By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live June 13, 2023 on USA Network
[Hour One] The show started with an “In Memory of…” graphic for the late Iron Sheik…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
The Schism were already in the ring to start the show. The Babyface trio got televised entrances. A brawl between both teams ensued before the bell…
1. “The Schism” Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid, and Rip Fowler (w/Ava) vs. Wes Lee, Tyler Bate, and Mustafa Ali. The bel rang after Bate and Gacy were left in the ring. Bate hit Gacy with a diving uppercut. Ali tagged in and gave Gacy’s elbow a double stomp. Ali hit Gacy with a huracanrana. Gacy dragged Ali to his corner to tag in Fowler. Wes managed to blind tag in and hit Fowler with a slingshot seated senton. Wes hit Fowler with a dropkick for a two count.
Reid tagged in and helped Fowler send Wes into the top rope throat first with a flapjack. Gacy got a two count after tagging in and hitting Wes with a Uranage. The Schism traded tags and isolated Wes away from his corner. The Schism worked on Wes with quick tag methodical offense for a few minutes. After kicking away the hand of Reid, Wes tagged in Bate for the hot tag.
Bate backdropped Reid and gave Reid a T-Bone Suplex. Bate hit Reid with a standing Shooting Star Press for a two count. Fowler and Gacy pulled Reid away from Bate’s Helicopter Driver. The Babyface Team hit The Schism with stereo Bop and Bang’s. The face team gave The Schism stereo dives heading into the break.[c]
Fowler had the advantage, but Bate got a low base so he could deadlift Fowler into a Suplex. Reid and Ali tagged in. Ali hit Reid with a dropkick. Reid gave Wes a cheap shot. Ali gave Gacy a dropkick. Ali dumped Reid to ringside and gave Fowler a Gamengiri. Bate gave Fowler a uppercut. Everyone traded signature moves with Ali standing tall after hitting Reid with a neckbreaker. Reid avoided a 450.
Reid tossed Ali into the buckle which Ali sold like he had whiplash (he’s good at that). Wes tagged in and knocked down Fowler with a CQC combo. Wes hit Gacy and Reid with a flip dive over the ringpost. Wes superkicked Fowler to send him into the ref. [Sorta] REF BUMP!!! Gacy hit Lee with an assisted jumping power bomb. A 2nd referee prevented the pinfall for some reason. Lee and Ali took down The Dyad at ringside. Bate hit Gacy with Bop and Bang, a lariat, and a Tyler Driver 97 for the win.
Tyler Bate, Wes Lee, and Mustafa Ali defeated The Schism via pinfall in 14:26.
Vic Joseph clarified via the replay that the 2nd referee prevented the pin because Wes Lee was the legal man
Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak were going over footage from last week’s Battle Royal with Thea Hail. Dempsey and Gulak gave Hail various criticisms which Hail absorbed. Hudson sent them to go practice more. Hudson also called them “children” after they left. Hudson called Andre Chase’s voice mail to find out when he’s coming back because thing are getting “a little out of hand”…
Bron Breakker was shown slowly walking around backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: The meat of the match was a good amount of controlled chaos. The end of the match was confusing chaos. I’m pretty sure someone in Vic’s headset had to explain that finish to him because the 2nd referee showing up was too random. I’m not a fan of the finish because why would a 2nd referee make this the one time they undo the effects of a ref bump? I almost thought they were going to use this to give Joe Gacy some character development. We might still get that development later, but the finish was a bit contrived.
Bron Breakker made his entrance. He was wearing a suit, black shirt, and crucifix necklace. Bron talked about how he made headlines last week. He said he beat the biggest star in Europe, Ilja Dragunov, and called out the biggest star on Raw, Seth Rollins. He said it’s all about accountability. He said Ilja didn’t look like the toughest star in WWE when Bron speared him into the concrete.
Bron said Seth Rollins is a visionary, revolutionary superstar, and everything he says he is, until he locks eyes with the “meaner than evil” Bron Breakker. Bron yelled “Where is he?!?”. Ilja Dragunov ran out but was held back by an army of security and referees. Bron mocked Ilja from a distance and told Ilja that Ilja is not at his level. Bron reiterated that everyone will be held accountable. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins appeared on the big screen.
Seth said Bron shouldn’t think that you just say his name three times to get a title shot. Seth said he does like Bron’s bold approach though. Seth said he was in Bron’s position before, trying to make noise, trying to be the guy. Seth said it would be kinda nice to go back to where it all started, NXT. Seth said “challenge accepted”. Seth said he’s returning to where it all started next week.
Seth said that it’s Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker for the World Heavyweight Championship on next week’s NXT. Seth’s theme played with the Performance Center crowd singing along to the theme…
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from the commentary table and were drowned out by the crowd singing’s Seth’s theme. Vic sent the show to a Dana Brooke re-introductory vignette…
John’s Thoughts: There we go. Seth vs. Bron set. Given Seth’s status as a World Champion, WWE needs to make sure to plug this through ads. through Smackdown, and through next week’s Raw. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of rating they pop with the Seth Rollins match at the Performance Center. If I were WWE, I’d also maybe sprinkle more main roster talent on the under card of the show. As for the promo, I thought Bron looked good in his heel delivery. He seems more comfortable than when he was a babyface.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Dana Brooke and asked her how long she’s sticking in NXT. Dana said she is a Raw superstar, but she doesn’t mind competing on all the brands and shows. She talked about busting her ass and now she’s home in NXT. Cora Jade interrupted and blamed Dana for costing her the Battle Royal.
Jade said she should have won and not a glorified cheerleader in Thea Hail. Brooke said Jade shouldn’t blame her, she should blame her sense of entitlement. Jade said nobody likes Dana so she should get out. Jade slapped Dana across the face and left…[c]
Wes Lee, Tyler Bate, and Mustafa Ali were hyping each other up and celebrating their win. Ali talked about how there was a bit of doubt due to the 2nd referee saving them. Ali then proposed a singles match between Wes Lee and Tyler Bate for the North American Championship.
Ali said in order to keep the match fair, he wants to be the guest referee. Bate and Lee liked that idea. Ali asked where they were going to eat tonight. Bate said he knows a good vegan restaurant. Ali didn’t like that. Wes said he’s fine as long as Bate is paying…
Entrances for the next match took place…
2. Thea Hail vs. Cora Jade (w/Duke Hudson). Both women took turns tripping each other up. Cora took down Hail into a grounded headlock. Jade hit Hail with a front dropkick. Dana Brooke showed up at ringside. Jade and Hail traded wristlocks. Hail hit some sort or armdrag in the corner and then hit an armdrag in the center of the ring. Jade sent Hail’s head into the bottom buckle. Jade hit Hail with a sliding elbow for a two count.
Jade hit Hail with a rebound stomp for a two count. Hail slammed Jade into the buckle to escape a sleeper. Hail hit Jade with flying axe handle strikes. Hail hit Jade with an armtrap suplex and springboard trust fall. Hail hit Jade with a T Bone Suplex. Jade used a right hand to block Hail’s low Suicide Dive. Jade also gave Brooke a cheap shot right hand.
Jade was about to hit Hail with a Kendo Stick but the referee took the stick away. Brooke tossed Jade into the ring steps when the referee was looking away. Hail sent Jade back in the ring and put Jade in the Kimura Lock for the win.
Thea Hail defeated Cora Jade via submission in 4:17.
A Heritage Cup rules and hype video aired to hype the upcoming Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer Heritage Cup Championship match…
Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee were shown heading to the ring from one part of the arena. Noam Dar was hanging out with his championship cup and the Meta-Four. Dar was walking on crutches. Vic said “Shawn Michaels just tweeted what?!?”…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Bit of a clunky match. The leadup to the finish was a bit rough too as Jade was hanging too long with that kendo stick in the air to telegraph that Brooke was going to get involved and cost her the match.
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from the commentary table. Vic noted that HBK just tweeted that the next two weeks of NXT are “Gold Rush” themed shows. HBK booked Rollins vs. Breakker for the World Title for next week’s snow. HBK also booked Ilja Dragunov vs. Baron Corbin for tonight with the winner facing Carmelo Hayes for the NXT title in two weeks…
The Meta-Four, Dragon Lee, and Nathan Frazer were in the ring. Noam Dar was on crutches and called Frazer a snake. Dar claimed that Frazer attacked him in the parking lot. Dar said Oro Mensah will step up and defend the cup for him…
3. Oro Mensah vs. Nathan Frazer in a Round Match for Noam Dar’s NXT Heritage Cup Championship. Frazer and Mensah locked up with Mensah having the power advantage. Frazer took down Mensah with a few armdrags. Mensah hit Frazer with a hook kick in the corner. Frazer ran the ropes and rolled up Mensah to pick up the first pinfall 1:51. [End of Round 1]
Nathan Frazer pinned Oro Mensah in 1:51 of Round 1 to go up 0-1.
Frazer avoided Mensah and gave Mensah a chop. Frazer came back with a hook kick for a two count. Frazer came back with an enzuigiri. Mensah’s front kick was block, but he turned it into a koppu kick. Jakara Jackson distracted the referee. Lash gave Frazer a cheap shot. Oro picked up a pinfall after a spinning heel kick. [End of Round 2]
Oro Mensah pinned Nathan Frazer in 1:58 of Round 2 to tie the match 1-1.
Round 3 ensued during the picture-in-picture.[c]
[Hour Two] Both men were trading rollups with 40 seconds left in round 3. Mensah blocked Frazer’s moonsault move. Frazer blocked Mensah’s moonsault with a dropkick. Mensah kicked out at two to end round 3. [End of Round 3]
Frazer hit Mensah with a dropkick. Mensah avoided a Phoenix Splash. Mensah got a nerfall off a small package. Mensah hit Frazer with a diving kick. Mensah hit Frazer with a tilt a whirl slam for a two count. Frazer hit Mensah with a superkick for a nearfall. Mensah crotched Frazer to prevent a Phoenix Plash from Frazer.
Mensah hit Frazer with a Super German Suplex for a nearfall. Jakara Jackson got on the aprons for the distraction. Lash raked at Frazer’s eyes. Valentina Feroz and Luisa Leon dragged Lash and Jakara off the apron and laid them put with punches. Frazer sent Mensah into the buckle. Frazer hit Mensah with a Triangle Phoenix Splash to pick up the pinfall and win. [End of Match]
Nathan Frazer defeated Oro Mensah via pinfall (2-1) in 2:30 of Round 4 to become the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion.
John’s Thoughts: All of the matches tonight have been a bit cluttered. This was no exception. I’m not a huge fan of quick pinfalls without explanation. What hurts is that NXT hasn’t established the “heritage cup style” before introducing the cup so it’s tough to follow what the flow of the match is supposed to feel. This felt like those rushed best of three falls matches. The match did get better in the third fall. Odd to see them pull the cup off of Dar because I thought it added to his act (maybe they just wanted to cut the title length that was dragged due to Dar’s visa issues? I don’t know). Hopefully they settle thing down and have Frazer put on good matches in title defenses. I wouldn’t mind Dar getting the cup back quick too because I like that cup as a part of Dar and Dar’s fun Meta-Four act.
A Lyra Valkyria vignette aired where she was free running and doing parkour through the city streets…
The show cut to Jacy Jayne and Elektra Lopez hating on Lyra in the locker room after watching the vignette. Developmental wrestler Lola Vice (Valerie Loureda) talked about how it was Lyra that eliminated Jacy. Lola then approached Elektra saying she doesn’t like most people, but she likes Elektra. Elektra said she likes Lola too and they should stick together…
John’s Thoughts: Ooof. Maybe Lola needs to spend time in WWE’s promo class because that delivery was bad.
Dabba Kato made his entrance…[c]
Robert Stone and Von Wagner were chatting backstage. Stone said Wagner has been spending a lot of time with that female therapist. Wagner said she’s the best and “gets a lot out of me”. Dijak passed by and said that Stone should be repping a real winner. Stone said he does rep a real winner in Von. Dijak walked off. Stone brought the baby picture back up. Von said the doctor told him to only talk about it with someone he trusts. Stone asked Von who he trusts? Von said “you, it’s always been you” Von walked off with Stone looking astonished at the breakthrough…
Scrypts and Axiom made their entrance…
4. Dabba Kato vs. Axiom and Scrypts in a handicap match. Dabba tossed Scrypts into Axiom to gain the advantage. Axiom and Scrypts tried to pummel Kato by himself but he shoved Scrypts away and gave Axiom a Flapjack. Axiom escaped a chokeslam and hit Dabba with an enzuigiri. Scrypts tagged in and gave Dabba double boots. Scrypts rolled his body into Dabba and hit Dabba with a suicide dive. Dabba stayed on his feet.
Axiom hit Dabba with a dive. Dabba stayed on his feet. Axiom tossed Scrypts into Dabba to take him off his feet. Axiom hit Dabba with a Triangle Moonsault. Scrypts hit Dabba with a moonsault in the center of the ring. Axiom hit Dabba with a Golden Ratio Superkick for the win.
Axiom and Scrypts defeated Dabba-Kato via pinfall in 3:16.
Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza ran out and jumped Axiom and Scrypts from behind. Angel and Humberto stood tall to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: For a long time, WWE has booked Dabba Kato strangely. I thought he looked great in Raw Underground and in Evolve, but otherwise they job him out way more often to midcard talent than you would think. Didn’t he lose in under a minute to Omos? I would liked to have seen more Axiom and Dabba in the ring by themselves because Scrypts needs some more reps to make his offense look more believable. On the bright side, at least NXT continues to keep Axiom strong and I see him as an eventual main event player if they continue to protect him.
Vic Joseph sent the show to the replay of Seth Rollins accepting Bron Breakker’s challenge.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker for the world championship and Wes Lee vs. Tyler Bate for the North American title was advertised for Next Week’s Gold Rush show. Tiffany Stratton vs. Thea Hail for the women’s championship was advertised for the Gold Rush show in two weeks…
The show cut to Channing Stack Lorenzo at a deduction board trying to find out who ratted on Tony D’Angelo. Stacks ruled out Pretty Deadly and Pete Dunne. Stacks ultimately deducted that he things that Joe Coffey is the culprit. Stacks said he needs to get to the Don out of Jail to get a tag title match. Stacks said he’s going to make some big moves and show Tony why he’s the Underboss…
Malik Blade vs. Edris Enofe was advertised for after the break…[c]
A package aired to spotlight WWE’s partnership with the Special Olympics charity…
Duke Hudson congratulated Thea Hail on her recent success backstage. Hudson then said that Hail will end up being the youngest NXT Women’s Champion in history. Hudson said he’s going to lead a pep rally next week for Thea. Tiffany Stratton showed up and told Hail to be a little bit less hyperactive. Tiffany said that Thea’s underdog story may be cute, but Thea has no chance. Tiffany left. Dempsey and Gulak showed up and told Hudson that he shouldn’t be soft to Hail. Hail was hyped for another training session with Drew and Charlie…
Edris Enofe and Malik Blade made their entrance…
5. Edris Enofe vs. Malik Blade. Both men started the match with a collar and elbow. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger showed up to watch the match at ringside. Enofe took down Malik. Both men traded counters. Blade rolled up Enofe for a two count. Blade hit Enofe with a dropkick. Enofe took down Blade with a clothesline at ringside.
Blade avoided Enofe’s flip dive. Blade hit Enofe with a long flip dive. Enofe recovered and hit Blade with a Superplex. Enofe pinned Blade. Blade adjusted his weight to get Enofe’s shoulders on the mat to pick up the win.
Malik Blade defeated Edris Enofe via pinfall in 2:45.
Briggs, Jensen, Hank, and Tank congratulated Blade and Enofe on their competitive match. Enofe told Blade after the match that he actually knows Blade’s birthday, April 22. Enofe told Blade “I love you”. Booker T stood up and took the mic, saying he has breaking news.
Booker announced Hank and Tank vs. Briggs and Jensen vs. Enofe and Blade in a triple threat match for a tag title shot on night 2 of Gold Rush. A brawl ensued with all the teams. Garza and Carillo showed up at the crows nest. Kelly Kincaid interviewed Carillo and Garza and asked them why they were in NXT. Carrillo said they want to be a part of this tag team division…
Damon Kemp was complaining with the referee of last week’s match about not seeing the rope break. Eddy Thorpe showed up to tell him to stop bullying the referees. Kemp said that Eddy got away with another cheap victory. Thorpe said Kemp can run this back with whatever match he wants. Kemp said he’ll think about it. Kemp mocked Thorpe saying that Torpe should have settled with the cheap victories…
Roxanne Perez made her entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Am I reviewing an episode of AEW Dynamite? There is way too much stuff happening all at once to keep up with. I get why, but this whole sudden main roster push of NXT is coming out of nowhere. On top of that, they are trying to stuff the entire build of the next two weeks of themed shows into one episode.
A Blair Davenport vignette aired. She took credit for injuring Nikkita Lyons, Wendy Choo, and Sol Ruca in the NXT Parking Lot. A graphic recapped the locations of all the attacks. Davenport said she has the women in the locker room worried to get on her wrong side. Davenport said Roxanne Perez was saved one time, but Blair’s savegery is limitless. She ended by saying “Enemies of Blair, beware”…
Tatum Paxley made her entrance, now wearing messy eye shadow and dark lipstick…
6. Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley. Perez got a two count off a jackknife rollup. Perez hit Paxley with a tilt a whirl huracanrana. Paxley hit Perez with a rebound Butterfly Suplex for a two count. Paxley put Perez in a Boston Crab. Perez escaped with a rollup for a two count. Paxley hit Perez with a twisting X Factor for a two count. Perez used a rollup to block another Crab.
Perez hit Paxley with a springboard Thesz Press. Perez hit Paxley at ringside with a suicide dive. Paxley escaped a Russian Legsweep. Paxley blocked Pop Rocks, but Perez continued with the rollup for the win.
Roxanne Perez defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 2:25.
A gassed Roxanne Perez took the mic and called out Blair Davenport. She said Blair has hidden in the shadows and put fear in the women’s locker room. Perez said to look in her eyes and she’s not afraid.
Perez said Blair has been hunting for her, but now Perez is looking for Blair. Perez said she’ll hurt Blair like Blair’s hurt the rest of the women. Perez said that’s not a threat, it’s a damn promise. The segment ended with Perez giving the camera a serious glare…
John’s Thoughts: The match was decent before the clunky finish. This was Paxley’s best showing to date and she has shown a bit of improvement after seeming hitting a developmental wall (she’s still very green though). What I do like his her new unhinged look and hope NXT gives her some vignettes to flush out her new character. Perez showed good progression on the mic. The promo wasn’t nothing to write home about, but I liked that she came off as more mature than she usually does.
Gigi Dolin was watching footage of her elimination in last week’s Battle Royal. Fallon Henley showed up to help Gigi vent about their mutual hatred of Kiana James…
Ilja Dragunov and Baron Corbin were shown heading to the ring from different parts of the Performance Center…[c]
A vignette aired for Lucian Price and Bronco Nima. The were hanging out at the local sandwich spot playing dominos. They talked about hanging out since they were kids. They said that NXT ain’t ready for them…
John’s Thoughts: I’ve seen a bit of Prince and Nima when I took a peek at Level Up. This team impressed me. Price and Nima have good individual looks. Bronco Nima in particular really impressed me with his charisma and energy he showed when engaging the crowd.
Vic sent the show to yet another replay of Seth Rollins accepting Bron Breakker’s challenge. Vic dubbed next week’s title match as The First NXT Champion vs. The most dominant NXT Champion. The following matches were announced for NXT Gold Rush Night 1: Dana Brooke vs. Cora Jade, a Triple Threat match for a tag team title shot, Wes Lee vs. Tyler Bate for the North American Championship with Mustafa Ali as guest referee, and Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Entrances for the next match took place. Baron Corbin is still coming out to his goofy and not-fitting Happy-ish Corbin theme…
7. Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov to earn a NXT Title Shot on Night 2 of NXT Gold Rush. Ilja no sold a lariat and gave Corbin a Yakuza Kick. Ilja pummeled Corbin around the turnbuckles. Corbin slapped Ilja. Ilja chopped Corbin and ripped off Corbin’s shirt. Corpin looks like he’s running around in his underwear now (because of how basic his attire has been).
Ilja took down Baron with a chop. Baron came back with a flapjack and lariat. Ilja reversed a shortarm lariat into chained German Suplexes. Corbin used the ropes to block a third suplex. Ilja hit Corbin with the Constantine Special. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
[Overrun] Corbin dumped Ilja to ringside sending his rib into the apron. Corbin choke slammed Ilja on the hardest part of the ring, the apron. Corbin gave Ilja overhead elbows. Corbin punched Ilja in his Kinesio Tape covered ribs several times. Corbin tossed Ilja into the ring apron. Corbin worked on Ilja with a cravate.
Ilja escaped with back elbows. Corbin hit Ilja with a Backbreaker for a two count. Corbin took down Ilja with an Irish Whip into the corner. Ilja and Corbin traded right hands. Corbin tripped Ilja off the top rope. Corbin hit Ilja with a reverse Death Valley Driver for a two count. Corbin crumpled Ilja with a forearm to the back.
Ilja and Corbin traded right hands. Booker reminded viewers that Corbin is a former Golden Glove winner. Corbin hit Ilja with a hook to the gut (I’m reminded of the Netflix show Bloodhounds I started watching). Corbin hit Ilja with a Deep Six for a two count. Ilja reversed an End of Days into knees and a enzuigiri. Ilja hit Corbin with a knee in the corner. Ilja hit Corbin with a diving knee, and diving senton. Ilja sold his injured ribs.
Ilja reversed a slam into a DDT. Ilja hit Baron with a deadlift suplex and diving forearm. Ilja executed Torpedo Moscow, but Bron Breakker ran in and took the finisher. Corbin hit Ilja with with End of Days for the win.
Baron Corbin defeated Ilja Dragunov via pinfall in 13:10 to earn a NXT Title Shot on Night 2 of NXT Gold Rush.
Ilja and Bron brawled to the back. Carmelo Hayes attacked Corbin and hit Corbin with a springboard lariat. Melo left Corbin lying with the Nothin’ But Net leg drop…
John’s Thoughts: A strong main event. No one takes an ass beating like Ilja Dragunov. He takes those ass beatings but looks like a world beater at the same time. It’s an intangible talent that will do him well on the main roster. Him taking those beatings makes his opponents look like a million bucks and that’s what it did for Corbin. Corbin was solid too and his methodical style worked well against Ilja.
As I noted earlier, this week’s NXT felt like I was covering an AEW show. Lots of stuff being thrown at the viewer all at once. Not sure if that’s the best approach because it doesn’t allow the viewer to soak in any build, but let’s just hope this is a result of the truncated Gold Rush build combined with the sudden elevation of NXT in preparation for TV rights deals. Here’s hoping that the Gold Rush shows are better paced and that NXT goes back to their usual mix of solid matches and unique storyline progression skits. Hey, next week’s show will be the biggest episode of NXT in a while with the WWE Championship being defended on the show.
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