6/7 NXT 2.0 results: Moore’s review of Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton in the NXT Breakout Tournament final, Josh Briggs vs. Von Wagner, Tatum Paxley vs. Alba Fyre, fallout from NXT In Your House 

By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)

NXT 2.0 TV 
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live June 7, 2022 on USA Network

[Hour One] A narrated recap video aired, recapping NXT In Your House…

Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…

NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams made their entrances. Trick did his usual hype routine. He praised the Golden State Warriors and bashed the Celtics for some reason. Melo told Trick to cut it because he’s from Boston. Trick apologized. Melo cut a promo hyping himself coming out of In Your House as championship. He said unlike the crowd, he’s a winner, while they are losers that aspire to be Melo. Melo’s promo was cut off by Solo Sikoa making his entrance.

Solo congratulated Melo, and told Melo that ain’t no one wanna hear him on a brag fest. Solo said everybody knows that Solo is next in line. Trick said that agreement isn’t void because the agreement was between Solo and Grimes. Melo said Solo bet on the wrong man. Solo said you don’t see fear in these eyes and Melo knows that Solo has his number. Grayson Waller made his entrance. Waller said he doesn’t care about who Solo’s family is, Solo shouldn’t be handed opportunities. Waller mocked the crowd for not having friends. Waller said Solo has no friends too, that’s why his name is “Solo”.

Solo told Waller to shut the hell up. Solo said he isn’t alone, he has the crowd. Solo asked everyone if they want a fight. Solo then jumped all three heels. The heels then won the numbers game and put the boots to Solo. Referees ran out to order the heels to the back…

A hype package aired to hype Josh Briggs vs. Von Wagner…[c]

John’s Thoughts: Your usual cut and paste new champion segment that has been a thing in NXT 1.0 and you see it all the time on the main roster. New champion comes out, and the challengers line up. Interesting that there were three heels and one babyface here though. It does play into Solo being “solo”, as in a lone wolf, if that’s what they’re going for. Melo’s character development and confidence carries him. Grimes barely got any shine as champ and I hope they end up giving Grimes promos to help him acclimate to the crowd. Solo on the other hand, is ready. It’s those Fatu’s. Rikishi, Eddie, Jimmy, Jey, Jacob, Solo. All these guys are good talkers. Solo is no exception and he’s destined for greatness.

Tony D’Angelo’s crew and Legado Del Fantasma were shown arriving at the WWE PC. They showed D’Angelo ordering Escobar, Wilde, and Del Toro around like servants and secretaries. Wilde was doing the paperwork while Del Toro was driving the SUV. Del Toro said he wanted Escobar to wrestle a match on his behalf. Escobar wanted to hit D’Angelo, but Del Toro pointed out that they had an agreement…

Entrances for the next match took place. Both opponents traded punches before the bell…

1. Von Wagner (w/Robert Stone, Sofia Cromwell) vs. Josh Briggs (w/Brooks Jensen, Fallon Henley). Wagner and Briggs brawled to start the match. Briggs got Wagner off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Briggs hit Wagner with his signature baseball slide into a punch. Wagner came back with a high Yakuza Kick on Briggs. Wagner took down Briggs with punches and knees. Briggs rallied back with right hands. Wagner came back with a Back Suplex for a two count.

Both men continued to trade blows. Briggs rallied with power strikes. Wagner dumped Briggs to ringside. Wagner slammed Jensen’s injured hand into the mat. Briggs took off the cast for Briggs to use as a weapon while Henley distracted the referee. Briggs hit Wagner with the cast and gave Wagner a clothesline for the win.

Josh Briggs defeated Von Wagner via pinfall in 3:04. 

Briggs mocked Wagner at ringside, showing that his hand is fine.

John’s Thoughts: Really good slugfest in a limited amount of time. This is low key one of my favorite feuds in NXT. Briggs did have better ring gear tonight. Looked less like cosplay. Still country boy, but closer to his old bar room brawler gear. Wagner is protected with the dirty loss, and the faces save face due to turnabout being fair play. I also like what Robert Stone and Sofia Cromwell add at ringside. Sofia’s role is very simple, but effective. She has good presence and reminds me a bit of what Lana used to do with the Alexander Rusev act from back in the day.

McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Solo Sikoa. Solo said he wants both Melo and Waller tonight. McKenzie Mitchell asked if he needs a tag partner. Solo said he doesn’t care if anyone helps. If he gets help he gets it. Solo said he promises to leave both those bitches lying just like they did to Solo earlier…

Nathan Frazer made his entrance…[c]

John’s Thoughts: Solo really does have the promo chops of his brothers. He’s so good.

Footage from “earlier today” showed that Andre Chase awarded Thea Hail with a full scholarship to Chace University. Elton Prince and Kit Wilson showed up in sport suits to taunt Chase. Bodhi Hayward mocked Pretty Deadly for losing the tag titles. Pretty Deadly got in Chase’s face before walking out. Chace U took a group picture with Hail…

Tony D’Angelo’s “Family” and Legado Del Fantasma made their entrance for Escobar’s match. Wilde and Del Toro stood watch at the ramp. Escobar had to follow D’Angelo, Stacks, and Two Dimes. Escobar was wearing his old El Hijo Del Fantasma colors with his ring gear. He also had his King Cuerno cowboy boots. D’Angelo joined Barrett and Joseph on commentary. ..

2. Santos Escobar (w/Wilde, Mendoza, D’Angelo, Stacks, Two Dimes) vs. Nathan Frazer. Escobar dominated early on with his methodical chain wrestling. D’Angelo said he thinks Escobar’s methodical wrestling is boring. Joseph said he saw D’Angelo slip something in Wade’s pocket. Frazer picked up the pace with quick offense. He dumped Escobar to ringside. Escobar dodged a Suicide Dive attempt. D’Angelo ordered Escobar to get in the ring. Escobar sent Frazer to ringside with a Gamengiri.

Escobar hit Frazer with the Arrow From the Depths of Hell dive. D’Angelo berated Escobar for using his signature move as the show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]

John’s Thoughts: I was actually paying attention during the PIP. Escobar does an amazing job with the methodical break spots. Not just going through the motions like usual PIPs.

Escobar had the advantage. Joseph questioned why D’Angelo was berating Escobar despite Escobar dominating. Escobar put Frazer in a surfboard. Escobar put Frazer in a deep Walls of Jericho. Frazer managed to get the bottom rope for the break. Escobar and D’Angelo continued to jaw with each other. Frazer landed a Small Package for  a two count. Frazer took down Escobar with a flying axe handle. Frazer hit Escobar with a lionsault into a Eye of the Hurricane.

Frazer hit Escobar with a standing Shooting Star for a two count. Escobar avoided a Phoenix Splash. Frazer escaped a Phantom Driver attempt. Escobar hit Frazer with a Rolling Sobat. Stacks handed Escobar a crowbar, which Escobar hesitated to use. Frazer took advantage of the hesitation by knocking down Escobar and hitting him with a Phoenix Splash for the win.

Nathan Frazer defeated Santos Escobar via pinfall in 11:54. 

Tony D’Angelo continued to berate Escobar after the match…

McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Xyon Quinn. Quinn cut off McKenzie saying Nathan Frazer was like Wes Lee, lucky and always carrying a rabitt foot. Quinn said Wes Lee was lucky in their last match. He said Sanga better be around to pick up Lee’s unconscious body…

Bron Breakker was wearing a denim vest and walking backstage…[c]

John’s Thoughts: We’ve seen this whole “servant” storyline before, but I actually like this D’Angelo Family vs. Legado Del Fantasma feud more now that there’s a clear heel and babyface dynamic. Legado were de facto babyfaces on Saturday and did a good job, but now they are actually going for sympathy. This will also allow us to see a different side of Santos Escobar. I have no doubts as I’ve seen him play a stellar babyface before (aside form a weird “El Champion De Chocolate” run he had in AAA). Escobar still maintains his methodical style as a babyface, which we saw mesh well tonight with Nathan Frazer. Escobar was protected by D’Angelo constantly getting in his way while Frazer gets a momentum win. Again, I think WWE’s high on Frazer. Giving him the superhero entrance and setting him up as Seth Rollin’s protege.

An ad aired for the Great American Bash themed NXT which is on July 5th…

NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his entrance to the WWE Performance Center ring. The commentators talked about how Breakker kept his emotions in check and retained the title on Saturday. Breakker talked about how Joe Gacy challenged him mentally and physically. He said that Gacy made things personal by bringing Rick into it. Breakker said Gacy wasn’t taking the title from him. He said it wasn’t just about Breakker, it was about NXT, which is a special place for him. Breakker soaked in NXT chants.

Breakker said he knows that everybody wants an opportunity at the Championship and the question is who is going to step up for the challenge? Suddenly, Apollo Crews made his entrance. Apollo Crew’s name graphic was in the NXT style (he’s in NXT?). Crews was wearing a leather jacket, saying he’s back. Joseph noted that Crews is a former US and Intercontinental Champion.

Crews took the mic and soaked in Welcome Back chants. Apollo Crews talked in his American accent. Crews said he’s missed the energy of NXT. Apollo said he’s here now and he’s here as long as he’s going to be. He congratulated Breakker for retaining the championship. Crews said he missed the crowd when the crowd chanted “we miss you”. Crews said he loves NXT and it’s special. He said when he left the first time, he left too soon. He said he left a lot of things he wanted to accomplish on the table. He said he’s here now to change and make history.

Crews said he’s looking forward to making history with Breakker. Crews said he’s looking forward to seeing Breakker down the road…

A hype package aired for the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament finals…

John’s Thoughts: A fun return to NXT for Apollo Crews. The NXT graphic and the way the announcers were selling it made me think that Crews might be in NXT for some more seasoning as opposed to the Guest Star role we’ve seen Ziggler, Styles, and Natalya in. I like NXT being around to send main roster stars back down to refine their craft. That said, Crews isn’t someone I would have sent down. Crews did have that problem of being a deer in the headlights and being pushed too soon. It’s true that he was called up, pushed too soon, and not good on the mic. I thought he really found himself though as the Nigerian Prince. That was one of my favorite stories on Smackdown and he finally became good on the mic. Speaking of which, he’s dropped the accent (I’ve seen Mansoor on UpUpDownDown too and he’s dropped his fake accent as well). I wonder where Crews being in NXT leaves Commander Aseez (a.k.a. Babatunde, Daba Kato), who’s currently stuck in WWE C-show hell.

Joe Gacy was in a dark room with his druids, cutting one of his creepy rhetorical promos. Gacy talked about his druids choosing the right path. He talked about how he and his druids are sending a message to the masses. Gacy said they can now focus on the progression of the Druids. He said they are now called “The Dyad” despite having a different name before…

John’s Thoughts: Ugh, Gacy is a great talker, but this Druid and pretentious crap is channel changing material. Bron Breakker looked refreshed in the prior promo and I’m glad he’s out of Bray Wyatt hell, because Gacy is the new curator of Bray Wyatt’s creative hell.

[Hour Two] Entrances for the NXT Breakout Finals aired. Alicia Taylor handled the formal in ring introductions. The title shot contract was sitting on a podium…

3. Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton in the finals of the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament. Stratton got the first takedown. Stratton used a handstand to block a huracanrana. Perez hit Stratton with a Shotgun Dropkick and boot to the hand. Vic Joseph announced Grayson Waller and Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa in a handicap match. Stratton dominated the chain wrestling sequence. Stratton worked an extended wristlock sequence. Perez tried to flip out of the corner but was caught in the air.

Perez countered Stratton with a DDT. Perez hit Stratton with a running uppercut. Stratton reversed old school by slamming Perez into the top rope. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]

Stratton had Perez in a Fujiwara Armbar back from the break. Stratton worked on the left arm of Perez. Perez rallied back with uppercuts. Stratton hit Perez with backflips into an elbow and a double stomp for a two count. Perez escaped a backbreaker with an armdrag. Perez hit Stratton with a Thesz Press. Perez hit Stratton with a Suicide Thesz Press. Perez hit Stratton with a legsweep for a two count.

Perez did a backflip into an elbow, but sold the elbow. Stratton reversed a pin into a two count. Stratton hit Perez with a sitout power bomb for a good nearfall. Stratton crashed and burned off a Mero Sault attempt. Perez hit Stratton with Pop Rocks (Code Red) for the win.

Roxanne Perez defeated Tiffany Stratton via pinfall in 8:48 of on-air time to win the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament. 

Cora Jade hugged Roxanne Perez after the match. Jade handed Perez the guaranteed contract. All of a Sudden, Mandy Rose, Jacy Jayne, and Gigi Dolin made their entrance in street clothes. Rose said everything paid off and Perez should be proud of herself. Rose continued to act condescending. Rose said Perez should enjoy the moment because it’s all downhill from here.

Rose said that she needs to go to Raw, Smackdown, or leave the contract in a closet rather than cash in the title shot on Rose. Rose said Perez would fail like Cora Jade, who failed twice. Perez cut of Rose’s promo short by clocking Rose with a right hand. The heels had the number advantage in the brawl until Indi Hartwell ran out and cleared the heels from the ring…

John’s Thoughts: A pretty decent women’s final. Tiffany Stratton wrestled her longest match yet and looked pretty good. It wasn’t anything breathtaking, but Stratton has improved immensely after a rough start in NXT. She’s really acclimating well to pro wrestling, almost like a sponge. Her being a natural athlete who’s also a body builder, reminds me a bit of Bianca Belair and how quickly she took to pro wrestling. Different presentations, of course, but Stratton is really learning quickly. Interesting to see where they go with Perez and her contract. While babyfaces usually call their shot ahead of time, Perez is a underdog. Underdogs are usually excused of taking the shortcut. They are setting up Cora Jade as a tag team partner. I actually wonder if they might turn Cora Jade heel if Perez decides not to cash in on the tag team titles? Just a thought.

Bodhi Hayward was lying on the ground backstage due to a sneak attack. Hayward noted that Pretty Deadly jumpped him. Andre Chase kicked a can nearby and said he was going to go after Pretty Deadly…[c]

An ad aired to hype John Cena’s 20 years in WWE…

Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett checked in from ringside. Joseph joked about John Cena burying Wade Barrett under a mountain of chairs…

John’s Thoughts: I didn’t want to be reminded of that. That literally buried the Nexus at the time.

McKenzie Mitchell tried to interview Wendy Choo but Tiffany Stratton walked into the set ranting about how she thinks Perez cheated. McKenzie walked away. Choo walked away after tossing her drink all over Stratton…

Pretty Deadly made their entrance with the classic John Morrison slo-mo effect…

4. “Pretty Deadly” Kit Wilson and Elton Prince vs. Andre Chase. Chase took down Prince with a Thesz Press. Chase worked on Prince with ten punches in the corner. Chase backdropped both pretty deadly guys. Wilson tripped up Chase which allowed Prince to hit him with an elbow drop. Pretty Deadly traded quick tags to stay fresh against the singular opponent. Bodhi Hayward was shown crawling down the ramp with Thea Hail telling him that he’s too hurt. Thea Hail got on the apron and asked for the tag. Hail slapped Prince when Prince got in her face. Chase hit Wilson with a side Russian Legsweep.

Kit Wilson took Chase’s Chace U boots. Prince hit Chace with a face wash kick after blind tagging in. Pretty Deadly hit Chase with Spilled Milk to give Prince the pinfall.

Pretty Deadly defeated Andre Chase via pinfall in 3:16.

Tony D’Angelo confronted Carmelo Hayes backstage. Trick said that D’Angelo may be the don of NXT, but Melo is the “Sun” of NXT that everything revolves around. Melo said that D’Angelo needs to stay out of his way. D’Angelo called Melo “son” and said he needs to stay out of his way…

Alba Fyre made her entrance with her flaming bat…

John’s Thoughts: I really like Alba Fyre’s character upgrade. Her whole Fire motif reminds me of Kiera Hogan’s “Fire” motif in WOW, which I really wanted to see more of.

5. Alba Fyre vs. Tatum Paxley. Paxley started the match with quick pin attempts. Fyre hit Paxley with a Kamigoye for a two count. Fyre hit Paxley with a front suplex for a two count. Fyre hit Paxley with a Swanton Bomb for the win.

Alba Fyre defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 2:38.

Wade Barrett noted that Tatum Paxley rolled far across the ring and Fyre still landed the move. They showed multiple replays of Fyre’s Swanton. Lash Legend attacked Fyre on the ramp and talked trash…

The show cut to NXT Tag Team Champions, The Creeds, hanging out with Diamond Mine. Roderick Strong apologized to The Creeds and congratulated them on winning the tag team titles. Strong led Diamond Mine in a group hug. Malik Blade and Edris Enofe walked in and challenged The Creeds to a tag title match. Julius talked about how they had momentum on Saturday and heard all the trash that Enofe and Blade talked. Julius said he appreciates that.

The Creeds and Enofe and Blade traded handshakes. Julius agreed to give them a tag title shot next week. Roderick Strong berated the Creeds for giving them a tag team title shot. Roderick bragged about being a multi-time champion. He said he thinks the Creeds are going to blow it at champions…[c]

A Smackdown ad aired focusing on Matt Riddle’s feud with The Bloodline. They also hyped Ricochet vs. Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship…

A Giovani Vinci vignette aired. He’s still the coolest guy in Italy. The camera showed his face and he is in fact the former Fabian Aichner. He also is sporting a brown beard…

Barrett and Joseph advertised the following matches for next week: Toxic Attraction vs. Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Indi Hartwell and The Creed Brothers vs. Enofe and Blade for the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Entrances for the next match took place. Solo walked down the ramp and said that he found a tag partner who also want to heel them asses. Solo and Apollo dumped the heels to ringside before the bell…

5. Solo Sikoa and Apollo Crews vs. Grayson Waller and NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes (w/Trick Williams). Melo teased wrestling Solo but quickly tagged in Waller. Solo no sold Waller’s headbutt and returned the favor with a headbutt. Crews tagged in and hit Waller with a slingshot senton. Crews hit Waller with a delayed Vertical Suplex which lasted for about 30 seconds. Solo tagged in and punched Waller in the gut. Solo hit Waller with a running Umaga headbutt for a two count. Apollo tagged in and Melo blind tagged in. This allowed Melo to hit Apollo with a La Mistica slam.

Waller tagged back in and worked on Apollo with methodical offense. Melo and Waller traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Apollo. Crews got a window of opportunity after an enzuigiri. Solo and Waller tagged in with Solo having momentum after a superkick on Waller. Solo hit Waller with the Umaga hip attack in the corner. Apollo hit the heels with a plancha at ringside. The show cut to Picture-in-picture.[c]

[Overrun] Solo gave Waller a whip, which caused Waller to tag in Hayes. Hayes was tossed in and took Solo’s shoulder tackle. Solo hit Melo with a corner lariat. Waller dragged Melo to ringside. Solo hit Trick with a right hand. Melo hit Solo with a slingshot lariat. Wes Lee vs. Xyon Quinn was announced for next week. The heels regained control and cut the ring in half on Solo. Waller hit Solo with the crossover elbow drop for a two count. Melo missed a slingshot elbow after tagging in. Solo clocked Melo with an uppercut.

Melo came back with a pump kick and tagged in Waller. Waller worked on Solo with Cravate Clinch knees. Waller put Solo in a crossface. Solo crawed to the rope for the break. Solo backed down Waller and Melo to bring in Apollo for the hot tag. Apollo hit Waller with consecutive German Suplexes. Crews blocked a pump kick and hit Melo with a German Suplex. Crews hit Waller with a standing moonsault combo for a two count. Solo brawled with Melo. Solo hit Melo with a superkick and dumpted him to ringside. Waller tried to go to his finisher on Crews, but Crews reversed the Stunner into a Blue Thunder Bomb for the victory.

Apollo Crews and Solo Sikoa defeated Grayson Waller and Carmelo Hayes via pinfall in 13:45. 

Solo and Apollo celebrated to close the show…

John’s Thoughts: Solid TV main event with four professionals in the ring. Lots of good action and solid stuff to build up Solo as a babyface while also reintroducing Apollo Crews back to the NXT crowd. I like that Crews didn’t take all the air out of the room and it was the three NXT guys that were allowed to shine. I guess Apollo is an NXT guy again, maybe? The commentators and graphics make it seem like Apollo is here to stay.

A nice episode of NXT with that 1.0 feel with a different coat of paint. It was solid. The annoying Wendy Choo and Joe Gacy acts were on the show, but they were isolated enough to be harmless and ineffectual to any promising acts. Bron Breakker looked to be out of creative prison tonight and I’m looking forward to his next program.