SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT ON USA
October 5, 2021, 8PM EST
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY NATE LINDBERG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix
Join the “PWT Talks NXT” Dailycast with me and Tom Stoup to break down the episode.
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[HOUR ONE]
The show kicked off with a recap of last week’s showdown between MSK, Briggs & Jensen, GYV, Hayes & Williams, leading to the fatal four way tag team match tonight.
[1] MANDY ROSE (w/Toxic Attraction) vs. EMBER MOON
The two tied up with Rose bringing Moon down to the mat with a headlock. Moon made it back to her feet and shot Rose off the ropes and hit a shoulderblock, taunting Rose after she hit the mat. Moon delivered a series of forearms before putting Rose in the Tree of Woe and kicking her in the head. Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jane helped Rose out of the tree of woe and pulled her to the outside.
Moon took out Toxic Attraction with a suicide dive and delivered an apron powerbomb to Rose. Rose rallied, and delivered a belly to belly suplex for two. Rose stayed in control, backing Moon to the corner, and then synched in a leg scissors around Moon’s waist. She then locked in an abdominal stretch with Moon able to get out. She delivered an enziguri to Rose followed by a top rope codebreaker. Rather than cover, Moon went back to the top for the eclipse. Rose scouted it, and hit a running knee to Moon for the win.
Verdict: Mandy Rose in 4:34
(Lindberg’s Analysis: Ember Moon, former NXT Women’s Champion. What a fall from grace, jobbing to the likes of Mandy Rose. Admittedly, Rose did perform better than I expect out of her, but she is the least interesting of the three members of Toxic Attraction. I want to see development from Dolan and Jane, not the already established Rose.)
Beth Phoenix chimed in on her house being ransacked by Seth Rollins on Smackdown, saying that Adam (Edge) will handle all of that.
Legado del Fantasma cut a backstage promo on Hit Row, saying that they scared them off of NXT and to Smackdown. Escobar challenged Swerve for the NXT N.A. Title.
[2] ODYSSEY JONES vs. LA KNIGHT
The crowd was solidly behind Jones as Knight was cowardly dodging him to kick the match off. Jones finally got his hands on Knight and just threw him across the ring by his neck, three times in a row. Jones stayed in control until Knight managed to hit a drop toe hold into the turnbuckle, dazing the big man Jones.
Knight delivered some forearms to the face, and choked Jones on the middle rope. He knocked Jones to the mat and delivered an elbow for two. Knight kept striking Jones in the face then tried to body slam him. Jones just fell on top of Knight, shifting momentum for Jones.
Jones shot Knight off the ropes and hit a shoulder block. He then delivered an inverted backbreaker, when Andre Chase showed up. Jones punched him in the face, but left time for Knight to hit his finish. Jones got his foot on the rope, but Chase moved it before the ref could see it.
Winner: LA Knight in 4:19
(Lindberg’s Analysis: Chase has a deathwish, antagonizing the big man Jones. LA Knight can make anyone look like a star, and he certainly helped shine up Jones tonight.)
Cameron Grimes asked for some time and said that love was in the air after the InDex wedding and Cora Jade and Trey Baxter making out in the locker room. He said he was on the hunt for a lucky lady. Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland came into frame and said no woman would love him. Dunne and Holland told Grimes to listen to them as he wondered off towards some ladies.
Tommaso Ciampa, NXT Champion, made his way to the ring to address the crowd. (c)
KOR walked up to Von Wagner and asked why he kept looking out for KOR. Von Wagner said that he took an opportunity and jumped on it. He doesn’t like Holland or Dunne, but respects KOR’s heart. KOR says he doesn’t trust anyone after this last year. He thanked him and asked Wagner to stay out of his way going forward.
Ciampa grabbed a mic and announced Halloween Havoc for October 26th. He said he needed a champion and that one man in particular said he wanted to be the flag bearer of NXT 2.0, Bron Breakker. He said that actions speak louder than words and asked who had the balls to come take his title from him. Breakker’s music hit, and the man who should be called Rex Steiner walked to the ring to confront the NXT Champion.
Breakker said he has the biggest balls in the locker room and the match that everyone wants at Halloween Havoc is the two of them for “that”, pointing at the title. Ciampa said the difference between the two of them is that Breakker just wants the title and Ciampa needs the title. He said that Breakker has three weeks to go from an “intern” to a “Ph.D”, and he accepted the challenge.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: We knew this match was coming after the build the last couple weeks. I absolutely love Breakker at this point, other than the name. He’s won me over in a short time. Holla if you hear him, he’s definitely on his way to becoming a star in this industry.)
Joe Gacy showed up on screen saying that he was here to make a safe space for conflict. (c)
Indi Hartwell and her friend (name escapes me, sorry) were shown talking about the InDex honeymoon when they walked into a room filled with smoke, Boa and Mae Ying.
[3] JOE GACY vs. IKEMAN JIRO
Jiro tried to knock Gacy down, but couldn’t take him off his feet. Gacy stopped in his tracks and began motivational speaking, saying that he believed that Jiro had the power to knock him down. Jiro then did knock him to the mat. Gacy fired up and threw Jiro into the corner followed by strikes and kicks. He gave Jiro a suplex, and then shot him off the ropes again with a back elbow.
Jiro managed to get the upper hand, and went for a corner move. He hit a top rope hurricanrana on Gacy, who then retaliated with a lariat off the ropes for the win.
Winner: Joe Gacy in 2:57
(Lindberg’s Analysis: The unhinged and creepy Gacy is starting to grow on me. What seemed like a one dimensional character at first is showing that this could be a gimmick with almost as many layers as Shrek. Or an Onion.)
After the match, a “fan” stared Gacy down as he retreated backstage. That fan being an unnamed Parker Boudreaux.
A vignette hyping Cora Jade aired before commercial. (c)
Duke Hudson, professional poker player, was shown sitting at a poker table saying that both poker and wrestling were mind games.
[4.1] CORA JADE vs. VIRGINIA PERRY
Before the match could start, Frankie Monet and Robert Stone attacked Virginia Perry during Jade’s entrance. Stone and Monet told the ref and announcer that the match would now be Jade vs. Monet.
[4.2] CORA JADE vs. FRANKIE MONET
Monet kicked the match off with a clothesline and a body block before throwing Jade into the corner and stomping a mudhole. She whipped Jade to the opposite corner and delivered her double knee strike to the face. Trey Baxter ran to the ring to cheer Jade on as Monet continued the assault. Monet forced Baxter to look on as she stomped Jade in the spine, and speared her in the center of the ring.
Monet went for her finish with Jade rolling Monet up for a quick upset win.
Winner: Cora Jade in 2:10
(Lindberg’s Analysis: What a heel move, taking out a jobber and then just entering the match yourself. However, where the heck was Regal and why did he allow this chaos? Regardless, this was a great way to re-debut Cora Jade as an underdog alongside her underdog boyfriend.)
MSK was asked how the felt about their match later tonight when GYV interrupted, calling them snakes for the fatal four way match since they wanted the match to be singles. Briggs and Jensen walked into frame with Hayes and Williams and all hell broke loose. The match was then made elimination style. (c)
Ciampa was asked if he was happy that Bron Breakker answered the challenge when Gacy came up and said that Ciampa is putting out toxic energy with his talk about balls, and challenged Ciampa for the title. Ciampa said if he can beat him next week, Gacy can be added to the match at Halloween Havoc.
Raquel Gonzalez was shown entering the arena.
[5] PETE DUNNE (w/Ridge Holland) vs. CAMERON GRIMES
Grimes and Dunne locked up and traded submission holds to start the match off. Dunne began working the fingers, arm and shoulder of Grimes who rallied with a dropkick. The two traded arm drags with Grimes then locking in an armbar. Dunne made it to his feet and shot Grimes off the ropes. He hit a clothesline, shrugged into the camera, and then stomped on the elbow of Grimes. Dunne locked in a fingerlock submission with Grimes able to escape.
Dunne immediately got back on the offensive and went for a knee in the corner. Grimes dodged and hit a knee to the face of Dunne in the corner himself. Grimes went for a high cross body off the top for two.
Grimes went for a German Suplex with Dunne escaping into a German of his own for two. Dunne then looked to lock in a submission with Grimes rolling him over to cover for two. Grimes finally hit the German suplex and bridged to a pin for two. Grimes went for a roundhouse kick with Dunne blocking it. Dunne distracted the ref and Holland pulled Grimes out. Kyle O’Reilly came to the aid of Grimes, but the distraction was enough for Dunne to hit the bitter end for the win.
Winner: Pete Dunne in 5:45
KOR attacked Dunne & Holland after the match, being laid out for his troubles.
Tony DeAngelo was announced up next. (c)
Hit Row was shown backstage, laughing in response to Legado’s smack talk earlier in the night. They said they are running to the Money, Smackdown. Smackdown chose them. Swerve then accepted the challenge for the NA Title by Escobar.
During the commercial break, it was shown that Von Wagner came to the aid of KOR after his beatdown.
[6] MALIK BLADE vs. TONY DeANGELO
The in-ring debut of the long hyped Tony DeAngelo, met with a great crowd response. The two men circled the ring before locking up. DeAngelo locked in a headlock. Blade tried to shoot him off the ropes and DeAngelo went to his knee to prevent it. “Not today, buddy.”
DeAngelo clubbed Blade in the back and then delivered a shoulder block. Blade sprung to his feet only to be put in another headlock. Blade tried to hit a cross body and was caught by DeAngelo who turned it into a backbreaker.
DeAngelo punched Blade in the jaw and picked him up by the ear, trash talking about how his mother should have taught him better. Blade knocked DeAngelo out of the ring. DeAngelo immediately gets back in the ring and speared Blade for two.
Blade was pushed face first into the corner, DeAngelo picked him up and tried to lock in an abdominal stretch. Blade hit a roundhouse kick to reverse and then hit a Stinger Splash in the corner followed by a cross body of the top for two.
DeAngelo began backing off, Ric Flair style, only to pounce when Blade got close. He delivered a belly to back suplex followed by a fisherman suplex into a modified fisherman suplex for the win.
Winner: Tony DeAngelo in 4:43
(Lindberg’s Analysis: A great debut for both DeAngelo and Blade. The crowd was solidly behind DeAngelo the entire match, even though he was clearly wrestling as the heel to Blade’s face. A lot of potential for DeAngelo, I just don’t think that this Italian mobster gimmick has a very high ceiling. Ask Nunzio/Little Guido.)
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams were approached backstage and asked how they are feeling going into the fatal four way elimination match. They said that they somehow made their way into a tag team title match without even using Hayes’ contract.
[7] INDI HARTWELL (w/Persia Pirotta) vs. MAE YING (w/ Boa)
Mae Ying’s in ring debut, Indi Hartwell didn’t quite know how to start the match awkwardly trying to pick her up. Ying took her to the mat before Hartwell locked in a headlock. Ying shot her off the ropes and hit an uppercut on Hartwell. Hartwell retreated to the corner with Ying giving an axe handle to the chest. Ying locked in a shoulder claw with Hartwell trying to fight to her feat.
Hartwell made it to an upright position only to be clotheslined back to the ground. Ying then put a hold on Hartwell’s chin and went for a boot with Persia pushing Hartwell out of the way, taking the boot for her friend. Hartwell then hit a springboard elbow to the back of Mae Ying for the win.
Winner: Indi Hartwell in 2:53
(Lindberg’s Analysis: I really don’t understand the booking with Mae Ying, Boa and Xia Li. Sure, Li was drafted to the main roster. But Boa and now Mae Ying have lost their more matches than they’ve won it feels like. I hope that after all the build and time put into this faction, we see the true side of Tien Sha sooner rather than later.)
Lash Legend was shown backstage hyping her show for tonight. Tony DeAngelo walked into the frame said that to get eyeballs on her show that he should be her guest.
Raquel Gonzalez walked down to the ring to address the crowd before commercial. (c)
A vignette for Diamond Mine played, with Bivens highlighting each member of Diamond Mine, giving more context to the members of the stable.
Raquel Gonzalez stood in the ring with Samantha Irvin, who asked her about Toxic Attraction. Raquel said that the hair dye seeped into Mandy’s brain. She has been making waves for a month with Gonzalez making waves for over a year. She said that the NXT Championship means you are the best in the business and if she touches her title again she’ll be posing for a body cast, not some likes on the ‘gram.
Mandy Rose and Toxic Attraction made their way out again. Rose said she used to admire Gonzalez but she’s now just a desperate champion. She said that Toxic Attraction is taking over. Gigi Dolan said that all three of them are championship material, and that Gonzalez can’t help but stare in awe at them. Gonzalez said all she can see is the staples in her head from getting hit with the title last week. Jacy Jane said that they are going to hold all the gold because they aren’t just Toxic Attraction, they are The Attraction.
They then surrounded Gonzalez in the ring once again, Mandy said that they were going to have some fun. They looked to attack when Io Shirai and Zoey Stark made the save. Toxic Attraction retreated, leaving the NXT Womens Champ and Tag Champs standing tall.
Von Wagner approached KOR backstage and said that like it or not, he’s the only one who has KOR’s back and that they’re going to tag next week against Dunne and Holland. (c)
Gonzalez, Shirai and Stark were backstage with Gonzalez and Shirai getting in each others faces with Stark breaking them up. Hartwell and Persia showed up and poked fun at the Tag Champions, signaling that they wanted the gold.
[8] JOSH BRIGGS & BROOKS JENSEN vs. GRIZZLED YOUNG VETS vs. MSK vs. CARMELO HAYES & TRICK WILLIAMS – FATAL FOUR WAY ELIMINATION, NXT TAG CHAMPIONSHIP
Gibson and Wes Lee kicked things off, the two trading offense with Lee getting the upper hand. Lee tagged Nash Carter, and the beatdown of Gibson continued. Gibson accidentally tagged in Carmelo Hayes who took out Carter and tagged Williams in. Double team offense, Williams covered for a near fall.
Wes Lee tagged Brooks Jensen, who began scrapping with Williams. The two traded punches with Williams hitting a shoulder block taking down Jensen. Hayes tagged in and Briggs tagged in. Hayes tagged Williams and then all 8 men began fighting in the ring.
Lee launched himself out of the ring at Williams and Hayes, then tagged Carter back in. Double team offense, MSK rolled up Hayes for the first elimination of Hayes and Williams (c)
Gibson and Lee were the legal men back from commercial with Gibson tagging in Drake who immediately covered Lee for two. Drake tagged Gibson back in, and they delivered a double clothesline for a two count. Gibson tagged Drake back in with Lee managing to make it past Drake and tagged Carter. Carter took out both GYV members and hit a German Suplex on Drake followed by a kick and standing moonsault for a pin.
Briggs blind tagged Carter. Gibson didnt see it and pinned Carter. Jensen and Brooks clobbered Gibson and hit a double powerbomb to eliminate GYV. Lee tagged in, only to be flattened by both Jensen and Briggs for a two count.
Jensen tagged back in and hit a double spinebuster and looked for another double team move but Carter made the save. Lee hit a hurricanrana and rolled Jensen up for the win
Winners: MSK in approx 15:00
After the match, Briggs and Jensen presented MSK with the title belts as a sign of respect. Imperium then attacked MSK, leaving the champions laying. Briggs and Jensen ran back down and made the save, a few seconds too late. They got the champs to their feet as Imperium stood tall at the stage to end the show.
Neither of Jensen’s shoulders was really on the mat for the pin but oh well. He and Briggs looked fantastic here. Agree about the booking of Tian Sha and I want to see the stable restored and strengthened. I am really enjoying all the new faces but am worried that Johnny (and Candice) may be gone.