Leighty’s NXT Level Up Review 3.03.23

-Sorry for the delay, but we had one of the worst windstorms in our county’s history. Fayette County (SW PA) was under a wind advisory for about 24 hours. It got really nasty from 2 PM yesterday until around 2 AM. At 6 PM yesterday we lost power (over 20,000 homes in the county had no power) and I watched as property in our yard was destroyed: roof shingles, fences, deck, gazebo etc. Thankfully we were all safe in the house. My two boys didn’t even flinch other than they just knew we were in the dark all night. Our power was restored just about 15 minutes ago (2 PM). So, let’s see what I missed last night. Let’s get to it!

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

Lyra Valkyria vs. Tatum Paxley

-Lock-up to start and Lyra takes things to the mat. Tatum counters and goes to work on the arm. Lyra rolls to escape and grabs a leg which leads to a cover for one. Lyra controls the arm and bends the elbow for a bit. Cradle into a bridge gets two and the crowd is digging with Lyra is doing here. Leg trip into another cover for two by Lyra. She gets multiple pin attempts as Paxley keeps bridging to escape. They go through a pinning sequence and it ends with Lyra being caught with a slingshot into the corner. I am digging the constant pin attempts by both women as that is the point of a wrestling match. Shoulder tackle from Paxley followed by an elbow for two. She hooks a chinlock to let the crowd get behind Lyra. She fights to her feet and gets a roll-up for two. She throws some chops and hits a spinning back kick followed by some more strikes. Sweet Northern Lights Suplex gets two! Running shoulder in the corner and then Lyra heads up top. She connects with a crossbody for two. Spinning head kick and another that hits a lot better. Basically she hit Black Mass and that’s enough for the pin at 5:23.

Winner: Lyra Valkyria via pin at 5:23
-I enjoyed the mat wrestling to start and the trading on pin attempts. It got a little disjointed towards the end, but they finished before it went too long. I like what I seem from both these women. **

-Luca Crusifino, making his debut later, is apparently a wrestling lawyer and cuts a promo on Dante Chen. The jury is still out on Dante which shows what we are working with here as far as the gimmick.

-WWE Live commercial! WWE is selling tickets like crazy it seems.

-Hulu commercials!

Dante Chen vs. Luca Crusifino

-They are calling Chen the gatekeeper now as he is the defender of NXT Level Up. Luca carries a briefcase down with him and hands out business cards for his law office. Side headlock from Luca and he takes it to the ground. Chen counters with a head scissors which Luca escapes and goes back to the side headlock. Chen back to his feet and he trips up Luca and then gets a slam. He goes to work on an armbar, but gets backed into the corner. Luca gets in a shoulder, but a right hand gets blocked. He works to get a neckbreaker which gets two. We are told Luca turned down a wrestling scholarship to go to law school. Samoan Drop from Luca gets two and then he throws some punches from the mount position. He goes to a neck crank and sets for another Samoan Drop but Chen elbows his way out. Chen makes the comeback and lands rapid fire punches. He catches Luca with an atomic drop and then a running boot. Double Chop connects and Dante gets the win at 4:45.

Winner: Dante Chen via pin at 4:45
-Luca is the latest on this show to make their debut and lose. Only the ones that have plans for seem to get a win in their debut. The match was kind of boring and was just a basic match between two guys. The crowd likes Chen and were there as he made his comeback. *

-Hulu commercials!

-Back to RAW for the Women’s Tag Team Title Match! The entire match is shown as Lita and Becky are crowned Tag Champions thanks to Trish Stratus making her return to even the odds and neutralize Bayley.

-Hulu commercials!

Oro Mensah vs. Eddy Thorpe

-Lockup to start and Thorpe powers Mensah against the ropes, but offers a clean break. They go again and Thorpe is able to grab arm control. Mensah rolls to his back and gets an up kick to break in a cool spot. Thorpe back with a standing crossbody and then he fires off some strikes. Hard back elbow gets a two count. Thorpe lands a kick to the back for two. He tries a suplex, but Mensah block, so Thorpe plants him with a sick spinning neckbreaker. Oh, that looked sick as Mensah landed on his head. Mensah rallies with a head kick for two and then lands his own kick to the back. They are hitting each other hard here! Suplex from Mensah followed by a knee drop. He talks smack to Eddy, but misses an ax kick. Eddy hits a chop that would make GUNTHER proud. Running boot in the corner followed by a Saito Suplex. Elbow drop gets two! The crowd starts an Eddy chant! The Oro fans make sure they are heard with their own chant. Mensah snaps off a middle rope springboard moonsault. He heads to the apron and springs in with a kick that gets two. The fans feel this is awesome! Rock Bottom is blocked and Thorpe lands more strikes. He gets a Release German Suplex, but Mensah blocks the next move. He tries a Lion-Sault, but Eddy gets the knees up to block and finishes with The Impaler DDT at 6:48.

Winner: Eddy Thorpe via pin at 6:48
-This was pretty sweet match for this show. Best one we have had in some time and both guys looked good here. I am excited to see what they do with Thorpe as he is probably ready to be let loose on the main NXT roster. This was good stuff! ***

-They shake hands after the match and the crowd appreciates what they just saw.

-Thanks for reading!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The Main Event was enough to make this a good show and the opener was solid as well. Eddy and Lyra both look like break out stars on the NXT brand.