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Hello everyone, I am one half of your Irn Bruiserweights bringing you your NXT Review. So let's get into it.
This week we’ll have an NXT Tag Team Championship match as Tony D’Angelo and Stacks battle OTM. In other matches, Gigi Dolin will fight Cora Jade to settle their differences while Nikkita Lyons looks to do the same against Blair Davenport. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic for 2024 kicks off as Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin team up to take on Gallus and Axiom & Nathan Frazer will battle Hank Walker and Tank Ledger. Plus it’s been reported (but not announced) that Dragon Lee will defend the NXT North American Championship against Lexis King, which should be fun.
We start with a montage recapping New Year’s Evil and the various title matches, Adriana Rizzo’s official name debut, the LWO’s win, Fallon Henley beating Tiffany Stratton Oba Femi’s NXT Breakout Tournament win and Kevin Owens helping Trick Williams beat Grayson Waller.
We’re LIVE in the Capitol Wrestling Center and kicking off with Blair Davenport attacking Nikkita Lyons in the parking lot. They’re fighting their way to the ring, and that’ll be our first match.
Match 1 - NIKKITA LYONS VS. BLAIR DAVENPORT
Lyons with a kick to Blair to start and a bodyslam, then goes for a suplex and drops Blair to the mat. Lyons charges into the corner for a leaping punch and grabs a waistlock, but Blair elbows out and leaps over — only for Lyons to spin-kick her for two.
Blair into the corner, Lyons goes for a suplex but Blair floats over and throws Lyons into the ringpost. Blair to the apron for a double stomp to Nikkita’s back. She rolls Lyons back in and goes up top, double stomp to the back again! Blair batters Lyons across the back and grabs her in a front facelock sleeper. Lyons tries to fight out and Blair rolls over to keep it applied. Lyons back to her feet again, she lifts Blair into a suplex to break the hold.
Both are slow to get up, Lyons is selling her knee. They trade shots in the centre of the ring, Blair off the ropes into a kick and then a knee to the chest. Lyons lays in punches and hits a snap suplex. Lyons with a release German suplex, then goes into the corner for a hip smash and then hits a Samoan drop, cover gets two.
Lyons goes for a kick but Blair ducks and hits a dropkick. She sets Lyons up for the knee but Lyons kicks out of it, then sends Blair over the top to the outside. Nikkita follows and goes for the roundhouse, Blair ducks and Lyons kicks the ringpost with her bad knee.
Back in the ring, Blair with a chop block and the knee strike for three.
Official Winner - Blair Davenport (5:24)
Official thoughts - Fine enough match given the time they had, though it never had a chance to get out of second gear. It was about the storyline of Lyons’ knee which worked well enough.
We get a vignette selling the importance of the Dusty Classic which culminates at Vengeance Day.
Gallis is here and WALKING backstage. So are Bron and Corbin.
Trick is backstage and Melo tells him he has some good news. Trick isn’t sure he wants to hear it because Melo might do something different. Melo says he only came out last week because he heard about a former NXT Champion coming out. Trick accepts it, and Melo says he doesn’t know how long Ilja will be out so he got them the last spot in the Dusty Classic. Trick says he needs to stay locked into Ilja, and Melo says this will make them locked in. He says they’ll win and Trick will be Two-Title Trick. Trick is down with that.
Match 2 - DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC MATCH - GALLUS VS. BRON BREAKKER and BARON CORBIN
Bron and Mark Coffey start with a lockup and Mark with an armdrag. Mark locks in a headlock, and shot into the ropes but gets knocked down by Bron. Bron with a headlock, reversed by Mark, Wolfgang with the bling tag and comes in but Bron off the ropes with a spinebuster. Corbin tags in and charges in for a splash to Wolfgang.
Wolfgang fights back with a headbutt and tags in Mark, who comes off the second rope with a shoulderblock for two. The two go back and forth but Coffey knocks Corbin down. Corbin is off the ropes and gets picked up by Wolfgang to be hung on the ropes, Bron in and Gallus takes him down so he escapes to the outside as we go to PIP break.
We’re back as Corbin and Coffey trade shots in the ring, with Corbin sending Coffey into the corner. He comes off the second rope for a big shot, cover but Wolfgang breaks it up. Bron is in now but gets taken down by Wolfgang, Corbin with a spinebuster to Wolfgang and a Deep Six to Coffey.
All four men are down in the ring now, they all look at the trophy and Corbin and Bron talk each other up. We have a two on two brawl, Wolfgang is sent to the outside by Bron who follows as Corbin steps on Mark in the corner. He grabs Mark on his shoulders, Death Valley Driver! Corbin lies in wait and shouts, but Wolfgang pulls Coffey to the outside. Corbin out and swings at Wolfgang but hits the post, Coffey attacks Corbin and slams his hand onto the announcer’s booth, then the apron.
Coffey pulls Corbin into the ring and sets up a Million Dollar Dream. Wolfgang tags in and sends Corbin into the corner, he charges in with an avalanche and tags in Coffey. Corbin into the corner, but he dodges a splash by Coffey and kicks Wolfgang. Bron gets the hot tag and comes in on fire — leaping gutbuster to Wolfgang and a suplex stunner to Coffey! He runs over Wolfgang and throws Coffey into Wolfgang — GERMAN SUPLEX to Wolfgang, who was holding Coffey!
Bron preps for the spear but Corbin tags himself in. Bron and Corbin argue — Bron spears Wolfgang! End of Days to Coffey, and that’s it.
Official Winners - Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin (10:53)
Official thoughts - I like this Bron and Corbin team, and I wasn’t sure I would. I don’t love that they went over Gallus, an actual established tag team, in the tournament but the match was quite good.
We’re at Fallon’s ranch and Tiffany is late. Fallon says Tiff Tiff will get dirt under her fingernails. Tiffany shows up in a ridiculous outfit. Fallon says she’s late but Tiff says she had to find the perfect outfit. Fallon has an outfit for Tiff, but she refuses to wear it and Fallon is fine with that.
Tiffany is stumbling but says she’s fine, and Fallon says she’ll be mucking things and explains what they’ll be doing. Tiffany baulks at the notion of picking up horseshit and freaks out. To be continued…
Lyra Valkyria is WALKING backstage.
Back from break and Lyra is in the ring with a mic. She says they all saw at the start of the show: Blair and her kicked the crap out of each other at New Year’s Evil. But she’s confident she’ll finish 2024 the way she started it: NXT Women’s Champion. She knows Blair isn’t going anywhere and will follow wherever the title goes. But the question is, who does she face at NXT Vengeance Day? She says she spoke with Ava today and next week is a 20 woman battle royal and the final four competitors compete in a Fatal Four-Way to determine her opponent at Vengeance Day.
Here comes Lola Vice and Elekta Lopez! Lola says Lyra’s only in the ring because her weirdo friend Tatum saved her. But she still has her contract and can cash in whenever. Lyra says she gets it, but what happened? She thought that Lola would be the person to turn this place upside down, but all she saw Lola do is talk about what she’s going to do.
Lyra says maybe Lola is confused about what she’s here to do. She’s not here to see Lola shake her ass on Instagram. She’s here to fight Lola Vice the cage fighter. Some like Lola, some don’t, but everyone wants to see the match happen.
Lola says everyone loves her and the people are like sheep for following her every move. They love her Latina Heat. Lyra says she doesn’t see it and the only Latina Heat she sees is from Elektra Lopez. She asks Lola when she plans on breaking it to her bestie that she’s not going to use the contract for a Women’s Tag Team Title match. She says that they should have the match now and a ref is coming down, but Elektra attacks and Lola joins in. Tatum Paxley is here to make the save and they dump Lola and Elektra.
Earlier today, Meta-Four are watching Brooks and Briggs break up from a few weeks ago and laugh. Briggs comes up and Lash says they broke them up. Briggs scoffs at that and says they all need to get their heads out of their asses because they had different reasons. Briggs wants a rematch, and that leads to a match being made between Briggs and Ora Mensah.
Luca Crusifino is arguing a previous loss to Ava, noting his foot was on the ropes. Ava says she’ll look into it and he leaves, after which Dragon Lee comes up and says his visa issues are done. Lexis King walks in and says open challenges are back on the table, and already has a contract drafted up. All Lee has to do is sign, and Lee does.
Match 3 - JOSH BRIGGS VS. ORA MENSAH
Briggs batters Mensah to start, Mensah fights back but gets bodyslammed. Ora is on Briggs’ shoulders but slides off, Briggs off the ropes and runs Ora over. He avalanches Ora in the corner but Ora with a fish hook and a high knee — Ora goes into the ropes but gets knocked down.
Ora escapes to the outside, and Briggs follows but is attacked when he slides in. Mensah lays in fists and a shot to the back of the head, cover for two. Mensah with an uppercut and a drop toe-hold, he covers again for two. Mensah with a knee to the head and another two-count, followed by a chop to the chest but Briggs fights back. Mensah attacks Briggs in the corner, he’s put on the apron and smashes Briggs’ head into the turnbuckle. Springboard kick, cover gets two.
Ora with kicks to the back, he goes around for a kick to the front but Briggs catches him. Meta-Four tries to distract the ref and Ora dives in but Briggs moves and comes off the ropes for a big lariat for three.
Official Winner - Josh Briggs (3:25)
Official thoughts - As good as a three and a half minute match can be.
Back at Fallon’s farm, Tiffany is comically trying to do the work and it’s going as well as you’d expect. She dumps some hay and says she’s done and her feet are killing her in the heels, so she needs to sit down. Fallon says that was just the first task. A ranch hand says the horse did her thing and needs to be washed, and Fallon says “That’s all you, Buttercup!” Which is the horse’s name.
Fallon introduces Tiffany to Buttercup and she washes the horse, looking dirty now. Fallon says she’s done and she needs to go take a shower. Fallon says they’re not done yet because they need to clean the stall. Tiff asks what’s up with the smell and it’s the horseshit in the stalls.
Match 4 - NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - TONY D’ANGELO and STACKS VS. OTM
Stacks & Nima start off, Nima takes over and runs Stacks over off the ropes. Stacks dodges a kick and comes off the ropes, leaping into Nima who catches him. Stacks escapes and tags in Tony, they take over and double team Nima with tandem takedowns.
Price tags in and he takes over on Stacks, who goes for a sunset flip but gets caught and picks up. Stacks escapes and shoves Price into the corner, he and Tony double team Price and Stacks hits a cannonball. Tony gets a one-count on Price. Tag to Stacks, Tony with a Springboard elbowdrop and then throws Stacks off the top onto Price for two. My feed went a little wonky but when it came back, Nima had Stacks on his shoulder and Price came off the apron to slam Stacks into the mats as we go to break.
We’re back and Nima is manhandling Stacks. Stacks fights his way out of the hostile corner but Price catches him to stop him from making the tag. He slides Stacks under the ropes onto Nima’s shoulders, but Stacks gets free and goes for the tag — he kicks Price off and Tony comes in hot! Tony tosses Price around the ring and flips around Nima, body shots to Nima and a slam, then a spinebuster to Price! The cover gets a nearfall.
Tony grabs Price, snap suplex countered but Tony tags in Stacks who comes off the top with a spinning uppercut. Things break down, and Price with a superkick to Tony. ITM pick Tony up for a double Samoan drop, cover gets a nearfall broken up by Stacks. Stacks tossed to the outside, OTM slam Tony down and cover but Tony kicks out.
Tony is fighting off both men, Stacks sends Nima to the outside, Tony with a roll-up for two. Price tossed to the outside and Tony tosses Stacks onto OTM! Price rolled in, whip into the ropes, Bada Boom Bada Bing, cover but Price breaks it up with a tackle to Stacks onto the pin.
Four-man brawl in the ring now, SCRYPTS goes up top and leaps — he accidentally hits Price! Stacks leaps onto Nima on the outside, Tony with Fugettabout It! That gets the pin.
Official Winners - STILL NXT Tag Team Champions - Tony D and Stacks (11:45)
Official thoughts - Good match with four fine competitors. It was a much needed win for the champs, who have had a go-nowhere title reign so far, and this gives them a bit more momentum.
NXT Anonymous shares a video of Jacy Jayne telling Chase U’s girls that the university is in crisis but she has a plan as long as they do what she says.
Kelly Kincaid asks Oba Femi when he plans to use his Breakout Tournament for a title match. Oba says every superstar will crumble at his feet. He could cash in at Stand & Deliver or — here comes Lexis who says that if it wasn’t for Trey Bearhill he would have made it to the finals against Femi. He says Oba Femi is a future NXT Champion and he’s a future NXT North American Champion. He leaves and Oba teases cashing in tonight on the main event.
Gallus is pissed about their loss and Ridge Holland walks by. Joe Coffey mocks his interview last week and Holland says he’s not scared of him. Joe says he should stay a Brawling Brute because now that he’s in NXT, he doesn’t know how long Ridge will survive. They leave and Ridge says “I’ll be seein’ ya.”
Match 5 - CORA JADE VS. GIGI DOLIN
Circle and lockup, Cora with a wristlock armdrag. Back to the lockup, Gigi does the same. Cora nails Gigi, goes for Jade but Gigi counters and hits some kicks for a one-count. Gigi with kicks to Cora’s head, she goes for a basement dropkick but Cora moves and hits a stomp to the back.
Cora drives her shoulder into Gigi in the corner, and Gigi to another corner where she gets kicked down and boot choked. Cora talks some shit and elbows Gigi down, then whips her into the ropes for a clothesline. More Cora trash talk, Gigi punches her way back but gets hung on the middle rope and Cora off the ropes for an elbow into Gigi’s back. Knee driver in the corner and a cover for two.
Cora with a chinlock in the centre of the ring, Gigi to her feet and eats a knee lift. Gigi is sent into the corner, she dodges a knee and nails Cora with a series of kicks and a couple of clotheslines. Off the ropes, basement front dropkick to Cora against the bottom rope. Crucifix bomb but Cora escapes by grabbing the ref, Cora with the DDT for the win.
Official Winner: Cora Jade (4:05)
Official thoughts - Didn’t have time to get going but it was decent enough for what it was. Cora needed the win her as she’s the bigger star at the moment.
OTM says they got played and tell SCRYPTS they need to run it back. They walk up and Jaida Parker is there, and she says they’re better than what they did. So first things first: who’s got rizz? She says they need to apply pressure and need her. SCRYPTS says they can talk business.
Match 6 - DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC MATCH - AXIOM and NATHAN FRAZER VS. HANK and TANK
Axiom and Hank start off, Axiom is sent into the corner but he goes up and over Hank, into the ropes and gets picked up and tossed. He lands on his feet but is levelled with a big boot. Axiom goes up and over on a backdrop attempt and tags in Frazer, but Frazer is put in the hostile corner and avalanched. Tank tags in and they flatten Nathan between them.
Tank yanks Frazer off the ropes but he lands on his feet and hits an enzuigiri. Axiom tagged in and they take him down with tandem strikes. Axiom with a kick to the chest, he goes for a kick but it gets swatted away. Hank tags in, launches Axiom into the turnbuckle and them up in the air to land hard. Hank with a chop to the chest, Tank tags in. Bodyslam and Tank with a springboard splash for two.
Axiom chops Tank put gets picked up — Axiom escapes and gets the tag to Frazer who comes off the ropes hot. High-velocity lariat, he ends up in the corner and Tank charges but Frazer moves. My feed goes wonky, but when it’s back Frazer is launched into a bomb by Hank for two.
Frazer manages to slide off Hanks shoulders, tags in Axiom and Axiom dives onto Hank! Frazer dives onto Tank! Another dive by Frazer, Axiom goes up top and dives but Hank ducks. He lays out Axiom and covers but Axiom reverses for two. He takes out Tank, and Frazer with the Phoenix Splash for three.
Official Winners - Axiom and Nathan Frazer (4:44)
Official thoughts - Very good for the time it got, Hank & Tank clicked well with Axion and Frazer.
Tiffany is bitching as she mucks the stall and says she’ll erase it all from her memory. Fallon and the ranch hands and Briggs laugh about the situation. Briggs says she isn’t doing bad, and Fallon jokes that she wouldn’t be a bad addition. Tiffany reminds herself of who she is and accidentally dumps some hay on herself. Fallon says how it feels to do some real work, and Tiff says it was hell and the worst day of her life because she got to know what it’s like to be her. She pities Fallon because she enjoys this crap, literally. Tiff says she’s leaving and trips over horseshit, and then falls into a water bucket, losing her shit.
Dragon Lee is here to defend the NA Championship, next.
Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are excited for next week and the Dusty Classic. Edris says everyone is talking about Trick and Melo and that’s cool, but they’re beating them next week. Edris says they’ll win next week and turn things around. Brinley walks in and tries to get them to stretch and says when you stay active, you’ll get six packs. Mailk says they’ve got that covered.
Set For Next Week:– NXT Dusty Classic: Melo & Trick vs. Edris & Malik– NXT Dusty Classic: Chase U vs. LWO– NXT Women’s Title #1 Contender Battle Royal
Match 7 - NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH -
Lockup to start, King backs Lee into the ropes but Lee flips it around and does a clean break. Lockup, Lee backed into the corner, he swings but Lee ducked and got a headlock takedown. Lexis counters with a legscissors, back up and King with a wristlock. More counterwrestling, King gets a one-count pin.
King right into a headlock, they go into the ropes and King runs Lee over. back into the ropes, they dodge each other, Lee with a dropkick. Lee leaps in but gets put on top by King, who hits a big dropkick sending Lee to the outside. King goes to dive but he gets distracted by Trey Bearhill and gets caught in the ropes. Lee dives on him as we go to PIP break.
We’re back and King is in control with a single-leg Boston crab. Lee escapes and rolls King up for two but gets clotheslined down. King charges in and teases a dropkick but instead leaps in front of him and slaps him. Lee back up and fires off with punches, whipping into the ropes reversed but Lee takes King down.
Lee charges at King but is put on the apron, Lee with a kick and a springboard rana puts King on the apron. Out to the apron to trip King and a kick to the head. Lee backs up, basement dropkick in the corner and a cover for a nearfall.
Lee with a kick to the back, King is on his knees and demands another. He stands up and they trade strikes, Lee with a kick to the head, they trade reversals, King with a kick to the jaw, Lee with a knee to the jaw. King hits a knee to the back, modified Michinoku Driver and he goes into the single leg crab. Lee manages to get to the ropes and King breaks at three.
King charges into a superkick, and Lee takes King down and covers for three.
Official Winner - STILL North American Champion - Dragon Lee (8:47)
Official thoughts - Very good match here. King worked very well against Lee, but ultimately this was just to set up what followed
Oba Femi is here! He’s cashing in his title shot!
Match 8 - NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - DRAGON LEE VS. OBA FEMI
Lee dives onto Femi on the outside, back in and the bell rings. Lee with a big kick but he gets hit with a forearm off the ropes — Femi LAUNCHES Lee! Femi lies in wait — he charges INTO A SUPERKICK! Lee with a tornado DDT! Lee covers, and gets two.
Femi is up and Lee comes in but gets caught — POWER BOMB. New Champ!
Official Winner - NEW North American Champion - Oba Femi (1:16)
Official thoughts - Honestly, this makes sense. Femi gets christened with a title and Lee can head back to the main roster. Win for all involved.
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