By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@McGMondays)
NXT Stand & Deliver
Aired April 1, 2023 on Peacock/WWE Network
Los Angeles, California at Crypto.com Arena
NXT Stand & Deliver Pre Show
1. “Chase U” Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, Thea Hail, and Tyler Bate vs. “The Schism” Ava, Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid for control of Chase U. Tyler Bate and Duke Hudson had a disagreement early. The women then tagged in and the crowd came alive for the thought of Ava Raine wrestling, but Ava tagged out immediately and Joe Gacy took over, slamming Andre Chase and kicking him. Raine tagged in soon after the exchange and she slammed Thea Hail. Ava slammed Hail for a two-count and then rag-dolled her. Hail fired up and hit a a splash for a one-count.
Bate tagged in and was on the receiving end of some Dyad double-team moves. Bate came back with an extended suplex on Rip Fowler. Andre Chase then got the hot tag and cleaned house with Gary receiving the worst of it. Bate tagged back in and Hudson seemed annoyed. Bate clotheslined Gary for a two-count. The Dyad attacked Bate and Chase while Hudson stalled before ultimately coming in the for save. Hudson landed a double clothesline on The Dyad. Hudson going off, but Raine slowed him down by slapping him. From there, Hail hit a Tornado DDT on Jagger Reid.
Bate set up for a Tyler Driver on Gacy, but Gacy got out of it and Hudson accidentally kicked Bate. Gary hit the Upside Down, but Chase broke up the pin attempt. The Dyad hit a double-team move on Chase and the four singled out Hail. Raine slammed Hail. Hudson offered to fight all of The Schism before Gacy whispered something to him. Hudson took off his Chase U shirt and grabbed a Schism shirt to put on. The crowd booed.
The Schism hugged Hudson. The teams squared up and Hudson tore off the shirt and attached The Schism. Everything broke down and Chase U did the Tyler Bate fake-out punch before all of them stomped on the heels. Hudson and Chase hit a Flatliner and Hudson got the pinfall victory.
“Chase U” Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, Thea Hail, and Tyler Bate defeated “The Schism” Ava, Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid to maintain control of Chase U in 11:09.
After the match, Chase U celebrated and we went to commercial.
McGuire’s Musings: A fun pre-show match that might have overstayed its welcome by a minute or two. The headline here is seeing Ava Raine because if The Rock ain’t gonna be here, at least someone from his family made the trip. She wasn’t asked to do much, but she was fine enough for what they did. I continue to get a kick out of Hudson’s role in Chase U and I was at least mildly concerned that he might fall into the Schism trap if they really were turning him. Thankfully, they sent the crowd to the concession stand happy to close out the pre-show. I wonder what’s next for both factions, especially their leaders.
NXT Stand & Deliver Main Show
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer.
1. Roxanne Perez vs. Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Indi Hartwell in a ladder match for the NXT Women’s Title. Stark and Dolin brawled while Perez and Stratton did the same. Hartwell and Valkyria went to the outside with hit each other with ladders. Perez worked a ground and point on Valkyria and hit a splash onto Hartwell, who was on the outside. Perez tried to push a ladder into the ring, but was met with a dropkick that took her out.
Hartwell took out Stark with a ladder, but Valkyria hit a dropkick on Hartwell with help from the ladder. Valkyria then worked over Perez and Dolin. Valkyria suplexed Dolin onto a ladder. Hartwell pinned Stark against a guardrail with a ladder. Stratton interfered, but was met with a sliced bread from Stark. Valkyria set up a ladder in the ring, but Stark pulled Valkyria down and threw her into the ladder. Stratton and Valkyria traded blows on the top of a ladder until Stark kicked Valkyria off.
Hartwell ran in and tried to climb the ladder, but Stratton and Perez followed her. Stratton reached for the belt, but Perez cut her off. Hartwell then tipped the ladder over, sending Stratton and Perez to the mat. Dolin cut off Hartwell and whipped Hartwell into a ladder. Dolin did the spot where she twisted around with the ladder around her neck, taking her opponents out. Dolin placed Valkyria on a ladder and Stark eventually hit a splash onto Valkyria.
Dolin set up a ladder, but Stratton cut her off and slammed Dolin onto a ladder. Perez then went for a Russian Leg Sweep onto the ladder, but Stratton blocked it. Perez and Stratton ran to the top of the ladder and fought before they both fell off. Stratton climbed the ladder, but Hartwell cut her off. Stark then kicked Hartwell and eventually landed her finisher on Hartwell, who then rolled to the outside. Stark climbed the ladder, but Perez cut her off, at one point hanging from Stark’s leg. Perez hit Film Study on Stark and climbed the ladder, but was grabbed by Dolin. Dolin rammed Perez into a ladder a few times. Dolin hit a crucifix bomb on Perez and climbed the ladder.
Valkyria cut Dolin off and the two traded blows. Valkyria got the best of it and climbed the ladder, but Dolin interfered and slammed the back of Valkyria’s head onto a ladder rung. Dolin and Valkyria fought at the top of the ladder and Dolin threw Valkyria off. Dolin reached for the title, but Jack Jane appeared out of nowhere and knocked Dolin off. The crowd chanted “You suck!” Stratton rolled into the ring and climbed the ladder, but Hartwell stopped her and pushed the ladder so Stratton fell to the outside of the ring.
Hartwell looked up at the title and stalled before trying to climb the ladder. Out of nowhere, Dexter Lumis appeared and lifted Hartwell to the top of the ladder. Hartwell grabbed the title and won.
Indi Hartwell defeated Roxanne Perez, Zoey Stark, Gigi Dolin, Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria in 17:02 to win the NXT Women’s Title.
After the match, Hartwell gave everyone a thumbs up from the top of the ladder while Lumis blew her a kiss.
McGuire’s Musings: Yo! (Miss ya, John). There were a couple rough spots, but the women worked hard and if you don’t have a soft spot for Hartwell finally winning a title, you probably shouldn’t be watching pro wrestling. The Lumis touch was a cut, fun moment, too, and in all, it’s gotta be the greatest women’s wrestling match in the history of NXT that took place at 10 a.m. local time. The star for me was Valkyria, who I thought showed good poise and took a couple tough bumps. I expected to see Stratton get a little more shine, but she’ll be fine moving forward because she’s going to be one of the biggest stars in the company in five years or so. Where does Roxanne Perez go from here? Is she main roster bound? Or does she work with Hartwell to try and get back a title she never lost in a one-on-one bout?
2. “Gallus” Mark Coffey and Wolfgang vs. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed vs. Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo in a Triple Threat for the NXT Tag Team Titles. Things were chaotic early, but Julius Creed slowed things down with a slam. D’Angelo and Lorenzo came in and took care of everyone with a series of double-team moves. The action spilled outside, where the Creed brothers got the upper hand and celebrated with Daniel Cormier, who was sitting in the crowd. Back inside the ring, Brutus Creed came off the top to be hit by a knee via Coffey.
Gallus slammed Brutus and Wolfgang slammed D’Angelo for a one-count. Julius tagged in and landed a series of belly-to-belly suplexes on everyone in sight. Stacks tagged in and had a furry of offense. In a wild spot that didn’t entirely work, Brutus and Julius went for what Vic Joseph called a double Doomsday Device, but it didn’t amount to much. In the ring, D’Angelo and Stacks had control over everyone and Stacks went for a cover, but Joe Coffey showed up and pulled Stacks off him. From there, Gallus hit their finisher on Stacks for the win.
“Gallus” Mark Coffey and Wolfgang defeated Julius Creed and Brutus Creed and Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo via pinfall in 8:11 to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles.
McGuire’s Musings: This was a weird one. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was expecting more. I’m not sure if there was a time issue or if perhaps someone suffered an injury, but eight minutes for a triple threat tag-team match seems a bit light. The return of Joe Coffey adds something to the Gallus act, so I’m encouraged by that. As for the match itself, it was non-stop action from start to finish. So much so that I’m not sure it ever found a groove. It kind of felt like an AEW tag-match but with the speed meter turned down a notch or two. D’Angelo and Stacks looked better than I thought they would, though, and those Creed boys sure are strong. Something about this felt flat, though, and I can’t quite pinpoint what that was.
3. Wes Lee vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Axiom in a Fatal Five-Way for the NXT North American Championship. Dragon Lee took Dragunov and McDonagh out. From there, both Lee’s and Axiom exchanged a series of moves. Dragunov came back into the fold and chopped the hell out of Axiom repeatedly. Dragunov and McDonagh were going face-to-face, but Dragon Lee broke it up. Dragon Lee dropkicked Dragunov a couple times. Axiom came off the top, but Dragon Lee moved out of the way and the two went for dropkicks. Dragon Lee then landed a flip onto Wes Lee and Axiom, who were on the outside.
Back in the ring, Wes and Dragon squared off. Wes got the best of it before Dragunov tried to suplex Wes, but Wes got out of it and hit a running knee on Dragunov. West went for a dive onto McDonagh, who was on the outside, but McDonagh moved. Back in the ring, Wes took some punishment from McDonagh. Dragon broke McDonagh’s momentum and Axiom went for McDonagh, but McDonagh help control until West threw McDonagh into a corner. After that, McDonagh hit a nasty Spanish Fly on Dragon Lee. McDonagh pined Wes Lee, but Dragunov grabbed the ref’s arm to stop the count and Dragunov and McDonagh yelled at each other. McDonagh was the recipient of triple dropkicks from Dragon Lee, Axiom and Dragunov.
Dragunov was bleeding from the head and he clotheslined the hell out of Axiom. Dragunov chopped Wes Lee to the ground. Dragunov went to the top and landed a Senton on Wes Lee. Dragunov went back to the top, but McDonagh pushed him off. Axiom then kicked McDonagh off the top. Axiom hit a moonsault onto Dragunov and McDonagh on the outside. Dragon Lee went to the top, but Wes Lee cut him off. Dragon Lee landed a double stomp onto Wes Lee, who was draped from the top turnbuckle. A “This is awesome” chant broke out. Axiom hit a double Northern Lights suplex on Dragunov and McDonagh.
McDonagh kicked Dragunov in the head a lot, until Axiom kicked McDonagh in the head. Axion worked an arm-bar on McDonagh. There was a weird sequence between Axiom, McDonagh, Dragunov and Dragon Lee, but Wes Lee ended it when he came off the top and landed on everyone. There was a break in the action until Axiom kicked the hell out of Wes and then Dragon Lee was on the receiving end of a knee from Dragunov. Wes Less hit a flip double-stomp on Dragunov for a two-count.
Dragon Lee followed up with a sit-down power-bomb for a two-count on Wes Lee. McDonagh landed a standing moonsault on Axiom for a two-count. Axiom landed a wild DDT on McDonagh for a good near-fall. Axiom and McDonagh traded blows on the apron. Dragunov hit a suplex on Axiom and fell onto Axiom for a pin, but Wes Lee broke it up. A “Fight forever” chant broke out. Dragunov fired up, but Wes and Dragon took turns striking Dragunov. Dragunov ended the sequence with a strong clothesline on Dragon Lee. From there, Wes Lee, kind of out of nowhere, hit the Cardiac Kick on Dragunov to get the win.
Wes Lee defeated Dragon Lee, Axiom, JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov via pinfall in 19:17 to retain the NXT North American Title.
McGuire’s Musings: What I already wrote and whatever I’m about to say will not capture even half of what this match was. It’s worth going out of your way to see, though I will admit that I’m not sure if it met my unfairly high expectations (looking back I’m not sure any match could). These guys worked super hard and this was non-stop action for 20 straight minutes. Dragon Lee looked good in his first NXT outing, which was expected, but Axiom stepped up in a way I wasn’t expecting, and that turned out to be the highlight of the match for me. I could probably watch McDonagh and Dragunov wrestle an hour iron-man match and not get sick of it and it’s looking like those two have more of a story to tell. In all, this was really good stuff and at this point, I don’t know who a good successor for the North American Title might be. It’ll be quite a moment whenever Wes drops it and here’s hoping it comes with a good program behind it.
4. Grayson Waller vs. Johnny Gargano in an unsanctioned match. Gargano jumpstarted the match and threw Waller over the table and into Booker T. Waller mouthed off to Vic Joseph and Gargano kept attacking Waller. Gargano grabbed a trash can, a kendo stick and a chair. Gargano hit a slingshot spear and used the trash can. Gargano jumped through the ropes, but Waller threw a trash can lid into Gargano’s face. Waller then set up a bunch of chairs. Before Waller could do anything, he Gargano fought back and the two got back into the ring.
Waller threw Gargano into a garbage can, but Gargano came back with a kick. From there, Gargano suplexed Waller onto the chairs set up outside the ring. Gargano went under the ring and retrieved a table. Gargano went for a suplex, but Waller blocked it and ultimately landed a knee to Gargano’s face. Waller teased Sweet Chin Music, but Gargano stopped him and hit an enzuigiri. Gargano hit Waller with a chair and then some version of a Destroyer. Gargano placed Waller on the table and went to the top. Waller rolled off the table and hit a cutter before power-bombing Gargano through the table.
Waller went for a pin inside the ring and got a two-count out of it. Waller hit Gargano with a chair and then landed a back-breaker through the chair. Waller hit Gargano with the kendo stick. Waller pounded on Gargano in front of Candace Gargano, who was in the first row. Gargano fired up and hit Waller with the kendo stick before handing it off to Candace, who worked over Waller with the kendo stick. Gargano landed One Final Beat, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
Gargano then locked in the Gargano Escape, but Waller gouged Gargano’s eyes to break it up. Waller ran Gargano’s head into the ground and got another trash can. Waller put Gargano’s head into the trash can and went to the top for a coast-to-coast. That earned Waller a good near-fall. Waller put Gargano on the commentary table and went to the top rope. Gargano cut Waller off by hitting him with a chair and then power-bombing Waller through the commentary table.
Waller came back with a low blow and a stunner for a good near-fall. Waller’s back was all types of cut up. Waller hit Gargano in the back with a chair. Waller kept hitting Gargano with the chair. Gargano came back with a low blow of his own. Gargano hit Waller with a chair a million times. Gargano put Waller’s head in a chair and hit him with another chair. Gargano sank in the Gargano Escape for the win.
Johnny Gargano defeated Grayson Waller via submission in 18:12 in an unsanctioned match.
After the mach, Candace celebrated with her husband in the ring. When they walked up the ramp, Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis met the Garganos, which seemed to genuinely surprise Candace. The four posed together.
McGuire’s Musings: A good brawl that of course had enough melodrama to fill an afternoon of soap operas. Waller’s back is going to be hurting … as in hurt-ing … for a bit. Man, he was marked up by the time this was said and done. Some of those chair shots were quite stiff and that chair-on-chair moment from Gargano was gnarly. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why we don’t get this Gargano on the main roster – and I wonder about it so much that it makes me think Gargano might just be better served if he stays in NXT for a bit. But that’s for another day. Either way, this was everything it needed to be, minus Waller going over (if this is just a one-and-done for Gargano, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t make Waller here, but perhaps there’s more to a story they’re telling). Some tough stuff here and the addition of Candace was welcome. The Garganos win the day.
5. Kiana James and Fallon Henley (w/Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs) vs. Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Fyre Jump-started the match, with a Senton to the outside. Henley took a lot of punishment to start the match. Fyre and Dawn worked a series of double-team moves on Henley. Henley and Fyre knocked each other out, but James received the hot tag and cleaned house. James hit a moonsault onto both Dawn and Fyre. James landed a belly-to-back suplex for a two-count. James followed that up with a spine-buster for a two-count. Henley tagged in and briefly had control, but the heels worked Henley down until Henley came back with a Blockbuster for a two-count.
Fyre and Dawn took control and dominated the ring. Henley was on the top rope, but James tagged in and power-bombed Fyre for a near-fall. Dawn tagged in and the heels hit a double super-kick for a very close near-fall. The four women were down in the ring and James asked Jensen for her bag, but she didn’t get it and the heels took advantage. As a result, Dawn and Fyre hit their finisher for the win.
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre defeated Kiana James and Fallon Henley via pinfall in 8:41 to win the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles.
McGuire’s Musings: I was happy to see these four get almost nine minutes because I was convinced being put in that tough spot between the brawl and the main event meant they’d get about four minutes to do what they could. This was easy to see coming for a slew of reasons, one of the biggest being that Fyre and Dawn’s act really clicks in its own odd way and I could see them go on a long run as champs. Both are super talented and them having belts is a good thing. As for where James and Henley go … I mean, can we start to move on? Please? I’m do apologize, but the whole deal between those four has run its course for me.
6. Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes (w/Trick Williams) for the NXT Championship. The crowd chanted “NXT” before the two locked up. Breakker slammed Hayes and then barked at Hayes from his knees. Hayes came back with a dropkick and the two continued to work a slow pace to begin the match. Melo went for a springboard move, but slipped. He tried again and it didn’t affect Breakker, who then mocked Hayes. Breakker then landed a Frankensteiner, suplex and a standing moonsault for a two-count. Breakker worked a front headlock.
Breakker suplexed Melo again and walked toward him, but Melo tripped Breakker and stomped a mud hole in him. Melo slowed things down and worked Breakker’s arm after landing a springboard clothesline. Melo kept control with a chop and a kick. Breakker blocked an attempt to whip him across the ring and then landed a hip toss. Breakker hit a side slam for a two-count and then started to work Melo’s arm. Breakker hit a belly-to-back suplex for a two-count. Breakker went for a Torture Rack, but Trick Williams pulled Melo out of it. As a result, the ref sent Trick to the back.
As Melo and Trick talked about it on the outside, Breakker hit a Senton on both of them. Breakker then connected with a top rope bulldog for a close near-fall. Melo came back with a series of quick moves, ending with a cutter and a two-count. Melo went to the top, but Breakker moved. Melo kicked Breakker and suplexed him for a two-count. Melo went to the top, but Breakker ran up the ropes and hit a Frankensteiner from the top rope.
The two both used the ropes to get back to their feet and the crowd started to wake up a tiny bit. Melo and Breakker traded blows. Breakker slammed Melo, but Melo came right back with a cross-face until Breakker rolled through for a pin attempt. After that, Breakker speared Melo … into the referee and the referee went down (or as they say around here, REF BUMP!!!!). Breakker sank in a cobra clutch and Melo tapped, but the ref was down. Trick ran to the ring and hit Breakker with the belt. When the ref came to, he counted a 2.99999 on Breakker.
Melo went for a springboard move, but Breakker caught him. It didn’t matter because Melo dropped Breakker and went to the top rope to hit Nothing But Net for the win.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Bron Breakker via pinfall in 16:10 to win the NXT Championship.
After the match, Breakker grabbed the NXT title, fist-bumped Melo and gave Melo the belt. Breakker raised Melo’s hand and left the ring as the crowd cheered.
McGuire’s Musings: This was a weird one. It just never kicked into third gear and it sometimes struggled in second gear. The pace felt even slower than it probably was considering how the majority of the rest of the show featured high-octane bouts with action that barely stopped. Plus, in terms of run time, this match wasn’t even in the top two of the afternoon. It’s odd because this was supposed to be Melo’s coronation, and it was, but it also didn’t stick out as a hell of a match. It was just kind of … a match. And between the crowd being behind Melo and Melo still being booked to use heel tactics – a la Trick’s return to the ring to hit Breakker with the belt – the whole thing felt disconnected. I wonder if the situation surrounding Bron’s dad over this weekend didn’t help the proceedings, either. Just a weird feel for such a big match.
In all, though, this was a good to very good show. The North American Title match, along with the women’s title match – they’re both worth going out of your way to see. The brawl is probably must-watch. Everything else, including the main event … eh, there’s a lot of wrestling this weekend. If you miss them, you miss them. Does this mean Bron is main roster-bound? We’ll have to see. Perhaps more intriguing, if he goes, who’s Melo’s first dancing partner as champion? It should be interesting to follow. Jason Powell will be by with an audio review soon and he, most definitely, will have more to say about all of this.
I turned on the show at the tag match.. what a botch fest. What happened to NXT?
The match was likely designed to be short because of the interference from Joe Coffey.
I could be wrong,but Hartwell has transitional champ written all over her.
Agreed
I am sure booker is a really nice man. But he is diminishing my enjoyment of this show. He is exhausting
If you had a dollar for every time Booker said “aww yeah” you could buy the company and fire him.
The NA match makes me wish there was some way to successfully promote cruiserweights on the main brands
@jason. Ok you win!!
Why are the announcers continuing to pretend that this show is tonight when it’s barely afternoon over there?lol
The Gargano’s couldn’t find a babysitter??!!
Great show overall as it’s great to see Melo as champion and the women’s ladder match stole the show as that was an incredible ladder match. I’m iffy on Indi as champion just because she’s a transitional champ as Roxanne is likely to get it back later this year.
The Stratton tailbone landing on the floor, following the Dante Martin injury last night, just furthers the reality that these spotfest matches with more and more stupid stunts are going to start cutting short the careers of a lot of green wrestlers who should be learning how to have a match instead of how to awkwardly do moronic stunts.
The 3 women that failed to catch Stratton should be off TV for 6 months. You cannot fuck up like that even if the stunt itself shouldn’t have been part of the match.