By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Live from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired January 23, 2024 on USA Network
[Hour One] Highlights from last week’s NXT show aired…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer…
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker made their entrance first. Both men joked about Corbin’s goofy pre-match wolf headdress. Axiom and Nathan Frazer made their entrance. Both men came out to Axiom’s motion blur camera effect.
Axiom and Frazer actually jumped their opponents before the bell. Frazer and Axiom hit both opponents with dives to ringside. Axiom gave Corbin a huracanrana while Frazer gave Bron a Shotgun Dropkick into the barricade. The match started when Axiom and Corbin were in the ring…
1. Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer in a Semi Final Match of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Axiom hit Corbin with a Missile Dropkick for the nearfall. Frazer and Axiom traded quick tags to cut the ring in half on Corbin and maintain a numbers advantage. Frazer beat down Corbin with gut punches in the corner. Corbin fought out with a Big Boot. Axiom tried to give Corbin a huracanrana at ringside, but Corbin reversed it to a power bomb on the announce table.
Breakker reversed a crossbody by Frazer into a Power Slam. Corbin and Breakker worked on their opponents with ground and pound heading into picture in picture.[c]
The big men used quick tags to cut the ring in half on Axiom. Corbin planted Axiom with a Saito Suplex for a nearfall. Breakker hit Axiom with a nice looking Tilt A Whirl Suplex Cutter for a nearfall. Axiom escaped the corner to bring in Frazer. Frazer picked up speed and took down Breaker with a flying forearm. Frazer sent Berakker into the ringpost with a leapfrog and dumped Corbin to ringside by pulling down the top rope.
Frazer caught Breakker and Corbin at ringside with a top rope crossbody. Frazer took down Breakker with a superkick and frog splash. Axiom tagged in and hit Breakker with a splash for a nearfall. Axiom quickly transitioned into an armbar on Breakker while Frazer put Corbin in a sleeper. Breakker deadlifted Axiom and power bombed him on Frazer to break both submissions.
Corbin nailed Frazer with Deep Six. Corbin hit Axiom with a double brainbuster for a nearfall. Breakker slammed Axiom for another nearfall. Breakker took down Frazer with a deep lariat. Axiom staggered Breaker on the top rope with a Gamengiri. Axiom hit Breakker with a Spanish Fly. Axiom hit Breakker wiht a Phoenix Splash. Corbin broke up the pin. Corbin reversed a huracanrana into a nice looking End of Days on Axiom. Corbin eluded Frazer and Frazer walked into Breakker’s spear to give Breakker the pinfall win on Frazer.
Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin defeated Nathan Frazer and Axiom via pinfall in 12:04 to move on to the Finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Teams Classic.
Vic noted that this is the 2nd time Baron Corbin made the finals of the Dusty Cup tournament (last time he was teamed up with Rhino)…
John’s Thoughts: The result wasn’t in question, but both teams made the most of their time to put together a surprisingly entertaining match. Both teams handled the big man vs. small man style really well. It made sense for the smaller guys to jump the gun to start the match to try to overcome the physical disadvantage. Good tag team sequences in the end.
Ilja Dragunov met up with Josh Briggs backstage. Briggs talked about wanting to measure up to the Mad Dragon after JBL’s advise. Ilja asked Josh if he really wants to do that. Briggs said he has no fear in his eyes, unlike Ilja who’s making Trick Williams softer due to putting him in two matches. Josh got in Ilja’s face. Trick got in between them and tried to calm Briggs down. Briggs and Trick jawed a bit before Briggs left…
Wren Sinclair (recent WWE signee, Madi Wrenkowski) was pacing around backstage and acting nervous. Fallon Henley approached her to chat with Wren continuing to act nervous. Fallon told her to slow down and take a breath because it’s not easy being the new girl. Fallon said Wren did good by eliminating Lash and she’ll do well tonight. Wren gave herself a self high five…
Meta Four made their entrance…[c]
Ava walked out of HBK’s office. Former NXT General Manager William Regal also got out of the office. Regal congratulated Ava for being awarded the youngest and new General Manager of NXT. Regal told Ava to look after NXT for him. He said he was here since day one and it means the world to him. He said it’s a thankless job, long hours, lots of egos, and lots of decisions, but he knows Ava can do it. Ava thanked Regal for the support. Regal said he’s always a phone call away if she needs help…
John’s Thoughts: Looks like Regal’s year off of TV is up (per his AEW release, he had to spend a year off of TV). Cool to see him return to WWE making his return on the brand that he’s been a part of since it was rebranded by him and Triple H. I’m kinda hoping that WWE gives him a spot on the main roster as a manager because he was doing some really good mic work when he was in AEW right before his release.
Wren Sinclair made her entrance. She wore denim wrestling gear…
2. Lash Legend (w/Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, Noam Dar) vs. Wren Sinclair. Lash blocked a few armdrags. Wren put Lash in a sleeper. Lash used the top rope to slam Wren into and break the hold. Lash worked on Wren with some ground slams. Lash put Wren in a Torture Rack. Wren reversed it into a Sunset Flip, but Lash used her size to block the flip. Wren sidestepped Lash to send her into the ringpost.
Wren caught Lash with a enzuigiri. Wren went for another Sunset flip, but Jakara Jackson held onto Lash’s hands. Wren managed to roll up Lash for a two count. Wren shoved Lash into Jakara and rolled her up for another tow count. Lash Legend hit Wren with a Spinebuster for the victory.
Lash Legend defeated Wren Sinclair via pinfall in 2:59.
The Meta Four backed Sinclair into a corner. Fallon Henley ran out to help Wren clear the heels from the ring and stand tall…
John’s Thoughts: Wren Sinclair is a recent WWE signee Madi Wrenkowski. I haven’t seen any of her work, but she looked solid. It’s good that WWE’s continuing to sign indie veterans as it would really help for them to work with WWE’s developmental projects while also growing up in their own right. Lash continues to look good after WWE took her off TV in the ring for a while. She had the look already, and already had the great voice. Now the in-ring is starting to get there. Thank God NXT 2.0’s system is dead and gone.
The show cut to Tony D’Angelo’s restaurant. OTM and Jaida Parker made a mess out of the place. Jaida beat down Adriana Rizzo. OTM left with them telling the manager to tell Tony D and Stacks that they paid a visit…
A replay aired of Joe Gacy attacking Dijak last week after Dijak’s match. Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from the commentary table. Vic Joseph plugged the WWE 2k game and noted that Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, and Cody Rhodes are the cover athletes. The show cut to a commercial for the game…[c]
Elektra Lopez was walking around backstage looking for her former tag partner Lola Vice…
Dijak was making his entrance but he was jumped by Joe Gacy. Dijak turned the tables a bit by tossing Gacy into the steel steps. Dijak dumped Gacy over the guardrail. Dijak grabbed a chair. Gacy gave Dijak a diving fist while Dijak was complaining with refs about the chair. Gacy hit Dijak in the gut and back with a chair.
Dijak gave the Chair and Gacy a Cyclone Boot which sent Gacy through the wooden wall under the crow’s nest. The audio went off because the crowd was cursing (ugh). Gacy no sold it and went back at Dijak. Dijak came back with a choke slam through the announce table. The USA network hit the mute button again. Gacy no sold the choke slam and put Dijak in a sleeper. Referees separated both men…
Ariana Grace was in the locker room giving herself a monologue. Elektra Lopez walked in and asked where is she? Ariana said “she” is here. Elektra said she was looking for Lola and walked away…
Lexis King was walking around talking highly about himself and hyping up his upcoming match against Trey Bearhill…[c]
The camera cut to a football field. Robert Stone took Von Wagner to UCF to train on the football field for speed, strength, and agility. Robert Stone’s two kids, Carter and Cash Strauss, were his trainers. The kids asked him if he was ready. Wagner said “F*ck yeah!”.
A training montage aired which included Von doing suicides, sit ups, presses with the kids as the weights, stir work, and strategies to throw stuff at meta four. Von then went on to tackle a dummy with Noam Dar’s head pasted on it. Stone and the kids continued to fire Von up. The skit ended with a drone pan back shot of Von yelling “NOAM!!!”…
John’s Thoughts: Seriously, Robert Stone is the daddy to two future entertainers. This is their second skit on NXT and they continued to show confidence in front of a camera. HBK, sign these kids!
Lexis King made his entrance. Trey Bearhill was “Already in the ring”…
3. Lexis King vs. Trey Bearhill. Trey tossed around Lexis and splashed him in the corner. Lexis recovered and worked on Trey with some kickboxing kicks to the chest. Trey hulked up and got to his feet. Trey took down Lexis with double hand chops. Trey scratched Lexis in the back. Trey gave Lexis a double overhead paw. Lexis reversed a choke into a few superkicks and a knee to the back of the neck. Lexis hit Trey with the reverse Blade Runner for the victory.
Lexis King defeated Trey Bearhill via pinfall in 2:26.
Vic Joseph hyped up Super Nova Sessons with Lola Vice as the guest for after the break…[c]
Trick and Melo met up backstage. Melo asked Trick if he’s been watching LWO matches for prep. Trick said he’ll check out some later. Melo asked Trick not to help out Ilja. Trick said he just wants Ilja to be 100%. Melo then talked about how Ilja has an agenda, trying to use the Dusty Classic to soften up Trick. Melo kept trying to imply that Ilja was the one who attacked Trick before. Trick said he understands Melo, but they both have to handle business this week…
The show cut to the ring for Noam Dar’s Super Nova Sessions. Oro Mensah was with Noam Dar. Noam noted that Jakara and Lash were still fighting with Wren Sinclair and Lash Legend backstage. Noam then mocked Von Wagner and Robert Stone’s kids. Lola Vice made her entrance as the guest. Noam asked Lola if her eliminating Elektra last week was planned.
Lola said she gives Elektra credit for knowing talent when she sees it in Lola, but she’s a leach. Lola said she was tired of carrying around the dead weight by dumping her like baggage. Noam asked Lola if she has regrets. She said she regrets nada. Noam clarified that nada means nothing. Elektra Lopez made her entrance and said she doesn’t question why she betrayed her, but “who the hell do you think you are”.
Elektra talked about Lola acting sappy on social media for sympathy. Elektra called Lola a bitch and said she is the one who really sacrifices and that’s what led to her being a part of Legado Del Fantasma. Elektra said Lola is only here because she shakes her ass on Instagram. Elektra talked about how Lola shadowboxes in her bikini on Instagram. Elektra called Lola a phony. Elektra challenged Lola to a match next week. Lola asked Elektra if she was sure what she was walking into? Elektra said she wants to burn down Vice City right now. Elektra jumped Lola. Referees ran out to separate both women…
John’s Thoughts: Strong mic work from Elektra Lopez and I like her new look. Her huge weakness is being below-average in the ring, but hopefully she finds out what’s holding her back because she does have the gift of gab. I’m surprised they had her dig so deep on Lola like that.
The show cut to Tony D’Angelo cutting a promo in his car with Adriana Rizzo and Stacks. Tony said things are gonna get “real interesting” with OTM soon…
Dragon Lee made his entrance…[c]
The show cut to this week’s Chase University skit. The repo men were repossessing equipment in Chase University. Riley Osborne told Andre Chase that he was so sorry, but he’ll remember every memory of his short time in the university. Chase said he’s sorry for failing them. Hudson told Chase not to worry because they are just repossessing material stuff.
Hudson then got angry and anxious once the repo men took away his MVP trophy. Chase tried to hold on to his podium, and told the repo man to get his f’n hands off it. Hudson pat Chase on the back and told him to let him take it. Chase said they had a good run, and next week they say their goodbyes. The segment ended with Chase saying “Class dismissed”, and turning off the lights…
Scrypts made his entrance and was accompanied by OTM…
4. Dragon Lee vs. Scrypts (w/Lucien Price, Bronco Nima, Jaida Parker). Dragon started the match with a wristlock and hammerlock. Scrypts went to the ropes for a break. Dragon took down Scrypts with a side headlock takedown. NXT North American Champion Oba Femi was watching the match from the crow’s nest. Scrypts used his signature flips to dodge moves. Dragon managed to dump Scrypts to ringside and hit him with a flip dive.
Dragon caught Scrypts with a single leg wrecking ball kick and hesitation dropkick for a two count. Dragon faced off with Scrypts by using a handstand to dive to ringside. Dragon tossed Scrypts back in the ring. Scrypts sent Dragon back out with a gamengiri. Scrypts hit Dragon with a Molly Go Round to ringside. Scrypts hit Dragon with a High Fly Flow for a two count.
Scrypts worked on Dragon with a some overhead elbows to the neck. Scrypts hit Dragon with a kick combination and a basement shotgun dropkick for a two count. Dragon got to his feet and rallied back with right hands. Scrypts rallied with running axe handles and a enzuigiri. Dragon caught Scrypts with a Tornado DDT. Bronco got on the ropes for a distraction.
Scrypts reversed a Suplex. Both men traded counters. Dragon caught Scrypts with a knee. Scrypts hit Dragon with a Spanish Fly. Tony D, Stacks, and Rizzo ran out and brawled with Nima, Price, and Parker to the back. Dragon caught a distracted Scrypts with Destino for the win.
Dragon Lee defeated Scrypts via pinfall in 5:32.
Oba Femi took a mic and said he made a decision. Oba said he’ll see Dragon at Vengeance Day…
John’s Thoughts: Underwhelming by Dragon Lee standards, but on the better end of Scrypts matches. I feel like the goofiness of the 24/7 division along with the over-reliance of Reggie’s acrobatics stunted his growth as a pro wrestler. He’s starting to fix things. All he has to do is slow things down and tell a story. I hope he’s getting the reps on the Florida house show loop because if he can find a way to get things right, there’s John Morrison potential there. What he already has is real life street cred because his current character is based off his real life upbringing.
Edris Enofe and Malik Blade were sulking on a couch backstage. That random excited woman from last week showed up and tried to cheer them up. She told them to stay positive. She talked about how she improved herself with a wellness journal. Enofe called her “Brin” and said they don’t need journals, reflection, and only need luck. Brin said they need to make a list of positives and negatives to reflect on next week. Brin cartwheeled off scene…
Blair Davenport made her entrance…[c]
Tatum Paxley apologized to Lyra Valkyria last week for losing the battle royal. Lyra said Tatum is “Special” and last week’s tag team was a one time thing. Lyra said she doesn’t have time for all the calls and text messages and stuff. Paxley said she understands that Lyra is just trying to focus on Roxanne Perez. Lyra thanked Tatum for understanding. After Lyra left, Tatum played with Lyra’s feather and said that they are absolutely on the same page…
Karmen Petrovic made her entrance swinging around her katana in sword katas…
5. Blair Davenport vs. Karmen Petrovic. Karmen tried to start the match with footsies to keep Blair at a distance. Blair closed the distance with a knee and forearm. Karmen rolled up Blair for a two count. Blair stomped on Blair with a double stomp. Blair gave Petrovic a backbreaker. Blair put Petrovic in a cravate.
Karmen worked on Blair with kicks to the gut and a discus lariat. Karmen hit Blair with a switch chamber kick. Blair dodged an overhead kick. Karmen hit Blair with a nice jumping back hook for a two count. Blair caught Karmen with a shotgun dropkick. Blair hit Karmen with a Body Slam and Kamigoye for the victory.
Blair Davenport defeated Karmen Petrovic via pinfall in 3:13.
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Ridge Holland about Gallus jumping him last week. Holland talked about how they handed his ass to him. Kelly asked him why he didn’t ask for help? Ridge said he didn’t want to prove Joe Coffey right. He said he wanted to prove himself. He said Gallus just galvanized him and put another hurdle in front of his path to redemption. Kelly asked Ridge if he was facing Gallus by himself. Ridge said that’s exactly what he’s saying…
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov made his entrance in formal attire. Ilja joined the commentary table…[c]
Vic Joseph did another plug of the cover athletes of the WWE 2k game…
The following matches were plugs for next week: Noam Dar vs. Von wagner for the Heritage Cup, Lola Vice vs. Elektra Lopez, and Trick and Melo vs. LWO in a Dusty Cup match…
Josh Briggs made his entrance with new music and all black gear. Trick Williams made his entrance…
6. Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs. Josh gave Trick pressure with a pie face to start the match. Josh gave Trick a stiff back elbow, slam, and elbow drop for a two count. Josh yelled at Ilja to watch as he beats down Trick. Josh worked on Trick with elbows in the corner. Trick rallied back with right hands. Josh came back with a knee. Trick took down Josh with a dropkick and body slam. Trick hit Josh with a series of body slams.
Josh recovered and took down Trick with a Big Boot. Josh hit Trick with a Chokeslam for a two count. Trick rolled to ringside to recover. Ilja tried to give Trick a pep talk, heading into picture-in-picture.[c]
Trick fought out of a Cravate with hands. Josh came back with a Sidewalk Slam for a two count. Rick rallied with right forearms. Both men traded hands with Trick getting momentum. Trick hit Josh with a flying lariat, two crescent side kicks, and a flapjack. Josh blocked a Cyclone kick. Josh hit Trick with a Sidewalk Slam and Standing Splash for a nearfall.
Ilja tried to hype up Trick again. Briggs accidentally gave Ilja a Big Boot when Trick dodged. Trick tossed Briggs back in the ring. Carmelo Hayes ran out to prevent Ilja from storming the ring (to go after Briggs). Trick reversed a Chokeslam into a Victory Roll for the victory.
Trick Williams defeated Josh Briggs via pinfall in 7:38.
Josh Briggs gave Trick Williams a Clothesline from Hell after the bell. This drew a lot of boos. For some reason, the USA censors just held the mute button this time. Referees pulled apart Melo and Ilja. Melo entered the ring to stand tall with Trick…
John’s Thoughts: Another warm up win for Trick. Despite Josh Briggs getting a fresh start, there is no shame in losing to the current main character of NXT, Trick Williams. I do hope that they don’t use Briggs as a gatekeeper for long, and start having him dominate people. I’ve been saying for years that Briggs has the potential to be WWE’s next old school big man and it looks like someone in creative finally as the same thinking as me. He’s also using more of an old school big man moveset. Given the post match, it looks like he might be leaning heel.
Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne were backstage. Thea was depressed that Chase U was done. Jacy said she was still working on something. Lexis King showed up and said they can cry on his shoulder. Riley Osbourne told Lexis to buzz off and that the lovely ladies want nothing to do with him. Lexis left and called Riley a zero. Thea said Riley’s a hero. After Lexis left, Riley asked Thea if they can spend some time alone later. Thea agreed. Thea acted energetic after Riley left…
Different shots were shown of Roxanne Perez and Lyra Valkyria backstage heading to the ring…[c]
A Vignette aired for the No Quarter Catch Crew (Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, Damon Kemp, and Miles Borne), where they hyped up their catch wrestling style…
John’s Thoughts: Curious to see where this catch wrestling crew goes. I only wished Timothy Thatcher could have been a part of this.
In Gorilla position, Melo yelled at Trick that he was trying to prevent Ilja from interfering while Trick kept saying that Ilja wasn’t trying to play him…
Vic Joseph plugged the advertised Vengeance Day matches…
[Overrun] NXT General Manager Ava (Daughter of new TKO/WWE board member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) was in the ring with a mic. Ava introduced Roxanne Perez and Lyra Valkyria who got entrances. Ava said it was time to make the match official. Perez took the mic first and said we already know that both women respect each other. Perez said this is a WrestleMania weekend match 9 weeks early. Lyra agreed. Lyra noted she made her NXT debut when Roxanne won the championship the first time. Perez said Lyra has had a great first year.
Perez said Lyra is the champion in the number 1 division in all of WWE. Perez said she was in Lyra’s position a year ago. Perez said people have been watching the rise of Lyra, while she’s had to pick herself up to get back to the title she never lost in the first place. Perez noted that after Vengeance Day, Lyra will have to make that comeback story. Lyra said she’s watch Perez go from someone who’s happy to be here, to someone who’s willing to snap at a moment’s notice. Lyra said it’s sad to say, Lyra has replaced Roxanne.
Lyra said Roxanne is going to try to bring a new edgy Roxanne, which Lyra likes. Lyra said the last person she feels she needs to prove herself to is the former champion Roxanne. Lyra said Perez’s comeback is going to mean nothing. Perez said she’s been in Lyra’s spot, of course. Perez said Lyra will lose, and the real questions will start coming out. Perez said people are going to maybe call Lyra overrated, or maybe too much too soon (I’d argue, that those questions exist for both women).
Perez said some days the people will boo Lyra. Perez wondered if Lyra can handle the boos. Perez said once she becomes champion, will Lyra build herself back up? Lyra said Perez is wrong. Lyra said she’s been mentally and physically stronger than perez. Lyra said she’s been behind Perez in the past, but after Vengeance Day Perez will fall behind Lyra. Ava got in between both women and told them to sign the contract. Both women signed the contract and faced off in the center of the ring.
Ava wished both women luck. Perez and Lyra shook hands. After Lyra left the ring, Tatum Paxley crawled from under the ring, snuck up behind Perez, and gave Perez a spinebuster through the table. Lyra berated Tatum and told her to stay away from her. NXT closed…
John’s Thoughts: An interesting little contract signing with both women actually showing a bit of an edge. It almost has me wondering if Lyra is HBK’s Roman Reigns, in that they push her too hard, too soon as a babyface, when she needed that heel run to get her over? Lyra showed a bit of spunk here and came off a bit better than her being the generic white meat babyface. The jury is still out on Perez’s edge, but it beats her being the generic little girl. Not sure what to think about Ava as GM. It might work while she gets reps behinds the scenes, but it can also just be a placeholder.
Solid edition of NXT this week. It felt a bit like a go home show even though there’s another show in between. Next week’s show should be interesting because it’s going to set up the Vengeance Day PLE, which then will set into motion what will happen Mania weekend.
I didn’t know The Rock was on the board now. That explains Ava and Nia Jax.
He just got appointed yesterday.