By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Live from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired December 6, 2022 on USA Network
[Hour One] Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from ringside during the opening entrances. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
1. Von Wagner (w/Robert Stone) vs. Axiom vs. Andre Chase (w/Thea Hail, Duke Hudson) for the final spot in the Iron Survivor Match at NXT Deadline. Hudson immediately went at Wagner with a Yakuza Kick. After Axiom got involved in the scuffle, Wagner took down both smaller opponents with shoulder tackles and side headlocks. For some reason, Robert Stone was wearing what looked like a gunless gun holster. Axiom and Chase teamed up and took down Wagner with double team flying shoulder tackles. Axiom and Chase hit Wagner with a double team suplex.
Chase got a two count off a small package and said it was a teachable moment. Axiom put Chase in a heel hook. Wagner broke it up by giving both guys boots. Axiom escaped Wagner’s wrist hold and hit him with an armdrag while also giving Chase a huracanrana. Axiom hit Chase with a standing moonsault for a two count. Wagner gave Axiom a Military Press onto Chase heading into commercial.[c]
Chase power bombed Wagner off the top rope and gave Axiom a Superplex. Wagner and Chase traded boo-yay punches. Wagner took down Wagner with a dropkick to the shin, followed by a Russian Legsweep. Chase hit Wagner with the Chase U boots. Axiom hit Wagner with a suicide dive. Chase caught Axiom with a front kick and a Tiger Driver for the two count.
Chase blocked a Juji Gatame attempt. Wagner came into the ring and took a Sleeper Hold from Axiom. Axiom transitioned into a Kimura Lock. Wagner escaped the hold by power bombing Axiom on Chase. Wagner slammed Chase and got a two count. Chase gave Wagner and Axiom a front back DDT at the same time. Chase hit Wagner with High Fly Flow. Axiom flew in with the Golden Ratio Superkick while Chase was recovering at ringside to pick up the pinfall over Wagner.
Axiom defeated Von Wagner and Andre Chase via pinfall in 11:54 to earn the final spot in the Iron Survivor Match.
A Cora Jade promo vignette where Jade stated her claim to win the Iron Survivor Match…
John’s Thoughts: Great match that exceeded paper expectations. I shouldn’t have underestimated all three men because all three men are good in the ring. Andre Chase, despite the goofballs gimmick, is the best overall of the three. He’s a good character, and that causes you to underestimate the veteran in the ring. It’s easy to forget that he Ring of Honor’s Harlem Bravado. Axiom is getting better in terms of presentation. He’s ditched the weird “math superhero” thing and leaning more into his technical ability.
A doctor was checking on Julius Creed. Julius claimed his ribs were ok and the doctor was about to clear him, but Ivy Nile told the doctor to check the ribs again. The doctor checked again and found swelling, causing him not to medically clear Julius. Brutus and Julius were mad at Ivy Nile for that but Ivy talked about looking out for Julius’s health…
Vic Joseph hyped up a Bron Breakker fishing segment for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: This NXT on-air doctor is horrible. Last week he allowed Nikkita Lyons to just say “I’m ok” for the medical clearance, and he was about to do it again this week. Ivy Nile was a better doctor here.
Bron Breakker was about to set sail on his boat. Apollo Crews showed up and asked if he could hang out on the boat with Bron. Crews was nerding out over the boat engine. Bron and Apollo brought out their fishing hooks. Bron coached Apollo on how to fish. Bron talked about really liking Apollo’s standing moonsault. Crews said he also likes Bron’s version. Breakker said he was inspired by Crews.
Crews wondered if fishing was a way to relieve stress or an excuse to be alone. Breakker talked about how it’s meant to take off the weight of being champion. He said in one loss he could lose everything. Crews said Breakker can get rid of that weight by just being handed the title. Crews and Breakker got excited over Crews catching a fish. Crews let the fish back to the lake. Breakker and Crews continued to banter. The segment ended with both men going back to fishing. Vic Joseph plugged the Breakker vs. Crews match…
Bryson Montana was in the ring for a match, but he was beat up by Sanga, who chokeslammed him. Montana was supposed to wrestle Javier Bernal, but Bernal ran away when he saw Veer and Sanga. Veer took the mic and said he will only face the Creeds when they are 100 percent, and it’s clear that they are not 100 percent. Veer said that Indus Sher declines the Creeds challenge, but they are waiting. Sanga added that they don’t want to wait long. The Creeds walked out and had to be pulled back by referees and Ivy Nile…
Thea Hail was super hyped at getting a match with Isla Dawn. Duke Hudson wasn’t sure if that’s a good idea, but Chase was happy for her. Chase slammed a locker room door when Hudson said he was worried about Chase after his loss…
A Tony D’Angelo highlight vignette aired…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I continue to like the grounded and organic Crews and Breakker cinematics. Both men got humanized, especially Breakker. As for Indus Sher, NXT is doing a good job at redefining both men. Veer Mahan is starting to show actual development as the smart and stylish guy.
An ad aired for a Ric Flair documentary on Peacock…
Sol Ruca and Amari Miller were doing Fortnite dances on Tik Tok. Behind them, Briggs and Jensen got in a fight with Enofe and Blade…
Xyon Quinn was already in the ring. Tony D’Angelo got a full entrance…
2. Tony D’Angelo (w/Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo) vs. Xyon Quinn. D’Angelo ran the ropes and took down Quinn with a shoulder tackle. Quinn tackled D’Angelo into the corner. D’Angelo escaped a fireman carry and hit Quinn with a lariat. D’Angelo hit Quinn with hockey gut punches and a suplex. Quinn rallied back with right hands. Quinn hit D’Angelo with a Samoan Drop. D’Angelo gave Quinn a right hand and spinebuster. D’Angelo hit Quinn with a pop up side slam for the win.
Tony D’Angelo defeated Xyon Quinn in 1:55.
D’Angelo took the mic and asked Stacks if he sees ring rust. Stacks said he didn’t. Tony said during his physical therapy he developed new “connections”. Tony said he now has his sights set on the North American title. D’Angelo reiterated that Wes Lee took him out on purpose. Wes Lee made his entrance and welcomed Tony back. Tony said it’s good that Lee is paying title. Lee said he’s not here for that, but to keep an eye on a future title contender.
Stacks tried to hype up D’Angelo, but Lee told D’Angelo to put Stacks on decaf. Lee said that D’Angelo has to wait until he takes care of Dijak. D’Angelo said that Lee needs to face him now and not later. Dijak appeared on the screen and taunted D’Angelo and Lee. Dijak told Lee to keep his name out his mouth or else get punishment for a repeat offense. Stacks taunted Lee and shoved him. Lee ended up escaping to ringside, saying he’s going to deal with Dijak first and then D’Angelo…
John’s Thoughts: Good return for D’Angelo, who didn’t show any ring rust based off the way he was running the ropes. A simple segment after to set up the North American Championship title picture. Interesting to see Quinn’s lack of push these days. I almost feel like Xyon Quinn was one of the wrestlers to see his focus taken away from him once Vince McMahon retired.
Vic Joseph sent the show to footage from last week where Hank Walker confronted Charlie Dempsey for his criticisms. Walker said he didn’t get in the ring at a young age like Charlie. He said he does work hard and had a proud father as inspiration. Walker said he’d be happy to wrestle Dempsey. Dempsey said he’s happy to show Walker that Walker doesn’t belong…
Hank Walker made his entrance…[c]
The show cut to a cinematic Scrypts promo. He said his usual stylish rhymes. He talked about being judged growing up. He scribbled his name on a notepad and then broke the pencil…
John’s Thoughts: I mean? I still can’t take Emo Reggie seriously, especially after coming out to that weird costume last time. In all seriousness though, I’m willing to give Reggie a chance as a reboot. Reggie had a career ceiling and 24/7 was a detrimental division. I want to see Reggie succeed if he wants to become more deep and serious. I just can’t take him deep and serious when he comes out dressed like he bought some discount Halloween cosplay from tha Ross discount store. The guy is athletic, and I think he has John Morrison good potential. I hope they tighten up some of the week points of his act and I pray he succeeds.
3. Charlie Dempsey vs. Hank Walker. Dempsey gave Walker a slap and Walker came back with tackles and a hip toss. Joseph talked about Walker being a starting lineman in college. Booker said Footaball players are hardest to train due to being book minded. Walker powered out of a Kimura with a hip toss. Dempsey came back with a forearm and Gutwrench Suplex.
Dempsey put Walker in a Chickenwing. Drew Gulak showed up out of nowhere at ringside. Joseph noted that Gulak is a Smackdown star. Walker got to his feet, but Dempsey kept the Chickenwing locked in. Booker said Dempsey was manipulating the joint like a police officer. Walker escaped and hit Dempsey with corner splashes.
Walker went for a big boot, but Dempsey reversed it into a Dragon Screw. Dempsey put pressure on Walker’s knee joint. Dempsey put Walker in a modified bow and arrow for the submission.
Charlie Dempsey defeated Hank Walker via submission in 4:06.
Drew Gulak headed back to the back…
John’s Thoughts: Good win for baby Regal. Speaking of Regal, he’s supposedly coming back to WWE right? Are we gonna get Blackpool Combat Club Version 2 with Regal, Dempsey, and Gulak? Gulak is a downgrade from Danielson, but Dempsey is an upgrade in Regal’s eyes from Yuta. If only because he’s a blood son. Well, it’s probably not going to be BCC, but we might be getting a similar stable to Drew Gulak’s “Catch Point” stable from the indies.
A Zoey Stark hype package aired…
Pretty Deadly were dancing in the hallway. Wilson was dressed as Santa while Prince was dressed as an elf…[c]
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Grayson Waller, who continued to gloat and annoy McKenzie as usual…
[Hour Two] Pretty Deadly were already in the ring with a Christmas set in the ring. There was a tree and throne (speaking of Regal? Is that the William Regal throne that they constantly repurpose? I wonder what they did with Velveteen Dream’s sex couch? Maybe they burned it). Kit Wilson and Elton Prince told a Christmas story about how good they were. Wilson talked about how they both have “bulging sacks” full of gifts. Prince got off script, yelling at Americans for calling “Football” soccer. They continued to tell their christmas story. They ended the story with a hug.
All of a sudden, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston made their entrance. Kofi said that he liked the story Pretty Deadly told. They then soaked in New Day Rocks chants. Woods said the story he wants to hear is who Pretty Deadly will defend the titles against at Deadline. Woods said Pretty Deadly beat everyone in NXT, but didn’t beat New Day. Kofi challenged Pretty Deadly to a NXT Tag Title match.
Pretty Deadly tried to cheap shot New Day but New Day saw it coming. They tossed Prince into a Tree and smashed a giftbox on Wilson. New Day smashed big boxes on the heads of Pretty Deadly and gave them superkicks. Vic Joseph let out a Shuky Ducky Quack Quack, which Booker didn’t like…
Isla Dawn was shown kneeling next to candles and a Ouija Board. Dawn said she hopes Alba Fyre sees her in her first NXT match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: In terms of Pretty Deadly comedy segments, that was pretty underwhelming; and I’m usually a fan of Pretty Deadly’s comedy. That “twas the night before Christmas” story might have worked well if they did a pre-tape cinematic similar to their daily routine cinematic. That said, I understand why they did it in-ring, to set up a match with New Day. Yes, this was random and retroactive, but who cares? These are two top tier tag teams. I’m looking forward to it.
McKenzie Mitchell caught up with a paranoid Javier Bernal. McKenzie continued to berate Bernal, talking about how Bernal was scared. Bernal continued to make excuses. Bernal excused McKenzie for being Anti Big Body Javi. McKenzie asked Ikeman Jiro what he thinks of Big Body Javi. Jiro called Javi a “Big Body Chicken”.
John’s Thoughts: Ok, that was dumb, but Jiro’s delivery got a laugh out of me…
Isla Dawn got a televised entrance for the next match…
4. Isla Dawn vs. Thea Hail (w/Andre Chase, Duke Hudson). Dawn pie faced Hail and gave her a snapmare. Dawn gave Hail a running meteora. Dawn gave Hail a Triangle Choke. Hail escaped and rallied with punches and axe handle strikes. Hail gave Dawn a Fisherman Suplex and springboard back senton. Dawn recovered and hit Hail with an Eye of the Hurricane. Dawn lifted up Hail again and gave her another Eye of the Hurricane for the win.
Isla Dawn defeated Thea Hail via pinfall in 2:51.
Random smoke showed up. Alba Fyre showed up and brawled with Dawn. The referees pulled apart both women. Fyre ducked and Dawn gave a referee a poison mist. Dawn crawled up the ramp while glaring at Fyre…
A Kiana James hype package aired…
Briggs and Jensen made their entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Huge presentation upgrade for Isla Dawn which I’m a fan of. Her old Witch gimmick came off as cosplay. She looked like a witch LARPer. Right now, I’m really digging this goth chick thing, which she sells well with her expressions. She had a really well produced entrance too. Looking forward to giving Isla a 2nd chance after her mediocre first impression in NXT UK.
A Lyra Valkyria cinematic vignette aired. She spoke in Gaelic. She talks about collecting crow feathers for every battle she wins. She said she’s making her NXT debut next week…
Edris Enofe, Malik Blade, and Odyssey Jones made their entrance. Joseph talked about Blade having a though week after his loss to Von Wagner and having his sweater vest ripped up. Joseph noted that Blade isn’t wearing a sweater vest now and that might be better for his focus…
5. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade (w/Odyssey Jones) vs. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen. Blade and Enofe cut the ring in half on Jensen. Jensen came back with a running neckbreaker. Briggs hit Blade with a tackle. Briggs and Jensen hit Blade with their baseball slide punch. Kiana James’s sexy assistant showed up and slipped something into Jensen’s jacket, which distracted the horny Jensen. Enofe tagged in and took down Jensen with lariats.
Booker said it’s tough to focus when you have a bunch of “hawty biscottis” running around at ringside, in regards to the secretary. Blade hit Briggs with a nice Asai Moonsault. Enofe hit Jensen with a high flying elbow drop for a two count. Von Wagner brawled with Odyssey Jones at ringside. the distraction allowed Briggs and Jensen to hit Enofe with their high low combo for the win.
Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen defeated Edris Enofe and Malik Blade via pinfall in 3:24.
Both teams fist bumped out of respect after the match…
John’s Thoughts: Weird match with a lot of overbooking all over the place. It was tough to figure out what the writers were going for here with all the stuff happening at ringside. The hook here is “did Kiana James offer horny Jensen some booty in exchange for Henley’s bar?”. At least I think that’s the hook according to the envelope thing.
A Roxanne Perez hype package aired…
Indi Hartwell made her entrance…[c]
An Iron Survivor Match hype package aired. This included Shawn Michaels laying out the long list of rules…
Fallon Henley was shown warming up backstage. Briggs hyped up Henley while Briggs was distracted by VIP tickets in the envelope. Booker assumed that it was tickets for a date…
John’s Thoughts: So, booty tickets? Can he redeem them, buy one get one free, with the secretary included? I’m sorry. Bad joke.
Entrances for the next match took place…
6. Indi Hartwell vs. Fallon Henley vs. Wendy Choo for the final spot in the Iron Survivor Match at NXT Deadline. Hartwell body slammed Choo. Henley reversed a body slam into a rollup. All three women traded moves. Toxic Attraction were shown watching the match in the back. Booker T asked, how do you get tickets for the Toxic Lounge. Vic said you can ask Wade Barrett.
Hartwell rolled up both women at the same time for a two count. Choo rolled up Henley for a two count. Choo hit Henley with a Shotgun Dropkick and Yakuza Kick. Choo missed a sleepy elbow. Hartwell broke up Henley’s pin. Henley caught Choo with a baseball slide right. Hartwell hit Henley with a big boot heading into picture-in-picture.[c]
Hartwell crotched Choo and put her in the tree of woe. Hartwell tossed Henley into Choo and gave Choo boots. Henley rolled up Hartwell for the two count. Henley dropkicked Choo and Hartwell into the corner. Henley hit Hartwell with a flying neckbreaker. Choo broke up the pin. All three women traded right hands. Hartwell hit Henley and Choo with draping strikes. Choo hit Hartwell with a shove.
Choo gave Henley a Belly to Belly. Hartwell caught Choo with a spinebuster. Henley broke up Hartwell’s pin. Vic Joseph plugged Pretty Deadly vs. New Day for the tag titles at Deadline. Henley held on the rope to block a Superplex. Choo showed up and gave both women a Tower of Doom. Hartwell gave Choo a big boot.
Hartwell kicked out of Henley’s rollup. Choo hit Henley with a Brainbuster for a two count. Choo hit Henley with a splash. Hartwell tossed Choo to ringside, and hit Henley with a basement forearm for the win.
Indi Hartwell defeated Fallon Henley and Wendy Choo via pinfall in 10:15.
The wrestlers from the men Iron Survivor Match were shown heading to the ring to be a part of Grayson Waller’s talk show…[c]
John’s Thoughts: An okay enough match, but it never got to that next gear to be compelling. The men’s triple threat was way better by comparison and parallelism. Henley actually had the best showing here with good in-ring and good presentation. Too bad she’s stuck in the goofy storyline with Kiana James.
Indi Hartwell showed up to the Toxic Lounge to get in Mandy’s face, taunting her. Hartwell talked about the clock ticking down on Mandy’s title reign…
Vic Jospeh advertsied McKenzie Mitchell, Sam Roberts, and Denise Salcedo as the hosts of the NXT Deadline Pre Show. Joseph also hyped Pretty Deadly vs. New Day for the tag team titles and Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn being added to the card…
Grayson Waller was in the ring at his Waller Effect Talk Show set. Axiom, Joe Gacy, JD McDonagh, and Carmelo Hayes were in the ring with him. Waller introduced the show and called a fat fan in the front row a virgin. Waller talked about how Axiom is brave enough to wear a turtleneck in 2022 (I actually had the same joke in my head).
Waller talked about how he struggled to pronounce the word Schism. Waller said that JD McDonagh is a garden gnome because he has a big head. Waller then said that Carmelo Hayes is A-Loser. A tweet asked them who will win the Iron Survivor Match. Waller said he has Survivor experience on the Survivor show in Australia. Melo said that ain’t nobody wanna hear about Waller running around naked in a forest. Melo talked about how he is “him.”.
[Overrun] McDonagh tried to cut in, but Melo talked about how he’ll have the most stamina to survive the match. JD didn’t think that Melo can survive a long match. JD said he has the biggest gas tank of everyone. Melo joked that Waller can’t go 25 minutes in bed. Gacy talked about taking advantage of everyone being selfish. Axiom cut in, saying that he’s analyzed the match. He cut a promo, and Grayson Waller started to nod off.
Waller called Axiom “spider flop”. Melo called Axiom a “nerrrrrd” like Homer Simpson did that one time. Axiom said he wants to be 1 or 2 so he can get the most opportunities for points. Axiom said he also wants revenge against JD McDonagh. JD said he’s going to put Axiom back in the hospital. Gacy said he wants the 4 spot to maximize time and minimize wear and tear. He said the Schism tree will grow taller after the end. Melo said everyone else don’t want this like he want this.
Waller cut Melo off saying it’s Waller’s show. JD McDonagh gave Waller a headbutt. All four men brawled and dumped each other to ringside. Waller caught everyone at ringside with a flip dive. Referees ran out to pull everyone apart to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: An eh segment that didn’t get me excited for the Iron Survivor Match. This match was made out of nowhere with no story, so the wrestlers didn’t have anything to really work off of. Only bright spots were Waller and Melo clowning on Axiom, Waller falling asleep and Melo calling Axiom a nerd.
Bit of an underwhelming go-home show that didn’t get me more excited for the PPV overall. They did a lot of last minute match booking without real storytelling in rounding out the rest of the Deadline card. That said, I’m looking forward to the matches added, especially New Day vs. Pretty Deadly. That match doesn’t need build given the in-ring talent both teams have. I’m sad we weren’t treated to an actual program between both teams because both teams excel in terms of skits too. Best match build so far has been Breakker vs. Crews, mostly because Breakker has got some long-time needed character development, coming off as his own human as opposed to Mini-Scott Steiner (hey, that’s Petey Williams’s job, who made his RAW ‘debut’ monday).
Bring Vince back and restart 2.0.
It was actually “spider flog” that Waller called Axiom. Flog is Australian slang for an idiot.