Tag: Dijak

On the final NXT episode of 2023, Eddy Thorpe and Dijak look to settle their rivalry.

Dijak and Thorpe are facing off in an NXT Underground match tonight. The two have been at war for months, including Thorpe recently costing Dijak the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. Their most recent match ended in a disqualification when Dijak used a turnbuckle and the ring ropes to attack Thorpe.

There will be no ropes tonight in the MMA-inspired NXT Underground match. It’s the second time the stipulation has ever been used. Thorpe defeated Damon Kemp in the first NXT Underground match this July.

Cora Jade, who made her return at Deadline, will be in action against Karmen Petrovic tonight.

There will also be a Heritage Cup Championship match with Josh Briggs challenging Noam Dar. Briggs has said that, even though Dar will have Meta-Four with him, Briggs needs to do this on his own and doesn’t want Brooks Jensen or Fallon Henley getting involved.

Plus, both semifinal matches in the Men’s Breakout Tournament will take place. Our coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Taped before a live studio audience from a sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando, the show opens with an “all of nothing” tag team match.

OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price with Scrypts) defeated Chase U (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)

The “all or nothings” stipulation relates to Chase U’s debt. If Chase U won this match, all of their debt would be wiped out. They lost, so their debt doubles, or something like that. This storyline where Saved by the Bell meets The Sopranos is a bit convoluted. 

NXT Tag Team Champions The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Stacks) watch from a perch overlooking the ring, as they have a stake in Chase U’s debt. 

Heat on Chase that leads to a hot tag. In comes Hudson like a house of fire. Scrypts jumps on the apron, and Hudson gives him a hip toss into the ring. With Hudson distracted with Scyrpts, Chase makes a bling tag. 

Chase assures Hudson, “I got this!” However, Chase did not. He eats a superkick from Price. Nima then tags in, and Price assists him in executing a tandem spinebuster. Nima then covers Chase for a three count. 

Hudson was noticeably upset with Chase after their loss.

The first winners of the NXT Year-End Awards are announced with very little fanfare, as a generic voiceover announces the winners. Tag Team of the Year is The Creed Brothers. Female Superstar of the Year is Tiffany Stratton. Male Superstar of the Year is Ilja Dragunov. Fan voting was supposed to determine who won the awards, but I am not sure if that is a shoot.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams meet up backstage, and they talk about the injury to NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov. Williams is thinking of postponing the match, but Hayes urges him to not to postpone. Hayes urges to take the shot, thus taking advantage of an injury to win the title.

Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar (with Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson & Oro Mensah) defeated Josh Briggs via disqualification to retain the trophy

Briggs gets DQ’d in the fourth round, and Dar is awarded the win. Although Dar had his Meta-Four entourage in his corner, Briggs in storyline was adamant that he do this alone without his pals. That decision likely cost him the match.

The match itself was pretty good, but just the audience is getting invested, it ends with a lame DQ. Could have done it in the second of third round, and saved us all that time.

Briggs dominated in the first round, but Dar was saved by the bell. Briggs was about to powerbomb Dar when the bell rings to end the round. 

Dar tries to counter with a triangle in the second round, but Briggs powers out. Briggs goes on to deliver a Western Lariat, and Briggs covers Dar for a pinfall to end round two in under 90 seconds.

Much of round three is during a split-screen commercial break, and Dar cuts off Briggs. The show returns from the break with 30 seconds remaining in the third round. Dar and Briggs are fighting on the apron, and Dar gives Briggs on DDT. Dar delivers a finisher on the floor to Briggs as the round ends.

Briggs bled from the nose and/or mouth. Briggs is on rubber legs as round four begins. Dar capitalizes with a fast paced attacks, but Briggs keeps kicking out of covers.

Briggs fires up with a big boot for a near fall. A moment later and Dar targets Briggs’ leg. Dar jumps off the top rope on the Briggs’ leg. Dar goes for an ankle lock, but Briggs escapes. 

Briggs levels Dar with a right hand, and Dar hits the mat like falling timber. As the referee goes to check on Dar, Legend jumps on the apron. She hits Briggs in the back of the head with a spit bucket, and Briggs crumples to the mat. Dar hooks a leg, but Briggs still kicked out. 

Jakara Jackson tries tossing Dar the bucket, but Briggs takes it away from Dar. Briggs hits Dar with the bucket in full view of the referee. The ref signals for a DQ, and Briggs loses the match as a DQ automatically ends the bout (instead of the score being 1-1).

Cora Jade defeated Karmen Petrovic

This match was set up after a dispute over a locker. Petrovic was upset at Jade for disrespecting her and stealing her locker. Petrovic got a lot of offense, but Jade cuts her off. Jade then delivers a double-arm DDT, and Jade covers Petrovic for a three count. 

Jade acts like she is going to pummel Petrovic more after the match, but Gigi Dolan runs down to make a save. Jade flees to fight another day.

Riley Osborne defeated in a semifinal match in the NXT Breakout Tournament

King was looking dominate when out comes Trey Bearhill. He was carrying a metal folding chair, and was seemingly out for revenge on King. King is distracted by the Bearhill, allowing Osborne to execute a shooting star press on King. Osborne then scores a pinfall on King. Osborne advances to the tournament final.

Bearhill, who looks similar to a larger, more angry Post Malone, attacks King after the match. In storyline, King took Bearhill’s spot in the tournament after attacking him. Now Bearhill is out for revenge. King is taking a beating, but he slithers out of the ring to escape a beatdown. 

More NXT Year-End Awards: Match of the Year is Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov at NXT No Mercy (September 30) and Moment of the Year is Undertaker arrives in NXT.

Ava, who is now an official spokesperson of NXT, tells reporter Kelly Kincaid that there is no update on the condition of NXT Champ Ilja Dragunov.

Bron Breakker defeated Nathan Frazier

Baron Corbin was scouting the match from a monitor backstage.

The story of the match was a variation of David vs. Goliath. Similar to the Dar-Briggs earlier in the show, the dynamic was at least different here as Goliath was a heel in this match (rather than the face in the earlier bout). It worked much better here, and this was arguably the best match on the show so far.

The match goes through a commercial break. Frazier is getting pummeled as the show returns from the break. He eventually makes a comeback, and Frazier does a dive through the ropes. Breakker is sent crashing into the ring steps. 

Frazier jumps off the top rope into the waiting arms of Breakker, and Breakker slams him hard. Breakker measures for a spear, but Frazier cuts him off with a superkick. Frazier goes for a Phoenix Splash, but Breakker moves. Frazier rolls through and is back on his feet. Not for long, as Breakker mows him down with spear. Breakker then hooks a leg for a three count.

Drew Gulak and the No Quarter Catch Crew cut promos on Dragon Lee and the LWO. By the way, “No Quarter Catch Crew” is a terrible name in my opinion, for whatever that is worth. Too many words in one name.

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs meet backstage, and the apparently agree to go their separate ways. They all want to go singles. Why can’t they be friends anymore? They at least say they love each other.

In a skit with Arianna Grace and Ava, Grace finds out Roxanne Perez is her opponent in a match next week at New Year’s Evil.

NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport sat down for a “face-to-face” segment. They bickered, argued and insulted each other. This was supposed to hype up their title match next week. Not sure it did that, but whatever. Their match should be good.

Oba Femi defeated Tavion Heights in a semifinal match in the NXT Breakout Tournament

Vic Joseph on commentary remarks that most people thought these two would meet in the finals, instead of the semifinals. That makes no sense if you know how brackets work.

They had a hoss fight in the match itself. Femi eventually executes a pop-up powerbomb, and Femi covers Heights for a pinfall. Femi advances to face Riley Osborne in the tournament final, which happens next week at New Year’s Evil.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov shows up wearing a neck brace. He tells Kelly Kincaid that he is looking for Trick Williams. 

Joe Gacy defeated Joe Coffey (with Mark Coffey & Wolfgang)

Gacy enters through the crowd like he is Raven on a episode of Nitro in ’97, minus all the fanfare. Last week he was under the ring like Hornswoggle. His gimmick make less sense to me as the weeks go by, but at least this match somewhat makes sense as Gacy cost Coffey a match on a previous episode. Plus, this was the battle of two guys named Joe.

Hank Walker & Tank Ledger run down to ringside during the match, and they brawl with Mark Coffey & Wolfgang. Meanwhile, Gacy with the Upside Down finisher, and Gacy covers Coffey for a pinfall. 

Eddy Thorpe defeated Dijak in an Underground match

Despite some silly things, this was otherwise a good match. Thorpe has good charisma. His face was painted for this match, giving him a modified look for this gimmick match. 

Of course, with the “Underground” setting, no ropes on a ring surrounded by what are essentially lumberjacks in pro wrestling parlance. Their main job was pounding on the mat, which gave the setting a Pit Fighter vibe. 

If they were supposed to act like lumberjacks in a lumberjack match, they failed miserably. That was a gimmick in early versions of the “Underground,” but Thorpe and Dijak brawled around ringside with no interference. Those at ringside parted like the Red Sea, as they allowed Dijak and Thorpe to keep brawling on the floor. Later, there would be a stunt at ringside.

At one point, Thorpe gives Dijak a German suplex. Diajk is suplexed out of the ring, but he (sort of) lands on his feet at ringside. Dijak then lifts Thorpe on his shoulder for the Feast Your Eyes finisher. Thorpe is laid out on the floor. 

For some reason, an angry Dijak rages on the lumberjacks. Dijak mows down several of them at ringside, but that allows Thorpe time to recover. Thorpe backdrops Dijak back into the ring. In the mean time, Dijak has wrapped his hand with a belt he used earlier in the match.

Thorpe blocks a punch with the wrapped hand, and Thorpe delivers an implant DDT referred to as “Manifest Destiny.” With a receipt from earlier in the match, Thorpe whips Dijak with the belt. Thorpe applies a sleeper, but Dijak rams Thorpe into a ring post to break the hold.

Thorpe counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana. Dijak takes a bump out of the ring, and he lands with a thud on the floor. Thorpe follows up with a flying elbow drop off the apron. Dijak takes another “Manifest Destiny” DDT, but this time Thorpe gives him the DDT on the floor. Dijak in a corny manner yells he will not give up.

Thorpe mounts Dijak and again applies the sleeper. Dijak tries to break the hold, and somehow Dijak manages to climb up a set of ring steps. The steps are conveniently set up beside the announce desk. They tease a Nestea Plunge through the desk, but Thorpe let go of the sleeper. Thorpe then does a DDT that sends him and Dijak crashing through the announce desk. Thorpe gets to his feet, but Dijak is unable to do the same. Thorpe is awarded the match.

The show closes with a contract signing with Trick Williams and Ilja Dragunov. They are backstage seating at a table across from each other. As he signs the contract, Williams says they can postpone the match. Dragunov responds by taking off his neck brace and saying nothing can stop him. Dragunov signs the contract and they have a stare down as the show fades to black.