wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 12.21.21
Loading...Hello NXT fans and hate-watchers! It’s Tuesday, and thus we prepare for another episode of WWE NXT. I’m Jeremy Thomas, here with you as always, and tonight we have the arrival of the Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, to confront Grayson Waller in what is sure to be an interesting segment. Plus Raquel Gonzalez will take on Dakota Kai in a street fight, Dexter Lumis seeks revenge on Trick Williams and more. It’s going to be a busy episode of NXT, and one with a lot of potential even if the NEW LIME GREEN COLOR OF NXT ON THE WWE WEBSITE IS MAKING MY FUCKING EYES BLEED.
Sorry, had to get that out. Seriously, it’s god damned awful.
Anyway, it’s been a fairly busy place here at the Thomas household as always, but especially as we get toward the end of the year. The past week saw me do some current movie-watching and some catchup for 2021, as I watched the very enjoyable Jakob’s Wife and the merely-okay Bloodthirsty on on Shudder, as well as the also-okay Rumble on Paramount+. I also saw Spider-Man: No Way Home on Thursday night because there was no way my ass was getting spoiled on it, and I was not disappointed. It was the most fun theatrical experience I’ve had since Avengers: Endgame
Finally, I’ve been catching up on Showtime’s must-see survival horror drama Yellowjackets, as well as keeping up on Hawkeye. And I watched last night’s Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season finale which was everything I hoped.
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 Tommaso Ciampa is in the ring with a mic! He raises the title high and then goes to speak, but the crowd chants stop him for a moment. He says he has a bit to get off his chest and that as NXT Champion is hunted. But as champion he’s a bit different than other champions, because he does the hunting. And last week, Bron Breakker was the hunter. He says he knows Bron wants to interrupt him and probably will, but he doesn’t need to because Ciampa is inviting him to the ring so he can say what he needs to face-to-face.
Sure enough, Bron’s music plays and out comes Bron. He gets in the ring and goes to get a mic, but Ciampa says he doesn’t need that. He already knows what Bron’s thinking as does everyone else. He knows Bron will say he made a statement by spearing him through a table, pressed him over his head and drove him to the canvas, pinning him 1-2-3. He says Bron doesn’t just want another shot at the title; he earned another shot. And he didn’t just earn it on any show, he earned it on a big stage like New Year’s Evil! That’s what Bron’s thinking, and Ciampa says he agrees. Bron deserves this, and let’s just hope he doesn’t drown again like he did last time. Ciampa says he wants Bron to remember that in two weeks at New Year’s Evil he’s getting his second chance when most people don’t even get one. Because he earned it. But he wants Bron to remember what Ciampa said about jumping into the deep end, because Bron is inexperienced in the ring and in life. He has strength for days, but he’s not ready to be a champion in Ciampa’s NXT.
Ciampa talks about Sami Zayn, KO, Nakamura, and Balor. Guys like Ciampa — all guys who spent a decade before WWE, and then another decade perfecting their craft. And Bron has what, 10 – 20 matches? And Ciampa isn’t trying to be disrespectful; Bron is doing great. But Ciampa doesn’t know if Bron is ready for all this including the responsibility. It’s too much, too soon. Look at what happened at Halloween Havoc — one slip off the ropes and it’s gone. And Bron has it in his head that he’ll win at New Year’s Evil, take it home for his family and get praise from his champion. And then reality hits — SLAP! And that reality is Tommaso Ciampa, the greatest NXT Champion of all time —
And Bron grabs Ciampa by the throat! He picks him up over his head — and then lets him down. He picks up the title and says at New Year’s Evil, the shark is going to eat Ciampa alive. He shoves the title back in a shaken Ciampa’s hands, and walks out of the ring.
* We get a replay of Grayson Waller’s video taking shots at AJ Styles over the weekend talking about how AJ Styles is just hanging on like Gargano. He tells Styles to get a haircut and that if he was on Tindr, he’d be getting left swipes all over the place. He says he might start calling himself Phenomenal Grayson Waller, and compare Styles to his mom. Styles is here tonight.
* Backstage, Raquel Gonzalez is walking backstage and Dakota Kai tries to run a production cart into her. She attacks Raquel and grabs a pipe, but Raquel yanks it away. Kai goes for a rana but Rauqel catches her and slams her into some equipment. She picks Kai up and sslams her into grating, tries it again but Kai slides out. She kicks Raquel down a couple of times and grabs a chair, while Raquel grabs a lighting rig and uses it to smash into Kai!
Raquel snake eyes-es Kai onto a production cart and stalks after her when she gets up. Kai starts throwing things at Raquel but gets a big boot to the face. Gonzalez shoves a production cart at Kai, but she moves and grabs a garbage can to throw into Raquel. Another can toss, and then a kick takes Raquel down. Laughing, Kai goes to a table as officials argue the match hasn’t stared. Raquel is up now and runs over Kai with a hand cart, then crashes the cart with Kai on it into the rolling door. Kai manages to get past Raquel and goes outside, and Raquel is following.
Outside, Raquel grabs Kai and throws her into the door, and we’re on PIP break.
Street Fight
Dakota Kai vs. Raquel Gonzalez
I’m starting the timer from when the bell rung during the commercial break. Gonzalez in control and she grabs a garbage can and kendo sticks from under the ring, then grabs the steel steps and tries to hit Kai with them. But Kai moves and kicks Raquel into the steps. Kai in control now and throws Gonzalez into the Plexiglas. She lays in a pcouple punches to the back, but Raquel up and fights back. She throws Kai into the apron, shoves her back and Kai runs in! Raquel puts her up and over onto the apron, Kai with a kick to the head and ends up on Raquel’s shoulders.
Kai puts Raquel down with a stomp to the head, then gets a table out from under the ring. She pushes the table into the ring, but Raquel grabs it from the other side and shoves it into Kai’s gut. Raquel in and sets up a chair, Kai comes in and gets picked up and dropped onto the chair! Raquel sets the table up in the corner, Kai charges at her and ends up picked up into a powerbomb position but fights back with punches! Both women tumble to the outside, with Kai back in control. She puts a garbage can around Raquel’s body and leaps off the apron into a double stomp onto the can!
Kai now with a front facelock, Raquel gets out and Kai with an inverted facelock but Gonzalez powers out and powerbombs Kai onto the steel steps! She grabs Kai, talking shit, but Kai with a defiant shot! That enrages Raquel, who chokes her on the announcer’s table and then rolls her into the ring. Gonzalez back in, she’s kicked in the head but gets right back up and grabs Kai — CHINGONA BOMB ONTO A GARBAGE CAN! That’s it.
Winner: Raquel Gonzalez (7:02)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: It was a pretty standard street fight. It was a lot of chaos, foreign objects, and such. It was far from the most memorable of these, but it was the right way to end this feud — if in fact this feud is ending, as I hope it does at this point. These two have been great against each other but it is time to move on.
After the match, Raquel says she’s tired of waiting and calls out Mandy Rose, saying she wants her title match NOW. And we’re on break!
* We get a vignette from Tony D’Angelo talking about how he’s been honest from the beginning and done everything he said he would. He says he fears no one, especially Pete Dunne. Tony says he walked in, targeted the baddest man in NXT in Dunne, and put his head into the cage. He says Dunne did nothing when he took his mouthguard and that while Dunne tried to snap his fingers and embarass him, two can play at that game.
* Raquel is in the ring still calling for her match when Cora Jade comes out and says that she knows Raquel wants her title match, but she wants revenge for their trying to rip her arm out of her socket. Jade says that the only way to do that is cut the head off the snake, and how Mandy doesn’t want to face her for the title.
Raquel says that she and Jade are friends, and puts Jade over but she says that when the title’s on the line, it’s every woman for herself. Rose then appears on the Tron from a pool, and she says that Raquel was the champion until Rose got her, and Jade is trying to hang her jacket on a fluke win. Rose says they’re jealous of her, but she’s feeling generous so it’ll be a triple threat match between them at New Year’s Evil.
Rose says they’re getting a title shot and an ass-whipping all in one night, as Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne attack with kendo sticks! They put Raquel through Chekov’s table and leave both women down and out as Rose beams from the Tron.
* We go to a recap of Harland throwing Brian Kendrick down a flight of steps, and Vic Joseph says that Joe Gacy and Harland want to issue a public apology.
Joe appears from elsewhere and says that Harland wants to apologize, but he’s a sensitive man and is far too shook up to speak but we can see the concern on his face. Gacy says that Kendrick’s look on his face took him back to a place when he wasn’t in a good place. He says Kendrick put his hands on Harland and yelled at him, calling him a freak when they were trying to leave. He says one could say Kendrick put it on himself, though he himself won’t say that. He hopes they can just learn from this.
* Backstage, James Drake is shocked by a Creed Brothers training video and Gibson walks in. He says he hates cocky people, and says they won’t beat the Creeds with brawn, but brains. That match is next.
* Persia Pirotta walks up to Indi Hartwell and says their match got postponed. Before she can react, Grayson Waller comes in. Indi is livid about Waller’s attack on Johnny Gargano, and Persia says that he needs to be worried about AJ Styles. Waller shurgs it off and says they’re Australian stars together and Indi needs to get over it. That doesn’t happen and Indi wants to attack, but Persia holds her back and tells Grayson to leave which he does.
Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Gibson starts against Julius, who takes him down and then puts him into the ropes. Julius gets sent into the ropes and Gibson goes for a hiptoss, but Julius blacks it and takes Gibson down. Brutus tags in and gets suplexed onto Gibson.
The Creeds use quick tags to work Gibson over and Julius whips Gibson across the ring, but Drake takes a hit to protect his partner. GYV take over and Drake in briefly to work him over before Gibson is back in, takedown for a two-count. Gibson goes for a suplex but Julius blocks it and suplexes Gibson. He goes for the tag but Drake tags in and my feed cut out here for a moment (thanks Xfinity).
We come back in with Brutus picking Drake up with a powerbomb on Drake and covers for a nearfall. Gibson distracts Brutus and that allows Drake to kick him through the ropes, Gibson picks hium up and Drake with a dive to take him down!
And here’s Jacket Time for some reason with a table as we go to break.
We’re back and Jacket Time are now the Japanese announce team as Gibson is in control of Brutus in the ring with a Cobra Clutch chinlock. Drake tags in with a forearm to the jaw and then locks in a side headlock. And here come Briggs and Jensen down the entrance way to watch.
Drake has Brutus in a front facelock and his holding him back from tagging in Julius, but Brutus with a backdrop and tags in Julius! Julius in hot, knocks Gibson off the apron and hits a big clotheseline. Brutus back in with a big powerslam for two. Brutus in control briefly until Gibson grabs his legs on the outside and Drake dives onto him. Gibson goes to powerbomb Brutus through the Japanese announce table, Julius makes the save and it ends in a DQ as it becomes a four-team brawl.
Winner: Double DQ (10:43)
Rating: **
Thoughts: It was probably a good match somewhere between all the nonsense, the constant cutting to Jacket Time, and the commercial break. Hell if I could see it though.
* McKenzie Mitchell is with Carmelo and Trick and asks if Trick is going to conquer his fear against Dexter Lumis tonight. Hayes says Trick isn’t scared of anything unlike Roderick Strong. Trick says Lumis walks around with his eyes wide and his thumb up. He does that tonight, his thumb will end up going up his ass. Lumis appears on the screen and spooks Trick, who runs off with Melo.
* Zoey Stark is at rehab with Io Shirai earlier today, thanking Io for joining him. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza want their spot and it turns into an argument until Elektra Lopez walks in and says Io is here being all crazy with her ranting, but she’s not scared of her. They leave and Zoey says Io likes her, which Io denies.
Dexter Lumis vs. Trick Williams
Trick talks some trash and feints to attack, to no reaction to Lumis. Lumis does the same and Tick falls back. Williams goes for a kick, but Dexter catches it and shoves him to the mat. Williams gets some advice from Melo but Lumis crawls up to him, sending him out of the ring and sending Lumis to stalk him back in.
Lumis takes over back in the ring and wrenches on Trick’s head as the Diamond Mine appears in the podium spot and Melo talks trash. Williams gets decked and sent off the ropes, he goes over Lumis and knocks him down. Williams with shots to Lumis and he leaves him on the apron, then comes off the ropes for a baseball slide but Lumis moves and catches Trick in the apron. Hayes and Lumis face off, Lumis has Hayes’ attention until Strong comes down and beats on Hayes, sending him away from ringside.
Lumis beats on Trick a but but Williams turns it around back in the ring and bodyslams him for one. Uppercut from Trick and another bodyslam, cover for two. Chinlock from Lumis, Lumis struggles but gets to his feet for some elbows to the gut before Trick slams him back down and locks the chinlock back on. Lumis back to his feet, he snapmares Lumis and then hits a big uppercut before clotheslining Trick in the corner and bulldogging him to the mat. Back suplex and a kippup into a leg drop.
Lumis with punches and kicks in the corner until he’s back off and Trick tacks off his shoe. He swings but Lumis misses and Lumis locks in the Silencer! That’s it.
Winner: Dexter Lumis (5:40)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Trick is still very green, and Lumis is not a ringmaster, but this was not as bad as it could have been. Not great by any measure, but it had its moments.
After the match, Grayson Waller waffles Dexter with a chair a couple of times. He looks up to the Tron and HERE IS AJ! He’s making his way in as we go to break.
* We get a vignette for Pete Dunne where he talks about being very accomplished at his age and just getting started. He says the NXT 2.0 guys are young and hungry, but he’s the same age. He says D’Angelo may have gotten one over on him, but look at last week. He’s tbe baddest man here and he’ll make sure Tony doesn’t forget it.
* Waller is cutting a promo about how he hates it when WWE stars get into the Hall of Fame and thank the fans, “like your opinion matters!” He says when he gets inducted, he’ll say “You’re welcome.” He says he’s done what he promised to do and when his music hits —
And that’s where AJ Styles’ music hits. AJ comes out and he doesn’t look impressed. He walks up and gets in the ring, getting a mic. The crowd chants for him and Waller does an introduction for AJ. He says this is the Grayson Waller Effect — single-handedly bringing AJ Styles to NXT.
AJ says “Yeah, you can shut up now.” And a “Shut The Hell Up” chant begins. AJ says this is THE Grayson Waller, the one everyone’s talking about, the biggest jackass in NXT. He says he say Waller talking trash and asks if he feels popular now? Waller says he feels real popular and went from a kid with potential to THE NXT Superstar that got AJ’s attention. He asks why AJ is here; is the veteran that helps out the new guy? No, he’s here because his meal ticket left him last night and he needs a tag partner to make him relevant on Raw for the next few months but he’s a singles guy.
AJ says Waller went to get the rub off his name, and then points out that his matches, his gloves, his one elbow pad are just like AJ’s. AJ says he’s talented, cocky and such, but he doesn’t see Superstar. Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, the rest he can see but the jury’s still out on him. AJ says his problem is that he’d rather look good and lose than look bad at win.
Waller counters he helped get the win at NXT Takeover, and AJ says he thought Waller’s wins don’t matter. Waller says that AJ’s insurance policy isn’t here and he’s in Waller’s ring; he could end AJ’s career right now. AJ says “Do it!” He says that Waller had a good three weeks? He’s had a good 20 years, so Waller should do it. Waller makes to engage and then gets out of the ring, backing off and saying he’ll let Omos get him first and he has next.
* Malcolm Bivens is with the Diamond Mine and says that Melo and Trick found out the hard way that you don’t disrespect them. The challenge is laid out: Hayes vs. Roderick Strong, Title vs. Title. He says Hayes has two week to find his balls.
* Riddle babbles something to MSK about a scooter being a journey to the destination. Carter and Lee thank him for all this, and Riddle gives them some Randy Orton merch. He says he’s gonna be with MSK when they return to NXT next week, and then they start to go on a scooter ride until they get hit by a car…
And wake up right where their journey begun. They think it was a dream, but they still have the Orton gear. Riddle then shows up and asks them if they’re ready to call out Imperium next week, and he summons some scooters which they ride off — after looking both ways. Safety first, after all.
Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe
Edris starts off with some dropkicks and then goes for a crossbody off the ropes, but Wagner catches him and slams him down. Robert Stone is watching from the ramp as Wagner is nearly caught with a roll-up, but kicks out and then kicks Edris.
Wagner lays into Edris and launches a couple knees into the cut, he goes for a powerbomb but Edris rolls through it and gets a roll-up pin.
Winner: Edris Enofre (1:09)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: This match did nothing for anyone. At all.
After the match, Stone isn’t happy and neither is Von, who attacks Enofe from behind and rolls him into the ring to beat the crap out of him. He picks Edris up for a short-arm clothesline and the official stops him from doing much more. Wagner leaves the ring and bumps into Stone as he walks by.
* McKenzie is backstage with Imperium and asks about MSK. Barthel says that they ripped MSK apart, and Aichner says something else all in Italian and German. McKenzie asks if MSK pose a threat and Barthel may says they may have found a shaman, but Imperium has a general.
* Elektra Lopez is backstage with Legado and says this is the biggest match of her career but she’s not nervous. She’s going to destroy Shirai. They leave and Xyon Quinn comes out of hiding, where he was watching like a creep.
* We get a video of the NXT stars partnering with community organizations in Florida to give to those in need. It’s very performative in presentation, but it’s also doing legitimate good so I can’t hate on it at all.
Elektra Lopez vs. Io Shirai
Lockup and Lopez takes control, bodyslamming Shirai and then slashing her in the corner. She tries for another but Io moves and kicks Elektra to the mat, then goes for a swinging double stomp but Lopez gets her feet up to block it! Lopez grabs Io and chokes her against the ropes and then yanks her hair around.
Io back up and fights back with strikes, but comes off the ropes into a spinebuster for two. Lopez manhandles Io in a chinlock until Io snapmeres her out of it, and then hits a big dropkick. 619 by Io, who goes up top and leaps off with a missile dropkick! Double knee charge in the corner, cover gets two.
Io goes up top but Elektra up quickly and trips Io, saying her crashing to the mat. Both women down as Xyon comes out to the ringside area and takes out Mendoza, then Wilde! He goes into his jacket with a sprig of mistletoe, puts it in his mouth, takes off the jacket and gets up on the apron. Elektra walks over, she looks about to do but but Santos pulls Quinn off the ropes! Shirai takes Lopez down from behind and hits the Moon Over Moonsault for three!
Winner: Io Shirai (4:04)
Rating: **
Thoughts: More match than angle, but it was fine I suppose.
* Melo says that he is the A Champion and he never missed when he shot in 2021. So he’s gonna give Strong the title match and will be walking out with two titles.
* We get a video of Brian Kendrick thanking Joe for Harland’s apology, and says that he thinks Joe feels Kendrick deserves an apology. Well, he signed a waiver and is able to compete again. He says he’ll be in the ring next wee,
Set For Next Week:
* Title Unification Contract Signing: Roderick Strong and Carmelo Hayes
* Dexter Lumis vs. Grayson Waller
* Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade vs. Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolan
Tony D’Angelo vs. Pete Dunne
Lockup to start, and Tony gets a wristlock. They go into some counter wrestling and Tony dodges a hand stomp. They circle again, more counterwrestling and Dunne gets a wristlock but Tony gets the ropes for the break. He delivers a shot to Dunne’s face to knock him down, headlock by Tony and whipped into the ropes, he hits a high German suplex on Dunne!
Tony gets Dunne up, but Done comes back with kicks. He leaps into a front facelock but Tony catches him and hits another suplex. Stomps to Dunne but Pete fires back with punches and a chop. He goes for a elbowlock but Tony with a snap suplex to break it before his fingers can get snapped.
Tony goes for another German suplex but Dunne flips through it and kicks Tony in the back of the head! Tony to the outside and Dunne comes out to drop a knee on his hand on the apron as we go to PIP break.
We’re back and Dunne is working over Tony’s wrist in the ring while jamming an elbow in his ribs. He gets up and drops a knee on Tony’s back, then kicks and stomps him around the ring. Dunne with a kick to the head and another while holding D’Angelo’s arms. Tony back up and Dunne with knife-edge chops that fire Tony up! He takes Pete down, then splashes him in to the corner. Northern Lights suplex and he bridges, but Dunne caught the hand! He locks in a triangle choke and hits some headbutts, but Tony picks Dunne up! Big suplex from Tony, cover gets two!
D’Angelo is battering Dunne and suplexes him into the turnbuckle in the corner. he showboats before charging in, but Pete moves! He drops a knee on the elbow and comes off the ropes with a knee, kick kick and a cover for two. Repeated stomps to the head and a last big one! Both men slow to get to their feet, but Dunne is ready first. He lies in wait as Tony gets up, and then they begin trading shots on their knees. BIG slap by Dunne who is up to his feet, stomp to the hand, big kick, he goes for a suplex but D’Angelo turns it into a Falcon Arrow! Cover gets nothing.
D’Angelo crawls to the corner and has something — it’s the crowbar! He goes for it but Dunne is ready! He dodges, the crowbar is out of the ring, and Dunne with the armbar with the fingers being bent! Tony escapes it with a fishhook and rips the mouthguard out, he throws Dunne headfirst into he turnbuckle and then goes for the neckbreaker — but Dunne blocks it! He snaps the fingers — Bitter End! That’s it.
Winner: Pete Dunne (12:53)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: THAT was the match Tony’s needed for a while. Sure, Dunne got the win but D’Angelo was able to prove he can work believably against big names. It’s not an all-time great, but it’s a good main event.
After the match Tony tries to attack but Dunne is ready. They go to the outside brawling and D’Angelo hits his neckbreaker on the floor, then uses the crowbar to brutalize Dunne. He says this is what happens when you cross Tony D and slams the crowbar across Dunne’s hand to stand tall.
And with that, we’re done for the night!
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