SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT ON USA
FEBRUARY 8, 2022, 8PM EST
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON SYFY
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Vic Joseph & Wade Barrett
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[HOUR ONE]
-For anyone who missed the news: NXT is on Syfy this week and next.
-Hype for the Women’s Championship opened. Mandy Rose gave a typically wooden promo about how she was the hottest face and body in the sport and would win again tonight.
(1) THE CREED BROTHERS (Julius & Brutus) (w/Diamond Mine) vs. GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS (Zack Gibson & James Drake) – Semifinal match for the Dusty Classic
The Creeds attacked GYV during their entrance so Zack couldn’t go on with his mic work. Action settled into the ring and there was a bit of stalling from GYV, who both looked to avoid Brutus. Zack was legal and Brutus took him down, wrenched the arm and tagged Julius, who gut-wrenched Brutus onto Gibson. Forearm and uppercut exchange. Gibson got an assist from Drake in a corner and the two double-teamed Julius after a tag. Drake kicked at Julius a few times, who took over on offense with some big takedowns. Blind tag by Gibson, but Julius still avoided trouble and dropkicked Gibson. Tag to Brutus and the brothers took turns putting hard knees to Gibson’s sides. Delayed gut-wrench suplex by Brutus. Gibson bailed, and Brutus put him back in the ring only to have a Drake distraction allow Gibson to get in an uppercut. GYV took Brutus to the outside and teamed up to whip Brutus into the underside of the hardest part of the ring.
Back inside and Drake tagged Gibson. The two double-teamed Brutus, who continued to sell being out of breath. Tag to Drake, and GYV teamed up for a flying ax-handle by Drake. Drake worked a chinlock. Brutus tried to fight his way back into it but Gibson tagged in and continued to cut off the ring and put the boots to a grounded Brutus. Delayed suplex by Brutus to get a little bit of separation. Drake tagged in and rushed to cut off the tag, then hopped up for a sleeper. Brutus threw some forearms and a boot and finally made the hot tag to Julius to a good reaction. Julius dominated Drake and an interfering Gibson. Stretch muffler by Julius, but Drake monkeyed his way around into a sleeper, but Julius slammed him and covered for two, broken up by Gibson. Suplex, escaped, blind tag by Gibson. Gibson dragged Julius to the outside, where Drake hit a tope suicida into Julius into the announce table. Someone said something bad and the audio cut out. GYV hit the Doomsday Device but Julius kicked out.
Drake charged Julius in the corner, but Julius moved and Drake went crumbling. Gibson and Brutus tagged in. Brutus was still selling the neck but he threw hands and took over. Drake provided a quick distraction and Gibson chopped Brutus’s neck. Drake tagged in and GYV dominated him and set up for their finisher. Drake tried to set something up in the corner, but Julius flew into frame and sprung off of Brutus and hit a superplex. Excellent spot. Julius looked to get into it, but Brutus held him off so he could finish it himself with a hard basement lariat.
WINNERS: The Creed Brothers at 12:01.
(Wells’s Analysis: Absolutely wonderful opener that was helped immensely by not going to even a split-screen commercial. GYV should probably have a couple of Dusty Classic wins by this point, but as obvious as it is, this really is the time to pull the trigger on the Creeds, who are just absolutely clicking in every way in the ring.)
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Cora Jade for a few seconds before Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon walked in and mocked her and said she and Raquel Gonzalez would be going nowhere in the Dusty Classic. Raquel walked in to join Cora and she, Feroz and Leon all jawed in Spanish while Jade looked around wonderingly. Finally the heels left and Gonzalez told Jade “Only I can call you that.”
(2) WENDY CHOO vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
Choo made her entrance to an increasingly muted response. The shelf life for this gimmick may be expiring here. Stratton jawed to start and ran at Choo, who tripped her and snapped on a headlock. The two reversed a few times and Choo ran and hit a big boot in the corner. Choo hit her “naptime” elbow drop, with much more fluidity than in the past, and covered for two. Rope run and a belly-to-belly by Choo, who tried to cartwheel into an elbow but got a back elbow herself. Stratton complained about breaking a nail and then flipped a few times and hit a back elbow in the corner. Basement dropkick in the corner by Stratton, who went up and hit a twisting splash that finished.
WINNER: Tiffany Stratton at 3:04.
(Wells’s Analysis: Wendy Choo continues to try to make the best of an extremely cartoonish gimmick, but this could end up failing through no fault of her own. She can absolutely go in the ring, but it’s time to figure out the next step in her evolution before she goes nowhere. Stratton, for her part, reminds me a lot of Kelly Kelly, but hopefully has higher upside)
-Joe Gacy and Harland made a vague offer to Draco Anthony in the locker room to join them.
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Pete Dunne, who said next week he’ll finish this where it all started: in a steel cage. Draco Anthony happened by just at the moment it looked like they wouldn’t force an interruption and he said he respects the hell out of Dunne and looks forward to their match. He extended a hand, and Dunne looked at it and said “Whatever, mate. I’m still going to snap your fingers tonight.” Twenty-eight minutes into the show, we went to our first (split-screen) commercial as the competitors were being introduced. [c]
(3) DRACO ANTHONY vs. PETE DUNNE
Opening bell happened during split-screen, so give or take a few seconds on the final time. Basic feeling-out process until the match went back to full-screen, where Anthony finally hit a suplex after a few attempts. Anthony stood on Dunne’s digits, but Dunne escaped and hit a spinning kick to take control back. Dunne leaned on a grounded Anthony and stomped him on the upper arm. Dunne grounded Anthony again and stopped the same arm. Anthony got to his feet and the two exchanged shots, and Dunne won the exchange and wrenched Anthony’s bad (left) arm and snapped on an armbar. Dunne threw repeated chops but Anthony absorbed them and threw a hard lariat that turned Dunne inside out. Anthony planted Dunne and covered for two, then noticed Gacy and Harland up on the perch and got distracted for just a moment. Dunne used it to take control for only a second before a suplex by Anthony. Dunne threw a kick to get back into it, then had to duck a few cane shots from an interfering Tony D’Angelo on the outside. Dunne escaped trouble and hit the Bitter End to win, but the focus was fully on Dunne-D’Angelo, as Dunne threw a ton of plunder into the ring, suggesting he’d be bringing weapons into the cage match next week.
WINNER: Pete Dunne at 6:50.
Dunne grabbed a mic and said next week, why don’t they attach a ton of weapons to the cage and have a weaponized cage match? D’Angelo agreed, and the crowd mostly cheered this unfortunate development.
(Wells’s Analysis: Decent showing for Anthony, though he didn’t get to show off much of a moveset as Dunne dominated most of it. A fine enough way to work toward storylines for both men)
-Zoey Stark, still injured and unable to compete in the Dusty Classic with her usual partner, convinced Io Shirai to find a partner for the tournament who’s just as crazy as Shirai herself. Shirai said she knew who to ask and she started off. Stark asked Shirai if she was going to tell her who it was, but Shirai said no. Stark threw up her arms. [c]
-Wendy Choo licked her wounds backstage. She found Dakota Kai looking through the clothes Choo had bought during a shopping spree. Kai said money wouldn’t be able to buy her victories in the ring.
(4) LA KNIGHT vs. SANGA (w/Grayson Waller)
Sanga dominated with power stuff early, but Knight bailed and jumped back into the ring to get a timing advantage. It was only for a moment as Sanga took him down with a lariat and hit an elbow drop for two. Knight managed a springboard dropkick and Sanga tossed Knight off of him at two. Waller removed a turnbuckle pad to boos, but Knight reversed Sanga into the buckle and hit his finisher for the quick win. Focus shifted to Knight-Waller until Sanga recovered and ran Knight off.
WINNER: Knight at 3:09.
(Wells’s Analysis: Never a great boon to a monster to lose in his first match out of the gate)
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Duke Hudson backstage. Incredibly, there was no interruption. He wished Indi Hartwell well in her tag match next week, clearly trying to stir crap between her and Dexter Lumis. [c]
-Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne narrated a brief hype package for Vengeance Day. This Valentine’s Day, hearts aren’t the only things that’ll be broken.
-Wade Barrett moderated the “Championship Summit” between Santos Escobar – already seated and flanked by his Legado del Fantasma brothers and sister – and Bron Breakker, who got full intro. Breakker said he was a man of few words, which is good news from a Steiner. He yelled everything but did indeed keep it brief. He said he respects Escobar but will beat him all the same. Escobar is a man of many words in comparison, and he started dressing down Breakker. Out of nowhere, Dolph Ziggler’s music played to bring him into the proceedings. He took the seat of Barrett, who apparently stepped away when Ziggler was introduced for some reason.
Ziggler put over NXT on Syfy. He said what a moment…until he showed up. He congratulated Breakker in a backhanded way, then said time is money and he has a question: who the hell are you? Breakker continued yelling and said he was the reason Ziggler was down here. Breakker said he’d take care of Ziggler after he took care of Escobar. Ziggler ran off a list of his accomplishments and said not every match goes his way but everyone knows what he can do on any day of the week. Ziggler said even with all those accolades, there’s one he’s never had. The audience chanted “triple threat.” Ugh. Ziggler said all he has to do is be in Breakker’s head.
[HOUR TWO]
Tommaso Ciampa’s music played to get him to the ring. The audience chanted “fatal four way.” STOP. Ciampa said “Dolph Ziggler as the NXT Champion? That’s a hard pass.” He sat right next to Ziggler and said if he was going to step into Ciampa’s home –
Escobar had enough and took over on the mic, telling Ziggler he didn’t even go here. Escobar said he’d handle them after he took the championship. Ciampa said Escobar wasn’t in his league and he was next in line when Breakker retained. Ziggler yet again spoke and condescended to Ciampa until Ciampa had enough. Ciampa and Ziggler brawled at ringside and inside the ring, Legado beat down Breakker. Escobar turned his back to gloat and while this happened, Breakker destroyed Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. Breakker made a threat that again must have had a forbidden word in it, as the audio cut out. He tried to set up Escobar for a table spot, but Wilde and Mendoza recovered and put Breakker through the table instead.
(Wells’s Analysis: Fun segment, even if the audience couldn’t read the obviously telegraphed situation with an extra singles match and assumed this was becoming a four-way with no real build or logic. Ciampa-Ziggler does indeed seem likely to steal the show.)
-Kay Lee Ray broke some stuff with her bat and said she’d see Mandy Rose in a little bit.
-Grayson Waller and Sanga sputtered angrily as they left the building. [c]
(5) SARRAY vs. DAKOTA KAI
Yet again the show went to split-screen commercial as introductions happened. Is it too much to ask for an opening bell? Sarray’s entrance was before the split-screen and the audience seems into the changes they’ve made; I’m thus far impressed that the brain trust behind Wendy Choo has been relatively restrained with Sarray’s high-concept gimmick.
Kai and Sarray exchanged reversals and Sarray tried a leg lock with a bridge, but Kai reached the rope to break. Kai ran the ropes for a face wash, then a second and a third. Cover for two. Sarray tried to psych herself up but Kai continued throwing kicks. Sarray went all “fighting spirit” and fought through it and hit a double stomp. Missile dropkick by Sarray got two. Kai went for a scorpion kick that missed, and thankfully Sarray didn’t sell because it showed infinite light. Kai repeated the spot, hit it, and recovered for two. Sarray rolled up Kai for two, then the two of them repeatedly reversed for two counts. Once again audio went out for just a second. Potty mouths tonight, I tell ya. Sarray hit a stiff kick and ran the ropes for a basement dropkick against the ropes. Sarray hit a Saito suplex to finish.
WINNER: Sarray at 6:13.
(Wells’s Analysis: Sarray’s resurgence may be the best character refresh in NXT for some time. She’s so inspired and passionate, it’s hard to believe this is the same person. Kai is a total afterthought now in a division she should have been at the top of for some time, as she loses a relative quickie here and is working toward a mini-feud with Wendy Choo)
-Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes cut a promo, essentially, on Cameron Grimes while hanging out with some friends at a barbershop.
-Indi Hartwell talked to Dexter Lumis on the phone near the lockers. Before long, this devolved into a brawl between the teams of Hartwell and Persia Pirotta against Toxic Attraction. [c]
-Nikkita Lyons segment. Oh boy. She said “I can sing…but I can also kick ass.” Well, one out of two ain’t bad. She talked about taking out rowdy concertgoers. She said everyone would hear the “Lyons roar.”
-Josh Briggs convinced Brooks Jensen to “rip the Band-Aid off” and ask out Kayden Carter. Jensen lost his nerve and accidentally made it a double date. Once the girls left, Briggs complained and said “What is this WE?” So strange that Jensen, who’s good in the ring and bad on the mic, is getting more lines in this type of skit than almost everyone on the roster. I’ll grant that he’s got a dopey charm that’s growing on me in spite of myself.
(6) EDRIS ENOFE & MALIK BLADE vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) – Semifinal match for the Dusty Classic
Blade and Lee did some rapid-fire reversals. Carter made the tag and MSK double-teamed and Carter hit a bronco buster. He covered for one. Blade threw some punches and made the tag to Enofe, who hit a side suplex for one also. Enofe worked a headlock for a moment and Carter fought it of and dumped Enofe to the apron. Enofe floated in and hit a rana, but Carter landed on his feet. Carter used some combo kicks and both guys tagged. MSK chopped down Blade with kicks and Carter hit a double stomp. Corner dropkick for Enofe and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Enofe and Blade dominated during the break, so apparently MSK are the intended faces in this face-face match? Lee and Enofe went at it and Lee dominated with combo punches and kicks. Lee ran in with a forearm and an exploder out of the corner. Tag to Carter, and MSK teamed up for a superkick and a top-rope double stomp. Blade broke up the count and things broke down. Blade charged at Carter, who ducked, and Blade juuuust barely cleared the top rope and redirected his weight to hit a senton on Lee on the floor. A great spot with a tiny margin for error. In the ring, Enofe hit a top rope splash and Lee broke it up, allegedly, though the timing was a millisecond late. MSK took over on offense and hit a tandem blockbuster on Enofe for the win.
WINNERS: MSK at 9:31.
MSK and the Creeds met to jaw near the trophy.
(Wells’s Analysis: Okay match, though why is MSK, who have always had trouble with the Orlando fans, working against faces here and again next week given that Diamond Mine are essentially being presented as faces as well? In this version of NXT, that may not matter, as it’s just time to see what works. The final match is next week.)
-Cameron Grimes got a vignette to promote himself as a self-made man ahead of his North American Championship match with Carmelo Hayes. That match is absolutely going to be a banger, and I can’t say for sure which guy I think should exit with the championship, let alone will (although I’ll slightly bet on Hayes at this moment). [c]
-Dakota Kai happened upon Wendy Choo again backstage. “Not as easy at it looks, is it?” Choo asked. She walked off with her shopping bags.
-Vengeance Day rundown. The Breakker-Escobar match graphic got a strong reaction. It surprised me that Ziggler-Ciampa wasn’t announced.
-Backstage ahead of the main event, Toxic Attraction brawled with Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta. Mandy Rose escaped trouble so she could head out for the match.
(7) KAY LEE RAY vs. MANDY ROSE (c) – NXT Women’s Championship match
My daughter, who almost never watches, said “she needs to step up her outfit game. She’s boring” in relation to Mandy. Alicia Taylor handled formal intros. Rose threw a slap to an amused Ray, who threw fists. Hard lariat by Ray. Tornado DDT by Ray for two. Ray went to the top and Rose bailed, so Ray followed and hit a lariat on the floor. This somehow warranted an “NXT” chant. Rose ducked a lariat in the corner and yanked Ray into the corner by her hair. Rose threw some rights and hit a spinebuster for two. Backslides and reversals. Rose covered again for two after a hard knee. She threw Ray down into the mat by the head. Abdominal stretch by Ray with an elbow to the midsection added. Ray hip-tossed Rose and hit a lariat. Ray hit some corner forearms. Ray set up a KLR Bomb and Rose slipped out. Both hit rollups for two.
Ray went up to the top, but Jacy Jayne showed up for the distraction, Gigi Dolin tossed Ray to the mat, and Rose hit her finisher.
WINNER: Mandy Rose at 7:58.
Afterward, Gigi and Jacy held KLR for an intended baseball bat shot by Rose, but Io Shirai’s music played and she made the save and destroyed Dolin and Jayne. Rose tried to get at Shirai, but Ray snatched her for a KLR Bomb. The two sides, possibly destined for a Dusty Classic match, jawed from afar.
(Wells’s Analysis: Ray may not be a miracle worker, as this match was absolutely pedestrian at best. It was, though, just a backdrop to set up the Shirai-Ray pairing for the Women’s Dusty Classic and potentially tease a KLR-Rose rematch for afterward. Not much of a match, but a pretty good segment to follow that sets up multiple weeks of TV and a lot of fresh matchups)
FINAL THOUGHTS: There wasn’t a lot to really complain about here, but there also wasn’t a high level of excitement either, I suppose. Dolph Ziggler was the out-of-left-field kind of surprise that major shows (Royal Rumble, I’m looking at you) could certainly use more of, and NXT will continue to benefit from these multi-week stops from major (or at least mid-major) stars as they move forward with this branding. A breezy but somewhat forgettable outing tonight; hopefully Tom Stoup and Nate Lindberg can find some content for PWT Talks NXT. I’ll rejoin them on the podcast next week. See you in seven.
KLR carried Mandy to a very decent match – in fact made her look great. I still could stand less camera time on her boobs and butt.