Leighty’s NXT Level Up Review 4.28.23

-By the time I finish this review, my 49ers should finally be close to making their first pick in this year’s NFL Draft, so let’s get to it!

-Announce Team: Kevin Howard and Byron Saxton
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL

Tyler Bate vs. Luca Crusifino

-This is Bate’s first appearance on Level UP and it’s been a while since I we’ve seen Luca. Let’s see what they can do here! Luca gives Bate his card and Bate tucks it in his tights. Lockup to start and Bate gets a take down into an armlock. Luka back with a side headlock and Bate fights his way out and gets his own side headlock. He lifts his foot off the mat and runs it into Luca’s face while maintaining the hold in a fun spot. Bate uses his legs to spread Luca’s legs and they work some comedy spots with Luka’s groin getting stretched. Bate throws the card at home and then gets caught with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Luka stomps the back and then buries a knee there while getting a chinlock. Bate fights to his feet so Luka pulls him down by the hair and gets a two count. Luka back to the chinlock and Bate powers out and gets a headbutt to the chest. Luka gets in a shot to the gut and tries the backbreaker again, but Bate lands on his feet and hits a dropkick. Bate comes off the middle rope with a European Uppercut. He fakes throwing a punch and then uses the other hand to catch Luka. Bate with an airplane spine into a Driver and neither can really stand. Bate gets his bearing first and a Tyler Driver 97 finishes at 5:11.

Winner: Tyler Bate via pin at 5:11
-Bate is too good for this show! He looked like a star out there and gave the fans some fun spots. **

-Backlash commercial!

-WWE and Make A Wish celebrate their long standing partnership!

Ivy Nile vs. Lola Vice

-Lockup to start and the crowd seems split. Stalemate and we go again as they take it to the mat. Nile gets a headlock, but Vice spins out and gets a hammerlock. Nile escapes and floats over for a two count. The start trading kicks as they light each other up. Vince lands a spinning back kick and then a kick to the back for two. Vice lands a running butt splash in the corner for two. Nile tries a roll-up, but Vice rolls through into a crossface. Nile fights off for a bit, but Vice gets wrist control and starts stretching and tearing at the shoulder. Nile rolls over to get a two and Vice has to break. Nile starts firing off running shoulders and gets a running kick in the corner. Hiptoss is blocked and then a slam is blocked and turned into the Diamond Chain Lock for the tap at 4:16.

Winner: Ivy Nile via submission at 4:16
-A nice little match here that I enjoyed. Vice was booked as an equal to Nile and got to hang with her a bit before the inevitable tap-out. **

-Wait, my 49ers traded up. Hold please! Okay, I saw the pick and we are good. Go Niners!

-WWE 2K23 commercial!

-WWE Draft commercial! It continues on Monday!

The Dyad vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger

-Fowler and Reid came out last week and stated WWE denied their release request, so they are going to do their jobs until their contracts are up this Fall. Reid and Walker start us off and Walker uses his strength to get the early advantage. Reid floats over in the corner and gets a shoulder. He comes off the top but gets caught. Walker tries a powerslam but Reid slides down and grabs the singlet to back Walker into his corner. Tag made to Fowler and Walker runs him over and makes the tag to Tank. He runs wild and drops Fowler with a shoulder. Running splash in the corner and then one by Tank and then by Walker and again by Tank. Double Team Shoulder Block which gets Ava on the ramp to distract Walker. Reid gets the tag and goes to a modified chinlock. Tag back to Fowler and a double clothesline gets one. He goes for another over and again, no dice, so he hooks a chinlock. Walker nearly powers out, but Fowler buries a knee to the ribs. Walker gets a suplex, but Reid comes in to stop the tag. Walker tosses Reid to the side and hot tag to Tank. He runs wild and takes on both members by himself. He slams both men at the same time and does a cartwheel into a splash for two as Fowler makes the save. Jawbreaker from Reid, but tag made to Walker now. He runs wild for a bit but gets backed into the corner and eats a dropkick. Ledger gets dropped with an enziguiri. Walker gets a sweet release Alabama Slam for two, but gets tripped by Gacy on the floor. Tank gets left alone and a Double Codebreaker finishes at 7:04.

Winner: The Dyad via pin at 7:04
-Started a little slow, but picked up in the final few minutes. They sucked me into this one and it ended being a fun little match. **1/4

-Thanks for reading!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Three solid matches makes this a good show by Level Up Standards. Nothing got enough time to get to really good territory, but I will take what I can get.