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NXT TV REPORT
DECEMBER 27, 2022
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Backstage Correspondent(s): McKenzie Mitchell
Tonight after the show, join guest Kevin Cattani & me to break down the show with calls and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (515) 605-9345
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: pwtorchnxt@gmail.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW POST-RECORDING
[HOUR ONE]
-The Creed Brothers, both wearing Brutus Ball shirts, briefly reminisced over the holidays before Julius threatened JD McDonagh ahead of the opener. McDonagh got a separate hype segment for the match.
(1) JULIUS CREED (w/Brutus Creed) vs. JD McDONAGH
Headlock takeover by McDonagh. Creed quickly escaped and they reset. Another headlock takeover and another quick escape. McDonagh slapped Creed and got into a shoving match, won by Creed. Headlock by Creed, followed by a rope run and a block. Another rope run and an arm drag by Creed. Creed scoop slammed McDonagh for two. McDonagh got to his feet and worked the wrist, grounding Creed. Creed used the ropes to flip out of the spot. Creed went to the outside. McDonagh tried a PK, but Creed caught him and seamlessly slammed him, then dropped him on the announce table. McDonagh shoved Creed into a post, then yanked him into it a few times as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Creed deadlifted McDonagh and suplexed him after a heat segment during the split-screen. Big backbreaker by Creed, who sold the work on his wrist. McDonagh hit a kick to the knee but Creed hit a knee to the jaw. Standing…Spanish Fly?…by Creed. Both guys sold on the mat. Big forearm by Creed laid McDonagh out. Belly-to-belly by Creed. McDonagh hit a step-up enzuigiri and a brainbuster for a long two. McDonagh went high and Creed hopped up to meet him there. McDonagh was able to shove Creed down. He went for and missed a moonsault. Creed hit his setup move, then his basement lariat to finish.
WINNER: Julius Creed at 9:51.
Sanga and Veer walked up to the ring and made a challenge for New Year’s Evil and said they’d finally get the respect they deserve.
(Wells’s Analysis: Even as strong as Julius gets booked, I was surprised to see him get a singles win over a project like McDonagh. Julius getting a win here is helpful to set up the tag match with Indus Sher, but Julius might have a bigger singles future as well. The match was strong and extremely technically sound)
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Tony D’Angelo about his match with Wes Lee tonight. Mitchell also brought up the looming threat of Dijak. Stacks said he took care of that last week and Dijak wouldn’t be a problem.
-Cora Jade entered ahead of her match with Wendy Choo. [c]
-Schism, in a dark previously filmed segment, said that they understand their “lifestyle” is troublesome to others in NXT. They all got some mic time to comment on the six-man tag match the three men are in tonight. As always, Rip Fowler had the strongest outing.
(2) WENDY CHOO vs. CORA JADE
Choo ran to the ring, dispensing with the whimsy. Action spilled outside, where Choo hit a chop and rolled Jade in. Jade bailed again and yanked Choo to her back, then pulled her outside again. Jade missed a shot with her cane and Choo put Jade’s head into the apron. Back inside, Choo rolled up Jade for two. Jade took control again and hit a slingshot double stomp for two. Jade kicked and leaned on Choo. Running back elbow to the back of the neck by Jade, who rolled up Choo for two. Jade worked an armbar on the mat. Choo escaped back through Jade’s legs and threw some rights. Choo ran the ropes into a knee to the chest by Jade, who covered for two. Choo hit a sit-out powerbomb for two.
Choo hit some combo shots and an overhead belly-to-belly. She did a cartwheel into a back elbow, then hit a high cross-body for two. Full nelson by Choo, reversed to a full nelson by Jade, who yanked Choo to the mat for a long two. Jade jawed down at Choo, who hit an inside cradle for two. Choo yanked Jade into the second buckle, then hit a uranage. Choo went up for a backsplash from the top to win.
WINNER: Wendy Choo at 6:09.
(Wells’s Analysis: A very nice match here, as the two mesh well. One of Jade’s strongest singles matches, and Choo, of course, is always dependable in the ring. I had thought Choo had more of a character shift coming, but it’s apparently just a tweak to allow her to be serious when the story demands it)
-Ikemen Jiro said his jacket is what makes him #1. Without it, he’s just Jiro. He said it makes everyone smile, and tonight he’s taking it back. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: I don’t know if it’s because the show is taped or what, but I’m really liking the pacing of tonight’s show. The production isn’t rushing from segment to segment and it seems like things are allowed to breathe a little more. We’ll see if it continues)
-Fallon Henley and her redneck friends hyped up ahead of her match. Brooks Jensen merely said he was on “her side” when pressed, and had to stress that he meant Henley’s side.
(3) IKEMEN JIRO vs. SCRYPTS
Scrypts flipped into the ring behind Jiro as Jiro was watching the ramp. Jiro quickly superkicked Scrypts from the ring and hit a plancha. Back inside, Jiro used some ground & pound, then took Scrypts to a corner and threw some kicks. Jiro tried a somersault into a cover, but Scrypts fought him off and threw rights to boos. Scrypts put the boots to Jiro, then hit a basement dropkick for two. Head scissors by Scrypts. One guy was trying to get some boos going, but the crowd, in a second taped episode, was a bit gassed. Jiro threw a kick to get back into it, and Vic asked if he could get back into it. Uh, he just did. Jiro laid out Scrypts with a hard knee for two.
Quick misses and reversals led to Scrypts taking Jiro down. Scrypts missed a standing shooting star press. Jiro took Scrypts to a corner and hit a couple of kicks. Jiro went up with Scrypts, looking for a superplex. Jiro got shoved but landed on his feet. Jiro went forward again, right into a 360 Thesz press to finish. Scrypts laid Jiro’s jacket on his body after the match.
WINNER: Scrypts at 4:12.
(Wells’s Analysis: A nice enough match as the crowd continues to wonder how to take in Scrypts.)
-Oro Mensah is bringing his party attitude to NXT. [c]
-Alba Fyre cut a promo on Isla Dawn ahead of their anything goes match next week.
-Wes Lee focused ahead of his title defense later tonight.
(4) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. LASH LEGEND
The crowd, still muted throughout as the taping wears on, woke up a little for Valkyria’s entrance. Legend threw a knee to open, then an uppercut. Legend lifted and tossed Valkyria. Jumping ax shot in the corner by Legend, followed by a jumping elbow to the back and a cover for two. Valkyria hit a couple of kicks, then ran the ropes for a block. She hit another, then ducked a shot and managed an armdrag on the much taller Legend. Valkyria hit a dropkick through the ropes while holding onto the second and third ropes and fired up. Legend took control on the outside and rolled Valkyria back in for a cover for one.
Valkyria ran the ropes into a uranage backbreaker by Legend. Legend missed a somersault splash and Valkyria threw some kicks, then a couple of lariats. Valkyria hit a DDT that wasn’t too smooth as Legend likely didn’t go down at the right angle, from what I saw. Valkyria hit a top rope splash to finish.
WINNER: Valkyria at 3:29.
(Wells’s Analysis: There was one not-so-pretty moment near the end, but otherwise this was a nice little match to showcase Valkyria but also served to highlight Legend’s progress as a talent)
-Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne put over Toxic Attraction as a “group” and as a “faction.” Mandy Rose was in one or two shots, well in the background of shows. Jayne said they’d rebuild, reconstruct, and return to glory. It starts by taking down the woman who took down their empire – Roxanne Perez. No hint was made of a third member joining the group, though this was shot shortly after the firing, I think, and decisions were potentially not finalized.
-Schism entered ahead of the six-man next. [c]
-Vengeance Day is live from Charlotte on February 4th.
-McKenzie Mitchell talked to Bron Breakker about how he fell into Grayson Waller’s trap. He said he was going to take Waller’s ass out tonight. Mitchell said she regretted letting Breakker know Waller isn’t here tonight, but threw to a video. Waller walked around Sydney and showed off landmarks and said today was the first day a real star showed up at the Sydney Opera House. He also took a dip in the ocean, then continued his promo and said he was taking care of his mind and body so he could take care of Bron Breakker. He said he’d be there next week, though, and he and Breakker could sign for their match on a very special episode of the Grayson Waller Effect. Breakker picked up and threw the TV against the lockers for giving him the bad news.
[HOUR TWO]
(5) ODYSSEY JONES & EDRIS ENOFE & MALIK BLADE vs. SCHISM (Joe Gacy & The Dyad (Rip Fowler & Jagger Reid))
Gacy and Blade to open. Gacy dominated on the mat before a quick escape by Blade, who rolled up Gacy for one. Gacy took Blade to the heel corner and tagged Reid, who ran the ropes until he ran into a Blade dropkick. Enofe tagged i and the two doubled up for some quick kicks. Enofe covered for one. Reid blocked Enofe into the heel corner and Fowler tagged in. He took down Enofe and posed to boos. Snap suplex for one by Fowler, who leaned into another cover for one. Chinlock by Fowler followed by a shot to the back. Enofe hit a dropkick after a rope run. The two jockeyed for position and Jones made a blind tag and blocked Fowler to the mat.
Another block and Jones tagged Blade. I guess he doesn’t work by the hour. Jones splashed Fowler, who retreated to the heel corner. The heels, then the faces, all stormed the ring for a staredown as the match went to commercial. [c]
Fowler leaned on Blade with a headlock. Ava Raine got into Booker T’s face and motioned to her Schism shirt and said “THIS is the definition of living your best life. Four roots. One tree.” Booker thankfully didn’t laugh at her delivery and sold it as creepy. In the ring, Jones made the hot tag and dominated all of Schism. Corner splashes and sidewalk slams for all. Enofe tagged in and hit a flying elbow on Reid for two, broken up by Gacy. Things broke down and Schism hit repeated topes on Jones, who wouldn’t go down until about the fifth. Bonzo gonzo as all six fought outside briefly. Enofe and Reid were legal and made it back to the ring, where Enofe took Reid up a corner but Gacy hit the corner and made the tag. Both of The Dyad hit Doomsday Devices on Enofe and Blade. Gacy hit his finisher on Enofe, and all of Schism – including Raine – celebrated in the ring.
WINNERS: The Schism at 11:17.
(Wells’s Analysis: An okay six-man that didn’t have the feel of a tornado match throughout as many NXT six-man matches do. The Schism does seem like an elevated act since Raine’s debut. It isn’t her exactly, but the timing lined up and she’s looking better than people feared would be the case since the faction is being pushed again. I still miss Grizzled Young Veterans terribly, but I don’t hate this act as much as I did a month or two ago)
-Kiana James and Fallon Henley are up next. [c]
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes about their matches next week with Axiom and Apollo Crews, respectively. They gave their usual fiery heel promo about moving their opponents out of the way. Next week, they’re going for two. Swish, swish.
(6) FALLON HENLEY (w/Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen) vs. KIANA JAMES – Battle for the Bar
The two jaw-jacked until getting into it. James threw some stiff shots, then wrenched Henley’s arm a few times. Henley reversed and did the same. Back elbow by Henley. James tried to grab the hair but Henley kicked her again. Rope run and Henley took down James. Thrust kick by Henley. Henley rolled out and James yanked up the apron to try to avoid a right, but Henley waited for James to reappear and hit her with it. Action went back inside, where James took control and leaned on Henley in a corner. James threw a standing spear that didn’t really work and covered for two. James ran into a back elbow by Henley, then put her up into a press slam for two. Body scissors by James, who added punches to the back. James rotated to cover for two, then held onto the scissors after Henley kicked out. Henley rolled backward to cover James to break.
Forearm exchange. Henley threw a big palm strike, then got a few shots in a row. Henley took down James and covered for two. James choked Henley, then set up 401, but Henley tripped her and hit a running knee to finish. On the replay, it was clear Jensen was trying to will James to move out of the way and he made an overacting “bummed” gesture with his hands on his head when the three was counted.
WINNER: Fallon Henley at 5:11.
(Wells’s Analysis: I can’t believe they’ve gotten this much TV out of this goofy feud, but it’s still working just fine in an undercard position. Competent work by both, though the outcome was the less interesting of the possibilities)
-Mitchell interviewed Roxanne Perez, who gave a basic meat-and-potatoes babyface promo that was simple but one of her best so far. There’s still work to do, but she’s trending well.
-Up next – the Drew Gulak Invitational. [c]
-Isla Dawn got her own creepy promo to promote her match with Alba Fyre.
-Drew Gulak, with Hank Walker, was hosting the Drew Gulak Invitational. Three PC wrestlers (or locals) were off in the corner to “get a hands-on lesson” from Gulak. He said Luka was up first. Luka stepped forward and Gulak had him turn around. Gulak told him to just relax, and he demonstrated a chicken wing. He almost took it too far and Luka looked a bit suspicious. Gulak asked Tavion to step forward next and the two grappled for a while, all while Gulak spoke on his headset. He trapped Gulak in a figure four for a quick tap. Gulak stressed to Walker to release as soon as the opponent taps. Myles Borne was up last, and Borne got the better of Gulak for a moment, and Gulak took exception and snapped on a submission. Walker had to pull Gulak off of Borne.
Charlie Dempsey’s music played. He told Gulak to step to a real wrestler. Walker tried to keep them apart. Dempsey said next week, he was going to make an example out of his students. Gulak said Hank Walker would be ready. [c]
-Vic promoted three matches for next week, including Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn in an “Extreme Resolution” match.
(7) WES LEE (c) vs. TONY D’ANGELO (w/Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo) – NXT North American Championship match
Alicia Taylor handled formal introductions as Booker T fired up for the match. The crowd chanted “Wes Lee” after a very quiet night for them overall. D shoved Lee to the mat and told Lee he was embarrassing himself. Lee got in a couple of shots but D hit a belly-to-belly and a German suplex for two. D got into Lee’s face and said he was going to take two things – Lee’s legs, and his title. He hit a suplex and preened to the camera but didn’t realize Lee had landed on his feet. Lee hit a headscissor into the ropes and threw quick rights and lefts in a corner. D exited the ring and Stacks told him to sweep the leg. D looked at Stacks like he was an idiot and reentered.
Lee put on a front chancery but D escaped in a corner and whipped Lee to the opposite one. D missed a running boot and Lee worked D’s leg. Lee hit a standing shooting star press and D bailed, but Lee hit a tope and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Lee worked a headlock on the mat. D’Angelo took Lee to a corner to break. Lee hit some quick kicks but D caught one and hit an exploder suplex into the corner. D’Angelo stomped Lee, then hit a backbreaker and stretched Lee over his knee. He covered for two. Lee got to his feet but D hit a short-arm clothesline and covered for another two. Lee threw rights from his knees but D returned fire to stay in control. D’Angelo worked a leg lock on the mat.
[OVERRUN]
Vic asked what would happen if Tony could bring championship gold to “the family” and make them “even stronger” in NXT. The family is two people! D hit a couple of shin busters over his knee and Lee fell to the outside. D’Angelo followed Lee out and planted him on the announce table. D rolled Lee back into the ring and hit a deep cover for two. Lee countered a suplex into a DDT, finally getting a moment to regroup after a lot of offense from D’Angelo. Lee hit a couple of kicks to D’s knee,, then threw some combo punches and a dropkick. Lee continued throwing punches in a corner, then went up to the second buckle to continue raining down punches but D’Angelo hit a powerbomb out of the corner. D exposed Lee’s bad shin and went up. In the corner of the shot, Dijak yanked Stacks out of frame and D’Angelo got distracted. Lee hit his finisher to retain.
WINNER: Wes Lee at 14:49.
(Wells’s Analysis: As booking goes, it was…something. D’Angelo completely dominated the match, which I could live with if Lee overcame with a well-timed flurry, but he was the beneficiary of a distraction. The match itself was pretty decent. D’Angelo wrestled fairly slowly at times, which might be a product of him just coming back from injury. However, he seems to have expanded his repertoire and was significantly more interesting in the ring than usual. Dijak can go after Lee now as promised, and there’s a door open for a triple threat if they want to go that way)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Despite a crowd that was fairly dead at the end of a taping, I think the show itself came together nicely with every match delivering as much or more than expected and some logical steps toward the next slate of feuds on the show. I don’t have anything to really rant about tonight, but all the same, check out PWT Talks NXT tonight or stream tomorrow. Cheers.
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