By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live April 11, 2023 on USA Network
[Hour One] Highlights from last week’s NXT were shown, focusing on Indi Hartwell’s first night as NXT Women’s Champion and Carmelo Hayes’s first night as NXT Champion. The highlights ended with Bron Breakker’s heel turn on Hayes…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams made their entrance to the performance center ring. Melo soaked in “Melo” chants from the crowd. Melo said it was time to address the end of last week’s show. Melo said it was supposed to be all about respect between him and Bron Breakker. He said he let his guard down and he was caught slippin’.
Hayes said he understands that defeat is cold and lonely, which he can empathize with; but if Bron wanted a torch passing moment, that’s not what it was. Hayes said he took the title from Bron. Hayes noted that the crowd doesn’t want Bron, they want Melo. Hayes said he understands that they’ll be at war for years. Melo said out of respect he’s offering Bron a spot in the number one contenders’ match.
He said he’s not asking Bron to join the match, he’s telling him. Melo’s promo was cut off by Dragon Lee, making his entrance in a formal suit. Joseph reminded viewers that Dragon Lee is already in the number one contender’s match. Lee started the promo by saying “The Champ is Here” in Spanish. Lee said he understands that Melo wants revenge on the man that disrespected him.
Lee said he’s here to fight the best and Melo’s title shows that he’s the best. Lee said he knows Melo wants Breakker, but after the match tonight, Dragon Lee is coming out the winner. Trick said that this dragon is spittin’ fire. Melo welcomed Lee to NXT, but said there’s one thing you don’t do. Trick said you don’t interrupt the champion. Melo said if Lee does win he needs to understand that the title belt mean’s Melo is all bout dat.
JD McDonagh made his entrance in a suit, to interrupt Melo. JD called out Melo and Trick for getting jumped by Bron Breakker just one week in Melo’s title reign. JD said if it were him, he would headbutt Melo to his face. JD said he doesn’t have to be an internet darling like Lee, because JD knows in himself that he’s number one.
Melo said he understands that game recognizes game, but JD’s gonna have to go over the rainbow to reach the NXT Title pot of gold. Melo stressed that he made a leprechaun joke on purpose (because JD’s Irish). Grayson Waller made his entrance to interrupt.
Waller said the audience and Dragon Lee are El Stupido. Waller said he’s going to take the title from Melo. Melo hyped up the themed “Spring Break In” show. Melo said he sees a lot of “them’s” in the ring, but there can only be one “him”. Melo posed with the title ot end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: A formula segment, but a solid one to start off Melo’s title reign. We usually see this formula where the laundry list of contenders interrupt the Champ’s promo. So far, Melo is coming off well as a babyface champ because of his cool factor. He’s doing much better this time compared to his time as a babyface in NXT Black and Gold, where he was the happy-to-be-there guy.
Kiana James and Fallon Henley were warming up in the locker room. James said she’s ok with Fallon trying to mess with her relationship, and everything’s fine. James said that they should win the titles “by any means necessary”. Henley didn’t want to fight dirty.
James said she needs the “Yee haw Bitch” Henley to help her win the title. James and Henley bickered. Josh Briggs pulled up to separate both women. Henley and Briggs wandered where Jensen was? James said Jensen doesn’t want to be around Briggs and Henley now…[c]
Sol Ruca and Dani Palmer were shown on a TikTok video. Ruca wanted to celebrate Palmer’s debut on NXT. Tiffany Stratton interrupted and said that they need to ask for permission because this is Stratton’s parking lot. Ruca said the lot is public. Tiffany walked away…
Entrances for the women’s tag team championship match took place. Alba Fyre now comes out with a dragon staff instead of a flaming baseball bat…
1. Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre vs. Fallon Henley and Kiana James (w/Josh Briggs) for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship. James nailed Fyre with a Yakuza Kick. Henley gave Dawn a Thesz Press. James body slammed Fyre at ringside. Henley and James traded quick tags to have the numbers advantage over Dawn. Fyre blind tagged in, tripped Henley and gave her a forearm.
The picture in picture, showed that Brooks Jensen had just arrived at the Performance Center. Fyre and Dawn used quick tags to cut the ring in half on Henley. Henley gave Fyre a jawbreaker. James and Dawn tagged in. James tackled Dawn in the corner. James also stacked Fyre in the corner and tackled both women. Henley tagged in and hit Dawn with a basement jump kick. Henley and James dumped Fyre and Dawn to ringside.
Henley hit Dawn with Briggs’s signature baseball slide punch. James hit Fyre with a moonsault. The show cut to picture-in-picture commercial.[c]
Back from the break, Dawn and Fyre had the advantage. James used a Sunset Flip to get a two count on Dawn. Fyre tagged in. James used a Code Red to reverse a Gory Special on Fyre. James hit Fyre with a Back Suplex to get a window of opportunity for the hot tag. Henley and Dawn tagged in. Henley had the momentum with right hands.
Henley hit Dawn with a bulldog and running blockbuster. Henley clocked Fyre with a right hand. Henley sorta hit Dawn with a springboard blockbuster for a two count. Fyre went for an Alabama Slam on Henley, but Henley reversed Fyre with a Canadian Destroyer. Brooks Jensen ran in with Kiana’s bag and ordered Henley to smash Fyre and Dawn with it.
Henley and the ref ordered Jensen to leave. Briggs tried to find out what was up, but Jensen shoved Briggs to the mat. The distraction allowed Fyre and Dawn to nail Henley with their Swanton-Backstabber finisher to pick up the win.
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn defetated Fallon Henley and Kiana James via pinfall in 10:12 to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships.
A despondent Brooks Jensen carried a knocked out Kiana James to the back…
John’s Thoughts: A decent match that was more about progressing the Brooks Jensen storyline, than boost the tag titles, which is fine. Here’s hoping Henley and James are back in the singles division to continue their feud while Fyre and Dawn have a meaningful run with the titles.
NXT Heritage Cup Champion, Noam Dar got a vignette. He talked about how he’s the Supernova. Noam Dar then ran through the rules of Heritage Cup matches, which are two fall rounds matches. Dar claimed to be very technical and the epitome of British wrestling. Dar said everyone else was a sheep, while he’s the GOAT…[c]
Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, and Thea Hail were in the ring which was set up like an award ceremony. The unnamed Chase U students were on the apron. Chase said that Duke Hudson earned the distinction of Most Valuable Player. He said he hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with hudson, but he understands that Hudson will always fight for him. Hail and Hudson stopped Chase from dropping an MF bomb.
Chase dubbed Hudson the Most Valuable Player of Chase University. Chase presented Hudson with a trophy. Hudson said he usually doesn’t like the attention at awards ceremonies. He said it’s not about “Chase Me” but “Chase U”. Hudson said he was proud to take Chase U on his back and take them to the promise land. He said it was a group effort and he helped lead the march against evil.
Hudson thanked Chase for being a mentor and thanked Hail “I guess”. Hudson said he was hyped to be the Chase U MVP. Chase said he likes the letters MVP. He then led the crowd in spelling C-H-A-S-E-U. Bron Breakker entered the ring with a mic. Chase said that Bron was interrupting something important. Breakker said everyone is wondering why he isn’t in the number one contenders match.
Breakker said he doesn’t need the title because it was a curse on his career. He said he also doesn’t need the approval of the “scumbags” anymore (the fans). A “you still suck” chant ensued. Breakker politely offered Duke Hudson a spot in the number one contenders match. Duke Hudson shook the hand of Breakker. Bron Breakker ended up giving Chase a spear. Rather than check on Chase, Hudson ran off with his trophy. Bron Breakker took down the Chase U flag and ripped it apart…
John’s Thoughts: Chase U is cheesy, but they find a way to make it work. I really like the character stuff Duke Hudson is doing. Him running off with the trophy continues to reinforce his oddly complex character development. Bron Breakker was simple and solid here. Looking forward to see what he can do with the fresh canvas of being a heel. Will he show up in Chain Mail soon? Or will he create his own path.
The show cut to a cinematic camera. Gigi Dolin was standing in front of a dilapidated home. She said that dilapidated home was her childhood home. She talked about how she always dreamed as a kid how to get out of that home. She talked about how she had to try to escape her and her brother’s abusive mother.
She said she ran away and never looked back. Dawn said Jacy Jayne knew her story, broke her heart, broke her face, but will never break her will. Dolin said like the rose inked on her arm, her live started off jagged but bloomed to something beautiful…[c]
The NXT Anonymous Stalker was taking a video in the parking lot over the weekend. Tony D’Angelo and Stacks beat down Pretty Deadly in the parking lot. The mobsters put Kit Wilson in their car trunk and drove off, kidnapping him…
John’s Thoughts: Most dangerous place in WWE. Also, only in pro wrestling, where announcers witness a kidnapping and somehow that’s not an impetus to call the cops.
2. Eddy Thorpe vs. “Big Body Javi” Javier Bernal. Javi and Eddy started the mathc with chain wrestling. After a leapfrog, Eddy hit Javi with a crossbody. Damon Kemp showed up on the ramp to watch the match. The distraction allowed Javi to toss Eddy into the announce table. Vic called out Booker for randomly pulling out one of his shoehorned catchphrases for no reason. Javi worked on Thorpe with methodical offense.
Javi reversed a Shotgun Dropkick into a Boston Crab. Eddy quickly rolled to his back to reverse the hold. Eddy hit Javi with a CQC combo and enzuigiri. Eddy hit Javi with a hesitation elbow drop for a two count. Javi came back with a Back Suplex for a two count on Eddy. Javi rolled up Eddy with an Inside Package for a two count. Eddy recovered and hit Javi with a Underhook Final Cut for the victory.
Eddy Thorpe defeated Javier Bernal via pinfall in 3:38.
Eddy glared and Damon Kemp after his win…
John’s Thoughts: Good showcase for Thorpe. It’s cool seeing the Bay Area regular get his WWE shot. He even shared time with Roman Reigns in that WrestleMania commercial, where Roman hit him in the face with a drinking glass. Glad to see Damon Kemp back on TV too. I’m surprised they took him off TV after his successful heel turn. Let’s get more Damon Kemp, and heck, more Big Body Javi on WWE TV.
Joe Coffey, Wolfgang, and Mark Coffey confronted Tank Ledger at a photo shoot. Coffey challenged Tank to a match. Norman Smiley and Oney Lorcan dragged Tank away. The Schism showed up, with Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid still a part of the group. They traded words to presumably set up a match between the two groups…
Tiffany Stratton made her entrance…[c]
[Hour Two] Scrypts was in a dark room acting like a weirdo. He was writing on a pad with his pencil. Scrypts talked about getting the attention of Axiom. He said Axiom can’t expose him, because he’s exposing Axiom. Scrypts was shaking and tapping his feet nervously…
Sol Ruca made her entrance…[c]
3. Tiffany Stratton vs. Sol Ruca. Tiffany stalled on the ropes and used that to get the upper hand on Sol in the opening chain wrestling sequence. Sol got an arm wrench in, but Tiffany came back with a back elbow. Sol landed on her feet during a hip toss. Both women reversed strikes with backflips. Sol avoided a Mero Sault. Tiffany caught Sol with a chest chop.
Both women had a standoff after a backflip showcase. Tiffany asked for a handshake. Sol fell for the trick and took a kick to the gut. Tiffany hit Sol with a standing moonsault for a two count. Tiffany gave Sol’s elbow a double stomp for a two count. Tiffany focused her methodical offense on Sol’s injured elbow. Sol used a hip toss to escape an elbow stretch.
Sol rallied with flying shoulder tackles and a suplex. Sol hit Tiffany with a scoop Body Slam for a two count. Sol did a flip into a Stinger Splash. Sol hit Tiffany with a Power Slam for a two count. Tiffany blocked a Suicide Dive wit a kick. Sol gave Tiffany a few rollups. Tiffany grabbed the bottom rope for the break. Tiffany caught Sol and hit her with a Rolling Senton. Tiffany hit Sol with a Mero Sault for the victory.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Sol Ruca via pinfall in 5:38.
John’s Thoughts: Not the cleanest, but not at all bad looking. A well-worked match by two of WWE’s developmental projects. Tiffany is ahead of Sol in terms of development in that she can work longer form matches and tell a story. She did a good job working Sol’s arm. Sol continues to quickly evolve match after match and has a Kofi Kingston aura to her. Her athleticism is SICK!. Both these women definitely have the potential to be big time stars in WWE if they continue this path.
Duke Hudson and Thea Hail were taking care of an injured Andre Chase. Duke Hudson thanked Chase for taking one for the team while he gets ready for his number one contenders match. Hudson yelled that he is going to be the first person to bring gold to Chase University…
An ad aired for WWE Backlash…[c]
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Ivy Nile, Julius Creed, and Brutus Creed. Nile said Diamond Mine is down to them three after she got rid of Tatum Paxley (Where is Roddy Strong?). Julius laid out a challenge to Gallus for the Tag Team titles next week. Tiffany Stratton walked to McKenzie after Diamond Mine left. Tiffany ranted about Indi Hartwell probably being the most vulnerable NXT Women’s Champ ever…
Cora Jade made her entrance in street clothes for a promo. Cora said she came back to the NXT Women’s Division to find out that it’s flipped upside down. Cora noted that Zoey Stark is the most athletic woman in the division, and she respects what Zoey can do in the ring. Cora said the only problem is that Zoey will always be a challenger, not champion. Cora called out her old “bestie” Roxanne Perez.
Cora said she carried her to the women’s tag team champion and carried Roxanne on her back. She said she knows everything Roxanne did to get here, but she’s using her demons as a crutch. Cora said Roxanne is proof that some people are better at handling pressure than others. Cora then called out Gigi Dolin. She said she thought Gigi would be crushed without Toxic Attraction.
She said she saw the video earlier and saw Gigi close to the title, but the title is meant for Cora Jade. Cora asked Gigi to not let her instagram famous ass get hit by the door on the way out. Cora then called out Tiffany Stratton and said she runs the place, not Tiffany. Cora called Lyra Valkyria a weird bird girl. Cora said Lyra shows no fear, but she should be fearing Cora Jade.
Cora called out Indi Hartwell. She said the crowd chanted “You deserve it”, but she was chanting “took you long enough”. Cora said this is her NXT and she’s the hero of the story. Lyra Valkyria made her entrance to cut off Cora. Lyra said Cora can shut up now. Lyra said Cora can cut through the division with her tongue, but why? Lyra said while Cora left, the women’s division took a step forward. A “Cora’s jealous” chant ensued.
Lyra said Cora can take the crown for mic work, but if Cora goes for the championship, Lyra will rip her eyes out. Cora slapped Lyra. Lyra gave Cora a shortarm kick. Cora rolled away to avoid a spin kick…
Ilja Dragunov and Von Wagner were shown in different parts of the Performance Center, heading to the ring…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Is it just me, or did Lyra with her hair down look like the fusion dance result of Tatum Paxley and Roxanne Perez (which isn’t a bad thing because both are attractive women)? Good return promo by Cora Jade by having her run down the entire division indiscriminately. Establishes her as a top heel. Lyra was solid here in her short mic time. I hope they give her more promo time to establish a character away from her Lucha Underground style cinematic vignettes. Random side thought, Cora lays it on thick on Social Media that she’s dating Bron Breakker. Might we see a Cora Jade and Bron Breakker power couple act down the road?
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Wes Lee about his successful championship run. McKenzie asked Wes what keeps him sharp. Before he could get into his answer, he was interrupted by Drew Gulak and Charlie Dempsey. Gulak said that Lee is a great high flyer, but how will he do in mat wrestling. Dempsey talked about the only way to escape from betting a limb broken is to tap out. Lee said it doesn’t matter what strategy you have, Lee’s strategy is to keep the belt. Lee high fived McKenzie and left…
John’s Thoughts: Lee’s title run has ended up way better than I expected. He’s pulling off a nice twist of the whole “Fighting Champion” thing. He’s also doing a great job lining up and tearing down opponents in his open challenges, to boost his in-ring credibility. I noted on my Impact review, I’m happy to see both Rascalz members thriving well as midcard champions in Impact and WWE (with Trey Miguel doing good work as X Division Champion).
Von Wagner was already in the ring. Ilja Dragunov got a full televised entrance. Vic Joseph reiterated that Robert Stone added the stipulation that if Von loses, Von loses the managerial services of Robert Stone…
4. Ilja Dragunov vs. Von Wagner (w/Robert Stone). Von tossed around Ilja like a boulder. Booker T compared Von Wagner to Shaquille O’Neil due to his size and speed. Von hit Ilja with a back suplex. Stone admonished Wagner for not showing urgency. Ilja rallied back with overhead elbows. Von used back elbows to block a Deadlift German Suplex. Ilja hit Von with the Constantine Special (Tiger Feint Lariat).
Ilja hit Wagner with a deadlift Gutwrench Suplex. Wagner toosed Ilja off the top rope. Wagner hit Ilja with a underhook suplex for a two count. Ilja reversed a kick with a enzuigiri. Ilja hit Wagner with a basement forearm smash. Ilja hit Wagner with Torpedo Moscow for the victory.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Von Wagner via pinfall in 3:24.
Stone had his jaw dropped, but he also looked like he wasn’t surprised. While Ilja was doing his conductor thing, Stone yelled at Wagner that they were done. Dijak’s entrance theme played. Dijak entered the ring from the back, not the front.
Ilja saw it coming and struck a fighting stance. Dijak told Ilja that Ilja talked about how pain makes him feel alive. Dijak said he’s going to give Ilja so much pain that Ilja will feel immortal…
John’s Thoughts: So after weeks of teasing character development, they’re just breaking up the act like a dud? I guess. Maybe there is a twist we’ll see soon. Von needs the development or a reboot because he is legit missing something despite looking like a star body and agility wise. Maybe he needs one of those Kane-like monster gimmicks. As for Ilja vs. Dijak? Yes please! Give these guys 20 minutes to tear the house down.
Hank Walker was hyping up fellow developmental wrestler Tank Ledger. Ledger said he was going to show the world what he’s all about. Walker wished Tank luck…
Gallus made their entrance…[c]
An ad aired for WWE’s A&E Sunday night documentary shows this week…
JD McDonagh was shown warming up in the locker room…
Tank Ledger made his entrance. A graphic aired of his college accomplishments and also noted that Tank Ledger was WWE’s first NIL signing…
5. Joe Coffey (w/Mark Coffey, Wolfgang) vs. Tank Ledger. Both men traded stiff strikes in the center of the ring. Tank took down Joe with a flying shoulder tackle. Joe came back with a stiff uppercut and standing shotgun dropkick. Joe carried Tank into a backbreaker for a two count. Joe locked Tank in an elbow hold, while also grinding Tank in the face with his wrist tape.
Tank tried to suplex Mark, but ate a headbutt. Tank fought through and gave Joe a Belly to Belly overhead suplex. Tank rallied with shoulder tackles. Vic noted that Tank wants to model his career after fellow college recruit Big E Langston. Tank hit Joe with a cartwheel into a standing Frogsplash for a two count. Joe escaped the corner and dumped Tank to ringside with a simple right hand.
Joe hit Tank with a flying forearm smash. Joe flattened Tank with a discus lariat. Joe mocked Tank with his signature Gallus pose. Joe dropped Tank with another discus lariat for the dominant win.
Joe Coffey defeated Tank Ledger via pinfall in 4:25.
Highlights from the match aired as Vic noted that Tank looked good in defeat. Julius and Brutus Creed ran out to confront Gallus. The Dyad ran out and a pull apart brawl ensued. Referees and guards ran out to separate everyone…
John’s Thoughts: A better match than I expected. Given the generic presentation of Tank, I expected this to be a showcase squash for Joe. It was feeling like they were laying it on a bit thick with Tank’s praise. I have to say, Tank impressed. He has good explosiveness and hung in there well with a stiff veteran like Joe. This was his first NXT match and he looked great in defeat (I hear he’s been warming up on Level Up). Looking forward to this promising star. Looking forward to Joe too, who’s already showing why Gallus desperately needed him. Joe has the “It” factor, unlike Wolfgang and his bro Mark.
Tony D’Angelo and Channing Lorenzo were chatting backstage about “operation crowbar” which was them kidnapping Kit Wilson. They met up with Roxanne Perez and offered her backup. Zoey Stark showed up and mocked Roxanne. Roxanne talked about Zoey being a bully and said she has all the strength to beat Zoey next week. After Roxanne left, Pretty Deadly jumped Tony and Stacks. Elton Prince ripped up Lorenzo’s jacket and tossed it on the ground after leaving the mob guys lying…
The four way number one contenders match was hyped for after the break…[c]
Gallus vs. The Creeds vs. The Dyad for the NXT Tag Team Championships and Wes Lee vs. Charlie Depsey for the NXT North American Championship were advertised for next week…
Duke Hudson and Grayson Waller had already made their entrances during the break. Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh got televised entrances. Lee’s CMLL and New Japan acomplishments were shown in a side-graphic…
John’s Thoughts: They did it during Tank’s entrance too. I like the nice factoid sheet thing they are employing now. It’s good to allow new viewers to get a bit of info on newer wrestlers.
6. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Duke Hudson to earn a title shot at the NXT Championship at the Spring Break-In Themed Show. Lee and JD dumped the other two wrestlers to ringside. Lee caught McDonagh with a shotgundropkick. McDonagh hit Lee in the back of the neck with a gamengiri which sent him into a kick by Waller.
McDonagh and Waller teamed up to take down their other opponents. Hudson turned the tables by hitting Waller and JD with a double suplex and body slams. Hudson body slammed Dragon onto McDonagh and Waller. Lee caught Hudson with a flp dive at ringside. McDonagh caught Dragon with an Asai Moonsault.
Duke prayed to God and teased a flip dive, but ran right into Waller’s stunner finisher. McDonagh and Lee broke up Waller’s pin attempt. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
[Overrun] McDonagh and Waller were teamed up again, both locking Hudson in a Boston Crab. Dragon showed up and gave Waller a huracanrana. Dragon hit JD with a jump kick and Triangle heel drop. Dragon hit Waller with a hesitation dropkick. McDonagh slowed down Dragon’s momentum by tossing Dragon into the ringpost. Waller betrayed McDonagh by tossing him into the ringpost.
Waller hit Hudson with the crossover elbow drop for a two count. Hudson Hulked up and gave Waller a “U”. Hudson hit Waller with a sidewalk slam and hit McDonagh with a backdrop. Hudson tossed Dragon with a Belly to Belly suplex. Hudson hit Lee with a corner lariat and hit McDonagh with a Uranage. Hudson tossed Waller into Dragon. An MVP chant ensued.
Hudson hit Waller with a Bionic Elbow and Senton. Hudson hit Dragon with a nice looking slingshot German Suplex. Waller broke up the pin. Hudson hit Waller and Dragon with Electric Chair Drops. JD reversed an Electric Chair drop with a sick looking Poisonrana. JD hit Waller with a Slingshot Corkscrew Elbow.
McDonagh hit Waller with the Devlin Side. Dragon Lee broke up McDonagh’s pin with a top rope double stomp. Dragon kicked the tunbuckle into McDonagh’s face. McDonagh staggered Dragon on the top rope with a roundhouse. Lee recovered and put McDonagh in the Tree of Woe.
Dragon hit McDonagh with a double stomp and hit Hudson with a Suicide Dive. Dragon hit McDonagh with that running knee he used as a finisher last week. McDonagh kicked out at two. Dragon blocked Waller’s stunner and gave Waller a knee. hudson dumped Waller to ringside with a big boot. Hudson took out Dragon and McDonagh with a double lariat.
Dragon blocked Hudson’s Razor’s Edge with huracanrana. JD hit Hudson with a Shotgun dropkick. Dragon dumped McDonagh to ringside with a Snap German Suplex. Dragon hit Hudson with his power bomb finisher. Waller came out of nowhere and hit Dragon with a rolling Stunner. Waller pinned Hudson to pick up the win.
Grayson Waller defeated Duke Hudson, Dragon Lee, and JD McDonagh via pinfall in 12:44 to earn a NXT Title Shot at the Spring Break-In show.
Waller walked up the ramp, took of his shoe, poured water into it, and drank it (what? ew). Carmelo Hayes made his entrance. Both men jawed to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: Splendid multi-person match. I thought Dragon Lee looked better here than he did in the Stand and Deliver multi-man match because the focus was more on him than Ilja Dragunov. The actual star of the match was Duke Hudson who had multiple fun flurries of offense. This Chase U thing continues to be an unsung success story of NXT 2.0. Duke Hudson has finally found a gimmick (after being poker guy, angry guy, horny guy, and loser guy).
Interesting to see Waller still on NXT? I would have thought that they’d be keeping him off TV until a main roster callup. Also a bit odd that they are just throwing his loss to Gargano under the rug. To him as a character that makes sense, but you would at least have something reference Waller’s last feud. This was a solid week of NXT as NXT is the one WWE show you can count on to put on good pro wrestling TV and not be in fear of the evil Mustache enemy of pro wrestling showing up to wreck shit (I say that, but NXT 2.0 was a thing, so no show is safe). Can Vince McMahon just show up to the NXT parking lot to get kidnapped by the TNA ninjas, never to be seen again?
I’m having a really hard time getting behind them trying to face turn Melo. He’s a heel champion who won the title via heel tactics. It just feels empty to me. And Bron’s the heel now because he retaliated against the 2 guys that cost him his title? It’s just not working for me.
Yes yes yes to Bron and Cora being an on screen power couple. They both have a lot of strengths but I think paired together they would really compliment each other. I think both will be in NXT for another year and this would be a good use of them
You know when 2.0 started it sucked. But over time the new talent has really developed and I feel like each show packs a lot into 2 hours. Currently I think this is again the best show of the week
They’ve done a great job in establishing Cora Jade and Tiffany Stratton as the two top heels. Tiffany’s character is very funny as it reminds me of young Trish where she’s so stuck on herself, but man that match with Sol Ruca was amazing tonight. Sol Ruca’s gonna be one of their top babyfaces.
Either Stratton or Jacy Jayne really should head up a 3-woman heel faction like Mandy Rose. We need a big power heel group in NXT for the ladies.
I like your Cora Jade idea as it lines up with Bron Breakker, but if they don’t go in that direction I’d rather see them give Cora Jade her own heel group. She was very good on the mic tonight as she’s got her own aura about her that makes her so cool. I was loving how good Lyra was on the mic against her, that’s actually gonna be a very good feud between those two and its got layers to it.