By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Live from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Aired November 22, 2022 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…
Toxic Attraction made their entrance to start the show. Vic Joseph plugged Toxic Attraction’s new merch. Booker T said that Toxic Attraction are the only candy that your motha wants you to eat. Mandy Rose took the mic and said that another one bites the dust, in Alba Fyre. Rose talked about taking care of Fyre all by herself. Rose continued to talk up her long title reign. She said they made a specialty match just to find her next contender, the Iron Survivor Match.
Rose said she’s going to watch Deadline to see who is next to step up to her for the title. Rose said that it won’t matter because she’ll destroy whoever wins that match. Jacy Jayne took the mic and talked about how while Rose is sitting atop of the singles division, her and Gigi Dolin will become the first 3 time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Dolin said unlike Stark and Lyons, Toxic Attraction are a real tag team.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter interrupted. They talked about how annoying and phony Toxic Attraction sound. Chance pointed out that Rose is only still champion because of Isla Dawn. Chance said Toxic Attraction are a trainwreck to happen. Chance told Jacy and Gigi that they are riding the coattails of the champion. Both teams continue to jaw at each other. Carter and Chance ended up storming the ring and were outnumbered by the 3 on 1 advantage. Toxic Attraction stood tall as the Tag Champions were left lying…
Wes Lee was shown arriving to the Performance Center from the parking lot. Tony D’Angelo pulled up in an SUV saying that he remembers that Lee put him on the shelf. D’Angelo wished Lee luck later…
Cora Jade said a few words before making her entrance to the WWE Performance Center ring…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A bit of a meaningless opening segment to set up what I assume is a future six person tag match between heel and babyface trio teams. Only thing missing was Teddy Long walking out to book the 6 person tag team match. Can we get Shawn Michael doing his best Teddy impersonation? Hunter did it once! Holla.
An ad aired for the Post-Thanksgiving edition of Smackdown this week…
Duke Hudson was reading a Chace University playbook. Grayson Waller showed up and assumed that Duke Hudson is playing a ruse. Hudson said this is actually how he is on the inside, and he’s a dedicated Chace U student. Waller said he’s sure that Duke’s true colors will show someday. Hudson said his true colors are Black and Red. Waller blew it off and walked away laughing…
Wendy Choo made her entrance for the next match…
1. Wendy Choo vs. Cora Jade. Choo wore pajamas instead of a onesie this time. Choo tossed around and pummeled Jade for the opening stretch. Jade used a back elbow to escape a hammerlock. Choo came back with a hip toss. Jade caught Choo with a sliding back elbow and clubbing blows. Choo grazed Jade with a dropkick and hit Jade with a yakuza kick. Jade avoided a sleepy elbow.
Choo avoided a slingshot double stomp. Choo caught Jade with a backdrop at ringside. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
Choo avoided an elbow drop which sent Jade into the 2nd rope. Choo came back with a Belly to Belly toss. Choo hit Jade with a cartwheel into a corner splash. Choo hit Jade with the Sleepy Crossbody for a two count. Choo hit Jade with a Brainbuster. Jade rolled away to avoid a high risk move. Choo ducked a kendo stick shot and hit Jade wiht a Yakuza Kick.
Choo picked up the kendo stick and had it taken away from her. When the referee tossed the Kendo Stick to ringside, Cora Jade threw Choo’s orange soda in her face, followed by a DDT for the victory.
Cora Jade defeated Wendy Choo via pinfall in 9:08.
Wendy Choo was shown sobbing in the ring after Jade left…
John’s Thoughts: The match started slow but picked up a bit by the end. Screwy finish, but it does help develop Jade’s heal character. I still think Jade has a ways to go in the ring as a heel. She was way more interesting in the role of plucky babyface in terms of in-ring where she’s very plodding as a heel. She is getting better though, so I’m not worried too much. I wonder if the post match scene where Choo was crying is leading to a character change?
The show cut to the latest Apollo Crews “Dear Diary” cinematic. He got a coffee at a diner. He was talking about coming after the NXT Title. He said the next three weeks are going to be the longest 3 weeks of his life due to the wait. Clips of his past United States and Intercontinental title wins were shown. He said he still has unfinished business in NXT. Crews said that the pressure is wearing down Bron Breakker but in Apollo’s eyes the vision is clear. Apollo had one of his “visions” which showed him holding the NXT Championship and roaring…
John’s Thoughts: Is that a spoiler? Or is one of his “Visions” going to fail for once?
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kiana James about not getting Fallon Henley’s bar. James said that Fallon was stupid and that she paid last week. She left, saying she has a match to win. Javier Bernal showed up with a list of 3147 names of people he wants to challenge. Mitchell pointed out that Axiom was at the top of the list and he still can’t wrestle.
McKenzie then pointed out that number 14 was Elon Musk. Javi said he doesn’t want to pay for a blue checkmark. McKenzie then assumed “Drake” was Drake Maverick. Javi then said he meant the singer Drake due to having a bad album. McKenzie said that she doesn’t think Javi will fight anyone on the list. Javi said to stop disrespecting him or else he’ll challenge Mckenzie. McKenzie sent the show to commercial…
Duke Hudson and Thea Hail were hanging out with unnamed Chace University students backstage. Pretty Deadly showed up. Elton Prince asked Duke Hudson could help them out with Poker since he’s a pro. Hudson said that gambling is bad. Wilson said the old Duke Hudson was more fun. Pretty Deadly mocked Duke Hudson, causing him to snap and attack them. Robbie Brookside and referees ran to pull apart everyone.
Ivy Nile got a televised entrance for the next match..
2. Ivy Nile (w/Tatum Paxley) vs. Kiana James. Nile powered out of a headlock and put James into a side headlock. James put Nile in a Full Nelson which Nile escaped. Nile got a nearfall off a Sunset Flip. Kiana came back with a backbreaker and lariat on Nile. James hit Nile with a backbreaker. James hit Nile with a backbreaker for a two count. James continued to work a methodical pace with Nile.
Nile managed to recover and put James in an Octopus Stretch. Nile hit Jameswith a huracanrana. Nile hit James with a Gutwrench Suplex and single leg dropkick. James tried to leave but Fallon Henley showed up to block the ramp. Nile put James in a Dragon Sleeper for the win.
Ivy Nile defeated Kiana James via submission in 4:43.
Fallon Henley chased Kiana James to the back. Julius and Brutus Creed showed up. Julius congratulated Ivy Nile for being a badass who doesn’t attack people from behind, unlike Indus Sher. Julius talked about how successful the Creeds were in College. Brutus threw in a few words to hype himself up. Julius said that Indus Sher may be respected in India, but they are going to have to earn the Creeds’ respect in the ring. Julius challenged Indus Sher to a match at Deadline. Vic Joseph noted that Ivy Nile didn’t seem to like the challenge…
John’s Thoughts: Weird match. Ivy Nile was really impressive in her initial introduction, but since then they’ve kept her hidden on the Level Up show for months. Upon her return, she sells for a majority of this match to undercard Kiana James. She should be presented as a Buzzsaw, not vulnerable.
Vic and Booker sent the show to an Isla Dawn promo package. She called herself “The Enchantress”. Nile noted that she was behind all of the video wall glitches throughout the weeks. She was then playing with an Ouija Board. She said that the voices have guided her straight to Alba…
Vic Joseph hyped the debut of Scrypts after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Ok, Isla is still weird, but her current look is an upgrade over her cartoon witch look. She’s still a witch, but it seems more interesting. Her new look reminds me of a Disney villan, which should work. By the way, her new look also reminded me that Disenchanted is out on Disney Plus. Enchanted is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time and I want to see the sequel. Sorry for my slight Disney digression.
Andre Chase was in his office giving advice to a student. Duke Hudson showed up exhausted, saying he got in a fight with Pretty Deadly. Hudson said that this somehow got him and Andre a tag team title match. “Mario” the student clapped. Chase told Maria to get the F out of his office. Chase and Duke were hyping each other up…
Scrypts made his entrance. It was a black guy doing flips, and wearing some ghetto ass lucha mask that looks like it was bought from tha swap meet. I think it’s Reggie?
3. Scrypts (?) vs. Guru Raj. Scrypts hit Raj with a dropkick. Scrypts did a reverse worm to block a dropkick. A “Reggie” chant ensued. Scrypts hit Raj with a standing corkscrew crossbody. Scrypts hit Raj with a 450 seated senton for the victory.
Scrypts defeated Guru Raj via pinfall in 1:22.
Scrypts left a calling card on top of Guru Raj…
John’s Thoughts: Welp, that was a fart in church. This was one of those “bad” WWE Debuts. It’s F’n Reggie, the king of WWE’s jobber division for the last few years with the now-defunct 24/7 belt. I don’t know what they want the viewer to think, because this looked like clownshoes. I actually think that Reggie has the potential to be special like John Morrison, due to his insane athletic ability, but it’s going to be a tough tough hole to climb out of after being presented as WWE’s premier undercard act for years. What sucks too, is it felt like we all were looking forward to scrypts due to the serious vignettes. I kinda hope that this is a swerve and that someone else is Scrypts.
The Schism were shown wearing their mask in front of a tree…[c]
The Schism were all sitting in the center of the ring at a table with microphones. Joe Gacy took off his mask first. He talked about how trees shed their leaves in the autumn. He said the Schism also shed their leaves. He said they are reflecting on what togetherness has given their lives.
He talked about Thanksgiving being this week, and they were going to talk about what they are thankful for. Ava Raine talked about how families are broken apart by Thanksgiving. Raine talked about how blood relatives can’t keep a family together, but the Schism can be counted on.
John’s Thoughts: Take that, Dwayne!
[Hour Two] Rip Folwer talked about gluttony taking away from the meaning of Thanksgiving. Jagger Reid talked about the corruption Black Friday has injected into Thanksgiving. Ava Raine escorted a “fan” to the ring to sit with them. Gacy said it was time to christen a new holiday. The crowd chanted “Sacrifice” for some reason. Gacy asked the random guy to pledge the holiday of “Schism Invictus” with them.
Gacy told a poem about wanting to strike down anyone who isn’t with them. Raine gave the random guy a hug. Raine then glared at the camera with an evil glare. Gacy thanked the random guy for his “sacrifice”. Gacy teased a hug, but gave the man a Uranage. The Schism stood over the fallen man with their peace hand signs…
McKenzie interviewed Trick Williams and wondered where Carmelo Hayes was. Williams said that Melo was preparing for his match later. He said that Melo will beat Wes Lee into Oblivion. Wes Lee showed up to the set. Trick talked about how Melo is money. Lee said if Melo is money then he doesn’t need Trick. Trick said he and Melo are a package deal. Lee goaded Trick to agree to not go to ringside…
Zoey Stark made her entrance for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Bit of a weird Schism promo, but at the same time they are still way more interesting than they’ve ever been given their reboot. Rock’s daughter continues to show good confidence on the mic. The Schism are all better now that they are also trying to cosmetically switch things up.
Vic Joseph and Booker T plugged NXT Stand and Deliver at Staples Center during Wrestlemania Weekend (again, I refuse to call my hometown sports arena the Crypto Arena)…
They sent the show to a Bron Breakker promo where he was out doing fishing at a lake. Breakker talked about how he goes out there to unwind after a big match. He said he doesn’t have to be the guy that smashes people, he’s just a regular guy, a fisherman. He said he likes how quiet it is. Breakker said as the Champion , there’s a lot of mental weight that takes a toll after a while.
He said he felt like Superman at first, with all the excitement, but over time there’s a lot of weight and pressure. Breakker said during the winter, the fish aren’t as active, which forces him to switch bait up. He said this is his escape, to help him drop the weight of being champion. He said people are coming after him from all angles, like Apollo next. Breakker said at Deadline, the weight is back on. He said after he defends the title, he’s back to fishing at the lake…
John’s Thoughts: Oh! Wow. That was Bron Breakker’s best WWE promo to date, and it took him stepping out of Scott Steiner’s voice and shadow. This was the most character development we’ve gotten from Bronson Reichsteiner, ever. I liked that he looks like a relatable and chill dude, who focuses on his mental health. More of this from Bron, Please. Or at least more forward character development.
Sol Ruca made her entrance to generic surfer music. They cut to Sol cutting a promo on Tik Tok about facing Zoey Stark…
4. Zoey Stark vs. Sol Ruca. Ruca used a handstand to escape a headlock. Stark hit Sol with a knee to the gut. Sol did a leapfrog and hit Stark with a dropkick. Sol hit Zoey with a kick. Zoey came back with a superkick for a two count. Zoey trapped Sol in the apron and pummeled her. Zoey hit Sol with a baseball slide. Stark gave Sol a claw to the face and put her in a headlock. Sol rolled up Zoey for a two count. Sol rallied with axe handle strikes and a dropkick on Zoey.
Zoey hit Sol with a backdrop for a two count. Stark used a Gamengiri to knock Sol off the top rope. Sol got a two count off a Sunset Flip. Sol did a flip into a splash in the corner. Sol hit Zoey with a power slam for a two count. Zoey Stark avoided a Missile Dropkick and hit Sol with a Basement Dropkick for the victory.
Zoey Stark defeated Sol Ruca via pinfall in 4:17.
Zoey Stark tried to attack Sol after the match, but Nikkita Lyons ran out for the save. Stark rolled away when Lyons tried to go for a Tornado Kick…
John’s Thoughts: Stark got the best match she could out of Sol Ruca, who still isn’t totally ready for prime time yet. Can’t say I’m looking forward to Lyons vs. Stark. Stark’s great, but Lyons just hasn’t shown the ability to carry the ball.
Malik and Edris Enofe tried to invite Von Wagner and Robert Stone to a party. Wagner said he’d like to join them and act “mediocre” for once. He then said you’d never see him hang out with losers like them. Von Wagner then beat up both Edris Enofe and Malik Blade in the parking lot. Wagner ripped off Blade’s sweater vest, which he uses to honor his dad. The referees dragged Wagner away as Odyssey Jones checked on the fallen Blade…
Andre Chase and Duke Hudson made their entrance. Thea Hail was running around, as usual, like their Scrappy Doo…[c]
The show cut to a Charlie Dempsey vignette. He was shown doing ladder exercises with a deck of cards. He talked about how he trains like old school wrestlers like Carl Gotch or Billy Robinson who didn’t have things like Crossfit, Power Yoga, or Circuit training. He said people like Wes Lee, Carmelo Hayes, and Grayson Waller train to look good on Instagram. He said nothing beats old school squats before breakfast. He also mocked Hank Walker and Andre Chase. He said when he sees them all in the ring he’ll stretch them up because “Professional Wrestling is a serious business”…
Pretty Deadly made their entrance. Alicia Taylor handled the formal in-ring championship introductions. Booker T talked about how Duke Hudson was a former student of his (via Reality of Wrestling)…
5. “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson (w/Thea Hail) for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Hudson ran through Prince early on. Wilson tagged in and took a sidewalk slam from Hudson for the two count. Chase tagged in and pinned Wilson for a two count. Prince tagged in and tripped up Chase. Chase recovered and put Wilson in a grounded headlock. Chase hit Prince with a shoulder tackle. Prince came back with a dropkick. Wilson tagged in and did tandem offense with Prince for a two count on Andre.
Chase hit Wilson with a front kick. Chase and Wilson traded counters. Chase hit Wilson with a deadlift legscissors for a two count. Chase hit Prince with a backdrop while he had Wilson in a headlock. Hudson and Chase cleared Pretty Deadly from the ring. Chase hit Wilson with a Legsweep. Chase hit Wilson with the Chace U boots. The show cut to regular commercial.[c]
Prince and Wilson cut the ring in half on Chase for a stretch. Chase dumped Prince to ringside which caused him to accidentally hit Hail with a shoulder tackle. Duke Hudson got distracted and didn’t tag in. Prince tossed Chase into Wilson’s gutbuster to get a nearfall on Chase. Chase crawled under Prince and tagged in Hudson for the hot tag. Chase did a modified version of Road Dogg’s punches. Hudson tagged in Chase, who was still exhausted. Wilson escaped Hudson’s Gory Special. Hudson accidentally gave Chase a big boot. Wilson tossed Hudson into the steel steps. Pretty Deadly hit Chase with Spilled Milk to give Prince the win.
Pretty Deadly defeated Andre Chase and Duke Hudson via pinfall in 8:17 of on-air time to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Andre Chase and Thea Hail tried to cheer up Duke Hudson at ringside…
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from the announce table. They sent the show to Roxanne Perez on Tik Tok. She was hanging out with Nikkita Lyons. Indi Hartwell showed up to yell at her randomly. They cut to Elektra Lopez’s tik tok feed, where she watched them bickering while she laughed at them…
Carmelo Hayes was shown heading to the ring. They also showed Wes Lee heading to the ring…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A good Pretty Deadly deadly style match where they eek out another win. We’ve only seen Duke Hudson tag team a few times in WWE, but every time he does wrestle in a tag team he looks really good. He had that one wonderful match tag teaming with Dexter Lumis, and he’s had a few good tag team matches teaming up with Shane Thorne. That probably comes from his past tag teaming with Thorne and Jonah overseas. I raised an eyebrow at first, but I’m ingrigued by this whole Duke Hudson story in terms of him maybe, or maybe not, turning a corner in terms of character alignment.
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter were in the hallway. They ran into Nikkita Lyons who admitted that she and Stark weren’t a tag team, but she looked up to her. She said she was disappointed that Stark turned on her. Chance told her that gold can break apart friendships and she shouldn’t sweat it. Lyons said she’d be down to party with them and even tag team with them to face Toxic Attraction next week..
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in from ringside. Vic noted that Shawn Michaels will appear next week to reveal who’s wrestling in both Iron Survivor Matches…
Entrances for the North American Championship match aired. Alicia Taylor handled the formal in-ring introductions for the championship match. Vic Joseph noted that if Hayes wins, he’ll tie Johnny Gargano in terms of total championship reigns with the NA title…
6. Wes Lee vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship. Hayes won the initial lockup with a haymaker punch. Lee came back with a double leg takedown. Lee tossed Melo into the announce table. Both men brawled to ringside. Melo caught Wes with a pump kick combo. Lee came back with a huracanrana. Both men traded counters for a stretch. Both men then traded rollups. After more counters, both men took each other out with stereo pump kicks. The show cut to picture-in-picture.[c]
Back from the break, Melo had Lee in a Half Nelson. Lee got to a vertical base to break the hold. Melo gave Lee Snake Eyes on the top rope and followed up with a springboard lariat for the two count. Melo sent Lee throat first into the top buckle with an Irish Whip.
[Overrun] Melo mugged to the camera by doing a basketball jumper pose. Lee hit Melo with Snake Eyes and a German Suplex. This gave Lee a moment of respite to recover. Lee and Melo traded standing right hands for a bit of a hockey fight. Lee hit Melo with a CQC and dropkick combo. Lee hit Melo wit a Superman Elbow. Lee hit Melo with a European Uppercut. Lee hit Melo with a Frankendriver for a two count. Melo avoided Lee’s 450 and used a Small Cradle to get a two count. Melo slammed Lee to the mat with La Mistica for another nearfall.
Lee held on to the ropes to block a Codebreaker. Lee ran the ropes and ate a Codebreaker from melo. Lee avoided a leg drop and hit Melo with a running Meteora for a two count. Lee hit Melo with a Liger Kick. Trick Williams ran to ringside to check on Melo. Lee hit Trick with a flip dive. Lee knocked off Melo from the top rope wit a rising palm. Melo tossed Lee into the top buckle. Lee caught Melo with a Gamengiri and Eddy Gordo Waterfall Kick. Lee hit Melo with a Michinoku Driver for the clean win.
Wes Lee defeated Carmelo Hayes via pinfall in 13:01 to retain the NXT North American Championship.
The “…and still” graphic flashed on the big screen. All of a sudden, prison bars covered the graphic. Out of nowhere, the former T-Bar/Dominik Dijakovic showed up behind Lee. Joseph said “It’s Dijak!”. Booker asked “who?”. Dijak laid out Lee with a Burning Hammer into a Roundhouse (which kinda missed, sadly. But Lee sold it). The show closed with Joseph saying that Dijak is bringing his brand of justice to NXT…
John’s Thoughts: Awesome main event between two talented pro wrestlers. The good mix of high flying and technical wrestling reminded me of watching two TNA X Division wrestlers from the 2000s in terms of seeing two future potential world champions. Almost like watching Jay Lethal and AJ Styles wrestle. I liked that the finish came out of nowhere too, because it made the finish hit harder while also giving Lee a Credible win. We know Lee’s going to get Dijak next, but where does Melo go? Does he get called up? I don’t think they have to rush. Why not give him a run at Bron Breakker and the main title?
Rough return for Dijak who sadly missed that Roundhouse Kick. Stuff happens. I don’t think it should hurt that much because we’ve seen this guy have amazing matches in Ring of Honor and Black and Gold NXT. Here’s hoping he can do something with this new “law based” motiff. I’m praying that the guy makes it work. He deserves a shot after being stuck in WWE C-Show purgatory for the longest time. I wonder if they’re calling him Donovan Dijak or just Dijak. Either works, because I can see Dijak being one of those single-names that has impact. Overall, a good show with some weird points. I have been a fan of Booker T on NXT during his run so far, but I think he was a bit off tonight, falling into some of his old bad habits of not telling the right stories on commentary. Though he did fix it up by the end.
I miss Toothless Timmy Thatcher.
He’d be a great foil for Charlie Dempsey, after Dempsey wrestles some “sports entertainer” high fliers and complains no one can equal his Billy Robinson-style catch-as-catch-can. Think of the matches those two would have.
“Stark’s great, but Lyons just hasn’t shown the ability to carry the ball.”
The literal opposite is true. Stark is indieriffic garbage and Lyons is a star waiting to happen.
Outside of the okay Toxic Attraction opening segment and the really good Bron interview, this was fairly bad television and felt like WWE mailed one in during the holiday week.