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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (3/28/23)

Next stop: Hollywood!

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NXT White 'n' Gold Era

It’s the last chance to get those golden tickets!

With one last spot in the NXT Women’s Championship ladder match, and one last spot in the North American Championship Fatal 5, who gets to Stand & Deliver?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • NXT North American Championship Qualifier Battle Royal: Axiom wins and joins the Fatal 5 Way title match at Stand & Deliver.
  • Tyler Bate w/ Chase U VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone; Bate wins.
  • Valentina Feroz VS Elektra Lopez; Lopez wins.
  • Eddy Thorpe VS Myles Borne; Thorpe wins.
  • NXT Women’s Championship Last Chance Qualifier: Indi Hartwell VS Sol Ruca VS Ivy Nile; Indi wins and joins the NXT Women’s Championship Ladder Match at Stand & Deliver.
  • Hank Walker VS Drew Gulak w/ Charlie Dempsey; Gulak wins.
  • NXT Tag Team Championship Qualifier: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS Tony D’Angelo & Channing Lorenzo; Tony & Stacks win and deny Briggs & Jensen a spot at Stand & Deliver.

PLAY BY PLAY

NXT North American Championship Qualifier Battle Royal!

Everyone wants that fifth and final spot in Wes Lee’s star-studded title match, and Wes himself is watching from commentary. SCRYPTS attacks Axiom before the bell! Things are already off to a chaotic start! Dabba-Kato clotheslines Quincy Elliot up and out to ELIMINATE him! Quincy rushes back up but the refs stop him from getting after Kato! Damon Kemp brawls with Edris Enofe, Oro Mensah goes after Kato, Xyon Quinn has Dante Chen, Drew Gulak & Charlie Dempsey of course work together as they go after Nathan Frazer, and Dijak has Odyssey Jones in a corner. Big Body Javi throws hands on Malik Blade while Jinder storms up on Dempsey.

Kato shoves Oro away, CLUBS him, then CLUBS him again. Dempsey & Gulak lift Jinder but he fights free. Odyssey ROCKS Kato! Fans fire up as Jinder puts Dempsey on the apron but Dempsey slips back in. Dante fights off Kemp and a few others, but Kemp kicks him low. Kemp hangs Dante out to dry and Dante ends up on the apron. Dante fights off Kemp but Dijak BOOTS and ELIMINATES Dante! But then Kemp scoops Dijak! Dijak fights Kemp off, but Kemp hits him back. Quinn puts ? up top, Odyssey BLASTS Quinn but Quinn is knocked into ?! They ELIMINATE ? together!

Kemp suplexes Frazer, Frazer slips free and Apollo CLUBS Kemp! Apollo whips Kemp at the ropes and Frazer holds the ropes down! Kemp lands on the apron but a PELE hits! Kemp wobbles, Frazer SUPERKICKS! Kemp falls, Frazer ELIMINATES him! Dijak ELBOWS Enofe, ELBOWS Blade, and repeat! But Malik BOOTS back! Malik runs in, tilt-o-whirls, but into a fireman’s carry! Dijak pops Malik up but Malik wheelbarrows and throws Dijak into Enofe’s KNEE! And then Malik DROPKICKS! Malik & Enofe TOSS Dijak! Dijak holds on, but Odyssey RAMS Dijak and ELIMINATES him! Dijak is furious, and he goes back after Odyssey!

Dijak trips Odyssey, drags him out, then SUPERKICKS! And ROLLING ELBOWS! And RAMS him into steel steps! Fans boo and the refs reprimand, but Dijak puts Odyssey back into the ring for the sharks. Jinder drags Odyssey up to toss him back out, Jinder ELIMINATES Odyssey! Fans boo but then Enofe KNEES Jinder and Malik DROPKICKS him! Jinder flops over the top, but he HOTSHOTS Malik, and drags Enofe out to join him! Malik runs back in but Jinder ROCKS him! Jinder suplexes, Malik lands on the apron. Jinder fights 2v1, Malik & Enof pinball Jinder! But then Apollo and Scrypts DOUBLE DROPKICK! They ELIMINATE Malik & Enofe!

Axiom whips Scrypts at Jinder, Scrypts FLIES up and over Jinder, but then he lands out on the ramp! Axiom ELIMINATES Scrypts! Jinder grins that it wasn’t him. Apollo ROCKS Dempsey, lifts Javi, and TOSSES Javi out onto everyone else to ELIMINATE him! Fans fire up but Javi is furious as NXT goes picture in picture.

Kato goes after Apollo! Kato HEADBUTTS Apollo, pushes past Oro and Dempsey to fire off on Apollo in the corner. Dempsey whips, Oro reverses but then Dempsey dodges! Jinder CLUBS Quinn, Gulak helps Dempsey with Oro. Apollo and Kato fight, Hank fires off on Quinn. Hank scoops Quinn out to the apron but Quinn holds on. Hank throws haymakers, but Quinn pokes him in the eye! Oro springboards to MULE KICK Quinn down! Oro ELIMINATES Quinn! Jinder rushes up to kick and CLUB Oro! Axiom scoops Hank with ehlp from Apollo but Hank fights them off.

Dempsey and Gulak mug Frazer, Jinder ROCKS Oro. Jinder CLUBS Oro, whips him to a corner, but Oro goes up, only for Jinder to TOSS him out and ELIMINATE him! The Modern Day Maharaja grins then stomps Frazer. Apollo stomps Dempsey, Jinder stomps Axiom, Gulak stomps Frazer. Kato storms up but Gulak CHOPS him! Gulak digs his boot on Frazer’s head, but Kato goes after him! Jinder stomps Axiom at the ropes then digs his knee in. Dempsey OVERHEAD Suplexes Hank! Dempsey drags Hank up but Hank throws hands! Gulak & Dempsey stomp mudholes into Hank! Apollo stomps Kato in a corner then throws hands.

Jinder DECKS Axiom, then goes up the corner to STOMP him down! Gulak & Dempsey throw Hank at the ropes, but Hank holds on! Dempsey has an ANKLE LOCK on a leg to force him over! Hank still clings to ropes, even as boots are dug into his legs and stomach. Hank manages to kick Dempsey away, and NXT returns to single picture. Apollo CLUBS and ROCKS Jinder, Hank hoists Gulak up and over! Fans fire up as Hank has a SLEEPER on Gulak! Dempsey throat chops Kato, then gets Hank’s legs! ANKLE LOCK and a DUMP, Dempsey ELIMINATES Hank and Gulak! Gulak an d Hank don’t care, they brawl tot he back!

Fans fire up, and we’re down to six! Axiom and Jinder brawl, Apollo runs but Kato tilt-o-whirls him. Apollo sips free and BOOTS Kato to ropes! Kato comes back to scoop Apollo and TOSS him! Kato ELIMINATES Apollo! Jinder stomps Axiom down, Dempsey ROCKS Kato! Jinder swings on Frazer, Frazer dodges and springboards to CROSSBODY! Axiom GAMANGIRIS Jinder to ropes! Frazer SUPERKICKS Jinder up and over! Jinder holds on, Frazer gives Axiom a boost, RAILGUN DROPKICK sends Jinder down! Frazer & Axiom ELIMINATE Jinder!! The final four are Kato, Dempsey, Axiom & Frazer!

And speaking of, Kato CLUBS Dempsey down, but Axiom uses Dempsey as a step to GAMANGIRI Kato! Frazer uses Dempsey as a step to CALF KICK! They all dump Kato up and out to ELIMINATE him!! Kato is furious but fans sing, “NANA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOOD-BYE~!” Frazer, Axiom and Dempsey circle. Axiom kicks Dempsey, then ducks the back hand, Dempsey hits Frazer! Axiom SOBATS Dempsey, whips him to ropes, but Dempsey reverses. Axiom wheelbarrows, but Dempsey stops the tuck to WHEELBARROW GERMAN SUPLEX! Fans fire up as Frazer springboard SHOTGUN DROPKICKS!!

All three men are down, fans are thunderous, Axiom clotheslines Dempsey up and over! Dempsey lands on the apron, he ROCKS Axiom but Axiom ROCKS Dempsey! They go back and forth, Axiom fires off shots, but DOUBLE HAYMAKERS take both men down! Fans are thunderous , Axiom BOOTS Dempsey off the apron and ELIMINATES him! And that leaves the old friendly rivals, Axiom and Frazer! The fans are giving a standing ovation as we see these two stare down. Frazer and Axiom shake hands, then they start dodging kicks! Frazer runs, QUEBRADA, but Axiom snapmares free of the dragon sleeper!

Axiom rushes in but Frazer sends him to ropes! Frazer lifts but Axiom shoves him away. Axiom blocks a superkick but not the DRAGON WHIP! Frazer fires up, he whips Axiom, but Axiom springboards to arm-drag and kip up, ROUNDHOUSE!! Axiom whips, Frazer springboards to QUEBRADA REVERSE DDT!! Both men are down and fans are thunderous! “This is Awesome!” as Frazer stands Axiom up. Frazer throws a haymaker, Axiom gives it back! They go back and forth, faster and faster, but Frazer gets the edge. Axiom blocks the kick, spins and DECKS Frazer! PENALTY KICK! Axiom aims from the corner!

Frazer stands, GOLDEN- SUPERKICK!!! Frazer hit first but he’s also down! Fans hope they “Fight Forever!” but this has to end somehow! Frazer CHOPS Axiom in a corner, hoists him up top, and DOUBLE CHOPS! Axiom wobbles, Frazer runs back in, but into a SLEEPER! Frazer pries free to ELBOW BREAKER! And then he springs up top, for a SUPERPPLEX! Roll through to the GOURD- NO, Axiom slips free! Axiom waistlocks but Frazer bucks the O’Conner! Axiom kips up, into a SUPERKICK!! Frazer drags Axiom up, whips, but Axiom reverses to send Frazer up and out! Frazer holds on, skins the cat, but into a SUPERKICK!!

Both men are down again, but Axiom hurries to his feet! Axiom TOSSES Frazer and WINS!!!

Winner: Axiom (advances to Stand & Deliver)

Fans are electric for this instant classic of a battle royal! Wes Lee joins Axiom in the ring to congratulate him, and Dragon Lee appears so he can do the same. Even Ilja Dragunov walks out to the ring, and JD McDonagh comes in from the crowd side. All five men are ready to battle, will these five stars get five stars?

 

Pretty Deadly speak.

Kit Wilson & Elton Prince, in suits ‘n’ ties and wide brimmed hats, want us to sit back, relax, and get ourselves some delicious snacks, because this will be a one of a kind Stand & Deliver Pretty Deadly Preview Show. We just saw a wonderful performance from Axiom in that Battle Royale, earning the fifth and final spot in the North American Championship match. And what a gaggle of vicious competitors he’s joining. “The Mad Dragon,” Ilja Dragunov! “The Devilish Gentleman,” JD McDonagh! “The Audacious Champion,” Wes Lee! And finally, “The Masked Mystery from Mexico,” Dragon Lee.

“A match born from carnage comes full circle with an encounter that is likely to be as unpredictable as the events of its creation.” But Kit has a question. How does Wes possibly retain? Elton doesn’t think Wes will. His money is on the man as smart as them, JD McDonagh. So if Elton is going with intelligence, Kit is betting on Dragon Lee. We don’t know a thing about him, and that makes him dangerous. “Kitty” loves danger, doesn’t he? Yes! And they love YOU!, fans! They’ll be back with more hot takes throughout the evening as we’re on the Road to Stand…! And Deliver!

 

Chase U talks backstage.

Thea Hail says Tyler Bate’s fired up! Andre Chase asks if Tyler’s fired up and Tyler says he’s fired up! Can he feel it? He feels it! Chase says Bate did great in the Great Debate, and they’re just four days away from Stand & Deliver, where the of Chase University hangs in the balance! But tonight, the Big Strong Boi takes on big bad Von Wagner, who has talked trash on Chase U and Chase U has yet to beat. But Bate will beat Von, and they’re gonna ride that lightning bolt all the way to Stand & Deliver! Bate says with mass and speed on his side, momentum will be theirs! Bate will harness that momentum, he’ll bring home a win for the university!

Chase likes the way Bate’s brain works. Duke, you coming? He wouldn’t miss this for the world. Though he doesn’t look anywhere near as pumped as the rest. The team heads out, will the Big Strong Boi give Von a #TeachableMoment?

 

Briggs & Jensen talk backstage.

Brooks Jensen feels pretty good, because Kiana James responded to him after three voicemails instead of five this time. Kiana says they’re on their way, but what does Briggs thinks she wants to talk about? He isn’t sure, but whatever it is, they’ll get through it. The sun always comes up tomorrow. Um, okay. The ladies arrive and Jensen asks if everything is okay. Her message seemed a bit off. Kiana hesitates but Fallon tells her to tell Jensen. “These past few months, I’ve really gotten to know you guys. Especially you, Brooks. And what you guys have is special. I don’t know how to say this, I feel horrible.”

Jensen says it’s okay, she can get it out. Kiana feels horrible… That Briggs & Jensen aren’t part of Stand & Deliver! So she pulled some strings, and she has a match tonight. And if they win, that Triple Threat Tag Team title match becomes a FATAL 4! Fallon says, “What?” Briggs says, “WHAT?!” Jensen can’t believe it! Well hey, Kiana & Fallon are tag team champions, the boys should be tag champs with them! Fallon can’t stand- Surprises! Briggs knows that, but he loves ’em! Kiana just knocked this one out of the park! They could go to Stand & Deliver! Jensen cannot believe Kiana! Fallon can’t, either. Briggs says yes, because it’s unbelievable!

Jensen says first they’ll win tonight, then go to Stand & Deliver and become the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions! Group hug! Fallon is not happy that Kiana backed out of the truth. But will her keeping that buried only come back to haunt her?

 

Tyler Bate w/ Chase U VS Von Wagner w/ Robert Stone!

The Big Strong Boi stepped up when Chase U needed him and won big in that Great Debate. But will he win even bigger against vicious Von? Or will Bate fail to stand and deliver before Saturday?

The bell rings and Bate circles with Von. Fans rally behind the Big Strong Boi and Bate headlocks. Von powers up, Bate holds on, but Von powers out. They RAM shoulders, but Bate DROPKICKS! Von comes back to BOOT Bate down! Fans boo while Bate sits up in a daze. Von pushes Bate down to drop an elbow! Von then stalks Bate, drags him up, and choke grips to trophy lift! Von DROPS Bate, and then soaks up the heat. Von waits on Bate to sit up, and he KICKS him in the side! Fans boo, Thea & Chase coach up Bate, but Von clamps on a neck wrench. Fans rally, Bate endures, and Bate fights up to his feet.

Bate pries free, throws a HEADBUTT into the ribs, then fires off body shots! Von shoves, Bate rebounds to sunset flip! Von stays up, but Bate avoids the elbow drop! Bate runs, but into a LARIAT! Von covers, TWO! Von snarls but the fans rally for Bate. Von puts Bate in a corner, clotheslines, and then throws back elbows. Fans obo but Von whips Bate out to throw him back into the corner. And then a BIG clothesline in the corner! Von mocks Bate, fans taunt Von. Von whips Bate corner to corner, runs in, but only gets buckles! Bate goes to another corner. Von runs in but into a BOOT! Bate runs to UPPERCUT! And UPPERCUT! And UPPERCUT!

Bate fires off shots, keeping Von in a corner! Von choke grips back and TOSSES Bate! Bate boots, Von blocks but Bate KNEES back! Bate goes up to leap, FLYING UPPERCUT! Von rebounds but so does Bate, LARIAT! Von drops to a knee, Bop up, BANG!! Bate keeps moving, but Stone swipes at Bate! Fans boo but Bate goes out after Stone! Stone panics as Bate puts him in the ring! Theta THESZ PRESSES Stone!! Fans fire up and Bate cheers Thea on! Thea kicks Stone all the way out of the ring, but Von SUCKER PUNCHES Bate! Von whips Bate but Duke holds ropes down, and Bate FLIES out onto Stone!!

Fans fire up, Bate is fired up, he high-fives Duke but Duke doesn’t seem to care. Bate gets in the ring, dodges a boot and rebounds, LARIAT! Bate hurries up the corner, to SKY TWISTER! Cover, Bate wins!

Winner: Tyler Bate, by pinfall

Chase U is on a roll! Will all this help them hold onto the school? Wait, The Schism speaks! “Attention students of Chase University!” Joe Gacy stands at a podium with Jagger Reed, Ava Raine & Rip Fowler by his side. “As of this Saturday, The Schism will be in control.” Reed says, “The curriculum is changing. Time to open your minds to a different way of looking at the world through a different lens. Under the Schism’s tree.” The students wear yellow masks and Ava hands out a quiz. “Deprogramming starts now.” Rip says they don’t need to worry. There will be a place for delinquents in the Chase U Memorial Detention Hall.

Ava says at Stand & Deliver, “the world of Chase U will fall when The Schism takes over.” Gacy says, “When the bell rings, a new class begins.” Will The Schism graduate from a cult into a college?

 

Roxanne Perez is here!

She’s backstage and asks if Shawn Michaels is at gorilla. No, he moved to his office. Okay, she’ll go there. Thanks! The former(?) NXT Women’s Champion is here, but why? What business will she have with the boss?

NXT returns and Roxie knocks on HBK’s door. He welcomes her in and asks how she’s feeling. Does he have a minute to talk? Sure. What is it? Well, as of this afternoon, the doctors cleared her to return to action! Oh. That’s great to hear. Yeah! So they told her that basically, after all the tests, it was a mix of physical exhaustion and stress. It was all through the roof that night, but the only thing on her mind is her title and Stand & Deliver. Well, HBK wants to be the first to say that it is a relief to hear Roxie is better. And more importantly, that the doctors found out why she fainted like that.

But the problem is, Stand & Deliver… He isn’t sure. Her health is the priority right now. And he doesn’t think defending the title in a Ladder Match is the best thing for her right now. They can crown a new champion at Stand & Deliver, get a few matches under Roxie’s belt, and then right after Stand & Deliver, Roxie is the first to get a title match. Oh… Roxie won’t lie, being NXT Women’s Champion has been unlike anything she’s ever experienced. Saying you want to be champion and being champion day in and day out are completely different. But Roxie does struggle with anxiety.

This year has been incredible, but when you accomplish your dreams so fast, you wonder, ‘What do I do now? Is it all downhill from here? Did I peak at 21?” And then that anxiety goes insane! See, that right there! HBK knows Roxie’s all better physically, but mentally, emotionally, she’s just unsure. Roxie, you’re 21 years old! You’ve got a long, wonderful career in front of you. There will be other Stand & Deliver events. Will there? She can’t think like that! Did HBK think like that? WrestleMania was the most important night of the year for him, and she knows that he never had the mindset of, “Well, there’s always next year.”

HBK took it as “There’s here and now,” and he stole the show every time! That’s what Roxie wants to do! Roxie’s anxiety is crippling, but she can’t run away from it. She has to confront it, and that means facing it head-on. The only way she wins that battle is by climbing the ladder, winning back her title, the title she never lost. So please! Let her do this! Let her do this for her and for everyone who struggles with what she struggles with! To show them that they don’t have to be a prisoner of anxiety! Please, HBK! HBK says fine, but she has to get tests, meet with doctors, and follow-ups! Okay, yes! Thank you!

HBK says Roxie deserves the right to defend her title at Stand & Deliver. She’s in the match. Thank you so much, HBK! She’ll get all that for him! Okay, but now he’s gonna have a nervous breakdown. “Roxanne, you can beat this. Good luck.” Roxie thanks him again, then heads out. Will the Prodigy be able to overcome her biggest challenge mentally to then overcome the biggest challenge physically?

 

Valentina Feroz VS Elektra Lopez!

The Brazilian sparkplug has been doing things fair and square, even as La Madrina told her it was pointless. But Feroz made sure Lopez couldn’t cheat and that cost her against Sol Ruca. Will Feroz show Lopez she can win the  right way? Or is it true that nice people finish last?

The bell rings and the two rush each other. Lopez knees low, fires off forearms and a HEADBUTT! Lopez whips Feroz to a corner and ELBOWS her! Lopez then shouts at Feroz for messing with her. Feroz blocks the buckle bump, and she fires back with forearms! Lopez staggers, blocks a kick and CLUBS the leg to then sweep the other leg! Lopez gets the leg to SMASH the knee into the mat! Fans rally for Feroz but Lopez puts on a standing toehold. Feroz endures, kicks with her free leg, but Lopez drops an elbow on the bad leg! Feroz hooks with the good leg but Lopez fights that off to pull on the bad leg.

Fans rally, Feroz fights, and she rolls with Lopez. Lopez shifts to drop another elbow, but Feroz dodges! Feroz dropkicks Lopez down, covers, ONE! Feroz goes to a corner, Lopez runs in but Feroz dodges. Feroz arm-drags Lopez, drags her up to arm-drag again, and then whips to run and SPEAR! Fans fire up, Feroz covers, TWO! Lopez is hanging tough but Feroz fires up. Fans rally, Feroz aims from a corner and goes up. Feroz leaps, into Lopez’s arms! Lopez swings Feroz around into the ELEKTRIC SHOCK!! Cover, Lopez wins!

Winner: Elektra Lopez, by pinfall

Lopez wins, but the irony? She won fair and square! Did Feroz win the moral battle? Or does only the physical battle matter?

 

Eddy Thorpe speaks.

“Music is celebration. When I make music, I can feel the spirit of my people behind me. It is my honor to lead the way. Like an alpha wolf, I will conquer this territory and everything in it.” Thorpe is ready to level up, his NXT debut is next!

 

Eddy Thorpe VS Myles Borne!

The heritage and history of the Native American people, the fire and energy of progress, the Alpha Wolf looks to be the hybrid that paths the way to the future! Will Thorpe be the future of NXT?

The bell rings and Thorpe ties up with Borne. They are in a deadlock, Borne wrenches an arm but the fans rally behind Thorpe. Thorpe rolls, wrenches and wristlocks. Borne rolls, slips through and arm-drags to an armlock. Thorpe fights up, Borne headlocks, but Thorpe powers out, only for Borne to run him over. Things speed up., Thorpe hurdles then CROSSBODIES! Fans fire up, but Borne DROPKICKS Thorpe! Borne brings Thorpe up, but Thorpe CHOPS back! Thorpe CLUBS Borne, but Borne trips Thorpe. Thorpe boots Borne away but Borne throws hands! Borne UPPERCUTS, whips, and ELBOWS Thorpe down!

Borne drags Thorpe back up, ROCKS him with a haymaker, then has him on ropes. Thorpe hits back, Borne ROCKS and whips, but Thorpe reverses. Borne blocks a hip toss, body shots, and clinches for a BELLY2BELLY! Cover, TWO! Borne keeps cool and he clamps onto Thorpe with a chinlock. Fans rally and Thorpe fights up. Thorpe pries free, but Borne kicks low. Thorpe blocks to DRAGON SCREW! And then he CLOBBERS Borne with forearm after forearm! SOBAT! PELE! Borne staggers and fans fire up! Thorpe runs in to BOOT Borne! And then HIP TOSS! Borne flounders, Thorpe sets up, BIG elbow drop! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally, Thorpe brings Borne up but Borne wrenches out. Borne waistlocks, Thorpe elbows free but Borne kicks low. Borne swings, into a SAIDO! Fans fire up as Thorpe tries again, TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Cover, Thorpe wins!

Winner: Eddy Thorpe, by pinfall

Borne gave him a good, hard fight, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Alpha Wolf. Thorpe says he’s coming for everything, will he get everything he wants in NXT?

 

Pretty Deadly checks back in.

Kit says what a night of headlines! Elton agrees. An impressive debut win for Thorpe. But it isn’t all smiles, as they’re here on the Grayson Waller Effect set. Waller VS Gargano is far more than personal. They say never mess with a man’s family, and that front yard brawl sure gave a new meaning to the term “viral moment.” Gargano has now vowed to do everything in his power to get revenge on Waller, and he wants this as an unsanctioned match. Will Waller sign the agreement? Would either Kit or Elton do it? Would you sign the contract, knowing what is coming for you? This could be a match so brutal, it’ll take YEARS off your career!

Kit says he would! Only to defend Elton’s honor. Oh, Kit is so selfless and brave. That is his middle name: Kit Bravery Wilson! Elton’s here for it. And stay tuned for more Pretty Deadly Talk as we continue towards Stand… and Deliver!

 

Backstage interview with Gallus.

McKenzie is with Mark Coffey & Wolfgang, and says that while we saw the end result of everything that happened at the bar last week, what led to it? Mark says it was obvious they’re not interior decorators, and Wolfgang admits, they were pretty banged up after that fight. Then at this point, it is a Triple Threat for Stand & Deliver. But then, why’re they willing to defend against not just one, not just two, but up to three teams with this deal made on behalf of Briggs & Jensen? You’re asking them, “Why?” They thought, “Why not?” The Creeds made a good case. Tony D & Stacks made a good case. And Gallus is all about equal opportunity.

If Briggs & Jensen do win tonight, then the more the merrier! Four, six, eight guys, it doesn’t matter. Well, Wolfie does love a good fight. How confident is Gallus that they’ll walk out of Stand & Deliver still NXT Tag Team Champions? Wolfgang admits that Markus likes to wind Wolfgang up, likes to get under his skin. But they’re the champs, heading into the biggest show of the year, against a collection of guys all ready to fight. They don’t need that much riling up. The odds don’t matter, at Stand & Deliver, the Creeds, The Don & Stacks, and should Briggs & Jensen make it there, they’ll all find out the hard way that it is #GallusBoysOnTop!

 

NXT Women’s Championship Last Chance Qualifier: Indi Hartwell VS Sol Ruca VS Ivy Nile!

Tiffany Stratton, Zoey Stark and Lyra Valkyria won their way in, and now that Roxie is physically cleared to compete, so is she! Who will win the final spot to make the Ladder Match a Furious 6 Way for the gold?

NXT returns as Ivy makes her entrance, followed by Indi. The bell rings and Indi kicks Ivy! Sol spins Indi around but Indi kicks, CLUBS and backhands her! Ivy rolls Indi up, TWO and Ivy jumps at Sol! Sol catches Ivy, pops her up but Ivy slips free to shove Sol into Indi! Down goes Indi, Ivy rolls Sol! TWO, and Sol scoops and SLAMS Ivy! Sol grabs at Ivy but Ivy kangaroo kicks her away, and Indi rolls Sol up! TWO, and Indi rushes in, but Sol dumps her out! Ivy KICKS Sol, KICKS her again, but Sol dodges the superwoman punch to DROPKICK Ivy out! Fans fire up and Sol goes up a corner! ARIHARA MOONSAULT! Direct hit on Ivy & Indi!

Fans fire up with the Sol Surfer, and she puts Indi back in. Sol hurries to cover, TWO! Fans sing for Sol while Indi flounders to ropes. Sol brings her up, whips her to ropes, but Indi reverses and hip tosses. Sol handsprings through to a FACEBUSTER! But Ivy leaps in to FLYING RANA! Ivy fires up, fans are with her and she ROCKS Indi! Ivy rolls and CALF KICKS Sol! Cover, TWO! ARMBAR!! Sol clasps hands, and Indi drops a BIG ELBOW on Ivy! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Ivy up, puts her through ropes and UPPERCUTS! And BOOTS! Ivy flops down, Indi covers, Sol breaks it! Fans duel, Sol drags Indi up to whip, but Indi reverses to put Sol through ropes!

Indi UPPERCUTS, but Sol dodges the boot to HOTSHOT! Indi is down, Sol springboards and SPLASHES! Cover, Ivy breaks it! All three women are down and fans rally back up. They all rise up slowly, Sol swings but Ivy tilt-o-whirls to sunset flip! ONE, but Ivy KNEES Sol down! Cover, TWO! Things speed up, Sol blocks a Rana, Ivy slips free of the bomb, but Sol SUPERKICKS! Sol handspring SPLASHES Ivy! Sol runs corner to corner to handspring, but Indi dodges! Sol bumps off buckles, into Indi’s IMPRESSIVE SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Sol survives, and Ivy BUZZSAWS Indi! Ivy whips but Indi reverses!

Ivy tilt-o-whirls, into the DIAMOND DRAGON!! Indi endures, fades, but Sol runs in, SOL SNATCHER!! But Indi BOOTS Sol away! BLINDSIDER LARAIT!! Cover, INDI WINS!!

Winner: Indi Hartwell, by pinfall (advances to Stand & Deliver)

#IndiWrestling is going to Hollywood! Will Indi finally have the top title? But speaking of, here’s Zoey Stark! And Lyra Valkyria! And Gigi Dolin! And of course, Tiffany Stratton! But also, Roxanne Perez! Roxie holds up the belt now, but who will bring it down from the sky in Hollywood?

 

Pretty Deadly checks in again.

They climb up a step ladder for this segment, and says Indi makes good on the Last Chance match. The field is now set. Six women put their bodies on the line in a match to crown a “new” women’s champion. Well, Roxie the plucky prodigy is back. And since she never lost the title, this becomes a title defense now. Who does Elton see coming away with the gold? Oh, so glad Kit asked. Because Elton recently had an epiphany. Los Angeles, the city of stars, Hollywood, and there’s only one woman suited for the City of Angels! #BuffBarbie herself! The most glamorous superstar in NXT, Tiffany Stratton! Yes girl!

Kit says this could be a show-stealer! If the fans wanna find out, join us on Saturday for Stand… And Deliver!

 

Grayson Waller speaks.

Via a Twitter video, captioned “Will I or won’t I?” Waller calls out “Johnny Cosplay.” He’s so close to finally getting what he wanted: him and Waller in an Unsanctioned match. In fact, Waller’s on his way inside right now. Waller had security do one last sweep of the perimeter, and because he knows Gargano’s “a sneaky little hobbit,” they’ll also be all around ringside. But Waller hopes Gargano tunes in. “Because you never know what I’m gonna say.” The 21st Century Success Story is trolling until the very end. Will he sign on the dotted line so that he and Gargano can go to the extreme?

 

NXT presents Prime Target: Bron Breakker VS Carmelo Hayes.

The NXT Champion says, “This match is like destiny. The youngest main event in WrestleMania Weekend history. Carmelo and I, we came in in the same class, these two alpha males that are just undeniable.” The challenger asks Bron, “Do you know what it takes to be a king? I don’t think you do. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown.” Melo is the 2021 Breakout Star, a winner of NXT WarGames (alongside Bron), the combined longest reigning NXT North American Champion, the one who unified the North American and Cruiserweight titles, and “HIM.”

Melo says this has been a whole different training camp to get ready for this match. He isn’t just doing his high-flying, his mat wrestling, he is covering every aspect. He hits the ropes harder, he takes less steps, he makes less mistakes. He worked out for four hours, partied for three, but skipped the afterparty. Trick Williams couldn’t believe it, but Melo has to put in the work to take on Bron Breakker. Trick and the others understood, and Melo let them go on. Melo didn’t need to go, he’ll celebrate when this is finished, when he has won, and he is at the top of the mountain. The job is not done, it is far from it.

Training montage as Melo pushes himself. But Bron chuckles. It’s funny because he’s been doing that and not going to parties since the first day. He works with weights two and a half hours a day. He runs the ropes another two and a half hours a day. Because that is what it takes to be champion, to be “The Guy.” Bron knows people think matches are won and loss in the ring or in the weight room. But Bron is of the opinion that they’re won and loss in the film room. There is nothing better than to watch film. Melo is fast, he will try to get in Bron’s head, gas him out, and get Bron playing Melo’s game.

You can take Bron to the deep water, but he’s been there so many times, it has become his home. Bron has carried NXT on his back for almost two years now. The NXT title is everything to him, this brand is everything to him. He respect everyone who has come before, but there is a difference. He is the most dominant of all time. This has been the path since Vengeance Day, and now, in LA, Melo vows to take that weight off Bron’s shoulders when he knocks Bron’s head off and takes the title. Melo is Him, and the kingdom of NXT is his, and he wants his effing crown!

Bron says that this one is a bit more special, it means a bit more to him. Fans are torn, but Melo says Bron doesn’t understands. Bron doesn’t want this like Melo wants this! Bron doesn’t wanna go as far as Melo is willing to go! But Bron says when he gets going with that 4.3 speed, hits those Steiner-lines, Melo won’t know where he is. Melo says at Stand & Deliver, he takes everything from Bron because everything is his! Melo is HIM! Bron has promised and continues to promise he will make it through as champion, but who will have the Hollywood ending to their story?

 

Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre speak.

The Firekeeper says, “When the sun goes down at Stand & Deliver, a darkness will rise over NXT.” The Wicked Witch says, “The eternal horror of gullible fools will not be contained.” The fate of Kiana James and Fallon Henley has already been sealed. Two spirits in turmoil do not deserve to be tag team champions. Fyre and Isla bond together to connect their past and forge their destiny. This Saturday, they burn their opposition tot he ground. And from the ashes, their message will spread far and wide. “It is always darkest before the Dawn, and where there’s smoke, there’s Fyre.” Will nothing stop this devious duo from ascending to the throne?

 

Hank Walker VS Drew Gulak w/ Charlie Dempsey!

The blue collar working man was already in the 20 Man Battle Royal, but so was the Philly Stretcher. Their fight that literally spilled out of the ring now returns to it, will the student avenge himself against his arrogant teacher? Or will Gulak show Hank he still doesn’t belong?

NXT returns as Gulak makes his entrance, the Son of the Gentleman Villain by his side. The bell rings and Hank rushes in! Gulak dodges, headlocks, but Hank slips out to hammerlock. Gulak throws back elbows then haymakers. Hank blocks to fire off haymakers in return! Hank whips, and he CLOBBERS Gulak! And CLOBBERS him again! Fans rally and Hank back drops Gulak! Gulak staggers up, but Hank hits a MONKEY FLIP, into an ARMBAR! Gulak flails, grapevines a leg and drags Hank into a camel clutch! But Hank slips out to put Gulak in the camel clutch! Gulak powers his way back and gets a leg, STRETCH MUFFLER!

But Hank trips Gulak to put on the STRETCH MUFFLER! And he lifts Gulak off the mat with it! Fans fire up, but Gulak kicks free. Gulak trips Hank, has the heel hook, and he turns Hank over for a HALF CRAB! Hank endures, powers Gulak down and gets the HALF CRAB for himself! Gulak endures, crawls forward, and he has the ROPEBREAK! Hank lets go quickly, Gulak goes to the apron but Hank drags him up. But Gulak HOTSHOTS Hank away! Gulak slides in for a NECKBREAKER! Then a knee drop! And another! And another! Gulak snarls but fans boo. Gulak drags Hank up and whips him to a corner.

Gulak runs in to clothesline! Gulak shoves Hank out to then BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Fans boo but Gulak tells Hank he doesn’t belong. Gulak goes up the corner, and FLYING LARIATS! Cover, TWO! But Gulak has the arm to drag Hank into a CROSSFACE! Hank endures, fans rally, and Hank moves around, only for Gulak to shift to a chinlock. Hank endures, fans rally more and Hank fights up! Hank pries free, but Gulak pulls hair! The ref reprimands but Hank pries Gulak’s hands away. Hank fires off big hands from all sides! Hank whips to THESZ PRESS! And fast hands! Hank fires up and fans are with him!

Hank has Gulak in a corner, whips him corner to corner then SPLASHES! And then whip and SPLASH the other way! Gulak flounders, Hank ripcords him for a FLAPJACK! And down come the straps! Hank roars, runs, and CLOBBERS Gulak! Cover, TWO!! Gulak survives that open field tackle, but Hank is right on him! Wheelbarrow and lift, but Gulak arm-drags to the press and CROSSFACE!! Hank endures, fans rally, and he pops out the back! Hank gets the legs again, wheelbarrows, into the ARMBAR!! Hank pulls on the arm but Gulak clasps hands. Hank powers it open!! Gulak flails, fans are thunderous, but Gulak scrambles over! ROPEBREAK!!

Hank lets go in frustration while fans boo. Hank hurries after Gulak, they’re in the ropes, the ref is busy with Gulak and Dempsey CLOBBERS Hank! Gulak cradles, Gulak wins!!

Winner: Drew Gulak, by pinfall

Fans boo as Gulak steals that one! Hank was about to beat Gulak at his own game, but Gulak needed the assist from his new friend! Will Hank get payback the next time they meet?

 

Pretty Deadly checks in again.

They’re having a couple mimosas at the bar and Kit says, “Ever since we joined the division, the tag team scene has been a bustling hive of competition.” Elton says that at Stand & Deliver, the NXT Tag Team Championships will be contested in a Triple Threat match. The Creed Brothers have got their mojo back, baby. #AustinPowers. Elton still can’t stand them, but he has to admit, Julius & Brutus have more personality then say this bar rag. The champions, Gallus, well, are the champions. Let’s move on, please. And the new team, Tony D’Angelo & “Stacks” Channing Lorenzo, show family loyalty.

Imagine if The Don & The Underboss win. Kit would love it! Or, speaking of love, Briggs & Jensen do have the opportunity to make this a Fatal 4 Way. Could you imagine if the foursome of Briggs, Jensen, Kiana & Fallon were all tag team champions together at Stand & Deliver? Aw, so magical. Such a perfect fairytale ending. But that’s just the thing about fairytales: there’s always a witch, or witches, right behind. Nice one. Isla & Alba are dangerous duo, and if they have their way, it’ll be a sinister Stand & Deliver. The fairytale could be of heartbreak and tragedy. So see you Saturday afternoon for Stand… And Deliver!

 

NXT Tag Team Championship Qualifier: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS Tony D’Angelo & Channing Lorenzo!

Speaking of that Hollywood ready story, the next chapter is being written right here! Will the Country Strong good ol’ boys fight their way into the title match to join their leading ladies at Stand & Deliver? Or will these underdogs fail to live the dream?

The teams sort out and Stacks starts against Jensen. They circle, tie up, and Jensen shoots to a roll-up, TWO! Jensen waistlocks but Stacks fights up. Stacks arm-drags but Jensen holds on. Stacks makes that a cover, ONE as Jensen bridges into his own cover! TWO, Stacks is free, and the two stand off. Fans applaud while Jensen says it was that close. The two reset, tie up again, and Jensen waistlocks to O’Conner Roll. TWO, Jensen rebounds off ropes, things speed up, and Jensen hip tosses Stacks! Stacks kangaroo kicks, then he scoops and SLAMS Jensen! But Jensen kangaroo kicks back!

Stacks runs in, into a headlock takeover! Stacks tries to headscissor but Jensen fights that to a cover, TWO! Stacks headscissors after all but Jensen kips free. Jensen runs, hurdles, tags Briggs and FACEBUSTERS! Briggs runs in to CLOBBER Stacks! Fans fire up as Briggs scoops, but Tony drags Stacks down! Tony tags in and fans rally as he circles with Briggs. They tie up, Tony waistlocks and SLAMS Briggs. Tony talks trash, grinds his forearm into Briggs’ head, but Briggs fights up. Tony SLAMS Briggs back down, facelocks, but Briggs fights his way up again. Briggs pries the hold open, but Tony shoves him away, only for Briggs to run him over!

Things speed up, Tony drops but Briggs stops short of the back drop to CLUB Tony on the back! Stacks distracts Briggs, and Briggs turns around into a haymaker! Tony tags Stacks, they double whip, body shot and knee lift to an UPPERCUT! Stacks covers, ONE! The ladies are watching backstage, and Fallon still can’t believe Kiana lied to Jensen. Oh, yes, Kiana is so horrible to have gotten Jensen & Briggs a chance at the tag titles. When this is over, Fallon is telling Jensen! No, Fallon, wait! Let’s talk! Fallon hurries off, Kiana hurries after, and we watch the ring again as Stacks has Briggs down in a chinlock.

Briggs endures, fights up, and fans rally. Stacks thrashes Briggs around but Briggs still fights up. Briggs powers out, Tony tags in. Jensen tags in, Briggs CLOBBERS Tony and Jensen CLOBBERS Stacks! Tony & Stacks end up on the ropes, Briggs & Jensen fire up and they slide, to DOUBLE HAYMAKER! Fans fire up with the good ol’ boys as NXT goes picture in picture.

Jensen hurries in after Tony, wrenches an arm and RAMS shoulders. Jensen wrenches again, for an ELBOW BREAKER! Jensen wants after the shoulder but Tony stays on his feet. Briggs tags in, Jensen whips Tony so they can DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! Briggs covers, TWO! Briggs clamps onto that arm and grinds it down. Briggs CLUBS Tony, but Tony fights up. Briggs wrenches the arm, tags in Jensen, and Jensen takes the handoff to wrench again. Jensen wrangles Tony to the mat, wrenches the arm again, but Tony DECKS Jensen! Tag to Stacks and he runs in, into an arm-drag!

Jensen has the armlock and grinds the shoulder. Stacks endures, fights up, but Jensen whips him to ropes. Stacks holds the ropes and ELBOWS in return! Jensen comes back, Stacks dodges and Tony CLOBBERS Jensen! The ref reprimands, but now Fallon  and Kiana are ringside. Tony stomps Jensen, drags him up and ROCKS him. Tony brings Jensen around, whips Jensen to ropes, and hits a BELLY2BELLY! Cover, TWO! Tony is annoyed, but he drags Jensen up to whip him into the corner. Tag to Stacks, Stacks clamps on a chinlock, and NXT returns to single picture. Stacks claws at Jensen’s face!

Fans rally, the ref reprimands, and Jensen fights his way around. Jensen stands, throws body shots, and is free. Stacks grabs at the pants, Jensen throws elbows! Stacks catches Jensen to a BACKBREAKER! And then a BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Tag to Tony, he drags Jensen up and facelocks for some hockey scrum shots! Fans rally but Jensen drops to his knees. Tony DECKS Jensen, then drags him back up. Tony whips Jensen hard into the corner, tags Stacks, and then Tony scoops. BACKBREAKER, and Stacks leaps in, ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO!! Jensen survives but Stacks clamps on with a chinbar and armlock.

Fans rally, Jensen fights up, and Stacks shifts to a headlock. Jensen throws body shots, powers out, but heads collide! Both men fall over and fans rally up. Stacks and Jensen crawl, hot tag to Briggs! Britts rallies on Stacks & Tony! Briggs DECKS Stacks, runs and BOOTS Tony! Stacks runs in but into a SIDEWALK SLAM! SPLASH for Tony! Briggs is all fired up and the fans are with him. Tag to Jensen, and Jensen goes up. Briggs Electric Chair Lifts Stacks, WHEEL KICK DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Jensen covers, Tony barrels through Briggs to break it!! Fans are thunderous as all four men are down!

Fallon & Kiana coach up their boys, Briggs and Tony stare down. They fire up and stand to throw hands! Fans fire up, Briggs gets the edge, but Tony dodges the boot to DECK Briggs out of the ring! Tony tags in off Stacks, then helps Stacks to go after Jensen. They double whip, to BADA BING, BADA BOOM!! Cover, Tony & Stacks win!

Winners: Tony D’Angelo & Channing Lorenzo, by pinfall (DENIES Briggs & Jensen a spot in the NXT Tag Team Championship match)

The Triple Threat stays a Triple Threat, and Stacks says it’s The D’Angelo Boys On Top! Will that be how it goes in Hollywood?

As for the others, Fallon grabs the mic. Fallon knows this isn’t a good time, but this has gone on long enough! There is something Kiana needs to tell Jensen! Kiana says that’s true. There is something she should tell him. But she’d rather just show him. Jensen is confused, but Kiana gives him a kiss! Jensen is over the moon, and Fallon still can’t believe it! Is there no end to the back-up plans Kiana has to cover her bases?

 

Grayson Waller heads to the ring.

Security is at the ready, just as he said. Fans boo as the 21st Century Success Story walks down the ramp, and then he goes to Vic Joseph at the announce desk. Waller takes the contract, looks it over, and then grabs a pen. Waller says, “Once I’m done, whatever happens in this match, I want to do it in front of you (Vic). Whatever happens to your boy is on your hands.” Waller takes the contract into the ring, and gets a mic. “Hey! You flops better watch my back, because Gargano’s known for his cheap shots. And he could come from anywhere, right?” Fans boo as Waller continues.

“I’m staring at this paper and… I still can’t believe it. Grayson Waller VS Johnny Gargano, at Stand & Deliver.” Fans taunt Waller, “You Can’t Read!” Waller says Melo VS Bron thinks it’s the main event. But it doesn’t matter when he’s on, Waller’s the REAL main event! Because this is a full circle moment. Two years ago, Waller was trying to stand out in front of the new wave. He was trying to build a relationship with the idiot fans! He was singing, dancing, all the things the fans pretend they don’t like but secretly love. “And then came WarGames. And at the time, I was considered the fourth best member of Team 2.0.”

Fans tell Waller to shut up, but Waller continues. He went out there, he stepped in that cage, and he jumped from the top! He put his body on the line because that was gonna be his “viral moment.” That was gonna be what launched him to superstardom. But he was wrong. “Because at the end of the night, after WarGames, all anyone could talk about was Johnny Wrestling. So two nights later, in a night I know you remember very vividly. You (Johnny Gargano) walked to this ring, and everyone couldn’t wait to hear what you had to say! And because you kissed his ass so much, Shawn Michaels gave you as much time as you wanted!

“But it only took me 30 seconds. I saw my mark and I hit it. And let’s be real, Johnny, you are the biggest mark in this business.” Waller stepped out there, hit Gargano with the chair, and sent Gargano home. Then Waller sent himself into the stratosphere. It’s funny, because Gargano told the world that you should bet on yourself. “And if you wanna talk about the last 15 months, no one has bet on themselves more than Grayson Waller! And if you want proof, my proof is right here! I have the greatest big match superstar in NXT history begging me to kick his ass at Stand & Deliver. Don’t forget that, Johnny: you’re begging me. I’m your golden ticket right now!”

Waller admits, Gargano is the greatest big match superstar in NXT history. Gargano’s done it all. The records, the titles, the matches, the moments. Johnny Gargano IS Mr. NXT. “But just like your idol, Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, you are gonna lose at Stand & Deliver. You bleed black ‘n’ gold, lad? I bleed green. 15 months ago, I used you to put myself on the map. And at Stand & Deliver, I use you one more time-” GARGANO IS HERE?! But Waller told him not to show up or he wouldn’t sign the contract! Waller is ready for a fight, he dares Gargano to come for this fight, but where is Gargano?

HE’S THE CAMERAMAN!! Gargano sets the camera down, takes off the hat and mask, and he rushes Waller! Security finally realizes and they rush in! Fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” but security does its job in separating them. But then Waller and Gargano get loose to fire off hands again! Waller bails, Gargano pursues, and they COLLIDE! Waller tumbles over steel steps, Gargano goes after him, and the scrapping continues at the ramp! Fans rally behind Gargano but Waller TACKLES him on the stage! Security pulls them apart again, but Gargano gets free to LEAP onto the pile!

Fans fire up but the two are separated again. Johnny Wrestling and the viral villain are ready to stand and deliver, but who will be left standing at all in the end?


My Thoughts:

A great NXT and a great go-home, though still with the usual level of talking for NXT, which is a little too much talking. I do appreciate that Pretty Deadly was inserting themselves all over the show to give their thoughts and predictions. And they were entertaining each segment so it is still fine. Isla & Alba have a good promo to give their thoughts on Fallon & Kiana being at odds. And I’m glad we got Prime Target back since this isn’t NXT 2.0 but “white & gold” era. But none of these really change the math in those matches as I see it. Melo is still the proper choice to win so Bron can move on, and given Fallon & Kiana are so against each other right now, Isla & Alba are definitely taking those titles.

Speaking of that story, the romcom of Jensen and Kiana continues to take some really clever turns that also help tie into other stories. The tag team “main event” of Briggs & Jensen VS Tony & Stacks was a really good match, and it adds to story. Kiana uses the tag match and that public kiss to deflect from Sebastian. At this rate, Kiana is gonna marry Jensen before she tells him about Sebastian. Which honestly, would be a hilarious thing given American pro-wrestling can’t help but have weddings. And this win gives Tony & Stacks the momentum going into the Triple Threat. I’m thinking this all leads to Gallus finding a way to retain the titles.

Opening with the battle royal was the right move, as was making it chaotic like the rest of the North American Championship open challenge segments. Scrypts going after Axiom is good consistency, but I’m pleasantly surprised to see he didn’t stop Axiom from winning. I thought they were gonna put a giant over but nope, we got two Cruiserweights at the end. Also great detail was that the final three were NXT UK alumni (Axiom is A-Kid for anyone who still doesn’t know). And in the end, Axiom finally gets what he wants in getting this title opportunity. If Wes isn’t winning, this is anyone’s game, all of these guys are that great.

Though, I’m not sure we needed Gulak VS Hank here tonight after both men already competed in the battle royal. It was still a great match, with a strong showing from Hank and a classic Heel shenanigan for Gulak to win. But I would’ve waited to make this part of the aftermath episode next Tuesday to help bridge things into the Spring and Summer phases. Meanwhile, Eddy Thorpe has a good TV debut after a string of matches on Level Up. Formerly Karl Fredericks in NJPW as a Young Lion, Thorpe brings those basics and essential moves, but shows he can do the fancier stuff. The Twist ‘n’ Shout swinging neckbreaker is a great finisher, can’t wait to hear its finisher name.

Good match from Feroz and Lopez, and I figured Lopez would win, but I’m surprised Lopez didn’t cheat since that was kinda the whole point of their story. Maybe Feroz points that out to Lopez next week and Lopez starts to see things her way. Good stuff out of Chase U, especially the checked out attitude of Duke Hudson. I think Duke’s assist was meant to screw Bate but it ended up an assist because Bate jumped for the tope. And good promo from The Schism to bum everyone out after Bate’s win. Duke helping screw Chase U over seems a bit obvious but sometimes stories go in the obvious direction.

Roxanne being back before Stand & Deliver is quite the surprise to me. I really thought we were waiting for an Undisputed NXT Women’s Championship story, but I suppose putting that on just a TV special like Spring Breakkin’ isn’t enough. So instead, Roxie makes her return, she champions the fight of mental health and anxiety to still be champion going into Stand & Deliver. I’d somehow lost count, but yeah, a SIX WAY Ladder Match. That is wild, and much like with the North American Championship, I see it as Roxie retaining, or anyone’s guess of a new champion. Indi winning that great Last Chance Triple Threat was a bit of a surprise, but Stand & Deliver could be her good-bye match to NXT. Then she rejoins The Way on Raw in a big moment of some kind.

And speaking of big moment, great final segment with Waller and Gargano. Good promo from Waller showing us that indeed, this is full circle. Waller was honestly good at being a Face back in the days of 205 Live. But even then, there were hints of being arrogant and defying authority, Waller’s come into his own as a Heel, perhaps one the top Heel at this point. I thought Waller was gonna beat up Vic since he was to have Gargano banned from the building, but Waller said it himself, Gargano became “Johnny Cosplay” pulling off the covered up cameraman disguise. Great brawl, it was a wash so no one has the math behind them, but I would think that with Gargano on Raw now, Waller will use the fact this is Unsanctioned/No Disqualification to win and just have all the Heel heat.

My Score: 8.7/10


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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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