wrestling / TV Reports
Hall’s WWE NXT Review 9.21.21
Image Credit: WWE/Twitter
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Date: September 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett
It’s time for NXT 2.0 2.0 as we are past the big debut last week. The show included a new NXT Champion in Tommaso Ciampa and the wedding between Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell. I’m not sure where we’re going from here but that’s what makes it fun. Allegedly. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s show.
Opening sequence.
A bunch of newcomers, including Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes and Odyssey Jones, are in the ring to start and here is new NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. The fans are glad to see Ciampa as he talks about going 908 days between NXT Title reigns. Now he is here as YOUR NXT Champion and Ciampa tells Goldie that he missed it too. Ciampa turns around and hypes up all of the new stars around here before declaring himself Mr. NXT.
You can put a new coat of paint on here but what matters most is the passion. That is what makes NXT NXT, from the commentary team to the ring announcer to the fans and WE ARE NXT! Cue Cameron Grimes to say that the title is the rocket fuel he needs to go TO THE MOON but Joe Gacy cuts him off. Before Gacy can say much, here is LA Knight to interrupt and call everything in the ring a heap of hot garbage. He should be getting the YOU DESERVE IT chants but….and Odyssey Jones cuts him off, saying Knight lost twice last week.
Before that can go anywhere though, Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland cut everyone off. Dunne tells the newcomer to make names for themselves but he sees a bunch of old people scared to throw the first punch. Ciampa throws the first punch and it’s a huge brawl, with more people joining in. Eventually Ciampa and Breakker are left alone, last clearing out Holland and Dunne. Sounds like a main event to me.
A bunch of women, including Kay Lee Ray, are having a brawl in the back.
Back in the arena, Breakker and Ciampa clear the ring again and Breakker issues the challenge for the tag match tonight. I’m not big on having a bunch of people coming out before anyone can really say anything and that was the case again here.
Cruiserweight Title: Roderick Strong vs. Kushida
Strong is challenging and has the rest of the Diamond Mine with him. They go technical to start with Kushida going after the leg and then the arm, with Strong bailing to the floor. We take a break and come back with Kushida armdragging out of an Angle Slam and hitting the basement dropkick.
An armbar takedown off the top sets up a running kick to Strong’s arm but he kicks Kushida in the face as well. Now the Angle Slam can connect for two but Kushida slaps on the Hoverboard Lock. Strong is all but ready to tap when Malcolm Bivens puts his foot on the rope. Bivens tries to come in, allowing the rest of the Diamond Mine to jump Kushida. End of Heartache gives Strong the pin and the title at 9:00.
Rating: B-. This was about all they could have done as there was zero doubt about the winner. Kushida’s days as champion had been numbered since Strong got the title shot and it is smart to just get it out of the way. They did what they needed to do here and the match itself was the quality you would expect from these two.
Post match here is Grayson Waller to issue the challenge for the title shot for next week. Waller taunts Strong for needing his daddy’s permission and the match seems to be set.
Tony D’Angelo, who still seems to have mob connections, talks about working on the docks and having success. He’ll have success in WWE as well.
Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen talk about getting in a bar fight back in July (and there is security footage) that made them respect each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s a street fight, a bar fight or a dog fight because they’re going to end the fight. This right here is EXACTLY what these new wrestlers need: a short, to the point explanation of who they are and what they’re all about. More of this kind of stuff.
Amari Miller vs. Kay Lee Ray
Miller cuts a very scripted promo about how she is from Missouri, the Show Me State, and is ready to show up/out. Ray knocks her down to start and hits a dropkick to do it again. The KLR (Gory) Bomb finishes Miller at 1:38. Total squash.
Earlier today, an unnamed wrestler held the door open for two women coming into the building. Another wrestler tried to come in but got punched out for his efforts. If I’m supposed to know who these people were, I’m a bit behind.
Dante Chen vs. Trey Baxter
Chen is the first ever WWE wrestler from Singapore. Baxter grabs a quick backbreaker into a half nelson suplex. A small package is countered into a suplex version of Angel Garza’s Wing Clipper to give Chen the pin at 1:01.
We go to Andre Chase University, where Chase doesn’t think much of Odyssey Jones. A student named Steve points out that Jones beat Chase in the first round, earning himself an ejection. Chase also throws a chair ala Bobby Knight (basketball coach). So he’s taking over Timothy Thatcher’s old job?
We get some medical updates: Kyle O’Reilly is week to week with a rib injury and HHH is doing better.
Video on Cameron Grimes.
Joe Gacy is sitting in a chair in the ring and talks about all of the violence around here. We settle differences around here but he comes from a place of conflict resolution. He doesn’t need to use his male privilege to get what he wants and he wants to show you that we can have peace in this safe space. That starts tonight.
Cameron Grimes vs. Joe Gacy
Gacy is in street clothes and doesn’t seem to want to fight. Grimes tries a rollup but settles for a kick to the chest. Back up and Gacy hits his own kick to the face, setting up a swinging Rock Bottom. The chinlock goes on until Grimes fights up, only to be taken down by the handspring clothesline. Not that it matters as Grimes finishes with the Cave In at 2:48. I’m not sure how much of a shelf live Joe Gacy: Conflict Resolver is going to have, while Grimes should be on his way to the main event scene weeks ago.
Post match Grimes goes for a hug but Gacy storms off.
Video on last week’s wedding. Next week: the honeymoon.
Video on Von Wagner.
Elektra Lopez vs. Anna Scheer
Lopez runs her over with a shoulder and yells a lot. Some rolling suplexes are spun into a powerbomb to finish Scheer at 1:30.
Post match Santos Escobar praises Lopez, who declares herself as the first lady of Legado del Fantasma. Lopez promises to take out B Fab, who comes out for the pull apart brawl.
Trey Baxter is upset at his lost but his girlfriend, Cora Jade, comes in to say he’s a superhero. Baxter gets a kiss as well and seems to calm down.
Frankie Monet tells Raquel Gonzalez that their title match is next week. That’s cool with Gonzalez, but here is Lash Legend to say her talk show debuts next week. That’s worth talking about.
Odyssey Jones vs. ???/???
Jones throws them around to start and hits some running splashes in the corner. Cue Andre Chase as Jones hits a double crossbody. There’s a shoulder breaker to drop one of them so the second jumps on Jones’ back. This goes as well as expected and a middle rope splash crushes both of them for the double pin at 2:48. That’s a good way to use Jones.
Post match Chase comes in with a chair, but Jones blocks the shot, breaking the chair in the process.
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams come in to see Grayson Waller and point out the contract Hayes has from winning the Breakout Tournament. Gigi Dolin, Mandy Rose and Jacy Jayne (collectively known as Toxic Attraction) come in, leaving Hayes and Williams impressed.
Ikemen Jiro shows us all of his jackets.
Here is Toxic Attraction for a chat. Mandy Rose talks about how she is a star that fans love to look at, but where were they when her face was broken? No one did anything but ridicule her and turned her into an instant gif. People treated her like they treated Gigi and Jacy, but they don’t give a d*** about what the people think.
They have made her realize that there is a beast behind the beauty and they are going to take over. Gigi talks about how evil she is but Mandy has to cut her off, telling the crowd to say WHAT if they don’t think she is the hottest thing alive. Jane says they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles to wrap this up.
Io Shirai seems ready to defend the titles, but Zoey Stark thinks it is a decision they should make together. Persia comes in to say Indi Hartwell will want a rematch for the titles after her honeymoon.
Next week: the Women’s Tag Team, Cruiserweight and Women’s Titles are all on the line.
Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Pete Dunne/Ridge Holland
Ciampa tries for a very fast Fairy Tale Ending on Dunne but has to duck an enziguri instead. We get an early standoff so Breakker comes in to shoulder Holland down. Holland drops to the mat so Breakker rolls over and picks him up for t-bone drop. Dunne comes in and gets dropped as well so it’s off to Ciampa for a quickly broken chinlock. This time Dunne is able to take over on Ciampa and starts working on his hand as Dunne is known to do.
A hard stomp to the ribs keeps Ciampa down but he fights back up with some forearms to the face. They fight to the floor where Holland BLASTS Ciampa with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Breakker cleaning house with a variety of Stei….Breakker style suplexes. A Breakker Recliner has Dunne in more trouble but he slips the arms out to escape.
Holland breaks it up and hits an Alabama Slam as everything breaks down. Breakker and Holland bust out suplexes, leaving us with the big power showdown. They trade standing clotheslines until it’s a double clothesline to put them both down again. Dunne tries to bring in Holland’s stick but Ciampa makes the save. Holland breaks up Breakker’s gorilla press powerslam but here is Kyle O’Reilly to hit Holland with the stick. Willow’s Bell plants Dunne and Breakker hits the gorilla press powerslam to finish Holland (who leans up to whisper something to Breakker during the cover) at 12:23.
Rating: B. He wrestles like a Steiner, he looks like a Steiner, he talks like a Steiner and EVERYONE KNOWS HE’S A STEINER, so let’s call him Breakker instead. This was another good showcase for Breakker, who is clearly the next breakout star around here. That powerslam to Holland was great and you can see that they aren’t waiting around with him. Good main event, with a few matches being set up for the future.
Post match Breakker hands Ciampa the title, which does not seem to sit well with the champ. They pose together anyway as replays end the show.
Results
Roderick Strong b. Kushida – End of Heartache
Kay Lee Ray b. Amari Miller – KLR Bomb
Dante Chen b. Trey Baxter – Suplex drop
Cameron Grimes b. Joe Gacy – Cave In
Elektra Lopez b. Anna Scheer – Powerbomb
Odyssey Jones b. ???/??? – Double splash
Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa b. Pete Dunne/Ridge Holland – Gorilla press powerslam to Holland
