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NXT TV REPORT
JUNE 20, 2023
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED TAPED 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 me, Bruce Hazelwood & Nate Lindberg 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]
-Earlier today, Seth Rollins arrived ahead of his match tonight. Big pop when he was on the tron. Bron Breakker arrived separately.
-Hype for tonight’s “Gold Rush” Night 1 event, a two-episode special where all championships in NXT, plus Seth’s title, will be defended.
(1) WES LEE (c) vs. TYLER BATE – NXT North American Championship match with Mustafa Ali as special referee
Alicia Taylor handled formal intros; both men were already in the ring so we aren’t wasting any time tonight. Collar and elbow to open. Lee tossed Bate. Reset and a waistlock takedown by Bate. Lee flipped backward to reverse and Bate managed a standing switch, then tripped Lee over himself. Lee escaped for another reset. Lee blocked Bate’s shoulder and Bate seemingly oversold it, so maybe it struck a nerve. Quick reversals led to a couple of takedowns. Lee rolled up Bate and Ali made an extremely quick count for a nearfall. A second one happened and Ali did the same thing. While Bate held onto the headlock, both guys took a wary look at Ali.
Reversals led to Lee rolling up Bate and there was a very slow count. Bate rolled up Lee and Ali did the same thing. Ali had a devilish grin on his face as the two wrestlers took their anger out on each other. Bate and Lee both got dumped and Ali didn’t count at all. The crowd started counting and Ali yelled “no” at them. He finally started counting as the crowd reached seven or eight. He was at three and the crowd was at fifteen as the match went to split-screen. [c]
Back to full-screen, the two took each other out with a double-clothesline. Ali had played it straight with the counts over the break. Both guys got to their feet and they exchanged uppercuts and palm strikes. Lee grounded Bate and hit him with a dropkick. To a corner, Bate fought off Lee and hit a knee lift, then a diving uppercut. Suplex by Bate, who kipped up and sold arm pain. Standing shooting star press was thwarted by Lee, who rolled up Bate for two. Bate evaded a Cardiac Kick and turned Lee inside out with a lariat for two. “This is awesome” chant. Bate went up and Lee threw up a kick and then joined Bate there. They teased suplexes to the outside. Bate hit the bop and bang and Lee crumbled to the outside. Ali started counting, then went out and slapped Lee back into it to inspire him. Lee got back into the ring as Ali was doing the same to Bate. Lee hit a Cardiac Kick on Bate, but started the move as Ali was there so the implication is that he was going after Ali. Ali held the arms of both guys up after the match but Bate and Lee were a little shell-shocked about what happened.
WINNER: Wes Lee at 13:00.
(Wells’s Analysis: An engaging story that leaves a lot of room for more storyline beats, and a strong match to boot, which wasn’t in doubt. Ali messed with both men and didn’t seemingly promote one over the other, which could make Bate and Lee doubt one another, or come together to confront Ali. Either way could make for some interesting TV)
-Gigi Dolin had a hype segment where she put over her love of street art.
-McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kiana James, who said Dolin’s idea of art was her idea of wasted real estate. She said Dolin was happy swimming in a pool of mediocrity. [c]
-Finn Balor’s attack on Seth Rollins from Raw was shown. Seems like a perfect opportunity to put over that both are former NXT Champions, but they didn’t do so.
-Duke Hudson was in the ring with a couple of large photos of Thea Hail. He said as the MVP of Chase University, he was honoring Thea tonight. He said next week she’ll become the youngest NXT Women’s Champion in history. He introduced her and she broke through a paper at the top of the ramp like it was a pep rally. Many PC wrestlers were used as Chase U extras. Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak were present and there the only two not in Chase U gear.
Hail said she didn’t want to go to college or to become a doctor or lawyer or a sports champion because she was too busy training to be a pro wrestler. She said next week she’d become the NXT Champion. Lots of cheers for that. Gulak and Dempsey were downers and Hudson said “keep it down, Statler and Waldorf” and Hail didn’t know who that was (most of the young audience didn’t seem to either). Hail put over Hudson and the absent Andre Chase, and finally Dempsey and Gulak. She screamed that she was going to give Tiffany Stratton a Chase U-sized ass-whooping.
Tiffany Stratton’s music played to her usual mixed reaction, perhaps with more boos since Hail is such a likable underdog. She said nobody chose Hail to be the winner of the battle royal. She said Hail had a zero percent chance of winning her title and Hail said “one-zero-zero” loudly. Hudson took the mic again and went after Stratton. She said she may not believe in Thea Hail, but he does. He said everyone here does. Stratton said not only will Hail not beat her, but she won’t tap her out. Stratton got too close and Hail trapped her in a Kimura Lock, and she tapped immediately.
(Wells[s Analysis: A very strong segment to put over a match that could just as easily have been thrown out there cold. Hail isn’t likely – at all – to beat Stratton, but there’s some sizzle on it now)
-The Schism had an issue with each other. The Dyad were taking issue with Joe Gacy’s leadership and Ava went after Dyad, asking how dare they. Gacy admitted to slipping but said he had to look within and strengthen all of them. Ava tried to lead the “Four roots, one tree” saying and the Dyad were hesitant, but they went along with it.
-The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile were watching and made some jokes at the expense of Schism. The Creeds suggested they would “send them packing,” so if The Dyad is still heading out the door, it could end up being a stipulation. The scene devolved into the three of them taking shots at the height, ears, and visible injuries of one another. [c]
-@NXT_Anonymous caught Lyra Valkyria confronting Jacy Jayne backstage somewhere. It wasn’t really an important enough scene to have a hidden camera, but it keeps the Anonymous thing front of mind, so that’s good.
(2) EDRIS ENOFE & MALIK BLADE vs. JOSH BRIGGS & BROOKS JENSEN vs. HANK WALKER & TANK LEDGER – Triple threat #1 contender’s match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
Only Enofe and Blade got a televised entrance. Enofe and Briggs battled early, and Briggs took over with power offense and Jensen tagged in for some tag spots. Walker interfered and fed Briggs and Jensen so they could double-team him also. Gallus were shown watching the match, unimpressed.
Walker became legal and he flattened Enofe with a block. Ledger tagged in and controlled the action until Jensen woke up and took over. All six guys got involved. Briggs and Jensen set up Hank & Tank on the ropes and went for slide-out shots, but Enofe and Blade hit planchas on them. Hank and Tank hit springboard splashes on them on the outside to wake the crowd, who had been somewhat out of it to this point in the match. It went to split-screen. [c]
Briggs and Jensen were in control upon return. They hit spots on everyone until Enofe used Briggs as a springboard to dropkick Hank Walker to a big pop and an “NXT” chant. Briggs took over with big-man stuff and a series of misses ensued before Blade tagged in and started connecting everywhere with strikes. Tank Ledger tagged in and took over with power moves until Jensen took his turn at the top. They’re changing momentum so constantly that the match just has very little flow. Briggs and Jensen hit their finisher on Ledger, but Enofe and Blade struck from two separate top turnbuckles to pick the bones and get the win.
WINNERS: Edris Enofe & Malik Blade at 9:11.
(Wells’s Analysis: Good enough work, and certainly spirited, but it was one of the worst offenders of the triple-threat tag that’s impossible to follow and engage in because nobody retains control for long)
-Gallus and Los Lotharios ran afoul of one another backstage.
-Eddy Thorpe was working on some DJ stuff when Damon Kemp got in his face. He said he was going to bring Raw Underground to NXT next week and face Thorpe there. Thorpe was into it. Roxanne Perez ran past the scene and we transitioned to her attacking Blair Davenport. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Seth Rollins and Nathan Frazer met at the lockers. Seth congratulated Frazer on winning an enormous trophy he has to carry everywhere. He still put over Frazer after the wisecrack. Frazer left the scene and in walked Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams to a big reaction. Rollins messed with them by pretending not to recognize them for a moment. Melo asked if Rollins was ready for Bron tonight, and Rollins said “You know I don’t miss.” Melo said “That was cold.” Rollins put them over and said Melo wears it well. Melo said “Welcome back, champ” and walked out to end the scene.
(3) DANA BROOKE vs. CORA JADE
Jade got in some early strikes but Brooke took over and hit some ground & pound. Cartwheel into a boot by Brooke, who covered for two. Brooke splashed Jade for two. Jade got a knee in and Brooke went down. Jade threw Brooke into a corner and hit her with a number of boots. Jade did the “job well done” hand motion. Jade took Brooke down again and jawed at the fans. Jade stomped a mudhole in the corner again, then missed a spot and Brooke hit a spinning headscissor takedown. Jade bailed and Brooke went out after her. She missed but landed on her feet. Jade entered and Brooke followed, eating a knee in the process. Brooke fought off a DDT and blocked Jade to the mat. Brooke went for a cartwheel and landed bizarrely, then sold an injury to her knee. It was worked since the camera stayed on her, even as the match went to split screen. Jade yelled that she was faking. The match hasn’t been overly pretty, but Dana killed it with making the awkward landing look painful. [c]
During the break,some trainers who looked a lot like wrestlers put Brooke on a stretcher. Jade posed on the apron next to it and mocked Brooke. When the match went back to full-screen, Brooke had finally had enough and she limped back into the action. The audience was booing, perhaps because the segment was going on so long. Brooke rolled up Jade for two. Jade chop-blocked Brooke and then worked the bad leg to cheers as the crowd totally turned on Brooke. Brooke hit some clotheslines to boos. She covered for two. Jade went after Brooke’s knee, then ran into a back elbow by Brooke. Brooke went up and missed a backsplash. Jade hit a single-leg crab and the crowd chanted “tap.” Brooke crawled for the bottom rope but couldn’t make it as Jade dragged her back to the center of the ring. Brooke held on for a ridiculous amount of time and referee Darryl Sharma called it.
WINNER: Cora Jade at 10:46 via referee stoppage.
(Wells’s Analysis: If you came into this match knowing one was an eight-year veteran and the other was still learning, I’m not sure you’d guess correctly unless you recognized how young Jade is. Brooke’s selling of the leg was inconsistent after she reentered. Just messy stuff here)
-Von Wagner and Mr. Stone hung out earlier in an empty arena. Wagner said nobody cared about him until Stone did. He finally talked about the photo. He said he was born with trigonocephaly, which means that a skull is meant to stretch and grow, but his fused into place. The only possible answer is surgery. The scene was emotional as he mentioned his father (Beau Beverly/Wayne Bloom) was out working to pay the bills as his mom cared for him. He said a lot of kids mocked him at age five or six. Wagner thanked Stone for today but said this was enough for right now. [c]
-Eddy Thorpe, Axiom and Scrypts watched a screen backstage and talked about Thorpe’s Underground fight in a couple of weeks. Gable Steveson stepped into the scene to cheers and got a pop. He said if anyone knows his brother Damon Kemp, it’s him, and he’d gladly train Thorpe for the match. I’m sure we can all guess where this is headed, but it should end up in a more interesting place for all involved.
Carmelo Hayes & Baron Corbin face-to-face
Corbin stopped Hayes’s introduction by talking it down to boos. He started with some basic heel stuff and the crowd chanted “shut the hell up.” Corbin said he was going to do things Hayes has never seen. Hayes said things Corbin has never seen must be things like the NXT Championship and the respect of these people. Corbin said he doesn’t care what “the internet” thinks of him. I love that there are still people acting like there’s a difference between the people on the internet and the people they meet in person. Hayes mocked the Happy Corbin stuff and Corbin said it bought him a 1.8 million dollar house. He said he’s had an eight-year career that Melo can only dream of. He said it all came from being a “main event player” for nearly a decade. Hayes said “You used to be that, so what happened?” He said if Corbin wants to talk numbers, they’ll talk numbers. At 26 he was winning the Breakout Tournament, and at 26 Corbin was being cut by the Arizona Cardinals. Big “OOOOHHHH” for that. The audience chanted “cut.” Hayes said that since Corbin left, he’s added a few rooms to the house, and he had to build a new roof because he “tore that bitch off so many times.” He said after it’s all said and done, he’s still him. Corbin said that if Hayes has to keep reminding people that he’s Him, then he’s not. He’s nobody. He said he barely noticed him at SmackDown because he’s insignificant. He said normally this is the point where he cracks him in the head and leaves him laying but he doesn’t need to do that. He said when he’s done with him, he’s going to drive back home, but the title on his mantel and get a drink from his hot-ass wife and say today was a good day. He said the lesson is over.
(Wells’s Analysis: Hayes was at risk of completely eating Corbin alive on the mic, but Corbin got in some nice lines even though he isn’t Melo’s equal on the stick. Again, this could’ve been hand-waved in favor of some quick meaningless matches, but they’re really taking significant time with storytelling here)
-Dragon Lee welcomed Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz back as a unit. Nathan Frazer entered the scene and said he could only say gracias. The ladies took that with grace and exited the scene. Frazer said his mentor, Seth Rollins, said he should help those who helped him, and that included Lee. [c]
-Moments ago, Gallus dodged questions about Edris Enofe and Malik Blade. Mark Coffey and Wolfgang got into a car, while Joe Coffey took a call that was about “rats.” Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo drove up and abducted Coffey and threw him in his trunk and drove off.
(4) YULISA LEON & VALENTINA FEROZ vs. JAKARA JACKSON & LASH LEGEND (w/Noam Dar & Oro Mensah)
Both were in matching team gear just in time for the NXT Women’s Tag Championships not to exist after Friday. Leon and Feroz got in some early shots before Meta-Four took over. Jackson worked a headlock on Leon and transitioned into an abdominal stretch, and then an armbar. Leon powered out and both women made the tag. Feroz struck early and often and hit a back kick to lay Legend out. Double knees in the corner by Feroz. Feroz went to the top and hit a headscissor takedown. Mensah tried to trip Feroz but she stomped on his foot. The faces teamed up to take out Mensah but Legend used the opening to take out Leon and finish.
WINNERS: Jackson & Legend at 3:21.
(Wells’s Analysis: It didn’t totally click, but one team is new and the other is freshly back from injury. Both are welcome additions to a division that could use them)
-Vic mentioned that the Great American Bash will return on July 30th. He transitioned to a rundown of next week’s matches on night two of Gold Rush – Hayes vs. Corbin, Dragon Lee vs. Frazer, Enofe & Blade vs. Gallus, Dolin vs. Kiana James and Stratton vs. Hail. With the work done to promote that show, I’m already anticipating it more than most weeks of NXT.
(5) SETH ROLLINS (c) vs. BRON BREAKKER – WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Breakker’s entrance was brief but Rollins soaked it in as the audience sang his music endlessly. Alicia Taylor handled formal intros and really drove home “WWE World Heavyweight Championship” to a big reaction. Pure boos for Breakker as the crowd was eating up Rollins. “Welcome home” chant.
So much could be made of Rollins being the first NXT Champion, but even with the opening they aren’t taking it. Vic got close by saying Rollins had to “claw his way to the top” of NXT but he didn’t mention he was champion. Action spilled outside with Rollins controlling as the match went to an immediate split-screen. [c]
Back from break, Breakker had Rollins in a bear hug. Rollins broke free and ran right into a Frankensteiner. Breakker leaned on Rollins until Rollins came back with some chops. Rope run and Rollins hit an uppercut. Rollins missed in a corner and Breakker hit him with a belly-to-back suplex. “You still suck” chant. Breakker covered for two. Breakker set up a corner spear and Rollins moved and shoved Breakker into the post. Rollins sold for a moment, then hit a lariat that didn’t take Bron down, then another. Combo kicks and a third finally took Breakker down. Rollins fired up and the audience chanted his music. Rollins went for a suplex but sold the work done in his ribs. Rollins hit a knee lift that sent Breakker spilling from the ring.
Rollins ran the ropes and hit a tope suicida, then went back in for another and then a third. None were hit particularly hard, but on the upside, there are so many unsafe ones attempted in NXT, and Seth has it down. Rollins ran around a corner outside to lay out Breakker with a clothesline, then removed the hood from the announce table. Rollins hit a crescent kick that set up Breakker on the table, then went up and hit a splash from the top turnbuckle to destroy the table. WWE didn’t have to mute the “holy shit” chant because they went to split-screen again. [c]
[OVERRUN]
Brakker went for a suplex but Rollins rolled him up for two. Rollins hit a superkick on a kneeling Breakker, then went up and missed a frog splash. Breakker pulled down his singlet and fired up to boos. Steiner Recliner. “No” chant. Rollins quickly made it to the bottom rope. Rollins went up and Breakker got up quickly and hit a rana, then a powerslam for a long two that fooled some of the audience. Breakker went for a spear but Rollins hit a knee and a Pedigree for two. Seth ran the ropes right into a spear for another long two. Breakker went up and jumped into a boot. Rollins hit a Curb Stomp, then one more to be sure, to finish.
WINNER: Seth Rollins at 17:06.
As the show was going off the air, the crawler appeared and Finn Balor ran in out of nowhere and laid waste to Rollins. He grabbed a chair and dismantled Rollins inside the ring. He went up for Coup de Grace but was run off by Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Balor ran off and admired Seth’s belt laying out on the ramp. They stared at each other and the show ended with Rollins staring intensely out at Balor.
(Wells’s Analysis: Seth was never going to lose this, but I’m surprised at how little offense Breakker was given even when Rollins had a taped-up midsection for an out to take so much offense. Breakker got some near-falls late but otherwise visually wasn’t shown to be in control very often, which his character really relies on. That aside, they worked a perfectly decent if unspectacular match, and it was a hell of a bonus for NXT faithful in Orlando to see Rollins again now that he’s a major star. The Balor bit was sort of tacked on, but they did some real good work on main roster TV in the last week to promote that match and this was one more reminder to fans to check out Money in the Bank.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not every match came together perfectly – the middle three all had their share of issues, though mostly small – but this episode did a spectacular job of setting the hook for next week to a level this show hasn’t seen in some time. Even aside from all the matches next week, many other characters have a story to keep them on TV and in an interesting context. We’ll talk about the week’s ups and downs as well as the strong hype for next week on PWT Talks NXT. Check us out tonight live or stream tomorrow.
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