wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s NXT Level Up Review 02.24.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Announce Team: Blake Howard and Byron Saxton
-Taped: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, FL
Axiom vs. Kale Dixon
-Lockup to star and Dixon gets a go behind, but Axiom counters into a wristlock. They work off that and Axiom flips to counter and Dixon tries the same, but Axiom grounds him to the mat. Side headlock by Axiom and he fights off Dixon’s attempt to escape. Dixon gets to a vertical base and pushes off and tries a monkey flip, but Axiom just hits a basement dropkick. Cool! Dixon bails and runs away as Axiom looks to fly. Back in the ring Axiom gets another basement dropkick for two. Hammerlock from Axiom and Kale gets to the ropes to force a break. Dixon uses the ropes to find an opening and gets a suplex for two. Another suplex turned into a small package for two. Dixon lands a kick to the ribs and then hits the delayed vertical suplex for two. Heavy chop from Axiom and another dropkick. Running kick in the corner and Axiom heads up. He lands a crossbody and gets another running kick. Axiom with a great looking superkick and that ends this one at 4:33.
Winner: Axiom via pin at 4:33
-Axiom is dope and won this one rather easily which he should at this point. The token offense from Dixon made this a step above a SQUASH. *1/2
-Tank Ledger and Myles Borne cut a promo backstage as they tag for the first time tonight.
-Sol Ruca vs Lola Vice is up next!
-NXT Roadblock is one week from Tuesday!
-Jake the Snake gets the A&E Bio Treatment this Sunday. Is he still signed with AEW? Mankind vs. Undertaker is the subject of Rivals this week as well.
Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice
-This is Lola’s second appearance apparently, and I don’t recall the first and I have reviewed every episode of this show. Roca gets a full nelson immediately and then avoids any kicks thrown by Vice. The crowd is way into Sol which is nice to hear. Vice works the arm, and Sol cartwheels to escape and gets an armbar. Byron compares Sol to RVD and I can see that. Vice counters into a head scissors, but Sol escapes and goes back to the armbar. Ruca ends up on the apron and Vice drops her face first. Back in the ring that gets two. Uppercuts from Lola followed by forearms. Vice is showing some decent aggression. Vice just lands a butt check in a unique move. Vice hooks a sleeper as the crowd is getting kind of restless with the lack of offense from Sol. She makes her comeback with a series of shoulder tackles followed by a dropkick. Flip into a splash in the corner. Vice avoids a move and tries a pump kick, but misses and gets stuck in the ropes. By the time she gets her foot free, Ruca hits THE SOL SNATCHER for the pin at 4:28.
Winner: Sol Ruca via pin at 4:28
-This was like a Sting or Randy Savage match from 1995 WCW where they get beat up the entire time and hit the finisher for the win. The Sol Snatcher is sweet though and they found another way here for the move to make sense. *
-WrestleMania commercial with teases of the movies we will be getting: Miz and Maryse in Top Gun, Bianca and Montez in Titanic, The Bloodline in, Becky and Seth as Batman and Joker, and yes, Drew and The Brawling Brutes in 40 Year Old Virgin. BRING IT ALL ON!
-Kofi helps WWE celebrate Black History Month with WWE’s community service program.
Myles Borne and Tank Ledger vs. Damon Kemp and Tavion Heights
-Kemp and Heights as a tag team could work as they continue to develop. Nice to see Borne back in the ring on this show. Heights dominates Ledger early with his amateur background. Each man gets a roll-up for two as it is football background vs. amateur wrestling background. Kemp gets the tag and Ledger has no better luck trying to wrestle him. Tank gets smart and just fires off a clothesline and makes the tag to Borne. He comes off the middle rope with a double axe to the arm. Borne works the damaged arm, but Kemp works his way out of the hold and lands a forearm in the corner. They continue to counter each other which is cool. Kemp lands a strike and makes the tag to Heights. Tavion mocks Tank Ledger for good measure and then just dumps with a slam. Kemp back in and he talks smack to Tank before hitting Borne with a back elbow. A flying back elbow gets a one count. Kemp hooks a headlock, which seems weird in what is going to be a 6-7 minute tag match. It works though as it gets the crowd to rally behind Myles, but a neckbreaker snuffs out that rally. Heights back in and he goes to a headlock as well. Borne fights his way out and hits a dropkick to create space. Kemp in and he gets caught with a jawbreaker. The hot tag is made to Tank, but it looked kind of weird so the crowd didn’t really pop. Ledger runs wild with slams and then a splash as he has entered Tank Mode according to the announce team. Heights lands a punch to the face and brings Kemp back into the match. Double team suplex, but Borne makes the save. Kemp and Tank get left alone and Tank gets a suplex into a pin for two. Kemp back with a uranage into a neckbreaker for the pin at 7:49.
Winners: Damon Kemp and Tavion Heights via pin at 7:49
-Right winners as I would like to see more from Kemp and Heights as a team, but not much to this match. I appreciated the mat wrestling and counters, but things got disjointed after the hot tag. *1/4
-Thanks for reading!
