By John O’Connor, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@thereal_JOC)
NXT: Level Up (Episode 138)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed October 4, 2024 on Peacock/WWE Network
Adriana Rizzo accompanied by The D’Angelo family minus Tony D made her way to the ring as the broadcast team of Blake Howard and Byron Saxton welcomed us to the show…
1. Adriana Rizzo (w/The D’Angelo Family) vs. Lainey Reid. Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino joined Blake and Byron on commentary for this match. Rizzo took Reid down by the hair in the early stages but Reid worked over the arm to turn the momentum in her favor. An arm breaker got Reid a near fall as the audience attempted to bring Rizzo back into the contest but Reid continued to cut Rizzo off.
Reid missed a splash in the corner and Rizzo nailed the back drop and northern lights suplex and looked to put Reid away but Reid hit a crossbody for another two count. Rizzo looked for a rollup but Reid kicked her off but Rizzo responded with a somersault splash for the victory. ‘Stacks’ on commentary said that ‘The Riz took care of biz’.
Adriana Rizzo defeated Lainey Reid via pinfall in 5:40.
The commentary team hyped Dante Chen and Harlem Lewis as the main event for after the break…[c]
2. Dante Chen vs. Harlem Lewis. Lewis is making his debut and used his power on Chen early by slamming him to the canvas. Chen would look for an armlock but Lewis would roll to the outside forcing Chen throat first into the ropes to break the hold. Lewis rocked Chen with a kick for a near fall and transitioned into a necklock.
Chen made his way back to his feet and attempted a crossbody but Lewis would catch Chen and drop Chen with a suplex. Lewis looked for another suplex but Chen hit Lewis with one of his own. Chen hit a series of forearms and looked to finish Lewis with the roaring chop but Lewis rolled to the outside. Back in the ring, Lewis hoisted Chen on his shoulders but Chen escaped and hit the roaring chop for the win.
Dante Chen defeated Harlem Lewis via pinfall in 6:55.
John’s Ramblings: A bright and breezy edition of Level Up this week going back to the two match format due to the main NXT crew going on the road and these shows being taped far in advance.
An easy show to watch, but neither match as a whole particularly stood out. As a takeaway, the debuting Harlem Lewis did look like a future prospect in his match with the gatekeeper Dante Chen. Let’s see where he goes, I guess.
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