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NXT TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 8, 2022
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Backstage Correspondent(s): McKenzie Mitchell
Tonight after the show, join the PWT Talks NXT self-proclaimed “gang of idiots” (including me) to break down the show with calls and emails.
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[HOUR ONE]
-The Schism stood together at the top of the ramp with blacklight messages on their masks. They went to the ring to the group’s music. Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler stood on the second buckles while Joe Gacy and Ava Raine stood in the ring. All removed their masks. Cameron Grimes was introduced to a decent pop.
(1) CAMERON GRIMES vs. JOE GACY (w/The Dyad & Ava Raine)
Thrust kicks early by Grimes. Rana by Grimes followed by a corner boot. Booker T went off on a weird tirade about how Gen Z was an entire generation who didn’t want to be individuals in an effort to explain the Schism. Gacy got in some basic offense until Grimes hit a cross-body. Back elbow by Grimes followed by a rope run and a suplex by Gacy for two. Gacy choked Grimes briefly on the ropes. Rollup by Grimes got two, followed by a kick by Grimes. Gacy bailed and Grimes hit him with a PK from the apron. The Schism regrouped heading into split-screen. [c]
Heavy boos as Gacy leaned on Grimes with a headlock on the mat. Vic mentioned there was some extreme weather happening in Orlando, but it wouldn’t slow down the action in the ring. Gacy stomped Grimes, then did some ground & pound on the back of Grimes’ neck. Cross-face by Grimes. Grimes powered out but Gacy threw a knee, then put up Grimes with a gorilla press. Gacy charged into Grimes’ twisting cross-body. Both guys sold.
Rip Fowler got into it with Grimes, who stomped Fowler’s hand. Jagger Reid jumped to the apron and Grimes booted him to the floor. Grimes maintained control with a dropkick, then a high cross-body. The Dyad continued to try to get involved, but was again thwarted. Gacy bailed and Grimes hit Gacy and The Dyad with a plancha. Grimes rolled Gacy back in and went up. Ava Raine threw Grimes from the top, allowing Gacy to hit his finisher.
WINNER: Joe Gacy at 10:44.
(Wells’s Analysis: A pretty good match for Gacy and a so-so match for Grimes. It was a bit of a slog given Raine’s recent addition to the group, which led to a very obvious finish here.)
-Nathan Frazer and Axiom met backstage. Frazer said he could be out a few more weeks. Axiom said Frazer would be back before he knows it. JD McDonagh stepped in and asked if he was sure about that. McDonagh went off about the pain Frazer must be feeling. McDonagh said Axiom wouldn’t have fared any better if he’d won the best of three. Axiom asked if he meant he would’ve “pulled a McDonagh,” and gotten very close just to lose in the end. McDonagh made threats about tonight’s match and said Axiom would be joining Frazer in medical. [c]
-Earlier today, Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons arrived for their upcoming match. Well, that’s good.
-Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams and a group of others hung out at the barber shop. Hayes said he had to put some respect on Wes Lee, but said the one thing he didn’t do was pin Carmelo Hayes. The barber said Wes Lee had gotten the whole NXT Universe behind him. Trick said “What the hell, Josh?” and threw his hat. Carmelo got it back on track and said next week, he and Wes Lee would meet in the ring for a one-on-one match for the Championship.
-Vic and Wade were talking when the video went black. On the tron, one of Scrypts’ poems aired. Audience sound was removed as Scrypts narrated speaking through a voice distorter.
(2) SOL RUCA vs. ELEKTRA LOPEZ
Lopez had new music, kind of a generic club beat.
Collar and elbow and a break. Ruca threw a kick and threw down Lopez by her hair. Rope run and Ruca flipped through a hip toss attempt and slammed Lopez. It went outside and Lopez got in a shot. Back in and Lopez covered for two. Lopez dominated with boots , then a lariat. Knees to the back by Lopez. Cover for two. Lopez leaned on Ruca with a headlock and Ruca broke it with a rollup, then another. Ruca hit some pretty green-looking lariats. Shoulder block by Ruca. Somersault splash by Ruca, but Lopez caught Ruca and hit her with an electric chair drop.
WINNER: Elektra Lopez in about 3:00.
As Lopez celebrated, Indi Hartwell blindsided her and the two brawled.
(Wells’s Analysis: Lopez isn’t a wrestling savant, but she’s so far ahead of where she was before she disappeared from the ring that it’s like she’s a different person. Ruca, however, comes off as extremely labored and slow. If they want to give Lopez a push, I suppose this is a good a place to start as any, but she could certainly use a strong dance partner if she’s to keep improving)
-Andre Chase, Thea Hail & Duke Hudson stood near the lockers. Hail got super jacked about Andre Chase’s match tonight and said she wanted to be there. Hudson laid it on thick about Charlie Dempsey besmirching the group and said he’d be there too. They all fired up and Chase handed Hudson the flag. They left for the ring. [c]
-Jacy Jayne and Mandy Rose had a video conference that revealed that Gigi Dolin had three cracked ribs from last week’s match. Jayne was pulled over by a mall cop but said he probably just wanted an autograph. Jayne was pulled from her car, terrified, and we could hear her being beaten down. Alba Fyre got into the car and warned Rose that next week, she’d take her championship and be the last woman standing.
(3) ANDRE CHASE (w/Duke Hudson & Thea Hail) vs. CHARLIE DEMPSEY
Dempsey broke up the Chase U pre-match routine and it got going. Both guys laid in some shots in the ring. Chase dumped Dempsey, threw a big chop, and both reentered. Front chancery by Chase. Northern Lights suplex by Dempsey broke it and we went for an armbar. Chase rolled Dempsey up to break. A few rights and an ax-handle by Chase. Rope run and a Russian leg sweep by Chase. Chase did his CHASEU stomps to a large reaction. He went for a uranage, blocked, and Dempsey tripped Chase and went for a submission. Hudson tried to move the ropes close to Chase, and Chase yelled for him not to do so. Hudson considered it, then threw in the rally towel Hail was using. The towel got hung up on the rope. Whoops. Hudson tossed it into the ring and the ref called for the bell.
WINNER: Charlie Dempsey at 2:58.
(Wells’s Analysis: Chase consistently surprises me with how smooth his offense looks, though as usual, I have a hard time buying his level of offense against a heavyweight. Dempsey’s no-nonsense look and sneering demeanor are going to make him a favorite of mine, just as his father was)
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Indi Hartwell. She said nobody was going to make a name for themselves on her. She said she was betting the entire house on herself. [c]
-At Fallon Henley’s bar, Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen made references to last week’s football games to prove they were men. In walked Kiana James and her secretary. Jensen fawned over her and Briggs tried to make him stop. James was trying to buy the bar, but Henley was insistent that she wouldn’t sell because it had been in her family for generations. Jensen allegedly provided comedy, trying to figure out the size of the offer. Henley repeatedly rebuffed James, who said Henley could continue being rich in virtue but poor in money.
(4) HANK WALKER vs. CHANNING “STACKS” LORENZO (w/Tony D’Angelo)
Stacks dominated with some early rights. Walker shoved Stacks into a corner, peppered him with shots and suplexed him out of the corner. Stacks got back into it with some quick strikes. Rope run and a block by Walker. Walker shoved Stacks over and out to the announce table side. Stacks hung up Walker on the top rope, then reentered. Stacks threw repeated elbows to a downed Walker. Knee strikes by Stacks. Knee to the jaw and a two count.
Walker caught a kick and threw a lariat, then hit a Thesz press. Stacks ran the ropes and Walker pounced him away. Walker threw his shirt, fired up and laid out Stacks. Walker took Stacks to the corner and Stacks thumbed him in the eye. Stacks hit his finisher.
WINNER: Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo at 3:28.
(Wells’s Analysis: Nice but also surprising to see Stacks get a win here, as he has very little to do with D’Angelo unable to wrestle. Walker, in his “outsider” character, can certainly gain something from losses although too many of them to low-level competition will be tough to overcome, and he doesn’t appear to have the mic skills to absorb that problem yet)
-Grayson Waller spoke into the camera and hyped up the Grayson Waller Effect, up next. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Grayson Waller briefly cut on R-Truth, and said while he was laid up, maybe Little Jimmy could get him a soda. He introduced Von Wagner, then Bron Breakker. Breakker was wearing his dad’s “Beware of Dog” leather jacket. Wagner & Mr. Stone sat on one end of the table and Breakker the other. Waller went to a question from a fan of why Carmelo Hayes was stuck in the North American Championship division and Wagner got a championship match. Wagner saw that the asker’s name was Joe, so he tried to say “Joe Blow” a couple of times as an insult, and said Joe thought he was in control of NXT. Wagner said he laid out Breakker last week and he’ll do that again. Breakker said he got it – Wagner is big and dangerous. It looks like a 50-50 on paper, he said. Um, sure. Waller threw to another fan comment that said “I’m ready for anyone to beat Bron Breakker.” Waller laughed demonstrably and asked what Breakker thought about that. Breakker said he got where people were coming from. He said he learned from people like Ciampa and Gargano, and then yelled at the top of his lungs that if you want something, you’ve gotta take it. The segment completely devolved and seemed to have no focus and script at all as both guys just yelled generic threats. Wagner said he’d take the belt off of Breakker’s shoulder next week, and Breakker said he should try right now. Mr. Stone tried to get into the scene and Breakker slammed him into the table. A staredown ensued. The crowd died hard during this segment.
-McKenzie Mitchell talked to Wes Lee, who said Carmelo Hayes had a point that he never got pinned for the title. He said he wasn’t sure how, but he was gonna make Melo miss. He did some strong promo work to promote their match next week. [c]
-Cora Jade cut a promo on Wendy Choo, who got involved with something that didn’t concern here. She said Choo had a friend problem, and she sat alone at the lunch table waiting for a text that wouldn’t come inviting her to join them. Cora said the next time Choo tries to make a friend at her expense, she should think about it.
-Earlier today, Apollo Crews sent a video tweet from Nigeria that he was looking for the next champion. He said the next NXT champion, though, was himself.
(5) AXIOM vs. JD MCDONAGH
Booker said Axiom was going to be the best masked superstar of his generation. Rope run and a block by McDonagh. QUick mat reversals let to a head scissors by McDonagh. Axiom reversed and transitioned to yanking McDonagh’s arms behind him. McDonagh rolled through and kicked Axiom away. Quick rollups led to near-falls. There was a weird moment as McDonagh fell back from a kick that didn’t go up for another second. Thankfully, McDonagh didn’t pretend the kick hit him, and instead took a second to regroup.
McDonagh worked a submission move into a leverage pin for a couple of near-falls. Axiom powered up and reversed into a near-fall. Kick by Axiom sent McDonagh out, and McDonagh went up to the apron and got laid out again. [c]
McDonagh worked a leg lock on Axiom. McDonagh moved to drive Axiom’s knee into the mat, but Axiom kicked him away. Axiom went from chop to strike and back a few times, then dumped McDonagh. Axiom went to the corner and hit a moonsault to the outside. Smoothly executed, but the two men made almost no contact other than a small shove. The ref counted to nine and both guys made it in; McDonagh especially was at the last split-second.
McDonagh threw a kick that tripped Axiom forward onto his head. He worked the back of Axiom’s leg, then charged, but Axiom jumped away from trouble and trapped McDonagh in a body scissors. McDonagh reached a rope to break. The crowd, fairly quiet tonight, chanted “Axiom.” McDonagh wanted a Boston crab but Axiom kicked him away. McDonagh cinched it in shortly after, but Axiom reached the bottom rope.
The two exchanged forearms in the center of the ring. Axiom hit a big one, then tried to kip up into an attack but he sold the leg work and McDonagh laid him out with a lariat. McDonagh went up for a moonsault, but Axiom caught him in a triangle. McDonagh tried a power bomb but Axiom turned it into a huracanrana. Another big shot by Axiom got two. “This is awesome” chant. Axiom couldn’t charge, but he caught McDonagh in another scissors. Rapid reversals led to McDonagh cranking Axiom’s worked leg. McDonagh folded up the leg in a way that didn’t look human and the ref checked on him (in kayfabe). Trainers checked on Axiom, who shooed them away. The ref finally called for the bell.
WINNER BY REFEREE STOPPAGE: JD McDonagh at 13:54.
McDonagh took the mic and said it was a severe strain, and not a tear, because he’s a nice guy. He said this was a message to the entire roster: please, someone get on his level and test him. He said he was looking at Apollo Crews. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: That’s not a very fun ending to a match that was that good, but it continues to get over McDonagh as the deliverer of pain and Axiom as one who’ll never quit. One of the best NXT TV matches of the past several months)
-Deadl1ne spot.
(6) BRUTUS CREED (w/Julius Creed) vs. DAMON KEMP – Five minute challenge
Creed charged Kemp during his entrance. Action went to the ring and the ticker counted down in the corner. Big suplex by Brutus, who charged Kemp from the apron to the barricade. Brutus went out and tossed Kemp into the steps. Kemp hit the steps hard and awkwardly, and the camera went in tight on Brutus as I assume Kemp was being asked if he was alright. Kemp caught Brutus with a low kick and action went back inside.
Three minutes remained, and Kemp hit a few shots, then went out and got a chair. He swung it, but Brutus shoved it away and hit a bunch of double palm strikes, then two Brutus Balls. Brutus grabbed the chair, shrugged, and destroyed Kemp with it.
WINNER BY DISQUALIFICATION: Damon Kemp at 2:47.
Brutus laid in another big chairshot.
As the Creeds and Ivy Nile celebrated, they spotted Veer and Sanga up on the perch. Staredown.
(Wells’s Analysis: Kind of funny that a match promised to be short was only half as long as it was supposed to be. A decent enough way to keep Brutus strong without Kemp taking another loss, though he doesn’t exactly gain anything from this win either.)
-Donovan Dijak, as apparently he’s going to be called (this wasn’t on the screen, so this may not come to be true), said NXT would be introduced to his form of justice.
-Roxanne Perez caught up with Indi Hartwell. Perez said Hartwell seems different yesterday, so she wanted to know if she was okay. Hartwell said there are no friends in this business.
-Next week, Von Wagner challenges Bron Breakker, JD McDonagh faces Apollo Crews, and Alba Fyre challenges Mandy Rose in a Last Woman Standing match.
(7) KAYDEN CARTER & KATANA CHANCE (c) vs. ZOEY STARK & NIKKITA LYONS – NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship match
Good thing it’s babyface vs. babyface, since all winners tonight are heels. Of course, the show might well end in a heel turn.
Alicia Taylor handled formal intros. Stark and Chance opened the match. Stark worked the arm and made the tag. Lyons held the tiny Chance up easily, and Chance went down without incident. Stark tagged in and Chance took over on offense. She hit a monkey flip in the corner, but Stark landed on her feet. Rana by Chance. Carter tagged and the champs hit some team offense. Carter got caught by a boot and Lyons tagged in. She hit a hip attack for one. Combo kicks missed by Lyons, but she rolled Carter as Carter was still holding her leg. Lyons whipped Carter into the corner twice and tagged Stark. The challengers celebrated tandem slams for too long and got dumped. Action broke down and went outside with all four involved. The match went to split-screen. [c]
Stark was attempting a stretch muffler on Chance. On the apron in the corner, Lyons tugged at and repositioned her gear as she’d been doing throughout the match. Carter tagged in and ran the ropes and hit a boot. All four got involved again with some planchas and splashes by the champs. “NXT” chant. Back in the ring, Carter sent Stark into a Chance lungblower for two. Stark hit a suplex on a bulldog attempt by Chance. Lyons tagged in and missed in the corner. Chance hit a high cross-body but Lyons rolled through and threw Chance away. Stark tagged in and hit a half-and-half, then a kick for two. Outside, Carter and Lyons took each other out.
Stark missed from the top and Chance hit a stunner. Lyons broke up the fall. All four women were involved again. Might as well have booked a tornado match, I guess. Stark and Lyons almost collided. Lyon shoved Stark out of the way and took a shot by the charging champs instead. The champs hit their team finisher to retain.
WINNERS: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance at 11:02.
After the match, the challengers took the belts and handed them to the champs…until Stark took the one she was holding and brained Lyons with it, then chased off the champs. She stomped at Lyons, then chucked the belt out to Kayden Carter. Stark jawed at Lyons as the show went off the air at eight past the hour.
(Wells’s Analysis: Outside of the large amount of time everyone was involved in the match, everything come together well and there were some interesting spots. Lyons, who’s struggled in her big spots at times, had a good match tonight. I agree with the idea of turning Zoey heel, given her abilities as a mean technical machine, though the limitations of Lyons were well masked in a tag format.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A pretty digestible week of TV heading toward a show with both major singles championships on the line next week. The show, as often lately, worked on the level of being a developmental show but also moved storylines forward in interesting ways (excepting Von Wagner and Bron Breakker, who laid a big egg tonight as Grayson Waller desperately tried to keep the segment afloat). If I want to be critical, and I might as well because doing so is my job at times, the two most important matches were competent, but had extremely obvious finishes to anyone paying any attention to the storylines. If you’re just reading to see what happened tonight, I have to highly recommend seeing McDonagh-Axiom, who had a great match that I’m sure they could outdo if given even more time and the right context. I’ll break it all down tonight with Bruce Hazelwood on PWT Talks NXT. Cheers.
It’s do or die time for Indi. Her interview was a bit underwhelming. Elektra did look better – I would imagine she feels she has something to prove – and Sol looked a bit out of her depth here.
Axiom was SO freaking good. I think he should switch from the full hood to a “superhero mask,” so he can connect more with the audience and camera. He’s a handsome dude, and it’s gotta be hot in that mask!