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NXT 2.0 TV REPORT
JUNE 7, 2022
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett
Tonight after the show, join me, Bruce Hazelwood and Nate Lindberg to break down the show with calls and emails.
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[HOUR ONE]
-Todd Pettengill narrated a recap of In Your House. It was lengthy at about three minutes.
-Alicia Taylor introduced Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams), who was booed. Trick said life was good and he introduced Hayes. Hayes said Cameron Grimes gave him one of his greatest challenges, but now he is the gold again. He said Melo don’t chase dreams – dreams chase Melo. He said these people wish they could do what he does. He did some basic heel schtick about how the crowd could never be him. Solo Sikoa’s music played him to the ramp. Vic said “It’s not about who has now – it’s about who’s got next!” It sounded ridiculous in Vic’s voice. Sikoa said we should do less talking and more fighting. He said he’d keep it short and sweet. Trick said that the agreement was between Grimes and Sikoa, and they had no such agreement.
Grayson Waller’s music brought him to the ramp as well. He asked “Uce” who the hell he thinks he is. He said he’s not famous enough to have Melo’s number, and if he did, it would go straight to voicemail. He said nobody likes Sikoa, which is why he’s called Solo. Solo said “Newsflash idiot: shut the hell up,” which was apparently clever enough for a big pop. He went after all three heels, but they quickly got the better of him with the numbers and Waller hit a double-arm DDT to lay him out. A gaggle of refs broke it up.
-A hype segment recapped the feud between Von Wagner and the tag team of Briggs and Jensen ahead of their match. [c]
-Earlier today, “the only family” arrived outside. Tony D’Angelo made Legado handle their business. D said it was time to get out of his expensive suit, because he has a match tonight.
(1) JOSH BRIGGS (w/Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley) vs. VON WAGNER (w/Mr. Stone & Sofia Cromwell)
Hands were thrown before the match, and the ref broke them up to get to the bell. Wagner took over on offense early, battering Briggs from one corner to another. Briggs managed a block to cheers, then slid to the outside and punched a draping Wagner in the mouth. Briggs reentered the ring and Wagner laid him out with a boot immediately, then threw fists in a corner. Another boot by Wagner. Briggs got back into it with palm strikes, but missed a charge in the corner. Suplex by Wagner got two. Briggs again tried to fight into it with rights. Rope run, but Wagner put on the brakes and dumped Briggs. He followed and slammed Jensen’s injured arm into the mat. Fallon Henley distracted Wagner and Jensen took off his cast, showing he was feigning the injury. Jensen used the cast on Wagner, then hit his hard lariat and the ref got back into the match and counted the three.
WINNER: Josh Briggs at 3:03.
(Wells’s Analysis: Babyfaces cheat to win and stop the momentum of a monster heel who keeps taking losses at bad times for him. Unconventional stuff, though NXT has a lot of babyface cheating and bad behavior lately. The match wasn’t much)
-Solo Sikoa spoke backstage and said he was going to leave “both of those bitches the same way they left me.”
-Nathan Frazer was introduced ahead of the next match. [c]
-Chase U gave a scholarship to Thea Hail. The large group cheered and Pretty Deadly stepped in and mocked them. Bodhi Hayward mocked them for losing the tag titles and they left. The group posed for a picture.
(2) NATHAN FRAZER vs. SANTOS ESCOBAR (w/Cruz del Toro & Joaquin Wilde & Tony D’Angelo & Stacks & Dimes)
Escobar had to enter to D’Angelo’s music. D sat in on commentary. Escobar took the early advantage. Waistlock takedown by Escobar. D’Angelo yelled out “Do somethin’ else. This is boring.” Frazer used his speed to get back into it. He missed a charge but came off the top with a boot. He teased a tope suicida but Escobar cleared out and Frazer put on the brakes. Quick reversals led to a Frazer rollup for two. Frazer got dumped and Escobar hit a solid tope on him. Escobar and D’Angelo jawed at each other as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Frazer, which Vic still can’t pronounce, was in control but Escobar quickly took over with a spinning backbreaker. Escobar worked a brief surfboard and snapped Frazer forward on his face and covered for two. Escobar again got into it with D’Angelo on the outside. Frazer reversed and rolled Escobar up for two. Rope run and a flying elbow by Frazer. Both guys sold for a moment, and Frazer dominated with elbows. Standing shooting star press got two by Frazer. Frazer missed from the top and Escobar went for the Phantom Driver. Frazer powered out and Escobar hit a superkick. Donovan tossed a crowbar to Escobar, who didn’t want to use it. Frazer hit his top rope finisher. D’Angelo said all he had to do was use the crowbar.
WINNER: Nathan Frazer at 11:53.
(Wells’s Analysis: Wildly overlong for the story at hand. This moved the Legado-Family story forward in a meaningful way, but D’Angelo wasn’t all that thrilling on the mic and the match ground to a halt repeatedly so Escobar and D’Angelo could have awkward moments)
-McKenzie Mitchell talked with Xyon Quinn, who said Wes Lee, Nathan Frazer, they’re all the same. He said we’ll see next week if Lee’s buddy Sanga is around, because he’s going to knock Lee unconscious. [c]
-Bron Breakker’s music hit. He entered the ring to cheers and barks. He said Joe Gacy challenged him physically and mentally. He said no matter what Gacy did, he wasn’t taking the NXT Championship away. He said it wasn’t just about him – it was about NXT. He said everyone wants an opportunity, and the question is who’s going to step up to the challenge.
Apollo Crews’s music hit and the crowd cheered. He milked it. “Welcome back” chant. He said this was the type of energy he’s missed. He said he wasn’t there Saturday, but he’s here now and for as long as he wants to be. “We missed you” chant. Crews said he missed them too. He said he watched Breakker’s rise and said he was one of the best athletes in all of WWE. He said he’s back to make history after leaving too soon the first time (that’s definitely true). He said they’d face off someday, so until then, champ. He shook hands with Breakker and the segment ended.
-Hype segment for the Women’s Breakout Tournament finals. Vic hyped it for after the break. [c]
-Joe Gacy segment. He said recognizing getting through life is hard alone isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. He spoke to his druids and said they’d made great strides. He said they were shaping the world by maximizing their word on the platform they have. He said now they can focus on their progression. He told them to forget what they’ve been called – now they’re the “Dyad.” He said they’ll compete next week. The figures remained hooded for now.
[HOUR TWO]
(3) ROXANNE PEREZ vs. TIFFANY STRATTON – Women’s Breakout Tournament finals
Alicia Taylor handled formal intros. Both got strong intended reactions. Perez worked a headlockearly. Stratton pulled her hair to break. Rope run and a trip by Stratton. She knocked down Perez and posed. Perez worked a twisting rana and Stratton landed on her feet. Dropkick followed by a trip by Perez. Perez wrenched Stratton’s arm. A corner graphic promoted a handicap match between Solo Sikoa and Grayson Waller & Carmelo Hayes.
Stratton worked Perez’s arm and grounded her, adding a knee on the throat. Perez got some hope spots before Stratton grounded her again. Roxy finally wriggled free. She countered a slam into a rana and hit a corner forearm. The two exchanged arm wrenches. Irish whip and a corner elbow by Perez. Perez went up for a move in the corner and Stratton tossed her to the outside. The match went to commercial with no split-screen. [c]
Stratton had an arm submission on Roxy, but Roxy rolled Stratton up to break. Stratton went back to the arm hold and Perez unconvincingly teased a tap. Perez was able to roll up Stratton again for two. Jockeying for position in the corner, where Stratton got the better of it and hit a somersault corner backsplash, then covered for two. Roxanne tried a monkey flip and got turned around. She did a little ground and pound, then hit a tope on the retreating Stratton. She rolled Stratton in and hit a Russian leg sweep for two. Standing senton(?) got two, and Stratton went into a crucifix for two. Powerslam by Stratton got two. Stratton tried to go up and Perez held on. Stratton tried a moonsault that (mostly) missed and Perez hit Pop Rox to finish.
After the decision, Cora Jade hit the ring to celebrate with Perez.
WINNER: Roxanne Perez at 12:19.
(Wells’s Analysis: They got more comfortable near the end, but this was slow and clunky almost all the way through. I don’t know if the two just don’t click or what was happening, but it just wasn’t sharp)
Toxic Attraction’s music hit to throw cold water on the segment. Mandy Rose labored through some mic time and mockingly said Perez should be proud of herself. She told her to enjoy the moment because it’s all downhill from here. She said if she thinks Perez is going to cash in this contract on her, she’s got a better chance of just going to Raw or SmackDown or just hanging it up. She told her not to bother. She started going after Jade verbally and Jade went at her. A brawl erupted. Indi Hartwell hit the ring to even the numbers and the faces took over to cheers.
-Backstage, Bodhi Hayward had been attacked. Andre Chase checked on him and he confirmed he was attacked by Pretty Deadly. [c]
-McKenzie Mitchell tried to interview Wendy Choo, and Tiffany Stratton intervened. She wouldn’t let Wendy have any mic time, so Choo tossed her drink in her face. Stratton threw a tantrum.
(4) ANDRE CHASE vs. PRETTY DEADLY (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
Handicap, apparently? Chase hit the ring and cleared house early. Numbers caught up to him and Pretty Deadly dominated him in their corner. They had Chase on the mat and Bodhi Hayward attempted to crawl to the ring. Thea Hail stopped him and then went to the face corner herself to cheers. Her appearance fired up Chase, who got the better of Wilson and he did his CHASEU taunt and stomp. Immediately after, Prince made a blind tag and the two hit their finisher. Well, they at least teased a moment of intergender action.
WINNERS: Pretty Deadly at 3:16.
(Wells’s Analysis: More of an angle than a match. Pretty Deadly gets their heat back, sort of, though I suspect their time in NXT is fairly short at this point)
-Backstage, Tony D’Angelo and his two goons ran into Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. They had an awkward exchange and D called Hayes “son” and warned him to stay out of his way.
-Alba Fyre entered ahead of her match. [c]
(5) ALBA FYRE vs. TATUM PAXLEY
Quick reversals to open. Paxley rolled Fyre up for two. Waistlock takedown by Fyre and a crucifix for two. Reset. Paxley shot in for a takedown and a two count. Fyre hit a knee strike to Paxley’s jaw for two. Fyre reversed an Irish whip and Paxley went hard to the corner. Gory Bomb by Fyre. She went up. Paxley rolled a bit further away. Fyre shrugged and just hit her flying senton from farther away to finish.
As Fyre left up the ramp, Legend laid her out, but the camera cut away before anything could come of it.
WINNER: Alba Fyre at 2:38.
(Wells’s Analysis: Sentons look like they make very little contact more often than not, and someone as stiff and mean as Fyre should have a better finisher)
-Backstage, Diamond Mine commiserated. Roderick Strong did some damage control. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade applauded as they entered the room. They made a challenge. Julius faked a threat against them, and then smiled and shook hands with them and agreed to a match. After Blade and Enofe left, Strong took them to task for agreeing to the match, saying it’s not Christmas. He said he was going to allow them one mistake as champions, and that was it. Strong left and the rest of Diamond Mine watched him go. [c]
-A vignette, narrated by an Italian woman, hyped the “debut” of Giovanni Vinci, the former Fabian Aichner. That’s roughly the same as turning an interesting American name into “John Smith.”
(6) SOLO SIKOA vs. CARMELO HAYES & GRAYSON WALLER (w/Trick Williams)
Solo said as bad as he wants to kick some asses right now, he brought someone who feels the same way. Apollo Crews’s music hit to turn this into a tag match.
Sikoa and Hayes opened, but Hayes tagged Waller before the anticipated pair-off. Sikoa dominated with power. He took down Waller with a headbutt and tagged Crews, who came in with a rolling senton. He held Waller in a delayed suplex and the crowd counted to 30 before he hit it. Vic said this was Crews’ first NXT match since 2016. Sikoa tagged in and hit a diving headbutt to Waller’s midsection and covered for two. Crews tagged in again. Rope run and a back elbow by Waller. Blind tag and Hayes flew in with his twisting DDT-type move. He postured a little and tagged Waller back in. Waller stomped Crews in the corner, then slammed him and flexed. He took Crews to the heel corner and tagged, and he and Hayes took turns striking Crews. Hayes jawed at Sikoa and went back to business. Crews tried to power his way to his corner and Melo thwarted him until Crews hit a thrustkick. Waller tagged and Sikoa made the hot tag. Hip attack by Sikoa. The heels bailed and Crews hit them both with a plancha as the match went to split-screen. [c]
[OVERRUN]
Sikoa shoved Waller into the heel corner, inadvertently causing a tag to Hayes, who was avoiding Sikoa. Sikoa smiled and brought Hayes to the ring. Sikoa charged Hayes, who bailed. Williams hit the apron and took one for the team, and Hayes charged in and hit a springboard forearm. He and Waller double-teamed for a moment. Waller made the tag and stomped Sikoa to boos. Waller slammed Sikoa and then flew across the ring from the second rope with an elbow for two. Hayes tagged in and Sikoa got a shot in but Hayes took over again. Waller tagged in and grounded Sikoa with a chancery. He transitioned to a crossface and Sikoa crawled to the rope to break.
Sikoa tried to get to Crews and finally succeeded. Crews destroyed Waller with a series of German suplexes, then hit a high one on Hayes with a release. Sling blade for Waller and a standing moonsault got two, broken up by Hayes. Sikoa and Hayes spilled from the ring, leaving Crews and Waller. Waller tried to fly into the ring and hit his bulldog, but Crews caught him, slammed him, and hit his finisher. Basic babyface celebration with no angle to finish.
WINNERS: Apollo Crews & Solo Sikoa at 13:46.
(Wells’s Analysis: Fun formula tag match to establish Crews as a big player on NXT as well as take a step toward Hayes vs. Sikoa. Cameron Grimes didn’t appear in any capacity tonight, so either there’s no time for his next move yet, or he’s done in NXT. Good work by all four, though Waller seems shiftless at the moment and I don’t see an obvious next move for him if he isn’t moving north soon)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Some pretty steep ups and downs tonight as we started some new directions. The Women’s Breakout tournament ended with a clunker, though it was likely better than the Perez-Lyons match would’ve been in its place. Babyfaces won the first two matches by cheating and a distraction, respectively, which isn’t ideal but NXT is committed to that kind of thing. Apollo Crews should inject an interesting flavor to the main event scene for a while, and the rest was a lot of throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks, as NXT continues to figure out its identity and see if it can somehow be a developmental show and a show worth watching in its own right simultaneously. Check out PWT Talks NXT tonight for more thoughts or stream tomorrow. Cheers.
I know they were big on Nikita – but her absence and the fact they haven’t mentioned her is worrying. I thought Stratton was superb in the ring – extremely polished. The size difference between the two women was hard to get past – I feel the same way with a lot of Cora Jade and Katana Chance matched as well. When the NXT crowd is good, it’s great – they give at least a little love (or hate) to pretty much everyone who gets in the ring.