Grimes and Frazer dumped each other to ringside. Melo was happy due to his opponent taking a beating. Grimes recovered to git Frazer with a Super German Suplex. Grimes caught Frazer with a Cave In for the victory.
Cameron Grimes defeated Nathan Frazer via pinfall in 10:09 in a non-title match.
Trick Williams tried to blindside Grimes, but was dumped to ringside. Grimes saw Melo coming and almost hit him with the Cave In, but Trick dragged Melo to ringside. Grimes glared at Melo from the ring as the show closed…
John’s Thoughts: A good NXT 1.0 style match between two professionals. I haven’t seen much of Nathan Frazer, but obviously Shawn Michaels, who’s the main booker of NXT UK, sees this guy as a sensation, and I totally agree with that sentiment if that’s what the powers that be see. The guy has all the tools in the ring, has an athletic look, has confidence in front of the camera. He might be someone to look out for. Hey, they gave the guy PAC/Neville’s old superhero entrance, so that’s a confident start. Grimes continues to shine in the ring. They just really need to give this guy a video package or something because he has barely any character development since becoming babyface. I don’t fault Grimes on that too because we know Grimes is a dynamic personality, can cut a good babyface promo, and deliver constantly in the ring as “the technical savage”.
Another solid episode of NXT as usual with the usual bad parts of anything involving Wendy Choo, Joe Gacy, and Bron Breakker (again, three very talented character, they’re just handed a horrendous script to deliver). Hey if anything, Bron Breakker is living the bad WCW hell that Scott and Rick had to endure. I just few bad that we as viewers have to endure with him. Thankfully there are other things on the show worth watching. The underdog story of Wes Lee has been well done, the Women’s Breakout Tournament has been presented pretty well, Pretty Deadly are extremely entertaining, Diamond Mine and Roderick Strong are putting out some nuanced storytelling, there are many good things on this show. Let’s not forget my favorite surprise act in Sanga, the coolest and most lovable guy in NXT now.
“An ok match, but I don’t think Elektra Lopez is really ready for the ring yet. She’s been very awkward for a while in her matches.”
Cora Jade is 1000x worse than Lopez in the ring.
Welp, it looks like no one should take your thoughts on anything seriously.