WWE NXT 12/26/2023

WWE NXT 12/26/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wwe-nxt-12192023.html 

Chase U vs Out The Mud

Chase put up gambling money and gets double if he wins this or nothing if he loses this.

Chase is pushed over by Price. Chase hits dropkicks on Price then Price takes a double doule axe handle. Duke hits some shots on Price then Chase double axe handles Price's arm. Price is tripped and takes a Duke elbow. Price side kicks Chase.

Nima hits back elbows on Chase then butt drops his back. Nima rides Chase on the ropes. Price hits corner spears on Chase then corner lariats him. Duke gets the hot tag in and facekicks Price hard. Duke hits punches on Nima then elbows him. Duke death valley drivers Price onto Nima. Scrypts gets on the apron and Duke throws him in.

Chase tags himself in. Price superkicks him then Duke takes a suplex lift into a spinebuster. Chase then gets pinned.

It was OTM's biggest win yet. It was under 10 minutes and it was okay but nothing too memorable. 

The Creed Brothers win NXT Tag Team of the Year. Tiffany Stratton wins the Female Superstar of the Year award. Ilja Dragunov wins the Male Superstar of the Year.

Melo and Trick talk in the back. They say Ilja is in bad shape and they don't know if Ilja waill make it to New Year's Evil or not. Trick wants to push the match back as Ilja isn't 100%. Melo says he didn't hurt him and should take his shot. He says there's no better time to do it than now. He said no one will remember how he won it and to take his shot.

NXT Heritage Cup - Noam Dar (c) vs Josh Briggs

Round 1 - Briggs pushes Dar over. Dar wants a test of strength then slaps him. Dar hits forearms and knees to the gut. Briggs throws him then Dar hits kicks to the body. Briggs throws him again then side slams and splashes him for 2. Briggs stomps him then hits a nice shoulder. Dar goes under his legs and is about to be powerbombed as the round ends.

Round 2 - Dar jumps at Briggs then Briggs bossman slams him. Dar triangles him then Briggs throws him in the corner. Briggs running lariats him and gets the pin.

Round 3 - This starts during the break. Dar slides out and Briggs tries to go after him but Meta-Four gets in the way. Dar tries to kick him when he gets back in but is taken down. Lash distracts Briggs. Dar kicks Briggs on the ropes then sliding kicks him. Dar hits Briggs under the bottom rope then dropkicks his knee into the post. Briggs lariats him. They fight on the apron and Dar ddt's him on the apron. Briggs misses a kick on the rails then Dar kicks him on the rails. Briggs' nose is bleeding and the round ends.

Round 4 - Dar pump kicks Briggs then misses one but it is sold anyway. Dar 2nd rope forearms him then sliding kicks him. Briggs facekicks and chokeslams him. Dar top rope double stomps Briggs' leg then superman punches him. Briggs knocks out Dar with a punch then Lash hits Briggs with a bucket from behind for a 2 count. Oro throws the bucket in and Briggs hits Dar with it. Briggs is disqualified and the match is over.

The finish wasn't done well here as Dar wasn't in the right spot and had to take a weird looking shot with the bucket. I thought this made sense and told a good story. Briggs told his friends not to be there and it ended up costing him the match as nobody was there to fight Meta-Four. Briggs looked good here and controlled most of this. 

Axiom and Nathan Frazer talk in the back. They both wish they were Superstar of the Year. Frazer was happy Bron didn't win. Bron then shows up behind him. Bron says he should slow down and think before he speaks. Frazer said he would never slow down and wouldn't say anything he wouldn't say to his face. Bron says Frazer's speed wouldn't affect him. Frazer says let's put it to the test then. Frazer then says Axiom should have told him that Bron was behind him and Axiom said he was winking at him.

Cora Jade vs Karmen Petrovic

They trade shots. KP gets on her arm then upkicks her. Cora hits corner spears then step up knees her in the corner. Cora back elbows her against the ropes then throws her hard into the buckles. Cora bangs KP's head off the mat. KP leg sweeps her then hits flying forearms. KP running high kicks her then screw kicks her in the back of the head.

Cora pulls KP into the top rope then hits a ddt for the win.

It was short and wasn't as good as it could have been due to it. Cora looked a little better than I remember her being.

Cora goes to ddt KP after and Gigi Dolin makes the save.

NXT Men's Breakout Tournament Semifinal - Lexis King vs Riley Osborne

King works Riley's arm. Riley cartwheels and flips out of a wristlock. King armdrags him and Riley holds on. Trey Bearhill comes out to watch. Riley goes up to the 2nd rope and is kicked then King springboard double stomps him. King single leg crabs him then Riley monkey flips him. Riley leg lariats him then standing corkscrew moonsaults him.

King hits an upkick from the mat then backbreakers him. King straightjacket backcrackers him then hits mounted punches. They fight up top and Trey distracts King. Riley hits a top rope SSP and wins it.

It was a quick one and probably too quick for where these two are at. Riley winning was the better call here and at least they've got something going here with Trey and King.

Riley poses in front of the Chase U section then Trey comes in and nails King. Trey rakes his back and King slides out. 

Hayes vs Dragunov from No Mercy won NXT Match of the Year. The Undertaker showing up on October 10th was deemed the Moment of the Year.

Ava Raine is asked for Ilja Dragunov for some reason. She said she hasn't heard anything but says he is on his way here and will decide if it will happen. They really need to give Ava an official title or something so we know what exactly she does.

Nathan Frazer vs Bron Breakker

NF flips out of a backdrop and crisscrosses him before running into a shoulder. NF headlock takeovers him then is thrown into the buckles. NF is whipped into the buckles and does a nice flip off the bump. Bron hits corner spears. NF runs the ropes fast and dropkicks him.

We go to break and return. Bron hits mounted shots then gorilla press gutbusters him. Bron hiptosses him across the ring then release germans him. NF is pulled off the ropes and enzugiri's him.

NF hits punches and throws Bron out. NF topes him outside then shotgun dropkicks him into the steps. NF top rope crossbodies him and is caught and slammed in one motion. Bron runs into a superkick for 2. NF misses a phoenix splash then is speared. Bron wins.

Baron Corbin is seen watching in the back and says something after Bron wins.

This was really good and everything you would expect out of these guys and more. It was one of the best television matches of the year. NF bumped big here and played the underdog to the bigger and meaner Bron. This was fast and everything landed hard. I liked NF's flip bump in the corner and Bron's top rope crossbody catch into a slam was also pretty cool. They have got to do this on a PPV at some point.

Drew Gulak and his crew talks. He says if the LWO want to step to his world, they will experience what he learned. Kemp said heart gets you nowhere. Dempsey said the high flying moves mean nothing. Borne says no quarter means they take no prisoners and show no mercy. Gulak says they are challenging them to a trios match at New Years Evil. Gulak says NXT just because a no fly zone and they will show them no quarter.

Jensen and Fallon go up to Briggs in the back. Jensen said they were out there, maybe it would have been a different story. Jensen said he can tell Briggs wants to be a singles guy. Jensen said Fallon needs to fight Tiffany next week. Briggs says he loves them and Fallon says, "So this is it then? It's over?". They then put their fists in. Jensen says they are his family. and Jensen is left alone. We'll have to see where it goes. I'm not in favor of splitting them up. I don't think Jensen and Briggs are going to get over that well separately, though Fallon will be fine. 

Arianna Grace talks to Ava Raine in the back. She tells her that she was attacked by Roxanne Perez last week. We see marks on Grace's face. She said Perez doesn't have an excuse for attacking her and said Perez should get put in anger management classes. Grace asks what the next step is and Ava said it's Grace and Perez in a singles match at New Years Evil. 

We get a face to face with Blair Davenport and Lyra Valkyria. Blair said this took so long because Lyra blew her knee out in the UK. Lyra said she worked her way to the top while Blair jumped people in the parking lot. Lyra calls her cowardly. She said she knows Blair will do whatever it takes to win. Lyra said Blair wants the title to call herself champ. Lyra said she wants the title so she can be the best. They stare down and Lyra holds the title up at her.

NXT Breakout Tournament Semifinal - Oba Femi vs Tavion Heights

They lock up. Tav waistlocks him and grabs the leg. Oba pushes him off then Tav kind of slingblades him. Oba drops a knee on him then uranage backbreakers him. Oba clubs on him then throws him on a backdrop. Oba running euros him in the corner for 2. Tav hits an attitude adjustment then delay germans him.

Tav hits an overhead belly to belly. Oba goes out and Tav throws him back in. Oba hits a nice lariat then pops him up to let him fall down. Oba hits a pop-up powerbomb and wins it.

It was short but a decent heavyweight match. Both threw each other around and took some high impact bumps. Oba's pretty good and seems to get what he's doing.

Riley Osborne and Oba argue about who will win the final after.

Ilja Dragunov is interviewed in the parking lot. He's in a neck brace and said he's looking out for Trick Williams, I think in the chance that he attacks him (since he's accused him of doing so in the past).

Joe Gacy vs Joe Coffey

 

They lock up and trade forearms. Gacy hits a forearm and a dropkick. Gacy sentons him and is thrown out. Gacy tells the announcer's his name and Mark has to hold back Wolfgang. Coffey then topes Gacy. Coffey backbreakers Gacy then vader bomb style elbow drops him. Coffey hits some back kicks then Gacy hits shots.

Gacy flying forearms him then backdrops him. Gacy hits a back body drop then topes him. Gacy uranages him then Wolf and Mark get on the apron. Hank and Tank come down and fight with them. Coffey headbutts Gacy and hit a glasgow sendoff. Gacy handpsring lariats him and wins it.
    
It was short. The two matched up well and really aren't that different in the ring. I don't know where they are going with Gacy, but I don't think this character is it.

The LWO are interviewed in the back. Lee says they accept. Cruz says they are familia. Lee says they will show high flying is better than the ground game. Lopez and Lola Vice then come in. Lopez introduces Lola who doesn't seem interested. Lopez says its nice to have her gang back together.

NXT Underground Match - Dijak vs Eddy Thorpe

Eddy boots and germans him. Eddy goes for an armbar and Dijak stomps him while he's on the mat. Eddy upkicks him and hits forearms and kicks. Eddy backdrops him and triangles him again. Dijak deadlift powerbombs him out of it. Dijak chokes him and gets headbutted. Dijak then throws him into the post.

We go to PiP break. Dijak swings him into the post and rail. They set up steps next to the table. Eddy is thrown down to the floor while on Dijak's shoulders on the steps. Dijak tope con hilos him from the ring. Eddy hits kicks and germans him. Eddy hits a brainbuster. Eddy gets on his back with a sleeper and Dijak drops him backwards to break it. Dijak mounts his back and clubs his neck.

Dijak spinning face kicks him. Eddy enzugiri's him. Eddy germans him out of the ring to the floor but Dijak lands on his feet. Dijak then grabs him and hits a GTH on the floor. Dijak nails some of the people at ringside (though not any of the girls). Dijak takes a back body drop from the floor to the apron.

Dijak tries to punch him with a belt. Eddy blocks it and dt's him. Eddy whips Dijak with the belt then sleepers him. Dijak rams him into the post. Dijak is hurricanrana'd off the apron to the floor then Eddy jumps down with an elbow drop on him on the floor. Eddy ddt's him on the floor. The ref goes to stop the match but Dijak grabs him and says not to.

Eddy goes for another sleeper and is backed up into the post and rail. They walk up the steps with Eddy on his back then Eddy ddt's him off the steps through the table. Dijak is out and the ref stops the match.

I didn't like this as much as the last one. They did a lot of moves off the ring to the floor and did a table spot here. The last one had more amateur wrestling and blood. The crowd was into it but I just thought it was too spot based this time around.

Ilja and Trick have a sit down face to face somewhere. Trick asks him if he can go at New Years Evil. He says he's not holding back. Tirck says they can push the match back if he needs more time. Ilja says nothing and no one can stop him. He then takes the neck brace off and they sign the contract for the match. Ilja says the match is on and they shake hands.

Overall thoughts: It was a good night of wrestling. Not the greatest ep storyline wise though and there's a lot of people who didn't make the show. Bron vs Frazer is a must see.