wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 11.2.21
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hello NXT watchers! It’s Tuesday night, and we’re back for another episode of NXT. I’m Jeremy Thomas, as ever, and with Halloween Havoc in the rearview we have a bunch of new champions, as well as new story directions. Tonight will see new NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose and Toxic Attraction in the house, as well as Dexter Lumis teaming with his father-in-law Johnny Gargano against Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams. Dakota Kai will be in also action and more.
Meanwhile, I’m happy to say that I finished by Hooptober horror viewing challenge for 2021 with a day and a half to spare before Halloween. All I had left were the extra credit viewings, and I liked the silliness of The Scooby-Doo Project while I was less impressed with The Skull and the blaxpoitation possession film J.D.’s Revenge.
Outside of Hooptober though, I saw Last Night in Soho and Dune in theaters, both of which I strongly recommend and expect to see on my Best Of list for 2021 as a whole. I also saw Titane, which is a WILD body horror-tinged film from the director of 2016’s Raw. It is definitely NOT for everyone, but I loved the shit out of it. And finally, I rather liked the 2015 found footage flick Hell House, LLC as well as the new Slumber Party Massacre remake that aired on SYFY recently, even if both were far from perfect.
Anyway, we’re gonna have a lot to cover tonight so let’s hop right in.
As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.
* We’re LIVE in the Capitol Wrestling Center, and we have Mandy Rose coming out right off the bat! She comes down to the ring and holds the title up before getting a mic.
Rose lets the crowd chant her name a bit before saying that damn, it feels good! She says she told us all she was on a whole other level, and the crowd is chanting “YOU DESERVE IT!” She says she knows and doesn’t need our approval. She says she told us all week after week that she’d be champion. And because she’s a woman of her word, she did that and defeated the undefeatable, unstoppable Raquel Gonzalez and became the new NXT Women’s Champion. And most importantly, she’s still the baddest bitch in this whole goddamn company.
She has to say that this title looks good on her, better than on anyone else in the history of the company and we all know it. She says everyone is following every move she makes, and that goes for all of Toxic Attraction who had a hell of a Halloween Havoc. She says she knows we have two thoughts. 1: “Damn I’m hot.” And 2: where are her ladies? She asks where they are, and we go backstage where Jacy and Gigi beat the crap out of Zoey and leave her with an injured knee.
Mandy says she taught them well. She says Toxic Attraction runs NXT and there isn’t a woman, tag team, group or faction who can stop them. That brings out Io Shirai with a mic, and she says she saw what TA did. She doesn’t like Zoey, but she likes Rose even less, so she wants the leader of Toxic Attraction. She wants Rose right here, right now, and steps into the ring. Rose says hold on, because she’s forgetting that everyone else used to be scared of her, but she’s in Rose’s world now. She calls for a referee and then attacks Io from behind, getting her out of the ring and slamming her head on the booth, then into the ringpost!
She slams Io back-first into the apron and rolls her in. She picks up the mic and says this isn’t the old NXT; this is NXT 2.0 and Io will never look like her. Io attacks, taking Mandy down! She hits a release German suplex and then charges in with double knees in the corner! Io goes up top but Gigi and Jacy run in and attack. Io chucks Gigi out of the ring and gets a crossface on Jacy, but they all attack.
But Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter are here! They come to Io’s rescue and send TA out of the ring. Looks like we probably have a six-woman tag match for tonight.
* We’ll hear from Ciampa tonight, as well as Imperium. And Trick and Carmelo will battle Dexter and Gargano. And that will be the main event.
* Toxic Attraction are walking backstage after that, and they run into Dakota Kai who says she didn’t do it (attack Raquel Gonzalez last week) to help Mandy; she did it to end Raquel. And she’s heading to the ring. She’s in action next!
* Cameron Grimes joins Duke’s Poker Room, where the buy-in is $500. Grimes pays, and Hudson says that he should give him the rest of his money to save his embarassment of losing and striking out with the ladies. Grimes says “hit me,” and it’s Texas Poker but he still doesn’t get it so Duke deals the cards.
Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade
Kai attacks right at the bell and batters Jade into the corner. Jade fights out but gets shoved out of the ring. She comes in right into a kick, and Kai snapmares her down before locking in a submission. Jade fights her way out and sends Kai into the ropes, hitting a clotheslline. She comes off with a rana to Kai and hits a jumping knee in the corner, cover gets one and a second cover gets two.
Jade gets Kai up, but Kai picks her up on her back and drops her onto the mat! Kai grabs Jade by her hair and picks her up, but Jade slips off Kai’s shoulder and goes for a sunset flip. No pin, but Kai takes Jade out and hits a big kick for three.
Winner: Dakota Kai (2:25)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: Yeah, this got Kai the win she needed when she returned but it didn’t really mean anything because it wasn’t really a squash so much as a quick win on someone whose credibility Wade Barrett was actively shitting on during the match. New stars, right?
After the match, Kai pulls Jade out of the ring ans stares at her, then grabs her by the hair and drags her toward the steps. Slams Jade into the ringside mats, then goes under for a table. She lays it on a downed Jade and goes up on the apron, but changes her mind and drops to the floor. She looks at Jade, then backs up and grabs the skateboard … and this is going nhowhere fast. She sets the skateboard on Jade’s stomach and…leaves? Okay, then.
* We get a recap of Xyon Quinn slamming Robert Stone into a table last week, and a video of Stone challenging Quinn to face him in the ring.
* MSK is haning out at a bus stop, and Carter isn’t happy about losing the titles. Wes Lee says that they were hunted for so long, they forgot what it means to hunt. Apparently they’re showing up to pay someone for advice. He’s the guy who came up with the legend of MSK, and Carter starts to tell the story when a buss stops in front of them. It leaves just as he finishes the story. Lee says he thinks that was their bus. Carter suggests they just walk, so they do that with Lee getting a piggyback ride from Carter.
* Xyonn Quin is out here with Robert, who says Quinn is jealous of him as is everyone else. And it’s because he can do anything. So first he’s going to outsing Quinn, then he’s gonna stomp Quinn and pin him 1, 2, 3. He says this one is for Franky and he does a really awful performance as Quinn watches bemused.
He says that was awesome and Quinn claps. Stone says the people loved the performance (they didn’t), and he doesn’t know what’s so funny. Does Quinn think he could do a better job? Quinn grabs the mic and says that was pretty interesting. But he only came out to kick Stone’s ass. Stone says Quinn is too chicken to sing as the crowd chants “Kick His Ass.” Quinn says you know what, let’s do it. He asks for some music to play and he performs “Sexy Boy.” Stone charges and Quinn grabs him, wraps him up and dips him while still singing! Stone comes in and gets picked up and then let down, after which Stone decks him. The crowd chants “YOU FUCKED UP!” and they’re right.
Xyon Quinn vs. Robert Stone
Quinn grabs Stone and picks him up, launching him across the ring! The shirt comes off and he launches Stone again, then hits a diving elbow strike in the corner. Fireman’s carry into a swinging drop, Jackhammer, pin.
Winner: Xyon Quinn (0:47)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: Look, this was embarrassing until Xyonn began performing and it got kinda fun. I dug him dealing with Stone will still performing. Otherwise, this wasn’t…great, to see the least
* Joe Gacy vignette in which he says the world should be a happy place, but it’s filled with negativity and points out how social media is like that. He says he hears they call a man a monster, and why? Because he has tattoos and a shaved head? They6 alienate people. And that stops now, because they’ll change the world together.
* Elektra Lopez is walking backstage and walks up to Xyon, saying she didn’t know he had that side to him. He says he has many sides, and that she can work with.
Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner vs. Legado Del Fantasma
KOR and Wilde start off and counter-wrestle for a bit until Wilde locks in a headlock, which Kyle gets out of. They keep trading locks until O’Reilly ends up with a headlock, but Wilde backs up and tags in Mendoza. Mendoza gets sent into the ropes into a submission, Mendoza gets to the ropes and KOR tags in Wagner.
Mendoza with a chop to Wagner and plays keep away from Von in the corner, but he eventually gets caught and slammed. KOR tagged in, he sets Mendoza on the ropes and Wagner leapfrogs Kyle onto Mendoza’s back. KOR works over the back and comes off the ropes with a kneedrop. He locks in a kneeling crossface, then gets Raul up and knees him into the corner before tagging Von in. They alternate kicks and headbutts to Mendoza, KOR leaves and Mendoza manages to take over on Wagner before tagging WIlde in. Wagner comes off the ropes and clotheslines them both down, Legado try to double suplex him and he does it to them instead as we go on PIP break.
We’re back and Wagner is crawling to his corner but Wilde holds on. Wagner kicks him off and KOR and Mendoza tag in, O’Reilly in hot and he lays in kicks and knees to Mendoza before sweeping the kick. He kicks hard at the knee and Elektra Lopez is on the apron to distract Kyle, allowing Mendoza to take him down from behind. Mendoza charges in with a clothesline and tags in Wilde, they trade several tags and clotheslines. Mendoza goes for a suplex and tags in Wilde, Mendoza takes out Wagner and Wilde comes off the top with a senton and cover for two.
Legado double team KOR and whip him across the ring, he gets his foot up when Wilde comes in and sends Mendoza over the ropes. Wagner tags in and goes wild, bit knee lift to Wilde off the ropes and an elevated Downward Spiral to Wilde for two. He goes for a move but Mendoza slides off, he nails Wilde and hits the Olympic Slam! Tag to KOR who kicks Wilde and covers, Mendoza breaks it up. O’Reilly tosses Mendoza and tags in Wagner, but Mendoza takes out KOR during a double team and Wilde gets the roll-up pin.
Winner: Legado del Fantasma (11:00)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: This was perfectly acceptable. I’m not the biggest Wagner fan but he wasn’t bad here.
* McKenzie is backstage with Carmelo Hayes (the “A” champion) and Trick. Hayes says they’re not playing around because they’re back in their court and they don’t miss. Chase comes in to congratulate them, surprising Hayes and Trick that he’s alive. He says he has their back. Chase is asked about social media word that he was a coward last week and he flips out, saying someone’s getting beat up over that.
* Back in the Poker Room and Duke is amazed that Grimes is still hanging around, saying that he has the best luck. Grimes isn’t paying attention and doesn’t get the rules, but he manages to win another hand. Duke says enough of this beginner’s luck. The table winnows down to Hudson and Grimes, and Grimes tells Duke not to trash talk the last loser that way. TO BE CONTINUED…
* Andre Chase is in the ring looking angry, and he gets a mic. The mic doesn’t work and he throws it at the announcer’s desk, then calls for a mic that works. He gets one and says he doesn’t usually respond to baseless rumors, but he was told that after last week there are people on social media calling him a coward. He says normally he’d be furious with anyone that calls him that, but he understands that this is a teachable moment. Tonight we learn that Andre Chase fears nothing. And as his student’s session will attest, he’s the only person to fear around here. He calls anyone who wants a PhD in getting their ass kicked to come on down from the back.
That brings Bron Breakker, and I'[ll just say it in advance: RIP Andre Chase.
Bron Breakker vs. Andre Chase
Chase tries to swing to start and he gets caught, then given a belly-to-belly. Breakker sends Chase over the ropes to the outside, then follows Chase outside and clotheslines him. He throws him in and follows, but Chase is hitting strikes and chops. Chase with a cravat and knees, Breakker comes off the ropes and flattens him, then hits a belly-to-belly. The straps are down and Breakker with the gorilla press into powerslam for the pin.
Winner: Bron Breakker (1:41)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: I already said it, but RIP Andre Chase.
After the match, Breakker gets a mic and says last week at Halloween Havoc, he failed in the biggest match of his life. He said Ciampa set traps that he fell into, and he lost due to his inexperience. He says Ciampa is the man in NXT, but there’s nothing that pisses him off more than losing. He says he will get another shot at that title and he’ll beat Ciampa or die trying.
* McKenzie asks Imperium about their win and asks how it feels. Barthell says we’re welcome for being saved from MSK. Aicher says they don’t compromise, and Jacy and Gigi come in to flirt. She says they have a six-woman tag match next week, and Imperium should watch. Barthel says “The mat is sacred, but America has its benefits.”
* Lash Legend previews Lashing Out with Tony D’Angelo, which is up next.
* It’s time for Lashing Out with Lash Legend. Lash welcomes us and says November is here, but we have to talk about Halloween Havoc first. She clowns Von Wagner’s Brad Pitt look and Grayson Waller’s Dracula, saying she’s the only host in NXT.
Lash then welcomes Tony, then says “No, absolutely not.” She points out her producer Mark vanished after telling Tony no. But Mark is in the studio in a sling. He sits down, and Tony tells him to say hi to his wife. Tony says Mark has a big house with a big tire swing and mentions Mark’s two boys, forcing him to say hi to them.
Tony intimidates Mark into saying everything’s alright, then tells him to take a hike. Tony says his goals are make money and smack guys around like Dexter, Gargano, Dunne, and Ciampa. He asks if they can wrap this up and Lash starts to get pissed until Tony gives her some money and she closes the show.
* In an update, Zoey Stark has been taken to the hospital and we’ll learn more on social media.
Solo Sikoa vs. Jeet Rama
Jeet and Solo circle and lock up, Solo hits knee lifts and headbuts. He kicks Jeet into the corner and clotheslines him on the way back out. Solo picks Jeet up, who hits a couple shots before getting sent into the corner and splashed. Sikora with a hip smash in the corner, and he hits a roundhouse kick on Rama who was on his knees.
Sikoa goes up top, Superfly Splash, gets three.
Winner: Solo Sikoa (1:31)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP Jeet Rama.
* Tian Sha are backstage and Boa says it’s time. He walks his way out, and he’s apparently facing Grayson Waller next with LA Knight on commentary.
* Brooks Jenson and Josh Briggs talk while separately grilling about their origins growing up.
Boa vs. Grayson Waller
Boa charges in but Waller dodges and hits some jabs, but Boa hits some kicks in response. Waller dodges a kick and rolls Boa up for one, then backslides him and rolls him up for a couple other one-counts. Boa sends Waller into the corner and puts him through the ropes, kicking his back and slamming him to the mat. Snapmare and a kick to the back, he gets Waller up and shrugs off some shots before locking in a straightjacket submission.
Waller manages to get to his feet and flips Boa off, he hits a back elbow on a charging Boa and begins to take over. Knees to Boa and a big forearm. Knight takes a walk and distracts Waller, allowing Boa to knock him off the middle rope and hit a roundhouse for three.
Winner: Boa (2:27)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: It was about the angle, not the match.
* Duke tells Grimes he has him where he wants, but Grimes calls. They start the raising process, Grimes calls and after the next call, Duke raises $1,000. Duke crows and goes all in. Grimes calls and he has a full house, winning. Duke is shocked, and everyone leaves with Grimes as Duke table flips.
* Tommaso Ciampa is coming out to the ring next.
* Kay Lee Ray says the landscape in NXT is always changing. But what about her? She is here to make everyone pay, and next week she starts to rage.
* Boa goes backstage but Mei Ying is not there. She kneels in front of the throne and turns around, now with facepaint and blowing smoke.
* And here comes Ciampa to the ring. He says Halloween Havoc was a changing of the guard in NXT. The crowd chants for him and he says he loves then. But back to the point, there was a shift with Imperium, Mandy, and TA all winning titles. And Breakker was supposed to win, but no one told Ciampa. He says Breakker earned his respect last week, but at the end of the day one thing was certain: Tommaso Ciampa was the god of NXT.
He says with the title comes great responsibility: a target on his back. And usually about now is the time — and yet, here come Carmelo and Trick. Melo says he hates to be the guy, but let’s face it. He is that guy, and he needs to put Ciampa in check because it’s not about him anymore. There’s a new school on the rise and he’s the leader of it. With disrespect, as long as Hayes is on this show with his title, Ciampa will take a backseat. Because he is the A champion, and that’s all that’s gonna be.
The crowd chants “Ciampa’s Gonna Kill You.” Ciampa says its hard to hear them over that, but Melo almost had him until he took his shades off. And then, Ciampa saw he didn’t mean a word of it. He challenges Hayes to get froggy. Trick says last he heard, they were in the main event and not Ciampa. Ciampa knocks Trick down and faces off with Melo before leaving.
And as he backs up, The Way’s music plays! Here comes Gargano, who walks up to Ciampa. They stay off, and we’re on break.
Dexter Lumis & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
Lumis starts against Trick, who talks a lot of trash and roundhouses the air before tagging in Hayes. Hayes isn’t cool with it and tags in Trick, they argue until Lumis crawls over and Trick attacks from behind. But that doesn’t last long before Lumis is sent into the ropes and comes off with a tackle, then tags in Gargano for an axhehandle off the ropes. Lumis then tags in, leaps off the top and nails Trick once he landed.
Hayes tagged in and tries to kick Lumis but his boot gets caugt. Gargano tags in and faces off with Hayes, they shove each other and do some counter-wrestling into a stalemate until Gargano goes over the top to the apron and leaps in with a spear through the ropes on Hayes. Big chop by Johnny and he tags in Lumis, double whip into the ropes and they catch Melo, send him back to Trick who comes into the ring, then hits them both with a hip toss. Melo and Trick to the outside, and Gargano joins Lumis in crawling to the end of the ring to freak them out! And we’re on PIP break.
Back from break and Hayes and Trick have been in control during the break, but Gargano gets an opening when he dodges a splash by Trick. He hits an enzuigiri, but Hayes knocks Lumis off the apron. Trick takes Gargano down and Hayes tags in. Trick helps him hit an elevated legdrop for two.
Hayes now kicks at Gargano and tags in Trick, who works Johnny over in the corner. He charges in but Gargano gets the boot up, he leaps to make the tag but gets caught, struggling with Trick before he gets it! Lumis in hit, bulldog to Hayes and he sends Trick over the ropes to the outside. Back suplex to Hayes, he kips up right into a leg drop! Slingshot suplex off the ropes and a cover for almost three.
Lumis goes for another back suplex but Hayes flips out and tacks in Trick, while Lumis tags in Gargano. He ducks some kicks by Trick and tags in Lumis — THE GLOVES ARE ON BOTH MEN! Lumis hits a top-rope elbow drop for two, broken up by Hayes. Hayes pulls Trick to the corner and tags in, Lumis tags in Gargano who throws the glove off. They meet in the center of the ring, Hayes with a forearm shot and Johnny answers with one of his own. Chop by Hayes, chop by Johnny. Chop to the throat by Hayes, and Gargano fires back with repeated punches! Hayes flips over Gargano, they counter each other but Hayes with kicks; Gargano off the ropes with a BIG clothesline! Lumis tagged in, he locks in the sleeper and Trick hits him in the head with his boot! Gargano takes out Trick but Hayes with the top-rope Famouser for the pin!
Winner: Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams (12:28)
Rating: ***
Thoughts: This was quite good all in all. All four men worked well together, Lumis looked better than usual, and Hayes gets a big win here. Works for me.
And with that, we’re done for the night!
