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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (1/31/23)

NXTag Team Tuesday!

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NXT White 'n' Gold Era

Will tonight be a TEACHABLE MOMENT?

NXT is planning a Fatal 4 Way tag title match for Vengeance Day, and a Triple Threat will decide that fourth team! Who punches a golden ticket to Charlotte, North Carolina?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • The Creed Brothers VS Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal; Indus Sher wins.
  • Zoey Stark VS Indi Hartwell; Stark wins.
  • DIJAK VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone; Dijak wins.
  • Tyler Bate VS Axiom; Bate wins.
  • Stevie Turner VS Dani Palmer; Stevie wins.
  • Charlie Dempsey VS Drew Gulak w/ Hank Walker; Gulak wins.
  • Triple Threat Tag: The Dyad VS Malik Blade & Edris Enofe VS Chase U; Chase U wins and joins the Vengeance Day NXT Tag Team Championship match.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Creed Brothers VS Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal!

Julius & Brutus were denied a New Year’s Evil showdown with Sanga & Veer, but they get their moment just days before Vengeance Day! Will the Diamond Mine finally shine? Or will they be slain by the tigers hunting them down?

The teams sort out, Julius starts against Veer and they tie up. They go around as fans chant for the Creeds, and the two break. They go again, Julius waistlocks then shoves Veer. Veer nods, eggs Julius on, but then avoids Julius’ takedown. Julius waistlocks, Veer elbows free then runs, but Julius drops and Veer rolls. They keep moving, Julius ducks then jumps but Veer blocks the hip toss! Julius blocks a hip toss, and the hand start flying! Veer knees low, TOSSES Julius to the corner, then storms up. Julius slips away but gets clipped. Tag to Sanga, and tag to Brutus. Fans rally up as Brutus and Sanga circle.

The two tie up, Brutus waistlocks but Sanga THROWS him away! Sanga and Brutus go again, and Brutus tries to lift Sanga! Sanga CLUBS Brutus, whips him to a corner, then runs in. Brutus dodges, fires hands from all sides but Sanga shoves back. Brutus blocks a boot! Brutus has a leg but Veer tags in! Veer ROCKS Brutus, Sanga whips Brutus, and Sanga runs Brutus over! Veer drops a BIG elbow! Jinder applauds while fans are torn. Veer stalks Brutus, stomps him down, then stomps him again. Brutus gets up to RAM Veer into the corner! Tag to Julius, the Creeds mug Veer, and then Julius runs to forearm smash!

The Creeds DOUBLE HIP TOSS Veer! Fans fire up as Julius KNEES Veer in the side! Brutus KNEES Veer, then Julius gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Veer! Cover, TWO! Jinder talks trash, Julius swipes at him, then goes back for Veer. Veer elbows Julius away, tags in Sanga, and they FLAPJACK HOTSHOT Julius down! Sanga throws knees, puts Julius in the ropes and bends him back! The ref counts, Sanga lets off, but Jinder hits a cheap shot! Ivy Nile protests but Sanga stands on Julius’ chest! Tag to Veer, Sanga has the legs and drapes Julius out, for Veer to LEAP FROG ATTACK! Fans are torn while Indus Sher stands over Julius.

Veer throws body shots on Julius at the ropes, then he reaches out for Sanga. Julius throws hands but Veer ROCKS and CLUBS Julius! Tag to Sanga but Julius tackles Veer! Sanga BOOTS Julius for that, then scoops him. Sanga gives Julius SNAKE EYES, and then waits on Julius before he stomps him back down! Tag to Veer, Sanga throws knees, CLUBS Julius down, but Julius TACKLES Sanga! Veer stomps Julius, stomps him more, and then has him at the ropes. Tag back to Sanga, Indus Sher mugs Julius, then double whip. They run Julius over with double shoulders! Sanga stalks Julius, and clamps on a SLEEPER!

Fans rally for Julius as he fights up. Julius stands but Sanga wrangles him back down! Julius fights up, but Sanga knees him in the back! Sanga puts Julius against ropes, kicks him and whips him to a corner. Sanga runs in to SPLASH! Sanga reels Julius in, for a SIDE EFFECT! Cover, TWO! Julius is hanging tough but Sanga throws off his armbands. Sanga drags Julius up but Julius powers Sanga back. Sanga CLUBS Julius in the corner, throws knees, then drags Julius over. But Julius shoves free! Sanga CLOBBERS Julius and smother shim into the mat! Sanga drags Julius back, tags Veer, and they hand off the leg.

Veer has a lock on the leg but Julius uses his other foot to pry at the hold! Julius hops up and ENZIGURIS! Hot tag to Brutus! Fans fire up as BRUTUS SMASH! And SMASH! And back body block for Sanga! BIG back suplex for Veer! Fans are thunderous as Brutus goes out to SMASH Sanga! Brutus drags Veer up to a GERMAN SUPLEX! Brutus roars, and he hammers away with fists! Sanga returns but Brutus DECKS him! Tag to Julius and Brutus STANDING MOONSAULTS! Julius STANDING SHOOTING STARS! Cover, TWO!! Sanga was almost there but Veer survives on his own. Fans rally, Brutus runs in and TACKLES Sanga out of the ring!

Julius drags Veer up, gut wrenches, and he double clutches to POWERBOMB! High stack, TWO!?! Veer survives and fans are thunderous again! Jinder panics but he coaches Veer up. Fans rally for “NXT!” as Julius hits the ROLLING SPINEBUSTER! The elbow pad comes off, but Jinder grabs Julius! Ivy storms over and fans rally for her! Veer ROCKS Julius, whips him, but Julius dodges! Only to BLAST Ivy off the apron by accident!! Julius can’t believe what happened, but he turns around into the MILLION DOLLAR LARIAT!! Tag to Sanga, choke grip and CHOKE SLAM! Cover, Indus Sher wins!!

Winner: Indus Sher, by pinfall

Jinder grins as he celebrates with his team, because a win is a win! Will Indus Sher look to take over the NXT Tag Division after Vengeance Day?

 

Axiom watches NXT UK episodes on Peacock.

Tyler Bate walks over to see it’s Tyler Bate VS A-Kid for the Heritage Cup. Bate was always a big fan of A-Kid’s. They had some excellent matches in NXT. Axiom agrees, A-Kid’s the best. What ever happened to him? Bate says Axiom reminds him of A-Kid. He isn’t sure what it is, he can’t put his finger on it. Axiom says he gets that a lot. But Bate, that Heritage Cup match was very unique, a real masterpiece. How about they create a masterpiece of their own tonight? Bate loves that idea! But then in walks Damon Kemp with sarcastic applause.

Kemp says he was walking around, and overhead them. Friendly competition makes him sick! “I respect your work a lot! I respect your work to infinity!” When Kemp was in NXT UK, he learned that all the Limeys are soft! And the European wrestling style is overrated! And if you ever see A-Kid personally, tell him that Kemp says he’s hot garbage! Well, if Axiom does see A-Kid around, he’ll tell him. Kemp walks off, but Bate says Kemp is a “right wazzock.” A what? A pendejo. Oh! Okay. Bate heads out, will Axiom get that friendly competition? Or will he first take care of Kemp’s attitude first?

 

Zoey Stark VS Indi Hartwell!

These two had an impressive showing in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble match, though neither won their ticket to WrestleMania. But Indi also wants to get to the bottom of who attacked Nikkita Lyons in the parking lot. All signs point to The Hunter, will Indi get her to confess?

The bell rings and fans sing, “OH~ Zoey is angry~!” Zoey gets mad hearing that, and then ties up with Indi. They go around, Indi puts Zoey in a corner, and the ref counts. Indi lets off at 4, but Zoey shoves her back. Indi shoves back, then dodges to CHOP! And ROCK! Indi fires off and fans cheer her on. Indi whips, Zoey holds ropes, then Zoey bails out. Fans boo while Zoey throws a tantrum. Indi slips out after Zoey, they go around the way, and Indi avoids the elbow drop! Indi drags Zoey out to RAM Her into the apron, and again! Indi gets in the ring, drags Zoey up by her hair, and into the ropes for an UPPERCUT! And BOOT!

Zoey flops down, Indi drags her to a cover, TWO! Indi drags Zoey up for a short arm LARIAT! And then another! Fans rally but Zoey gets around and claws Indi’s eyes! Zoey snapmares Indi, runs and SLIDING LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Indi sits up, Zoey stomps her on the back. Zoey tells fans that THEY suck, and she clamps onto an armlock and chinbar. Indi endures, fans rally up, and Indi fights up. “OH~ Zoey is angry~!” Indi stands, arm-drags free, but Zoey comes back to CHOP! Indi CHOPS, Zoey CHOPS, repeat! Zoey kicks low, whips Indi hard into a corner, then whips her in again! Zoey soaks up heat and whips corner to corner.

Indi reverses, Zoey bounces off buckles and into a SIDEWALK SLAM! Cover, TWO! Indi gives a thumbs up and fans cheer. Indi puts Zoey in the ropes again, but Zoey avoids the uppercut to HOTSHOT! Indi falls, Zoey slingshots for the ARABIAN SENTON! Cover, TWO! Zoey snarls and she rains down fists on Indi! Indi gets up and flounders to a corner but Zoey snapmares her down. Zoey cravats for a neck wrench but Indi endures. Fans rally, Indi fights up, but Zoey wrangles her back down! Zoey cranks the cravat but Indi still endures. Fans rally up again, Indi fights up again, but Zoey shifts to a facelock. Indi still powers Zoey to a corner!

Zoey powers Indi back, but Indi RAMS Zoey into the corner! Zoey BOOTS Indi back! And then fires forearms! Indi hits back, they go shot for shot, but Indi kicks, JABS and DECKS Zoey! Zoey staggers up and Indi rallies with clotheslines! Indi dodges to SPINEBUSTER! Highs tack, TWO! Zoey is still in this but Indi keeps her cool. Zoey goes to a corner, Indi runs in but Zoey dodges! HEEL KICK! Zoey waistlocks, to GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Indi is still in this but Zoey is frustrated. Zoey waistlocks and drags Indi up, but Indi arm-drags out of the half nelson. Indi scoops but Zoey slips out to fireman’s carry! But Indi flights free!

Indi shoves Zoey away, runs in but is put on the apron. Indi ROCKS Zoey first, then springboards, but Zoey trips her up! Indi crashes down, Zoey drags her back up! Z 360!! Cover, Zoey wins!

Winner: Zoey Stark, by pinfall

Whether innocent or guilty in the whodunnit, Zoey Stark is still the winner here! But then Zoey attacks Indi! Sol Ruca rushes out and chases Zoey off! The Hunter has a target on her own back, will karma catch up to her one way or another?

 

The Schism speaks.

Joe Gacy says, “A day of vengeance is on the horizon for The Schism.” Rip Fowley says, “We seek vengeance for something that has been owed to us for far too long.” Jagger Reed says, “The NXT Tag Team Championships have been kept from us since The Dyad’s inception.” Gacy says, “Tonight, Rip and Jagger change their destiny by altering others’ reality.” Ava Raine tells Edris Enofe & Malik Blade, “We know who you are. But everyone at Chase University, you worship a false idol. You are not a family. You are abusive, devious, and delusional. School spirit will not help you tonight, because Chase University will fail. There is no unit stronger than the Schism.”

They are four roots, one tree, but will they be the final team to enter the Fatal 4 Way?

 

Apollo Crews speaks.

“The city of Charlotte. Packed restaurants, tons of foot traffic, bars with lines out the door. Cars flying down I-85. I came out early to feel Charlotte’s energy, and I feel the city’s excitement all the way up here. NXT’s coming, and I’m coming. I need two falls, two pinfalls, two submissions, or one each. I’ve visualized this match a hundred times. Money Melo is gonna be fast, he’s gonna be flashy, but I am ready for Melo’s handprint. My best will always be better than his best. And if Trick Williams wants to get involved, well Trick’s gonna get handled. Melo wants to call me the past and him the future? At Vengeance Day, the past will dictate the future!”

Apollo has spoken, but will he speak his vision into existence? And just who did Apollo see having his back against Trick Melo Gang?

 

Wes Lee heads to the ring.

The North American Champion is here, ready for his fight with #HardJustice this Saturday! Wes gets the mic to say, “Yo~! We are T-minus four days from NXT back on the road, and we are swangin’ through Charlotte, North Cackalacky, for Vengeance Day.” And it’ll be a big day for Wes literally because he has his biggest test in Dijak. Dijak is back and claims to be serving justice, but ultimately he just wants what’s shining on Wes’s shoulder. Saturday will be tough, Wes will probably take an ass-whooping. But just like Wes did with Tony and Carmelo, the Cardiac Kid will rise as your North American Champion!

But wait! Here comes DIJAK! “Mr. Lee, I want you to soak this in. I want you to soak it all in. Enjoy these moments, because these are your final days as NXT North American Champion. That was a real impassioned speech you gave, really powerful and motivating. But the reality is, it’s not gonna make a damn bit of difference. You had EVERY opportunity to hand me that championship, but you were too stupid to take it, weren’t you? And now… On Saturday, you’re gonna be standing across the ring, staring down the biggest and baddest man in the ENTIRE NXT locker room! And when that happens, I’m gonna rip that championship from your cold hands.”

Wes says that is exactly what Dijak will have to do! You will have to pry this title from Wes’s cold, dead hands! But understand that it’s much easier said than done. Wes didn’t win by accident. Every minute of training, every risk Wes took in and out of the ring, and every trial and tribulation, Wes has FOUGHT! When Wes felt like he couldn’t anymore, the chaotic support from every single one of the fans showed him that he can reach levels he had only dreamt of! So Saturday, Dijak isn’t just fighting Wes. He is fighting everyone on the #WesSide. Fans cheer Wes on! But Dijak says Wes might be fighting for the fans, but they won’t be fighting for Wes!

Wait! Von Wagner is here? He and Robert Stone walk out and Stone “apologizes.” But maybe his ears aren’t working properly. Dijak said HE’S the biggest and baddest? Have they forgotten about Von? Von tells Dijak, “Take those stupid sunglasses off, we’re inside. and I’m right here. And the only injustice is me getting overlooked.” Dijak tells Von that his eyes are focused on championship gold. Dijak has no issue with Von whatsoever. Wes says he isn’t sure about that. Fans chant “WAGNER SUCKS!” Wes says Dijak claims to be the biggest and baddest, but Von claims HE is the biggest and baddest, so Dijak is basically calling Von a liar.

Dijak tells Wes to shut up, and he knows what he’s up top. What? Wes just sees an injustice that needs to be fixed! Wes hears Von and Stone loud and clear about being overlooked. Come Tuesday… We may need to have a new #1 contender to the North American title. So uh… If Von happens to beat Dijak tonight, then Von will no longer be overlooked. Von will be looked at as a contender. And Stone says that is why they’re here! Right, right. So let’s please, PLEASE solve this injustice. Or Dijak can just give Von his jacket now. Dijak throws hands on Von! Von hits back, and fans fire up as the brawl is on!

Von clotheslines Dijak up and out! Refs rush out to stop this, but fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Will we see this brawl turn into a match? WE WILL! Wes gets out of the way, who wins this battle of behemoths?

DIJAK VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone!

The bell rings, the haymakers fly again, and Dijak kicks low! Dijak whips, Von reverses and KNEES Dijak down! Stone fires up, Von scoops Dijak to FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans fire up while NXT goes picture in picture!

Von drags Dijak up to reel him in. Von suplexes but DIjak blocks! Von CLUBS Dijak, tries again, but Dijak still blocks! Dijak throws body shots, then suplexes, TIME TO FLY! Von crashes, writhes, and goes to a corner. Dijak runs in to kick Von and stomp aw mudhole in! Dijak CLUBS Von, Von kicks back and puts Dijak in a corner for elbows! Von whips corner to corner, Dijak reverses hard and Von falls to the mat! Dijak storms up, drags Von up and turns him to a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Von is still in this but Dijak grits his teeth. Dijak clamps on a cravat and grinds Von with a neck wrench.

Von endures, fans rally up, and Von fights up. Von throws body shots, then haymakers! Von whips Dijak to a corner, then lifts Dijak for a POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Von is annoyed but he watches Dijak stand. Von CLUBS Dijak, HEADBUTTS him, then ROCKS him with a right. Von whips, Dijak ducks ‘n’ dodges, then holds ropes! Von runs in but is sent into ropes! Von sputters, Dijak stomps him down, and then rains down fists! Stone protests but Dijak lets off to have the neck wrench again. Von endures, fights up, and he throws body shots. NXT returns to single picture as Von throws hands, but Dijak throws elbows and knees!

Dijak SMASHES then DISCUS LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Wes is on commentary and says it was only right that we find out who is truly the biggest and baddest in NXT. Dijak choke grips but Von fights free! Dijak wrenches, mule kicks, then back elbows hard! Dijak reels Von in but Von suplexes Dijak into buckles!! Fans lose their minds while Dijak flops down. Dijak stands up, Von runs in, and Von clotheslines! Von whips corner to corner, but Dijak BOOTS back! Von still fireman’s carries, but Dijak slips off! Dijak shoves Von away and ROCKS him at the ropes! Dijak runs but Von KNEES him low! Von runs, to RAM Dijak!

Dijak rebounds to RAM Von, then he ELBOWS, ELBOWS and CLUBS Von! Then he SUPERKICKS! Dijak runs, into a BOOT! Cover, TWO!! Dijak survives and Stone can’t believe it! Fans rally for “NXT! NXT!” and Von waits on Dijak. Dijak slowly rises, Von choke grips, but Dijak flips through the lift! To choke grip and HIGH JUSTICE!! Cover, TWO?!! Von survives and the fans are thunderous! Von goes to a corner, Dijak storms up, “This is Awesome!” as Dijak throws elbows. Dijak hoists Von up top, CLUBS him in the chest, then climbs up after him. Dijak choke grips again, but Von elbows Dijak over and over and over!

Von CLUBS away on Dijak, roars, and hits a SUPER BUTTERFLY SLAM!! Cover, TWO!?!? Fans are thunderous, Stone is beside himself, and Wes is loving this! Von gets Dijak up, OLYMIPC- NO, Dijak slips out to have the HAMMERLOCK SLEEPER! Von flails, reaches out, Stone coaches him, but Dijak says this is gonna be Wes’s future! Von is fading out, then Dijak torture racks! FEAST YOUR EYES!! Cover, Dijak wins!

Winner: DIJAK, by pinfall

Hard Justice has proven to be THE biggest and baddest man in NXT! But will he prove he is championship material? Or will Wes Lee prove he is must-see?

 

Tony D’Angelo and Channing Lorenzo are watching backstage.

Stacks says he can’t stand that Dijak. He’ll probably win the title on Saturday now. But The Don says not to worry about Dijak. “Street justice has no expiration date.” But what was this big impact Stacks was gonna have? Stacks has to take care of a few things. The first or the second? Both. Wow, really? Yeah, he’s the Underboss! That’s what they do. So next week, Stacks gets it done. Tremendous. Now let’s take care of that other thing. They head out, just what is Stacks going to do to handle his business?

 

Nikkita Lyons tweets out her status.

“Surgery was a success. Thank you deeply to the WWE universe, my Lyon Pride, for all the love and support you show. I’ll be back stronger than I’ve ever been. #ReadyToPounce Also, a big thank you to the wonderful surgeons, doctors and nurses.” It may be another setback, but will Lyons use that to set up a huge comeback?

 

McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with more.

McKenzie Mitchell says there are many questions surrounding the attack on Lyons in the NXT parking lot, so she has prepared some footage so that we can get a better idea of what happened. Among those on scene at the time of the attack are Valentina Feroz walking away, Dani Palmer, Arianna Grace and Alexis Leddy walking together going inside, and an unidentified woman driving away. There is also Elektra Lopez walking and talking with newcomer Lola Vice, closest to Nikkita but going on their own path. Freeze here, and you see Tiffany Stratton just going through her bag, but maybe she’s hiding the evidence.

And of course, Zoey Stark is spotted walking away, and even Tatum Paxley and Lash Legend at the very end of the lot. Indi Hartwell and Lyra Valkyria come to Lyons’ aid, and we then spot Wendy Choo peeking out of a car window. Did Wendy witness anything? McKenzie says no one is taking credit for this attack, but she will keep us informed if anyone comes forward with information. Who is behind NXT’s newest whodunnit mystery, and why did they do it?

 

NXT looks closer at Bron Breakker VS Grayson Waller.

The Big Booty Nephew’s NXT record is already golden, but the 21st Century Success Story isn’t impressed. In fact, he’s sick and tired of it. Waller has been running this for the last eight months, and now he’s made the decision that he needs to be champion. New Year’s Evil was going well until a freak accident took Waller out. So at Vengeance Day, their rematch will be inside a STEEL CAGE! Waller says Bron is a wild dog, and Bron admits his temper has gotten the better of him. But no one has taken advantage of it like Waller. Waller is living rent free in Bron’s brain. Bron says his temper has led to both is biggest wins and most crushing losses.

Waller says Bron will beat himself this time. Bron thought he needed to control the anger, but then he realized, with the steel cage all around them, there’s no need to hold back. Bron will beat Waller within an inch of his life, and pin what’s left! But Waller says he can read Bron like a book. And Waller has read that book, so he’ll past this test. Waller will not just beat Bron but he’ll embarrass him! Bron promises to break Waller inside the steel, but Waller went viral the last time he was inside a cage. This is what Waller wanted, but it’ll be Bron’s Vengeance Day. Who survives the steel to bring home the gold?

 

Tyler Bate VS Axiom!

Even with Kemp being a right wanker, the Big Strong Boy and the Undeniable Truth are going to focus on friendly competition! Will Bate continue to get A-Kid vibes from Axiom? Or will Axiom be even better than that?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and Bate powers Axiom to ropes. The ref counts, Bate lets off, and fans applaud the sportsmanship. They reset, tie up again, and Bate has a cording hold. Axiom whips Bate away, Bate goes up and under and then knuckle locks. Bate steps over, headlocks, waistlocks, trips and body scissors to a clutch, TWO! They tie up, Bate cravats and snapmares, but Axiom is right up. Axiom sidesteps but Bate blocks the arm-drag to hit an arm-drag! Bate has the armlock and fans applaud the exchange. Axiom fights up, facelocks, but Bate powers out to keep on the armlock.

Axiom endures, fans duel, and Axiom goes up and around to whip Bate! Bate reverses to hit the arm-drag again! Fans cheer as Bate keeps on the arm but Axiom fights up. Axiom facelocks, Bate fights that, but Axiom goes up and around again. Bate still has the arm, he turns another whip into another arm-drag, but Axiom fights up. Axiom uses the ref for an assist to flip through! But again Bate reverses a whip! And again! Axiom is frustrated as Bate keeps on the arm. Axiom fights up, goes up and headscissors! Bate throws Axiom away, Axiom avoids the elbow to springboard arm-drag, kip up and ENZIGURI! Cover, TWO!

Axiom keeps on Bate with a facelock, fans rally up, and Bate rolls. Axiom rolls with Bate, covers, TWO! The two stand off, Bate SOBATS! Axiom staggers away, Bate runs in, but Axiom arm-drags Bate and himself up and out of the ring! Fans fire up while NXT goes picture in picture.

Both men stir, and Bate stands up first. Bate follows Axiom, UPPERCUTS him, then puts him in the ring. Bate stalks Axiom, brings him up and headlocks, to bop him with a boot! Bate hits the headlock takeover, but Axiom headscissors in return. Axiom pushes up to put on pressure, but Bate moves around. Bate headstands, pops free and has Axiom’s legs tied up. Bate goes back to the headlock but Axiom goes back to the headscissor! Bate kips free, but Axiom holds onto an arm to drag Bate back down! Axiom headscissors again, but Bate moves around again. Bate headstands, pops free and basement dropkicks!

Bate drags Axiom up by an arm and wraps Axiom up in a straitjacket stretch. Axiom endures, arm-drags free, and runs in at the corner. Axiom blocks a boot but not the KNEE! Bate goes up to FLYING UPPERCUT! Cover, TWO! Bate keeps cool and he keeps his eyes on Axiom. Bate UPPERCUTS again and Axiom goes to rpoes. Bate whips Axiom to ropes, then catches him to a COBRA TWIST! Axiom endures the stretch, pops free and hip tosses Bate down! Axiom waistlocks, they go to ropes but Bate bucks the O’Conner, only to turn around into a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Axiom floats to get the arm, but Bate stacks him, TWO!

Axiom has Bate in a Triangle Hold, and NXT returns to single picture. Fans chant, “This is Wrestling!” as Bate deadlifts Axiom to a fireman’s carry! AIRPLANE SPIN! Fans fire up as Bate goes around and around and around, fifteen times! Bate slows down, staggers a bit, squats, and then powers up to spin MORE!! And then POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Axiom survives and Bate has to catch his breath but fans rally back up. Axiom and Bate rise, Bate spins a few more times before he throws a forearm! Axiom throws a forearm back! Bate fires forearm after forearm but Axiom hits back! Axiom kicks, Bate blocks but Axiom hops the sweep to ENZIGURI!

Bate falls over, Axiom keeps moving, PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Bate goes to a corner, Axiom runs in, he blocks the boot but gets another knee! Bate goes up and leaps, into an SLEEPER!! Axiom has the body scissors and fans rally up! Bate endures, fights the hold, turns over, but Axiom squeezes tighter! Bate stands, pries at the hold, opens it up, but Axiom waistlocks. Bate bucks the O’Conner again but Axiom kips up, into a RIGHT! But he SUPERKICKS right back! Axiom rolls Bate up but Bate sits on the cover, TWO!!! Axiom escapes and fans are thunderous! Both men slowly rise and fans rally up.

Axiom ROCKS Bate! Bate rebounds, but Axiom avoids the rolling kick! Bate avoids the Penalty Kick, Axiom slips through the roll-up. Bate blocks the Superkick to spin Axiom, Bop up and BANG in! Axiom wobbles, Bate runs and REBOUND LARIATS! Bate underhooks, but Axiom NORTHERN LIGHTS out! Bridging cover, TWO as Bate bridges up! Axiom pushes Bate back down, TWO as Bate gets back up! Underhooks, TYLER- RANA!!! Cover, TWO!!! Bate has the arms again! TYLER DRIVER 97!!! Cover, Bate wins!!!

Winner: Tyler Bate, by pinfall

A big strong win for the Big Strong Boy! “That was Awesome!” but will this earn Bate a title match on the other side of this Saturday? But Bate and the fans show Axiom respect. But then Kemp CLBOBBERS them both! And he hits Axiom with an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Kemp says he told them before, but then Bate chases Kemp off! Will Bate make sure Kemp learns European wrestling is anything but soft?

 

Isla Dawn speaks.

“In my land, Imbolc is the beginning of Spring. It is a time to exhale all that is behind us, and to mark new beginnings. Tonight, on the Eve of Imbolc, we purge the constraints of the past. We purify the negative energy surrounding us, and we transfigure the uninitiated into members of this house. There has always been a rage inside of you,” Alba Fyre. And she just needed a nudge to reveal it. “Shall we?” Fyre nods, and Isla says they are letting go of their unbridled passions, shed their egos, and relinquish their need for control. “These emotions no longer serve us.” Fyre repeats that, and throws water on the fire. With this, the initiation process has begun.

Isla and Fyre smile as they walk into the night. Will the darkness within Fyre grow stronger with the Wicked Witch’s influence?

 

Backstage interview with Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams.

McKenzie is with Trick Melo Gang, and Trick is shaking. But he’s just joking. He’s “shaking like booty meat on a Friday night.” Not because he’s scared, but because it’s cold out. “But Trick Willy can’t lie. This whole Apollo thing, I mean, I don’t know. Should I even go to Vengeance Day? He looks, he sees in the future, that’s some Cleo stuff, man!” Melo has Trick calm down. Of course Trick’s going to Vengeance Day. Apollo can stay daydreaming, but they stay scheming. McKenzie notes the match is Best 2 out of 3, so how does Melo see this playing out? Melo says everyone knows him by now, so we know how Melo sees this playing.

“Apollo needs to realize that this ain’t Jackson, that this ain’t Jordan, that these shots I take don’t ever jam.” Melo is of a different caliber! Melo took Apollo from the sidelines to the headlines. Apollo could have a top combine vertical, and his fingertips still wouldn’t reach Melo’s level. Melo tells Apollo that you can be this or that, but until you beat Melo, you can never be HIM. That’s all it is, and that’s all it’s gonna be. But is Melo overlooking the wild cards in the equation?

 

Roxanne Perez and Toxic Attraction sit down for video interviews.

The NXT Women’s Champion is far, far away from Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne for this final interview before Vengeance Day. Vic Joseph notes Roxie is the youngest woman to ever compete in the Royal Rumble match. How did that feel for her? She was overwhelmed, and so grateful to hear her music hit in front of over 50 THSOUAND people, and make the run down the ramp she’s dreamed of for so long. It was so incredible! Jacy says, “Incredible? More like incredibly pathetic! RoXaNnE~, cOnGrAtUlAtIoNs~! YoU wErE iN tHe RoYaL rUmBlE~!” But you didn’t win! And you’re not going to WrestleMania, but to Vengeance Day, to lose your title.

Gigi says the reason Roxie lost the Rumble was cuz she got put through a table! That look on her face when she realized she got tricked was great. But it’ll all be over for Lil’ Miss Perfect real soon. Roxie says Gigi & Jacy act like they’re best friends, but Roxie knows there is a lot of truth behind what they said to each other last week. Gigi says the truth is that Roxie stands no chance at Vengeance Day. How is Roxie gonna beat them both? She has the same percent chance of winning the Triple Threat as she did winning the Rumble: ZERO! Roxie is good and all, but going against the two baddest women in NXT at the same time, she has NO chance.

Actually, Roxie says she has more of a chance- Jacy cuts her off to say that Roxie had a good run. Eight months in NXT is like a little jog. Good for her! But Roxie peaked at 21 years old. That sucks. But this Saturday, it’s all coming to an end. Roxie says it’s not. But Gigi says it is. At least Roxie can go home to Texas and tell everyone she had a “cup of coffee” in the big time. She just made one critical mistake: messing with Toxic Attraction. And look on the bright side! She can play the “What If” game! What if Roxie stayed in her lane and didn’t punch up? Roxie starts to speak but Jacy cuts her off again, telling her to shut up.

Jacy says “What if” Roxie was a good little girl and didn’t make any waves. Whether Roxie likes it or not, it’s 2v1. Gigi says Roxie’s ride is over, the 15 minutes of fame are over. Roxie storms out, and Toxic Attraction make fun of her for not being able to handle it. Vic says Toxic Attraction weren’t being fair, but Jacy says, “Who cares? After Saturday, she’ll be old news. You’re looking at the next NXT Women’s Champion right here.” Then which one will it be? Gigi says you’re looking at her! Gigi knows everyone, especially Booker, is a big fan of Roxie, and is just trying to find a crack between Toxic Attraction, but there isn’t one.

For almost two years, Toxic Attraction has controlled the NXT Women’s Division. But for the last six weeks, everyone’s been on a vacation from it. That changes on Saturday, as order will be restored when Jacy & Gigi take their rightful spot. This day has been a long time coming, Roxie is just the first one to push it to the edge. But at Vengeance Day, they course correct things back to Gigi- Er, they become NXT Women’s Champion. Jacy notices that “flub,” but before she can respond, ROXANNE POUNCES!! Roxie fires off with all the pent up anger on both of them! She TACKLES Jacy through the set!!

Fans fire up as security rushes in to stop Roxie from tearing into Toxic Attraction more! Will nothing, not even two opponents at once, stop The Prodigy from proving why she IS NXT Women’s Champion?

 

Stevie Turner VS Dani Palmer!

Updated, online and ready to play, the Fourth Dimensional Superstar is finally back in action! Will Stevie prove that she is always two steps ahead and two levels above? Or will Dani delete Stevie before she even gets started?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Stevie has an armlock, then wrenches Dani to wrangle her to the mat. Dani fights up, rolls, backflips and wrenches, but Stevie gets away. They go again, Stevie waistlocks but Dani switches, only for Stevie to elbow free. Stevie headlocks, Dani brings her down to a knee and handstands to slip free! Stevie avoids Dani’s headlock to BOOT, BOOT and then scrape Dani on ropes! Fans boo, Stevie runs side to side to BOOT WASH! Stevie laughs like mad and she pushes Dani down. Stevie then brings Dani up, but Dani pushes her away. Stevie kicks low, CLUBS Dani, then turns her for a HANGING NECKBREAKER!

Dani staggers to ropes, Stevie snapmares her and clamps on a chinlock. Fans rally, Dani fights up, and arm-drags free! Stevie runs back but into an elbow! Dani dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! And again! Dani keeps moving but Stevie kicks low! But Dani JAWBREAKERS back! Dani runs to THESZ PRESS! Dani rains down wild hands, thrashes Stevie around, and then drags Stevie up. Dani runs, but Stevie reels her in by her tights! Stevie whips Dani away, and BOOTS her down! Stevie hauls Dani up, TWISTING DDT!! Stevie isn’t done there, she drags Dani up, for the SIDE EFFECT! Cover, Stevie wins!

Winner: Stevie Turner, by pinfall

Stevie just rerouted Dani’s connection and has her first win in NXT! Will Stevie soon be the number one trend in wrestling?

 

Kiana James is on the phone.

She promises to see “Zack” there, and says, “Love you, too.” Fallon Henley then walks over and asks who she was talking to. No one, don’t worry about it. Fallon knew it! She KNEW Kiana would break Jensen’s heart!! Fallon, calm down, it’s not what you think. You don’t even know why you’re upset right now! Oh? Then who is Zack?! But then in walk the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Kayden Carter points out the #1 contenders, and how they’re not talking about their upcoming match. Katana Chance says that sounds like trouble. Kiana says sound travels fast around here. But the only sound the champs will hear on Saturday is, “And NEW…!”

Has Fallon been giving Kiana a lot to drink lately? They’ve been a team for like a week while KC Squared has been a team for over a year! Fallon says with all due respect, we all know, we all get it, Katana & Kayden are BFFs. But Saturday is the biggest match of Fallon’s life, so she is going all out. Kiana says they are going all out. Well, we’ll see about that. But either way, the titles are staying with KC Squared. Katana & Kayden head out, and Fallon gets Kiana’s attention. Stay focused for Saturday, but just know this conversation isn’t over. Fallon heads out, is she making a mountain out of a mole hill?

 

Charlie Dempsey VS Drew Gulak w/ Hank Walker!

The Son of the Gentleman Villain cost the Philly Stretcher and his blue collar protégé last week, so this is all about vengeance before Vengeance Day! Will Gulak lock Dempsey down? Or will the Philly Stretcher be the one getting stretched?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and Gulak headlocks for a takeover. Dempsey fights up, hits a back suplex, but Gulak holds on! Gulak has control again but Dempsey headscissors. Gulak moves around, has the legs, but Dempsey keeps shoulders up in the stack. Dempsey pushes Gulak away, they stand, and Gulak facelocks. Dempsey wrenches out, wristlocks, but Gulak grinds forearms. Dempsey wrenches, Gulak gets away, and fans rally up as NXT goes picture in picture.

The two circle, knuckle lock, and go shoulder to shoulder for a test of strength. Dempsey powers Gulak down to his knees, but Gulak powers back up. They go shoulder to shoulder again and now Gulak powers Dempsey back. Dempsey bridges, but Gulak has the cover! TWO as Dempsey gets an arm up! Gulak puts that arm down, TWO as the other arm comes up! Gulak has both arms, TWO as Dempsey bridges back up! Gulak stands over Dempsey, brings him up, but Dempsey monkey flips! Dempsey rolls back to a cover, TWO as Gulak sunset flips! TWO, and Dempsey headlocks to keep Gulak down! Fans applaud as the technical exchange continues.

Gulak fights up to his feet, powers his way to a facelock, but Dempsey snap suplexes to a cover, TWO! Gulak has the facelock but Dempsey stands up again. Dempsey goes for a trip but Gulak uses that to get a cover, TWO! Dempsey fights up, Gulak facelocks, then scoops and SLAMS Dempsey into ropes! Dempsey clutches his legs but Gulak storms up. Dempsey throws body shots and uppercuts! Gulak DECKS Dempsey in return! Gulak hurries to a cover, TWO! Gulak grabs Dempsey’s legs and steps through, but Dempsey resists. Gulak still pushes through to get the deathlock, and then he gets the chinlock for a REGAL STRETCH!!

Dempsey endures, reaches out, but Gulak keeps the pressure on the hold! Dempsey still moves forward, NXT returns to single picture, and Dempsey pries the facelock away! Dempsey turns to trip Gulak into a HEEL HOOK! Gulak kicks away to get free! Dempsey UPPERCUTS, has the leg, DRAGON SCREW! Gulak clutches his knee and fans rally up again. Dempsey covers, TWO! Dempsey underhooks the arm, BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Bridge, and then roll into the BUTTERFLY STRETCH! Gulak endures, fights up, but Dempsey shifts to have a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Gulak endures, Dempsey turns it to a ghost pin, TWO!

ANOTHER BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Dempsey keeps on Gulak with a deadlift GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! “This is Wrestling!” as Dempsey brings Gulak up. Gulak wrenches the arm, CLUBS it, and then has the CROSSFACE CHICKEN WING! Dempsey pries free, arm-drags Gulak away, and storms up, to get the leg! Gulak slips out of the Dragon Screw, but Dempsey gets the leg again! DRAGON SCREW! And then Dempsey has the leg for a HEEL HOOK! Gulak kicks with his free leg, and he gets away! Both men rush in, Gulak blocks the forearm to LARIAT! Cover, TWO!

Gulak clutches his leg and Dempsey goes to ropes. Fans rally up, Gulak headlocks, but Dempsey hits a BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Gulak is hanging tough and Hank coaches him up. Fans rally, Gulak and Dempsey slowly rise. Dempsehy runs in, into a SLAP!! Gulak just pissed Dempsey off! Dempsey BOOTS, but Gulak TACKLES Dempsey! Cover, TWO, but Dempsey has a SLEEPER! Gulak rolls out to get the arms! But Dempsey rolls, stands, but Gulak spins. Into Dempsey’s CROSSFACE CHICKEN WING! Gulak moves around, but Dempsey pushes on the bad leg! Dempsey drags Gulak down, body scissors are on!

Gulak fights, gets free of the body scissors, and Hank coaches Dempsey! Gulak runs to ropes and Dempsey is sent  into Hank!! Gulak rolls Dempsey up, Gulak wins!

Winner: Drew Gulak, by pinfall

Hank is dazed, did he just get used as a pawn? Is Gulak using his own student to help him cut corners?

 

Von is fuming backstage.

He throws a chair at the wall, and Stone says it ain’t working. This is not working. Von throws a locker room bench, and shouts, “YA THINK?!” Stone asks a question: Why does Von have Stone managing him? Stone has been managing Von for over a year now, yet he knows nothing about Von! Who IS Von Wagner? He’s big, he growls, but so do a lot of other guys. If Von wants to get to the next level, then he has to show Stone who he is! He has to show us who he is INSIDE! Help Stone help Von! Stone storms off, will these words help unlock Von’s true potential?

 

Triple Threat Tag: The Dyad VS Malik Blade & Edris Enofe VS Chase U!

The New Day, Pretty Deadly and Gallus are waiting as there’s still room for one more for Vengeance Day! Will Rip Fowler & Jagger Reed plant the roots of The Schism in Charlotte? Will the underestimated underdogs finally unlock their potential? Or will Andre Chase & Duke Hudson share this #TeachableMoment with everyone? We find out, after the break!

NXT returns as Malik & Edris make their entrance, followed by Chase U’s entrance. In this kind of Triple Threat Tag, only two teams are legal at any given time, so Malik & Edris agree to let the other teams start. Duke and Rip circle as fans rally behind Chase U. Duke and Rip tie up, Rip knees low and whips Duke, but Duke blocks! Duke glares at Rip, reels him in and scoops to SLAM! Tag to Chase, Duke whips Rip and Chase drop toeholds for the “LET’S GO~!” ELBOW! Chase covers, TWO! Chase drags Rip up but Rip gets away to the third corner. Rip CHOPS Edris as part of the tag! Edris steps in and he circles with Chase.

Chase and Edris shake hands, then tie up. Edris wrenches, steps over, then arm-drags, but Chase blocks to step over and La Magistrol! ONE, but Edris wrangles Chase for a La Magi- NO, Chase blocks it to have a cover, TWO! Edris and Chase stand off, and Chase says that was a teachable moment! Fans cheer but Edris rushes in. They go around, Chase bucks the O’Conner, and things speed up! Edris jumps then DROPKICKS Chase down! Chase staggers up, Edris runs in and rolls off Chase’s back to tag Malik before the arm-drag! Malik hurries in, he and Edris double whip, to trip, BOOT and LARIAT! Malik covers, TWO!

Malik facelocks but Chase JAWBREAKERS free! Reed sneaks a tag before Chase whips. Malik reverses, Chase ducks ‘n’ dodges but Reed trips Chase up! Malik realizes what happened, the ref has him exit, and Reed keeps after Chase. Reed fires forearms and DECKS Chase! Chase bails out, Rip drags him up, and The Dyad coordinates, PLANCHA SHOULDER BREAKER! Chase clutches his arm while Rip pushes him around. Fans boo and Duke storms over but the ref has everyone stay back. Rip drags Chase up and puts him on the apron, to SLAM him on the edge! Chase sputters but Rip drags him around.

Fans rally, but Rip hits a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Rip clamps onto Chase with a cobra clutch but Chase endures. Fans rally for Chase U as Chase fights up. Rip ripcords to LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Rip smothers Chase, has another cover, TWO! Rip and Reed are upset but the ref says his count is fair. Rip UPPERCUTS Chase in the back, then clamps on with another clutch. Fans rally, Chase fights up, but Rip ripcords to back elbow! Rip then suplexes, but Chase blocks it! Rip CLUBS Chase down, taunts Duke, but Chase fights up. Chase suplexes Rip! Fans fire up while both men are down! Reed tags in to run and DROPKICK Duke!

Reed turns around, into a BIG back drop! But no Duke means no tag! Thea Hail coaches Duke up but Rip tags back in. Rip goes after Chase but Chase throws him out! Malik & Edris call to Chase, they’re his only option! Chase runs over, but then The Dyad trips Malik & Edris up! Chase has no one, and turns around into a throat chop! Tag to Reed, the Dyad sets Chase up for a POWERBOMB BACKSTABBER!! Cover, TWO!?! Chase survives and everyone is shocked! Fans are thunderous for Chase U, but Rip says Chase is a hypocrite, a joke and a fool! Thea is furious on Chase’s behalf, and Reed runs in, but Chase goes up and over!

Hot tag to Duke! Duke rallies on The Dyad with big hands! Scoop for Rip, SIDEWALK SLAM! JAB after JAB for Reed! Rip rushes in, so he gets JAB after JAB! Flip, flop and U~! ELBOW! Then a SENTON! SPLASH for Reed, a whip corner to corner, and Reed tumbles up and out! Duke runs in to BOOT Reed down! Fans are thunderous as Duke fetches Reed back into the ring. Duke shoulders into Reed, slingshots and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Cover, TWO!! Reed survives but the student section fires up! Duke tunes up the band, but Malik tags in! Malik GAMANGIRIS Duke, springboards and CROSSBODIES Reed!

Malik goes back to ropes, to SLINGSHOT RANA Duke!! Malik is fired up and fans can’t help but fire up with him! Tag to Edris, Malik goes up a corner, FROG SPLASH onto Reed! Edris goes up, MACHO ELBOW!! Edris drags Reed up, fireman’s carries, and Malik runs! ROLLING NECKBREAKER! Cover, Rip AND Chase break it! Fans are electric as “NXT! NXT!” gives them this amazing main event! Thea is also all pumped up as all six men start brawling! Reed tumbles out but Chase and Duke throw Rip out to join him. Malik & Edris DOUBLE DROPKICK Chase U out! Then they build speed, to DOUBLE TOPE CONJILO!!

“This is Awesome!” as Edris puts Reed in! Edris goes back up top, but Reed hits ropes! Edris lands bad up top, and Reed ROCKS him! Reed climbs up after Edris, but Malik CLUBS Reed! Malik climbs up but then Rip YANKS him down! Rip RAMS Malik into steel steps! The Dyad has Edris together now, but Chase sneaks a tag! Chase joins in, and using his physics knowledge, hits a TOWER OF DOOM!! Fans are thunderous as Chase fires up! Spell it out! C! H! A! S! E! U! What’s that spell?! “CHASE U!!” But Ava Raine distracts Chase! Reed CLOBBERS Chase! But Thea YANKS Ava down! Reed is shocked!

Reed runs at Chase, GRIT YOUR- NO, Chase dodges! Hot tag to Duke, and Duke turns Reed! Gory Especial, and Chase adds on, ROLLING COMPLETE SHOT!! AKA the Frat Liner! Cover, Chase U wins!!!

Winners: Chase U, by pinfall (join the NXT Tag Team Championship Fatal 4 Way)

Thea is the most excited of all as the red ‘n’ black now get to compete for some gold! But then we see Gallus appear in the perch and Pretty Deadly appear on stage, with the New Day on the tron! Gimme a C! H! A! S! Well, we know the rest. Congrats to Chase U! This wins means they’re going to Vengeance Day! So then, New Day will see Chase U, and Gallus, and Pretty Deadly of course. Put it together for all these teams! But will this road game be a big win for Chase U? Will Pretty Deadly redo the #SidePlateCheck? Will Gallus Boys be on top? Or will ya bois the NEW~ DAY~, still be your W, W, E, N, X, T, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~?


My Thoughts:

Now this was a go-home episode! No need for filling/wasting time with recaps, just give us promos, action and other stuff to hype up what’s coming. Good promo from Apollo Crews, and good response from Trick & Melo. Apollo’s vision seems to foreshadow Oro Mensah being his back-up, as I’m pretty sure I saw his dreadlocks in that silhouette. At the same time, even if someone were to cancel out Trick, that doesn’t guarantee Apollo wins. Melo could win one fall cuz of Trick, Apollo could win one fall cuz Oro cancels out Trick, and then the third fall is truly 1v1. I’m leaning towards Melo since he makes sense as the next challenger to THE NXT Championship.

Speaking of, we got a pretty good promo vignette for Bron VS Waller in the steel cage. And from how they’re talking about it, this is going to be a No Escape Steel Cage match, where the door isn’t an option and climbing the walls won’t win it for you. I am all for that, and I think all Steel Cage matches should be like that to get rid of some of the more overused tropes of a Steel Cage match. Good interview promos from Roxie, Gigi & Jacy, and while part of me wanted Roxie to explode on Toxic Attraction verbally, her going after them directly was just as good. Roxie really should show she has grit, but I feel like her initiating the brawl is tantamount to her standing tall. I hope this doesn’t put the go-home math against her, she only just got that belt.

Stevie Turner’s first match back was pretty good, and I’m actually happy to see they came up with a completely kayfabed chat box for her entrance, as I imagined last week. Good promo from Isla & Fyre to establish that they’re a team now. I was sensing there’d be something building towards Valentine’s Day in a couple weeks, and I think this whole “Who is Zack and what is he to Kiana?” is gonna be the thing. Kiana is gonna reveal that’s like her brother and Fallon’s gonna feel dumb for getting protective of Jensen’s feelings. But with that, I don’t think they win the tag titles at Vengeance Day. That should probably be Isla & Fyre.

We also got a real good “NXT Investigates” promo from McKenzie to point out just how many suspects there really are in the Whodunnit of Lyons’ parking lot attack. Indi VS Stark was a good match to play off that, but I’m starting to wonder if Valentina Feroz did it. Feroz seems like the least likely, so that’d be quite the twist. Given her talk with Elektra Lopez about doing underhanded things, Feroz said she couldn’t do anything to Wendy Choo because Wendy’s a friend. But Feroz and Lyons have no connections, so Feroz could attack her from behind with no problems.

Good promo from Wes Lee, Dijak, Von and Stone to set up Dijak VS Von. That was a good match, but of course Dijak won to have momentum going into the North American title match. I still think Wes wins, but what was really interesting to come out of this was Stone getting fired up telling Von to bring out some personality. Is Von going to suddenly have a gimmick? I can’t even be sure what that’d be. Also, good promo from Tony D and Stacks. I thought Von was gonna be the big guy Stacks went after but then this happened, so maybe Stacks calls out Odyssey Jones or Quincy Elliot to give one of those guys some screen time. And also a win, because I feel like Stacks is gonna bite off more than he can chew.

We also got some great technical wrestling singles matches. Gulak VS Dempsey was not as good as Bate VS Axiom, but I like the detail that Hank takes the hit to tip things in Gulak’s favor. Hank might confront Gulak on that move, and we get closer to Heel Gulak. Then we got just a hilarious and very meta promo out of Bate and Axiom referencing A-Kid. Kemp sticking his nose in things is fine, he needs something to do and honestly should’ve had more time in NXT UK. Bate winning makes sense, he’s also back and needs some momentum. Kemp’s blindside attack definitely earns him a match with both of them in turn, probably winning against Axiom but losing to Bate.

Really good stuff out of the NXT Tag Division tonight, too. The opener of Creeds VS Indus Sher was good, though I feel like maybe they’re going for too real of a fight feel. Julius just came off like he forgot the match flow they discussed. But it was a clever move to have Indus Sher win because of the mishap with Ivy. This will add something more to the Diamond Mine story, and Indus Sher really should be climbing up the rankings. Especially with everything going on in the title story.

Great Triple Threat main event, and as great as all three teams are, it makes sense Chase U won. New Day is Face, Gallus and Pretty Deadly are Heel, so there needed to be another Face team. There’s intrigue in the Chase U story and it can play out in the Fatal 4. And Indus Sher being Heels, if New Day retains (or even if Chase U wins), that’d be a great program going to Stand & Deliver.

My Score: 8.8/10


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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

on

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
  • Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
  • WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
  • Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

 

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

 

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

 

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

 

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

 

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

 

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

 

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

 

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

 

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

 

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

 

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

 

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

 

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

 

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

 

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?


My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10


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Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

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Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

Ratings:

  • Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
  • #1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
  • ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
  • Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
  • Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out. 

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff. 

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage. 

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official. 

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

 

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.


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