SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WELLS’S NXT WORLDS COLLIDE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 4, 2022
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON PEACOCK
Commentators: Vic Joseph & Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Torch subscribers can check out a VIP roundtable later as Bruce Hazelwood, Kevin Cattani and I break down our thoughts.
-Unfortunately, we won’t have many thoughts to break down if these stream issues don’t get resolved in short order.
-The issues persisted until halfway through the pre-show. Mandy Rose said in a pre-recorded interview “We’re halfway through the pre-show and I haven’t heard my name yet.” That makes all of us. The stream was stable, at least for me, after this. McKenzie Mitchell and Sam Roberts hosted the show.
-The show proper started with a hype piece about the NXT brand, then NXT UK. It moved into a hype segment for tonight’s top matches.
(1) RICOCHET vs. CARMELO HAYES (c) (w/Trick Williams) – NXT North American Championship match
I hadn’t written off this being a simple one-off for Ricochet in NXT, but the announcers really put it over as a full return, so they likely see benefit in a change of scenery for him.
Collar and elbow to start. Quick standing switches led to a headlock takeover by Ricochet, and then one by Hayes. They did a lot of quick spots and then a freeze to elicit an “NXT” chant. Hayes shoved Ricochet’s face and they got back to it. More reversals and evasions until Ricochet nailed a dropkick.
Ricochet was temporarily distracted by Williams, but nothing came of it this time. Hayes bailed on a rope run, and when Ricochet reached out, Hayes wrenched his arm. Hayes went inside and Ricochet immediately snapped him into a headlock. Ricochet slid out on a rope run to confr0nt Williams, who kept trying to get involved. Hayes went out and Ricochet put him up against the barricade, where the hopelessly overacting “fans” held him in place for a Ricochet chop. Hayes glared at them and action went back inside.
Hayes hit a body slam, then mimicked dribbling and a shot. The fans chanted “airball.” Both guys missed some quick shots and Hayes hit a superkick for two. There was a “this is awesome” chant for a match that’s been okay but is just getting to the meat of things. Ricochet springboarded off the ropes and Melo hopped back and hit the Fadeaway in a cool spot for two. A reversal led to a double stomp by Ricochet and both guys sold on the mat for a bit.
Ricochet hit a lariat against the ropes, then ran to the other side but Melo followed and hit one as well. They hit two simultaneous lariats, then ran the ropes and both did springboards and met in the center of the ring and fell to a “holy sh*t” chant. “Fight forever” chant quickly followed. The men reset.
Both went for impact strikes and kicks now. Thrust kick by Ricochet and he fired up along with the extremely hot crowd. Ricochet tried a Pele kick but Hayes blocked. More blocks until Ricochet hit a superkick and Hayes got a strike in as well. Recoil by Ricochet and he dragged himself over for a two count; Williams dragged Hayes under a rope to cause a rope break. Ricochet ran the ropes, feigning a move on Hayes, but flew between the ropes to hit a dropkick on Williams. Ricochet reentered and Hayes struck with the One of One for two.
Hayes surveyed the scene, then went up. Ricochet ran up to meet him there and hit a beautiful superplex. The ref put on gloves as Hayes was bleeding faintly from the mouth. Ricochet reached his feet first and threw a big kick to a kneeling Hayes. Both went to their feet and exchanged chops and kicks. Pump kick by Hayes. Combo punches by Ricochet. Rising knee by Ricochet followed by a snap suplex. Hayes managed a jawbreaker, then covered for two. Ricochet snapped Hayes into a crucifix for an extreme near-fall. Both guys sold again.
Hayes booted Ricochet away as he went toward the corner. Ricochet fought back and went up himself. Hayes yanked him down and went up. The two kept jockeying for position like this until Ricochet hit a poison rana, then had to fight off Williams yet again. Ricochet went up for a shooting star press. Hayes moved, but Ricochet still landed on his feet. Hayes reached up quick and slipped Ricochet into an inside cradle for the flash pin.
WINNER: Carmelo Hayes at 15:56.
(Wells’s Analysis: They got the more spotty stuff out of the way, then went to some very welcome stiffer strikes and innovative spots peppered throughout. The finish leaves Ricochet available for a rematch if they go that way, clean though it was. Enjoyable and made sense as the obvious choice of opener)
-After a surprising amount of commercials, Meiko Satamura narrated over a hype package for her ahead of the triple threat. She’s the Final Boss.
-Earlier today, Roderick Strong was attacked in the parking lot and left bloody, and was carted into an ambulance as the rest of Diamond Mine hung back. Not sure if the iffy blood makeup is just a half-assed job or if it’s supposed to be Strong pretending to be taken out so he can show up and cost the Creeds later.
(2) THE CREED BROTHERS (Julius & Brutus) (NXT Tag Team Champions) (w/Damon Kemp) vs. JOSH BRIGGS & BROOKS JENSEN (NXT UK Tag Team Champions) (w/Fallon Henley) vs. PRETTY DEADLY (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) (w/Lash Legend) vs. GALLUS (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) (w/Joe Coffey) – Four-way elimination unification match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
That’s the longest match description I’ve ever typed. Order of entrance was Pretty Deadly, Gallus, Briggs & Jensen, then the Creeds. Lots of brawling before the bell and finally Briggs opened with Julius. Briggs hit some early offense, then fought off an interfering Brutus. Jensen tagged in and the rednecks hit a tandem spot. Kit Wilson tagged in and tried a cover on Julius for two, then quickly tagged Wolfgang and ran away in a funny spot.
Brutus tagged in to face Wolfgang. Takedowns and a gut-wrench suplex by Brutus. Jensen tagged in and ran the ropes. Legend tried to trip him up, so Henley charged her and the two brawled, not letting the men get in their way. Bonzo gonzo outside, while inside, Pretty Deadly hit criss-cross tandem cannonballs on the Creeds. Spots everywhere outside and the action was tough to keep up with. Wolfgang tossed Coffey out onto the mass of people near the ramp. Brutus wanted his cannonball on the pile but Wilson hung him up. Wolfgang hit a superplex on Brutus. Jensen blindly tagged in and hit a Fameasser for two. Spinning heel kick by Jensen, who went up and got pushed off the corner by Mark Coffey, who tagged in. Coffey and Wolfgang hit their finisher.
ELIMINATION: Briggs & Jensen at 4:43.
The three remaining teams faced off in the ring. Gallus shoved the Creeds out of the ring and faced off with Pretty Deadly, who backed up into a waiting Joe Coffey. One goof chanted “USA” loudly but it didn’t take. Quick shots led to an inside cradle by Prince on Mark Coffey for two. O’Connor roll by Prince for two. Coffey kicked Prince out of the air and both guys sold. They crawled for their partners. Prince made it to the corner, but Brutus had sniped Wilson’s spot and tagged in to face Wolfgang. He pounced Wilson out of the ring before he battered Wolfgang. The Creeds did their version of the Doomsday Device on Wolfgang and Julius covered.
ELIMINATION: Gallus at 8:38.
Gallus tussled with some “security” as they left. Brutus and Wilson were legal and exchanged stiff shots in the center of the ring. Wilson hit repeated European uppercuts and tagged. Assisted lungblower got two for Prince. Prince threw fists but Brutus reached his feet briefly to return fire. Prince put a knee into Brutus and tagged. Wilson stomped Brutus, who reached for a tag but was nowhere near. DDT by Wilson got two.
Brutus kept fighting his way for a tag and shoved off to finally succeed. Julius destroyed both Pretty Deadly guys with strikes and suplexes. Prince jumped into a sleeper while on the ramp, the first two eliminated teams brawled. Julius tried a delayed suplex but Prince wriggled until Julius went to his knees, but he popped up and hit it. Julius hopped over Prince to the top, flipped off behind him, and threw him. The ref went out for a count and got bumped by the mass of humanity.
Julius controlled, and Damon Kemp went in to fire up with him to “help” him. The subtle work they’ve done to suggest Kemp is with the Creeds paid off as he struck Julius from behind, leaving him open for the cover and the victory for Pretty Deadly.
WINNERS: Pretty Deadly at 15:05.
(Wells’s Analysis: Attentive viewers probably weren’t overly shocked by Kemp’s turn, but the moment was so emotional and amped, they really got away with it in the moment. The match was a ton of fun, though WWE has an elimination booking strategy (team A jobs to team B, team B to team C, and team C to team D) that they rarely stray from, which doesn’t allow for a ton of surprise late in the match)
-Blair Davenport did some straightforward hype promo work ahead of the triple threat.
-Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo hung out. Stacks said they could’ve gotten more mileage out of Legado del Fantasma, but they blew it off. Cameron Grimes was passing by and Tony D stopped him. He said Grimes was looking for new friends, and he had an opening because he fired Legado. Grimes laughed him off but D invited him to stay for some biscotti. Grimes pushed the biscotti back across the table, said he wasn’t hungry, and moved out.
-Mandy Rose hype segment. She was shown driving in her car and the NXT foreboding thumping theme played as all three were shown on their way to the ring.
(3) MEIKO SATAMURA (NXT UK Women’s Champion) vs. BLAIR DAVENPORT vs. MANDY ROSE (NXT Champion) – Triple threat match to unify the NXT Women’s Championships
Satamura made her entrance first and received a volley of crimson and gold streamers that matched her entrance kimono. Davenport made her smoky entrance next, and there was so much dry ice it was temporarily impossible to see anything. Rose entered to a more heel reaction than usual, while Satamura got a purely positive reaction. Rose shamelessly wore American flag-inspired gear, further obfuscating the face-heel dynamic, but if they wanted to lean hard into the Worlds Collide gimmick, they succeeded. Entrances and introductions took nearly ten minutes (not a criticism; it felt like a big deal).
Rose and Davenport teamed up on Satamura early. She fought them off briefly but the numbers took over as the heels hit tandem back elbows. They took turns with quick covers, shoving the other off of Satamura. All three women tried quick rollups for two. Satamura ran the ropes and struck Davenport with a spinning heel kick, then knocked her from the apron to simplify to two in the ring. Rose cartwheeled and dropkicked Satamura. Davenport yanked Satamura out and bodyslammed her on the floor to boos.
Rose invited Davenport to the ring. Waistlock takedown by Rose. Davenport hit a rana, then a snap mare/dropkick combo for two. Davenport hit a knee to the midsection. She charged Rose, who caught her and threw her with a fall-away slam. Satamura dragged Davenport out of the ring and threw kicks at her chest against the steel steps. All three brawled outside and got their licks in, then sold on the floor.
Davenport and Satamura entered to pair off. Satamura got the early advantage with forearms and and knee strike to the sternum for two. Action went to the mat and they reversed for a couple of rollups. Davenport sprung up in the corner, but Rose yanked her to the floor and posed. Satamura waited for her and invited her in. They exchanged forearms. Rope run and a clothesline by Rose. A dueling chant was very even.
Rose stomped Satamura, who smiled and kept popping up. Satamura blocked a forearm and set in with a big one. Big back kick by Satamura got a long two. Fireman’s carry was escaped by Rose, who hit a spinebuster. Davenport reentered and broke up the count. Davenport tossed Satamura aside and hit a Northern Lights suplex for two on Rose. Rose and Davenport went up in a corner. Rose managed a superplex (we’ve had one in every match now) and Satamura flew from another corner and hit a frog splash on Davenport for two, broken up by Rose. “Women’s wrestling” chant.
Satamura fired up and went station to station to lay in big forearms on the other two. Stiff kicks to the chest by Satamura on both. Rose and Davenport tried to lift her for a tandem suplex, but Satamura dropped both with a DDT. Satamura Special struck Rose but missed Davenport, who chucked Satamura. Satamura got back into it quickly and hit the Satamura Special on both heels as they were stacked up. She covered Davenport for two.
Rose went for her finisher on Satamura, who blocked and hit a suplex. Davenport hit a double stomp from the top to break it up. Knockout knee by Davenport got a very long two on Satamura. Rose paired off with Davenport and kicked her hard in a corner. Davenport hit a missile dropkick on Satamura. The heels jockeyed for position but couldn’t cover. Davenport covered Rose and Satamura hit her with Scorpio Rising. Satamura crawled for a cover, but Rose flew in with her Kissed by a Rose knee and to clear out Satamura and cover Davenport to unify the titles.
WINNER: Mandy Rose at 13:18.
(Wells’s Analysis: An absolute banger of a triple threat that likely qualifies as Rose’s best match and continues to legitimize her. I’ve made peace with the fact that she’ll always be iffy and uneven on the mic, but the evolution of her in-ring game can’t be ignored. Davenport was indeed just in the match to eat the pin and protect Satamura. It’ll be interesting to see if Satamura sticks around for a one-on-one rematch or if she’s not in the plans for immediate TV)
-Mitchell spoke backstage with Wes Lee. She asked him about his match this Tuesday with JD McDonagh. Lee said you couldn’t really prepare for a guy like McDonagh, who takes pleasure in the agony of his opponents. He said he’s not afraid to venture into the darkness, so let’s get weird on Tuesday. He promised McDonagh wouldn’t like the results. Lee is finding an agreeable balance between his fun-loving persona and a serious competitor who wants to win.
(4) KAYDEN CARTER & KATANA CHANCE (c) vs. DOUDROP & NIKKI A.S.H. – NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship match
Carter and Nikki to open. Rope run and a block by Nikki. Carter tripped her and shook her backside at her. Nikki took Carter down with a kick for just one. Carter threw a couple of palm strikes and tagged. Assisted dropkick in the corner by Carter and Chance covered for two. Doudrop tagged in and there was a brief chant for her. Chance tried to fly around quickly to evade Doudrop, but she caught Chance with a stiff block and then shook her own backside to a big reaction.
Carter tagged in and hopped up into a sleeper. She made a blind tag, but Doudrop used Carter to shove Chance away, then slammed Chance on Carter, elbow dropped the pile, and covered for two. Nikki tagged in and stomped a mudhole on Chance in the heel corner. Another quick tag as the heels cut it off to make Chance the face in peril. Chance hit a back elbow on Doudrop, but Nikki yanked her to the floor and trapped her in the Worlds Collide skirt and threw fists. Doudrop followed with a splash against the apron.
Back inside, Doudrop tagged, slammed Chance, and Nikki flew in with a senton for two. Nikki yanked Chance about in a headlock. Chance managed a rana and dragged herself to a tag but couldn’t get there as Doudrop entered. Doudrop shoved Carter from the apron and hit an elbow drop on Chance for two. Doudrop dragged Chance back to the heel corner and tagged. Chance struck with an elbow and went for it. Doudrop tagged in and cut it off again. Doudrop charged and missed, and Nikki tagged in. Chance finally made the hot tag and Carter hit combo kicks for two. “Kayden” chant.
In a corner, Nikki hit a tornado DDT and both sold. Carter wanted to tag but Chance wasn’t there. Tandem slam by the heels and Doudrop covered for two. Carter evaded trouble and hit a superkick. Nikki tagged in and Carter suckered her to the face corner. Blind tag and a springboard double stomp got two for Chance. Chance went up but Nikki shoved Carter to the corner to lay her out of the ring. Another heel tag and the heels hit their finisher, but Chance flew in at the last moment to break it up. The crowd was somewhat gassed, but they got into the spot.
Carter went up in a corner and Doudrop went up to the second rope with her. Toxic Attraction’s music played and Doudrop made an overly shocked face. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne attacked Nikki and the camera focused on the outside action as the faces finished off Doudrop on the inside.
WINNERS: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance at 10:19.
(Wells’s Analysis: Perfectly acceptable formula tag with a surprising finish that suggests Nikki and Doudrop aren’t just on the show as a one-off either.)
-The Dyad sat at a table to hand out smiley face pins. Grayson Waller passed by and they tried to give him one. He set it back down and said he’d save it for someone who needed it. He moved on and talked with McKenzie Mitchell. In the background, someone in a pulled-up red hoodie took a smiley face pin from The Dyad; not sure if it’s a tease of something or not. Waller said he didn’t need friends and he didn’t need family – he needs the Grayson Waller Effect.
-The announcers promoted Wes Lee vs. JD McDonagh and Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer for Tuesday.
-Hype package for the main event.
(5) BRON BREAKKER (NXT Champion) vs. TYLER BATE (NXT UK Champion) – Unification match for the NXT Championships
Breakker walked from his locker to the ring as the announcers put over his growth. Bate walked through the back, stopping as videos played against the wall of his greatest moments in NXT UK. Both seemingly got positive reactions upon entrance, but during Alicia Taylor’s formal intros, Breakker was booed and the fans chanted Bate’s taunt “Big strong boy.” “Tyler Two Belts” chant followed and both guys acknowledged it.
Breakker shoved off Bate after a lockup and the fans barked. Breakker went into a headlock and Bate tried to roll him up a couple of times to break, but Breakker held on. Breakker released and laid out Bate with a block. Quick reversals. Both guys countered the finish of the other, then exchanged rollup near-falls. Reset. Another “big strong boy” chant.
Bate worked his technique to trip up Breakker, then wrenched his arm to ground him. He worked a brief armbar, then evadged a charge after an escape. Lots of brilliant escapes and counters and Bate rolled up Breakker for two. Breakker sold being impressed and amused during a reset. Breakker managed a Frankensteiner, then walked around and hit a delayed suplex. Breakker kipped up and hit a standing moonsault for two. Breakker worked a front chancery and rolled through as Bate tried to escape. Bate threw rights to escape. Rope run and a headscissor takedown by Bate. Bate dumped Breakker and flew to strike Breakker with a plancha.
Bate missed a standing shooting star press, then ran into a Breakker spinebuster. Breakker went at Bate against a rope and Bate threw a back elbow. Breakker laughed without humor and charged to take both of them from the ring and out to the announce table. Action went back inside. Breakker went up and Bate charged in with an strike. Bate and Breakker exchanged forearms and Bate made it to the second buckle. Breakker shoved him down, but jumped right into an exploder suplex. Standing shooting star press landed for Bate, who covered for two. “This is awesome” chant was well earned.
Breakker went for a delayed suplex, but Bate hit an inside cradle for two. Breakker ran himself into a powerbomb and Bate covered for two. Both guys sold after the flurry. Breakker went up and Bate chopped him and followed. They jockeyed for position and Breakker shoved off Bate, then flew in with a bulldog ride for two. Powerbomb by Breakker for two. More selling.
Dueling chant was about 75% in favor of Bate as the two exchanged forearms and strikes. Back kick by Bate, who tried his Bop-and-Bang spot but Breakker saw it coming and took down Bate with an armbar. Bate rolled him up and got a near-fall, but Breakker held on. Bate rolled to his left and lifted up Breakker and did his airplane spin into a slam for two. Springboard lariat by Bate got two. “That was three” chant.
Bate wanted Tyler Driver ’97, but Breakker blocked and leaned on Bate. Bate deadlifted Breakker and hit the Tyler Driver ’97. Breakker sold it like total death until he jerked wildly to kick out at the very last moment. The crowd lost their collective minds at the near-fall. Bate went up in the corner, and Breakker followed and hit his powerslam. Bate put his leg on the rope to break. Breakker sold frustration at not finishing there.
Breakker threw down the straps of his singlet and fired up to a mostly negative reaction. He charged into a knee and a Bop-and-Bang. Breakker evaded a second Tyler Driver, and Bate charged with another springboard but Breakker speared him out of the air to finish. The crowd was predictably deflated but one of the cameras had already found two women that had cheered for Breakker all match long to show after the fall.
Bate presented Breakker with the belts after the match and Breakker looked legitimately moved by the endorsement. They continued to share a moment in the ring and Breakker held up his two belts as the show ended without incident.
WINNER: Bron Breakker at 17:10.
(Wells’s Analysis: I never much got the feeling that Bate had much of a chance here, but as always in his matches, the waning minutes were so strong that I believed anyway. Breakker had his best match here by far, as a technical marvel like Bate who’s also able to match power with Breakker is probably the ideal opponent for him to sew doubt in the match’s outcome.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: I’ll try not to get too maudlin here, but this was the best NXT show in a very long time, and I have very little negative to say at all (if I reach for a criticism, it’s that all five victors seemed pretty predictable). With unification out of the way, the most interesting TV hook will be whether some of these talents stick around on TV or if they’re saved for the rollout of NXT Europe next year. Bruce Hazelwood, Kevin Cattani and I will be recording a VIP roundtable immediately and it’ll be available shortly. See you Tuesday.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.