WWE NXT 4/4/2023

WWE NXT 4/4/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/wwe-nxt-3282023.html

Indi Hartwell came out. She got a loud "you deserve it" chant for winning the title. She said she didn't think she'd ever win the title and said the fans never doubted her. She thanks Roxanne Perez, as her injury helped her get the shot. She said Roxanne should get the first tile shot. Zoey Stark then came out and laughed at the idea of Indi being the champ. Zoey said they worked so hard to bring the title up and Indi is only at the floor's level, not their level.

Zoey said we now have a very beatable women's champ. She said Roxanne has been silent since losing and now gets to go to the back of the line. Zoey said Indi will be the shortest reigning champ they have ever seen.

Wes Lee and Axiom talked in baggage claim at the airport. Ax said he wonders when it will be him vs Wes 1v1. Wes agreed and said he'd see him at the show.

Tony D'Angelo and Stacks vs Pretty Deadly

They argued and had a scuffle at Stand and Deliver, so they meet here.

Elton grabs Stacks' leg and Kit lariats him. Stacks takes an atomic drop then backslides Kit for 2. Stacks hits a nice dropkick then does a wild springboard twisting forearm. Kit takes a double team then Tony suplexes Elton. Elton comes off the top with a double axe handle and is hit in the gut.

Kit slaps Tony then Tony slaps him back. Tony then drops him with a punch then all 4 go at it. PD takes stereo double back body drops then Tony hiptosses Stacks into Kit in the corner. Stacks gets his arm worked on by Kit then has his shoulder thrown into the buckles. Elton pulls on the arm. Tony gets the hot tag in and beats up on PD. Tony hits a beautiful overhead belly to belly on Elton then Kit is german suplexed. Elton grabs the ring skirt to avoid a wheelbarrow suplex, but takes it anyway then Tony spinebusters Elton for 2.

Stacks takes a weird bump into the middle rope and goes out then Elton hides Kit's head under the ring skirt to hide his face. Kit says he's not the legal guy then Elton bangs Tony's head in the exposed turnbuckle to win it.

Nothing wrong with this one and the finish was very creative. I had never seen that one before.

Jacy cuts a promo on Jacy, mocking her for thinking she was going to get big moment at Stand and Deliver. Jacy said she was never winning that ladder match. She said she broke her face and now needs to break her will.

Dijak vs Odyssey Jones

Dijak threw OJ into the steps last week which lead to this. They hit a shot to start this then Dijak does his spinning facekick for 2. Dijak clubs on his back then Dijak is thrown over the top near the buckles. OJ hits a lariat and a spinebuster. Dijak crossbodies him off the 2nd rope but is slammed down for 2. OJ goes up top and gets kicked then Dijak death valley drivers him for 2. Dijak goes up top and hits a moonsault then wins it.

It was fine but it was short and neither one really needed to take a loss here.

Dijak says he's p!ssed off after in the camera.

We get a package for Dragon Lee, but it's short and doesn't explain much.

Melo and Trick arrive in the parking lot.

Gallus is interviewed. They say they are finally complete and say Gallu remains on top where they belong. Mark says if you thought they were a problem before, wait until you see what's next. Joe Coffey said he wants to add some gold to Gallus so people start to realize that this is their kingdom. 

Nathan Frazer vs Dragon Lee

They had an infobox for Lee, saying he was a 2nd gen star and a former CMLL champ. Noam Dar comes to the ring with his Heritage Cup. He hasn't been seen on NXT since NXT UK closed. He said he is finally here in NXT. He said he will be the one who decides if there's anyone good enough to challenge for it.

Lee and NF wrestle on the mat. Lee monkey flips him but NF holds on. Lee side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Nf flying headscissors Lee but Lee doesn't go down with it then they do a stand off. We go to PiP break and return.

Lee got dropkicked off the buckles to the floor during the break then NF flatlinered him into the buckles. NF then hit a swinging flatliner from the 2nd rope. NF got on top and Lee tried to german him but NF landed on his feet. Lee dropkicked him into the buckles then did another dropkick. Lee PK's him for 2. Lee is up top and NF jumps up there then Lee double stomps him as he hangs from the top. Lee runs at him and takes a big superkick.

NF and Lee do jumping knees then NF enzugiri's him. Lee hits a stiff ligerbomb for 2. Lee then pumping knees him and wins it.

It was an action packed and fast paced match. More of a moves match than anything else. It was fine and they didn't do overdo it, but Frazer probably did get more over with this than Lee did.

We go to Chase U. Chase said it felt great to beat up Schism in front of the largest Stand and Deliver crowd ever. Chase thanks Tyler Bate. Duke then spoke up and said he was the one who got it done. Chase said he was going to honor him but said Duke said he wasn't into awards and ceremonies, so he didn't do anything special for him. Duke then gets up and says the legacy and performance is something worth honoring. Chase agrees and says we are having a ceremony for Duke's commitment. Duke will be awarded the MVP trophy then Duke gives the Chase U symbol as he yells, "Chase UUUUUU". 

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre talk. They said they have seized power and now the rightful champs sit on their throne. Isla said they did not scorch the earth and Alba says nothing is ever that simple. Their water starts to shake and Alba says a challenge is hanging in the air, but they will welcome it. Isla said all challengers should be aware and they curse any team who dares to challenge for the titles. Alba then says it's time to celebrate and they drink wine.

Wes Lee is interviewed. Wes said he knows he chose his opponents correctly for Stand and Deliver and talked about how good they are. Wes said Axiom really stood out to him and he feels like he owes him. He said they will go at it again tonight and asks if Mckenzie is ready.

NXT Women's Title - Indi Hartwell (c) vs Zoey Stark

Indi slams Zoey then hits short arm clotheslines. zoey springboard crossbodies her. Zoey baseball slides her then Indi stomps on her in the corner before being tripped into the middle buckle. Indi hits a nice punch and Zoey does her outside to inside corkscrew arabian moonsault off the ropes. Zoey baseball slides her out and we go to break.

We return and Zoey sliding lariats her. Indi hits some lariats and a side slam. Zoey gets stuck on the 2nd rope and Zoey misses a springboard dropkick. Indi top rope elbows her in the back for 2. They trade chest slaps. Zoey goes for a springboard and is caught a spinebuster in a nice spot. Zoey flips her into a knee but Indi rolls out. Zoey gets her back in and tries to pin her but Indi reverses it to win.

It wasn't anything real memorable but it was an Indi match that wasn't total trash and that's saying something.

Tiffany Stratton came out after and said stuff from the ramp. Cora Jade hten jumped Indi and hita double arm ddt. Cora has blonde streaks now, is tan and really looks a lot different than before. Tiff and Cora then argue and Tiff tells her to keep walking.

Jensen and Kiana James argue in the back. Jensen apologizes for not giving her the bag and Kiana said she should have given it to him. Fallon said Kiana was cheating on Brooks and Kiana said she was playing the field and they were never exclusive. Kiana said things changed when they kissed then Kiana walked off after saying they weren't tag champs anymore. Jensen is upset as he didn't know they weren't exclusive then tells Briggs and Fallon to stay out of his relationship.

They mention that Bushwhaker Butch passed away today, which was sad to hear.

Cora Jade has a camera man go up to her. she says we will have to wait until next week like everyone else. Roxanne Perez goes up to her. She said you can't escape fate.

Ivy Nile vs Tatum Paxley

They showed Tatum turning on Ivy a few weeks ago. It's been 3 weeks with little follow up, so this isn't going well so far.

Ivy brings Tatum down then Ivy hits stiff kicks to the chest. Ivy high kicks her then Tatum suplexes her with help from the 2nd rope. Tatum slams her then bangs her head off the mat. ivy grabs a triangle then Tatum does a jumping elbow. Tatum side headlocks her then Ivy hits a nice gutwrench. Ivy combos her in the corner and misses most of her punches then hits knees. Ivy puts her on her shoulder and does a weird twisting throw. Ivy does a nice takedown slam then pounds on her. Ivy then does her flying chest kick in the corner and Tatum rolls out. Ivy then running kicks her in the ribs hard. Ivy goes for a kick, Tatum catches it and back rolls then Ivy hooks her with her dragon sleeper and wins it.

The match wasn't that bad, but the booking of this just sucks. Tatum turned on her and looks like an idiot for doing so since she just got beat. They also haven't done much with this over the last 3 weeks since the turn which hurts the heat here. This felt like the end of the feud already and with Tatum barely getting on TV as is, I don't like her chances right now on her own.

The Creed's celebrate with Ivy after.

Ilja Dragunov is interviewed. He says there is no challenge too big. He said the match was never going to be easy to win and said nothing worth having in life comes easy. Von Wagner hten walked up to him. He said he went to LA and didn't get the job done. Von says he's the biggest monster Ilja has ever seen. Ilja said he'd rather be invited and lose at Stand and Deliver then never be invited at all like with Von. Mr. Stone then walks in and separates them. Stone asks why he's picking a fight with the mad dragon. Stone says he will get him the match but if he doesn't win, they are done.

 NXT North American Title - Wes Lee (c) vs Axiom

Ax snapmares him and Wes cartwheels out of it. Wes side headlocks him then headscissors him. Ax escapes with a handstand then 2nd rope armdrags him. Ax hits an enzugiri and they stare down for the 2nd time. Wes back rolls into a headscissors then dropkicks him. Ax hurricanrana's him off the top rope then does a tope forearm outside. Ax takes a euro while up top and rolls to the floor.

We go to break and return with Ax having Wes in an ankle lock. They trade forearms then Wes slaps and strike combos him. Wes dropkicks him in the back then germans him. Wes backflips and does a double stomp out of it then fisherman's busters him for 2. Wes backflips and is caught with a grounded sleeper. Ax germans him then takes a stiff upkick.

Ax rolls him up for then takes a superkick to the body. Ax gets his knees up on Wes' spiral tap attempt then knees him. Wes backflips into a backflip kick and wins it.

It was okay with both guys doing a lot of flipping around and not doing too much. Ax kind of looks like an idiot for losing again though.

Someone gets on the tron. They said they see everything and see the truth. They say they know him. Scrypts then flips in and is superkicked in mid-air in a cool spot. The crowd chants for Ax after that but that made Scrypts look bad.

Nathan Frazer gets interviewed. NF said the year restarts after Stand and Deliver he didn't start the year off on a good note but thinks he can turn it around. NF said his perspective and reality changed.

We get a video with some of the new Level Up crew with Tank Ledger, Dani Palmer and Oba Femi. They say they are coming soon. Tank's ready. Oba and Dani have potential, but until they start moving people to the main roster or firing people, it's going to be rough for them.

Melo and Trick come out. Trick says the champ is here. Trick told him he did stand and did deliver. Melo says he is the NXT champ and is him. Trick says this is "The Him Era". Melo said he stopped chasing titles and started attracting them. Melo says every great champ has a great opponent. Melo says Bron is one of his toughest and best opponents. Melo said he had to give him his respect and calls him out.

Bron comes out. Melo said they brought it to each other and said it was cool of Bron to give him the title. Melo says thank you on behalf of everyone in NXT. The crowd chants, "Thank you Breakker". Bron says there always comes a time when the champ gets defeated by the next guy. Bron said he passed the torch like Ciampa did to him. Bron says he doesn't know what's next and says NXT is about the wrestlers just as much as it is about the fans. Bron says to give it up for him and goes to leave. Melo stops him and they shake hands and hug. Bron then hits a stiff clothesline on Melo and gorilla press slams Trick. Bron then hits a stiff spear on Melo and talks trash to end the show as the crowd chants, "one more time".

Look, they wanted heel Bron and now they got it. Being a face without a gimmick like Bron had is a hard thing to pull off and I would have kept it going. It is developmental though and Bron getting a shot at being heel and Melo getting a shot at being a face is probably better explored on here for the first time than on the main roster. I'm up for Bron vs Melo 2, but I do have concerns about where that goes from there.

Overall thoughts: As Nathan Frazer said earlier in the show, it's a new year in NXT after Stand and Deliver. Cora Jade is back, Tony D is getting a face push, Bron is a heel and Melo is a face. Indi is the women's champ, which nobody saw coming. New people are coming in and have come in like Dragon Lee and Noam Dar and some may even be gone already like The Dyad (who supposedly asked for their releases and maybe did or maybe didn't get them). There's lots going on in NXT and a lot of people didn't even make the show. It's an important show to check out. The in-ring stuff was mostly good all night and clearly, a lot happened storyline wise. With WWE being sold and Vince supposedly being back in control of creative (which did not seem to be the case here), who knows what will happen this year.