411’s WWE LFG Season Three Report: Episode Seven

-Written: 6.7.26
-Source: A&E
-Run Time: 1 Hour (w/ commercials)

-Plugs: Episodes: Retro Review: NXT Takeover

–Last week we had the greatest match in LFG history, so no pressure following that this week.

-Joe Tessitore is our narrator.

-Kevin Owens, Booker T, Nattie, and Bubba Ray Dudley are our Legends. Matt Bloom is the head trainer at The PC and Shawn Michaels is in charge of NXT.

-Then! Now! Forever! Together!

-We start at the PC with Keanu Carver working in the gym. He states he outworks everyone each day. His goal is to be Champion on NXT. Shawn pops in and tells Keanu he isn’t very popular on LFG. He says there is an opportunity to move up to NXT and Keanu is ready to go. “I am done with LFG, so I don’t have to answer any of your questions.”

-Show opening!

-We are at the table and this week we have Johnny Gargano as a special guest. No Bubba and No Nattie, but Booker and KO are still here. Johnny gets to work with Harlem Lewis and he will face Tate Wilder. Bloom wants to see more emotion and not motion from him.

-Booker gets PJ Vasa and Masyn Holiday. This will be Masyn’s first single’s match (when this was taped). Bloom said she has a toolbox, but needs to show something a little different.

-KO says he was ousted from the announce booth by Booker. Booker says they were a man down so he put in a word for Booker to work with the Future Greats this week. KO gets Elijah Holyfield and his match will be against Apollo Crews. Wow! It seems Crews liked what he saw and asked to work in the ring with Elijah. KO says if you can’t have a good match with Apollo, then not good.

-We see Johnny working with Tate and Harlem. He talks about his history in NXT and we see his initial tryout, where he was told no. BLACK AND GOLD NXT! JOHNNY WRESTLING! Harlem says he was in Japan and picked up a bunch of tapes and one was Evolve 8 with Johnny in th eMain Event and they show us the footage. You can tell Johnny loves wrestling as he is getting hyped just throwing out ideas to these guys. This man is going to kill it if he chooses to work as a trainer or agent.

-Commercials!

Tate Wilder vs. Harlem Lewis

-Both these guys are big players in Evolve and are familiar with each other. Lockup and Lewis gets a side headlock. Head scissors by Tate to counter. They grapple on the mat and Tate ends up with a side headlock. Harlem shoves off and gets a slam. Tate avoids a charge and sends Harlem to the floor with a dropkick. Tate kicks off the post in the corner and hits a moonsault on the floor. Nice! Back in the ring he gets a running clothesline. Tate off the top with a cross-body, but no cover. Tate springs off the bottom rope, but gets caught with a clothesline. The announcers keep talking about an eye issue for Tate, so no clue if he got caught for real. Lewis drops Tate throat first on the top rope and hits a hard clothesline for two. Booker tells the others he likes Harlem, but there is something missing. Johnny thinks he is holding back. KO doesn’t believe the act and thinks he is putting on. Booker agrees as they don’t think Harlem needs to act intimidating. Tate off the ropes with a springboard clothesline. Now he gets a clothesline. The Legends think someone looks tired though they didn’t say a name. Tate up top, but Harlem meets him up there. Superplex is blocked and Tate knocks Harlem down. Tate with a cross-body, but Harley rolls through with him and hits The Boomslang for the pin at 5:28.

Winner: Harlem Lewis via pin at 5:28
-This was fine though it did slow down after a good start. I think they would give us something much better today in Evolve. **

-Commercials!

-Back to discuss Tate’s eye. He says he could not see anything at all. He tells the doctor it feels like sandpaper in the match. Tate tells Harlem it happened during the first headlock takeover and they were kind of doomed from there.

-Bloom says he was proud of them and says next time don’t poke a guy’s out 30 seconds into the match. He tells Tate he has to find the kink in his armor to go with his pretty offense.

-Over to Booker, who is telling PJ and Masyn the difference between being a star and Superstar. Booker puts over Masyn’s charisma and knows it is sink or swim time for her. PJ says working with Booker is like catching up with an old friend. Masyn knows she is about to get her ass kicked today.

-Commercials!

Masyn Holiday vs. PJ Vasa

-Masyn has been a staple on Evolve and PJ has been the monster of the women’s division. PJ charges and runs Masyn into the corner. She throws some gut punches and then runs Masyn into the corner. He connects with a running splash in the corner, which pops Booker. Another one followed by a sidewalk slam for two. Masyn avoids a leg drop and hits an awkward splash to a seated PJ. PJ catches Masyn, who kicks and fights her way out. She avoids a clothesline and hits a back elbow for two. Masyn runs into a Black Hole Slam for two. Booker admits he bit on that being the finish. Backbreaker from PJ! Another one! Sidewalk slam for two. PK hooks a chinlock and Masyn tries her best to fight out. She avoids a charge in the corner and gets a roll-up for two. PJ runs her down with a clothesline. She misses a splash and Masyn gets a series of forearms. Neckbreaker connects! PJ misses another corner splash. Masyn goes for a suplex but yeah, no. She does get a small package for the pin at 5:00.

Winner: Masyn Holiday via pin at 5:00
-This was pretty good as they told a story that always works. PJ dominated as Masyn had to fight from underneath. They got the crowd into the match and Masyn gets the upset win with a small package. **3/4

-Commercials!

-Booker gives his thoughts to PJ and Masyn backstage. He tells PJ she looked a lot better tonight. He notes she does slow down a bit when she is going to miss something to help Masyn out. He thinks they used shooting off the ropes too much and why they got winded. He loved the Boss Man/Black Hole Slam and wants to see more of that.

-Bloom tells PJ her whip to the corner is too much arm and not enough body. He wants her emotions to change when the underdog nearly gets a win. He wants Masyn to hit harder with her clotheslines and forearms.

-KO is talking to Elijah and Apollo. He tells Elijah that the office sees a lot in him and this is his chance to show out as he better be able to have a good match with Apollo. Elijah says he has looked up to Apollo since he has been in the PC. Kind of sucks that Apollo is getting some love here and he was released post Mania. Oh, I forgot to mention KO is wearing a “Sami Zayn Forever” shirt. KO is great! KO gives them a tip about going to a suplex if you get lost because it is easy to talk to each other. He says he was never told that, but figured it out and it worked for him.

-Commercials!

Elijah Holyfield vs. Apollo Crews

-This is our Main Event as we are in the NXT Arena with a full crowd. The crowd is pretty excited to have Apollo out there. Lockup and Holyfield backs Apollo into a corner, but gives a clean break. Apollo grabs a side headlock and they run into each other. They get into each other’s face and start trading shoulder tackles until someone budges and it’s Crews who gets sent to the floor (landing on his feet). “Holyfield” chant from the crowd. Apollo claps for Elijah before getting back in the ring. Apollo lands a back elbow, but Elijah lands a strike of his own and gets a shoulder block in the corner. He goes for another, but Apollo moves and Elijah hits post. Crews goes after the bad arm with strikes and a dropkick to the arm. It’s pretty sweet to see how much better this stuff looks coming from Apollo vs. the kids that have been on this show. Belly-to-back suplex from Apollo, but he misses an elbow. Pump Kick misses and Holyfield gets a slam. Apollo rolls to the floor and pulls Elijah out. The trade forearms and Elijah misses a punch and hits the post. That looked fantastic and Elijah sold the crap out of it. Apollo hurries back in and gets a roll-up for the pin at 4:34.

Winner: Apollo Crews via pin at 4:34
-That was strong as Apollo was his normal rock, solid self. I loved the finish with the post punch. Apollo should have gone over, but he protected the kid with the post punch and then getting the win with a roll-up. **3/4

-Shawn gives Elijah some feedback as he comes through the curtain. He wants the tackles to be a bit better. Apollo tells Elijah he caught him with one of the elbows and had to give him one back. They hug and Apollo tells him he will be there as Elijah makes his rise.

-KO tells Elijah to make sure he sells more and needs to tell Bloom to get him on as many live shows as possible. Good advice! Apollo thinks they need to explore this more and to be on the look out. Well, sadly, that won’t happen anytime soon.

-Another good episode. Nothing could match what we see last week with that Main Event, but I really enjoyed the last two matches. I say it every week, but it needs repeated. This format works so much better for this show. Thanks for reading!