wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE NXT Level Up Review 4.21.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Announce Team: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton, and Mr. Stone
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL
Wendy Choo and Valentina Feroz vs. Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend
-Choo beats Feroz in Rock, Papers, Scissors which means she gets to start the match. Jackson and Choo start us off and Choo gets a takedown and has some fun at Jackson’s expense. Tag to Feroz who comes in with a meteora for one. Side headlock is shoved off, but Feroz drops to the mat to catch Jackson in a roll-up for one. Legend gets the tag and Feroz catches her with a basement dropkick to the knee. Legend turns it around and uses her power, but Feroz catches her in a guillotine. Legend powers out of that and plants Feroz with a vertical suplex. Tag to Jackson and she gets a sidewalk slam and then tags back to Legend. She drops an elbow to the back for another one count. She uses the middle rope to choke and makes the tag back to Jackson. She chokes as well and lands a kick to the back. Feroz counters a suplex attempt into a roll-up for two, but the tag to Choo gets cut off. Jackson with a suplex for two and then she hooks a reverse chinlock. Feroz is able to escape and reaches for the tag, but gets cut off again. Feroz fights out and finally makes the hot tag. Choo runs wild and gets an armdrag on Jackson followed by a handspring splash in the corner. Legend breaks up the cover and Feroz catches her with a head scissors. Legend tries to turn that into a powerbomb, but gets accidentally hit by Jackson. That sends Legend to the floor with Feroz and Choo is able to hit The Snooze Button for the win at 5:17.
Winners: Valentina Feroz and Wendy Choo via pin at 5:17
-Basic tag match as Feroz took a beating for a bit before the hot tag and then finish. *
-Javier Bernal and Kale Dixon cut a promo backstage. Dixon takes off his shirt so everyone can see the gun show.
-Backlash commercial!
-WWE2K23 commercial!
Oro Mensah vs. Damon Kemp
-Kemp quickly gets a side headlock and then a takedown into a float over into another side headlock. Mensah lands an up-kick and uses his speed to fluster Kemp. He hits a basement dropkick and Kemp bails to the apron where he uses the top rope to hang Mensah up. Kemp stomps the foot and lands an uppercut. Kemp hangs Mensah on his back, spins him around and drops him to the mat which gets two. Kemp turns to the ground and pound for a bit. Sweet bridging German Suplex gets two! Kemp works the neck, but Mensah is able to fights his way out. They trade some strikes and Kemp gets another bridging German Suplex that looked rather nasty as Mensah landed on his head. The ref checks on him and apparently, he is good to go. Mensah gets a lionsault and then hits a scissors kick for two. Standing switch from Kemp and he tries another German, but Mensah rolls through and gets a roll-up for two. That was a little awkward. Mensah lands a running kick to the back, but misses a pump kick and Kemp gets an Electric Chair into a bridging German Suplex for the pin at 5:04.
Winner: Damon Kemp via pin at 5:04
-This was a little sloppy at times and I worried for Mensah as he was tossed all around the ring. Kemp continues to come along, but there is still some roughness to his game. *1/2
-Backlash is in Puerto Rico!
-WWE Draft starts next Friday on SmackDown and then concludes on RAW!
Edris Enofe and Malik Blade vs. Javier Bernal and Kale Dixon
-Enofe and Blade do rock, papers, scissors as well and Enofe wins so he starts with Dixon. Enofe goes for a quick pin and gets one. Dropkick from Enofe also gets a one count. Enofe works the arm and makes the tag to Blade. They use some tandem offense and Blade gets a two count. Dixon lands a right hand and is able to make the tag to Bernal. Blade catches him with a right hand, but gets caught in the corner and Bernal targets the knee. Blade back with a roll-up, but Bernal goes right back to the knee. Tag to Dixon and they make a wish on Blade’s legs. Dixon continues to work the knee and makes the tag back to Bernal. Knee-breaker followed by a Half Crab from Bernal. Blade gets inches from the tag, but gets pulled back to the opposite corner. Bernal tortures the knee some more and the tag is made to Dixon. Blade snaps off a Code Breaker and makes the hot tag. Enofe runs wild and gets a suplex followed by a sweet belly to back suplex into the top buckle and then another as Dixon bounced off. Nice! Enofe drops an elbow from the top. Bernal back in, but he gets disposed off easily and after a tag to Blade, The Climax is hit and Dixon gets pinned at 5:11.
Winners: Edris Enofe and Malik Blade via pin at 5:11
-Another basic tag match, but I enjoyed this one more. Enofe and Blade are a fun team and they should be winning matches like this. I appreciated the knee work, but it didn’t go anywhere as once the hot tag was made the Dixon and Bernal were toast. **
-Thanks for reading!
