SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
MAY 7, 2024
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): Kelly Kincaid
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
-There was a Wes Lee hype video, starting with his win at Halloween Havoc in 2022 for the North American Championship. They used his voice-over as hype as well as several shots of him in the ring, leading to his injury and his emotionally broken speech where he announced he had to leave, and he didn’t know for how long. He said he didn’t heed the warnings and he may have flown too close to the sun and burned. After the video ended, Lee was seen watching it on a monitor, where he got emotional all over again. A sea of undercard babyfaces cheered him on as he walked through the back and to the ring, stopping at the barricade to soak in some cheers before getting there.
(1) WES LEE vs. JOSH BRIGGS
This was set up last week as Briggs suggested Lee didn’t get to jump the line just because he’s back. Briggs backed Lee to a corner, then tossed him but he rolled through. Rope run and Briggs blocked Lee to the mat, but Lee hit a crucifix for two, and then another. Briggs tried to get Lee off of him but Lee rolled him up again for two. Briggs tried to stomp Lee, who was too quick for him. Jawbreaker by Lee followed by a dropkick that sent Briggs out of the ring. Lee went out and Briggs tried a big boot but Lee caught his leg. Briggs was able to overpower Lee and charge him against the apron, then put him back in the ring. Briggs ran the ropes and Lee hit a huracanrana, putting Briggs out again. On the outside, Briggs caught Lee and went for perhaps a Death Valley Driver, but Lee used a head scissors to send Briggs into the post. Back inside, Briggs fought off a Cardiac Kick with a backbreaker. Ivar showed up on the ramp to get a closer look at Briggs. The match went to split-screen. [c]
Briggs had Lee in a bear hug. Ivar was on commentary. Lee put a few knees into Briggs’ midsection to get some separation. Lee struck quick and often, and staggered Briggs with a series of kicks. Lee tried something from the apron but Briggs caught him for a great backbreaker. Briggs side-slammed Lee for two. Briggs took a frustrated breather and then went at Lee with boots. Lee hit a few vicious kicks out of the corner and then a running spin kick that put Briggs on the outside. Briggs was supposed to run into Ivar, but Briggs fell short, so Lee dropkicked Briggs so it would happen. Lee put Briggs back into the ring and hit a Cardiac Kick, winning clean without Ivar getting involved. The two big guys fought on the outside afterward, and Lee hit a 360 from the top on both men. From the perch, Oba Femi smiled at the carnage.
WINNER: Wes Lee at 10:07.
(Wells’s Analysis: You wouldn’t know that Wes hadn’t had a TV match in a while, as he displayed no rust. It was a pretty strong big vs. small match, leading to an NXT North American Championship match that could have either two or four participants.)
-Earlier tonight, Roxanne Perez and Chelsea Green arrived separately. They’re in the main event tonight.
-A recap of the Underground match between Natalya and Lola Vice aired, ahead of the next match, which was related as it involved the two corner women who got involved and caused the finish. Shayna Baszler entered ahead of the match.
=Earlier today, Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe ran afoul of the No Quarter Catch Club, who mocked them for losing their debut match. Igwe said there was no shame in losing to The Good Brothers. The scene shifted to the Good Brothers and tag champions Axiom & Nathan Frazer, where the Good Brothers put themselves over and tried to get a “Too Sweet” from the champs. Frazer said “Nah…I don’t think so” and they exited the frame. The Good Brothers Too Sweeted each other and said there would be retribution.
(2) KARMEN PETROVIC (w/Natalya) vs. SHAYNA BASZLER (w/Lola Vice)
Baszler dominated early, attacking Petrovic’s arm savagely outside the ring against any hard surface she could find. Action went back inside and Baszler continued the onslaught as Petrovic sold the arm. Baszler worked a painful-looking armbar and Petrovic finally was able to roll her up to break. Baszler regained control on the mat. Petrovic tried some rights but one from Baszler put her down. Petrovic charged Baszler to the post, but Baszler was able to take the power right back and stomp down on Petrovic’s worked arm. Petrovic got a flurry of kicks and then tripped Baszler and hit a kick to the back for two. Petrovic hit a rope-assisted kick, then went up to the top and jumped right into the Kirafuda Clutch for the immediate tap. Baszler and Vic hit the ring and Vice did her booty shake, and Baszler wanted her to be more serious. Natalya checked on Petrovic.
WINNER: Shayna Baszler at 4:17.
(Wells’s Analysis: Very good work-a-body-part classic stuff here. Petrovic is becoming strong in the art of selling, and Baszler looks just as dangerous as she ever did in her first NXT run, regardless of what’s happened with her since.)
-Kelani Jordan talked to a bunch of PC girls who haven’t hit TV yet in the locker room about Fallon Henley’s heel turn last week. Henley walked in and said of course Jordan didn’t understand, but she’s been waiting too long for an opportunity. The two started jawing and the women in the room pulled them apart.
-Vic hyped the combine, coming up after the break. [c]
-An unseen woman threw to a video from the 20-woman combine, where the goal was to finish in the top twelve to be added to the qualifying matches for the ladder match for the inaugural women’s North American Championship. The Speed portion of the combine was outlined, where Thea Hail and Kelani Jordan were shown to be the best.
(3) TYRIEK IGWE & TYSON DUPONT vs. MYLES BORNE & CHARLIE DEMPSEY (w/Damon Kemp)
Alicia Taylor said the referee for this match was…(she looked over at Luca Crusifino and two goons from The Family)…unavailable. She said the special referee was Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, who ran down the ramp in a referee outfit.
Igwe dominated Dempsey with power, then Borne when he tagged in. Dupont tagged in and got in some shots but missed a splash in the corner, and Borne hit a pretty dropkick and tagged Dempsey. He broke up a double-team move and shoved Borne to the corner. Dempsey worked a brief abdominal stretch on Dupont, who then got in a bunch of strikes. Things broke down and everyone was involved for a while. Borne and Dupont spilled to the outside and the legal men remained. Dempsey rolled up Igwe and Stacks made a big production of checking the shoulders, then counted extremely slowly. Igwe kicked out at two. Stacks punch Dempsey in the mouth. Igwe rolled up Dempsey and Stacks made a lightning-quick count for three.
WINNERS: Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe at 3:54.
(Wells’s Analysis: More an angle than a match. It’s a decent enough way to give Igwe and Dupont their first televised win, I guess, while continuing the story of NQCC owing money to the Family that they’re trying to collect.)
-By the lockers, Arianna Grace and Chelsea Green got all snooty and put each other over, as Gigi Dolin – sitting between them – rolled her eyes. Grace said Green needs to win the Women’s Championship tonight to bring class back to the division. Green and Grace left the scene. Dolin said she can’t take this, and she’s done.
-Michin walked backstage ahead of the next match. [c]
-Kelly Kincaid asked Roxanne Perez what she thought about the match Ava made for tonight. Perez said she just threw it together, but this wasn’t about her, and it wasn’t even about Chelsea Green. This match is about me, she said. She said at the end you’ll hear the same thing as always…”and still.”
(3) MICHIN vs. ARIANNA GRACE
Vic put over the idea that Grace thinks that she should get an automatic bid to the ladder match. Michin struck early but she missed an attack against the ropes and Grace pounded Michin in the corner and hit a slam and a couple of elbow drops for two. Grace orked an armbar, adding a leg against the back of Michin’s arm to trap her, and then to roll her to the floor and go for a submission. Michin rolled up Grace for two, and Michin picked up Grace and slammed her to finally break the old. Michin hit a lariat and a boot, then dropkicked Grace. Michin hit a Helluva Kick in the corner and then floated from the apron to the ring, but Grace rolled her up and tried to hold the ropes, but she got caught. Michin hit a slam and her finisher.
WINNER: Michin at 3:26.
(Wells’s Analysis: Okay, but it felt like a PC match with how slow it was a couple of times. Grace continues to do top-notch character work and she can have a long career even if she doesn’t rise to a special level in the ring)
-Trick Williams and Meta-Four walked through the back (separately) ahead of Supernova Sessions. [c]
-Hype for WrestleMania in Las Vegas. That’s twice that they had Minneapolis ready to announce only to screw us in the end.
-Chase University talked with Ridge Holland backstage. Lexis King showed up and talked down to Thea Hail, and Duke Hudson got in his face. King said he made a mistake and he left the scene. Chase pointed out to Holland that Chase U always has one another’s backs.
[HOUR TWO]
-Supernova Sessions. Noam Dar tried to introduce Trick Williams, and Trick’s real-life girlfriend Lash Legend made a point to say he’s a very, very special guest. The audience got into their dynamic again. Trick’s music played and he walked to the ring to the typical strong reaction. Williams sat in the chair as Meta-Four sat on their couch. Dar threw to a video of Williams doing appearances with the championship, and talking about putting the brand on his back. After the video, Williams said “Let’s talk about it!” and Dar made light of him, saying they were literally on a talk show, so that’s what they’re going to do. Trick said he wanted to see what was in the envelope Lash teased last week. She pulled out photos from a match where Williams beat Dar, but Dar’s foot was under the rope. Dar said that the win against him gave him the momentum to get the championship. Oro Mensah got in Trick’s face and Trick asked if he had to knock him back to the motherland. He said if Dar wanted a match all he had to do was ask. He said last week was like a Maury show, and by the way, he’s not the father. Trick said now is the time, and Lash said “Babe!” and then amended to “Trick!” as the audience ate it up. Trick put a hand on Lash’s stomach and Dar broke up the lovefest with a superkick that laid out Trick to boos. Dar held up Trick’s championship to boos. Lash looked conflicted.
(Wells’s Analysis: For now, this is working, but I think acknowledging this relationship on TV is a huge can of worms for a sitting champion)
-The Strength portion of the combine aired. Michin and Jaida Parker were put over as the big ones here. To be continued. [c]
-On a black screen, we heard snoring. Apparently Wendy Choo will be returning with the same DOA gimmick?
-Backstage, Natalya and Karmen Petrovic regrouped. A d-bag showed up and said it was no big deal, because she’s still a smoke show. Petrovic hit a roundhouse and knocked the guy to the floor. Nattie said we need more of that.
(4) KELANI JORDAN vs. FALLON HENLEY
Henley struck first but Jordan used her speed to get back into it. Henley fought back with strikes and stomped a mudhole in the corner to boos. She beat down Jordan by the ropes and made a mocking sound “awww” as the audience booed. Rope run and Jordan snapped on a headlock. She held on through a few break attempts, and then they ran the ropes and Jordan hit a takeover into a headlock. Henley snapped Jordan’s head over the top rope and then jawed with the crowd as the match went to commercial. [c]
Vic said Henley controlled through the break. She kicked Jordan around the ring. Jordan struggled to finally get footing and Henley immediately hit a lariat for two. Jordan caught Henley in a fireman’s carry but Henley snuck out the back and worked a headlock. Jordan kicked off the corner to roll up Henley to break. Henley snapped on the headlock again but it was a quick escape and Jordan hit a few running strikes. Spinning heel kick by Jordan followed by a Rocker Dropper. Henley caught a charging Jordan with a kick and both sold on the mat.
After a series of reversals, Jordan tried a German suplex, and Henley ripped off the turnbuckle and hit Jordan with it. Jordan charged Henley, who threw her up and over straight into the exposed buckle. Henley hit her finisher.
WINNER: Fallon Henley at 11:02.
(Wells’s Analysis: Henley is already doing great things with her pacing and moveset to change up how she works in the ring as a heel. Jordan, as seemingly always, gets a good showing in a long match, then loses in the end. She could really use a win sometime soon if she isn’t going to tumble down the card or, worse, off TV)
-Charlie Dempsey said if “Tony Danza” wants a Heritage Cup match so much, they’ll give it to him, but it’ll be a mistake. He said Tony D’Angelo could prepare all he wanted but he doesn’t know which of them he’ll be facing next week.
-More from the combine. Lash Legend dominated a ball toss, and Wren Sinclair also had a strong showing. Michin and Izzi Dame were also promoted. A conditioning segment was next. Mr. Stone, with nobody left in the company to manage, was shown as one of the judges. The voice-over said we’d find out who will qualify tonight.
-Lexis King entered ahead of the next match. [c]
-Ava was asked by Kelly Kincaid which women would advance to the Qualifying Matches. Ava read the names and a graphic showed their overall scores in the combine.
Sol Ruca – 95
Thea Hail – 93
Jaida Parker – 91
Brinley Reece – 91
Michin – 91
Fallon Henley – 90
Lash Legend – 90
Ivy Nile – 90
Izzi Dame – 90
Kelani Jordan – 89
Tatum Paxley – 88
Wren Sinclair – 86
(6) DUKE HUDSON (w/Chase University) vs. LEXIS KING
Back-and-forth action to open. Duke hit some double palm strikes to the upper body. The second round of them was loud and got a rise out of the crowd. Duke dragged King to the middle of the ring but King kicked up at him and then worked Hudson with kicks and elbows. King leaned on Hudson with a boot in the corner. King missed a back elbow in the corner and Hudson rolled him up in a trap for two. Rope run and King kicked a ducking Hudson. King hit a running body block on Hudson, then left the ring and jawed with Thea Hail. Ridge Holland went to the ring and tried to go in with a chair, but Chase stopped him. In the confusion, King hit the Coronation to finish.
WINNER: Lexis King at 4:12.
(Wells’s Analysis: Another angle more than match, but that’s not a bad thing with King involved. I can’t tell if he’s getting a push or not, as they cool off quick every time afterward)
-Outside, Meta-Four, minus Lash Legend, left the building. Je’Von Evans passed by them. They stopped because they know he’s cool with Trick Williams and they had a small exchange before they went their separate ways.
-Chelsea Green walked through the back ahead of the main event. Mr. Stone was in the hall as she passed, and they shared a moment as she was heading through. I guess he’ll be landing on his feet after Von Wagner’s release. [c]
-Jazmyn Nyx had a backstage talk segment, talking about Jacy Jayne’s nose getting shattered by the overzealous Thea Hail. She promised Jayne, who wasn’t in the arena, that she’d get retribution.
-Backstage, Chase U argued with Ridge Holland. He said every time he sees Thea he can’t help but think of his own little girl. Riley Osborne wasn’t over it and Ridge said he had apologized and that’s all he could do. Even after Ridge left, Osborne reiterated that he cost Thea the match.
-Next week, Qualifiers begin:
Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame
Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend
Also: Je’Von Evans vs. Noam Dar
(7) CHELSEA GREEN vs. ROXANNE PEREZ (c) – NXT Women’s Championship
Alicia Taylor handled formal intros. There was a big “Chelsea” chant. Vic mentioned Chelsea’s husband, “a broski back in the day.” That’s about as close as they normally get to mentioning former company talents by name, though I know that’s pretty lax in this era compared to the previous. Green slipped from the ring and threw a hard right as the match went to split-screen. [c]
[OVERRUN]
Perez dominated with a slower heat segment, and Green hit a Rough Ryder (Vic: “Woo woo woo!”) to get back in it. Chelsea hit a seated reverse DDT. Green went for the Unprettier and Perez cut it off. Green went to the apron and snapped Perez against the second rope. Chelsea went up but Roxy followed and hit a rana from the top for a long two. Roxanne hit a running back elbow. She charged and Green threw her over to hit the turnbuckle, but she didn’t have the proper spacing and Perez had to improvise and hit her head on the second turnbuckle instead. Green again went for the Unprettier and Perez countered. Chelsea countered Pop Rox. Both got rollups for two. Perez hit Pop Rox, which Green didn’t take perfectly, but…that’s what you get with her.
WINNER: Roxanne Perez at 8:54.
(Wells’s Analysis: There’s an extreme limit to how good a Chelsea Green match can be, but Roxanne made the best of it. There was no post-match angle here and no new challenger was teased. I’m not sure if Green will hang around NXT a bit more, but I’d say it’s likely she’ll get the offer of management from Mr. Stone next week)
-Outside, Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, with Luca Crusifino and Adrianna Rizzo in the back seat, beat down Damon Kemp and Myles Borne in the parking lot and Tony D yelled into the camera that Charlie Dempsey doesn’t know who he’s trying to control. They drove off with Kemp and Borne in the back of the van. Interesting story beat as Tony D now knows which member of NQCC he’ll be facing next week.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Kind of a bummer of a match to end on, but the combine stuff was an interesting break from the norm and, though we could have mostly guessed the twelve women who would be involved in the ladder match qualifying matches, it was cool to see them competing for it and was a huge bonus when they showed us the scores. It still feels to me like it’s Fallon Henley’s match to lose, but they could do a big surprise with Wren Sinclair, who just snuck in to the bottom of the rankings, as well. The Trick Williams-Noam Dar business is off to an exciting start but you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube when you acknowledge a relationship on TV, and it was a strange time for that to happen to Trick Williams, even if it’s been fun TV so far. We got a lot of movement as far as next week’s show already as well, so I can’t complain about a mostly decent episode. Kevin Cattani and I will break it down on PWT Talks NXT in a handful of minutes. Cheers.
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