NXT TV RESULTS (6/11): Wells’s live report on Cody Rhodes visiting NXT, New Catch Republic & Wes Lee vs. Gallus, Dante Chen vs. Lexis King in a Singapore Cane Match, more

by Kelly Wells, PWTorch Contributor


SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

NXT TV RESULTS
JUNE 11, 2024
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: Mike Rome

Backstage Correspondent(s): Kelly Kincaid, Sarah Schreiber


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST


[HOUR ONE]

-Recaps of the Battleground results aired, ending with the opener, where Kelani Jordan won the NXT North American Women’s Championship.

-Jordan endered first, wearing street clothes and her new gold around her waist. She thanked the crowd and said this was surreal to her. She said this was the biggest moment of her young career. Jaida Parker hit the ramp and said the only thing Jordan proved was that she can scurry up a ladder like a squirrel. She said once she handles Michin –

-And with that, Michin jumped Parker, they went to the ring, and the bell sounded.

(1) MICHIN vs. JAIDA PARKER

Michin controlled briefly, but Parker managed a powerslam. Michin returned fire with a Pele kick and battered Parker in the corner, then hit her with a cannonball for two. Michin worked a headlock and Parker backed her to a corner to break. After a couple of standing switches, Michin hit a German suplex. Michin missed a cannonball and Parker charged her into the post. Parker laid Michin over the ropes in the corner and laid her out with the hip attack, heading to commercial. [c]

Vic said Parker was in control through the break. Michin rolled up Parker for two. Parker worked Michin’s arm, then covered for two and slapped the mat when she didn’t get three. Parker snapped on a headlock and transitioned to a chicken wing, but Michin escaped and hit a rana and a clothesline, then a shotgun dropkick in the corner. Michin missed in the corner but hit a tornado DDT for two. For whatever reason, Michin’s offense is looking very sluggish in this match. Michin was near the ropes and Parker hit her with the drive-by hip check, which violently sent Michin to the outside. The OC showed up to check on Michin, and Parker went for a chair. While Luke Gallows was tied up with the ref, Karl Anderson yanked the chair away from Parker. Michin rolled up Parker for the win, and on three, she spanked Parker on both cheeks.

WINNER: Michin at 9:51.

(Wells’s Analysis: Why did they feel the need to have Gallows tie up the ref’s focus to have Anderson take the chair from Parker? She was cheating and he stopped her. Very strange. Parker looked good here, but Michin was seemingly working at half-speed. This makes at least twice that one of Parker’s opponents have spanked her)

-Yesterday on YouTube, New Catch Republic set up the six-man match.

-Earlier tonight, Cody Rhodes arrived and interacted with some fans on the way into the venue. [c]

-Chase U’s men (and Ridge Holland) were arguing in a classroom. Riley Osborne was particularly riled up at Ridge Holland. Thea Hail stepped in and yelled “Everybody shut the f*&k up and sit down!” (Bleeped, of course). Chase asked where she got that from. Hail said that Chase U needs to get on the same page, and that’s not a teachable moment – it’s the truth.

(1) WES LEE & NEW CATCH REPUBLIC (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. GALLUS (Joe Coffey & Mark Coffey & Wolfgang)

Bate and Wolfgang opened. Wolfgang hit some uppercuts and tagged Mark, who tried a couple of leverage pins for two. Bate reversed with a headcissors and waved at the fans from the top, then got to his corner and tagged Dunne. Dunne flew in with a dropkick to the arm, then worked the arm on the mat. He manipulated the digits of Mark’s right hand. Dunne set up the first part of the surfboard, then stomped Mark’s knees. He posed at the heel corner and Joe came running, but Dunne ran him off. Lee tagged, then Bate did, and the three of them hit some combo kicks. The ring cleared and Bate did his airplane spin to Mark, who rolled outside. All three of the babyfaces posed in the ring and the match went to split-screen. [c]

Bate played face in peril throughout split-screen. He managed a rollup for two, and Joe Coffey cut off a tag attempt and hit a backbreaker. Wolfgang tagged in for a senton for two, broken up by Dunne. Bate hit a rana to send Wolfie out of the ring and he stunned Mark with a dropkick. Bate crawled to the face corner but Joe tagged in and cut it off. Bate got around him for the hot tag and Lee destroyed every Gallus members. DDTs and ranas for all. It broke down into a pier six brawl that the babyfaces totally dominated. Lee hit double knees on Joe for a very long two. Lee went up and Joe went to push him off, so Lee jumped off the top to the mass of humanity below. Lee reentered and Joe caught him with an inside-out lariat to finish.

WINNERS: Gallus in about 9:30.

(Wells’s Analysis: I have no idea when Gallus is going to win or lose. Are they being pushed? Have they ever been really pushed in the States? Perfectly decent action here, but whatever Gallus is lacking to get them to the next level, it’s still yet to be found.)

-Jaida Parker and OTM talked backstage. Parker complained about her loss, but promised OTM that she’d handle her and run her out of NXT.

-Elsewhere, Edris Enofe and Malik Blade and Brinley Reece talked about their match later. Reece was working out, essentially using both men for leverage during her workouts. [c]

(3) BRINLEY REECE vs. WENDY CHOO

Choo is still wearing pajamas, but they’re black and covered in skulls. She has her face painted like a nightmare doll. This is an extremely stark upgrade. Choo dominated completely to open and nearly got the pin after a slam in 45 seconds. Reece got a hope spot and got in some quick shots. Choo stopped her dead with a hard lariat and she got the tap with a volent sleeper. Choo sat with her head cocked and a thousand-yard stare after the win. Damn.

WINNER: Wendy Choo at 1:44.

(Wells’s Analysis: Choo needed a lot of help from a gimmick standpoint after her last sleepy gimmick went south in a hurry, and I figured a complete overhaul was necessary. Instead, they used her existing gimmick to inspire one that works to a much greater degree. She’s always been a very good worker, and now she’s got one of the most gripping characters on the roster with this horror angle. I love this)

[c]

-Byron Saxton caught up with Roxanne Perez outside in the parking lot. Perez will be giving a state of the women’s division address later. She said Saxton will have to wait. Robert Stone tried to get a scoop for Ava, but Perez said she had to wait to learn her Battleground opponent, so Ava can do the same.

-Cody Rhodes entered to his music. The NXT crowd was loud and appreciative, of course singing along. Booker even sang along with the “Whoa-oa!” Vic said it was nine years ago today that we lost Dusty Rhodes.

[HOUR TWO]

Cody said “It’s magical here, isn’t it?” He said he needed to be here and feel it as he heads toward Clash at the Castle and his match with AJ Styles. He said Styles was IWGP Champion, NWA Champion, and WWE Champion, as well as PWI’s Wrestler of the Year. He said on Saturday, though, he’ll say “I Quit.”

“Whoop that Trick” played Trick Williams to the ring. Trick wanted everyone to make noise for Cody Rhodes. He said they both had huge mountains to climb and huge chips on their shoulders to get where they are today. He said now that they’re on the other side of the mountain, now it feels different, and they’re the ones being chased. He asked Cody how he deals with this. Cody said they’re back there not thinking “Go get it, Trick,” they’re thinking that they can wear the title better than he can. He said no matter how many mountains you’ve conquered, there’s always another mountain. Cody said Ava granted him the authority to tell him who his next challenger will be. He said the winner will be decided in a 25-man battle royal next week, and he may know some of them, but others…might be from different locker rooms. Big pop for that.

Trick said with the Fourth of July around the corner, on behalf of all his people, is he coming to the cookout? He said yes, and there was a big pop. Trick said to play Cody’s music, and Vic summarized the hint that guys from “other locker rooms” will be there next week.

-Last week, Je’Von Evans and Shawn Spears brawled from the back to ringside. They’ll go later.

-Megan Morant talked to Dante Chen backstage, who said he’d tattoo Lexis King’s body with cane shots. He said he’ll channel his Singaporean spirit. They’re up next. [c]

-Some mostly as-yet unknown women in the locker room chatted. One, Carlee Bright, turned to try to introduce herself to Wendy Choo. Choo turned to her, looked at her with her creepy doll face, and Bright turned back around.

(4) DANTE CHEN vs. LEXIS KING – Singapore Cane match

King entered, and just a few seconds in, Chen surprised him on the ramp with cane shots from behind. Booker T called out the jump from behind. Both guys hit the ring and grabbed canes, which were everywhere, and battered each other with them. King took control and threw some rights down at Chen. King set up a bunch of canes, then backdropped Chen, but he was a good three or four feet short of the pile of canes. King saved face by throwing a cane shot, and then slamming Chen on the pile. King retained control with some more shots, and he charged the cane across the body of Chen. He put down Chen in the middle of the ring and swung hard on his back again. The welts were really growing on Chen’s back.

King used the cane in a sleeper, and Chen turned it around. King hit a flash knee for a long two and then swung a bunch of times. King set up a cane in the corner, and Chen ended up reversing an Irish whip. King seemingly forgot to run all the way into it, and had to start running again at the end with a little stutter-step that made the spot look pretty rough. Chen brutalized King with shots all over his body and covered for two. Chen used a cane to monkey flip King, then dumped him and hit him with a tope with the cane. Chen continued with the cane out of the ring, but King used his scepter as a cane and it was presented as being more lethal. He hit a scepter-assisted Coronation and it was good to finish.

WINNER: Lexis King at 6:20.

(Wells’s Analysis: Chen was beating King until he got a “home field advantage” match, like Kane losing his Inferno matches and Undertaker losing coffin matches. Okay action. Chen is very good, and King is still…himself)

-Cody Rhodes ran into Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne in the pantry. Rhodes presented Jayne with a new face guard – the one he used years ago before his departure. Jayne sold it like a huge moment. Nyx looked at the guard and said “Dashing.”

-Eddy Thorpe hype. It was the same video we’ve seen before, I think. [c]

-Michin left Ava’s GM room and celebrated with the OC. Michin said she was the first challenger for Kelani Jordan’s North American Championship. They shared a Too Sweet.

-The announcers talked to the screen and a “fan” tried to grab at Vic. It may have been an actual fan, but they played it off like it was some kind of angle? It was a very strange moment so I can’t say for sure.

(5) EDDY THORPE vs. TAVION HEIGHTS

Thorpe had eye black over his eyes and forehead in a large rectangle. Heights worked a headlock and then jawed with the crowd, so I guess they’re trying him in more of a heel context this time out. Thorpe got in a series of kicks in the corner and a side slam for one. Rope run and an overhead belly-to-belly by Heights. Heights threw down a forearm. Heights lifted Thorpe and Thorpe tried to fight his way out but got slammed. Heights deadlifted Thorpe into a takeover and covered for two. Neckbreaker by Heights into a dragon sleeper. Thorpe escaped and got in a number of chops and some back elbows. Thorpe used some combo strikes and a German suplex.

Thorpe fired up and dropped a big elbow, then hit Heights with a leaping DDT to finish.

WINNER: Eddy Thorpe at 4:16.

(Wells’s Analysis: Thorpe didn’t get much offense in this thing. Heights is green enough that working on his offense is still a good thing, but Thorpe’s win wasn’t as strong as it could have been. On the upside, Heights looked great.

-No Quarter Catch Crew spoke near the lockers. Charlie Dempsey told Myles Borne to go get Heights, because he was impressive and they could use another member. Kemp said they have enough, and Dempsey got on him for losing twice in a row to Tony D. Borne left to find Heights. I guess now we know why Heights got all that offense.

-Shawn Spears walked through the back ahead of his match. [c]

-Stills from Battleground.

-Ava and Robert Stone talked in Ava’s office. Stone pointed out how he was trying to get words out of Roxy. Stevie turner showed up and told Ava that she heard Roxanne is going to demand an apology from Ava in her speech tonight. Ava was annoyed, and her phone rang and she had to take a call. Stevie made a cheeky face at Stone and the scene ended.

(6) JE’VON EVANS vs. SHAWN SPEARS

Spears jumped Evans immediately, but Evans got in his chops early as well. Thesz press and a stomp by Spears. Evans hit a headscissor takedown and went to the corner with Spears, but Spears dropped him on the top rope on his throat. Spears chopped Evans to the mat. Spears choked Evans on the middle rope. The two exchanged some reversals until Evans dumped Spears and hit him with a PK from the apron. The match went to split-screen. [c]

Spears controlled through the break. Evans got back into it with a roundhouse kick and a powerbomb. The two got to their feet and exchanged forearms. Evans came off the ropes with a big kick, then went high. He ended up on the apron where Spears booted him, then draped him from the top for a DDT. There was a “This is awesome” chant for what’s been a perfectly middling match. Evans rolled up Spears, then hit a beautiful top-rope cutter. Spears bailed, and Evans hit him with a tope suicida. Evans ran the barricade for an avalanche onto Spears. Back inside, Evans again put Spears right back out to the announce table, and he tried a moonsault, but Spears moved and Evans ate the corner of the table with his elbow. Yikes. Spears rolled him inside and hit C-4 for the win.

WINNER: Shawn Spears at 9:47.

(Wells’s Analysis: Evans had so much momentum that it’s a little surprising to see him do a job to someone so far down the card as Spears. The audience was a little quick on the trigger to call this one awesome, but just after that, it kicked into a great final couple of minutes. Evans is criminally talented. If he can really nail a gimmick, he’ll be a big player)

-Axiom, Nathan Frazer, and the New Catch Republic looked at vacation photos together by the lockers. All four members of The Family showed up and said they wanted to give them a lesson about the Heritage Cup. Frazer got hungry for the Cup and The Family said the lesson can wait and they took off. Axiom wanted Frazer to focus, and Frazer said he could pull double duty and defend two titles at once.

-Roxanne Perez walked ahead of her main event talk segment. [c]

-Shawn Spears ran into Cody Rhodes. Rhodes wished Spears luck in the battle royal. Ethan Page showed up and so did Lexis King, looking for the same endorsement. Cody said “It seems like you three are…in a good place.” WWE doesn’t bother taking too many swipes at AEW, but with all four of them on hand, I guess they couldn’t resist this one.

[OVERRUN]

-Roxanne Perez entered the ring for her State of the Women’s Division address. She said she told us she was going to protect this title, and there are levels to this, and nobody is on hers. She said we don’t all need to thank her at once for keeping the title in NXT. She said there’s one woman who needs to come out and thank her, and that’s Ava. She said she doesn’t think Ava wants to make the champion wait.

Ava showed up on the ramp and congratulated Perez, but said she couldn’t thank her because it’s just about being a great champion. Roxy said that was why she was a perfect GM, right?, because she always makes the championship about herself. She said there’s not one woman who can take the title from her.

Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx hit the ring and said it sounded like Roxanne was taking all the credit for the division. Nyx said maybe Perez forgot that the biggest threats to her championship were under this roof. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson showed up and said that while Jayne was getting her beak fixed and Nyx was trying to imitate Kim Kardashian, they were there the whole time. Lola Vice was next and said she proved she was different, and her fists don’t lie. She said Roxanne’s on another level, and she’s the only one there as well, so now it’s just a conversation between them. Jackson said “Why don’t you shake your happy ass to to the back of the line?”

A quick brawl broke out and everyone was dumped other than Perez and Vice, who stared out at the bevy of championship suitors, but as the angle stayed on them, Perez was still looking out at the other women while Vice stared at the championship belt clutched in Perez’s hands.

(Wells’s Analysis: Kind of a weird segment where it seemed like a classic setup for a multi-woman match, but instead a quick brawl suggested that Lola Vice is going to be able to call her shot after her win in the Underground match. I had argued that Vice should’ve lost the Underground match as a hard-fought loss would give her even more credibility, but now that I see she’s the next challenger, naturally it was the right call to put her over. This segment wasn’t necessary seamless, but the final moment with Vice’s eyes turning to the belt were engaging)


FINAL THOUGHTS: Kind of a scattershot show, with Cody Rhodes being around for a basic interaction as well as a love tap to AEW, and some just-okay ring work in a few cases. On the upside, Jaida Parker, Dante Chen, Eddy Thorpe, Tavion Heights and Je’Von Evans are improving with every outing, and Wendy Choo got one of the biggest gimmick upgrades since a dentist became a demon. Nate Lindberg will be handling PWT Talks NXT tonight. Thanks for the well-wishes from those few who know what’s going on with me, and I’ll see you next week. Cheers.


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST

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