By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT 2.0 TV
Taped June 8, 2022 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired June 14, 2022 on USA Network
[Hour One]Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
All four wrestlers were already in the ring for the opening championship match with Alicia Taylor handling the formal in-ring introductions…
1. “The Creed Brothers” Julius and Brutus Creed vs. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Brutus dominated early on with amateur wrestling holds on Blade. Julius tagged in and Blade managed to hit him with a few armdrags. Enofe tagged in and hit Julius with a Tiger Feint Kick for a two count. Enofe turned a Sunset Flip into a Koji Clutch. Julius broke up the hold with a rollup. Julius tagged in Brutus and gave Brutus a Gutwrench Suplex to slam him on Enofe. Brutus put Enofe in a Guillotine Choke. Enofe broke the hold with a Northern Lights Suplex.
Blade tagged in and ran right into a lariat from Brutus. Diamond mine cut the ring in half on Blade with quick tags and tandem offense. Enofe managed to ground Julius with a dropkick. The creeds backdropped both opponents. The show cut to picture in picture.[c]
Enofe hit Brutus with a high knee. Blade and Enofe hit Brutus with tandem elbows for a two count. Enofe hit Brutus with a diving elbow drop for a two count. Roderick Strong was watching the match with Ivy Nile and Damon Kemp backstage. Brutus backdropped Enofe. Julius tagged in and hit both opponents with strikes and suplexes. Julius hit Enofe with a delayed gutwrench suplex. Blade hit Julius with a series of axe handle strikes. Julius hit Blade with a Cartwheel Suplex. Brutus hit Blade with a basement lariat for the win.
The Creed Brothers defeated Blade and Enofe via pinfall in 13:57.
John’s Thoughts: The match started off a bit sluggish, but overall it was solid. I didn’t expect Enofe and Blade to get so much offense and time in. If Enofe and Blade were going to look so competitive they probably should have built up the underdogs a bit.
Cora Jade, Indi Hartwell, and Roxanne Perez were hanging out backstage. Hartwell was still depressed over losing her “husband” and friend in NXT. Perez said Hartwell shouldn’t feel left out and that they all have a common enemy in Toxic Attraction…
Tiffany Stratton made her entrance. Wendy Choo was shown bouncing around behind her…[c]
The show cut to Apollo Crews sitting down at a diner, writing in a notebook. Crews talked about returning to NXT and how he wants to complete unfinished business. One of the customers was berating a waitress. Crews had a daydreaming sequence where he imagined smashing the man’s head into the table. Crews woke up form his daydream and approached the troublesome customer. The camera cut back to the Performance Center after Crews got in the face of the angry customer and presumably attacked him…
John’s Thoughts: Uhm? Did Crews just kayfabe assault a random man at a restaurant? I get that the guy had it coming to him, but that also made Crews look a bit unnecessarily aggressive.
2. Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley (w/Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen). Henley took down Stratton and hit Tiffany with a dropkick. Stratton tangled Henley in the ring apron and tossed her around. Henley rolled up stratton for a two count. Henley dominated with forearms and a facebuster. Stratton slammed Henley to the mat and hit her with a double stomp for a two count. Wendy Choo bonced to ringside on a yoga ball. Choo tossed confetti at Stratton. Henley rolled up Stratton for the victory.
Fallon Henley defeated Tiffany Stratton via pinfall in 3:10.
A crestfallen Cameron Grimes was walking backstage. People tried to cheer him up but he didn’t want sympathy. Bron Breakker congratulated Grimes for a good match at In Your House. Grimes said that he didn’t need sympathy. Grimes walked off. Duke Hudson approached Bron Breakker and brought up beating Breakker via DQ a few weeks ago. Breakker challenged Hudson to a match and offered to put the title on the line. Hudson accepted…
Wes Lee made his entrance for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Ugh. I feel bad for Stratton. She was starting to gain momentum as a character too, but I don’t think going against Wendy Choo and Choo’s child pranks is going to be productive for her development.
A Lash Legend promo package aired. Lash talked about being a standout at Track and Field. She also talked about how she led her college basketball team to the number 1 seed in the NCAA. The talked about dominating in the WNBA and taking her skillset to dominate WWE…
Xyon Quinn made his entrance…
3. Wes Lee vs. Xyon Quinn. Lee rolled up Quinn for a two count. Lee gave Quinn boots to the face. Quinn draped Lee on the top rope and punched him like a punching bag. Lee tried to tackle Quinn, but Quinn crossed his arms and no sold Lee’s tackle. Quinn boulder tossed Lee. Quinn worked on Lee with methodical offense. Lee dodged a tackle and hit Quinn with a waterfall kick. Lee hit Quinn with a Spiral Tap for the clean win.
Wes Lee defeated Xyon Quinn via pinfall in 2:50.
Wade Barrett noted that Lee’s finisher is impressive and he doesn’t even know what you call the move (Well, AJ Styles called it the Spiral Tap)…
Joe Gacy and his Druids were shown in a random dark room trying to look ominous…[c]
John’ s Thoughts: Good win for Lee and I’m glad they didn’t go the parity route with giving Quinn his win back. Lee’s a potential upper card star so it’ll be cool to see his path up the card. I wanna see more him and Sanga too because Sanga tends to steal the show recently with his TV time.
A Nathan Frazer introductory promo aired. Frazer talked about growing up a WWE and Soccer fan. He said he probably would have made it to professional soccer, but he decided to reach for his ultimate dreams in WWE. The video said, to be continued…
4. “The Dyad” Druid 1 and Druid 2 vs. Javier Bernal and Dante Chen. Chen and Bernal swarmed one of the Druids. One of the Druids hit Chen with a flying forearm. The 2nd Druid tagged in. The druids had face masks connected to their hoods so we couldn’t see their face behind their bath robes. The Dyad traded quick tags for methodical offense no Chen. Chen managed to tag in Bernal who rallied with strikes on one of the druids. Bernal hit a Druid with a legsweep and lariat. the Druid took down Bernal with a lariat. One Druid knocked Chen off the apron. The Dyad hit Bernal with a double team draping DDT for the win.
The Dyad defeated Javier Bernal and Dante Chen via pinfall in 3:56.
Joe Gacy took the mic and said that the Dyad have taken the next step in their progression. Gacy said society is a cesspool and made these men feel inferior when they should feel superior. Gacy said he wants NXT to become a place of acceptance and everyone will see his message…
Valentina Feroz and Luisa Leon were hanging out with Sanga. Xyon Quinn was walking around looking grumpy. Sanga told Quinn to chill out. Quinn got angry but then walked away. Sanga said he thinks he found his next opponent…
Tony D’Angelo, Stacks, and Two Dimes were hyped for after the break (Two Dimes was released from WWE after these tapings)…[c]
John’s Thoughts: That match was awkward. Two guys in masks and bath robes. Ok? This Joe Gacy act is horrid at this point, but maybe we can get some unintentional comedy from the two bath robe druids.
A Nikkita Lyons “returning soon” vignette aired…
[Hour Two] The Tony D’Angelo Family and Legado Del Fantasma made their entrance, with Legado continuing to be subservient to Tony. Tony talked to Stacks and Two Dimes about how he met them and how they’ve stepped up big for “the family”. A replay of Legado Del Fantasma losing at In Your House aired. Tony said he was upgrading Stacks and Two Dimes to “soldiers” of the family. D’Angelo awared Stacks and Two Dimes gold watches. He also slipped them envelopes with cash. D’Angelo yelled at Wilde and Del Toro, saying they can’t follow Escobar anymore.
D’Angelo said they all need to follow the code of loyalty by not ratting on family and always keeping their mouths shut. All three Legado members reluctantly shook hands with D’Angelo. Tony said he was now going to go after championships. He was cut off by Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams making their entrance. Melo said the Don thing must be going to Tony’s head because he shouldn’t wanna mess with Melo or Melo’s title. Tony said the title is his business now. Trick said Melo doesn’t take threats. Tony said Melo is not the Don of NXT. Tony said it’s a done deal where he’ll wrestle for the North American Title next week. Stacks and Two Dimes challenged Trick and Melo to a match this week. Trick and Melo accepted…
Duke Hudson and Bron Breakker were shown heading to the ring from different areas backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: That segment really meandered. It felt like they went 10 minutes to say what should have taken 2 minutes. D’Angelo seemed to be a bit off too, but that tends to happen when he’s spewing off this cartoony mafia stereotypes. They also seem to wanna stuff as many mob stereotypes as possible into D’Angelo’s segments.
Toxic Attraction were all shown in the Toxic Lounge. All three trash talked their opponents for later in the show…
Entrances for the next match took place…
5. Bron Breakker vs. Duke Hudson for the NXT Championship. Hudson attacked Breakker before the bell. After the Bell, Breakker dominated with forearms and a Suplex. Breakker hit Hudson with a spear. Breakker hit Hudson with a Military Press Power Slam for the victory.
Bron Breakker defeated Duke Hudson via pinfall in 0:46.
Highlights from the match aired…
John’s Thoughts: Welp, that was a bit of a waste. They could have probably have gone months with Duke Hudson bragging about beating the NXT champion. Instead they feed Hudson to Breakker so soon after that win.
Cameron Grimes made his entrance to confront Bron Breakker. Grimes said that Breakker took the world by storm ever since he came to NXT. Grimes said he’s here to tell Breakker what’s on his mind. Grimes said that if Breakker wasn’t a [Steiner] then he wouldn’t be champion. Grimes said Breakker is a legend. Grimes said everyone knows who Breakker’s dad is, but no one knows Grimes’ (The co founder of the OMEGA indie promotion). Grimes said that Breakker got to have his dad watch his title win from ringside while Grimes’s dad couldn’t because he had to watch from heaven. Grimes said he agrees that Breakker gets better every time in the ring. Grimes said he’s tired of catchphrases and stuff, he said he’s going to the moon. He challenged Breakker to a match at Great American Bash. Breakker shook Grimes’s hand and said You Got It…
Ivy Nile met up with Tatum Paxley backstage. Nile told Paxley to keep up the good work because she’s improving. Roderick Strong berated Nile for cheering up Paxley. Strong then Berated the Creeds for shaking hands with Enofe and Blade. Julius said they’ve taken Roddy’s advice and that Diamond Mine shouldn’t be soft. Julius said he got Roddy and Kemp booked in a match next week so they can show the Creeds how to handle business. Roddy said his leg was still hurt. Nile said that Roddy said there were “no excuses” in Diamond Mine…
Giovanni Vinci was hyped for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Interesting twist for the Grimes Character. It looks like they’re making him a crestfallen heel, which is something that might work. They rushed the whole serious turn with him so hopefully this heel or heel-ish character leads to some character development. I like that they’re turning his loss into character development.
Clips from NXT house shows aired…
The show cut to McKenzie Mitchell interviewing Von Wagner, Mr. Stone, and Sofia Cromwell. Stone said that Brooks Jensen is a cheater for helping Briggs last week. Cromwell said that Von will face Brooks next week one-on-one with everyone banned from ringside…
Giovani Vinci made his entrance. They did this strange effect where the camera would flash like they were taking photos of him…
6. Giovani Vinci vs. Guru Raj. Vinci showed off some Lucha Libre with a kip up and armdrag. Vinci ran the ropes and hit Raj with a clothesline. Vinci no sold a dorpkick by Raj. Vinci came back with a chest slap. Vinci hit Raj with a springboard crossbody. Vinci worked on Raj with chops. Vinci took down Raj with a shortarm lariat. Vinci hit Raj with an elevated Sitout Power Bomb for the win.
Giovani Vinci defeated Guru Raj via pinfall in 2:55.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Solo Sikoa who said he’s going after the North American Championship. Grayson Waller showed up to trash talk Solo. Solo brought up how Waller ate a power bomb from Crews. Solo challenged Waller to a match next week. Waller reluctantly accepted, joking that he is the street champ of Australia…
Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes made their entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A bit rough presentation-wise with the former Fabian Aichner. He was forcing a smile. The photo thing was a bit much. The music didn’t sound good either. Only thing that really was good about that was Giovani Vinci still being good in the ring with his lucha libre influence. I really think that in order to make this act work, they need to give Vinci a manager or valet because it’s going to be tough for him to carry this act by himself.
A pride month video aired where Sonya Deville recapped coming out as Lesbian on Tough Enough…
Edris Enofe cheered up Malik blade, saying they should go to the club to raise their spirits. Cameron Grimes got in Enofe’s face and said that they lost in their biggest match. Grimes berated Enofe and Blade for leaving before the show was finished. Grimes said that Enofe had a great look and can be the company’s biggest star, but he’s not hungry enough. Grimes said that he doesn’t want to see Enofe waste opportunities, because Grimes doesn’t waste his opportunities…
7. Trick Williams and NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo and Troy “Two Dimes” Donnovan (w/D’Angelo, Wilde, Mendoza, Escobar). Melo took down Stacks. Stacks tripped Melo off the springboard when D’Angelo distracted him. Two Dimes got a two count on Melo. Stacks and Two Dimes cut the ring in half on Melo. Melo avoided an elbow drop and tagged in Trick. Trick gave one of the goons punches and a lariat. Trick hit one good with a flapjack. While the referee was distracted, Del Toro went for a crossbody on one goon. Trick saw it coming and Del Toro accidentally hit one of the goons. Melo tagged in and hit one of the goons with a top rope scissors kick for the win.
Trick and Melo defeated Stacks and Two Dimes via pinfall in 4:22.
D’Angelo berated Legado Del Fantasma at ringside while the Legado members laughed in his face…[c]
John’s Thoughts: More of an angle than an actual match to forward the Legado Del Fantasma storyline. Not much to evaluate in terms of tag team chemistry. It’s going to be an awkward next few weeks of taped shows because Troy Donnovan was released from his WWE contract after the tapings.
An ad aired for Roman Reigns vs. Matt Riddle for the world title this Friday on Smackdown…
Tony D’Angelo berated Wilde, Mendoza, and Escobar and said that they better fall in line in time for his match against Carmelo Hayes….
The commentary team hyped up the following matches for next week: Lash Legend vs. Alba Fyre, Carmelo Hayes vs. Tony D’Angelo for the North American Championship, and Solo Sikoa vs. Grayson Waller…
Entrances for the next match took place…
7. “Toxic Attraction” Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne vs. Indi Hartwell, Roxanne Perez, and Cora Jade. Jade pressured Rose to the corner, causing Rose to tag in Jayne. Jayne took down Jade with a shoulder tackle. Jade rolled up Jayne with a jackknife rollup for a two count. Jayne slammed Jade for a two count. Jade hit Jayne with a jawbreaker. Rose tagged in and walked into a armdrag by Jade. Hartwell tagged in and hit Rose with a sidewalk slam for a two count. Toxic Attraction rolled to ringside to regroup. The face team gave the heels stereo boots when the heels entered the ring. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
[Overrun] Jayne had Perez in a butterfly shoulder stretch. Perez escaped and hit Jayne with a few armdrags. Both women traded rollups. Jayne hit Perez with a running senton for the two count. Perez and Jayne traded forearms. Perez gave Jayne’s arm a knee lift. Hartwell and Rose tagged in with Hartwell having the advantage. Hartwell hit Rose with a punch combo for a two count.
Jade hit Rose with a slingshot double stomp for a two count. Jade hit all three Toxic members with forearms. Rose hit Jade with a spinebuster for a two count. Jayne hit Jade with a snap suplex for a two count. Toxic Attraction cut the ring in half on Jade. Jade got the tag to Hartwell, but the ref called it off because he was distracted by Jayne. Toxic Attraction traded quick tags to continue to cut the ring in half on Jade.
Jade escaped a Surfboard by Dolin and tagged in Perez who hit Dolin with a Thesz Press. Perez hit Dolin with a legsweep. Jayne broke up the pin with a senton. Hartwell cleared all three heels from the ring. Hartwell hit Rose with a lariat. Perez tagged in Jade. Jade hit Dolin with a diving senton. Jade let Perez tag in to take the pin (The finish actually looked awkward and there may have been an edit?).
Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Indi Hartwell defeated Toxic Attraction via pinfall in 13:51.
The face team celebrated their win to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: A good television match up to the finish that seemed awkward. I’m not sure if there was an edit or they were trying to tell some sort of story. It was just odd for Perez to just tag in for the pin without hitting a finisher or something (I get that Jade hit her finisher, but the subsequent pin sequence seemed odd). My guess is this can play into Jade wanting Perez to cash in her not-Money in the Bank contract on the tag team titles instead of the main Women’s title. I think that’s where they’re going because they’ve really started to lay it on thick that Jade and Perez are best buddies.
Mixed bag NXT this week. The best parts were the vignettes and some in-ring action. They’ve also tried some experimental things that were hit and miss. By the way, we never got an update on what Apollo Crews did to that guy at the restaurant? Crews may have kayfabe killed a random a-hole. Some things that missed the mark were Giovani Vinci’s presentation, Tony D’Angelo’s meandering promo, and the two druids wrestling in bath robes. Crews possibly killing a man in the diner was actually unintentional humor. It actually felt like an “Only in TNA” moment. I’m reminded of James Storm getting Mickie James run over by a train (while Storm was going through his Joe Gacy cult leader phase)
Jobbing Toxic Attraction to arguably the 3 worst wrestlers on the NXT roster is a baffling decision.
What did Indi Hartwell ever do to piss you off? Last time you complain that Jade and Perez are short (Jade is actually taller than Mandy Rose), and now you complain about the tallest woman in NXT (next to Lash Legend)?
I’m perplexed as far as your ethos is concerned. But as commentor tom mentioned, at least you used the word “arguably” this time
Well,
Atleast you said arguably..
On the awkward finish.
I think Gigi got injured on the senton by Jade & they had to go with Perez pinning her right away. I assume that Perez was suppose to do her finisher as well but had to skip it. It looked like Gigi was favoring her arm & the ref was in “injury mode” when he was clearly talking to her.
A dream sequence, a woman on a yoga ball and two druids wrestling…what the living f*ck is this??