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Hello everyone, I am one half of your Irn Bruiser weights bringing you your NXT Review. So let's get into it.
We’re back at home this week after last week’s field trip to Philadelphia and the ECW Arena, meaning it’s time to start getting ready for Deadline. That means we’ll be seeing some Iron Survival qualifying matches this week, which should have some potential. Other than that, Zaria seems to be coming for the Women’s Title.
We open with a long recap of last week’s show with the slightly rowdy crowd.
Match 1 - Meta Four vs. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer
Legend and Giulia start things off with Legend kicking her in the face and handing it off to Jackson for a basement dropkick. They trade rollups for two each until Giulia takes her into the corner so Vaquer can come in for a double elbow. A running leg drop gives Vaquer two so it’s back to Legend for a hard right hand. Everything breaks down and Meta Four clears the ring as we take an early break.
Back with Jackson holding Vaquer in a cross arm choke, which quickly escaped for the tag to Giulia. A snap suplex gets two on Jackson and a double belly to back suplex gets two. Giulia dropkicks Legend on the floor and a missile dropkick into a package backbreaker into stereo knees to the face finish Jackson at 10:54.
Official Winners - Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer
Official thoughts - Giulia and Vaquer continue to be the dream team and there is no reason for them to be losing any time soon. They didn’t quite run through Meta Four here but they shrugged off the offence and won in pretty dominant fashion. Good opener here, with Giulia and Vaquer already feeling like a big deal.
Post match Vaquer and Giulia are ready for the Iron Survivor Challenge.
Video on the Iron Survivor Challenge.
Match 2 - Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match - Cora Jade vs. Sol Ruca
Jade stalls to start and they take turns sitting on the turnbuckles for some taunting. Ruca takes her down and surfs on Jade’s back but Jade gets in a quick knockdown. A stomp to the back has Ruca in trouble and Jade chokes away in the corner. Back up and they trade forearms until Ruca hits a springboard crossbody. Another springboard is broken up but Jade misses a charge into the corner, allowing the Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin at 3:32.
Official Winner - Sol Ruca
Official thoughts - The Sol Snatcher is always worth a look and that’s about all they had time for here. You’re not going to be able to get much out of a match that barely breaks three and a half minutes, but at least Ruca won to give her a shot in the bigger match. It’s good to have Jade back, but she’s just not at that higher level and it’s showing more often in the ring.
Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander are ready to qualify for the men’s version.
Karmen Petrovic seems to hit on Dion Lennon when Brinley Reece interrupts. She wants to know what is going on but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in and can’t believe this is going on. Lennox: “Since when have we been friends?” A mixed tag seems likely.
Ava holds a meeting with the tag team division. They all bicker, with Ava telling the teams to show her.
Match 3 - Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match - Wes Lee vs. Cedric Alexander
Alexander shoves him down a few times to start before slapping on a headlock. Lee flips out into an armbar before sweeping out the leg and adding a flipping backsplash. Alexander sends him outside for a dive but leaves it rather short as we take a break. Back with the Cardiac Kick being countered with a dropkick and adding a basement version for a bonus.
Something like an STO on the apron sets up a springboard Downward Spiral to give Alexander two. Lee is right back with the Cardiac Kick for two but Lee pulls the turnbuckle pad off to break up the Lumbar Check. Alexander settles for a Michinoku Driver for two, only to miss a charge into the exposed buckle. The Meteora finishes for Lee at 11:51.
Official Winner - Wes Lee
Official thoughts - As has been proven before, there is certainly something to the idea of just taking talented stars and giving them a chance to do something in the ring. These two got about twelve minutes and had a solid match as a result, which is about all you can want in this. Lee is the hotter star of the two at the moment, as Alexander is mainly there to make people look good, which was the case again here.
Tony D’Angelo is eating at the restaurant when Shawn Spears and Brooks Jensen come in. Spears wants the North American Title…so he’s asking for a title shot for Jensen. They leave and get into a car, which is driven by what appears to be Niko Vance, someone who has been on LVL Up for a few months.
Kelani Jordan wants her North American Title back but Fatal Influence comes in to say it’s not happening.
Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He gets right to the point by saying he wants Ridge Holland out here right now. Instead here is Andre Chase, who says he has no issues with Williams but wants Holland too. Williams respects Chase and seems to be ready to offer him an NXT Title shot but Holland interrupts.
Holland is done with Chase and is ready to move on to Williams and the NXT Title. That doesn’t work for Chase, who wants one more match and is willing to put all of Chase U on the line. Holland doesn’t care so Williams suggests a #1 contenders match next week for the Deadline title shot. Holland agrees, but if Chase loses, Chase U is completely done. That’s quite a risk for someone like Chase who can never win the big one, but Chase is in. Williams decks Holland and Chase gets in some stomps to wrap it up. Holland moving forward makes sense…but don’t end Chase U.
Jaida Parker is ready to win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge.
Josh Briggs, with Pro Wrestling Noah star Yoshiki Inamura, is in the back with Ava when Eddy Thorpe interrupts. Thorpe wants a chance, which is why Ava has put him in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match. Works for Thorpe.
Match 4 - Adriana Rizzo vs. Nikkita Lyons
Lyons strikes away to start and blocks an early sunset flip attempt. Riz gets in a shot and goes up, only to dive into a full nelson. Lyons throws her down for two and hits some hip attacks to the head, setting up a seated full nelson. That’s broken up and Riz hits a springboard spinning crossbody for a breather, only for Lyons to shrug off a middle rope Thesz press. A superkick into the Vader Bomb finishes for Lyons at 4:33.
Official Winner - Nikkita Lyons
Official thoughts - I just don’t get it with Lyons. I’m trying to see the big star power in her and it’s just not clicking for some reason. It does help to have her wrestle as more of a monster as she has a physical style that is rather unique in the division. Other than that though, I just don’t get it and while it makes sense for her to beat someone like Riz, hopefully, it doesn’t go much higher up than that. Which it likely will.
Post match, Riz decks her with a crowbar. Well, that escalated.
The rest of Chase U asks Andre Chase what he’s thinking but this is the kind of risk that has to be taken. The team doesn’t buy it.
Match 5 - Men’s Iron Survival Challenge Qualifying Match - Je’Von Evans vs. Lexis King
They trade rollups to start and then flip over each other with neither getting very far. A springboard hurricanrana takes King down and Evans hits a big dive to the floor. Back in and King seems to hit him low off a leapfrog but King doesn’t want it that way. Instead, we take a break and come back with Evans snapping off a suplex for two. A springboard high crossbody gets the same and the frog splash gives Evans two more. King is back with a Backstabber into a fisherman’s buster for two, only for Evans to hit a superkick. The top rope spinning splash finishes King at 9:37.
Official Winner - Je’Von Evans
Official thoughts - I get more of what WWE sees in Evans but it’s still only getting him so far. It feels like someone where I’ve seen almost everything he can do and that’s not a great sign so soon into his career. Granted that also means he has time to develop, but it’s not showing so far. Granted, this was a good bit better than last week against Wes Lee. As for King, you can see the story they’re telling, but it could take a few different directions.
Respect is shown post match.
Nathan Frazier tells Axiom that he has an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match and Axiom is not pleased. OTM and the D’Angelo Family come in to argue.
Lexis King is frustrated by another loss so some people try to calm him down. This turns into an argument between Gallus and Hank Walker/Tank Ledger.
Match 6 - Women’s North American Title - Kelani Jordan vs. Fallon Henley
Henley, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start until Henley’s chop seems to make Jordan…sad. An arm drag off the ropes puts Henley down and an anklescissors out of the corner does it again. They go outside with Jordan’s moonsault off of the announcers’ table mostly missing as we take a break.
Back with a double armdrag takedown leaving them both on the mat for a breather. They trade forearms as more tag teams are brawling backstage. Jordan gets in a knockdown into a rolling…shooting star press for two. With that completely illogical move out of the way, Henley pulls her out of the corner for two of her own but Jordan catches her on top. A super Spanish Fly (which Vic calls a Phoenix splash for some reason) gives Jordan two and One Of A Kind connects, but Jacy Jayne puts the foot on the rope. Jazmyn Nyx gets in a cheap shot of her own and a Fameasser retains the title at 9:26.
Official Winner - STILL Women’s North American Champion - Fallon Henley
Official thoughts - Henley has improved rather nicely in recent months and that was on display here with one of her better singles matches to date. At the same time, the Fameasser is a better finisher than another running strike as that has been done to death in modern wrestling. It’s also nice to see her get a win, albeit with some cheating, to make her feel like something of a more legitimate champion. One of the newcomers will be coming after her soon enough though and that’s where the trouble will begin. For now, though, nice stuff here, as Jordan can move on to something else.
Post match the tag teams get into another fight in the arena to end the show.
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