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NXT TV REPORT
AUGUST 1, 2023
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 with Bruce Lee Hazelwood and myself to break down the show with calls and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (515) 605-9345
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: pwtorchnxt@gmail.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW POST-RECORDING
[HOUR ONE]
-Significant internet issues here tonight, so hopefully I can piece this together.
-Recaps from the Great American Bash opened, running through all six matches from the main show.
-Gallus jumped Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo outside the venue.
-Jacy Jayne grabbed a headset as the announcers were welcoming everyone to the show and cut on Lyra Valkyria.
(1) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. JACY JAYNE
Jayne dominated early but Valkyria got the better of her heading into split-screen. [c]
Jayne grounded Valkyrian with a double wristlock, but Valkyria escaped and booted a charging Jayne in the corner. Jayne took control and hit a senton. I lost a couple of minutes here while setting up a different way to see the show. Tonight I found out I need a new TV!
Valkyria hit a frog splash to finish.
WINNER: Valkyria in about 9:00.
(Wells’s Analysis: Surprising that Rhea Ripley didn’t show up in any capacity here after weeks of egging on Valkyria to take Jayne out)
-Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes talked in the locker room. Williams said that now that Dragunov is in the rear-view mirror, he means what he said: he’s got to do this for him. Hayes didn’t get it right away, but Williams pointed out that he’s no sidekick. Williams said he has to show Dragunov what he’s made of. Hayes said he respects that. Williams said it was no breakup, but he’s got to be his own man. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: This is a well earned moment for Williams, but the dynamic between the two will be missed if it’s really about to change)
-McKenzie Mitchell talked with Tony D and Stacks as they were in the trainers’ room. D’Angelo said they want all of Gallus tonight. Tony D said he’d make a call, and Stacks asked to who. Tony D said he knows who, and we’ll see if he picks up. I brought up the idea of Two Dimes returning on the Great American Bash roundtable a couple of nights ago, but we’ll see if that’s a big enough payoff for this.
-Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley made their entrance, and Ripley introduced Dom to boos. Mysterio tried to speak to even more boos. Mysterio said he was the greatest luchador who ever lived. Ripley said “And Dom continues to prove every single OH MY GOD” as Dragon Lee’s music played him out. Rhea called him Rey Mysterio Junior…Junior. Dragon Lee said he doesn’t believe, and the fans don’t believe, and even Dom doesn’t believe that he’s the greatest luchador ever. Mysterio said he made the Mysterio name relevant. Lee got flustered as he fought through a forgotten line and he made a challenge for next week. Ripley said she’d be there because she doesn’t ever let Dominik go it alone. Lee said that’s perfect, because he’ll have someone else there too. Rey Mysterio showed up on the tron to a huge pop and announced he’d be there next week to an even bigger one.
-Wes Lee lost his mind in the locker room and Carmelo Hayes tried to see what was going on. He told Lee not to get caught up in self-pity. Lee threw some things over and said he’s lost three weeks in a row and Hayes doesn’t know what he’s going through. Things got testy and Noam Dar and Oro Mensah showed up. Dar said he’s got something that the two of them don’t have – the Heritage Cup championship. Lee tried to get through to Dar that he’s not champion, and the four were starting to throw down as the scene ended.
-Eddy Thorpe entered ahead of his match. [c]
-Chase U talked with Mitchell about Thea Hail’s loss to Tiffany Stratton, and Hail got fired up and said she never gave up, but Andre Chase threw in the towel. Chase tried to smooth it over but Baron Corbin showed up and said Thea failed and now it’s over. Chase got in his face and Corbin asked why he doesn’t do something about it. Corbin left and Chase tried to put a hand on Hail’s shoulder, but she wasn’t having it.
(2) EDDY THORPE vs. DIJAK
Thorpe grounded Dijak and tossed him with a snap mare and gave a kick to his back. Dijak fought back with a lariat and covered for two. Thorpe charged in a corner and ate the post as Dijak moved. Slam by Dijak got a long two.
The two exchanged strikes and Thorpe landed a kick and covered for two. Dijak wrenched the left arm of Thorpe – previously which hit the post – and tossed him to the post again. Thorpe blocked a move and hit a German suplex and then hit an elbow drop, but it was with the bad arm and Thorpe sold it. Dijak bailed and yanked the arm into the post again, then got into the ring and hit a big boot to finish. The camera showed a guy standing and cheering for Dijak, which was a bit weird for a heel.
WINNER: Dijak at 4:22.
(Wells’s Analysis: Dijak needs a win or two as NXT tries to rehabilitate his act. Thorpe can likely take a loss here to have something to overcome as his momentum has been temporarily halted)
-Tony D was on the phone and said “if anyone understands, it’s you: it’s just business. If you do this for me, we’re even Steven.” He and Stacks headed out of the room, presumably next up. [c]
-Dana Brooke and Kelani Jordan watched Brooke’s match with Cora Jade and Jordan pumped her up. Brooke said when she used that kendo stick, she kind of liked it. Brooke said that all the gymnastics training has been good, but they need to teach her killer instinct. She said Jordan will need it.
(3) YULISA LEON & VALENTINA FEROZ vs. LOLA VICE & ELEKTRA LOPEZ
This feud was set up on Instagram as the heels talked down the heels after their eight-person GAB win. Lopez tossed Leon to open. Leon took down Lopez, then hit her with a couple of arm drags and a snap mare. Feroz tagged in and Leon splashed her onto Lopez. Vice distracted Feroz and Lopez threw rights on Feroz. Vice tagged in and the heels hit a double clothesline. Vice covered for two. Vice hit a spinning kick and a hip attack in the corner for two.
Lopez tagged in again and hit an enzuigiri in the heel corner for two. Lopez worked a sleeper with a body scissors and Feroz rolled Lopez up to break. Vice tagged in and briefly cut off the hot tag, but Feroz shoved her off and Leon hit the ring and hit a few clotheslines and a Michinoku Driver. Leon took out an interfering Lopez, allowing a spin kick by Vice to finish.
WINNERS: Vice & Lopez at 3:29. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: Good action here, and Lopez had a mistake-free night, which is far from a sure thing. Vice got her first NXT TV win, but Leon and Feroz are just so good and it feels like they’re forever in an enhancement role when they should be bigger players)
-Tiffany Stratton, via TikTok, put over Thea Hail and said “that little girl pushed me.” She said after weeks of torture, it’s finally over. She said she’ll be back next week, and maybe she’ll pick her next opponent and maybe she’ll have a Tiffy-bration. She signed off with “Toodles.”
[HOUR TWO]
(4) CARMELO HAYES & WES LEE vs. NOAM DAR & ORO MENSAH
Lee was visibly conflicted before the match. Meta-Four had a new entrance on the ramp, posing in silhouette against four lights, that looked pretty sharp.
Lots of brawling outside to open. The referee called for the bell as Dar and Hayes ended up in the ring. Hayes hit a suplex, then missed from the top but hit an arm drag and a suplex. Lee wanted the tag but Hayes held off and Dar caught him with a shot and tagged Mensah. Mensah worked Hayes with some rights and then tried a suplex, but Hayes rolled through and hit a lariat, then made the tag.
Lee took down Mensah and covered for two. Lee hit a charging elbow in the face corner and Hayes tagged himself in, irritating Lee. He took one chat and then tagged Lee back in. Lee rolled up Mensah for two, then tagged Hayes. The faces hit a double dropkick and Hayes covered for two. Another tag and the two set up a pair of elbow drops, but Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson dragged Mensah out to boos as the match went to commercial. [c]
Dar and Lee exchanged shots until Mensah tagged in and the two double-teamed. Suplex by Mensah got two. Mensah kicked Lee in the back. Vic was taking issue with Booker’s playful pronunciation of Mensah just moments after mispronouncing Nathan Frazer’s name for the millionth time. Hayes tagged in and dominated Dar, taking him to a corner and then slamming him for two. Legend tried to hit a lariat on Hayes on the outside and he ducked it, then reentered.
Bulldog by Hayes. Lee tagged in and went to the top, but Jakara Jackson went into the ring and taunted Lee. Lee wasn’t deterred and he hit a spinning splash for two as Jackson was forced to head outside. Lee went for the Cardiac Kick but he hit Hayes. Dar hit his finisher on the stunned Lee to finish.
WINNERS: Dar & Mensah at 10:34.
Lee blamed Hayes after the match and demanded to know where he was. Lee didn’t like Hayes not treating it like a bigger deal, but Hayes exited.
(Wells’s Analysis: A solid story continued for Wes Lee but it was a strong match to boot. Lee might be getting a run as a heel to see how it plays before he gets a main roster callup, though I think they’ve pretty well got his character nailed over the past few months. On the other hand, Lee was very strong here tonight with his growing frustration, both with Hayes and with himself)
-Bron Breakker cut a promo on Von Wagner, calling him a nobody just like his father. He said if he thinks the scar on his head in his baby picture looks bad, just wait until Breakker is done with him.
-Baron Corbin entered for his match with Andre Chase. [c]
-Vic promoted Cody Rhodes appearing on the Today Show this Thursday.
-Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio went outside and Axiom ran into them. Dom and Rhea pretended he was the same person as Dragon Lee earlier to rile him up. As Axiom tried to clear the air, Mustafa Ali showed up and ran in front of Axiom to deal with his own issues with Mysterio. Axiom didn’t appreciate being disrespected and Dom and Rhea left them to their business. Ali told Axiom to try being disrespected for six years.
(5) ANDRE CHASE vs. BARON CORBIN
Corbin took Chase to a corner, then hit him with a lariat. Chase tried a rollup but Corbin put a knee to Chase. On the outside, Thea Hail sulked. Chase rolled up Corbin out of a corner and got two. Corbin bailed after a shot and the two fought on the ramp. Corbin slammed Chase on the floor. Hail sat on the steel steps, depressed, as Duke Hudson kept checking on her.
Action went back inside and Corbin clubbed Chase repeatedly on the mat. Corbin charged Chase into a turnbuckle and Chase sold on the mat until Corbin snapped on a headlock. Corbin shoved Chase outside near the other Chase U members again, and then charged Chase into the barricade and taunted the “Chase U” members in the crowd.
Once again it went inside and Corbin missed in a corner. Chase went at him with chops and strikes, then chopped Corbin’s knee. Rope run and a Russian leg sweep by Chase. CHASE U stomps by Chase. Outside, Hail still clutched the towel Chase threw in on Sunday. Corbin snapped on a half crab and Hail threw in the towel immediately. Corbin caught (and then accidentally dropped) the towel away from the ref. He picked it up and threw it out and Thea went up the ramp with it. Corbin hit End of Days shortly after.
WINNER: Baron Corbin at 5:17.
(Wells’s Analysis: Competent stuff to move forward Hail as a character as she clearly resents Andre Chase and blames him for the fact that she isn’t Women’s Champion. It gave Hail a chance to show a different side and she was strong throughout)
-NXT showed a mini-doc on Roxanne Perez going home to Austin and reuniting with family at the airport. She also played video games with Wes Lee in an arcade. They showed a bit of the atrocious angle at the convention with the interviewer before Blair Davenport struck, and then showed some highlights of the match where Perez beat Davenport. Perez said she was done apologizing. She’s Roxanne Perez, and you can’t break her.
-The mystery partner for Tony D & Stacks arrived in a fancy car. We saw him from the knees down exiting the car. He had on white slacks and fancy white shoes (I assume they’re fancy; I don’t really know shoes other than tennis shoes). [c]
-Meta-Four celebrated their win and Tyler Bate showed up and said he was on a retreat to find himself. He confirmed with Noam Dar that he was the actual Heritage Cup champion, and he made a challenge. He himself said challenge accepted as Meta-Four complained.
–THE SCHISM INTERROGATION
The four members of Schism, plus six masked members, were in the ring. Gacy said that there were traitors among them. Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid got fired up and said it was about time to take them out. Gacy calmed them down and Ava Raine took the mic and struggled through some mic time and told the masked guys to step forward and remove the masks.
The first two were just guys we haven’t seen. The third was Ikemen Jiro to a big pop, and the Dyad asked if this was a joke to him. The fourth, a black man, was sent off because it obviously wasn’t him, since they were attacked by two white men. The Dyad attacked the last two, saying they knew it was the Creed Brothers. Though their physiques weren’t far off, it was just a couple of guys.
The Creeds showed up on the tron, sitting and tanning on a beach that was obviously a green screen. They made jokes that they obviously weren’t in Orlando and it was clear they were the ones who attacked the Dyad even though they weren’t outright saying it. Julius said “We’re not in Orlando – not even a little bit – not at all.” They ended their transmission and Gacy yelled into the camera to all Schism members worldwide, if they find the Creeds, bring them to him. [c]
-Cora Jade went into the locker room and told a gaggle of women we haven’t seen before that she’s done with this place. She gathered her belongings and told everyone good luck, because they’ll need it.
-Next week, Von Wagner faces Bron Breakker.
(6) TONY D’ANGELO & CHANNING “STACKS” LORENZO & MYSTERY PARTNER vs. GALLUS (Joe Coffey & Wolfgang & Mark Coffey)
Gallus entered first. Tony D & Stacks entered together with the mystery partner not with them, and D said “I called an old friend.” It was Santos Escobar, which works in all the ways that it also could’ve been Two Dimes, but it’s a much better payoff in a main event.
D dominated Wolfgang early and tagged Stacks, who threw some rights and chopped down Wolfgang’s leg to ground him. D tagged back in and he hip tossed Wolfgang in the babyface corner. Joe Coffey tagged in and soon everyone was involved. The faces all threw body shots to the heels, and then cleared all of them from the ring and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Gallus took over during the break and Wolfgang had Stacks on her knees in a headlock. Mark Coffey tagged in and hit a block from the top. Joe tagged in and charged Stacks to the corner and hit a sidewalk slam for two. Wolfgang tagged and threw some rights, then leaned on Stacks on the bottom rope to boos. Mark tagged and dropped an elbow and covered for two. A corner graphic promoted a “Heritage Cup” match (with quotation marks like that) between Noam Dar and Tyler Bate. God, they’re going to have Dar lose a second Heritage Cup and get depressed again.
Escobar made the hot tag and dominated Mark with ax-handles and blocks. He went high and hit a cross-body, then an O’Connor roll for two. Gallus made the save and all six guys got involved again. It devolved into a messy brawl and everyone got dumped but the legal men. Escobar put Mark up in a corner and hit a rana. It was the shucky ducky quack quack moment. Escobar hit a running knee in the corner and tagged D. He and Stacks performed their team finisher on Mark.
WINNERS: Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo & Santos Escobar at 9:14.
Escobar reluctantly did an Italian taunt with the other two to big cheers, then pointed at the tag champs as they celebrated.
(Wells’s Analysis: One has to suspend a lot of disbelief to make Escobar okay with these two guys again, but on the other hand, one has to suspend a lot of disbelief to make babyface mafiosos work in the first place, so it’s all good. The crowd ate it up and, rather than setting a hook for more to come, this main event seemed to be an ending point for these sides)
-Ilya Dragunov cut a pre-recorded promo on Trick Williams, saying if Trick Williams wasn’t done with him, that’s good, because he’s not done with Trick either. He said his quest won’t end until Trick is entirely terminated. The show went off the air at five past the hour.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This show continues to be on a hot streak as far as storylines involving multiple players and some interesting shades of gray and internal struggles, to the point where it’s hard to believe there isn’t another major creative force helping of late. Thea Hail and Wes Lee in particular are being given new sides of their personality to sink their teeth into, while Noam Dar changes almost weekly based on his situation (and he could change further if he loses another Heritage Cup next week). Lots of intriguing stuff here as NXT comes out strong from a PLE that was, though strong in the ring, not very noteworthy. Bruce Lee Hazelwood and I will talk it over on PWT Talks NXT in a few minutes. Listen live or stream tomorrow.
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