Tag: drake maverick

Two matches added to NXT Great American Bash night two

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two new matches have been added to the lineup for night two of NXT’s Great American Bash.

WWE announced tonight that Mia Yim and Candice LeRae will face off in a street fight on night two of the Great American Bash next Wednesday. Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Drake Maverick & Breezango has also been announced for the show.

Mercedes Martinez is also set to be part of Great American Bash night two. WWE has recently been airing videos building up her return to NXT television.

Tegan Nox defeated Dakota Kai, Yim, and LeRae in a number one contender’s fatal four-way elimination match at Great American Bash night one tonight. Yim pinned LeRae to eliminate her during the match.

There was a segment later on tonight’s show where LeRae did an interview complaining about everyone ganging up on her in the four-way match. LeRae then attacked Yim backstage and they started brawling until being separated by officials.

Johnny Gargano also argued with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott after Scott tried to break up LeRae and Yim’s brawl.

Also on tonight’s NXT, Breezango made a save for Maverick after he interrupted Legado del Fantasma. Maverick was wearing a neck brace and it was his first appearance since the angle where Escobar put him through a table two weeks ago.

NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in a winner-take-all title vs. title match will headline Great American Bash night two next Wednesday. The show is going up against night two of AEW Fyter Fest.

WWE NXT video highlights: Interim Cruiserweight title tournament finals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The final episode of NXT before TakeOver: In Your House was headlined by the finals of WWE’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament.

El Hijo del Fantasma won the match and became interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion, but Drake Maverick has still been re-hired by WWE. The show ended with Triple H coming out to the stage and offering Maverick an NXT contract.

The mask kidnappers who have been appearing on NXT surrounded Fantasma near the end of the match but were taken out by a tope from Maverick and then fought off by him. Fantasma then capitalized on the distraction, hitting a superkick and the Phantom Driver to get the win when Maverick got back in the ring.

The final build to Sunday’s TakeOver special included Prime Target special features building up Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream for the NXT Championship and Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship. A new match was also added to the TakeOver card, with Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez being announced after a brawl between them.

That brawl happened after Yim vs. LeRae ended in a double countout on last night’s show. A mixed tag match between Yim & Keith Lee and LeRae & Johnny Gargano was then made. LeRae got the win by rolling up Yim, who was distracted after Gargano used his car keys to stab Lee in the eye. Lee is defending his NXT North American Championship against Gargano on Sunday.

More coverage from last night —

WWE NXT video highlights —

Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae

Keith Lee & Mia Yim vs. Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae

Karrion Kross will find out that there’s special — and then there’s Tommaso Ciampa

Dexter Lumis would rather draw than talk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thUm02Mm6GY

Prime Target: Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream

Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Tony Nese

Fandango returns from injury

Number one contender’s tag match: Breezango vs. Lorcan & Burch vs. Undisputed Era

Santana Garrett vs. Aliyah

Prime Target: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai

Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes

Karrion Kross sends a message to Tommaso Ciampa

Interim Cruiserweight title tournament finals: El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick

Triple H offers Drake Maverick an NXT contract

NXT fallout: Drake Maverick gets a standing ovation after the show

NXT fallout: Drake Maverick reacts to his bittersweet night

NXT fallout: Johnny Gargano found the “key” to victory against Keith Lee

NXT fallout: Dexter Lumis’ masterpiece

NXT fallout: Timothy Thatcher calls himself the most dangerous man in NXT

NXT fallout: Robert Stone is despondent after the past two weeks

Fantasma wins interim Cruiserweight title, Maverick re-hired by WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Drake Maverick didn’t win NXT’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament — but he’s still staying with WWE.

El Hijo del Fantasma defeated Maverick in the tournament finals on NXT tonight to become interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The finish of the match was Fantasma getting the win after Maverick was distracted by the masked kidnappers who have been appearing on NXT.

The mask men surrounded Fantasma at first but were taken out by a tope from Maverick and then fought off by him. When Maverick got back into the ring, Fantasma hit a superkick and the Phantom Driver to win the interim title.

Maverick was dejected after his loss but received an ovation from the Performance Center wrestlers who were in the crowd. Triple H came out to the stage, shook Maverick’s hand, and presented him with an NXT contract. An emotional Maverick then signed the contract.

Maverick was part of April’s WWE releases. His story for the tournament was that he was fighting to win so that he could save his job.

Dave Meltzer reported on the masked kidnappers storyline in April: “The kidnapping spots on NXT are to lead to the introduction of Jorge Bolly, or whatever name El Hijo del Fantasma will go by. It’s the Simbianese Liberation Army storyline where the captives sympathize with their captors and Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde become his Patty Hearsts.”

Ireland’s Jordan Devlin is the current NXT Cruiserweight Champion but is currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic. The interim label for Fantasma’s Cruiserweight title wasn’t mentioned on NXT tonight.

Interim NXT Cruiserweight title tournament finals set for next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Drake Maverick is going to the finals of NXT’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament.

Maverick and El Hijo del Fantasma will face off in the finals of the tournament on next Wednesday’s episode of NXT. That was confirmed when Maverick defeated Kushida and Jake Atlas in a triple threat match on NXT tonight.

The story for Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Atlas was that it had a controversial finish. As Kushida had Atlas in a cross armbreaker at the end of the match, Maverick put his arm across Atlas and the referee counted to three. It was shown that Atlas had actually tapped out before the referee finished counting, but it was said that the referee’s decision is final.

Maverick did an interview after that was revealed and said he wanted to compete fairly. He offered to have another match, but Kushida told him to fight for the title and win. Maverick said he has all the respect in the world for Kushida and told Kushida he’ll have the first shot at the title when Maverick wins the tournament.

Maverick was part of last month’s WWE releases. He’s had an underdog story for the tournament, trying to win to save his job.

Tonight’s triple threat match was made after Maverick, Kushida, and Atlas were tied at the end of Group A action. Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa last week to win Group B.

Maverick and Fantasma shook hands after Maverick’s win tonight. Maverick told Fantasma that it’s more than winning the title for him, it’s his life and his job.

Jordan Devlin is the NXT Cruiserweight Champion, but he’s currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cruiserweight tiebreaker match announced for NXT next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With a three-way tie in Group A, a triple threat match on next week’s NXT will decide who advances to the interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament finals.

WWE has announced that Kushida, Drake Maverick, and Jake Atlas will face off in a triple threat match on NXT next Wednesday. The winner will advance to face El Hijo del Fantasma in the finals of the tournament.

Maverick defeated Kushida in their Group A match on tonight’s NXT. Kushida focused on Maverick’s arm throughout, but the finish was him going for an armbar and Maverick reversing it into a pin. Atlas watched the match from ringside and rooted for Maverick.

If Kushida won, he would have advanced to the finals. With Maverick winning, Kushida, Maverick, and Atlas all have 2-1 records. Kushida’s wins were against Atlas and Tony Nese, Maverick’s wins were against Kushida and Nese, and Atlas’ wins were against Maverick and Nese.

Maverick’s story for the tournament has focused on him trying to save his job after being released from WWE.

El Hijo del Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa on NXT tonight to advance to the tournament finals from Group B. WWE hasn’t announced when the finals will be taking place.

Jordan Devlin is the NXT Cruiserweight Champion but is currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher will also face off in a cage fight on next week’s NXT.

Three interim Cruiserweight title tournament matches set for NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Three interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament matches are taking place on NXT next Wednesday.

WWE has announced that Kushida vs. Tony Nese, Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas, and El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Jack Gallagher are set for next week’s episode of NXT. Kushida vs. Nese and Maverick vs. Atlas are Group A tournament matches, while Fantasma vs. Gallagher is a Group B match.

In an emotional video he posted earlier, Maverick said he’ll still be in the interim title tournament despite being released by WWE today.

This will be the first time Fantasma has wrestled on NXT television. A video hyping his debut aired tonight.

The tournament kicked off with Akira Tozawa defeating Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in a Group B match on tonight’s NXT.

Everyone in the tournament will face the other wrestlers in their group one time. The wrestler with the best record in Group A will then face the wrestler with the best record in Group B in the finals.

Any ties will be broken by head-to-head record.

Jordan Devlin is the NXT Cruiserweight Champion but is currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Maverick vs. Kanellis ‘unsanctioned’ match set for WWE 205 Live

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An “unsanctioned” match is set for next week’s 205 Live.

On last night’s episode, it was announced that Drake Maverick vs. Mike Kanellis will take place on 205 Live next Tuesday and will have an unsanctioned stipulation.

If Kanellis wins, he’ll get a shot at the Cruiserweight Championship. Drew Gulak currently holds the title. He defeated NXT’s Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (Shane Strickland) in a non-title match in the main event of last night’s 205 Live.

Maverick vs. Kanellis was set up by an angle last week. Maverick attacked Kanellis after he insulted Maverick’s wife Renee Michelle.

Akira Tozawa & Brian Kendrick also accepted a challenge from The Singh Brothers for a match on 205 Live next week.

The FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee is hosting next Tuesday’s SmackDown and 205 Live. WWE appears to have set up that Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) will face Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville in a non-title match on SmackDown. Rose hyped that she and Deville would deserve a title shot if they win.

Royce & Kay got themselves counted out in a title defense against Asuka & Kairi Sane on SmackDown last week. Asuka & Sane then laid out Royce & Kay.

Drake Maverick wins WWE 24/7 title on Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Drake Maverick ended this week’s Raw as the current WWE 24/7 Champion.

Maverick hit R-Truth with a suitcase backstage while his back was turned and pinned him to win the 24/7 Championship. This is Maverick’s second reign with the title. He won it from R-Truth on the June 18 episode of SmackDown, then Truth won it back at Maverick’s wedding.

The storyline for tonight was that Maverick and his wife Renee Michelle were at Raw ahead of their honeymoon, and she told him that he had to choose between her or the 24/7 title. Later in the show, Maverick told Michelle that he was going to make sure their honeymoon is great. She went to freshen up, and Maverick pinned Truth to win the title.

When Michelle came back, Maverick said they were going to get to do their honeymoon properly now that he’s 24/7 Champion.

Michelle was a participant in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She lost to Candice LeRae in their first round match.

VIDEO: R-Truth wins 24/7 title at Drake Maverick’s wedding

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After a title change that was filmed on his wedding day, Drake Maverick is no longer WWE 24/7 Champion.

WWE uploaded a video this morning where R-Truth pinned Maverick to regain the 24/7 title. In the video, Maverick (who was wearing the 24/7 title belt) and Renee Michelle were walking back down the aisle after their wedding. A referee appeared in front of Maverick, with Truth rolling Maverick up from behind to win the title. Maverick then chased after Truth.

Maverick had won the title from R-Truth on this week’s episode of SmackDown. He disguised himself as Carmella and pinned Truth outside of the building to win the title.

This is R-Truth’s sixth reign with the 24/7 Championship.

Maverick and Michelle were married on Thursday. Michelle took part in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, losing to Candice LeRae in the first round.

Video of the title change is available to watch below:

SmackDown off-air notes: Maverick manages EC3, Owens vs. Zayn

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A former TNA Wrestling duo was reunited in a dark match prior to last night’s SmackDown in Brooklyn, New York.

Before SmackDown’s post-WrestleMania episode got underway, Luke Harper defeated EC3 in a dark match. EC3 was accompanied by Drake Maverick, who was formerly known as Rockstar Spud in TNA. They were both allies and rivals together during their time in the promotion.

Dixie Carter tweeted about the pairing: “What a fantastic, ‘original’ idea!! Those two are [money] together…. @therealec3 @WWEMaverick #SDLive @wwe”

EC3 should officially be assigned to a brand in next week’s Superstar Shakeup. Maverick is the on-screen general manager of 205 Live and managed AOP on Raw prior to Akam being out of action with a knee injury. Maverick has accompanied Rezar during matches on Main Event since then.

Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn in the dark match after last night’s 205 Live. Pat Laprade wrote about the match: “Sami tried to convince Kevin not to fight him. It worked. But he then insulted him. So KO came back and said since both were off Mania, they should be ready for a match. KO did a stunner right off the bat for the quick win. He then did two more stunners, well, just for fun!”

WWE announces 205 Live tournament for WrestleMania title shot

Posted on by Bryan Rose

An eight man tournament has been announced on 205 Live, where the winner will face Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight title at WrestleMania 35.

205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick made the announcement tonight at the start of 205 Live. The tournament will be an eight man, single elimination tournament that will take place over the next six weeks leading to WrestleMania. Two matches were then announced for tonight, with Humberto Carrillo facing TJP and Cedric Alexander taking on Mike Kanellis. Maverick said that these matches would have big implications heading into the tournament, which starts next week.

A similar tournament took place last year to determine a new Cruiserweight champion after Enzo Amore was stripped of the championship and released from the company. Cedric Alexander ended up winning the title, defeating Mustafa Ali in the finals at WrestleMania 34.

Buddy Murphy defeated Akira Tozawa at the Elimination Chamber pre-show this past weekend to successfully retain the title.

New Tag Team Champions crowned on WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New Raw tag team champions were crowned tonight.

The team of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode defeated the Authors of Pain and Drake Maverick in a 3-on-2 handicap match tonight to win the titles for the first time. The Authors of Pain held the titles for 35 days.

The AOP had the match won, as Roode and Gable were laid out following the super collider. Gable tried to fight back, but was laid out once again. Drake Maverick wanted to score the win for his team, so the AOP tagged him out and celebrated on the outside. Maverick did Bobby Roode’s pose, but Roode caught him off guard with a crucifix and picked up the win and the titles.

The AOP defeated Seth Rollins for the titles in what essentially was a handicap match back on November 5. Since then, they have been feuding with Roode and Gable. Last week on Raw, They defeated Bobby Roode in an impromptu 3-on-1 handicap match after the AOP destroyed Chad Gable backstage, then were inserted into the match by acting General Manager Baron Corbin.